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1. Jesus is the Form of the Father (Verse 15a).
2. Jesus is the Crown of Creation (Verses 15b-17).
- He is the First-born (Verse 15b).
- He is the Creator (Verse 16a).
- He is the Purpose (Verse 16b).
- He is the Origin (verse 17a).
- He is the Sustainer (verse 17b).
3. Jesus is the Chief of the Church (Verses 18-20).
- He is the Head (verse 18a).
- He is the Beginning (verse 18b).
- He is the First-born from the dead (verse 18c).
- He is the One who reconciles (verses 19-20).

(The following message was given to the men who attended the 5th annual Men's Exposition Conference on November 1-2, 2002 at Bethany Community Church, in DeKalb, Illinois. The purpose of this conference is to help the men in their own study of the Scriptures, which will better equip them for the task of leading their family in spiritual matters. The title of the conference this year was, "The Message of the Bible: Verse by Verse." Each participant was given a verse to study for themselves and were asked to come prepared to discuss the verse in their small group sessions. They were to come with observations about the verse, an understanding of its interpretation and applications of the verse for their own lives. This message was delivered as a closing message to the entire conference.)

 

I have been given the difficult task of wrapping up our wonderful conference. I have been given a text and a title for my message this morning, My text is Colossians 1:15-20 and my title is "The Message of the Bible."

One of the things that we sought to do in assigning each of you verses from the Bible to discuss in your small group sessions was to pick key verses, which would relate in only a few words the central theme of the Bible. As you discussed these verses, I am sure that a common theme has been developed in your small groups, which all focus upon one person, Jesus Christ.

- Jesus Christ is the seed of Genesis 3:15, who came and bruised Satan on his head.
- Jesus Christ is the one who fulfilled the promise described in Galatians 3:19.
- Jesus Christ is the Anointed One, who will rule the earth, despite the opposition of kings, as described in Psalm 2.
- Jesus Christ is the Son of Man, who descended from heaven in John 3:13, and is the faithful witness.
- Jesus Christ will reign forever in accordance with Daniel 7:14.

The Bible is a book about God and how God relates to people. God relates to people through a mediator, Jesus Christ. The Bible is a story about Jesus, because Jesus explains to us how God relates to us. The Old Testament anticipates Jesus. The New Testament explains Jesus. The gospels describe the life of Jesus. The epistles interpret the ministry of Jesus. The revelation of John anticipates The future reign of Jesus.

There is no greater portion of Scripture that has been given to us to describe Jesus than the words found in our text this morning:

Colossians 1:15-20
15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created by Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.
19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him,
20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

If you know anything about the background to the book of Colossians, you know that it was written to address the errors that had arisen in Colossae. The church at Colossae was being bombarded by a mixture of teaching that included elements from Judaism and Asceticism, and Gnosticism. The church was being told that they needed to keep practicing the Jewish laws and regulations. They needed to keep the festivals and the new moons and the Sabbath days (Col. 2:16) (i.e. Judaism). The church was being told to delight in the worship of angels and look for visions and seek a "higher" knowledge (Col. 2:18) (i.e. Gnosticism). The church was being told that they needed to keep away from the things of this world as if they were evil in themselves, "do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" (Col. 2:21) (i.e. Asceticism).

Paul writes to these dear saints and reminds them of the greatness of Jesus, because each of these heretical tendencies were corrected when one understands Jesus Christ. The Jewish laws and regulations were shadows pointing to Christ, who is the substance of it all (Col. 2:17). The Gnostics, who sought this "higher" knowledge could find it in a true knowledge of Christ (Col. 2:2). The ascetics, who thought the world was evil, didn't realize that Christ created it all (Col. 1:16).

