July 5,2026 Col 1:15-23
Colossian 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 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. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Scientists have long searched for the Theory of Everything.
A way to unify the four fundamental forces of nature into a single equation.
The vast cosmic world seems to work one way and the small quantum world another.
Modern physics is split, because on paper, the math doesn’t work…but the universe does.
The truth is that they don’t even know if the four fundamental forces are the only ones there are…there are probably more.
Even if they come up with such a theory…it won’t explain everything will it?
It won’t answer our most important questions…what is the meaning of life, what happens when this life is over, what is our problem (clearly we have one) and what is the solution?
To explain some “hows” of the physical universe isn’t the same as explaining the “why” of human existence.
Humans intuitively search for meaning, for their own theory of everything.
Not just at the grand universe scale…but at the micro, personal scale.
We scan for meaning all around us.
Several years ago, a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich with what was said to be the image of the virgin Mary on it sold on eBay for $28,000.
The owner said the sandwich had not decayed in over 10 years.
She said it was a miracle; in fact, in this case there was a scientific explanation.
It turns out that highly processed cheese and over cooked bread decay very slowly.
The human brain processes random visual shapes and organizes them into patterns…we look for meaning virtually everywhere.
In stars or sandwhiches.
There is a word for this…apophenia.
In the extreme…people with mental disorders see so many patterns that it can cause them to break with reality.
But we do tend to look for signs…a series of red lights on the way to making an important decision…can make some people nervous…is it a sign, is God warning me?
No…its a series of red lights.
But again we tend to scan the world for meaning.
The question is…do we search for meaning but there really isn’t any…is it a built-in flaw of our humanity.
Or
Do we search for meaning because we are designed by God…it is a built-in feature of our humanity.
Where should we look in our search for meaning?
Science? Experience? Red or green lights?
We haven’t tried this thought exercise in awhile…so Imagine that this room is the universe.
Just scale things down…and this is it, or at least as far as we know.
The scientists among us experiment with the elements of this room, they come up with theories about multi-rooms, and how this room came to exist (big bang) and us in it(we evolved)…rationalists.
Others search for meaning in their own experiences in this room…existentialists.
Some have given up on meaning and believe that we are the meaningless products of time and chance…we just live and die in this room…nihilists
Some invent religions…and others in this room follow them as their spiritual leaders…or even as their gods.
Then one day to our great surprise… a door opens and a man walks in and claims to be from outside the room.
Doesn’t sound like a big deal unless you remember…this is no outside this room; there is no door.
This is all that exists…or so we thought.
The man shows up and he claims to be the one who made this room, and us in it.
He then tells us things that are beyond human ability to know, he acts like no human has every acted.
He is able to do things in the room like no one has ever done…he can make food in an instant without growing it, he can walk on water like it is a sidewalk, he can reverse sickness, even death.
There has never been another like him.
Then…we kill him, because he is upsetting.
Then he walks right back into the room.
Then he leaves the room again, in his own way, he just leaves…without dying this time…and says he will return.
Nothing like this has ever happened…but it turns out that there have been other unusual things in the history of this room, and other unusual people…those events and these people pointed forward to the one who would come into our room from outside of it.
It turns out this was all foreseen…foretold.
Expand the room to a universe…and you have the true story of Jesus Christ.
There are not multiple competing truth claims out there to choose from…that are all similar, and equal in credibility.
There are a lot of truth claims…but not equally credible ones.
It is not impossibly confusing to decide what is real and true.
If you have decided that Christianity is true…you need not be insecure about whether your faith is credible…or can stand up against other truth claims…it is and it can.
Science can explain some things…it cannot explain ultimate things…scientists are part of the room; they cannot escape the room to explain it or us.
There have been many religions that have developed inside the room…but all of them came from the minds of people who are part of the room.
Jesus…his life, death, resurrection was all foretold
Jesus…is the single human out of the billions who have ever lived…who was extraordinary and who claimed to be God…the only one.
Jesus’s life and teaching are historically verifiable.
Jesus’ death and resurrection are historically verifiable.
Jesus’ impact is personally verifiable…he takes our sin and guilt; he empowers changed lives and relationships.
It is not impossibly complex and confusing to figure out what is true…and why we are here, what happens when we die.
That passage I read is a clear, concise statement of the meaning of the room and us in it.
