EPISODE 186 COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1 "Jesus Is Supreme"

Welcome back to Share the Word. For our new listeners, thank you so much for joining us. We believe that the best way to learn about the New Testament is chapter by chapter. And on today's podcast, Margie will be unpacking the big idea from Colossians chapter one, going through the five W's of the church of Colossae, along with a treasure trove of insights focused around the supremacy of Jesus. Let's listen in. Hello, I'm Margie, and this is Share the Word.

Today we're covering Colossians chapter one. The big idea? That Jesus is supreme. Scottish minister John Harper, pastor of Walworth Road Baptist Church in London, England, was a passenger on the RMS Titanic when it struck an iceberg and sank on April 14, 1912. Harper, a widower traveling with his six-year-old daughter and sister, chose to remain on the sinking ship after his family was secured in a lifeboat so that he could continue to share the gospel with his fellow passengers. It's reported that Reverend Harper gave his life jacket to a man flailing in the icy water.

After asking him if he knew Jesus, the man replied that he did not. Here, the reverend shouted, You need this jacket more than I do. He stayed in the ocean, strenuously fighting not for his earthly life, but to give this gentleman the message of truth before it was too late. For Harper knew it was a matter of life and death, eternal life and death. The last words that he uttered before disappearing into the depths of the sea were, Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. In 1917, there was a reunion of sorts for the Titanic survivors.

There, a man stood up, cleared his throat, and loudly announced, I am the last convert of John Harper. The Reverend John Harper, only 39 years old, was bold, self-sacrificing, and fearless because he was convinced that Jesus was supreme to all else, even dying in that ICC. In this text, I hear the Apostle Paul expounding with that same resolution, conviction, and earnestness, saying, I strenuously contend with all the energy of Christ so powerfully at work in me, suffering for you, because he knows that time is short, and that he needed to be very clear in communicating the message of Christ's supremacy, because it was a matter of life or death, eternal life or death. Since we are beginning a new book, let's start with the historical background using the tried and true method of who, what, when, where, how. Only this time, we're covering a lot of who's. The first two is the Apostle Paul.

The when and where, he wrote this letter under house arrest in Rome while awaiting trial before Caesar. He was most likely physically chained to his guard. It was written sometime between 60 and 62 A.D. Colossians is one of the four prison letters. The others are Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon. Like many of his epistles, Paul introduced himself as an apostle, most likely to establish his authority and credibility.

But especially in this case, as it appears that Paul did not know the recipients of this letter. He had not planted, or visited, or written to this church before. As we mentioned, apostle in the Greek means one who has been sent. But in this letter, Paul specified that he was an apostle of Christ, one sent by Jesus, whose supremacy he will be defending. The Bible dictionary defines an apostle as a disciple who was an eyewitness to the resurrected Christ and performed miracles. The apostle Paul was not one of the original twelve disciples who walked with Jesus.

He was later appointed by the resurrected Christ. We can read about that powerful commission in the book of Acts, chapter 9. As a result, Paul refers to himself in Corinthians as an apostle abnormally born. Paul also refers to himself as a servant, a bondservant. In verses 24 and 25, Paul assured them that he was appointed by God, saying, I rejoice in what I'm suffering for you, for the sake of the body, the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present you the word of God in its fullness.

The term servant was culturally commonplace. A bondservant was a slave by choice, one who would submit out of debt or covenant. The apostle chose intentionally and voluntarily to submit to Jesus and his supreme authority, and Paul chose to serve the Colossians. The second who is Timothy, the apostle Paul's loyal traveling companion and trusted friend. Timothy's name in the Greek means honoring God or honored by God. Timothy is named in six of the thirteen epistles and is thought to be a co-author in several of those letters.

In this letter, however, Paul stated that he wrote it in his own hand. The apostle most likely mentioned Timothy to establish the young pastor's mantle of authority and credibility as a leader. Timothy was most likely with Paul in prison at the time of this writing, taking care of the apostle's practical and administrative needs. Timothy and Paul had a very special relationship. Paul even referred to Timothy as a son near the end of his life. The next two is Epaphras.

He is also responsible for the why, or the reason that the Apostle Paul wrote this letter. Epaphras most likely founded the church in Colossae. It seems that he visited Paul in prison for two reasons. First, to encourage the apostle, possibly with financial support, and secondly, to give a report on the state of the church, the good and the bad. The Apostle Paul refers to Epaphras as our beloved fellow bondservant, who is a faithful minister of Christ. In episode 171 of Share the Word, our Pastor Paul explained the different roles in the early church, covering the title minister.

So if you haven't heard it, please take a listen. It is very well done. Many scholars believe that Epaphras became a Christ follower in Ephesus during the Apostle Paul's first missionary journey, where he stayed for approximately two years. That is probably where their dear fellowship and their friendship began. Perhaps it was then, with Paul's blessing, Epaphras went on to found the church in Colossae. And all likely, Epaphras considered the Apostle Paul his spiritual mentor and the father of the faith.

