WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.259 This is our third week in the book of Colossians. 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:09.419 You heard Diana read from chapter 1, verses 15 to 20. 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:15.839 Now, if you wanted to assemble the three or four passages that best described Jesus, 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:22.179 that most succinctly and fully defined the doctrine of Christology, 00:00:22.300 --> 00:00:26.140 the study of Jesus, like the description of who Jesus is, 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:30.940 then easily you would choose this passage as one of them. 00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:37.679 Phrase after phrase, clause after clause, a beautiful recitation of who Jesus is. 00:00:38.260 --> 00:00:43.140 And it reminds me of the royal titles of the Austrian emperors. 00:00:43.900 --> 00:00:45.900 Our family lived in Austria for three years, 00:00:46.400 --> 00:00:51.980 and we learned there that when you earn a title, like doctor or professor, 00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:55.420 it becomes your name. 00:00:55.420 --> 00:01:01.340 So your name is now Herr, Doctor, Professor, Thomas Hinson III, right? 00:01:01.400 --> 00:01:02.539 It's all one name. 00:01:02.700 --> 00:01:06.920 That's to distinguish you from other people and to define who you are. 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:07.560 It's your identity. 00:01:09.079 --> 00:01:13.240 And the emperor had the most elaborate name in the empire. 00:01:13.239 --> 00:01:20.000 So, for instance, Austria's second-to-last emperor's title was His Majesty, Franz Josef I, 00:01:20.399 --> 00:01:30.679 by the grace of God, Emperor of Austria, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, 00:01:31.539 --> 00:01:33.439 Slavonia, etc., etc. 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:39.340 And there were, in total, 24 additional titles in addition to His name. 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:44.640 It was meant for shock and awe, right? 00:01:45.959 --> 00:01:50.319 When you heard His name, you looked in every direction, and for hundreds of miles, you know, 00:01:50.479 --> 00:01:54.840 this person was the owner and ruler of all those lands. 00:01:55.719 --> 00:01:58.259 Franz Josef was sovereign. 00:01:58.260 --> 00:01:59.260 He owned it all. 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:00.520 He ruled it all. 00:02:00.780 --> 00:02:05.960 And I think Paul is doing something similar here in this letter, too, with something like titles. 00:02:06.460 --> 00:02:11.659 But this is actually more of a song, a hymn, a poem. 00:02:11.659 --> 00:02:22.759 You might remember from our previous two weeks together that various teachers infiltrated this young, vibrant church in Colossa. 00:02:23.939 --> 00:02:29.419 And they were teaching the Colossians that if you want to go deeper, if you want more fullness, 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:34.560 if you want more security, then take Jesus, yes, 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:45.280 and add to it this thing or that thing from a Greek mystery, religion, or from Judaism, or what have you. 00:02:46.259 --> 00:02:50.640 And Paul, in this letter, doesn't waste any time. 00:02:51.480 --> 00:02:56.219 He drops the mother of all poems here right at the beginning of this letter, 00:02:56.680 --> 00:02:58.400 saying you can't add anything. 00:02:59.780 --> 00:03:02.099 Jesus is everything. 00:03:02.819 --> 00:03:03.379 Period. 00:03:03.379 --> 00:03:03.500 Period. 00:03:05.299 --> 00:03:06.659 It's a dense passage. 00:03:07.979 --> 00:03:09.680 We could spend several months on it. 00:03:10.219 --> 00:03:13.180 You could teach a whole seminary course on this passage. 00:03:14.599 --> 00:03:18.460 But then it would lose the effect, perhaps, that Paul is aiming for. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:24.800 So we're going to just spend a little bit of time on each successive clause. 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:31.939 And then after that, I'll suggest what may be three appropriate responses that Paul is looking for. 00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:34.400 Now, first, let's pray. 00:03:41.740 --> 00:03:43.719 Father, we're here because we love you. 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:48.979 Father, we want to know you better. 00:03:53.819 --> 00:03:57.719 So would you help us to see your son more clearly? 00:03:59.180 --> 00:04:01.579 Would you help us to understand him better? 00:04:03.259 --> 00:04:05.000 Would you help us to know him better? 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:07.719 That we might know you better? 00:04:07.719 --> 00:04:19.420 And have our lives pour forth praise and worship and adoration to you and for you. 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:21.819 For you are and all you have done. 00:04:21.819 --> 00:04:24.879 From eternity past to eternity future. 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:27.740 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:04:27.779 --> 00:04:27.959 Amen. 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:30.639 Well, let's start at the beginning. 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:33.800 Jesus is the image of the invisible God. 00:04:34.620 --> 00:04:40.100 The Apostle Paul here sounds like the Apostle John does in the beginning of his gospel. 00:04:40.100 --> 00:04:42.760 John 1, 18 says, 00:04:42.900 --> 00:04:47.420 No one has ever seen God, the only God, who is at the Father's side. 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:48.439 He has made him known. 00:04:48.660 --> 00:04:50.620 No one has ever seen God, the invisible God. 00:04:50.980 --> 00:04:53.360 But Jesus, at the Father's side, has made him known. 00:04:54.080 --> 00:04:57.700 Now, imagine a letter written by a Greek in Paul's day. 00:04:57.860 --> 00:05:00.160 At the end of the letter, the letter might say, 00:05:00.500 --> 00:05:04.540 I've enclosed an image of myself. 00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:07.080 And then there's a stamp. 00:05:07.460 --> 00:05:14.840 Now, the wax in this letter is like to the stamp, as Jesus is to the Father. 00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:17.860 Image, icon of the Father. 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:23.460 Exact representation of his being, as we read in Hebrews chapter 1. 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:28.540 So if you want to know what God is like, then you look to Jesus. 00:05:28.540 --> 00:05:35.700 And it can be a helpful corrective to ways we misunderstand who God is. 00:05:36.180 --> 00:05:41.500 Do we tend to think of God as this set of theories or propositions? 00:05:41.960 --> 00:05:43.320 Well, then look to Jesus. 00:05:43.960 --> 00:05:45.360 You'll see that God is a person. 00:05:47.280 --> 00:05:53.120 Do we tend to think of God purely in terms of love and never in terms of holiness, 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:58.800 so that in our minds, God ends up being just a giant cosmic softy? 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:04.660 Then we look to Jesus, who's flipping tables in the temple, 00:06:05.660 --> 00:06:08.259 who has words of sharp rebuke. 00:06:08.540 --> 00:06:09.800 Woe to you, Chorazin. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:11.480 Woe to you, Bethsaida. 