Now again, we'll turn together in our Bibles to the book of Colossians.
Colossians chapter 1, and we'll read from verse 15 to 20.
And we'll consider Jesus as Lord of creation and new creation.
So again, let's hear the word of God.
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For in him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through 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 to himself all things,
whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.
Amen.
So I can still remember the very first time in Bible college many years ago,
my mind was blown by a new truth about Jesus.
We were in a class thinking about the doctrine of Jesus Christ,
and our lecturer was using some works from early church fathers
and was helping us to see that the Christ child in the manger,
that tiny, vulnerable little baby, at one and the same time was sustaining the universe.
And that wasn't something I'd thought about before, and that was a remarkable truth.
And it made me realize then, and I hope I still realize now,
that my view and our view of Jesus constantly needs to expand.
We will never come close to grasping the full extent of the glory of God, of the glory of the Lord Jesus.
Even in all eternity, we will never cease to discover more of that glory.
It's a glorious passage, isn't it?
And it's written to a church in Colossae of young Christians,
of Christians who were under pressure, hearing false teaching,
tempted to look away from depending only on Jesus,
to add some other rules and regulations.
And here's Paul's wonderful response.
And there's such wisdom here, and Paul could easily say,
just don't do that, that's just a really bad idea to try and add anything to Jesus.
But what he does instead is he looks to give them this wonderful reminder of just how great Jesus is.
He gives this wonderful Christ hymn for them,
to say to them,
Jesus is supreme.
There is none greater than him,
therefore don't seek to add to him.
Jesus is sufficient.
To have faith in him means you don't need to have anything else for your salvation.
And this has always been the confession of the church.
This was a hymn already, it seems, in circulation.
So within a matter of decades,
this is what the church has been singing,
testifying about Jesus.
He is supreme.
He is fully God.
He is the only Savior.
Your Jesus is Lord.
Our starting point this evening is that I'm confident that we all need this text.
We all need to be reminded about the glory of Christ,
because like the church in Colossae,
we'll all be tempted in different ways towards taking our eyes off Jesus.
Perhaps for some of us that will be because of the pressures of life.
Sometimes it will be the temptation towards sin.
Perhaps it will be because of questions or doubts or fears.
And we can stop looking towards Jesus.
And we also need this,
because like me,
we always need to be reminded,
and to use the glasses or the binoculars of Scripture,
to have an appropriate vision of Jesus.
To recognize that Jesus is not small.
He's not a Savior that we can control.
Rather, he is the Lord of the universe.
So this hymn is written as a gift to the church to tune our hearts,
to sing the praise of Christ.
It's a wonderful text to study as we approach Christmas.
A text that shows us the extent to which Jesus is Lord over creation
and Lord over the new creation,
and to help us to begin to think why that matters for faith and life.
So let's think,
verse 15 to 17,
let's think together briefly about Jesus as Lord of creation.
Two phrases to pick out,
to focus on.
The first,
at the beginning of verse 15,
the sun is the image of the invisible God.
As B.B. Warfield,
the American theologian,
said,
Jesus makes the invisible God visible.
It's a wonderful reality,
isn't it?
And this was Paul's teaching.
Throughout his letters,
we can turn,
for example,
to 2 Corinthians 4,
and verse 4,
and we hear Paul say this,
the God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers
so that they cannot see the light of the gospel
that displays the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God.
So in the gospel,
we discover that Jesus is the image of God,
and we discover the glory of Christ.
And sadly,
the devil wants to keep people from believing that.
Then verse 6,
for God who said,
let light shine out of darkness,
made his light shine in our hearts,
to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory,
displayed in the face of Christ.
We see the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus.
That's the testimony of John in his gospel.
That's why we read his introduction.
The word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we've seen his glory,
the glory as of the one and only Son,
full of grace and truth.
We've been thinking about it for the last few months
in John's gospel.
We've been hearing the words of Jesus.
He who has seen me has seen the Father.
I and the Father are one.
Jesus makes the invisible God visible.
And also,
when we think of that idea of image,
the image of God,
maybe for many of us,
our minds go back to Genesis 1,
where Adam and Eve are created in the image of God.
And their role was to rule and reign for God,
to spread, as it were,
the image of God in creation.
But, of course,
we know from our Bibles
that Adam and Eve fell into sin
and failed to do that
in the same way as we fail to do that.
But here is Jesus,
and he is the true and better Adam,
who does come bringing in the kingdom of God,
who does restore the reign of God,
who does spread the image of God
in the world that he created.
So Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
But then in verse 15,
there's also that significant phrase
that the Son, Jesus,
is the firstborn over all creation.
