Preeminence of Christ (vol 3)

In referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, the apostle Peter writes:"To Whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11)

Also, the Psalms have some poetic ways of expressing the absolute authority of Christ in all things. The second verse of the second Psalm makes it clear that it's talking about the "Anointed", the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ:
"Ask of me, and I shall give Thee the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession." (Psalm 2:8)

Thank You Lord that you are preeminent in all things, and will one day judge in Righteousness.

Sleep

"I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for Thou sustained me." Psalm 3:5

When the times comes to pass away from this life, those who know the Lord Jesus would do well to think of it as taking rest in sleep. It is He Who guards and sustains the souls committed to His keeping, by the power of God, through faith. (1 Peter 1:5)

Thank you Lord Jesus, that when I at last sleep the slumbers of death, that I will be awakened in Your presence.


"I go to grave as to a bed,
this earth and all its things I flee.
‘Tis You Who keeps my soul secure,
for when I wake, I am with Thee. "

High and Lifted Up (a hymn)

(I think the most interesting line is the last line from verse 3... do you know what scripture it's referring to?)






High and lifted up was He

stretched and nailed upon the cross;

compassed 'round by enemies,

none stood by to mourn His loss.

Nails did pierce His hands and feet,

a crown of thorn beset His head.

God's fierce wrath upon my sin

was laid against Him in my stead.

Then, the ancient promise filled,

they laid Him in a borrowed tomb;

but three days later He'd awake

with Youth's dew from morning's womb.

Now again He's lifted up

at God's right hand above all things:

He's Jesus Christ, Creator, Savior,

Lord of lords, and King of kings!

The Preeminence of Christ (vol 2)

The following is simply a list of scriptural references showing the absolute authority and supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ.


Colossians 1:19 "For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell

John 1:1-4 - "In the beginning was the Word...All things were made by Him...In him was life."

 

Acts 2:32-36 - "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses...Sit thou on my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool. There, let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."

 

Isaiah 9:6 - "and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Prince of Peace."

 

Daniel 7:13-14 - "the Son man came...to the Ancient of day...and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom that all people, nations, and language should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom which shall not be destroyed."

 

John 5:22-23 - "the Son of giveth life to whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father, who hath sent him."

 

Romans 11:36 - "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all thing: to whom be glory forever. Amen." 

 

Ephesians 1:10 - "In the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him"

1 Peter 3:22 speaks of Christ as having "gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels, and authorities, and powers being made subject unto Him."

Ps 89:27 says "Also I will make Him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth."

Isaiah 53:10 says that because of His death "He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand"

Matthew 26:64 "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven."

Mark 14:62 "ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."

The Preeminence of Christ

“Pre-eminence: Precedence; priority of place; superiority in rank or dignity.
“That in all things he might have the preeminence.” Colossians 1:18    
(Noah Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828 Edition, http://webstersdictionary1828.com/)“

What does the Bible say?

(on any Colossians 1 verse, the context stretches from verse 13 referring to “His Dear Son” up til 18 where it summarizes by saying that it’s because of these things that He has “the preeminence.”)

Christ is preeminent because He is the Creator of all things:

Colossians 1:16 “for by Him were all things created…”

Revelation 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive honor and glory and power: for Thou hast created all things…”

Hebrews 1:2 “by Whom also He made the worlds…”

Hebrews 2:10 “by Whom are all things”

Christ is preeminent because He is the Sustainer of all things:

Colossians 1:17 “by Him all things consist”

Hebrews 1:3 says Christ is now “upholding all things by the Word of His power”

Revelation 4:11 says in referring to the Creation, “for Thy pleasure they are”

Christ is preeminent because He died for the sins of man:

Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore will I divide Him and portion with the Great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He hath poured out His soul unto death.”

Philipians 2:8-11 “He…became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Hebrews 2:9 “We see Jesus Who was made…for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor”

Revelation 5:9 “Thou art worthy…for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood…”


Christ is preeminent because He raised from the dead

Colossians 1:18  “the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence”

Romans 1:4 “and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by His resurrection from the dead.”

1 Peter 1:21 God “raised Him up, and gave Him glory”

Acts 17:31 “He hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man Whom He hath ordained: whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.”

Revelation 1:5 “Jesus Christ…the Firstbegotten from the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth…that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His Own blood.”

Christ is preeminent because He is God Himself:

Colossians 1:15 “Who is the image of the invisible God”

Colossians 2:9 “For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him, Who is head over all principality and power”

According to 1 Peter 3:22, this preeminence is so “that in all things God may be glorified by Jesus Christ.”
Indeed, there is “no other Name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Any places ya’ll can think of or run across that speak to the superiority, authority, and “preemminece” of the Lord Jesus Christ, let me know! These reminders always work within us a spirit of awe and worship towards “Him that liveth forever and ever.”

Jesus the rebel?

Alot of Christians, think of Jesus as some kind of social rebel in his day.

What does the bible say about this?

