Oh, praise the Lord. Let us come before Him again and ask Him to be with us and bless this time.
Oh, Lord, praise You. You did it all for us. You shed Your blood. You see the blood, and You pass over us. We do not have to be destroyed by the destroyer.
Thank You for bringing us out of Egypt, out of bondage. You paid the price. You shed the blood. You gave Your body for us to eat, that we may have strength to walk through the wilderness to the promised land.
Lord, as Your redeemed people, we stand on holy ground and know Your presence here. We uphold Your headship. We pray that You would anoint all the speaking, anoint the words, and anoint our ears. Lord, let it be Yourself who comes forth. In our hearts, we receive You, know You, and are blessed by You. Glory to You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Let us read from Colossians 1:14–19. I have arranged it so that the structure is a little easier to follow.
In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
All things were created by Him, and for Him:
And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.
And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell.
The theme of the fellowship today is submitting to the preeminence of Christ. A large portion of this sharing will concern seeing Christ and who He is, because that leads us to see why He should have the preeminence, and then how we submit to His preeminence.
After meditating on this passage and preparing some points, I went on the CTM website and listened to a few messages. There have been many messages shared on this passage. This passage is so high and so profound that I wanted to make sure what the Lord had put in my heart was not merely for myself, but was consistent with what other brothers had shared in the past.
I admit that this passage is very high and profound, and I only see a little bit. Christ is so rich that it takes many—in fact, the whole church—to really know Him and understand Him.
The first point is this: Christ is the ruler of all creation because all things were created by Him.
We begin with creation and with Christ as the Creator of all things. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
The brothers before us have shown that there may be misunderstanding in reading Genesis 1 and 2 as the beginning of all creation. There was a former world before Adam was created. In that former world, God created the heavens and the earth. We might call it prehistoric, before human records, although there are things written in the Bible that tell us something about that world.
What concerns us here is Christ being the Creator of all things. He created thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers.
These four things can be summed up in God’s purpose for them: He created them to rule. But we know that the archangel rebelled against God. From the Bible, and even from physical fossil records, we may conclude that it was perhaps a violent rebellion. He disrupted all things, shattered the order God had entrusted to him, abused his power, and wanted to be God himself. But he was cast down, and God judged.
Brother Kahn said at WCCC that, after Satan was cast down, the earth experienced a long period of ice, coldness, and nothingness after the judgment of God. Then the Spirit of God moved, and He began once again to create. This is what we see in Genesis 1 and following. He created in six days. Some have called it a recovery-type creation.
On the sixth day, God created man. In Genesis 1, He said:
Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion.
Then, in Genesis 1:28, He told them to be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion. The matter of rule appears again.
From the former creation, God’s purpose remained unchanged. He created angels in heaven and things on earth with the purpose of rule. But there is a difference: the archangel who rebelled, along with one-third of the angels, had no provision for restoration. Man fell—Adam fell—but God’s purpose would go on. He provided His only Son to redeem us back to Himself. I thought that was quite precious.
The New Testament says that God did not subject the world to come to angels. Instead, we read, “What is man?” God’s heart was set on having man express Him and exercise His power on His behalf. Man fell, but God’s salvation works in this way: He saves us, enters into us, and rules in and through us.
In Revelation, John sees thrones again. In the earliest creation there were thrones, but Lucifer and those angels failed and rebelled. Yet man, in God’s heart, has a purpose: to sit on thrones and reign with Him—with His Son. He through us and in us; we in Him.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Thank You, Lord. That part of creation is very precious.
In Colossians 1:16, the first part says, “All things were created by Him.” Then it repeats, “All things have been created by Him and for Him.” There is a little difference in the tense.
John 1 says that all things were made by Him. The original word for “made” carries the sense of “became.” Where there is nothing, He brings things into existence. He makes them become.
The name of the Lord in the Old Testament, translated “the Lord,” has this sense of being. This is why He said, “I am that I am.” Our Lord Jesus is the God of the Old Testament. All things became by Him.
Romans 4 says that He calls the things that are not as though they were. This is precious because He is still doing this today. When we need something that we do not have, He calls it into being.
When Sennacherib surrounded Israel, they thought they were doomed. They did not have enough army to fight against him. But the Lord was, in effect, saying, “You do not see an army, but I say there is an army.” When their eyes were opened, there were thousands and thousands of horses and chariots on the hills.
