Colossians 1:18
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Good evening church. I think it's really helpful that I'm giving the evening devotion on the same day that Tim Jack did the morning service leading. Take a good look at me. I am Tim Jackson. I'm not Tim Jack. I'm not Tim Jack's son. I am Tim Jackson. And I counted an absolute privilege to be confused with Tim Jack all the time. Love you brother. Tonight's verse is printed on the front of your bulletin, Colossians 1.18. It's just a glorious verse, Colossians 1.18. You'll also find it on page 983 of the Pube Bibles. As you turn there, I want to talk about one of my favorite movies, Master and Commander. In that movie, it's a movie about naval warfare, a British ship, and the Napoleonic Wars. And there's this old, toothless, stone-faced sailor who has tattooed To his knuckles, hold fast.
And that tattoo is something that you see throughout that movie as they face different dangers and wars. Hold fast. Well, tonight, I hope by the end of this devotion that you'll consider tattooing Colossians 1.18 to your knuckles. Or maybe write it on a 3x5 card. These words are given to us by God as a reminder to hold fast to Jesus and to each other because Jesus holds first place in creation and in redemption.
Let's read Colossians 118. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. Preeminent. That's where this whole exalted section of Colossians is driving toward. Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified on a Roman cross and rose again, has been exalted to the highest place as the king of the universe. But the first stunning thing about our verse, if you notice, is that after soaring through the heights of Jesus' sovereignty and supremacy over all creation, we'd expect this verse 18 to open up with saying that Jesus is the king of the cosmos. But look what it says. He is the head of the church. Paul, in this section of Colossians, is launching out past the creation into the new creation. And we see that Jesus holds
first place not just as a ruler over the universe, but as a forerunner. Jesus holds first place not just for himself and for the glory of his Father. He holds first place for his people. And that's where all of creation and redemption has been driving toward. I think the main idea of Colossians 1.18, the argument that we're meant to be convinced of tonight, is that Jesus holds first place in this world and in the world to come. So hold fast to him and to each other. Jesus holds first place in this world and in the world to come. So hold fast to him and to each other. If you look at the verse, you'll notice that Jesus holds three titles, three firsts. He's the head of the body, first in the church. He's the beginning, first in the new creation. He's the firstborn from the dead, first in the resurrection. We'll skim the surface of each of these titles and dive into application
by looking at three main points. Number one, flourishing under his authority. Number two, living in the new creation. And number three, assured of the resurrection. First, flourishing under his authority. Jesus is the head of the body, the church. In Paul's earlier letters of Romans and 1 Corinthians, Paul calls the church the body of Christ. But here he calls Christ the head of the body. In Colossians, Paul uses the word head more than once to talk about Jesus in two different ways, ruler and life-giver.
Now, those are two things that we don't often see in today's culture going together, ruler and life-giver. In today's culture, there's no such thing as a life-giving ruler. Authority and flourishing don't mix. Authority, rather, is a cancer that kills and should be cut out. But here, we're reminded that Jesus is the head of the church. Satan's oldest lie and first line of attack is to seek to undermine God's authority. In the garden, he tempted Eve to doubt God's goodness and to reject his rule.
Adam should have crushed the serpent's head and put an end to it. But here, in Colossians 1.18, Jesus restores what Adam and Eve lost. He restores the life-giving rule that God intended. He gives back authority that flourishes. Jesus is the head of the body of the church. He is the life-giving ruler of his redeemed people. He reigns by his word and through his spirit so that the body is nourished, knit together, and grows. There's a vital connection between Jesus and his people.
And he holds his place of preeminence so that the body flourishes. The church in this world may at times seem to be afflicted or languish. But Jesus, our ruler, is in heaven from whom all blessings flow. The body on earth may at times grow sick, but our head is in perfect health. Jesus ensures that his church flourishes. Friend, are you holding fast to him?
You see, in the letter that Paul wrote to Colossians, he was concerned with the church in Colossae, that they were listening to people who had empty deceit, vain philosophies, adding on to the gospel. Paul was reminding them, don't let Satan derail your faith. Don't let anyone tempt you to add anything to the all-sufficient gospel that you have embraced. Hold fast to Jesus, the head of the church. But this raises another question.
