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As a church, we are going through the book of Colossians. It's our third sermon in this series, and I'd like us to open our Bibles to Colossians Chapter 1, and we'll be looking at verses 15 to 23 today.

Colossians - A Simple Outline

I'd like to kind of bring you back to what Colossians is about. A very simple outline - I, I like to keep things simple so that it's easy to remember. Colossians is really a letter written by Paul the apostle, to the church at ancient Corinth (sic Colossae). Because this is a people he has not met before, I thought it was very wise for him to start off his letter with encouragements.

Encouragements

He wanted to encourage the Colossians. And not only that, he wanted to build them up in the faith.

Edification

So the second part of the book of Colossians is about how he would warn them against the false teachers in a negative sense, and then building them up positively by encouraging them to seek things above, to live out the life of Christ.

Endorsements

And then finally, the book of Colossians ends off with a list of endorsements of men and women the Colossians are to listen to, to follow, to support, to pray for and to encourage in.

Encouragement - Praise [1:3-8]

So it's a very simple outline and we began this book noting that Paul started with a praise unto God. He praised God for the way He sent Epaphras to bring the message of the Gospel to the Colossians. So that when they heard the message of the Gospel, they were filled with hope. And as they are filled with the hope in the Gospel, they manifest faith and love. So in essence, Paul, in praising God, is encouraging the Colossians in how God has already worked in their lives.

Encouragement - Prayer [1:9-14]

And then he moves on to a prayer for the Colossians. If praise was reminding and encouraging the Colossians how God has worked in their lives, prayer is encouraging the Colossians how God will continue to work in their lives. So we saw that wonderful spiritual prayer, praying for them that they will be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that they may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him. That will be seen in fruitfulness, in fellowship and fortitude through trials.

Encouragement - Poem [1:15-20]

The Supremacy of Jesus Christ

Today we come to a poem. A poem found in verses 15 to 20 in particular. And this is a poem about the Supremacy of Jesus Christ. Scholars think that verse 15 to 20 is about a poem or a hymn because of the structure. There is great symmetry, there is great parallelism, there is great understanding that this is a self-contained unit. So they think this is a song, a hymn, a poem.

So take a look at the words of this poem again in the sermon trailer that we have and then we'll look into the message itself proper. So, take a look.

[Trailer plays]

So this is really a poem, a song about Jesus, how He is Lord of all. I've entitled this sermon simply 'The Supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ'.

1. Supreme in Creation

Now you would notice that this poem is symmetrical. It's balanced in that there is first a mention of His Supremacy in creation and then later on His..the Supremacy in the new creation. But let's look at the first half - Jesus is Supreme in creation.

It says, "He is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities ̶ all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." [1:15-17]

So, the first thing I'd like us to be very clear about is, who is this 'He' that we are referring to? Well, the nearest antecedent to the word 'He' here is found in verse 14 where it says 'in whom'. And then the nearest antecedent to 'in whom' is in verse 13, 'His beloved Son'. So if you read this, from verse 13 to 15, you will be very clear that the 'He' that is referred to in verse 15 is none other than God's Son, Jesus Christ.

So we are seeing that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. God, the Father, is Spirit. God is Spirit and therefore we cannot see Him with our naked eye. But Jesus is the image of this invisible God. He is the One who reveals and shows the Father.

This is very John-like in that first or in the book of John we read, 'No one has ever seen God' [1:18a]. God is Spirit, we cannot see Him. But the only God - this is referring to Jesus; Jesus is God, 'the only God who is at the Father's side'.

So Christians believe that there is plurality in the Godhead, not just the Father but the Trinity: the Father, the Son, the Spirit. So the Spirit or the Son, Jesus, 'the only God who is at the Father's side, He (that is Jesus) has made Him (that is God the Father) known' [1:18b]. So Jesus is the image, the revealer of the invisible God.

That's why later on Jesus Himself says, "Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father" [John 14:9]. "I am the image of the Father, the invisible God."

And in Hebrews Chapter 1 we also read, 'Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature' [v3]. So, I think this is an introduction to the Person of Jesus Christ. He is the image of the invisible God.

Secondly, we see that Jesus is the Firstborn of all creation. I'm sorry, I think all the alignment is off, when we switched to this computer but I think the- it's just alignment 不好看 [chinese bu hao kan, not appealing to the eyes] but otherwise I think the words are still true. The Firstborn of all creation; Jesus is the Firstborn of all creation.

