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We have been working our way through the book of Colossians and so far in Colossians 1 we’ve seen Paul (who wrote the letter to the Colossians) thanking God for the faith and love and hope in their life that are the result of them believing the gospel. He went on to pray that now they have been delivered from darkness and into Jesus’ kingdom, they would know more and more about the God who rescued them, so they would live lives that please him. In our passage this morning he launches into honestly one of the most incredible descriptions of who Jesus is and what he has done for us. The more I studied it, the more I felt totally inadequate to say anything that comes close to doing it justice. He wants us to see that Jesus is far greater than we could ever have imagined. And so I’m going to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help us all see or to see again how incredible Jesus is. Let’s pray:

[Prayer]

Jesus is incredible. He has rescued us in the most amazing way. And it is an understatement to say that he is over-qualified for the role. He is the GOAT: the greatest of all time. Remembering that is the best way to avoid the stupidity of setting aside what Jesus has done for us and instead putting our confidence in the impossible task of attempting to save ourselves.

I want to begin with some images of using the wrong tool for the job, because it is a picture of what we are being warned to avoid spiritually. The tallest building in Newcastle is Hadrian’s Tower. It stands at 26 floors. The Shard in London is almost 4 times taller. Imagine trying to dig the foundations for a building like that using a teaspoon while powerful excavators sit idle on the side of the building site. Or imagine trying to cook a meal using only a small tealight candle for heat when you’ve got a top of the range cooker at your disposal. Or a large ship attempting to navigate through treacherous waters at night with only a small battery-operated kids torch, while the ship’s sophisticated navigation systems sit unused, stepping down the helicopters and fire engines and fighting a forest fire with that tiny water pistol from last year’s Christmas cracker. You get the idea!

That’s basically what Paul is showing us here. Jesus is incredible. He has rescued us in the most amazing way. So we must trust in Him alone and not look for something extra or other than Jesus for our salvation. The good news of Christianity (the gospel) is that that Jesus has done everything needed to rescue us. And it tells us that Jesus is the only way we can be rescued. Have a look at Colossians 1.13-14:

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

God has done it all through Jesus. And Jesus is the creator and Lord over everything that we need rescuing from and he's more than capable of doing so. His rescue is complete and perfect, and nothing can make it better. So keep trusting him to save you, and watch out for the idea that you need anything other than Jesus. Or as he puts it in Colossians 1.23:

…not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…

We sometimes sing a kids song that goes like this:

Jesus is number oneRight at the top where he belongsWho he is and what he's doneMake Jesus number one...[Colin Buchanan © 2007 Universal Music, Jesus is number one]

And that’s a great summary of what we see about Jesus:

1. Jesus is the greatest in creation (Colossians 1.15-17)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, 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. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

i. Jesus Reveals God: Paul begins by unveiling Jesus as the ultimate revelation of God Himself. He didn’t just teach about God: he was God. Jesus, as the Son of God incarnate, born as a baby in Bethlehem, is the visible image of the invisible God. To know God, we do not need to guess what he’s like. We can look to Jesus and see a perfect representation of God's character because he is God.

ii. Jesus is Supreme: The term firstborn of all creation requires explanation. It does not imply that Jesus was created; rather, it declares that he is higher and greater than absolutely all other things. Just as a firstborn in a royal family holds a special status, Jesus holds the highest rank in the universe. He is the heir. He is supreme over all things, both in time and authority. Why?

iii. Jesus is Creator: Everything (all things) in the heavens and on earth, whether seen or unseen, has been brought into existence by Him. He is not only the Creator but also the purpose of creation—everything exists for Him. He is the centre of the universe.

iv. Jesus is Eternal: He existed before all things. He is not a Created being: he is divine and has an eternal nature. He is outside of and over creation.

v. Jesus is the Sustainer: He didn’t create the world then step back. He is at work, holding the universe together. Without him it would all collapse. But that’s not all!

