October 26, 2014

The Greatness of Christ

Preacher:
Series:
Passage: Colossians 1:19-23, Romans 5:1-11
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The Greatness of His Person (v19)

  • Gnostics had teaching divorced from Christ
    • They taught that Christ was the first created being
    • They taught that angels were intermediaries between man and God
  • Paul counteracts this heresy by teaching the truth - if you want to understand God look at Christ
  • All heresies deny the deity of Christ
    • Christ was very God and very man
    • No angel ever came in a human body but appeared in forms
  • In Christ is the total fullness of Christ
    • He has perfect righteousness
    • He has almighty power
  • There are hints of Christ's deity in the Gospel's
    • Stilling a storm with a word
    • Feeding of the 5000
    • Raising of the dead
    • The Mount of Transfiguration
  • Jesus is fully man and fully God
  • If we are discouraged or undergoing trials we must look to Christ
  • Isa 43:25 - "I, even I, am He who ?blots out your transgressions ?for My own sake;
  • ?And I will not remember your sins"
  • Jesus can forgive our sins

The Greatness of His Reconciling Work (v20-21)

  • Reconciling things and reconciling people
  • Earth and heaven speaks of the cosmos
    • We see death, decay, blood lust of animals
    • We see earthquakes, fault lines, hurricanes
    • We see disease, cancer, famine
  • One day there will be a new heaven and a new earth
    • There will be a perfect harmony
    • The whole universe will be reconciled
  • As Christians we must be good stewards of the world but we cannot never solve he above problems
  • Jesus made the cosmos - by Him and for Him
    • He reconciles it to Himself for His pleasure
  • To change people's lives and attitudes, bitterness and hatred is different to changing physical objects
  • Jesus came to save sinners
    • Through the cross He has reconciled sinners to the God
  • Reconciliation is to bring two estranged parties together
    • What about a God and man
  • The Bible teaches that God came after sinners
    • The motive is sheer love
    • We find it difficult to be reconciled to those who are hateful and are against us
    • However, whilst we were still enemies of God, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8)
    • The mind of man is to satisfy himself and we become enemies of God
  • It is amazing to think that God would look on us with love
    • What would motivate God to send His Son to die for us - His love
  • Rom 5:11 - You must receive the reconciliation of God
  • One of the proofs that you have been reconciled is that you continue in the faith and doctrine when the winds of false teaching come

The Greatness of His Finishing Work (v22)

  • In Christ we are holy and blameless now
  • Not only are we acquitted of sin but we are filled with the righteousness of Christ
  • We are changed on the outside and changed on the inside
  • We begin to be changed and grow as Christians to be more like Christ
  • One day we will be immortal and put off sin
  • Then we will be fully Holy
  • What He has begun He will complete
  • Those who are His are safe

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