Sermons

Thursday, 30 March 2017

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, Colossians 1:19

The construction of the words of this verse leave it open as to the identification of the subject. The words, “the Father” are inserted here. Some translations state, “God,” or even “the Godhead.” Others leave any insert out. The Father is referred to in verse 12 where Paul acknowledges “giving thanks to the Father.” However, the term “God” is used in verse 15 where it says, “He is the image of the invisible God.” As this is the nearest antecedent, and as “God” is at other times referring to the Father, it appears to be a better choice to fully define what is on Paul’s mind.

Further, Colossians 2:9 states, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily…” This is speaking specifically of Christ as well, and so Paul was probably thinking of the Godhead, or Deity, here in 1:19 as well. With this understanding, the verse can be logically evaluated.

“For it pleased” shows that what has come about in Christ was something satisfying to God. Everything about the exaltation of Christ which has been seen in the preceding verses was by the design, and with the approval, of God. Christ Jesus’ preeminence in all things was God’s intent all along. This is revealed through the words that “in Him all the fullness should dwell.” The pleroma, or fullness,” refers to all of the divine attributes and the essential nature of the Godhead. Everything about God that can be revealed to us is done so through Christ Jesus. He is the focal point for us to understand God, fully and completely. It is through Him that God will ceaselessly and endlessly reveal Himself to us. This is fully supported by the words of Revelation 21 –

“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” Revelation 21:22, 23

What God reveals of Himself is done through the Lamb. Thus God’s light of revelation is fully expressed to us through Christ Jesus. This was what Jesus was telling the apostles in John 14:9, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” The fullness of the Godhead is seen and expressed to us through Jesus Christ because it dwells in Him. The word Paul uses for “dwell” is one which indicates settling down as a permanent resident. Jesus didn’t temporarily receive the fullness of the Godhead, but He possesses it completely and eternally. He is God’s permanent focal point for revealing Himself to us.

Life application: God has chosen to reveal Himself in His fullness through Jesus Christ. To deny the deity of Christ is to deny the truth of God. One either has the Son, which includes the fullness of God, or they do not have God. It is that plain and that simple. Don’t resist God any longer, but rather yield yourself to the Son and, in turn, be pleasing to God the Father.

Heavenly Father, we can buck against Your word, denying what You have done through Jesus Christ, but only we will suffer. You are pleased to reveal Yourself through Him. We can either accept that revelation of Yourself, or we can walk away from You and remain apart from You. But in Christ, there is fellowship; in Christ, there is hope; and in Christ, there is full and eternal reconciliation with You. May we yield our hearts and bow our knees before the matchless King of Glory! Praise You, O God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Wednesday, 29 March 2017

And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. Colossians 1:18

Paul continues on with his description of Christ. In the previous verse, he was seen in relation to the creation, He being before it and above it in all ways. Now He is shown in relation to the church, a body which came forth out of the creation, and which is based on what He has done in creation. Paul shows that “He is the head of the body, the church.” The word “He” is once again emphatic, just as it was when speaking of Him as being the image of God. The One who is the image of God, it is He who is the head of the body. There is parallelism running between the two thoughts which will be built on by Paul.

The people of the world are all a part of the creation, but because of the fall, and because of free-will within man, not all of those in creation have acknowledged God. However, within the stream of humanity, God has called out a group who do acknowledge Him, those in this group have become members of His body. Paul deals with this in the book of Ephesians, but there the stress is placed upon the unity of the body. Now he places the stress on the preeminent position of Christ within the body. Jesus Christ is the Head of this called-out group, the church.

While speaking of Him, he says, “who is the beginning.” As He is the One who created all things, so He is the beginning of the new thing which God has done within the creation. In this body, which is called out of the world, Christ is the beginning of it, being “the firstborn from the dead.” This is where the parallelism finds its true anchor. It is between Christ’s position in relation to creation, and His position in relation to the church. He is “the firstborn over all creation” as was seen in verse 15, and He is “the firstborn from the dead.” The two thoughts place Christ Jesus in the preeminent position in all things.

However, there is a point which must be considered. Though Christ is the firstborn of both, His status in relation to the church differs from His status in relation to creation. He is the firstborn from the dead, having been One who was dead, just as those who come after Him also die; but though He is the firstborn over all creation, He is not a part of the creation. In other words, it shows the magnitude of what Christ, the Creator, was willing to do in order to identify with those He has called. He was willing to participate in the most humiliating aspect of all in order to fellowship with us. As death is the result of sin, He was willing to take our sin upon Himself and die. Having no sin of His own, He naturally had to resurrect. In His resurrection, He carried our sin away through His death, leaving it in death so that we might follow Him in life.

