"The heavens declare the glory of God."4. So stated the doctrine is monstrous. No parts of his letters are so lofty, so impassioned, so full of his soul, as when he rises from speaking of God to men to speaking to God for men. Creation is not a work merely of general laws, it implies individual formation under them.II. We begin with the best things. Glorify Christ and you shall enjoy Him. This includes all creation as described by locality. At length a skilful young physician thought of a new expedient. Lessons to be drawn from this representation of Christ's glory. To this we are called by the obligations of both a natural and spiritual creation. We can only live for Him as we live by Him, for so all things do.6. The objectors say that He created by such power as Elijah received from God to restore the widow's son, etc. "The Rev. He Rev. I do not know anything about them; but this I know, that if, amid the unseen things in the heavens or the earth, there be any such, my Lord made them, and is their Master. So stated the doctrine is monstrous. They are also destined to serve and glorify Him.2. i. Idolatry is reprobated on this exclusive ground, that it is offered to those who are not the makers of the universe. 3. And yet it seems as if that were scarcely true in regard to that strange faculty called Hope. (1) because he maintains its order, appointing all things to their respective ends; (2) because he sustains the operation of all things, correlating means with ends; (3) because he secures the cooperation of all things, so that all things work together for his glory; (4) because he maintains the perpetuity of all things. Let us commit our souls to Him as a faithful Creator.6. 9-12. "Christ in you" (Col. i. 3 We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have toward all the saints, 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as it doth in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God Martin LutherEpistle Sermons, Vol. 27). (4)A new world in the ages to come, to bless other worlds, if such there be; and to display, for ever, the glories of Jesus.4. --Col. i. Colossians 1:16 Commentaries: For by Him all things were created, both The saints and faithful brethren in Christ.'--COL. "God, who hath commanded the light to shine," etc.(4)Protection. SINCE CHRIST HATH MADE ALL THINGS FOR HIMSELF, HIS PEOPLE ARE CALLED TO CONSECRATE THEMSELVES AND THEIR ALL TO HIS GLORY. True, the Apostle is speaking in reference to the fiery energy and persistent toil which characterised him in proclaiming Christ, that Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy ScriptureThe Gospel-Hope'The hope of the Gospel.'--COL. 'God never sends mouths but He sends meat to feed them,' says the old proverb. Such an idea implies that Christ is dependent on the existence of sin, and that His very being is but an expedient required for the deliverance of man. This ultimate goal of the present dispensation in time is similarly stated in several passages. It should therefore John William BurgonInspiration and InterpretationAll Fulness in ChristThe text is a great deep, we cannot explore it, but we will voyage over its surface joyously, the Holy Spirit giving us a favorable wind. Impossible. 20). The Thomas WatsonA Divine CordialThe Rise of the Assyrian EmpirePHOENICIA AND THE NORTHERN NATIONS AFTER THE DEATH OP RAMSES III.--THE FIRST ASSYRIAN EMPIRE: TIGLATH-PILESUR I.--THE ARAMAEANS AND THE KHATI. 29. My son, the inner state of every man I know well, and to each heart in accordance with its needs I make Myself known; and for bringing men into the way of righteousness there is no better means than the manifestation of Myself. "And that are in earth. H. Griffith ThomasThe Prayers of St. PaulThe Inheritance. "Strengthened with all might unto all patience" (Col. i. The Eternal Word is the goal of the universe, as He was the starting-point. This may expose us to pain; but what pain Jesus endured for us! xxxiii. He is in the position of a servant who works for others; He is a Master who, by other hands or His own works for Himself. 1. He is the Mediator in creation as well as redemption. This is the arena of His spiritual victories. Idolatry is reprobated on this exclusive ground, that it is offered to those who are not the makers of the universe. How seldom it has been a true prophet! The creating act is always set before us as the basis on which the exclusive honours of the Deity are challenged. Paul laboured, striving according to the working of God in him. Lightfoot. ALL THINGS WERE CREATED FOR CHRIST, AND FORM HIS RIGHT AND PREROGATIVE.1. 12. The continuance of Egyptian influence over Syrian civilization after the death of Ramses III.--Egyptian myths in Phoenicia: Osiris and Isis at Byblos--Horus, Thot, and the origin of the Egyptian alphabet--The tombs at Arvad and the Kabr-Hiram; Egyptian designs in Phoenician glass and goldsmiths'work--Commerce with Egypt, the withdrawal of Phoenician colonies G. This may expose us to pain; but what pain Jesus endured for us! The creating act constitutes the very groundwork of natural religion. The Thomas WatsonA Divine CordialThe Rise of the Assyrian EmpirePHOENICIA AND THE NORTHERN NATIONS AFTER THE DEATH OP RAMSES III.--THE FIRST ASSYRIAN EMPIRE: TIGLATH-PILESUR I.--THE ARAMAEANS AND THE KHATI. Spurgeon. Operation after operation had only irritated it, and driven the foreign substance farther still into the delicate nerves of the sensitive organ. i. Foreseeing sin He made the world in which it was to be vanquished, and hence we read of God's eternal purpose, and of "the Lamb which was foreordained before the foundation of the world." Messenger of Satan! 