Colossians 1:9-18 (KJV) For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 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: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 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.

How many of you have a “Stuff Drawer”? I have several. This is a drawer filled with “stuff I thought I needed” at one time, “stuff” I paid money for, “stuff” I just had to have, but now it’s in a drawer occupying space. Let’s see what I’ve got. I’ve got a fire alarm that worked too good. It went off every time Sherry cooked, so one day I went off and threw it across the room. Don’t want to throw it away, though. It cost about $10. I’ve got a wireless mouse that doesn’t work anymore, but since I paid $20 for it I keep it just in case I ever need it. I’ve got an ink refill kit that doesn’t work, though it did reduce my wallet about $5. I’ve got refills for a pen I’ve long since lost but I keep it just in case I ever find the pen. I’ve got a holster for a knife that I broke but – who knows – I may find another knife just like that again. I’ve got a money clip with no money, a note card holder, a passover guide from a Rabbi (not a rabbit, a Rabbi), cards my wife has given me, and a thumb drive or ten. If you looked at all the “stuff” in my “stuff drawers” it would probably be several hundred dollars of junk I ought to just toss out. But I hold on to it because and just in case. And before you judge me, I know that many of you have – like I do – “stuff closets” filled with clothes that you keep just in case a miracle happens and you go back to the size you were when you were 18 years old. Some of you have “stuff garages” filled with anything but your cars. At our Church we have a “stuff building” where things magically appear from week to week. Please, quit bringing us your stuff!

In America we are “stuff” and “thing” oriented. We love our things. Our economy is staggering because we place such a high value on things.

I have people call me on their cell phones – fancy cell phones – who cannot pay their utility bill but they have cable television, wifi, and wireless phones. Credit card debit is at it’s highest because we like our things. To many people things are gods. The other day I saw a truck with a four wheeler in it’s bed – and the four wheeler took up every bit of space there was. I asked my wife Sherry “Why do you think he has that?” and Sherry, ever generous, said “deer hunters use them”. My next question was “If he killed a deer, where would he put it? Sitting up in the cab next to him?” We are stuff oriented.

Listen Beloved – THINGS cannot make us HAPPY. They may bring temporal pleasure, but tomorrow many of those THINGS will be in the “stuff drawer”, taking up space (and money) and forgotten.

1 Things Are Temporary, But Jesus Is Before All Things. We are told:

Colossians 1:17 And he – CHRIST – is before all things …

The Greek text is καί αὐτός ἐστί πρό πᾶς which is He IS before ALL. Jesus Christ is before all. He should be before all in the life of every person.

He is preeminent.
He is in control of.
Christ rules!

We have VICTORY IN Jesus – not in spite of Jesus!

“Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory Of THE COMING Of The Lord”

“There Is Power, Power, Wonder Working Power In The Blood Of The Lamb!”

“Onward Christian Soldiers, Marching As To War.
With The Cross Of Jesus, Going On Before”

“Sing The Wondrous Love Of Jesus, Sing His Mercy And His Grace!”

a Jesus Christ Is BEFORE Death, Much Greater Than Death. He Conquered The Grave! The Bible tells us in …

1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) …. Christ OUR PASSOVER is sacrificed for us:

I could preach a whole sermon on just this verse.

Why is Christ “our Passover”?

The explanation goes all the way back to the Old Testament. Israel was in Egypt, a godless nation that enslaved the people of God. The Lord heard the cry of His people so He raised up a man named Moses to lead His people. Moses went to the King of Egypt and – under God’s direction – demanded that he “Let My people go that they may serve Me in the wilderness” (Exodus 7:16). The King of Egypt refused to let the people of God go. Finally Moses warned that the death angel was coming this very night. The death angel would come and, where he did NOT see the Blood of the Lamb he would enter that house and death would reign! God told His people to sacrifice a Lamb without spot or blemish, and to take the Blood of that Lamb and put it on the door posts of the house. God said:

Exodus 12:13 … the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

“When I see the Blood. When I see the Blood. When I see the Blood.
I will pass, I will PASSOVER You!”

