1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:05,080 We are one church. We love God, love people, love 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:06,960 His mission, and love His church. 3 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,560 Welcome to the One Church podcast. 4 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:20,640 This morning I have the joy of speaking from one of the most 5 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:24,920 powerful scriptures about Jesus that there is, in my opinion. 6 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:29,160 Last week began our series on Colossians and spoke about two 7 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,560 kingdoms, the Kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of 8 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:34,960 Jesus. And Jesus made it possible for 9 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:39,520 us to join His Kingdom. Even though we are all sinners, 10 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:43,480 Jesus gave his life for us, and He opened the door for all who 11 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:48,640 believe in him to be a part of the Kingdom of light, His 12 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:52,080 Kingdom. However, we have to choose. 13 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,720 Are we going to remain in the Kingdom of darkness, or are we 14 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,240 going to accept the invitation that Jesus has given us to join 15 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:03,920 the perfect Kingdom of God? And this week I have the 16 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:08,280 privilege of continuing that series on Colossians. 17 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:13,400 But first, some years ago, there was a man named Larry Walters, 18 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:18,200 this is a true story, who had a dream, a strange 1. 19 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,960 He wanted to fly. Now, Larry wasn't a pilot. 20 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:24,880 He didn't have a plane or even a glider. 21 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,200 But what he did have was a backyard. 22 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:32,920 He had a garden chair and he had a lot of time, so he went down 23 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,280 to the local Army surplus store, this is in America, and brought 24 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:42,400 45 heavy duty weather balloons. He filled them with helium and 25 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,520 he tied them to his garden chair. 26 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:49,480 Then he grabbed a sandwich, a six pack of soft drinks and a BB 27 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:53,200 gun to shoot the balloons when he was ready to come down. 28 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:55,040 You can tell this isn't going to end well, can't you? 29 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,440 Larry strapped himself into the garden chair and was ready to 30 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,560 go. His plan was simple. 31 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:07,320 Float up to a nice scenic altitude, maybe a couple of 100 32 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,760 feet, enjoy the view for a while, and then gently come down 33 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,560 the reality. Not so gentle. 34 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:20,440 When his friends Cut the Rope, Larry launched into the air 35 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:26,040 16,000 feet. He shot up like a human bottle 36 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,200 rocket. Airline pilots started radioing 37 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:33,400 sightings of a man in a garden chair floating through the sky. 38 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,280 Eventually, he got the courage after he'd overcome the shock of 39 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:41,320 being launched into the air this high, he had the courage to 40 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:44,120 shoot a few balloons. And he drifted back to earth, 41 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:50,040 right into a set of power lines. He was rescued, a little shaken 42 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,680 from the ride of his life, but fine. 43 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,400 And the police asked Larry, what were you thinking? 44 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,840 And Larry just said, well, you can't just sit there. 45 00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:05,840 Now here's the thing. We laugh at Larry and his crazy 46 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,360 garden chair fly. I bet there's a few daredevils 47 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:10,040 in the room that want to give this a try. 48 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:13,040 Now that I've told you this story, I wouldn't mind flying up 49 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,160 to 16,000 feet. As long as I knew that I was 50 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:16,640 going to come back down again, I'm fine. 51 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,480 But we read this story or we hear this story about Larry and 52 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,880 we have a good laugh. But in a way, his story is a 53 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:29,240 picture of our hearts we all want to rise above. 54 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:32,160 We want meaning, we want to feel important. 55 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:36,560 We want to be in control. And so we try to lift ourselves 56 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,800 through success. Titles, relationships, 57 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,680 influence, whatever balloons we can find in our lives to 58 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:48,320 strapped to our garden chairs. But today the message is that we 59 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:53,520 don't need to rise to supremacy because Christ already reigns 60 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:57,120 supreme. So this morning, if you want a 61 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,520 title for this message, it's simple. 62 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,600 It is. Christ is supreme. 63 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,840 There's no chair, there's no ladder, there's no amount of 64 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,640 balloons that can elevate us above Jesus. 65 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:13,320 He's above us. But more than that, in his 66 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:19,000 supremacy, he holds us together. He's supreme over creation. 