Sunday Sermon Colossians 1:15-19
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome to FCC where we worship God in Spirit and in Truth, one verse at a time.
Welcome to those who are here with us in person, but also to those who are listening at home.
We are grateful for technology and for all the work Danny and each one of you do to make each week happen at out little tabernacle.
Please continue to pray for Ernie and Judy’s son Dave, Juan’s family with the loss of his brother, and for Bill and Marlene who are headed to Arizona for the winter. They will be returning to us in March.
Also, I am hopeful that you took the time out to give thanks, despite the challenging year we have had.
I know for many of you, this is the first year since you had no family over or did not have a large gathering or go somewhere for Thanksgiving. May the Lord comfort you as I know this was difficult.
Prayer
Prayer
Read Colossians 1:13-18
Read Colossians 1:13-18
Everything we just read is about Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ the preeminent One.
We know this because if we look back up to verses 12-14 we see the shift from the Father to the Son
Church, this passage of Scripture is the most Christological passage in the whole Bible and later I will give you a few others.
The term “christology” (from Greek Christos meaning “anointed one” or “Christ”) refers to the study of Christ. It often includes such topics as the preexistence and eternality of Christ, OT prophecies about Christ, Christ’s humanity, deity, and incarnation, as well as the issue of his temptations and sinlessness, his death, resurrection, ascension and exaltation, return, three-fold office, and states.
This section is theologically rich, and in no way will I do justice to such a passage, but yet I am honored to be able to attempt to rightly divide what the Lord is teaching us.
But before we dive in, let us take a quick look back at the last few weeks.
Review
Review
As we look back, we need to remember that Paul is writing this letter from prison, he is on house arrest in Rome and during this time he penned 4 letters.
What are the 4 letters or books that make up the prison epistles?
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
Philemon
Paul had won Epaphras and Philemon to the Lord and from this, the church at Colossae was birthed in Philemon’s house where Epaphras was the pastor.
But while the church started to grow, false teachers started to sow heresy among the brethren and Epaphras left, headed to Rome to seek out Paul for counsel.
Now we must remember, that Paul and Jesus said that this would happen. In fact, it happens on and off all throughout Scripture and it continues to happen throughout our day and era.
Church, our only defense is the Word of God and this is why we go through books of the Bible verse by verse.
It is so we can grow in our relationship with the Lord, grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and be able to unapologetically recognize sound Biblical Truth from error.
Know that error comes in all shapes, and sizes, as well as flavors with with spice. So Beware!
Paul writes this letter in response to the news that Epaphras brought him and scholars later called this Gnosticism.
In the church of Colosse, a heresy called Gnosticism had crept into the church and was trying to marginalize Christ. It was a combination of mysticism, Jewish legalism, and Greek philosophy. The heresy taught that Christ could not be God. This belief was based on Greek philosophy which taught the spirit was good and the body was evil, and therefore God could not have become a human because God cannot mix with evil.
It also taught Jesus was an angel and that receiving him was not enough for salvation. One needed new revelation to be saved. That is where the name “Gnostic” comes from. The Greek word gnosko means “to know.” In order to be saved, one needed secret knowledge that only the Gnostics had experienced.
The heresy attacked the very foundation of the gospel because it attacked Jesus. Though Gnosticism is not attacking the church today, the remnants of it are. Jehovah’s Witnesses also do not believe Jesus is God; he is an angel, a created being. There are similar sentiments in Mormonism. Much of liberal Christianity attacks the deity of Christ as well, making him just a religious teacher and declaring he is not the only way to heaven.
Over the last few weeks we highlighted Paul’s prayer for the Colossians and why he prayed the way he prayed and ended last week, the week before Thanksgiving on Paul’s praise.
Church, we learned that Paul has laid out for the church a template to pray.
Petition of the asking here
Praise or thanksgiving
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Paul gave thanks for:
The Father qualifying us to be partakers of the inheritance.
That the Father has delivered us from darkness and conveyed/ transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love.
That Jesus redeemed us through his own blood
That Jesus has forgiven us for our sin.
Paul gave thanks that all of this had occured for the Colossians, but for God’s church today!
