Colossians 1, 15 to 23.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
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.
And he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning and the firstborn from among dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you wholly in his sight,
without blemish and free from accusation.
If you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held in the gospel,
this is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,
and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Well, good evening to you all.
And good evening to you all.
Oh, lovely. Thank you.
Because it would be an exceptionally lonely place to be up here and nobody out there.
Let's look at God's word here.
Now, in the 1970s, Andrew Richardson, a Liverpool postal worker,
declared his semi-detached flat to be the independent nation of Granbya.
After a while, however, Richardson lost interest and the department reverted back to England by default.
In 1964, Leicester, I think that's how you say that name.
How do I say it?
Leicester.
Yes. Okay.
Hemingway, the little brother of author Ernest Hemingway,
built an eight-by-30-foot floating bamboo platform,
seven miles off the coast of Jamaica,
anchoring it to the ocean floor with a Ford engine block.
I can stand on the platform, walk around on it and salute the flag,
all of which I do periodically, he told the reporters.
There are no taxes here,
because taxes are for people not smart enough to start their own countries.
In time, part of his country was destroyed by fishermen in search of scrap wood,
and the rest sank in a storm.
In 1969, in Australia, in Western Australia,
the wheat quota board limited the amount of wheat he could grow,
so Leonard George Casely took his 18,500-acre farm
and seceded from Australia to form his own country.
The Principality of Hutt River, it was called.
He designed his own national flag and motto,
printed his own money and set up his own parliament.
Australia refused to recognise his sovereignty,
so in 1977, he declared war.
Nothing came of it.
What a surprise.
He backed down two days later and re-established diplomatic relations.
Casely claims he pays no Australian taxes,
but he admits he makes payments to the Australian government
as an international courtesy.
You can still actually visit that place.
Tourism.
People go to it.
Kingdoms come and kingdoms go.
Even the most mighty of nations don't last forever,
except for the kingdom of God
that we have been talking about over the last few weeks.
In this series, we've been saying that the kingdom of God
is God's people in God's place under God's rule.
And today, we focus on Jesus being the fulfilment
of all of what the Old Testament has been saying to us.
We read in Matthew 1,
and some might wonder at the importance of reading it,
but you and I both know that when we look at our own family tree,
there are stories that go along with absolutely every person in that tree.
Some may be more colourful than others,
but there is something important with every entry,
as is with the Matthew 1.
The genealogy we were looking at today in Matthew
is very important for us to understand the kingdom of God.
It's important because we see Jesus' lineage was no accident.
He was born to fulfil a certain plan
that we have been reading and hearing about over these last weeks.
It's a specific plan in a specific time,
in a specific place from a specific line of people.
It had to be this way because God had promised
that Jesus would be born a ruler,
not just an ordinary ruler,
but King of kings, Lord of lords.
God planned this ruler through promise.
God not only makes his promises,
but he's faithful and he keeps his promises.
And so we've seen over the weeks
that God had a couple of specific promises
that stand out above the rest.
Promises made to Abraham and promises made to David.
Covenants, we call them.
Now Matthew lists them in the first verse.
He lists it with Jesus is the son of David first
before he says son of Abraham.
Matthew does that because his purpose in writing his gospel
was to show how Jesus is the Messiah,
that he's the king of the Jews.
And that's what the Davidic covenant was all about.
It was about establishing the throne.
In Chronicles chapter 1 verse 17,
1 Chronicles chapter 17,
which if you want to look up, but I will read.
When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers,
I will raise up your offspring to succeed you.
One of your own sons,
and I will establish his kingdom.
He is the one who will build a house for me,
and I will establish his throne forever.
I will be his father and he will be my son.
I will never take my love away from him
as I took away from your predecessor.
I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever.
His throne will be established forever.
God is reaffirming his promise of the land to Israel,
and he promises David an eternal throne.
By saying that Jesus is the son of David,
Matthew is saying that he is the fulfillment
of God's prophecy to David.
Jesus is the one whose throne is established forevermore.
He is the seed of David that God would raise up
and establish his kingdom.
Now, Jesus was the literal fulfillment
of God's promise to David,
and Jesus also fulfilled the Abrahamic covenant,
the promise made to Abraham.
Not only did Jesus fulfill God's promise for a throne,
but he also fulfilled God's promise for a seed.
Remember, we have read in earlier weeks
in Genesis chapter 12,
God told Abraham that through his lineage,
all the earth would be blessed.
It didn't happen through Isaac or Jacob.
It didn't happen through Judah, David or Solomon.
The blessing happened through Jesus.
Galatians chapter 3 says,
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law
by becoming a curse for us.
For it is written,
cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham
might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,
so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Not only did God plan for a ruler through promise,
he planned for a ruler through people.
Look at the list we read earlier.
As I look at the list in Matthew 1,
the first thing I notice is that it isn't a list
that I would have chosen.
If I was to choose a lineage for the Son of God,
God in the flesh,
I would have chosen better people than these ones,
if I knew them.
Abraham was a liar.
Isaac learned from his dad
and was a liar as well.
Jacob was a cheat and a swindler.
While Joseph was resisting temptation
and living a blessed and holy life in Egypt,
Judah was spending time with his daughter-in-law, Tamar,
who was disguised as a prostitute
and he got her pregnant,
so their son was illegitimate.
Do you see a pattern sort of happening here?
Of course not all of them were bad.
Boaz was honourable,
although he did marry a Moabite woman
that was forbidden for him to marry.
Some of the kings were good.
David was a man after God's own heart,
but he was a murderer
and he had committed adultery with Bathsheba,
who, by the way, is also in Jesus' lineage.
No, what this list shows is God's goodness and God's mercy.
Aren't you glad that God does not choose the best and the brightest?
He chooses to work through the weak things of this world
that he might be shown to be strong.
In God's plan for a ruler through people,
he used the royal line of David
to give Jesus legal claim to the throne.
So we have God's rule in Jesus.
Well, what about God's place?
Last week, Steve preached about the prophet Ezekiel
and the promise from God.
All of what he knew about God
was attached to the promised land,
Israel, Jerusalem and the temple.
The temple was the centre of God's activity with his people.
The temple was God's dwelling place.
And yet it was no more.
It was destroyed.
But without the land, Jerusalem and a temple,
what is left?
Steve had asked,
has God abandoned his people?
Has his promises to Abraham and David failed?
What does it now mean to be the people of God?
Well, we've already seen that God has fulfilled his promise
through Abraham and David.
And now in the New Testament,
we can see that the new temple
has already come into existence
for it is none other than Jesus Christ himself.
John describes it in John 1, 14.
The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
That literal translation is,
he tabernacled among us.
In other words,
John saw Jesus as resembling the tabernacle in the wilderness.
We don't need a temple anymore
because Jesus himself is dwelling with us.
Jesus is God dwelling with us.
We continue to see that God's place is directly linked to Jesus
in the words of the kingdom.
Look at Matthew chapter 3,
the first couple of verses,
where John is talking about Jesus.
In those days,
John the Baptist came,
preaching in the desert of Judea
and saying,
repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.
Mark 1, verses 14 and 15 say,
after John was put into prison,
Jesus went into Galilee,
proclaiming the good news of God.
The kingdom of God is near.
Repent and believe the good news.
Mark 11,
as part of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem,
we hear the people shout,
Hosanna,
blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David.
And in Colossians 1, 13,
we read,
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.
The kingdom we see in scripture
is also referred to as a mustard seed,
a fine pearl.
Steve mentioned before,
a treasure hidden in a field,
a net of fish.
All of them are directly connected to Jesus.
For it is Jesus who is the treasure.
And without the treasure,
we are lost for all eternity.
Hence,
we have,
as our statement for this church,
that we want to treasure Jesus.
Without Jesus,
we have nothing.
What these verses show
is that Jesus is the head of the new race.
All who are united with him
are members of that race.
That is,
whoever is in Christ
is a new creation
and Christ is the head.
So we have a people of God,
those who are in Christ.
And we have one who is under God's rule,
that is Jesus Christ.
So how is Jesus the ruler?
Let's read Colossians,
that first part of the Colossians reading again.
He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
For by him,
all things were 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.
And he is the head of the body,
the church.
He is the beginning
and the firstborn
from among the dead
so that in everything,
he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased
to have all his fullness
dwell in him
and through him
to reconcile himself
all things,
whether things on earth
or things in heaven,
by making peace
through his blood
shed on the cross.
The gospel is saying,
he, sorry,
he is the one
who brings salvation
to humankind.
Everything is in Jesus.
He holds it all together.
It is in God's fullness
in him,
he then brings peace.
Following on in verse 21,
once you were alienated
from God
and were enemies
in your minds
because of your evil behaviour,
but now he has reconciled you
by Christ's physical body
through death
to present you
wholly in his sight
without blemish
and free from accusation.
If you continue
in your faith
established and firm,
not moved
from the hope
held out in the gospel.
This is the gospel
that you have heard
that has been proclaimed
to every creature
under heaven
and of which I,
Paul,
have become a servant.
The gospel is saying
that what man
cannot do for salvation,
this God
has done
on our behalf
in the person
of Jesus Christ.
We know from history
that man
has failed
time and time
and time again
to present a life
to God
that is perfect
and acceptable.
And here,
we see Jesus
do this for us.
He's the one
who is perfect
and acceptable
on our behalf.
It is Jesus
who has perfectly
lived out
the holy law
of God
and its penalty
was perfectly
paid for us
in Jesus.
It is the living
and the dying
of Christ
for us
that is the basis
of our acceptance
with God.
