Read Colossians 1:1-20

“Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over
all creation…all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
(Colossians 1:15)

Thoughts… How big is your God?

That’s a critical question, because the way you live will be in direct proportion to the size of your God. The problem that most of us have is that our God is too small. We’re not convinced that we are safely in the hands of a competent, all knowing, all powerful God. The truth is, many of us live with a shrunken God.

The New Testament writers never tire of telling us that the God we serve is no little God. And there may not be another passage that gives us a clearer, more majestic picture of the greatness of Christ than the one Paul paints for us here in Colossians 1:15-20. There is not a paragraph anywhere in Scripture that has more concentrated doctrine on the supremacy and preeminence of Christ than this one.

The reason Paul writes this is because of a heresy spreading through the New Testament church about who Christ was. Some so-called believers viewed Christ as just one god among many gods. In this belief system, called Gnosticism, it was believed that matter was evil and spirit was good, and since God was spirit, he would therefore not have had anything to do with the creation of matter. The idea that Jesus was made flesh was unthinkable, and if he was, then he wasn’t really a big God.

We’re still doing that to Jesus in our day, by the way. Maybe not doctrinally, but practically we have shrunk Jesus down to something less than who and what he really is. We don’t deny Christ outright, but we dethrone him by giving him prominence rather than preeminence in our lives.

So here in this letter, Paul writes the church in Colosse—and by extension, to the church today—to remind us of the greatness of Christ. Paul points out several truths that ought to bring Jesus into sharper focus for us:

First of all, Jesus Christ is the reflection of the invisible God. Verse 15 says, “He is the image of the invisible God.” In other words, when you see Christ, you’re seeing God himself.

The Greek word used for image is “eikon”, from which we get our word icon. An icon is a statue. Here it refers to a portrait. Paul says Jesus is the portrait of God, the perfect, absolutely accurate image of the heavenly Father.

Hebrews 1:3 describes Jesus as the radiance of God’s glory. Christ reflects God’s attributes as the sun’s light reflects the sun. Furthermore, that verse says he is the exact representation of his being. The Greek word for exact representation is “karaktar”, from which we derive our word character. It referred to an engraving tool, or stamp. Jesus is the exact likeness of God; the invisible God became visible in Christ.

One day a little girl was drawing a picture. So her mom saw what she was doing and said, “Honey, what are you drawing?” The little girl responded, “I’m drawing a picture of God!” The mom informed the little girl that no one knows what God looks like. And to that the little girl said, “they will when I get done.”

People in Jesus day had never seen God; no one knew what he looked like. They only knew of him from laws and traditions passed down from their fathers, who as sinful, fallen men, sometimes painted a picture of God that was far from accurate. No one had ever seen God, but Jesus came along and said, “they will when I get done.”

How much of God do we see in Jesus? Paul tells us in verse 19, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” What does this say about what God looks like? Just look at Jesus.

How does God feel about little kids? Look at Jesus gathering the little children and saying, “Suffer the little children to come to me…” How does God feel about the poor? Look at Jesus affirming the elderly widow putting in her to pennies in the temple offering, declaring that she gave out of her poverty while the well-off were shortchanging God. How does God feel about sinners? Look at Jesus dealing with the woman caught in adultery: “Woman, I don’t accuse you…go and leave your life of sin.” How does God feel about the loss of a loved one? Just look at Jesus weeping at the tomb of Lazarus.

What does God look like? Just look at Jesus!

Second, Jesus is the agent of creation. Look at verse 15 again: “He is the image of God, the firstborn over all creation.” And verse 16 adds, “For by him all things were created…”

The word Paul uses here for firstborn is “prototokos”, from which we get the word prototype. Paul isn’t saying that Jesus was the first to be created but that he was the agent of creation. This was a title of preeminence which meant that Jesus is the Lord of creation.

Verse 16 says, “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, things invisible and visible, whether thrones or powers, or rulers or authorities, all things were created by him and for him.”

