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THREE IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST

© Rosemary Bardsley 2006  

SUMMARY OF MESSAGE

Jesus Christ – the totality of God’s message

Jesus Christ – the divine Lord

Jesus Christ – the Head of the Church

 

BIBLE READING: Colossians 1:28 – 2:15

 

INTRODUCTION

False teaching almost always minimizes Jesus Christ and his significance.

The false teachers in Colosse did it.

Contemporary false teaching does it.

 

JESUS CHRIST – THE TOTALITY OF GOD’S MESSAGE

 The facts:

[1] Jesus is the focus of the gospel message: 1:28 – ‘We proclaim him’; see also Ephesians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 1:22-24; Romans 1:2-3a.

[2] Jesus is God’s long-hidden secret, now revealed: 2:2 – ‘the mystery of God, namely, Christ’

[3] All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge of God are in Christ: 2:3. [Note also the connection between Christ and ‘all wisdom’ in verse 28.]

 The application:

 [1] Paul stressed this truth about Christ because the false teachers were promoting the belief that Jesus was not the full and final revelation of God, and that people had to move on from Christ to additional sources of revelation.

[2] Paul was anxious for his readers to look to Christ alone for knowledge of God [1:28; 2:2; 2:4] because it is only from this knowledge that believers are built up and enriched with complete understanding.

[3] Paul used strong and urgent language [‘admonish’, ‘labour, struggling’] to communicate his urgency in bringing people back to Jesus Christ as their sole source of knowledge of God.

 

JESUS CHRIST – THE DIVINE LORD

 The facts:

[1] The Jesus the Colossians had received was ‘Lord’ [2:6]

[2] The fullness of deity lives in Christ in bodily form [2:9; see also 1:15-17; 1:19]

[3] Christ has authority over every power and authority [2:10; see also 2:15] 

Implications of these facts:

[1] We should depend on Christ alone for our spiritual stability and growth [2:6-7]

[2] We should reject man-made teaching [2:8]

[3] We should have confidence and assurance in the work of Christ for us [2:9-15] 

JESUS CHRIST – THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH

 

[1] He is Head of the church because of his resurrection from the dead [1:19] which confirms his sin-bearing, reconciling death [1:19-23].

[2] Because he is the Head of the church, the church should trust solely in him, and not in religious ritual or human experience as suggested by false teaching [2:16-19].

[3] Because he is Head of the church we are subject to him, not to man-made rules and regulations as required by false teaching [2:20-23].

 

CONCLUSION

Sometimes it is difficult to recognize false teaching. In these chapters from Colossians Paul gives us two key criteria: any teaching that lures us to knowledge of God additional to Christ, is false; and any teaching that tempts us to trust in our own performance or experience, instead of Christ, is false.