Colossians 1:15-23
Colossians So Far
• ‘An Apostle’s Prayer’ – Letter written to the Colossian church around 62 AD by Paul while he was in prison
• Paul is thankful for the Colossians faithfulness and he prays that they would have the knowledge of God’s will, His wisdom, and the strength to live out their faith in Christ because of the work that Jesus did on the cross
Jesus, Lord of ALL Things
• The phrase ‘all things’ is stated 5 times in these verses
o Greek: ta panta – the totality of any object—something in its wholeness or entirety
• Jesus, the incarnate God, made all things for himself: v. 15-16
• He is preeminent – first in rank, the highest authority, before all things, that which holds everything together, the Head of the Church: v. 17-19
• Jesus Christ’s self-sacrificing death on the Cross makes peace between God and His creation, reconciling all things to Himself: v. 20
o Reconcile – Greek: apokatallaxai- to restore proper/right relationship after it has been disrupted or broken
o Only as the pre-eminent Lord can He be the Reconciler
• For those who make the decision to turn away from their sin nature, they are reconciled to God through the Lord Jesus and made holy, blameless, and above reproach- v. 21-22
o We must be firm in our faith to intentionally walk with Christ—it is our job to maintain our reconciliation to continue in the faith – v. 23
• Jesus as Lord initiates this reconciliation—we cannot create it—we can only respond by choosing to walk in it, or not
Embracing Jesus as Lord—Continuing in the Faith
• Making the choice to continue in the faith is not always easy—and it’s not always pretty
o Growing up in church/surrounded by “Christian Culture” rather than disciples of Jesus
o To continue in the faith, we must recognize that we have all fallen short: Romans 3:23-25
o “To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side, and the dark. In admitting my shadow side, I learn who I am and what God’s grace means.” –Brennan Manning
• Embracing Jesus as Lord and continuing in the faith is always worth it—but not always easy
o In Christ, we are made to be “holy, blameless, and above reproach” even though we didn’t earn it – it’s a gift
Acknowledging Jesus as Lord – Choosing to be Reconciled to Him
• Jesus is Lord, so what are you going to do about it?
• We live with a constant temptation to compromise our walk with Jesus and to not put the Lord first—to simply have a “cultural Christianity”
• Seek the Lord’s will and pursue alignment to what He has for you
o Remember, God blesses us because He loves us, but He endorses that which He authors
• We are called to die to self—and put God and others first. This is what Jesus did for us and our modeling after him demonstrates the reconciliation of Christ at work in our lives
o *“I am a son/daughter of God. I exist to love God with everything I am, and to be loved by Him with everything He is”
o “Knowing and loving God is my first priority”
o “I am a servant. I will love others with the love of Christ, seeking their welfare before my own”
o “Loving and serving others is my second priority”
• Remain steadfast* by making the daily choice to continue in the faith and walk in the reconciliation that Jesus provides for us
o This is a process and a journey in which we grow in the Lord and are brought from “one degree of glory to another”—2 Cor. 3:18