John records Jesus as saying “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do,”(John 17:4), while Paul wrote to the Romans and said that “by the obedience of One, shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). Paul also wrote to Christians in Philipi and recounted how Jesus “ humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philipians 2:8) in order to pay for our sin.
The apostle Peter wrote to the Christians in what is modern day Turkey, reminding them that they were saved by the “obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ”.(1 Peter 1:2) The author of Hebrews writes that “though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

According to the Bible, everything about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ was defined by obedience, not rebellion, and we should "follow His steps".

my Sin, His Holiness

I would submit that one will be limited in their understanding of the “goodness of God which leadeth Thee to repentence” without first having a scriptural view of His Holiness, and our sin.

A few verses on the awe inspiring nature of God include:
He’s the Eternal God-Psalm 90:2, Hebrews 1:8-12, Revelation 1:18, 4:9
He’s the Creator of all things-Genesis 1:1, Jeremiah 17:32,  John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, Revelation 4:11…
He’s the Sustainer of all things –Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3
He’s the Conqueror of Death – 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, Colossians 2:15
He will Conquer His enemies –Isaiah 63:1-6, Revelation 19:11-21
He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords-Revelation 19:16
He’s absolutely Pure and Holy-Leviticus 11:44, Leviticus 19:2, Habbakuk 1:13, 1 Peter 1:16

A few verses on the condition of man include:
Man is wicked and evil- Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9
Man is an enemy of God-Romans 5:10, Colossians 1:21
Man is filthy and unrighteous- Psalm 14:3, Psalm 53:3, Romans 3:10-12
Man is a sinner-Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8
Man is “Dead” in sin-Colossians 2:13, Ephesians 2:1, 5
Man is “inexcusable” before God –Romans 2:1

Even in these few verses, it’s clear that these two entities have no business associating with each other… yet…
“God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us” made us alive to God, and demonstrated this love in that “while we were sinners, Christ died for us..”
The more I learn of my great sin, and of His Great Holiness, the more I am able to understand, albeit in a small, limited way, the depth of His great mercy. He’s so Good, and this Goodness is made even more astounding by a scriptural view of my depravity and of His Holiness, and fierce Judgement upon sin.

'he that believeth"

Just wanted to quickly give a few verses that I read today, starting with one in 1 Peter, that show that Jesus is the only way to the Father. Alot of folks say that any sincerely held belief is enough to gain acceptance in the sight of God. Here's a few places that address that idea:

1 Peter 2:6 "he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded..."

John 3:15 "whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish"

John 3:16 "whosoever believeth in Him should not perish"

John 3:18 "he that believeth on Him is not condemned"

John 3:36 "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life"

John 6:47 "He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life"

Note that in each of these, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ is being refered to as the object of "belief." Not Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy, or Bhudda or Allah or anyone or anything else. Only in Christ can we have eternal life.

The Resurrection in the Old Testament

Psalm 2:7 “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotton Thee”,
Psalm 16:10 “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption.”
Isiah 55:3 “I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”

Now if all I had were the Old Testament, I’m not sure that I would come to understanding that these scriptures are referring to the resurrection. Yet look at Paul’s speech before the Jews in Antioch….he quotes every one of these and then explains how each one is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ rising from the dead!

Acts 13:32-36  ^“And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: but he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.

If I were to exhume my Dad’s grave in our backyard in Mississippi, I’d find physical “corruption.” Yet, the Lord Jesus’ body was not in the ground long enough to see “corruption” (3 days and 3 nights! 1 Cor 15:4). He’s risen! Also, He has promised that “Because I live, ye shall live also’ (John 14:19), and Paul, inspired by the Spirit of God wrote “He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also, by Jesus.” (2 Cor 4:14).
We have a lot to look forward to, and the great hope that this truth brings certainly makes me want to search the scriptures to find more of these “exceeding great and precious promises.” (2 Peter 1:4)

Memorizing passages of Scripture

I recently memorized Paul's letter to the Colossians, and am currently working on 1 Peter (early in chapter 3).
One of the things that I'm loving about it is that it's forcing me to memorize those "bridge" type of verses that I've never really noticed before. So much truth.
Also, I'm enjoying the "themes" from Colossians like:
-concern for God's people and desire to see them grow, and earnestly praying to that end.
-the absolute preeminence of Christ over all of Creation and Redemption.
-the "hope" of the Gospel (three times in chapter 1 the word "hope" is associated with the Gospel)
-and of course the emphasis on the work of Christ (just in verses 16-22 Paul uses "He", "His", "Him", and "Himself" 12 times when refering to the work of Christ. The only time it mentions us is in association with the words "alienated" and "enemies" and "wicked works.")

Memorizing passages has been one of the most spiritually enriching things that I've ever done (possibly because it causes you to read, study, meditate upon, pray about, and ultimately write in on your heart. It's a regular quintuple whammy, if you will)

I highly encourage you to try it!

"He made a show"

"...having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it."
Colossians 2:15

Like a bloodied super-heavyweight boxer who clinches the Title by knockout, then turns to the roaring crowd with his arms raised in victory, the Lord Jesus also "vanguished" our enemy Death and will glory in His triumph for all eternity.

