Turn with me if you would now
to Colossians chapter one. Colossians chapter one. Last
Sunday night, we looked at the first 14 verses of this chapter. And when I got to my study Monday
morning, I opened my Bible to this chapter again, because I
had a marker in it. I had a ribbon right here. And when I did that, I read the
next verse and it amazed me. I truly, I immediately got lost
in it and I'm still lost in it. I'm, I'm lost in this. Um, just diving into the reality
of what this verse is saying and what the rest of the scripture
says in light of this verse, I'm telling us the honest truth
here. This is impossible to comprehend. This is impossible to comprehend. This is so full of wonder. This is impossible to comprehend. And I want to preface this message
with a couple of things. Number one, prepare yourself
to not comprehend this. I pray God might give us faith
to believe it. By God's grace, I do believe
it. As God's people, we believe everything
that he has written in this word. We do. Don't we, whether we comprehend
it or not, we believe every single thing that he has written in
this word. And, um, I'm coming to this tonight,
truly relying on the spirit of God. to open it up and make it
a blessing to us. I'm completely relying on the
Spirit of God. Now, I wanna back up a few verses
and lead into what will be our text, okay? In the first 14 verses
of this chapter, Paul declared how thankful he was for what
God had done for us in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. If
you look with me at verse 12, he said, giving thanks unto the
Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. He said, in Christ, God, the
father has made us worthy to be partakers of the inheritance
that he is going to give to all of his people. Now we talk about
that and we cannot comprehend what we're saying. I'm talking
about it right now. Lord willing, we may talk about
it after this message is over a little bit. We cannot comprehend
what we're saying. We think we do. We think that
we have an understanding here. Our understanding, I believe
one thing that studying this has done for me, our understanding
has yet to scratch the surface, really. The Queen of Sheba said,
the half has not been told. And that's kind of what we, that's
what I've always thought. Well, we know about half of it
and then the other half will be told. I'm telling you, we
have yet to scratch the surface of this. Um, the inheritance
that God has prepared for his people. Think about this. Think
about how awesome God is. And we're going to try to dwell
on in our earthly bodies here, our little fickle, small and
puny minds and selves, we're going to try to fathom God's
inheritance, eternal inheritance that will never fade away. The inheritance is Christ. All right. We get Christ. We
inherit Christ, but according to Romans eight, the inheritance
is also all things with Christ. That's what Romans eight says.
It says, if the father gave us Christ, shall he not also with
him? freely give us all things, Him
and all things with Him. Turn with me, if you would, to
1 Corinthians 2. First Corinthians 2 verse 9 says, but as it is written, I hath
not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man. the things which God hath prepared
for them that love Him. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not
heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things
that God has prepared for them that love Him. Verse 10 says,
but God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit, for the Spirit
searcheth all things Yay, the deep things of God. God's spirit has revealed to
us that there is an inheritance reserved in heaven for God's
people who were bought with his blood. God's spirit has confirmed
that in us. We believe it, don't we? There
is an inheritance. Purchased and reserved by that
blood. There is an inheritance reserved
in Christ, but no man or woman could possibly imagine what it
is. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not
heard, neither has entered into the heart of a man or a woman. What that could possibly be. No man or woman could possibly
imagine what it's going to be like to be with Christ. We try to all the time. We try
to imagine what a sinless state would be like. We try to imagine
what heaven will be like. We try to imagine what our loved
ones who are believers who have gone on before us. We try to
imagine what they're doing and what they're. No man or woman can possibly
even imagine what it's going to be like to be with Christ
and to be a joint heir with Christ. True, absolute, complete union
with Christ. That's what we're talking about
tonight. That's what. That's what we're getting to, and that's
what I'm going to lack the ability to describe. Union with Christ. No man or woman could possibly
imagine what union with Christ is gonna be like, and we're about
to realize how true that statement is, all right? We're about to
realize how true that statement is. Go with me back to Colossians
1. Colossians 1 verse 12 says, giving
thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered
us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the
kingdom of his dear Son. We can't go one step further
until we mention the fact that Christ accomplished a perfect
salvation for his people. To say that he delivered us means
we needed to be delivered. to just announce He delivered
us, that is declaring we needed to be delivered. We were sinners
sold into sin, completely sold into sin, sold into the slavery
and the bondage of our own sin. And Christ, by His own power,
delivered us from the power of darkness. He delivered us from
the kingdom of sin and death that we live in. And he translated us into the
kingdom of the son of God. That's what Christ did for his
people. Now, verse 14. is the perfect outline for a
message. I wrote an article from this
verse today, and I put it in the bulletin for Sunday. If anyone
needs an outline, if you go somewhere and need an outline, here it
is, all right? Write this down and stick it
somewhere. Verse 14 says, in whom? Christ. All right. That's where it all
starts. That's where everything is found. That's the foundation
of it all in whom we have. I love this verse. We, us, not all, but by God's
mercy, by God's grace, we have. Not we'll have, not hope to have,
not we're trying to have, not if everything works out and we
don't mess it up we'll have. In whom we have redemption. Redemption. That's what we have
in whom, redemption. And everything that that means,
redemption. Think about how man fell and
lost it. And this is what we have in whom
redemption. Verse 14 goes on to say through
his blood in everything that he gave, everything
he gave to bring that redemption to us. And what does that mean
for us? Verse 14 goes on to say the forgiveness
of sins. It means translation into the
kingdom of our savior. It means partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. That's a wonderful five point
outline. All right. Now, verse 15, here's our text. This is speaking of the Lord
Jesus Christ in verse 15 says, who is the image of the invisible
God? the firstborn of every creature. Who is the image of the invisible
God? When I read that, I got lost
in the wonder of that. Who is the image of the invisible
God? I have a reference in my Bible
right here next to the image. I have a reference to 2 Corinthians
4, verse 4. Turn with me over there. We'll
run the little path that I ran while I was studying. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 3 says,
but if our gospel be hid, It is hid to them that are lost
in whom the God of this world have blinded the minds of them,
which believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, who
is the image of God. should shine unto them, Christ,
who is the image of God. All right. I have a reference
right here next to who is the image of God. The second one
is Hebrews one, verse three, turn with me over to Hebrews
one. Hebrews 1 verse 1 says, God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the worlds, Verse three says, who being the
brightness of his glory, the brightness of his glory and the
express image of his person and upholding all things by the word
of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins sat down
on the right hand of the majesty on high. All right, now I have
a reference right here for brightness of His glory to John 1. Turn
with me to John 1. John 1. Verse 1 says, In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Verse 14 says, And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory The glory
as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth. Those two words, only begotten. When we hear that, we think of
it in the same way as we think of us having children. All right. When we think of only begotten,
we associate that with us having children. All right. We think
of our children coming from us. and having our characteristics
passed along to them because we were first and they came second. They came after us. Therefore,
they are subject to us and they are the result of our doing.
That's how we think of that, okay? There is somewhat a reference
to birth in saying begotten. But let me tell you what those
two words mean. When you look them up, this is what they mean.
Only begotten means single of its kind, only created. It comes down to
meaning only. That's what it means, only. John right here said, in looking
at Jesus Christ, we beheld the glory of the only created image
of the Father. Can we see that through the scripture?
Jesus Christ, and really hone in on this one word, Jesus Christ
is the only begotten image of God that there is. Does that make sense? He is the single image of its
kind. And what sent me into a state
of being awestruck is seeing from the word our union with
him. I mean, have we, have we seen
a little something about who he is here for just a second?
Seeing our union, I mean, union with him. We have been brought
into a vital union with him. And just look at who He is. Look
at who He is. Now, I want to approach this
fearfully. I believe that's what I have
been for three days now, afraid. I've been afraid. And I right now want to approach
this fearfully and reverently. I want to approach this so reverently. But here's the thing about it.