67 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,880 He's supreme over the church in our lives and supreme in 68 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,960 reconciliation. And that is what we are going to 69 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,640 unpack this morning. So if you have a Bible with you, 70 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:34,080 let's turn to Colossians 1 and we're going to look at verses 15 71 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:36,360 to 20. And this is what it says. 72 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:42,560 The Sun is the image of the invisible God, the first born 73 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:47,880 over all creation, for in Him all things were created, things 74 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,640 in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether Thrones 75 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:55,760 or powers or rulers or authorities, all things have 76 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:58,640 been created through Him and for Him. 77 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:03,520 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together, 78 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,520 and He is the head of the body, the Church. 79 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:09,680 He is the beginning and the first born from among the dead, 80 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:13,440 so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 81 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:18,760 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him and 82 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:23,440 through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether 83 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:27,800 things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through 84 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:35,200 His blood shed on the cross. This is such a powerful passage, 85 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:40,080 and Paul here is trying to get us to lift our eyes to Jesus and 86 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:44,640 be in awe of who He is, what He has accomplished, and how 87 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:49,480 significant his love is for us. Many scholars would even go as 88 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:52,920 far as describing this piece of writing, this part of Paul's 89 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:56,880 letter, as a hymn. It's not just a piece of writing 90 00:05:56,880 --> 00:06:01,040 that teaches us about Jesus. It's not just theology, but it's 91 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:03,240 worship. It's praising him. 92 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:07,080 It's glorifying the name of Jesus and the person of Jesus 93 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:11,280 and who he is. Paul is so in awe of who Jesus 94 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:14,040 is and what Jesus has done for him that he couldn't help but 95 00:06:14,280 --> 00:06:18,400 devote his life to sharing it with others and writing it in 96 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:20,800 the many letters that we read in the New Testament. 97 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:25,800 Jesus is amazing, and Paul wanted to make sure that people 98 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,760 knew it. And more than that, he wanted to 99 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:32,240 make sure that people knew that Christ was supreme in all 100 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,720 things. So this morning I want to unpack 101 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,960 this passage and draw some things out of it that I believe 102 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:40,960 God would say to us this morning. 103 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:43,360 So strap yourselves in, Not into a garden chair. 104 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:49,560 Here we go. So the first verse, the sun is 105 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:52,280 the image of the invisible God, the first born over all 106 00:06:52,280 --> 00:06:54,440 creation. Have you ever sat and asked 107 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:56,200 yourself the question, who is God? 108 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:59,480 What is God like? What is his character? 109 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,120 Do I know him? Have you ever really thought 110 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:08,320 about it? We worship him and we sing songs 111 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,400 to him, but do we really know who He is and what his character 112 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:15,520 is like? Well, the good news is you don't 113 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:17,880 have to look too far, because if you want to know what a 114 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:20,920 character of God is like, all you have to do is look at Jesus. 115 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,880 He is the image of the invisible God. 116 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,120 That means that to know God, we just have to look to the sun. 117 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:34,480 We just have to look at Jesus, and the fact is that Jesus is 118 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:37,600 pretty awesome. Jesus forgave sins. 119 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:41,160 He healed the sick, He ultimately gave his life in 120 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,440 order to become the Saviour for all who would accept him. 121 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:50,640 His character is one of love, it's one of grace, it's one of 122 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:54,960 mercy, it's also one of truth. One of the Father who knows what 123 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:58,920 is best for his children and one of the King who cares for his 124 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:02,400 people. And as we read the gospels and 125 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:06,640 we see Jesus in action, we get a picture of the heart of God. 126 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:10,280 So let me encourage you, if you haven't thought about it in a 127 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,840 while, why not sit down and take some time to read through the 128 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:18,840 life of Jesus and to really focus in on what was Jesus like? 129 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:23,480 How did he treat people? What did he come to accomplish? 130 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:26,960 What was his heart? What is the character in the 131 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:31,400 person of Jesus? And as we do that, and for those 132 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,840 of us who who have done that before, it's good to sit down 133 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:39,640 and remind ourselves to focus in again on this incredible person 134 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,200 that we worship, this incredible king. 135 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,240 Now, in this passage, there's the word first born. 136 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,240 And I don't want you to get confused by that word because it 137 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:53,080 doesn't mean that Jesus was created. 138 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:55,200 It doesn't mean that Jesus was born. 139 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:59,320 But Paul uses the word first born as a a word of worship and 140 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:04,040 a word of respect because in tradition, the first born would 141 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,120 be the one that receives the inheritance. 