Colossians Chapter 1 Verse 15

•Do you ever wonder what God is like? I mean like physically, or emotionally, personally, or just practically…I believe we all do or we all have. But here’s the thing, have you taken the time to find out? I’ve had conversations with folks, maybe you have too, and they’ve said this…, “Well my Jesus…” and that would be followed with something completely off! Paul says clearly here that Jesus is the image of the invisible God.

•The writer of Hebrews opened that book with this statement, “The Son of God is the express image of His person, the brightness of His glory!” If you want to know what God is like, look no further than Jesus Christ! This is so key! Because creation is blind to who God is and what He is like without Jesus! Look at what mankind has worshipped over the millennia! The sun, the moon, a cow…! HA!

•Such an awesome revelation and then look at this! He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation! NOT in all creation! Over all creation! This is where the cults go horribly wrong because they point to this verse and say, “See there it is…Jesus was part of creation, He was born first,” but that’s not what Paul is saying and that is not correct doctrine…everything falls apart with that conclusion and you are still in your sin!

•This doesn’t mean that He was first chronologically but rather first as in above all and in precedent! He was the first man resurrected from the grave having overcome sin but was He the first man born without sin? NO! He was the second! Who was the first? Adam!

•1 Corinthians 15:45 says, “The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam…a life-giving spirit.” That verse right there contradicts the idea that Jesus was born the first man and simply came to earth through Mary…and know this, the Bible does not, cannot, will not contradict itself! And so the doctrinal house of cards tumbles for the cults…and my mind is blown as to how they do not see…He is not first chronologically because He is not bound by chronologic! He created it! Verse 16 gives us even more clarity…

Colossians Chapter 1 Verse 16

•This is the secret and mystery of life. That Jesus is not the created One; He is the Creator. The mystery because it’s so very ethereal and hard to wrap our heads around. That somehow, someway, everything we know, everything seen and unseen was somehow created by Him. Don’t question that…don’t choke on that, the Bible says that and that settles that! And so HUGE thought! If everything was created by Him, when He went to the cross, all of it went with Him! We will read for a minute that in Him all things consist! I really don’t think that I’ve even begun to unlock the meaning of the cross in my own mind…! Somehow, someway, there on the cross, He was reversing and resetting EVERYTHING to anyone who would come to Him…

•So that’s the mystery, here’s the secret. The truth that is lost on this fallen world and so this world is falling. Everything was made for Him. See that? This is the day that the Lord has made. Ever sing that? Ever read that? Do you know what the implication of that is? That until you live this day for the Lord, you’re not fulfilling the reason why it was created. And in that, you won’t be fulfilled.

•Our Declaration of Independence reads that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We go to movies titled, “The Pursuit of Happiness,”…we sing songs like, “If you want to be happy for the rest of your life,” and “Don’t worry, be happy.” But here’s the point and the truth of it all, until you live your day for the Lord, all you’ll ever do is pursue happiness.

•Every day is the Lord’s. Not some lofty religious idea. That’s a fact, Jack! And until you train your heart and train your mind and find Jesus man and get with the program, well you’re short bro…

•The world is so blind to this…don’t you be too. Top ten ways to be happy…An article recently written on this subject. Number 1. Exercise. GIVE ME A BREAK! The bible says bodily exercise profits little! But godliness is profitable for all things! (1 Timothy 4:8) Number 2. Sleep more. WHAT!? The bible says that it is high time to awake out of sleep for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed! (Romans 13:11) And number 3. Move closer to work. That one’s real. HA! The point is just this…you and I were made to glorify God…that elusive happiness that your flesh desires will never be met, it can only be surpassed!

Colossians Chapter 1 Verses 17 – 18

•Now we looked at this in depth when we studied Hebrews Chapter 11. This truth that all things consist, in the Greek, are “held together” by Him. All the way down to the sub-atomic level and the discussion on Quarks! (AHHHH Not AGAIN! HA!) All things are literally, not figuratively, literally held together by a force that mankind cannot map called the “God particle.” And one day He will remove His hand.

•Zechariah 14 says this of that coming day. “Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet. Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets. And they tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.” (Maqaq in the Hebrew…, “consume away”)

•In Him all things consist and He is the head of the body, the church…and literally that is a very interesting statement because the definition of that word for “head” in the Greek is linked to capital punishment. Such that it speaks to the loss of that is equal to the loss of life.

•Listen, Jesus is the Commander of the church. Period. Not culture and not denominational priorities, reputation or tradition. Jesus leads the church and if that is not the case then the church is dead!

•And His is the preeminence in the church and for that to be possible (for that to be the case), since we, you and I are the church, it must be that way first in our own lives! Many claim to give Jesus preeminence in their lives but their lives prove their lie! And it’s just a short jump before their church proves it as well…we must protect against this…

Colossians Chapter 1 Verses 19 – 20

•I love this! Verse 19 proclaims the truth of the Christ. The God Man. That Jesus was not a good prophet. He was not an angel visiting from heaven. He was not a man from another planet. He must and can only be God because in Him the fullness dwells. The fullness! And oh by the way, “dwells” speaks of permanency! In Him is the fullness of the Godhead bodily Paul will go on to say in the next chapter…

•Why do I love that so much!? That alone qualifies Him to qualify us…because He was and is and ever will be perfect, holy, other, amazing, wonderful counselor, mighty father, prince of peace, pure in all purity and packed with power and preeminence…and the whole of mankind was faced with the impossible…pay the debt of sin or perish…and yet because where sin abounds grace much more abounds (Paul wrote in Romans 5:20) and because love never fails…the power of God’s purity and holiness surpassed the darkness of sin and evil…and it is God alone, Jesus alone, He alone that has these attributes…no man…and yet the debt of sin was man’s alone…

•So He became one. God stepping down into His own creation, becoming a man and then taking sin head on with his veins filled with pure power made peace possible with God for all mankind.

•Mankind was at war with God. Rebelling against God, walking our own path and going our own way in complete abandonment of our purpose serving the desires of our flesh and glorifying self. But through His blood, His giving of Himself in our place, as one of us…Jesus provided a righteous basis for God’s forgiving of sins!

•Look. All fullness is in Jesus. That means the closer you are to Him, the fuller you will be as a person. The further you are, the emptier you are…Every day is His…It’s just a fact and man God is rooting for you! His heart is only FOR you and so He invites you today, now, to go for it man…go for all He has for you and find everything you’ve ever wanted life to be!!