Colossians chapter 1 and verse 18. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 18. Lord willing, I'm going to preach to you from this passage of Scripture this morning and again this evening. I started preparing this message earlier in the week and realized very early that it was going to take more than just this morning's message for me to cover what I want to cover. you plan to be here tonight and we will look at this same text again.

Here the Apostle Paul says, and he, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. My subject is the preeminence. of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, it was Paul's purpose in writing this epistle to the Colossians to set forth and defend the glorious person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ as the incarnate God. Already by this time, by the time Paul writes this epistle, There had been many who had spread through what was called Christianity, who had spread through the various parts of the church and taught heresies, particularly heresies denying that Jesus Christ is indeed God. Some taught that Jesus Christ was not really a man. Some taught that he did not really die, and many taught that his death did not actually in and of itself accomplish the redemption of his people.

You see, all things today are just what they always have been. The heresies of our day are no different than the heresies of other days. We just communicate a little faster these days, that's all. And so the apostle was writing this epistle, both to defend and to set forth the glorious person and work of Jesus Christ our Lord as the incarnate God.

He declares in this chapter, in verse 13, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the King, the King into whose kingdom we have been translated by the new birth. He tells us in verse 13 that God Almighty has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. We were by nature in darkness. We walked in darkness. We groped about in darkness. Our minds were darkened. Our hearts were darkened. Our lives were darkened. We were darkness. But God in the new birth takes the word and sends light into our souls and causes us now to be children of the light. He has translated us into the kingdom of his dear son.

Now this is important. The kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, is not something out yonder in the future that's going to be established upon the earth. The kingdom of God's dear son is his church. The kingdom of God's dear son is that nation, holy nation, called the Israel of God. The kingdom of God's dear son is a spiritual thing. Jesus Christ, right now, today, is king upon the throne of his father David. He is not someday going to come into this world and take upon himself the demeaning character. I mean demeaning character as king in Palestine. He's not interested in that. He's king of the universe. He's king of glory, and he is particularly the king of Zion, the king of his people and of his church.

This is what faith in Christ is. Few people understand it. Few people understand it. I hope you do. I hope I do. Faith in Christ is neither more nor less than the surrender of myself to the dominion of Christ the king. Did you get that? Faith in Christ is not saying, I believe that Jesus died on the cross. Faith in Christ is not believing in Christ for salvation, though that certainly is involved. Faith in Christ is neither more nor less than the surrender of myself to the dominion of Christ as King. If Jesus Christ is who he says he is, and he is. If Jesus Christ is indeed the incarnate who lived in righteousness to bring in everlasting righteousness for us. If he is indeed God our Savior who laid down his life a ransom for our souls, if he is indeed the risen Lord who by his resurrection declares that our sins have been put away, if he is indeed the King of glory enthroned upon the throne of universal monarchy today, then he has the right He has the absolute right, Merle Hart, to lay his harness on you and demand that you do what he says. He has the right. He has the right not only to lay his harness upon us, but he has the right to expect that we willingly take his yoke upon us and do as he says. He's got that right.

Now I know that most people these days look at faith in Christ as sort of a sideline of life. They look at faith in Christ as sort of a side issue. They look at faith in Christ as part of their lives. I'm telling you, salvation either involves the salvation of eternal man, or it involves nothing at all. We talk about God saving our souls. He did no such thing. He saved us, or he didn't save us at all. He saves the whole man. He demands, he demands, he demands to be king over you, Lord, over you, or he will not be your Savior.

The issue is not, the issue is not do you or do you not want to go to heaven when you die? The issue is will you or will you not surrender to Jesus Christ the Lord? This is what he says. Hold your hands here and turn back to Luke chapter 14. I keep repeating it because it needs repeating. I keep stressing it because it needs stressing. He that saveth his life shall lose it. That means just this. Our Lord says to Rex Bartlett, you've got two choices, and you've got them. You've got these two choices. You can either retain possession and control of your life and be damned, or you can give it up and be saved. That's the two choices. He that saveth his life shall lose it. He that loseth his life for my sake and the gospel's, he shall find it. That is, to believe on Christ is to give up the rule of your life to Christ the Lord.

Look here in Luke chapter 14 and verse 25. There went great multitudes with him, and he turned and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. He cannot be my disciple." What does that mean, hate? Does that mean you look upon them contemptuously? Oh no, not at all, not at all. It means you give them no consideration in comparison with him. That's what it means. That means that when it comes to the business of worshiping and serving Christ, mother and father, brother and sister, son and daughter, husband and wife, yea, your own life is not even to be considered. That's exactly what it means.

