WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.140 Our scripture reading tonight from which the sermon will be based is Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 to 23. 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:10.740 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:40.159 For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. 00:00:40.679 --> 00:00:43.759 All things were created through him and for him. 00:00:44.219 --> 00:00:47.320 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:49.840 And he is the head of the body, the church. 00:00:50.400 --> 00:00:55.039 He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 00:00:55.740 --> 00:00:59.100 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:08.579 And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:15.680 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:24.200 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:32.960 If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:40.359 which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. 00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:43.239 This is God's holy word. 00:01:43.239 --> 00:01:51.140 About eight years ago, my family and I took a trip to Seattle on the other side of the United States. 00:01:51.500 --> 00:01:56.140 And while we were there, we thought, we were visiting some friends, and we thought, while we were there, we were able to stay in their house. 00:01:56.159 --> 00:02:01.159 We were going to take a trip up to Canada, and we would go up to Vancouver so we could ski for a day at Whistler. 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:08.300 And as we were driving up, we'd hired a car, and we were going round Benz, and we came round this one particular corner. 00:02:08.819 --> 00:02:16.919 And suddenly, I was driving, and in front of me, these mountains appeared, and they felt like they were so big, you could barely see the sky above them. 00:02:17.439 --> 00:02:21.240 And as I drove on, it felt like the mountains were tumbling down on top of me. 00:02:21.379 --> 00:02:24.840 We've got mountains in Scotland, but I'd never experienced anything like this. 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:27.439 It took my breath away, and I was driving. 00:02:27.539 --> 00:02:36.060 It made me feel actually a little bit dizzy, thinking, looking at how magnificent and glorious these mountains are as they towered up above us. 00:02:36.060 --> 00:02:43.620 My brain couldn't quite grasp the size and the beauty and magnificence of what was in front of them. 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:50.640 Well, we're in a series in Paul's, the Apostle Paul's letter to the church in Colossae. 00:02:50.639 --> 00:03:02.679 And Paul's writing this letter because he's heard that there's false teachers interfering with the belief system, the things that the people know about, in the church know about Jesus. 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:08.500 So, later on in the letter, we get some hints as to what those things are. 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:15.939 But whatever those things are, the precise mixture of false teachings that are being taught, Paul sees one fundamental problem. 00:03:15.939 --> 00:03:29.639 It all boils down to the fact that whatever they're teaching is diminishing the sufficiency and the supremacy of Christ by making believers look somewhere else for the full fullness of God. 00:03:30.699 --> 00:03:38.620 Not saying that Jesus isn't important, but saying that you need Jesus plus something else in order to receive this fullness. 00:03:38.620 --> 00:03:45.580 So, what have the Canadian mountains got to do with this letter that Paul writes to the church in Colossae? 00:03:45.939 --> 00:03:54.819 Well, I think that Paul tries to do, or does with words, what those mountains did to me with my eyes in real life. 00:03:55.099 --> 00:03:58.960 He paints this magnificent picture of who Jesus really is. 00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:00.020 Paul doesn't sit down. 00:04:00.599 --> 00:04:02.920 He's written a welcome, a thanksgiving. 00:04:03.200 --> 00:04:05.259 He's written a prayer in this letter. 00:04:05.259 --> 00:04:13.759 And then he arrives at the meat, the content, and he doesn't say, listen, those guys who are coming in and telling you other things about Jesus, don't listen to them. 00:04:13.859 --> 00:04:14.639 He doesn't do that. 00:04:15.139 --> 00:04:15.919 What does he do instead? 00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:23.259 He just paints this extraordinary, breathtaking picture of who Christ really is. 00:04:23.579 --> 00:04:24.980 And the result is sublime. 00:04:25.719 --> 00:04:30.759 He presents this most stupendous word picture. 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:32.680 And Christ is the theme. 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:37.660 He doesn't begin with, don't listen to them. 00:04:37.900 --> 00:04:47.060 He begins with, feast your eyes, your ears, your hearts on who Jesus really is, what he came to do, and what he's achieved. 00:04:47.960 --> 00:04:53.420 Because anything that you see that is not Jesus is insufficient. 00:04:53.420 --> 00:04:58.980 Rather than Jesus being in any way insufficient for the church. 00:04:59.520 --> 00:05:05.040 Once you see the glory of Christ, you'll never be fooled into thinking that you need anything else ever again. 00:05:05.900 --> 00:05:10.060 John Owen was a Puritan, a 17th century theologian, and a church leader. 00:05:10.060 --> 00:05:18.800 And he said one of the greatest privileges that a believer has, both in this life and in eternity, is to behold the glory of Christ. 00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:25.519 So for Owen, seeing Christ's glory is one of the greatest privileges that a Christian can have. 00:05:26.180 --> 00:05:32.980 And this evening we're going to think about why that is from this section of Paul's letter that Corey read for us. 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:35.920 There's two big reasons, I think, two points. 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:40.620 And the first is because Christ is supreme over all of creation. 00:05:41.520 --> 00:05:46.200 So verses 15 and 20, as Corey said, this is a hymn, a poem. 00:05:46.780 --> 00:05:49.520 It certainly reads that way when you read it. 00:05:49.520 --> 00:05:55.980 We've gone from speaking about you to the second person, speaking about Jesus in the third person. 00:05:55.980 --> 00:05:58.720 And it feels like a distinct change in language. 00:05:59.140 --> 00:06:01.100 That's one hint that there's a poem here. 00:06:01.620 --> 00:06:07.500 But the language as well builds line by line on top of each other to build this complete picture. 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:11.660 It begins with two titles stacked on top of one another. 