As the only
Jesus reveals the real God and ideal humanity.
JESUS 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 Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell —Colossians 1:15-20 (ESV)
Jesus should be
His worldview should be our worldview.
The Cross of Jesus is the
For in Jesus 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. —Colossians 1:19-20
The Gospel
Christ is the
Satan is the
Everything Christianity creates and
Jesus is preeminent. He matters to everyone and everything.
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or
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 —Colossians 1:23
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1) Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, what blessed you the most? How were you spiritually challenged and encouraged?
In the church of Colossae, there were many competing belief systems that were trying to marginalize Christ. There was a group that believed that Jesus was merely an angel and could not save you from your sins – you need secret, mystical knowledge to receive eternal life. This group was called Gnostics. Another group taught that “gods/spirits” are good and “mortals” are evil; so, Jesus could not be both God and human; therefore, Jesus could not be who he said he was. This belief came from Greek philosophy. A third group taught that salvation was not received by grace alone but also by becoming good enough for God to receive you. This group was Jewish legalists.
Today in the world, these same attempts to marginalize Christ exists, plus many more heresies and cults. What is worse is that our own sinful hearts are tempted to marginalize Christ and not let Him reign as Lord over our thinking, feelings, and actions.
Read Colossians 1:15-20 – 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.
Leonardo da Vinci took a friend to criticize his masterpiece of the “Last Supper,” and the remark of the friend was, “The most striking thing in the picture is the cup!” The artist took his brush and wiped out the cup as he said, “Nothing in my painting shall attract more attention than the face of my Master!” The artist was right: Nothing else should distract us from Christ!
2) Look closely at Colossians 1:15-20 and list three or four reasons why Jesus Christ should be first place in our lives, our religion, our communities, and our governments?
In Colossians 1:15, Paul referred to Jesus as “the firstborn of all creation.” What does that mean? It can’t mean that he was created, because the verse 16 says that Jesus created everything. The way Paul uses the term “firstborn” means first in rank, the priority, or the supreme one. In Greek and Hebrew culture, the firstborn received the inheritance of the father, and often in the Bible, the “firstborn” was not necessarily the child that was born first! Firstborn was an honor bestowed by the father. In the Trinity, God the Father bestowed God the Son as the “Divine Heir” of all of Creation.
The Apostle Paul uses this concept of inheritance to explain salvation in Romans 8:14-17 – For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
3) In the family of God, Jesus is the “firstborn” and we are all His brothers and sisters! How amazing is God’s love for us?
4) As the unique God-man (Colossians 1:19), Jesus revealed much to us about God and much about God’s design for humanity. Think about the way that Jesus lived his human life. What does Jesus’ life teach us about the character and purposes of God?
5) What does Jesus’ life teach us about how we should live our life?
The Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:3 - His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. If Paul is correct (and HBChurch believes that he is!), then the Bible is sufficient to give you wisdom for every aspect of living your life and living God’s purpose for your life.
Because Jesus Christ is the Creator, we should seek him for wisdom about everything. We should seek his help and wisdom in everything including freedom from sin, righteousness, salvation, future plans, education, missions, government, etc. When you want help with something, wouldn’t it always be best to ask the Creator? Listen to what Paul said in Colossians 2:2-3: I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. 3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (NLT)
6) What all is Paul saying in Colossians 2:2-3?
In Colossians 1:17, When Paul says “in him all things hold together,” it is in the perfect tense, which tells us Jesus continues to hold all things together. If Jesus ceased to hold all things together, everything would fall apart. The writer of Hebrews says something similar: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). Christ holds all things together by the power of his word. In the same way that the world was created through the spoken word (Gen. 1), it is now being sustained by the spoken word. It is Christ’s word that keeps the earth spinning on its axis. It is Christ’s word that keeps it revolving around the sun. It is Christ’s word that keeps the nations of the earth from destroying one another. Christ is still speaking and working in the earth. Christ is not a clockmaker that makes the clock and allows it to run on its own. Though Christ is the one that has implemented scientific laws like gravity, he is the one who keeps those things running.
7) How does the fact that Jesus is sustaining Creation bless you and affect your life?
Finally, in Colossians 1:18-19, Paul writes, “And Jesus is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him”. There’s that word “firstborn” again! It means that Jesus is the first resurrection of the new creation; he will never die again. He is leading the way of our future! One day when Jesus returns, we too will be resurrected to inherit Creation for all of eternity. Christ’s resurrected body could be touched (cf. John 20:27), and he could eat (cf. Lk 24:42-43). But one of the greatest glories of our new bodies is that they will be without sin and therefore able to be in God’s presence forever. This is something to be excited about and look forward to.
8) In what ways is God calling you to apply Christ’s preeminence? What must you do to make him first in your life and keep him first?
9) Pray for one another. List prayer requests here: