Sermon or Lesson:  Colossians 1:17 (NIV based)
[Lesson Questions included]

TITLE:  Jesus - Deity Supremacy Before And Within All Creation

INTRODUCTION:  Have you ever invented something new and original?  Perhaps you had a need or a desire, so you conceptualized and developed a prototype.  Did your first prototype immediately turn out exactly the way you intended - looking, or existing, or performing exactly the way that you desired?  Or instead, did you have to make repeated adjustments, corrections, alterations, or start again from the beginning?  Eventually, did you quit your inventing efforts, because you could not produce your invention to satisfactorily become what you wanted it to be or stay the way you wanted it to?
     In our study now of Colossians 1:17, we are going to examine the qualities that are necessary to create and maintain all things that exist in the universe.
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READ:  Colossians 1:17, with vv.13-16 for context

BACKGROUND:
- - Jesus is qualified to "redeem" or buy "the forgiveness of sins" through His suffering and death on the cross because He is the visible manifestation, in physical bodily form, of the invisible God.  (vv.14-15)
- - Being deity Jehovah God Himself, in fullness, Jesus has intrinsic authority and ability with which He created all things, in both the invisible spiritual realm and the visible physical realm.  (vv.15,19,16)
- - Being deity, Jesus has intrinsic supreme authority over all of the kinds and levels of authority that exist.  (v.16)
- - Being deity, Jesus led the activities of the Triune Jehovah God, to create all things from the supremacy position of being 'within Him', 'by Him', 'through Him', and 'for Him'.  (v.16)
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v.17 - READ

[Lesson Question:  What are the implications of "He is before all things" and why is this declaration in the present tense "is"?]

SECTION POINT:  Jesus is the Lord God Jehovah of the Old Testament, the self-Existent Eternal "I AM that I AM", who is "before all things".

"He is before all things,"
- - Verse 17 adds further declarations and descriptions from verses 15-16 about the supremacy of Jesus over creation.
- - Jesus the Son "is before all things" - "before, in front of, prior to, or (figuratively) superior to" all things that exist, in creation.  (Strong's #G4253)
- - He is the 'first cause' - the first or original that exists, from which all things in the universe, physical realm, and spiritual realm were caused to come into existence.

- - Even though this phrase "He is before all things" is somewhat ambiguous, being open to more than one reasonable interpretation, perhaps another good way to view this is the following:
- - In the Old Testament, when Moses first encountered God in the burning bush, in Exodus 3:14 God identified Himself as "I AM that I AM", meaning 'I exist that I exist' (Strong's #H1961, #H0834).  In the next verse 15 during that same conversation, God identified Himself as "Jehovah", meaning "the self-Existent or Eternal".  (Strong's #H3068)
- - The Lord God Jehovah exists, (period).  He exists in all of eternity past.  He exists in all of eternity present.  He exists in all of eternity future.  He exists.  He is self-existent.  And nothing else existed before He created it.
- - In Colossians 1:17 is pronounced that the Son exists in this exact same way as described about the Lord God Jehovah in Exodus 3:14-15.
- - The Son is before all things - the Son is - the Son exists - the Son is self-Existent Eternal - the Son has supremacy in eternality - in eternity past-present-future 'the Son exists that He exists', the "I AM that I AM" - before all things.  (cf. v.58 in John 8:30-59; 10:33)
- - The Son exists that He exists before anything existed, even "before the beginning of time" (2 Timothy 1:9).  The Son exists that He exists before anything was created.
- - And "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" - John 1:3.
- - The Son has supremacy over eternity past; the Son has supremacy over time during which all things exist; and the Son has supremacy over eternity future.  (Revelation 22:13,16)
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[Lesson Question:  What are the implications of "and in Him all things hold together"?]

SECTION POINT:  Jesus the Son is the Designer, and Creator, and Sustainer of all things that exist.

"and in him all things hold together."
- - The Second Law of Thermodynamics is widely recognized and accepted by scientists, which states that in the universe, there is an "ever increasing tendency toward disorder", which requires the ongoing input of energy in order to counteract this trend.  (Entropy)
- - Yet, the universe clearly displays characteristics of intelligent design and order being maintained.
- - Therefore, a justifiable conclusion is that there must exist "a supreme Designer, a wise and capable Creator", who made and sustains the design and order of the universe.  (Erickson, p.158)
- - Here in Colossians 1:17, the declaration is that Jesus the Son is the Designer and Creator, the One who "constitutes, consists, sets together, coheres, exhibits", sustains, maintains, and "holds together" everything that has, does, or will exist.  (Strong's #G4921)
- - He holds in place the natural order of the universe, cosmos, galaxies, solar systems, earth, etc.
- - He maintains the laws of nature, physics, gravity, chemistry, heat, light, and etc.
- - He sustains life, eco-systems, biological systems in living bodies, internal cohesion, provision of rain, provision of food, solar radiation protection by the earth's magnetic field and the retaining of air in the earth's atmosphere (in contrast to Mars), and etc.
- - And He maintains the intellect in each human, which the Kingdom of Darkness seeks to possess, destroy, drive insane, and kill.  (John 8:44; 10:7-10; Mark 5:2,5,15)
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[Lesson Question:  If the Son functions in these manners as described herein, then what do these indicate about His intrinsic abilities and His intrinsic nature?]