00:06:12.139 --> 00:06:15.259 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. 00:06:17.980 --> 00:06:20.560 Do we tend to think of God as a harsh taskmaster, 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:23.759 full of wrath and disapproval? 00:06:24.339 --> 00:06:25.399 Well, then we look to Jesus, 00:06:26.259 --> 00:06:30.259 and we see that God is gentle, tender, 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:34.160 full of patience and compassion, 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:37.980 full of love for the outcast, 00:06:38.699 --> 00:06:42.300 for the poor, for the lonely, for the sick. 00:06:44.040 --> 00:06:47.420 Jesus shows us not only who God is, 00:06:47.420 --> 00:06:51.060 but who humanity was meant to be. 00:06:51.660 --> 00:06:53.060 When God created the world, 00:06:53.340 --> 00:06:56.460 the climax of that creation was humanity, 00:06:57.020 --> 00:06:58.980 who he made in his own image, 00:06:59.100 --> 00:07:00.160 according to Genesis 1. 00:07:00.960 --> 00:07:03.340 Humanity was designed to be the perfect vehicle 00:07:03.340 --> 00:07:06.439 for God's self-expression in this creation. 00:07:07.620 --> 00:07:10.120 And here we find Jesus fulfilling that purpose. 00:07:10.120 --> 00:07:14.399 This clause tells us that it is only in Jesus 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:20.579 that we understand what divinity and humanity really mean. 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:23.199 Okay, moving along. 00:07:23.699 --> 00:07:25.220 He's the firstborn of all creation. 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:27.000 It might be tempting to read this and think 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:28.759 that Jesus was a part of creation. 00:07:29.639 --> 00:07:31.240 And some have read that into this. 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:35.480 There's a heresy in the 4th century called Arianism, 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:39.019 named after its chief proponent, Arius. 00:07:39.019 --> 00:07:44.219 Who taught that there was a time when Christ was not. 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:47.620 That Christ had a distinct beginning. 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:51.740 That he was the first of everything that God created. 00:07:52.659 --> 00:07:54.240 That Harsley lives on today. 00:07:54.399 --> 00:07:57.620 The Jehovah's Witnesses believe and teach the same thing. 00:07:58.060 --> 00:08:00.359 But that is misreading this verse. 00:08:01.699 --> 00:08:04.219 Firstborn doesn't refer to origins. 00:08:05.379 --> 00:08:06.979 It refers to rank. 00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:07.700 It's a title. 00:08:08.420 --> 00:08:10.020 Referring to rank and dignity. 00:08:10.939 --> 00:08:12.400 A king is firstborn. 00:08:13.740 --> 00:08:13.980 Right? 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:15.819 But it's a title. 00:08:15.960 --> 00:08:16.379 Firstborn. 00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:18.180 It's a title that can be bestowed. 00:08:18.640 --> 00:08:20.180 We read in Psalm 89. 00:08:21.800 --> 00:08:23.259 That God says of David that, 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:26.080 I will appoint him to be my firstborn. 00:08:26.200 --> 00:08:29.020 I will appoint him to be my firstborn. 00:08:29.520 --> 00:08:32.519 The most exalted of the kings of the earth. 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:35.960 So this teaches us that Christ is supreme. 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:40.939 First in rank and dignity above all of this creation. 00:08:42.120 --> 00:08:43.879 And not only is he above all things, 00:08:44.019 --> 00:08:48.799 but all things were created by him and they find their origin in him. 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.859 For by all things, 00:08:51.859 --> 00:08:55.799 for by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, 00:08:56.219 --> 00:08:57.699 visible and invisible, 00:08:58.319 --> 00:09:02.059 whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, 00:09:02.059 --> 00:09:05.259 all things were created through him and for him. 00:09:07.259 --> 00:09:08.439 Wherever you look, 00:09:09.019 --> 00:09:11.399 or whatever realities you can think of, 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:13.500 you discover entities which, 00:09:14.039 --> 00:09:16.219 even if they do not acknowledge the fact, 00:09:17.179 --> 00:09:19.339 owe their very existence to Christ. 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:24.860 He rules everything and everyone because he created everything. 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:26.399 Therefore, 00:09:26.540 --> 00:09:28.780 for those who have been redeemed by Christ, 00:09:28.899 --> 00:09:31.720 the universe no longer holds any terrors. 00:09:32.460 --> 00:09:38.519 They know that their redeemer is also the creator and the ruler and the goal of all. 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:42.860 The universe has no terrors because Jesus created it all. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:44.120 He rules it all. 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:47.660 And we read in the next clause that he is before all things 00:09:47.659 --> 00:09:49.839 and in him all things hold together. 00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:56.639 Before all things is another phrase that refers to primacy in rank and dignity. 00:09:58.139 --> 00:09:59.679 But he holds all things together. 00:10:00.819 --> 00:10:04.100 He prevents the world from falling to utter chaos. 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:10.759 The universe owes its continued cohesion and coherence 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:14.600 not to an idea or to a virtue or to a movement 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:17.620 or to some abstract unseen force 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:19.139 but to a person, 00:10:19.899 --> 00:10:20.940 the risen Christ. 00:10:22.220 --> 00:10:24.720 He's the reason an electron 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:27.940 remains encircled around a nucleus. 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:31.799 He explains the music of the spheres, 00:10:32.179 --> 00:10:36.039 the fine-tuned dance of planets and moons 00:10:36.039 --> 00:10:38.620 and their synchronized orbits around the sun. 00:10:39.019 --> 00:10:41.480 And it explains the possibility of love. 00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:44.659 He holds the universe together. 00:10:44.659 --> 00:10:47.159 He can hold your family together. 00:10:47.860 --> 00:10:50.200 He can hold your relationships together. 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:52.300 He can hold your friendships together. 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:55.060 He can hold your marriage together. 00:10:55.059 --> 00:11:01.579 things only make sense when Christ is kept at the center, 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:03.699 including the church. 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:06.479 He's the head of the body, the church. 00:11:06.739 --> 00:11:08.199 He's Lord of his people. 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:11.759 He's the locus of our unity and coherence. 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:15.240 He's the source of our sustenance and direction. 