The Magnitude of Jesus and Why That's So Important

Welcome back everyone to our big summer Bible Study on the book of Colossians! We have been having so much fun walking through this awesome letter from Paul to these young Christians in this small town called Colossae. You know, there is so much for us to learn from this letter, and we hope that by now, four weeks into this study, that you are able to see the significance of what Paul is doing here with these young Christians, in this young church so many years ago…and just how relevant and personal and important his teachings, and thinking can be for you and I today. Paul is trying to help us understand the magnitude of Jesus. He wants us to center our lives around something profoundly important…and that is that everything, and I do mean everything in our faith, salvation, right down to our Spiritual Growth and the lives we live should and must center on Jesus. It’s all about Jesus. It’s interesting because when you say it the way I just did, it sounds like a simple and clear thought, and I don’t know too many Christians who would argue that statement. But it isn’t all that easy to live out, is it? I mean as simple as it sounds, I don’t know too many Christians who would honestly tell you they are living in the freedom, strength, passion, and joy that we keep reading in Scripture we should and could have…and a major reason why is our inability to stay focused on Jesus as “ALL” and “ENOUGH” in our lives. It’s rare to see someone actually wrap their heart and mind around the magnitude of who Jesus is and the importance and totality of what He did for them. We all know that Jesus came to provide life and life to the full for us…we talk about it all the time, and tell people about the joy, the passion, the life that comes with being a disciple of Christ…but is that how you would describe your Spirituality?

Listen, when we truly grasp the enormity of Jesus and the gift, He is from God…everything comes together in our faith…but the reverse is true too. When we diminish Jesus, what He did or does in our lives, our faith, for our salvation, or our spiritual growth we lose out on the reality of the freedom we could be experiencing, and we tend to drift away from the Gospel message of grace, and that abundant life Jesus told us He came to provide for us and we get stuck spiritually, often trying to earn our way into Heaven, walking in guilt for what we can’t seem to shake free of but need to pretend we are free of…maybe elevating people or ourselves to places only Christ should be in our lives, doing our best to hit some level of holiness or spirituality that we can’t seem to hit on our own and it is leading to a lot of inauthentic Christians…lots of frustration, lots of pretending…lots of exhaustion. When we don’t accept Jesus as “ALL” and “ENOUGH” or as The One who takes care of it all for us, we tend to get frustrated and tired. And why wouldn’t we? We are working to earn things we can’t earn, and we are carrying things we were never meant to carry. We say we love Jesus, but if we were honest, we can be just miserable. We also see a lot of people who can look the part of the good Christian on the outside, while hurting and feeling so much guilt and just so tired on the inside…which just isn’t the life Jesus told us He came to give us…is it? We may say we love Jesus and want to live in this life to the full that Jesus came to give us…but deep down I think many are wondering where that life to the full is actually found because it just isn’t their reality when it comes to their faith.

It may sound so simple, and can get a little repetitive from Paul, and from us pastors here at MRC, to hear about Jesus thought after thought, letter after letter, Sunday after Sunday. To hear that we must center on and elevate Jesus in our lives, but I think the reality is that it’s easier said than done. We can get so distracted, and slide into other ways of thinking so easily. It can be a challenge to stay focused on Jesus as “ALL” and “ENOUGH” …it was hard for the people of Colossae back in the day…and it’s really hard for us today to stay focused on Jesus. This is what Paul is doing, re-centering us on Christ…trying to help us understand that Jesus is what it’s all about…it isn’t about us, or the things we do, or how we do them…it isn’t about the dynamic spiritual leader, or any human being of today. It isn’t about how we look or what another person’s opinion is of us, it’s all about Jesus. Now, I’m just going to tell you that if Paul’s point about Christ hasn’t been clear leading up to today in the first 14 verses of this letter, it will certainly be clear after today because he is really going to raise the bar on Christ even further. Today, we are walking through a massive portion of Paul’s thoughts on the magnitude of Jesus. These thoughts on Christ are intentional, and so important. So, we need to be on our game today because this is a deep and thought-provoking section of Scripture with major implications in our lives and faith…so we’ll just take our time and really try to personalize what Paul is saying here in Colossians 1:15-23. So, let’s read this section, and then we will break it down and talk about each thought and what a big deal it actually is for us today.

Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything 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. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. 18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 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. 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.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. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. NLT

When I first saw this section that I was to share with you today, I knew it would be a big task because there is so much here to talk about. I think this section of Scripture could be a Sermon Series of its own. There is so much depth here, and so many things to think through! I believe the best way to read and understand Scripture in a way that we can apply it to our own lives is to slow down. We don’t want to just read a chunk of Scripture like this and move on to the next verse without really grasping the wisdom and the point that Paul is making, we need to slow down. We need to think through it, maybe break it down, read a thought or two and then ask questions, like what is Paul trying to say here? Or why is this thought from Paul important to me? Or what does this thought from Scripture mean to my life today? I think this is exactly how we should study this section of Scripture. So, let’s take a look at it a few verses at a time starting with verses 15-17…

Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything 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. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. NLT

Paul says a lot here, but for today I would like to share a few highlights as I see them, starting with these three verses. The first thing, I feel Paul wants us to understand and it’s important is this…

Jesus Made It All! Paul is saying that Jesus is supreme over all things, and attributes him with creation! This is huge, and I want you to see that Paul wasn’t the only one who made sure we knew this! The Gospel of John starts in this same point…

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. NIV

So, what do we see here? Paul says that Jesus was and is and always will be. He was there before anything was created, and all things in heaven and on Earth were created through Him and are held together by Him. This echoes John here who lets us know that Jesus was there at the beginning and all things were made through Him…life came from Jesus. So, Paul is making sure we all understand what a big deal Jesus is, but I think the ramifications of this are even bigger. When I think about Paul here, and John speaking of Jesus this way, I think it’s clear that Jesus is God. Remember some of Jesus’ own words that really compliment this? Do you remember Him letting his disciples know that He was there when Satan fell?

Luke 10:17 When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”18 “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” NLT

How about the moment He reminded Peter of how powerful He is as He was being arrested and heading to the Cross in Matthew…

Matthew 26:52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? 54 But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” NLT

What do we see here in all of this Scripture? Jesus is God. He is fully human, but He is also fully God. This is a massive point that cannot be lost, Jesus always was, and always will be…He is part of the Trinity and made it all and holds it all together. I told you Paul was going to up the “ante” today on who Jesus is and why He is so important…and He certainly is doing so here. So let’s slow down here and ask ourselves an important question or two as we read such a massive point from Paul and support it with John and some of Jesus’ own words…

Why is the idea that Jesus made it all that He is God important for me to understand? What does this mean to me personally? Well first I think it’s always important to understand that Jesus is God, which makes Him all powerful. I also think this helps us remember how strong our God is and how protected, victorious and safe we should feel in His arms. This also sets up the magnitude of what He gave up for us which we will talk about in a minute or two…but the big takeaway for me is that Jesus is God, He is all powerful…He always is and always was, created and holds all things together. This is the winning team, and this is how powerful Jesus is, what an awesome companion to walk through life with!

So I’m going to do something now that I don’t do a lot of, but I think this is the perfect time to address something that we hear a lot in our culture today. I don’t dive into a lot of debates and arguments about different hot button issues when it comes to sin, or culture, or our faith with people because I think most of it is just a distraction from what truly matters…and most of those arguments go away as we truly bend our knee and submit ourselves to Jesus as our Lord and Savior…but I want to hit this with you today because it comes up so often. There are certain subjects in scripture that cause a lot of tension with people, some more than others right now…whether that be about sexuality, or alcohol, or well you name it. And one of the big arguments made to Christians by someone who doesn’t agree with something in Scripture can be, something like this… “Well, I’m not sure how you can support that line of thinking, because Jesus never addressed this issue or talked about it.” Have you ever heard something like that as someone argues over something they don’t agree with in The Bible? Well, if Jesus is God, and has been there from the beginning, and always will be…how could we say He didn’t say something just because it’s written in the Old Testament or the New? He was there forming Creation. He was there when all Scripture was written, and we know that all Scripture is inspired and from God. So I have seen Christians really struggle when someone brings up that idea that Jesus never said it…but Jesus is God…He is an inseparable part of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and The Holy Spirit…He was there, and all words are His, as He holds it all together…so just a side note for the next time that comes up, but it’s not even an argument because Jesus is God and all things come from Him…so if it’s in Genesis or Revelations it’s from Jesus. Jesus is God. Jesus is All Powerful! Jesus made it all! This has massive ramifications for us! Another thought I have as I read this from Paul is pretty special…

Jesus reveals and makes it all known to us! I love that first line from Paul there in verse 15…

Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. NLT

Jesus literally shows us the visible image of God. This is so awesome, not only do we get to see God, we also have Jesus’ life to guide us on how we should live as God would have us live our lives…think about that! Jesus shows us God and shows us how to live a Godly life! To live a Godly life we read our Bibles, we listen to the Holy Spirit, and we follow Jesus’ example of how to do it! I love Jesus’ interaction with Philip here…

John 14:8 Philip said, “Master, show us the Father; then we’ll be content.” 9 “You’ve been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don’t understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, ‘Where is the Father?’ 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act. 11 “Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see — these works. 12 The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. 13 From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. 14 Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do. MSG

So, why is this so important to me? Why does this matter to my life today? Well, think it through, He allows us to see and know God, and shows us how to live as God would have us live because He is God, and He did it so we have a model and a guide along with a friend in this life. What a gift!

Matthew 11:29 Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30 Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” MSG

So, we have dove into some details here as we study this section of Scripture that are really important, but I think there is something bigger that Paul is continuing to build up here…and that is just how powerful, how huge, and how magnificent Jesus truly is…which sets up just how much the magnitude of His sacrifice, and what He willingly gave away for us all. This is the next thought we must really sit in today, and really becomes such a theme over the next bunch of verses and it’s this…

Jesus made it all, shows it all, has it all…and gives it all away! Do you see it? Jesus is God. He has infinite power, and He gave that all away…literally sets that kind of power and status aside for you and for me…let’s read those three verses again…

Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything 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. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. NLT

This is such a big deal, Jesus sets aside the infinite power of all creation, for us all…to show us God on this Earth through His teachings, words, and actions, AND to lay down His life for our eternal salvation. Last week we read from Philippians 2 in the Message version, let’s go back there for a moment…

Philippians 2:5 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. 6 He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. 7 Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! 8 Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death — and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion. MSG

Ok, let’s slow down here remember we want to personalize Scripture in ways that it can become part of our lives. Ask yourself this question. Why is this so important to me? Why do I need to know how much Jesus gave up for me…Sam are you just trying to make me feel bad? NO! It’s so important for us to understand just how much Jesus willingly gave up for us, because it helps us grasp just how much He loves us. There is no greater love than God’s love for us and it’s seen in this great sacrifice for us all. This is how much He loves us that He put aside the privileges of being God so that you and I could truly live. That is true love and shows how much you matter to God! So, this theme of what Jesus sacrificed continues in the next few verses, let’s keep going with verse 18-20…

Colossians 1:18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 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. NLT

Paul continues to build into the power and leadership of Jesus as head of the church which is His body…and over all who rise from the dead, first in everything…and through Jesus and what He did for us on the Cross, everything in heaven and earth is made right, brought to peace through that sacrifice and Jesus’ blood on the cross. So not only did Jesus make it all, reveal it all to us, and give it all away for us but we see something here that needs to be highlighted.

Jesus paid it all. Jesus not only created, and was always there, but He saves us all, took care of it all in total. This is a really big deal. Paul lets us know that Jesus had infinite power over all things in heaven and earth, and that gives Him the ability to take care of it all, let’s read that again in the Message version.

