Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Good morning.
[00:00:06] That senior care ministry actually goes on the second, fourth Sundays of each month.
[00:00:12] And so like Bruce said, if you want to join us, you'll end up being more blessed than actually the people that we serve because it's just a, it's a treat. It really is. And speaking of a treat, I just want to praise you guys for a second.
[00:00:27] The amazing amount of things that we did as a small church during the between Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays were just incredible. And the way that you guys gave and served and sacrificed is just. And the amount of number of people that we touched is just such a blessing to be your pastor, to be your community outreach and missions pastor. And I'm going to get a report out early this next week to let you know all that God did. So thank you. Thank you very much.
[00:00:57] Title this morning's message is the Supremacy of Christ. And we're going to be looking at a main text in Colossians 1, 1520. And I just thought, you know, the final Sunday of 2024, there is no better subject matter to end the year and to enter into the new year than focusing on Jesus. And so that's what we're going to do this morning. The big idea this morning in this brief text, we're going to attempt to answer the three most basic and fundamental questions of life. Actually, two questions that come forth after we answer the first one, which is who is Jesus? Because when you know him, the next two questions are answered. Who am I and why am I here? To give you a little background before we get into that text, this letter of the Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul while his during his first imprisonment in Rome, where he was under house arrest for two years.
[00:01:46] Paul, the man who once imprisoned and sanctioned the death of Christians for their faith in Christ, now sits under house arrest for preaching his faith in Christ. That's kind of ironic. He received news from a man named Epaphras about the great things that were happening in the church in Colossae, which would be considered present day Turkey. And scholars determine the date of this letter to be sometime between 60 to 62 AD. And that's very important to understand because that's less than 30 years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, which means there were still plenty of people alive who were witnesses that Jesus had left the tomb and rose from the dead. Paul himself proclaimed he encountered the risen Jesus while traveling on the road to Damascus. While he was actually on his mission to round up Christians and put them in jail, an encounter with the risen Jesus radically changed his life from being an angry, hateful, legalistic persecutor of Christians, removing fathers from their homes and mothers from fathers and parents from their children, having them imprisoned and even sanctioned and applauding their death. A man who believed in the depths of his heart that he did these things to Christians actually to please God.
[00:02:55] Now, as he writes, he's radically transformed man who, through salvation in Christ, became one of the foremost proclaimers of the Gospel, leading many to faith in him, planting as many as 14 churches throughout the Middle east and parts of Europe and writing the majority of what we now know is the New Testament. And I love this about our God because He proves over and over that none of us are beyond his transforming love. There's not an unforgivable sin when it comes to him, and none of us are beyond making a significant and eternal difference in the lives of others.
[00:03:27] One of the greatest pieces of evidence of the fact that Jesus really did rise from the dead is that many of his followers who said they were eyewitnesses to his death and resurrection were willing to go to a martyr's death to recant their faith in a risen Savior.
[00:03:42] Imagine this for yourself for a moment that you've been in prison, and they are saying that now you must stand before the entire city.
[00:03:53] We want you to stand before the entire city and proclaim in a loud voice that what you were teaching about Jesus rising from the dead was a lie, and we will let you live.
[00:04:04] Imagine that for yourself.
[00:04:07] True followers of Jesus refused to recant and went to a martyr's death.
[00:04:12] You see, we know self preservation is one of the highest motivations of every human being, and no one would willingly go to a painful death to perpetuate a lie.
[00:04:24] I want to set the stage for you by taking a brief recap of the first 14 verses of Colossians before we get into the main text. So Paul begins his letter by telling the Christians in Colossae that he is so thankful to God for the things that he is hearing about in the church, their amazing faith in Christ, the deep love they have for one another, and how he's heard that the Gospel is growing and bearing fruit throughout the entire world.
[00:04:49] And in verse nine, he writes, for this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. And he wants them to know that he labors faithfully, day in and day out, praying for the church.
[00:05:01] Then Paul reminds him of the glorious work of redemption that is theirs in Christ. In verses 12 through 14, he says, giving thanks to The Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light, for he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
[00:05:21] He says, the Father has qualified you through the sun.
[00:05:27] And whether today you are a plumber or a computer programmer, an electrician or in corporate management, whether you're an investment advisor, an accountant, a real estate agent, a pilot, a doctor, a teacher, a nurse, a lawyer, even a pastor, you have studied, trained and gained. What has made you qualified to work in your specific field?
[00:05:49] You earn that qualification through training and hard work. But what Paul is referring to here, what God has qualified them for, has nothing at all to do with their work or earning it.
[00:06:02] This is not something they've earned, but is what Christ has earned for them and is farther reaching in its scope and impact than any qualification that any of us have earned in this life.
[00:06:13] What is it that God has qualified them for and how did they receive this qualification?
