Colossians 1:18-22
This Is Worship (2)
I. \\#1:1-2:23\\ Christ Exalted Through His Person and His Work
A. \\#1:1-12\\ Introduction
1. \\#1-2\\ Paul’s Salutation
2. \\#1:3-8\\ Paul’s Recognition
3. \\#1:9-11\\ Paul’s Prayer
B. \\#1:12-2:3\\ The Person of Christ
1. \\#1:12-14\\ Paul’s Thanks
2. \\#1:15-22\\ Paul’s Message
a. \\#15-17\\ Who Jesus is in Creation.
(1) \\#15\\ Jesus, the image of the invisible God.
(2) \\#15\\ Jesus, the firstborn of every creature.
(3) \\#16\\ Jesus, the Creator of all things.
(4) \\#17\\ Jesus, the One before all things.
(5) \\#17\\ Jesus, the One by whom all things consist.
b. \\#18-21\\ Who Jesus is in the church
(1) \\#18\\ Jesus, the Head of the body.
(2) \\#18\\ Jesus, the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.
(3) \\#19\\ Jesus, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead.
(4) \\#20\\ Jesus. the Peacemaker.
(5) \\#21\\ Jesus, the Reconciler.
(6) \\#22\\ Jesus, the Presenter.
3. \\#1:23\\ Paul’s Challenge
4. \\1:24-2:3\\ Paul’s Ministry
C. \\#2:4-23\\ Warnings to the Church
1. \\#2:4-7\\ Don’t Be Beguiled
2. \\#2:8-15\\ Don’t Be (Spoiled) Ruined
3. \\#2:16-17\\ Don’t Be (Judged) Condemned
4. \\#2:18\\ Don’t Lose Your Reward
5. \\#2:19-23\\ Don’t Lose Your Christ
D. \\#2:10-23\\ The Solution is to Remember
1. \\#2:9-10\\ Who Christ is.
2. \\#2:11-15\\ What Christ has done.
3. \\#2:16-23\\ What we should do.
II. \\#3:1-4:18\\ Christ Exalted Through His People
This is worship.
The overall theme of this book is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord of
all. That is worship. To worship is to use words or actions to declare who God
is and what He means to you. It is to adore, to magnify, and to exalt God. We
noticed in the last section \\#1:12-14\\ that Paul’s was giving us some reasons
to thank and praise God. Praise is often a prelude to worship. So what we have
here is Paul using the penned word to worship God. Would we not be failing
miserably if as we studied this section tonight, we did not worship our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ?
This is Jesus.
This is an introduction to Jesus such as we cannot find anywhere else in the
Scripture. Who is Jesus? What has Jesus done? What is Jesus doing? These
questions are answered for us in this short verses. They are not answered in
detail, but they are answered well enough that we would have to work at missing
who Jesus is. He is God incarnate!
In that vain, Paul spends a few moments describing Jesus to the readers. In this
short section, Paul lists twelve (12) names, or descriptions, or acts of the Son.
I. \\#1:15-22\\ Paul’s Message
A. \\#15-17\\ Who Jesus is in Creation. These are the things that the world
needs to know about Jesus and reasons for even the lost world to worship
Him.
1. \\#15\\ Jesus, the image of the invisible God.
a. We can get a veiled view of Father by looking at the Son.
b. We see a bit of His glory and a portion of His power.
c. However, we see better His compassion, His love, His mercy, His
forgiveness—His love!
2. \\#15\\ Jesus, the firstborn of every creature.
a. Firstborn is not an order of beginning for Jesus had no beginning.
b. It is a title of leadership and rulership which come because of
who Jesus is.
c. He is the Son of the living God.
3. \\#16\\ Jesus, the Creator of all things.
a. Either all of the Bible is true or none if it is. If we are
going to accept Jesus as Savior, we must accept Him as Creator.
b. This means that Jesus is the person of God being referred to in
the book of Genesis.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
4. \\#17\\ Jesus, the One before all things.
a. Before any and all created things, Jesus is.
b. Why? Because in the beginning, GOD….
5. \\#17\\ Jesus, the One by whom all things consist.
a. Jesus holds all things together.
b. He is what scientists call "the Strong Force," the power that
holds all things together on a sub-atomic level.