And this is a phrase
that we need to be careful with.
Jehovah's Witnesses, for example,
would use this text to say,
well, here's proof positive
that Jesus was the first created being.
How do we respond to that?
Well, we can perhaps,
to just think about the tone
and the teaching of this text,
what's it saying about Jesus?
It's saying something far beyond that,
isn't it?
It's expressing the fact
that Jesus is fully God.
The fullness of God dwells in him,
that he is eternal,
that he is before and above all.
Rather, the idea of firstborn
has to do with rank and place.
Think about the firstborn child.
They were the heir.
Here is Paul's way of saying,
remember, all creation belongs to Christ
because he is firstborn
in rank, first place.
In the Old Testament,
God said that Israel was his firstborn
in Exodus 4.
The Davidic king,
Psalm 89,
is God's firstborn.
Kings or nations
chosen with a special place
and a special role.
Jesus is God's firstborn
in the sense that he
perfectly represents his rule.
He is uniquely,
eternally loved by his father
and he is the heir of all things.
He has ultimate rule and honor
is the idea.
And that's made clear
from the phrases that follow.
So again,
if you have your Bibles,
take a look at these phrases.
Verse 16,
For in him,
in Jesus,
all things were created.
Jesus is the agent of creation.
God created through Jesus
his word.
And look at how comprehensive
the list is.
Things in heaven and on earth,
visible, invisible,
thrones, powers, rulers,
authorities.
All things have been created
through him and for him.
Jesus the Son is acting with
God the Father
and as God in creating.
And we also discover
that Jesus himself
is the goal of creation.
All things have been created
through him and for him.
Verse 17,
He is before all things.
He is the eternal Lord.
He's not part of the creation.
He was there before.
There was anything other than
Father, Son, and Spirit.
And verse 17,
In him,
all things hold together.
He is the Lord
who sustains
the universe he created.
He is the one
who controls.
Jesus is the unifying
theory of everything.
Now,
Paul is saying
these verses.
Our Christmas carols,
they sometimes ask
the questions,
What child is this?
Who is he
in yonder stall?
Look at the size
of the answer
that Paul gives here.
Jesus is the perfect
revelation of God
in all his glory.
Jesus is the Lord
of the universe,
the universe
that was created
by him,
in him,
and for him.
For a church
under pressure,
for Christians like us,
here is hope.
Here is hope
when the world
perhaps seems to be
spinning out of control
in our own experiences
as we look around society.
Jesus is in control.
Jesus is on the throne.
Jesus is working out
his purposes.
Here is hope
when our faith
feels weak,
when we wonder
if we can keep going
and we remember
that our faith
is dependent on Jesus,
the one who is
strong enough
to create this world,
is strong enough
to establish
new creation life
in us,
is strong enough
to keep us
in our faith.
Let's hope for us
as well
to recognize
it's this Lord,
the Creator Lord,
who has entered
into his creation
in order to save us.
his cause for praise.
So Jesus is Lord of creation,
but he's also,
as Paul moves on,
he's also Lord
of the new creation.
So let's again
look at some key phrases
in verse 18 to 20.
He begins there,
he is the head
of the body,
the church.
Now, boys and girls,
your classes are over
for the term,
but let's do some
very basic biology.
If you think about it,
we can lose a toe,
we can lose an arm,
we can lose a leg,
we'd have pain,
but we'd be okay.
But if we lose our heads,
then we have nothing.
Jesus is the head.
Jesus gives life
to the church.
Jesus is our command
and control center.
Just as our brain functions
to control our bodies,
Jesus is Lord
over the church.
And so it is vital
for the church,
it was vital for this church
that Paul is writing to,
to stay connected,
united to him,
just as it's vital
for us to be connected
to Jesus.
Verse 18 goes on,
he is the beginning
and the firstborn
from among the dead.
To help us to think about this,
a chap called Athanasius
wrote a book
on the incarnation
back sometime
in the 4th century,
I can't remember
exactly when,
but he said this,
wonderful,
helpful phrase,
I think,
there is no inconsistency
between creation
and salvation
for the one father
has employed
the same agent
for both works.
So let's just stop there.
Athanasius is reminding us
God's agent of creation
is Jesus,
God's agent in salvation
is Jesus.
So the father was effecting
the salvation of the world
through the same word
who made it
in the beginning.
So that same word,
Jesus,
who gives life to creation
is the same word
who gives new creation life.
that phrase,
the beginning,
I guess,
makes us think of
Genesis 1,
in the beginning
God created.
Jesus is the one
through whom
God creates
a new spiritual life.