[00:06:20] God has qualified every believer in Christ to receive an eternal inheritance that that the Scriptures proclaim cannot spoil fate or perish. And this inheritance is kept and preserved by God in heaven for you.
[00:06:31] Through faith in Christ, you're guaranteed an everlasting relationship with God, a place in his heavenly kingdom and rewards for how you've lived in this life. And all of this is promised and secured by God Himself.
[00:06:45] Paul says you've been qualified for the kingdom of light. That's because God is light. In him there is no darkness at all. In him there's no evil, there's no sin. He is absolutely holy. He's perfectly pure and righteous and just. And nothing impure or sinful can ever enter into his presence or into his kingdom.
[00:07:05] Believer in Christ, you've been qualified to live forever in a place where there is no darkness, there is no sin, there's no sickness, no disease, decay or death. There's no conflict, there's no war, there's no crying, suffering, pain or loss.
[00:07:18] It's a place of perfect and never ending love and peace and joy and contentment, fulfillment, friendship, exploration and adventure. I mean, wow, this is the future God has planned and is waiting for you.
[00:07:32] And my friend, you will forever live in the glorious presence of this wonderful God who loves you so dearly and longs to be with you.
[00:07:44] Paul says, for he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. And that's caused me to think of, you know, some of the spectacular rescues that went on during 9 11.
[00:07:58] The word rescue that Paul uses here reminded me of one in particular, and I want to share that with you.
[00:08:05] Al Broca, a Staten island native, a New Jersey resident, was a loving father and a man who absolutely loved lighthouses. He traveled around the country to see, climb and photograph as many as he could.
[00:08:18] On September 11, 2001, as the world Trade center burned after being struck by two hijacked planes, 54 year old Al Broca became a lighthouse to those stuck in the burning towers with him, a corporate bond broker and a vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald. His office was located on the 100th floor of Tower One, not too many stories above where the first plane exploded. The flames and billowing smoke below made escape impossible. But Al Braca wanted to help desperate people know how they could be saved.
[00:08:49] Cell phone calls and messages from victims to their spouses and family later revealed that he led approximately 50 co workers in prayer in those final moments. Braca was no longer a vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald.
[00:09:03] He became what some at the company had previously and sarcastically nicknamed him, Rev.
[00:09:09] He undertook the most important rescue of all. He couldn't find a way to lead them to physical safety. There was no path to descend. So he led them to eternal safety as many of the co workers prayed with him to receive Christ that day.
[00:09:26] That word rescue means to come to a person's aid in time of danger and distress.
[00:09:32] It means to deliver, redeem, ransom, or take out of one harmful and destructive place and put them in a place where that person is safe and secure.
[00:09:42] Paul's reminding Christians in colossae of the gospel by which they've been saved. You see, salvation literally means to be saved from something horrible unto something wonderful.
[00:09:54] Paul's use of the word rescue would be meaningless if you could earn it.
[00:09:59] You can only be rescued by one who is capable of accomplishing it. To be rescued means you are in dire straits, unable to save yourself.
[00:10:09] Believer in Christ. Just as the co workers of Al Braca were eternally rescued on 9 11. You've been rescued from the dominion of everlasting darkness, a destiny absent of God's presence. Utter aloneness where there's no love, peace, joy or happiness and no relief, relief or comfort from your distress.
[00:10:28] Through your faith in Christ, you've been brought into the kingdom of the Son he loves. You've been set free. You have been approved, accepted and adopted by another ruler, a benevolent king who has invited you to live with him forever.
[00:10:41] That eternal life is a relationship with God that begins the moment of your rescue and these truths alone should lead us to lives of joy and thankfulness. Regardless of what's going on in our lives.
[00:10:58] It's in Christ and because of him that Paul says, you have redemption. You've been redeemed. You've been bought at a costly price to God, a price paid by the very Son of God who went to a cross, the perfect sinless lamb, who willingly took the punishment for your sin, who paid the price, who took the death sentence you deserved for your rejection and rebellion against God.
[00:11:20] You see, our sin can't go unpunished.
[00:11:24] God's holy justice demands that someone pay for the sin.
[00:11:29] But instead of demanding you and I to be punished, Jesus stepped in and took our place.
[00:11:35] He took the punishment that we deserve.
[00:11:39] And for those who have saving faith in Christ, God's wrath for your sin, it's been completely satisfied.
[00:11:47] That's why in Romans 1:8:1, Paul says, there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
[00:11:56] Paul proceeds to remind them that in Christ they have also been forgiven of their sin.
[00:12:01] You see, for those who believe in Christ, your sin debt has been canceled. It's by the shed blood of Christ that you have been forgiven.
[00:12:10] Paul's reminding the Colossians what the finished work of Christ on the cross means for them, what he accomplished in that they have been freed from the penalty of sin. They've been freed from the power of sin over their lives, and they've been freed from a future, from the presence of sin in his heavenly kingdom.
