Colossians 1:16

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.

Transcript:

The universe out there – the universe up close

To see a paramecium with your eyes the slide would need to be 40 feet, to see an atom it would need to be 15 miles

Triple point of water – The temperature and pressure at which a substance can exist in equilibrium in the liquid, solid, and gaseous states. The triple point of pure water is at 0.01°C (273.16K, 32.01°F) and 4.58 mm (611.2Pa) of mercury and is used to calibrate thermometers.

The structure of atoms – See slides

Who created all this?

The bible says Jesus

Jesus is the Creator

Isaiah 44:24

One God, who alone created

John 1:1-3

One God, who alone created

Hebrews 11:3

Created by the word of God

Talking about Jesus:

Hebrews 1:1-2 – through whom he created

Hebrews 1:10 – he laid the foundation, the heavens are the work of your hands

No wonder Jesus could say in Mark 4:39 “Peace, be still” and his creation obeyed Him.

No wonder he could say in John 11:43 “Lazarus, come out” and his dead friend rose to life and left his tomb.

No wonder Hebrews 7:16 tells us, “(he) has become a priest… by the power of an indestructible life” so that he could be crucified and die physically but be raised from the dead.

The mystery of Genesis 1:1 – Bet, Aleph

Revelation 1:17-18

[17] When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, [18] and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

The more we begin to understand who Jesus is, the more we begin to see him as more than a man, more than a good teacher, the more we see him as God come in the flesh, the more we need to worship Him as John writes in John 4:24, in spirit and in truth. And if we are to worship him in truth we need to make sure that we are not worshiping the wrong Jesus or a Jesus of our own making.

Four wrong views of Jesus

We often limit Jesus to what we like best about Jesus. Jesus is many things, but when we focus on one particular characteristic we usually create a distorted version of Jesus. Here are four distorted views of Jesus:

1. Jesus is my buddy – while Jesus is called the friend of sinners and refers to those who obey him as his friends, he is more than a buddy. He is not simply someone to hang out with, someone to slap on the back, or to brag to others that the two of you are (fingers crossed) “tight.” He is Lord.
2. Jesus is my safety net – he is more than a good luck charm, a fire insurance policy, a last minute phone call.
3. Jesus is my religious artifact – he is an ancient object of affection that I cling to for sentimental reasons.
4. Jesus is my lottery ticket – I want to be healthy, wealthy. He gives what my flesh desires. Jesus is my genie – he is more than the granter of wishes who exists to dispense to us our wants and needs.

Jesus is more than this. A weak of view Jesus will lead to a weak relationship with Jesus.

God is not a trite nickname: He is not the old man upstairs, the big guy, the big G. Jesus is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He alone is worthy of our respect, adoration, and sober worship.

Fifteen things you need to know about Jesus from Colossians 1:13-20

1. He possesses a kingdom – a spiritual kingdom
2. He has purchased our salvation – freedom & ownership
3. He is the source of forgiveness
4. He is the visible God – not an image but the image
5. He is first in rank, above all things
6. He is the creator
7. He is eternal
8. He is the sustainer of life – atomic structure, in Him all things hold together
9. He is the head of the church
10. He is the starting point – the uncreated one
11. He is the greatest of the resurrected
12. He alone is to be worshipped – he is the greatest
13. He is fully God
14. He the healer and restorer
15. He is the peacemaker

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