2. Jesus is the greatest in the church (Colossians 1.18-20)

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

i. The Head and Founder of the Church: Jesus is the head of the body, the church, God’s people. His role as the beginning and firstborn from the dead speaks of His resurrection from the dead but also his founding of a new community—a new creation that springs from the spiritually dead, including us. There is no higher authority in the church than Jesus. Nothing else can compare to him.

ii. The Source of God's Fullness: In Jesus, all the fullness of God dwells. This means that we need nothing more from God than what He has already given us in Jesus. No one can offer more than God's fullness, which is found in Christ.

iii. The Reconciler: Jesus is the One who reconciles us to God. The vertical relationship between God and His creation has been damaged due to our rebellion against him. The results are the chaos, fighting and divisions we see in the world. Our horizontal relationships are far from peaceful. But, through Jesus' death on the cross, God took the initiative to fix things up between us and so Jesus has made it possible for there to be peace between us and God. This is Jesus! And Jesus is the creator and Lord over everything that we need rescuing from and he's more than capable of doing so. His rescue is complete and perfect, and nothing can make it better. So keep trusting him to save you, and watch out for the idea that you need anything other than Jesus.

3. Jesus is the greatest saviour

From the cosmic perspective on who Jesus is and what he has done, Paul zooms in on what that looks like for each one of us, personally. Colossians 1.21-23:

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

And you…What he describes here is not just true of the Colossians. It’s true of all believers. He explains how this makes a difference to our past, our present and our future.

i. Our Past: What we once were (Colossians 1.21)

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds…

He describes how every one of us used to relate to God. It may not be that we were even aware of this at the time. But we can now see that this is what was going on in our hearts and minds. Perhaps you know what it is like to be a stranger in a foreign land. We use that horrible word ‘alien’ to describe someone who doesn’t fit in. It is a not a positive experience. Sidelined, ignored, perhaps worse. That horrible experience is how we treated God. There is a spiritual distance between us and God. We never give him much thought. The one in whom, thorough whom and for whom all things were created. The one we depend on for our very existence. Perhaps that seems a bit strong? Don’t most people just not care about God? But apathy is soon revealed to be skin-deep when we realise we don’t like God telling us how to be, or think or run our lives. Overtly, or in more subtle ways we resist God's authority and reject His truth. We prefer a distorted image of God rather than the true God revealed in the Bible. That is what we once were. We were also doing evil deeds. From that root of turning away from God we end up acting in ways that are against his good and perfect ways. Even if we were brought up in good, maybe even Christian families. We lie, we cheat, and we are selfish and so on.

Why does Paul mention all this? It is because this is why we need saving. He’s already called this the domain of darkness. It’s a terrible existence and brings with it a terrible consequence because cut off from God, the source of life, the results are death. But it also shows that unless God did something about it, we were unwilling and unable to get ourselves out of this mess.

ii. Our Present: Reconciliation through Christ (Colossians 1.20)

through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

The whole point of realising how lost I was is to appreciate how amazing it is to be found. The good news is that Jesus Christ can address this problem of alienation, hostility, and evil deeds and make us right with God. Jesus reconciles us to God: he brings peace instead of alienation and hostility. And he does it through His death on the cross. His death, though beyond full comprehension, involves bearing the punishment for our sins. He did this for us, without our assistance. Without our cooperation. It was his doing, not ours. Only Jesus could do that. As the old hymn puts it:

Nothing in my hands I bring,Simply to Thy cross I cling[A. M. Toplady (1740-78), Rock of ages, cleft for me]

iii. Our Future: Being presented before God (Colossians 1.22)

he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him

The ultimate future fact of getting right with God is the assurance that we will be presented as holy, blameless, and above reproach before God on the final judgment day when Christ returns. This promise offers us hope and confidence in our salvation.

