Download Supremacy Of The Creator

Supremacy of the Creator
Lesson 6
The Mind Boggling Truth
(The incomprehensible mystery)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Col 1:15-17
“The order, the regularity, the manifest calculation and design
which appear in every one of the constellations, in every single planet,
in every fixed star, and in every part of the great multitude of worlds
which God has created, are such decisive evidences that,
if men do not see something of God in them,
they must be weak in their minds
or wicked in their hearts.”
C. H. Spurgeon
Introduction:
I.
Jesus is God
He is the image of the invisible God, ….
A.
Col 1:15a
God is invisible
1 Tim 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1.
He lives in unapproachable light
1 Tim 6:15-16
God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light,
whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
2.
He lives in unapproachable holiness
Ex 33:19-20
the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
3.
John 4:24
He is spirit
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
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B.
Jesus is the image of God
1.
What’s an image?
IMAGE
eikon ; denotes "an image"; the word involves the two ideas of representation and manifestation.
The word is used (1) of an "image" or a coin (not a mere likeness), Matt 22:20; Mark 12:16; Luke 20:24; so of a
statue or similar representation (more than a resemblance), Rom 1:23; Rev 13:14,15 (thrice); 14:9,11; 15:2; 16:2;
19:20; 20:4; of the descendants of Adam as bearing his image, 1 Cor 15:49, each a representation derived from the
prototype; (2) of subjects relative to things spiritual, Heb 10:1, negatively of the Law as having "a shadow of the
good things to come, not the very image of the things," i. e., not the essential and substantial form of them; the
contrast has been likened to the difference between a statue and the shadow cast by it; (3) of the relations between
God the Father, Christ, and man, (a) of man as he was created as being a visible representation of God, 1 Cor 11:7,
a being corresponding to the original; the condition of man as a fallen creature has not entirely effaced the
"image"; he is still suitable to bear responsibility, he still has Godlike qualities, such as love of goodness and
beauty, none of which are found in a mere animal; in the Fall man ceased to be a perfect vehicle for the
representation of God; God's grace in Christ will yet accomplish more than what Adam lost; (b) of regenerate
persons, in being moral representations of what God is, Col 3:10; cf. Eph 4:24; (c) of believers, in their glorified
state, not merely as resembling Christ but representing Him, Rom 8:29; 1 Cor 15:49; here the perfection is the
work of divine grace; believers are yet to represent, not something like Him, but what He is in Himself, both in
His spiritual body and in His moral character; (d) of Christ in relation to God, 2 Cor 4:4, "the image of God," i. e.,
essentially and absolutely the perfect expression and representation of the Archetype, God the Father; in Col 1:15,
"the image of the invisible God" gives the additional thought suggested by the word "invisible," that Christ is the
visible representation and manifestation of God to created beings; the likeness expressed in this manifestation is
involved in the essential relations in the Godhead, and is therefore unique and perfect; "he that hath seen Me hath
seen the Father," John 14:9. "The epithet 'invisible'... must not be confined to the apprehension of the bodily
senses, but will include the cognizance of the inward eye also" (Lightfoot)
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
a.
Manifestation
what would it be like if God was present?
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
b.
Representation
If God was present, how would he think? …act?
John 1:1-2, 14
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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.
14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Heb 1:3a The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,
2.
Why do we need an icon?
Ex 33:18
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."
Ps 17:15
And I — in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
John 14:8
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
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II.
Jesus is preeminent
He is …… the firstborn over all creation.
Col 1:15b
FIRSTBORN prototokos , "firstborn" (from protos, "first," and tikto, "to beget"), is used of Christ as born of
the Virgin Mary, Luke 2:7; further, in His relationship to the Father, expressing His priority to, and
preeminence over, creation, not in the sense of being the "first" to be born.
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
1.
Literal
Luke 2:6-7
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and
placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
2.
Figurative
Ex 4:22
Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son,
3.
Fittingly assigned
Ps 89:20, 27
I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
20
27
Guide to interpretation of “prototokos”
III.

If to be begotten is to be born, how could Jesus be “only begotten” and also the “first begotten” of many?
John 1:18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. NASB

How could Christ be created and also be the “creator of all things”?

