1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,840 I'm going to go back to the 2 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:04,440 farm. All right good to see 3 00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:07,940 everybody here this morning 4 00:00:03,940 --> 00:00:08,540 we're going to continue. In our 5 00:00:04,540 --> 00:00:11,940 Colossian series and- I've been 6 00:00:08,040 --> 00:00:12,540 doing a lot of work around the 7 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:15,940 farm lately if you all driven 8 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:16,500 by you've probably seen me out 9 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:17,000 there working on the property 10 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:20,900 no one has stopped an offer to 11 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:21,500 help I've been noticing that 12 00:00:17,100 --> 00:00:22,040 but- but I'm putting up a new 13 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,040 dog fence and because we're 14 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,640 trying to give our dogs a bigger 15 00:00:22,140 --> 00:00:27,900 area to run around. And with the 16 00:00:24,140 --> 00:00:28,440 new dog fence I'm having to 17 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:33,380 build a new house and a new 18 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:33,880 house. And if you want to build 19 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:37,440 a new house like ours. You need 20 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:38,040 a shed. And not offense so- I've 21 00:00:33,980 --> 00:00:38,640 been working on this and- this 22 00:00:37,540 --> 00:00:39,240 is what it looked like we've 23 00:00:38,140 --> 00:00:42,840 got a couple pictures. All right 24 00:00:38,740 --> 00:00:43,440 if you can kind of see that 25 00:00:39,340 --> 00:00:44,040 that's the new shed. That I've 26 00:00:42,940 --> 00:00:44,640 built- and I've put some more 27 00:00:43,540 --> 00:00:45,440 stuff on it since then but 28 00:00:44,140 --> 00:00:49,440 but here's what I want you to 29 00:00:44,740 --> 00:00:50,140 see in this right. And I had 30 00:00:45,540 --> 00:00:54,440 this idea. That we should build 31 00:00:49,540 --> 00:00:55,040 the new dog shed and put it 32 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:58,340 directly up. To our garage to 33 00:00:58,340 --> 00:01:04,240 our house. And this is what I 34 00:00:58,940 --> 00:01:04,840 did now I want you to look at 35 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,440 this and I know it's kind of 36 00:01:04,340 --> 00:01:06,240 hard to see from that distance 37 00:01:04,940 --> 00:01:10,240 and here's the question I'm 38 00:01:05,540 --> 00:01:10,940 going to ask you. What do you 39 00:01:06,340 --> 00:01:18,340 think is the most important 40 00:01:10,340 --> 00:01:18,840 piece of wood. On that shed. 41 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:19,240 Take a take a second to look 42 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:19,840 what do you think is the most 43 00:01:18,940 --> 00:01:23,240 important piece of wood on that 44 00:01:19,340 --> 00:01:24,240 shed Greg Berryhill can answer 45 00:01:19,940 --> 00:01:25,240 for obvious reasons. Now look 46 00:01:23,340 --> 00:01:25,940 you might be looking at this 47 00:01:24,340 --> 00:01:26,740 and you might be tempted to 48 00:01:26,740 --> 00:01:29,840 think it's the rafters that go 49 00:01:27,340 --> 00:01:30,540 along the roof because 50 00:01:28,740 --> 00:01:31,240 ultimately that's what the 51 00:01:29,940 --> 00:01:32,740 sheet metal is going to go on 52 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:33,340 and that's going to hold up. 53 00:01:31,340 --> 00:01:36,740 The roof so. You might think 54 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:38,740 it's any one of those things 55 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:39,740 when in actuality next picture 56 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:42,740 Emily. It's that very back 57 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:43,240 piece of wood. Over there and I 58 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,740 know it might be kind of hard 59 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:44,740 for you to see. And you're 60 00:01:43,340 --> 00:01:45,340 looking at this picture like I 61 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:45,940 didn't even know there was a 62 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:49,740 piece of wood back there. But 63 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:50,740 there is a piece of wood that 64 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:51,740 you can see. And I'm going to 65 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:52,740 look at this picture and I'm 66 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,740 going to look at this picture 67 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:54,740 and I'm going to look at this 68 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,340 picture and I'm going to look 69 00:01:55,340 --> 00:01:58,240 at this picture and I'm going 70 00:01:55,940 --> 00:01:59,040 to look at this picture and I'm 71 00:01:56,940 --> 00:02:00,240 going to look at this picture 72 00:01:58,340 --> 00:02:01,240 and I'm going to look at this 73 00:01:59,140 --> 00:02:01,840 picture and I'm going to look 74 00:02:00,340 --> 00:02:05,240 back there. But there is in 75 00:02:01,340 --> 00:02:07,240 turns out this two by six 76 00:02:01,940 --> 00:02:08,240 along the back is the most 77 00:02:05,340 --> 00:02:09,240 important piece of wood on the 78 00:02:07,340 --> 00:02:11,240 entire project because this 79 00:02:08,340 --> 00:02:13,240 thing. Is screwed into the 80 00:02:09,340 --> 00:02:16,240 studs in the garage so it 81 00:02:11,340 --> 00:02:16,840 anchors down the entire 82 00:02:13,340 --> 00:02:17,340 project. And all of the wrapping 83 00:02:16,340 --> 00:02:19,240 for the project is going to be 84 00:02:16,940 --> 00:02:19,740 attached to that two by six and 85 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:21,240 all of the rafters that are 86 00:02:19,340 --> 00:02:23,240 going to hold up the roof are 87 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,740 going to be attached to the two 88 00:02:23,740 --> 00:02:29,640 by six. So the whole point is 89 00:02:25,740 --> 00:02:30,140 if you remove that two by six 90 00:02:26,740 --> 00:02:31,640 what do you think is going to 91 00:02:29,740 --> 00:02:33,640 happen to the shed? The whole 92 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:37,640 thing is going to fall apart. 93 00:02:31,740 --> 00:02:39,640 It looks very non impressive 94 00:02:33,740 --> 00:02:41,640 this very small thing and yet 95 00:02:37,740 --> 00:02:43,640 if you remove that piece of 96 00:02:39,740 --> 00:02:45,640 wood everything else falls 97 00:02:41,740 --> 00:02:47,640 apart. And what's interesting 98 00:02:43,740 --> 00:02:47,640 is as we come to this passage 99 00:02:45,740 --> 00:02:49,640 in Colossians Paul is going to 100 00:02:47,740 --> 00:02:51,640 emphasize to us just how 101 00:02:49,740 --> 00:02:53,640 central Jesus is to everything 102 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:57,540 that we do. And what Jesus is 103 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:59,540 to everything that we do. Who 104 00:02:55,640 --> 00:03:01,540 Jesus is and what he's done for 105 00:02:57,640 --> 00:03:03,540 us and let's be honest with 106 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:05,540 each other. It's pretty 107 00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:07,540 important that we get Jesus and 108 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:09,540 his identity right is it not. 109 00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:11,540 Because what you believe about 110 00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:13,540 Jesus is going to determine 111 00:03:09,640 --> 00:03:15,540 your entire faith. There are 112 00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:17,540 many people in our world today 113 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:19,540 who think Jesus is nothing more 114 00:03:15,640 --> 00:03:21,540 than a good moral teacher with 115 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:23,540 good moral lessons. Like the 116 00:03:23,540 --> 00:03:29,440 intellectual psychologist and 117 00:03:25,540 --> 00:03:31,440 he he goes around talking about 118 00:03:27,540 --> 00:03:32,440 the Bible but he's not actually 119 00:03:29,540 --> 00:03:33,440 a Christian. And so when he 120 00:03:31,540 --> 00:03:35,440 looks at the Bible what he 121 00:03:32,540 --> 00:03:37,440 sees is he sees Jesus as this 122 00:03:33,540 --> 00:03:39,440 archetype for humanity to live 123 00:03:35,540 --> 00:03:41,440 up to. And so he says basically 124 00:03:37,540 --> 00:03:43,440 if you will just try to live 125 00:03:39,540 --> 00:03:45,440 like Jesus and emulate Jesus in 126 00:03:41,540 --> 00:03:47,440 your life then you're going to 127 00:03:43,540 --> 00:03:49,440 be good with God. And so the 128 00:03:45,540 --> 00:03:50,440 problem is since he's not a 129 00:03:47,540 --> 00:03:51,440 Christian he doesn't actually 130 00:03:49,540 --> 00:03:53,440 submit to Jesus and he doesn't 131 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,340 have to be living on his day to 132 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:59,340 day life. There are other 133 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:01,340 people in our world today who 134 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:03,340 would say that Jesus was a 135 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:05,340 first century Jewish man who 136 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:07,340 lived a great life. But they 137 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:09,340 think that Jesus died in the 138 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:12,340 first century and then stayed 139 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:13,340 dead. And so Jesus has no 140 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:15,340 bearing on their lives today. 141 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:16,340 And then there are other 142 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:17,340 people. And I think a lot of 143 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:20,340 church people fall into this 144 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:21,340 category. There are many 145 00:04:21,340 --> 00:04:23,580 in times of trouble. 146 00:04:23,580 --> 00:04:25,740 They like the idea of Jesus, 147 00:04:25,740 --> 00:04:28,100 and they certainly want Jesus with them 148 00:04:28,100 --> 00:04:29,660 when things start to go south. 149 00:04:29,660 --> 00:04:31,340 When I'm starting to have problems, 150 00:04:31,340 --> 00:04:32,620 when life is getting hard, 151 00:04:32,620 --> 00:04:34,980 then that's when I want Jesus in my life. 152 00:04:34,980 --> 00:04:37,380 But if things are going okay, 153 00:04:37,380 --> 00:04:39,380 and there's not really any trouble, 154 00:04:39,380 --> 00:04:43,100 well, Jesus really has no place in their day-to-day life. 155 00:04:43,100 --> 00:04:47,180 And yet these verses tell us that Jesus is before all things, 156 00:04:47,180 --> 00:04:51,420 and Jesus is central to the continuation of all things. 157 00:04:51,420 --> 00:04:53,140 In fact, Paul's gonna say here 158 00:04:53,140 --> 00:04:56,340 that it is in Jesus that all things hold together. 159 00:04:56,340 --> 00:04:58,100 And so here's what he's saying in these verses, church. 160 00:04:58,100 --> 00:04:59,660 This is what I want you to understand. 161 00:04:59,660 --> 00:05:03,100 Everything falls apart without Jesus. 162 00:05:04,620 --> 00:05:09,220 Everything falls apart without Jesus. 163 00:05:10,300 --> 00:05:11,740 And I know that pretty much every one of you 164 00:05:11,740 --> 00:05:13,180 would agree with that statement this morning. 165 00:05:13,180 --> 00:05:14,180 Amen. 166 00:05:14,180 --> 00:05:15,260 Yeah, we could talk back. 167 00:05:15,260 --> 00:05:16,300 Yeah, amen. 168 00:05:16,300 --> 00:05:18,180 Everything falls apart without Jesus. 169 00:05:18,180 --> 00:05:19,860 So everybody says yes, 170 00:05:21,220 --> 00:05:23,020 but the question is, 171 00:05:23,020 --> 00:05:26,660 I wonder if you're actually living by this. 172 00:05:26,660 --> 00:05:28,660 I wonder if you can honestly say this morning 173 00:05:28,660 --> 00:05:32,660 that Jesus is foremost in your life, 174 00:05:32,660 --> 00:05:36,860 and that Jesus is central to everything in your life. 175 00:05:36,860 --> 00:05:38,060 And so what I wanna do this morning 176 00:05:38,060 --> 00:05:39,180 as we go through these verses, 177 00:05:39,180 --> 00:05:42,020 I wanna show you just how true it is 178 00:05:42,020 --> 00:05:44,740 that everything falls apart without Jesus. 179 00:05:44,740 --> 00:05:47,340 Now, notice what Paul says there in verse 15. 180 00:05:48,740 --> 00:05:53,540 Paul says, he is the image of the invisible God, 181 00:05:53,540 --> 00:05:57,500 the firstborn of all creation. 182 00:05:57,500 --> 00:06:00,380 When Paul says this word here, image, in the Greek, 183 00:06:00,380 --> 00:06:02,660 he's using the Greek word icon. 184 00:06:02,660 --> 00:06:04,860 And I don't know any Greek scholars here this morning. 185 00:06:04,860 --> 00:06:06,180 Maybe you can't tell, 186 00:06:06,180 --> 00:06:08,380 but this is actually where we get our English word. 187 00:06:08,380 --> 00:06:10,140 You wanna guess? 188 00:06:10,140 --> 00:06:11,460 Icon, yeah, there we go. 189 00:06:11,460 --> 00:06:12,740 Good job, guys. 190 00:06:12,740 --> 00:06:14,260 So he uses the Greek word icon, 191 00:06:14,260 --> 00:06:16,460 that was where we get the English word icon. 192 00:06:16,460 --> 00:06:18,700 And it just referred to a picture 193 00:06:18,700 --> 00:06:22,180 that represented someone's likeness, okay? 194 00:06:22,180 --> 00:06:23,700 But here's what we need to understand. 195 00:06:23,700 --> 00:06:26,780 When Paul says that Jesus is the image 196 00:06:26,780 --> 00:06:29,660 or the icon of the invisible God, 197 00:06:29,660 --> 00:06:31,860 he does not mean that Jesus is simply 198 00:06:31,860 --> 00:06:35,660 a physical image of an invisible God. 199 00:06:35,660 --> 00:06:37,940 Rather, what Paul is saying here 200 00:06:37,940 --> 00:06:41,780 is that the very being and nature of God 201 00:06:41,780 --> 00:06:46,780 are perfectly made manifest in the person of Jesus. 202 00:06:47,860 --> 00:06:52,100 The way I like to say it is that all that God is, Jesus is. 203 00:06:52,100 --> 00:06:56,380 And all that can be known about God 204 00:06:56,380 --> 00:07:01,380 is perfectly revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. 205 00:07:01,460 --> 00:07:04,140 And he describes him not only as the icon, 206 00:07:04,140 --> 00:07:09,060 but he describes him as the firstborn of God's creation. 207 00:07:09,060 --> 00:07:11,860 Now, this is where we get problems, all right? 208 00:07:11,860 --> 00:07:13,420 A lot of people have misunderstood 209 00:07:13,420 --> 00:07:17,820 and misinterpreted this verse and verses like it. 210 00:07:17,820 --> 00:07:19,220 Because there are many people today 211 00:07:19,220 --> 00:07:20,660 like the Jehovah's Witnesses, 212 00:07:20,660 --> 00:07:22,980 my favorite group to witness to. 213 00:07:22,980 --> 00:07:26,340 They will believe based on verses like this, 214 00:07:26,340 --> 00:07:29,500 that Jesus is a created being. 215 00:07:29,500 --> 00:07:31,460 I actually, how did Jehovah's Witness say to me 216 00:07:31,460 --> 00:07:33,100 on my porch, I said, hey, let's talk scripture. 217 00:07:33,100 --> 00:07:33,980 I was like, I'd love to. 218 00:07:33,980 --> 00:07:35,940 They said Colossians 1.15. 219 00:07:35,940 --> 00:07:38,380 The Bible says that Jesus is the firstborn 220 00:07:38,380 --> 00:07:39,500 of God's creation. 221 00:07:39,500 --> 00:07:42,980 Therefore, it means that God created Jesus first 222 00:07:42,980 --> 00:07:46,380 and then Jesus created everything else. 223 00:07:46,380 --> 00:07:48,820 And they think it's plain as day. 224 00:07:48,820 --> 00:07:52,380 But the problem is, this is not a description 225 00:07:52,380 --> 00:07:54,500 of the order of creation. 226 00:07:54,500 --> 00:07:58,060 When Paul uses the word firstborn here, 227 00:07:58,060 --> 00:08:00,940 it's referring to a title. 228 00:08:00,940 --> 00:08:03,420 We know that it cannot be a literal description 229 00:08:03,420 --> 00:08:05,540 of something that happened in a sequential order 230 00:08:05,540 --> 00:08:07,880 because think about it like this. 231 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:10,380 A few verses later, Paul is gonna say 232 00:08:10,380 --> 00:08:15,180 that Jesus is the firstborn of the dead. 233 00:08:15,180 --> 00:08:19,100 Now, if we're gonna interpret those the same way, 234 00:08:19,100 --> 00:08:20,960 and we're saying that firstborn of creation 235 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,140 means this is chronologically how it happened, 236 00:08:23,140 --> 00:08:24,720 Jesus first and everything else, 237 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:26,620 we have to apply that to firstborn of the dead, 238 00:08:26,620 --> 00:08:28,460 meaning Jesus first and everything else. 239 00:08:28,460 --> 00:08:30,220 But here's the problem. 240 00:08:30,220 --> 00:08:32,460 Was Jesus the first person in the world, 241 00:08:32,460 --> 00:08:35,940 according to scripture, to die and be brought back to life? 242 00:08:35,940 --> 00:08:37,140 No. 243 00:08:37,140 --> 00:08:40,740 In fact, I believe that was the widow's son at Zerapheth. 244 00:08:40,740 --> 00:08:44,060 So this is not trying to describe chronological events 245 00:08:44,060 --> 00:08:46,220 or sequential events or anything like that. 246 00:08:46,220 --> 00:08:48,860 This is a title. 247 00:08:48,860 --> 00:08:51,540 You have to keep in mind the cultural context. 248 00:08:51,540 --> 00:08:56,540 So in the first century, the firstborn was entitled 249 00:08:57,060 --> 00:08:59,020 to two thirds of the inheritance. 250 00:08:59,020 --> 00:09:01,340 Like today, when we have kids, 251 00:09:01,340 --> 00:09:04,260 we tend to divide our inheritance up equally, right? 252 00:09:04,260 --> 00:09:08,900 So when Anna and I die, we will divide our inheritance. 253 00:09:08,900 --> 00:09:11,100 If there is any whatsoever, 254 00:09:11,100 --> 00:09:13,660 I've got a couple of Bibles I can give away. 255 00:09:13,660 --> 00:09:16,500 So Judah and Ezra both get a Bible, 256 00:09:16,500 --> 00:09:19,700 but we'll divide those Bibles up equally among our children. 257 00:09:19,700 --> 00:09:21,900 But it didn't work like that in the ancient world. 258 00:09:21,900 --> 00:09:25,180 In the ancient world, the firstborn son was entitled 259 00:09:25,180 --> 00:09:29,060 to a greater portion of the inheritance, typically two thirds. 260 00:09:29,060 --> 00:09:31,700 And so by saying firstborn of creation, 261 00:09:31,700 --> 00:09:36,220 Paul is saying that Jesus has the claim to creation. 