"the Firstborn" (Colossians 1:15,18)

With regard to Colossians 1:15 and 1:18, even the though the Greek word is the same in both places (protokos...I assume its where we get our word prototype from), I think it's referring to different aspects of being the Firstborn.
Verse 18 seems very clear that it's referring to His resurrection since it says "the firstborn of the dead" and then goes on to say "that in all things He might have the preeminence." This agrees with Romans 1:4 which says that Christ is "declared to be the Son of God with power by His resurrection from the dead." Psalm 2:7 (and quoted in Hebrews 1:5) says "Thou Art my Son, this day have I begotton Thee", and since the Father eternally exists with the Son and the Holy Spirit, this cannot be referring to a precedence of the Father to the Son, but of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Also, in Psalm 89:27 it says "Also I will make Him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth." Again, we see the theme of preeminence due to His resurrection from the dead . Also, though the resurrection works in less explicitly, in Philipians 2 it says that because of His obedience to the Father (and subsequent death, burial, and resurrection) that God "hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every Name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father..." Also, Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus Christ is the "firstbegotton of the dead" (also translated protokos). All that to say that 1:18 is very clear to me, that it's referring to the resurrection of Christ.

As for 1:15, I feel like the context points to the emphasis being on the eternal nature of the Godhead rather than specifically the resurrection from the dead. Psalm 90:2 says "from everlasting to everlasting Thou Art God" and Psalm 102:24-27 says that "Thy years throughout all generations...Thou shalt endure...Thou Art the same...Thy years shall have no end." Jeremiah wrote that "...He is the former of all things." (10:16)
In both Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1, the text opens with the eternal existence of the Godhead.
 Christ preceded the existence of all things, as Hebrews 7 says, "having neither beginning of days nor end of life."
If you take verses 15-17 as a complete thought, it's as if Paul lays out a thesis statement in 15, goes into more detail in verse 16, then summarizes in 17 by saying that He is "before all things" and that all things were brought into and sustained in existence because of Him.

In summary, I think verse 15 is referring to the eternal nature of God, and verse 18 refers to His resurrection.

Epaphras

Paul opens and closes his letter to the Colossians by lauding this "minister of Christ."
Paul calls him a "dear fellowservant"(1:7), and "faithful minister of Christ" (1:7), a "servant of Christ"(4:12), states that he had been instrumental in the Colossians salvation and sanctification (1:7), and that he was eager to praise the work that God was doing in Colossae to other believers abroad (1:8). Also, Paul says that he "labor[ed] fervently for you in prayer"(4:12) that they would "stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." Paul also acknowledged his "zeal" for not only the believers in his home city, but also abroad (Laodicea, Hieropolis) (4:13).

What a great example of a Godly man. May we all seek to emulate the Godly example of Epaphras.

The Christ of the 24th Psalm

The Christ of Psalm 24


The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Hebrews 1:3 talks about the "heir of all things", who is One in the same as the God Who created them.


² For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Colossians 1:17 says that the Lord Jesus is "before all things, and by Him all things consist."


³ Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?Who could possibly be worthy to ascend the "mountain of the Lord" ? Psalms speaks of "the Anointed" as "the King Whom I have set upon My Holy hill of Zion." (Psalm 2:6)


⁴ He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Another Psalm speaks in the same language of the One Who would come to take away the sins of man by saying that "Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands..." (Psalm 18:24)
Isaiah wrote that the One Who would come to bear "the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6), that He would be without guile, "neither was there any deceit in His mouth" (Isaiah 53:9) This One Who would come would be counted worthy to be the "heir of all things" because He would be "as of a Lamb without blemish or spot." (1 Peter 1:19)


⁵ He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Psalm 72:1 says "Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son." This wise King Who had the wisdom of the Most God, would also be One in the same with "the King's Son." The righteousness of the Eternal God was embodied in the person of the Lord Jesus, for "in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9) 


⁶ This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

⁷ Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

⁸ Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

⁹ Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.


¹⁰ Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah."...and the armies which were in heaven did follow Him on white horses." (Revelation 19:16) This great commander of a Host, is the King of Glory, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This Psalm could be speaking in poetic tones to His ascension into heaven after His death, burial, and resurrection. However, whatever event it may be referring to, it can only be true of the Lord Jesus.

"He is the former..."

I was reading this morning in Jeremiah and came across this scripture describing God:

“…He is the former of all things…”  (10:16) I love verses like this from the Old Testament about “God” or “the Lord of Hosts” or “The Almighty”, that are restated in the New Testament as being descriptive of the Lord Jesus Christ. Two that spring to mind are Colossians 1:15 calling Christ “the firstborn of every creature”, and Colossians 1:17 which says that “He is before all things…” He’s the Eternal God, the Creator of all things, and to think that He would become the Saviour and Redeemer of His sinful rebellious creations is cause for great rejoicing and hope.

"by Jesus"

"...we also believe and therefore speak; knowing that He which hath raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus..." 2 Corinthians 4:13-14

Here is an "exceeding great and precious promise" from God's Word; that when a person places their faith in Christ, God will raise them up to everlasting life just like He did His Son, the Lord Jesus.

If we really believe this truth...we need to be telling people...