The Image of the Invisbile God!
Reflection: As we have been saying all along, the last year and a half, as we
move through the entire bible in a two year period, the Old Testament is a
constant foreshadowing of what is to come in the revelation of God’s Son, Jesus
Christ. Today we see some of that
foreshadowing in both the Psalm, and the passage from Isaiah 53, which is
regarded as one of the clearest Messianic (revealing who the Messiah will be)
passages.
In the Psalm,
we see that God anointed King David, to be the first king over Israel. It says he found and chose His servant David,
and anointed him with oil. Also notice
the covenant language at the end, where God says, “He will maintain His love
for him, and will establish his line forever.”
This is commonly referred to in theological circles as the “Davidic
Covenant” or “Royal Covenant”. And
remember, it is from the line of David though which Jesus descended. So we see foreshadowing through the anointing
language, and the covenant which Jesus will eventually fulfill.
Then, we see
clear language, in Isaiah 53, about the suffering Servant, who will fulfill God’s
plan of redemption. Notice all the
language that will describe Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Remember this is written hundreds of years
before Jesus even walked on the earth.
It is deeply prophetic in nature, and one of the many reasons why we can
trust the bible is inspired and trustworthy.
53 Who has believed our
message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to
crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
Finally, let’s
move to the Colossians passage, where Paul describes the nature of who Jesus is,
and where He came from, and most importantly His divine nature.
The
Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him
all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been
created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together. 18 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. 19 For
God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 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.
Note these
important aspects of who Jesus is. Jesus
was with God at the beginning of Creation, as the pre-existent Word of
God. Jesus was before anything came into
being, as part of the Godhead, or what we call the Trinity. Paul says it succinctly, “He is
before all things, and in him all things hold together.” We also might say Jesus is sovereign.
But then here
is the key movement, and also the movement from the Old Testament revelation to
the New Testament revelation. God was
pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Christ! This is what we call “incarnation”, or God
coming in the flesh through His Son. And
so we see Jesus is the “image of the invisible God”. Meaning everything that Jesus says, does, or
teaches is a revelation of the One, True and Only God! Okay, this sounds like a lot of theology but
why is it so important?
It is
important for a couple of reasons. One,
if Jesus is not God He could not have died for His our sins, He would have had
to die for His own. So Paul is clearly
pointing out the divinity of our Lord.
But Paul is also clearly pointing out the humanity of Jesus. He came
among us, but in the process did not lose His divine nature.
Some of the
early heresies in the Church centered around, that Jesus only appeared to be
God, but really was just a human. Or the
other heresy was that Jesus was really not human, but just a “spirit being”
that appeared to be human. Paul’s
inspired writing dispels both of these errors. Either of these errors diminish
the central tenet of our Christian faith that Jesus was “fully God and fully
human”.
Though King
David was a King anointed by God to establish God’s royal covenant, it was in
anticipation of the King of Kings, who was with God before it all began who
would come and make the invisible God visible!
What does
this mean for us? Jesus is still head of
the church and by keeping our eyes on Jesus we will not go astray. As we study His life, as we are energized by
His Holy Spirit which is given to us, we can participate in God’s kingdom
coming on this earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, and the bible teaches us
that one day He will return to take His bride, the Church, with Him to set up
an eternal kingdom that will never end.
In the
meantime as believers, we are called to be part of a local church, which is led
by human leaders in the Spirit’s power often called pastors, or deacons, or
presbyters/bishops. Ultimately though, we
are under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
We finish today by looking at Paul’s own commitment and calling to this
cause which inspires us. Listen to what
he says:
24 Now
I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is
still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body,
which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the
commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the
mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now
disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 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.
May we continue to serve God through the Church for which Jesus gave His life! This is the mystery, which was made known to Paul and to us, and is now still being disclosed to those whom God has chosen! Amen.
Psalm 89:19-29
19 Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24 My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.’
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24 My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.’