Paul wrote this portion of Scripture to demonstrate to those at Colossae just how great Jesus Christ was. As I studied this message and consulted commentaries or other sermons that have been preached on this passage, almost all of them have been entitled something like, "The Sovereignty of Jesus" or "The Supremacy of Jesus" or "The Surpassing Greatness of Jesus." It is important for us to keep in mind who Jesus really is. We can easily lose sight of great majesty and supremacy and sovereignty of Jesus Christ. My aim this morning is to show you Jesus Christ, because He is the message of the Bible.

1. Jesus is the Form of the Father (Verse 15a).

Verse 15 starts out, "And He is the image of the invisible God."

Perhaps someone has come up to you and said, "You are the spitin' image of your father." I have experienced this many times. I remember my father paying a surprise visit to me one time when I was at college. When he arrived on campus, he literally began to walk all around in search of me. Since there were only 1,000 students where I attended, it wasn't such a difficult challenge to walk the entire campus. At one point, some of my friends spotted him. Though my friends hadn't ever seen my father, the resemblance was enough to explain who he was. I was told, "He looks just like you" (though in actuality it is I who looks just like him). Perhaps this could be said of you and your father as well.

But visible likeness isn't the sense of the usage of the word, "image" in this context. Paul isn't telling the Colossians that Jesus looks like God, or approximates God. In some sense, all of us here in this room bear some resemblance to God. We are all made "in" the image of God (Gen. 1:27; 1 Cor. 11:7). Paul is telling these people at Colossae that Jesus is the image of God. He is the form of the Father. In other words, Paul is saying that in every way, Jesus is an exact manifestation and representation of God. The writer to the Hebrews says that Jesus is "the exact representation of the nature of God" (Heb. 1:3).

You want to see God? Look at Jesus. He is the One who explains God. John 1:18, "No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him." Here is the marvelous thing about Jesus Christ. We know that "No one has beheld God at any time" (1 John 4:12) and that God "dwells in unapproachable light" (1 Tim. 6:16). But, when Jesus walked and talked on this planet, we beheld God, because we beheld the image of God! Jesus was the visible manifestation of the invisible. You want to see God? Look at Jesus. You want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus.

When you think about the Bible, it is a story about how God relates to men. Jesus is how God has chosen to relate to men, as His image walked upon the earth.

2. Jesus is the Crown of Creation (Verses 15b-17).

- He is the First-born (Verse 15b).

It says in the second half of verse 15 that Jesus is "the first-born of all creation." This word, "first-born," has stirred much controversy down through the ages. Many have taken this word, "first-born," and have implied that it speaks of the "first" one "born" in terms of time. So, they think that Jesus was the first being created. After being created, Jesus, in turn, then created everything else. The result of this teaching is that Jesus, then, becomes a created being.

This idea has come from a faulty understanding of what the word, "first-born" actually means. All you need to do is look down to verse 18 to figure out that "first-born" doesn't necessarily mean, "first thing born." In verse 18, we are told that Jesus "the first-born from the dead." This is speaking about His resurrection. Jesus certainly wasn't the first being resurrected. There are several people who were raised from the dead "before" Jesus was (in time). Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus Himself (John 11:38-44). Jesus raised the daughter of the synagogue official from the dead (Matt. 9:18-26). The many that were raised when Jesus died (Matt. 27:52). Elisha even raised a little girl from the dead (2 Kings 4:18-37). So, first-born doesn't have to speak about the first thing born (or resurrected).

Furthermore, consider that Israel was called the first-born, though they weren't the first nation (Ex. 4:22). Messiah was also called the first-born, though the Messiah wasn't the first one born (Ps. 89:27). Though Joseph's son Manasseh was born first and Ephraim was born second (Gen. 41:51,52), God called Ephraim His first-born (Jer. 31:9).

So then, what does "first-born" mean? It simply identifies who among the children is the one who will be the greatest. It signifies dignity and precedence. Normally, this place of honor was given to the first-born male. According to the law, there were instances when the first-born son would get double the inheritance (Deut. 21:17). But, as I have shown you, it isn't always the case that the one born first in time is actually considered the "first-born" (Ephraim and Manasseh).

