Lessons for Christians Today: The Supremacy of Christ

Lessons for Christians Today

Colossians 1

January 4, 2026

Watch the full sermon on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCAgVd_7QRQ

Listen to the sermon on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1hyaH5RNS1QlwjevzFkHVi?si=4ac723a81aaa4858

When Everything Feels Like It's Competing for First Place

What Colossians 1 Teaches Us About Priorities

You know that feeling when your calendar is bursting, your phone won't stop buzzing, and everyone seems to need something from you right now? We live in a world that's constantly competing for our attention, our loyalty, our first thoughts in the morning and last thoughts at night. Career ambitions whisper promises. Family demands pull from every direction. Social media scrolls endlessly. Even our spiritual lives can feel like just another thing on the to-do list.

But what if there was a way to cut through all that noise? What if you could find clarity about what—or rather, who—actually deserves first place in your life?

Paul's letter to the Colossians arrives like a breath of fresh air into our cluttered lives. Writing to believers in a city obsessed with philosophy, mysticism, and endless religious options, Paul doesn't mince words. He doesn't offer another system to manage or another ideology to master. Instead, he points to a person—Jesus Christ—and makes a case so compelling, so beautiful, that everything else fades into proper perspective.

Colossians 1 is intensely practical wisdom for those of us trying to navigate the complexity of modern life while staying faithful to what truly matters.

Start With Gratitude (Even When Life Is Hard)

Paul opens his letter with thanksgiving: "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you" (Colossians 1:3, CSB). Notice he doesn't say "sometimes" or "when things are going well." He says always.

Here's what strikes me about this: Paul is writing from prison. He's not lounging on a Mediterranean beach, sipping something refreshing. He's in chains. Yet gratitude pours out of him like a fountain.

We often wait for circumstances to improve before we feel grateful. We tell ourselves, "Once this situation resolves, then I'll be thankful." But Paul models something different—a gratitude that isn't dependent on our circumstances but rooted in something deeper: the faith, love, and hope we have because of the gospel (Colossians 1:4-5).

Think about the Colossian believers Paul is writing to. They had heard "the word of truth, the gospel" and it had truly reached them (Colossians 1:5-6). That gospel was "bearing fruit and growing" in them. The same is true for you. If you're in Christ, that same life-changing gospel is at work in you right now, bearing fruit even when you can't see it.

The psalmist David understood this too: "I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips" (Psalm 34:1, CSB). Not at convenient times. Not at easy times. At all times.

Pray for What Actually Matters

After expressing gratitude, Paul tells the Colossians exactly what he's praying for them: "We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:9-10, CSB).

Can I be honest? When I pray, I often focus on circumstances. Fix this problem. Change that situation. Provide this need. And those prayers aren't wrong—God cares about the details of our lives. But Paul's prayer goes deeper. He's praying for transformation, not just transaction.

He prays they would:

• Know God's will with wisdom and understanding

• Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord

• Bear fruit in every good work

• Grow in knowing God more deeply

  
  

Notice the focus isn't on comfort or convenience. It's on character and Christlikeness. It's about becoming the kind of people who naturally please God because we're so filled with knowledge of Him.

Paul also prays they'd be "strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience" (Colossians 1:11, CSB). Not power to escape difficulty, but power to endure it with joy. That's radically different from what we typically ask for, isn't it?

Remember Who Has Already Rescued You

Here's where Paul gets to the heart of the gospel: "He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13-14, CSB).

Do you grasp what this means? You've been rescued. Past tense. Not "might be rescued someday if you try hard enough" or "are slowly working your way toward rescue." You have been rescued—completely, decisively, permanently.

Think about that word "transferred." It's like you were living in one country under one ruler, and suddenly you've been granted citizenship in an entirely different kingdom with a completely different King. You don't belong to darkness anymore. You belong to Christ.

When you're struggling with guilt, shame, or that nagging sense that you're not good enough, come back to this truth. Your redemption isn't something you're earning; it's something you've already received. "In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Not will have. Not might have. Have.

As Paul writes to the Ephesians, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8, CSB). Your identity has fundamentally changed.

Put Jesus in His Rightful Place: First

Now Paul launches into one of the most magnificent descriptions of Christ in all of Scripture. Pay attention to every word here because this is where everything comes together:

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything" (Colossians 1:15-18, CSB).

Let that sink in. Jesus isn't just a good teacher or a moral example or even just your Savior (though He is certainly that). He is:

• The perfect image of God

• The One through whom everything was created

• The One for whom everything was created

• The One who holds everything together

• The head of the church

• The One who deserves first place in everything

  
  

Here's why this matters so much for us today: we're constantly tempted to give Christ second place. First place goes to our career, our comfort, our preferences, our plans. We'll give Jesus Sunday morning, maybe a quick prayer before meals, perhaps some spare time if nothing else is pressing.

But Paul is saying Christ doesn't just want first place in "spiritual things." He wants first place in everything. Your Monday morning work meeting. Your parenting decisions. Your entertainment choices. Your financial priorities. Your Friday night plans. Everything.

When Jesus has first place, everything else falls into proper alignment. As Jesus Himself said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you" (Matthew 6:33, CSB).