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:18.759 And he's the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. 00:11:20.259 --> 00:11:22.039 Many Jews in Paul's day 00:11:22.039 --> 00:11:24.179 believed that the resurrection of the dead 00:11:24.179 --> 00:11:27.360 would be a large-scale, singular event 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:29.299 that lay sometime in the future. 00:11:30.679 --> 00:11:32.360 The resurrection of the dead was an event 00:11:32.360 --> 00:11:34.360 that would begin the age to come. 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:37.600 Paul is saying that that event 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:41.060 has already been inaugurated. 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:45.740 Elsewhere, Paul writes that Christ has been raised from the dead, 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:48.620 the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 00:11:50.139 --> 00:11:54.080 The firstfruits and the harvest are all one harvest. 00:11:54.340 --> 00:11:55.220 It's all one event. 00:11:55.659 --> 00:11:57.759 So do you want to know what your future holds? 00:11:58.180 --> 00:11:59.420 Well, look to the resurrection. 00:12:01.539 --> 00:12:02.200 His resurrection, 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:04.460 His resurrection 00:12:04.460 --> 00:12:07.780 guarantees the resurrection 00:12:07.780 --> 00:12:09.780 of all those who follow Him. 00:12:11.140 --> 00:12:12.320 Not only that, 00:12:12.620 --> 00:12:14.920 Paul is saying that God brought forward 00:12:14.920 --> 00:12:16.400 into the present 00:12:16.400 --> 00:12:17.879 that age to come 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:20.240 in the midst of this present age 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:22.460 in order that the power of the new age 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:24.980 might be unleashed upon our world. 00:12:26.140 --> 00:12:27.620 Through the resurrection of Jesus, 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:29.280 He is making all things new. 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:33.799 that in everything He might be preeminent. 00:12:33.799 --> 00:12:38.719 Jesus has always been Lord in right. 00:12:39.379 --> 00:12:40.439 With His resurrection, 00:12:40.579 --> 00:12:42.299 He becomes Lord in fact. 00:12:44.219 --> 00:12:46.519 His defeat of sin and death 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:49.979 makes Him Lord in fact. 00:12:50.439 --> 00:12:51.500 Do you doubt that Jesus 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:53.019 is indeed Lord? 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:54.519 Then look to the resurrection. 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:56.199 The Hebrew says that 00:12:56.199 --> 00:12:57.500 it doesn't appear, 00:12:57.919 --> 00:12:59.120 it doesn't look, 00:12:59.179 --> 00:12:59.699 in the present, 00:12:59.799 --> 00:13:01.939 that all things are placed under His feet. 00:13:01.940 --> 00:13:05.360 This phrase shows us God's purpose. 00:13:06.280 --> 00:13:07.400 That ultimately He 00:13:07.400 --> 00:13:09.520 will bring all things 00:13:09.520 --> 00:13:11.540 under His rule in Christ. 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:16.220 For in Him all the fullness of God 00:13:16.220 --> 00:13:17.120 was pleased to dwell. 00:13:18.740 --> 00:13:19.920 In Christ is found 00:13:19.920 --> 00:13:21.700 the fullness of God. 00:13:22.420 --> 00:13:23.760 The Colossians were 00:13:23.760 --> 00:13:25.860 not to seek bits of the divine 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:27.480 and various other gods 00:13:27.480 --> 00:13:28.580 or spiritual beings. 00:13:28.580 --> 00:13:30.460 all of the divine 00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:32.139 is found in the risen Christ. 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:34.000 He is the only means 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:35.879 to access it. 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:38.720 Jesus is the only way to God. 00:13:39.500 --> 00:13:41.139 It was true for the Colossians 00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:42.759 and it is true for us. 00:13:43.639 --> 00:13:44.120 Jesus said, 00:13:44.379 --> 00:13:45.000 I am the way, 00:13:45.379 --> 00:13:45.960 the truth, 00:13:46.340 --> 00:13:46.920 and the life. 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:48.700 And no one comes to the Father 00:13:48.700 --> 00:13:49.680 but through me. 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:52.939 and through Him 00:13:52.939 --> 00:13:54.799 to reconcile to Himself 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:55.819 all things, 00:13:56.239 --> 00:13:57.539 whether on earth 00:13:57.539 --> 00:13:58.399 or in heaven, 00:13:59.059 --> 00:13:59.799 making peace 00:13:59.799 --> 00:14:01.099 by the blood of His cross. 00:14:03.179 --> 00:14:04.259 Sin stood 00:14:04.259 --> 00:14:05.120 as a barrier 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:07.079 between God 00:14:07.079 --> 00:14:08.399 and His human creatures. 00:14:09.699 --> 00:14:10.859 Sin results in death. 00:14:11.239 --> 00:14:12.679 But when Jesus died, 00:14:14.679 --> 00:14:16.319 sin's power 00:14:16.319 --> 00:14:17.099 was exhausted. 00:14:17.100 --> 00:14:18.700 It's the fulfillment 00:14:18.700 --> 00:14:20.480 of Isaiah 53 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:21.220 which says, 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:22.360 He was pierced 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:23.840 for our transgressions. 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:25.019 He was crushed 00:14:25.019 --> 00:14:26.800 for our iniquities. 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:28.300 The punishment 00:14:28.300 --> 00:14:29.460 that brought us peace 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:30.500 was upon Him 00:14:30.500 --> 00:14:31.980 and by His wounds 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:32.620 we are healed. 00:14:35.180 --> 00:14:36.100 Does this mean 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:37.360 that every single human 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:39.480 gets reconciled to God? 00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:41.279 It doesn't. 00:14:42.940 --> 00:14:43.580 Reconciliation 00:14:43.580 --> 00:14:45.180 requires something of us. 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:46.200 We'll get to that 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:46.980 in a minute. 00:14:47.860 --> 00:14:49.120 But what it does mean 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:51.100 is that God's purposes 00:14:51.100 --> 00:14:52.320 in reconciliation 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:55.019 include the whole world. 00:14:56.600 --> 00:14:57.659 In the creation, 00:14:58.080 --> 00:14:59.060 it was man 00:14:59.060 --> 00:14:59.560 that was supposed 00:14:59.560 --> 00:15:00.840 to bring God's order 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:01.720 upon the earth. 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:03.480 Human sin 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:06.019 led to the creation's fall 00:15:06.019 --> 00:15:07.759 and now man's reconciliation 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:09.040 can lead to the restoration 00:15:09.040 --> 00:15:10.279 of all of creation. 