Colossians 1:15
~15 min read
SERMON OUTLINE
đź’Â Consider this: By way of testimony, how have you seen the invisible God in your life? Christ is the firstborn of every creature, but has He been first in your life in this past week? Why or why not?
TRANSCRIPT
Primarily, the entire Bible is about the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prophesied about His coming. The Gospels presented Him as God who came in human flesh to save sinners. The book of Acts spoke about His message of salvation which was preached throughout the world. The Epistles recorded the teachings and doctrines for His people, His body, His church—what they should believe in and how they should live their lives.
Finally, the last book of the Bible, Revelation, showed to us how Jesus would sit on His throne as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. It is all about Jesus Christ. That was the reason why in the Gospel of Luke 24:27, when the resurrected Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, He taught them: “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” It is about Him.
But of all the teachings in the Bible concerning Jesus Christ, there is none more significant than Colossians 1:15–19. This is what we will learn today as well as in the weeks to follow. This passage will remove any doubts or confusion over the true identity and person of Jesus Christ.
Allow me to give you a brief background on why the Apostle Paul had to spend a large portion of this book to touch on who Jesus really was. If you remember in our first message, the introduction to the book of Colossians, we spoke about the heresies that had crept into the church in Colosse. There was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles living in the city. Therefore, it was not surprising that the city was either influenced by the Greek philosophical system or the legalism of Judaism.
On one hand, the Greek philosophical system, similar to Gnosticism in the second century, believed that God was good and matter was evil. Since God was good, He could not have created the world, which was evil, so He must have created it with some lesser gods. And since God was good, He could never become a man, because man was evil. Therefore, they not only rejected God as the Creator, but they also rejected the humanity and deity of Christ.
On the other hand, the legalism of Judaism believed that since Jesus was a created being—or so they believed—then He could not be God. He alone was not sufficient for salvation. And so circumcision, the keeping of the Jewish dietary laws, and the observation of holy days were necessary for salvation.
So it was extremely important for the Apostle Paul to confront all these heresies before he could deal with the issues in the church. A proper understanding of the person of Jesus Christ is the center and foundation of our Christian faith. We must know whom we believe in.
The title of our message is “Christ, The Invisible God”.
I. Christ Is The Image Of The Invisible God
Our first point is: Christ is the Image of the Invisible God. Verse 15 says: “Who is the image of the invisible God...” The word “who” connects this verse to the preceding verse, and it is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us through His blood and has forgiven our sins.
God is invisible, and He cannot be seen with the naked eyes. His glory is so great that He cannot be represented by anything. Therefore, He explicitly gave the command: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” (Exodus 20:4)
His glory is so great that no man can see Him and live. In Exodus 33, there was this interesting account when Moses asked God to show him His glory. Maybe you can turn with me to Exodus 33. Moses said to God in verse 18: “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.”
In the past, Moses had already caught a glimpse of God’s glory, but it seemed that it wasn’t enough for him. He first caught a glimpse of God’s glory at the burning bush which burned with fire but was not consumed. When Moses went up to Mount Sinai and entered the cloud of God’s glory, he saw a glimpse of His glory. But now, he wanted a full revelation of that glory. In other words, he wanted to see God with his naked eyes.
God was willing to show His goodness, grace, and mercy to Moses. But what He was not willing to do was to show the fullness of His glory. If Moses were to see a complete revelation of God in His eternal being, it would be so overwhelming that it would destroy him. God was absolute in His perfection, but Moses was a finite, fallen creature. So how could he see God and live?
In order to protect Moses from being destroyed, God made some special arrangements. God said in verses 20–23: “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:20–23)
When God talked about His face, His back parts, and His hand, they were figures of speech. God was speaking of the majesty of His eternal being in terms of human body parts, using physical things to symbolise spiritual realities. To see God’s face is to have a direct revelation of His glory. To see God’s back parts is to have some lesser experience of His glory.
When people talk about God covering us with His hand, they are always talking about God protecting us from harm and danger, right? But here, the interesting thing is that Moses was protected from the radiance of God’s glory. In a sense, he was protected by God from God. The glory of God is more than any man can ever bear. This is just how amazing the glory of God really is.
But the question is, why would Moses want to see God? Do you realise that this is what human beings have always wanted—to have a direct experience of God? That is why people will go for spiritual journeys, spiritual pilgrimages, or do meditation. Or the atheists will say, “If God is real, then show me. Let me see Him with my eyes.” Especially when people are going through trials, struggles, and tribulations, the first thing they will cry out is this: “Where are You, God? Are You really there? If You are there, then reveal Yourself to me.”
This is what human beings always long for—they want to see God as He actually is. The truth is that God is invisible. His glory is so great that no man can see Him and live. But the wonderful thing is that God sent Jesus Christ into the world to be our Saviour. He is the image of the invisible God. To see Jesus is to see God. The original Greek word for “image” is from where we get the English word for “icon”, which means likeness or statue. It is like the image of King Caesar imprinted on the coin.