[00:12:26] Paul, after reminding them of their secure salvation in Christ, now wants the Christians in Colossae to be not mistaken about who Jesus true identity is.
[00:12:38] And there may not be a more beautiful and profound passage of Scripture in the entire Bible than Colossians 1, 15, 20.
[00:12:47] Why would Paul believe it's necessary now for the Colossians to more fully understand who Jesus is?
[00:12:52] I mean, he received reports they appeared to be solid in their faith. They were growing in their faith. He had heard that there was fruit being born through their faith.
[00:13:01] But see, the issue was that they were still young in their faith.
[00:13:06] While Paul had never visited the Christians in the Church of Colossi, and he had heard wonderful things that were happening in and through the Church. He was also made aware of some problems, problems that could prove to reduce insecurity and doubt about who Christ is and about their faith in Christ.
[00:13:25] What were these problems? What were these threats to their faith?
[00:13:29] Well, there were false teachers who had come in and caused doubts to the Christians. There about what they about their pure faith in Jesus.
[00:13:37] And it was a threefold threat.
[00:13:41] The first one was that they were teaching that Jesus is less than God.
[00:13:45] You see, the deity of Christ was under attack.
[00:13:48] These heretics were teaching that Jesus was just one of many angelic emanations of God worthy of worship. And this is why Paul is about to give them a theological lesson as to the person of Christ.
[00:14:01] Chapter two, verse 18, he says, do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. You see, they were worshiping angels and included Jesus as one of them.
[00:14:13] The second threat was the Colossians still were told they had to observe certain Jewish laws and customs to be acceptable to God.
[00:14:20] That salvation was not by grace alone through Christ, but that only God's grace and observance of the law saved you. In the end, they were teaching that Christ was not sufficient for salvation. It was Christ plus obeying the law, Christ plus your good works.
[00:14:36] And this is the same false teaching that exists in many churches today.
[00:14:40] I love what Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians about this. In Galatians 2:21, he says, I do not set aside the gift of God's grace, for if righteousness could be gained by your obedience to the law, then Christ died for nothing. He's saying, if you could get right standing with God in any other way than the grace of God, that you think you could do it by your good works and trying to be a good person and not doing bad things and going to church and reading your Bible and praying and give to the poor whatever's on your list.
[00:15:10] He's basically saying that that means that the crucifixion was meaningless.
[00:15:15] It was worthless for Christ to even die on the cross if you in any way could earn it your own, through your own works.
[00:15:27] When Jesus uttered the words, that is finished, as he hung on the cross, just before he took his final breath, he was declaring that the work of redemption was complete and nothing was needed to be added.
[00:15:38] There was one more heresy that they were teaching, one more threat.
[00:15:42] And they were teaching there was a secret knowledge apart from the teachings of Christ, attainable only to a select few people in faith.
[00:15:50] It was a secret knowledge, hidden mysteries that were the key to salvation. And only a select few could unlock those mysteries and pass them on.
[00:15:58] And this reminded me of the book the Da Vinci Code. And some of you may be too young to remember the excitement that surrounded that book. And then the movie. The book was published in March 2003, almost 22 years ago, it depicted Jesus and Mary Magdalene as a married couple who had a bloodline which was protected by secret society.
[00:16:20] The Holy Grail was not a physical object, but referred to Mary Magdalene herself as the bloodline of Jesus.
[00:16:28] Leonardo da Vinci's paintings contain cryptic symbols and codes that reveal the secret lineage and why he included Mary Magdalene in his depiction of the Last Supper. And there were 80 million copies of this book that were sold.
[00:16:42] People treated it as having authority on par with the Bible. And it's amazing how many people will search everywhere except the Bible for answers to God and the meaning of life.
[00:16:52] I remember meeting with someone during that time when the book had first come out. And he was an attender of the church that I was pastoring who was seriously influenced to believe what was written in the book.
[00:17:05] And so we sat down together and he was sharing with me, speaking as the book was historically accurate and that its teachings were credible and he was treating it as gospel truth.
[00:17:16] And I paused and I asked him, you do realize that this book is fiction, right? And that actually contradicts the Bible.
[00:17:25] And he was shocked and slightly embarrassed. And so we dove into that and the teachings of that book and I showed him how they actually contradicted what the very Bible said. But you know, there are still prevalent schemes of the devil today.
[00:17:41] He continues to work overtime, influencing people through false teachers and prophets to discount the Bible, to search for after some extra secret knowledge, mysteries that can be uncovered within yourself, attempting to lead professing Christians away from the Bible as their source of truth and away from the community of Christians within the church.
[00:17:59] In the Satan's schemes, there's nothing new under the sun.