262 00:09:36,220 --> 00:09:39,140 It is his, it is his by inheritance, 263 00:09:39,140 --> 00:09:41,820 which is exactly what the author of Hebrews says 264 00:09:41,820 --> 00:09:43,660 in Hebrews one, two. 265 00:09:43,660 --> 00:09:46,020 He says, but in these last days, 266 00:09:46,020 --> 00:09:48,180 he has spoken to us by his son, 267 00:09:48,180 --> 00:09:51,020 whom he appointed the what church? 268 00:09:51,020 --> 00:09:56,020 Air of all things through whom also he created the world. 269 00:09:56,020 --> 00:09:58,020 So why is Jesus the air of all things? 270 00:09:58,020 --> 00:09:59,980 Because he's the firstborn of creation. 271 00:09:59,980 --> 00:10:03,660 He is the one who is entitled to this inheritance 272 00:10:03,660 --> 00:10:07,260 because he has preeminence in creation. 273 00:10:07,260 --> 00:10:10,100 Firstborn also communicates authority. 274 00:10:10,100 --> 00:10:11,100 In the ancient world, 275 00:10:11,100 --> 00:10:14,660 if parents were unable to take care of themselves, 276 00:10:14,660 --> 00:10:17,100 if they can no longer financially provide for themselves 277 00:10:17,100 --> 00:10:19,180 or take care of their property, 278 00:10:19,180 --> 00:10:23,380 that responsibility fell to the firstborn son. 279 00:10:23,380 --> 00:10:25,340 He became the man of the house 280 00:10:25,340 --> 00:10:28,420 and he assumed authority within that family. 281 00:10:28,420 --> 00:10:30,620 And Paul is saying the same thing about Jesus here. 282 00:10:30,620 --> 00:10:33,820 When he calls Jesus the firstborn of all creation, 283 00:10:33,820 --> 00:10:37,460 he is saying Jesus is the air of all things 284 00:10:37,460 --> 00:10:41,460 and Jesus has authority over all things 285 00:10:41,460 --> 00:10:43,580 because he is the preeminent one, 286 00:10:43,580 --> 00:10:45,500 which is why he continues in verse 16. 287 00:10:45,500 --> 00:10:47,060 Look at it with me. 288 00:10:47,060 --> 00:10:52,060 Verse 16, for by him all things were created 289 00:10:53,660 --> 00:10:56,580 in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, 290 00:10:56,580 --> 00:10:59,140 whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, 291 00:10:59,140 --> 00:11:02,140 all things were created through him and for him. 292 00:11:03,260 --> 00:11:06,500 Now, who's ready for a science lesson? 293 00:11:09,020 --> 00:11:09,940 Well, we'll skip that part. 294 00:11:09,940 --> 00:11:10,780 No, are you kidding me? 295 00:11:10,780 --> 00:11:12,380 I'm not skipping that. 296 00:11:12,380 --> 00:11:14,660 I know you didn't come looking for a science lesson, 297 00:11:14,660 --> 00:11:16,580 but it is important for us to have one 298 00:11:16,580 --> 00:11:18,300 because here's what I think, right? 299 00:11:18,300 --> 00:11:21,260 It's easy for us to go outside and marvel 300 00:11:21,260 --> 00:11:24,620 at the wonders of what God's created, amen? 301 00:11:24,620 --> 00:11:26,540 It's very easy with certain things. 302 00:11:26,540 --> 00:11:30,340 When you see a beautiful day and you marvel at the sky 303 00:11:30,340 --> 00:11:32,100 or you go to the mountains and you marvel 304 00:11:32,100 --> 00:11:35,180 at the beauty of the mountains or you go to the Grand Canyon, 305 00:11:35,180 --> 00:11:37,420 there's so many easy places to just go 306 00:11:37,420 --> 00:11:40,740 and look at what God's created and be amazed by it, 307 00:11:40,740 --> 00:11:43,500 but it's another thing entirely 308 00:11:43,500 --> 00:11:46,380 to actually get into the details of God's creation 309 00:11:46,380 --> 00:11:50,260 and marvel at the hand of God at work. 310 00:11:50,260 --> 00:11:52,500 All right, so let's have a little bit of a science lesson. 311 00:11:52,500 --> 00:11:53,740 Here's a picture for you. 312 00:11:53,740 --> 00:11:58,740 Now, this is a picture of Earth's orbit around the sun, okay? 313 00:11:58,940 --> 00:12:00,180 We got it here, yeah? 314 00:12:00,180 --> 00:12:02,100 All right, so everybody pretty much knows this. 315 00:12:02,100 --> 00:12:05,620 This is the orbital path of the Earth around the sun. 316 00:12:05,620 --> 00:12:07,620 Kind of looks like an oval. 317 00:12:07,620 --> 00:12:09,140 Now, here's what you might not know. 318 00:12:09,140 --> 00:12:11,420 As the Earth orbits around the sun, 319 00:12:11,420 --> 00:12:16,140 it veers from a straight line one ninth of an inch 320 00:12:16,140 --> 00:12:18,060 every 18 miles, all right? 321 00:12:18,060 --> 00:12:23,060 We got that one ninth of an inch every 18 miles. 322 00:12:23,060 --> 00:12:24,660 Here's the fun fact for you. 323 00:12:24,660 --> 00:12:27,540 Did you know that if the Earth were to veer 324 00:12:27,540 --> 00:12:31,540 by one tenth of an inch, 325 00:12:31,540 --> 00:12:34,700 Earth's orbital path would become so large 326 00:12:34,700 --> 00:12:38,180 that the temperatures on our planet would drop so drastically 327 00:12:38,180 --> 00:12:40,780 that life on this Earth would not be possible? 328 00:12:41,740 --> 00:12:43,140 Well, here's the other fun fact too. 329 00:12:43,140 --> 00:12:45,900 If the Earth only veered one eighth of an inch 330 00:12:45,900 --> 00:12:48,020 as opposed to one ninth of an inch, 331 00:12:48,020 --> 00:12:50,740 our orbital path would decrease so much 332 00:12:50,740 --> 00:12:53,340 that the temperatures would rise to a degree 333 00:12:53,340 --> 00:12:57,500 that would make life impossible here on Earth. 334 00:12:57,500 --> 00:12:58,780 So here's what that means. 335 00:12:58,780 --> 00:13:04,780 It means that if Earth's orbit was off by one tenth of an inch 336 00:13:04,860 --> 00:13:08,660 in either direction, none of this is possible. 337 00:13:09,860 --> 00:13:12,220 One tenth of an inch, folks. 338 00:13:12,220 --> 00:13:16,220 And all the atheists say, praise evolution. 339 00:13:16,220 --> 00:13:19,460 Aren't we so happy evolution got this right? 340 00:13:19,460 --> 00:13:22,940 By sheer happen chance and by an unguided, 341 00:13:22,940 --> 00:13:25,900 totally random process, we ended up 342 00:13:25,900 --> 00:13:27,380 with this level of precision. 343 00:13:27,380 --> 00:13:28,900 And yet as a Christian, we look at this 344 00:13:28,900 --> 00:13:31,660 and we say praise the sovereign Lord Jesus Christ 345 00:13:31,660 --> 00:13:34,300 who upholds all things by his sovereign hand. 346 00:13:34,300 --> 00:13:35,620 Amen? 347 00:13:35,620 --> 00:13:38,060 You understand, that's how close we are to not exist 348 00:13:38,060 --> 00:13:40,460 in his one tenth of an inch in either direction. 349 00:13:41,700 --> 00:13:42,660 But let's just keep going 350 00:13:42,660 --> 00:13:44,740 because we can dig into this further. 351 00:13:44,740 --> 00:13:46,140 What is it that keeps us in orbit? 352 00:13:46,140 --> 00:13:47,660 It's gravity, right? 353 00:13:47,660 --> 00:13:49,660 Everybody knows this. 354 00:13:49,660 --> 00:13:52,060 You might not know if the gravitational force 355 00:13:52,060 --> 00:13:56,260 were altered by one part in 10 to the 40th power. 356 00:13:56,260 --> 00:13:59,260 That's 10 with 40 zeros after it. 357 00:13:59,260 --> 00:14:01,140 The sun would not exist 358 00:14:01,140 --> 00:14:03,460 and the moon would either crash into the Earth 359 00:14:03,460 --> 00:14:07,940 or drift away into space if it was altered by that much. 360 00:14:07,940 --> 00:14:09,460 Even our place in the cosmos 361 00:14:09,460 --> 00:14:12,420 is according to God's sovereign will. 362 00:14:12,420 --> 00:14:14,660 Our place here on Earth in the cosmos 363 00:14:14,660 --> 00:14:18,540 has sometimes been referred to as the Goldilocks zone. 364 00:14:18,540 --> 00:14:19,860 Why is it called the Goldilocks zone? 365 00:14:19,860 --> 00:14:21,980 Well, you remember the story of the three bears, right? 366 00:14:21,980 --> 00:14:24,700 This bed is too hard, this bed is too soft, 367 00:14:24,700 --> 00:14:26,180 but this bed is what? 368 00:14:26,180 --> 00:14:27,060 Just try. 369 00:14:27,060 --> 00:14:29,700 Yeah, so Goldilocks zone means that we are living 370 00:14:29,700 --> 00:14:34,020 in the just right zone for life to be possible. 371 00:14:34,020 --> 00:14:35,860 If we were any further away from the sun 372 00:14:35,860 --> 00:14:40,140 or any closer to the sun, life would not be possible. 373 00:14:40,140 --> 00:14:42,180 And a lot of our place in the cosmos 374 00:14:42,180 --> 00:14:43,460 is called the Goldilocks zone 375 00:14:43,460 --> 00:14:45,620 because of my favorite planet 376 00:14:45,620 --> 00:14:48,500 and it should be yours too, the planet Jupiter. 377 00:14:48,500 --> 00:14:51,780 Here's what we look like compared to Jupiter, by the way. 378 00:14:51,780 --> 00:14:54,220 That is us in that little spot there. 379 00:14:54,220 --> 00:14:55,260 That's the Earth. 380 00:14:55,260 --> 00:14:56,940 So this is the Earth compared to Jupiter. 381 00:14:56,940 --> 00:15:00,300 And every Christian should wake up every single day 382 00:15:00,300 --> 00:15:01,940 and start your morning by saying, 383 00:15:01,940 --> 00:15:04,060 thank you, God, for allowing me to wake up 384 00:15:04,060 --> 00:15:06,060 and also thank you, God, for Jupiter. 385 00:15:06,060 --> 00:15:07,700 It's the best, okay? 386 00:15:07,700 --> 00:15:09,620 Because here's what happened. 387 00:15:09,620 --> 00:15:13,380 God specifically put Jupiter exactly where it's at 388 00:15:13,380 --> 00:15:15,820 to act as a giant space vacuum. 389 00:15:15,820 --> 00:15:19,020 Basically, if Jupiter was not exactly where it's at, 390 00:15:19,020 --> 00:15:21,180 the Earth would be constantly bombarded 391 00:15:21,180 --> 00:15:22,980 with asteroids and meteors 392 00:15:22,980 --> 00:15:26,340 that are, they are on a direct path to hit us. 393 00:15:26,340 --> 00:15:29,980 But because Jupiter's gravitational force is so large, 394 00:15:29,980 --> 00:15:33,100 it pulls everything that would hit us in 395 00:15:33,100 --> 00:15:35,780 and it gets hit on Jupiter rather than us. 396 00:15:35,780 --> 00:15:39,500 So if Jupiter were to go away and not exist anymore, 397 00:15:39,500 --> 00:15:41,580 we wouldn't exist either. 