What Comes First in Your Life?
Now today we’re starting a new teaching series on a book of the bible called Colossians, and it’s all about discovering a new life in Christ. What we’re talking about specifically today is putting Christ first in our lives, and everybody has a first...Everybody has a first, something we prioritize more than anything else in life...What is it for you?...What’s become first in your life?... Not what you want to be first, but what your life is truly revealing is first?...Is it your family?...Is it your friends?...Is it your career?...What’s become first in your life?...Everybody has a first, and what we’ll learn in today’s text is Jesus needs to be first in our lives. We’ll learn that if Jesus isn’t first in our lives, then something else will take his place, and whatever that something else is will never be enough. So let’s turn to Colossians 1:1-23 and get into it. You’ll find Colossians in the last quarter of the Bible, and we’ll be in Colossians 1:1-23. The title of the message is What Comes First In your life? The big idea of the message is Jesus is supreme over all things, so he must come first over everything...Jesus is supreme over all things, so he must come first over everything...
Here’s your context. The Apostle Paul is the author of this book of the Bible, and he writes this to the Colossian Church. It’s a young 7-10-year-old church, which is similar to our age as a church. But the problem is they started accepting syncretism in the church, which combines other religious beliefs with Christian beliefs. It was confusing people and distorting their view of Christ, so Paul writes this to give them a more accurate view of Christ. But also to help them realize they have everything they need in Christ, so he must come first over everything. Let’s check it out.
Colossians 1:1-23 states, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother. 2 To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters. Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. It’s bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you, since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace., 7 You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant. He’s a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he’s told us about your love in the Spirit.” Notice Paul quickly draws their attention away from the false teachings, back to the word of truth. He quickly draws their attention away from the false teachings, back to the gospel, back to the good news of Jesus. He’s reminding them that it’s the gospel message, it’s Jesus who saved and transformed their lives, not syncretism. Like I said before, the Colossians were accepting syncretism, and it was warping their understanding of Jesus. They lived in a culture that was a part of the Roman Empire, and the Romans believed in worshiping many different gods. So Colossae was a city filled with temples and shrines representing numerous deities. Well some of the Colossian Christians were letting the Roman culture influence their faith, instead of letting their faith influence the Roman culture. They were adopting a Build-A-Bear theology, mixing their faith in Jesus with other deities.
So Paul’s reminding them that Jesus is the one who saved and transformed their lives, not syncretism. In vs. 6 he says it’s the gospel, it’s the power of Christ that was able to bear fruit in their lives, which is how the gospel works. When we put our faith in Jesus we’re given a new life, a new relationship with him, and that relationship starts to transform our entire lives. It starts to produce fruit in and through us. It starts to rewrite the story of our lives, just like I said on Easter. So Paul’s celebrating the new life, the new story, the new fruit that’s been produced in them, but he’s also reminding them of where the power to produce that fruit came from. It came from Christ, not from syncretism. When we put our faith in Jesus, when he becomes first in our lives, he starts transforming us and producing fruit in our lives. If you aren’t transforming, producing fruit, growing in your faith, maybe it’s because you’re letting something else take his place in your life like the Colossians. They started letting something else take his place in their lives, so Paul’s reminding them that the power to transform their lives came from Christ. He’s reminding them that Jesus + something else, hinders everything. But Jesus + nothing else, changes everything.
Vs. 9, “For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We’re asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Paul’s still focusing on the importance of believing in the truth of God’s word over cultural syncretism. He’s praying for them to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, so they’ll keep growing in the knowledge of God. I love the fact that he’s praying for them, while sitting in a Roman prison. He wrote this letter and is praying for them while sitting in a Roman prison for his faith in Jesus. His prayers aren’t confined by a prison, they’re unleashed by his love for them and his love for Christ. He isn’t praying for his comfort and escape; he’s praying for their growth and strength. He’s praying for their sanctification so they’ll live out their faith in a manner that’s pleasing to Christ. Sanctification is a theological term for the transformation that starts happening in a person’s life after they start a new life with Christ. It’s where God starts transforming us into being more like Jesus, so our hearts, thoughts, and lives can become more aligned with Jesus and his will. If you’re a skeptic who views Christians as hypocrites, this is the reason why. It’s because we aren’t perfect like Jesus, but we are progressing. If you’re a believer thinking, “Why do I still struggle with sin? Why do I still struggle with not loving or following Jesus like I should?” It’s because you’re not perfect, you’re progressing. It’s because sanctification isn’t about perfection; it’s about progression.
C.S. Lewis says the process of sanctification is a lot like remodeling a house. Lewis states, “Imagine yourself as a house that God comes to rebuild. At first you understand what he’s doing. He’s getting the drains right, stopping the leaks in the roof, etc. You know those jobs needed to be done, so you’re not surprised. But then he starts knocking the house around in a way that hurts, and it doesn’t seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The answer is he’s adding a new wing here, putting an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards...You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage, but he’s building a palace…If we let him, he’ll make the feeblest and filthiest of us into dazzling, radiant, immortal creatures, pulsating with such energy, joy, wisdom, and love…We’ll be a bright stainless mirror reflecting back to God perfectly, his boundless power, delight, and goodness. The process will be long and sometimes painful, but it’s what we’re in for, and nothing less.” So sanctification isn’t about perfection, it’s about progression, and it’s a process that takes time. It’s also different than salvation, because we don’t partner with God in our salvation. But we do partner with God in our sanctification and growth. We grow by studying the truth of God’s word like Paul says, and by praying for God’s help in discerning the knowledge of his will. We grow by putting Jesus first in our lives, so nothing else will replace him in our lives. Just like a marital relationship requires both spouses spending time together to grow, your relationship with Jesus requires spending time with him to grow.