00:15:11.060 --> 00:15:11.720 Paul writes 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:12.720 in the book of Romans, 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:13.460 for we know 00:15:13.460 --> 00:15:14.500 that the whole creation 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:15.779 has been groaning together 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:17.059 in the pains of childbirth 00:15:17.059 --> 00:15:17.679 until now. 00:15:18.339 --> 00:15:19.379 And not only the creation, 00:15:19.699 --> 00:15:20.799 but we ourselves 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:22.339 who have the first fruits 00:15:22.339 --> 00:15:23.120 of the Spirit 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:24.639 grown inwardly 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:26.240 as we eagerly wait 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:27.980 the adoption of sons, 00:15:28.379 --> 00:15:29.639 the redemption of our bodies. 00:15:29.639 --> 00:15:33.539 redemption is not to be thought 00:15:33.539 --> 00:15:34.399 of dualistically, 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:35.159 right? 00:15:36.419 --> 00:15:38.539 That the created world 00:15:38.539 --> 00:15:39.960 is bad stuff 00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:40.740 and redemption means 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:41.960 getting rescued from it. 00:15:42.659 --> 00:15:43.799 Christ still loves 00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:44.460 what he has made 00:15:44.460 --> 00:15:46.519 and still belongs to him. 00:15:48.199 --> 00:15:49.100 Redemption is not 00:15:49.100 --> 00:15:49.759 an invasion 00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:50.639 from an outside 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:51.559 hostile realm, 00:15:52.139 --> 00:15:53.600 but the Lord of this world 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:54.659 comes to claim 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:55.759 his rightful possession. 00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:57.899 All right. 00:15:58.039 --> 00:15:58.580 We did it. 00:15:58.939 --> 00:16:00.480 We zoomed through it 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:01.059 really quick. 00:16:01.220 --> 00:16:01.639 That was a lot. 00:16:02.899 --> 00:16:04.299 And it's really thick and dense. 00:16:05.100 --> 00:16:06.000 But as we said, 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:07.080 Paul is trying to 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:09.240 elicit a response. 00:16:09.819 --> 00:16:10.519 So now it's time 00:16:10.519 --> 00:16:11.500 to ask the question, 00:16:11.860 --> 00:16:12.539 so what? 00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:14.399 Before we do, 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:15.259 I'd like just to make 00:16:15.259 --> 00:16:17.220 one general observation 00:16:17.220 --> 00:16:18.659 about this passage, 00:16:19.340 --> 00:16:20.159 top to bottom. 00:16:20.379 --> 00:16:21.500 Like, what can you say about it? 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:22.960 I think you can 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:24.759 summarize it this way. 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:26.379 That Paul is saying 00:16:26.379 --> 00:16:27.740 Jesus is God. 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:29.720 Jesus is God. 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:32.120 Where do we see 00:16:32.120 --> 00:16:32.860 that most clearly? 00:16:33.019 --> 00:16:34.220 Well, it says he's the image 00:16:34.220 --> 00:16:35.320 of the invisible God. 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:37.500 It says that in Christ, 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:38.639 all the fullness of God 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:39.559 was pleased to dwell. 00:16:40.460 --> 00:16:41.860 But I think the other things 00:16:41.860 --> 00:16:42.399 that he says 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:43.679 makes it even more clear. 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:46.799 Let's talk about 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:47.960 how the Jews conceived 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:49.240 of the uniqueness of God. 00:16:50.379 --> 00:16:51.019 As you know, 00:16:51.019 --> 00:16:52.399 the Jews were strictly 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:54.100 monotheistic. 00:16:55.379 --> 00:16:57.120 Very self-consciously 00:16:57.120 --> 00:16:58.480 monotheistic. 00:16:58.840 --> 00:16:59.600 Twice a day, 00:16:59.659 --> 00:17:00.419 they would recite 00:17:00.419 --> 00:17:01.379 this verse 00:17:01.379 --> 00:17:02.240 from Deuteronomy, 00:17:02.399 --> 00:17:03.199 chapter 6. 00:17:03.699 --> 00:17:04.859 Hear, O Israel, 00:17:04.980 --> 00:17:06.039 the Lord our God, 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:07.480 the Lord is one. 00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:09.700 He's one. 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:11.099 Love the Lord your God 00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:12.339 with all your heart 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:13.680 and with all your soul 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:15.200 and with all your mind. 00:17:16.379 --> 00:17:17.500 Now, in their minds, 00:17:18.339 --> 00:17:20.259 how was the one God unique? 00:17:21.019 --> 00:17:22.559 Like, what distinguished him 00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:24.839 from everything else 00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:27.440 that claimed deity 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:29.539 or divinity? 00:17:32.420 --> 00:17:33.259 I mean, as a whole, 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:35.279 they didn't use categories 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:39.259 like from Greek metaphysics 00:17:39.259 --> 00:17:42.160 to describe God's uniqueness. 00:17:42.339 --> 00:17:42.859 Like we would. 00:17:42.900 --> 00:17:43.460 Like we would say, 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:44.799 God is omniscient, 00:17:45.180 --> 00:17:46.379 he's omnipotent, 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:47.599 he's omnipresent, 00:17:47.779 --> 00:17:48.180 therefore, 00:17:48.539 --> 00:17:49.039 he's God. 00:17:49.980 --> 00:17:51.059 No, that's not how 00:17:51.059 --> 00:17:51.879 they went about it. 00:17:52.220 --> 00:17:53.019 Over and over, 00:17:53.559 --> 00:17:54.420 we find in literature 00:17:54.420 --> 00:17:55.559 from this period, 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:57.680 we find that God's uniqueness 00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:59.079 from all other reality, 00:17:59.420 --> 00:18:01.160 from all other pagan gods, 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:02.900 lies in his unique identity. 00:18:02.900 --> 00:18:03.799 It's an identity. 00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:06.139 Namely this, 00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:06.799 that God, 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:08.159 the only true God, 00:18:08.259 --> 00:18:09.279 the God of Israel, 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:11.059 is the sole creator 00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:11.919 of all things 00:18:11.919 --> 00:18:13.259 and the sole ruler 00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:14.259 of all things. 