When Scripture says, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated, it doesn't mean God upon Esau with malice and anger and contempt. That's not it at all. It simply means he passed him by. He did not give consideration to Esau. And this is what I'm saying to you. If we would serve Christ, if we would follow Christ, if we would be his disciples, if we would believe Christ, we must not give consideration to anything but Christ. That's so that if you see the will of God, and see what your wife wants, you forgive what your wife wants, you do the will of God. Comes time to worship God, and your son or daughter wants to do this, you forgive what your son or daughter wants to do, and you worship God. You have the business to take care of serving the cause of Christ, or serving the whims of the interest of your family? You forget it! And you serve the Son of God and the cause of Christ. You take care of your family. You take care of your family.

Then the Apostle tells us that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer, whose blood, or through whose blood we have redemption. and the forgiveness of all our sins. Look at Colossians 1 14. In whom? In whom? I frequently call your attention to the various prepositions in the scriptures, because in understanding a language, you've got to understand the prepositions. And frequently there are prepositions used in the Greek language that can be translated in a number of ways in the English language. Sometimes in, sometimes by, and so on. But I love the way this particular translation is given.

In who? We know the Egyptians by Christ, but you don't get it except in Christ. In who? When you come to Jesus Christ in faith, when you are united to him by faith, you have redemption in him by virtue of what he has accomplished. But the redemption is your possession now as you're in him, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin. Redemption is the deliverance of our souls from the curse and condemnation of God's holy law. Redemption is the deliverance of our souls from all the consequences of sin. Redemption is by the blood of Jesus Christ which was shed for us at Calvary, and wherever the blood of Christ has been shed for redemption, something of necessity follows.

Do you see what Paul says? Even the forgiveness of sins. So that all those for whom the blood was shed, all those for whom Jesus Christ died and made atonement at Calvary, all those whose sins were atoned for have been forgiven by the power and grace of God through the blood of Christ. The two things go hand in hand. They stand or fall together. Through Jesus Christ's shed blood, all his redeemed ones have been forgiven by God's free grace of all their sins, forgiven when redeemed of all sin, past, present, and future.

" I know sometimes folks say, well, we talk about forgiveness, let's talk about our past sins. Well, all our sins were future when God forgave them. He forgave them from eternity. He forgave them on the ground of justice at Calvary, and he pronounces forgiveness in our hearts when we believe on the Son of God. But our sins were forgiven when Christ died. Past, present, and future. All of them. So that there is no possibility of one of God's elect being charged with sin.

And then look at verses 15 and 16. God incarnates. The Lord Jesus Christ is God the creator of all things. Paul says, who is the image of the invisible God? You see that? The image of the invisible God. That means two things. Jesus Christ is God. Secondly, Jesus Christ is God whom you can see. He is the invisible God, but he is the invisible God incarnated in human flesh. Invisible God, male revealed. God Almighty is spirit. You can't say spirit. You can't communicate with spirit. You can't talk to Spirit. You can't touch Spirit. You can't feel Spirit. God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is Spirit, the great, infinite, self-existent, eternal Spirit. But now, in order to make himself known to us, and in order to save us, God Almighty has assumed human nature, and now we've got an image of God. We can see it. Look here in Colossians 2. 9. For in him, that is, in Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." I haven't come close to expanding this text yet, and so far I haven't read anybody who came close to it.

We've been studying in our Bible classes the attributes of God, and all that Lindsay has taught you about the attributes of God, all His infinity, His eternality, His omnipresence, His omniscience, His omnipotence, His faithfulness, His absolute total supremacy, His sovereignty, Father, Son, and Spirit, His incomprehensibility. All that God is resides in the body of that man who came into this world and lived and died, rose again, and now is seated upon the throne of glory as our substitute." He's God. He's the image of the invisible God.

When our Lord God said, let us make man in our image and after our likeness, he was looking to that man who would come, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he said, let's make Adam to be made in the image of him who shall come. of God Almighty. And so Adam was made in the image of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

And then he's described here as the firstborn of every creature. That simply means that Jesus Christ is the beginning of the creation of God. It does not mean he is the first creature of God, as many heritage would teach us. Hold your hands here and turn to Revelation chapter Here is an exposition of this term, First Book. In Revelation chapter 3 and verse 14, our Lord Jesus Christ describes himself in the last part of this thing as the Amen, the faithful and the true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.

