No One Quite Like Him
# 1 Series Supremacy At The Manger - Col. 1:15-18
Introduction
Illustrate: The Wonder of Christmas
Bible supremely about the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
OT = prep. for His coming
Gospels = present Him as God in Human Flesh who came into the world to save sinners
Acts = message of Salvation in Christ begins to spread throughout the world
Epistles = detail theology of Christ’s work and the personification of Christ in His body the Church
Revelation = Christ on His Throne -reigning King of Kings
But of all the Bible's teaching about Jesus Christ, none is more significant than Col. 1:15-19. This dramatic and powerful passage removes any needless doubt or confusion over Jesus' true identity. It is vital to a proper understanding of the Christian faith. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary, © Moody Press and John MacArthur, Jr., 1983-2002)
"Probably no paragraph in the N. T. contains more concentrated doctrine about Jesus Christ than this one.” (Be Complete -© Victor Books, Warren W. Wiersbe)
* COL. PAUL CONFRONTS HERESY HEAD-ON
- denial of Christ’s humanity – denies need of any secret knowledge for Salvation.
But before Paul deals with any of this – HE ESTABLISHES THE TRUTH OF THE DEITY AND SUPREMACY OF JESUS CHRIST .
* IT IS CRUCIAL THAT WE GET A CLEAR AND TRUE PICTURE OF JESUS CHRIST.
* If we don’t get this right, we will get little else right.
- Many false ideas, even among believers, as to who Jesus Christ really is.
* The False Teachers of Colossae Distorted the Truth About Jesus Christ
- sought to undermine the truth of Person and Work of Christ.
- believed that spirit was good and matter was evil.
- a good emanation like Christ could never take on a body composed of evil matter. The idea that God Himself could become man was absurd to them. Thus, they also denied His deity.
* THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE WATERSHED OF CHRISTIANITY
- to deny the Deity of Christ is to lose your soul.
* FALSE TEACHERS OF OUR DAY DENY HIS DEITY
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE EVIL ONE'S DESIRE TO ATTACK THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST.
- Problem = many believers have little sense of who Christ is and little sense that He is active in their lives.
IF WE DO NOT HAVE A CLEAR VISION OF WHO CHRIST IS, WE WILL NOT HAVE A PROPER SENSE OF THE PROFOUND POWER AND EMINENCE OF JESUS CHRIST IN OUR WORLD. - We will not know His power to confront our culture and change our lives.
ONLY WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THE SUPREMACY OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND GOD WILL WE SUBMIT TO HIS RULE IN OUR LIVES.
- Too many of us treat Him like British Monarchy
- No real power or authority - only a figurehead to whom we give lip service but to whom we do not submit as absolute Sovereign over our lives.
*COLOSSIANS PRESENTS JESUS CHRIST - NOT ONLY PROMINENT BUT PRE-EMINENT, SUPREME. SUPREMACY AT THE MANGER
* THERE WAS NEVER ANYONE ON THIS EARTH LIKE JESUS
- Many have tried to make Him out to be a mere man or just a great teacher. THERE IS NO ONE QUITE LIKE HIM. - God Almighty who came in human flesh.
I. Master Of Eternity
1. The Perfect Image Of God
image = “eikon” - icon= image or representation
“Picture” - PORTRAIT OF GOD.
Illustrate: A little boy was drawing pictures on the floor one day as his mother was working. “What are you drawing?” she asked.
He said, “I’m drawing a picture of God.”
“But no one knows what God looks like,” his mother said.
Quickly the boy replied, “They will when I get through.”
* WHEN YOU LOOK AT JESUS CHRIST YOU KNOW WHAT GOD IS LIKE.
Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Heb. 1:3)
* EXACT IMAGE
- impression left by a die on coin or seal - Man is in God’s image but not exact image
- Christ Exact because He is God in human flesh.
- Exact likeness of God - Expresses the character and nature of God. "He who has seen me has seen the Father."
Not just good man or moral teacher or even the most of God we’ve ever seen in a man, as modern Heretics claim.
IN CHRIST THE INVISIBLE GOD BECAME VISIBLE
- FINAL AND COMPLETE REVELATION OF GOD. To think of Him as any less is blasphemy and evidence of a mind blinded by Satan.
2. The Pre-eminent One
“Firstborn over all creation”
Prototokos = can mean first in sequence but here it indicates first in importance. Priority - pre-eminent.
3. The Lord Of Our Lives
- because Christ has first place in Eternity, we are to give Him first place in our lives.
II. Sovereign Of The Universe
1. He Is Our Creator
PAUL CLAIMS - Christ is True God who created everything
CONSIDER THE WONDERS OF CHRIST’S CREATION
Light from Sun takes 8.5 min to get to earth.
- Same light would take 4 yrs to get from next closest star - Alpha Centauri 24 trillion miles away.
