Have you ever read something that just stuck with you? Maybe it’s a book or an article or a website or a bible verse, but there was something about it that just made it stick. This week we camped out on a part of the bible that did just that. It stuck with me. I’ve read it before but there was something different about this time. This time my heart was in the right place to hear it and my soul was just dry enough that this was the water it needed. I pray it meets you where you are as well. Here’s a quick summary of the message from Sunday.

Paul teaches this young church known as the Colossians through a letter. And in Colossians 1:15, he says something powerful that I think I’ve just not seen right until lately. Here’s the verse.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Share on X

Do you see it? How about if we unpack a couple of words and phrases quickly? He is the image. He wasn’t made into the image or created as the image. He simply is the image of the invisible God. Ever wonder what God is like? What he looks like? How he acts? Well just look at Jesus! He’s the image of the God we can’t see with our eyes or touch with our hands. He’s the hips, lips and fingertips version of the God who can’t be comprehended by mere mankind. So he came down to us and took on our form. How powerful is that! How amazing is that! Jesus the real present God in human form walked with us and taught us! But he’s not done because it gets even better!

The second half of this verse contains a word that most of us think we know but might not fully understand its weight. It’s the word firstborn. In our language firstborn is simply the one born first, but it means so much more here in the original Greek language. Firstborn carries with it two additional meanings. Not only is Jesus first but he’s the firstborn after whom many will follow. That’s the key. Everything that exists in creation. Everything around us came about because the Son of God, the one we call Jesus, came onto the scene first! But there’s more!

The second half of the meaning that is often missed is that this firstborn one after whom many will follow is also the source of all that will come. That means that not only was Jesus first and not only will many follow out of him, but he’s the reason that all of it exists in the beginning! We go into more detail in the message below but these are just two little snippets that we can chew on for a while as we try to contemplate how great God is and how big yet how personal he is!

But there’s one more verse that really takes this home. It’s verse 18 where Paul brings Genesis and Revelation together into one big picture. Here’s how that part of verse 18 goes, He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. Yep you guessed it! The same word for firstborn. That means that not only is Jesus the firstborn of all creation, but he’s also the first born of those who will be raised from the dead. Creation and resurrection all in one passage! Now that’s the main thing!

There you have it. Keep the main thing the main thing!