When this text over here in Colossians And verse 15 says that Jesus Christ is the firstborn of every creature. The apostle is telling us that Jesus Christ is that one out of whom all creation sprang. He is the beginning of the creation of God. Hold your hands here and turn to John chapter 1. John the first chapter. In John's gospel, John's object, his purpose, is to show us that Jesus Christ is himself God. That he who is the God-man is God Almighty, over all, blessed forever.

He says in John 1 verse 1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. He's talking about our Lord Jesus Christ in his eternal equality with the Father. And now he speaks of creation. all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. He is the beginning of the creation of God. He is the firstborn of every creature. He is the Creator out of whom creation was born, out of whom creation sprang.

For by him, verse 16, Colossians 1, 16, by him were all things created, all things. That means he's not one of the creatures, he's the creator. By him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible. Angels and men, stars and the moon and the earth, the seas, all things. You can see All things, you can't say, even the demons of hell and Satan himself, created by him and for him. Everything was made by his hand, and everything was made for his glory, and everything will serve his purpose.

Do you see that? Whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him, and for him. Jesus Christ is that one from whom all things spring, by whom all things exist, and to whom all things are going.

Every day. Every day. Our Savior is the eternal, self-existent God who upholds and rules all things in providence. Look at verse 17. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Now that's a declaration of two things. First, he is before all things. That is, he is the eternal God. Jesus Christ is not one who came into existence somewhere in time. He is not the first creature of God, as the Rustelites would tell us. but rather Jesus Christ is himself the eternal self-existent God. He is the one who says, before Abraham was, I am. He is the one who declares himself to be from everlasting to everlasting God. He is the one who declares himself to be the eternal I am. He is Jehovah, God our Savior.

not only is he the self-existent one who dwells in the leisure of eternity, in absolute sovereignty, but our Lord Jesus Christ is that one by whom all things consist. That simply means he holds it all together. He holds it all together.

It has been a bit humorous to me, a bit humorous to me, more than a bit humorous. Sad I might call it satire rather than humor, but it's been a bit humorous to watch all the hoopla on TV. I haven't seen a news report, but I've seen just little glimpses in some of these talk shows about this. They found life on Mars in a rock. I mean, that's exciting, isn't it? Found life on Mars in a rock, and they're just guessing the rock came from Mars. They found it. They found it down in Chapeau, was it? They found life on Mars that's not really life, it's a bacteria. But we know now, we know now, that millions and millions and millions of years ago, there was life on Mars before it lost its atmosphere, before its ozone layer got messed up with hairspray. That's utter nonsense. Utter nonsense.

Jesus Christ created all things. And Jesus Christ holds it all together. He laid the foundations of the earth. Got any idea where they are? Got any idea what the foundations of the earth are? His decree. This little ball hanging out here in the middle of our galaxy, this little ball hanging in the middle of nothing, It's not hanging on a wire, and it's not built on a concrete pillar. It's hanging upon his decree, and he holds it in its orbit, in its galaxy, in its existence, and in all things together by his word. And I'll tell you exactly when it's going to dissolve. When he speaks and says, burn, it's going to dissolve. That's exactly right.

Brilliant, brilliant men are so brilliant that in their brilliance they have forgotten God. And I'm telling you, when you forget God, your brilliance is utter stupidity. Utter stupidity! Now, well, you oughtn't talking about men that way. I'm not. I'm talking about our race that way. I'm telling you what God says. Men who forget God, forget God in utter ignorance and stupidity. And so they speak now about such utter nonsense as finding life on Mars out of a rock they call living. This is nothing but bacteria. And this proves, oh it's a wonder, greatest discovery of the century, a rock. A rock. Well, that just proves you don't know anything. meet me when this thing's over, we'll find out. We'll find out.

And then the scripture says here that our Lord Jesus is the head of the body, his body, the church, and the first one to be risen from the dead to die no more. You see it in verse 18? He is the head of the body. What's that? The church. What's that? The kingdom. What's that? That whole number of God's elect, all who believe on him. He is the head, not the Pope and not Don. He is the head, not Nashville and not some otherville. He is the head, Jesus Christ, he runs things in his kingdom. His word is authoritative, only his word. I get so weary, so terribly weary. men and women attempting to find authority in creeds and confessions. I was talking to a friend of mine just this week, Pastor David Simpson. He used to be very much involved in the Southern Baptist Convention, and a good many fellows are trying to go back and prove historically that Southern Baptist Convention was a was a solid sovereign grace organization at one time and historically there's no question there's absolutely no question historically the convention was established upon the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace but these letters keep pointing to the creeds And they keep pointing to the writers, they keep pointing to historic authority.

