HIDE IT IN YOUR HEART!: WHO IS JESUS?…

I have been looking over past series I have done on my blog and came across one series I think we all could benefit from if I rework what I did and add to it. That was a series I did during 2013 during a time of transition when we moved from Tyler, TX to Huntsville, AL. It was and will continue to be called Hide it in Your Heart!

What I attempted to do in that series was to present a passage of Scripture to be memorized either partially or in the whole. Each one had a purpose so that by the time you would memorize each of these passages, you would have a reminder in your mind and heart of many truths of Scripture that are basic to the Gospel and the teachings of the Bible.

I will rework some of them as well as add new ones. If you find it difficult to memorize, put these passages on a card in a place you can read it often and you will find it starting to stick in your mind. I won’t do one each week because I want to give you time to memorize them. If you prefer a different translation, go to Bible Gateway to find whatever one you want and print it out for yourself.

 He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—
all things were created through him and for him. 
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in everything he might be preeminent. 
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 
and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:15-20 (ESV)

A few years ago, I took on the challenge of memorizing the book of Colossians. I was sick and my brain needed the exercise, to say the least! My soul needed the input as well. As I was memorizing, it dawned on me that this passage was talking about Jesus. It strongly affected my view of Jesus! Up to that point, I believed He was fully GOD, but I had not thought of Him as being involved in Creation for one. This passage gives a much fuller picture of who He is.

Jesus is Creator and Sustainer of all of His Creation

Jesus was involved in Creation, in all aspects of it. He is eternal and also pre-eminent (“before all things” carries both meanings.) Another aspect of His involvement in Creation is that He is holding it all together. I don’t even understand totally what that means or how He does it, but He is involved in holding it all together.

Jesus was involved in Creation, in all aspects of it including holding it all together. Share on X

The fullness of GOD dwells in Jesus. When He was here on earth, all of who He was, was a true representation of GOD. If GOD was the Pacific Ocean, Jesus didn’t have the Pacific Ocean in Him because it would be too vast to be contained in a human body. But what He had was a bit like someone taking the Pacific Ocean and putting some of it in a test tube. That test tube contained the fullness of the Pacific Ocean even though it was only some of it. He contained all the properties of GOD in a human body because He was GOD. He wasn’t “less than” by being the Son of GOD in any way.

In fact, the term “Son of ____” describes the personification of whatever the term is. So with Jesus being described as the Son of GOD, it is a way of saying He personified GOD. That term was used in Mark 3:17  where Jesus called James and John, Sons of Thunder. It gives insight into their temperaments. They were most likely thunderous men.

Jesus is the One who reconciles us to Himself and brings true Peace

The final thing described here about Jesus is the work he did to reconcile all things to Himself as well as bring peace…true peace. We watch so many “peace” discussions take place that do not bring peace at all! They just tend to bring more problems. The peace they bring is fake. There is no true reconciliation. But Jesus was able to reconcile us to GOD as described in the verses that follow this passage by His death on the cross. He took our sin on Himself and paid for it. Then He gave us His perfect record of the perfect life He lived on earth.

The final thing described here about Jesus is the work he did to reconcile all things to Himself as well as bring peace...true peace. Share on X

There is a lot in this passage…and in the verses following. It’s a great passage to ruminate and meditate on. It is very encouraging and adds depth to our view of Jesus Christ. What could be more hopeful and encouraging as we grow in our faith?

Things to think about:

• How has this passage affected my view of Jesus?
• Why is it important that my view of Jesus is Biblically based?
• Why is it important that Jesus is Creator and Sustainer of His Creation?
• What makes Jesus’ role as Reconciler so important to me as a Christian?
• What made this passage come to life for you?
• How did it make Jesus come alive for you?
• How will it affect your life as a Christian?

Answer a few of the above questions as you meditate on this passage.