He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creations. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 2:15-16 ESV 

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross. Colossians 2:19-20 ESV 

     Paul, though he had never visited the church at Colossae, wrote a letter to them encouraging them not to lose sight of who Jesus was and is. There were those who were teaching that Jesus was simply another deity to be worshipped and others teaching the law must be followed. In both cases it was destroying the true teaching of who Jesus is and what he alone accomplished on the cross. Anything taken away or added to who Jesus is… is false teaching. Jesus is the Messiah… the Savior of all who will call upon his name. He was God in the flesh; the one and only God creator…. Lord. By him all things were made and without him nothing would be. Jesus lived so we could see the perfect God who created all things helping us to see God’s great love for us.

In The Beginning:
     Everything and everyone has a beginning. Everything and everyone that is except God. God has always been and will always be. He is eternal with no beginning and no end. This truth concerning Jesus is explained in the first chapter of John. In the beginning was the word , and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 ESV… And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 ESV  So the reality is that Jesus made it possible to not just hear about God, but to see God. As a Christian, your beginning was when you called upon Jesus to be the Savior in your life. Not only do you know about Him by what you have heard and read but now you know him personally. God, through Jesus, has created in you a clean heart. It was your new beginning.

All Authority:
     Lord of all…. that is who Jesus is. There is no authority nor deity that supersedes Him for He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.(Revelations 19:16) Everyone will bow before Him as Lord over all. Pilate, when addressing Jesus, said to Him, “Do you not know that I have authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?” John 19:10b  Jesus replied, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it has been given you from above.” John 19:11 ESV  When Jesus was being arrested in the garden and Peter tried to defend Him by the sword, Jesus said to him, “Do you not think that I could appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angles?” Matthew 26:53 ESV  Everything and everyone is subject to the authority of God. Again it is fact that Jesus, God’s only Son, is King of kings and Lord of lords. There is no one greater nor would anyone have a position of authority without God allowing it to be so.

Reconciliation:
     The verb for reconcile means to…. restore friendly relations between. God restored what was destroyed by sin- Our relationship with Him as creator God. He did, this as we know, by the sacrificial blood of Jesus on the cross. To say that we need to do more is to say that Jesus, who was God in the flesh, was not enough. Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God as referred to in the Bible, is all that is needed to accomplish reconciliation. No other god, deity, works, nor efforts made possible our Salvation which is in Christ alone. And there is Salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved Acts 4:12 ESV

     Unfortunately not much has changed in people from the time the letter of Colossians was written to today. I have heard it said even from people in a church setting, “There are many ways to heaven and one simply must be sincere.” To believe this is to steal the glory that belongs to God alone. There are gods that people worship which never lived or died and no longer lives. However as Christians, we worship a living God. The living God who is the creator of all that is or ever will be. His call to a person is to repent and believe in the work accomplished by Christ alone upon the cross of Calvary. There is no other work nor effort required, for it is a gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8-9) It will change how you live if you believe; for God never reconciled anyone to himself that He didn’t make a Temple of the Holy Spirit. God will do in you what you could never do for yourself… and that is why He alone should be and is to be worshipped. Always remember that, “ Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4 )

Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David