16.08.09 - Jesus Christ: The Ultimate

Peter Cheyne

Let’s do some Bible study. If you have your Bibles, please turn to Colossians 1. I want us to look particularly at verses 13 to 23. This is an absolutely remarkable passage. It makes some astonishing statements about Jesus and about what Jesus has done for us. After every statement we can just say “Wow!”. This passage leaves no doubt about whom Jesus is or about what He has done for us.

Colossians starts with a greeting and a blessing. Paul then, in verses 3 to 7, gives thanks for the Colossians’ faith in God and their love for people.

Then in verses 9-12 he tells them what he prays for for them – what he wants to see in their lives as Christians. It is very interesting. Four things God want to see in our lives? We’ll look at that another time.

Then, in v.13, he says, “For... I want you to live this life because...” Because what?

Col 1:13-14 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Wow! For Christians, this is what has happened. God has plucked us out of one kingdom and placed us into another. We were in the dominion of darkness. Wow!

A dominion is a realm ruled over by a lord or master. Who is lord and master of the dominion of darkness? Satan. We were under the authority of Satan. That is a horrible place to be. Darkness is a symbol of evil and corruption and pain and hopelessness and lostness. Jesus said that Satan comes to rob, kill and destroy. His dominion is one of destruction. That is where most of the world is living. Jesus called Satan “the prince of this world” (Jn 12:31) and we see his robbing, killing and destroying all around us. Just think about the amount of misery and sorrow and alienation and violence we see. That’s what Satan loves. That is what his character is like. He rules and we are his slaves. It is his kingdom and he has the final say. People all around the world cannot escape the destructiveness of Satan’s lordship.

We cannot escape; we are trapped; we contribute to the pain of others and we suffer as well. We are trapped in this kingdom.

We were but God has rescued me out of that kingdom and has placed me in the kingdom of the Son He loves. Wow! That statement is extreme. Rescued. Change of kingdoms. Change of kings!

How different is the kingdom of Jesus Christ? We still live in this messed up old world of pain but we are actually citizens of another kingdom and we already experience aspects of that other kingdom. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ is a kingdom of light and joy and peace and purpose. Instead of being a kingdom of death and corruption and destruction, it is a kingdom of eternal life and harmony and perfection. Have you experienced the kingdom of darkness? Yes, but have you also tasted the kingdom of Jesus Christ?

We can go overseas and experience different scenery, a different culture and so on. But those differences are minor compared with the difference between the dominion of darkness and the kingdom of light. We travel around the world but people are essentially the same everywhere. All countries experience sickness and crime and broken relationships and so on. For all the differences, so much is the same.

When we are rescued out of the kingdom of darkness and placed in the kingdom of light, everything is different – because the master is different. In the dominion of darkness the lord is Satan. In the kingdom of light, the lord is Jesus. And that makes all the difference.

If we are Christians, God has rescued us. How did that happen? Jesus. It is in Jesus that we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. To be redeemed is to be bought at a price – like slave who is bought by some kind person and set free. We were slave under the power of Satan but God paid the price to set us free. Not only free but forgiven. All those things from the past that we did that we ought not to, have been forgiven because of Jesus. What a change, being forgiven, and free from the power of sin.

Who is this Jesus? Paul moves from the gospel to the Saviour. The statements continue being astounding.

The Son is the image of the invisible God. Jesus is the invisible God, made visible. We can see God. Jesus was God walking on earth and visible. Wow!

He is the firstborn over all creation. Does that mean that Jesus was born first, or created first, and then the rest of creation? Is Jesus a created being? I don’t think so.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus was there at the beginning. There wasn’t a time when Jesus didn’t exist. The very next verse in Colossians says that all things were made through Him. He is the creator, not the created.

“Firstborn” probably means “supreme.” The firstborn in a family was the most honoured child. Paul is saying, “Jesus is Number One, supreme over all creation.”

By Him and for Him, all things were created. Paul emphasises all things by saying things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all spiritual powers. Everything was created not only by Jesus but for Jesus. The whole universe exists for Jesus. Wow!

He is before all things. That could mean that Jesus existed before all things in time. That is true. But it is more likely to mean that He is greater than all things.

In him all things hold together. Without Jesus the universe would fall apart. It is only in Jesus that things make sense. It is Jesus who gives coherence and meaning to all creation. Without Him it would be meaningless and chaotic. Jesus is at the core and holds it all together.

Notice how many times Paul repeats the phrase “all things”. Nothing is excluded. Jesus is supreme over all creation. All things were created through him and for Him. He is greater than all things. In him all things hold together. He is the greatest; He is the first; He is the best; He is the heart. There is nothing in existence that Jesus didn’t make. There is nothing greater than Jesus. Even the spiritual thrones, powers, rulers and authorities were made by Jesus and are subject to Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate.

Then Paul turns from Jesus’ place in creation to His place in the church. He is the head of the church. The rest of the body is useless without the head. The rest of the body takes its instructions from the head.

He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead. Jesus was the first to be raised to life. He is the trailblazer; He is the one who makes life after death possible. Where would we be without Jesus? We wouldn’t even exist and we certainly would have no hope of forgiveness and heaven. Everything depends on Him. As creator but also as Saviour and head of the church Jesus is supreme. Jesus is the ultimate.

God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him. All of God dwelt in Jesus. He wasn’t a pale imitation of God. He wasn’t God Lite. He was God in the fullest.

And God was also pleased to reconcile to Himself all things by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. Even though Jesus is the creator, the creation has rebelled against its creator. It has preferred Satan. That is why it is out of kilter. But God is pleased to reconcile all things – and again Paul emphasises it by saying it is thing in heaven and on earth–God is pleased to reconcile all things to Himself, through Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross. This shows the heart of God for reconciliation. It shows the centrality of Jesus. It is through His blood, shed on the cross. It shows the love of God, willing to suffer that we might be reconciled to him.

Then Paul returns to describe the results for us. He has already said that we have been rescued out of the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of Jesus. In v.21 he says that we were alienated from God. We were cut off from God and indeed were enemies of God in our minds. We opposed God. In that kingdom of darkness, when we were ruled by Satan, we did what was wrong and so alienated ourselves from God. But what a change! We were enemies, now we are reconciled to God because of the death of Jesus’ physical body. We have been reconciled so that, one day, we may be presented to God holy, without blemish and free from accusation.

In just a few verses, Paul has gone from the creation of the world by Jesus Christ through the brokenness of the world without Jesus Christ, to the Cross on which Jesus suffered, to the resurrection of Jesus, to the reconciling of those who have faith in Jesus Christ and the formation of the church under the headship of Jesus Christ to eternity in heaven where we will be without blemish and free from accusation because of Jesus Christ and will spend eternity with Jesus Christ. In all of that, Jesus is central and Jesus is supreme.

This is the gospel. It is about being rescued for eternity because of the Saviour who is the creator and greater than all things but was willing to die. It is an amazing proclamation of Jesus Christ.

We will be presented holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation. Wow! Can you imagine there being no blemish in your life and no accusation that can be made against you? Now we know that we are weak. We know that there are many things that can be said against us that are true and embarrassing. What a transformation when there is nothing wrong and nothing that can be said against us.

We will be presented holy in His sight if we continue in our faith, established and firm and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. There is a condition. We must finish the race. It is one thing to start and to be saved by faith. It is another thing to continue trusting Jesus and living by faith in Him: keeping close to Jesus, remaining in the vine, listen to Him and obeying, and keeping on expecting God to keep His promises. We are to be established and firm. Our roots are to go down deep. We are to have a firm foundation and to stand firm amidst the storms and waves. Paul wants his readers to finish the race as people of strong faith. We should not be moved from the hope we have – not be tempted to think that heaven is not real; or tempted to think that being holy, without blemish and free from accusation might never happen, but to know that that is our hope and so to keep going to the finishing line.

Who is Jesus? Give me an answer from that passage.

What has God done through Him?

Let’s look at it again. Who is Jesus?

• The image of the invisible God
• The firstborn of all creation
• The creator of all things
• The one for whom all things were created
• The head of the church
• The beginning and firstborn from among the dead
• Supreme over everything
• Contained the fullness of God

What has God done through Him?

• Rescued us from the dominion of darkness
• Brought us into the Kingdom of Jesus
• Redeemed us
• Forgiven us
• Reconciled all things to himself
• Made peace through His blood
• Will present us holy before Him, without blemish and free from accusation

This is a stunning passage – about the Saviour and the salvation He offers us. There are wow statements in it. Do we believe them?

I wonder if we might read this passage together, making these statements in a personal way. “God has rescued me from the domain of darkness... God will present me holy in His sight.”

God has rescued me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

21Once I was alienated from God and was an enemy in my mind because of my evil behaviour. 22But now he has reconciled me by Christ's physical body through death to present me holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23if I continue in my faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel...