Sermon Central
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Is Jesus First Place In Your Life? Series
Contributed by Danny Rogers on Jan 16, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: Much of the false teaching taking place in Colosse had to do with the minimizing of Jesus. Many people thought He was important but not essential. They had given Him a place in their lives, without recognizing that He demands first place. Jesus was promin
They used this verse and a few others to make claim that Jesus was a created being. We have some religions that teach this today – the Jehovah’s Witness for example. But these texts do not require us to believe their interpretation of the text. In fact their exegesis of these passages is incorrect. According to Biblical usage and customs the correct exegesis/interpretation of text tells us that Christ has the rights or privileges of the “first-born. So Col 1:15 means that Christ has the privileges of authority and rule, the privileges belonging to the “first-born,” in respect to the whole creation.
This is one of the main reasons the Council of Nicea was formed and reason for the Nicene Creed in 325.
If you read the fictional book or saw the fictional movie, “The Davinci Code” you may have heard them make mention of the Council of Nicea in 325. But they had it all wrong. The claim in the book that is was a close vote concerning Bishop Arius’ teaching vs. orthodox views. The truth is the vote was more like 3 to 300 in favor of Christ and the Father being one and the same. Of the same ousia or substance.
3. He is the creator of all things (16). Just to make sure everyone understands what Paul means by firstborn in vs. 15 he explains it in.
Illustration: I want you to picture this scene. You get a knock on your door. It’s the Jehovah’s Witness. Of course, you have been a Christian for a while so you think it’s ok to let them talk – you can handle it.
They ask you get your Bible and turn to Col 1:15. Then they say something like, “See what it says? It doesn’t mean that Jesus IS God. It says He was the image of God.” Then they may show you a photograph of a person and ask, “Is that the person, or just an image of that person?” Then they have you read those words, “firstborn over all creation,” and then they say, “See, that proves Jesus can’t be God. It says he was the firstborn over all creation; that proves he was created and if he was created, then God created Him which means he can’t be God.”
“Jesus was the image of God, just like we were created in the image of God, and he was a created man just like we are.” And a lot of scripturally ignorant church members say, “Hmmm, you may be right.”
Well wake up church! All you have to do is read the next seven words and their false doctrine about Jesus crumbles like a house of cards. It says [read vs. 16].
This verse tells us that Jesus was present and participating in the Creation of everything. The early church father Irenaeus put it this way, “Jesus Christ is the glove that the Father puts on when He creates the world.”
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being (Jhn 1:3).
4. He Holds All Things Together (17). Not only did Jesus create the universe, He sustains it. Jesus is the super glue and duct tape of the universe [vs. 17]. He keeps everything from falling into chaos. Physicists have been debating how atoms and smaller, quarks hold together. They recognize the presence of what they term “strong force” yet they don’t know what it is. I know what it is. It is Jesus Christ. In Him all things hold together.