Because of this, He is the firstfruits from the dead, and the pattern for all who will afterwards arise from the dead. This is speaking of the resurrection, not a reanimation. Others have been reanimated to life – Lazarus for example, but Christ is the first of the resurrection, coming forth to eternal life. Death is conquered in Him, and so will be the case for all who are in Him.

Thus, whether in relation to creation, or in relation to the church, Christ is first so “that in all things He may have the preeminence.” The words in Greek read, “might become being first.” As Vincent’s Word Studies states concerning this, “He became head of the Church through His incarnation and passion, as He is head of the universe in virtue of His absolute and eternal being.” In all things, and in all ways, Jesus Christ is the first. He holds the position of absolute preeminence.

Life application: When we consider what God has done through Jesus Christ, we should be humbled to the very core of our being. It is impossible for us to truly imagine the value God has placed upon humanity when we consider the lengths He was willing to go through in order to bring us back to Himself. And He has done it in such a way that His glory radiates out in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord, our Creator, our Savior, our Redeemer, and our matchless King.

Lord God, it’s impossible for us to grasp the measure of Your love, but we have a way to consider it in relation to ourselves. We can see what You were willing to do by looking to the story of Jesus. That You would condescend to come into Your creation in order to bring us back to Yourself shows us the highest and most unimaginable cost that You were willing to bear. The cross of Calvary truly says it all. May our lives be lived in response to that most august of all events, never forgetting what You did in order to redeem us. Great and marvelous are You, O God. Amen.

Tuesday, 28 March 2017

And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians 1:17

Again, words of concerning the deity of Christ issue from Paul’s pen. There are two clauses in this verse, both of which have the word “He” in the emphatic position. In English, we might say “He and only He.” As “He is before all things,” then nothing in time is before Him. As only God existed before all things, then Jesus Christ is God. He is the great I AM of Exodus 3:14, meaning the Lord, Yehovah, who is referred to throughout the Old Testament. He is self-existent and dependent on no other thing. Thus His claim of John 8:58 is more fully understood –

“Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Paul’s words here also confirm the words of the previous verse as well which said, “All things were created through Him and for Him.” If He alone is before all things, then He must be the Creator of all things. Only He is a necessary Being; all other things are contingent beings, dependent on Him for their existence and continuation. As only God is a Necessary Being, then Jesus must be God. This is then realized in the words, “and in Him all things consist.” The BLB translates this as, “in Him all things hold together.” Darby translates it as, “all things subsist together by him.”

The words here are restated by the author of Hebrews using the words, “…and upholding all things by the word of His power.” The universe, being contingent, was created by Him. However, it is also dependent on Him at all times for its continued existence. This shows us that He is God, who alone is absolutely necessary; He cannot not exist. All other things could simply not be. But God alone must exist. This is the Being that Paul says that Jesus Christ is. As the Bible teaches that God is also Father and Holy Spirit, then we are again being instructed in the doctrine of the Trinity. This is the inescapable result of accepting the words of Scripture when taken at face value.

Life application: One argument used by cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses is that the Bible never uses the word “Trinity.” That is as stupid as a a football bat. The Bible also never uses the term “original sin,” and yet it is a doctrine which permeates Scripture. The Bible never uses the term “rapture,” but it is a doctrine which is found in several passages. Just because we use terms not specifically stated in Scripture, it does not mean that those terms are not taught in Scripture. Don’t be led astray by nutty arguments that have no basis in reality. Core doctrines can be explicitly stated or implicitly stated, but they remain core doctrines because they describe and explain what the Bible clearly teaches.

Lord God, to You alone be the glory. Your hands have fashioned the cosmos. The stars shine because of the magnificence of Your power. The galaxies spin and gleam throughout the vast recesses of space because You have ordained them to do so. The spider weaves its web because of the wisdom You have instilled in it, and the creatures of the ocean swim about because You have place them there. Everything is as it should be – all because of Your wisdom. To You alone be the glory! Amen.

Monday, 27 March 2017

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16

The word “For” here is given as an explanation of the previous verse. There it said, “He is the image of the invisible God.” In order to explain what that means, these words are now given. It is not that Jesus Christ is merely a knock-off copy of God, but that He is God, wholly and completely. This is now substantiated by the words, “For by Him all things were created.” This takes us right back to Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In that verse, the term “the heavens and the earth” are meant to be taken as an all-encompassing statement. Elohim created all things.

