Music is powerful but, for Christians, music that celebrates and venerates our Lord and Saviour is especially so. Consider these well-worn and majestic words: “All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name! / Let angels prostrate fall; / bring forth the royal diadem, / and crown him Lord of all!” Or how about these more recently-penned lines: “You’re the Word of God the Father / from before the world began; / every star and every planet / has been fashioned by your hand. / All creation holds together / by the power of your voice; / let the skies declare your glory; / let the land and seas rejoice.”

Wonderful! Lyrics like these excite in God’s children a love for God’s Son—who he is, and what he did, does, and will do—and moves them to adoration, reflection, appreciation, conviction, and dedication. Now, if that’s true of hymns written by people, what about one written and preserved for us by God himself?

SERMON MANUSCRIPT

Music is powerful but, for Christians, music that celebrates and venerates our Lord and Saviour is especially so. Consider this:

All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name! / Let angels prostrate fall; / bring forth the royal diadem, / and crown him Lord of all!

Speaking of crowns:

Crown him with many crowns, / the Lamb upon the throne; / hark, how the heav’nly anthem drowns / all music but its own! / Awake, my soul, and sing / of him who died for thee, / and hail him as thy matchless King / though all eternity.

Or, how about:

My faith has found a resting place, / not in device or creed; / I trust the ever-living One, / His wounds for me shall plead. / I need no other argument, / I need no other plea: / it is enough that Jesus died, / and that he died for me.

Powerful words! They excite in God’s children a love for God’s Son—who he is, and what he did, does, and will do. These lyrical truths move us to adoration, reflection, appreciation, conviction, and dedication.

Colossians 1 records what may be one of the earliest-known songs about Jesus. In fact, it’s often called “the Christ hymn.” But, unlike the ones I just quoted, these words are inspired by God and we’re going to feel their power today.

Christ Is Over All

Colossians 1:15–20 contain some powerful words! And, obviously, it’s all about Jesus: “He … him … him … him … he … him … he … he … he himself … him … him … himself … his … him.” And what’s being said about him? That Christ is over all; that Jesus is supreme, the premier and preeminent Being, the image of the invisible God (15a). 

While humans are created in the image (Gen 1:27) and believers are being conformed (Rom 8:29) into the image, Christ is the image. When he took on flesh and dwelt among us, Jesus revealed God perfectly to us (Heb 1:1–3a).

And this image of the invisible God stands over creation, being its firstborn (v. 15b). Firstborn, here, doesn’t mean eldest progeny but highest rank—he’s preeminent, uniquely supreme (Ps 89:27; Ex 4:22). That’s how Jesus is the firstborn, not that he was created like Muslims, Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses believe.

Christ is over creation because he created it, what you see and what you don’t (vv. 16–17). It’s all from him, through him, for him, and remains because of him. From kings and kingdoms to epochs and eras, he preexisted it and, in the end, he owns it.

And, Christ is over the church as well, it being part of creation (v. 18a). As with everything else, it’s through and for himself the church was born and it’s by his kindness the she’s sustained.

Christ is over all because he’s beyond all, he created all, sustains all, and it’s for him that all was made. A more recent hymn celebrates this truth:

You’re the Word of God the Father / from before the world began; / every star and every planet / has been fashioned by your hand. / All creation holds together / by the power of your voice; / let the skies declare your glory; / let the land and seas rejoice. / You’re the Author of creation; / you’re the Lord of ev’ry man; / and your cry of love rings out across the lands.

Christ is the sovereign, the absolute, the Lord. Christ is over all. Or, is he? Is Christ, by virtue of who he is, Lord of every aspect of our lives? Does he get the final say, is he the unchallenged authority? Is Christ over your life and time, your possessions and family, your fears and desires, your sexuality and gender, your decisions and moral compass? Unbelievers know not this Christ. But those of us who do dare not confuse stewardship with ownership. We’re to manage and enjoy but we don’t own. Christ owns it all, created it all, and is over all.

Christ Has Done It All

But this passage doesn’t only celebrate Christ being over all, it also declares that Christ has done it all (v. 18b). Yes, Jesus is firstborn of all creation (v. 15b). He’s incomparable. But he’s also the beginning and firstborn from the dead. His resurrection is the spark that not only makes our future resurrection possible, but serves as its template (1 Cor 15:20)! Christ rose first. Why? Well, verse 18c tells us. When we’re raised, our glorified bodies will serve as permanent, unfading reminders of and monuments to what Christ has done. He gets all the praise and glory. 

And in case we needed further justification for his supremacy, look at verse 19. Christ is worthy to have first place in everything because he shares the Father’s divine nature (2:9). This is one of the mysteries of Christianity in general and of Christ in particular—that he’s truly human and truly divine. That, moved by love, the second person of the godhead—equal in essence to the Father and Spirit—left heaven and condescended to take on true flesh, not diminishing his divinity. That’s what he’s done that makes him worthy to have first place in everything.

It’s also because of what he did when he condescended (v. 20). He reconciled all things to himself. Why was this needed? Why was peace missing? Sin. When sin came into the world it corrupted everything, things on earth [and] things in heaven. 