'The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch,' says the Acts of the Apostles. : Now if Jesus were man He was justly condemned, for He laid Himself open to the charge of blasphemy, since, as the Jews truly averred, He made Himself the Son of God, "equal with God" To the "all Mine are Thine," Christ added "Thine are Mine." II. The Word is the final cause as well as the creative agent of the universe. SINCE CHRIST HATH MADE ALL THINGS FOR HIMSELF, HIS PEOPLE ARE CALLED TO CONSECRATE THEMSELVES AND THEIR ALL TO HIS GLORY. "All things are of God, who hath reconciled us."(2)Atonement. The persons interested in this privilege. "Giving thanks." This is our method, not God's. It is as if he had said, You are being told a great, deal about these angel hierarchies, and know all about their ranks and gradations. True, the Apostle is speaking in reference to the fiery energy and persistent toil which characterised him in proclaiming Christ, that Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy ScriptureThe Gospel-Hope'The hope of the Gospel.'--COL. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO PROPOSITIONS. The earth claimed His birth, life, and entombment. Because love is the very heart and spirit of religion, I shall the more fully treat upon this; and for the further discussion of it, let us notice these five things concerning love to God. (1)That He might display a special phase of power and skill, in creating spiritual beings embodied in material forms. . dost thou buffet an apostle? No parts of his letters are so lofty, so impassioned, so full of his soul, as when he rises from speaking of God to men to speaking to God for men. i. The Thomas WatsonA Divine CordialThe Rise of the Assyrian EmpirePHOENICIA AND THE NORTHERN NATIONS AFTER THE DEATH OP RAMSES III.--THE FIRST ASSYRIAN EMPIRE: TIGLATH-PILESUR I.--THE ARAMAEANS AND THE KHATI. "The heavens declare the glory of God."4. "He must reign." The sufficiency of that redemption because the Creator has wrought it.(R. THE GLORY OF GOD WAS THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF CREATION. Thomas WatsonA Divine CordialOf Love to GodI proceed to the second general branch of the text. (2) His glory. The Word is the final cause as well as the creative agent of the universe. Colossians - Textual Sermons (Executable Outlines) Maclaren, D. D.The Colossian heretics seem to have held that all matter was evil, and that therefore the material creation could not have come directly from a good God, but was in a certain sense opposed to Him, or at all events separated from Him by an immense gulf. One day a visitor to the coal-pit asked the boy about his work, and the child answered, "Yes, it is very lonely here, but I pick up the little bits of candle thrown away by the colliers, and join them together, and when I get a light I sing." Foreseeing sin He made the world in which it was to be vanquished, and hence we read of God's eternal purpose, and of "the Lamb which was foreordained before the foundation of the world." It is not possible to say whether these names represent various grades of a celestial hierarchy, but it is probable that they do; "thrones and dominions" belonging to the first order, "principalities and powers" standing next, as including spirits both good and evil. Whatever is the act of creation it must be the Divine act; and whoever is the Creator He must be Divine.1. Look at the condition of man. A strange machine is this of Providence. The continuance of Egyptian influence over Syrian civilization after the death of Ramses III.--Egyptian myths in Phoenicia: Osiris and Isis at Byblos--Horus, Thot, and the origin of the Egyptian alphabet--The tombs at Arvad and the Kabr-Hiram; Egyptian designs in Phoenician glass and goldsmiths'work--Commerce with Egypt, the withdrawal of Phoenician colonies G. More particularly all things are created for Christ, inasmuch as (1) They furnish the scenes of His mediation. The union of believers with Christ their Head is not effected by instilling a divine-human life-tincture into the soul. 12 (R.V.) 27). All things are to be seen in the light of the cross, and all things reflect light on the cross. It is eternal (Hebrews 13:8). Sin triumphs, and devils seem to defeat the purposes of God. Jesus is the clue of the universe; its centre and explanation. 20).4. "The Rev. 27). Remember, God is not only the Creator, but the Great Workman, who worketh all in all. They are also destined to serve and glorify Him.2. (2) He suspends the veracity of His statements on it. i. Its recurrence is one of the points of contact between them. (2)That He might become Himself one of them. In doing so, he crushed the arguments of the false teachers, and gave the Colossian Christians, and us, even more reason to worship and exalt Jesus Christ as God. The great blessings of the gospel are placed in immediate connection with this omnific act.