142 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:09,400 And if you're part of a royal family, the first born son would 143 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:13,280 be the one in line to inherit the throne and become king. 144 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:18,040 So what Paul is saying here is that Jesus is supreme. 145 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,960 He is the one that is in line for the train and in line to 146 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:23,960 receive the inheritance. And there is no one who is above 147 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,400 him. He is the first born. 148 00:09:26,560 --> 00:09:29,760 We are heirs with Christ. We are with Christ, we are 149 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:32,080 royalty with him. Paul talks about that in other 150 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:35,160 letters, but there is no one who is above Jesus. 151 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:40,000 Jesus is first in line. So don't get confused by that 152 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:41,160 word. It doesn't mean that he was 153 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:42,960 created, doesn't mean that he was born. 154 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,640 It just means that he is first, that he is supreme. 155 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:54,440 So Christ is supreme. Point #1 Christ is supreme in 156 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:58,040 creation. We read Colossians one as 16 to 157 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:00,880 17. For in Him all things were 158 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,920 created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, 159 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:07,360 for the Thrones or rulers or authorities. 160 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,000 All things have been created through Him and for Him. 161 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:15,480 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 162 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:22,200 As I was writing this message, I was sitting in my nice, newly 163 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:25,640 finished Conservatory. We had a Conservatory before, 164 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:28,680 but it was one of those where in the summer all our candles 165 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:33,080 melted down the wall. It took Laura forever to get the 166 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:36,320 wax off the wall from the candles melting, and in the 167 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:39,680 winter there's so much condensation and you may as well 168 00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:43,560 sit in the fridge. So we had a bit of a better roof 169 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:47,000 put in so that we could use the Conservatory all year round, and 170 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,760 we're very grateful for it. But I was sitting in the 171 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:54,960 Conservatory and I was looking out the window and I just was in 172 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:57,640 awe as I was writing this message of all the things that 173 00:10:57,640 --> 00:10:59,320 God's created, it's out of my window. 174 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:01,560 You can't really see much of the Conservatory. 175 00:11:01,560 --> 00:11:05,160 You've got a nice grassy bit of garden freshly mowed by Laura 176 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:08,520 yesterday. You've got a nice tree that I 177 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:10,280 really desperately want to cut down. 178 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:13,440 You've got another one that gets infested by Wasps. 179 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:17,280 And then you have nice boring fence panels that go around. 180 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:20,200 And then you can, just for a glimpse of the tree, get a view 181 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,240 of the nice sky. And it was a bit of a sunset as 182 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:26,280 I was writing this as well, which was, which was nice, but I 183 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:29,280 was looking at it all and I was in awe. 184 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:33,240 God created that tree that I don't want there. 185 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:38,040 God created the grass that I have to cut. 186 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,040 God created the fence panels that I don't treat, that I 187 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:47,000 definitely should treat. That was just in awe of 188 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:50,840 everything that we have, how it came from him. 189 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:53,560 All things are possible because of Him. 190 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,960 The computer that I wrote this on is possible because of Jesus. 191 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:02,240 The fact that I have a brain to be able to write is possible 192 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:07,920 because of Jesus walking out and seeing the beautiful sky and the 193 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:15,720 sunset created by Jesus, seeing pictures of space and the stars 194 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:20,360 and planets orbiting and all the complexities of the universe 195 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:25,200 created by Jesus, and not by accident. 196 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:33,440 He created it all on purpose, with a purpose, with detail, 197 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:36,240 with care. And we have love. 198 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:45,000 He created my wife, my kids, the miracle of heartbeats. 199 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:51,880 And I just sat there and I just thought to myself, how amazing 200 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:55,560 is Jesus? How amazing is our King? 201 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:00,320 And He's the reason why we're here this morning, because we 202 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,240 worship and we glorify Him because of who He is. 203 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:13,280 And all things hold together because of him. 204 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,160 And I've got to tell you, that brings me so much comfort. 205 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:21,360 If all things are held together by me, things aren't being held 206 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:24,160 together much at all. I had to get Rob to come and 207 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:27,240 help me fit the last blind because I'm incapable of DIY. 208 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:31,480 My fence is broken and my gait, I've got to get that fixed. 209 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:36,040 But yeah, that's another day. My DIY skills are coming on. 210 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:37,280 They get in there, they get in there. 