00:06:12.400 --> 00:06:16.759 Christ is the image of the invisible God, and he's the firstborn of all creation. 00:06:17.819 --> 00:06:21.460 So when we hear the word, we're Bible readers and we hear the word image, 00:06:21.939 --> 00:06:24.500 we probably immediately think back to Genesis. 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:30.639 Jesus, because when God made Adam, he made mankind, he made him in his image. 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:34.639 And every creature is made in the image of God. 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:36.560 Every man is made in the image of God. 00:06:37.220 --> 00:06:39.839 And so that's why every life is so important. 00:06:39.939 --> 00:06:43.120 Every life is so precious, why we have to do all we can to protect it. 00:06:44.060 --> 00:06:47.899 Paul's got something bigger in mind when he applies this image to Christ. 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:50.660 He is man. 00:06:50.660 --> 00:06:54.259 Christ came into the world as a man, but he's not just man. 00:06:54.500 --> 00:06:56.620 Paul wants to reflect that for us. 00:06:57.279 --> 00:06:59.740 He's not merely saying that Jesus is like us. 00:07:00.060 --> 00:07:04.399 He's saying Jesus and the Father are completely alike. 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:07.000 He's the image of the invisible God. 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:13.620 Christ is the firstborn of all creation. 00:07:14.620 --> 00:07:20.379 So now on first reading, that sounds like Christ has been created, like he's had a beginning. 00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:22.259 The firstborn of all creation. 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:27.360 And in the fourth century, there's a guy called Arius who thought that was the case. 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:33.879 And he used this verse to argue that Jesus might be the most magnificent, the best of all God's creations. 00:07:34.379 --> 00:07:36.400 But he was a creation nonetheless. 00:07:38.180 --> 00:07:40.939 We know that God has no beginning. 00:07:41.139 --> 00:07:42.060 We know that Christ is God. 00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:43.840 And so that cannot be the case. 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:46.419 But it's worth thinking about this just for a little second. 00:07:46.939 --> 00:07:49.419 Because it's got implications for us. 00:07:49.459 --> 00:07:51.739 Because this is not just theological error. 00:07:52.479 --> 00:07:53.339 This is heresy. 00:07:53.899 --> 00:07:59.620 To say that Jesus is a created being means to say that Jesus is not divine. 00:07:59.719 --> 00:08:00.899 That Jesus is not God. 00:08:01.719 --> 00:08:04.719 So what's the difference between biblical error and heresy? 00:08:05.379 --> 00:08:09.979 Well, biblical error is things that we can differ on and still be Christians. 00:08:10.580 --> 00:08:12.060 So baptism is a really good example. 00:08:12.819 --> 00:08:15.319 So some people might think that we should baptize children. 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:18.640 And other people think that we should not baptize children. 00:08:18.740 --> 00:08:20.840 We should wait until they make up their own profession of faith. 00:08:21.100 --> 00:08:22.620 Those are biblical differences. 00:08:24.259 --> 00:08:26.520 The truth is, one of us has to be wrong. 00:08:26.980 --> 00:08:28.379 We can't both be right. 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:33.279 But we can still have fellowship with those people and accept them as Christians, 00:08:33.379 --> 00:08:35.420 even when they hold a different point of view to us. 00:08:35.420 --> 00:08:36.700 But heresy is something different. 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:45.860 Heresy is a fundamental doctrinal error that contradicts the essential truths of the Christian faith. 00:08:46.580 --> 00:08:50.740 Truths that are necessary to preserve the biblical gospel. 00:08:51.340 --> 00:08:52.920 I borrowed that definition. 00:08:54.520 --> 00:08:56.879 So Arius wasn't simply making a mistake about Jesus. 00:08:57.720 --> 00:09:00.040 He was denying the full deity of the Son. 00:09:00.700 --> 00:09:04.420 And then he's undermining, therefore, the entire gospel itself. 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:08.199 But heresy leads people away from Christ. 00:09:09.199 --> 00:09:11.899 The only way to be reconciled with God. 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:15.679 And that kind of teaching has eternal consequences. 00:09:16.439 --> 00:09:17.860 So it's not a small error. 00:09:17.939 --> 00:09:19.519 This is a huge deal. 00:09:20.539 --> 00:09:23.279 And this view didn't end in the fourth century, sadly. 00:09:23.799 --> 00:09:27.819 There are still people who believe that Christ is a created being. 00:09:27.820 --> 00:09:34.800 But as we're going to look in Paul's letter, he points out very clearly, I think, makes a really clear argument why that is not the case. 00:09:35.740 --> 00:09:38.460 So what's Paul doing here when he calls Jesus the firstborn? 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:47.720 Especially in a letter that he's writing to convince the church not to listen to outside influences saying that they need anything else other than Christ. 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:55.759 Well, verse 16 means that we cannot accept, we can't misunderstand firstborn. 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:59.180 Because it clearly states that Jesus created everything. 00:09:59.420 --> 00:10:03.040 So logically, the creator cannot be created. 00:10:03.259 --> 00:10:05.180 He has to come before the things that he created. 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:08.100 But leaving verse 16 aside just for a moment, 00:10:08.100 --> 00:10:14.320 The Bible gives us lots of information about what firstborn means in this context. 00:10:14.820 --> 00:10:16.540 So in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy, 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:24.860 Moses lays down rules for how a man who has two wives is to think about inheritance. 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:29.220 So he's got one wife who he loves and one wife who he doesn't love. 00:10:29.879 --> 00:10:35.879 And the unloved wife's son is older and the loved son's wife is younger. 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:44.360 And so the danger or the opportunity is for the man who loves this wife to give everything to the younger son. 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:48.500 Because that's the son of the woman who he loves the most. 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:52.159 But Moses says, no, that's not what's going to happen. 