Sermon - Crossroads Cowboy Church - Colossians 1 - Depend on Jesus!

Thank you for having us back this morning. When we were here last I mentioned that I have a message that is kind of my go to when I visit churches for the first time. It is a message that I believe is utterly important for every single one of us, and it helped me through a challenging time in my life. 

Life can be absolutely crazy full of ups that make you feel like you are soaring like an eagle and those downs that make you wonder if you can carry on. Each one of us can look back over our lives and see those good times and bad times. Good times like the first night I danced with my wife at the Disneyland Hotel, our wedding, the birth of our children and so many more.

Those are the times we like to think about. Then there are the things we don’t like to talk about, those challenges that knock us on our knees, that seem to make us think life is out of control.

Back in 2010 I went through one of the scariest things I have had to face so far in this life. In February of that year I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Thankfully it was benign and it was removed that May. Ended up in the hospital for 10 days longer than anticipated due to a spinal fluid leak. Even with all of that I still say, God has been good to me. Many people who go through what I did, cannot return to a normal life. For the most part I have. I had to get used to a new normal back in 2010 and have had to make some changes since. For example I am deaf on the left side, when I overdue it a nap is going to happen whether I am ready for it or not, and over the last several years I have developed more balance issues. It has been challenging at times, but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could count on Jesus.

Life is full of good times and plenty of struggles.

I am sure not all of us have had brain tumors, but we all have experienced things that seemed to make everything feel out of control. It could be medical issues, financial struggles, loss of a loved one, housing problems, you name it. No matter if you are a lifelong Christian or someone who is wondering who Jesus is, life is challenging. There will be times you want to celebrate and times you will want to cry.

When we are battling these things we tend to hear well intending Christians say things like ‘lay it at the cross’, ‘give it to Jesus’, ‘pray about it’, ‘Jesus will provide’ and more. These statements can be hard to hear at times, but they are true.

Today I want to look at a piece of scripture that will show us that those sayings are true. Colossians chapter 1 reminds us who Jesus is. These verses helped me in my struggle, and I am hope full they will give each of you something to hold onto when you are climbing that seemingly never ending hill.

To start with we need to understand that Jesus was not just some ordinary man, who was blessed or empowered by God. He was much, much, more. The question I want to answer this morning is? “Who is Jesus that He can take on all of our struggles, concerns, and worries?”

Please turn to Colossians 1 starting at verse 15.

Colossians 1:15

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

Jesus is the image of God the Father. What does that mean to us? It means He is an exact image, He was masterfully made in the complete likeness of the Father. He is not a counterfeited copy, He is not some cheap photo copy, He is a PERFECT image. Absolute, 100% perfect.

This verse also tells us that Jesus is the first born…in other words, nothing came before Jesus. He existed before anything else, and even better than that, this verse tells us that He was over all creation. Jesus is in charge.

If Jesus is over all creation, If He is an exact perfect image of the Father, do you think He can handle all of your concerns?

Colossians 1:16

“For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him”

This verse is telling us that everything that exists today, things we can and cannot see, the building we are sitting in, our political leaders, the actual government structures, everything was created by Jesus and was created for His glory.

John 1:3

“All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.”

Our Lord Jesus created everything, even the things that cause our struggles. Everything, and I mean absolutely everything, is subject to Jesus.

If everything is subject to Jesus, do you think He has the power needed to take care of everything you lay at His feet?

Colossians 1:17

“He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together”

Jesus holds all things together. What does this really mean? Is He holding the podium together… does He keep the lights on … does He hold the balance between good and evil together … does He provide for all of our needs…well the answer is YES to these and anything else you can think of.

It is even more personal or intimate than that. Jesus holds you together. He is involved with every breath you take and the beating of your heart. Without Jesus holding all of creation together, we would cease to exist, we could no longer breathe, our hearts would no longer beat.

If Jesus is involved in your every breath, don’t you think He is capable of taking care of your needs?

Colossians 1:18

“He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything.”

Jesus is the head of the Church. He is completely in charge of everything and everything submits to Him, He can heal, He can reconcile, He can do anything.

What we need to remember is that no matter what we are going through, no matter what our problem is, it falls 100% within His realm of control.

Colossians 1:19

“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him”

Reaffirms what we are told in verse 15. It was part of their plan for Jesus to be exactly like the Father, to have all of His power and authority.

