WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000 Welcome to the sermon podcast of Exodus Church, located in Belmont, North Carolina. 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:11.500 For more information about our church and the many ways you can be involved, you can go to our website at exoduschurch.com. 00:00:11.500 --> 00:00:20.000 My name is Tyler. I'm one of the pastors here, and I'm really excited to be able to open God's word with you this morning. 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:26.000 This morning, we're continuing in our series called Designed, where we're looking at God's design throughout the whole Bible. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:33.000 We've seen God's design in creation. We've seen his design in marriage and families and children. 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:37.000 And we've seen how God's design was marred by sin. 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:40.500 In Genesis 3, the world is plunged into sin. 00:00:40.500 --> 00:00:49.000 We see Romans 1, the world that we're living in, where constantly us and everyone around us are tempted to exchange created things. 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:52.000 The created God for creator created things. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:56.500 But this morning, we get to reflect on another beautiful aspect of God's design. 00:00:56.500 --> 00:01:01.500 And that is that even in our sin, God had a plan for our salvation. 00:01:01.500 --> 00:01:13.000 Worked out before the foundations of the world, that even as humanity was drawing away from God, that God had a plan to make himself known and near. 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:18.000 And God's design was that the second person of the Trinity, the Son, Jesus, would become man. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:25.500 That he would become the image of the invisible God on our behalf, and that he would die to save us. 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:35.000 And that in every way that sin marred the image of God, Christ was to restore this design. 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:38.500 And I think that that's a beautiful message. 00:01:38.500 --> 00:01:43.000 And so this morning, we're gonna look at Colossians 1, Colossians 1, 15 through 20. 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:45.000 So you can go ahead and turn there. 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:47.000 Now, Colossians is a book in the New Testament. 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:48.500 It's a letter written from Paul. 00:01:48.500 --> 00:01:52.500 Paul wrote it while he was in jail to a people that he didn't know. 00:01:52.500 --> 00:01:55.500 He didn't plant this church. He had never been to this church. 00:01:55.500 --> 00:02:02.000 He didn't necessarily know people that were a part of it, but he heard about this church from a friend of his, Epaphras. 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:05.500 We see that in the opening verses of Colossians. 00:02:05.500 --> 00:02:11.000 And he starts this book like he would a lot of his letters, doing a pretty standard greeting. 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:21.500 But then before he gets into really the meat of the exhortations and expectations in the letter, he kind of takes this short little pause in verses 15 to 20. 00:02:21.500 --> 00:02:24.500 And he just gazes at the beauty of Christ. 00:02:24.500 --> 00:02:27.000 And he does this through a poem. 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:29.500 He writes in super poetic language. 00:02:29.500 --> 00:02:35.000 Some commentators believe that this was a hymn that would have been sung in the early church. 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:42.500 But he pauses and he gives them this short poem to gaze at the beauty of Jesus. 00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:53.000 Before we read that poem, before we read these verses, I wanna just tell you a short story that might kind of help you think about what it looks like to gaze at beauty. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:55.500 My wife and I, about a year ago, we were in New York City. 00:02:55.500 --> 00:03:02.000 And one of the things that we did while we were there is we went to the Met, which is a giant museum. 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:04.500 I wanna say it's like 2 million square feet. 00:03:04.500 --> 00:03:06.500 So it's more than you can try to see in a day. 00:03:06.500 --> 00:03:08.000 And we tried anyways. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:14.500 And it's filled with all of these different exhibits of history and art. 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:20.500 And there's musical instruments and ancient weapons and just everything you can possibly imagine. 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:28.000 And what that meant is that as we went through, some of the things really kind of struck our interest and others didn't as much. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:33.500 And so some rooms we'd come in and we would just like read everything we could and we'd just be fascinated with it. 00:03:33.500 --> 00:03:39.500 And then other rooms, we would just like blow through, like it was nothing impressive, even though it was like priceless artifacts or whatever. 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:40.500 We're like, eh, it's fine. 00:03:40.500 --> 00:03:42.500 And we'd blow through and we'd go to the next room. 00:03:42.500 --> 00:03:49.000 And we were in one of these rooms that I kind of had, I'd seen everything that I thought that there was to see, but Christy was still lingering. 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:50.500 She was like reading all the little things. 00:03:50.500 --> 00:03:54.500 And I came to the end of the room and I didn't wanna be rude and like hurry her along. 00:03:54.500 --> 00:04:01.500 And in the room just ahead of us, I could see, there was just this little like in-between room and I saw a bench. 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:03.000 And I thought that bench has my name on it. 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:04.500 We'd been walking around for hours. 00:04:04.500 --> 00:04:06.500 And so I thought, yeah, I'll sit for a minute. 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:07.500 I'll look at a map. 00:04:07.500 --> 00:04:09.000 I'll plan what we're doing next. 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:11.500 So I sit down at the bench and this room was super unique. 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:15.500 It was a pretty small room and all of the walls were white. 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:18.000 In all the other rooms, there was stuff on every single wall. 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:19.500 No matter where you looked, you saw something. 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:26.500 But in this room, all the walls were white and there was just a bench, a piano and a painting. 00:04:26.500 --> 00:04:30.500 And I pull out my map and I'm figuring out what section we're gonna go to next. 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:33.500 And I keep kind of catching myself looking up at this painting. 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:35.000 And it just kind of catches my eye. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:36.500 And the first, it was like the colors of it. 00:04:36.500 --> 00:04:38.000 It was kind of really interesting colors. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:41.000 And I looked down at the map and I caught myself looking back at it. 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:46.500 And then I noticed like kind of the strangeness of the painting, the strangeness of the, all of the people in the paintings. 00:04:46.500 --> 00:04:47.500 It wasn't like abstract. 00:04:47.500 --> 00:04:49.000 It was just kind of strange. 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:50.500 And I just kept looking at it. 00:04:50.500 --> 00:04:55.000 And five minutes passed, six minutes passed. 00:04:55.000 --> 00:05:00.500 I think probably about eight, nine minutes had passed until Christie kind of comes and sits at the bench next to me. 00:05:00.500 --> 00:05:04.000 And she starts looking at her map and I just sort of blurted out. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:07.500 I said, I've never connected with a piece of art so much in my life. 00:05:07.500 --> 00:05:12.000 And she looked up and she kind of like laughed because she knows like, I'm not like an art guy. 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:13.500 I'm not like a connoisseur. 00:05:13.500 --> 00:05:18.500 I don't know anything about art, but something about this painting, I just kind of connected with me. 00:05:18.500 --> 00:05:19.500 So she kind of looked at it. 00:05:19.500 --> 00:05:21.500 She made a couple of like comments about how weird it was. 00:05:21.500 --> 00:05:23.000 I was like, yeah, I know, but keep looking. 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:26.500 And she kept looking and eventually she's like, yeah, I like it too. 00:05:26.500 --> 00:05:29.500 And I said, and I kind of made my, I made my end. 00:05:29.500 --> 00:05:31.000 I could tell I had hooked her enough. 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:36.000 And so I said, hey, you've been saying for a while that there's a spot in the living room that you want to hang something. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:39.500 If we can find that print, can we hang it in our living room? 00:05:39.500 --> 00:05:41.000 And I think she thought I was bluffing. 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:42.000 So she's like, yeah, sure. 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:43.500 If we find that print, like you can do it. 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:47.000 So I like took a picture of the plaque and I like, I was like, I'm going to find it. 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:49.500 And sure enough, it's hanging in my living room. 00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:57.500 So if you ever want to invite yourself over to come look at it or, you know, visit my community group or something, you can come and see it for yourself. 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:02.500 But what happened was out of everything in this whole museum, right? 00:06:02.500 --> 00:06:08.500 I'd seen thousands of pieces of art, priceless art from people that I've actually heard of, which says something. 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:12.000 And yet none of them really stood out to me. 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:13.000 They were all really nice. 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:14.000 I liked them. 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:19.000 But something about this piece, when I saw it, it just captivated me and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:22.500 And then when my wife came close, I said, you should look at this too. 00:06:22.500 --> 00:06:24.500 You should look at the beauty of this painting. 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:32.000 And then I went one step further and I said, we should purchase this and hang it in our house so that anyone who comes in our house can stare at the strange beauty of this painting. 00:06:33.500 --> 00:06:37.500 And I think this is what Paul is doing in this passage. 00:06:37.500 --> 00:06:42.500 I think he's captivated by the beauty of Christ and he wants other people to see it too. 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:45.500 He's saying, look with me at the beauty of Christ. 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:51.000 And there's no better way to do that than through a poem, through a song lyric, a hymn. 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:54.000 He says, think about the beauty of Christ. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:07:05.500 He's never met those that are part of this church, but he says, if I can just hook them with the beauty of Christ, if I can just get them interested at looking at Christ well then the rest of this letter is gonna go really well. 00:07:05.500 --> 00:07:12.000 Everything I call them to, really hard things, it's gonna go really well because they're gonna be captivated by the beauty of Christ. 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:13.500 And so that's what we're gonna do this morning. 00:07:13.500 --> 00:07:16.000 We're gonna be captivated by the beauty of Christ. 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:23.500 We're gonna look at him and we're gonna focus in on what I think is Paul's main point of giving this poem. 00:07:23.500 --> 00:07:28.500 And that is that Paul believes that Jesus is first. 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:30.500 He's first in all things. 00:07:30.500 --> 00:07:33.500 He is preeminent, Paul says. 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:36.500 He is first in all things. 00:07:36.500 --> 00:07:44.500 And he knows that if the Colossian church can grasp onto that, that everything else in their life will fall into place. 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:54.000 And so we're going to look at Colossians 1, verses 15 through 20, and we're gonna see that Jesus is first. 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:58.000 And if he's first in all things, well then he should be first in our lives. 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:01.500 And if he's first in our lives, then he should be first in our church as well. 00:08:01.500 --> 00:08:07.500 So let's read together Colossians 1, verses 15 through 20. 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:12.500 It says, he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 00:08:12.500 --> 00:08:15.500 For by him, all things were created. 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:27.000 In heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:31.000 And he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together. 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:33.500 And he is the head of the body of the church. 00:08:33.500 --> 00:08:39.500 He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 00:08:39.500 --> 00:08:43.000 For in him, the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:51.500 And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 00:08:51.500 --> 00:08:52.500 Would you pray with me? 00:08:52.500 --> 00:08:57.500 Father God, I thank you for passages like this that just captivate us with beauty. 00:08:57.500 --> 00:09:14.000 I ask that you will do that this morning, that you will draw the attention of our hearts on your son, Jesus, and that we would be captivated by him and that we will see him as first in all things, that we will put him as first in our lives. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:15.799 God, we love you. 00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:18.399 I pray this in Jesus' name, amen. 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:22.700 So the idea that I wanna convey this morning is that Jesus is first. 00:09:22.700 --> 00:09:33.200 This is Paul's main idea that he's trying to convey to the Colossian church that Jesus is first in all things, and that if he's first in all things, he should be first in their lives and our lives. 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:37.600 The word that we see throughout this passage is preeminent. 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:45.500 Preeminent is showing that Jesus is of greater rank and of greater worth than anything else, that Jesus is greater. 00:09:45.500 --> 00:09:51.500 And when we see the word preeminent, what I want you to see is that this means Jesus is first. 00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:54.500 Jesus is first in all things. 00:09:54.500 --> 00:09:58.899 And Paul gives four examples throughout this poem of how Jesus is first. 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:01.100 And we're gonna take a look at each of them. 00:10:01.100 --> 00:10:04.500 We're gonna see that Jesus who is first is supreme. 00:10:04.500 --> 00:10:15.600 We're gonna see that Jesus who is first is the source of all things, that Jesus who is first is the sustainer of all things, and that Jesus who is first is our savior. 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:22.399 So take a look at verse 15, and we'll see this Jesus who is first is supreme. 00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:27.000 Verse 15 says, he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:31.399 So right from the get-go, we get two really beautiful titles for Jesus. 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:35.899 He's the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation. 00:10:35.899 --> 00:10:44.299 When we see the title image of the invisible God, what this is saying is that Jesus perfectly reveals to us who God is. 00:10:44.299 --> 00:10:47.500 Jesus perfectly reveals to us who God is. 00:10:47.500 --> 00:10:50.899 He makes the invisible God visible to us. 00:10:52.100 --> 00:11:01.100 One of Jesus' disciples before Jesus left the earth asked him before he left, he said, Jesus, show us the father before you leave. 00:11:01.100 --> 00:11:03.600 And look how Jesus responds in John 14. 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:07.600 He says, have I been with you so long and you still don't know me, Peter? 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:09.399 Or Philip, rather? 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:14.399 Whoever has seen the father has seen, whoever has seen me has seen the father. 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:17.200 How can you say, show us the father? 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:21.399 Jesus says out of his own mouth, if you wanna know what God looks like, look at me. 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:24.500 And if you've seen me, then you've seen the father. 00:11:24.500 --> 00:11:29.100 Jesus is the image of the invisible God. 00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:33.100 In this passage, the Greek word for image is the word iconus. 00:11:33.100 --> 00:11:35.600 It's where we get the English word icon, right? 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:37.600 Sometimes my job is really easy up here. 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:42.799 When you look at one thing, it points out another thing. 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:51.500 But that the Old Testament equivalent of that word, set limb is used in Genesis one. 00:11:51.500 --> 00:11:59.700 It's used in a lot of places, but one of the places it's used is Genesis one, when God says, let us make man in our own image, after our own likeness. 00:11:59.700 --> 00:12:06.299 We talked about earlier in this series, the importance of being made in the image of God, that humans are made in the image of God. 00:12:06.299 --> 00:12:09.899 And that gives us inherent value and worth. 00:12:09.899 --> 00:12:18.000 Every single human has inherent value and worth, because we have been made in the image of God after his own likeness. 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:22.700 That means we get to reflect God in the world around us. 00:12:22.700 --> 00:12:25.200 But Jesus isn't made in the image of God. 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:28.799 Jesus is the image of the invisible God. 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:31.000 We get to reflect God's glory. 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:34.200 Jesus reveals God's glory. 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:38.500 Jesus is the image of the invisible God. 00:12:38.500 --> 00:12:43.600 Verse 19 of Colossians one says, in him, the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:45.200 Hebrews one three says it similarly. 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:50.000 Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature. 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:54.100 Jesus perfectly reveals to us who God is. 00:12:54.100 --> 00:12:56.000 He makes the invisible God visible. 00:12:56.000 --> 00:13:00.399 Jesus, who is first is supreme. 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:04.600 Nothing else in the world can perfectly reveal to us who God is except for God. 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:06.000 And Jesus does. 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:09.799 Jesus reveals to us who God is. 00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:11.700 Jesus put on flesh. 00:13:11.700 --> 00:13:12.899 He dwelt among us. 00:13:12.899 --> 00:13:15.200 He was Emmanuel God with us. 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:17.500 Jesus is supreme because he is God. 00:13:17.500 --> 00:13:21.600 And then the second title we see in verse 15. 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:23.500 Jesus is the firstborn of all creation. 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:30.899 Now of all verses in the New Testament, this one has probably been twisted and misused more than maybe any other. 00:13:30.899 --> 00:13:33.700 Jesus is firstborn of all creation. 00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:39.100 There have been some that have tried to take this title and spin it to mean that Jesus was created. 00:13:39.100 --> 00:13:45.200 That if he was the firstborn of creation, then that must mean he was the first thing created. 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:53.799 And I hope you can see that if that is how we are to understand this verse, it would unravel everything about our faith. 00:13:53.799 --> 00:14:02.100 It would drastically change how we are to think about God, how we are to think about who Jesus is and what he does, our own salvation, right? 00:14:02.100 --> 00:14:08.299 If Jesus is a created thing, then what place does he have earning my salvation? 00:14:08.299 --> 00:14:12.100 So you'll be really glad to know that's not what this verse means. 00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:15.899 Jesus is not just another created thing. 00:14:15.899 --> 00:14:19.000 In the Bible, the word firstborn is used a couple of different ways. 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:24.399 Sometimes it is used to mean first in time, the first thing born, right? 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:27.600 The oldest child of a family or something like that. 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:35.299 But oftentimes in terms of inheritance or consecration, that term firstborn, maybe wouldn't be the actual first child. 00:14:35.299 --> 00:14:38.000 It might be the firstborn male, right? 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:41.600 It was a title of position, of rank. 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.799 And the Old Testament uses it all kinds of ways. 00:14:43.799 --> 00:15:04.200 Like in the case of King David and Israel, both of them are called firstborn, not in time, not that they were the first created, the first created King or the first created nation, but in terms of position, that positionally they were firstborn in the eyes of God in the world. 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:06.200 And that's what's happening here in verse 15. 00:15:06.200 --> 00:15:09.200 Jesus is the firstborn of all creation. 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:11.200 He is greater, He is above. 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:14.899 He outranks everything in creation. 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:17.000 He is supreme. 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:24.799 I think the NIV translates really helpful, translation is really helpful here when it says He is firstborn over all creation. 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:27.399 He's firstborn over all creation. 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:32.100 This is Paul's way of distinguishing Jesus from creation. 00:15:33.899 --> 00:15:36.899 Jesus is greater, He is supreme. 00:15:36.899 --> 00:15:43.100 Jesus is greater than anything in creation that we could love or want or desire. 00:15:43.100 --> 00:15:45.000 Jesus is greater than wealth. 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:46.899 Jesus is greater than power. 00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:48.000 Jesus is greater than you. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:49.500 He's greater than me. 00:15:49.500 --> 00:15:52.100 He's greater than your kids. 00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:55.200 Jesus is greater than good barbecue. 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:56.600 Jesus is greater than fall weather. 00:15:56.600 --> 00:16:00.000 Jesus is greater than anything that we could want or desire. 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:09.500 There's a lot of things in this world that we are to enjoy and that we can enjoy, but those things are not meant to be worshiped. 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:12.100 And we are not made to worship those things. 00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:19.299 So please love your kids and raise them right, but don't make them an idol in your life. 00:16:19.299 --> 00:16:22.799 Don't put them in the first spot above Christ. 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:28.299 Maybe you're single and you desire to be in a relationship. 00:16:28.299 --> 00:16:29.600 That's a really good goal. 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:31.200 It's just a really bad God. 00:16:32.200 --> 00:16:37.200 That will not satisfy you in the way that Jesus will. 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:42.700 Nothing will, nothing that we put over Christ will satisfy us in the way that God has meant to. 00:16:42.700 --> 00:16:48.500 So there's plenty of things that we can enjoy, but may we say Christ is better than all of that. 00:16:48.500 --> 00:16:51.700 Christ is greater than all of that. 00:16:51.700 --> 00:16:54.000 Jesus who is first is supreme. 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:59.500 And if you want to know what the supreme God looks like, look to Christ. 00:16:59.500 --> 00:17:03.299 He's supreme in all things and He should be supreme in our lives. 00:17:03.299 --> 00:17:07.000 In verse 16, we see that Jesus who is first is the source. 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:08.599 Take a look at verse 16 with me. 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:19.599 For by Him, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. 00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:23.099 All things were created through Him and for Him. 00:17:23.099 --> 00:17:25.200 Jesus is the source. 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:28.099 He's the starting point for all creation. 00:17:28.099 --> 00:17:31.599 The one through whom all things were made. 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:35.799 This verse beautifully shows Jesus's role in creation. 00:17:35.799 --> 00:17:36.900 He was active. 00:17:36.900 --> 00:17:40.900 All things were made by Him, through Him and for Him. 00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:44.400 One preacher said that this verse helps us praise through prepositions. 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:48.599 All my English nerds are like, yes, praise Him through prepositions, right? 00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:50.099 Created by Him. 00:17:50.099 --> 00:17:51.900 He's the source of all created things. 00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:54.599 Through Him, He's the agent at work. 00:17:54.599 --> 00:17:58.000 Creation didn't come about by a bunch of random things. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.299 Random events and random series. 00:18:00.299 --> 00:18:06.099 There was a designer who designed and all things were created for Him. 00:18:06.099 --> 00:18:08.099 He is the goal of all created things. 00:18:08.099 --> 00:18:09.700 His glory. 00:18:09.700 --> 00:18:16.099 Psalm 19 one says, even the skies declare the glory of God. 00:18:16.099 --> 00:18:21.900 Y'all, the skies and the mountains and the birds and the flowers praise God. 00:18:21.900 --> 00:18:24.299 And so He deserves praise from us as well. 00:18:24.299 --> 00:18:26.400 May we praise Him as well. 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:29.500 All creation was made for Him and for His glory. 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:35.599 All things made by Him, through Him and for Him. 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:38.000 Jesus is not merely another created thing. 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:43.900 All things were made by, through and for Him. 00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:45.900 He was there before the beginning of all things. 00:18:45.900 --> 00:18:48.299 He was active in the creation of all things. 00:18:48.299 --> 00:18:55.500 Paul, make sure that we know it's all things because he says the word all six times in six verses. 00:18:55.500 --> 00:18:56.599 All things. 00:18:56.599 --> 00:19:06.299 And in case that's not enough, in this verse, He gives all of these series of opposites that demonstrate how all He's talking about. 00:19:06.299 --> 00:19:08.400 Making sure that we know He means all. 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:15.500 In verse 16, He says, heavens and earth, visible and invisible, rulers and dominions, rulers or authorities. 00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:24.700 And so I don't think Paul is expecting us to like break down every single one of those, but rather he's saying all of it He made. 00:19:24.700 --> 00:19:26.299 All of it He created. 00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:32.599 He's using this as a literary device to say everything visible and everything invisible and everything in between. 00:19:32.599 --> 00:19:36.000 There is nothing that He didn't make. 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:43.599 John 1, 3 says about Jesus, all things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:47.700 If there's a made thing, it was made by Jesus. 00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:54.099 H.B. Charles says, if you check the label on any created thing, you'll read made by Jesus. 00:19:54.099 --> 00:19:55.599 Every created thing. 00:19:55.599 --> 00:20:00.500 Jesus who is first is the source. 00:20:00.500 --> 00:20:06.900 He was before all things and everything made finds its beginning in Him. 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:10.900 And then verses 17 and 18, Jesus who is first is the sustainer. 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:14.299 Verse 17 says, and He is before all things. 00:20:14.299 --> 00:20:18.500 And in Him, all things hold together. 00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:20.799 Jesus is first, He's supreme over all. 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:24.400 He's the exact image of the invisible God. 00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:29.799 He's the source of all things, all things created through Him and for Him. 00:20:29.799 --> 00:20:31.500 And He's the sustainer. 00:20:31.500 --> 00:20:35.799 In Jesus, we don't have an impersonal God. 00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:45.500 There have been some who have said about creation that there was some God-like force that must've started creation and stepped back to watch it unravel year after year after year. 00:20:45.500 --> 00:20:48.299 But that's not what scriptures tell us about Jesus. 00:20:50.099 --> 00:20:56.799 It says that Jesus is active in His creation, holding all things together, big and small. 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:06.799 Jesus keeps His eyes and His hands on the smallest details, even down to the cells of our bodies and of the greatest movements of the galactic bodies. 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:11.900 Jesus is in control of everything you can see in a microscope and everything you can see in a telescope. 00:21:11.900 --> 00:21:15.799 Jesus is in control, holding it all together. 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:21.099 One theologian, H.G. Mule said, Jesus keeps the cosmos from becoming chaos. 00:21:21.099 --> 00:21:27.500 Humanity has always tried to explain what holds everything together. 00:21:27.500 --> 00:21:31.900 Why is the world not just devolving into chaos all the time? 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:40.900 For the ancient pagans, they often attributed this unity of the world to their ancient gods and their pagan gods. 00:21:40.900 --> 00:21:47.299 And they would cry out in pray, asking for rain and asking for protection against storms. 00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:50.500 That was their answer of why the world didn't fall apart. 00:21:50.500 --> 00:21:56.900 And then a lot of modern people in our culture today, they've moved beyond silly myths about paganism. 00:21:56.900 --> 00:22:02.200 And instead, they turned to secularism to understand why the world doesn't fall apart. 00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:08.599 And they try to explain through study and debate, what holds the world together. 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:12.900 But secularism can't give the answer apart from God. 00:22:12.900 --> 00:22:15.799 What is it that keeps the world working? 00:22:15.799 --> 00:22:19.500 Why does matter hold together? 00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:22.700 Why does the sun rise in the East and set in the West? 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:30.200 Why is the earth exactly where it needs to be and held right there from the sun, where it can sustain life? 00:22:30.200 --> 00:22:31.900 Why are storms kept in check? 00:22:31.900 --> 00:22:36.200 Yes, there's storms, but why are storms not just destroying everything all the time? 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:38.099 What is holding all of this together? 00:22:38.099 --> 00:22:40.599 Mysticism can't give the answer. 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:42.099 Secularism can't give the answer. 00:22:42.099 --> 00:22:44.799 We have the answer right here in Colossians 117. 00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:47.400 Jesus holds it together. 00:22:47.400 --> 00:22:51.700 Jesus' hands are held around creation, holding all things together. 00:22:51.700 --> 00:23:05.900 And so let me ask you, if Jesus cares enough to have his eyes on the smallest details, and if he's strong enough to have his eyes on the largest details, well, then don't you think he can handle every problem in your life? 00:23:05.900 --> 00:23:11.299 If you'll allow me to be a little poetic for a second, we're reading a poem. 00:23:11.299 --> 00:23:16.000 Maybe I would say, if he can uphold the stars, then we can trust him with our scars. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:22.099 If he can sustain the cosmos, then we can trust him in our chaos, right? 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:24.400 We can trust this Christ. 00:23:24.400 --> 00:23:26.900 We don't have a small Christ. 00:23:26.900 --> 00:23:30.200 We don't have a Jesus that's not strong enough to handle our problems. 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:34.799 And we don't have a Jesus that doesn't care about our problems. 00:23:34.799 --> 00:23:38.000 And yet we still find it so hard to trust him sometimes. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:43.700 If you're like me, you have all these plates spinning in your life, right? 00:23:43.700 --> 00:23:54.599 I've got my family and my kids and my wife and my job and my church and my community and my friends and all these things that I'm trying to keep spinning. 00:23:54.599 --> 00:23:56.200 And it's really hard. 00:23:56.200 --> 00:24:02.400 And yet we have Jesus who holds all of it together. 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:04.799 And yet I find it so hard to trust him. 00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:10.400 I don't need to face any of these problems on my own. 00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:12.700 I can go to Christ. 00:24:12.700 --> 00:24:17.299 I can ask for his strength to sustain my life. 00:24:17.299 --> 00:24:20.400 I don't need to be the one that holds my life together. 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:24.500 I don't have to face my problems and my responsibilities alone. 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:27.900 We serve the God who holds the stars. 00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:29.799 He can handle our problems. 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:33.700 He sustains all things. 00:24:33.700 --> 00:24:40.200 And then in verse 18, we see, yes, he sustains all things, but more than that, he sustains his church. 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:42.799 Verse 18, he is the head of the body of the church. 00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:49.299 He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 00:24:49.299 --> 00:24:53.400 So he sustains all things and that includes his church. 00:24:53.400 --> 00:25:00.400 He's active in creation and he's personal in his creation as the head of the church. 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:06.599 This word picture of the body is used all throughout the New Testament to talk about the church, that we are the body and that he is the head. 00:25:06.599 --> 00:25:11.799 And here Paul is using it to show the absolute dependency that the body has on the head. 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:16.000 He is the head and we are the body. 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:20.000 That means he has final say and authority on what happens in his church. 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:24.599 That means he has final say and authority on what happens in the lives of those that make up his church. 00:25:24.599 --> 00:25:28.599 Jesus is the head of the church. 00:25:28.599 --> 00:25:30.400 And that's not just this church. 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:32.799 That's not just Exodus church. 00:25:32.799 --> 00:25:34.900 That's the church global. 00:25:34.900 --> 00:25:37.000 That's any true believer. 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:42.099 Jesus is what unites us to churches all the way across the world. 00:25:42.099 --> 00:25:54.000 In fact, Jesus is what unites us to the church that this letter was written to thousands of years ago, that we are united to them in Christ, because Christ is the sustainer of his people. 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:58.500 Christ is what unifies and sustains his church. 00:25:58.500 --> 00:26:01.200 And we're called to be his body. 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:03.700 We're called to be his hands and feet in the world. 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:10.799 We're called to glorify him and praise him in the world around us. 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:22.799 And just in case we don't want to submit to him, that we don't want to submit to him as our head, Paul reminds us that he has the absolute right to make this claim on his church and on our lives. 00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:26.799 Verse 18 says, he is the beginning, meaning he's God. 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:28.900 He was here before anything else. 00:26:28.900 --> 00:26:32.200 He is God. 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:36.500 And he continues, he's the firstborn of the dead. 00:26:36.500 --> 00:26:42.500 Now we've already seen this term firstborn pop up in verse 16, when it says he was firstborn of creation. 00:26:42.500 --> 00:26:45.000 And now we're told he's firstborn of the dead. 00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:46.900 Again, this is expressing rank. 00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:52.700 Not that he's the first person to have ever come back to life. 00:26:52.700 --> 00:26:53.799 We know that that's not true. 00:26:53.799 --> 00:26:56.400 Jesus himself rose people back to life. 00:26:56.400 --> 00:27:00.500 But what it's saying is positionally, he is the firstborn. 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:08.500 He is the chief of those who are going to be raised to everlasting life, us. 00:27:08.500 --> 00:27:09.799 He is the head. 00:27:09.799 --> 00:27:11.299 He is the first. 00:27:11.299 --> 00:27:14.000 He's the forerunner in that. 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:17.299 One paraphrase says it this way. 00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:21.700 He was supreme in the beginning and leading the resurrection parade. 00:27:21.700 --> 00:27:24.599 He is supreme in the end. 00:27:24.599 --> 00:27:27.299 Jesus is leading the resurrection parade. 00:27:27.299 --> 00:27:32.900 What is true of Jesus and his resurrection will be true of his people. 00:27:32.900 --> 00:27:39.900 He has said anyone who is in Christ, held by Christ will raise like he rose to never die again. 00:27:39.900 --> 00:27:44.099 Jesus who is first is the sustainer. 00:27:44.099 --> 00:27:47.500 And this is very good news. 00:27:47.500 --> 00:27:52.000 And then finally, Jesus who is first is the savior. 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:54.400 He's our savior. 00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:55.700 Look at verses 19 and 20. 00:27:55.700 --> 00:28:00.099 It says, for in him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. 00:28:00.099 --> 00:28:09.599 And through him to reconcile himself to all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:17.599 Only the one who is the exact image of God, the image of the invisible God can pay for our sins. 00:28:17.599 --> 00:28:21.799 Only God himself can reconcile a sinful people. 00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:23.299 And Jesus has done that. 00:28:23.299 --> 00:28:25.700 Only Jesus could. 00:28:25.700 --> 00:28:29.799 And Jesus made peace by his blood on the cross. 00:28:29.799 --> 00:28:34.099 And so get this, Jesus is first, he's preeminent. 00:28:34.099 --> 00:28:36.599 Jesus is supreme, he's above all things. 00:28:36.599 --> 00:28:38.900 He's first in rank, he's first in position. 00:28:38.900 --> 00:28:40.799 Jesus is the source of all things. 00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:42.700 All things are created through him. 00:28:42.700 --> 00:28:44.000 Jesus is the sustainer. 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:45.299 He's holding all things together. 00:28:45.299 --> 00:28:48.299 And that same Jesus is our savior. 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:56.599 That same Jesus gave his life and shed his blood to reconcile us, a sinful people, to himself. 00:28:56.599 --> 00:29:04.400 The preexistent, preeminent Jesus laid down his life for sinners like you and like me. 00:29:04.400 --> 00:29:09.799 All the ways that sin unraveled God's good design. 00:29:09.799 --> 00:29:11.599 Jesus on the cross said it right. 00:29:11.599 --> 00:29:14.799 Jesus on the cross made it right. 00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:18.900 He reconciled us to himself by blood. 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:32.000 Paul explained in one of his other letters in Romans, Romans 5, that many of us can kind of get our heads around someone dying for a good person, but we can't imagine dying for an enemy. 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:38.500 Romans 5, six through eight, it says, for while we were still weak at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. 00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:44.599 For one would scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person, one would even dare to die. 00:29:44.599 --> 00:29:50.500 But God shows his love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 00:29:50.500 --> 00:30:00.700 While we were still sinners, hostiles, running from God, enemies of God, he made peace on our behalf by his own blood on the cross. 00:30:00.700 --> 00:30:04.400 Jesus, who is first, is our savior. 00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:09.299 So Paul has written this beautiful hymnic poem declaring who Jesus is. 00:30:09.299 --> 00:30:16.400 And in verse 18, he tells us the point of all of it, that in all things, Jesus would be preeminent. 00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:22.900 That we would acknowledge him as first in our lives. 00:30:22.900 --> 00:30:26.099 Jesus, who is first in time here before anything else. 00:30:26.099 --> 00:30:32.799 Jesus, who created all things, sustains all things, who shed his blood on the cross to make peace for his people. 00:30:32.799 --> 00:30:35.200 Jesus is first in all things. 00:30:35.200 --> 00:30:40.200 And so my question this morning that I wanna leave us with is, is Jesus first in your life? 00:30:40.200 --> 00:30:45.799 Christian in the room, you've probably heard all of this before. 00:30:45.799 --> 00:30:55.099 You've heard before that Jesus should be first in all things, that Jesus is first in all things and should be first in your life, in your heart. 00:30:55.099 --> 00:30:59.099 And yet, if you're like me, it's really easy to let other things creep in. 00:30:59.099 --> 00:31:05.200 It's really easy to exchange designed things for the designer. 00:31:05.200 --> 00:31:09.900 It's really easy to let something else slip into the number one spot. 00:31:09.900 --> 00:31:16.400 It's really easy when things start to feel hectic in my life for me to think that I'm a better sustainer than Jesus is. 00:31:16.400 --> 00:31:21.900 And for me to try to take control of my own life rather than surrender control to him. 00:31:21.900 --> 00:31:27.500 It's really easy to let other things become the chief goal of my life. 00:31:27.500 --> 00:31:35.599 Power, money, relationships, having kids that look the most obedient, job promotions. 00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:42.799 So many things that we could chase after that could become the chief goal of our life, but none of them can take the place of Christ. 00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:46.500 None of them are first and none of them should be treated as first in our life. 00:31:46.500 --> 00:31:49.599 And so Christian, is Jesus first in your life? 00:31:49.599 --> 00:31:54.299 And maybe you're here and you've never put your faith in Jesus. 00:31:54.299 --> 00:31:56.400 Maybe Jesus has never been first in your life. 00:31:56.400 --> 00:32:01.000 Maybe you're hearing this for the first time or maybe you're just really hearing it for the first time. 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:04.099 And you think I've never made that choice. 00:32:04.099 --> 00:32:07.700 I've never put Jesus as number one in my life. 00:32:07.700 --> 00:32:14.700 I've never heard that this one who was pre-existent and preeminent died for me. 00:32:14.700 --> 00:32:18.700 Well, I would beg you, make him first today. 00:32:18.700 --> 00:32:20.599 Put him first in your life today. 00:32:20.599 --> 00:32:22.500 I'll be here, I'll be in the back somewhere. 00:32:22.500 --> 00:32:23.700 I'd love for you to find me. 00:32:23.700 --> 00:32:26.599 I'd love to talk about what it looks like to make him first. 00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:28.500 There's not like magical words you have to say. 00:32:28.500 --> 00:32:30.000 You have to surrender to him. 00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:33.799 He's already done everything necessary for you to be able to come to him. 00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:35.900 He made peace on your behalf. 00:32:35.900 --> 00:32:44.099 And so come to him because only the one who was God has the power and the authority to save you from your sin. 00:32:44.099 --> 00:32:45.500 And that was Jesus. 00:32:45.500 --> 00:32:46.339 He did it. 00:32:46.339 --> 00:32:50.599 He has the power and the authority to save you. 00:32:50.599 --> 00:32:55.500 Exodus Church, Jesus is first in all things. 00:32:55.500 --> 00:33:11.400 My hope and prayer is that this morning as we have seen this beautiful passage that our hearts will just be captivated by the beauty of Jesus and that we won't help but be able to draw others and say, look at this Jesus with me. 00:33:11.400 --> 00:33:13.900 Look how beautiful he is. 00:33:13.900 --> 00:33:18.900 Look at this one who is preeminent first in all things. 00:33:18.900 --> 00:33:25.900 And that every one of us would put him first in our lives every day, that we would acknowledge him as first. 00:33:25.900 --> 00:33:27.000 Would you pray with me? 00:33:27.000 --> 00:33:34.599 Father God, I thank you for passages like this that just speak to our hearts. 00:33:36.299 --> 00:33:44.500 God, I pray that you will continue to draw our hearts towards you, that you will continue to show us all the ways that you're first. 00:33:44.500 --> 00:33:50.900 God, reveal in our hearts all the ways that we have not made you first, that we have not treated you as such. 00:33:50.900 --> 00:33:57.099 And I pray that for every one of us in here that you would be first in all things. 00:33:57.099 --> 00:33:59.400 God, we love you. 00:33:59.400 --> 00:34:01.700 I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.