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Announcer: This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Thanks for joining us today. Here at Connect with Skip, we're passionate about helping you understand God's Word and apply it to your everyday life through clear, practical Bible teaching. That's why we invite you to sign up for Pastor Skip's free weekly devotional. You'll receive biblical encouragement, ministry updates, and exclusive ministry content, all delivered right to your inbox. Signing up is quick, easy, and completely free. Visit connectwithskip.com today. That's connectwithskip.com. Now, let's dive into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig.

Skip Heitzig: There were a couple of men from Colossae who had traveled 80 miles to the city of Ephesus where Paul spent three years preaching and teaching in the household of Tyrannus, speaking, explaining, leading people to Christ, so much so that in those three years, it says all those who dwelt in Asia, both Jew and Greek heard the word of the Lord Jesus.

A couple of those men were Epaphras from Colossae and Philemon from Colossae. You've read the book of Philemon in the New Testament. He was from Colossae. In fact, it is my belief that the church met in his home. The church in Colossae met in the home of Philemon. Because, you don't have to turn there, but in Philemon, it's a single chapter. Paul gives greetings to Philemon, to his wife, Apphia, and to his son, probably. And then it says to the church that meets in their home.

We know he was from Colossae. We know that his slave, Onesimus, had visited Paul while he was in Rome, and he was sending Onesimus back to Philemon. But if I'm piecing it together correctly, both Philemon, the one who owned the home where the church met, and Epaphras, probably the one who preached the gospel that Paul preached, they probably started the church. So Paul preached to them. They received Christ in Ephesus. They went back to Colossae. Philemon opened up his home for a home Bible study. Epaphras said, "I'll teach it." And a church was started in their home. That is probably how the church of Colossae came into being.

However, as this Bible study was growing, as this church was growing, a problem was developing in that little congregation that really bothered Epaphras to the point that he said, "I got to go talk to Paul." And so he is motivated to make a journey, 2,000 years ago, a journey from Colossae to Rome, 1,300 miles. Didn't take an airplane. Didn't take an Uber. Had to travel the old fashioned way all the way to Rome, where Paul was imprisoned, to discuss what has become known as the Colossian heresy. That is something we explained to you last week. A combination of Jewish legalism, Greek mysticism, as well as asceticism, when we tried to explain that briefly.

They believed in keeping certain rituals legalistically. You had to keep the Jewish Shabbat, the Sabbath day. You had to go through the ritual of circumcision. All these are Jewish legalistic rituals and holy days. But along with it was a mysticism that will become known as Gnosticism. We explained that last week.

But it was also not just a mysticism where you had to grow in God by these rituals and and special key knowledge rituals that you would go through, but also a strict asceticism. That is you had to deny yourself certain things in this life in order to grow properly. That becomes known as Gnosticism. This is the Colossian heresy that had come into the church and was really bugging Epaphras to the point that he makes this, as I said, 1,300 mile trip.

Once again, what this group has come to believe is there is a good God. But we live in a fallen, evil, material world. So they said, because the world is so bad, so evil, God, who is so good, could not have created it. But the world came into reality by emanations that went out from God, sort of like radiated out from God, these spiritual emanations, and one went out so far from God that it didn't even really know God and it was so bad and so fallen and so evil that it created this world. Weird, right?

Not only that, but they said Jesus was one of those emanations. He was not God. They denied his deity. But they also in doing, calling him an emanation, denied his humanity. So the Gnostics had all these wild stories of how the Jesus didn't have a physical body, but that when he would walk on the sand, he didn't leave footprints. So you know that nice poem about Jesus and the footprints on the beach? Couldn't happen in Gnosticism because Jesus didn't have a physical body to begin with. So all sorts of these weird passed down stories were a part of this Colossian heresy that became known as Gnosticism.

Now, we left off around verse 15 or maybe 16, so that's where we're going to jump into. Hopefully, by God's grace, we're going to finish the chapter. Though I make no promises. But you know, we are Wednesday night is go verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book. So we just kind of pick up and then end when we end. So I mentioned last week that verse 15 begins the real centerpiece of the book of Colossians. It really is the highlight. And the theme of this centerpiece, and really the theme of the book, is the supremacy of Jesus Christ. That Jesus is not an emanation. He's not a halfway house on the way to God, as the Gnostics would say. He is, in fact, God. And that he is both deity and humanity.

And so Paul wants to show that Jesus is supreme. And as we mentioned last week, I think, Jesus is the supreme subject of this entire book. You are holding a book that has as its singular theme, Jesus Christ. Yes, there are many historical themes. Yes, there are many different peoples and personalities in this book. Yes, there are many different authors. But they all have a singular theme. If you were to bring the Bible to its irreducible minimum, it would be Christ. Christ Jesus.

Genesis talks about the creation of mankind, the fall of mankind, and the protoevangelion. Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, the first prediction that the seed of the woman would crush or bruise the heel of the serpent. Then we get through the rest of the Pentateuch. We get on into the historical books, which tell the history and the yearning as time went on in the Jewish nation for this deliverer who would come. More information is given that he would be of the household of David, of the tribe of Judah.

