Col 1:15-20 [READ]
What a beautiful hymn to our most beautiful Jesus! There are few passages in Scripture that I would choose to give thanksgiving to Jesus than Col 1:15-20.
What are two reasons to be thankful for Jesus
1) First of all, I am thankful because Jesus created us.
Gen 1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
We normally think of God as the Creator. This is true, but I want you to be amazed by the fact that the Trinity–God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit–all three Persons of the Godhead were involved in creating the universe. God is obviously there. He is the one speaking–let there be light and there was light. The Holy Spirit was there. The Spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit, was hovering over the surface of the waters. Where’s Jesus?
To get at the answer, we have to read John 1:1-3.
John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was distinct from God the Father. Yet this Word was God. And all things were created through this Word.
So when God said, let there be light, and these words left His lips, Jesus was present as the embodied words of God. Jesus is known as the Word. God was like the architect and Jesus was like the foreman at the construction site directing the workers what to do. And the Holy Spirit was the one who carried out the orders of Jesus.
It’s correct to say, God is our Creator, but we should never forget that Jesus is the agent of creation.
Isn’t the Word of God cool? This Bible is better than any of the literary masterpieces of Shakespeare, Hemmingway, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Tolstoy, Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen. Kids, yes, even better than J.K. Rowling of the Harry Potter series. The Word of God is more exciting than Thor, Iron Man and all the Avengers and super heroes, Ender’s Game, Hunger Games all rolled up in one.
What did Jesus create?
Col 1
16 For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him.
Jesus created everything. Everything in heaven and on earth. This word “heaven” is not the heaven that we often think about. The place where God dwells or the place where we will one day be with God forever. “Heaven” refers to the invisible, spiritual reality that we are a part of right now.
We make a grave mistake if we think only what I can see with my eyes and touch with my hands and perceive with my 5 sense is all there is. There is a heavenly, spiritual realm, an invisible world that is far, far, infinitely more important than the visible, physical reality that we are in.
This heavenly realm is connected to the phrase in v16–thrones, or dominions or rulers or authorities. Whenever the Bible uses this type of language, it is speaking of the demonic world.
Where did the demons come from? They are fallen angelic beings. Angels. Satan is their leader. Eph 6 – the spiritual battle is raging around us and the angels of the Lord are on one side and the demons and the forces of darkness are on the other side and they are battling for your soul.