Scripture referenced 11 passages
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
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Colossians 1:9-12 read as a ramp leading into the main passage, covering prayer for the Colossians to walk worthy
9 For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10 that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy;
12 giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;
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Keep this verse
Colossians 1:13
rescue from the domain of darkness and transfer into the kingdom of Christ
13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love;
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Colossians 1:14
redemption defined by the appositive as forgiveness of sins
14 in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins;
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Colossians 1:15-20
the Christ hymn describing Jesus as image of God, firstborn, agent of creation, head of the church, firstborn from the dead, and reconciler of all things through the blood of his cross
15 who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him.
17 He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.
18 He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him;
20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on the earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.
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John 1:1-3
cited to confirm Jesus as the word who was with God, was God, and through whom all things were created
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.
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Hebrews 1
quoted describing Jesus as the radiance of God's glory and exact representation of his nature
1 God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
2 has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.
3 His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4 having become so much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they have.
5 For to which of the angels did he say at any time, “You are my Son. Today I have become your father?” and again, “I will be to him a Father, and he will be to me a Son?”
6 When he again brings in the firstborn into the world he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him.”
7 Of the angels he says, “Who makes his angels winds, and his servants a flame of fire.”
8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your Kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.”
10 And, “You, Lord, in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the works of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you continue. They all will grow old like a garment does.
12 You will roll them up like a mantle, and they will be changed; but you are the same. Your years will not fail.”
13 But which of the angels has he told at any time, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet?”
14 Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
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Philippians 2:5-9
cited twice describing Christ not grasping equality with God, taking on obedience unto death on a cross, and being exalted above every name
5 Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;
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Revelation 1:4-5
quoted identifying Jesus as the faithful witness, firstborn of the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth
4 John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne;
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood;
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Ephesians 6:12
referenced when noting that thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities sound like the wrestling-not-against-flesh-and-blood language in Ephesians
12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
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Ephesians 2:8-10
paraphrased to say it is by grace through faith you are saved and you are his workmanship created to do good works
8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, that no one would boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
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1 John 1:8
paraphrased as John saying the one who claims to have no sin is a liar
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
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Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This message was the second week in Colossians, covering chapter one, verses 13 through 20. Pastor Josh walked through what many scholars call the "Christ hymn" of Colossians, a dense and carefully constructed passage about who Jesus is and what He has done. The application he landed on was simple and personal: Jesus is indeed preeminent, but is He first place in your life?
What was said
Pastor Josh started by reminding the church that Paul wrote Colossians to people he had never met, which shapes the tone of the letter. Paul opens with prayer, asking that the Colossians would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. That prayer is the ramp into verses 13 and following, where Paul describes what God has already done: rescued believers out of the domain of darkness and transferred them into the kingdom of His beloved Son. That transfer, Paul says, is where redemption lives, and redemption is the forgiveness of sins.
From there, Pastor Josh moved into the Christ hymn itself, beginning with the declaration that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. The word translated "image" is the Greek word for icon, and the point is direct: when Philip asked Jesus to show the disciples the Father, Jesus answered that anyone who has seen Him has seen the Father. Whatever God wanted to communicate about Himself, He did it in Christ Jesus.
The phrase "firstborn of all creation" got careful attention because it is a verse some use to argue that Jesus is a created being. Pastor Josh walked through the meaning of the word, showing that firstborn carries the sense of preeminence, not just birth order. The verses that follow make the point plain: all things were created by Him and for Him, which means He cannot simultaneously be a created thing. The same pattern appears in John 1, Hebrews 1, and Revelation 1, each establishing Christ as the agent of creation at the very opening of those books.
Pastor Josh slowed down on the line "in him, all things hold together." He noted that this is as true in quantum mechanics as it is in family relationships, and that it applies to the church as well. When Jesus is preeminent in a body of believers, things hold together. When He is not, they come apart. He also pressed on a harder implication of that phrase: every sin ever committed will either be justly condemned by a righteous God or mercifully forgiven by that same righteous God, and Christ is glorified either way.
