Do you see the reason why if any loses his or her Christ content as a result of sinfulness and sinful nature, being worldly or carnal, having being spiritually contaminated as a result of eating or drinking one thing or the other (injestion), he or she has lost his or her center of life and can no longer exist as a normal being (ndi nwuru anwu na aga ije; being empty) even though he or she appear normal, this is the truth and is the condition of many today on earth and such ones need to seriously keep seeking Christ to be drawn/restored/reconciled back to Him otherwise inheriting His Kingdom is far from such people. Centripetal is moving or tending to move towards a centre. These words clinch everything: ‘In Him all things consist (cohere, are held together’. We could also say, ‘Out of Him all things fly apart –they go to pieces.’ One commentator puts it like this: ‘Everything in Christ is bound together in perfect harmony, not simply by power or force but by love. Further on in Colossians we find these words: ‘And above all these [put on] love and enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness [which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony].’ (3:14). One man and a woman known to me were disinherited by their family when he/she became a Christian, a phenomenon that is happening in many homes and family! However, they rose to become leading figures in society, and made efforts to relate to their family even though they were reluctant to have anything to do with them. Slowly their love for them won through. They held the family together because they were held together within –by being in Christ. So know that when you are in Christ, you are surely the bond through whom Christ holds your family together both near and extended, so no matter how apparent separation may look, know that with time all will be drawn/restored/reconciled back together again, this is the law and the principle! Many years ago, after I had written that the reason why all things in the universe cohere is because they are held together by Lord Jesus Christ, a nuclear scientist shut himself in his office for hours and refused to take any calls because the fact hit him as never before that what holds all creation together is not a force but a Person – Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know why? Because scientists postulated that the universe and all created things are held together by a Force! So hearing and knowing now that their postulation is wrong, rather that the universe and all created things are held together by Lord Jesus Christ, hit them like a bomb! Our Lord once said, in Matt. 12:30, “30 He who is not with Me [definitely [a]on My side] is against Me, and he who does not [definitely] gather with Me and for [b]My side scatters.” Everything outside of Christ scatters and this is why the world have not known Peace in spite of all the efforts of all the established organizations too numerous to mention. This is not merely theological opinion: it is working fact. Get among any group of Christians, talk about Christ, and you are together. Talk about our Church traditions and you are apart. Let this simple but solemn truth grip your soul with new force and renewed love today: ‘In Him all things hold together, out of Him all things fly apart and scatter’.

Now let us read Colossians 1:17-25; 17 And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). 18 He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]. 19 For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him [p]permanently. 20 And God purposed that through ([q]by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled [r]back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross. 21 And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities, 22 Yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father’s] presence. 23 [And this He will do] provided that you continue to [s]stay with and in the faith [in Christ], well-grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting or moving away from the hope [which rests on and is inspired by] the glad tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached [t][as being designed for and offered without restrictions] to every person under heaven, and of which [Gospel] I, Paul, became a minister. 24 [Even] now I rejoice in [u]the midst of my sufferings on your behalf. And in my own person I am making up whatever is still lacking and remains to be completed [[v]on our part] of Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church. 25 In it I became a minister in accordance with the divine [w]stewardship which was entrusted to me for you [as its object and for your benefit], to make the Word of God fully known [among you]—

