New Life Bible Fellowship Church
1-5-25
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      • Psalm 18:1–3ESV

  • Another Year Is Dawning
  • All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name

      • Psalm 119:17–32ESV

  • Doxology

  • Introduction:

    As we continue in this years advent series entitled Call His Name Jesus, we have been exploring various characteristics that make up that name which essentially means, “the Lord is salvation”. We saw in our first message in the series, three weeks ago the nature of that name, as Jesus is both God and man.
    Two weeks ago we realized that because Jesus took on the nature of humanity, he therefore could function as one who glorifies his heavenly father in his humanity by fulfilling his purpose of condemning the world system and casting down Satan by means of allowing himself to be lifted up on the cross, and as a result, would draw all kinds of people unto him to become children of light.
    Then last week, we unpacked the next characteristic in progression from human nature, to the function accomplished in his humanity, to what we called his offices as Prophet, Priest, and King. This idea of the office or offices of Jesus takes into account all that we have talked about so far and involved a number of passages from both the Old and New Testaments in which we learned that Jesus is the final prophet, bringing God to man, and the final high priest offering before his Father the payment for our sins with his own blood, thus bringing man to God, and that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords in direct fulfillment of the Davidic covenant that God would provide for King David a son who would reign eternally.
    This morning, we will look at the culmination of all that we have unpacked thus far from the characteristics contained within the name of Jesus as savior. For, not only is his nature both God and Man, and not only was his function to be lifted up on the cross in order to judge the world system and draw is elect to himself, and not only does he fulfill the offices of prophet, priest, and king, but all these characteristics point ultimately to his position as one who is preeminent over all, and in all things. The apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit declares this truth for us in his letter to the church at Colosse, as we look this morning at the Position of Jesus from Colossians 1:15-23.

    Text: Colossians 1:15-23

    Colossians 1:15–23 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. 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. 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, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

    Main Idea: Because His Name is Jesus, He is Positioned as Preeminent Over all Things.

    Background:

    Paul wrote Colossians while in prison, probably about the same time as he wrote to the Ephesians. His purpose in writing to the church in Colossae was to fortify it against false teachers who might try to impose strict rules about eating and drinking and religious festivals. The Colossians appear to have come under the influence of a combination of Jewish and pagan piety presenting itself as a philosophical system (2:8) such as a form of gnosticism, and insisting on submission to various astral or cosmic powers, including the worship of angels. Paul shows the Colossians the superiority of Christ over all human philosophies and traditions. He writes:
    of Christ’s deity (“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” [1:15]) ,
    of Christ’s reconciliation he accomplished with his blood,
    He explains that as a result, the right way of living in this world is to focus on heavenly rather than earthly things, and,
    As God’s chosen people, we must leave our sinful lives behind and live in a godly way, looking to Christ as the head of the church (1:18).
    As we begin to unpack this passage, we see Paul breaks into a doxology to the grandeur and glory of Jesus Christ, as a result of part of his introduction to the church in Col 1:9-13
    Colossians 1:9–13 ESV
    9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
    Some believe Paul is appropriating an early Christian hymn. By pointing to the supremacy of Christ both in creation (vv. 15–17) and in redemption (vv. 18–20), he points out what was missing in the false teaching at Colossae—an adequate view of the person and work of Christ. By explaining Jesus Christ in this way, he invites his readers to worship the Son of God. So let’s begin to do just that…

    I. Creator and Sustainer (15-17)

    A. Creator (15-16)

    (15) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
    image of the invisible God. Since He is by nature God, Christ reveals the God who is otherwise invisible (1 Tim. 1:17; 6:16). Thus we see here a reference to our first message on the nature of Jesus…Jesus in his humanity shows us the invisible God.
    firstborn of all creation. It would be wrong to think in physical terms here, as if Paul were asserting that the Son had a physical origin or was somehow created (the classic Arian heresy) rather than existing eternally as the Son, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, in the Godhead.
    Note: Arianism is a Christian heresy that states Jesus is a created being, not truly divine, and is subordinate to God the Father. The heresy was proposed by Arius, a Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt, in the 4th century.
    What Paul had in mind was the rights and privileges of a firstborn son, especially the son of a monarch who would inherit ruling sovereignty. This is how the expression is used of David in Ps. 89:27
    Psalm 89:27 ESV
    27 And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
    (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.
    by him all things were created. Jesus did not come into existence when he was born of the virgin Mary. He was the agent of creation through whom God made heaven and earth (John 1:3 and note; 1 Cor. 8:6). Jesus cannot be the first thing created (as the ancient Arian heresy claimed) since “all things” without exception were created by him; it is impossible for one to create themselves. To what extent was this creation:
    heaven and on earth - things we see
    visible and invisible - and things we don’t see
    thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. Paul is using the current Jewish terms for various rankings of angels (although he doesn’t explain their relative ranks). His emphasis here may be on the evil angels, since they play a significant part in this letter (Col. 2:8, 10, 15, 20).
    This would not mean, however, that Jesus created evil angels; all spiritual powers were created by Jesus, but some later chose to rebel against God and so to become evil. Jesus is not only the agent of creation but is also the goal of creation,
    all things were created through (dis [preposition of means]) him and for (eis [preposition of direction]) him. Because He is both agent and goal of creation, Christ is Lord of all that is, even of the angelic hierarchy that the Colossians were being tempted to revere.

    B. Sustainer (17)

    (17) And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. - A strong restatement of the temporal priority and universal significance of Christ, this verse makes explicit what was implicit in v. 16:
    Christ existed before all creation.
    He is Himself therefore not created. Nor can it be said, as followers of Arius (c. A.D. 250–336) later maintained, that “there was a time when he was not.”
    in (en [preparation of location]) him all things hold together - The thought is that Jesus is the moment-by-moment Sustainer of the universe, whose unifying power causes the created order to cohere, (Heb. 1:2, 3).

