The last time we spoke together, we looked at the first part of the first chapter of Corinthians and particularly focused on Paul's prayer for the church, found immediately preceding the passage that we read this morning. Just by a very quick way of review, Paul has written to the Colossians and Although it is probable that he never visited there, he has heard of their faith through Epaphras, who was a convert of his. And so he is writing to them. And he has a number of concerns. There's apparently some sort of difficulty, it's hard to know exactly what it was, called the Colossian heresy. Nobody seems to agree on exactly what it was, but it's probably some sort of a synchronous type of belief, some mixture between Jewishness and pagan thought. And I think that we're going to see some of the things today that Paul is concerned that they understand so that that thought doesn't lead them astray. In verse 12, he ends the prayer that he has for the Colossians by pointing out that he gives thanks always to the Father, who's qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. And then he gives us a reason to be thankful for that qualification. He says, 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. We see here a couple of verses that not only give us the reason for thankfulness, but also serves as a transition to some of the things that Paul wants to tell us about Jesus himself. And so he points out that this thankfulness is based on the fact that we have been delivered from the domain of darkness. He just thanked the Father for qualifying us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. And by contrast, he points out that we've been delivered from the domain of darkness, from the authority and sway of darkness, and that we've been transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son. Literally, that is the son of his love. And it focuses so strongly on God's mercy and grace and his love towards those whom he cares enough to bring them out of this domain of darkness into light. But it's not just a place where we can see, or where the Colossians could see, us by extension. It's a place where we have redemption. And he defines that redemption as the forgiveness of sin. And it's a kingdom. It is a place where It's not merely a physical place, but it is in contrast to that dominion, that power that darkness has over us. And now it is a kingdom in which light dwells and there is redemption. There's forgiveness of sin, which is typified by that darkness. And most importantly, it's the kingdom of his son. The son of his love, as a matter of fact, he points out. And so, having thanked the Lord for that deliverance from that transition from light to darkness, from unforgiveness, if you will, to forgiveness, he begins to describe the son. the son into whose kingdom that we have been transferred, the one who has brought about this redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He's concerned that we know who he is and what he's done, and that no confusion be left in their minds. so that they might understand that the faith that they've put in, the good news of the gospel itself, is not in vain. So, he tells the Colossians what they need to know about the Son. And he does that in verses 15 through 20. And it's really an interesting section of scripture. Many people have thought that it's actually either a hymn or an early Christian confession, may or may not be original to Paul. It may be modified by Paul. We simply don't know. But there are some striking things about these six verses that lead people to think that. I don't think it's truly important whether we believe that it really was an existing piece of doctrine. It is certainly true because Paul included it here under inspiration of the Spirit. It tells us some things about who Jesus is and what he has done. It breaks easily into two sections. The first section, verses 15 through 17, speaks of the son's preeminence in creation. And then verses 18 through 20 speak of his preeminence in redemption. And there's a good deal of parallelism in the language between each of the three verses. We're not going to focus on that too much. But it's one of the reasons that it's thought that this could be a creed or a hymn. So let's take a look then at these five verses, six verses, and see what Paul has to say about the Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The first part, as I said, speaks to the Son's relationship to creation, and he begins by pointing out in verse 15 that he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Now this idea of Jesus as the image of the invisible God, when we think of the image of God, our minds are immediately turned to Genesis and the creation account in which man is made in the image of God. And although perhaps there's solidarity meant here in terms of us and Christ and the image of God, I don't think that is the focus that Paul is making here. It's not merely an image of God as man, as we think of in Genesis, but Jesus is himself God. As Paul goes on to say in chapter 2 verse 9, in him all the fullness of deity dwells. So the focus is here, I think, how we perceive God and see God in the one who is normally invisible. See, he describes God as the invisible God. But Jesus himself is what can be seen, is one who can be seen. and all that