"We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.
You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message."
-Colossians 1:15-23 The Message
"We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. "
Huh!?!
"From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death..."
Huh!?!
We see a God who can't be seen by looking at the Son...
From beginning to end the Son is there, but only through His death, the breaking of His body, the end of His life, the outpouring of His blood... all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe fit together in vibrant harmonies?
But... That doesn't make ANY sense.
Like really?
Was Paul crazy?
The simple answer is...
Well there is no simple answer.
Because something this profound, this crazy, this big, can't be simple.
I think it's very possible that Mr. Lewis had Colossians 1 in mind when he made that statement.
Because it just makes sense.
In Christ everything becomes visible.
In Christ God becomes visible.
In Christ life becomes visible.
Is it possible to wrap our minds around this... that Christ is the answer to every question. He is the image of the invisible. The reality in the impossible. The hope in the hopelessness. The love in the midst of evil. The light in the darkness.
I've explored these topics with previous posts... but today I just want us to think this through.
Do we really believe this?
"We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body."
Do we find our purpose in Him?
Do we trust Him to hold it all together?
This is what gets me every time:
I don't have to have it all together... because Christ holds all things together right up to this moment.
I don't have to search for my purpose in life... because Christ is the purpose of ALL life.
I don't have to grasp the scientific reasoning behind why things exist... because Christ is the reason for everything created.
He is in everything.
Even in the Garden of Eden... the paradise that was lost... was all to the glory and all for the reason of Christ.
Creation demands that Christ is glorified. Even in it's fallen nature.
"He is the answer to the questions
The reason to the rhyme
the rhythm to my heart
When it beats out of time"
We aren't taught this.
It seems that in every level of church we're told how we need to get our act together. We're told how to live our lives better...
...or we're promised all this joy and riches and prosperity...
The sermons are always about us... focused on us.
And maybe it's because that's why we go to church.
I know I felt that way for the LONGEST time.
We go to church to get fed.
We go to church to grab a deeper understanding for us.
We measure how well the service was by how comfortable or how spiritual WE felt.
There's one verse that seems not to fit in that first section... the last verse:
"And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body."
The Apostle Paul seems to just switch tones from the general idea that Christ is in everything to a specific example:
The church.
The reason Christianity is the fastest growing faith in the world is because it's true... And because Jesus loves his church. The Church that submits to God in His organizing and his holding it together is the church that is falling in line with God's will.
Christ has to be the head of the body. Only He can truly hold it together and organize it to fulfill the original purpose it was created for.
"He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross."
Not only does Christ organize it all... but Christ is big enough to handle it all.
Everything finds it's proper place in Him, and it doesn't matter what we throw at Him... He can handle it.
Our biggest problems are minuscule to Him... but because they are important to us, He never overlooks them.
Because Christ was in your position.
He's the God who understands.
He came down to us.
Became like us.
Just so He would be able to say,
"I understand."
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. - Romans 8:3-4
Not only does He understand because He created us.
But He understands because He lived like us.
He took on flesh... lived in this fallen world.
Experienced life, sorrow, joy, compassion, and temptation.
He stood up to sickness, death, humiliation, and suffering.
He bore sin and death... and defeated them both in one stroke. He condemned sin in the flesh.
John Piper once said, "Which of these crucified, these three, is real(speaking of the two thieves crucified with Jesus), for all have driven hands and feet? But only one has fang marks in his heel."
Alluding to the first Messianic prophesy in Genesis 3:15. The Protoevangelium, the first Gospel message:
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Jesus defeated what man caved in to.
But he experienced it nonetheless.
The greatest comfort is when someone can honestly say that they understand the issue we're dealing with.
And when the God who we worship, and who created us, can honestly say, 'I understand.'
Well... the healing power in just those two words all of a sudden makes sense in light of, "all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death..."
Through his death, healing takes place. Through his death, He comes along side of us and says, 'I understand. I care.'
"You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted."
Do we?
Do we stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust?
Are we careful to not be distracted or diverted?
There's power when we can say, 'Yes' to both of those questions.
This is the culmination of what Paul is saying.
WE are the case study.
WE are the living, breathing examples of all that Christ does.
In us, Creation sees redemption approaching.
In us, people can see Christ, the image of the invisible God.
Through us, we build a community that the devil himself can't overpower.
But we have to stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust.
Don't walk away from the gift of Jesus Christ.
He has made us whole and holy.
Not for anything we do or have done.
But because of who Christ is and what He accomplished.
"We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. "
IN Christ God and God's original purpose becomes visible.
It's IN (Christ) visible."From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death..."
IN Christ healing becomes possible.
It's IN (Christ) possible.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
-Hebrews 12:1-2
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 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. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
- Colossians 1:15-23
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Nathan Bryant
Is a student of Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri. Majoring in Biblical leadership and Missiology, he has a combined passion for church unity and discipleship in the global church. Nate is a crazed sports fan, he enjoys fantasy football and watching baseball with friends. He works as an Admissions Counselor at Ozark as well as assistant to the staff at River Run Christian Church. Nate is also a Starbucks addict. Yay Coffee!
Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our causes.
Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our boundaries.
Follow him on Twitter: Follow @insideoverneath
Follow him on Twitter: Follow @insideoverneath
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