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
Isaiah 51:17-53:12
The Cup of
the Lord’s Wrath
17 Awake, awake!
Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
the cup of his wrath,
you who have drained to its dregs
the goblet that makes people stagger.
18 Among all the children she bore
there was none to guide her;
among all the children she reared
there was none to take her by the hand.
19 These double calamities have come upon you—
who can comfort you?—
ruin and destruction, famine and sword—
who can console you?
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at every street corner,
like antelope caught in a net.
They are filled with the wrath of the Lord,
with the rebuke of your God.
Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
the cup of his wrath,
you who have drained to its dregs
the goblet that makes people stagger.
18 Among all the children she bore
there was none to guide her;
among all the children she reared
there was none to take her by the hand.
19 These double calamities have come upon you—
who can comfort you?—
ruin and destruction, famine and sword—
who can console you?
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at every street corner,
like antelope caught in a net.
They are filled with the wrath of the Lord,
with the rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore hear this, you
afflicted one,
made drunk, but not with wine.
22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
your God, who defends his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
you will never drink again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,
who said to you,
‘Fall prostrate that we may walk on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
like a street to be walked on.”
made drunk, but not with wine.
22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
your God, who defends his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
you will never drink again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,
who said to you,
‘Fall prostrate that we may walk on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
like a street to be walked on.”
52 Awake, awake, Zion,
clothe yourself with strength!
Put on your garments of splendor,
Jerusalem, the holy city.
The uncircumcised and defiled
will not enter you again.
2 Shake off your dust;
rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
Daughter Zion, now a captive.
clothe yourself with strength!
Put on your garments of splendor,
Jerusalem, the holy city.
The uncircumcised and defiled
will not enter you again.
2 Shake off your dust;
rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
Daughter Zion, now a captive.
3 For this is what the Lord says:
“You were
sold for nothing,
and without money you will be redeemed.”
and without money you will be redeemed.”
4 For this is what the Sovereign Lord
says:
“At first my
people went down to Egypt to live;
lately, Assyria has oppressed them.
lately, Assyria has oppressed them.
5 “And now what do I have here?”
declares the Lord.
“For my
people have been taken away for nothing,
and those who rule them mock,”
declares the Lord.
“And all day long
my name is constantly blasphemed.
6 Therefore my people will know my name;
therefore in that day they will know
that it is I who foretold it.
Yes, it is I.”
and those who rule them mock,”
declares the Lord.
“And all day long
my name is constantly blasphemed.
6 Therefore my people will know my name;
therefore in that day they will know
that it is I who foretold it.
Yes, it is I.”
7 How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy.
When the Lord returns to Zion,
they will see it with their own eyes.
9 Burst into songs of joy together,
you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy.
When the Lord returns to Zion,
they will see it with their own eyes.
9 Burst into songs of joy together,
you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.
11 Depart, depart, go out from
there!
Touch no unclean thing!
Come out from it and be pure,
you who carry the articles of the Lord’s house.
12 But you will not leave in haste
or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,
the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
Touch no unclean thing!
Come out from it and be pure,
you who carry the articles of the Lord’s house.
12 But you will not leave in haste
or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,
the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
The
Suffering and Glory of the Servant
13 See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
15 so he will sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
15 so he will sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.
53 Who has believed our
message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to
crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Colossians 1:15-27
The
Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him
all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been
created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together. 18 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. 19 For
God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 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. 21 Once
you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil
behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical
body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free
from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established
and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the
gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under
heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Paul’s Labor
for the Church
24 Now I rejoice in what I am
suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to
Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I
have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the
word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept
hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 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.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. Zephaniah 3:15
Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.” Luke 23:3
Lord, when life’s joy seemed crushed under heavy burdens of life, we stand dumbfounded before the Pilates of our lives. Help us to find a better path, a new way, a paved trail to your new life with us. Then we will reclaim the joy and thanksgiving of grace. Amen.
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