SECTION POINT:  By implication from this description of His functioning "before" and within creation, Jesus the Son is deity and supreme over creation.

- - By implication, Jesus the Son has intrinsic power, knowledge, determination, "wisdom", and means by which to exert this "holding together" in the various forms (from living to inanimate), at the various levels (from subatomic to cosmic), in the various realms (from physical to spiritual), in the various states (from visible to invisible), in the various locations (from the Earth to the Burning Lake of Fire), in the various ages (from the beginning of time to and continuing uninterrupted forever throughout eternity future), and etc.  (Proverbs 8:12,22-31)
- - And by implication, Jesus the Son does all this "holding together" with perfection.

- - No finite or created being has the limitless abilities that are necessary to perform these kinds of functions, and on these kinds of magnitudes.
- - Therefore, this verse 17, like preceding verses 13-16, points to the deity of Jesus the Son and His deity supremacy over creation.
- - Indeed, Hebrews 1:8-12 declare and affirm the deity of Jesus the Son and His deity supremacy over creation.
- - READ: Hebrews 1:8-12
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BIG IDEA:  Jesus the Son is deity, from which He exerts comprehensive supremacy before and within all of creation.

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IMPLICATIONS AND APPLICATIONS:

- - As we have been examining what the Scriptures say in Colossians chapter 1 about the nature of Jesus, are your beliefs and doctrines in complete alignment with these verses?
- - Do you now firmly hold the theological doctrine that Jesus the Son "is before all things" because He is Jehovah God, the "I AM that I AM"?
- - Do you now firmly hold the theological doctrine that Jesus the Son is self-existing, with supremacy in all of eternity past, eternity present, and by extension eternity future?

- - Do you now firmly hold the theological doctrine that Jesus the Son is the Designer, and Creator, and Sustainer of all things that exist?
- - Do you now firmly hold the theological doctrine that in Jesus the Son "all things hold together"?
- - Do you accept the reality that the sustaining power of Jesus is the ultimate reason why your arm does not wither and fall off, while you are eating lunch?
- - By faith, do you now firmly hold the theological doctrine that Jesus the Son must be deity in order to accomplish all of these actions upon and within all of creation?
- - With all truthfulness, no reservations, and no doubts, can you now proclaim to Jesus the Son, "My Lord and my God!"?  (John 20:28)

- - If you are not in complete agreement and alignment with the doctrines about Jesus as described here in Colossians chapter 1, then a wise course of action would be for you to do further study, research, meditation, and prayer about the contents of these verses.
- - - - These verses are written so that you, like the believers at Colosse, will comprehensively have sound doctrines, particularly about Jesus the Son.  (Colossians 1:2,9,24-28;2:8)
- - - - Adjust your doctrines to align with these Scriptures, so that you take a significant step in progressing toward being made "perfect in Christ".  (v.1:28)
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[Additional Lesson Questions to ponder (optional, if time allows):
- - How do the contents of verses 15-17 compare to humanistic theories on the origin of the universe and the origin of life?  Discuss and objectively evaluate the plausibility for each origin.
- - Given man's current scientific understanding of the universe and the cosmos, discuss and objectively evaluate the plausibility of these humanistic theories further successfully producing the continuity and the order that exist in the universe throughout all of the 13.8 billion years of its theorized existence (Google search).  For example, if the Earth is supposedly 4.543 billion years old (Google search), what is the plausibility that it would naturally on its own maintain a perfect orbit all those 4.543 billion times around the Sun, and the orbit not increasingly deteriorates by a few inches (or centimeters), then a few feet (or meters), and then more-and-more miles (or kilometers) to the extent that it gets pulled into the Sun, or into a collision with another planet or a moon or a large passing asteroid, which then alters its mass, its trajectory, and its orbit that then eventually sends it into the Sun?]
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Works Cited:
Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

"Entropy: Universe Tends Toward Disorder."  www.realclearscience.com. 2017.

Erickson, Millard J.  Christian Theology.  Grand Rapids: Baker, 1983.

Google Search: "Age of the earth", "Age of the universe".  www.google.com.  2018.

“Strong's Greek Dictionary.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

“Strong's Hebrew Dictionary”. The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.
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Copyrights:
Scriptures taken from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
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Copyright © 2017, 2018 Mel W. Coddington, and permission is hereby granted that this document may be used, copied, and distributed non-commercially to non-profit organizations, individuals, churches, ministries, and schools worldwide, provided the copies are distributed at no charge and retain this sources documentation as supplied herein. This document is not for sale, resale, or for use as a gift or premium to be offered in connection with solicitations or contributions.
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