Jesus Christ is the perfect image of God. He is the exact representation and manifestation of God’s glory, His nature, and His character. In Christ, the invisible God became visible. That was why when one of His disciples said to Jesus: “Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.” (John 14:8) In other words, “Let us see God with our eyes.” But Jesus said: “Don't you know me, Phillip? even after I have been with you such a long time, anyone who had seen me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9) The Father and the Son are one. To know Christ is to know God. To love Him is to love God. And to see Him is to see God.
Remember the Apostle John said, in John 1 verse 14 and 18: in the beginning was the word, ”And the Word—Jesus Christ—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.” “No man hath seen God at any time;—not even Moses, except—the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
Some people may say, “But isn’t it true that man is also the image of God?” As Genesis 1:27 says: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Notice, man is created in the image of God. But Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. There’s a world of difference. We are created in God’s image, but He is that image.
We are not a perfect image of God—none of us is. When God created us in His image, it is only in the sense that we have rational personalities. We possess the communicable attributes of God in that we have intellect, emotions, and will. We have the ability to think, feel, choose, love, be merciful, show kindness, patience, justice, holiness, and wisdom. But we do not possess the incommunicable attributes of God, such as His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. We are not all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present.
And once Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, the image of God was scarred, because man is born in sin. That is why every day of our lives, we are called to be sanctified—to conform to the image of Christ, to become more and more like Him. In our glorification, God will restore His image in us, in that we will be perfect and sinless.
Today, when you and I talk about seeing God, it means to know and believe Jesus for salvation. To understand His divine attributes. To have the Spirit of God indwelling in us. To have the Bible speak to us in the deepest innermost of our hearts. To experience His hand working in our lives through the different situations and circumstances of life. It is to see God by faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please him...” (Hebrews 11:6)
And the more we know and obey the Bible, the more we will see God by faith. Only in heaven, when we are totally free from our sins, will we be able to see the fullness of God’s glory without being destroyed. Dear friend, has anyone ever said to you, "You are so naïve, silly, gullible, and foolish to believe in a God whom you cannot see"? Perhaps you have.
Once, there was a group of atheists who gathered together in a conference to prove to the people that there was no God in the world. At that particular conference, there was a chairman who invited the people onto the stage to testify that there was no God.
So firstly, he invited an astronaut onto the stage. The astronaut said, "People always say that God lives up there. I have been to the highest of the highest, and I can testify that there is no one up there. There's no God." When the people heard him, they were happy. They started to cheer and mock, "There is no God!"
Then the chairman invited the second person onto the stage. He was a heart surgeon. The heart surgeon said, "People always say, 'Jesus lives in my heart.' Well, I've operated on thousands of hearts, but I see no Jesus." This time, the people went crazy. They started to cheer and mock loudly, "There is no God!"
Then the chairman challenged the people and said, "Is there anyone who can prove that there is a God in this world, that Jesus Christ is real?" All of a sudden, an old woman clambered onto the stage, and everyone waited for her to say something. But she slowly took out an orange and started to peel the orange, and she said, "The orange is very sweet." The chairman said to her, "Now prove to us that there is God in this world." The woman took another piece of orange and started to eat it and said, "The orange is very sweet." This time the chairman was very frustrated, and he said, "Of course you know it is sweet, because you are the only one who has tasted the orange." "Yes," said the old woman, "You have never experienced the Lord Jesus Christ, so you can never understand the goodness and the sweetness of Him."
Dear friend, people may say that there is no God, but nothing is further than the truth. He cannot be seen with the naked eye, for His glory is so great that no man can see Him and live. He is the invisible God. He can only be known by those who have tasted His goodness—people who were convicted of their sins and turned to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
And He continues to work in their lives by teaching and speaking to them through a still small voice, using His Word, through the wonderworking of the Spirit of Christ indwelling in them, through guiding and leading them at every step of the way as they go through the challenges and issues of life and afflictions that would plague them so often, through providing for all their needs. As believers, by faith you and I can see the invisible God through the Lord Jesus Christ. We know He's always with us, and He will never forget nor forsake us, because we have tasted His goodness.
II. Christ Is The Firstborn Of Every Creature
Our second point is: Christ is the firstborn of every creature. This is found in the second part of verse 15. In the fourth century, there was the heresy known as Arianism, which believed that Jesus was not God but just a creature with a beginning. In our modern times, we have the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who also deny the deity of Christ. They would often use this verse to support their belief.
Since Christ was the firstborn of every creature, they would say, then He was a created being, and therefore He could not be the eternal God. That is a complete misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the word firstborn. The word firstborn can mean first in a chronological sense, like the way we refer to our children: "This is my firstborn," which means he or she is the first to be born amongst all the other children.
But this word firstborn can also mean first in place, position, honour, and rank, or to have the right of inheritance. For example, Esau was born before Isaac, but Isaac was called the firstborn, and he received the right of inheritance. Israel was not the first people to be born. She only became a nation during the time of Moses, and officially she became a kingdom in the 10th century BC during the time of Saul, David, and Solomon. But Israel was called the firstborn of God in Exodus 4:22: “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” And she held the first place in the eyes of God amongst all the other nations.