Colossians 1:20

“and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross— whether things on earth or things in heaven”

Jesus has the power to allow us sinners to be in a relationship with the Father. If you believe, you are restored to your rightful place as a child of God! With all the sin in your life, Jesus can save you. If Jesus can restore your relationship with the Father, if He can wipe away your sin. He is more than capable of taking care of you. He can restore all things, resolve all issues, and carry you through all of your troubles. Since He conquered sin, the rest of this stuff is easy for Him.

Colossians 1:21-22

“Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions. ²² But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him—“

Simply put, if we were left to our own capabilities we would still be sinners, alienated and separate from God. Thankfully Jesus has paved the way for us. If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior you are completely restored. Instead of being a broken sinner, you can become Holy, Faultless, and Blameless in the eyes of the Lord. Jesus takes your sin and makes you whole.

If Jesus can take all of your sin away, do you think He can give you peace while you are in a storm?

Colossians 1:23

“if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.”

So far we have focused on who Jesus is and what He is capable of, but here we are told that we need to do our part. We need to remain pure to the gospel; we need to maintain our HOPE in Jesus. Essentially, we need to believe in Jesus, follow His teachings, and remain faithful to our Lord. Not just during the good times, but ALL the time. Praise Him when things are going great and praise Him when you are down and out. Put Jesus first, Keep Him on His throne in your life, talk to Him, choose to follow Him every day, walk through life with Him, Love Him, and Love Others. That is what we need to do.

You can’t be a part time or fair weather Christian, you need to be 100% sold out for Jesus and He will be with you always.

Colossians 1:24

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body, that is, the church.”

Paul is reminding us that life is not always easy. Paul suffered, Jesus was afflicted, and our lives are not going to be all flowers and sunshine. Yes Jesus is in control of everything, and yes He has forgiven us of our sins, but we will still face struggles.

Acts 14:22

“strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God"”

We are going to face ‘many troubles’; we are going to have to carry our own burdens, our crosses. But we are in good company. Jesus did it, the disciples had to deal with it, and now we need to carry on. The good news is that Jesus will be with us every step of every day.

Thankfully that is not where it ends. There is Hope!

Romans 8:16-17

“¹⁶ The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him..”

If we believe, if we have faith, and if we stay true to Jesus, life will not be easy, but it will mean we get to go to heaven. As believers in Christ, as restored children of God, we get to share in Christ’s glory! We get to spend eternity in heaven with Him.

Colossians 1:25-27

“²⁵ I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known, ²⁶ the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. ²⁷ God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Jesus is all these things, an exact image of the Father, The Creator, The Sustainer, The Reconciler, He Restores Us, and He Makes us Spotless.

Verse 27 tells us that If Christ is in us, If we have accepted Him as our Savior, we have Life, we have Glory, we have Hope.

Is Jesus bigger than your troubles? Without a doubt, the King of Kings is bigger than anything you are facing.

When life knocks you down, remember who Jesus is!

Now let’s take a look at some of the troubles we may face, keeping these verses in mind.

If we are having medical issues, Jesus is in control. If it is your back, cancer, or an upcoming surgery, Jesus created your body, He sustains your breath, He can take care of any medical issue that comes your way. He saw me through my brain surgery, and He will take care of your knee, back, or anything else that comes your way.

Are you worried about finding a job? Do you believe that Jesus is in control? He is! If he can restore your relationship with God the Father, He can restore your finances! Put your faith in Him!

Do you have housing issues? Well remember our Lord and Savior takes care of all of His creation. He will help you find exactly what you need.

We are told in these verses that we will struggle, life will not be easy. Jesus is not going to make life easy for us, He is not going to take away our struggles, what He is going to do is help us make it through them. He is bigger than anything we are facing. We need to depend on Him!

The real good news is that if we have a relationship with our Lord, we have Hope and will someday share in Christ’s glory. We will be able to spend eternity with Him in heaven!

What I want you to remember from this morning is simply this. When life knocks you down, remember who Jesus is!

No matter what obstacle, trouble, trial, or challenge you are facing, remember that Jesus is so much bigger than any of it. He is greater than anything you will face. If you depend on Jesus you will get through it!

God Bless,

Robert