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:55.580 He says that the firstborn must receive his double portion. 00:10:56.539 --> 00:10:58.700 Because he's the first fruits of his strength. 00:10:58.899 --> 00:11:01.100 The right of the firstborn is his. 00:11:01.100 --> 00:11:07.180 But what's significant here is not the order of who's born first, 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:09.240 but the rights that are being protected. 00:11:09.659 --> 00:11:13.100 This isn't about biological facts, which are not being disputed. 00:11:13.159 --> 00:11:20.940 This is about legal status, the rank, the inheritance, and the authority that the firstborn has. 00:11:21.560 --> 00:11:25.240 So firstborn is not about primacy. 00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:25.360 Primacy. 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:30.720 It is about primacy, not about chronology. 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:31.879 It's not about who comes first. 00:11:31.980 --> 00:11:34.379 It's about who is first over things. 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:36.600 Then another example is in Exodus. 00:11:37.299 --> 00:11:39.019 So God says to the entire nation of Israel, 00:11:39.659 --> 00:11:41.279 so Israel is a young nation. 00:11:41.620 --> 00:11:44.259 There's lots of nations around about them that are much older. 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:48.519 And God says, Israel is my firstborn son. 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:51.440 But Israel was not the firstborn nation, 00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:52.879 not the first nation that was created. 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:59.120 But it was given first rank, first inheritance, first importance in God's purposes. 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:02.379 And then the final example is King David. 00:12:03.259 --> 00:12:06.080 So David's the youngest of Jesse's sons. 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:09.659 And when Samuel's looking for which one God wants to make king, 00:12:10.419 --> 00:12:13.000 David's left in the field with the sheep because he's the youngest, 00:12:13.139 --> 00:12:15.580 the least significant in the eyes of men. 00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:17.440 He's got lots of older brothers, 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:20.840 lots of brothers who are born first ahead of him. 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:25.019 But in Psalm 89, God says of David, 00:12:25.740 --> 00:12:27.139 I'll make him the firstborn, 00:12:27.280 --> 00:12:29.500 the highest of the kings of the earth. 00:12:29.820 --> 00:12:31.620 So David was the lastborn, 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:32.519 but in this verse, 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:35.379 in his family, he was the lastborn in this verse, 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:36.320 in this Psalm. 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:40.280 It talks about David as first ranked in God's kingdom. 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:44.200 So birth order is not what we're talking about 00:12:44.200 --> 00:12:45.259 when we say firstborn. 00:12:45.259 --> 00:12:49.460 When Paul calls Christ the firstborn of all creation, 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:52.379 he's not saying that Christ was created first, 00:12:53.179 --> 00:12:56.639 as though he was an item on a list that God went through. 00:12:57.360 --> 00:12:58.879 It means that Christ has the rights, 00:12:59.039 --> 00:12:59.659 the authority, 00:13:00.200 --> 00:13:04.539 and the supremacy of the firstborn over all of creation. 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:06.159 Everything that was made. 00:13:06.460 --> 00:13:07.740 He's not part of creation. 00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:10.019 Creation belongs to him. 00:13:10.019 --> 00:13:13.199 In John Calvin's Institutes, 00:13:13.819 --> 00:13:16.939 he draws a pretty plain conclusion. 00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:17.779 He says, 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:20.519 Christ's called firstborn not because he was made, 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:22.819 but because the entire structure of the world 00:13:22.819 --> 00:13:24.740 finds its origin in him and no other. 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:26.759 He's not the oldest creature. 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:30.299 He's the one for whom and through whom and by whom 00:13:30.299 --> 00:13:33.360 creaturehood itself exists. 00:13:34.279 --> 00:13:37.039 And then that's exactly what we see in verses 16 and 17 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:38.460 in Paul's letter. 00:13:39.419 --> 00:13:43.019 In the most totalizing language that Paul uses about anybody 00:13:43.019 --> 00:13:44.000 in any of his writings, 00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:46.019 he says that all things, 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:47.940 so things in heaven, on earth, 00:13:48.060 --> 00:13:48.980 visible and invisible, 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:51.340 thrones, dominions, rulers, authority, 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:53.820 the very spiritual powers, 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:55.899 which we find out later in the letter, 00:13:55.899 --> 00:13:59.000 one of the things that the false teachers are coming 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:03.300 to try and lead people astray from the church, 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:03.879 with, 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:06.779 not one of them is a rival. 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:10.720 They're all created through Christ and for Christ. 00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:13.759 Each one, his handiwork made for his glory. 00:14:15.659 --> 00:14:16.759 He's before all things. 00:14:17.560 --> 00:14:20.159 And in him, all things hold together. 00:14:20.340 --> 00:14:21.279 So every atom, 00:14:22.300 --> 00:14:23.519 every law of physics, 00:14:24.060 --> 00:14:26.419 every heartbeat in the room right now, 00:14:27.159 --> 00:14:29.379 it is all being held together moment by moment 00:14:29.379 --> 00:14:32.879 by the same Christ who was laid as a baby in a manger. 00:14:33.700 --> 00:14:36.460 We take away Christ's sustaining power over all things. 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:37.240 For an instant, 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:38.879 there'd be nothing left. 00:14:40.100 --> 00:14:41.220 So there's an important principle 00:14:41.220 --> 00:14:43.620 for us to take from this, 00:14:43.700 --> 00:14:44.120 I think. 