(1)Reconciliation. Because love is the very heart and spirit of religion, I shall the more fully treat upon this; and for the further discussion of it, let us notice these five things concerning love to God. Paul opposes the solid truth to these dreams, and. Hear what Dante puts in the mouth of his guide, as they pass through Purgatory:-- Perche s'appuntano i vostri desiri Dove per compagnia parte si scema, Invidia muove George MacDonaldUnspoken SermonsThe Disciple, -- Master, if Thou Wouldst Make a Special Manifestation of Thyself to TheThe Disciple,--Master, if Thou wouldst make a special manifestation of Thyself to the world, men would no longer doubt the existence of God and Thy own divinity, but all would believe and enter on the path of righteousness. If there had been no sin, Christ would have visited the world in some way of Divine goodness. Nor do angels, although holding a much higher rank, differ from us in this respect. "Unto Him," i.e., all things grow into His likeness, they move upwards towards the realization of His life. His relation to creation encourages us to hope that he will overrule all the power of nature for the growth of his Church. "I am the Lord that maketh all things."8. As the birth-throe and deliverance of all creation through Christ (Romans 8:19, etc.).2. to the Colossians i. The creating act is always set before us as the basis on which the exclusive honours of the Deity are challenged. i. "I am the Lord that maketh all things."8. i. There are some trees in the Rev. From that time there grew up in my heart a deep yearning to know Christ in a more real way, for he seemed so unreal, Rosalind GoforthHow I Know God Answers Prayer, section 3But we will go back from this glimpse of God's ultimate purpose for us, to watch the process by which it is reached, so far as we can trace it in the ripening of the little annuals. All 'Western Christendom,' as it is called, is to-day commemorating the Pentecostal gift. Such an idea implies that Christ is dependent on the existence of sin, and that His very being is but an expedient required for the deliverance of man. To live to Jesus, then, is to find out the true object of our being, and to be in accord with all creation.4. Sill had to some extent blighted the beauty of creation. God is using you to train up His child in the grace of patience. Nor do angels, although holding a much higher rank, differ from us in this respect. (1) If we would know the Father, we must get into Christ by faith (2 Corinthians 4:4). "By Him were all things created."2. "Christ in You" (Col. "The whole earth is full of His glory." In the inheritance of the saints, that which each has, goes to increase the possession of the rest. You have your own special work; make it a work of intercession. "All things work together for good, to them that love God." Apr 15, 2023 Scripture: Colossians 1:1-2 John Piper Look at the Book The Relational Authenticity and Wisdom of Paul Colossians 1:1-2, Part 2 Apr 18, 2023 Scripture: Colossians 1:1-2 John Piper Look at the Book What Does It Mean to Be a Saint? 11); 'An earnest of our inheritance' (i. All is going well. Paul opposes the solid truth to these dreams, and. ALL THINGS WERE CREATED FOR CHRIST, AND FORM HIS RIGHT AND PREROGATIVE.1. W. Hamilton, LL. "Unto Him," i.e., all things grow into His likeness, they move upwards towards the realization of His life. This division would include the sun, moon, stars, the earth with all its visible glories, in one class; the angels and the souls of men in the other class. The void space was bridged by a chain of beings, half abstractions and half persons, gradually becoming more and more material. Guthrie, D. D.)What is said of the Father in 1 Corinthians 8:6, the same is here Said of the Son. There is a most holy Person, who unites in Himself the divine and the human life; but both natures continue unmixed, unblended, each retaining its own properties. The most bold and God-hating sinners may rest assured that when the machine of Providence has done its work, and the secret purposes of God are fully completed, it shall be seen how the Lord hath made all things for Himself.IV. You can only do your work in His strength, by Him working in you through the Spirit. 11). (2) All orders of being, "thrones," etc., none too great for His power, none too small for His care. The creating act is always represented as designed to manifest the glory of Him by whom it was done. I do not remember the time when I did not have in some degree a love for the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour. "I am the Lord that maketh all things."8. ALL THINGS WERE CREATED FOR CHRIST, AND FORM HIS RIGHT AND PREROGATIVE.1. . This was universal in creation. The objectors say that He created by such power as Elijah received from God to restore the widow's son, etc. It shows us some of the Divine principles of the new life rather than a set sequence of I. 9-12. Intending next Lord's day to enter upon the work of catechising, it will not be amiss to give you a preliminary discourse, to show you how needful it is for Christians to be well instructed in the grounds of religion. 14); 'His inheritance in the saints' Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy ScriptureSaints, Believers, Brethren' . I have chosen this text principally because it brings together the two subjects which are naturally before us to-day. After salutation Paul thanks God for the Colossians' faith;7. confirms the doctrine of Epaphras;9. prays further for their increase in grace;14. describes the supremacy of Christ;21. encourages them to receive Jesus Christ, and commends his own ministry.Dictionary of Bible ThemesColossians 1:161130God, sovereignty1165God, unique1170God, unity of1325God, the Creator2066Christ, power of4006creation, origin4135demons, Christ's authority over4915completion5457power, human5509rulersColossians 1:15-162345Christ, kingdom ofColossians 1:15-172018Christ, divinity2303Christ, as creator4287universe5441philosophy8366wisdom, source ofColossians 1:15-184909beginning5700headshipColossians 1:15-192069Christ, pre-eminenceColossians 1:15-201441revelation, necessity2423gospel, essence5030knowledge, of Christ7927hymn8028faith, body of beliefsColossians 1:16-171305God, activity of2224Christ, the Lord4026world, God's creation4045chaosColossians 1:16-202012Christ, authorityLibraryFebruary 11.