And he is the firstborn
from among the dead
so that in everything
he might have
the supremacy.
So again,
firstborn has that idea
of first in rank,
first in authority.
Why is Jesus
the firstborn
from among the dead?
Tom Schreiner says,
well,
Jesus rules over death
because he was the first
to conquer death.
And as it goes for Jesus,
so it goes for his followers.
Being the firstborn
from among the dead
at the resurrection
is proof.
Jesus is
the author of life.
proof positive
that Jesus has the power
to give new life,
the promise of resurrection life
for all
who trust him.
We don't need to look
to
anyone
or anything else.
Verse 19,
God was pleased
to have all his fullness
dwell in him.
Everything essential
to being God
is found in Jesus
and belongs to Jesus.
the same words,
same ideas,
anyway,
in chapter 2,
verse 9.
For in Christ,
all the fullness
of the deity
lives in bodily form.
And then he goes on
to say,
in Christ,
you've been brought
to fullness.
Because you're trusting
in a saviour
who is fully God,
you can believe
that you have
a full salvation
and you're not
lacking anything.
Perhaps,
again,
boys and girls,
we can think about this
by thinking about
a bike.
If you've got a bike
or you can think about
a bike,
for a bike to be
full and complete,
it needs every part,
doesn't it?
It needs a saddle,
it needs a chain,
it needs pedals,
it needs brakes.
Otherwise,
it's not complete.
The Bible is teaching
Jesus isn't partly God,
Jesus isn't mostly God,
Jesus isn't sometimes God,
Jesus is totally God,
while also being totally man.
Jesus is eternally God.
All that is essential to God
is found in Jesus.
It's a reminder,
in the context of their false teaching,
if there's nothing missing from Jesus,
why would they try and add to Jesus?
And then verse 20,
through Jesus,
God was pleased to reconcile
to himself
all things,
whether things on earth
or things in heaven,
by making peace through his blood
shed on the cross.
The Lord Jesus
came that first Christmas
and he came to bring peace
on earth.
We learn some wonderful truths
about reconciliation
from this verse here,
verse 20.
We learn that reconciliation
is God's work.
A work of reconciliation,
making peace between
two parties
who are at enmity
with one another.
God takes the initiative
to make peace.
The coming of Christ
is all of grace.
We learn, too,
that reconciliation
is a completed work.
It was completed
at the cross.
Peace has been made.
Jesus said,
it is finished.
The sin barrier
is broken down.
That sin
that would separate us
from our God
that has been dealt with
for those who trust in Jesus
so that we can enjoy peace.
So reconciliation
happened
at the cross.
How does God make peace?
Through the blood
of his son, Jesus.
He makes peace
by way of sacrifice.
Again, there's a reminder
of why there's no room
for pride
in the Christian life.
It took
the giving
of Jesus,
it took the death
of his perfect son,
God the Father's
perfect son,
in order to reconcile
us to himself.
And also,
we're reminded
in this verse
that reconciliation
takes in all things.
It takes in
the church,
the people of God,
but also the creation,
the creation
that is under the curse,
that's been under the curse
since Genesis 3,
the creation
that is groaning
in Romans 8,
waiting for full
and final salvation
of the people of God
when the new heavens
and the new earth
are established
when Jesus returns.
So here to this
group of young
Christians
under pressure
to listen
to false teaching,
Paul gives them
this wonderful hymn.
Let's just,
before we close,
let's think
about some reasons
why this hymn
matters
for you
and me
as we think
about the glory
of Jesus
that it might
increase our worship
and increase our joy.
Let's just remind
ourselves
that when we're
thinking about Jesus,
considering Jesus,
we are recognizing
that Jesus truly
reveals God
as creator
and redeemer.
It has been well
said that if
God were our
creator
only
and we just
thought of God
as almighty
power,
we might run
from him
in terror.
But that God
is our
redeemer
through the work
of Christ,
that produces
a different
kind of fear,
that fear
that is awe
and wonder
and worship
that God
would love
so much.
Again,
to go even
further back
in early church
history,
second century,
Irenaeus,
like this,
God who formed
us in the beginning
also formed
us in the womb,
personal creation,
not just universal
creation,
God created
each one of us
and that same
God
sought us out
when we were
lost,
won us back
for himself,
carries us home
on his shoulders.
How do all those
wonderful pictures
of salvation
come to
fulfillment?
They come to
fulfillment
through Jesus,
the Son of God
who is conceived
in the womb
of the Virgin,
made one of us
in order to
redeem us.
Jesus reveals
to us God
as creator
and as
redeemer.