When the children of Israel came to the Red Sea, they were discouraged. “There is no way. We are trapped. We are doomed.” But the Lord says, “You say there is no way; I call it: there is a way.” His way was through the sea.
Recently, I had a relative who was coming to the end of his rope. I cannot go into the details, but our family gathered to pray for him. I used this word: “His way is in the sea.” When you are at the end of the rope, the Lord does not see it that way. He is the Lord who brings into being. There will be a way. He calls it: there is a way. We prayed, and not long afterward the Lord opened a way, and he was able to continue with his life.
The second expression, “all things have been created,” means there is a completed fact of creation, but the result of that creation continues. Creation continues.
As I meditated on this, I felt a little fearful. I looked through the Bible, from beginning to end, and I do not find that God decreates anything or anyone—especially man. Once man has been created, God does not decreat him.
The rebellious angels have a destiny. At the end of Revelation, the beast, the false prophet, death, Hades, and Satan are cast into the lake of fire. But what about man—our loved ones who have not been saved? This puts urgency in my heart. It is not decreation. It is not that one simply ceases to exist. Creation continues.
For those who have been saved, we live forever with Christ and with God. That is a great blessing. But for our loved ones who have not been saved, we really have to pray. There is a sense of urgency because no one will be decreated.
The second point is this: Christ is the beginning, the first, and before all things.
In Revelation, Jesus Himself said that He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last. The word “firstborn” in this passage has the same root and carries the thought of primacy.
Christ is the everlasting God. He was in eternity, without an identifiable beginning or end. When we think of “beginning,” we should think of a Person rather than merely a moment in time.
A circle has no beginning and no end. That helps me think about eternity. If we break the circle and open it up into a number line, there is infinity in one direction and infinity in the other. Our human minds cannot fully grasp eternity. Perhaps it is because, after God created time, we think of eternity past and eternity future.
But even before time, our Lord Jesus already was. John 1:1 says:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The verb “was” is ongoing. It is not a fixed moment in time. In any beginning, Christ already was. Brother Kahn said that “In the beginning was the Word” is eternity past. Our Lord Jesus Christ was already there.
This comes very close to us in practical life. Christ is the beginning. When we are about to start something, is Christ involved? Is Christ the beginning in whatever we do?
A brother had spoken some messages that were transcribed and printed as a book. He considered doing a second book, but he prayed and waited for the Lord to be the beginning of that book. Others had already transcribed and distributed material, and he did not want to proceed on his own. If it was of the Lord, then he wanted the Lord to be the beginning even of writing that book.
We can apply this in daily life—to our business, career, and every undertaking. He is the beginning.
There are two references to “firstborn” in this passage. The word itself already carries the meaning of having preeminence. He is the chief of all things, the head of all things. He has primacy: first in order, highest in rank, and highest in authority.
The first reference is “the firstborn of all creation.” One interpretation is that “firstborn” means He is supreme over all creation—the chief, leader, and ruler of all creation.
Another interpretation is that Christ took part in creation so that He might accomplish salvation. Hebrews says that, since the children partake of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise took part in the same. Some Christians, out of reverence toward God, hesitate to say that Christ could be part of creation because He is the Creator. We can pray before the Lord concerning this.
But what is important is not to enter into theological debate concerning His deity. What is important is that He took on flesh for the purpose of dying for us. As our Redeemer, even that fact alone means that He deserves our giving Him the preeminence.
Before “firstborn of all creation,” it says that He is “the image of the invisible God.” These phrases are related.
An image ought to resemble the one it represents. If an artist paints your portrait, you would want someone to see the painting and say, “That is you,” because it looks like you.
Our Lord Jesus said that when we see Him, we see the Father. All of God’s character, attributes, and virtues are captured and expressed in the Son. When all that God is is expressed by the Son, that is glory—the glory of the Father.
The implication is that we must not make any graven image and worship it. The second commandment says:
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
What can man possibly make to represent God? Any statue, carving, or painting that claims to be the image of God is a gross misrepresentation. We fall far short of capturing who He is.
Throughout history, and even today, man tends to worship images and say, “That is God. That is my god.” One common image that God detested His people worshipping was Baal.