The second half of the hymn moves from creation to resurrection. Jesus is the firstborn from the dead and the head of the Church, and the two uses of "firstborn" in the passage form a deliberate rhetorical frame. He is preeminent over all creation, and He is preeminent over death itself. He did this, the text says, so that He would come to have first place in everything.
Pastor Josh was careful to note that the reconciling work described in verse 20 is not universalism. Jesus, through the blood of His cross, has made peace and has done everything necessary to reconcile all things to the Father. But that finished work still has to be received. The example he used was the thief on the cross, who simply turned and said, "Remember me when You come into Your kingdom." The work is done. What a person does with Jesus is the most important decision they will ever make.
The closing application asked the congregation to sit with a series of personal questions drawn from the text. Since Jesus is indeed preeminent, is He first place in the way you deal with your family? Your job? Your worry? Your past? Pastor Josh was clear that these are not questions about the people around you, but about your own walk, and he pointed to a man who had been baptized that morning as a live picture of what it looks like to be brought out of the domain of darkness and into the kingdom of light.
Touch points
Things you could actually do this week.
- Pick one relationship in your family and ask yourself honestly whether Jesus is in first place in the way you handle it this week, not whether they are following him, but whether you are.
- The next time you catch yourself worrying about something, stop and pray about it instead, treating that as a concrete act of putting Jesus first.
- Sit with Colossians 1:17, 'in him all things hold together,' and let it settle over whatever feels fragmented or unstable in your life right now.
- If there is something in your past you keep returning to with shame or regret, ask God to help you see how he has brought you out of that domain of darkness and into the kingdom of his Son.
- At some point this week, at work or wherever your daily routine takes you, pause and ask whether the decision or attitude you are about to carry forward puts Jesus in first place.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- Paul prays that the Colossians would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord before he gets to any instruction. What does it look like in practice to let theology shape how you live, rather than treating belief and behavior as separate things?
- The sermon said that the domain of darkness looks different in Jackson than it does in Central Asia or wherever any of us grew up, but that we all start there. How did that domain of darkness show up in your own life before you came to faith?
and 3 more questions in the guide
Resumen en español
El mensaje resumido, en español.
El Pastor comenzó recordando que la carta a los Colosenses fue escrita por Pablo a una iglesia que él nunca había visitado personalmente, a diferencia de los Filipenses. Explicó que Colosenses sigue el mismo patrón de muchas cartas paulinas: primero viene una base teológica sobre quién es Cristo, y después viene la instrucción sobre cómo vivir. El pasaje principal de este domingo fue Colosenses 1:13-20, donde Pablo describe la grandeza y preeminencia de Jesús, tanto en la creación como en la redención.
Pastor Josh señaló que Jesús es la imagen del Dios invisible, el agente de toda la creación, y el primogénito de entre los muertos. Aclaró que "primogénito" no significa que Jesús fue creado, sino que es preeminente, el primero en rango y autoridad sobre todo lo que existe. También habló de que todo pecado cometido será o condenado justamente o perdonado misericordiosamente, y que de cualquier manera Cristo es glorificado. La paz con Dios ya fue lograda mediante la sangre de la cruz, pero cada persona tiene que decidir qué hace con esa oferta.
Al final, el Pastor trajo el mensaje a lo práctico: si Cristo es en verdad el primero en todo, ¿lo es también en tu vida? ¿En cómo tratas a tu familia, en tu trabajo, en tus preocupaciones, en cómo procesas tu pasado? No se trata de juzgar a los demás, sino de examinar el propio caminar. El sermón terminó con el testimonio de alguien que fue bautizado ese mismo día, quien dijo que se había alejado de Dios todo lo que pudo, pero que Dios lo llamó de regreso.
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Pasajes bíblicos usados:
- Colosenses 1:9-12
- Colosenses 1:13-20
- Juan 1:1-3
- Hebreos 1 (el exordio)
- Filipenses 2 (el himno a Cristo)
- Efesios 6 (sobre principados y potestades)
- Apocalipsis 1:4-5
- 1 Juan (sobre el que dice no tener pecado)
Read the full transcript 4,260 words
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