Then the prophets give more specific predictions as to his birth, his mission, his death, his burial, his resurrection, the fact that he would indeed be God in human flesh. The prophets predicted that. Then we get to the New Testament, and the theme there is basically all that was anticipated is now fulfilled. Here he is. The first four books of the New Testament tell his story. The fifth book, the book of Acts, tells how the faith in him spread throughout the world, and communities of faith developed around the world, churches.

Then we get to the epistles, beginning in Romans, all the way to the book of Jude. Basically, it is the history of how the apostles communicated with those communities of faith around the world and the governance of those believers in Christ. Then we get to the book of Revelation, which predicts his second coming and his rule and reign over all creation. So as I mentioned last week, the whole Bible can be summed up by saying it's about one person and two events. The one person is Jesus, the two events, first coming and second coming.

Now, verse 15. He, he, that is the Son, that is Jesus. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven, that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, principalities or powers, all things were created through Him and for Him.

I mentioned last week, I held up that little photographic negative, do you remember that? And I talked about the latent image that when you, when you expose an emulsion of film to light, it forms an image embedded in the silver bromide that is in the emulsion of that film. And then you have to put chemicals on that film to bring the latent or invisible image that is etched in silver into a visible form. The developer, the developed image is enables you to see what was done when the photograph was taken. So Jesus takes the invisible God and makes him visible.

The word here is icon. An icon means the expressed image or the visible image. So he is the icon or the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Jesus said if you've seen me, you have seen the Father.

Announcer: You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Everyday, friends like you help connect people around the world to the life-changing truth of God's Word through clear, verse-by-verse Bible teaching. Our world constantly tells us we need something more, but the book of Colossians reminds us that everything we truly need is found in Jesus Christ. That's the heart of Pastor Skip's resource, Expound Colossians. As he walks verse by verse through this powerful New Testament book, you'll discover why Christ is supreme over all things, how to recognize truth in a world full of competing voices, and what it means to live each day firmly rooted in Him. We'll send Expound Colossians as our thanks when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heitzig. Call 800-922-1888, or visit connectwithskip.com/offer. Now, let's return to today's teaching.

Skip Heitzig: One of my favorite text of scriptures is that speaks to this is in Hebrews, the first chapter. And the book of Hebrews begins by saying, "God, who at various times and in different ways, spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his son, whom he made heir of all things, and through whom he made the world." He is the brightness of God's glory, the brightness of God's, of God's glory, and the express image of His person. Or the exact representation of His person.

So in using that terminology in Hebrews, and this terminology here, I'll boil it down to say this: all that God ever wanted to say, he said in the person of Jesus Christ. He's the express image of his person. He is the brightness of his glory. He is the image of the invisible God made visible. Everything God wanted to say he has said in Jesus. At one time, the writer of Hebrews says, God spoke in times past to our forefathers, through the prophets, many different ways, many different times, but finally, once and for all, he has ultimately spoken to us through his Son.

All that God wanted to say, his final word, you might say, his last word, his punctuated word is Jesus Christ. Now, Paul is making a huge deal out of this here because these Gnostics, these ascetics, these mystics, this weird religion developing in Colossae, was saying Jesus is a good start. And Paul comes along and says, "You're right. He's a good start. He's a good middle, and he's a good end. You've got it all in him."

He is the image of the invisible God. But what throws people is the next little description, "the firstborn over all creation." How many of you in your families are firstborns? Show of hands. I'll keep my hand down because I I'm not. I'm fourthborn. I'm way down on the totem pole. I'm the fourth of four boys. But if you are firstborn, there were certain privileges and responsibilities of being the firstborn in your family. Am I right? So my brother, Jim, was our firstborn. He got the new clothes. And Rick got the new clothes, the secondborn. I got their clothes. My parents were frugal enough that if they're all boys, we're not throwing away their clothes. They outgrow them, you wear them.

So that, they had the privilege. They got the new clothes. And if there was ever, if we were ever um, at the table, and we were passing out the food, the firstborn, you know, they kind of began things. So there are privileges and there are responsibilities. To any firstborn, if you're first in line at Starbucks, and you're ordering, and somebody comes from behind you and butts in and starts ordering, you're probably going to say, "Excuse me. Can you wait your turn? I was first."

Now, when it comes to being firstborn in ancient times, the firstborn child in a family, especially the firstborn son in a family, that carried with it much more weight than even it does today. The firstborn was the son of, the child of inheritance. Got a double portion of the inheritance. Things went on through him. And so the idea of the firstborn was even more important.

What I want you to notice is the word "over." This will clear it up for you. It just sort of dawned on me as I'm read I've been reading the book of Colossians every day for 30 days, just so I I get it back into my system. And uh what Paul doesn't say is he does not say he's the firstborn of creation. But he's the firstborn over creation. If he was the firstborn of creation, you might interpret that as being, God the Father created Jesus first. That's what the Jehovah's Witnesses say. God the Father created Jesus first, then Jesus created all other things.