Minister Epaphras is only mentioned three times in the Bible, twice in Colossians and once in Philemon. In Philemon, the Apostle Paul refers to him as my fellow prisoner in Christ. Therefore, most historians believe that Epaphras may have been incarcerated as well. In other words, on this very visit, presumably he was arrested. Another reason for this assumption is that the letter was not delivered to the Colossians by Epaphras, but by Tychicus and Onesimus, both mentioned in chapter 4's final greetings, along with a host of other who's. The next two, and bonused where, are the believers in Colossae.

The apostle Paul opened the letter this way: To God's holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father. Paul referred to them as holy, well, your Bible might say saints, hagios in the Greek, meaning to be set apart, sacred, pure, and worthy. Now, some think that words like holy and saints are reserved for just a special few, but the Bible calls all sincere followers of Jesus holy, in some verses even saints, priests, or ministers. I did a stint in Texas, and there they would say, There's only two kinds of people in the world: the saints and the ain'ts. You can consider that your joke for the day. In other words, there are people that believe Jesus is supreme, and sadly, people who do not.

Holy is God's definition and description for those who have been rescued and redeemed by having faith in His Son. There's not a lot about Colossae, archaeologically speaking, but we know that about a hundred years before Paul wrote this letter, it had been a fairly important city. In his day, Colossae's international importance and influence had declined. The city of Colossae was located about a hundred miles from Ephesus, some 350 miles south of modern-day Istanbul. It was a third of the Tri-City area that included Laodicea and Hierapolis. Colossi was situated in the Lycus River Valley, then a major trade route.

It was most likely beautiful and lush, known for its production of figs, olives, and jet black wool. This city was populated primarily by Gentiles, but historians tell us there may have also been up to 50,000 Jews residing during the time of this letter, which might explain some of the Jewish legalism we will discuss in a bit. An interesting side note about Colossi: earthquakes were quite common in that region, and a major quake occurred approximately three years after Paul wrote this letter. If you were to visit the area, now modern-day Turkey, you will find ruins. Basically, there is not one stone standing to show where the vibrant Colossi once stood. Now for the why.

Why this letter was written: to encourage the young believers and what they were doing well, and to respond to the concerns of minister Epaphras, namely the heresy infiltrating the church. As a result, there is no personal chit-chat in this letter. It was written with a clear intent. It seems the apostle urgently wants to get to the big idea. Therefore, so shall we. The big idea again: Jesus is supreme.

We've studied before that most of the newly formed churches were being attacked from the outside by Roman persecution and Jewish persecution, and from the inside with heretical philosophy. Well, this young Colossian congregation. Had many heretical philosophies being promoted, not just one. We will call them isms. Those heretical isms are humanism, legalism, mysticism, and asceticism. These isms were undermining the truth that Jesus alone is supreme.

I'm just doing a quick flyby of the isms to set the stage for the apostles' argument. First, humanism. That was the Greek influence promoting man as the center of the universe and that man is the solution to his own problems. Based on Stoicism, Platonism, and Epicureanism, and probably a lot of other isms, the truth is that Jesus is supreme to man's logic, reason, and wisdom, and that Jesus alone is the solution to man's problem, namely sin. Secondly, legalism. That was the Jewish influence.

They pushed keeping the rules and regulations to maintain a good standing with God. Traditions like circumcision, the feasts, the festivals, purification rites. The apostle Paul is basically saying, You're already circumcised. God circumcised your heart. You don't need the physical cutting. God cut away sin and death through the supreme sacrifice of His Son.

In other words, ruler Jesus is supreme to the rules. Mysticism was the Eastern influence: Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism. Mysticism had a big emphasis on the supernatural and the unseen world, usually involving secret ceremonies, rites of passage, discovering previously unknown facts. In three of the four chapters, Paul reminds them that the mystery is solved. Here in chapter one, he says, The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations is now disclosed to the Lord's people. To them, God has chosen to make known, even among the Gentiles, the glorious riches of this mystery, Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The point is, it's not a secret anymore. It can be understood, and it is accessible to everyone, not just a chosen few. Jesus is the supreme answer to the supreme mystery. His work on the cross, his resurrection, provides salvation, purpose, eternity with God, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for both the Jew and the Gentile. Hallelujah. Asceticism is the precursor to Gnosticism.

It was an overly religious influence. It's based on the lie that a person can attain a higher spiritual and moral state, that spirit is superior to material, spirit good, physical bad. Had they forgotten that Jesus, though fully God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, was also fully man? Jesus is supreme, but he has a physical body. Jesus was raised in his body physically. He ascended in his body physically.