Our greatest need is to renew our vision of Lord Jesus. Do you really know Him? Sometime ago we visited Zuma Rocks. We got to see mountains, and those mountains leave me breathless. I can’t believe how grand and beautiful and amazing they are. Whenever I visit somewhere with mountains, I ask people there: Do you ever start to take those mountains for granted? Do you ever stop being amazed by them? Usually, people say no, but we know the truth: of course they do. A lot of things amaze us at first, and then get boring later, not because they’re boring, but because they get routine. • You get a new job. It’s amazing, and then it gets routine. • You have a first kiss. It’s unforgettable, but the thousandth kiss gets routine. • You get your dream job. It’s everything you wanted, but then it gets routine. • You get married. It’s amazing, and then it gets routine. It’s called hedonic adaptation: Hedonic adaptation refers to the notion that after positive (or negative) events (i.e., something good or bad happening to someone), and a subsequent increase in positive (or negative) feelings, people return to a relatively stable, baseline level of affect. We humans have a powerful propensity to adapt after continued and repeated exposure. Seeing the same thing, doing the same thing, or being with the same person again and again lowers its impact on our emotional experience. Put simply, we get used to things over time. (Cassie Holmes) It helps us when we’re in pain. We adapt to hard things and they become normal. But there’s a downside: we also start to adapt to things that are amazing and they become blah. Blah when used refer to something which is boring or without meaningful content. We lose our amazement at what’s truly amazing. It’s one of the greatest spiritual dangers we face. Because it’s possible to see the beauty of Lord Jesus, and be captivated by it, only for that beauty to become routine, and for us to begin to fill that place in our lives where only Lord Jesus belongs with lesser things. That’s exactly what happened with the Church we’re going to talk about today. That is also the reason many people don’t take God and the things of God as serious as it ought to be, which is unfortunate! We’ve just begun a series on the book of Colossians just as we have been doing to many others. When this letter was written, Colossae was a small, agricultural city with a diverse population that had seen better times. But the good news of Lord Jesus had reached that town. A Church had started. But that Church had a problem: they had a high view of Lord Jesus, but they were tempted to start to hold on to things that had nothing to do with Lord Jesus. In other words, their view of Lord Jesus started to become obscured by other things. They wanted to add some Jewish legalism, ritualism, and mysticism to their faith in Lord Jesus, which is exactly what has happened to the Gospel and the Church. We do that too. As a Church, we’re committed to a high view of Lord Jesus. He’s everything to us. But I also recognize that it’s easy to start to let other things crowd in and obscure that view of Lord Jesus. Actually, nothing is more common than the danger to lose our view of Lord Jesus and start to let other, lesser things crowd in, causing us to miss the beauty of something far greater, far more glorious than we can imagine. This is the danger that worldliness posses to us. And so Paul says, let me tell you about Lord Jesus. Today’s sermon is an attempt to get rid of our hedonic adaptation and take a fresh look at Lord Jesus so we’re amazed again. Years ago in Chicago, a famous evangelist named D.L. Moody said, “I am going to make Lord Jesus Christ so attractive that men will turn to Him.” He knew that giving people an accurate view of Lord Jesus would accomplish more than anything else he could do. That’s exactly what I want to do today too. Who Is Lord Jesus? And so, who is Lord Jesus? That really is the question, isn’t it? It’s like Paul is saying that we need to take a fresh look at who Lord Jesus is, because seeing Him for who He is changes everything in us and around us. I like Paul’s approach here. He doesn’t begin with the false teachers and the dangers they face. Nothing wrong with that approach; in fact, Paul does that in other letters. But in this case, it seems that Paul has decided that the main issue is that they’ve forgotten how glorious Lord Jesus is. Their primary need is to take a good, hard look at who Lord Jesus is, because once they do, that will solve a bunch of other problems. It’s like Paul is saying, “Let’s deal with the most important issue here. Once we take a fresh look at who Lord Jesus is, it will start to sort out a lot of the other problems we face. Until we get this right, nothing else will really matter or work out fine.” So who is Lord Jesus? Take a look at who Lord Jesus is, because seeing Him just may be what we need. Many of our biggest problems are solved by seeing who Lord Jesus really is. Sometimes what we really need is to see the glory of Lord Jesus and to know that letting Him into our life the way He ought to be let in, solves all our problems. Know that you cannot let Lord Jesus into your life if you are not truthful and sincere about Him, in short He will not even come into you until you meet up with many of the conditions that deals with inner purity and embodiment and practice of His Word on a daily basis!