    II. Head and Reconciler (18-20)

    A. Head (18)

    (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.
    head of the body, the church. Using this theme of the second section of the hymn, Paul later explains the image in Eph. 1:21–23,
    Ephesians 1:21–23 ESV
    21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
    This metaphor of the body is clearly delineated in Romans 12, and 1 Corinthians 12.
    the beginning, the firstborn (prototokos [adjective] - preceding all others in time and space) from the dead.
    Jesus’ resurrection marks the beginning of a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17):
    2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
    17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
    As the first to rise from the dead, never to die again, Christ inaugurates the new creation and new age anticipated by the OT prophets and founds a whole new humanity in Himself.
    His own resurrection is an anticipation and a guarantee of the resurrection that all His brothers and sisters will enjoy (1 Cor. 15:20–28):
    1 Corinthians 15:20–28 ESV
    20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
    that in everything he might be preeminent.
    Without detracting from the glory the preexistent Son already had with the Father, the NT teaches that Christ’s resurrection marks out for Him a new and higher standing and authority, and wins for Him an even greater name, now as the incarnate, obedient, and exalted Messiah (Eph. 1:20–23), which declares the power of God the Father:
    Ephesians 1:20–23 ESV
    20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
    By virtue of His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ is demonstrated to be Lord of the universe, which was created by Him, which He has always sustained, and which He has now redeemed.

    B. Reconciler (19-20)

    (19) For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, Because Jesus is truly and fully God and has died and been raised from the dead in our nature, He is altogether sufficient for the sinner’s salvation.
    the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. Paul (or the hymn he is citing) uses terms from Ps. 68:16 that described Mount Zion’s preeminence as the site of the OT sanctuary. Christ is the fulfillment of that temple (John 2:19–22), and the fullness of God’s presence in Him, and therefore, refutes every claim that superior access to the divine can be achieved by any other route (which is claimed by the gnostics).
    (20) and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
    This is the high point of the hymn…humankind’s fall into sin brought with it the corruption of all creation, seen and unseen (Gen. 3).
    to reconcile to himself all things. Through Christ’s incarnation and atoning death, we see the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy as the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6); Jesus will ultimately quell all rebellion against God and his purposes:
    God’s righteousness is satisfied (Rom. 3:21–26), and
    peace between God and sinners are restored (Rom. 5:1; 2 Cor. 5:17–21), allowing believers to have present reconciliation to God as his friends, and
    the eventual glorification of the created order is assured (Rom. 8:18–21), and
    for nonbelievers and the demonic powers, Christ’s universal reign of peace will be enforced on them, for their rebellion will be decisively defeated by Christ as conquering king (cf. 1 Cor. 15:24–28; Rev. 19:11–21; 20:7–10) so that they can no longer do any harm in the universe.
    What is the basis for Christ’s reign of peace?…the blood of his cross. The cross truly is the pivotal point in human and cosmic history.

    III. Redeemer and Transformer (21-23)

    A. Redeemer (21-22)

    (21) And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
    you, who once - what we once were…
    alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, The text may be taken as indicating either that mental alienation from God has a behavioral root or that mental alienation is expressed behaviorally. Either way, Paul’s point is that mind and will cooperate in their rebellion against God.
    (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,
    reconciled in his body of flesh by his death means that the reconciliation God has accomplished is not merely a matter of the universal pacification of the hostile powers and of setting the universe in order under the authority of the risen Son of God; it brings with it the personal renewal and purification of those who grasp and adhere to the gospel (2:13; Rom. 5:6–11; Eph. 2:4–10).
    in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him - the ultimate purpose of reconciliation…not just to escape the judgment of hell, but to actually be a holy, blameless, and purified people (the ultimate office of Jesus the High Priest)

    B. Transformer (23)

    What Jesus did was not just reformation, but transformation!
    (23) if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
    if indeed you - reference to one who has been transformed by Christ, and as a result will…
    continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope. Saving faith is a persevering and enduring faith (v. 11), anchored in hope (v. 5). But contrary to Paul’s opponents’ teaching, true faith and hope are nowhere else than in Christ. This relationship with Christ is confirmed by faith and hope, rather than by rigorous ascetic disciplines.
    proclaimed in all creation. Paul can speak of one of the conditions of the consummation of the ages, the worldwide proclamation of the gospel (v. 6; cf. Matt. 24:14; Mark 13:10), as already having been completed. Paul here is using hyperbole. Still, by aiming his ministry at the urban centers of the Roman Empire, he understood himself to be reaching the entirety of the known civilized world (Acts 19:10; Rom. 15:18–25).

    So What?

    Do we see the tiny helpless babe in the manger as the only one who is positioned to be the preeminent Lord of both heaven and earth?
    Have you been redeemed and thus transformed by the blood of the cross, and made a new creation in Christ Jesus?

      • Luke 16:19–31NKJV

      • Luke 16:14NKJV

      • Luke 16:15NKJV

      • Ecclesiastes 2:17–19NKJV

      • Ecclesiastes 2:14–16NKJV

      • Matthew 6:19–20NKJV

      • Matthew 25:46NKJV

      • Romans 6:23NKJV

      • Ephesians 2:4–7NKJV

      • Romans 1:14–15NKJV

      • 2 Corinthians 4:16–18NKJV

      • Ephesians 2:1NKJV

      • John 3:3NKJV

      • Isaiah 55:6–7NKJV

  • I Love You Lord
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
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