fullness of God is seen in Jesus. We have in Jesus, God incarnate, the very nature and being of God revealed to us. John tells us that no one has seen God, but the only begotten Son. who has his being in the Father's bosom. He is, it is, who has made him known. He is the one that tells us who God is. Jesus himself said, when asked by the disciples to show them the Father, said, the one that has seen me has seen the Father. And so I think that is the idea that Paul is getting at here in speaking of Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He is God incarnate and made visible to man. And what goes along with that is an attribute that only God has, and that is of creation. He describes him as the firstborn of all creation in the second part of the verse. So here the emphasis is on preeminence in creation. Paul isn't saying that Jesus is the first created being. He was the first one born. That's a notion that verse 16, the very next verse, flatly contradicts. We'll see that in a moment. The truth is that this firstborn is a title of preeminence, the one in whom the inheritance rests. And so, it is a title of authority and power. It is not that Jesus has been created. In fact, as mentioned in verse 16, it says that very thing. It says that, for by him all things were created, things invisible by the thrones or dominions 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 Paul is very explicit in saying that everything was created by Jesus and nothing negatively put nothing was created that that had been created and so to to cast Jesus as a created being as a some try to do is to misapprehend entirely the title of firstborn. He is firstborn because that is the position of the son at the right hand of God the Father. This creation is not just done by him, but his purposes are integral to it. All things were created through him and for him. Paul makes it clear that he's not referring just to physical creation, but also the creation of any other possible entities in heaven or in earth, whether it's visible, invisible, whether it's power or rule, everything, everything has been made by him and through him and for him. And he points out again that he is before all things. And in him all things hold together. Not only is Jesus agent in creation, but he is the one who holds the creation together. And keeps it from falling apart. So in these three verses we begin to see the picture that Paul is drawing of Jesus. He's not just a guy that came out of nowhere. said some good things and some smart things or even figured out, you know, how we could relate to God. No, He is God Himself. He is God incarnate. He is the one who put together the earth. He is the one who exercises dominion over the world and holds sway in every single aspect of it. And it is this Son, this all-powerful, creative son, you see, that is the author, then, of redemption. It's fitting. Who else could provide such a redemption? Who else has authority to forgive sins? Jesus himself pointed out. I exercise Dominion over the creation in my miracles and so that you know that I have power To forgive sins. He told the Pharisees when they questioned him after healing So Jesus is As We say from a theological standpoint the second person of the Trinity he is God It is through him that everything came into being. But even more than that, he is the agent of redemption as well, not just of creation. Verse 18 says, and he is the head of the body, the church, the object of redemption. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile Himself to all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross." We begin to see some of the parallels here between Jesus as Creator and Jesus as a redeemer as well. He redeems all things to himself, whether on earth or in heaven. But he begins with the statement that he is the head of the body, the church. And we know that this figure of of the church as the body of Christ, the body of Jesus, is one that Paul speaks of in a couple of different places in Romans chapter 12 and 1 Corinthians chapter 12. But here, he emphasizes that headship of Jesus. But it is a headship where, I mean, the head still belongs to the body. He is part of the body himself. but he is head over all of it. He is the one who has authority, which is fitting, because he is the creator, because he has preeminence, as we're going to see, because he himself has provided redemption. He is not merely the image of God as man, but he is the image of God as the Redeemer of man. He goes on to describe Jesus in declaring that He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might have preeminence. Now all these things go together. In speaking of the beginning, we're in the context of his relationship as head to the body that is the church. He is the beginning. He is the one who has brought it about. The author of Hebrews in chapter 12 puts it a little different way. He says he is the, depending on how you translate those words, the architect and the owner of faith. the one who has brought it to pass, the founder, if you will, of the church. And that's emphasized by the next term that he uses, which is grammatically a description of what has just been said. Grammarians, it's an apposition. to he is the beginning, he is the firstborn from the dead. It's interesting, here again we see that