[00:18:04] In our main text this morning we're about to look at the doctrine of the person of Jesus Christ, which is spoken of with greater precision and fullness than in any of Paul's other epistles.
[00:18:15] And in this brief text, you're going to find answers to two of the most basic and fundamental questions of life that are intimately connected to the answer to the very first one. As I said in the introduction, we're going to answer the question, who is Jesus? You know, because to know him is going to answer these other two questions. Who am I?
[00:18:32] What is my true identity? And why am I here? Why do I exist? Why did God place me on this earth? For what purpose?
[00:18:41] Everyone is searching for the meaning of life to understand why do I exist? Why am I here? What is life really about?
[00:18:51] And you see, my story is that I grew up in the Catholic church.
[00:18:56] And while I can look back and be thankful that I was taught that God existed and that he created all things and that Jesus died on a cross As a 15 year old, I felt lost.
[00:19:07] I felt as if God was distant and aloof and harsh and waiting to scold me or punish me when I messed up.
[00:19:14] And I now understand that what we can tend to do is transpose the traits of our human father on how we see God.
[00:19:23] I saw God as distant, aloof, uncaring, harsh and strict because that's how my dad was.
[00:19:30] And dad, you really do have that kind of impact and influence over your kids and their concept of God.
[00:19:38] I didn't feel as if my religious upbringing was getting me any closer to God. So I stopped going to church altogether and I chose instead to try to fill the inner void and emptiness with a combination of sports and girls and alcohol and drugs.
[00:19:50] I can remember walking through the college halls in my mind thinking, is this all that life is about?
[00:19:56] You go to college, you get your degree, you find a good job, you find a good woman, you get married, you buy a house, you have kids, you raise kids, you kick the kids out of the house, you try to build a nest egg, you retire, you have a few years of leisure, fun and travel, and then you d Is that really all that life is meant to be about?
[00:20:17] I mean, I really literally had this conversation in my mind as I walked the halls of college over and over again.
[00:20:24] Is this really why I exist?
[00:20:27] It felt as if I was missing something important.
[00:20:30] Nothing in the world or in what I pursued up to that point, satisfied for very long, and certainly didn't fill the void that was inside. I was experiencing academic success, I was experiencing athletic success, I had a girlfriend, usually on my arm. But none of that. While it was fleeting happiness and fulfillment, it never lasted.
[00:20:51] I came to understand that only Christ could fill that void.
[00:20:56] Blaise Pascal, a 17th century mathematician and physicist, says, there's a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man that cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.
[00:21:10] And Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, a philosopher, theologian, prolific writer and preacher, says, thou has made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in thee.
[00:21:25] I lived with this internal conflict for 23 years, and especially the last 8 years until I was 23 years old when Christ revealed himself to me through man on TV sharing the gospel. And in that moment, Christ drew me to himself and he saved me.
[00:21:44] And in that moment Immediately that void was filled and I had a peace like I had never understood before, never experienced before.
[00:21:58] It's time to take a close look at what Paul reveals as to who Jesus is. So turn in your Bibles with me to Colossians 1:15 20 subtitled In My Bible, the supremacy of Christ. That's the reason for the title. This morning before we dive in, pray with me, Heavenly Father. We just want to continue to worship you this morning and fix our eyes on you and Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith.
[00:22:31] And as we look and take a look at Paul's writings, who we know we're Holy Spirit inspired Lord, we want to ask that you would help us to allow these truths to really invade our hearts and to invade our minds and our very personhood and how we see ourselves and how we see the purpose in life and how we see our world for the reason who we are and why we exist.
[00:22:54] I pray that the name of Jesus would be exalted and lifted up in this place for these next few moments. They would actually make a difference in how we live for him, serve him, love him and worship him with our lives. In your name Jesus, I pray. Amen. Let's go ahead and read Colossians 1:15 20.
[00:23:14] He's the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him. And for Him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
[00:23:33] He is also the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
[00:23:42] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him, to reconcile everything to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.
[00:23:56] HB Charles Jr. States, what Paul has to say here can be summed up in seven words. Christianity is Christ and Christ is God.
[00:24:06] So Paul begins in verse 15 by declaring Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
[00:24:12] The Scriptures proclaim that the only true God is invisible.
[00:24:16] John 4:24 says that God is Spirit. And in 1 Timothy 1:17, Paul writes, the King is eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God.
[00:24:28] Paul affirms here that Jesus, God in human flesh is the visible image of God. So what he's telling us. If you desire to know what God is like, look more closely at Jesus.
[00:24:41] As our study in H.B. charles Jr. Was recalling the story in John 14, when Jesus was in the upper room with the disciples shortly before he would be arrested and go to the cross.
[00:24:52] And Philip says to Jesus, in effect, jesus, we've heard a whole lot of Father talk from you, but show us the Father and we'll be satisfied.