It is much more profound, more powerful and history shaping than the declaration of independence.
This is the declaration of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.
This is how we came to be here, why we are here, what our problem is, what our solution is…all the big questions of life are answered…they are answered in the person of Jesus Christ
Let’s work through it…and I will comment as I read.
Then we will go to application.
Colossian 1:15 He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Image (we get our words icon and iconic from the Greek that is translated image) it is described in Hebrews 1:3 like this:
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”
Jesus said:
“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)
He said:
“I and the Father are one.”
Jesus is God incarnate…the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father, the Spirit is not the Son or the Father…but they are one.
God is three persons, one being…this is crystal clear in Scripture.
God is absolutely unique…there is no analogy that helps us get our minds around him…he is the one true and Triune God.
This is our starting point…in the beginning God.
Firstborn indicates Jesus’ preeminence…the nation of Israel was called God’s “firstborn” in Exodus 4:22
Meaning…they were God’s priority among the nations.
Jesus is the preeminent one in the universe.
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. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
The beginning of John’s gospel reads like this:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:1-2
Either this is utter nonsense, just crazy stuff…or it is the key to understanding everything.
Scripture says that not only has Jesus made everything…physical, spiritual, seen and unseen.
He continually holds all things together.
You can discover physical forces through science…gravity, electromagnetism, the strong and weak nuclear force…but the one who has designed and who continually works through those forces can only be revealed not discovered.
Without Christ electrons would not circle nuclei, gravity (whatever it is, no one knows) would stop working.
Matter would fly apart…planets would leave their orbits.
At the cosmic, macro level of the entire created universe…Christ is the center, he is the key.
There are “scientific” descriptions of what God has made…but the ultimate why and how of the universe…is revealed not discovered.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Surprisingly, to some, but not to us, is this jump from the vast cosmos that he holds together…to the church.
This is not surprising to us because we know how important the church is in God’s plan.
This building and our Sunday gatherings don’t attract attention like the NATO meeting in Ankura…but what is happening here is of huge importance…in time and eternity.
God is working in human history through his body, the church.
The church is a marvel…a wonder.
All over the world…mostly off the radar…the church has been revealing the glory of Christ in countless ways.
The flaws make the news…the millions of daily sacrifices and acts of faith don’t.
He is holding the cosmos together and he is working through his church.
He was the first to experience resurrection…all who follow him will experience his resurrection life as well.
1 Corinthians 15 is an entire chapter dedicated to the reality and impact of Christ’s resurrection on our lives.
I use it often at funerals and gravesides.
After a long theological discourse on the resurrection, the chapter ends with this:
Therefore, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
I will return to this thought, but Paul goes from the big ideas of Christ’s preeminence and resurrection to the simple…
…stand firm, work hard in the Lord…because Christ has risen…all that you do matters.
In our search for meaning…we tend look for the grandiose, something big to give our lives to…
in Christ, every single thing we do now has meaning.
From there, at the end of 1 Cor. 15…in the very next sentence (next chapter in our Bibles) we find Paul talking about the church gathered on Sundays collecting money for God’s people.
Grand things of resurrection and eternity…to stand firm, labor faithfully…to gather in worship and give.
Really big ideas and true ideas…always make their way down to really small, daily choices.
So far we have the answer to how and why of everything.
Next we have our problem and God’s solution.
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Every worldview addresses humanities greatest problem(s) and solution…all but one, Christianity, get these things wrong.
For instance:
- The problem for some is ignorance or lack of information and the solution is education or knowledge.
-Clearly this isn’t the case.
-Many of the world’s problems have been caused or made worse by very educated people
- The problem, some say, is lack of equally distributed resources and the solution is redistribution.
-This has been tried locally and internationally, and it has always been an utter catastrophe.
There are many other ideas as to the human problem and solution…but the revealed truth is that our problem is sin and separation from God and the solution is peace with God through Christ’s death on the cross.
The problem is that we needed reconciliation…there was a break with our creator because of our sin.
The solution is that Christ has brought reconciliation.
Before I finish reading this passage I want to remind you again…that grand ideas that are also true always work their way out in the real world of daily practical choices…listen for that as I read.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant
Our problem was alienation from God because of our sin.
The solution is reconciliation through Christ’s physical death on the cross.