And when you point to the creeds and to the writings of men and to historic authority for your basis of your faith, you have denied the authority of the Word of God. He is the head of his church. And learn what he says goes. It's exactly right. It's exactly right. We have no right to believe to teach, to preach, or to practice anything as his church that is now sped up plainly in Holy Scripture. He's the head of his body, the church. That church which he chose, that church which he redeemed, that church which he builds, that church which he calls. He is the beginning, the beginning of everything, the firstborn from the dead.

Now that's A phrase might throw you a little bit. You said, but what about those who were raised from the dead by Elijah? What about those who were raised from the dead by our Lord himself? What about Lazarus and Naaman's daughter, and not Naaman's daughter, I'm sorry, but the ruler of the synagogue's daughter, Jairus' daughter? What about the wife of Peter's mother? Peter's wife's mother. I'll get it right in a little while. What about all those folks who've been raised from the dead? Our Lord Jesus is the first one raised by his own power, and he was the first one raised to die no more. When Lazarus was raised, he died again. When the widow of Nain's son was raised, he died again. When Jairus' daughter was raised, she died again. When our Lord Jesus was raised, he didn't die anymore. He didn't die anymore. He's the firstborn, risen from the dead, never to die, never to die. His resurrection is the declaration of the certainty of our resurrection.

And then the apostle tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ is that one who has been made the head of all things, the head of his body, the church, the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. In other words, it is the purpose of God in arranging things like he has. It is the purpose of God in doing things like he does them, to give Jesus Christ preeminence everywhere, in everything. And then he tells us in verse 19, that our Lord Jesus Christ is the one in whom all the fullness of and all the fullness of grace resides, for it pleased the Father, that in him should all fullness dwell." Of his fullness, John says, have we received grace for grace. You will notice that the words, the Father, are in italics. And while they're commonly understood to be correctly there, I have to challenge that a little bit. It pleased the triune God that in him should all fullness dwell. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are agreed in this thing. So that the Lord Jesus Christ is that one who is the embodiment of the triune God. Though he himself is the Son of God, all the fullness of triune God is in him. And all the fullness of grace is in him. And all the fullness of glory is in him. He is the fullness of all things. And everything you get from God comes from him. Everything. All blessings in him. all redemption in him, all forgiveness in him, all life in him, he is the fullness of the triune God.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is then described in verses 20, 21, and 22 like this, as that one in whom and by whom we are reconciled to God. I recall back in the office several years ago, One evening, Brother Bob Punzer read this passage of Scripture that we've been going over this morning. And when he finished with verse 23, I heard Merle say under his breath, what a Savior. Oh, what a Savior this is.

Listen now. And having made peace, not hoping to make peace, having made peace, when our Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, When he finished his work of redemption, he made peace. He made peace between man and God through the blood of his cross. By his blood, God has put away all cause of warfare on his part with his people, and he has determined and secured the welfare and security and reconciliation of our souls to God Almighty. through his blood, to reconcile through the blood of his cross, or having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him, sort of companions.

In verse 10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ. That is, reconcile all things to Christ, both in heaven, which are in heaven and which are in earth, even in him. Now, this is what that means. He will reconcile chosen sinners to God. He'll surely do that. But it means more than that. The day is coming when God has finished with this world through the work of Jesus Christ, our enthroned Redeemer. Everything that has been, is, or shall be in heaven, earth, and hell shall be down to his praise. Everything. of him, through him, and to him are all things to whom be glory for ever and ever."

Listen to this. In Revelation chapter 4, I believe it is, Revelation chapter 4, "...thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure." they are and were created. Revelation 4, verse 11. Not only is it true that everything shall be reconciled to God, everything shall be bound to his praise, his honor, and his glory.

The apostle says here in verse 21, and you, you that was sometime alienated. Alienated from God. And enemies in your mind. God had settled the quarrel long ago. But in your mind, still enemies. Living with your fist in God's face. Enemies in your mind by your wicked works. your wicked works declaring your enmity, your wicked works being the fruits of your enmity, your wicked works being the evidence of your enmity. Yet now hath he reconciled.