- Astronomers estimate there are billions of galaxies and estimate the number of stars at 1025 - that’s roughly the number of grains of sand on beaches of the world.
* AS CREATOR ALL THINGS ARE UNDER HIS COMMAND.
*
NOTHING GIVES US MORE CONFIDENCE AND ENABLES US TO SPEAK BOLDLY OF OUR FAITH THAN TO BEAR IN MIND THE TREMENDOUS TRUTH THAT JESUS IS LORD.
2. He Is The Goal Of Creation
in Him, for Him, through Him
* GREEK PHILOSOPHERS - taught everything had 3 causes: 1) Primary Cause= plan 2) Instrumental Cause = power to bring it about 3) Final Cause = purpose.
- RE: CREATION - Christ planned it, produced it, for His pleasure.
* ALL OF CREATION MADE FOR HIS PLEASURE
- All things exist for Him. You were created for Him.
- Your purpose for existence is found in Him.
NOTE: “For” could = “toward”
Everything began with him and will end with him. All things sprang forth at his command, and all things will return to him at his command. He is the beginning and he is the end - the Alpha and Omega. One day everything will give Him glory. (Kent Hughes).
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:10-11)
* WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND AND LIVE UNDER THE SUPREMACY OF JESUS CHRIST YOU LIVE TO BRING HIM GLORY.
3. He Is Our Sustainer
“ He holds it all together.
PHYSICISTS - matter made of atoms. Among atom’s whirling protons and electrons there is vast space, not unlike the solar system.
- Make-up of Atoms should cause them to fly apart. Scientists do not know what holds them together.
“ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE" - which states that the universe appears to be carefully designed for the well-being of mankind
* CHRIST MAINTAINS THE DELICATE BALANCE OF LIFE.
- right rotation of earth - atmosphere - right distance from Sun - gravity - centrifugal and centripetal force
etc. CHRIST MAINTAINS IT ALL - YOUR VERY BREATH
Illustrate:
Yrs. ago S.A. company bought printing press from US company. After it had been shipped and completely assembled, they couldn’t get it to work. They put their best people to work at it but with no success. Finally they contacted the US company and asked them to send someone to fix it. They sent the best man they had. A young man.
The South Americans were skeptical. After some discussion, they sent a message to the US saying, “Your man is too young; send a more experienced person.” Reply came back: “He made the machine. He can fix it.”
* Christ not only created us — He sustains us, and we are made for Him.
- We need to submit our personal problems to Him, for He knows how to solve them.
* THE SAME CHRIST THAT MADE US SUSTAINS US
III. Lord Of The Church
Christ is Sovereign Over The Church
1. He Is Our Redeemer
He brought us into the body.
* Redemption
* United to Him and Placed in His Body.
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-- whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free-- and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Cor 12:13)
- Only Christ could do that
2. He Is The Head
*Controls every part of the body * Gives life * Gives direction * energizes * coordinates
* Directs the body worldwide.
** YOU AND I COME UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE HEAD.
- WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND WHO Christ is - you are better able to understand your relationship to Him.
- He is Supreme in Eternity - Creation and the Church.
HE IS LORD OF HIS CHURCH - He calls the shots.
3. He Is Our Ruler
- He is Supreme in Eternity - Creation and the Church.
HE IS LORD OF HIS CHURCH - He calls the shots.
4. He Is To Be Our Pre-eminent Focus
prototokos again = first in importance.
* Not First to raise from dead * Most important one to raise from the dead.
But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Cor. 15:20)
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. (1 Cor. 15:22)
* CHRIST’S RESURRECTION ASSURES THE RESURRECTION OF EVERYONE WHO IS PART OF HIS BODY THE CHURCH. - The head does not rise without the Body.
(STRESS GLORIOUS HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION BECAUSE CHRIST IS SUPREME IN THE CHURCH)
Conclusion
Jesus Christ entered His own creation, died and rose again. BECAUSE HE IS SUPREME IN EVERY WAY CHRIST IS EXALTED Phil. 2:8-11
** WHAT SHOULD THIS MEAN TO US?
that in everything He might have the supremacy vs 18
First Place: in our families - in our marriages - in our professions - ministry — time — love — conversation - pleasures - eating - playing - athletics - in what we watch - in music - in worship
LET US GIVE HIM FIRST PLACE!!
* UNBELIEVERS
- One does not become a Christian simply by saying, “Jesus, please come into my heart.”
Coming to faith in Christ involves submitting to His Lordship - as Master of Eternity, Sovereign of the Universe and Lord of the Church
That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Rom. 10:9-10)
Illustrate:
Marriage, “I Do.” Make a commitment even though you don’t know all that is involved. I’ve spent the past 28 years learning each day to live in light of the “I Do.” When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we say “I Do” to His Lordship in our lives.
INVITATION TO RESPOND TO THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST.
