Sermon Tone Analysis

Today we are looking at Colossians 1:15-20.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the Colossian believers were facing false teaching, the roots of what was to later be called Gnosticism.

These false teachers would have claimed to be Christians, but were teaching the Colossians that Jesus was not supreme.

Rather, the believers needed to learn about and worship the aeons, or angels who were actually in charge of the world.

Again, when Paul wrote this letter, he did not start out with pointing to the wrong things being taught.

He will touch on those later.

First, he started with the foundation of truth.

The true gospel which the Colossians had heard and believed.

The true gospel that was at work in them, bearing fruit and making them grow.

They would hear these truths, and it would remind them of the truth which they heard, and felt in themselves.

Let’s read the truth of which Paul reminded them.

Pay particular attention to how Paul keeps pointing them to Christ.

Colossians 1.1 Paul was an apostle of Christ Jesus

Colossians 1.2 The Colossians were in Christ

Colossians 1.3

He is our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom they have put their faith

Colossians 1.7 Epaphras was a minister of Christ

It is Christ’s kingdom into which God has placed us when he rescued us from the dominion of darkness.

The Image of the Invisible God

A couple different words.

One is merely to resemble.

This one includes resemblance, but includes the concept that is proceeds from, or is drawn from the original.

You resemble… some famous person

But this one is image, like the son is the image of his father, the daughter is the image of her mother.

You can see the resemblance of that from which they came.

There is a definite material and immaterial relationship there.

They are ‘cut from the same cloth.’

In the same way, Jesus is closely related to the Father.

They are of the same essence.

They are both God.

And Jesus not only resembles God, but is his image, relationally tied to the Father and portraying the invisible God to us.

As Jesus said to Philip, John 14.9

The firstborn over all creation

Firstborn head to do with who would be the head of the family.

It was a title and a role.

Look at Genesis 48:12-21

title

Creator of all things

as we see in this statement, he is the creator of all things.

Therefore, he was not a part of creation.

(Jehovah’s Witnesses specifically add the word ‘other’ to this passage six times, trying to say that he created all other things.

That word is not in the Greek.

Greek actually has a couple of words for ‘other’, and neither appears in this book.

thrones, powers, rulers, authorities - four classes of angelic powers.

Created by him

Created for him

Before all things

Eternal.

God alone existed before all things.

Christ is before all things.

Christ is God.

Sustainer of all things

Laminin

lam•i•nin \ˈla-mə-nən\ noun

[lamina + 1-in] 1979: a glycoprotein component of connective tissue basement membrane that promotes cell adhesion

Head of the Church

Put into the body of Christ

Beginning and firstborn from among the dead

One having Supremacy

To quote R. Kent Hughes:

• First-place in our families.

• First-place in our marriages.

• First-place in our professions.

• First-place in our mission and ministry.

• First-place in matters of the intellect.

• First-place in time.

• First-place in love.

• First-place in conversation.

• First-place in pleasures.

• First in eating.

• First in play.

• First in athletics.

• First in what we watch.

• First-place in art.

• First-place in music.

• First-place in worship.

Fully God

Reconciler of all things

Apokatallássō is the stronger term for reconcile, differing from katallássō (2644), to reconcile, to set up a relationship of peace not existing before, in that apokatallássō is the restoration of a relationship of peace which has been disturbed