How big is your Jesus? He was the very one who created the universe and everything in it. So what does that mean for you? It means that Jesus is Lord over governments, networks, authorities, belief systems, addictions, illness—he is Lord over everything that affects your life. That means you don’t have to fear or worry about any of these—Jesus will take care of them for you.

How big is Jesus? He is Lord over all creation

Third, Jesus is the sustainer of all things. Referring to the entire created order, verse 17 says that Jesus, “is before all things and in him all things hold together.”

Your Christ is so big that he is holding everything you see and don’t see together. If it weren’t for his power, this whole universe, including your life, would just come apart at the seams and spin out of control clear into infinity.

A guide took a group of people through an atomic laboratory and explained to them how all matter was composed of rapidly moving electric particles. The tourists studied the models of molecules and were amazed to learn that matter is made up primarily of space. And during the question period, one visitor asked, “If this is the way matter works, what holds it all together.” And to that the guide had no answer.

But Paul gives us the answer. It is a Christ so big, so powerful, so ever-present that he continues to sustain all things by his nature. If you are like me, there been times when you don’t think you can hold it all together. Here’s the good news according to Paul: You don’t have to—Jesus will.

What is God like? How big is he? He is the Lord of creation who continues to sustain all things by his nature and his power, and he have revealed himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ. This Jesus you serve is so big that he created the universe by his power and for his use. And since you belong to him, you can take courage and begin to live your life with a big God mentality, because you live in a big God reality!

Prayer… Lord Jesus, you are bigger and greater than everything else in my life. You are supreme and sufficient for me. As I go about my day, I will take courage that I belong to the one who created all things and holds all things together by his power. I will therefore live my life as a big God person.

One More Thing… “Until we know Jesus, God is merely a concept, and we can’t have faith in Him. But once we hear Jesus say, ‘He who has seen Me has seen the Father’ we immediately have something that is real, and our faith is limitless.” —Oswald Chambers

“Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ.” (Colossians 3:23)

Thoughts... Who is your boss?

Years ago, Tom Peters and Bob Waterman wrote a landmark book on successful companies called, In Search Of Excellence. In their research, they discovered the main ingredient to succesful businesses was found in, “Unusual effort on the part of ordinary employees.” When they found a string of unusual efforts from a host of ordinary employees, they knew they were on the trail of an exceptional business—a company with a corporate climate that rained excellence.

One of those outstanding companies was Nordstrom. They tell the story of an executive who wanted to buy a suit. His wife and daughter were Nordstrom fans, and always pestering him to shop there. Frankly, he suspected that Nordstrom charged an arm and leg for everything. But he badly needed a suit, and there was a sale, so he figured there wasn’t much to lose. He went shopping, and found the service was actually good, so he bought a suit on sale and another one at full price.

Nordstrom promises same-day alterations, unless there’s a sale, then alterations are the next day. So he came back the next day, wanting the suits for a business trip that night. To his surprise, his salesman greeted him by name. The guy ran upstairs for the suits, but after 5 minutes, reappeared empty-handed…they weren’t ready! Though he needed them for his trip, he felt happy because their failure confirmed his original suspicions.

He left town without the suits, but when he checked into his hotel, there was a package waiting. The Federal Ex fee of $98 had already been paid—by Nordies. And there were the suits, with three expensive silk ties thrown in for free. There also was a note of apology from the salesman, who’d called the guy’s home and found out where he’d be.

Needless to say, this executive was now a Nordstrom fan, too! The salesman had not only did his job well, he went above and beyond the call of duty—and Nordstrom got the credit.

Now wouldn’t you say that as followers of Christ, we have a calling that’s fundamentally higher than Nordstom to work with an attitude of excellence? Because of “Who” we serve, going above and beyond the call of duty ought to be just be a part of a good day’s work. Because God is both our boss, and our customer, our passion ought to be to do our jobs well, and then some! Because of Who and what our mission represents, people ought to be able to look at our excellent lives and see the excellent God we worship.

Paul talks about this very thing in Colossians 3:17,

“Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Imagine what would happen if you and I—just ordinary people—gave sustained effort to live out this verse every day!