B. \\#18-21\\ Who Jesus is in the church. These are the things that the
church needs to know about Jesus and reasons for the church to worship
Him.
1. \\#18\\ Jesus, the Head of the body.
a. The "body" is a title to refer to the church.
Ro 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of
another.
1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the
blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body
of Christ?
b. The church is called a "body" because it is a living gathering.
(1) As a living thing, we need some things.
(a) We need nurishment, protection, purpose.
(b) These are things that our Head must provide for us.
(2) As a living thing, we can change.
(a) We can become sickly.
(b) We can become deficient.
(c) We can die.
(d) These are things that we must guard against.
c. Christ is called the Head because it is HIS living gathering.
(1) The head not the body does the thinking, the determining, and
the decision making.
(2) It is not even within the body’s ability to do these things.
d. The picture of a head to a body describes the relationship between
Christ and the church.
(1) There is an interdependency between the head and the body.
(2) The church is dependent upon the Head.
(3) But the Head has also made Himself dependent upon the body.
(a) We are His vessel in this world.
(b) We are His feet, His hands, His mouth.
e. And when we understand all of that, we should sit back and worship
our Lord for the marvelous plan that He has put into effect.
2. \\#18\\ Jesus, the beginning, Jesus, the firstborn from the dead.
a. I believe these two go together to teach one truth.
(1) Jesus was the first Member of the church.
(a) The church is not a replacement nor renovation for Old
Testament Israel.
(b) The church is something completely new and different.
(c) The church existence started with Jesus. Jesus spoke of
as much to His disciples.
Matt 9:16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that
which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and
the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new
bottles, and both are preserved.
(d) The church stands upon its on foundation.
i. It is loved by God.
ii. It is crafted by God.
iii. It is endowed by God.
iv. It is commissioned by God.
v. And the church will stand before God and give an
account of its own self, uniquely different from
Israel—and I pray, with a superior record of
service.
(2) This verse is telling us not only Who was the first in the
church but also what it takes to get into the church.
(a) It takes death and a resurrection thereof.
(b) The resurrection is the birth canal for the church.
(c) For Jesus, it was a bodily resurrection.
(d) For sinners, it is a spiritual resurrection.
b. And again, once we understand these truths, we should worship God
for the liberty and privilege He has granted to us to be members
in this elite group.
3. \\#19\\ Jesus, in whom dwells all the fullness.
a. The word "fullness" means "all."
(1) This passage is one of those which teaches us that Jesus is
100% God and 100% man.
(a) As mentioned in the introduction of this book, some
believe Colossians was written to those who were
beginning to believe that Jesus was part of creation.
i. Pantheism is the belief that god is somehow both
the creator and the created.
ii. Some believe that Paul is taking a little swipe at
that false doctrine now.
iii. Perhaps he was, but it seems to me that when Paul
wanted to address false doctrine, he normally did
head on.
(b) Regardless, the truth revealed here is unmistakable.
(2) Jesus is not "a part" of anything.
(a) He is ALL God.
i. He is sinless as God is sinless.
ii. He is pure as God is pure.
iii. He is merciful as God is merciful.
iv. He is just as God is just.
v. The only thing found in the Godhead that was not
in Jesus were the POWERS of deity.
aa. Although by right, Jesus had those powers; He
had laid them aside.
bb. Exactly what that means, I do not know.
cc. Did Jesus actually lay the ability aside or did
He merely lay the willingness to use those
powers aside?
dd. Do you suppose Jesus still had the power to
know everything, to be everywhere, to speak a
word and destroy His enemies?
ee. Was it by sheer will that Jesus did not do any-
works by His own power?
ff. I have never thought it of it before, but I
imagine that is the case.
gg. If so, we ought to praise and worship Him even
the more for having such power at His disposal
and being so provoked and yet, for love of us,
He refused to use it!
(b) But, Jesus is all man too.
i. I understand how illogical that statement is, but
just as Jesus is completely God, so He is
completely man.
ii. The only thing found in humans which will not be
found in Jesus is SIN.
a. Jesus was made of flesh.
b. His body worked like our bodies work.
c. His limbs needed rest.
d. His stomach needed food.
e. He was subject to being tempted although His
desire was pure and holy.
b. And yet again, if we understand the truth, we ought to worship Him
all the more.