And what is amazing about all these wonderful gifts that Paul gave thanks and praise for is that The Lord does them all. The only requirement is that we come to Him and surrender our lives unto Him. We come to Him and ask him to forgive us our sinfulness, then ask Jesus to come in to our hearts and be the Lord of our lives church. Then guess what? Positionally you become a Kings kid and you are qualified to be partakers of the inheritance, your are delivered out of darkness and transferred in the Kingdom of the Son, you and redeemed and forgiven by the blood of the Lamb! Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus!
Is Jesus Preeminent in all you do, think, or say?
Is he number One in your life, in your marriage, in your family, in your career, in your finances, in all that you do, in all that you are? Do you include Jesus in all of your decisions, in all of your choices, or is he number One when you need blessed or are in a jam?
Is Jesus Preeminent in your life?
You’re probably thinking Pastor John, what does it mean to have preeminence ?
Preeminence - pro-te-uo- v. — to be first, to be or become ranking above all others, to have or hold first place, to have superior status, to chief.
Is Jesus number One in you life? Is he the Chief of your life and does he have first place? Or is he just a prominent figure head?
The Gnostics, where attacking the preeminence of Jesus Christ.
They were teaching that Jesus was just another emanation from God, that he was not God in flesh, because remember, that all matter was evil to them, therefore, Jesus’ body was considered evil and could not be God.
What is an emanation?
Emanation- an abstract but perceptible thing that issues or originates from a source. synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for emanation, like: gush, arising, flowing, issuing, springing, welling, issuance, escape, outflow, emission and effusion.
So they believe Jesus came from God, but that he was not God, therefore he was a created being
They taught that Jesus was an angel and by the way, the Bible teaches us to not worship angels for they are created beings like you and I
Therefore, they were teaching Jesus was not enough for salvation, that you needed more, you needed their secret knowledge, mixed with Oriental mysticism, Greek philosophy, and Jewish legalism
We will cover each one os there throughout the Book of Colossians
This heresy attacked the very foundation of the gospel because it attacked Jesus. Though Gnosticism is not attacking the church today, the remnants of it are. Jehovah’s Witnesses also do not believe Jesus is God; he is an angel, a created being. There are similar sentiments in Mormonism. Much of liberal Christianity attacks the deity of Christ as well, making him just a religious teacher and declaring he is not the only way to heaven.
We see these same attacks on Christ happening today in the church, only in different coverings. But before we look at the cults and the false teachers, we should also realize there are remnants of this in our hearts. See, if Jesus is God, if he is the only way to salvation, and if we declare his Lordship over our lives, then this is not just a matter of belief; it must be a matter of our daily practice.
If Christ is all these things, then he must be first in our life. He must be our daily meditation, and it should be our daily goal to please him and honor him. In the same way, Paul wrote to declare the preeminence of Christ to those in Colosse being tempted to withhold honor from him. We also must put Christ first, and we must remove anything that draws us away from him or takes his place. Like Leonardo da Vinci, we must take our brush and wipe away anything that detracts from his preeminence in our lives.
Because the Gnostics were attacking the preeminence of Jesus Christ, Paul in these next few verses unapologetically teaches the church at Colossae that He is number and that he was not created.
In the text that we will cover over the next fe weeks, Paul makes the argument that Christ is the preeminent one. He is the supreme one, not only over our lives, but also over the entire world.
Paul gives four reasons why Jesus is number One over all of creation!
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
He is the image of the invisible God
Image- eikon- it means an exact copy, likeness, a portrait or Picture, a visual representation, a living image
We get the English word Icon form this word- it means a person or thing that is revered or idolized: Elvis Presley is a cultural icon of the 20th century.
Jesus is the perfect image of God, the exact likeness of God and is the very form of God
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
This word is also used in other ways and I thought it would be insightful to share them:
Read Matthew 22:15-22 Whose Image is this?
Pop Quiz
Where does the term Christian first show up in the Bible?
And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
2. How many times in the Bible is it used?
3xs- Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16
3. What does the term Christian mean?
Of the party of Christ
Or little Christ
So check this out:
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
We are to become the eikon of Christ church
And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
We shall bear the eikon of the heavenly Man church
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Praise God the veil was torn and that God is transforming us into His image, the image of the only begotten Son.