211 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:39,440 But things don't hold together long. 212 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:45,200 But we can take comfort that Jesus holds all things together. 213 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:52,000 In fact, I would go as far as to say that when it comes to my 214 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:56,920 life and the holding together of my life, it doesn't depend on me 215 00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:00,440 at all, doesn't depend on me at all. 216 00:14:00,680 --> 00:14:04,360 The only responsibility I have is to put Jesus at the centre of 217 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:07,280 it. And if I put Jesus at the centre 218 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:09,520 of my life, then he is the one that holds it together. 219 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:15,960 He acts like the strongest super glue that's known to man and he 220 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:21,360 holds my life together. And then I was thinking about 221 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:24,440 this and what it means, and I had the realisation that if he's 222 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:26,760 holding my life together, that means he has to be present. 223 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:30,640 It means that Jesus has to be present in my life. 224 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:32,560 It means that Jesus isn't a distant God. 225 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:35,320 It means that he's not far away. But he's right here. 226 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:37,880 He's got a hand on my life and he's holding it. 227 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:40,480 And that's true for you and that's true for me. 228 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:46,000 He's desperate for a personal relationship with us. 229 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:50,320 And as we accept him, he comes in and he holds us together. 230 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,480 So my encouragement to you this morning is if you feel like 231 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:57,640 there's things in your life that are falling apart, ask 232 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:00,920 yourselves the question again, is Jesus at the centre of it? 233 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:03,800 Is Jesus at the centre of your life? 234 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,800 Are you allowing him to take control and to come and hold 235 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:09,760 things together? Or are you desperately clinging 236 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:11,600 on and trying to hold it together yourself? 237 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,800 It's not always easy to keep him at the centre of all things, but 238 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:21,560 when we do, nothing can destroy us and nothing can tear us away 239 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:25,120 from Jesus. But if we remove him from the 240 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:27,720 centre of our lives, everything unravels. 241 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:31,320 Things fall apart and we get lost physically, we get lost 242 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,720 spiritually, we get lost morally. 243 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,760 Keeping Jesus at the centre of our lives is the single most 244 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:39,840 important task that we will ever have. 245 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:46,920 He's not just our Saviour, He's our Lord, and without Him we 246 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:51,200 don't work. He deserves our respect, He 247 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,560 deserves our adoration, and He deserves our obedience. 248 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:58,800 So I think for all of us today is asking ourselves the 249 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:04,840 question, where is Jesus for us? Where is He when it comes to our 250 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:09,000 lives? Point #2 Christ is supreme in 251 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:13,160 the body, Colossians 118 and He is the head of the body, the 252 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:14,600 church. He is the beginning and the 253 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,920 first born from among the dead, so that in everything He might 254 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:21,240 have the supremacy. Imagine your body without a 255 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:23,880 head. How would you know where to go? 256 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:27,640 How would you see? How would you not fall over and 257 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:30,480 trip and hurt yourself and maybe even kill yourself? 258 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:34,440 You'd lose your sense of direction, you'd lose control of 259 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:36,680 your body, and you'd lose your identity. 260 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,640 Well, in the same way, Jesus is the head of the church. 261 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,720 He gives the church direction. He gives the church a purpose, 262 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:46,800 and he gives the church its identity. 263 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,040 Without Jesus, there is no church. 264 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:54,000 Laura and I have the privilege of leading this site alongside 265 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,400 our leadership team. But ultimately Jesus is in 266 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:00,960 charge. He leads us, it's his church. 267 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:05,240 We're just the people that he's chosen to outwork his plan and 268 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:07,319 His will and that's all of us together. 269 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:11,680 So keep praying for us and pray for David and Susan and all the 270 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:15,000 other leaders in the church. Pray that we would keep Jesus at 271 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,640 the centre and that he'll lead us and that he will build his 272 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:21,440 church. Because as he builds his church 273 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:25,520 and as he leads us, and as he is the head of the church, that 274 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:29,080 means then we can be expecting to see breakthroughs, to see 275 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:31,880 miracles and to see God do incredible things. 276 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:33,680 And that's not just in the church, that's also in our 277 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,280 lives. And we've just spoken about how 278 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:41,200 Jesus holds all things together. Well, that includes the church. 279 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,480 Without Him, the church falls apart. 