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THIS IS THE GOSPEL

Colossians 1:15-23

Key Verse 1:23b

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. 

The Bible says that the Lord God created the world with His word. This indicates that our life consists of messages. It is the message that controls our life. So if the message that controls your life is good, you life is good and will continue to be good. If the message that controls your life is bad, your life is bad, and will continue to be bad. 

So we must be very careful in choosing the kind of message we are going to live by. In the passage for today, then, the Apostle Paul shares with us the message which the Lord God gave us for us to live by. What is it? We already know the answer: the message called “the gospel.” Like the brothers and sisters at the church of Colosse, we have heard it but we are going to hear it again, for not all of us have fully incorporated its message into our lives yet. 

 

The word “gospel” then means “good news.” In fact, according to Luke 2:10, this gospel is not just good news but very good news, for it is the good news that gives great joy to all peoples on earth. Why then is it such good news? With this question in mind let us think about the passage in three parts:

Part I. This is the gospel.

First, Jesus the image of the invisible God

Look at v. 15.  “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” This passage shows us the first reason why we can rest assured that the gospel is such good news of great joy. The substance of the gospel is Jesus. And Jesus is good news of great joy because he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. There are two words for us to consider here: image and firstborn. 

Nowadays a lot of people are keen on their self-image. So every day they look at mirror a number of times. They also carefully select the kind of clothes they wear, the kind of car they drive. In order to boost their image some spend a lot of money for cosmetic surgeries. 

The fact that people spend so much time, energy, or money on “improving” their image is one of the tell-tale signs that they are not fully satisfied with the image in them. At the bottom of their heart, they do not like who they are. The “self-image” they see in them is not as perfect as they desire it to be. 

But when we study the Bible especially Genesis 1, we are surprised to find that the Lord God planted in us the image which is perfectly good. For example Genesis 1:26 says that the Lord God created man in his image. Say ‘in his image.’ Here “his” refers to God’s. By definition God is perfect. He is the God who alone is perfectly good. And we are created in His image. According to the way the Chinese people understand the universe this year is the year of monkey. So if you give birth to a child this year, probably your child will bear the image of “monkey”. But is it true? No. It is a lie. The Bible says that regardless of the year of your birth, still you were created in God’s image. When I was young my father taught me that I was born in the year of rat. What a rotten idea?! And I was so thankful to God to find that I was born not in the image of rat, but in the image of God. 

But what then do you specifically mean by the image of God? Here is the Apostle Paul’s answer. “Christ is the image of the invisible God.” And he is the firstborn over all creation. Here in Hebrew thoughts, “firstborn” means what is best. The first time the word “firstborn” appears in the Bible is in Genesis 4:4, “Abel brought… the fat portions from the firstborn of his flock.” So Abel brought to God the best of the best. Firstborn “over” all creation then means the image we see in Jesus is the best of all the bests, for he is the image of the invisible God.  The truly good news (or truth) is that “originally” each of you was created in this image! What a relief?! What a truth! 

Again in order for our life to be good, our life-script must be good. The message that controls our life must be good and perfect. And the good news is that God created each of us in his image. But the sad news and therefore the painful fact which the Bible also teaches us is that we lost this image, but look what you’ve got in the email! In Jesus we have the image of the invisible God. 

This is so important that we must stop for a moment and think further about the kind of image Jesus came to project to the people of this world through his short life on this planet earth. Physically he did not look impressive. First of all he did wear blue jeans as many teenagers do these days. I do not think he adopted an impressive hairstyle as many pictures of Jesus hung on the walls of the Sunday school classrooms depict. And Isaiah says that from a physical standpoint he had nothing that should attract us. But the true image is the image imbedded in one’s soul and Spirit. And the four gospels reveal to us that Jesus is gentle and kind. He is long patient. He is full of love. He is full of compassion. Plus, he is all powerful. How powerful is he? Today’s daily bread answers the question, for in Matthew 8:1-4, Jesus reached out his hand and touched a man covered with leprosy saying, “I am willing.” Then immediately he was “cured.” How do you like the image of a man covered with leprosy? But Jesus gave him a brand new body with brand new skin, as fine as that of a newborn baby. 

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” From this we learn that Jesus Christ is the good news of great joy first because he came to restore in us the perfect image of God. He came to completely transform us to be No. 1 again!

Second, all things were created by him and for him.