The first-born is not first in time, but first in rank. So, the first-born, means "the greatest." Or, as I have put it, it means "the crown." In reference to Jesus, the reason why Jesus is the first-born is the greatest of any creature that has ever stepped into creation.

Perhaps you are familiar with Alfred Hitchcock, the great movie producer. (He was the Steven Spielberg of the previous generation). What is peculiar about his movies was that in every film he ever produced after 1926, he always made a cameo appearance in each of them. Hitchcock usually made his appearance during the beginning of the movie, so as not to distract from the plot. Perhaps he tries to get on a bus (North by Northwest), or simply winds a clock in the background (Rear Window). Perhaps he walks by in the background (Rebecca) or is seen walking his dogs (The Birds). (Click herefor a picture). In each of these instances, Hitchcock stepped into his own creation.

This isn't unique to the movie industry either. Other artists have appeared into their own creations. Francisco de Goya painted himself, in the Portrait of the Count of Floridablanca (1783). With his back to the viewer he shows a painting to the Count for his approval. (Click here for a picture). Norman Rockwell once did this as well. Perhaps you are familiar with the painting, "Freedom from Want." It is a picture of a grandmother holding a huge turkey at the head of a crowded dinner table. Rockwell paints himself looking over his left shoulder from the bottom right hand corner right at (you) the observer of this popular picture. (Click here for a picture).

There are many other examples of this in art. These are is only a few that I have tracked down. In some sense, this is a picture of what it means that Jesus Christ is first-born of creation. He stepped into His own creation. However, the parallel fails with Jesus and the examples that I gave, because in each of these examples that I gave you, the artist always took an insignificant role (off in the background someplace). But in the case of Jesus, He comes into creation and takes center stage and is the glory of it all, rather than taking an insignificant role in the background.

Of anything, or anybody that has ever come into this visible creation, Jesus Christ is the greatest of everything. He is the first-born. Why?

- He is the Creator (Verse 16a).

"For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things have been created by Him and for Him" (verse 16).

Notice how verse 16 begins. It begins with the word, "For" or "Because." The sense of things is that Jesus is the first-born, because He made every thing. Jesus isn't the first-born, because He was the first thing created. Jesus is the first-born, because "by Him all things were created." Jesus isn't the first-born among all created things. Jesus is the first-born over all created things.

Those who take this term, "first-born" and say that God only created Jesus, and then left Jesus to create everything else, entirely miss the truth of verse 16 as it relates to the whole Bible. I trust that all of you know that the Bible says (in its very first verse) that "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). And throughout the rest of Genesis, chapter 1, we see what God is doing. There is no indication that God created the "first-born" creature of the universe, who, in turn creates everything. There is no doubt that it is God, who creates. Yet, we find out here, that the creation came about through the agency of the Son "by Him" or "in Him." Here we delve into the mysteries of the Trinity. The Father created through the agency of the Son.

One of the things that I remember about growing up is that my earthly father often included me in on whatever he was building or fixing. When chair-leg would break, he would often show me how to glue it together and even have me do it. When there was plumbing to do, we would do it together. When there was a new sump pump to put in, we would do it together. When there were shelves to build, we would do it together. This continues to this day. I have some shelves that I want to put in my office. Rather than doing them himself, he has always responded, "Well, when do you want to come to DeKalb and make them?" As a result, I am comfortable in building things or repairing things around the house. In some small sense, this is what God did with creation -- our universe came about with the Father working through the Son, "... by Him all things were created."

We are given a list of the "all things" created.

1. "in the heavens." This is probably speaking about everything created that is beyond the earth: the moon, the sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto, the asteroids, the comets, the space dust, the stars, the solar-systems, the galaxies, ... everything.