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:45.820 I saw this this week 00:14:45.820 --> 00:14:46.680 from the writer, 00:14:46.940 --> 00:14:48.840 Pastor David Tripp, 00:14:48.940 --> 00:14:50.379 Paul Tripp. 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:51.580 He, 00:14:52.100 --> 00:14:53.080 David's his middle name. 00:14:55.379 --> 00:14:56.240 He said, 00:14:57.740 --> 00:14:59.340 and I wonder if you can resonate with this, 00:14:59.379 --> 00:14:59.740 he said, 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:02.159 I've got the scary ability to look at my life 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:03.200 and not see God. 00:15:03.659 --> 00:15:04.799 What do I see instead? 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:06.480 Writing deadlines I need to meet, 00:15:06.620 --> 00:15:08.320 details of my flight I need to remember, 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:10.220 appointments I need to show up for, 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:12.159 family vacations I need to plan, 00:15:12.539 --> 00:15:13.620 groceries I need to purchase, 00:15:13.820 --> 00:15:14.720 meals I need to prepare, 00:15:15.299 --> 00:15:16.060 bills I need to pay, 00:15:16.200 --> 00:15:17.000 rooms I need to clean, 00:15:17.419 --> 00:15:18.639 broken furniture I need to fix, 00:15:18.980 --> 00:15:20.740 birthday gifts I need to purchase for my kids. 00:15:22.019 --> 00:15:24.919 Tripp doesn't dismiss this, 00:15:24.919 --> 00:15:28.860 not seeing God as absent-mindedness 00:15:28.860 --> 00:15:30.519 or a result of his busyness. 00:15:30.579 --> 00:15:31.599 He says it's scary. 00:15:33.339 --> 00:15:35.120 He's not being tempted by heresy, 00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:37.379 but when you think, 00:15:37.879 --> 00:15:39.120 when you forget for a moment 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:40.959 that you're a created being, 00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:43.659 you take your eyes off Christ 00:15:43.659 --> 00:15:44.599 and all he has done 00:15:44.599 --> 00:15:46.279 and all that he has achieved, 00:15:46.839 --> 00:15:49.179 you start behaving as you yourself 00:15:49.179 --> 00:15:49.919 are sovereign. 00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:52.480 You think that everything depends on you. 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:54.839 You think that you have to hold 00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:56.019 everything together yourself. 00:15:56.620 --> 00:15:58.160 You think you have to fix everything. 00:15:59.220 --> 00:16:01.780 You think you have to change yourself. 00:16:02.700 --> 00:16:03.820 You think you have to control 00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:04.600 your circumstances. 00:16:05.680 --> 00:16:07.139 But Colossians 1.17, 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:08.139 what tells us, 00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:09.660 he's before all things 00:16:09.660 --> 00:16:12.259 and in him all things are held together. 00:16:13.100 --> 00:16:14.580 You don't hold your life together. 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:15.920 Christ does. 00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:19.660 Okay, so that leads us on 00:16:19.660 --> 00:16:20.780 to our second point. 00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:24.200 Christ is supreme over the new creation. 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:25.400 So we saw that Christ is supreme 00:16:25.400 --> 00:16:26.060 over creation. 00:16:26.379 --> 00:16:28.480 He's also supreme over the new creation. 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:30.640 Had Paul stopped at verse 17, 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:32.340 we would have been left 00:16:32.340 --> 00:16:33.540 with a staggering picture 00:16:33.540 --> 00:16:34.640 of who Christ is 00:16:34.640 --> 00:16:36.780 as the creator of the world. 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:38.379 The eternal creator 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:40.140 who rules over everything 00:16:40.140 --> 00:16:41.180 that's been made. 00:16:41.179 --> 00:16:44.399 this completely refutes any claim 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:45.819 anyone could possibly make 00:16:45.819 --> 00:16:47.759 that Jesus is not God. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:50.000 But Paul's not finished. 00:16:50.659 --> 00:16:51.759 Because while this letter 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:52.779 is rich in theology 00:16:52.779 --> 00:16:54.659 and Christology, 00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:55.959 the study of Jesus, 00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:57.659 it's also a letter 00:16:57.659 --> 00:16:58.439 to a struggling, 00:16:58.819 --> 00:16:59.399 tempting church. 00:16:59.459 --> 00:17:00.579 And they need to be reminded 00:17:00.579 --> 00:17:04.139 that Christ who made the cosmos 00:17:04.139 --> 00:17:07.259 is remaking the cosmos. 00:17:07.259 --> 00:17:09.960 In verses 18 to 20, 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:10.700 Paul introduces 00:17:10.700 --> 00:17:13.299 a second firstborn. 00:17:13.799 --> 00:17:14.700 He's already called him 00:17:14.700 --> 00:17:15.900 the firstborn of all creation. 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:17.599 And now he calls him, 00:17:18.180 --> 00:17:19.259 he says he's the beginning, 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:20.940 the firstborn from the dead, 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:22.319 that in everything 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:24.019 he might be preeminent. 00:17:24.980 --> 00:17:26.039 And here Paul's not talking 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:28.140 about primacy of rank 00:17:28.140 --> 00:17:30.240 in an abstract sense. 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:31.519 He's talking about 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:32.940 the very event 00:17:32.940 --> 00:17:33.900 that took place 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:35.460 right at the center of history 00:17:35.460 --> 00:17:37.700 when Jesus went to the cross, 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:38.440 when he died 00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:39.360 and was resurrected 00:17:39.360 --> 00:17:40.759 for believers. 00:17:41.740 --> 00:17:42.480 Again, firstborn 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:44.220 can't just be about timing 00:17:44.220 --> 00:17:45.259 because Jesus wasn't 00:17:45.259 --> 00:17:46.079 the first person 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:47.100 who was raised from the dead. 00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:47.880 We read about this 00:17:47.880 --> 00:17:48.980 all through the Bible. 