Turn with me in your Bibles to Colossians 1. Colossians 1. We're going to spend our time this morning in verses 15 through 23, and then we're going to skip over to Colossians 3, and we're going to look at verses 1 through 4. So, as I was sitting on my front porch last week preparing for this morning, I was reminded of an old hymn. It's going through Colossians 3, and it very much reminded me of this. And the chorus goes like this. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. And I'm sitting there and I realize that the things of earth for me have become very clear, vivid at times. And that's no good. That's no good. So there was repentance and hopefully change in this heart. But for us, my point's this. Here before us in that song, we have the goal of this morning. My prayer is that this morning will help the things of earth grow dim in the blinding light of God's glory. That's what we wanna do today. So you know where we're headed already. We wanna forget what's here and we wanna look to Christ. So let's pray before we get started. Father, your songs, your worship this morning has already led us to the foot of your throne to behold you and your Son and your Spirit in all their glory. We feel those things of earth growing dim, Father, and I pray that it would continue. I pray that we would continue to see what you want us to see and continue to leave behind these things of earth. So Lord, help our hearts today to tune out what would distract us, what would take us away, what would Keep our minds busy without ever seeing you. Help us concentrate on you this morning. From your word in Jesus' name, amen. So over the past two weeks, we've talked a lot about glory. We have seen the glory of God as it's displayed throughout scripture from garden to city. We have heard about its power. We have even sat down and we've talked about the kingdom, the city, the inheritance, and rest. This morning, I want you to start thinking about glory as a place. We hear about this in songs all the time, right? We hear about a new name written down where? In glory. Whether that's correct, we hear it. Michael English sang about dreaming of a city called glory. And Mahalia Jackson, by the way, greatest singer ever, sings a song called When I Wake Up in Glory. And I can just put that on repeat. And all of these refer to a destination, a destination that we believers will someday, as Mahalia said, wake up in. We should learn about glory and we should long to be in glory, or as the Bible sometimes calls it, heaven. Someday we will arrive in heaven as our destination. Someday the path of life will run out, the vapor will disappear, and we will be in heaven. Seems important to know what's there, doesn't it? What is there to look forward to? We listen to Pastor Dale and he exhorted us to keep our eyes up. Well, then what are we looking for there? Are streets of gold the point? Are crystal seas the point? Are the pearly gates the point? Or are those just pointers to something Someone much greater, much more majestic, much more beautiful. I believe they are. And I would like to introduce you to the point of heaven this morning. This person of glory. So look down in your Bibles with me. Go to Colossians chapter one, verse 15. This is what God's word says. 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. It doesn't say it right there, but the he here in this verse is our Lord Jesus Christ. And God just told us that he is the image of God. For all time, people have wanted to know what God looked like. They've carved up wood and stone and precious metals. They've called them God. They've painted paintings of God, they've bowed down and worshiped those, but for the first time in all of history, people were able to stand before God and look Him in the eyes. Before this, we have the likes of Moses, to whom God said, you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live. We have Isaiah. who just upon seeing a vision of God says, woe is me, for I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. But now, Now they were able and we will be able to see God as a man. This is no burning bush, no pillar of cloud or fire. This is not a vision. This is God's very image in front of us to be seen and touched and hugged and like John to be leaned on at the dinner. He is no longer far away or behind the curtain, but Jesus is up close and personal in his humanity. He goes on in the second part of the verse and he states that he is the firstborn of all creation. And many of you know that has confused a lot of people for a lot of years. Skeptics and doubters will say, see, your God has a beginning, and therefore, he is not God at all. I mean, something was before him, so how can he be part of this God mentioned in Genesis chapter one? And to that, we should say, you need to keep reading. Why is he called the firstborn of all creation? Look at verse 16, it tells us, it says, for or because he's the firstborn of all creation, because by him, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities, all things were created through him and for him. It's not because he was the firstborn like a baby, but because everything comes from him. He is the cause of all that is. This great God of whom we can look in the eyes is the creator of all of it. There is nothing you can think of, look at, love or hate that didn't start with Him. Nothing spiritual or earthly, nothing. My dear brothers and sisters, you will stand someday in heaven, gazing lovingly into the eyes of your very creator. Jesus is the creator and God doesn't stop. He keeps going. He continues to build up Jesus in verse 17. This is what God's word says. Look down in your Bibles, verse 17, and he is before all things and in him all things hold together. So at first he simply restates what came before. He is before all things. And then he goes on to say that in him, all things hold together. Not only would you have never been made without him, but we see that he is the sustainer of creation. Think about it. He keeps everything from falling apart. While he is perfectly executing all of his mediatory duties, he is holding all of creation together. If he were to stop thinking of the law of gravity, it would become a theory in an instance and turn your world all upside down. Maybe literally. He is your creator. He is your sustainer. We go on to verse 18, this is what God's word says. Look down at 18. 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 preeminent. So get this straight. He is the creator, he is the firstborn. As the creator, he's the firstborn. As the sustainer, he's before all things. And as the head of the body, the church, he's the beginning. Are you hearing this? But not only that, he's again the firstborn, but not just the firstborn, he's the firstborn from the dead. That doesn't mean that he's the first dead guy, right? That means that he's the first to be resurrected from the dead. Jesus doesn't need to be raised to newness of life. He is, his life was perfect, but he has gone ahead and paved the way for his brothers and sisters as the first to conquer the death that Adam brought into this world. Why? He tells us that in everything, he might be preeminent. And I know for some of us, at least us little ones, you know, we hear a word like preeminent and we say, what is that? I don't know what that means. Here's some definitions and they're great. Preeminence is the surpassing of all others. It's to be more important, more skillful, more successful. And the last one I really like, it's just better than. Right? He's just better. This is Jesus Christ, the head of the church. He is preeminent. He is