00:18:14.639 --> 00:18:15.740 He's the sole creator 00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:16.519 of all things 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:18.200 and the sole ruler 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:18.919 of all things. 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:20.980 First, 00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:21.980 in creation, 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:23.600 God acted alone. 00:18:24.080 --> 00:18:25.240 Isaiah 44, 00:18:25.800 --> 00:18:26.420 24, 00:18:27.160 --> 00:18:27.900 says this, 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:29.519 Thus says the Lord, 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:30.200 your Redeemer, 00:18:30.320 --> 00:18:30.980 who formed you 00:18:30.980 --> 00:18:31.759 from the womb, 00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:33.039 I am the Lord 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:34.100 who made all things, 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:34.880 who alone 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:36.080 stretched out the heavens, 00:18:36.380 --> 00:18:37.539 who spread out the earth 00:18:37.539 --> 00:18:38.620 by myself. 00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:42.960 I spread out the earth 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:43.700 by myself. 00:18:43.840 --> 00:18:44.640 God had no helper. 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:48.019 No one else had any part. 00:18:48.819 --> 00:18:49.759 So that's creation. 00:18:49.940 --> 00:18:50.019 Now, 00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:50.960 in his sovereignty, 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:52.259 he employs servants 00:18:52.259 --> 00:18:53.579 like a royal court, 00:18:53.859 --> 00:18:55.200 but they are merely servants. 00:18:55.639 --> 00:18:57.240 There are no co-rulers. 00:18:57.759 --> 00:18:58.420 And so we read, 00:18:58.619 --> 00:19:00.019 when we read in this passage 00:19:00.019 --> 00:19:02.019 that by him and in him 00:19:02.019 --> 00:19:03.420 all things are made, 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:04.460 it's not that Jesus 00:19:04.460 --> 00:19:05.119 was a helper. 00:19:06.019 --> 00:19:07.259 Jesus is being identified 00:19:07.259 --> 00:19:09.139 directly with the God of Israel. 00:19:10.059 --> 00:19:11.099 And when we read 00:19:11.099 --> 00:19:12.639 that Jesus is the firstborn, 00:19:12.819 --> 00:19:13.779 first in rank, 00:19:14.139 --> 00:19:14.980 that he's preeminent, 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:16.160 Paul isn't saying that 00:19:16.160 --> 00:19:17.680 God is sharing his rule 00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:18.340 with Jesus, 00:19:18.820 --> 00:19:19.480 Paul is again 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:21.019 directly identifying Jesus 00:19:21.019 --> 00:19:22.200 with the God of Israel, 00:19:22.460 --> 00:19:23.299 the one God. 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:25.840 Now, 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:27.100 some people look at the Bible, 00:19:27.259 --> 00:19:28.560 scholars will look at the Bible 00:19:28.560 --> 00:19:29.000 and say, 00:19:29.380 --> 00:19:30.299 now Jesus said a lot 00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:30.920 of great things. 00:19:30.980 --> 00:19:31.519 And then later, 00:19:31.600 --> 00:19:32.580 the church came along 00:19:32.580 --> 00:19:33.279 like Paul 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:34.299 and said that he's God, 00:19:34.380 --> 00:19:35.680 but that's not really 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:36.759 who Jesus claimed to be. 00:19:36.840 --> 00:19:36.940 Well, 00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:37.220 actually, 00:19:37.360 --> 00:19:37.720 he did. 00:19:38.100 --> 00:19:40.279 He did claim divinity. 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:44.039 in relationship to Israel itself, 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:44.960 God's uniqueness 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:46.759 actually lay 00:19:46.759 --> 00:19:49.079 in his name. 00:19:50.079 --> 00:19:51.740 His uniqueness lay in his name. 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:53.359 Yahweh, 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:54.759 which sounds like 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:55.519 I am, 00:19:55.619 --> 00:19:55.819 right? 00:19:57.500 --> 00:19:58.759 So in John 8, 00:19:58.799 --> 00:19:59.859 when Jesus says to those 00:19:59.859 --> 00:20:00.920 who are trying to kill him, 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:02.559 before Abraham was, 00:20:02.819 --> 00:20:03.579 I am, 00:20:03.980 --> 00:20:05.119 I am is God's name, 00:20:05.379 --> 00:20:07.500 Jesus is identifying himself 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:10.439 with the God of Israel. 00:20:10.819 --> 00:20:11.599 And that's why 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:12.839 those who are trying 00:20:12.839 --> 00:20:13.619 to kill him in that moment 00:20:13.619 --> 00:20:14.279 picked up stones 00:20:14.279 --> 00:20:15.159 and tried to stone him. 00:20:16.339 --> 00:20:16.919 They knew exactly 00:20:16.919 --> 00:20:17.539 what he was doing. 00:20:18.659 --> 00:20:18.879 Okay. 00:20:20.939 --> 00:20:21.339 Now, 00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:21.759 what does this mean 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:22.419 for all of us? 00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:25.639 I would suggest 00:20:25.639 --> 00:20:26.699 that there are three, 00:20:27.659 --> 00:20:28.219 or I mean, 00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:28.739 at least three, 00:20:28.779 --> 00:20:29.259 responses 00:20:29.259 --> 00:20:31.919 that are required 00:20:31.919 --> 00:20:33.219 based on what we've heard today. 00:20:34.239 --> 00:20:34.419 Now, 00:20:34.420 --> 00:20:35.880 the first is to decide. 00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:38.100 Decide if you believe 00:20:38.100 --> 00:20:39.240 the claims that Paul 00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:40.680 is made about Christ. 00:20:40.820 --> 00:20:42.100 Decide if you believe 00:20:42.100 --> 00:20:43.279 the claims that Jesus 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:44.920 made about himself. 00:20:45.300 --> 00:20:47.060 That Jesus was creator of all. 00:20:47.840 --> 00:20:48.860 That he's ruler of all. 00:20:49.620 --> 00:20:50.820 That Jesus is God. 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:53.000 C.S. Lewis 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:55.800 famously made the argument 00:20:55.800 --> 00:20:58.180 that one cannot dismiss 00:20:58.180 --> 00:21:00.800 Jesus as just a teacher 00:21:00.800 --> 00:21:02.420 or a good person 00:21:02.420 --> 00:21:03.920 or even a prophet 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:04.580 because he didn't 00:21:04.580 --> 00:21:05.460 claim those things. 00:21:06.460 --> 00:21:08.200 His claim was much more extreme. 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:08.580 He had, 00:21:08.820 --> 00:21:09.880 like we just heard, 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:11.440 he claimed to be God. 