Christ the King                                                                                   November 25, 2007

 

“Jesus is Thorough”

Colossians 1:13-22

 

            13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

            15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

            18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.

            21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

 

Some folks are thorough…others, not so much.  For example, some folks thoroughly plan their vacations – they know what roads they will take, what time they will depart and arrive, and in advance they have decided what they will be doing every hour of every day while they’re gone.  But others go on vacation and they wing it in a we’ll-figure-it-out-when-we-get-there kind of way.    Or here’s another example - some folks thoroughly shop for their vehicles.  They’re not afraid to take weeks, even months, to check out dozens of dealerships and websites, sort through all the available options, read Consumer Reports and leave no stone unturned in their quest.  But others decide, “Hey, I need a new car” and they walk into a dealership ready to take the plunge.

 

Do you know anyone who is on the thorough side of things?  This kind of person is an expert in the details.  He dots all his “I’s” and crosses all his “T’s.”  His records are saved in a safe place, copied and backed up twice.  If at all possible, there is nothing left to chance and everything is taken care of.  Thorough people are not people who like to wing it.

 

Some of you have God’s gift of being thorough with details; others not so much.  Whether you are thorough with your plans or whether you like to wing it a little bit, download this: none of us is as thorough as Jesus.  Jesus is thorough like none other.  You’ve thought of Him as your Savior.  You’ve known him as the Son of God.  And he is all those things, but for today, add something new to the file.  Today, think of him as thorough.  Jesus has dotted all his “I’s” and crossed all his “T’s”.  He has left nothing for chance and has taken care of everything.  Christ is our thorough King.  Listen for all the ways that Jesus is thorough as I read Colossians 1:13-22.  (read text)

 

Part One:  Jesus was thorough in his creation.  (v.15-17)

He created everything.  Verses 16 and 17 say it all, don’t they?  God’s creation is so vast; he made everything and he holds everything together.  He is the one who made all the stars and decided they would rotate just so.  He is the one who keeps the earth rotating at just the right speed so that we do not fly off; he is the one who makes sure gravity stays at the proper degree so that we don’t bounce around like we’re on the moon, but that we aren’t crushed by too much pressure either.  Jesus has decided that the sun would rise and set.  He is the one in charge of the storehouses of rain, the one who determines when rain will fall, water the earth, return to the clouds in vapor and then fall once again.  Seeds have the power to germinate, birds have the power to fly, fish have the power to swim – why?  Only because Jesus decided that would happen.  Yes, Jesus was very thorough in his creation.  Not one detail was left behind.  Listen again to verses 16-17.

 

Part Two:  Jesus is thorough in his supremacy.  (v.18-19)

And Jesus wasn’t just thorough in his creation.  He is also thorough in other ways.  How many different ways can you say, “Jesus is the greatest?”  Take a look at verses 18-19.

a.       He is the head of the church

b.       He is the beginning

c.       He is the firstborn from the dead – the first to resurrect

d.       He holds all supremacy

e.       God’s fullness dwells in him; everything that is divine takes up permanent residence within Jesus Christ.

 

Is there anything left out?  Are there any questions left unanswered?  Does Jesus have an Achilles’ heal; is there some fatal flaw that afflicts every other earthly hero?  No.  He is our thorough King.

 

It’s because of Scriptures like these that we confess, “I believe in Jesus Christ, who ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.”  This is the king whose judgments will not be overruled.

 

Jesus is thoroughly in control!  And that’s awesome because that means Satan is NOT in control.  Not even a little.  Evil is powerful, but it is not running the show.  JESUS is running the show.  He limits evil and locks up Satan.  He holds the world together and nudges it along toward Judgment Day.  While he does that he makes sure that everything…yes, everything…happens for the benefit of you and me.  There is no terrorist attack, no hurricane or tornado, no economic depression, no issue at work, no life-changing disease or blindsiding accident that can knock Jesus off his throne.  Jesus is thoroughly in control.

 

It is astonishing that Jesus is thoroughly in control.  He also is thorough in reconciling us to God.

 

Part Three:  Jesus is thorough in his reconciliation.  (v.13-14; 20-22)

 

We were in the dominion of darkness.  What does that mean to be in the dominion of darkness?

 

We are dominated by someone/something else that is dark.  Dangerous things appear to be harmless.  Drunkenness is something fun, something to joke about and not something that kills people.  Pornography is something that arouses curiosity, not something from which we flee.  Gossip is the norm, the way people talk and not something filthy.

 

We want to explore new and sinful things.  We think we can see…but we can’t.  We’re so smart, we don’t see a need to turn on the light.  And even if we did see that need, there is nothing we could do to change things.  We need someone else to turn on the light.  As is, we are doomed to stay in the dark for eternity.  Our darkness will catapult us into the middle of hell, a place where there is no light and will never be light.

 

But look at what God has done.  We have been yanked out of the dominion of darkness, and ushered into a new kingdom -  the kingdom of light, the kingdom of love, redemption, reconciliation and forgiveness.  It happened by Christ’s blood shed on the cross.

 

We are holy in God’s sight, free from blemish and accusation.  It is hard to believe in the thorough-ness with which God sees us, but it is true.  This is what God sees when he sees you through Christ. 

 

 

 

 

 

Forgiveness in Jesus is thorough because Jesus is a thorough King.  He is not just thorough in his power.  He is also thorough in his love.  He is also thorough in the way he applies his power and love to your heart.  Because of his thorough love for you, he will present you free from blemish and accusation, thoroughly forgiven.  To our thorough King alone be the glory!  Amen.