Our response is…endure in your faith…stand firm, be resolute…not moved from gospel hope…but motivated by it to serve.
This works it’s way out in your job, changing diapers, enduring sickness and sadness.
That is the Christian worldview in a nutshell.
Everyone has a worldview…not everyone knows what theirs is.
Most are not coherent…or able to be lived consistently.
Most are a mixed-up hodgepodge of this idea and that…a little Jesus, a little imagination, a little Taylor Swift .
The Christian worldview…the gospel (good news of Jesus) is not one among many, it is the only one that is historically, experientially, verifiably true…
It is able to be consistently lived because it true and real.
It is the revelation of God to mankind…he has told us what we could never on our own discover.
Of course, there are those who would debate all that I have said…but I am convinced beyond doubt.
More importantly, Paul was as well…you can be.
Let’s go to application…all true, big ideas…must show up in small, daily choices.
First:
- Settle it.
You can, if you just will.
2000 years, lots have tried to disprove the gospel…all have failed…and there is no new evidence coming in.
Except for the confirming evidence of people being born again and their lives being turned around.
And the confirming evidence in our lives as Christ continues to transform us and prove himself to be real and powerful as we walk with him.
You can doubt if you want to, it is always an option.
You don’t have to…settled confidence is also an option.
Not arrogance…just settled, once for all…confidence.
“Terry is not that easy, I don’t choose my doubts.”
No, we don’t choose every thought that comes in our heads…and make no mistake…doubt is first a thought…before it becomes actions.
We do choose the thoughts that we let stay…doubt or faith.
We choose the thoughts that we will believe and act on…the gospel truth, or some lie.
You can believe your doubts, or you can doubt them…that is a choice you have been given.
There is more evidence to believe the gospel than to doubt it…you should doubt your doubts not your faith.
Hebrews 11:1 Faith is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we have not seen.
This is not wishful thinking…I hope it doesn’t rain; I hope I get that job.
Faith is certainty about things not yet experienced…because of what we have experienced.
You would be foolish to put your faith in someone you haven’t met.
You would also be foolish to not put your faith in someone who has proven trustworthy to you over and over.
We are to look at what Christ has done…then look to what he has promised.
Future hope is grounded on past experience…God has revealed himself in history.
Christ died for our sins, and he has risen from the dead…we are already experiencing some of that power now, and we experience it in full in the future.
1 Peter 1:1 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Settle it…you have questions still?
We are finite, limited…we will always have questions…but you have answers…good ones.
If you look to the revealed truth of God in Scripture, in the person and work of Christ you have all you need to answer the most important questions
If you surrender to Christ, the Holy Spirit will confirm the truth of the gospel in your mind (heart).
Settle it.
Then…Settle in
- Settle in for long haul.
1 Corinthians 15:58 again.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
In today’s passage Paul challenged us…”don’t be moved from the hope of the gospel.”
One more time….Big, true ideas show up in small, daily choices.
I’ve said it before, but I have never seen a tree grow, but I have seen plenty of grown trees.
I’ve never seen my faith grow…but my faith has grown…slowly, over time.
Settle it…it’s true.
Settle in… don’t be moved.
Evaluate your experiences by the revealed truth of God (the Bible) …do not evaluate the Bible based on your experiences.
- Understand that you are a servant of the gospel, which means you are servant to everyone.
This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant
When the big ideas of humanity make us think much of ourselves…it shows that the big ideas are false.
The big idea of the gospel…makes us think much of God…and leads us to not to think less of ourselves but to think of ourselves less and of others more.
Phil 2: 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Christ took the very nature of a servant…he became human.
What does this say about your nature? What does it say about how God designed you?
You are designed to be a servant…of God first and others.
So self-serving is never going work as a way to meaning, fulfilment or happiness.
We all try it…it has not worked for any of us.
You can no more selfishly find purpose than you can learn to breathe water…it is not how God made you.
Settle it.
Settle in for the long haul
Serve…embrace your calling, your role…to be a servant…that is where the joy is, where the purpose is.
Serve by sharing the gospel, by living the gospel, by laying down your life for others… it is the path only to joy.
This is meaning…purpose…it’s no theory that ties everything together.
It is the very truth of God, as revealed to us by God, the one who has made you for his purposes, his glory, and for your own joy in him.