Vs. 15, “He’s the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him.” What Paul’s saying here is that Jesus is supreme over all creation. Vs. 15-20 is the heartbeat of this chapter, and the primary focus is on something called The Supremacy of Christ or The Preeminence of Christ. It means Jesus is supreme, preeminent, first place over everything. It comes from vs. 18, which says Jesus must be first place in everything! Paul’s saying Jesus isn’t one of many gods like syncretism teaches. He’s the God, who’s supreme over everything! He’s supreme over all creation! Paul says everything you see—the stars, the oceans, your life—it was all created by him, through him, and for him. We think we’re creators, but we’re just rearranging what’s already created. We’re just rearranging atoms to build things, chemicals to make medicine, trees to make paper. But we don’t really create from nothing like Jesus did. The reason Jesus had the power to create all things from nothing, is because Jesus is God. Paul says Jesus is the image of the invisible God, meaning he’s the invisible God who made himself visible through the incarnate birth. When Paul says he’s the firstborn over all creation, he isn’t saying Jesus is a created being, because that doesn’t make sense with everything he’s saying. Jesus can’t be a created being, while also creating everything. So what he’s saying is Jesus is God, he’s the Creator who has authority over all creation, just like a firstborn son in their context had authority over their siblings. Paul’s making it clear that Jesus is God, he’s our Creator, which is why he should be first over everything.
Vs. 17, “He’s before all things, and by him all things hold together.” This is still an aspect of The Supremacy of Christ over creation. Paul says by him all things hold together. So Jesus didn’t just create everything; he’s also holding it all together. What’s interesting is our entire universe is being held together right now, by incredibly strong forces we can’t even see or fully understand. Scientists call it dark matter, and it’s invisible—but it’s what keeps galaxies from tearing themselves apart as they spin at millions of miles per hour. According to NASA, “Dark matter is an invisible, unknownsubstance in the universe, acting as a cosmic glue, that holds galaxies together. It’s called ‘dark’ because it doesn’t emit, reflect, or absorb light, making it undetectable by telescopes, and is only known through its gravitational effects on visible matter...Although unseen, its mass is strong enough to keep stars orbiting within galaxies, to keep galaxies clustered together, and to prevent them from flying apart.” So even NASA recognizes there’s some strong force that’s holding our entire universe together. They call it dark matter, but they don’t really know what it is. They said it’s an unknown and unseen force that’s holding our entire universe together. But we also have atoms—the building blocks of everything you touch. They should fly apart, because all the protons in their nuclei repel each other. But there’s an incredibly strong force holding all the atoms together, and without it nothing would exist. My point is that all creation is designed in such a way, that it requires an incredibly strong force to hold it all together. Paul’s saying that incredibly strong force is Jesus. He’s the incredibly strong force that’s holding the stars, the galaxies, the atoms, your very own life together. He’s the one holding it all together, and your life will eventually fall apart without him, so he must be first in your life!
Vs. 18, “He’s also the head of the body, the church...” This is now a different aspect of The Supremacy of Christ. He’s supreme over his physical creation, but also his spiritual creation, which is the church. Paul says he’s the head of the church, meaning he’s the one who’s ultimately in charge, not us. We have leaders in the church, but he’s the ultimate leader over all other leaders. My title at City Awakening is lead pastor, but I’m still an under shepherd to Jesus. I’m not over Jesus, I’m under Jesus. So if I ever say anything that doesn’t align with Jesus, you follow Jesus over me because he’s the greater authority. But since he’s the head of the church, it also means we should prioritize the church in our lives. We should prioritize supporting the church movement he’s leading with our time, talent, and treasures. Are you doing that, or do you need to do an audit on your time commitments, an audit on your priorities, because Jesus and the church are barely making it on the priorities list?...Are you viewing your school, workplace, neighborhood, as places he’s strategically placed you to use your talents to lead others to him?...Are you treating Jesus as Lord of your financial treasures, or as Lord of your leftovers—Lord only after you’ve paid your bills, your luxuries, your child’s tuition and sports?...Does Jesus come first with your time, talent, and treasures, or has something else taken his place?...Since Jesus is the head of the church, we should prioritize supporting the church movement he’s leading with our time, talent, and treasures.
Again vs. 18, “He’s also the head of the body, the church; he’s the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.” This is where the big idea of the message comes from, and it’s that Jesus must be first place over everything. Paul’s saying Jesus is our God, our Creator, who’s supreme over everything, which means he must be first place over everything. He must be supreme, preeminent, first place, the top priority over everything!
Vs. 19, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him—23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and aren’t shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.” Paul ends this section the way he began it. He ends it by pointing the Colossians back to the gospel, and away from the syncretism they were starting to follow. He’s teaching all of us that Jesus is the only God who’s supreme over everything, yet he was humble enough to die on the cross for our salvation and reconciliation. He says we were once alienated from God, separated from God, because of our sinful rebellion against God. But through faith in the gospel, through faith in Jesus dying for our sins on the cross, we receive salvation and reconciliation with God. Jesus is the supreme one, who became the suffering one, so we can be reconciled with our Creator again. He’s the supreme one, who became the suffering one, so we can enjoy a new life with him.
The big idea of the message is Jesus is supreme over all things, so he must come first over everything...Jesus is supreme over all things, so he must come first over everything...Like I said in the beginning, everybody has a first in their life. Everybody has something we prioritize more than anything else in life...What is it for you?...What’s become first in your life?...Whatever those things are, they’ll never be enough to sustain and hold your life together like Christ. In vs. 17 Paul says it’s only by him, that all things hold together. That means without him, all things will fall apart, including our lives. Only Jesus is supreme over all things, so he must be first over everything...