398 00:15:41,580 --> 00:15:44,260 So get a shirt that says, thank God for Jupiter. 399 00:15:44,260 --> 00:15:46,820 Now, you look at Jupiter, 400 00:15:46,820 --> 00:15:49,140 you might think that Jupiter is pretty big 401 00:15:49,140 --> 00:15:51,660 and you'd be right, but this is what Jupiter looks like 402 00:15:51,660 --> 00:15:52,900 compared to our Sun. 403 00:15:52,900 --> 00:15:55,180 So that little tiny white dot is us 404 00:15:55,180 --> 00:15:58,900 and then there's Jupiter and then there's our Sun. 405 00:15:58,900 --> 00:16:00,420 And if you think our Sun is big, 406 00:16:00,420 --> 00:16:04,060 well, here is our Sun compared to some of the biggest stars 407 00:16:04,060 --> 00:16:06,860 that we know of in the galaxy. 408 00:16:06,860 --> 00:16:09,660 Our Sun is the smallest dot that you can't even see, 409 00:16:09,660 --> 00:16:10,620 by the way. 410 00:16:10,620 --> 00:16:12,420 And see, these are some of the other big ones. 411 00:16:12,420 --> 00:16:14,660 Yes, that red one is named Beetlejuice. 412 00:16:14,660 --> 00:16:17,380 You can do with that information what you will. 413 00:16:17,380 --> 00:16:19,020 But these are some of the biggest stars. 414 00:16:19,020 --> 00:16:20,260 And if you think that is big, 415 00:16:20,260 --> 00:16:23,940 well, here's a picture of our galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy. 416 00:16:23,940 --> 00:16:26,340 There's a red dot there that says you're here. 417 00:16:26,340 --> 00:16:28,500 So this is our whole galaxy and there you are 418 00:16:28,500 --> 00:16:30,580 with all your problems that you think are so big 419 00:16:30,580 --> 00:16:31,660 and bad in this world. 420 00:16:31,660 --> 00:16:34,340 That's us in the grand scheme of everything. 421 00:16:34,340 --> 00:16:36,220 And if you think that is big, 422 00:16:36,220 --> 00:16:37,460 look at this picture, 423 00:16:37,460 --> 00:16:39,780 which isn't a picture of some pretty stars. 424 00:16:39,780 --> 00:16:44,780 This is actually a picture of 15,000 galaxies in one picture. 425 00:16:46,100 --> 00:16:48,740 Not stars, not planets, 426 00:16:48,740 --> 00:16:53,740 15,000 galaxies in one picture. 427 00:16:54,020 --> 00:16:56,900 And so you look at these things in creation 428 00:16:56,900 --> 00:17:01,900 and you ask yourself, why is the Earth tilted just right? 429 00:17:02,340 --> 00:17:04,900 Why is gravity exactly right? 430 00:17:04,900 --> 00:17:09,380 Why is Earth's orbital path so extremely precise 431 00:17:09,380 --> 00:17:11,460 that if we were all by a tenth of an inch 432 00:17:11,460 --> 00:17:13,740 in either direction, none of this happens. 433 00:17:13,740 --> 00:17:16,380 Why is Jupiter so specifically located? 434 00:17:16,380 --> 00:17:19,100 Why are all these things that seem to be balanced 435 00:17:19,100 --> 00:17:22,380 on a razor's edge able to keep that balance? 436 00:17:22,380 --> 00:17:24,860 And Paul's answer here is very simple. 437 00:17:24,860 --> 00:17:27,620 It's because Jesus created all things 438 00:17:27,620 --> 00:17:32,620 and Jesus sovereignly upholds all things. 439 00:17:32,620 --> 00:17:36,300 He is the one who allows them to continue. 440 00:17:36,300 --> 00:17:39,500 The reason that everything continues to function 441 00:17:39,500 --> 00:17:41,780 as God created it to function 442 00:17:41,780 --> 00:17:44,660 is because of the sovereign hand of Jesus 443 00:17:44,660 --> 00:17:48,460 sovereignly holding all things together, amen. 444 00:17:50,380 --> 00:17:52,060 But one common atheist rebuttal 445 00:17:52,060 --> 00:17:55,340 that I've been hearing more and more in recent years 446 00:17:55,340 --> 00:17:59,340 is, well, what's up with all the wasted space? 447 00:18:00,540 --> 00:18:01,740 I don't know if you've encountered this yet. 448 00:18:01,740 --> 00:18:03,860 I had this conversation with a guy I used to work with 449 00:18:03,860 --> 00:18:07,180 at Lowe's because we were talking about the creation question 450 00:18:07,180 --> 00:18:10,660 one day at Lowe's and he said to me, 451 00:18:10,660 --> 00:18:14,700 if God created everything, why did he waste so much space? 452 00:18:14,700 --> 00:18:15,860 And I had never heard this before. 453 00:18:15,860 --> 00:18:19,140 So I was like, what do you mean waste so much space? 454 00:18:19,140 --> 00:18:22,220 And he said to me, well, Earth is the only place 455 00:18:22,220 --> 00:18:24,060 we know of that is livable. 456 00:18:24,060 --> 00:18:25,940 And we know of all these other galaxies 457 00:18:25,940 --> 00:18:28,140 and we know that everything is still expanding. 458 00:18:28,140 --> 00:18:30,540 So if all of this is for humanity, 459 00:18:30,540 --> 00:18:32,980 why is so much of it unusable? 460 00:18:33,860 --> 00:18:36,700 And I said, well, there's your problem right there. 461 00:18:36,700 --> 00:18:38,260 This isn't all for humanity. 462 00:18:39,420 --> 00:18:40,380 It's for God. 463 00:18:42,100 --> 00:18:47,100 Because you see, if the cosmos was created for us, 464 00:18:48,140 --> 00:18:50,020 then yeah, there's a whole lot of wasted space 465 00:18:50,020 --> 00:18:51,660 that we can't do anything with. 466 00:18:52,860 --> 00:18:57,860 But if the cosmos was created by God for God, 467 00:18:57,860 --> 00:19:02,380 then even the vastness of the cosmos is nothing 468 00:19:02,380 --> 00:19:04,900 but a mere drop in the ocean 469 00:19:04,900 --> 00:19:07,580 when compared to an infinite God. 470 00:19:09,100 --> 00:19:10,980 And so this isn't for us. 471 00:19:10,980 --> 00:19:13,380 It is for God. 472 00:19:13,380 --> 00:19:15,860 All things were created for him. 473 00:19:15,860 --> 00:19:18,900 And notice this phrase, all things in the Greek, 474 00:19:18,900 --> 00:19:21,060 it means all things. 475 00:19:21,060 --> 00:19:23,060 And you know what that means church? 476 00:19:23,060 --> 00:19:26,820 It means that you're included in that. 477 00:19:28,100 --> 00:19:32,340 If God created all things for him 478 00:19:32,340 --> 00:19:35,340 and God created you, well, what does that mean about you? 479 00:19:36,300 --> 00:19:37,940 It means you were created for God. 480 00:19:39,300 --> 00:19:40,140 Here's what I would say. 481 00:19:40,140 --> 00:19:44,460 I would say you were specially made by Jesus 482 00:19:44,460 --> 00:19:48,140 and you were especially made for Jesus. 483 00:19:48,140 --> 00:19:51,300 Here's what you have to understand, folks. 484 00:19:51,300 --> 00:19:53,940 It's easy to look at the Grand Canyon 485 00:19:53,940 --> 00:19:56,980 and marvel at the wonders of God. 486 00:19:56,980 --> 00:20:00,980 It's easy to go to various places on this earth 487 00:20:00,980 --> 00:20:04,540 and see the hand of God at work and marvel at it. 488 00:20:04,540 --> 00:20:06,420 And yet when you look in scripture, 489 00:20:06,420 --> 00:20:08,220 the Bible tells us that the cross 490 00:20:08,220 --> 00:20:10,220 is the cross that is the cross. 491 00:20:10,220 --> 00:20:12,220 And you know, the cross is the cross 492 00:20:12,220 --> 00:20:14,220 that is the cross that is the cross. 493 00:20:14,220 --> 00:20:16,220 And you know, the cross is the cross 494 00:20:16,220 --> 00:20:18,500 that is the cross that is the cross. 495 00:20:18,500 --> 00:20:20,300 And if you look in scripture, 496 00:20:20,300 --> 00:20:23,100 the Bible tells us that the crowning jewel 497 00:20:23,100 --> 00:20:27,340 of God's creation is humanity, 498 00:20:27,340 --> 00:20:29,260 not the Grand Canyon, 499 00:20:29,260 --> 00:20:32,820 not Mount Kilimanjaro or anything else. 500 00:20:32,820 --> 00:20:35,500 The Bible tells us that humanity 501 00:20:35,500 --> 00:20:37,700 is the crowning jewel of God's creation 502 00:20:37,700 --> 00:20:42,700 because only mankind was made in the image of God. 503 00:20:42,700 --> 00:20:46,140 Of all the wonderful things God created, 504 00:20:46,140 --> 00:20:47,060 in His image. 505 00:20:47,060 --> 00:20:51,060 And so you were specially made by Jesus 506 00:20:51,060 --> 00:20:53,660 and you were especially made for Jesus. 507 00:20:53,660 --> 00:20:55,020 And what that means, church, 508 00:20:55,020 --> 00:20:58,140 is that you exist for Jesus. 509 00:20:58,140 --> 00:21:01,140 You do not exist for your spouse. 510 00:21:01,140 --> 00:21:03,620 You do not exist for your children. 511 00:21:03,620 --> 00:21:05,340 You do not exist for your job 512 00:21:05,340 --> 00:21:08,140 and you do not exist for yourself. 513 00:21:08,140 --> 00:21:11,300 You were made by Jesus for Jesus. 514 00:21:11,300 --> 00:21:13,780 And the Bible even says in Psalm 19-1, 515 00:21:13,780 --> 00:21:16,700 the heavens declare the glory of God 516 00:21:16,700 --> 00:21:19,780 and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. 517 00:21:19,780 --> 00:21:21,260 Here's my question to you, church. 518 00:21:21,260 --> 00:21:23,940 If that's true of the cosmos, 519 00:21:25,300 --> 00:21:27,980 how much more true should it be of those made 520 00:21:27,980 --> 00:21:29,140 in the image of God? 521 00:21:30,900 --> 00:21:33,020 How much more should our lives resound 522 00:21:33,020 --> 00:21:35,020 the greatness and the majesty of God? 523 00:21:35,020 --> 00:21:37,700 How much more should our lives speak 524 00:21:37,700 --> 00:21:41,140 of His greatness and His preeminence? 525 00:21:41,140 --> 00:21:42,380 And maybe you say, well, pastor, 526 00:21:42,380 --> 00:21:44,820 I don't know how on earth I could do that. 527 00:21:44,820 --> 00:21:46,460 My life is falling apart right now. 528 00:21:46,460 --> 00:21:48,700 So how could I possibly testify 529 00:21:48,700 --> 00:21:49,860 to the greatness of Jesus? 