Scientists are continually discovering new planets and stars and solar-systems and galaxies all the time. Yet, with all of these discoveries, Jesus Christ can say, "I knew about that star, because I created it." The one who created the stars, "calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power not one of them is missing" (Is. 40:26). The Psalmist says, "He counts the number of the stars; He gives name to all of them" (Ps. 147:4).

Perhaps a good way to think about these discoveries is to think about Christopher Columbus. When he discovered the new world, he didn't even know what it was that he found, he thought that it was Asia. Yet, from our perspective, with globes available to observe from the time we were little children, we look at what he "discovered" and can say, "I know all about the 'new world' that Columbus discovered." What was new to Columbus is old to us. So it is with all of our "discoveries." Jesus knows about them all!

2. "on earth." This is talking about everything that is upon this earth: The water, the land, the rocks, the dirt, the lakes, the rivers, the hills, the mountains, the grass, the trees, the flowers, the bushes, the birds, the snails, the worms, the tigers, the molecules, the atoms, the protons, the neutrons, ... everything. All of this has been made by Jesus Christ. He is the creator.

We are His creatures who have never discovered anything that God didn't know. We are researching into DNA and vaccines, hoping for new discoveries, yet, Jesus knows all about them beforehand.

The fact that Jesus is the fact has really made an impact on me this past week. We have an older man in our congregation, who likes to go walking. On occasion I have sought to spend time with him by walking with him. This past Thursday we were walking in the woods, where he likes to hike. At several points along the way, we both were awestruck by the breathtaking beauty of God's creation. Yet, having been meditating upon this text, I was forced to think of how it reflected the glory of Jesus, not only the glory of the Father.

3. "visible and invisible." Up to this point, we have been considering the things visible. But, do you realize that there is a whole world beyond the things that you can see? As vast as the universe is, there is still more. Do you realize that every person who has ever lived and died upon the earth now lives in the realm of the invisible? There are about six billion people right now who live on earth. In another generation (some 70 years), the population of heaven and hell combined will increase by another six billion, as this generation dies. (And we think that we have immigration problems in America!)

I started thinking about this a little bit and did a little bit of research. I discovered the following chart, which estimates the world's population since the time of Christ. (Click herefor a picture).

Date		Population
1 A.D.		150 million
1350 A.D.		350 million
1700 A.D.		600 million
1800 A.D.		900 million
1900 A.D.		1.6 billion
1950 A.D.		2.4 billion
1985 A.D.		5 billion
2000 A.D.		6 billion
2020 A.D.		8 billion (projected)

If you do a little math, you will discover that there are more than double the amount of people now in heaven or hell than are alive today. In some sense, the invisible world is larger than the visible world -- it houses more people than the earth does. And this doesn't even account for all of the angelic beings in the invisible places. This is primarily what Paul was speaking about when he said, "whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities." In Ephesians 6:12, Paul describes our struggle in this world. "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places," using similar words as he does here in Colossians 1:16). When Jesus Christ created the world, He created "all things."

- He is the Purpose (Verse 16b)

I pick this up from the last two words of verse 16, "for Him." "All things have been created by Him and for Him." This gives us a reason why the world exists here today. It is for Jesus Christ! Now, in some sense, the world was created for us to enjoy. We are told that "everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude" (1 Tim. 4:4). But ultimately, the reason why the world has been created is not for our enjoyment. We have been created for His enjoyment!

If we go back to the artist illustrations, we can think about it this way: Jesus painted the picture of the world, where He was the focal point of it all, so that He could hang the picture in His own studio to display for all to see His glory and His grace and His love and His mercy and His justice. The world was created for Jesus to show forth Himself.