Now, immediately people would think, "Oh! Jesus is the first to be born. Jesus is the first to be created."

In fact, this is the heresy or this is the controversy that was raised early on in church history. There was this elder of a church from Alexandria; he suggested, he taught that Jesus is the first thing God, the Father, created. So from Him then, Jesus created all other things. So Jesus is the first to be created. He's.. He's not like man in that He's greater than man, but He's not really fully God because He is created by God.

So they think, or this man thinks and he taught men this, that Jesus is not co-eternal with God, just semi-eternal with God. That is a teaching that you will erroneously enter into if you think that this phrase 'firstborn of all creation' means that He is first to be born.

Actually the idea of firstborn is not always with regards to birth order or in the temporal sense. Because the Bible does use the idea of firstborn, not just that you are first to be born, but that you are first in the family. So it's not about the birth order but the hierarchical order.

For example, we read in Psalm 89 verse 27: 'I will make Him the Firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth'. So the idea of firstborn is that He is the One endowed with the greatest honour and power and authority.

So Jesus is not firstborn in terms of birth order. He is the Uncreated One. He is God, by the Father's side - co-eternal, fully God. So it's not about His birth order but it's about the hierarchical order in terms of power and authority and honour. The idea that Paul is saying when he communicates 'He's the Firstborn of all creation' is that Jesus is above all creation; not that He's the first to be created in creation.

And that's why we have a song that goes 'God the Uncreated One'. Very strange way to say things. But yes, Jesus is not the created one because He is the Creator. He is eternal, He is God, He was not created, He doesn't need to be created. He is God, fully God.

So we move on, not only is He the Uncreated One, He is the Creator of everything. For by Him all things were created. Every single thing is created by Him.

So again I refer to the song, later on we'll sing the song. So you get familiar with the lyrics now. God the Uncreated One - what does it say? It says, "God the Uncreated One, the Author of salvation, Who wrote the laws of space and time, and fashioned worlds to His design."

Who is Jesus? He is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation in that He is the Preeminent One, the Glorious One. He is above all creation and this God, above all creation, created everything. For by Him all things are created.

And then, what did He create? All things. What do you mean by all things? Everything in heaven and on earth. Things that you can see and things that you can't see.

Angelic realms, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. This is not necessarily talking about Tharman Shanmugaratnam or er.. Donald Trump and people like that. This is about the angelic realm, the structure in the angelic realm. Things that we cannot quite see.

But all things are created by Him and all things were created through Him and for Him. And this is not for me now, okay [pastor referring to unresponsive remote control]. All things were created through Him and for Him. So I'd like you to notice how Paul says 'all things are created by Him, through Him, for Him'.

Jesus is like the Author of creation, Jesus is like the Architect of creation; He draws up everything. But Jesus is also the Agent of creation, it is through Him that all things are created. And He's the aim for all things; all things are created for Him. Whether it's a speck of dust or a cockroach in your room, all things are created for Him. You and I are made for Him. Our purpose, our satisfaction, our goal in life really is for Him; for His pleasure and for His glory.

The Bible continues to say 'And He is before all things'. The word 'before' is the Greek word 'pro', which can refer to before in terms of time or it can refer to above in terms of importance. So Jesus is before all things in that because He's the Creator who created everything, it makes sense He's before all things. But at the same time, He's before all things in that He's above all things. I think both senses of the word 'pro' are admissible in this context. He's before and He's above all things and in Him all things hold together.

Not only did He create the world but He's sustaining the world. He's holding everything together. The moment Jesus, if I may say this, lets go, everything disintegrates and goes helter skelter. Jesus sustains all things, that's what the Hebrews author also says. "He upholds the universe by the word of His power" [1:3]. Do you know how strong that power is?

Nuclear power - I'm not a very good science student, but I do remember that the pro... Uh, you know the nucleus of atoms, it's protons and neutrons. And you know positive things they repel and there is great energy in holding atomic structure together. That's why nuclear power is so amazing! You kind of cause a nuclear fission, things - protons, neutrons are let go, it creates a huge explosion. There is great power in tiny atoms and it's held together by the power of Jesus Christ.

Goes on to say in Acts 17 verse 28: In Him we live and move and have our being. Paul is quoting a poet in those days, but I think that sense is quite accurate that our lives are held together by God Himself. So Jesus is Supreme in creation and in Him all things hold together.