your creator, sustainer, preeminent head. And we go on, verse 19, God's word says this, for in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. What? Did we just read that? Jesus is God, for in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. It wasn't forced. It wasn't plan B. It wasn't because God had to figure out something and this son of his was good enough. No, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in him. He is fully and full of God. Nothing and no one else has ever or will ever be able to say this. He is what all of creation has been waiting for. He is everything the Old Testament had been leading up to. God's word has shown us examples of prophets and of priests and of kings. But now, now we have the prophet, the priest, and the king. Jesus as all God and all man and no one else could ever or will ever to be able to take his place. He's God. Are you short of breath? Have you begun to see? Can you, in hearing about him, taste heaven? Left in verse 19, we are without hope. We know who Jesus is. What about where we are? Jesus is all these things, but you would still be a sinner unsaved. However, Paul continues on, Paul has one more thing to say, and hold on to your hats because this one, this one is vital to you. He's the creator, he's the sustainer, he's the head over the church, he is God in the flesh, and God's word says this in verse 20, look down. And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross. Now we know how he gets that church. There is nothing, there is no one on earth or in heaven who has a higher standing than Jesus. It is at his name that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. And to what purpose has he used this standing? To reconcile all things to God. Not just things on earth, but things in heaven as well. How will he do this amazing bringing together, this reconciliation? Well, he allowed us to betray him with a kiss. He allowed us to deny that we ever knew him. He allowed us to whip him, crush a crown of thorns into his forehead, mock him, spit on him, and finally nail him to a cross in a most barbaric kind of death. And that would seem to be the worst of it, huh? But the book of Mark goes on to say this, that on the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, which means, and we're thankful for that, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Hell is surely a place but its punishment is not by location, it is by absence. Jesus very much experienced hell on our behalf, and we know that from those nine words. This forsaken creator, sustainer, preeminent head, this God-man is the reconciler of all things to God, making peace by the blood of the cross. He's our creator, sustainer, head, God, and peacemaker. He is the person of glory, and there ain't no street, no sea, no gate that is greater. There is no thing and no one you should look more forward to seeing in heaven than Him. He is the way, He's the truth, He's the life, He's the point of heaven. And if you can think of heaven without Him, then you ain't thinking of heaven at all. Well, as one author put it, how should we then live? In light of Him, how do we go about life? Turn to Colossians 3. Let's pick up in Colossians 3, chapter 1. Chapter one, verse one. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Don't just sit there and say to yourself, you know what, it's nice that he's the creator, sustainer, and you know, all those things. Don't do that. Get up, get moving, mind, body, and spirit, and seek the things that are above with your Savior and God. What are those things? What should we be seeking? Paul in Colossians is pushing back against the false spirituality in chapter two. So we go there first. And we can move out from here and recall Matthew's exhortation to seek first what? The kingdom of God. and his righteousness. In that passage, Matthew says, God knows the basics that you need. Stop worrying about them and seek the kingdom. Seek the things that are above. Well, how do you do that? How do I seek things that are above? Start out like this, read God's word. Meditate on God's Word. Pray. Fellowship with your brothers and sisters. Put yourself under the preaching of the Word whenever possible. Partake in the Lord's table. Celebrate baptisms when we have them. Start seeking with those things and watch what God does. Because His grace is definitely greater than your need. And in those, you will find it in abundance. Seek out the person of glory. Paul goes further than just seeking in verse two. Look down in your Bible. God's word says this in verse two, set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. So go looking, and when you find what you've been seeking, set your mind on it. In particular, Paul again is speaking against the practices in chapter two. And we'll move out a little bit wider and a little bit further out into other parts of the Bible as well, that say you should be thinking about, and remember this one, you probably learned it as a little kid. You should be thinking about whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, anything excellent, anything worthy of praise. You remember it? Set your mind on the person of glory. So all of this kind of begs the question, why? Why do these things? Look down, God's word tells us in verse three and four. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. You seek and you set because you are no longer you. You are no longer yours. You have died. Do you see the bookends between verse one and verse four? We've gone from the rhetorical if you were raised to for if you have or for you have died. This is that resurrection life we talk about. We have gone through where our big brother has paved the way from death to life. We are hidden. That is, Jesus will keep us safe to the end. When is that? He tells us in the next part of the verse. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Seek the person of glory, set your mind on the person of glory. And in the end, Paul tells us, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the sound of the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then those who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. When He appears, you will also appear with Him in glory, finally and forever, face-to-face with the person of glory, the very Lord Jesus Christ, who is the creator, the sustainer, the preeminent head. He is God and peacemaker, and on that day, you will fall into His arms, safe forever. And that, brothers and sisters, will be heaven. Let it sit. Let it sit on your soul. Jesus is what you get. Jesus is your reward. All of the things you have ever wanted, all the gifts you've ever been given pale in comparison to this one. this person of glory. So for those of you who don't know Jesus, this person of glory, I'm here not to tell you to run from hell. But to run to the Savior. Run into the arms of the only Savior because there is no other. Repent and believe. receive your reward. And for those of you who do know Jesus Christ, this person of glory, seek the things that are above. Set your mind on the things that are above and rest safely hidden with Christ in God. For it won't be long till we hear the voice of the archangel. And we hear the sound of the trumpet. when we awake in the arms of our Savior, home at last, in glory. Let's pray. Father, we love you. And we haven't even scratched the surface. We thank you for your word that it tells us about this person of glory, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Father, I pray that we would set our minds, that we would seek you out, that we would enjoy you forever. In Jesus' great name, amen.