Colossians: More Jesus

The Preeminence of Christ

Sunday, September 14, 2025

Colossians 1:15–23

Introduction

“If Jesus is real, you can’t just like Him. You have to crown Him or kill Him. He is either supreme Lord or He is nothing at all.” Tim Keller

Christ is Preeminent over ALL Things 

and His Reconciling Work Secures our Salvation

1. Christ as the Image of the Invisible God (vv. 15–16)
2. Revelation of God

“He is the image of the invisible God”

“Jesus is the precise and visible representation of the invisible God. To see Jesus is to see God in His fullness.” Kent Hughes

1. Ruler of Creation

“the firstborn of all creation” - This does not mean Christ was created, but rather that He holds the rights and privileges of the heir—the one with preeminence.

“And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.” Psalm 89:27

“Firstborn does not mean that Christ is part of creation. It means He is supreme over creation. He is the rightful heir and ruler.” John Piper

“For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth… all things were created through Him and for Him.”

Christ is the agent of creation (“through Him”). Christ is the goal of creation (“for Him”).

1. Christ as Sustainer of All Things (v. 17)

“And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

“Every atom, every heartbeat, every galaxy is sustained by His Word. If He stopped willing it, it would all dissolve.” Tim Keller

III. Christ as Head of the Church (v. 18)

“And He is the head of the body, the church.”

“The church does not exist for itself but for Christ. He is its Head. Any church that forgets this forfeits its power.” Kent Hughes

“He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.”

Christ’s resurrection is the dawn of the new creation. He is firstborn from the dead, the prototype of what we will be. His resurrection guarantees ours.

“Christ is preeminent because He conquered the final enemy—death. He blazed the trail through death into eternal life.” John Piper

1. Christ as the Fullness of God (v. 19)

“For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”

“If you want to know what God is like, you do not look beyond Jesus. You don’t need speculation or mysticism. Look at Him—there is God in full.” Tim Keller

1. Christ as the Reconciler of All Things (vv. 20–22)

Paul brings the supremacy of Christ into the gospel itself: “and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things… making peace by the blood of His cross.”

1. Cosmic Reconciliation

1. Personal Reconciliation

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind… He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him…”

“We were not neutral toward God. We were hostile. But Christ’s death turned enemies into sons.” Kent Hughes

“The peace He made was not cheap. It was the peace of His own blood. He absorbed the wrath we deserved, and in doing so, reconciled us to God.” John Piper

1. Our Call to Continue in Faith (v. 23)

Paul concludes with an exhortation: “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel.”

 “The heart is always creating idols. Every day we must deliberately re-center our lives on Christ, or else something else will claim the throne.” Tim Keller

 Conclusion: Living Under the Preeminence of Christ

“The greatest need of the church today is a fresh vision of the preeminent Christ. Everything else flows from that.” Kent Hughes