Colossians 1: 15-23
The Father’s Love
God using His power of love to create life we see across the universe even now stars and planets in the process of being created.
Hubblesite: Hubble Space Telescope
“In our attempt to understand how planets form the Hubble Space Telescope has worked with other telescopes to open a window onto the mystery of planet formation.
According to our current understanding, a star and its planets form out of a collapsing cloud of dust and gas within a larger cloud called a nebula. As gravity pulls material in the collapsing cloud closer together, the centre of the cloud gets more and more compressed and in turn, gets hotter. This dense, hot core becomes the kernel of a new star.”
Scientists have discovered how stars and planets are formed; they are also able to give precise calculations of movement of planets in our solar system.
It took the Rosetta spaceship 10 years to reach the meteor; the achievement was described as like ‘a fly landing on a speeding bullet’.
They also know that our own planets tilt controls the seasons and the growing of our crops that sustains our lives.
This speaks of a great mind behind the universe that holds it all together. Paul in his letter to the Colossians tells us that Jesus is the One with God who holds it all together. He created and sustains life by his loving words in heaven and on the earth. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Verse 17
John the Apostle recorded the words of Jesus in his prayer were he revealed that he had come from God before the world was made. “And now Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.” John 17: 4
Verse 15 Jesus is the Image of the invisible God
Jesus in conversation with Philip discussed his relationship with God his Father.
Philip was confused when Jesus said, that having seen him they had seen the Father. It must have been quite a shock for Philip to hear Jesus say this.
“Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.” John 14: 8-11.
Jesus’ reply doesn’t imply that he is a visual image of God in his appearance or features, but it’s by his Father’s power in his words producing evidence of who he is.
35 years ago now the Holy Spirit showed me through the study of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus is God revealed in the flesh.
His teaching on the Mount upholds the Laws given to Moses by God and at the same time he brings in the New Covenant, the Law fulfilled in love;”Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfil . . . For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” We can only exceed the Scribes and Pharisees righteousness by entering into the New Covenant in the love of the father.
In the same chapter we have the example: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5: 17-20, 43-48
Sin separates us from God, so we are all enemies of God, all under condemnation before God; thankfully the Father’s love is available to all as it continually reaches out to reconcile us back to God through forgiveness of our sins.
God is Love
The power of God’s Spirit of love working with his words having authority to create life: like the stars and planets, is able to forgive the sins of the world, totally delete the cause and the effect and bring about healing.
Christians are being born like the stars across the world fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham. “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.” Genesis 26:4.
God’s love has strength of its own: pure, holy, blameless, humble, and selfless. An all embracing love
Like many Christians Jesus has been showing me over several days the magnitude of His Father’s love in two ways
Firstly: the greatness of the Fathers love, in the quantity of His love as vast as the universe. Our Father’s outpouring of His love on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, the magnitude of His love to forgive sin and its causes. Cleansing heaven and earth with his blood, and whether the sin is great or small His love removes, annihilates sin, from the fall of man to the cross, from the cross to now and for future generations, till there is a new heaven and a new earth.
Secondly: “He is the head of the body, the church . . . . “ Christians in the body of Christ producing love through our relationship with God and walking in the Spirit of God’s love:
Last Wednesday I was at a CAP Christians Against Poverty ‘Revive’ meeting where the emphasis was on being confronted with difficulties coming from people in debt or jobless. Debt Manager Mr G said, “We need to re-position ourselves from the overwhelming need of that person debt or job problems and not to bear them ourselves, but to hand them to God. Mr G said, “It’s ‘Position’ before ‘Purpose’ for us to look to Jesus in prayer and to be known as a people who walk with God.” Not by first ‘Purpose’ looking to sustain them in our own strength, carrying their burden with them, but instead hand over their worries, their situation to the Lord and to those who can deal with their problem and in that way share their problems and help them to resolve their situation..
Testimonies were shared of perseverance were a Debt or Jobseeker’s attitude don’t often reflect what’s going on in a person’s interaction with God.
Once they can see answers to our prayers for them, they begin to take notice and respond, the relief shows on their faces as gradually the light begins to dawn, a new beginning, hope for the future and for some it’s much deeper, they find Jesus as their Saviour, he has paid the price for their sin and wiped their slate clean. Freedom through faith in Jesus.
Working for God doesn’t pay much, but His retirement plan is out of this world.
The Father’s love is powerful in a beautiful way that embraces the whole person. “Beloved let us love for love is of God and only those who love delight in God” 1 John 4: 7.