[00:25:03] And Jesus in essence, in reply, says Philip, you're asking an elementary school question on college graduation day.
[00:25:11] How can you have been with me all this time and not know who I am, what you're looking for? You're looking at whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
[00:25:25] Paul goes on in his letter to the Colossians, jesus is the firstborn over all creation.
[00:25:31] And the Jehovah's Witnesses and other cults misuse this text to claim that Jesus was the first being created by God.
[00:25:39] But if Paul was making that claim here, he'd actually be agreeing with the false teachers he's writing to the Colossians to refute.
[00:25:46] Soon we'll see that Paul proclaims not that Jesus was created, but that he is the Creator.
[00:25:54] If Paul is now referring to Christ as the first created being, what is he saying?
[00:25:59] He's using the word firstborn in speaking up. First in rank.
[00:26:04] Just as the firstborn son of a Jewish family in the biblical world had certain rights and inheritance privileges, so Christ has been given certain rights and privileges in relation to creation. He's been given priority, preeminence and sovereignty. Overall, all authority and power in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus. He reigns over all creation. He rules over all creation. He is in control of all things involving creation. And this includes your life and your circumstances.
[00:26:37] He's not a created being. He is the eternal God who is exalted over all that he has made.
[00:26:45] Let's Read again verses 16 and 17.
[00:26:49] For by him all things are created things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by him and for Him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
[00:27:05] Through Paul's words, he wants us to understand that there is absolutely nothing visible or invisible that was not created by Jesus.
[00:27:15] Here, Paul speaks to not only a hierarchy of angels, but he makes sure they understand that Jesus isn't one of them. He created them.
[00:27:25] This is huge.
[00:27:27] Paul reveals the threefold relationship Christ has with creation. Right here he says, the world was created by Jesus. The world was created for Jesus. The world is sustained by Jesus.
[00:27:42] Let's take a closer look at each one.
[00:27:45] First, he says that the world was Created by Jesus.
[00:27:49] In Genesis 1:1:3 it says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, let there be Jesus, known as the Word of God, spoke all things into existence from nothing. The biblical account of the universe beginning state that the Word created the light which was separated from the darkness, created the water and divided it into the sky. From the sky and the seas created dry ground, the expanse of land. As he gathered the waters together, he created plant life and seed bearing plants good for food. He created the sun, the moon and the stars to separate day from night.
[00:28:32] He created life that existed in the seas and animals that roamed the earth. And upon each creative act he declared it to be good. And what it means is by good that it was perfect, that it was sinless, that it had no evil, there was no disease, decay or death, you see, because man had not yet fallen. And that was God's original intentions for everything sinless perfection and beauty.
[00:28:58] To live with him in such an environment forever.
[00:29:04] God first creates the entire universe and one planet, prepared for the crowning touch of all that he has made. He makes the planet, he fills the planet. That he made the first human beings, Adam and Eve, to live in a relationship with him on the planet.
[00:29:20] And I find it very interesting that scientists have said in their view of evolutionary development, that it appears that the planet knew we were coming. Go figure.
[00:29:29] All they would have to do is read Genesis 1 and 2 and they would understood that Paul states that all things were created by him and for Him.
[00:29:41] Everything you need to know about yourself is found in these words.
[00:29:47] The two existential questions about life are answered right here. Who am I and why am I here? Paul's words speak to your identity and your purpose. You have been made by Jesus. Genesis 1:26 and 27.
[00:30:02] And God said, let us make man in our image and our likeness, and let him rule over all we have made. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him. Male and female, he created them.
[00:30:14] What God is telling you is that you have been made, made with the imprint of God on your life.
[00:30:21] If we evolved from a single celled organism in a primordial soup, human beings would have no more value than a snail, a humpback whale, a spotted owl or a tree in the rainforest.
[00:30:33] But if we have been created in the image of God with His imprint upon our lives, made with such characteristics as knowledge and wisdom and conscience and aspects of his righteousness and holiness. And we alone have been made all of his creation to be in relationship with him, to no one be known to love and be loved. Then every single human being that has ever walked the face of the earth has been given great value and worth by their Creator.
[00:30:57] Every human being is worthy of honor and respect, even though that image is often tainted by sin.
[00:31:05] Life from the womb to the tomb is to be treated with value, dignity, honor and respect because it is all a reflection of the image of God.
[00:31:16] This is who God declares you to be.
[00:31:21] Your identity is not determined by your looks, your gifts, talents or skills. Not by your knowledge, nor your wisdom, not by your career, your money, your possessions, position or power. It's not determined by your race, your gender, your age, nor your health or disabilities determine who you are, not your marital status or size of your family, neither your success, no recognition, no award, no sin, mistake, failure, regret, rejection, betrayal, no amount of shame can ever change who God declares you to be.
[00:31:53] Hear this.