parallel. We've already seen him as firstborn of all creation, but now he's described in redemption as firstborn from the dead. Now, again, the idea of temporal priority is not primarily what he's pointing at here, because he describes that in terms of this idea of the first place, that is a preeminence. He says, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might have preeminence. It is because of this position as firstborn from the dead that he has preeminence. Now we also see A little differently from the use of firstborn and firstborn in creation, there's just so many rich and overlapping ideas going on here. We see an identification of Jesus with his people as the head is part of the body because the firstborn from the dead clearly has a reference to Jesus' resurrection. Jesus is the one who has come back from the dead. Death, which is the result of sin in the world, which is the fruit of the domain of darkness, is conquered by the one who is the agent of creation in the very first place. He who has created can also recreate. He who has been raised from the dead, you see, is the firstborn of all those who will be raised. This is very similar, I think, in import, although the figure is just a little different than what we see in 1 Corinthians 15, when Paul, asserting the absolute necessity of the resurrection of Christ, points out that it is all based on the fact that Christ is the first fruits of those who have died. And there he has allusion to the Old Testament, a sacrificial festival where the first fruit of the harvest is offered to the Lord as a offering of thankfulness But also, it's in faith that the rest of the harvest would follow, that God himself, in giving him the first part, they don't hold back some, saying, well, maybe the rest of the harvest won't come in. We better keep this part for ourselves. No, the first part they give to the Lord, because they trust in him to bring in the rest of the harvest. And so Paul uses that idea, you see, to describe Jesus as the first One who's already been raised. And that's why that if he hasn't been raised, then we're not going to be raised. Because we are in our identification with him, you see, in such a close and intimate way, part of that same resurrection. That resurrection which has already begun in him and which culminates in our all being raised on that last day. Here, firstborn from the dead conveys that same idea, that Jesus, who was first to be recreated, first to be born again, if you will, is part of the whole in which we participate. He is the firstborn from the dead. Death, you see, is overpowered and conquered. by him who has been raised from it. Paul goes on to point out that in him, again, there's this idea that we've already seen in the first part of creation. In him, all the fullness of God is pleased to dwell. In him, all things hold together, he said, as regards to creation. Here, in him, all the fullness of God dwells. This fullness is something that's, the fullness of God, if you will, is personified as that which is part of who Jesus is. Again, that's a clear statement of who he is as a God himself. This is a fullness not only of creation, but a fullness of redemption as well. Remember, this comes immediately after the statement that he is first born from the dead. The implication here is that only in such a one as Jesus, in whom all of God's fullness dwells, could have effected such things as the redemption of a creation marred beyond any attempt of its own to restore itself. It can't. It can only be restored by one who has the power of a creator. As he has already pointed out, that can only be of Jesus. He is the one who has the power to do so. And so, he points out, he goes on to what that means in terms of that redemption. Through him, to reconcile all things to himself. It is the whole creation that needs to be reconciled and has been done by the death of Jesus on the cross. Jesus overcomes death by his death and his resurrection. He's reconciled everything. And note that this is a real death. It's not some sort of a phantasm or some sort of an image, mere appearance of a body. It was suffered in Jesus' incarnate body. He points out that this death is one that brings peace. This, of course, implies that before it, a state existed that was the opposite of peace, of strife, of alienation against God, that God himself. And that alienation has to be done away with before peace itself can be established. But then thirdly, it's accomplished by the blood of the cross. It is Jesus' sacrifice of himself that reconciles all things. It was necessary that Jesus died. That's what he told the guys on the road to Emmaus when he talked to them. He showed them how it was necessary that the Christ should suffer. and die. Now, I think we begin, I think, by looking at these two sections together and seeing that relationship between them and why Paul describes them in such a fashion. You see, it is fitting that the God of creation, the very God of creation who brought all things into being, who holds everything together, would be the one who is able to restore it after it has been marred by sin. Nothing else, short of God's miraculous power, you see, can bring about this restoration. Even the creation itself is restored. Paul, in chapter 8 of Romans, says