This all gets back to the message of the Bible. The Bible tells the story of how God relates to man. Primarily, the earth was created for Jesus. He was the end in mind, not us. We saw yesterday evening from Romans 3:25 that Christ died for God. Certainly, there is a sense, where He died for us. Consider, for instance, the following verses: John 10:11, 15; Rom. 5:6,8; 8:32; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4; 2:20; 3:13; Eph. 5:2, 25; 1 Thess. 5:10; 1 Tim. 2:6; Titus 2:14; Heb. 2:9; 5:3; 6:20; 7:25, 27; 9:7, 24; 10:12; 1 Pet. 2:21; 3:18; 1 John 3:16. Yet, ultimately, Christ died for us, because God required someone to die in our place, if we were to escape our condemnation. So, ultimately, Christ died for God in the same way that the world was created for Christ! Sure, there is a sense where we were created to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever." But in a greater way, we were created for Jesus' glory and for His enjoyment.

Let's face it. Jesus didn't have to create the world. Before the world, Jesus had perfect glory with the Father. He had unbroken fellowship. Why disrupt a good thing? He did it for Himself.

- He is the Origin (verse 17a).

I pick this up from verse 17, "And He is before all things." In other words, Jesus Christ isn't bound by His creation. Jesus existed before anything was created. Perhaps you are familiar with John's prologue. It begins with this sentence, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). The idea John gives us is that of a continual state of being that never had a beginning, nor will have an end. You might say, "in the beginning, the Word was" (John 1:1). The sense that John gives us here is that Jesus always was. There was never a time in which Jesus "came into being." A few verses later, we are told of John the Baptist, "there came a man, sent from God, whose name was John" (John 1:6). Jesus never "came to be" in the eternal sense. The only time Jesus "came to be" was when He took on flesh, as John 1:14 says, "and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." There was never a time when Jesus came into being.

In the early 4th century, there was a heretic, named Arius, claimed that Jesus was like God, but he wasn't God. He claimed that Jesus was a divine hero, greater than a human being, but lesser than God. Arius thought that Jesus had a beginning, but God didn't have a beginning. Much of his heresy was derived from the mis-understanding I addressed earlier regarding the word, "first-born." But, we must realize that Jesus was before all things. Before the world was created, there was something. That something was Jesus.

Before there existed an earth, before there existed a moon, before there existed a sun, before there existed a single molecule, before there existed any space in which to place a single molecule, ... There was the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in perfect harmony, in perfect fellowship, and in perfect glory. Jesus prayed, shortly before His crucifixion, "Glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was" (John 17:5).

When studying history, it is often helpful to draw a time-line. However, in our age of evolutionary thinking, there is a tendency to think that history is a line which had no beginning and has no end. Picture, if you will, a horizontal time-line, with arrows in each direction, heading in the past forever, and heading into the future forever. (Click here for a picture of what I am describing). People have always thought that this is a picture of time. There have always been mockers, who have said, "ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation" (2 Peter. 3:4). People think that the history of the earth has always been and always will be.

But, the world had a beginning. Before the world had a beginning, the Son of God was enjoying perfect fellowship and glory with the other members of the Trinity. And, the world has an ending. When the world ends, the Son of God will enjoy perfect fellowship and glory within the Trinity and those who have believe in Jesus will join Him. (Click herefor a better picture).

What is the difference between eternity past and eternity future? The Church! In eternity past, Jesus was in glory with the Father. In eternity future, Jesus will be in glory with the Father, with the church. The church will be present as a testimony of God's glory and of God's grace (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14), "to the praise of the glory of His grace." It was the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, which was crucial to accomplish this!

- He is the Sustainer (verse 17b).

I get this from verse 17, "and in Him all things hold together." Jesus is the glue that holds it all together. Jesus insures that the world continues to work as it ought. Within the universe, Jesus controls the forces of nature, which prevent everything from falling completely apart. There are four fundamental forces in the universe:

1. The gravitational force controls the orbits of planets and stars. Without any gravitational pull of the planets, we would be drifting through space, apart from the warmth of the sun, existing at 4 Kelvin!
2. The electromagnetic force controls the orbit of electrons around their nuclei. Without any electromagnetic force, the electrons would spin off into outer space, and there would be no atoms!
3. The strong nuclear force holds the protons of an atom together. Without this strong nuclear force, the closely packed together positively charged protons would separate from each other, and there would be no atoms, either!
4. The weak nuclear force governs the neutrinos. Without this weak force, the building blocks of the protons, electrons, and neutrons all fail to interact appropriately.