[00:31:55] Allow this to sink into your heart. God declares, you have been made in My image and that gives you great value and worth. No matter how you feel about yourself. He says, you are valuable to me. You have great worth to me.
[00:32:16] Do you know what's the biggest reason why it's misguided to place your identity in the things that God has created?
[00:32:24] Because not one of them is permanent.
[00:32:27] Each and everything on that list, every person, place, pursuit or possession can be and one day will either change or be lost or die.
[00:32:41] That's why so many people who retire totally lose their identity because they're not working anymore and they always had their identity tied into what they did.
[00:32:55] But being made in his image, it's his permanent imprint upon you. You have been made to be in relationship with God.
[00:33:07] Isn't that incredible?
[00:33:10] Wrap yourself in this truth right now as if God Himself was wrapping his arms around you and putting a warm blanket around you and demonstration of his love, care and desire for you.
[00:33:24] The second thing Paul says here is the world was created for Jesus.
[00:33:30] Not only was the world created for Jesus, but you were created for Jesus.
[00:33:35] Paul just spoke of your identity and now he's revealing your life purpose.
[00:33:40] Westminster Confession says the purpose of man is to worship God and enjoy him forever.
[00:33:45] You see, you were created for Jesus. You were created for a relationship with the living God, to have a friendship with God, to walk through life with God, to understand his will and his ways, to worship him, to obey him, to live for Him. The purpose of your life is to know, love and serve God.
[00:34:03] You were created for him.
[00:34:09] And then Paul goes on third thing and says, the world is sustained by Jesus.
[00:34:14] In verse 17, he says, he is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
[00:34:21] And first of all, what does he mean by saying that he is before all things?
[00:34:26] Well, I was reminded of the debate the Jews were having with Jesus about who he was and why he was there. And in John 8, 56, 59, Jesus said, you, father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad.
[00:34:40] The Jews replied, you aren't 50 years old yet and you've seen Abraham.
[00:34:44] Jesus said to them, truly, I tell you, before Abraham was I am.
[00:34:49] So the Jews picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple. Why the stones?
[00:34:56] Why did they pick up stones? With a desire to stone him to death.
[00:35:02] They understood what he was claiming, that he was the eternal God, which in their minds, by Jewish law was deserving of being stoned to death. A mere man claiming to be God. What blasphemy. He deserves death.
[00:35:17] Well, you see, Paul's claiming the same thing. When he says jesus is before all things.
[00:35:22] He's telling us Jesus is the eternal God, the one with no beginning and no end.
[00:35:28] And he says, by him, all things hold together.
[00:35:33] You know, scientists state that there are over 100 variables that must remain constant for life to exist on Earth. Over 100 things must remain constant for life to be able to still exist on Earth.
[00:35:52] That can be kind of scary if you don't believe in and trust God.
[00:36:00] You know, I've been reading a book titled I Don't have Enough Faith to be an Atheist.
[00:36:07] And they list a number of these constants that the scientists have revealed that must remain constant in order for life to exist. And I want to share a few of them with you.
[00:36:17] The oxygen level on Earth comprises 21% of the atmosphere. If it was 25%, fires would spontaneously erupt all over the planet. If it were 15%, humans would suffocate 71% of the planet Earth's surface is covered by water, which is essential for life as it acts as a solvent for vital chemical reactions within organisms, regulates body temperature, and is a key component of all living cells.
[00:36:44] We need that much water in order for life to continue to exist.
[00:36:50] Besides, transparency of the Earth's atmosphere, if less transparent, not enough solar radiation would reach the planet's surface. If more transparent, human beings would have no protection from the sun, for there would be far Too much solar radiation. You think you've felt a sunburn before?
[00:37:08] Just the right level of carbon dioxide is maintained naturally in the Earth's atmosphere. If the CO2 level were higher, a runaway greenhouse effect would develop and we'd all burn up. If the level were lower, plants would not be able to maintain efficient photosynthesis and once again, we'd all suffocate.
[00:37:25] Gravity is another important constant necessary for life on Earth. If it was altered to the very slightest degree, our sun would not exist and neither would we.
[00:37:34] How? The Earth remains in perfect orbit around the Sun. If closer, we'd burn up. If farther away, the planet would turn into an ice cube.
[00:37:42] If the rotation of the Earth took longer than 24 hours, temperature differences would be too great between night and day. If the rotation period were shorter, atmospheric wind velocities would be too great to live on Earth.
[00:37:54] The constant 23 degree tilt of the Earth's axis. If altered slightly, the surface temperatures on Earth would be too extreme for life to exist. If the thickness of the Earth's crust were greater, too much oxygen would be transferred to the crust to support life if it were thin or volcanic and tectonic activity would make it life impossible. If Jupiter was not in its current orbit, the Earth would be bombarded with space material. Jupiter's gravitational field attracts asteroids and comets that might otherwise strike the Earth. Jupiter actually serves as a shield for planet Earth.