There was a preacher who was preaching through this text and he was trying to apply this lesson to the people in encouraging the people that no matter what you are going through - sickness, trials, pains, Jesus holds you together. So he was trying to illustrate this, thinking very hard and I do not know how that happened, but he happened to meet with a molecular biologist.

He spoke with a molecular biologist and told him that he is thinking of a sermon message and he wanted a punchline, he wanted an illustration, he wanted something to allow the people to really grasp the concept that Jesus holds all things together. The molecular biologist then says, "Very simple. The answer is - laminin!"

That's the kind of reaction you should expect. "What in the world are you talking about? Are you talking about lemonade?"
"No.. no.. no, laminin."
"Laminin, what in the world is laminin?"
"Oh, it's a cell molecule, it's a protein molecule, it's a cell adhesion molecule, it's the rebars of the human body, it's the glue of the human body. Laminin is your answer, go check it out."

The pastor kind of like, what in the world is this? But he decided to go back, turned on his laptop, keyed in L-A-M-I-N-I-N, laminin. And to his surprise he saw a diagram and he understood what the molecular biologist was trying to say. And the picture looked like this [cross-like figure]. This is the schematic drawing of the molecule, laminin. And on electron microscopy, it looks like this [crucified Christ on cross figure]. And he understands.. uuh!

Now I'm sure, I'm 100% sure when apostle Paul wrote 'He is before all things and in Him all things hold together', Paul is not thinking about laminin. I don't think that's the point of the text but this is an illustration that allows us to remember Jesus is the One who holds all things together, like this cell adhesion glue molecule of the body. Without laminin your body breaks down. We are filled with laminin and it's laminin that holds our proteins, our cells together. It's an illustration of how Jesus holds us together.

Who is this Jesus that we worship? Who is this Jesus we learn about in church and in our Scriptures? Well, He's the Supreme One because He's Supreme in creation. He's the most Glorious and Preeminent One, the Firstborn of all creation. All things are created by Him, through Him, for Him and He sustains all things. He is above and before all things. This is the God we worship.

2. Supreme in the New Creation

But the apostle Paul gives us the symmetrical understanding now; not that Jesus is Supreme in creation only but that Jesus is Supreme also in the new creation. What do you mean by the new creation? The Bible speaks about the church, about the people of God saved from sin to become a gathered people. That's the new creation. And so the apostle Paul gives that symmetrical idea how Jesus is Supreme in the new creation when he says 'Jesus, He is the Head of the body, the church' [1:18a].

The Head refers to the Leader, to the Provider, to the Sustainer, to the One who is the Source of all life. Jesus is the Head of each and every one of us who places our faith in Him. He is the Head of the church.

'He is the Beginning. . .' [1:18b]. Now the word 'beginning' here is the word 'archē', from which you get the word 'archetype'. So the word 'archē' in the Greek can refer again to time, archē of beginning, first. Or it can refer to importance, like the archangel, the angel of first importance. So again I think both ideas would not be wrong.

Jesus is the first because He's the Creator above all things. Jesus is also first in that He is 'the Firstborn from the dead' [1:18b]. Idea again of how He is the most Important One and He's the first to be resurrected from the dead.

Now you say, "Jason, you're not quite right. Jesus is not the first to be resurrected in the Bible; there are others in the Bible before Jesus who were resurrected. Correct? I mean Jesus Himself resurrected people during His lifetime. So how can you say Jesus is the Firstborn from the dead?"

Oh, the idea is this: He's the Firstborn from the dead with the glorious resurrection body. The rest who are resurrected before Him eventually I think went back to die. They did not rise with that glorious resurrection body. But Jesus is the first to be resurrected with that resurrection body.

So it was apostle Paul also who explained, 'in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep' [1 Corinthians 15:20] - those who have died. And later on we read about this kind of resurrection. That it is not back to the old body but to a glorious, incorruptible, heavenly body. So that's why He's the firstfruits. 'But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ' [1 Corinthians 15:23].

As Christians, we look forward to this body. Some of you have eye problems, some of you have skin problems, some of you have leg problems, some of you have hair problem, pimple problem. I'm sure as you agonize under these things, you're looking forward to the day you have a glorious, beautiful, incorruptible body. For those who love your own body like, wah, I'm very muscular. Never mind la, everybody will be the same next time.