This is written. So I'm gonna declare it. I can't
comprehend it. You can't either. You cannot
comprehend this, but I'm gonna declare it. And we'll let the
scripture reveal what it wants to reveal and say what it wants
to say. But this is just, I don't know
what to say about it. Just go to Romans eight, turn
with me to Romans eight. I'm just going to read it. Romans 8 verse 29 says, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate. to be conformed to the image
of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Do we see that? Conformed to
the image of his son. It almost feels blasphemous for
me to ask the question and remind us again, now, Who is, what is,
who is the image of the Son of God? It just feels blasphemous. Makes me wanna, makes me wanna
get up under this building. If I could crawl up under this
building, that's what it makes me wanna do. Turn with me to First Corinthians
15. Our brother just read this, 1
Corinthians 15, look with me at verse 49. As we have borne
the image of the earthy, We shall also bear the image
of the heavenly. Who is he talking about in saying
we're gonna bear the image of the heavenly? Look at verse 47.
The first man is of the earth, earthy. The second man is the
Lord from heaven. Look at second Corinthians three. Second Corinthians three verse
18 says, but we all with open face beholding
as in a glass, the glory of the Lord are changed into the same
image from glory to glory. even as by the Spirit of the
Lord." The only thing I know to say right now is, not unto
us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name. Give all the glory. Turn with me to 1 John 3. First John three, verse one says,
behold, what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us
that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world
knoweth us not because it knew him not beloved. Now are we the sons of God right
now? We are okay. Now are we the sons
of God? And it does not yet appear what
we shall be. But we know that when he shall
appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. We shall be like him. David said in Psalm 17 verse
15, I shall be satisfied when I awake with our likeness. I'm telling you, we don't know
what's coming. We can't comprehend what's coming.
We cannot comprehend the glory of the Lord that he has bestowed
on his people. When the Lord prayed in John
17 to the Father, the same glory you gave to me, I've given it
to them. Again, let's crawl up under this
building. You know, you hear this and you
think, what are you saying? Wait a minute now, what are you
saying? I'm not saying anything. I don't
want to say anything. We'll let God do all the commentary. But this is what John said. It
doth not yet appear. What did David mean when he said,
I'll be satisfied when I awake with your likeness? It doth not
yet appear. That's the only answer we can
give. It doth not yet appear. I don't know. I just don't know. But all I can tell you this,
this is what I can deduct from it. Union with Christ is unspeakable. Union with the Lord Jesus Christ
is unspeakable. Living with Christ in the holy
image of Christ, the only begotten of God, It's unspeakable. When the apostle Paul was called
up into the third heaven, he said, I heard things that are
unspeakable. They cannot be commented on right
now. This cannot be commented on right now. This can be declared. This can be believed. This can
be hoped in. We can have an expected anticipation
of something that we can't comprehend. This can be looked forward to,
but it can't be commented on right now because we cannot comprehend
it. We just cannot comprehend what
it's going to be. God's people are going to experience what
it is to be in absolute, complete, total union with the one who
bears the only image of God that there is. And even though that union is
already in place right now, it's already secure, even though we
have it right now, because of our sinful flesh, we can't comprehend
it right now. We just sang that song, this
robe of flesh, I'll drop and rise. The moment that happens,
we're gonna know as we've been known. We're gonna see as we
have been seen. But right now, it's unspeakable. It's unspeakable, all right?
So, with God's Word to us here being declared, let me leave
us with this. Turn with me if you would to
2 Corinthians 9. 2 Corinthians 9 verse 15 says, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift. There is so much more to know
about our redemption in the blood of Christ than we could possibly
comprehend. There is so much more to know. And until the time comes that
we can comprehend it, may God just give us faith to believe
it. May He just give us faith to believe it, hope to anticipate
it, love to look forward to it. Love to look forward to what
it truly is going to be like to experience life with the Lord
Jesus Christ. Our life is in the Lord Jesus
Christ right now. Our life is in the Lord Jesus
Christ, but we're gonna have life with the Lord Jesus Christ
for all eternity. Lord, give us faith to believe
what we cannot comprehend. Give us faith to believe it,
and let's just rejoice in that word. I pray he'll give us a
happiness, even though we can't fathom it, I pray he'll give
us a happiness in this word to believe and trust and hope
in what he's done for us, what he's done concerning us. All
right, I'll just stop. Let's all stand together. Hmm.