Introduction:    We have examined what Christ has done in us; what Christ has done for us, now we see who Christ is to us. We see His person, His power, His performance, His position, His preeminence, and His preciousness. From the beginning of time until the end this Book reveals to mankind who Jesus is (expound).

I.          THE ROLE OF A SUPREME CHRIST (V.15)

The Colossian church was being influenced by Gnostic teaching. Their teaching hinged on the belief that matter was evil and that spirit was good. As the Gnostics saw it, the creator was not God, but someone hostile to him; Jesus Christ was by no means unique; the task of man was to find his way to God; and salvation was attained through intellectual knowledge. Colossians was written to refute these teachings, and inform them of the supremacy of Christ. This is done by explaining the unique role of Christ as the supreme One. Two truths outline His supremacy. 

A.        Jesus Is Essentially God

The word "image" = a precise copy, or an exact reproduction. It was also used to refer to the parental likeness of a child. Jesus is the precise copy of God. To see what God is like, we have but to look at Jesus. He perfectly represents God to men in a form which can be seen, known, and understood.

·         Although man is created in the "image of God," man is not a perfect image of God.

Jesus is the perfect image of God. That is why He could say, in John 14: 9, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" And in Hebrews 1:3, "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person..."

·         Before the incarnation of Christ, no man could see God at any time. 

Man could only wonder what God looked like so God wrapped Himself in human flesh, and gave us an exact replica of Himself. In Jesus we see what God looks like. He was, and is essentially God. 

B.         Jesus Is Eternally God

The word "firstborn" refers to position, or rank. It literally means, "of first importance."

·         The word "first" = absolutely first.

·         The word "born" = His eternal generation, proceeding from the Father.

In the Eastern culture, the eldest son received the birthright. Thus, the word reminds us that Christ existed before creation, He is prior in time, and superior in position over everything. When we see Jesus we see One who is essentially God, and One who is eternally God.  His role as the supreme Christ is clearly defined. 

II.         THE REIGN OF A SOVEREIGN CHRIST (VV.16-17)

In these 2 verses we’re reminded that the Lord Jesus Christ is the sovereign One of the universe. There is no one else like Him, because no one else is able to be who He is, and do what He does.  We are informed that, as the sovereign One:

A.        Jesus Is The Creator Of All Things (v.16)

This was another area that was attacked by the false teachers at Colossae. They viewed Jesus as the first and most important of the creations of God. But, they were convinced he had to be a lesser being that eventually created the material universe as we know it. Verse 16, leaves no doubt as to the creator of all things. His name is Jesus.

·         His Power in Creation (v.16) 

The sheer size of our universe is staggering, and definitely reveals the awesome power of God in creation. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, contains hundreds of billions of stars. Astronomers estimate there are millions, even billions of galaxies. What they can see leads them to estimate the number of stars in the universe at roughly the number of all the grains of sand on all of the world's beaches. There is evidence of an intelligent order of the universe. Think about the creation of the human body. We humans have 300 trillion cells in our body. In the nucleus of a cell there are rods called 'chromosomes.' On those chromosomes there are millions of genes. In those genes there is DNA which gives detailed instructions for every part of our body. So compact is the DNA of our body that it could fit into an ice cube. If we strung out the DNA it would go all the way to the sun and back to the Earth 400 times. In that DNA are all of the instructions for every part of our body. It tells us how long our finger is going to be. It tells us the size of our foot. Plumber cells lay down the pipe lines for all of our body. Carpenter cells build the bone structure for our body. There are also 'electrical cells' that lay the communication fibers for every part of our body. These things did not just happen, or evolve. Behind man's existence there is a mastermind; there is a creator. His name is Jesus, and we see His power in creation.

·         His Purpose For Creation! "all things were created by him, and for him"

This created universe is moving toward one ultimate goal. It is not a meaningless mass of happenstance, but the moving of a sovereign God in the affairs of men. God's purpose of creation is to point man to God and to bring man to God. All that exists is created by Jesus, and exists for the purpose of giving glory and honor unto Him, because He is the creator of all things. 

B.         Jesus Is The Controller Of All Things (v.17)

The word "consist" = "to hold together."  We get "adhesive" from this also. It reminds us that the same One who creates all things is the One who controls all things.

·         Think about how He holds everything together.

Water is composed of two gases, hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen is combustible and oxygen supports combustion. Put them together and we have water with which to put out fires. Suppose that Jesus decided not to hold the world together and all the water in the world reverted back to its natural state of hydrogen and oxygen. In a split second the world would explode, and burn up because it would not be held together. It holds together because He is the foundation upon which it was built, and He is the glue holding it all in place.

·         This world is not merely held together by its own power.

He is the glue of the galaxies, the cohesion of the cosmos, and the uniformity of the universe. And, what is true of this universe is also true of our lives. The only One who can hold our families together is Jesus. The only One who can hold our lives together is Jesus. He is the sovereign Christ. 

III.       THE RULE OF A SACRED CHRIST (VV.18-19)

This section concludes by reinforcing the truth that the supreme and sovereign Christ is the sacred Christ. His rule is sacred as it relates to two things. 

A.        The Body That He Administrates (v.18)

In God’s Word the church is often referred to a body. Jesus is the head of that body and He administrates the body. 

·         The word "head" is an administrative term = one who is the ultimate authority.

Jesus controls every part of the church and gives it life and direction.

·         The church is not a democracy, or a bureaucracy, it is Theocracy. 

It is not man ruled, or majority ruled, it is Messiah ruled. Jesus is the head. He is the One who establishes the church, enables the church, empowers the church, and equips the church. It rests under His leadership, and Headship, because He bought the church with His own blood.

·         He has the right to have His way, because it belongs to Him. 

"that in all things he might have the preeminence." I call your attention, also, to not only the body that he administrates; but:

B.         The Blessing That He Necessitates (v.19)

As we come to verse 19, we get a glimpse into how God, the Father, was pleased to give this authority to His Son. It is almost as if God took one final look into the creation, control, and the church of His Son, and was satisfied with it. The word "fullness" = "utter completeness." It describes the picture where nothing is left to be added.  It is complete in itself.

Conclusion:     Jesus is not a sketch, or summary of God. In Him there is nothing left out. He is the full revelation of God, and nothing more is necessary. It pleased God for Jesus to be everything that He is, the creator, the controller, and the head of the church. And, I would add, if it pleases God, we ought to be happy with it. From the beginning of His Word to the end, this is a book that is all about Him.