Christ Is Above All Colossians 1. 9-23
We had a real sense of an encounter with God when we came together to practise on Wednesday. As we worked through the challenge of our national day of remembrance, and thought about the state our nation and indeed our world is in, we got a very real and sharp sense of what is on God's heart for our world. There was almost a sense of frustration and bewilderment: how do we respond? What do we do? I felt the Holy Spirit lay this scripture on my heart in place of what I had already begun to prepare...
You see, the Christians in Colossae, were not such a bad lot. They had faith and love and hope; they were fruitful and Spirit-filled. Paul is thankful for all that – and yet knowing that, he prays for more...
He prays that they may know God's will. (v. 9) There was a wrong idea going around and Paul knew it was adanger in Colossae. It was called Gnosticism, belief in a secret knowledge. But knowing God's will is something fro every Christian. Paul prays that they may be able to live out their salvation: strengthened with power in the inner man.(v. 10ff)... He wants the amazing gift of salvation they have in Christ, being rescued from the authority of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of Jesus, where their inheritance is light, redeemed (bought back from the devil) and forgiven. (v 34f) .. Paul wants all of that to become the dominating reality in their lives... and in ours. Because that is our inheritance too. As we have trusted in Jesus we have been rescued from the authority of darkness that oppressed us and dragged us down. We avhe been made citizens of Jesus' kingdom where our inheritance is light.
So what’s God's will? What is God's will for me? Isn't it enough just to be saved? Isn't it enough just to be good? We need a spirituality that takes that amazing salvation, and plugs it into every aspect of our lives. We need to unleash what we have in Christ, the Jesus in our hearts, the power of the Gospel, the present reality of the Holy Spirit. (Paul says “I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles. Rom 1. 16)
Our encounter with Jesus, being saved, leads us to who He is. Paul just can't stop talking about Jesus! He declares that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, first-born of all creation. (v. 15) Image doesn't mean he is only a picture of God. It means he is the visible expression of the invisible God. First-born of all creation doesn't mean Jesus was the first person to be created. “First-born” Is about status. It speaks of the honour, dignity and rights of the oldest son. Remember Jacob: we mentioned him last week. He was a grabber and he grabbed his older brother's birthright. Esau was the first-born but Jacob cheated him out of his rights as first-born. Jesus existed first, before the world came to exist. He has the right to rule in this world. He is first-born over all creation. So does God have a will for the created order? If Jesus is the first-born of all creation, you can be sure God has a will for all creation.
Paul goes on (v. 16f): Through Christ God made everything, (including all the spiritual beings, thrones, lordships, rulers, authorities) and in him everything holds together. Just think about that. Jesus created the universe. He is the Word that came from the Father’s mouth at the beginning of all things and brought galaxies and stars, angels and amoebas and trees and people, into being. They exist because of him and for him. He is the glue that holds everything together. Quantum physicists are trying to find out about the subatomic particles that hold everything together. Whatever the scientific answer is, the theological answer is, Jesus. If Jesus wasn't there, the universe would shatter like a plate glass window, each atom and molecule hurtling outwards into infinity at the speed of light (that is if light itself still existed!?) Does God have a will for the created order, for this planet and its people? In Jesus everything holds together, so you can be sure God has a will for all things.
Jesus was raised from the dead so that he might have the first place. (v. 18) He was raised from the dead, not just so you and I could know we are forgiven. It's true, as the old hymn says, rising he justified, freely for ever (Romans 4. 25) But it's also true that he rose so that in all things he might have the first place. He rose to rule. When Jesus started his ministry in Nazareth, he preached a really short sermon. It was shorter than his text. The text said "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." (Lk 4. 18f) And the sermon said “Today, this is fulfilled in your hearing!” (Lk 4. 20) What did Jesus come for? Not just to die for your sins and mine, but to bring the year of God's favour; to bring God's Kingdom. When Jesus rose from the dead, he did so in order to rule.
The very fulness of God lived (set up home) in Christ. John 1. 14 says the word became flesh and camped among us; But Colossians 1. 19 says the fulness of God resided permanently in him. Everything that God is, Christ is permanently, and Christ became humanity, in order to reconcile all things to God. Reconciliation is a truth so deep Paul had to make a new word up: it's about both sides changing, so God's attitude to us changes as he forgives us, and our attitude to him changes as well. And "all things" means – all things. Verse 20 elaborates: things on earth; things in heaven; peace, through the blood Jesus shed on the Cross. What or whom did Jesus come to reconcile? Well, he came to reconcile you and me to God. But that is only the start. He came to reconcile all things to God and to each other in him... So does God have a will for our world? Jesus has reconciled all things to himself in Christ, so you can be sure God has a will for the world.
God wants the world to be a peaceful place that holds together properly. God is concerned about politics, about sexual morality, about economic justice, about oppression and freedom, about war and peace. God cares about what happens in his world. God isn't into private religion. God isn't into single issue politics. He is concerned for all things.
And in the middle of it all, Paul says “he is the head of the Body, the Church...” The Church is his body. F.F. Bruce says the Church, Christ’s body is “Vitalised by his abiding presence, energised by his power.” The Church is Christ’s body, doing - like a healthy body should - what the Head directs. The Church is meant to be a working model of reconciliation between all different sorts of people, united because they know Jesus Christ. The Church is meant to be a laboratory of the Kingdom, where we show what life is like when God reigns. The end of all this isn't to turn us into activists. Yes, there will be action. But I’m not telling you to join a political party, or to grow your own veg or become an eco-warrior. I'm not saying we should all help out at the Food bank. But I am saying that we should have a spirituality that makes the connections. And these connections are not just between us and these things. They are connections between Jesus and these things.
We need a spirituality that makes connections... between
between our wonderful, individual personal salvation,
our growth in knowledge and strength.
Between who Jesus really is,
what his kingdom purpose is for the created order.
the Church that is his body.
We need to draw deeper into God so we have something to say to the nation and to the nations.
We need to pray for ourselves, for one another, and for our world. Not just to pray for people to be saved, but to pray blessing into the society we live in. To pray for political leaders. To pray for trade Union leaders and leaders of business. To pray for those who have suffered abuse and those in the frame for committing acts of abuse. To pray “Lord, your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. To pray that this Jesus in whom all things hold together, who died to reconcile all things to god; who rose again in order to have the pre-eminence, may reach out into our world. And maybe that kind of praying will do something to us., the Church, his body. Instead of feeling obliged to witness (too often so that the Church can grow!); instead of feeling obliged to do Christian Aid and generally try to make our world a better place... instead, we will go in the power of the Spirit to be the voice, hands and feet of Jesus, in the world for which we pray.
© Gilmour Lilly November 2012
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