Awed by His Greatness.:

School of ministry: Lesson
Awed by His Greatness.Colossians 1:15-20
The word awed means: inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence • awed by the silence. I don't have words to explain I am in awed.

Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

In this Colossians church were false teachers , many churches today have false teachers. These teachers were called . "Gnosticism" They was teaching that Jesus was not God merely a Man

The Paster of this Church (Epaphras) meet with Paul for advice in dealing with these heresy. How do you deal with false teaching ? By telling them the truth.

So in this verse Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

This verse destroys false teaching and false thoughts about God and Jesus Christ . Reviles who God and Jesus Christ are. The word "image"(eikon) means the exact image,the very Pearson of God.
It means that Jesus Christ was the perfect manifestation or revelation of God. God is invisible or unseen,but Jesus Christ reveals God to the world.He reveals God as thee exact image of God. Plainly spoken He is God.

Verse 16 This verse deals with such questions as What is the origin of the universe?
How did the world come into existence ?
What holds things together ?

There are basically three views of creation
Some say by some means and in some way some gas or some element of som sort just appeared "the Big Bang theory"
There is the view that some god did create the World, but is far off and removed from the world. This was the view Gnosticism, they just feel that God is far away removed from the world.therefore, He must have used other forces or beings, other intermediaries or some other way to make the World. This is what Paul was addressing here. Who created the Universe.
The pure Christian view, the truth that God Himself, the Sovereign Majesty Of the universe, created the world in the person of Jesus Christ
So Jesus Christ created all things. All things collectively , that is, all the things within the universe were created by Christ
"All things" individual , that is every, every single detail of creation,was created by Christ
It does not matter what kind of world or creatures they may be-thrones , dominions, principalities, or power-Christ them all

Verse 17. Jesus Christ is before all things it means 2 things

Jesus was before all things in time. Before the first thing was ever created. Jesus Christ was already there. He is not a created being, He is the Creator. There was nothing existing .
Jesus Christ is before all things in importance ,supremacy,and preeminence . Nothing is superior to Him.
Jesus Christ is what holds the world together by his energy his force, power ,order,unity,solidarity ,

Verse 18 explain the relationship between Christ and the church.
Jesus Christ is the head of the Church.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it

Christ and the church is a picture of a human body with Christ being the Head and the Church being the body that is life. A body cannot live apart from the head and the head cannot live apart from the body to be life they need each other. Christ is made known only through the lives ok His people, the church .

Jesus Christ was the first to arise from the dead. The resurrection of Christ is the reason the church exists
The resurrection of Christ and the church are tired together . Every person who truly believes in the resurrection of Christ is a true member of the Lord's church. Because he was raised from the dead we will be

Jesus Christ is the preeminence Person in the universe because He died and arose again for man's salvation it was because he was obedient to God the Father in dying and being raised from the dead that God the Father has made God the Son preeminent in all things.

The point is this God's great love for His Son explains why the church exists. God created the world and man to Worship and Serve him. All men will not worship and serve Him He knew that some would if he provider a way. This God did. He provider the way through His Son Jesu Christ and the church. The person who believe in his Son Jesus Christ is forgiven of his sins and accepted into the new body of people God is creating, the body call "the church"

This is what the church is a body of people who have approached God through The Lord Jesus to worship and serve God