the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to fertility, not willingly, but because of him who suggested it in hope that the creation itself would be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, grown inwardly as we eagerly wait for adoption of sons, the redemption of our bodies. You see, this bond between Jesus as creator of the world and the redeeming of every part of the world, including even the physical creation, you see, is again, focuses on who it is that has provided this redemption. Who it is that the Colossians have put their faith and their trust in. And Paul is anxious that they understand just who he is. He's not someone who only brought some sort of incomplete salvation. Or that now you've got to have some other kind of a Greek ideal in order to complete that salvation. Or some kind of a Jewish completion that brings back into focus that which is passed away. So Paul has given us really here a comprehensive statement of who Jesus is and what he's done. He's God himself, present in creation with all the prerogatives of the Godhead as far as the preeminence, the glory, honor, and worship that goes with it. It is this creator come to earth to set things right with the world that is in a helpless need of reconciliation to God and of which only God himself can provide. So that is what has been done by the Son of God Himself. This reconciliation by the blood of the cross, establishing Him as the firstborn from the dead through resurrection, has made Him head over the body, over His body, the Church, and has redeemed not only the Church, but also the whole creation. Now all this is wonderful to know, to think about boggles the mind when we contemplate it. But Paul has a little more to say about this in verses 21 through 23 as we read. This reconciliation by the blood of the cross means something to his readers. And so what does he say? And you, see this comes home to roost to them. And you, who were once alienated and hostile in mind, under the dominion of darkness, if you will, he has, and 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. So here's another aspect of that redemption, that reconciliation that he has provided. Not just that we be delivered out of that darkness to somewhere else, but that we might be presented holy and blameless, away from any possible dominion of that darkness of sin, before God who is completely holy. completely righteous, a thing that we could never hope to achieve on our own. But even so, in pointing that out, Paul wants to make one final and overriding point. And he points out that this is done by faith. And it is a challenge as well. 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, who has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, am made a minister. You see, Paul's focus on the Son as Creator and Redeemer leaves them with must leave them with the conclusion that there is no other hope. There is no other redemption that's to be had. And that faith and trust in Him is something that is not just an ephemeral thinking that, okay, I know what's true now. It doesn't have anything to do with me. No, it's that faith, that trust in that is a continuing thing. It's done through faith in Christ, which brings about the reconciliation. But faith is not a simple acknowledgment of redemption and reconciliation. It is a trusting with the whole being that issues an established, steadfast, unshifting hope in the good news of Christ's redemption. As one commentator put, continuance is the test of the reality of faith. This is the faith that Paul urges them to hold fast, of which he himself, as he points out here, is a ministering servant. And you see, here's where the challenge comes to us as well, because we're also part of that redemption as fully as the Colossians are. We participate in all that Paul has described here, but that participation is through faith. It directs ourselves, not to ourselves, but outside of ourselves, to what Christ has done. And we dare not turn from that thought, from that object of faith, because if we will not trust in the creator of the universe, the creator of everything, the redeemer of everything, to what can we turn? There's nothing left. Our faith must be in him. It is a faith that continues on, that in which we live our whole lives. It is what is characteristic of the church of which Christ himself is the head. And that is the challenge to us, that we put continually our trust in the one who has brought redemption and will finally bring it to the glory of God the Father. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we are thankful for your mercy and grace to us. We marvel that Christ himself came to redeem us. We marvel that the one who created the universe and holds it together has deigned to come and provide redemption for those who deserve it not the least. We pray that you would give us a full and complete understanding May it seize and search our hearts. But Lord, not just that we might know this, but that we might truly invest our truth in you, our trust in you. That we trust, we put aside trust in everything else and see only you. For you're the one who holds everything in your hands. We pray that you would bless us as your people. Give us that constancy, which we have not in our own, but which you are able to provide for us. In Christ's name we pray, amen.