Supremacy of Christ

Introduction:

A visitor said to a wounded soldier who lay dying in the hospital, “What church are you of?”

“Of the Church of Christ,” was his reply.

“No, no...I mean, what persuasion are you of?”

“Persuasion?” said the dying man, as he looked heavenward, beaming with love to the Saviour, “I am persuaded, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come … shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38).

How would we have answered that vistor of the wounded solider? But let me ask you some questions:

Do the stars have any influence over our lives? Those who consult horoscopes would say, yes.

Is there any relationship between your diet and your Spiritual life? The Vegetarian diet is more poplar today than at any time in history. There are those who would say, " Yes, your diet does affect your spiritual life."

Does Eastern religions have anything to offer Christians? Many turn to the practicesof Eastern Religions for healing (acupuncture).

These are contemporary questions and yet they are the kind of questions being debated during the early church possibly even within Colosse. In every generation there are a host of people (some even Christians) who look to other voices, to give them direction and hope in their lives. These are voices that do not speak for or from God.

Yet the heart of Paul in this letter to the Colossians, is the supremacy of Jesus Christ. We need look no further, to any other voices or opinions, all we need is what we already have in Christ.

The problem Paul is wrestling with in Colosse from false teachers is a persuasion called "Gnostism." The gnostics taught, all matter is evil and that only the spirit is good.

Therefore, God could not have created the World, as He could not have touched physical matter, as this was believed to be evil. Here we have the classic struggle between God's Word and Man's earthly wisdom. From Romans 3:4, "let God be true, but every man a liar..."

The danger with Gnostism is the rejection that Jesus was fully God, as His human body was physical matter, which they said was evil. So the Gnostics devised a plan or system, by which they began with Jesus as only a man and worked their way through a series of steps to reach God. Each step along the way, (progessively by good works) they achieved less and less of this world until their was only spirit. It was all very complex, proudly intellectual and absoultely false.

Paul is in prison, as he writes to this church in response to this heresy. Paul's persuasion even as he sits in jail, is the all sufficiency of His creator God, who came to this world to redeem mankind. That was Paul's message back then, and is as relavent today as it was back then.

As Paul opens this letter, there isn't a hint of the confrontation. Instead Paul seems to be celebrating with a heart of worship the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Paul's focus was not on what divided them. And yet he certianly attacked the heresy head on. That's a lesson for us, as we deal with those of a different persuasion.

Where as Christians we are to know who we are, celebrate what we have, be fully persuaded in God's gifts: and you will not be drawn away by the enticing deceptions of man's earthly and faulty wisdom.

From Paul's opening remarks there is a the need, that we:

I. KNOW WHO WE ARE IN THE LORD. (Colossians 1:1,2)

Paul was not the founder of this church in Colosse, so he introduces himself and Timothy, by speaking of himself as "an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God." Paul wants it known, that what he is about to say is not based on his own wisdom or understanding. He is not simply another voice among many, Paul is representing the words and heart, the interest of Jesus Christ. His only agenda is Christ's agenda.

Looking to encourage and affirm the true believers in Christ, he says in v.2, "to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ..." When we trust in the Lord calling upon Christ to save us, we are brought into the family of God as brethren, or as Paul also calls us "saints." The point is we are FAMILY. Paul is not writing to strangers, but to his brothers and sisters in the Lord.

The only issue subject to debate is one's own faithfulness to the Lord, so Paul is speaking to those who have not fallen prey to the snare of the Gnostic heresy. To these, Paul says, "grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Salvation is not the act or will of Man, it must fully be of God who saves.

These faithful saints are recipients: First, of the grace of God. This speaks of God's favor to save. It is the unmerited favor of God, that is placed solely within our faith, to believe and trust in Christ for salvation. Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."

And then secondly, they are also the recipients of God's peace. This is not the absence of war or conflicts. It is a sense of well-being that grows out of a relationship with God. This is the result of being saved, knowing our sins are forgiven. Romans 5:1, "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

In making a Paper Mache Doll, you need the glue that is made from flour and water. Mixing both these ingrediants produces this glue that holds the paper wrappings together. If we can speak of the Christian life as an analogy of this Paper Mache Doll. Then the glue, is the grace and peace of God mixed together that holds our lives together. Only then will life become beautiful and we will rejoice in the knowledge of what God has done.

This is our Salavation, even to know, it's the grace of God that gives us faith to believe and peace with God due to forgiveness of sins.