The word Baal means “owner.” To worship Baal is, in effect, to say, “I am the owner of my things. I am the owner of my will. I own my abilities. I do things out of my will.” That is worshipping Baal, not worshipping Christ.
Christ has the preeminence because He is the perfect representation of God and is able to fully express Him.
Now we come to the second “firstborn”: “the firstborn from the dead,” or “the first begotten from the dead.”
There are two creations: the old and the new. The old creation is the realm of Adam—the realm in which Satan is called the god of this world. Colossians says that we have been translated out of that kingdom into the kingdom of God’s Son.
There is another realm: a new creation, a new world that came after the resurrection. Psalm 2 says:
Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten Thee.
This refers to the resurrection.
In John 16, Jesus compared His coming death and resurrection to a woman in travail. She may be in great pain, but after she gives birth, she forgets the anguish for joy that a man has come into the world. His going to the cross was great pain; the resurrection was birth.
Resurrection is the beginning of the new creation. Therefore, He is the firstborn from the dead. As such, He deserves the preeminence. He is the first, and firstborn carries the meaning of primacy.
The firstborn is also the heir, having the right to inherit all things. God the Father gave all things to His Son, Jesus. This was shown in Abraham, who gave all things to Isaac, though he had other sons. As the Heir, Christ owns the inheritance. He can do whatever He wills, and He deserves the preeminence.
Another reason Christ deserves our giving Him the preeminence is shown in Ephesians 1:19–21.
And what the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of the strength of His might
Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places,
Far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.
It was God’s mighty power that raised Christ from the dead. In Colossians there is the word energeia, speaking of working energy. You can think of a battery with much voltage—that is power. When that power is put to use, that is working power, or energy. Both worked together in raising Him from the dead.
Romans also says that He was raised by the glory of the Father. Glory is God’s nature manifested. How great is the power contained in the manifestation of God Himself, that it raised Christ from the dead?
Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand, and the right hand denotes power. He is far above all principality, power, might, and dominion. He created these powers, but after He was raised from the dead, they no longer had power over Him. He was set far above them.
These verses are self-evident: our Lord Jesus’ resurrection deserves our submitting to Him the preeminence.
Another precious thing is that the power by which God raised Christ will also raise us. All that He went through, He shares with us. We share in Him.
The final phrase is that He is “before all things.” “Before” also carries the meaning of high rank. He is the chief; He is the mighty One.
If we are walking with Jesus and He is before us, what does that mean? It means that we follow Him. He leads, and we follow. Is He before us in everything we do? In every initiative, before I do anything, do I let Him lead?
This applies to choosing a career, moving, starting a business, or beginning a ministry. He is before all things.
He is also before time itself. We may think of eons ago, infinity past, and eternity. But when we say that Christ is before all things, He is before every conceivable reference point. No one can come close. Even hypothetically, if someone could be very far back in time, Christ is before all things.
Therefore, He is the chief, the head, and the One in whom is primacy. He deserves to be the preeminent One.
The third point is this: By Christ all things consist.
God created all things, and Hebrews says that He upholds all things by the word of His power. Even today, He holds our bodies and our environment together. He sustains all things so that we can live in this environment.
A brother was dying one time, and he was saved by this word from Hebrews: “He upholds all things by the word of His power.” Even his body, the Lord holds together.
But after the rebellions and Adam’s fall, what is the state of the universe—the old creation—under the devil’s rule? It is discord, disorder, and chaos at every level.
Think of human interaction. Can two people form a business partnership and always get along without a written contract? It is hard. Even among family members, without Christ, the devil comes in and wreaks havoc. Everything breaks up. Divide, divide.
At the molecular level, if God does not hold things together, it is as though two molecules say, “I do not like you being so close to me.” Astrophysicists say that, trillions and trillions of years later, the universe may become cold, dark nothingness. That is the old creation.
But in the new creation, old things are passed away, and He makes all things new. Our Lord Jesus will continue to hold all things together: even our new body, the new heaven, the new earth, and the environment in which we will live forever.
The fourth point brings together what we have considered concerning Christ. The passage says, “That in all things He might have the preeminence.”
Sometimes, when we read, we think that “so that” applies only to the nearby phrase. But Greek grammar permits us, when the elements are related in meaning, to draw a cumulative conclusion. Christ is Creator, image, firstborn, beginning, and the One by whom all things consist—so that He might have the preeminence.