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:12.779 And if it wasn't, 00:21:12.840 --> 00:21:14.320 if Jesus wasn't God, 00:21:14.360 --> 00:21:14.980 if he wasn't 00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:16.320 what he claimed to be, 00:21:16.600 --> 00:21:17.380 then Lewis wrote, 00:21:17.600 --> 00:21:18.920 he would either be a lunatic 00:21:18.920 --> 00:21:20.620 on the level 00:21:20.620 --> 00:21:21.200 with the man 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:22.539 who says he is a poached egg 00:21:22.539 --> 00:21:25.079 or else he would be 00:21:25.079 --> 00:21:26.059 the devil of hell. 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:27.980 You must make your choice. 00:21:28.639 --> 00:21:29.839 Either this man was 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:31.539 and is the son of God 00:21:31.539 --> 00:21:33.139 or else a madman 00:21:33.139 --> 00:21:34.339 or something worse. 00:21:35.180 --> 00:21:36.279 You can shut him up 00:21:36.279 --> 00:21:37.039 for a fool, 00:21:37.399 --> 00:21:38.519 you can spit at him 00:21:38.519 --> 00:21:39.779 and kill him as a demon, 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:41.980 or you can fall at his feet 00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:43.299 and call him Lord 00:21:43.299 --> 00:21:44.440 and God. 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:46.359 But let us not come 00:21:46.359 --> 00:21:48.359 with any patronizing nonsense 00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:49.740 about his being 00:21:49.740 --> 00:21:51.180 a great human teacher. 00:21:51.799 --> 00:21:53.359 He has not left 00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:54.720 that open to us. 00:21:55.180 --> 00:21:56.539 He did not intend to. 00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:01.099 So that's the first response 00:22:01.099 --> 00:22:02.079 to this passage. 00:22:03.099 --> 00:22:04.359 Decide and believe 00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:05.799 or not believe. 00:22:07.220 --> 00:22:08.160 But we're faced 00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:09.500 with a decision. 00:22:11.099 --> 00:22:12.180 And if you believe 00:22:12.180 --> 00:22:13.099 the claims that Jesus 00:22:13.099 --> 00:22:14.240 made about himself, 00:22:14.579 --> 00:22:15.539 if you believe 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:16.660 what Paul teaches here 00:22:16.660 --> 00:22:17.579 in Colossians, 00:22:18.180 --> 00:22:19.480 then the next response 00:22:19.480 --> 00:22:21.140 is as C.S. Lewis suggests, 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:22.940 to fall at his feet 00:22:22.940 --> 00:22:24.720 and call him Lord 00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:25.460 and God. 00:22:27.220 --> 00:22:28.660 This is for all of us. 00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:30.360 Falling at his feet, 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:31.880 calling him Lord, 00:22:32.360 --> 00:22:33.240 means we repent 00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:34.259 of our claims 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:34.980 to lordship. 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:37.360 We are like, 00:22:37.360 --> 00:22:38.680 we're like 00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:40.079 Francius titles. 00:22:40.940 --> 00:22:42.200 We are wanting to 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:43.039 lay claims 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:43.660 to everything 00:22:43.660 --> 00:22:45.180 that our eye beholds. 00:22:45.539 --> 00:22:46.620 We want to grasp 00:22:46.620 --> 00:22:47.819 at everything around us 00:22:47.819 --> 00:22:48.619 and say, 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:49.259 it's ours. 00:22:49.539 --> 00:22:50.379 I am the Lord 00:22:50.379 --> 00:22:52.279 over my finances. 00:22:52.759 --> 00:22:53.359 I'm the Lord 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:54.299 over my time. 00:22:54.899 --> 00:22:55.299 I'm the Lord 00:22:55.299 --> 00:22:56.039 over my body 00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:56.579 and I can do 00:22:56.579 --> 00:22:57.359 what I want with it. 00:22:57.659 --> 00:22:58.299 I'm the Lord 00:22:58.299 --> 00:22:59.339 of my abilities. 00:23:00.059 --> 00:23:00.599 I'm the Lord 00:23:00.599 --> 00:23:01.460 of my resources. 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:02.019 I can do 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:02.779 what I want with them. 00:23:05.119 --> 00:23:06.179 And so we set up 00:23:06.179 --> 00:23:06.939 ourselves 00:23:06.939 --> 00:23:08.819 as rival lords 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:09.359 to the one 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:10.059 who has created 00:23:10.059 --> 00:23:11.419 and really owns 00:23:11.419 --> 00:23:11.859 everything. 00:23:13.139 --> 00:23:13.899 And that's not 00:23:13.899 --> 00:23:14.439 just being 00:23:14.439 --> 00:23:15.679 bad. 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:16.980 that's cosmic 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:17.480 rebellion. 00:23:20.060 --> 00:23:21.160 And this is why 00:23:21.160 --> 00:23:22.180 we need reconciliation. 00:23:24.620 --> 00:23:25.920 And only God 00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:26.920 can accomplish that. 00:23:30.140 --> 00:23:31.360 Jesus took 00:23:31.360 --> 00:23:32.279 that rebellion, 00:23:32.360 --> 00:23:33.460 that cosmic rebellion 00:23:33.460 --> 00:23:35.220 and all of its 00:23:35.220 --> 00:23:35.920 consequences 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:37.080 on himself 00:23:37.080 --> 00:23:38.000 when he died 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:38.600 on the cross 00:23:38.600 --> 00:23:39.279 and there he 00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:39.940 dealt with it. 00:23:41.640 --> 00:23:42.700 The only thing 00:23:42.700 --> 00:23:43.600 we can bring 00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:44.740 to this reconciliation 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:45.839 process 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:47.619 is our confession, 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:48.659 our emptiness, 00:23:49.379 --> 00:23:50.439 our brokenness, 00:23:50.980 --> 00:23:51.679 our need. 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:54.919 Interestingly, 00:23:55.419 --> 00:23:57.059 we find this 00:23:57.059 --> 00:23:58.079 very same thing 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:00.259 in the Austrian 00:24:00.259 --> 00:24:02.500 royal funeral rite. 00:24:03.959 --> 00:24:05.559 When Franz Josef 00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:06.919 died in the year 00:24:06.919 --> 00:24:07.899 1916, 00:24:08.459 --> 00:24:09.679 his body was led 00:24:09.679 --> 00:24:10.839 from St. Stephen's 00:24:10.839 --> 00:24:11.240 Cathedral 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:12.759 through the streets 00:24:12.759 --> 00:24:13.259 of Vienna 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:14.079 in the most 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:14.700 elaborate 00:24:14.700 --> 00:24:17.140 and ornate 00:24:17.140 --> 00:24:19.700 funeral procession 00:24:19.700 --> 00:24:21.160 you've ever seen. 00:24:22.920 --> 00:24:24.400 No one does death 00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:25.319 quite like Vienna, 00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:26.059 I learned. 