It happened just as God said. When those who believed took the Blood of the Lamb and put it on the doorposts of their homes the death angels passed by. Why? Because God promised. But God was also showing something in the Old Testament that He would make visible in the New Testament. God sent His Son to this earth. Jesus was not just another man, not just another prophet. No! The Bible tells us that:

God was showing us His Love in the Exodus. He showed His Love by the slain Lamb. He showed His love by BEING the Lamb. Jesus Christ IS God revealed. He IS Sacrificed For Us. He died and in so doing defeated death!

Colossians 1:15 {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

He is God the Son. He is God Himself, God in the flesh. He is the only Begotten of God, born to this earth for one reason – He came to be preeminent over death. Jesus Christ is what the Passover Lamb of the Old Testament represented. Jesus Christ is the “Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He died because our forefather Adam brought death into this world by his sin. Jesus died on Calvary to pay for your sins and for mine. He is the One of Whom John said:

John 1:36 BEHOLD THE Lamb of God!

He is the Lamb of God …..

…loved of the Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:24)
… Chosen of God to die for us before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20)

The Wages of Sin is death – and every person is due a payday!

We are all sinners, lost and undone without Christ. We are all worthy of death. We are all born into this world self centered and sin oriented. From the cradle to the grave we are – if without Christ – me oriented, godless, prone to evil and death.

But Jesus Christ came to this earth to make a way in His flesh for us. He lived a perfect life, a sinless life, a life that only God could have lived. Then when the time was right:

Romans 5:8 God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 …. we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Jesus died so that we do not have to die. Jesus Christ tasted death

Hebrews 2:9-10 But we see Jesus, who was MADE A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Jesus tasted death so that we would not have to taste death. Dying on Calvary, He rose again on the third day. Living today He promises those who look to Him that:

John 3:15 Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 11:26 Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die!

b Jesus Christ Is BEFORE Satan And The World. He REDEEMS Us From Sin And Empowers Us To Be Sons Of God.

Colossians 1:14 In whom (Christ) we have REDEMPTION through his Blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

When Adam sinned, Satan took over the human spirit. We were sold into sin.

What you DO shows WHOSE you are.
The throne you follow is the Kingdom you are in.

When Christ went to Calvary He did something that not one of us could do. He purchased us with His Blood. Those who believe on Him are Redeemed from sin. When the virgin Mary was with Child of God the Angel told Joseph:

Matthew 1:21 … she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people FROM their sins ..

People say “I can be saved IN my sins”. HOGWASH. If I were late to Church today – coming to the pulpit 10 minutes late – and Jerry asked me later “Why were you late”. I respond, “Well on the way to Church I had a flat tire. When I was changing it a lug nut rolled out into the highway. I went out and picked it up and looked! There was an 18 wheeler bearing down on me! All 18 wheels ran me over. That’s what made me late to Church.” If I said that Jerry would look at me like I was crazy. He wouldn’t call me a liar – but I would be a liar. Everyone knows you cannot have a confrontation with an 18 wheeler and not be changed. And Beloved, you cannot have a confrontation with the Infinite and Almighty God of all creation and not be changed. It doesn’t happen. You lie if you say it did and you did not change.

Jesus died on that Cross to save us from our sins.
Sin is not a trifle.
Sin is awful.
Sin is an awful offense against a Law Filled God.

The Bible says that God cannot look upon sin, and that is bad news to people who sin. Yet the Bible tells us that:

Ephesians 1:6-7 (KJV) {The Father} hath made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Whom (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Oh the JOY of being REDEEMED from the WRATH of God.
Oh the PEACE of knowing I am RECONCILED to God!

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (KJV) And all things are of God, who hath RECONCILED us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.