280 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,160 I was in the church once that had an issue with their worship 281 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:51,720 team. There were some great musicians, 282 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:56,320 but they lost sight of Jesus and let their egos take over. 283 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:59,400 And the problem was being in the room with a load of people that 284 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,840 have ego is that everyone in the room is the best. 285 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,040 And so people would suggest things but nobody would agree 286 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:07,880 with each other. And people were falling out and 287 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:10,200 people were getting hurt because everybody thought they knew 288 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:13,840 better than the other person. Everybody wanted to be a star. 289 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:16,920 They didn't want to let other people lead songs and let other 290 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,840 people do things because they wanted to be seen and be that 291 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:25,400 person themselves. And this caused a massive issue. 292 00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:30,080 There was no unity and dare I say it, in worship. 293 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:32,960 There was no Jesus because everybody was too focused on 294 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:35,480 what they were doing and where they wanted to be and what 295 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:37,200 people were seeing when they were looking at them. 296 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,600 So the pastor needing to deal with this situation made a a 297 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:45,280 bold and a radical decision. And this is what he did. 298 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:51,520 He scrapped the entire worship team, got rid of everyone not 299 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:55,920 out of the church, just stopped people from being able to lead 300 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:57,240 worship and be a part of the team. 301 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:02,400 He addressed the issue and started again. 302 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:06,160 And so for the first couple of Sundays, they sang a cappella or 303 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:08,920 they played tracks through the system, and they started again. 304 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:12,120 And then as the weeks went on, eventually he brought in a 305 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:15,840 guitarist who was showing the right heart and they started to 306 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:18,400 sing with a guitar. And then eventually they added a 307 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,880 keyboard and they added a couple of singers as people began to 308 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:25,160 get the culture and get the the point that actually we worship 309 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:27,360 Jesus. It's not about us. 310 00:19:27,360 --> 00:19:31,800 It's not about what people see. What people need to see when we 311 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:38,240 worship is the King. And he started again and he 312 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,280 gradually be able to build it. So why do I tell you the story? 313 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,760 Well, we can sometimes have the same issue that the people in 314 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:47,480 that worship team had. We can think that we've got all 315 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:50,920 the answers we can get in the way of what Jesus is trying to 316 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:52,560 do. We can try and go at it on our 317 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,280 own, and we can sometimes think that we know best. 318 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:00,400 But Jesus is the head of the body and in everything he has 319 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,560 the supremacy. He's the ultimate senior leader 320 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:07,280 of the church. No one is above him and he knows 321 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:10,600 best. And I'm not bringing 322 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:14,440 condemnation into the room, but occasionally I have to stop and 323 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:17,400 I have to look at my life and I have to look at my attitude and 324 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:21,520 I have to go, Am I focused on him or am I worried about myself 325 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:26,440 and what people see in me? And we all have moments in our 326 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:29,640 lives where we need to take a step back and go, OK, where is 327 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:32,640 Jesus? Is Jesus at the head or have I 328 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:41,600 left him back there? Christ is supreme, So Jesus is 329 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:45,360 the head of the church, but he's also the head of our lives. 330 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:51,600 Point #3 Christ is supreme in reconciliation. 331 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:57,200 Colossians 119 to 20 For God was pleased to have all his fullness 332 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:01,040 dwell in him and through him, to reconcile himself to all things, 333 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:03,840 whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making 334 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,760 peace through his blood shed on the cross. 335 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:11,720 People chose to walk away from God, and the world began to fall 336 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:14,800 apart. Not just once, multiple times. 337 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:17,240 That's why we have the story of Noah's ark. 338 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:20,080 That's why we hear about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. 339 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:25,760 People left Jesus behind, God behind, and they went in their 340 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:27,280 own way and thought they knew best. 341 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:36,000 And even though humanity turned their backs on God, the love of 342 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:42,040 God caused him to send his Son, and his Son came and his Son 343 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:46,520 died so that there could be reconciliation between US and 344 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:50,400 him. Jesus didn't just come to live 345 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,960 among us and to teach us and to heal the sick and be nice to the 346 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:56,400 poor. No, He went all the way. 347 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:01,720 He took the weight of the sin of the world onto his shoulders, 348 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:06,640 and He shed his blood so that there could be peace between US 349 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:10,720 and God. The only way that we are in this 350 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:15,280 building this morning is because of that sacrifice that Jesus 351 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:19,440 made on the cross. And the only way that there 352 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:23,920 could be reconciliation with Jesus was for him to shed His 353 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:27,520 blood. And He did so willingly because 354 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:31,120 He loves us and because He wants to be a part of His Kingdom. 