Understanding we are saved, Paul leads us to celebrate what we have in Christ by:

II. GIVING THANKS AND PRAYING (Colossians 1:3)

Paul's heart of gratitude is directed to God who has given us such a wonderful Savior, where the message of Gospel is pure within the hearts of the Colossians. Paul is very clear of the need for the Gospel's purity, saying in Galatians 1:9, "If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

Strong words and yet, those who preach or teach the Word of God are held to a higher standard for judgment, as they with earthly hands and unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5) hold (as a sacred trust) God's holy Word.

Paul is giving thanks, that not all has been lead astray by the heresies circulating Colosse. Today there is cause for us to celebrate, giving thanks to our God, who has preserved His Word, so we may be saved.

And since we are not better than those before us, let us never think that we are immune from the worldly influences that would corrupt the Gospel message. So just as Paul prayed for those in Colosse, let us pray for one another that the purity of the Gospel will continue to be upheld by our lips.

Moreover, according to Jesus in Luke 15:10, "...there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." Jesus should know what takes place in glory, he is God. Now if that is what takes place in glory, shouild that not also take place among God's people, leading us to give thanks and pray all the more? Yes, indeed.

Losing our first love where our faith has become cold, or lukewarm is about failing to give thanks and seeing no need to pray. God help us in celebrating the gift we have from the Lord. May the Gospel message, needless to say the salvation of a sinner never become boring to us. God forbid!

This requires that we be fully persuaded in Heart, Soul and Mind of our:

III. FAITH, LOVE AND HOPE. (Colossians 1:4,5)

In our text, Paul gives these qualities in a different order than in 1 Cor. 13:13, "And now abideth faith, hope and charity " (love). Never-the-less the message is the same. (Romans 4:21) We are to be fully persuaded In what God has promised, He will also bring to pass.

A) Faith - The object of one's faith must always be in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Faith is our obedient response to the Gospel message by calling upon the Lord to save. Salvation does not come by intellectually believing a given list of beliefs. Salvation comes by calling upon Christ, because He died for your sins and only in Him will you find God's forgivness

But notice from the text. The faith of the Colossians was something Paul had heard about from other people. Remember Paul did not personally plant this church. We are to resist the temptation to gossip about others. For one it only spreads negative rumors of sin, as well gossip at times can spread lies we assumed were true. Often times gossip spreads only a one sided and negative account of events.

However, the gossip or news that came to Paul's ears was of the faith of these believers. It's spreading the positive that is well pleasing to the Lord. Phil. 4:8 "...if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

B) Love - This is having a love for all the brethren, and not just those you are able to get along with in life. The degree we are able to love even our enemy shows the depth of our love for God. 1 John 4:20,21, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." This is not optional where we can chose; it is a command (John 13:34,35), that when kept we abide in Christ's love and experience His joy (John 15:10,11).

Once again this was the good report that came to Paul's ears, how these believers had a Christ-like love for one another. It's not the love we have for Christ, but the love we have for one another that defines the integrity of our Christianity, by virtue of our obedience (John 14:21).

This love is the kind a husband is to show to his wife, and the kind Christ showed to the believer upon the cross. It is a sacrifical love, because we are BRETHREN - we are FAMILY. Such love does not lok to tear down or find fault with another. We are to busy ourselve with encouraging and edifying one another in the things of the Lord. And when there are problems, we handle it as a family in house, and not before the world that will mock us, we do not allow such things to divide us. Here we show forth Christ and fulfill all the Law (Romans 13:8).

C) Hope - Paul is not so much talking about our anticipation of heaven, by the believer. Instead, Paul is talking about the treasures of good works we are to lay up in heaven that await our arrival. This is what we are to hope in. As Jesus tells us in the sermon on the Mount, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." We are to serve the Lord today, in hopes of eternal rewards we will one day receive as crowns.

We as Christians, are not to be working for retirement or anything this world has to offer us, as that will only lead to disappointments and dispair. Heaven is our reward. The only question that we might have is, What will this reward in heaven be like? That in large part depends on you and how you live today for the Lord Jesus Christ who has saved you.

Heresies are false teahings, today we use the word apostacy. They are argued by those who are very sincere and committed their their own cause or agenda, voices that will lead you astray. Paul's point is that we need loo no further then to Jesus Christ and his finished work on the croos to save us. Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other..."

Know who you are in Christ...

Celebrate what you have in Christ...

and be fully persuaded in the gift you have in Christ: FAITH, LOVE and HOPE.