We have been redeemed from the slave market of sin to the Kingdom of the Savior. We are not members of the Kingdom of Darkness, the Kingdom of Sin, the Kingdom of Satan, but we are purchased, prized possessions of the Kingdom of Light!

Hebrews 9:11-15 (KJV)11 But Christ … 12 … but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of His people. For those who look unto Him, they shall be saved, all the ends of the earth (Isaiah 45:22). His Blood purchased us from Satan. His Blood purchased us so that His Spirit can indwell us.

2 Jesus Christ’s Kingdom Is BEFORE All Other Kingdoms. Our God REIGNS!

Colossians 1:13 {God} hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

The problem with America is that we have too many gods.

We come to Church and witness one God. And if the Preacher goes too long we get irritated because he’s keeping us away from the buffet god. We skip Church so we can watch the football god. We ignore evening services because we have family visiting and our children are gods to us. We don’t tithe because money is tight, and we would rather go out and satisfy our belly god rather than give the Lord our 10%. Besides, we need that second fishing boat and four wheeler so we can worship the recreation god on the True God’s Day.

God’s Children belong to God’s KINGDOM. This means that HE is to be greater to us than ANYTHING or ANYONE.

We are a DELIVERED people, those of us who love Jesus. We are DELIVERED from the power of darkness, and are TRANSLATED into the kingdom of Christ. The word translated TRANSLATED is the Greek μεθίστημι (methístēmi, pronounced meth-is’-tay-mee) means “to transfer or carry away”.

You who are His should be “carried away” by God.
Let’s get “carried away”.
Let’s praise Him. Let’s live for Him. Let’s let Him occupy the Throne.

Jesus Christ is before all things. Those who stand with Him will still be standing after all things are gone. Stay the course. Stand with Him. Follow His Rule!

a Let Christ CARRY Your Needs And CARRY AWAY Your Worries. When I was a child I never doubted that – when I sat down to the table – there would be food on it. There might be things I didn’t want to eat (like liver, spinach, greens), but I knew I would not go away hungry. If our parents – imperfect as they were – cared for us will not Jesus Who is perfect take care of His Children. Christ is ALL! He said

Matthew 6:25-33 (KJV) I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU.

If you are God’s Child then God gave the MOST for you at the Cross. Will He not care for you now? Dying for your sins, will He not now risen make provision for your sustenance? Seek ye first the Kingdom of God AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and all these things shall be added unto you. Even Israel murmuring and complaining in the desert did not starve, for God provided Manna and Doves, Water and Shade. Their clothing nor shoes never wore out though their bodies did, as all bodies will. A little poem called Overheard In An Orchard by Elizabeth Cheney says:

Said the robin to the sparrow,
“I would really like to know
Why those anxious human beings
rush around and worry so.”
Said the sparrow to the robin,
“Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
such as cares for you and me.”

b Let The Church Be CARRIED AWAY By Christ And His Spirit.

Let us Covenant Together to love the Lord and His Word – not just HERE but also THERE. Israel lost all things when they placed things first and Christ last.

Christ is never to be last place. He is never to be “next”.

Solomon the richest and wisest man in the world – at one point put Christ last. That which had been pleasure to him became terrible. Solomon said “I hated life …. all is vanity and vexation of spirit … I hated all my labor that I had taken under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:17-18). Why?

Because Solomon tried living his life without putting Christ FIRST.

Christ is the salt on your food.
Christ is the sun on the green leaves.
Christ is the whispering wind on a hot July day.
Christ is the joy that cannot be destroyed.

Colossians 1:16-18 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: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 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.

Jesus Christ is the Head of His Church, and we as His Church are of His Kingdom. Follow Him.

c Let Your Souls Be CARRIED AWAY From Hell To Heaven By The Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot gain Heaven by your good words or your good works. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of the Only Begotten Son. Salvation is available to all …. have you made yourself available to Christ? Christ is all. May God touch your hearts with His Word!