"The Credentials of the Christ"
Text: Colossians 1: 12-29
Intro: The Bible is a "Jesus" book from cover to cover
1) In the Old Testament, find Preparation for His coming
2) In the Gospels, find the Presentation of His coming
3) In Acts, find the Proclamation of His coming
4) In the Epistles, find the Personification of His coming
5) In Revelation, find the Predomination of His coming
I. THE GLORY OF HIS BEING (vs 15-18)
In these verses we find the descriptive names of Jesus Christ.
A) The Image (vs 15
When Moses asked to see the glory of God, God said, "thou
canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me and live"
But Jacob said, "I have seen god face to face"
Jesus said (Jn14:9) "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father"
Who Jacob saw was the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ.
Who the disciples saw was the incarnate Jesus Christ
There still remains a group that hasn't seen Jesus Christ, except
through the eyes of faith and that is the church. But I John 3:2
says that our day is coming "we shall see him"
B) The First Born (vs 15)
His birth gives Him:
1. Priority (look around creation, realize He was there first.)
Lk 2:7 "brought forth her first born son"
text vs 18 "first born from the dead" (there had been other
resusitations but His was the first resurrection
2. Superiority
John the Baptist not only said, "He was before me"
John 1:30 "He was preferred before me"
C) The Creator (vs 16) "by Him were all things created"
Genesis proves that the trinity of God was present in creation.
Gen 1:1 "God the father is represented"
Gen 1:2 "the spirit of God moved"
Gne 1:3 "God said (the Word)
John 1 "in the beginning was the Word"
D) The Head (vs 18) "He is the Head of the body"
all impulses, influences, instructions come from brain to body.
the church is the body, Christ is the head (that makes Him the
instigator , influencer, instructor of the church
we are not paralyzed limbs, but "that in all things he might have
preeminence"
II. THE GRANDEUR OF HIS WORK ( vs 12-23)
A) Redemption (vs 12-14)
1) the Price of Redemption (vs 14 "through His blood")
don't have to pay - already paid for (Tit 3:5)
can't earn it (wages) it is the gift of God
2) the Pardon of Redemption (vs 14 "even the forgiveness of
our sins") redemption and forgiveness go hand in hand.
as slaves to sin, our pardon was paid for at Calvary. We
came to Calvary, and we will never be enslaved again.
The files of your sins have been deleted.
3) The Privilege of Redemption (vs 12 "the inheritance")
vs 13 "the kingdom"
a. we have a part in a glorious inheritance (Rom 8: 17)
b. we have a place in a wondorous kingdom
B) Reconciliation
1. completeness (vs 20 "reconcile all things unto himself")
everything in this world is out of joint. It got out of joint
in Gen 3. Spiritually we can get back into joint when we get
saved, but the physically aspect of this world will not be
put back into joint until the millineum comes.
2. concentration (vs 21 "and you")
God's concentration is on the sinner (you). We were enemies
alienated and wicked, but now He knows my name
3. character (vs 22 "holy, unblameable, unreprovable")
did it all so we could stand before Him clean and forgiven
4) constraint ("another gospel") the seduction is strong these days
to conform to the social gospel. But we need to hold forth the
faith and proclaim the faith.