The second reason why Jesus Christ is the good news of great joy is found in v. 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.” Here we find another reason why Jesus is the good news of great joy, and thus another eternal thanks topic we have in Jesus, that is, the right purpose of life for which we can fully dedicate ourselves with no regret at all, the goal which is truly worthy for us to go for. 

First of all let us focus on two words: “by” and “for”. One thing that surprises us here is the word “for”. Many of us already know and accept the truth that Jesus is the Creator. In John 1:1-2 we already studied that Jesus is the Creator of the universe and everything in it. He is the author of your life and my life. But here Paul says that Jesus created us “for” a purpose. What is it? Him! He created you for Jesus himself! You may say that Jesus is selfish, for he created the world and everything in it all for himself! In a sense this is true, but when you think about it, Jesus is totally unselfish, so that by creating man to live for him, Jesus intended man’s life to be in such a way that he be happy as he can as he chooses to live as sacrificially as Jesus did! Again Jesus is totally unselfish. He is the embodiment of what true love is, the love that seeks nothing but the highest good of others. And Jesus created you to live for Him who even gave his life for you! What a noble purpose and ideal is it! What a noble life purpose do we have in Jesus! 

In Romans 1:5, Paul then specified the purpose in a more detail saying, “Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” Please say to your neighbor: “for his name’s sake!” 

When you think about it, knowing this purpose gives us a lot of relief, and therefore comes to us as one of the eternal thanks topics we have in the Lord. Why? First of all it is a terrible thing for us to be given a life that is loaded up with all kinds of talents, and other resources like time, energy, and particularly youth, not knowing what to do with it. No life is more satisfactory than the life that is spent for the purpose for which it was given. I have two Chinese quails in my backyard. This morning they made very pleasant sounds. Their songs were like a joyful duet from heaven. Suppose however you prevent the quails from singing, by tying up their beaks with a rope. How unhappy would they be! Nowadays Michael Jackson is in trouble. But as I see him, as long as he does a break dance, he looks happy. Suppose you ask Michael Jackson to stop dancing, and start digging trenches to make a living. How unhappy would he be?! In the first place as I see him, his body does not have enough muscles to dig trenches. But some people are perfectly happy by digging trenches. But my real point is this: either in doing a break-dance or digging trenches to make a living, what you live for is what makes your life to be either truly happy or truly unhappy. And I do not think there are many rock-singers out there who rock and roll, all for the glory of Jesus. 

In the past, the Apostle Paul did not understand the purpose of his life. So with all the brilliant intellect and fine educations he received, he ended up using his life for the wrong purpose, that is, persecuting Christians. He was like a man who is driving in the WRONG way, in full speed, driving a brand new 2004 BMW M3. But thank God. Jesus had mercy on him. On his way to Damascus, Jesus caught him. Then Jesus gave him the right purpose, that is, to live as a shepherd for the Gentiles. Now he is in a prison cell. Although his living conditions were not exactly like the Beverly Hills Mansion, he was perfectly happy. He is happy all day long. What then is your purpose? For what are you living today? If you are not perfectly happy, check your purpose. 

One great thing with the life that lives for Him is that if you live for Jesus and his name’s sake, truly meaning business, then, He who is in control of everything – things that exist in visible and invisible realms, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities – will also cause all these things work “for” just for you. Do you know what? If you are not convinced on this point, I would suggest that you go back home and read the story of Joseph in Genesis and see how the Lord God orchestrated all the people and events of the world in such a way that Joseph would be blessed. 

Third, in him all things hold together.

The third reason for us to be thankful to God for Jesus Christ is found in v. 17. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together…” This is rather a short statement, and it sounds dogmatic. As dogmatic as it may seem, I would suggest that everyone must try Jesus believing that what Paul says will really happen to him or her. Let us then focus on the expression, “in him all things hold together.” The key word for us to remember is “hold.” The word “hold” has many meanings. So it is a good idea for us to make a little research on the meanings of the word “hold.” Surprisingly it has a lot of meanings: to have possession or ownership at one’s disposal, to keep under restraint, to keep from falling, to prevent from getting away, to keep in a container or within bounds, to have a principle or essential feature or attribute, to maintain, to cover especially for protection, and much more. When we apply these meanings to what Paul says in v. 17, we can see that it is when we are in the Lord that we can hold what we have together in a meaningful, harmonious, and orderly way – our possessions, our person, our relationships with others, etc. Of all the items we have in life, the most valuable one is the soul (or “self” if you will). 