That's what we look forward to. Jesus is first resurrected to that body and the rest follows along. So we see that Jesus is Supreme in the new creation. He's the Head of the church. He's the First, He's the Preeminent One. He's the first to be resurrected from the dead with this glorious body. He's the most Important One to be resurrected from the dead with this glorious body. So 'that in everything, He might be Preeminent' [1:18b].

The whole goal of creation and the whole goal of even the new creation is not for our glory, but Jesus' glory. That as He is glorified, the Father is glorified. That's the goal!

'For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell' [1:19]. Jesus is not just someone endowed with a little bit of power here and there; He is God, the very God. The fullness of divinity is in Him - that is the idea here.

'And through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven' [1:20]. Jesus is the One, the only One, who can save men from their sins. He's the only Way by which man who is separated from God can be brought back to God and to Himself, 'making peace by the blood of His cross' [1:20]. The only Way we can be saved is when He would shed His blood on the cross; He would give His life on the cross.

So again, I don't have, I'm not sure how we can sing Colossians 1 verse 15 to 20, but I think we can later on sing the song 'God the Uncreated One'. And the ideas here are that God is the Author of salvation, He is Supreme in the new creation, and He is also Supreme in creation because He wrote the laws of space and time and fashioned worlds to His design.

How did He reconcile people to Himself? Oh, He became the unique God-man. He was forsaken by Judas Iscariot's kiss. He bore the curse of sin when He was pierced on the cross so that He might be the Prince of Peace, the One who leads us to real peace and harmony with God.

Therefore today He is Preeminent. Therefore His people praise Him. We say, "King Eternal, God of grace, we crown You with the highest praise. Heaven shouts and saints adore, You're holy, holy, holy Lord of all." That's who Jesus is.

And I think Paul wrote this poem, wrote this hymn to encourage the Colossians in that they are a very privileged and blessed people because if you are in Christ, you are related with the Highest of the Highest, the Supreme One.

This week, our staff went on a staff retreat in Johor. And who is to know that great minds think alike, that the government will also choose to hold their presidential elections on the day we go to JB. So we thought we were very smart when we planned it on a weekday, Friday. But lo and behold, the elections took place and so when we went to Malaysia, as was expected, we were greeted with a warm welcome at the immigration checkpoint. It is a stunning, stunning sight. My heart dropped to the floor.

I mean, we were very thankful to our bus driver because there was already a huge jam on BKE [Bukit Timah Expressway]. Wah, he was an expert driver - very smart. I think he comms back to his HQ, they told him take this route and and he saved us like, I think, two hours, just bypassing all those traffic. We got to the Woodlands Checkpoint; we actually got through quite fast at the Singapore side. I thought, "Hey, not bad lah, can lah." But when we came to Malaysia Checkpoint, this was incredible!

This was really packed and you know if it's packed but moving, it's fine. But it was hardly moving. We squeezed into position, tried to find the shortest queue but there's no shortest queue, every queue is like one big mess. And we were hoping it will move fast but 15 minutes went by, we only like [pastor looking down at hardly moved position].

"Can you all go faster?" We were like, but no one can.. can go, there's no space! Everyone was trying to jam-pack themselves. After an hour, we still barely moved!

And you know, it was getting stuffy for some people, not everyone felt that. I mean, people were taking out their fans, fanning one another. Some were tired and had to sit down on the floor, just crouching there. And then we even saw people having to just say, "I quit!" They walked back, they got out of the queue, they just went back to Singapore, I think. Some were really not feeling well and we hear shouting and laughing because people were trying to squeeze in and they were rejecting them from cutting queue. It was a miserable, painful experience.

And th.. and I was there, uh, someone in our group texted, "Did anybody bring a staff?"
I said, "What staff? We're all staff, what!"
"No, did anybody bring a staff?"
And then he sent this picture [Moses with staff in hand].
"We need, we.. we need to part the Red Sea!"
But sorry, there was no miracle on that day. We were there for a long, long time.

Now I want to say to you, we have an amazing staff group because I can tell you, this is very trying, very trying! Imagine squeezed there like sardines and just wondering when they will ever go. Because when.. when we were queuing, a lot of people brought up their handphones.

Why? They were filming. Why? Because they recognized that at the counters, people were not there.

