Sunday Link – Worship The King of All – Colossians 1:11-20 | SL20251123

OPENING COMMENTS

• WELCOME and THANKS
• ANNOUNCEMENTS
  1. 1. Today … after this fellowship meeting … we plan to have our discipleship class, with a focus on The Essentials of The Gospel … What is it that a person NEEDS to believe in order to be considered a believer?
     2. Next Sunday, November 30 … we expect to have a blessing of a child
     3. On Sunday, December 21 … we plan to have a special Youth LinkUP
     4. On Friday, December 26 (Boxing Day) … we hope to have a baptism.

• Today is the final day of the Christian calendar before we begin again with Advent.  For some time now we have been journeying through the season known as “Ordinary Time” or simply “The Season after Pentecost.”
• Today, that season comes to an end with a special day called, Reign of Christ Sunday or Christ the King Sunday.  Our passage for the day will take up that theme.  Our whole journey from Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and everything in between arrives at today’s  crowning conclusion: Jesus is King.   
• The theme for today and this week is the raising of our King.
• The keynote passage for the sermon is Colossians 1:11-20, which presents an extraordinary hymn on Christ that lifts up Jesus as Creator,  reconciler,  Redeemer,  rescuer,  head of the church  and  the one who made peace through his sacrifice on the cross.
• The opening song, in keeping with our theme, is  Jesus, We Enthrone You …

OPENING SONG

SERMON

Worship of the King of All

Colossians 1:11–20

Today, we come to the end of the Christian Worship Calendar … with a special day called, Reign of Christ Sunday or Christ the King Sunday.

The theme for this week is the raising of our King.

For our text today, we would be hard pressed to find a more fitting passage to celebrate Christ the King.  It is commonly understood among scholars that this passage comes from an early hymn or poem used in the worship of Christ.  In addition, the letter of Colossians was written as a response to some teachings that were threatening the understanding of Christ’s supremacy.  It is in this context the hymn is used, serving as a poetic launch pad for Paul’s argument for the supremacy of Christ.  The passage we will cover breaks in on a prayer being offered … and then gives way to these poetic lines of praise.  Let’s read the passage for today.

Colossians 1:11-20

. . .  ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 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.  ¹⁷ And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.  ¹⁸ And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, ²⁰ and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.  

This passage is so packed with truths about who Jesus is, and what He has done for us, it would take 20 sermons to scratch the surface.  That should not be surprising, as we are talking about the supremacy of Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords.  So, we take a cursory journey through the passage, letting it lead us to worship as a hymn is intended to do.

But, before we get to the hymn, we break into a prayer offered by the apostle Paul.  Before we get to the part of the prayer that we want to focus on, let’s note …

• … the context of the prayer …

Colossians 1:1-20

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,    ² To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;  ⁵ because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; ⁷ as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, ⁸ who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.  

⁹ For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;  

That brings us to our text for today …

… being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness  and  transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  Colossians 1:11–14 ESV

Paul’s prayer is asking that we will be “strengthened with all power” for the purpose that we will have “all endurance and patience with joy.”  Take note of the two “all” statements.  This is a very big ask.  He’s not asking for just a little power to get by on or just enough power for temporary use, but for “all power.”  Also, this power is  not a power that comes from an anemic source  but is “according to his glorious might.”  Let that sink in.  God intends to fill us with the very power he has in himself.

And that is why Paul knows such power will be enough  for “all” the endurance and patience we may need, even to the point of joy.  These two “all” statements will gain momentum when we get to the hymn portion of our text that will include another seven “all” statements.

What will become increasingly apparent is the fact that Jesus is the King of all.  And the good news right out of the gate to this proclamation is that it means the “domain of darkness” no longer has any power over us.  The Father has delivered us by this King and brought us into the beloved Son’s kingdom.  It is this Son “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  This certainly is amazingly good news to be thankful for.

We will read this section in its entirety and then take note of the many points of praise of who Jesus is.   As we read through, see if you can catch all seven of the “all” statements.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by(in) 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.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  And He is the head of the body, the church.  He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.  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 His cross.  Colossians 1:15–20 ESV

The hymn opens with proclaiming that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God.”  This means Jesus gives us a self-revelation of God.  Now in Jesus we can come to know the Father in the same way the Son knows the Father.  There is no other person, thing, place, or idea that can give us such a revelation.  Only in the Son can we know the Father.  That alone makes Jesus a radiant King of glory.

Next, we are told that Christ is “the firstborn  of all creation.”  Here is the first of seven “all” statements.  This statement does not mean that he is the first thing to be created.  That was an early controversy the Church had to sort out and write down in a creed.  What is meant by this phrase is that Jesus is preeminent in rank.  Nowhere can you look in all creation and find anything that outranks Jesus in any way.  The “all” in that statement leaves no room for competition.

On the heels of that “all” statement we have two more in succession.  Jesus is not only the “firstborn of all creation,” but he is also God’s agent in creation where “all things were created” and where “all things were created through him and for him.”  And in case we need clarification of what is meant by “all” the hymn makes it clear that “all” includes everything “in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.”  That should pretty much cover it.  Also notice that all these things created are not only created “through” him but “for” him.  So, all of creation, including you and me, finds its ultimate purpose and meaning in Christ the King.

Next, we see Christ’s preexistence by the statement that “he is before all things.”  There is “all” number four.  There is nothing that can make the claim that it existed before Christ.  He is the eternal one.

Next, in relation to that staggering claim, we also find that in Christ “all things hold together.”  Another “all” statement to make it five.  They are adding up fast.  Now we see that Christ is the sustaining of all existence.  We exist and continue to exist because this King will not let us go.

Now we will see that the “all-ness” of Christ is not limited to the created order but also includes the new created order.  He is also the “head of the body, the church.”  Just as the created cosmos is created and sustained by Christ, so is the Church  his creation which he sustains.

Jesus’ status as head of the church results from him being the “beginning, the firstborn from the dead.”  Jesus was the first one to break through death into resurrected life.  He is called the “firstborn” which lets us know that more are to follow.  Thanks to this King, we are given new birth into his resurrected life.  And we are told “that in everything he might be preeminent.”  That’s not a strict “all” statement but means pretty much the same thing. Jesus surpasses all things in the new creation.

For our sixth “all” statement we find that, “in him all  the fullness  of God  was pleased to dwell.”  God does not hold himself back in Jesus.  On account of what God has done in Jesus for us, we now have access to the full presence of God — all of him.

Our final “all” statement has to do with King Jesus being the reconciler of “all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”  Because of who Jesus is, he alone becomes the one in whom all things are reconciled.  This is a reconciliation that permeates every conceivable level, from the personal  to the cosmic.

So much more could be said about each of these statements included in this passage of praise.  It’s a hymn that continues to lift our eyes to see the exalted and reigning Christ.

One thing this passage does for us is to obliterate any imposed limits we may place on Christ.

• Jesus is King from creation to new creation.
• His reign spans from the beginning of time to the end of time and beyond.
• He is King of the microscopic world hidden from our sight to the macrocosm world our vision cannot contain.
• His rule has delivered us from alienation and brought us into his peace.

No matter where we go, we will find that “Christ is all, and in all.”  As we conclude this liturgical calendar year, may our eyes be lifted up in praise and worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the King of all.  Amen!

SONG OF RESPONSE

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