Do you get the picture?
What picture do others see of us?
Church, By Paul describing Jesus in this manner church, he is emphasizing both the manifestation and representation of God.
Representation. The idea of and image is an “engraving” or “impression”, which is the precise and exact reproduction of an original. It is a likeness which is not accidental but is purposed to resemble the original (prototype).
For instance, on our ten cent piece is an image of President Franklin Roosevelt and anyone who has ever seen him or a photograph of him would know the likeness.
But we know that Christ is the exact likeness of God:
who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Church!
Christ is the perfect imprint and very image of God’s nature.
Christ reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of His nature.
Christ is the image of God in the sense that He is the perfect likeness of God.
Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9).
In one of the most beautiful palaces in Rome, there is a painting by Rene’ entitled the Arora. It is located on the ceiling of the palace. For people to see and appreciate this great piece of work, they have to look up. When it was originally painted, people would come in, stare up at the painting and get a stiff neck. Many times people became dizzy and passed out. The owner, being a creative man himself, decided to build a floor of mirrors and set chairs around the mirrors. People would come in, take a seat, and look at the mirrors on the floor and see the exact image of the painting on the ceiling. The mirrors reflected the real thing. Christ is the perfect mirror reflecting all that God is.
Manifestation. The concept of “image” also indicates that Christ is the outward showing forth of God. Christ is the image, indicating that He is always and everywhere the manifestation of God.
The Apostle John said this about Christ: “No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, has made him known.” (Jn. 1:18). Christ declares God.
If we want to know what God is like in character and essence, we are to look at Christ.
The invisible God is made known through Christ.
Although Paul does not come out and say it, he implies that Christ is God.
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
So Jesus is the living picture of God in flesh, he came to earth Church and walked with us.
Immanuel means God with us.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
So God sent his only begotten Son into this world to die a painful death for you and for me, for the whole world.
Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried church, and rose on the third day. He came back jack!
He walked among the brothers and sisters for 40 days after His resurrection, he then ascended to the Father in Acts 1 and is
Now sitting at the right hand of God, He promised to send us the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct us into all truth. And he did!
Can you see why Paul is making the church at Colossae understand the heresy and understand that Jesus must be preeminent in the life of a believer?
Church, he is the image of God!
Jesus is the image of God, therefore, if you want to know God, you must know the Son.
But wait, there is another important part of this verse we need to take a look at:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
So I shared with you at the beginning that there was four reasons in these verses why Paul teaches Jesus Christ is preeminent.
We learned that He is the image of the Invisible God
Next week, we will pick up here and we will talk about Jesus is preeminent because he is the first born over all creation.
Here are the few more passages I promised you on Christology:
My suggestion is that you write these down and look them up in preparation for the next few weeks.
John 1:1-14
Romans 1:2-5
1 John 1:1-3
Hebrews 1:1-4 and 2:14.
However, no verses are more full and explicit on our subject than Philippians 2:6-11.
I close with an illustration:
When Leonardo da Vinci was forty-three years old, the Duke Ludovinco of Milan asked him to paint the dramatic scene of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples: Working slowly and giving meticulous care to details, he spent three years on the assignment. He grouped the disciples into threes, two groups on either side of the central figure of Christ. Christ’s arms are outstretched. In his right hand, He holds a cup, painted beautifully with marvelous realism. When the masterpiece was finished, the artist said to a friend, “Observe it and give me your opinion of it!” “It’s wonderful!” exclaimed the friend. “The cup is so real I cannot divert my eyes from it!” Immediately Leonardo took a brush and drew it across the sparkling cup! He exclaimed as he did so: “Nothing shall detract from the figure of Christ!
What in your life is detracting from the figure of Jesus Christ and his preeminence?
What has become more important than Jesus church???
Prayer
Prayer
Announcements
Announcements
Are there any announcements?
Angel Tree- Operation Christmas child. Praise God for your faithfulness in wanting to serve these children both globally and locally. I believe Kathy collected 16 show boxes and all 14 angels were adopted out. In fact, more people wanted an angel, but we ran out.
Benediction
Benediction
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
The Lord Bless you!
Your Mission Starts now!