Sermon: The Supremacy of Christ

We are in Colossians again continuing our conversation…this time we are looking at the Supremacy of Christ….

We are in Chapter 1:15-23

In these verses you will see four things about Christ….

1. His relationship with God (v.15)
2. His relationship with creation (v.16,17)
3. His relationship with the church (v.18)
4. His relationship with us (v.19-23)

His Relationship with God

“He is the image of the invisible God” (v.15)

Image carries two ideas, the first being reflection…

-Jesus allows us to see what God is like….

-God is spirit and therefore invisible—but in the person of Jesus—God became visible.

“Thus He is the image of the invisible God”
Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the father” (John 14:9)

But the word can also mean “representative”

-God put Adam on the earth to represent Him but Adam failed…So God would send his Only Son into the world to show his love to all of mankind.

-So the image is both a reflection of God to us and a representation of God’s love towards us—both are embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.

“He is the ‘firstborn’ over all of creation” (v.15)

-What does this mean?

-Through the years false teachers have used this verse to suggest Jesus was created, that he was the first person created by God. J.W. used this on me once….

-But nothing could be further from the truth!
-Firstborn has three different meanings in the Bible…

1. The literal sense—in that Jesus was born to Mary, her firstborn…

2. Exodus 4:22 says, “Then say to Pharaoh, this is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn Son….

-God isn’t talking about a literal birth, but he is describing Israel’s place in God’s plans…

3. Psalm 89:27 says, “I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth”…

-This is a place of ‘superiority’ of supremacy—the idea being there isn’t a higher position…

-God was talking about King David, he would raise David higher than any other king…God decided to give David a “unique position’

-Isn’t this the very thought in this verse…’the firstborn over all creation’
Jesus the unique Son—He existed before all of creation and supremacy over everything!

-So this verse has nothing to do with actual birth—but shows Jesus eternal relationship with the God the Father—It’s a title of position.

His Relationship to Creation

v.16 “For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or power or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him”

We see Paul further stating “Jesus as the creator”

-We learn in this verse “all things” the whole universe—were created—by Him—through Him and for Him.

-He was the architect—creation took place because of him and everything was created for him…He is the one goal of creation….creation was for the glory of Christ.

-We also we Paul closing all the loopholes…he closes out all other possibilities…Jesus wasn’t the created—He was the creator.

v.17 “He is before all things and in him all things hold together”.
Jesus is before all things but also is the ‘sustainer’ of the universe…He controls the stars, the sun and moon…everything that exist is sustained by Christ…

His Relationship with the Church

Jesus dominion covers the natural universe—but also extends to the spiritual realm…

v.18 “He is the head of the body: the church”

-All believers in Jesus make up the body of Christ—the church.

-It is the way God has chosen to express himself in the world—Jesus is the head, the director…He controls the church!

“He is the beginning”

-Everything spiritual starts with him…he is the source of all spiritual life.

He is “The first born from among the dead”

-Some will say Jesus wasn’t the first in the Bible to be resurrected, which is true…but Jesus is the first to rise and never die again!

-He rose with a glorified body, He is the head of the ‘new creation’—and everyone who puts their trust in Him will also rise!

Jesus is first in everything…nothing is second to Christ…

So the question we have to ask ourselves—is Jesus first in my life?

His Relationship with Us

v.19,20 We see God is pleased to see all his fullness dwell in Christ.

Through the blood shed on the cross we see Jesus reconciling ‘all things’…

-to reconcile means to restore to a right relationship or standard—or to make peace with an enemy.

- when sin entered the world…we became separated from God…man became hostile towards God…and this needed to be reconciled
-everything has been affected by sin…
-the spiritual realms…
-creation itself…animals suffer sickness and pain…
-the ground is cursed…

-we can only be ‘reconciled’ by putting our trust in Christ—by believing in Jesus Christ and entering into a relationship with Him

v.22 “But now he has reconciled you by Christ physical body through death—to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation”

How…

v.23 “If you continue in the faith, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel”…

The gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ…if you put your faith in him you can have a central relationship with him…

Maybe your sitting here this morning and a thought has ran across your mind…Jesus isn’t first in my life….

Jesus is the firstborn of all creation…nothing is ahead of Jesus, no position is higher than Jesus…but for some reason Jesus has dropped form your top five…

This morning take the opportunity to make Jesus first…

-ps

NOTE: This is written in the form I use it to preach from...it's an extended outline. If you see the ... in the sermon...are places I can add my own words...explain it in detail based off of the reaction of the congregation.