Bulletins - Richvale Community Church

Good morning..
Several years ago, during rush hour in Minneapolis, the I-35W bridge suddenly collapsed.
Traffic was moving normally. From every outward appearance, everything looked secure, stable, dependable. Cars were moving across it without concern. Nothing seemed out of place.
And then, in a matter of moments, the entire structure gave way.
Investigators later discovered the cause.
It wasn’t something obvious on the surface. Deep within the structure, there was a critical weakness in the steel connections—something that had gone unnoticed for years.
Under the weight of traffic and the pressure of time,
A small structural weakness—unseen, unaddressed—eventually brought the whole system down..
we are in our sermon Series …Rooted and Rising..
That’s exactly what Paul is dealing with in his letter to Colossians.
On the surface:
The church looks healthy
Faith is present
Love is active..
The church is being fruitful and growing..
From the outside, it would be easy to assume: this church is doing well.
But underneath…
There’s a subtle shift:
👉 A weakening at the foundation —
👉 … False teachers had slipped into the church, quietly reshaped the message from the inside.
Their claim was subtle but dangerous: Jesus is good—but He is not enough.
So they added layers. You needed Jesus, yes—but also law-keeping.
They added Human philosophy. Religious performance.
And when Paul heard this …he sees exactly what is at stake.
When you add to Christ it diminished who He is..
And so Paul goes back the foundation of faith..
And starts with Doctrine of Christ..
He start with the question
..Who is Jesus?
Paul knew that ..everything in our lives is shaped by this one question:
Some will say Jesus …
was just a teacher?
was a prophet?
A moral example?
A spiritual influencer?
So who was Jesus??
.. the Historical Jesus emerged on the scene in first century as Jewish teach in Galilee— who taught in synagogues ..
He performed miracles as some considered him a prophet..
The Jewish Historian - Josephus.
In his work …antiquities .. describes…
“Jesus as “a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man” …….who “was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly”
and “won over many Jews and many of the Greeks.”
Tacitus, the Roman historian, wrote in the
second century said
that Christians
“had received their name from ‘Christ who had been executed by sentence of the Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius.’”
There is strong historical evidence that Jesus of Nazareth lived—
And then.. When you step into the pages of the New Testament, you find something striking.
The earliest followers of Jesus …
didn’t simply remember Him as a teacher or a prophet.
Bit Very quickly—within the earliest Christian communities—He is confessed as Lord, worshiped, and placed in the very center of their faith.
T/s The question we all have to wrestle with today is Who is Jesus?… Paul tells us that.
1. JESUS IS THE REVELATION OF GOD (He shows us what God is like)
Most of us love a good mystery or suspense—whether it’s a story, a movie twist, or a surprise we didn’t see coming.
There’s something powerful about what is hidden… finally being made known.
And Paul picks up that very idea.
He describes Jesus as a mystery that has been hidden for ages… .which is now revealed!
For centuries, God was at work—made
promises to Abraham and his descendants.., He is present during the reign the kings..
He was preparing, and weaving together a story through prophets, covenants, sacrifices,.
People knew something was coming, but they couldn’t see it clearly, because it was hidden.
Then Paul tell a us in Colossians that the mystery had been revealed..
Paul says..
Colossians 1:15–17 ESV
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Paul writes: “He is the image of the invisible God…”
This is one of the most profound statements in all of Scripture.
Because throughout the Old Testament,
God is active and present—but not fully seen.
Moses encounters God in the burning bush
God leads Israel in a pillar of fire and cloud
The glory of God fills the tabernacle But still,
God remains unseen in His fullness.
Even Moses, who had the closest encounters, could only see God in part.
And then Paul says something astonishing:
Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
Meaning: Jesus is not a reflection of God.
He is not a partial glimpse of God.
He is the visible expression of the invisible God.
In the ancient world, a king would press his signet ring into hot wax…
What you saw in the wax wasn’t a copy or a guess— it was the exact imprint of the ring.
Every line, every curve, every detail matched perfectly…
The imprint represented kings authority or seal..
The writer of Hebrews says chapter 1.3 says.. that Jesus..
Hebrews 1:3 ESV
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power….
In other words—Jesus is..
👉 Not a reflection. 👉 Not an approximation. 👉 Not “kind of like God.”
He is the perfect expression of God in visible form.
To see Jesus is to see God…
. Jesus said to his disciples — If you have seen me you have seen the father..
In other words ….
To know Jesus is to know God.
what is means..
We don’t have to wonder what God is like!!
If you want to know what God is like, we just open up the gospels and read.….
We see …
How does Jesus treat others?
How Jesus responds to the broken?
How Jesus moves toward the undeserving?
That is where we seethe heart of God.
Paul continues: “He is the firstborn of all creation…”
Now, that does not mean Jesus was created…JW and others use this version as a proof text ..to say that Jesus was less than Devine …
In church history, . A / heritic named Arius (in the 300’s ) argued that because Jesus is called “firstborn,” He must have been created—
That teaching spread and led to a major gathering of church leaders at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325,
where they affirmed what the apostles had always taught:
That is..
Jesus was not created—He is fully God, eternal, of the same nature as the Father.
So when Paul says “firstborn,” he’s not talking about origin…
He Speaks of rank, authority, and supremacy over all of creation..
Jesus is first in position (over creation), in honor, in authority.
Then Paul expands and clarifies this truth:
“By Him all things were created…”
Things in heaven and on earth
Visible and invisible
Thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities
All things were created through Him and for Him.
And then Paul goes further: “In Him all things hold together.”
Christ is not only the source of creation—He is also the sustainer of it.
He Hold everything together…
I don’t know about you… but..this is encouraging!
Sometimes we might feel like things are falling apart..
Things didn’t work out like we had hopped..
We carry the weight of:
Our future
Our family
Our health..
Our personal challenges…
We just holding on by a thread….
But Paul reminds us: Christ is the One who holds all things together.
He is before all things. He is over all things…
And here the thing..
If he can Hold creation that suspended in space — he can take care of us…
T/s The question we all have to wrestle with is Who is Jesus?… Paul tells us that.
1. JESUS IS THE REVELATION OF GOD
2.JESUS IS THE REDEEMER OF OUR LIVES (He restores what sin has broken)
Some years ago, a South American company purchased a high-quality printing press from a firm in the United States.
After it had been shipped and fully installed, the technicians could not get it to operate properly.
The most experienced engineers on site worked to diagnose the problem and make adjustments, but nothing seemed to resolve the issue.
After days of frustration, the company finally wired a message to the manufacturer requesting immediate help.
Sensing the urgency, the U.S. company sent the very best engineer ..
When he arrived, the local officials were skeptical.
He looked young and inexperienced—certainly not what they expected. After a brief discussion, they sent a message back to the manufacturer: “Your man is too young. Please send someone more experienced.”
The reply came quickly: “He designed the machine. He is the best person to fix it.”
….
This is what Paul is teaching in Colossians.
Because Jesus is not only the Lord of creation—He is the author of creation.
And when something breaks, the One who made it is the only One who fully understands how to restore it.
Colossians 1:18–22 ESV
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Paul tells us that Jesus is not a supporting character in the story of redemption— He is at center of it…
He is the head of the Church…
The Church was not a human invention.
It is His design from beginning to end.
He conceived it. He formed it. He breathed life into it. He supplies its spiritual riches. And He continues to sustain and direct it.
Paul tells is not only is he over all creation and the Head of the Church…
That should give us some releaf…Jesus this h is thing the church…
Paul tells us that Jesus embodied the fullness of God…
Colossians 1:18–22 ESV
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
One of the short comings of the Sacrificial system in the OT… temporary in nature — You had keep on returning with a sacrifice…
The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was lamb God sacrificed once for all..
Because He was fully God ..The fullness of God dwelt in his
— he was able to complete the work fully…
Hebrews 7:25 ESV
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
In other words, nothing about salvation is partial or temporary.
He doesn’t only open the door to God—He keeps us there. He doesn’t only forgive—He continually intercedes, sustaining our relationship with the Father. Paul makes it personal ..
You see this This question of who Jesus… is personal …what Jesus had done for us..
Paul reminds the church what they have received in Salvation..
Colossians 1:21–23 ESV
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 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,

Before Christ we were
Alienated from God Hostile toward God Separated from Him
Not neutral.
Not close.
Not searching. But far.
Then then Jesus — met us the cross roads and..
“He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh by His death…”
Christ did what we could not do … He restored what we could not fix He reconciled us to God.
And now we are:
Reconciled to God Brought near Made holy and blameless before Him
Application
There is a temptation to forget what Christ do me for us in Salvation..
It is so easy
To Define ourselves by a past that Christ has already forgiven Striving for acceptance that has already been secured
We dont live to become accepted. We live because we are already accepted in Christ.
—T/s The question we all have to wrestle with is Who is Jesus?… Paul tells us that.
3. JESUS IS THE POWER FOR OUR MISSION (He works through us to make Him known)
This past Monday, I was at a DLD gathering with the Free Church. We met in breakout groups with pastors—just open sharing about life and ministry.
And one thing became very clear:
Every church is facing something.
It doesn’t matter the size… It doesn’t matter the location… Every congregation is carrying some kind of challenge…
Ministry requires Gods power..
And power come through prayer..
.
And nothing has changed in 2,000 years—we still need His power.
And there is a clear movement in this text.
Paul moves from: who Christ is… to what Christ has done for us… to what Christ now does through His people.
We are called to salvation… but we are also called into participation in the mission of the gospel.
John Stott described this as the double identity of the Christian life:
On the one hand, we are called out of the world to belong to God. On the other hand, we are sent back into the world as His witnesses and His servants.
We are not only a gathered people… we are a sent people.
We are not only recipients of grace… we are participants in mission.
We are called to serve God on mission.
And Paul himself is not just teaching this— he is living proof of it.
Colossians 1:24–29 ESV
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
.
Paul begins with an unexpected statement:
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake…” (v.24)
He is writing from prison -writing to the Colossians— less than ideal… their is suffering involved.. …
Paul says that God is using his discomfort to .. bring comfort to others.
Paul is not celebrating pain itself.
He is declaring that suffering does not stop the mission of Christ—it often advances it.
And then he says something that can sound difficult at first:
“I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions…”
Paul is not saying the cross was incomplete.
He is saying:
👉 What Christ finished in redemption, He continues to extend through His people in mission.
The message is complete—but the proclamation of that message still costs something.
Paul is not self-appointed. He is entrusted.
He is a steward, not an owner.
“I became a minister according to the stewardship from God…” (v.25)