He is still wearing an earth suit physically in a glorified form. Sadly, the isms are still deceiving and capturing people today. In verse 25, Paul said, The commission that God gave me is to present you the word of God in its fullness. That fullness is the mystery of the work of Jesus, which is supreme to all of the isms. Jesus is above all else. He is matchless, glorious, and excellent.

And what does that supreme Jesus look like? Well, the Apostle Paul paints a powerful picture in verses 15 to 21. He says, The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over creation. For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, He is the beginning, He is the firstborn from the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.

For God was pleased to have all of His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, His physical blood shed on a cross. The point being that Christ's supremacy was proven through His personhood and His work. So let's take a quick closer look. Number one, that Jesus is the visible image of an invisible God. Image or icon mean an exact copy, exact manifestation, an exact representation. Verse 19 reinforces that fact, because God was pleased to have all of His fullness dwell in His Son.

That is a direct attack on the isms. Jesus had a visible flesh body, and yet He is the full essence of God who burst through all time and space as a supreme being to be worshipped. Well, yes, but also no. To show His true heart, the Father's true heart and His supreme grace. He is the seen physical manifestation of the unseen Spirit God. Number two, Jesus is the firstborn of all creation.

He has authority and privilege over all creation. He's co-eternal, co-creator, co-equal. He co-exists and co-rules with God. The point? Everything was produced by His wisdom, love, and power. Again, verse 16, the Apostle Paul makes a direct comparison between Jesus and the isms.

He says, In Him all things were created, heaven and earth. So the spirit world and the flesh world, visible and invisible, so material and immaterial, thrones. Now, some people think this means the leaders in the earthly realm, rulers, powers, and authorities. That would be the rulers in the spirit realm. The point is that Jesus is above all, the man-made or the demonic hierarchies. Jesus was not created.

He created. He is the supreme maker of all things. Jesus existed before creation. And number three, He continues to be actively holding all of creation together. Louis Giglio gives a great sermon about this particular principle, emphasizing that Jesus is the sustainer of the cosmos, including its ongoing movements like the rotation of the earth. He calls Jesus the superglue of the universe because He holds everything together.

The power of Jesus sustains both large structures such as galaxies and the stars, and even the smallest components like atoms. Jesus created all things and holds them together. He is the supreme preserver. Number four, that Jesus is the head of the church. He's the founder, the establisher, the cornerstone. He calls the shots, not the ismizers.

Number five, Jesus reconciled all things. His bodily death and resurrection provided that reconciliation. His blood sacrifice brought us back together in fellowship with the Father. Jesus is the supreme reconciler, not the isms. Number six, Jesus is the firstborn of the dead. Jesus is the first one resurrected eternally and bodily into heavenly life, and he is now seated at his Father's right hand.

Lastly, number seven, Jesus has first place in everything. That big idea is spelled out for us in verses 17 and 19. He is before all things so that in everything he might have supremacy. Jesus is over everything. He is preeminent, and from that fact alone, we receive our standing, value, and holiness, not through the isms. Longfellow could take a piece of paper, write a poem on it, and make it worth $6,000.

We call that genius. Rockefeller could take a piece of paper, sign his name to it, and make it worth a million dollars. We call that capital. A mechanic can take a piece of scrap metal, put it together in a different shape, make a machine worth $300. We call that skill. An artist can take a piece of canvas, paint on it, and make it worth a thousand dollars.

We call that talent. But only God can take a sinful human being, wash him in the blood of His Son, seal him with the Holy Spirit, and make him priceless, make him a blessing to mankind. And we call that grace. Listen, the more we know the Word, the more we understand the supremacy of Jesus, the less likely we will be persuaded or misled by the isms. And as the Apostle Paul said in verse 10, be able to live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work. The Apostle Paul, Timothy, Epaphras, and the Reverend John Harper understood this.

Jesus alone is supreme. They were compelled to tell the truth because it was a matter of life and death, eternal life and death. Again, this is Margie. Thank you for listening to Share the Word. We pray for you, as the Apostle Paul prayed for the Colossians, that you continue to grow in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might. Margie, absolutely an amazing podcast.

You brought so many thoughts to mind that led me to an incredible period of reflection. For example, as a believer, do we really understand and do we really grasp the extent of Christ's supremacy and how it impacts our daily lives? Or is Christ there only when He comes to mind or in times of turmoil? As a believer, are you living a life that is pleasing to God and reflects His character outwardly, or are we doing that only when others can see? I really had to think, would I have given away my life vest like John Harper? Look at your life today, and I'm sure you'll find examples, perhaps not as life-threatening, but to John Harper, Jesus was supreme in his decision.

What would yours have been? I know I fell short so many times, but I know I'm forgiven by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Have you accepted Him? What are you waiting for? Contact us at info at sharetheword dot org and allow us to pray with you.