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:50.319 There was a son 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:53.420 of the widow of Zarephath 00:17:53.420 --> 00:17:54.740 who was raised by Elijah. 00:17:55.480 --> 00:17:56.019 There's a son 00:17:56.019 --> 00:17:56.799 of the Shumanite woman 00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:58.059 who was raised by Elisha. 00:17:58.860 --> 00:17:59.980 There was an unnamed man 00:17:59.980 --> 00:18:01.640 who was put into, 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:03.519 whose dead body 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:05.319 touched Elisha's bones 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:07.220 after Elisha had died 00:18:07.220 --> 00:18:08.480 and he came back to life. 00:18:08.940 --> 00:18:09.859 There was the widow 00:18:09.859 --> 00:18:10.599 of Nain's son, 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:11.460 Jairus' daughter. 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:13.500 Famously, there was Lazarus 00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:15.940 who Jesus raised himself. 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:17.319 So we know that Jesus 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:18.579 is not the first human 00:18:18.579 --> 00:18:20.379 to come back from the dead, 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:21.480 from the grave. 00:18:22.460 --> 00:18:23.319 So what is Paul saying? 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:24.379 Well, Paul's telling us 00:18:24.379 --> 00:18:26.519 that Christ is the ascended 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:28.079 son of God. 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:29.359 And because he's 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:30.519 the ascended son of God, 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:32.079 he's first born 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:33.119 of a new creation 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:34.139 that was launched 00:18:34.139 --> 00:18:34.919 at his resurrection. 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:36.799 First born isn't 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:38.079 about temporal order. 00:18:38.859 --> 00:18:39.859 It's about Christ's 00:18:39.859 --> 00:18:40.779 sovereign rule 00:18:40.779 --> 00:18:42.419 over all things. 00:18:43.299 --> 00:18:44.379 Just like Christ 00:18:44.379 --> 00:18:46.500 was the creator 00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:47.519 who sovereignly 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:49.720 rules over creation, 00:18:50.879 --> 00:18:51.859 Christ sovereignly 00:18:51.859 --> 00:18:55.799 rules over the new creation too. 00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:57.579 The one who made everything 00:18:57.579 --> 00:19:00.319 is making everything new. 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:02.839 Paul wrote other letters 00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:03.939 to other churches. 00:19:04.779 --> 00:19:06.379 In his letter 00:19:06.379 --> 00:19:06.799 that he wrote 00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:07.759 to the church in Corinth, 00:19:08.299 --> 00:19:09.220 there is a passage 00:19:09.220 --> 00:19:09.960 that is kind of 00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:11.019 very similar 00:19:11.019 --> 00:19:11.759 to the language 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:13.179 that we have here. 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:14.500 But in Corinthians, 00:19:14.939 --> 00:19:16.139 he doesn't call Christ 00:19:16.139 --> 00:19:16.700 the firstborn, 00:19:16.759 --> 00:19:18.079 he calls him first fruits, 00:19:18.659 --> 00:19:19.299 which is a slightly 00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:20.519 different term. 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:22.700 But it's obviously 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:23.859 a harvest metaphor, 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:24.899 a farming metaphor, 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:26.220 but it's not 00:19:26.220 --> 00:19:27.500 a random metaphor. 00:19:27.639 --> 00:19:28.039 There's something 00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:28.639 really important, 00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:28.920 I think, 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:30.560 that it reveals to us. 00:19:31.580 --> 00:19:32.420 There's a theologian 00:19:32.420 --> 00:19:33.259 called Richard Gaffin 00:19:33.259 --> 00:19:34.900 who helped me to see this. 00:19:34.980 --> 00:19:36.020 I think he puts his finger 00:19:36.020 --> 00:19:37.240 on something 00:19:37.240 --> 00:19:39.120 that's got real implications 00:19:39.120 --> 00:19:40.320 for how we understand 00:19:40.320 --> 00:19:41.560 what's going on here. 00:19:42.500 --> 00:19:43.320 So we read about 00:19:43.320 --> 00:19:44.220 Christ's resurrection 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:45.600 and we read about 00:19:45.600 --> 00:19:47.080 the fact that we will be 00:19:47.080 --> 00:19:48.580 resurrected at the end of time. 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:49.960 We see that in scripture. 00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:51.480 And we're tempted 00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:52.580 to think about those things 00:19:52.580 --> 00:19:54.060 as two separate events. 00:19:54.059 --> 00:19:55.639 So we think 00:19:55.639 --> 00:19:57.179 there's Christ's resurrection 00:19:57.179 --> 00:19:57.779 and then there's 00:19:57.779 --> 00:19:58.519 this other event, 00:19:58.599 --> 00:19:59.299 this other thing 00:19:59.299 --> 00:20:00.279 that's our resurrection 00:20:00.279 --> 00:20:00.879 and those things 00:20:00.879 --> 00:20:01.779 are connected somehow 00:20:01.779 --> 00:20:02.619 by a promise. 00:20:04.279 --> 00:20:05.079 But first fruits, 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:07.200 they're not just a sign 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:07.980 of a harvest, 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:09.159 they're not just an indicator 00:20:09.159 --> 00:20:09.919 of a harvest, 00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:11.700 they're the beginning of it. 00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:13.379 They're the same fruit, 00:20:13.480 --> 00:20:14.200 the same crop, 00:20:14.399 --> 00:20:15.119 the same field. 