355 00:22:32,360 --> 00:22:36,360 Romans 58 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this 356 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:39,920 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 357 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:48,200 The reality is that we didn't get any better, but His love for 358 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:55,200 us was so powerful and so supreme that He created a way 359 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:58,720 for us to come into His Kingdom, to come into relationship with 360 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:02,000 Him despite our flaws and despite our mess UPS. 361 00:23:03,360 --> 00:23:07,400 Not because it's what we've deserved, but because He was so 362 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:11,760 full of love and he wanted to save us and He's desperate to 363 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:15,120 have a personal relationship with us and for us to join him 364 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:19,840 in His Kingdom. On the cross He made peace and 365 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:22,760 He did it with his blood. It wasn't a nice handshake. 366 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,480 He didn't sign a peace treaty. He went through agony and took 367 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,120 on death in order for us to be saved. 368 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:33,040 He gave everything so that we could come home to the Father. 369 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,600 For those of you that were there a couple of weeks ago when we 370 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:40,080 had our Easter production, we see the story of the prodigal 371 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:43,600 son portrayed where the son went away from the father and in 372 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,520 desperation returned home expecting to be a servant. 373 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:51,840 But instead the father ran to him and embraced him as his son 374 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:54,720 once again. And this is the heart of God for 375 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:57,120 us. We are all sinners, but the arms 376 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:02,080 of the Father are open wine, and he runs to embrace us as his 377 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:06,200 children. So if you believe in Jesus this 378 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,920 morning, let us be a reminder of his love for you. 379 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:14,080 If you haven't yet made a decision to follow Jesus, this 380 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:19,240 is what Jesus did for you. And if you believed but you've 381 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:22,200 drifted away, it's time to come home. 382 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:29,360 The Father's arms are open. As I was preparing, I came 383 00:24:29,360 --> 00:24:34,080 across this, and this summarises everything that I've spoken 384 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:40,200 about this morning and more. Who is this Jesus? 385 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,840 He's not just a teacher, not just a prophet, not just a man 386 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:47,080 with kind words and healing hands. 387 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:52,000 He is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all 388 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,560 creation, the architect of galaxies, the author of time. 389 00:24:55,880 --> 00:25:00,600 Before there was light, He was. Christ is supreme. 390 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:04,120 Not one among many, not a piece of the puzzle, but the whole 391 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:06,880 picture. By him all things were made. 392 00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:10,800 Every mountain, every molecule, every heartbeat, Thrones and 393 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:14,640 dominions, stars and atoms. What you see, what you don't. 394 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:18,600 He holds it all. He doesn't just create, He 395 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:20,800 sustains. He doesn't just begin. 396 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:24,960 He holds together every orbit, every order, every ounce of your 397 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:29,840 being. In him Christ is supreme, above 398 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,480 every power, every throne, every name. 399 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:35,840 And he's not distant. He is the head of the body, the 400 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,000 leader of the church, the resurrected King who walked out 401 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:41,240 of the grade so that we could walk into life. 402 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:45,440 And what did he do? He saw our rebellion. 403 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:47,440 He heard the silence of separation. 404 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,720 He felt the weight of our sin. And he came anyway. 405 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:55,040 He didn't come to condemn. He came to reconcile, to bring 406 00:25:55,040 --> 00:26:00,240 us home, to make peace, not with words, but with his blood on a 407 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:04,520 cross, woods and nails, thorns and shame. 408 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:07,080 He rode forgiveness with his wings. 409 00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:08,920 He shouted. It is finished. 410 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:13,800 In agony and in triumph. He made peace, and not just for 411 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:19,560 some, but for all, for you. So don't just give him a place 412 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:21,800 in your life, Give him the throne. 413 00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:24,760 Don't just sing about him, surrender to him. 414 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:31,920 Don't just admire him, adore him because Christ is supreme above 415 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:39,640 all before all, holding all, reconciling all and worthy of it 416 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:49,250 all. This is Jesus. 417 00:26:56,060 --> 00:27:03,860 This is Jesus. The Lord bless you and keep you. 418 00:27:04,060 --> 00:27:07,700 The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 419 00:27:08,120 --> 00:27:11,600 The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.