You lose any of these forces, and nothing works. The atomic structure breaks down and you have separate particles going everywhere in the universe. It would be complete chaos. On top of that, Jesus sustains life on our planet....

- Jesus keeps the earth an average of 93 million miles away from the sun. Too close and we would burn up. Too far and we would freeze up.
- Jesus keeps our planet tilted at 23 ½ degrees, so that massive ice build-ups don't occur at either the north-pole or the south-pole to freeze our planet.
- Jesus keeps the moon the perfect distance from us to cause the tides to come and clean away our harbors and shorelines. Apart from the moon, our ocean sides would become one stench pool of garbage.
- Jesus keeps the ozone layer in perfect shape to protect us from the deadly rays of the sun.

This all happens just to create an environment in which we can survive. On top of that, our bodies are infinitely complex, to be able to provide for itself and repair itself when injured.

The Bible says that Jesus is active in sustaining it all. Notice with me, here, these are the things that Jesus does. These things aren't attributed to the Father. This is what Jesus does. Do you see now, why I have called Jesus, "the Crown of Creation"?

- He is the First-born (Verse 15b)
- He is the Creator (Verse 16a)
- He is the Purpose (Verse 16b)
- He is the Origin (verse 17a)
- He is the Sustainer (verse 17b).

3. Jesus is the Chief of the Church (Verses 18-20).
- He is the Head (verse 18a).

Verse 18 says, "He is the head of the body, the church." In other words, Jesus is the ruler of the body. Jesus is the authority of the body. We get a sense as to what this means when Paul wrote in Eph. 1:22, "And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body" (and verse 23). Doesn't this make sense?

If Jesus is the First-born (Verse 15b), the Creator (Verse 16a), the Purpose (Verse 16b), the Origin (verse 17a), and the Sustainer (verse 17b) of the universe, then, certainly, Jesus would exercise His rule and His reign over His church, which He is building. As Jesus rules the natural creation, so He rules the new creation.

We find out from other Scriptures exactly what this means. Jesus is the One who "purchased" the church (Acts 20:28). Jesus is the One who "gave Himself up" for the church (Eph. 5:25). Jesus is the "builder" of the church (Matt. 16:18). Jesus is the "Chief Shepherd" of the church (1 Pet. 5:4). Jesus "loves" the church (Eph. 5:25). Jesus "cleansed" the church (Eph. 5:26). Jesus feel the persecution of the church (Acts 9:4). Jesus "saves" those in the church (Heb. 7:25). Jesus "makes intercession" for the church (Heb. 7:25). Jesus is the "head" of the church (Col. 1:18). It is from Jesus that we take our marching orders.

The church stands and falls with Jesus. If you strike down Jesus, you strike down the church. As we are connected with Jesus, the church grows. In this sense, Jesus is the "source of life" for the church. Look over at Colossians 2:19. These people (who were delighting in self-abasement and the worship of angels, and who were taking his stand on visions, and who were inflated by their fleshly minds), were in error, because they were "not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God" (Col. 2:19).

Jesus is the One who provides life to the church. When you neglect Jesus, the church will wither and perish and die. When you forget about Jesus, and become too interested in strange doctrines and myths and genealogies and speculations and fruitless discussions and wrong uses of the law and trivial points of theology and eschatological time-tables and church-growth methodologies and leadership styles and any other issue that would overshadow the gospel, you will not further the administration of God, which is by faith in Jesus (1 Tim. 1:3-8). To neglect Jesus is to neglect our life source.

- He is the Beginning (verse 18b).