530 00:21:49,860 --> 00:21:51,220 We'll look at verse 17. 531 00:21:52,660 --> 00:21:54,620 Verse 17, the Bible says, 532 00:21:54,620 --> 00:21:58,340 and He is before all things 533 00:21:59,460 --> 00:22:04,180 and in Him all things hold together. 534 00:22:04,180 --> 00:22:07,820 You wanna know why so many relationships fall apart 535 00:22:07,820 --> 00:22:10,300 and why more than half of the marriages 536 00:22:10,300 --> 00:22:12,780 in the United States end in divorce? 537 00:22:13,900 --> 00:22:14,980 It's very simple. 538 00:22:16,380 --> 00:22:19,220 It's because Jesus is not at the center 539 00:22:19,220 --> 00:22:20,380 of the relationship. 540 00:22:21,820 --> 00:22:25,820 I've seen so many couples who are doing everything they can 541 00:22:25,820 --> 00:22:28,180 to keep the relationship going. 542 00:22:28,180 --> 00:22:30,620 I've seen them go through this cycle of they break up, 543 00:22:30,620 --> 00:22:32,380 get back together, break up, get back together, 544 00:22:32,380 --> 00:22:33,420 break up, get back together. 545 00:22:33,420 --> 00:22:35,700 And they just keep doing this in an endless cycle 546 00:22:35,700 --> 00:22:39,860 and every single time they convince themselves 547 00:22:39,860 --> 00:22:41,820 it's gonna work this time. 548 00:22:41,820 --> 00:22:43,060 I can make it work this time. 549 00:22:43,060 --> 00:22:43,980 I can change. 550 00:22:43,980 --> 00:22:44,820 He can change. 551 00:22:44,820 --> 00:22:45,660 She can change. 552 00:22:45,660 --> 00:22:47,460 We're gonna make it work. 553 00:22:48,380 --> 00:22:50,660 But I want you to listen to me say this as your pastor. 554 00:22:50,660 --> 00:22:55,060 The Bible never says you hold all things together. 555 00:22:56,700 --> 00:22:58,980 You may even love your partner, your boyfriend, 556 00:22:58,980 --> 00:23:00,220 your girlfriend, your spouse, 557 00:23:00,220 --> 00:23:03,100 but love will not hold your relationship together. 558 00:23:03,100 --> 00:23:10,100 The Bible tells us here in Jesus all things hold together. 559 00:23:10,780 --> 00:23:12,820 And so if you're taking it upon yourself 560 00:23:12,820 --> 00:23:14,460 to hold your relationship together, 561 00:23:14,460 --> 00:23:15,620 listen to me church, 562 00:23:15,620 --> 00:23:18,140 you were doing a job that was never meant for you. 563 00:23:19,260 --> 00:23:21,660 And you were going to continue to experience 564 00:23:21,660 --> 00:23:23,660 the breakdown of your relationship 565 00:23:23,660 --> 00:23:26,180 until you start putting Jesus at the center 566 00:23:26,180 --> 00:23:27,940 of your relationship. 567 00:23:27,940 --> 00:23:31,500 Because he's the one who holds all things together. 568 00:23:31,500 --> 00:23:35,060 I've seen it happen with people's spiritual lives too. 569 00:23:35,060 --> 00:23:36,700 There might be some people in here this morning 570 00:23:36,700 --> 00:23:38,340 and you feel like your life, 571 00:23:38,340 --> 00:23:40,460 your spiritual life has fallen apart. 572 00:23:41,460 --> 00:23:43,540 Maybe you feel distant from the Lord this morning 573 00:23:43,540 --> 00:23:45,660 and you feel spiritually empty. 574 00:23:46,940 --> 00:23:48,460 I heard someone say recently, 575 00:23:48,460 --> 00:23:51,420 if you take Christ out of Christianity 576 00:23:51,420 --> 00:23:53,860 or if you take Christ out of Christian, 577 00:23:54,780 --> 00:23:56,260 all you're left with is Ian. 578 00:23:56,260 --> 00:24:00,540 And I don't know who Ian is, but he can't save you. 579 00:24:00,540 --> 00:24:03,500 Now they said that kind of tongue in cheek, 580 00:24:03,500 --> 00:24:05,460 but the point that he was making 581 00:24:05,460 --> 00:24:08,180 is that this is what so many Christians are doing. 582 00:24:08,180 --> 00:24:11,780 We're taking Christ out of our faith 583 00:24:11,780 --> 00:24:13,740 and we're turning our entire faith 584 00:24:13,740 --> 00:24:16,860 into a series of activities and things to do 585 00:24:16,860 --> 00:24:20,180 rather than seeing our faith as a relationship 586 00:24:20,180 --> 00:24:21,700 with a living savior. 587 00:24:21,700 --> 00:24:24,660 And so if you ever divorce your faith 588 00:24:24,660 --> 00:24:26,500 from the person of Jesus Christ, 589 00:24:26,500 --> 00:24:28,740 you're gonna start running rampant like this 590 00:24:28,740 --> 00:24:30,820 and your whole life is gonna go downhill 591 00:24:30,820 --> 00:24:33,020 because your spiritual faith is not dependent 592 00:24:33,020 --> 00:24:35,100 upon your ability to keep it going. 593 00:24:35,100 --> 00:24:39,220 It's dependent upon the one who holds all things together. 594 00:24:39,220 --> 00:24:43,020 You cannot take Christ out of Christianity. 595 00:24:43,020 --> 00:24:45,060 The point I want you to understand this morning is 596 00:24:45,060 --> 00:24:47,540 if Jesus is not foremost in your life, 597 00:24:47,540 --> 00:24:50,960 your life will slowly start to fall apart. 598 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:55,500 And there's a really good way to test this this morning. 599 00:24:55,500 --> 00:24:56,820 Here's what I want you to do. 600 00:24:56,820 --> 00:24:59,240 I want you to think about your life. 601 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:01,160 I want you to think about the weakest areas 602 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:02,000 of your life right now. 603 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,160 The ones that you feel are falling apart. 604 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:08,220 And I'm willing to guess that the weakest areas 605 00:25:08,220 --> 00:25:11,060 of your life right now, the areas where you feel 606 00:25:11,060 --> 00:25:12,840 are falling apart, 607 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:15,800 is where you're gonna have to move. 608 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,700 And that's not going to be the case. 609 00:25:18,700 --> 00:25:22,040 Now the areas where you feel are falling apart 610 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:24,440 and out of your control, I'm willing to guess 611 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,160 those are the ones where you have not yet 612 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:27,740 made Jesus preeminent. 613 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:32,960 Whether that's your relationship with your spouse, 614 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:35,160 whether that's your money, your time, 615 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:38,320 whether that's parenting, you show me the areas 616 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:40,520 in your life that are falling apart this morning 617 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:42,160 and I will show you an area 618 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,160 where you need to make Jesus preeminent. 619 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:49,160 He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. 620 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:53,920 If He's before all things church, 621 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:56,400 that means you can't put anything before Jesus. 622 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:00,320 It means you can't put your activities before Jesus. 623 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:02,480 It means you can't put your hobbies before Jesus. 624 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:04,520 You can't put your job before Jesus. 625 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:06,880 You can't put your passions before Jesus. 626 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:10,760 Jesus must have preeminence in all things. 627 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:14,040 Why? Because He alone is preeminent. 628 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:17,200 You see, it's not enough to just have Jesus 629 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:19,160 be included in our lives. 630 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:21,480 It's not enough to just have Jesus be preeminent 631 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:23,440 in one area of our lives. 632 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:26,400 We need Him in all aspects of our lives 633 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:28,440 or they'll start to fall apart. 634 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:30,600 So Paul has already shown us that, 635 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:34,240 hey, your spiritual life, like creation itself 636 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:36,360 will fall apart without Jesus. 637 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:38,560 Your life will fall apart without Jesus 638 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,320 and then he's gonna say something very interesting. 639 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:43,120 He's gonna say that the church 640 00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:44,520 will fall apart without Jesus. 641 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:45,880 Look at verse 18. 642 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:52,840 The Bible says, and He is the head of the body, the church. 643 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,640 He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, 644 00:26:55,640 --> 00:27:00,640 that in everything He might be preeminent. 