Preeminence simply means that He is highest in rank. He surpasses all things in power, in might, and in everything. He supersedes all things. He overrules all.
Even my will: He supersedes my will, my desires, and my preferences. That is putting Him in preeminence.
The fifth point is this: Christ has the preeminence because it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell in Him.
Fullness is very rich. Simply put, fullness is all of God Himself—His essence, substance, might, and everything about Him.
Fullness is the state of being filled to the brim. But God’s nature is eternal. How can eternal love, eternal mercy, infinite wisdom, and an everlasting kingdom be filled to the brim? We must think of fullness as without limit—no gap and no lack.
This fullness dwells in Christ. Paul calls this “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Unsearchable does not mean that we cannot find it, or that it is unavailable. God wants us to find it. It means that we cannot trace it to the end. We can follow His footsteps, but we cannot find the end of Him. He is unlimited.
This is very precious. He is the beginning and the end. He holds all things together. He is the fullness of God. In the new creation, He sustains us. His unsearchable riches will never run out. We have eternity to know Him, experience Him, and enjoy Him.
The phrase “it pleased the Father” reminds us that the Father said in several places, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” It is the Father’s own pleasure to do whatever He wills, and He wills that His fullness dwell in His Son, Jesus.
How does fullness dwelling in Him give Him the preeminence? It is inherent in fullness. There is a capability in fullness to have the preeminence. On whomever the fullness dwells, that One becomes the preeminent One. No one else but God’s own Son has the fullness of God dwelling in Him.
Colossians 2 speaks again of the fullness dwelling in Christ bodily. The context says, “Beware lest any man spoil you,” or take you captive. There are four things from which we must not be taken captive.
We must not be taken captive by the things of this world.
Therefore, we see the assurance from two directions: all that Christ is shows that He should have the preeminence, and the Father’s pleasure that all fullness dwell in Him confirms the same thing. “So that” shows the purpose, and “because” shows the ground: the Father’s pleasure.
I have spent so much time going through these points because, as I went through them, I was persuaded. “O Lord, I am persuaded. Seeing Christ and who You are, I am persuaded. You must have the preeminence in the church, in the new creation, and in our lives. I give You that preeminence.”
Finally, the sixth point is this: We submit to His preeminence by bearing the cross.
In Colossians 2, I counted eight references, in one form or another, to the Lord Jesus and the cross—eight times.
For dealing with the flesh and the lusts of the flesh, Colossians speaks of the circumcision of Christ. The circumcision of Christ deals with the flesh.
For the rudiments of the world, we are buried with Christ. The old creation is under the devil’s rule, a whole system of evil and corruption. How do we get out of that? By death and burial. Then we are raised with Him in resurrection.
For sin and temptation—such as fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness—Colossians says to mortify our members. There are eight different forms, but they all point to the cross of Christ.
Today, if we want to experience and give Him the preeminence, we come to the cross.
We read Colossians 1:14, which says that we have redemption through His blood. Then there is a sudden ascent: from redemption through His blood to the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, the beginning, the One by whom all things consist, and so on.
Why does it rise so suddenly? It has to be immediate. As soon as we are redeemed—though many of us may have been redeemed for years—we need to pray that the Lord would open our eyes to see Christ in His grandeur and magnificent glory, as shown in Colossians 1:15–19.
Then the passage returns to reconciliation and peace. It rises to such a high point and then comes back down. He deserves our giving Him the preeminence, honoring Him as Lord, King, and Head of all of us immediately, as soon as we are saved.
So, praise the Lord. Let us pray again and give all these words to Him.
Oh, Lord Jesus, Almighty God, the preeminent One, Lord, I fall before You in humble worship, for You deserve it. What is man, that You are mindful of him?
Thank You that You have brought us into such a high position with You. We are lower than the angels, yet when they rebelled, they had no means of salvation. But You personally came to save us, and You restored us to Your original purpose.
Thank You for creating us in Your own image and for entrusting us to loyally and faithfully exercise Your power and rule with You, and to enjoy Your glory. We do not deserve any of it. It is all Yours, yet You would share Your throne with us.
Oh, Lord, thank You for all that grace. Praise You, and glory to You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.