Paul goes on in verses 22-24,

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Imagine if each one of us did everything as unto the Lord. Instead of people bubbling about Nordstrom, or whatever else they may gush over, they’d be bubbling about our Jesus.

Let me unpack these verses a little more, because Paul’s call to the Colossians is God’s call to all Christians today. And I want to get you to think more deeply about this by posing 3 questions: What? How? and Why?

First off, what is excellence? Very simply, I’d say it is doing everything for the approval of God. If that is truly my motive, then my work will be done with excellence. I will leverage what I have to the best of my ability to produce something that is fitting for the King of all creation. It will be the very best I can do. I will go above and beyond the call of duty. It will make God proud.

Here the second question: How am I to go about my work? Verse 22 from The Message Bible says,

“Do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real master, for God.”

Paul is saying not just some of the time, not just when you’re being watched, not just with partial effort, but every time you do what you do, do your best…and then some.

Here’s another way to look at it: Would whatever you’re doing stand up to inspection by Jesus himself? Would he say, “Wow, this is really good?”

I have been reading a book on the Disney Corporation’s unswerving commitment to excellence. It’s called “Keys To The Magic Kingdom”. It’s full of principles and examples—it’s a great read. One of those examples had to do with the immaculate condition of the facilities and grounds at the Disney theme parks. Someone asked how many custodians it took to achieve such impeccable conditions, and the response was something like 45,000 custodians.

How could that be, so many custodians? The answer was that, in effect, all of the Disney theme park employees served as custodians—each one knows that cleanliness is his or her job. They all know customer service is their job, too. They all know quick and easy access to rides is everybody’s job. They all know that putting the magic in the magic kingdom is everybody’s job. That’s what makes Disney the magic kingdom—a corporate culture of excellence. That being the case, they simply go about their work with a commitment and passion for excellence.

Since we work for the real magic kingdom, the Kingdom of God, shouldn’t excellence be at the heart of who we are and how we work?

How should you work? You should be the kind of person Jesus would be if he were in your place. You should do the kind of work you’d do if Jesus were your boss. Your attitude should be the same if Jesus were your customer.

So if that’s how I’m supposed to work, the third question is: Why should I work with excellence? The answer to that is rather obvious, but let me just remind you that if your motivation is anything other than working for the glory and pleasure of God, you will eventually begin to offer less than Biblically-defined excellence in your work. That’s why Paul says in verses 23-24,

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving”

Knowing who you are working for and working for his approval will make all the difference in your attitude, in the quality of your efforts and in the outcome of your work!

A long time ago, on an extremely hot day, a crew was repairing some railroad tracks when they were interrupted by a train that ground to a stop right where they were working. A window on the last car opened and out of the air-conditioned coach a booming voice shouted, “Dave—is that you?” Dave Anderson, the crew chief, called back, “Sure is, Jim — great to see you again!”

Jim Murphy, president of the railroad, invited Dave Anderson in for a visit. For over an hour, the two men visited, then they shook hands as the train took off.

Dave’s crew was impressed; they couldn’t believe that Dave was a personal friend of Jim Murphy—the president. Dave explained that over 20 years earlier, he and Jim Murphy had started to work for the railroad on exactly the same day. One of the men jokingly ask Dave why he was still working like a dog out in the hot sun while Jim had gotten to be the president of the company. Dave said, “Some twenty years ago, I went to work for $1.75 and hour, and Jim went to work for the railroad.”

Who are you working for? In reality, it is not for a paycheck; it is not for your employee; it is not for advancement; it is not for anything other than the approval of God.

It’s the Lord Christ you are serving!

And every day, in every way, he deserves excellence in everything you do!

Prayer… God, today I offer all of my life to you—all that I am and all that I will do. I offer it in the most excellent way I know. I pray that you will take my passion for excellence and empower it with the supernatural presence of your Holy Spirit so that eternal things might be accomplished for your glory.

One More Thing… “No sacrifice can be too great to make for Him who gave His life for me.” —C.T. Studd