Colossians 1:18 He was supreme in the beginning and — leading the resurrection parade — he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. 19 So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. 20 Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe — people and things, animals and atoms — get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross. MSG

So why is this so important to me today? What do I need to take from this? Well think of the freedom that you walk in because Jesus handles it all for you. What is left for you to earn and purchase if Jesus who is supreme, with infinite power handles it all for you? You don’t have anything to earn, or repay, or fix because Jesus does that for you…there is freedom, and peace, and rest, and joy in that thought if you can truly wrap your mind and heart around it and live it out. Think about that as we continue here…

Colossians 1:19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 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. 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.

So, verse 21 lets us know just how personal this is, Jesus paid it all, for us all! Even people like you and I who were once far from God. So, let’s ask our question. Why is this such a big deal to us personally? Well, I think I will let Paul answer that for us here in Romans 5…

Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 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. 10 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. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. NLT

So, I know I have thrown a lot at you today. I told you at the start we were really jumping into a big, deep section of Scripture but it’s just so important. I’m hoping you are seeing not only what Paul is building here but why it’s so important for you and for me, and while I was supposed to be working us through to the end of Chapter 1, we are going to work through two more verses here and call it a day…so stay with as we land the plane today…check out how this section ends.

Colossians 1:21 You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. 22 But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. 23 You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message — just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message. MSG

So, Paul puts the icing on the cake here in verse 22 by saying that you and I have been brought into God’s presence and made holy and blameless because of Jesus and that complete victory for us on The Cross. This is huge!

Colossians 1:22 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. NLT

What does this mean to you and I today? It means that regardless of our sins, mistakes, and the mess that we can make of things in life, Jesus took care of it all for us, and when our Heavenly Father looks at us, He only sees Jesus in us, not our sins, not our issues…we are holy and blameless without a single fault in God’s eyes…because of Jesus. This means we can walk in a personal relationship with God, this means we can draw near to God instead of hiding in fear or guilt from Him because of our sins…and this means we will be in eternal paradise someday with Him! That’s what this means for us today! Then Paul ends with this encouragement, for us all…to stick with our faith, and to stay focused on God’s incredible gift to us all, which is Jesus.

Colossians 1:23 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. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. NLT

Listen, life is hard and it’s full of distractions. Paul knew it way back in the day when they had half the distractions that we walk in today and he ends this section of Scripture with an encouraging word here. Don’t drift away from the amazing gift of Jesus. He does this because we humans can and do drift away from the amazing gift of Jesus. This is why we spent last week trying to get you to remember your salvation story and what Jesus did for you on The Cross, it’s that important. We must never drift away from all we have in Jesus, yet so many of us do.

So, as we close this down today, I just want to ask you if you truly grasp the magnitude of Jesus. Do you truly grasp who He is and what He has done for you…and just how big that all is for you on a personal level? You know, I think the good Christian answer is to say “Yes, Sam I do get the magnitude of Jesus and all that He has done for me.” But maybe before we just say the answer that we know to be the correct thing to say, we should look at our lives. Because I think for so many Christians, they know these words to be true, and would tell others about this message of Jesus…but they are not experiencing the kind of life that we keep hearing we could and should be living in Christ. If Christ truly is “All” and “ENOUGH” we would experience life and life to the full, you know that abundant, free, passionate, energy-giving, joy-filled life that we know we Christians should be experiencing…that so many just aren’t finding. It all comes down to living in this truth, that it’s all about Jesus…because if Jesus truly made it all, reveals it all, shows it all, gives it all away and paid it all for us we would live differently…we would experience the kind of life that so many of us want, are frustrated we can’t find or maybe are trying to pretend we already have. It’s all about Jesus and we don’t add to that message because this Message is the only one and it’s the gift that keeps us all going…and as Paul says, you don’t walk away from a gift like that…

Colossians 1:23 You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message — just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message.