Most of history's great peacemakers have been soldiers, who made war
first. Alexander the Great united the
known world. The Pax Romana (Peace
of Rome) was the standard for civilization in Bible days, but it came at the
cost of blood first. American
"peacekeeping" in WWII cost Hiroshima and 300,000 soldiers
killed. In Korea 33,741 US troops died, and
more than 50,000 in Vietnam. In the war
on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, so far we’ve lost over 6,800
soldiers.
The only successful peacemaker who didn't make war first was Jesus. He came to bring a peace that settles the
eternal gap that has existed between man and God since the fall. It's a big gap!
The question before the house is, How, and why, can Jesus make peace with
God for everyone? The text
provides a two-fold answer.
HE IS FIRST (1.18, 19a)
Christ is also the head of the church, which is his
body. He is the beginning, supreme over
all who rise from the dead. So he is
first in everything. For God in all his
fullness was pleased to live in Christ. Colossians
1:18-19
Jesus was the first person to be raised from the dead, who would never
die again. Paul says that Christ is the
"beginning." The word comes
from a basic verb that means "to rule over." It is used with the sense of the four corners
of a boat sail. Those corners are the
extremities, the ruling scope and direction of what the boat will be allowed to
do; the boat goes nowhere unless the sails permit it.
Jesus is not only a model; He is the perfect essence. We sang the hymn of Jesus being the church's
ONE foundation. That's it! He is founder and foundation.
Jesus' firstness, comes from the fact that He is God. We think of Jesus and the Christmas story, how
He came into being as a babe in a manger.
It's true that the physical birth of Jesus was when He entered time and
space as a man. But that was the
Incarnation. It was the God putting on
human flesh and bone. He already existed
in eternity with the Father. But, at the
manger the fullness of God came to be first among men. He was first, raising from the dead.
He’s not only first,
HE IS FINAL (1.20a)
and through him God reconciled everything to himself. Colossians 1:20a
Earlier in the chapter Paul shows us the creation account (Yes, your schoolbooks
are incredibly naive!)
Jesus ruled over creation.
Satan may be strong, and evil rampant; but this is still our Father's
world. A commentator shared the old
story of Lewis's department store in Birmingham, England. They wanted to expand their space, but there
was a little Quaker chapel right in the way.
Lewis's sent a letter to the leaders of the chapel, Dear sirs, we wish to extend our
premises. We see that your building is
in the way. We want to buy your
building. We'll pay any price you care
to name. They got a reply back, Dear
Sirs, we in the 'Friends Meeting House' note the desire of Lewis's to
extend. We observe that our building is
in the way. We would point out, however,
that we have been on our site somewhat longer than you have been on yours, and
we are determined to stay where we are.
We are so determined to stay, that we will happily buy Lewis's. If you will, therefore, name a suitable
price, we will settle the matter quickly. It was signed, Cadbury (of the chocolate
dynasty family, who would've been able to buy 10 Lewis's.) The point is not the what things appear to be,
but who signs the letter. The church is
not to assume a defensive posture; remember Who signed your letter!
Because He rules over creation
Jesus also rules over creation's problems.
There is a need for answers to war, racism, hunger, illiteracy, ecology
and death. Jesus has those answers! Sometimes we have not because we ask not!
Having ruled over the creation, and creation's problems, it is natural
that
He also rules over creation's destiny.
Do you remember New Age thinking?
It's not really new at all. In
truth it is old Eastern mysticism rehashed.
In that old paganistic belief time is cyclical, and we are bound to
repeat lifecycles. Reincarnation is anti-Biblical,
anti-Christian and anti- common sense. Scripture
declares that we die once…we don’t keep coming back until we get it right! No, God is moving history to a linear
conclusion; His conclusion in Christ.
His plan from the beginning (knowing that man would sin) was to
reconcile the creation back to Him.
Jesus was Plan A. He is
first, He is final, He is supreme!
The other reason how, and why, can Jesus make peace with
God for everyone:
WE ARE RECONCILED
and through him God reconciled everything to
himself. He made peace with everything
in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. Colossians 1:20
Through his blood...is how Paul describes the greatest news ever to hit this planet. The blood of Jesus was sufficient to
reconcile man to God. Jesus was the
embodiment of the necessary sacrifice to atone for humanity's sins.
The word atonement is a theological, churchy word - but a great
one! Break it down: AT. ONE . MENT.
Reconciliation is no less than the process of Jesus, the preexisting,
eternal God of the ages, entering time and space, dying on the cross as a man,
that He might reach up into heaven, taking the hand of God Almighty, and, with
the other hand, reach down to the lowest of the low – you and me – to put the
two together. Man reconciled with his
God! Jesus is sufficient to do that! It's a good thing He is able at this point,
because you and I know that nobody else is!
Martin Luther, despite his tremendous contributions to theological
progress was a constant target of depression.
In one of those times he said he seemed to see a hideous demon, listing
his sins on the wall of his room. The
list was long, terrible, and accurate.
There were things that he did; things he should've done. There seemed to be no end to the list. Luther was powerless, paralyzed to stop the
writer. So he bowed his head and asked
for help from the Savior. When he looked
up, the writer stopped and looked at Luther.
You have forgotten something, said Martin Luther. And what have I forgotten? asked the
demonic visitor. Take your pen and write one more
thing, Luther commanded,
Write: 'THE
BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON, CLEASETH US FROM ALL SIN.'"
At the mention of the blood of Jesus the demonic visitor disappeared,
and the wall was perfectly clean. We
have been reconciled.
WE MUST REMEMBER (1.21-23)
This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by
your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to
himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own
presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a
single fault. But you must continue to believe
this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t
drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the
world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. Colossians 1:21-23
There was once a time when I was alienated from Christ. I had not asked Him to apply that cleansing
blood to my own soul. There comes a time
when the general must move to the specific.
Christ died for the whole world, but there comes
a time when an individual must ask to be included. That is when the world’s Savior
becomes my Savior!
A little girl who was only six, didn't understand the songs, and the
sermons put her to sleep. But she always
wanted to be at church. One day she was
asked what it was that she liked about being at church. Without hesitation she replied, Communion. The Lord's Supper was important to her. Her parents and older brother went to the
table and received the bread and wine.
She hadn't yet come to the time when she participated. But, in this church, for all the small
children, while the members received the elements, the pastor would lay his
hand on the child's head and give her a blessing. It was the touch that made the
difference.
This table is the touch of God.
It is the remembrance of His supremacy - He rules over all
creation.
It is also the remembrance of His sufficiency - He rules over
reconciliation. Coming to Jesus in this
way, to be reconciled, is the only way to answer the command from the Father, Be ye
holy, for I am holy. He is - And
you can be! It's a promise from the
Father!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Let the church say
“Amen”!
[i] All Scripture quoted is from The
New Living Translation (unless otherwise stated) Title Image:
Pixabay.com