My wife and I were married in this church 20 years ago this week. There was a moment during the service that I remember very vividly. It's the part where I gave her the wedding ring. The reason I remember it so clearly is that as soon as I said the words "all that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you" the entire congregation burst into laughter because they all knew I came with very few possessions to our married life. Not only that, I had liabilities - Lots of them! I was totally broke with no workable plan to pay my debts off. I had sold my car to my brother to help pay something towards the wedding. However fortunately for me, I was marrying someone who was not in such a financial mess. On the day we got married my debt became her debt and everything she had became ours. It was a great deal for me, but not for her. That's why everyone found it so funny to hear me say "all that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you". I could see why they laughed - it was quite funny!

For me what was so amazing about all that was to know that she knew all that but loved me anyway. But that is just a small picture of what it is like when we become Christians. Jesus takes our liabilities and graciously gives us his assets. The most amazing thing is that he knows exactly what we are like and yet he still loves us. We were alienated, hostile to God in mind and doers of evil deeds. But Jesus willingly took those on and offers to exchange them for everything that he is and has. The words holy and blameless and above reproach perfectly describe Jesus, and because of Jesus, they will now describe us.

I realise that for some of you these things will be new or raise a whole boatload of questions. And so you may find it helpful to join us for a four Tuesday evenings event where we will watch a short video and discuss these things together. It’s called 3-2-1 and is an exploration of 'Life according to Jesus.' We meet Jesus, our Guide, and then let him show us God (and his THREE-ness), the world (and its TWO-ness), and you (and your ONE-ness). If you want to know what the numbers mean…come to 321!

But, as we draw to a conclusion: the point of this passage is that
Jesus is incredible. He has rescued us in the most amazing way.
He is the GOAT: the greatest of all time. The good news of Christianity (the gospel) is that that Jesus has done everything needed to rescue us. And it tells us that Jesus is the only way we can be rescued. So we must trust in Him alone and not look for something extra or other than Jesus for our salvation. Colossians 1.23 again:

…not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…

The big warning for us through the book of Colossians is that we need to watch out for weak alternatives for the true gospel. They often seem very spiritual, and promise to deliver – but take us away from trusting in Jesus alone. It’s as stupid as choosing the teaspoon, the tealight candle, the tiny torch, the wobbly raft or the plastic water pistol. What might that look like? In their book How People Change Timothy Lane and Paul Trip call this the ‘gospel gap’. Here are helpful examples that they give:

There is Jim, who is always at church events, involved in various activities, and appears to be a committed member. However, his church life doesn't deeply affect his heart or how he lives outside of church. His confidence is in what he does.Then there's Sally, who lives by strict rules and expects others to do the same. She judges herself and others based on these rules and feels that obeying them earns her favour with God. Her confidence is in keeping the rules.Christine is always chasing intense emotional experiences. She moves from one church to another, seeking spiritual highs. Real growth often occurs in the everyday moments of life, not just in the dramatic spiritual highs. Her confidence is in how she feels.Shirley is passionate about various social causes and believes that standing up for what's right defines Christianity. Fighting for justice and truth should be an outpouring of our faith, not a replacement for it. Her confidence is in standing up for what is right.John is an expert in theology and biblical knowledge. He has a deep understanding of the Bible but struggles to live out the grace he studies. In his case, a strong focus on studying Scripture can lead to a lack of humility and grace in his interactions with others. His confidence is in what he knows.

We’ll come back to some of these as we work through the book, but the good news of Christianity (the gospel) is that that Jesus has done everything needed to rescue us. And it tells us that Jesus is the only way we can be rescued. So we must trust in Him alone and not look for something extra or other than Jesus for our salvation. Jesus is enough! Let’s pray:

Father, Thank you do much for the incredible gift of your Son, Jesus. Thank you for all he is and all he has done for us. Thank you that he is the greatest in creation, the greatest in the church, and the greatest Savior. Help us to grasp the depth of your love and the complete reconciliation we have through Jesus' death on the cross. Open our eyes to see the many distractions and alternatives that can lead us away from trusting in Jesus alone and help us not to shifting from the hope of the gospel. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.