It is Jesus Christ
who rules.
But did you pick up
that small word
if
in the verses
in Colossians?
It is Christ
who will present us
without blemish
and free from accusation
to almighty God
if.
If what?
If you continue
in your faith
established
and firm
not moved
from the hope
held out
in the gospel.
Well,
what does that
look like?
It is a life
trusting
a sovereign God.
Looking at our
core values
here at church
it's a life
of Christ
centred
Bible
saturation.
Why do we
keep harping
on about
this Christ
centred
Bible
saturation?
Because it is
there that
your life
will be
changed.
It is there
that we are
challenged
to live
a life
of servanthood.
It is
in
Christ
centred
Bible
saturation
that we
live a life
that is
seeking
God's
wisdom
and God's
discernment.
It's where
the result
is that
we are
challenged
to live
a life
seeking
for God
to change
us
to be
more like
Jesus.
To live
a life
of Christ
centred
Bible
saturation
means a
life
of humble
authenticity.
We don't
live
differently
with different
people.
We are
authentic
people of
God
in every
moment
of every
day.
It is
a life
where the
needs
of others
are far
more
important
to us
than our
own
needs.
It's a
life where
we're seeking
to know
God in a
closer and
more personal
way every
day of
our lives.
That we
are never
ever satisfied
with just
head knowledge
life.
It's a
life of
contentment
in Jesus
and Jesus
alone.
It's a life
that we do
not get if we
don't get our
own way in
family or
at our
uni or
our
workplace or
with our
friends or
we don't get
our own way
in our
ministry or
we don't get
our own way
in this
church.
That we
can humbly
seek to do
what is best
for other
people.
That we
are content
because we
know Jesus.
I would
actually
challenge you
to consider
what is it
that you
and God
are working
on at this
moment in
time.
What part
of your
character are
you working
on with
God?
Because if
you are not
working on
anything at
all, I
can actually
say to
you, you
might be
stalling in
your Christian
faith.
We need
to be
Christ
centred,
Bible
saturated
Christians and
doing that,
God is going
to be knocking
off the
rough edges
of us.
And so
there needs
to always
be something
that you
are working
with.
You and
God trying
to work
through and
are you
asking the
Lord to
help you
to be more
prayerful?
Are you
asking the
Lord to
deal with
your anger?
Are you
asking the
Lord to
help you
to be
more
sensitive
to another
person's
needs?
What is
it that
you and
God are
working on
at this
moment in
time?
That's a
question my
mentor would
be asking me
each time she
sees me.
What is it
that you and
God are
working on?
And that's a
question we
should be able
to ask each
other at
any time.
What is it
that you and
God are
working on
at this
moment for
you to
build godly
character or
for God to
be building
godly
character?
Next week
we look at
Jesus and
the great
fulfilment of
Jesus and
where Jesus
takes us.
And as
Jesus changes
our life through
the Holy Spirit
we actually have
the great hope
of glory,
the great hope
of heaven.
But don't be
tricked into
thinking it's
all about what
Jesus has done
in us.
It's about what
God has done
for us in
Jesus.
That is the
gospel.
And we get the
blessing of being
changed to be
Christ-like as we
go along.
Earlier on
Steve actually
mentioned movies
and he mentions
that he sees
the end and
speaks it
forth.
And Nat
is the one
who still
cries even
though she
knows the
end.
But in actual
fact for me
I actually can
see movies over
and over and
over again and
I forget what
the ending is.
My son Jason
who's not here
but Jason
says I get
the best value
out of hiring
movies than
any person
because I
can look at
it fresh all
the time and
it's new.
I never
sort of,
oh that's a
surprise.
I can do it
with books
also.
Vander will
tell me,
I'm not sure,
halfway through
the book I
think I've read
it.
And he'll say
yes you have.
You know sort
of.
But that's a
problem if you
do that with
Jesus.
You see
because I
can forget
the goodness
and the
greatness of
Jesus.
You might be
somebody who
sits in
Steve's camp
or Nat's
camp or in
my camp which
is another one
altogether.
But don't be
complacent with
Jesus.
Yes Jesus is
the answer.
We all know
that from Sunday
school and from
scripture.
Jesus is the
answer and you
sort of nearly
there most of
the time.
But don't be
complacent with
Jesus.
Jesus needs to
be changing
our lives.
I know that
most of us have
heard this
message over and
over again or
one similar.
But you need
to ask how
does this
message consistently
challenge the
way I think and
live out life.
None of us in
this building
absolutely none
of us have
finished the
race that we
are in.
So no one is
sitting on the
side.
We are all in
a race together.
I want you to
continue to run
the race and to
run it faithfully
with Jesus.
I want you to
know that the
kingdom of God
is here now but
is also your goal
later.
that way we
can be God's
people in God's
place under God's
rule.
thanks for saying
that
I can see you
as
people in
with
as
people in