645 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:02,720 Now again, this is one of those verses 646 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:05,360 that everybody can say yes and amen to, right? 647 00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:07,720 I say, Jesus is the head of the church 648 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,160 and you say, amen, pastor, of course He is. 649 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:15,960 Everybody agrees with that, but here's where it gets hard. 650 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:18,400 If Jesus is the head of the church, 651 00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:20,680 you know what that means? 652 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:24,040 It means that you're not the head of the church 653 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:27,880 and it means that I'm not the head of the church 654 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:29,680 and Jordan's not the head of the church 655 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:30,920 and Christian's not the head of the church 656 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,320 and Mark's not the head of the church. 657 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:38,320 It means that Jesus is the one who runs His church. 658 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:40,120 So here's the point, I want you to understand. 659 00:27:40,120 --> 00:27:42,440 If you replace Jesus with anything else, 660 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:44,280 the church will start to fall apart. 661 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:48,360 If you replace Jesus with anything else, 662 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:51,960 the church will start to fall apart. 663 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:55,240 And I want everybody to put a star by that, 664 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:58,140 underline it, circle it, do whatever you have to do 665 00:27:58,140 --> 00:28:00,200 because this is the killer of churches. 666 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,820 You can blame it on all sorts of things 667 00:28:02,820 --> 00:28:03,840 that you wanna blame it on, 668 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:06,680 but when you root it down and get to the root of it, 669 00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:09,280 this is what kills churches. 670 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:13,320 Replacing anything else, replacing Jesus with anything else 671 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:15,480 and making that thing the head of the church. 672 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:17,480 That will kill a church. 673 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:20,540 I've seen it far too often with far too many churches. 674 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:24,080 If a church replaces Jesus with their pastor 675 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:28,480 and they make their pastor preeminent in the church, 676 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:30,600 here's what happens. 677 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:33,520 They become known for their pastor, right? 678 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:35,880 Don't come to our church because we preach Jesus. 679 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:37,480 You gotta come because of our pastor. 680 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:38,800 That guy can really preach. 681 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:40,280 And he's this great guy 682 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:41,880 and he's got all these letters after his name. 683 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:43,320 Like that's the guy you wanna come here. 684 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:45,960 And so the whole church's identity 685 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:49,080 becomes the identity of the pastor. 686 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:52,200 And the church is only known for the pastor. 687 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:53,040 So here's my question. 688 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:55,320 If that happens to a church 689 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:57,080 and they make their pastor preeminent, 690 00:28:57,080 --> 00:28:58,740 rather than Jesus, well then, 691 00:28:58,740 --> 00:29:00,760 what happens when the pastor dies? 692 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:05,520 Or what happens when the pastor retires? 693 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:08,680 Or what happens when the pastor gets one of those magical calls 694 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:10,340 to go to some other church? 695 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:14,360 I've never received one of those magical calls. 696 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:16,800 I haven't found it in the Bible anywhere yet. 697 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:18,960 But a lot of pastors get these magical calls 698 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:20,200 to go to another church. 699 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:22,560 The weird thing is, it's always a bigger church 700 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:23,560 with more money. 701 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:25,200 In the history of Christianity, 702 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:26,720 God has never called someone 703 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:29,000 to go to a smaller church for less money. 704 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:30,840 But that's another sermon for another day. 705 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:34,080 But my question is, besides Jordan Massie, 706 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:35,240 we're staying corrected. 707 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:38,960 But the point is, if the church becomes 708 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:40,200 the identity of the pastor 709 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:41,320 and the pastor goes away, 710 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:43,560 what happens to the church? 711 00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:45,340 It dies, typically. 712 00:29:45,340 --> 00:29:48,440 I mean, that's exactly what happened with Morris Hill Church. 713 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:51,400 They became one of the largest churches in America. 714 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:53,520 They had like 13 different campuses. 715 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,320 I mean, they were running into like 50,000s, 716 00:29:56,320 --> 00:29:58,920 almost 100,000 people, I think, at one point. 717 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:01,320 One of the largest churches in America. 718 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:05,040 But over time, their identity got lost 719 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:07,920 and they became all about their pastor, Mark Driscoll. 720 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:10,560 And Mark Driscoll was preeminent in their church 721 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:12,040 rather than Jesus. 722 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:13,680 And so everything about that church 723 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:16,160 was all about Mark Driscoll and his personality 724 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:17,800 and the cult of Mark Driscoll. 725 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:19,880 And then he gets caught in a scandal. 726 00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:21,880 He was dismissed from the church. 727 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:25,960 He leaves and that church of like 100,000 people, 728 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:27,840 the one of the largest churches in America, 729 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:29,560 shut its doors and closed, 730 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:31,900 never to reopen all within two years. 731 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:36,120 That's how it happens. 732 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:37,900 And so there's a clear warning there, 733 00:30:37,900 --> 00:30:40,720 not to put your pastor on a pedestal 734 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:44,520 that was only ever meant for Jesus. 735 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:46,680 So listen to me, I love you. 736 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:48,440 I've told you I plan on being here 737 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:50,880 until the day I die if the Lord will allow it. 738 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:53,040 And if he is very good to me, 739 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:55,000 he'll let me die in the pulpit, okay? 740 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,600 I've said it to you before, but listen to me church, 741 00:30:57,600 --> 00:30:59,800 I will be your under shepherd. 