4. \\#20\\ Jesus. the Peacemaker.
a. There is no question as to what Paul had in mind here.
b. He is speaking of the peace that Jesus has made between God and
man.
(1) The Bible calls us the enemies of God and further states that
we are under a death penalty.
(a) This was a serious matter.
(b) In essence, God was at war with mankind, and in this war,
there could be no….
i. no mercy.
ii. no truce.
iii. no treaty.
(2) But Jesus, through the blood shed on the cross, ended the war!
(a) Because of Jesus Christ and His payment, the war, at
least with the elect, is ended.
i. We have gone from being God’s enemy, to being God’s
child, His servant, and His friend.
ii. We have gone from being under a death penalty, to
having life through His dear Son.
iii. We have gone from a state of war to a state of
peace.
(b) Christians have cause to worship and praise the Son of
God!
(3) Sadly for them, those who have not accepted the work of Jesus
Christ are still at war with God.
(a) This is a war that they cannot win.
(b) Lost person, if you ever have cause to wonder if God is
mad at you, I will tell you the answer, YES, HE IS!
(c) God looks upon as His enemy and if it were not for the
general mercy that God has toward all human beings, you
would already be in hell tonight.
(d) Do not push this mercy. Turn to Christ today.
5. \\#20-21\\ Jesus, the Reconciler.
a. Paul takes that thought a step further in calling Jesus a
Reconciler.
(1) A reconciler is one who brings opposing parties together.
(2) It was not enough that Jesus stopped the war.
(3) He went further to make of God and man ONE.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the
middle wall of partition between us;
b. This implies that the broken relationship that once existed
between the saved and God can never be again.
(1) An indestructible bridge had been built which cannot be
broken.
(2) Call it eternal life, unmerited favor, once-saved-always-
saved, or any other name you choose, God and His saved have
been joined together by Jesus Christ in way that they will
never part again.
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I
in you.
c. The great divide between Arab and Israeli is widely known.
(1) It goes back thousands of years, all the way to Esau and
Jacob.
(2) And apparently, even though at times there has been some
measure of peace between these two peoples, they have never
been nor will they anytime soon become, one.
(3) One of the few things that I remember of Jimmy Carter’s
presidency that I have looked back upon with approval was the
peace treaty signed between Egypt and Israel in 1979. Until
that time, Egypt was as much Israel’s enemy as any other
country. When it happened, I did not think it would last, but
it held for a generation and a half (30 years). I would have
thought that somehow, these two nations were learning how to
become one. However, since deposing President Mubarak, who
has been the dictator of Egypt since 1981, there are signs
that although the two nations dwelt in peace for 32 years,
they were never reconciled. They were never made one.
(4) Peace treaties come and go. A reconciliation lasts forever.
d. \\#21\\ We are specifically told that both the peace and the
reconciliation that Jesus provided were paid for by the death of
Jesus Christ.
e. Because of Jesus, the Reconciler of God and man, we have cause to
praise and worship the Lord Jesus Christ!
6. \\#22\\ Jesus, the Presenter.
a. This last title for Jesus describes the intentions of our Lord for
His body.
b. Jesus intends (and so will) present us to the Father.
(1) Jesus is not ashamed of us, although He would have every right
to be so.
(2) Our failures are many and great!
(3) Yet, as a groom desires to present his bride with honor and joy
to his father, so Jesus will present us to God.
c. Notice how we will be presented.
(1) holy - without sin
(2) unblameable - without blame
(3) unreproveable - without rebuke
d. In other words, when Christ presents us to the Father, we will be
perfected.
(1) We will neither have sin nor any effect from sin,
(2) How will that be possible? Because our Presenter will have a
scar in each hand and in His side!
(3) We will stand perfected while He bears the marks of our sin
for all eternity.
All of this is glorious knowledge. This is our Jesus, and we should know who He
is and what He has done, but all of this truth is for nothing if it does not cause
us to enter into the presence of God and to worship Him. Have you worshipped God
yet?
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