Are we holding fast to each other? You know, throughout Paul's letter, it's interesting, He describes the church as being knit together in love. Right before verse 18 and verse 17, he talks about how Christ holds creation together. Jesus also holds his church together. Friends, I wonder, as we claim allegiance to Christ and hold fast to him as our head, are we actively loving and holding fast to each other? Holding fast as a body is a mark that we are holding fast to our living head.
Christian flourishing is something that we can only enjoy together. Point number two, living in a new creation. I'm guessing that many of you might be despairing right now. Your life isn't flourishing. Maybe it's languishing. Think about that mental illness, that persistent sin, that strained relationship. Think about whatever it is that is causing your life to wither.
Friends, that's not the end. We have hope. Look back at our verse and see the next title of Jesus. He is the beginning. The beginning. The beginning of what? You know, in context, the beginning of the new creation. The invasion of God's kingdom. His redemptive reign in this world. What the whole Old Testament was promising and anticipating began when Jesus, the eternal Son of God, became flesh, dwelt among us, lived a perfect life, died on a cross, and then ultimately, most specifically, that new creation dawned when Jesus stepped out of the grave.
He is the beginning. This is meant to send an electric shock through our souls, a thrill of hope. When Jesus stepped out of the grave on that Sunday morning, the new creation began. The head of the church who defeated the domain of darkness through his death on the cross inaugurated his redemptive reign as he rose from the dead. Brothers and sisters, I know how easy it can be for the cares of this world and the presence of sin to convince us that the domain of darkness has first place.
And is preeminent in our lives. But that's not true. Jesus is the beginning of the new creation. And all those who are united to him by faith are living in that reality now. The new creation, the redemptive reign of the Lord Jesus, is the preeminent reality in the life of a Christian. Not the domain of darkness. You have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of God's beloved Son.
He has begun a good work in you, and he will carry it to completion. Christian, no matter how difficult or dark your days may get, the glass is always half full. The new creation has begun, and one day when Jesus returns, the new creation will be here in full. I know that's easy to preach on a Sunday evening and hard to believe on a Monday morning or when a coffin is lowered into the ground.
But that brings us to the third title in our verse. And the third point, assured of the resurrection. Jesus is the firstborn from the dead. The word firstborn is rich with messianic hope. When Jesus rose from the grave, He didn't just begin a new creation. He also became the forerunner of the resurrection. He leads the way for his people. I love how one commentator says it.
He's always one step ahead. Have you noticed how all of these titles of Jesus are meant to orient our hearts towards hope, to steel our hearts with confident expectation? If Jesus is the head of the body, we can have hope that his church will flourish and nourished and grow. If Jesus is the beginning of a new creation, we can have hope that the ultimate reality in our life has begun and will be his redemptive reign until he returns.
And if Jesus is the first to rise from the dead, we can have hope that one day we too will rise like him. Can I just say right now, as an aside, if you're not a Christian and you're here tonight, as Greg preached this morning, judgment is coming, and the titles of Jesus should terrify you. You see, the life-giving ruler of the church is also the judge of those who reject his authority. The new creation, which will one day rush in like an avalanche, has no place for evildoers.
All those who reject Jesus will be resurrected as well, but only for judgment in hell. But friend, if you're not a Christian, that's not how it has to end. Jesus' arms are open wide. Run to him. Embrace him for all that he is. Lay hold of hope. Christian, if you are holding fast to Jesus tonight, how might the hope of Colossians 118 steal your soul against storm and war, The ridicule of the workplace, the news that your friends have been arrested, the unsuccessful surgery, or the death of a loved one.
Every one of us is bound to face unbearable days. We're going to need Colossians 1.18 tattooed to our souls so that we can hold fast to Jesus who holds first place. You know, it dawned on me as I was preparing this devotion that the sailor and master and commander, He didn't tattoo his knuckles for himself. It would be a really awkward reminder. He tattooed his knuckles for his fellow shipmates. And the same is true of this verse.
This verse is meant for us to take and to think, who else in this church can I hold up this truth to this week? Who can I send a text, take out a coffee, or have over for a meal and remind them that Jesus is preeminent. He is the head of the church, giving it life. He is the beginning, a new reality at work in our lives, and the firstborn from the dead, with whom one day we too shall rise.
Let's pray. Lord Jesus, thank you for being our head, our beginning, and the firstborn from the dead. May your preeminence give us hope. As we enter this week, it's in your glorious name that we pray. Amen.