And the passage says that in Jesus we can have ourselves together. He can help you to keep you at your disposal. Surprised? Yes indeed. But this is true. My daily experience says that on many occasions, I try to keep myself at my own disposal. But my body, emotions, mind, and will do not cooperate with me. And on many occasions, the troubles I have are the ones I have with myself. But as I repent and straighten my relationship with Jesus Christ, then I no longer have troubles with me. I can wake up as early as I want to wake up. I can discharge all the duties I desire to fulfill. For example if I need to call someone, I can make phone calls at the just the right time I need to make. The same is true in all the areas of my life. And Jesus helps me to keep myself under restraint (of the Holy Spirit). He keeps me from falling (from grace), prevents me from going astray, and keeps me inside of me, so I would not go crazy. And he covers me in times of trouble like people coming around me accuse me.  

When the New Year comes a lot of people try to make New Year’s resolutions to resolve many “issues” of life such as addictions, anger, self-esteem, fear and phobias, stress and anxiety, or physical, emotional, mental or spiritual disorderliness.  In order to improve themselves and keep themselves “going” they rely on all kinds of means such as self-hypnosis, positive ideas, yoga, psychotherapy, diet programs, or expensive pills. But before all these, we must first try Jesus Christ, and it is for free! And the deeper we go in our relationship with Jesus, the more we will become cool and calm. See what kind of crazy life did Paul live before he met Jesus!? (Read Romans 7.) But after meeting Jesus what kind of cool guy did he become! Surely Paul’s message in v. 7 appeals to us because the change in his life itself is a powerful testimony that his message is worth trying. 

Fourth, the firstborn from among the dead

Thus far, the Apostle Paul talked about the blessings Jesus came to give us while we make the journeys of our life here in physical bodies. But the blessings do not stop here. They go way beyond the sphere of our life here in a physical body. Look at v. 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.” Here three words deserve special attention: head, beginning, and firstborn. The head (of the body) refers to the leadership. Jesus is the leader of the body that is the church of Jesus Christ. He leads the flock of God to the path of life. The beginning suggests to us that Jesus came to open up an entirely new chapter for his flock. The firstborn refers to the resurrection of Jesus, as 1 Corinthians 15:20 says, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” The word “firstfruits” indicates that there are more harvests to come, that is, the resurrection of all believers, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:22, “[A]s in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” This is truly good news of good news. 

But young people think that they can live here earth eternally. So they are not enthusiastic about the message of resurrection.  So I will stop right here and move on. 

Part II. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body. 

At first glance all the blessings we talked about thus far sound too good to believe. After all they come to us all for free. And we are taught not to believe in anything that comes to us for free. 

But there is someone who paid a high price for all these blessings to fall on us. Who is he? And what kind of price did he pay? Look at vs. 19-22. “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 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. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 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—“ Jesus paid the price. And the price was His blood. He shed his blood, so we would all be reconciled to God. 

A lot of people commit so many sins, that they are loaded up with guilt and shame. Then even if they hear the good news about Jesus and all the blessings that come to those who put trust in Him, they end up not believing in Him. To them the message of the gospel is simply too good to believe. One of the reasons why they are hesitant to come out of the darkness and go for all the blessings the Lord God has made available in Jesus is because they think that they are too bad to deserve such blessings. But, they must remember that it is precisely for this reason that God sent Jesus and paid the price for all of our sins. The bottom line for all of us sinners then is that these blessings do not come to us based on our merits, but based on the merits of Jesus. So if we relied on our own merits, we are not qualified for these blessings. 

What then should we do? Look at v. 23. “[I]f you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” The answer is “faith”. What is faith? Faith is an acronym of “Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him.” So, we must be adventurous in trusting Jesus! Then all the blessings we have in Jesus will come true to us. 

Part III. I have become a servant of the gospel.

There is one more practical blessing we have in the Lord. Look at v. 23b. “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.” That is to live as a servant of the gospel. Here, servant means the one who “serves.” The Lord God gave us the desire to serve others. So some serve others with money, some with food, and some with clothes. We do need to serve others with good things like these, but above all we must serve others with the gospel. As we know the essence of the gospel is Jesus Christ. So in all of our efforts like teaching the Bible 1:1, we must pray that each of them would meet Jesus personally and accept him as the Lord and Savior and follow him all the way. 

One word: This is the gospel. 

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