[00:38:27] If any one of these and the over 100 constants were thrown off just slightly, life would cease to exist on planet Earth.
[00:38:39] As technology has advanced, allowing us to explore the far reaches of space and the design of our planet, along with the intricacies of the human body. More and more scientists believe that the evidence they continue to find suggests there could not be such an elaborate, excuse me, sophisticated and finely tuned design of the universe, planet Earth and the human body without there having been a designer behind it all.
[00:39:06] You see, science and Christianity aren't diametrically opposed.
[00:39:11] Christianity and science are a match made in heaven.
[00:39:15] It's fascinating how some scientists who deny God's existence will go to any length to suggest the intelligent designer could not be God.
[00:39:24] They've recently even come up with and suggested that it could be that there's more intelligent and advanced aliens who designed everything, anything or anyone but God.
[00:39:38] Psalm 14:1 says, the fool says in his heart there is no God.
[00:39:44] An atheist scientist can be so intelligent about so many things and pass on to humanity so many fascinating discoveries and advanced advancements in knowledge and technology, and yet be ignorant about what is Most vital. And what's most important, who sustains it all, who holds it all in place.
[00:40:05] Hebrews 1:3 says, Jesus is the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of his being sustaining all things by his powerful word.
[00:40:15] Isn't that incredible?
[00:40:18] Isn't that amazing that this little child in Bethlehem that was born just, you know, we celebrated a few days ago and Christmas was actually the God of the universe who actually could created all things and sustains all things.
[00:40:35] Jesus is the One who holds all things together. And if this is true of the world, it is also true of your life and your family and your circumstances.
[00:40:47] And it's Jesus who can use it all, everything that happens in your life, the good, the bad and the ugly, for your good and his glory. He is the One who brings purpose out of pain. He is the One who allows ministry to blossom out of misery. He's the One who brings success out of our suffering. He is the One who brings triumph out of tragedy. With Jesus, there's no pain, no suffering or loss that has to be wasted or deemed worthless in this life.
[00:41:14] Who's better to bring good out of suffering than the one who willingly entered our sin and suffering to rescue us? It's why as Christians who believe this and lean in on this have seen over and over that it is the trials, the suffering, the heartache and losses of life that produce in us a deeper faith and a deeper character and a deeper resilience to suffering, a deeper love and ability to relate to those who suffer. Suffering that is embraced as a possible gift from God creates in us a softer, more tender heart of compassion that purposes to reach out to the Don Trouten with the love of Christ. This is the purpose for your trials. This is the purpose for your suffering. This is the purpose for all the pain that you've ever endured or lost in your life if you allow him to do that work in and through you.
[00:42:06] With Jesus, the worst things of life don't have to make us hard and bitter.
[00:42:10] For his plans are to make us better people through our suffering. Who better glorify him through the things that we go through?
[00:42:20] You've been made for him, to seek him, to know him, to love him, to worship him, to glorify him, to obey him, to live for him, to work as unto Him. He is your life, he is your purpose, and he is worthy of it all. Amen.
[00:42:40] Let's move on to verse 18.
[00:42:48] He is also head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead. So that he might come to have first place, supremacy in everything.
[00:42:58] The Scriptures don't so much define the church as it describes the church as a flock, a family, a temple, an army, but primarily as a body.
[00:43:10] And Paul, speaking to the total dependence the body has on its head.
[00:43:16] And HB Charles Jr says that anything without a head is dead.
[00:43:21] Anything with more than one head is a monster.
[00:43:25] And when Jesus isn't the head of the church, there's no life.
[00:43:30] It's a dead church.
[00:43:34] And when men compete with Christ for headship, destruction and devastation can occur in a church as men try to step in to take the place that only Jesus has as the true head of the church.
[00:43:47] Paul declares that he's the firstborn from the dead.
[00:43:51] And Jesus, while he walked the earth, raised people like Lazarus from the dead.
[00:43:56] But those were not resurrections, they were resuscitations. For Lazarus eventually died.
[00:44:04] Jesus was the first to be resurrected from the dead and lived forevermore, the very thing he promised to all who believe in Him.
[00:44:13] He says that he would have first place in everything.
[00:44:18] First place, final authority. That Jesus has the final say in everything that happens in the church, in your life and in your heart. For in reality, you and I are the church.
[00:44:31] The church is not a building, but is the people who meet inside of it.
[00:44:36] And that can be convicting.
[00:44:40] Jesus is supposed to have first place and preeminence and supremacy in every aspect of your life.
[00:44:48] Jesus is either Lord of all, or he's not Lord at all.
[00:44:57] To close this morning, let's look at the last two verses 19 and 20.
[00:45:03] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him, to reconcile everything to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven. By making peace through his blood shed on the cross, Paul has brought the Colossians full circle back to the gospel.