742 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:01,640 I will walk alongside of you. 743 00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:04,640 I will be there for you, but I am not Jesus. 744 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:06,200 I do not run this church 745 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:09,520 and you should never try to make this church's identity 746 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:12,880 the identity of Alex and make this church known for me. 747 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:16,200 We exist to make Christ known in love, amen. 748 00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:19,160 But if it's not a pastor, 749 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,480 there are other things that can take the place 750 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:24,200 of Jesus's preeminence in the church. 751 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:26,560 For other people it's a denomination. 752 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:31,040 Like this is what happened with David Platt in his church. 753 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,760 David Platt became the pastor of McLean Bible Church, 754 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:36,380 which is an unaffiliated church. 755 00:31:36,380 --> 00:31:38,280 And in their constitution and bylaws, 756 00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:40,640 I think article one of their constitution said, 757 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:42,120 we are an unaffiliated church, 758 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:45,560 we will never be associated with any denomination, right? 759 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:47,040 That's their preference, they can do that. 760 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:48,800 That's something they wanna do. 761 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:51,440 David Platt becomes the pastor 762 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:55,160 and he has a desire to be prominent within the SBC, 763 00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:57,120 the Southern Baptist Convention. 764 00:31:57,120 --> 00:31:59,640 And he wants to be one of the biggest churches 765 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:00,880 in the Southern Baptist Convention. 766 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:03,120 He wants to be one of the top givers and donators 767 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:05,080 in the Southern Baptist Convention. 768 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:08,680 And so what he did is he became so focused on that 769 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:12,520 and made denominational preference and notoriety 770 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:13,840 preeminent in his church. 771 00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:15,120 Here's what he started doing. 772 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:17,880 He started secretly funneling millions 773 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:21,880 of his church's dollars to the SBC. 774 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,400 And then he hid the finances so that no one in the church 775 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:26,200 could check the finances. 776 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:28,720 And he was funneling millions and millions and millions 777 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:31,080 of dollars and it came out with emails that he was saying, 778 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:32,440 hey, if we gave this much, 779 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:35,300 could we be within the top five givers in our state 780 00:32:35,300 --> 00:32:36,520 within the SBC? 781 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:38,960 That's what it looks like when denomination 782 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:41,040 takes preference over Jesus. 783 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:44,560 And now, because this is such a horrible thing to have happened, 784 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:47,680 his own church is suing him. 785 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:50,320 He is their pastor and they are suing him 786 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:51,800 for the mishandling of funds 787 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:54,920 and there's been an entire documentary come out about this. 788 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:56,680 And so the point is very clear here. 789 00:32:56,680 --> 00:32:57,800 The warning is here. 790 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:00,320 If our devotion to our denomination is greater 791 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:04,960 than our devotion to Jesus, our churches will collapse. 792 00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:05,920 They will die. 793 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,320 All right, now let me just say this, okay? 794 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:10,560 And this isn't even in my sermon notes. 795 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:11,840 This one you get for free, all right? 796 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:15,960 So off the top here, since I just talked about the SBC, 797 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:16,800 let me say this. 798 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:19,440 We are an SBC church, convictionally. 799 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:21,760 I believe that the Southern Baptist Convention 800 00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:25,400 is the greatest denomination because it is most aligned 801 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:26,960 with what we see in the Bible. 802 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:29,080 And I think we do more good for the world 803 00:33:29,080 --> 00:33:30,560 than other denominations. 804 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:32,760 And I think we have more opportunities 805 00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:35,040 the way that we've been set up to do those things, okay? 806 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:38,760 So I love being part of the Southern Baptist Convention. 807 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:42,260 Having said that, I will also tell you this, 808 00:33:42,260 --> 00:33:44,200 the Southern Baptist Convention 809 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:47,080 will never have preeminence in this church. 810 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:50,560 We do not benefit from the Southern Baptist Convention. 811 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:51,940 I don't know if y'all know how it works. 812 00:33:51,940 --> 00:33:53,680 They don't send us a check. 813 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:56,360 They don't send us any money or anything like that. 814 00:33:56,360 --> 00:33:59,720 There is nothing they do to send us anything 815 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:00,840 to where they can have sway. 816 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:02,120 They don't tell me what to preach. 817 00:34:02,120 --> 00:34:03,660 I wouldn't listen to them if they did. 818 00:34:03,660 --> 00:34:05,800 They don't tell me what sermon passages to read 819 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:07,160 or anything like that. 820 00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:10,080 We partner with them for ministry. 821 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:14,040 But if anything in that denomination gets to the point 822 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:17,160 where Jesus is not preeminent in that denomination, 823 00:34:17,160 --> 00:34:19,360 I will leave the SBC so quickly. 824 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:20,200 You'll never remember 825 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:23,800 George's Creek Baptist Church was part of it, okay? 826 00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:24,640 We all good on that? 827 00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:25,880 Can we say amen? 828 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:27,920 I would hope you're in agreement with me on that 829 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:29,360 because here's the thing. 830 00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:31,960 We want to make much of Jesus. 831 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:35,240 And if our convention is not making much of Jesus, 832 00:34:35,240 --> 00:34:37,680 we can do it better on our own. 833 00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:40,640 And so the denomination will never have preeminence 834 00:34:40,640 --> 00:34:42,080 in our church. 835 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:44,800 Now, those are the easy things, right? 836 00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:48,040 It's easy to say that these are the killer of churches 837 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:50,200 when you put the pastor on a pedestal, 838 00:34:50,200 --> 00:34:52,120 when you give the denomination 839 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:54,520 too much preference in the church. 