“He is the image of the invisible God” (1:15). Lord Jesus is no mere man. He is the image of the invisible God. This means that if you want to know what God is like, look at Lord Jesus. You can’t see God, but people saw Lord Jesus, and by looking at Lord Jesus you get a clear picture of who God is and what He’s like. Lord Jesus made the invisible visible. He is, as Hebrews 1:3 tells us, “3 He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the [a]out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high,” But that’s not all. He’s “the firstborn of all creation.” I think Paul probably had Psalm 89:27 in mind when he wrote this: “And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.” Paul’s not talking about Lord Jesus being born. Back then, the term firstborn was more about rank or supremacy. Back then, the firstborn got the wealth, status, standing of the Father. Theologian Michael Bird says, “That Lord Jesus is the ‘firstborn; does not make Him a created being. To call someone ‘firstborn’ is to say something of their primacy in rule, preeminence in role, and priority in rank.” So, Paul is saying, there is nobody above Lord Jesus. Nobody ranks higher than Him. He is supreme. When it comes to God, Lord Jesus shows us what God is like. When it comes to creation, He’s over all of it. He’s the highest over everyone and everything. Nothing and nobody is better than Lord Jesus. See Lord Jesus’ supremacy. But then: Marvel at Lord Jesus’ handiwork (1:16-17): To underline the point that Lord Jesus is over all of creation, Paul teaches us that Lord Jesus created all of it. Not only that, but all of it exists for Him. 16 For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. (1:16) This blows us away. That’s how we know Lord Jesus isn’t just another creature like us. Lord Jesus is actually Creator, not creature. Everything that exists does so because He made it/them. When we read in Genesis 1 that God created the heavens and the earth, Paul is telling us to understand that it was God the Son, Lord Jesus Christ, who created heaven and earth. The Colossians held some funky views about angels. So Paul tells them that Lord Jesus actually created them too. In Judaism, they understood there were four classes of angelic beings. Here, Paul says that Lord Jesus created them all. Even supernatural powers were made by Him. He’s over them. We have nothing to fear. Lord Jesus created everything from the most glorious angel, to the farthest galaxy, to the smallest insect. He’s created it all. And He’s the goal of it all. All of it exists for His glory. Everything that’s been created exists for one reason alone: to bring Lord Jesus glory. That is why once you lose your Christ which is your center; things begin to fall apart for you! “17 And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together).” (1:17). I think, out of everything, this part amazes me the most. We tend to think that God created everything and invented the laws of nature, almost like we might spin a top and then watch it go. But that’s not what’s happened. Not only did Lord Jesus create everything, but “He upholds the universe by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). Every atom, every cell, every object, the entire universe holds together because Lord Jesus is holding it all together on an ongoing continuous basis. If Lord Jesus stopped for a moment, everything would cease to exist and that was exactly what happened before Genesis 1 when the earth was void. Right now the chair you’re sitting on only exists because Lord Jesus is holding it together. Lord Jesus is supreme. Lord Jesus is the creator and sustainer of the universe. But there’s one more thing we need to see. Marvel at Lord Jesus’ salvation (1:18-20): “18 He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]. 19 For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him [p]permanently. 20 And God purposed that through ([q]by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled [r]back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross.” (1:18-20) Not only is Lord Jesus supreme, not only is He the creator and sustainer, but He’s also head of the Church. When He became human, He did so not by laying aside His nature as God. Every part of His divine nature was present in His humanity. As a human, He was still fully God. And then He dealt with our sin problem by dying for our sins. He then busted out of the grave to defeat death. He solved our two biggest problems: sin and death, so that anyone who trusts in Him no longer has to be afraid of these two sin and death; because He taught us how to live a sinless life if we so desire and has given us the hope that if we are able to live sinless and die, He will resurrect us at His due time to be with Him in paradise. And not only this, but He’s reconciling everything back to Himself. He’s fixing the entire universe. What does it mean that He’s reconciling everything to Himself? It means that everyone and everything will ultimately be submitted to Lord Jesus, either by bowing the knee before Him voluntarily, or by being brought into submission to Him involuntarily. We either bow before Him because we see His greatness and trust Him, or we will one day bow before Him because He’s disarmed and defeated us. Take a look at Lord Jesus. He is glorious. He’s over everything. He created and sustains everything. He’s fixing everything. Everything exists for Him. His glory solves our greatest need. Our greatest need is to see Lord Jesus in all of His glory.

How should we respond to all of this? 21 And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities, 22 Yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father’s] presence. 23 [And this He will do] provided that you continue to [s]stay with and in the faith [in Christ], well-grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting or moving away from the hope [which rests on and is inspired by] the glad tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached [t][as being designed for and offered without restrictions] to every person under heaven, and of which [Gospel] I, Paul, became a minister. (1:21-23) Did you catch or hear that? First, make sure that this is true of you: that you have switched from being alienated and hostile, doing evil deeds, to being reconciled to God. When you see Lord Jesus in all of His glory, it only makes sense to trust Him, to give your life to Him. Because once He comes into your life, everything that is going wrong in your life will be restored right. So do give Him your life today. He invites you. Surely He will welcome you! But there’s more. Continue in the faith, stable and steadfast; do not waiver no matter the storm. Don’t deviate from the gospel. Don’t get sidetracked by anything else. You don’t need anything other than Lord Jesus because there’s no one and nothing better than Lord Jesus. Everyday our Church celebrates its existence. Here’s our greatest need: to renew our vision of Lord Jesus. May we ever get used to Him. May we never settle for anything less. He is all that we need. Lord, help us to see You Lord Jesus in all of Your glory. And help us to never stop being amazed at who You are and what You’ve done for us. And help us to worship You and You alone. In Your name Lord Jesus’ we pray. Amen.