It's Really All About Jesus
It's All About Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
“You put your right hand in. You take your right hand out. You put your right hand in, and you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about.”
What if the hokey pokey was what it was all about?
Sometimes, it seems like our churches make it all about attendance, a program, an event, a leader. We would do better in some cases to indeed make the hokey pokey to be what it’s all about!
But thanks be to God, that is not what He designed. God designed his church to be all about Jesus.
Our continued study in the Book of Colossians brings us to one of the most pertinent passages in all the Bible. It has been called one of the most important Christological passages in the Bible. We see in this passage that Jesus is Sovereign, that Jesus is Supreme and yet He can be my Savior.
As a result, it really is all about Jesus!
Colossians 1:15-23
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 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 holy 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 heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
He is Sovereign
He is Sovereign
Verse 15 says “He is the image of the invisible God.” We learn in the creation story in that God created mankind in His image, but that image became marred when sin entered in. Jesus, however, is the image of God without sin marring that image and messing it up. Jesus said in that “anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” To see the visible Jesus is to see the invisible God.
Jesus as the image of God is a very important concept. explains it in a different way:
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Being in the image of God, Jesus “is the exact radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.” That in itself is quite Sovereign. That same verse in also says that Jesus is sustaining all things by His powerful word. That is another example of His sovereignty. We see that Jesus, again in His sovereignty, provided the purification of our sins. Only one that is sovereign and is the image of God could do such a thing!
As firstborn over all creation, Jesus is one that is prior to call creation and the Agent of creation in both heaven and on earth. tells us that by Him all things were created by Him and for Him. Only One that is sovereign could do that!
which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Jesus is superior in every realm of life. He has inheritance rights and supreme authority over all creation because He is God’s Son.
It is only Jesus Christ that the Invisible God is revealed perfectly! He created all things. No wonder the winds and the waves obeyed Him. No wonder diseases and demons fled Him. He is the Master over all!
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
All things exist for Him. Everything exists in Him, for Him and through Him.
It really is all about Jesus!
Jesus is the sphere in which they all exist, the agent through which they came into being and the One for Whom they were made.
Paul uses a bit of Greek philosophy here. It was popular among Greek educators to teach that everything needed a primary cause or plan, a instrumental cause or power, and a final cause or purpose.
Paul demonstrates that:
Jesus is the primary cause - He planned it!
Jesus is the instrumental cause - He produced it!
Jesus is the final cause - He did it for His own pleasure!
It really is all about Jesus!
Jesus is superior in every realm of life. He has inheritance rights and supreme authority over all creation because He is God’s Son.
In , we see that Jesus is Supreme.
He is Supreme
He is Supreme
We see in the next few verses, that Jesus is Supreme. He holds all things together. He is the head of the body, the church. he is the beginning and the firstborn among the dead. As a result, He is supreme.
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Jesus is not a created being, He is Eternal God.
Verse 18 tells us that He is the head of the body, the church.
Head means source, origin, leader or ruler. Notice how this works:
Jesus is the Source of the Church.
Jesus is the Origin of the Church.
Jesus is the Leader of the Church.
Jesus is the Ruler of the Church!
Forgive us Lord, when make anything else the source, origin, leader or ruler of the church other than your Son!
Jesus Christ is the Supreme Being! As the Head of our church, Jesus supplies us with life through His Holy Spirit. He gives us gifts and abilities to carry our His mission. Through His Word, Jesus nourishes and cleanses the church.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.
No believer on earth is the head of the church. That position is exclusively held by Jesus Christ. Anyone that tells you different is full of hog wash!
Jesus Christ is the head of the church, the beginning of the church, and the firstborn of the dead, He is not the first person raised from the dead but He is the One that because of His resurrection, there can be a resurrection of others!
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians
It is interesting that Paul uses the word born in connection with death. It seems that these are the opposite. But notice what happens, the tomb was a womb from which Christ gives you and me new life! Death could not hold Him!
But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
Every bit of God is in every bit of Jesus, Every bit of Jesus is every bit God!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Colossians 1:19
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
It really is about Jesus! I am thrilled that He is sovereign. I am blown away that He is supreme. But dear church, if I could do a back flip for joy, I would do hundreds of them because He is also my Savior!
He is My Savior
He is My Savior
Col
Colossians 1:20
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.
The Bible says that peace was made through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. Why was that so? You and I were designed to be in complete, whole fellowship with God. When we have that fellowship, we have peace!
There is nothing more wonderful that discovering peace with God! It is His great plan for us all. You see, God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life - abundantly and eternally!
The Bible says...
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
That is God’s plan for us! The problem is that even though God created mankind in His own image, He did not make mankind like a robot to automatically love and obey Him. He gave mankind a will and the freedom of choice.
Mankind chose to disobey God and go away from God with those choices. And even today, mankind still makes this choice. It results in separation from God. The Bible says,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Falling short of the glory of God leaves a big separation. A big gap that needs a bridge.
We have tried through the ages to bridge this gap in many ways without success. There is only one remedy that can resolve this problme
We have tried through the ages to bridge this gap in many ways without success. There is only one remedy that can resolve this problem
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus Christ is the only answer to the problem of separation. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave, He paid the penalty for our sins and put into place forever more a bridge that crosses the gap and allows us to approach a very Holy God!
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
1 Timothy 2:5
The Bible says...
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians
God has provided the ONLY way and we must make the choice.
God is His great wisdom knew that you and I would need a Savior. Did you know that God loves you so much that if you were the only person on earth that needed a Savior, He still would have the way just for you.
Colossians
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 holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
Jesus is Sovereign.
Jesus is Supreme.
Jesus is my Savior. When I was 8 years old, I trusted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and received His personal invitation.
The Bible says...
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
John
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
Jesus is Sovereign.
Jesus is Supreme.
Jesus is my Savior, is He yours?