Christ must have precedence over all other things. St. Augustine wrote, “Christ is not valued at all unless He be valued above all.” Christ is not Lord at all unless He is Lord of all. To some people Jesus is nothing. To others, He is something. Then there are those to whom Jesus is everything. No words can define or describe God’s gift of His Son. It is a gift that defies description, that transcends superlatives, and exceeds our imaginative powers.

2. He is……the Firstborn of all Creation… This great
title was born on the battlefield of New Testament
theology. A deadly enemy to the Christian faith
and early church rose up, know as Gnosticism.
The Gnostics at Colossae tended to incorporate
ideas from other philosophies and religions on a
level with Christian truth. It may have seemed
harmless, but Paul knew it struck at the very heart
of the Christian faith. It was a challenge to the
supremacy of Christ.

3. Paul’s letter to the Colossians was written to
refute this heresy. Paul cogently argues the
supremacy of Christ. It is the central and
pivotal point of his theology. Christ is not
merely one among many emanations of Deity,
but Sovereign over all. That is what this
transcendent title means – He is the Firstborn
over all creation. It is a stupendous statement.

4. Paul goes on to describe in unequivocal terms,
and in one of the most sublime Christological
passages found in the Bible, the supremacy of
Christ:
NIV The Son is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For in him all things were created: things in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things have been created
through him and for him.

5. 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 and the firstborn
from among the dead, so that in everything he
might have the supremacy. For God was
pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
and through him to reconcile to himself all
things, whether things on earth or things in
heaven, by making peace through his blood,
shed on the cross.

6. He is the image of the invisible God
When you see Jesus you are looking at the
invisible God. He is an exact representation.
You remember what Jesus said to Philip;
NIV 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'?

7. first-born of all creation;
The word firstborn is translated from the Greek
prōtotokos. The word portrays
two eternal facets of Christ.
It declares that He is the Head of Creation.
“Firstborn” does not refer to age but to
supremacy over all creation.
It suggest His preexistence, His eternity.
He is the Unbeginning as well as the Unending
One. He always was.

8. Before the geological strata of the earth, before
the stars were set on their course, Christ was.
He is the Timeless One who holds all time in His
hands. Our finite minds cannot grasp the infinite
aspect of Christ. We just cannot conceive how
Christ and God always were, having had no
beginning. But then if the finite could
comprehend the Infinite, the Infinite would be
finite.

9. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, had been
kneeling by the bedside of a gaunt, haggard
figure. He arose in that historic moment as
Lincoln expired and said, “Now he belongs to
the ages.” Those words in a far superior way are
true of Jesus Christ. He alone belongs to all the
ages. Christ belongs to no particular age, no era
or epoch. He is the Eternal One. His short
sojourn on earth was but a moment, a minute
fraction of time in His eternal existence.

10. This word prōtotokos also speaks
of the precedence of Christ in all creation.
The Hebrew equivalent of this term in the Old
Testament is consistent with the precedence of
the firstborn being destined as the heir and
ruler.

11. Christ must have precedence over all other
things.
St. Augustine wrote, “Christ is not valued at all
unless He be valued above all.”
Christ is not Lord at all unless He is Lord of all.
To some people Jesus is nothing.
To others, He is something.
Then there are those to whom Jesus is
everything.

12. NIV Remember this: Whoever
sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and
whoever sows generously will also reap
generously. Each of you should give what you
have decided in your heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves
a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you
abundantly, so that in all things at all times,
having all that you need, you will abound in
every good work.

13. As it is written: "They have freely scattered
their gifts to the poor; their righteousness
endures forever." Now he who supplies seed
to the sower and bread for food will also supply
and increase your store of seed and will enlarge
the harvest of your righteousness. You will
be enriched in every way so that you can be
generous on every occasion, and through us
your generosity will result in thanksgiving to
God.

14. This service that you perform is not only
supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is
also overflowing in many expressions of thanks
to God. Because of the service by which you
have proved yourselves, others will praise God
for the obedience that accompanies your
confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your
generosity in sharing with them and with
everyone else.

15. And in their prayers for you their hearts will
go out to you, because of the surpassing grace
God has given you. Thanks be to God for his
indescribable gift!

16. The Apostle Paul was writing to the church at
Corinth on the subject of giving.
He stressed liberality and emphasized that the
Christian enriches himself by his giving and so
should give, not sparingly, but bountifully.
He climaxed his discourse with an exclamation
of how extravagantly God has given to us,
describing Christ as “His indescribable Gift.”

17. What an appropriate title for Christ.
He is God’s gift to the world;
NIV For God so loved the world that
he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life.
How true that it is an indescribable gift.
No words can define or describe God’s gift of
His Son. It is a gift that defies description, that
transcends superlatives, and exceeds our
imaginative powers.

18. Charles Wesley exclaimed:
“O for a thousand tongues to sing/My great
Redeemer’s praise/The glories of my God and
King/The triumphs of His grace.”
But even then we would not find words to
adequately describe the meaning and majesty of
the gift of Christ to mankind.
This gift of infinite love is beyond the finite
grasp of our minds.

19. The late General Albert Orsborn, leader of the
international Salvation Army and considered
perhaps the most eloquent of preachers in the
movement’s history, had to acknowledge:
“I earnestly endeavored to center my reading in
books about Jesus Christ.

20. He has ever been the supreme and passionate
love of my soul. I have long known that labor,
and pray, and preach as I may, giving all I am
and have to the message, I shall never be able
to fulfill my calling. I shall die with my message
only partially and poorly spoken.”

21. A young child was having difficulty going to
sleep and was heard crying in her bed. After
bringing her all the things thought to satisfy,
including her favorite stuffed animals, and these
attempts failing, her father asked, “What is it
that will make you stop crying?” The child
answered, “ If you will stay with me.”

22. The greatest gift we can give to another is the
gift of ourselves. As the poet has expressed it,
“The gift without the giver is bare.” In the gift of
Christ, God gave Himself to the world. It is the
highest, costliest, most precious gift He could
give to us. It is “His indescribably Gift.”
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving to me
Your very best gift.
In return I give myself to You.