Elohim is the Creator; Jesus is the Creator… not hard to figure out what Paul is telling us. Further, the words “all things” (in Greek ta panta) given a collective sense – “the all.” This then signifies the entire universe which includes all things. From the atoms to the galaxies, all things were created by Him. Without the article in Greek, it would mean all things individually, but the article shows that it is all things collectively. He created, and all things came to be.

It is the same message written by John at the very beginning of his gospel, and it is the same message which is repeated in various ways and by various writers in both Testaments of the Bible. Logically, there can be only one Creator. Anything created by Him is then a contingent being. A contingent being cannot create anything. And yet, man has done everything possible to deny the deity of Jesus Christ in order to separate Him from what is said about Him. They have even added words into this verse in order to change the meaning of it in order to obscure what God has done in and through Jesus Christ (see below).

The words “were created” are in the aorist tense. This then denotes a specific, definite event which occurred in history. It wasn’t that there was a creation, and then a re-creation. Nor were there things created, and then later other things were created. Rather all things were created and they remain as the creation to this day.

Going on, and as if what Paul said in his opening words was not enough, he continues with “that are in heaven and that are on the earth.” Again, this is an all-encompassing statement concerning the totality of creation. Paul’s words take us right back to Genesis 1:1, showing us that everything created by Elohim was created by Jesus. Elohim is God; Jesus is God… not hard to figure out what Paul is telling us. But to ensure that even the dull of mind can figure this out, he adds in the words, “visible and invisible.” We are to understand that “all things in heaven and that are on the earth” also includes those things which cannot be seen, such as spirits. Everything which is in the material world, and everything which is in the spiritual world, is included in Jesus’ creative efforts. No angel exists apart from His work of creation.

This is further defined by the term, “whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.” Within both the spiritual and the earthly realms, there are levels of authority which govern the affairs of sentient beings. These were all created by Christ Jesus, and none exists apart from His authority in creation. All things, and all levels of authority, are subordinate to Christ Jesus. As a qualifier to this statement though, Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 15 –

For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. ²⁸ Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. 1 Corinthians 15:27, 28

It may be worth your time to refer to the commentary on those verses to understand what is being relayed there. Jesus Christ is not above the Godhead, but is a member of it.

To finish up this verse, Paul gives the thought, “All things were created through Him and for Him.” He repeats the words ta panta or “all things” in order recapitulate what he has just said. They are to be taken collectively once again – “All things, collectively, were created through Him and for Him.” However, Paul changes the tense of the words “were created” from the aorist to the perfect tense. In so doing, it reads more literally, “All things have been created through Him and for Him.” Nothing is left undone, and His creative efforts are all-inclusive. The scholar Lightfoot says, “The latter describes the definite, historical act of creation; the former the continuous and present relations of creation to the Creator.”

Paul’s words of this verse are so clear, so meticulously presented, and so obvious as to what they are relaying that even a dolt, nay – a sub-dolt – can figure out what he is saying. Paul is not merely implying that Jesus is God, rather his words make the claim explicit. But this doesn’t not fit with the theology of heretics, and so they must actually change the word of God in order to deny what Paul is saying. And so to understand the depths of hatred towards God that some are willing to go to in order to deny Jesus Christ His rightful position within the Godhead, this verse is translated by the aberrant cult, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, as –

“because by means of him all other things were created in the heavens and on the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All other things have been created through him and for him.”

The word “other” is inserted twice by them in an attempt to obscure the truth of who Jesus Christ is. Without any Scriptural support at all, they have changed God’s word, thus bringing upon themselves eternal condemnation for their deceit. This is not an argument concerning a variation in a Greek manuscript, but rather a purposeful act intended to deceive the world about the truth of God in Jesus Christ. Do not allow yourself to be sucked into their web of deceit, but stand on the truth of Scripture which teaches that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully Man.

Life application: Stand on the truth of the Word of God. Jesus Christ is God and it is to Him that we are accountable for our life and doctrine. Should someone come to you with any other teaching, do not even greet them, lest you share in his wicked work.

Heavenly Father, Your word confirms the deity of Jesus Christ, and also that of the Holy Spirit, as clearly and completely as any other doctrine to be found in it. Both testaments attest to this fact, and yet people argue against it, thus railing against You. Help us to be people of faith, and to accept Your word at face value. The Trinity is what Your word proclaims. And so we praise You, O God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.