Because of sin, all creation was subjected to futility (Rom 8:20) and was placed at odds with its sinless Creator. Humans all became rebels against the throne and deserving death. We’re in conflict with one another and in conflict with ourselves. Creation groans under the curse (Rom 8:22). Sin is far more devastating, pervasive, and offensive to God than we often dare admit.

But God, in his kindness, provided a way of reconciliation and peace through his Son, Jesus. Being truly human meant he could stand in place of depraved humanity, pay the debt we owe, endure the wrath we deserve. Being truly divine meant his sacrifice could be sufficiently efficacious, unlimited in scope and power. Through Christ, God reconcile[d] all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross. Christ is not only over all, Christ has done it all. 

As he declared with his dying gasps: “It is finished.” As the hymn-writer, John Newton, once wrote:

Thus, while his death my sin displays / In all its blackest hue, / Such is the mystery of grace, / It seals my pardon too.

Christians Have It All

While the cross both reveals the depths our depravity and provides our liberty. Truly, because Christ is over all and has done it all, Christians have it all. There is nothing we lack. For believers in the incomparable Jesus, he who offers true, eternal peace, we have it all.

While the hymn ends in verse 20, Paul’s response now begins (vv. 21–22a). The word alienated has the same root as reconciled, creating a clear contrast. While we were once un-reconciled, now we’re reconciled. While we were once unacceptable to God because of our sin, we’re now acceptable because of Christ’s sacrifice. While we were once estranged from our Creator because of our rebellion, now we’re brought into the family because of Christ’s death (Rom 5:1).

What more could we need? Because Christ is over all and has done all, Christians have it all. We are reconciled to a holy God in spite of our sinfulness and we have peace with God though deserving wrath (Eph 2:4–6). We have it all.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise; / Thou mine inheritance, now and always: / Thou and Thou only first in my heart / High King of heaven, my Treasure thou art.

Do you understand who you are in Christ? That, because of your affiliation with the Son, you are totally accepted by the Father?

Friend, if you’re struggling with feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, insecurity, worthlessness, or hopelessness the answer is not what our world is telling you it is: self-esteem, self-talk, self-justification, self-discipline, self-love, or self-help. When we look to ourselves or other fallen people for purpose, stability, and assurance, we’re doing dirty laundry without soap. 

Look to Christ. Don’t look at yourself. Look to his perfection, his promises, his person, his work. Find your identity not in who you feel you are but in who he says you are—a sinner, yes, but a sinner who has been totally and eternally accepted by a holy and loving God through faith in his Son. Christians have it all.

So, Don’t Move At All!

So, what do we do with all of this? Well, this passage has application built right into it (vv. 21–23).

Because Christ is over all and because Christ has done it all, Christians have it all, so don’t move at all! Don’t move away from the hope of the gospel but continue in the faith firmly established. Be steadfast. Because of Christ, we are to cling to that good news, resolute and intentional. Don’t move at all.

What’s our motivation? Because, as believers, one day we’re going to be presented before Christ (22b), not to determine our salvation—that’s a done deal, as it was for the Colossians (1:2, 4, 13–14). Paul knows they’re saved. But Paul also knows—and you and I know—there are those in Christ who fail to mature in Christ (1 Cor 3:1–3; Heb 5:12–14).

This isn’t what Paul wants for the Colossians and this isn’t what the Holy Spirit wants for us. Rather, we’re to be presented before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach, mature and strong, spiritual meat-eating adults, men and women of resolve (Eph 4:14).

And how do we make sure that happens? By clinging to the objective truth of the gospel—the person and work of Jesus Christ as revealed in this text, that which the Colossians heard and of which Paul is a herald. From this truth, don’t move at all.

Christ is over all. Do not move from the reality of his lordship. Do not soften it. Do not explain it away. Give him everything even as the world around us—including much of the church—ignores his authority or throws his authority under the bus.

Understand this Philippians 2:10–11. For those who are his, may that day be today. May it be by our own joyful submission and not fearful compulsion. Christ is over all. Don’t move from that.

Christ has done it all. Do not move from the reality of the finished work of Jesus. Do not add to what he has accomplished. Do not think good works, kindness, philanthropy, reputation, or supposed virtue adds an ounce to our acceptability before a holy God.

We have received reconciliation and peace by throwing ourselves on the mercy of Jesus. That’s it. Cling to it. Protect that. Rest in that. Let that fill you with awe, thanksgiving, and humility. Christ has done it all. Don’t move from that.

And, Christian, you have it all. Read this sample of realities that are true right now of everyone here who has trusted in Jesus for everlasting life: Rom 8:1; 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 3:26; Eph 1:7, 13–14; 2:10. The world around us, the devil among us, the flesh within us are all conspiring to tell us those things aren’t true. Cling to what is. Christian, you have it all. Know who you are in Christ and don’t move from that.

This is the right response to a right understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what he has done for us. This is how we mature as believers, how we grow up in Christ. This is how we leave behind the diapers, insecurity, and vulnerability of infancy and, instead, develop into strong, useful children of God who look forward to being presented to our Saviour as holy, blameless monuments of his grace and power, and spending eternity with him.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years, / bright shining as the sun, / we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise / than when we’d first begun.

Let’s pray and then we’ll close our time together this morning by singing together the praises of our incomparable Christ.

 

---

---