The Eternal Son of God
A Sermon on Colossians 1:18
Originally preached Dec. 23, 1962
Scripture
18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Sermon Description
Who is Jesus? Many think of Jesus as the baby born in Bethlehem sung about in Christmas carols. Others think of Him as a great prophet and teacher. While these are both true to a degree, neither captures the fullness of the biblical teaching in all its glory. In this sermon on Colossians 1:18 titled “The Eternal Son of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that Jesus is in fact the very image of God. Jesus is uncreated, eternal, and omnipotent. All things were created in Him, through Him, and for Him. He is the eternal son of God who upholds the whole universe by the power of His word, yet He became a man in order to save sinners and make them fellow heirs with God. He died upon a cross in the place of sinners, and rose from the dead on the third day. While many do not like this Jesus, this is the Jesus of history explained in the Scripture. This is the Jesus that not only saves sinners, but also redeems the whole world. It is only the true Jesus Christ that can save sinners and make them holy before God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is writing to the Colossians to warn them about false teachers who were detracting from the glory and preeminence of Jesus Christ.
- Paul reminds the Colossians of who Jesus is - the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Jesus is the creator of all things, including thrones, dominions, principalities and powers.
- All things were created by Jesus and for Jesus. He holds all things together.
- Jesus is the head of the church, the firstborn from the dead. In everything, Jesus has the supremacy.
- Jesus alone is sufficient for salvation. He alone lived a perfect life, died an atoning death, and was raised to life. No one needs to add to what Jesus has done.
- We must give Jesus the preeminence in our lives by trusting in him alone for salvation, worshipping him as God, living for him, and telling others about him.
Other Sermons
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.