00:20:16.419 --> 00:20:17.220 Do you see what Paul's 00:20:17.220 --> 00:20:17.740 saying here? 00:20:19.079 --> 00:20:20.559 The resurrection of Christ 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:21.220 and the resurrection 00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:21.740 of believers 00:20:21.740 --> 00:20:24.799 are not two separate events. 00:20:25.460 --> 00:20:26.380 They're two episodes 00:20:26.380 --> 00:20:27.539 of the same harvest. 00:20:29.180 --> 00:20:29.920 So why is this 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:30.940 so important for us? 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:32.000 Why do we need to think 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:33.240 about it in those terms? 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:35.640 Well, if Christ's resurrection 00:20:35.640 --> 00:20:37.380 and our resurrection 00:20:37.380 --> 00:20:39.360 are not just similar events, 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:42.579 but our future resurrection 00:20:42.579 --> 00:20:46.600 is not just a hope. 00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:50.240 They're not separate events, 00:20:50.339 --> 00:20:51.140 they're one event. 00:20:51.220 --> 00:20:52.559 That's already begun. 00:20:53.299 --> 00:20:54.220 The same resurrection 00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:55.200 that raised Jesus 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:56.319 from the dead 00:20:56.319 --> 00:20:57.140 on the third day, 00:20:58.279 --> 00:20:58.839 right now, 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:00.900 already is underway 00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:02.720 and everyone who's united 00:21:02.720 --> 00:21:04.360 to him by faith. 00:21:05.299 --> 00:21:06.420 So in Christ's resurrection, 00:21:06.600 --> 00:21:07.700 God's began to fulfill 00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:08.420 the promise 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:11.279 that we will be resurrected too. 00:21:12.339 --> 00:21:13.640 So when is the resurrection 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:14.259 going to happen? 00:21:14.420 --> 00:21:16.100 Well, it's already begun. 00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:18.039 And I think that gives us 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:18.740 great hope 00:21:18.740 --> 00:21:20.579 hope as we think about work 00:21:20.579 --> 00:21:21.220 on Monday morning 00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:22.380 or we think about the things 00:21:22.380 --> 00:21:23.059 that we're going through 00:21:23.059 --> 00:21:23.599 right now 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:24.839 that are difficult 00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:25.480 and hard 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:27.720 and feel like they're crushing 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:28.579 in on us. 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:31.200 If you're a believer today, 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:33.819 God promises to raise you 00:21:33.819 --> 00:21:34.839 from the dead. 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:37.099 And while you wait, 00:21:37.160 --> 00:21:38.039 you don't have to wonder 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:39.160 if it will happen 00:21:39.160 --> 00:21:41.259 because Jesus' resurrection 00:21:41.259 --> 00:21:41.960 from the dead, 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:43.660 the promise God made 00:21:43.660 --> 00:21:44.279 to raise you 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:44.980 from the dead 00:21:44.980 --> 00:21:47.000 has already began 00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:48.080 to be fulfilled. 00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:50.720 Okay, this is a two-part, 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:52.060 a two-point sermon, 00:21:52.380 --> 00:21:52.880 but actually, 00:21:53.840 --> 00:21:54.680 there's probably 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:55.680 a third point in here, 00:21:55.980 --> 00:21:56.759 but we don't have enough time 00:21:56.759 --> 00:21:57.740 to draw them all out. 00:21:58.779 --> 00:21:59.540 But let's finally look 00:21:59.539 --> 00:22:02.319 at verses 21 and 23 together. 00:22:03.139 --> 00:22:04.779 They come after this hymn, 00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:06.399 this poem that Paul 00:22:06.399 --> 00:22:08.460 has shared with us 00:22:08.460 --> 00:22:10.639 because Paul turns 00:22:10.639 --> 00:22:12.019 from thinking about 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:13.720 the cosmic reality 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:15.359 to think about 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:16.779 the personal reality. 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:18.960 So the cosmic Christ 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:19.599 has accomplished 00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:21.500 cosmic reconciliation 00:22:21.500 --> 00:22:23.119 through the cross. 00:22:24.039 --> 00:22:25.200 The Christ who holds 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:25.879 the universe together 00:22:25.879 --> 00:22:27.279 is the Christ who died 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:28.839 to bring you back 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:30.559 into communion with God. 00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:32.619 And you who were once 00:22:32.619 --> 00:22:34.420 alienated and hostile in mind, 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:35.500 doing evil deeds, 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:37.680 you're now restored to God 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:38.500 in him 00:22:38.500 --> 00:22:40.220 and presented holy, 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:41.059 blameless, 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:42.259 and above reproach. 00:22:44.359 --> 00:22:44.819 And then we need 00:22:44.819 --> 00:22:45.759 to look at verse 23 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:47.019 because if we look 00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:47.519 at this verse 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:48.420 just in isolation, 00:22:49.619 --> 00:22:50.339 take it away 00:22:50.339 --> 00:22:51.299 from the rest of Scripture, 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:53.279 it seems at first glance 00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:54.879 to fly in the face 00:22:54.879 --> 00:22:57.220 of the rest of Paul's letter. 