OUR CREATOR KING by Pastor Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson
Introduction: One of my favorite Disney movies is the Lion King from 1994. You know the story – the crown prince Simba is tricked by his uncle Scar into thinking that he had caused his father Mufasa’s death and he flees into exile. There he finds new friends, Timon and Pumba whose motto is “Hakuna Matata.” One day, his childhood friend Nala and his father’s old advisor Rafiki remind him of his true identity and he returns to take his rightful place. Even though it’s a cartoon, I still get choked up when Simba returns and takes his rightful place as king. Unlike earthly kings, cartoon or real, Jesus alone is the supreme undefeated eternal king of the universe, who built his kingdom, redeemed it, rules it forever, and demands our total allegiance. Faith in Jesus is more than just belief or trust. It is also allegiance and obedience to him.
Colossians 1 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. . . 12giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyedusinto the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Question: There are only 2 kingdoms – kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of the Son. Which kingdom do you belong to? Is Christ your Savior? Is he also your King?
Context: Today’s message begins our new Christmas series called “ROYAL.” We who grew up in the twentieth or twenty-first century have very little understanding of rulers and royalty. The only encounter we’ve had with kings, queens, prince, and princesses is through movies and an occasional royal wedding. But, did you know that most of the world’s history was dominated by kings and rulers? This is very hard for us to understand because we grew up in some form of consensual government (See Francis Oakley, Kingship: The Politics of Enchantment). Most of the Bible refers to God as our king. In fact, Jesus is never referred to as our Senator or our Representative. He is repeatedly referred to as our King. That changes everything. We don’t elect him to kingship. We simply declare our allegiance to him. We don’t pick and choose what we will obey and what we won’t. We simply obey no matter the cost. But, unlike earthly kings who rule by fear and threats, Jesus our king has redeemed us by his blood. In this series, each message will be focused on an important attribute of King Jesus. The first one is “OUR CREATOR KING.” 2 things about our Creating King:
I. OUR KING CREATED AND SUSTAINS EVERYTHING.
Colossians 1 15“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
There are 2 very important words in that statement: image and firstborn. First, what is the meaning of the “image of the invisible God?”We find it in the LXX, Greek translation of the Old Testament, in Genesis 1:27“So God created man in His ownimage; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” To be created in the image of God was to represent God in his authority and to have certain attributes that the other creatures do not have, especially in being able to have a relationship with God. So, when Paul said that “Jesus was the image of the invisible God,” is that what he meant about Jesus? Not at all. Keep in mind: Adam was made in the image of God. Jesus is the image of God. It is a subtle but a very substantial difference. When we think of the word “image,” we think of a copy or something inferior. That word image in the original Greek is eikwn(eikon) which is a complex word. It has the meaning of the inner core and essence. A good translation would be “He is the DNA of the invisible God.”Another example: difference between a blueprint and a real building. Jesus, the real building was even before the blueprint, Adam.What is Paul saying? Jesus is not like God or reminds us of God. He is God.
Second, what is the meaning of the “firstborn over all creation?” It can mean the first child as in Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn through Leah. So, when Paul said that “Jesus was the firstborn over all creation,” is that what he had in mind?” Not at all. Keep in mind: Firstborn also meant “the legal heir.” For example: David was the seventh son of Jesse but listen to Psalm 89:27“Also I will make him Myfirstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.” It means that even though David was not Jesse’s legal heir, God made him his legal heir.
All this was more than just some honorific title– 16For 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.” Jesus is not just a silent observer. He is the active creator who made everything in heaven and on earth. He made the birds in the sky. He made the fishes in the sea. He made the plants and the trees. According to some estimates, there are 8.7 million species in the world. They are mostly animals and only 1.2 million have been catalogued. He made us. Think about how complex we are. The human eye in one square mm has about 400,000 optical sensors. Imagine a sphere on which you have tennis ball shaped circles and each is separated from the other by the same size/diameter. How much space do you need to draw 400,000 such tennis ball shaped circles? Three times the size of a hot air balloon! He made the galaxies and the countless stars. The sun is 93 million miles away. According to a recent article on BBC, the universe is 93 billion light years in diameter. One light year is 5.88 trillion miles. Not only that but he also created “thrones,” “dominions,” “principalities,” and “powers.” Thrones = angelic beings; dominions = spirit beings; principalities and powers = various levels of spirit beings, good and evil. What’s the point? He made everything that exists.
But there’s something more – “All things were created through Him and for Him.” In other words, you and I and the entire creation was made for his pleasure. 17“And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”Jesus not only created everything and for himself, he also sustains everything below the surface, on the surface, above the surface, and beyond the surface.
Application:How well do you know your king? Do you truly understand who Christ is? What are you afraid of?
II. OUR KING CAME TO REDEEM AND RECONCILE EVERYTHING.
18And He is the head of the body, the church. . .”
Background:Something happened to the creation. Sin came in and everything fell and was under the wrath of God. This was not a surprise to the Son. He already knew that he was the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world. He knew that he made it and he would have to come down and fix it himself. How did he do that? He died on the cross for our sins and those who believed in him became part of his new creation, the church. Since he brought this about, he is also the head of this body of believers.
Something more – “. . .who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead” Once again, we see the word “firstborn.” It has a double meaning: He was the first one to come out of the grave for us and he has the legal authority to bring us out of the grave. “. . .that in all things He may have the preeminence.” Now, Jesus is not only supreme over the first creation but also over the new creation of his people and headed towards the final recreation of everything.
19“For it pleasedthe Father thatin Him all the fullness should dwell, 20and 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.” That word “reconcile” was for the guilty party to initiate the process of reconciliation. Instead, God has initiated the process of reconciliation with us and the whole creation. For example: A child pouting and the parent has to reach out. How does God do that? 21“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled22in the body of His flesh through death. . .” Meaning: Our entire disposition was against the King. He could have destroyed us. Instead, he paid our penalty so he could make us friends again.
Then, there was an exchange – 22 “to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.”
What is our responsibility? 23if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
Invitation: How do you see Jesus?
- Is he the supreme, eternal King who created and sustains this world?
- Is he the one who came to die and redeem this world and has created the church?
- Do you belong to his church?
- Have you been reconciled to him and received his exchange of holiness and blamelessness?
- Are you continuing in the faith grounded and steadfast and not moved away from the hope of the gospel? Are you obedient in your relationships, with your past, and in your present?
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