"Learn From Me" - Part 4 (Colossians 1:13-18)

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus offered a two-fold invitation. First, Jesus offered rest. But Jesus also offered an opportunity to learn of Him (KJV) or from Him (NKJV). We want to learn "of" or about Jesus. We also want to learn "from" Him. Over the next several weeks, we're going to look at several passages in an effort to do just that.

Previous Posts in the Series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

What did Jesus look like? There have been countless paintings and renderings of Jesus. A number of movies have been made where Jesus is portrayed. Of course, there was no such thing as flash photography in the first century, so people are only making their best guess as to the appearance of Jesus.

The truth is, we don't know what Jesus looked like physically. Scriptures don't describe His body type, His build, or His features.

However, I believe one of the best "pictures" of Jesus Christ is found in Colossians 1:13-18. It is a beautiful picture that once again shows the deity and power of Christ. Many people today try to lower Jesus to the level of man. This paragraph of Scripture helps us to see Christ for who He is, was, and always will be.

Jesus is God

1. Verses 13 and 14 picture Jesus as our deliverer and redeemer. He has rescued us from the "power of darkness" and placed us in the kingdom of light. He has "redeemed" us and forgiven our sins. We have been "bought back." The ransom for our sins has been paid by the blood of Jesus Christ.
2. Verse 15 tells us that Jesus is "the image of the invisible God." Today when we think about an "image," we might think in terms of an imperfect copy. We might think of an "image" as something that is close to the original. But the word that Paul uses here refers to an exact replica. In last week's post we noted how Jesus told Thomas that if he wanted to see the Father, he simply needed to look at Jesus (John 14:9). In Colossians 2:9, Paul goes on to say that in Jesus "dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." His name is Immanuel, meaning "God with us" (Matthew 1:23).
3. In verse 16, we find that Jesus is the Creator of all that we see. We remember what John recorded in his gospel in John 1:3 and how apart from Jesus, nothing came into being. Jesus has all the power of God because He is God!

Jesus is in control

1. Not only did Jesus create everything, verse 17 shows us that He is also sustains everything. Jesus is the one who holds it all together. Without Jesus, everything would just fly apart into total chaos.
2. Verse 18 teaches us that Jesus is the Head of His church. He is the Head and we are His body. That means Jesus is in control. The church belongs to Christ. He is our authority. He came to be in that position of authority because the is "the firstborn from the dead." Now we know that Jesus was not the first person to ever be raised from the dead, but of all the people who have ever been or ever will be raised from the dead, Jesus is the foremost. The resurrection of Christ conquered death. 
3. Jesus promised to build His church (Matthew 16:18). Jesus purchased the church with His blood (Acts 20:28). Jesus is now reigning as head over His church (Colossians 1:18). If we have questions about doctrine (elders, marriage/divorce/remarriage, instrumental music, etc.), it doesn't matter what I think or what you think. What matters is what Jesus thinks. He is the Head. He has all authority. He is in control.

This picture of Jesus clearly shows Him as beyond compare. Jesus was not just a man. Jesus is not an angel. Jesus is God and He should be in charge of our lives!

What are we doing to prove to our friends and our families that Jesus really is beyond compare?

Does Jesus have the preeminence in our lives?

Make sure you don't miss another post! Click here to subscribe via email and get every post delivered right to your inbox.