But it says he's the firstborn over creation. So the idea of firstborn came to mean in antiquity, not necessarily born first chronologically, but it meant having the supremacy. It meant having the most important position. Let me show you that. When Joseph was in Egypt, he had two sons. The firstborn was Manasseh. The secondborn was Ephraim.

When he brought his two sons to his father, Jacob, to bless those two boys, it says Jacob was blind. He couldn't see very well. And he crossed his hands knowingly to bless his grandsons. He put his right hand on one crossed over, and his left hand crossed over to the other one. Because he knew that Joseph was going to bring the first and secondborn sons in the position so that Jacob would place his right hand on Manasseh and his left hand on Ephraim. So he knowingly crossed over. And Joseph, "No, no. You can't do that." But it was too late. He already touched him, and he already blessed them. And he did it knowingly. Because he knew that Ephraim, though secondborn, would be in a position of firstborn, take the supreme position.

So, to prove that to you, by the time you get to Jeremiah, the prophet. It was long after Joseph, hundreds of years after Joseph. God says through the prophet Jeremiah, at the same time, says the Lord, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying, "Yes, I've loved you with an everlasting love," etc. "In a straight way, in which they shall not stumble, for I am, listen, the Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn."

So God takes Manasseh, who was firstborn, gives him second place, and God says, though Ephraim was born second, Ephraim is My firstborn. So because of that scripture and because of that idea that firstborn, prototokos is the Greek word, means the supreme one. The firstborn became emblematic of not only a supreme position, but he became a code word for the Messiah. In Psalm 89, God says, "I will make My firstborn the ruler of the kings of all the Earth." It's a, it's a prediction of the coming Messiah, whom God calls in Psalms, "My firstborn."

And so picking up on that ancient phraseology, that's what Paul means when he says, and he uses the word prototokos, firstborn, he's the firstborn over all creation. He's the supreme one over all that he has created. And he it it says he is created for that he created all things. By him all things were created that are in heaven, that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers. These are all rabbinic terms for spiritual ranking of angels.

All things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things. Not all other things. Not that God created him first. Not that he's an emanation. He is before all things. And in him all things consist.

So, go back as far as you want to, whatever you decide how old the universe is. You might say the universe is 6,000 years old, as some young earth creationists believe. You might hold to an old earth creation, and they're saying now that the universe is 10.8 or 13 billion. Maybe it's 13.8 is the latest. It sort of changes every few years of how old it is, because science always disagrees with itself, scientists do disagree, but 13.8 billion. Go back as far as you want to and say that's when it began, and you will find that at whatever point you begin the universe, Jesus will come out of eternity to meet you.

He was there first. He is before all things. And in him all things consist. The word "consist" is "cohere." It means to be held together. Jesus Christ not only created everything, but he holds all things together. They cohere. We know that matter is made up of dynamic particles, moving particles that are moving rapidly. And we know that within the nucleus, that's where the protons exist, they're held together by a force nobody really knows what it is. I've done so much research on this, and I've Googled this. What holds, since column's law of electro static force says that positive charges will repel each other, like charges repel each other, what keeps protons bound together in the nucleus of the atom?

And they say, "Oh, it's just some atomic force. It's some," it's given a name, but it's enigmatic what keeps them together and what keeps electrons swirling around them together. And I found something that I thought you would be interested in. This is by Carl Darrow, a physicist from Bell Laboratory who said, speaking of the physical nature of the atom. He said, "Do you grasp what this implies? It implies that all the mass of nuclei have no right to be alive at all. Indeed, they should have never been created. And if created, they should have blown up instantly. Yet, here they all are. Some inflexible inhibition is holding them relentlessly together. The nature of the inhibition is also a secret, one thus far reserved by nature for herself."

Paul says, "No, they're not mysteriously held together. Jesus Christ is holding them all together."

Announcer: Thanks for joining us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Now, here's how to pre-order an exciting resource from Pastor Skip that's coming next month.

Guest (Male): Many Christians want to spend more time in God's Word, but they're not always sure where to start. That's why Pastor Skip Heitzig wrote Soaring Above It All, a one-year devotional that helps you understand the big picture of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation through clear, engaging daily readings. Whether you're new to Scripture or have studied it for years, this devotional will help deepen your understanding of God's Word. Pre-order your copy today wherever books are sold.

Announcer: Before we go, remember, your generosity helps share God's Word with people around the world through clear, verse-by-verse Bible teaching. And this month, when you give $50 or more, we'll send you Expound Colossians as our thanks. In this five-message study, Pastor Skip explores one of the Bible's clearest pictures of the supremacy of Jesus Christ and shows how being rooted in Him changes the way you live every day. Give today at connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888. See you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig.

Singing: Make a connection. Make a connection at the foot of the cross. Cast your burdens on His word. Make a connection. Make a connection.

Announcer: Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never changing truth in ever changing times.