00:24:26.740 --> 00:24:27.539 And like his 00:24:27.539 --> 00:24:28.319 predecessors, 00:24:29.559 --> 00:24:30.480 Franz Josef's 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:31.200 casket 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:32.120 would have been 00:24:32.120 --> 00:24:32.640 brought 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:33.579 to the 00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:34.900 Capuchin church 00:24:34.900 --> 00:24:36.059 under which 00:24:36.059 --> 00:24:37.160 lies the crypt 00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:38.180 where many 00:24:38.180 --> 00:24:38.920 of Austria's 00:24:38.920 --> 00:24:39.680 emperors 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:40.920 and empresses 00:24:40.920 --> 00:24:42.120 lay interred. 00:24:43.380 --> 00:24:44.400 And on behalf 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:45.799 of the deceased 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:46.380 emperor, 00:24:47.440 --> 00:24:47.960 the high 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:48.700 chamberlain 00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:49.860 knocks three 00:24:49.860 --> 00:24:50.600 times on the 00:24:50.600 --> 00:24:51.460 door of the 00:24:51.460 --> 00:24:51.860 church 00:24:51.860 --> 00:24:52.480 with the 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:53.240 royal mace 00:24:53.240 --> 00:24:54.400 and the 00:24:54.400 --> 00:24:55.320 prior of the 00:24:55.320 --> 00:24:56.000 Capuchins 00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:57.340 calls out, 00:24:57.759 --> 00:24:58.180 who seeks 00:24:58.180 --> 00:24:58.620 entry? 00:24:59.980 --> 00:25:00.279 And the 00:25:00.279 --> 00:25:00.840 chamberlain, 00:25:00.920 --> 00:25:01.620 on behalf of 00:25:01.620 --> 00:25:02.380 the deceased 00:25:02.380 --> 00:25:02.960 emperor, 00:25:03.220 --> 00:25:03.759 replies, 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:05.180 his majesty, 00:25:05.700 --> 00:25:06.500 Franz Josef 00:25:06.500 --> 00:25:07.080 the first, 00:25:07.600 --> 00:25:08.200 by the grace 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:08.840 of God, 00:25:09.259 --> 00:25:09.980 emperor of 00:25:09.980 --> 00:25:10.559 Austria, 00:25:11.160 --> 00:25:12.100 apostolic king 00:25:12.100 --> 00:25:12.680 of Hungary, 00:25:13.180 --> 00:25:13.539 king of 00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:14.059 Bohemia, 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:15.200 Dalmatia, 00:25:15.600 --> 00:25:16.059 Croatia, 00:25:16.860 --> 00:25:17.600 Slovenia, 00:25:18.140 --> 00:25:18.640 Galicia, 00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:20.440 Lodomeria, 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:21.180 and Illyria, 00:25:21.840 --> 00:25:22.240 king of 00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:22.799 Jerusalem, 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:24.700 archduke of 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:25.120 Austria, 00:25:25.539 --> 00:25:26.120 grand duke of 00:25:26.120 --> 00:25:26.840 Tuscany and 00:25:26.840 --> 00:25:27.400 Krakow, 00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:28.100 duke of 00:25:28.100 --> 00:25:28.720 Lorraine, 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:29.779 Salzburg, 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:30.600 Styria, 00:25:30.940 --> 00:25:31.519 Carinthia, 00:25:31.840 --> 00:25:32.440 Carniola, 00:25:32.440 --> 00:25:32.840 and the 00:25:32.840 --> 00:25:33.180 Book of 00:25:33.180 --> 00:25:33.519 Vena, 00:25:34.220 --> 00:25:35.000 grand prince 00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:35.960 of Transylvania, 00:25:35.960 --> 00:25:37.079 Margrave of 00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:37.640 Moravia, 00:25:38.019 --> 00:25:38.500 count of 00:25:38.500 --> 00:25:39.140 Habsburg, 00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:39.779 and the 00:25:39.779 --> 00:25:40.340 Tyrol, 00:25:40.680 --> 00:25:41.059 and the 00:25:41.059 --> 00:25:41.720 prior calls 00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:41.960 out, 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:42.539 we do 00:25:42.539 --> 00:25:42.960 not know 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:43.259 him. 00:25:46.279 --> 00:25:46.960 Again, 00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:49.039 three knocks. 00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:51.140 Who seeks 00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:51.579 entry? 00:25:53.079 --> 00:25:53.420 And the 00:25:53.420 --> 00:25:54.079 high chamberlain 00:25:54.079 --> 00:25:54.700 calls out, 00:25:56.299 --> 00:25:56.579 emperor 00:25:56.579 --> 00:25:57.420 Franz Josef, 00:25:58.220 --> 00:25:58.980 apostolic king 00:25:58.980 --> 00:25:59.460 of Hungary, 00:26:00.380 --> 00:26:00.700 king of 00:26:00.700 --> 00:26:01.160 Bohemia, 00:26:01.860 --> 00:26:02.140 and the 00:26:02.140 --> 00:26:02.880 prior again 00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:03.360 says, 00:26:04.360 --> 00:26:05.500 we do not 00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:05.960 know him. 00:26:12.220 --> 00:26:13.079 Who seeks 00:26:13.079 --> 00:26:13.519 entry? 00:26:16.039 --> 00:26:16.799 And the 00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:17.240 chamberlain 00:26:17.240 --> 00:26:17.920 then kneels 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:20.160 down and 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:20.579 humbly 00:26:20.579 --> 00:26:21.299 says, 00:26:22.299 --> 00:26:23.339 a poor 00:26:23.339 --> 00:26:23.799 sinner, 00:26:25.539 --> 00:26:26.660 Franz Josef, 00:26:27.220 --> 00:26:29.180 who begs 00:26:29.180 --> 00:26:29.759 God's 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:30.220 mercy. 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:30.279 mercy. 00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:35.220 And the 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:35.640 prior then 00:26:35.640 --> 00:26:36.319 opens the 00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:36.900 door to 00:26:36.900 --> 00:26:37.519 the church 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:38.700 and its 00:26:38.700 --> 00:26:39.220 crypt 00:26:39.220 --> 00:26:40.880 and commands, 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:42.039 enter. 00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:48.160 What are you 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:49.180 claiming lordship 00:26:49.180 --> 00:26:49.440 over? 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:52.539 What areas 00:26:52.539 --> 00:26:53.160 of your life 00:26:53.160 --> 00:26:53.860 are you trying 00:26:53.860 --> 00:26:54.319 to keep 00:26:54.319 --> 00:26:54.940 from Jesus' 00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:55.480 reign? 00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:56.480 God's 00:26:56.480 --> 00:26:56.680 sin? 00:26:56.680 --> 00:26:59.319 How have you 00:26:59.319 --> 00:26:59.900 set yourself 00:26:59.900 --> 00:27:00.279 up to 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:01.400 as a 00:27:01.400 --> 00:27:02.120 rival lord, 00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:03.160 to the 00:27:03.160 --> 00:27:03.640 creator and 00:27:03.640 --> 00:27:03.980 ruler of 00:27:03.980 --> 00:27:04.680 all things? 