The text simply says, "He is the beginning." I believe that this still relates back to the church. Just as Jesus was the beginning of the creation, so all is Jesus the beginning of the church. Just as God breathed life into the nostrils of Adam "the breath of life; and Adam became a living being" (Gen. 2:7), so also did Jesus "breath" upon the church and it became a living being (John 20:22). Many people point to Pentecost in Acts 2, when the church had its beginning, when the Holy Spirit began to fill the believers gathered in that upper room (Acts 2:4). This is what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:45, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit."

It was His death and resurrection that brought about the life of the church. This leads us to our next point, ...

- He is the First-born from the dead (verse 18c).

Verse 18 says, "the first-born from the dead." Again, let me remind you that this doesn't mean that Jesus was the first one ever resurrected from the dead. It means that He is the chief of all those who were (or will be) resurrected from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ establishes so much about our theology...

- It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that vindicated the words of Jesus. "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matt. 12:39-40). "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day" (Matt. 17:22,23).
- It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that establishes that Jesus was the Messiah. "You will not abandon my soul to Sheol. Neither will you allow Your Holy One to undergo decay" (Ps. 16:10). "God fulfilled this promise ... in that He raised up Jesus" (Acts 13:33).
- It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that demonstrates that He is the one who will judge the world. "He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31).
- It is the resurrection that vindicates our faith. "If the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, you faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. ... But now Christ has been raised from the dead" [and our faith is NOT in vain (is the implication)] (1 Cor. 15:16,17,20).
- It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that gives us hope for a resurrected body for ourselves (1 Cor. 15:42-44).
- It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that gives us the power to live a godly life, "as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4).

Let's return to our picture about understanding the history of the world as a line of definite length: the world began at some point and will end at some point. (Click herefor a picture). We ought to represent history with the crucifixion and resurrection as the climax in history. For it was at the cross that Jesus' death paid for our sins. It was in His resurrection that we have the basis for a future hope (1 Cor. 15:23, "Christ is the first fruits"). (Click here for an even better picture).

So, you say, "So what?" You say, "So, Jesus is the ..."

1. Jesus is the Form of the Father (Verse 15a).
2. Jesus is the Crown of Creation (Verses 15b-17).
- He is the First-born (Verse 15b)
- He is the Creator (Verse 16a)
- He is the Purpose (Verse 16b)
- He is the Origin (verse 17a)
- He is the Sustainer (verse 17b).
3. Jesus is the Chief of the Church (Verses 18-20).
- He is the Head (verse 18a).
- He is the Beginning (verse 18b).
- He is the First-born from the dead (verse 18c).

Does this make a difference in my life? It sure does make a difference! Jesus is all these things, so that "He Himself might come to have first place in everything" (verse 18). In other words, the Father sent the Son on a mission.

He was to be the greatest man who ever lived. We know that He lived as a sinless Man, the God-man, Col. 1:19, "For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him." Football players are condemned for using performance enhancing drugs. Jesus was filled with the "fulness of God" drug to enable Him to live sinlessly. He was to walk along in this earth, performing acts of righteousness and be hated by the religious establishment of the day ("He came into His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him" (John 1:12) and be killed a painful and shameful death upon the cross.

Much happened while Jesus was upon the cross. He took upon Himself the sins of every believer of all time. God's wrath was satisfied with the sacrifice (Rom. 3:35). He became our substitute in that He died in our place. By Christ's sinless life, we are considered righteous through faith. Furthermore, upon the cross, Christ was treated as if He had sinned every sin every believer would ever commit. All of this for our benefit. You can picture this substitution as a trade that we might have made as children with baseball cards. Suppose one child says to another, "I'll trade you my three Mickey Mantle rookie cards, an Ernie Banks special home-run flashback card, a Mark McGuire 70 home runs card, and two Barry Bonds rookie cards, for ... Ivan DeJesus! It appears to be an unfair trade! That is the trade that God makes through faith in Christ Jesus. He takes all of our filthiness, and we receive all of His righteousness! "God made Christ, who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).