A servant, not a source…..
And the message he carries is this:
THE POWER OF THE MISSION IS GOSPEL… ITSELF…
“The mystery hidden for ages… but now revealed…” (v.26)
And what is that mystery?
👉 “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (v.27)
This is the climax of the passage.
Not Christ merely revealed to us… Not Christ only above us…
But: 👉 Christ in us.
This is the power of the Christian life:
Not external religion—but internal presence.
Not trying harder—but Christ dwelling within.
Then Paul gives a final personal summary:
“For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me.” (v.29)
This brings everything together:
👉 Paul labors, but it is Christ’s energy 👉 Paul struggles, but it is Christ’s strength 👉 Paul serves, but it is Christ who works through him
So the Christian life is not self-powered effort.
So we do not live in our own strength.
We live from His life within us.
Because: 👉 The Christ who saves us is the Christ who sends us and the Christ who sustains us
CONCLUSION: THE CHRIST WHO HOLDS ALL THINGS
Paul has been building one unshakable argument:
Christ is not a supplement to life—He is the center of all things…
👉 Christ is enough.
Not partially enough. Not enough with additions. Not enough if we improve Him with something else.
But fully, completely, eternally enough.
The danger in Colossae was never open rejection of Jesus. It was subtle addition to Jesus
And Paul is saying: When you add anything to Christ, you don’t improve your faith—you weaken it.
Because a reduced Christ always produces a fragile faith…
After the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse, engineers discovered the problem wasn’t obvious on the surface—it was a hidden weakness in the structure.
So when they rebuilt it—the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge—they didn’t just replace what was there.
They built it stronger. They added redundancy so it wouldn’t collapse under pressure. They installed systems to monitor it and catch problems early.
They didn’t just rebuild it… they rebuilt it better.
That’s what happens when Christ becomes sufficient in your life.
When you stop trying to hold everything together yourself…
When you stop patching weaknesses on the surface… When you stop adding things to Jesus instead of trusting Jesus…
And you let Him be enough.
He doesn’t just patch your life— He rebuilds it.
Stronger. More stable. Able to withstand pressure.
Landing line:
When Christ is not just part of your life, but the foundation of your life… your faith becomes stronger, steadier, and able to stand—no matter what comes.
He holds it all together..
- - Colossians 1:15–17ESV
- - Hebrews 1:3ESV
- - Colossians 1:18–22ESV
- - Hebrews 7:25ESV
- - Colossians 1:21–23ESV
- - Colossians 1:24–29ESV

1. JESUS IS THE REVELATION OF GOD (He shows us what God is like)

2.JESUS IS THE REDEEMER OF OUR LIVES (He restores what sin has broken)

3. JESUS IS THE POWER FOR OUR MISSION (He works through us to make Him known)

CONCLUSION: THE CHRIST WHO HOLDS ALL THINGS

Colossians 1:15–17ESV

Hebrews 1:3ESV

Colossians 1:18–22ESV

Hebrews 7:25ESV

Colossians 1:21–23ESV

Colossians 1:24–29ESV