The Supremacy of Christ

INTRODUCTION INTERACTION: What do you know and believe about Jesus Christ?

Key Verse: Colossians 1:15-23

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

• 1 Corinthians 13:12 - "Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.  All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely."
• To know, and to trust in Christ, begins with an acknowledgement that we don't know everything.  Scientists are constantly making new discoveries and adding to our collective knowledge.

• Illustration: Dark Matter
  • "Astronomers have discovered that the gravitational effects observed in our universe don’t match the amount of matter seen. To account for these differences, it appears that the universe contains a mysterious form of matter that we can’t observe, called dark matter." (http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/the-universes-dark-matter-and-dark-energy.html )
  • "The standard model of cosmology claims that the universe is comprised 74% of dark energy and 22% of cold dark matter. This means that only 4% is made from the matter we know about, the one that gives birth to the atoms and photons that form stars, planets, black holes or gaseous clouds." (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Dark-Energy-For-Dummies-93340.shtml)
  • What is the difference between holding faith in a form of matter and energy that cannot be directly observed, but can only be inferred by observing its effects on what is visible, and holding faith in a Creator who cannot be observed, but can only be inferred by observing His effects on what is visible?  The difference is that the latter may require something more of us -- an accountability to the Creator.  The good news is, though, that Christ Himself is the visible image of the invisible God.

He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

• John 1:1-5 - "In the beginning the Word already existed.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He existed in the beginning with God.  God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.  The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it."

• Supreme (prōtotokos) - first born, speaks of rank or position, preeminence

16 for through him God created everything

• Hebrews 1:2 - "And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe."

in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

• Ephesians 3:10-11 - "God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord."

Everything was created through him and for him.

• Romans 11:36 (NIV) - "For from him and through him and for him are all things."

17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

• Reiteration of a couple of key points.

18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body.

• Ephesians 1:22-23 - "And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."

He is the beginning,

• 2 Timothy 1:9 - "For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus."

supreme over all who rise from the dead.

• Romans 8:29 - "For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."

So he is first in everything.

• APPLICATION: Is He first in everything in your life?

19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,

• Colossians 2:9 - "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body."

• Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) - "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word."

• Philippians 2:5-8 - "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.  Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;  he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.  Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself.  He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

• Reconciled - to bring something into agreement, end conflict, make compatible, put people back on friendly terms / Think of reconciling a checkbook.

• 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 - "And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.  For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.  So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”  For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

• Romans 5:6-11 - "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.  For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.  So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God."

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.

• APPLICATION: Continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it.
  • Romans 5:1-2 - "Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory."
  • Peter's attempt to walk on the water is a prime illustration of walking in this truth by faith.  It conflicts with what our feelings tell us, what the devil whispers in our ear, with everything that we know of how this present world works.  Yet, despite all these things, we must continue to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

• APPLICATION: Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.
  • When at the beach, we must always keep the shore in sight.  Part of the nature of the ocean is to cause us to slowly drift away from where we began.  The impetus is upon us to stay grounded, and to resist the drift.
  • How do we avoid drifting away from the truth?  Hebrews 2:1-3 provides a warning, but also instruction, "So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.  For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished.  So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?"

• APPLICATION: Listen carefully to the truth.
  • Romans 10:17 - "So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ."
  • The written truth of God in the word builds up our faith, which in turn helps us to remain anchored in what we have believed.
  • And this brings us full circle to Jesus, who IS the Living Word of God.

The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

• APPLICATION:  We believers have been appointed as God's servants to proclaim the Good News, and in doing so, to declare the supremacy of Christ.