But the fact is that "through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven."

- He is the One who reconciles (verses 19-20).

The reconciliation that we proclaim in that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them" (2 Cor. 5:19). Rather than counting the trespasses against them, He was exchanging them with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He was to be placed in the tomb, and three days later, would rise from the dead in victory over sin and Satan.

He is the conqueror (Gen. 3:15), who conquers the sin that Genesis describes.
He is the blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:1-7), who was promised years beforehand.
He is the Savior from Sin (Gal. 3:19), which the law would never do.
He is the refuge for the nations (Ps. 2:12), which could never be found in resisting Him.
He is the King of the Nations (Dan. 7:14), who will rule forever.
He is the Heavenly Witness (John 3:13), whose testimony is faithful and true.
He is the "coming" victor (Rev. 1:4-7), who will right every wrong.

This is the mission that the Father sent the Son to do. This is the message of the Bible. The reason why He did it was "so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything" (Col. 1:18). God has put Jesus Christ on display for the whole world to see. All the world has a choice to make. Will the world put Jesus Christ first? Or will the world put Jesus Christ second? Or Third? Or Fourth? Or (catch the fearfulness of this, ...) even resist Him (like described in Psalm 2)? The whole reason for Jesus entering into time is so that He might be first in everything.

When you read a novel, you are told not to read the ending, because it will inform you much about the whole story of the novel, and ruin the suspense. By reading the end, you get an understanding of the story as a whole. When we read the end of the Bible, we get pictures of massive crowds praising Jesus, saying, "Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9). We get pictures like this, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing" (Rev. 5:11). We get pictures like this, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever" (Rev. 5:13). We get pictures like this, "And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. (Who is this? This is Jesus!!) And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head [are] many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, 'King of kings, and Lord of lords'" (Rev. 19:11-16). We see everything subjected to Jesus Christ and Him ruling over all. This is the message of the Bible, "So that He Himself might come to have first place in everything" (Col. 1:18).

Let me ask you now, "Does Jesus Christ have first place in your life?" In your marriage? In your finances? At your job? In your thoughts? In your relationships? In your plans for the future? In your activities of life? In your material possessions? In your words?

These are serious questions that we must ask ourselves. In our small group time, I was struck by the ending of Psalm 2, when David writes, "Now therefore, O Kings, show discernment. Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He become angry and you perish in the way. For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him" (Psalm 2:10-12). Those who were resisting the Son, were told to "show discernment" and worship the Son, lest they be destroyed! The questions I asked above are no less serious. If Jesus Christ doesn't have first place in your life, His wrath may soon be kindled against you as well. This is serious business. Jesus Christ came into the world to be first place in everything! How audacious of us to put Jesus in any other place than first place in our lives.

This is the message of the Bible ...

Jesus Christ, (the very image of God)
... has come (and has become the greatest to walk the earth)
... and was crucified (to fulfil the promise of God and to bring a people to Himself, solely through His grace and kindness)
... and was raised again (to demonstrate to the world that He has conquered death)
... and is waiting for all things to be subjected to His feet.

Jesus Christ is supreme and sovereign over all things. There will be a day when you see Jesus Christ as supreme and sovereign over all things, when His kingdom is fully established and all things are submitted to Him. And what He does next will blow your minds away. We read, "When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28). In other words, in the day that everything is in entire submission to Jesus, He will take all of it, including Himself, and place it at the feet of God the Father, that "God may be all in all." The end of all things will ultimately be for the glory of God, when Jesus submits all things to God, the Father.

This is the message of the Bible: the revelation of God's glory through His redemptive love and mercy to sinners in the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. May we understand! May we live in light of the surpassing supremacy of Jesus Christ!

 

This message was delivered to the Men's Exposition Conference 2002, at Bethany Community Church on November 2, 2002 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rvbc.cc.