We moved for a while and then for about an hour, not much was going on. They were filming and I was reading yesterday, some of them went for lunch. I mean it was Friday, I'm not sure if they have a prayer time or lunch time. It might be that but it was amazing that everyone is squeezed here and, you went for lunch? And there's no replacements, there was no someone to take that shift? So we were taking out the phones, we were waiting and you know, we have elderly people, people with kids - not an easy thing at all.

But in my mind I was thinking, "How nice it would be if someone would swap with me." I was thinking to myself and I even asked the staff team, "Ey, do you think uh if I give a hundred dollars, someone in front would change the queue with me?" I wish that could happen. I wouldn't actually mind if we could get that done but 'paiseh' [Hokkien, being shy] lah, no one dare to go up front and ask lah.

And I was also thinking, "How nice it would be if some VIP - we know some VIP." Let's say one of you, wah.. you're the datuk's son, I also don't know.. ah. Maybe one of us may know a VIP and he will come from the front, walk through the crowd in his uniform and bring us, usher us across. Wah, how nice it would be if we could cut all that through. But of course, we have no VIP friends and we were stuck there for a long, long while.

But I thought also that actually, man is really, really far from God. You multiply this by a gazillion times, that's how far we are from God. And we're not separated by a horde of people, we are separated from God by our sins. And the only way you and I can get to God, is if a VIP comes, cuts right across sin and brings us to God Himself.

And you know, we know a VIP. A Super V, V, V, V, V, VIP. Who is he? Jesus, the Supreme One. The One who created all things. And the One who is the Head of the church. He is the One who would pay the price. He would lay down His life on the cross, shed His blood and come and receive us to Himself.

And I think that's the application the apostle Paul is trying to make after he sings this song. Because he says in verse 21, 'and you who were once alienated (far away) and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death' [1:21-22a].

See, He's the One who brings us near to Himself and to the Father. Oh, we are very far. We are really, really very far from God. Because the Bible says we were alienated. That means we are cut off from God. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned against God, they were evicted from the garden, evicted from the presence of God. We are sinful; God is holy and there is no communion there. Really far.

If alienated speaks about our position, then the hostility in mind speaks about our perspective. We hate God, we are anti-God. We will not serve God. We are enemies of God.

And this is not just about our position or perspective but our practice is filled with evil deeds. What's wrong with this world that needs reconciliation? We are! We are alienated, we are hostile and we are evil. And we will never get to God on our own because we won't want to.

But the amazing thing is that God sent a VIP, the Super VIP of this world - Jesus Christ, to reconcile us to His Son and to Himself by the body of flesh by His death. That's what Jesus did. Jesus paid the price in order to bring sinful man to the Holy God.

And the idea I think Paul is trying to communicate is: Jesus is more than enough. Perhaps this is a longer range preparatory poem, so that when he comes to Chapter 2, telling them, "Do not worship angels, do not go to ascetic practices, to try to earn your way to God." Why? "Because Jesus is enough! He's the Super VIP who laid down His life to save you. Why would you go on to anything else?"

So, now we can be presented 'holy, blameless and above reproach' [1:22b]. The word 'holy' means set apart. The word 'blameless' means without blemish and without spot. The word 'above reproach' means unaccusable. Why? Because Jesus took all our blemishes and spots. Why? Because Jesus took on all our rightful accusations and suffered and paid for all our sins.

So, perhaps the Colossians are being infiltrated with false teachings. Paul encourages them about the Supremacy of Jesus Christ, tells them about what He has done and now exhorts them to say, in effect, "Hey guys, don't be seduced by false teachers. Don't be tempted to stray from the solid foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is your Saviour. He reconciles you to Himself and to the Father if you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast. Don't shift, don't be tempted by false teachings, so that you may not shift from the hope of the Gospel that you have heard. Hang in there. Keep on believing."

You see, I think the Bible is very clear that once someone is truly saved, he's always saved. Why? The Bible tells us that those whom God has predestined or foreknown and predestined, they are the ones whom God has called. And those whom God has called, He justifies and those He justifies, He glorifies. There is no one who will fall through the cracks, there is no one who will get off the bus.

So you can be sure that if you are truly elected and called, you will be justified, you will be glorified. Once saved, always saved. You don't lose your salvation. No one can pluck us out of Jesus' hands.