00:22:57.279 --> 00:22:58.859 Because remember, 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:00.200 Paul's written this letter 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:01.460 to remind the church 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:01.940 that you don't need 00:23:01.940 --> 00:23:02.759 anything else 00:23:02.759 --> 00:23:03.639 apart from Christ. 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:04.720 That is all they need. 00:23:05.299 --> 00:23:06.420 But then verse 23 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:07.579 introduces an if. 00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:10.000 As if there's a condition 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:11.700 that people have to meet. 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:13.680 Are the false teachers right? 00:23:13.779 --> 00:23:14.359 Is there something 00:23:14.359 --> 00:23:16.019 that you need to add 00:23:16.019 --> 00:23:17.500 to Christ's work, 00:23:17.639 --> 00:23:18.700 Christ's finished work, 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:21.440 in order to be reconciled 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:22.099 with God? 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:22.700 Well, the answer 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:23.960 is no. 00:23:24.700 --> 00:23:25.420 Paul isn't saying 00:23:25.420 --> 00:23:26.420 that Christ's done 00:23:26.420 --> 00:23:28.019 99% of the work 00:23:28.019 --> 00:23:28.600 and you just need 00:23:28.600 --> 00:23:31.100 to supply that final 1%. 00:23:31.100 --> 00:23:32.720 He's saying that those 00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:34.620 whom Christ reconciles, 00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:35.860 he also keeps. 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:37.980 And one of the ways 00:23:37.980 --> 00:23:38.920 that he keeps them 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:40.320 is by calling them 00:23:40.320 --> 00:23:41.620 to continue in the faith, 00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:43.680 grounded and steadfast 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:45.380 in the truth of Christ, 00:23:45.500 --> 00:23:46.240 which they've heard. 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:48.400 This is perseverance. 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:51.279 Perseverance isn't the price 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:51.880 that you pay 00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:52.840 in order to be saved. 00:23:52.839 --> 00:23:54.399 It's the fruit 00:23:54.399 --> 00:23:55.740 of the grace 00:23:55.740 --> 00:23:56.500 that saves you. 00:23:59.019 --> 00:24:00.579 Not some believers 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:01.879 have been united, 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:02.980 reconciled with God, 00:24:03.439 --> 00:24:05.439 but they might mess up 00:24:05.439 --> 00:24:06.619 or they might slip away. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:07.559 But rather, 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:08.639 not everyone 00:24:08.639 --> 00:24:09.819 who claims to be a Christian, 00:24:09.959 --> 00:24:11.459 who says that they follow Christ, 00:24:11.899 --> 00:24:12.939 is really a Christian. 00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:14.480 But if you believe 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:16.359 that Christ really is the one 00:24:16.359 --> 00:24:17.919 who came to save sinners, 00:24:18.379 --> 00:24:19.199 then your salvation, 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:20.299 your resurrection, 00:24:20.299 --> 00:24:22.399 your reconciliation with God 00:24:22.399 --> 00:24:22.940 are secure. 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:25.159 The Apostle Peter 00:24:25.159 --> 00:24:26.419 helps us to understand this. 00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:27.839 He wrote a letter. 00:24:28.039 --> 00:24:28.980 He wrote two letters. 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:30.720 He writes that there's 00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:31.819 a wonderful inheritance 00:24:31.819 --> 00:24:32.859 that's been reserved 00:24:32.859 --> 00:24:33.500 for believers 00:24:33.500 --> 00:24:35.000 and they're being kept 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:36.379 by the power of God 00:24:36.379 --> 00:24:37.859 for that inheritance. 00:24:39.180 --> 00:24:40.680 So we can interpret 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:42.500 verse 23 maybe 00:24:42.500 --> 00:24:44.680 as the same points 00:24:44.680 --> 00:24:46.819 as verses 15 to 20, 00:24:47.659 --> 00:24:48.839 but from the opposite 00:24:48.839 --> 00:24:49.859 point of view. 00:24:50.659 --> 00:24:51.799 So 15 to 20, 00:24:51.899 --> 00:24:52.959 paint this glorious picture 00:24:52.959 --> 00:24:53.500 of Christ 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:54.779 as preeminent 00:24:54.779 --> 00:24:55.839 over creation, 00:24:56.439 --> 00:24:57.220 preeminent over 00:24:57.220 --> 00:24:58.279 the new creation. 00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:00.519 And then verse 23 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:01.619 is a call to remain 00:25:01.619 --> 00:25:03.179 grounded and settled 00:25:03.179 --> 00:25:05.399 in this glorious Christ. 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:07.199 Don't be moved away 00:25:07.199 --> 00:25:08.240 from the hope of the gospel. 00:25:09.419 --> 00:25:10.279 And the word hope 00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:10.980 is important for us 00:25:10.980 --> 00:25:12.639 to get our heads around also 00:25:12.639 --> 00:25:14.179 because when we say hope today, 00:25:14.259 --> 00:25:15.059 we think that there's 00:25:15.059 --> 00:25:16.019 something, 00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:17.359 we think about it 00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:18.659 as something that we're 00:25:18.659 --> 00:25:19.459 trying to grab onto 00:25:19.459 --> 00:25:20.299 that we're hoping 00:25:20.299 --> 00:25:21.199 will come true. 00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:22.359 That's not what's 00:25:22.359 --> 00:25:22.959 happening here. 00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:24.519 This is an expectant 00:25:24.519 --> 00:25:26.079 confidence 00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:28.519 that the good news 00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:29.219 that Christ, 00:25:29.379 --> 00:25:29.979 the maker, 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:31.059 God, 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:32.339 the ruler of the cosmos, 00:25:32.699 --> 00:25:34.279 who entered into time 00:25:34.279 --> 00:25:35.039 and space, 00:25:35.379 --> 00:25:37.139 who died and rose again, 00:25:38.059 --> 00:25:39.759 the ruler of the new creation, 00:25:40.459 --> 00:25:42.379 he has come to reconcile 00:25:42.379 --> 00:25:44.379 everything on earth 00:25:44.380 --> 00:25:45.580 and in heaven 00:25:45.580 --> 00:25:46.500 to God. 00:25:47.800 --> 00:25:48.960 Paul's message is this. 00:25:49.540 --> 00:25:51.140 If Christ's this much 00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:51.780 over creation, 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:52.640 over powers, 00:25:52.820 --> 00:25:53.880 over death itself, 00:25:54.020 --> 00:25:54.720 over the whole 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:57.160 of your alienated, 00:25:57.780 --> 00:25:58.320 hostile, 00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:01.120 once evil doing hearts, 00:26:01.760 --> 00:26:03.480 then he's more than sufficient 00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:06.080 for whatever something more 00:26:06.080 --> 00:26:07.520 the world could ever offer. 