00:27:06.120 --> 00:27:06.900 Living in 00:27:06.900 --> 00:27:07.480 reconciliation 00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:08.299 with God 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:09.440 means renouncing 00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:10.059 our claims 00:27:10.059 --> 00:27:10.779 on anything, 00:27:11.360 --> 00:27:12.079 falling on 00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:12.360 our knees 00:27:12.360 --> 00:27:13.059 before him, 00:27:13.420 --> 00:27:13.940 and pleading 00:27:13.940 --> 00:27:14.380 for his 00:27:14.380 --> 00:27:14.720 mercy. 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:19.360 I'm 00:27:19.360 --> 00:27:19.740 suggesting 00:27:19.740 --> 00:27:20.240 three 00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:20.819 responses 00:27:20.819 --> 00:27:21.279 to this 00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:21.680 passage. 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:22.360 The first 00:27:22.360 --> 00:27:22.799 was to 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:23.259 decide 00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:23.500 and to 00:27:23.500 --> 00:27:23.779 believe. 00:27:24.700 --> 00:27:25.480 The second 00:27:25.480 --> 00:27:26.039 is to 00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:26.480 repent. 00:27:28.799 --> 00:27:29.640 The third 00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:29.980 is to 00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:30.339 worship. 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:33.079 Worship. 00:27:34.860 --> 00:27:35.339 Paul used 00:27:35.339 --> 00:27:35.839 a poem 00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:36.259 to say 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:36.900 these things 00:27:36.900 --> 00:27:39.400 because he 00:27:39.400 --> 00:27:39.799 was going 00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:41.279 for maximum 00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:42.259 impact, 00:27:42.799 --> 00:27:44.039 for shock, 00:27:44.180 --> 00:27:44.680 for awe, 00:27:44.720 --> 00:27:45.019 but not 00:27:45.019 --> 00:27:45.380 just to 00:27:45.380 --> 00:27:45.559 our 00:27:45.559 --> 00:27:46.019 minds. 00:27:46.740 --> 00:27:47.000 He 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:47.259 means to 00:27:47.259 --> 00:27:47.539 engage 00:27:47.539 --> 00:27:48.059 our whole 00:27:48.059 --> 00:27:48.400 selves, 00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:49.220 our minds, 00:27:49.420 --> 00:27:50.180 our bodies, 00:27:50.339 --> 00:27:51.039 our souls. 00:27:52.259 --> 00:27:52.920 So let's 00:27:52.920 --> 00:27:53.400 get to that 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:53.940 right now. 00:27:54.100 --> 00:27:54.579 Ordinarily, 00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:55.200 we end our 00:27:55.200 --> 00:27:56.519 sermons with 00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:56.940 a prayer. 00:27:58.200 --> 00:27:58.480 And we'll 00:27:58.480 --> 00:27:59.120 do that same 00:27:59.120 --> 00:27:59.779 thing together 00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:00.259 tonight. 00:28:00.980 --> 00:28:01.420 We're going 00:28:01.420 --> 00:28:01.700 to do it 00:28:01.700 --> 00:28:02.059 together. 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:03.339 So would 00:28:03.339 --> 00:28:03.660 you please 00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:03.980 stand? 00:28:06.460 --> 00:28:07.100 We're going 00:28:07.100 --> 00:28:07.460 to pray 00:28:07.460 --> 00:28:08.079 together the 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:08.980 hymn found 00:28:08.980 --> 00:28:09.740 in Colossians 00:28:09.740 --> 00:28:10.079 1. 00:28:10.539 --> 00:28:11.059 So if we 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:11.559 can go back 00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:11.940 to it. 00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:15.559 And when 00:28:15.559 --> 00:28:15.860 you see 00:28:15.860 --> 00:28:16.420 he is 00:28:16.420 --> 00:28:16.799 the image, 00:28:16.900 --> 00:28:17.480 say you 00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:18.259 are the 00:28:18.259 --> 00:28:18.660 image. 00:28:20.180 --> 00:28:20.400 And you 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:21.000 see by 00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:21.460 him, 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:22.819 say by 00:28:22.819 --> 00:28:23.400 you all 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:23.759 things were 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:24.100 created. 00:28:25.220 --> 00:28:25.500 Okay? 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:26.759 Let's pray. 00:28:27.400 --> 00:28:28.019 Lord Jesus, 00:28:28.860 --> 00:28:29.660 you are the 00:28:29.660 --> 00:28:30.460 image of the 00:28:30.460 --> 00:28:31.420 invisible God, 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:32.900 the firstborn of 00:28:32.900 --> 00:28:33.680 all creation. 00:28:34.339 --> 00:28:35.319 For by you 00:28:35.319 --> 00:28:36.160 all things were 00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:36.700 created, 00:28:37.200 --> 00:28:38.140 in heaven and 00:28:38.140 --> 00:28:38.819 on earth, 00:28:38.819 --> 00:28:41.899 visible and 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:42.480 invisible, 00:28:42.980 --> 00:28:44.039 whether thrones 00:28:44.039 --> 00:28:44.980 or dominions, 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:46.119 rulers or 00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:46.779 authorities, 00:28:47.379 --> 00:28:48.259 all things were 00:28:48.259 --> 00:28:49.059 created through 00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:50.299 you and for 00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:50.819 you. 00:28:51.200 --> 00:28:52.099 And you are 00:28:52.099 --> 00:28:52.939 before all 00:28:52.939 --> 00:28:53.480 things. 00:28:53.960 --> 00:28:54.579 And in you 00:28:54.579 --> 00:28:55.720 all things hold 00:28:55.720 --> 00:28:56.179 together. 00:28:56.899 --> 00:28:57.859 And you are 00:28:57.859 --> 00:28:58.480 the head of the 00:28:58.480 --> 00:28:59.419 body, the 00:28:59.419 --> 00:28:59.839 church. 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:00.879 You are the 00:29:00.879 --> 00:29:01.759 beginning, the 00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:02.700 firstborn from 00:29:02.700 --> 00:29:03.960 the dead, that 00:29:03.960 --> 00:29:05.119 in everything you 00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:05.960 might be 00:29:05.960 --> 00:29:06.899 preeminent. 00:29:06.900 --> 00:29:08.880 for in you 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:09.519 all the 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:10.120 fullness of 00:29:10.120 --> 00:29:10.820 God was 00:29:10.820 --> 00:29:11.480 pleased to 00:29:11.480 --> 00:29:12.640 dwell, and 00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:13.580 through you to 00:29:13.580 --> 00:29:14.360 reconcile to 00:29:14.360 --> 00:29:15.620 himself all 00:29:15.620 --> 00:29:17.000 things, whether 00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:18.280 on earth or 00:29:18.280 --> 00:29:19.680 in heaven, making 00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:20.759 peace by the 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:21.480 blood of your 00:29:21.480 --> 00:29:22.080 cross.