840 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,240 But let me just ask you as we close very quickly, 841 00:34:57,240 --> 00:34:58,960 do you want to know what the number one 842 00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:01,240 biggest killer of churches is? 843 00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:06,160 It's the self. 844 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:11,720 And most of the time, the way that comes across 845 00:35:11,720 --> 00:35:15,840 is in our preferences, right? 846 00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:17,200 So the Bible just said here 847 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:19,200 that Jesus is the head of the church. 848 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:22,120 He runs the church and we say, 849 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:24,920 but I want things done my way. 850 00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:29,760 I want things to be done the same way 851 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:32,040 we've always done them before. 852 00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:35,520 I want the church to look the exact same 853 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:36,520 that it's always looked. 854 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:39,760 I want people to dress the same way they've always dressed. 855 00:35:39,760 --> 00:35:42,280 I want the same programs we've always had. 856 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:45,080 I want to sing the same music we've always sung. 857 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:47,560 I want the same preaching style we've always had. 858 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:48,560 Sorry about that. 859 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:50,400 And I'm gonna do everything I can 860 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:51,600 to make sure that happens. 861 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:53,560 I want the pastor to cover his tattoos 862 00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:56,720 at every meal we have and he'll never wear a hat again. 863 00:35:56,720 --> 00:35:59,760 I want things done my way 864 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:02,080 and I'm gonna make sure I can get them my way. 865 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:06,200 And that's how so many Christians are. 866 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:08,560 And what ends up happening is we end up caring more 867 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:11,000 about preferences than we do about 868 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,400 what the Bible actually says is important. 869 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:14,760 You understand that? 870 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:17,280 It's not that your preferences are bad necessarily 871 00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:20,080 and the Bible is not saying you can't have your preferences. 872 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:22,200 The Bible is saying be very careful 873 00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:23,960 about how far you take this 874 00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:25,200 because if it gets to the point 875 00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:26,320 where you're running the church, 876 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:29,120 then guess who's not running the church? 877 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:29,960 Jesus. 878 00:36:31,240 --> 00:36:35,000 And Jesus should be the one running the church. 879 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:36,760 Every church member would say, 880 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:38,320 yes, Jesus runs the church, 881 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,160 but here's what I have found in all my years of ministry. 882 00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:45,480 When you get these certain stubborn people 883 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:49,040 who always have to have their way on everything 884 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:51,160 and they talk about what Jesus wants, 885 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:53,160 I've noticed that the Jesus they talk about 886 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:54,440 looks a lot like them. 887 00:36:56,320 --> 00:36:59,480 One theologian said, God made man in his image 888 00:36:59,480 --> 00:37:00,680 and ever since that time, 889 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:05,080 we have been trying to remake God in our image. 890 00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:06,200 And so what they do is they'll say, 891 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:08,360 hey, I was praying and God told me, 892 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:10,480 he wants things to be done 893 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:12,760 the exact same way they've always been done. 894 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:14,520 Hey, you know how I've been fighting for this thing? 895 00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:18,200 Well, I just had God sent me a vision and a dream last night 896 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:20,440 and turns out he wants the same thing I do. 897 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:24,200 And all they're doing is they're making something up 898 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:26,000 to try to get their way in the church. 899 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:28,000 I'm just gonna say it to you like this, 900 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:32,160 Jesus knows what's best for his church better than you do. 901 00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:33,440 Amen? 902 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:35,800 Jesus knows what's best for his church better than I do 903 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:37,400 and better than Jordan and Christian and Mark 904 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:41,520 and everyone else in here because we are not God. 905 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:43,320 Now I'll tell you this church, 906 00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:47,560 the church of Jesus Christ was doing just fine before you 907 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:50,360 and the church of Jesus Christ will be doing just fine 908 00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:53,160 long after the Lord has called you home. 909 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:54,000 Why? 910 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:55,560 Because the church isn't about you. 911 00:37:56,480 --> 00:37:59,000 And the church is not dependent on you. 912 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:02,440 The church is about one person and one person only 913 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:06,640 and that is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 914 00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:08,640 That is why all this exists. 915 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:11,120 That is why we do everything we do. 916 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:14,440 We exist to make much of Jesus, 917 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:17,180 to tell people about what Christ has done for us, 918 00:38:17,180 --> 00:38:20,240 to tell them about the salvation that he has bought for us, 919 00:38:20,240 --> 00:38:23,040 to tell them about eternal life in Christ 920 00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:26,040 and getting to be with God and enjoy him forever. 921 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:30,520 Nothing else in the church matters except Jesus. 922 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:33,280 So do you see what Paul is saying here? 923 00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:39,040 If you remove Jesus from anything, it falls apart. 924 00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:43,880 If you remove Jesus from creation, creation falls apart. 925 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:45,680 If you remove Jesus from your life, 926 00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:49,200 listen to me, your life will start to fall apart 927 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:52,800 and if you remove Jesus from the church, 928 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:55,920 the church will fall apart. 929 00:38:56,840 --> 00:38:59,240 The most important thing for you to remember this morning 930 00:38:59,240 --> 00:39:02,120 is that Jesus is before all things 931 00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:06,520 and Jesus holds all things together. 932 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:10,440 So let's give the Lord Jesus Christ 933 00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:13,120 the preeminence he deserves in the church, 934 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:15,560 in creation and in our lives. 935 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:29,560 Amen.