At the same time, this verse communicates this other aspect that you've got to be aware of, and that is, the saved - those who are truly saved, will also be those who will 'continue in the faith'. They are 'not those who would shift away from the hope of the Gospel' [1:23]. They are not those who would say, "I quit, I do not believe in Jesus anymore." The saved will continue in the faith.

So you ask, "Ey, Jason, what about my friend uh? Last time he go to church, he say he believe Jesus. Now he don't believe already. He go to another religion. Is he saved or not?" My answer to you is if he has truly departed from the faith, then I think he's not saved. The.. the idea, the understanding is if there is no continuance, then he was not, he is not saved; not that he loses his salvation but he was never saved in the first place.

I'm not, I'm not the one who comes up with this idea. The writer, John, is the one who said so. "They went out from us. . ." [1 John 2:19]. Why? Because 'they were not of us'. Don't be surprised they left, because they were never part of the church in a true sense, in the first place. Because 'if they had been of us', if they were truly saved, 'they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us'.

So, come back to this point: if there is no continuation in faith in Jesus Christ, in the faith of the Gospel, then they were not saved in the first place; not that they lost their salvation halfway. The reason is because the saved will continue in the faith. That's the supernatural work of God in human lives when He saves them, when He gives to them that new birth.

So he says to the Colossians, "Don't be complacent. Don't be seduced by false teachings. You need to continue in the faith, stable and steadfast." Why? "Because Jesus is enough. Jesus is Lord of all. He's the One who gave you His life. And there is no other foundation you can stand on to be saved. To whom will you go? If you do not want Jesus, to whom will you go? Who else has the Words of life? Who else is the Way, the Truth and the Life?"

I pray today for some of you, who are going through hardships and pains and trials. I know it's not easy. And you'll be tempted to say, "Maybe I just quit. I can't quite make myself believe anymore. The stakes are really high."

I say to you, there is no other Saviour. There is no one else who can be described in verses 15 to 20 apart from Jesus Christ. Hold on to Him. Persevere. They who endure unto the end will be saved. That's what Jesus said. And I hope we will all meet one another someday in the shores above. Let's bow for a word of prayer together.

Some of us require and need that assurance in God's Word today for that perseverance of faith. And I pray that as you today have a glimpse and as you hear the hymn, the poem of the Supremacy of Jesus Christ, regardless of how trying and painful your situation is, you will listen to Paul and say, "I must continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the Gospel." Because deep in your heart, you know Jesus is the Son of God, the Creator and Sustainer of everything, the Head of the Body, the Church, the Lord of our lives.

May God grant to you today that endurance and patience. Knowing how you are saved, knowing how Jesus has given His life, you would abound with joy and thanksgiving.

I pray today God's people, the Church, will praise God for this amazing Gift. When we are stuck in sin, alienated from God, He did not wait for us to come to Him because we would never be able to do so. Neither actually will we want to. But when we are dead in sin, God sent His Son, God sent His Spirit to reconcile us to Himself. May we be a people who would praise God regardless of our station in life today.

And my friends, as you hear of what God has done for you, I'm confident, even today, you would want to serve Him. Let us be reminded of what Paul prayed for the Colossians in. And I pray this for you, and I hope you would pray this for yourself. Not that you would immediately rush out and do this and do that, but that you would begin on your knees, even right now, saying, "Lord, thank you so much for loving us, for loving me, and giving your Super VIP Son to save me."

Would You grant that feeling of that knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding? So that by Your enabling, we will walk, I will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing in Your sight. That I may be fruitful, only after that, that I will be fruitful in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God, knowing You, loving You. And being strengthened, according to Your glorious might, have that endurance and patience with joy and thanksgiving through trials.

Oh I pray we will be such a people who would manifest that beauty, that fruitfulness, that intimacy, that resilience, so that Jesus in His church would receive the preeminence and glory and praise.

So Father, thank You today for Jesus, Your Son, the God who is at Your side, who has come to reveal You to us. And not just reveal Yourself to us, but the One who gave His life to save us. We praise You and worship You.

And we pray God's people today would come in repentance, would come in sincerity, would come with praise, and will come with that God-given determination and will to obey You and to walk in Your footsteps.

And Father this morning I also pray for our friends who do not know Jesus as yet. Please open their eyes to see that there is no, no, no other way for man to be saved but through Jesus, Your only Son. Humble their hearts that they will surrender to Your Son, repent and believe in Him. Thank You. We pray all this in Jesus' Name, Amen.



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