[00:45:19] We just concluded the Advent season where we celebrated God's promise of redemption and restoration. His promise of redemption fulfilled in the first coming of Christ, the suffering servant Messiah, who came to shed his blood for the forgiveness of our sin, but also a promise not yet fulfilled when he will come again to abolish evil, suffering and death, and restore all things, heaven and earth, to his original sinless perfection and creation. Did you realize that that's the story of the Bible?
[00:45:45] Genesis tells how things were supposed to be. The whole middle of it tells us how things are because of fall of man and suffering and evil and pain. And the last revelation tells us of how he's bringing everything back full circle, restoring all things to his original intentions. And we live in that as believers in Christ forever and ever and ever.
[00:46:05] What a glorious, glorious story.
[00:46:11] As Christians, we experience reality of his forgiveness and transforming power over sin in our lives. Now we wait, longing for his return, believing he will fulfill his promise to make all wrongs right.
[00:46:22] These two promises are God's answer to evil and suffering.
[00:46:27] He has never been distant or indifferent about our pain and suffering and the evil of our world. He entered our world and took our suffering and sin upon Himself, shedding His blood, paying for our sins, so that we might find his forgiveness and receive the gift of eternal life. Through Him, Jesus has proven that he is all that Paul proclaims him to be.
[00:46:47] He proved he was God through His perfect, sinless life because no one could find any fault in him. He proved that he was God through his wise and authoritative teaching, teaching that was more profound and life transforming than any teaching this world has ever seen. He proved he was God through the many incredible miracles he performed. That he had the power over nature and to calm storms and to miraculously feed thousands and to heal the blind, the lame, the deaf, the leper, to deliver the demon possessed and to raise people back to life.
[00:47:16] He proved he was God through the hundreds of Old Testament prophecies written hundreds of years before his birth, prophecies of a coming Messiah, all fulfilled in him.
[00:47:25] He proved he was God as He hung on a cross for our propitiation, the one who came in a rescue mission for you and I, the one who alone, the perfect God, man who could pay the penalty for our sins.
[00:47:37] And he proved that he was God by doing what he proclaimed he would do on the third day, rising from the tomb, the ultimate proof that Jesus Christ is Lord and holds the victory over sin and death for all who believe him.
[00:47:53] Chris, you can come back up.
[00:47:58] So this God who created all things, all things were created by him and for Him.
[00:48:06] And this God who sustains all things, is now beckoning you to come.
[00:48:14] I remember the words that he shared with his disciples and those who were within earshot in Matthew, where He says, come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I'll give you rest.
[00:48:29] Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble of heart and you'll find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
[00:48:40] Don't the burdens of life often feel as if they're too much to bear?
[00:48:45] The burdens and pressures of finding your way in life as a single person or a single parent Trying to make things happen and fulfill the dreams you have are responsibilities and challenges of marriage and raising kids, your career, your finances, managing your health, managing your home, friendships. Trying to tamp down the stresses, pressures, fatigue, fear, worries and anxieties of life.
[00:49:10] They can feel overwhelming.
[00:49:13] You often feel this way because they are too much for you to handle.
[00:49:18] They are too heavy for you to bear.
[00:49:22] You were never meant to carry that load alone.
[00:49:26] Your shoulders are weighed down and you're stressed and anxious because they aren't big enough to carry the weight of all the responsibilities, relationships, pressures, stresses, concerns of life.
[00:49:37] You've been trying to spin all those plates in the air at the same time without dropping one, and it's just not possible to do.
[00:49:45] Not for long anyway, before physically or emotionally crashing and burning.
[00:49:53] You want it to be in control, to call your own shots, to prove to the world and yourself that you don't really need God, that you can handle it when you aren't made to do so.
[00:50:05] Only Jesus has shoulders big enough to handle all that life throws at you.
[00:50:10] If you place your faith in him as Savior and surrender your life to him as Lord, he will show you who he truly is, who you truly are, and why you are here. And he's going to walk through life with you, giving you the wisdom, strength and ability to live life as it was always meant to be lived, to worship Jesus and to enjoy him forever.
[00:50:35] This is where you find your true identity.
[00:50:41] This is where you find the meaning and purpose of life.
[00:50:47] And this is why you exist.
[00:50:51] Jesus stands at the door of your heart, knocking.
[00:50:54] Whether you're a seeker who have never placed your faith in him, or whether you're a believer for 40 years, the answer is still he's knocking at your heart. Will you invite him in, either by faith saving faith in him, or either as a Christian believer finally giving everything over to His Lordship?
[00:51:20] I want to just give you a few moments of quiet to hear this personal invitation. He's knocking on the door of your heart.
[00:51:30] What's your response going to be? Spend a little time with him and then we'll move into communion.