So firstborn does not always mean first in a chronological sense. Jesus is called the firstborn of every creature because He has the right to the inheritance of all creatures. In Psalm 89:27, God said of Jesus the Messiah: “Also I will make him my firstborn”—and then God went on to explain what it means to be the firstborn—” he will be higher than the kings of the earth.”
In Revelation 1:5, Jesus is called: “...the first begotten of the dead...” The first begotten is the same word as the firstborn. Clearly, Jesus was not the first person to be resurrected—even Lazarus was raised from the dead before Him. But what it meant was that of all the people that will be raised from the dead, He was the preeminent one. He will be like the firstfruit that will appear, and then you will have the harvest. Without that firstfruit, you will not have the harvest. He is the firstborn of the dead—all those who will be raised from the dead.
In Romans 8:29, Jesus is called: “...the firstborn among many brethren...”—the church—which means He is the head of the church. The church belongs to Him. He bought the church with His own precious blood.
Allow me to further explain the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the word firstborn. Firstly, if Jesus is the firstborn, and it is in the chronological sense, then He could not be the only begotten of the Father—because how could He be the first of many and yet be the only begotten, the only member that came from the Father?
Secondly, there is a difference between first created and firstborn. If Paul wanted to refer to Jesus as the first created, he would have used the Greek word protoktistos, which means first to be created. But here, he used another Greek word: prototokos, which means the firstborn, the first in prominence.
But perhaps the clearest indication that firstborn does not mean that Jesus is the first to be created amongst all the creatures, it is found in the next verse 16 that by him and for him: all things were created, whether in heaven or in the in the earth...” Take a moment and consider this: How can a created being be a creator of all things? If Jesus was a created being, and He only came in the New Testament, how could He be before the creation of the heavens and the earth? There is only one who existed before the creation, and that is God. And Jesus Christ is God.
So this phrase—“Jesus is the firstborn of every creature”—simply means He is the preeminent one. He has the right of inheritance. He’s the first in place and position. He’s the very basis on whom all the creatures can put their faith. If Jesus did not come, all men would die in their sins. And if Jesus did not rise from the dead, all men would be hopeless, because there would be no resurrection. Death would be the end of everything. But praise God, our Lord Jesus is the firstborn of every creature.
Dear friend, how can we apply this truth into our lives? If Jesus is the firstborn of every creature, then He must take first place in our lives, in our church, in our families, in our marriages, in our relationships—how we live, how we behave as a church, how we relate with our parents, and parents with their children, who to marry, who not to marry, who to associate with, and who to reject.
We must always consider Him—in the things we think, in the things we say, in the things we do, in the way we respond to the challenges we face and the trials we encounter. We must always ask ourselves: Will my Lord Jesus, the firstborn of every creature, be glorified or be dishonoured? I will only do it if He is glorified. If He is dishonoured and disobeyed, then I will not do it.
This is how you and I apply this truth—that Jesus is truly the preeminent One, the One who has the right to own us, the One who takes first place, first position in our lives. And we can only do that by faith. By faith, we see God—because we see our Lord Jesus. By faith, He takes up first place in our lives, for He is truly the invisible God. May the Lord help us to apply this truth into our lives, to the glory of His precious name.
Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, Indeed so often we hear people mock and scorn, "Where is your God?" "How foolish and naĂŻve you are to believe in a God whom you cannot see." God is invisible, and He cannot be seen with the naked eyes. His glory is so great that to see Him, no man can live. No one can.
Yet at the same time, Thou sent Thy only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus, into this world to save wretched sinners like us. We believe in Him. We know Him. And to know Him is to know God. To love Him is to love God. And to see Him is to see God. And by faith, we see Thee—Through Thy Word, Through the wonderworking of Thy Spirit, Through Thy hands working in us—protecting, guiding, leading, and providing for all our needs.
By faith, we see the invisible God in the Lord Jesus Christ. And He must be the first in our lives. He who is our Lord and Saviour must be the President of our lives. So help us. Because as humans, we always forget, and we always put other things in place of Him. How can we do that? May Thou forgive us. Jesus must take up first place in our lives, in our church, in our families, in our relationships, in everything we do and wherever we go—To the glory of Thee. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANSA Faith And Love That ShinesA Faith And Love That ShinesColossians 1:1-4
The Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeThe Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeColossians 1:5-6a
The Transforming Power Of The GospelThe Transforming Power Of The GospelColossians 1:6b-8
The Need For PrayersThe Need For PrayersColossians 1:9
Prayer for Spiritual ExcellencePrayer for Spiritual ExcellenceColossians 1:9-12
Walk Worthy Of The LordWalk Worthy Of The LordColossians 1:10-11
What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?Colossians 1:12a
What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?Colossians 1:12b-13
I Am Redeemed And ForgivenI Am Redeemed And ForgivenColossians 1:14
Christ, The Invisible GodChrist, The Invisible GodColossians 1:15
Jesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowJesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowColossians 1:16-17; Romans 8:37-39
What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?Colossians 1:18
What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?Colossians 1:19-22
Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Colossians 2:4-9, 19
Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Colossians 2:7
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