00:26:09.160 --> 00:26:10.680 So much more sufficient 00:26:10.680 --> 00:26:12.080 than your own doubts 00:26:12.079 --> 00:26:14.019 or the things 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:14.779 that false teachers 00:26:14.779 --> 00:26:16.639 might try to teach you 00:26:16.639 --> 00:26:20.579 or your own weakness 00:26:20.579 --> 00:26:22.319 to hold on to the things 00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:23.379 that you think you need to. 00:26:24.659 --> 00:26:25.899 There is no fullness 00:26:25.899 --> 00:26:26.980 beyond him. 00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:29.099 There's no rival power 00:26:29.099 --> 00:26:30.199 that's stronger 00:26:30.199 --> 00:26:31.240 than Christ. 00:26:32.019 --> 00:26:33.259 There's no valley, 00:26:33.980 --> 00:26:35.039 no dark valley 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:36.460 of your own life 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:37.779 in the present 00:26:37.779 --> 00:26:38.619 or in the past 00:26:38.619 --> 00:26:40.799 that can keep you 00:26:40.799 --> 00:26:42.699 from being reconciled 00:26:42.699 --> 00:26:44.539 through the blood 00:26:44.539 --> 00:26:45.699 that was shed 00:26:45.699 --> 00:26:46.479 on the cross 00:26:46.479 --> 00:26:47.579 for believers. 00:26:48.339 --> 00:26:48.899 So if you're 00:26:48.899 --> 00:26:50.299 in Christ 00:26:50.299 --> 00:26:51.099 this evening, 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:53.379 already, 00:26:54.239 --> 00:26:55.459 not someday 00:26:55.459 --> 00:26:56.099 in the future, 00:26:56.359 --> 00:26:57.000 but already, 00:26:57.799 --> 00:26:58.779 you're caught up 00:26:58.779 --> 00:27:00.059 in this resurrection life, 00:27:00.859 --> 00:27:01.899 being presented 00:27:01.899 --> 00:27:02.299 holy, 00:27:02.479 --> 00:27:02.899 blameless, 00:27:03.059 --> 00:27:04.019 and above reproach 00:27:04.019 --> 00:27:04.639 before God 00:27:04.640 --> 00:27:06.680 who has made you 00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:08.060 and who's still 00:27:08.060 --> 00:27:08.960 remaking you. 00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:11.100 And if you're 00:27:11.100 --> 00:27:11.860 not yet in Christ, 00:27:12.020 --> 00:27:13.700 if alien 00:27:13.700 --> 00:27:14.520 and hostile 00:27:14.520 --> 00:27:15.560 is maybe a better way 00:27:15.560 --> 00:27:16.580 to describe the way 00:27:16.580 --> 00:27:18.040 that you are honestly 00:27:18.040 --> 00:27:19.560 feeling right now, 00:27:20.540 --> 00:27:21.420 the same blood 00:27:21.420 --> 00:27:22.660 that holds the promise 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:23.140 for others 00:27:23.140 --> 00:27:23.920 has been held out 00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:24.420 to you 00:27:24.420 --> 00:27:25.920 right now 00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:27.920 and it contains 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:28.240 everything 00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:29.200 that you would ever need 00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:30.780 with nothing held back. 00:27:32.140 --> 00:27:32.820 Let's pray. 00:27:35.040 --> 00:27:35.880 Lord God, 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:37.800 we thank you 00:27:37.800 --> 00:27:40.480 for Jesus Christ, 00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:41.520 the creator of heaven 00:27:41.520 --> 00:27:41.920 and earth, 00:27:42.560 --> 00:27:43.220 of everything 00:27:43.220 --> 00:27:43.800 that is seen 00:27:43.800 --> 00:27:44.420 and unseen. 00:27:45.060 --> 00:27:45.900 We thank you 00:27:45.900 --> 00:27:46.560 for this picture 00:27:46.560 --> 00:27:47.020 that we have 00:27:47.020 --> 00:27:48.120 of Christ in Colossians, 00:27:48.860 --> 00:27:49.960 this picture 00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:50.440 that shows us 00:27:50.440 --> 00:27:50.960 our Lord, 00:27:51.120 --> 00:27:51.780 the only begotten 00:27:51.780 --> 00:27:53.040 Son of the Father, 00:27:53.780 --> 00:27:54.600 God from God, 00:27:54.700 --> 00:27:55.520 light from light, 00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:57.340 true God 00:27:57.340 --> 00:27:58.040 from true God, 00:27:58.240 --> 00:27:58.720 begotten, 00:27:58.860 --> 00:27:59.380 not made, 00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:00.940 of one being 00:28:00.940 --> 00:28:01.580 with the Father 00:28:01.580 --> 00:28:02.120 through whom 00:28:02.120 --> 00:28:03.100 all things were made 00:28:03.099 --> 00:28:04.159 and the one 00:28:04.159 --> 00:28:05.179 who rules 00:28:05.179 --> 00:28:06.099 over all creation, 00:28:06.959 --> 00:28:08.099 the one who ascended 00:28:08.099 --> 00:28:09.240 to the right hand 00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:09.819 of the Father, 00:28:10.339 --> 00:28:11.000 upholding, 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:11.579 ruling, 00:28:12.039 --> 00:28:12.359 reigning. 00:28:13.339 --> 00:28:13.599 Lord, 00:28:13.659 --> 00:28:14.959 help us all 00:28:14.959 --> 00:28:16.259 see clearly 00:28:16.259 --> 00:28:17.539 this glorious picture 00:28:17.539 --> 00:28:17.939 of Christ, 00:28:18.039 --> 00:28:18.459 our Savior, 00:28:18.659 --> 00:28:19.039 our ruler 00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:21.019 and let us live lives 00:28:21.019 --> 00:28:21.799 with joy 00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:22.439 as we await 00:28:22.439 --> 00:28:23.319 our resurrection 00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:24.419 when we will see him 00:28:24.419 --> 00:28:25.179 face to face. 00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:26.319 We pray this 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:26.919 in Jesus' name. 00:28:27.439 --> 00:28:27.740 Amen. 00:28:27.740 --> 00:28:27.839 Amen.