This is a copy of my talk given at Ayia Kyriaki and Saint Stephen’s in the Anglican Church of Paphos on Sunday 20 July 2025. The Bible reading was Colossians 1:15-28

Prayer

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for Your word.
By the power of Your Holy Spirit,
May You speak to my heart,
And change my life.
In the precious name of Jesus I pray.
Amen

Introduction
It’s often said that familiarity breeds contempt. But perhaps there is a step in between familiarity and contempt. Might it be that familiarity leads to forgetfulness, which leads to contempt? This is true, I think, of the Colossian church.  Familiarity with Jesus was breeding contempt. Yes, they knew Jesus, but they hadn’t appreciated how wonderful he was and, in this letter, we see they were ‘easy prey’ for the lies of false teachers.

So, what is Paul’s antidote? He reminded them never to underestimate Jesus. He reminded them that everything they needed had been found in Jesus. Then, he reminded them, that they would fully understand how amazing and wonderful the Lord Jesus Christ truly is. 4 Points …

1) Never Underestimate Jesus’ Person vs 15, 19
In vs15, Paul wrote that Jesus is: “the image of the invisible God.” If you think about it, this is an outrageous statement. It was a well taught fact in the OT, that you cannot see God. He is invisible – you cannot see him nor touch him.

However, in Jesus, the invisible has been fully revealed to us, for He is the image of the invisible God. It’s one thing for us to read of God’s words in the OT and hear of amazing encounters with him, but it’s quite another thing for him to come down to this world and take on human flesh. And when he did so in the person of his Son Jesus Christ: the word became flash and dwelt among us, and we are left in absolutely no doubt what God is like.

It’s interesting to see how different cultures have a different image of Jesus. Some see him as the blue-eyed Jesus portrayed by Robert Powell. Some as a Franciscan Jesus surrounded by animals, the South American Liberation Movement see Jesus as a Desperado, an Outlaw wanted by the state. Then we have a Rasta Jesus, a Hindi Jesus, an Angry Jesus or a Laughing Jesus …  How do you see Jesus?

There was nothing about God that is not fully revealed in Jesus.  Paul writes vs19: “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.” Jesus is not just a divinely inspired man, or divinely sent prophet, as some religions suggest. He’s not even a person who carries some sort of divine spark. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He is God himself in flesh.  And that means only Jesus reveals God to us. And that is because Jesus claims exclusivity not just uniqueness.

Now it goes without saying that this is a very hard truth to proclaim in our society today. Because many people want to believe in a world where all religions are essentially the same and that all roads lead to God. But that’s not what Jesus taught. Remember his words in John 14:6: I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. This is Jesus’ exclusive claim to be God. And we should never underestimate the person Jesus is, otherwise, we are denying the only way to God.

2) Never Underestimate Jesus’ Power vs 16-18
Paul tells us that his power is seen in two ways:

a) He’s Lord over the Creation. Vs15: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Ah ha, someone says. There it is in black and white. Jesus was created. And that is precisely what some religions say. Jesus is great, but he’s not quite as great as you make him out to be. But that would be to miss the point of what Paul says: “For by him, (literally in him) all things were created, things in heaven or on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities.”

Now if we say Jesus is created then either Paul is contradicting himself or he’s saying something else. Because he says, “by him all things were created”. Jesus is the creator, not the created. We read in verse 16b, that all things were created though him, literally, and for him. Jesus is the agent of creation and the goal of creation. The very universe exists for Jesus. It’s there to glorify him. It is a breath-taking picture of Jesus.

In status, above creation,
in the past, the agent of creation,
in the future the goal of creation,
in the present, the sustainer of creation.

b) He’s Lord over the New Creation. But he’s not just Lord over creation. He’s also Lord over the new creation too! Vs18: “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

God’s new creation is his people, and eventually he will redeem creation itself. We have Jesus as our head. He is the one who watches over, and sustains, his church, just as he does creation. It is a breath taking thought to know that Jesus is the great creator and sustainer of the old and new creation. But to know why he came is perhaps the greatest joy of all.

3) Never Underestimate Jesus’ Resurrection vs 20
The fact is that the universe is out of sync’ with its creator. And that includes you and me. We are rebels in God’s world. Jesus offered us peace with God through his blood, shed on the cross. And that peace restores our relationship with God Vs20: “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

When Paul says that Jesus is the firstborn from among the dead, it means that his followers will be raised from the dead, too. Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee of that happening. And because he has defeated death, Jesus’ supremacy is established forever.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that everyone and everything will willingly submit to Him. But it does mean that Jesus has done everything necessary to restore order to the cosmos and that, one day, every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

4) Never Underestimate Jesus’ Glorious Riches vs25-28
A mystery is not like a riddle. Riddles can be worked out. Mysteries are secrets that have to be revealed. Here Paul is talking about a mystery that has not been kept hidden for a few days, but which has been kept secret for generations.

Vs26-28: “… the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations but is now disclosed to the saints.  To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” It is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

This is Paul’s mission for the Colossian church, which he outlines in vs28. “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” The word ‘perfect’ is better translated as mature or even presentable.

If you have ever watched X-factor or Strictly Come Dancing, you’ll know that the singing and dancing coaches have a week to get their contestant ‘stage ready’ and then they make their grand appearance. This is their moment. This is when they are presented.

This is why Paul speaks of the sufferings of Jesus. Not simply to get someone to trust in Jesus as Messiah, but to make them presentable before Jesus, mature in faith, come the final judgement. To achieve this, he does two practical things which we see in vs 28: He admonishes, and he teaches. To admonish literally means to put the mind in order. Admonishing and teaching are a vital combination – but one is always more applauded by human beings than the other.

To achieve this, he does two practical things which we see in vs 28: He admonishes, and he teaches. To admonish literally means to put the mind in order. Admonishing and teaching are a vital combination but one is always more applauded by human beings than the other.

To follow the theme of X Factor and Strictly, who would be your favourite judge? Len Goodman, Simon Cowell, Arlene Phillips, Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood, David Walliams, Darcy Bushel, Anton Du Beke … We all know what happens when a judge tells the truth and gives constructive criticism. There are boos. People don’t like what they hear.

The truth is, we find admonishing difficult. But how vital it is in an age when people place no value on the person or work of Jesus to speak up. It’s hard work sharing the Good News of Jesus with others. But we don’t do this on our own. It’s a responsibility the whole church shares. Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

Conclusion
Never underestimate Jesus. His person, His Power, His resurrection or His Glorious Riches. In seeing him we have seen God. And whilst some of this might seem hard to grasp, we are not saved by understanding every intricate detail of who Jesus is.

When I was at Oak Hill Theological College, I studied the forbidding subject of Christian Doctrine and Theology which is, quite simply, examining the Doctrine and Theology of the Christian faith! It’s a study of what we believe and why and covers Church history and some of the great thinkers and contributors to what the Christian church stands for today. It’s quite a complex subject and I don’t pretend to grasp even half of what I was taught! But it’s about believing what the Bible teaches.

Essential reading for the course was a 14 Volume series of books, called Dogmatics, written by the Swiss theologian Karl Barth. Barth introduced his first volume simply and profoundly, with the words of a timeless song – join in if you know them:

Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong, they are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me,
Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER The text contained in this sermon (except where stated) is solely owned by its author, Revd Paul A. Carr. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name.