I lived in my wicked works all the days of my life hating God. But now, James Lee, he's reconciled me. God and I are at peace. God and I are at peace. You understand what that means? That means I'm delighted for God to be God. And that means God Almighty has no reason. No reason. to be angry with me. No. No. Because Christ has put away my sins. You understand that, Bill? God has no reason to have a quarrel with me. The cause of the quarrel is gone. Christ has put away my sins, and Christ has established His flag in my soul, and I raise up the white flag of surrender to Him.

How has he done it? In the body of his flesh, through death. And this is going to be the end result. To present you holy, unblameable, and unreprovable. But don't ever finish reading that verse. got to go with it, or three, in his sight. That's something. That's something. Jesus Christ came into this world with this object in mind to redeem and reconcile us, putting away our sin through his body, through his flesh, through his blood. And last, to present us holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in the sight of God. So that God himself, looking on us, will have no charge against us. No charge. No reason not to receive us. Every reason to accept us.

And then there's a very significant word that follows that. I want you to circle it in verse 23, and I'll wrap this up this morning. If. If. I know that God's people, God's elect, every chosen, ransomed, regenerate, called sinner is saved forever. I'm fully aware of that. I'm fully aware of that. But, buddy, that doesn't mean they're saved forever and they forget God. That's not what it means. That's not what it means. I'm fully aware that they shall never perish. That doesn't mean, that does not mean God saved you, now you can go on and live like hell, forget God, don't worship God, don't walk in faith, don't have any interest in his kingdom, everything will be alright after all you've been through. You're one of God's elect. Oh no, oh no, that's not what it means. He will present you holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight if, it's right there in the book isn't it Bobby? if you continue in the faith.

Some of you mamas and daddies talk about your sons and daughters to one another, and you speak up and say, well, I know Johnny, he's saved. I know he is, because boy, when he was a boy, I remember when God saved him. He hadn't been interested in things of God since that day. But oh, I know he's safe. You don't do himself or you any favor talking that way. He says, well, I know I'm safe. Boy, you can't tell me I'm not safe. I was there when it happened. But Christ isn't Lord. You don't surrender to his dominion. He's not your king. He's not your master. He doesn't control your life. Don't hide under such a delusion. Lindsay, it's just not so. It's just not so.

Do you believe everybody who's saved stays in church? Yes, sir, I do. I sure do. Do you believe everybody who's saved follows Christ? Yes, sir, I sure do. I sure do. Do you believe everybody who's saved continues in faith to the end? You bet your soul I do. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. This is what the book says. If you continue in the faith, ground it and settle In our house, I don't guess I ever heard my daughter ask the question. Of course, she was just a baby when I started pastoring, so that kind of eliminates it in our household. But I don't guess I ever heard her ask the question. Are we going to church this morning? Do I have to go to church tonight? Well, as long as we live, we're going to. Yeah. As long as we live, we're going to. This is settled. This is settled.

Well, but now that he's coming in, whether or not he can go with us or she can go to hell, she wants to, but we're going to church. We're going to worship God. Well, but when we see him once a year, that's all right. They can come with us or not come with us. We're going to worship God. It's settled. It's just settled. It's just settled. Nothing's going to change. Nothing's going to change. This way it is.

and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. Not moved away. Spurgeon said when he was an older man, he wasn't very old when he died, but he had been preaching a long time. He said one reason, I believe that my faith in Christ is genuine. I still love the gospel of his grace and love to hear it. Here I stand. It's been now pushing 30 years. And I'm grounded. I'm settled on this. I'm not going to be moved away from this. God's helping me. I'm not going to be moved away from this. My only hope is Jesus Christ, my Redeemer. That's all. That's all. He's my Lord. He's my Savior. I know he is, because Larry, I trust him. His blood, his righteousness, his grace. That's all.

This gospel which you have heard which was preached to every creature under heaven, whereof I had fallen, and made a minister." Now, this gospel which you have heard, which has been preached to every creature, this gospel I've preached to you, is the gospel of God's and sovereign grace in Christ, by which you shall be saved, if you continue in the faith." That's the end. It is.

Now, having declared all these glorious truths about our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, the Apostle tells us in verse 18 that it is the purpose of God in all these things, that he might have the preeminence. And every believing sinner rejoices for him to have the preeminence in everything. Amen.

All right. Lindsay, you come listen to him if you will. Lord willing, we'll come back to Colossians 118 this evening.