Understand the Full Scope of What Jesus Did

Paul continues: "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:19-20, CSB).

The cross wasn't Plan B. It wasn't a last-minute rescue operation when everything went wrong. It was God's perfect plan to reconcile everything to Himself. The word "reconcile" means to restore a broken relationship, to bring peace where there was hostility.

And look at what Paul says about you personally: "Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him" (Colossians 1:21-22, CSB).

You were once alienated—separated from God, with a mind set against Him. Your actions proved it. But through Christ's death, you've been reconciled. And not just barely forgiven—you're presented as holy, faultless, and blameless. That's how God sees you in Christ. Not because you've achieved perfection, but because Christ's perfection covers you completely.

Stay Rooted When Storms Come

Paul adds an important condition: "if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard" (Colossians 1:23, CSB).

This isn't about losing your salvation every time you stumble. It's about the authenticity of genuine faith. Real faith perseveres. It stays rooted even when storms come.

Jesus told a parable about this in Matthew 13. Some seeds fell on rocky ground and sprang up quickly but withered when the sun came out because they had no root. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced an abundant harvest. The difference? Depth of root.

Are you rooted in Christ? Not just familiar with Christianity or involved in church activities, but actually rooted in a deep, living relationship with Jesus? Because when difficulties come—and they will come—shallow roots won't sustain you. You need to be "grounded and steadfast," with roots that go deep into the truth of the gospel.

Embrace Your Part in God's Ongoing Work

Paul concludes this section by talking about his own ministry: "I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Colossians 1:24, CSB).

Wait—what's "lacking" in Christ's afflictions? Nothing! Christ's work on the cross was complete. Paul is saying that while Christ's atoning work is finished, the work of proclaiming that gospel to the world continues. And we get to be part of it.

Paul's mission was to "present the word of God in its fullness" (Colossians 1:25, CSB) and to proclaim Christ, "warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ" (Colossians 1:28, CSB).

You have a part in this too. Maybe you're not called to be an apostle like Paul, but you're called to live out and share the gospel in your sphere of influence. Your workplace. Your neighborhood. Your family. Your friend group. God has placed you exactly where you are for a reason.

Colossians 1 brings us back to what's essential. In a world shouting for our attention, demanding our allegiance, and offering a thousand different paths to follow, Paul points us to Jesus—the One who is supreme over all creation, the One who holds everything together, the One who has rescued us and reconciled us to God.

The question isn't whether Jesus is important. The question is whether He has first place. Not first among many important things, but genuinely and practically first in everything.

When Christ has His rightful place in your life, everything else finds its proper place too. Priorities become clear. Decisions become simpler. Anxiety loses its grip. Joy becomes possible even in suffering.

You've been rescued. You've been reconciled. You've been given a hope that can never be shaken. Now it's time to live like it's true.

Your Action Plan: Living Out Colossians 1

Here are specific, practical steps to apply these lessons this week:

1. Start a Gratitude Practice (Colossians 1:3)

• Each morning this week, before checking your phone, identify three things you're grateful for. Be specific. Thank God for them out loud.

• When you catch yourself complaining, pause and immediately find one thing in that situation to thank God for.

2. Restructure Your Prayers (Colossians 1:9-12)

• This week, spend more time praying for spiritual growth than for changed circumstances.

• For yourself or someone you love, pray specifically: "Lord, fill them with knowledge of Your will. Help them walk worthy of You. Give them endurance and patience with joy."

• Write these prayers down and return to them throughout the week.

3. Preach the Gospel to Yourself Daily (Colossians 1:13-14)

• Every morning, say out loud: "I have been rescued from darkness. I have been transferred into Christ's kingdom. I have redemption and forgiveness."

• When guilt or shame arise, immediately combat them with this truth: "In Christ, I am holy, faultless, and blameless before God."

4. Conduct a "First Place" Audit (Colossians 1:18)

• Take 30 minutes this week to honestly examine: What actually has first place in my life right now?

• Look at your calendar and bank statement—they reveal your true priorities.

• Identify one area where something else has taken Christ's place and make one specific change.

• Ask yourself: "If Jesus truly had first place in this area of my life, what would change?"

5. Deepen Your Roots (Colossians 1:23)

• Choose one practice that will help you stay "grounded and steadfast": daily Bible reading, Scripture memory, or joining a small group.

• This week, memorize Colossians 1:15-18. Write it on a card and review it daily.

• Identify one false teaching or distraction currently pulling you away from gospel hope and deliberately step away from it.

6. Share Your Story (Colossians 1:28)

• Identify one person in your life who needs to hear about Jesus.

• Pray for them daily by name this week.

• Look for one natural opportunity to share how Christ has changed your life or invite them to explore faith with you.

• If you're hesitant, start simple: Share one specific way God has been faithful to you recently.

7. Reflect and Journal

• End this week by writing answers to these questions:

  • What competes with Christ for first place in my life?

  • How has knowing Christ's supremacy changed my perspective this week?

  • What is one way I can give Jesus first place in a practical decision I'm facing right now?

Remember, you're not doing this alone. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in you (Ephesians 1:19-20). You've been rescued, reconciled, and equipped. Now walk in that truth.

Blessings,

Donna