Colossians Series - Crown Him with many Crowns

 Crown Him with Many Crowns

Col. 1:15-23

Many ideas are spawned,

When reading these verses, 

The supremacy of Christ,

Is beyond our comprehension.

Songs have been sang, 

lessons have been written.

But nothing compares to

Knowing God who was stricken.

Creator and sustainer of all, 

Whose image is divine.

Came to Earth to dwell,

In the likeness of mankind.

In the fullness of God,

He came to reconcile man.

On earth or heaven above,

His peace was His divine plan.

Christ’s physical death

 through the earthly body. 

The sacrifice of blood,

 to present man holy.

By faith in the One, 

established and firm,

Hope, peace, and love,

Salvation confirmed.

Paul, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, describes the elements of the Supremacy of Christ to the church.

He begins with the image of an invisible God. 

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 

God is spirit, thus invisible to man, but God had revealed himself to man in various forms in the past: In the garden he spoke with man face to face, in the desert he appeared in a bush, a cloud, and a pillar of fire. He walked with Abraham, wrestled with Jacob, spoke to Moses, and appeared to Joshua. And yet they did not fully comprehend the total essence of God. 

The co-creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit, who spoke the word and all came to be, invisible and visible. But it was with his hands that he created mankind, and with his breath he instilled life. The life of all that He has made, is sustained and held together by the Will of the One who created all. The power that brought order out of nothing, who balances His creation with perfect precision. God’s divine plan given, His perfect will is seen, His glory revealed through the creation of all that is seen and not seen.

Application - The first name on the crown of the King of Kings is Creator. As we look at this world in all its complexity, we cannot deny the hand of divine creator. The order of all that is seen everyday. The sun in the morning, the moon at night. The stars and the vastness of the universe operating in precise alignment. The Earth and all that it provides: water to drink, food to eat, plants and animals that provide clothing and warmth. Various elements of dirt, rock, or lumber to build homes. But the greatest of his creation is life. The human body is evidence of divine creation. Mankind could never create what God has done, even though he has tried. All of this reveals the God of glory in the co-creator Jesus Christ. So when we look at all that He made, let us bow down, and give praise to our creator, God.

Paul continues with his discourse on the Supremacy of Christ. Yet it wasn’t till  Bethlehem, God came down to man in the form of a human baby. The Son of God born of a woman, the seed of God induced. The creator came to redeem that which is most precious to Him. He bore the likeness of God and body of a man. He experienced life without giving into sin. God became tangible, to be touched, be seen, and heard. For the first time since the Garden, man could behold God, and yet they did not fully comprehend. He spoke with authority, wisdom, and power. He worked miracles with just a word or a touch. He chose from men those who would believe, even those who did not see the tangible Son of God. He called them his Church, the body, and the bride to which he loves. He fulfilled the scripture and the prophecies, by coming as a lamb, a sacrifice for sin, to complete God’s will and plan. In finishing His work, his task complete, Jesus died on a cross and arose from the grave. He is the first born from the dead, showing his supremacy over all, that he is God the Son, to whom God the Father was pleased. He is the head of the body, the church, the reconciler of all who will believe, and the restorer of relationship with the Father.

  And 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. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and 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.

Application - The gospel is laid out for us. Jesus came to Earth, in the form of man. The divine conception, the baby born of a virgin, whose rule be sovereign, ordained of God the Father. He lived among men and yet he was sinless. He being born of God knew no sin, and as man didn’t succumb to sin. He lived and taught the very Words of God. In all that he did, he pleased God. Even dying on a cross as the sacrifice for our sins. We must first believe in Christ, as the Son of God, but also in His Words spoken to us through scripture. In this faith, belief in the Son of God, we have peace not of ourselves, but because Jesus’ peace rests on us.  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Jn. 14:27 Jesus life and death are examples of the submission to God’s will that pleases God the Father. And without the blood of Christ there would not be any remission from sin. We have His peace, so we can live and walk in confidence.

Paul now brings the message of forgiveness and reconciliation in Christ, to the church, all who will believe, to present them holy to the Father, without stain, wrinkle, or blemish. Because of Christ’s finished work upon the cross, he defeated the accuser of mankind, Satan. The keys of Hell and the grave are in His hand. This is the message of the Gospel.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Because of our sinful nature, we are alienated from God, and are the children of the enemy because of our evil nature. It is here, Paul brought a condition to, a requirement of all who will believe and have been forgiven their sins. They must continue, pursue, and press on with perseverance in their faith. Faith that is firm and unyielding to sinfulness, founded in the Hope of eternal life with Christ Jesus. Paul preached Jesus and only Jesus: he was born of God, lived as a man, died upon the cross as the Lamb of God for the sins of all mankind, and in fulfillment of the prophecy, he arose on the third day, showed himself to those who had believed, and ascended into Heaven to prepare a place for this Bride, the Church.

Application - Like Paul, I want to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus gave us the command to make disciples, to teach and equip them with understanding of the Supremacy of Jesus Christ. It is my hope that through this lesson and others that I have taught that you are equipped with the truth, grounded in your understanding in the doctrine of the supremacy of Christ, and willing to follow God’s will in sharing the gospel with others who need to hear the gospel and discipling them with the same teaching you have received from the Word of God.

Again, please share this lesson with someone this week. The seed that you sow can spring to life in someone, and we can see many people come to repentance and receive eternal life in Christ Jesus. I am including the ABC’s of salvation to help you lead them. 

A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 8

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Until next week, May God continue to fill you with His Holy Spirit, who will lead us in greater understanding of the perfect will of God for our lives.

In His Service, Mike Davis