This hymn
also reminds us
importantly
that Jesus
is Lord
over all
of life.
Perhaps
we have a
tendency
to put
God in a
box,
a tendency
to compartmentalize
our lives.
Perhaps
we can think
in terms of
spiritual
and secular
or regular.
Jesus gets
one but not
the other.
And whenever
we're doing that
we need to
understand that
our God
is far too
small.
the creation
and the new
creation
are His.
He is Lord
not just
over some
but over all.
Every part
is His.
And spiritual
wisdom
recognizes that
and looks
to live
in dependence
on Christ
because of
that
so that we
might live
to His
praise and
glory
in all the
circumstances
of life.
So whether
we're thinking
about how do
I approach
life at home
or how do
I make sure
that my
conversations
are pleasing
to God.
How do I
face my
work tasks?
How do I
spend my
money?
We need to
take all
of these
before the
Lord Jesus
to not
lean on our
own understanding
but to lean
on His
wisdom
because He's
Lord not
just over
some but
over all
of our
lives.
We're also
reminded here
that the
church exists
by the
grace of
God
shown to
us in
Christ.
Again,
Paul said
in Ephesians
1
that God's
people are
chosen in
Him,
in Jesus,
before the
creation of
the world
to be
holy and
blameless,
predestined
to be
adopted
as God's
children.
The church
is God's
plan.
The church
is the
house that
Jesus came
to build.
And the
Son of
God saves
His people.
He gathers
them to
Himself.
He makes
sure that
we persevere
in our
faith.
He is the
one who
promises to
bring us
home to
our Father.
The church
doesn't rest
on human
authority,
doesn't rest
on human
traditions,
additional
regulations such
as the
false teachers
would add.
the church
is built
on Christ,
the truth
of the
gospel.
And to
find ourselves
part of the
church is to
find ourselves
united.
First of all,
united to the
Lord Jesus,
He is our
head, but
also united to
one another as
brothers and
sisters in
Christ.
Here is the
basis for our
unity.
Here is the
basis for our
love for one
another.
And then
finally to
think about
this, that
faith, our
faith day
to day, it
depends on
this Jesus
as Lord.
Now we
are being
reminded here
that Jesus
is the one
who saves.
He is the
one who
comes to
establish peace
through his
blood.
Our
contribution to
the work of
salvation,
salvation is
to bring our
sin and our
guilt and our
need and to
acknowledge that
we cannot save
ourselves and to
trust in the
one who has
come to save
us.
We are called
again to
recognize the
only proper
object of our
faith is the
Lord Jesus and
that atoning work
that he came to
do.
We are being
reminded that
Jesus is a
sufficient
savior.
We don't need
to add
anything to
him.
We need to
look for
anything more
than him.
He is God's
gift of
grace to
us.
And so our
salvation rests
and receives
by Jesus
alone for
salvation.
And to
also remember
that this
Jesus who's
been described
here, he's the
one who
sustains
faith.
The same
Jesus who's
sustaining the
universe by
the word of
his power is
sustaining his
church.
We look to
him to keep
us, to keep
his church and
to bring us
home.
So as we get
ourselves ready
for Christmas,
I hope that
this wonderful
hymn will
serve to expand
our minds and
our faith and
our hearts as
we look to
prepare and as
we look to
worship.
Let me pray
briefly for us.
Lord, our
God, we
recognize that
your glory is
so great
that we
are only
ever
seeing
glimpses
of it,
that we're
only ever
scratching the
surface of
your truth and
your beauty and
your majesty
of your
lordship.
of your
grace and
mercy.
But Lord, we
thank you that
those glimpses
that we see
are capable of
filling our
hearts with
joy, of
putting songs
in our
mouths, of
giving strength
to our
faith.
And so we
thank you for
this wonderful
Christ hymn.
And we pray
that you would
help us to
appreciate and
draw deeply
to ourselves
the truths
that are
contained in
it so
that our
lives would
be built
on Jesus,
our Lord and
Saviour,
so that we
would be
sustained in
our faith as
we are
resting and
trusting in
him alone.
Lord, we
pray that this
would be a
time in our
life of
growing in
our faith,
of growing in
our love,
of growing in
our hope and
our joy,
as you continue
to show us
wonderful things
from your
wonderful word.
And we pray in
Jesus' name.
Amen.
Now, we
are going to
sing together
as we
close the
hymn Behold
Our God.
And we
are without
musical
accompaniment,
but should be
on the video,
so we should be
all right, so
we can stand
and we can
sing together
Behold Our
God.
We're going
to sing
together Behold
Our God.
Amen.
Thank you.