How could Christ not be God and be “before all things” when ‘all things’ were created and the only
thing ‘before all created things’ was God?
Jesus is creator of All Things
Col 1:16
Col 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
NIV
Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
NKJV
A1.
If there was a creation, what was there before creation?
A2.
Before creation, what did God know?
(the absolute absurdity of “the corridors of time”)
Isa 46:9-10
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Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.
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I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.
B.
Why was there creation?
C.
Who created?
(careful. It’s a trick question)
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The Father?
Gen 1:1
Ps 102:25
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
The Spirit?
Gen 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me;
The Son?
Heb 1:1-2
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In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
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but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
D.
How was creation accomplished?
Neh 9:66
You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth
and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
Ps 33:6
By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
Rev 4:11
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things,
and by your will they were created and have their being."
E.
What was created
Col 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
powers or rulers or authorities
1.
Visible things
2.
Invisible things
a.
Heavenly things
In what realm?
Where is heaven?
b.
Angelic beings
which ones? (see III. A2. above)
1.
God’s relation to angels
Heb 1:4
So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
a.
good angels
Rev 7:11 All the angels were standing around the throne ... They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
Heb 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
b.
2 Peter 2:4
Luke 10:17
bad angels
God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."
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2.
God’s relation to Satan
Ezek 28:14, 15, 17, 19
14
You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you.
15
You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created
17
…So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.
19
All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.'
Jesus created Satan, ordained his position, then cast him out of heaven for cause without any struggle at all.
Why would we think He would have any trouble chaining him up like a puppy? (Rev 20:1-3)
IV.
Jesus is the Goal of All Things
Col 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
NIV
Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
NKJV
John 6:37
John 17:6
All that the Father gives me will come to me , and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me
Eph 1:9-10
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And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
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to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment —
to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
V.
Jesus is the Predecessor of All Things
Col 1:17
He is before all things, ….
Col 1:17a
(he was here first)
John 1:1-2
1
2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning
1 John 1:1-2
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
John 8:58
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
Rev 22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
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VI.
Jesus is the Sustainer of All Things
Col 1:17
Col 1:17b
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together
Heb 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
What holds atoms together?
An atom consists of a whole bunch of different kinds of particles. The next logical question (and we do want to be
logical, don't we?) is: "What holds it all together?" What makes all this stuff an atom, rather than just a bunch of
stuff flying past each other?
Well, there are basically two things that hold it together. Two forces, that is. The first of these has to do with
electric charge. Electric charge comes in two varieties: positive and negative. The main carriers of positive charge
are protons, while the main carriers of negative charge are electrons. (Within protons and neutrons, the quarks
themselves carry charge, but this is only important to us in that the net charge of a proton or neutron is equal to the
sum of the charges of all its quarks: zero for a neutron, and a small positive amount for a proton.) Every proton
carries exactly the same amount of positive charge, and every electron carries a negative charge exactly opposite
that of a proton. There are other particles with electric charge, but they tend to live only a very short time before
they decay, and so they're mostly unimportant for atoms.
The significance of electric charge is that it forms the basis for electric force. Any particle with electric charge will
exert a force on any other particle with charge. (And vice versa, of course.) And there are two rules describing the
electric force.
1. Opposite charges attract; like charges repel.
2. The force gets weaker as the two charges get farther apart.
That is, a proton and an electron will attract each other. The closer they are together, the stronger this attraction
will be. Two protons (or two electrons) will repel each other. And again, the closer together they are, the stronger
the repulsion. Now the nucleus of an atom is positively charged, while electrons are negatively charged. As a
result, a nucleus will attract electrons. These electrons will swarm around the nucleus, and the result is an atom.
Now we haven't explained everything yet. The electric force explains how the electrons are bound to the nucleus
of an atom. But we haven't said anything about what holds the nucleus together. The electric force can't account
for this, and in fact, the electric force actually works against holding the nucleus together.
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Remember, the nucleus contains neutrons and protons. The neutrons are electrically neutral, and so the electric
force won't hold them in. Furthermore, the protons are all positively charged, and so they all repel each other. So if
the electric force was the only force involved, you couldn't create a nucleus. You could try to push all those
protons and neutrons together, but as soon as you let go, the protons would all shoot away from each other, and
the neutrons would drift apart as well. There has to be some other force that holds protons and neutrons together.
Of course, since the electric force is constantly trying to drive the protons apart, the force that holds them all in
must be stronger than the electric force. And keep in mind, the electric force gets stronger as charged particles get
closer together, and the protons in a nucleus are very close together. As a result, the force that holds protons and
neutrons together must be very strong. Well, in a brilliant stroke of imagination, physicists have named this force
"the strong force."
The strong force is a force which attracts protons to protons, neutrons to neutrons, and protons and neutrons to
each other. The force has a very short range, and this is the reason the nucleus of an atom turns out to be so small.
In addition, the strong force is also responsible for binding the quarks and gluons into protons and neutrons.
So the nucleus of an atom is held together by the strong force, while the electrons are held in the atom by the
electric force.
Now what, pray tell, do you imagine that strong force might be?
“He is not in all things but all things are in him
and this difference is not insignificant”
Fritz Rienecker, A Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament
“However far the most distant point of dark outer space may be from here,
Christ resides beyond it. All the powers and laws of nature find their origin in,
reside within, and are engulfed by the person of Jesus Christ.”
John Kitchen
 If you get the doctrine of Jesus (Christology) wrong, you have little chance of getting any others right
 Christ is the glue that holds all reality – around and in me – in constant, ordered existence
 Christ is the sphere, agent, and goal of all creation, therefore he must hold the same exalted
relationship to all we create: our thoughts – our words – our actions
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TNBS Questions
Read Colossians 1
1.
Memorize 1:15-17
Preparation for lesson 7
(there will be a test)
If Christ is the sphere (1:16a) in which all creation resides, what does that say about the context of:
my thoughts ? ________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
my desires? __________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
my actions? _________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2.
If Christ is the goal of creation, what does that say about:
my plans? ___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
my motives? _________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3.
If Christ is the sustainer of all creation(1:17b), what does that say about the possibility of my living a
successful life while ignoring him in any aspect of it? ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
4.
How does Colossians 1:16 refute and destroy the Gnostic idea of:
‘successive emanations’ from God? (refer to A.T. Robertson in lesson 2) _________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
the intrinsic evil of matter? _____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
5.
When Paul wrote Colossians 1:15-17, there were many people still alive who had seen Jesus, heard him,
touched him. How would these words have impacted them?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
6.
How do they impact you? ______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
7.
Scientists cannot explain why neither the universe, nor the atoms of which it is comprised, do not come
unraveled and fly apart. Thus they have inferred ‘dark matter’ and ‘strong force’ respectively.
Can you come up with a better explanation? How would you explain it?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
8.
How does your explanation impact your daily life?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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