Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 1 * PART 1 * BOOK 41
Jesus Christ the Creator God
Now as we begin book 41 we hope you will take your Bible and search these things out and line me up against the Scriptures. And anyone else who teaches and preaches God’s Word should be lined up with the Scriptures. If you find that I don’t line up with Scripture then you have a right to question me or anyone else, because after all this is where we have to draw the line, “What does the Book say?” It doesn’t matter what Les Feldick says, or anybody else says, but rather what does the Book say, which we believe is the inspired Word of God.
Now we want to get right back to where we left off in the last lesson, Colossians chapter 1, and we actually got through 16, but I’m going to go back to verse 15 for a few more comments because repetition is the mother of learning. I’ve had comment after comment to “keep repeating.” It takes a long time for some of these to soak in, especially for folks who have never heard this before. And I’ve got folks sitting here in this room who know what I’m talking about. For example when I come down to verse 15 and 16 and show that Jesus Christ, the One Who went to that Roman cross, was the Creator of everything – that just blows people away.
I will never forget the first time I taught it way back in the early 70’s in that home Bible study. And almost to the last person, they were so shocked when I taught that Jesus Christ was the Creator of Genesis 1:1 and they almost drove me into the corner with “Are you sure? Where do you get this?” I said, “Well, I’ve shown you.” And here is just one of various New Testament verses that show so clearly that the God of Genesis 1:1, Who created every thing, was in the Person of Jesus Christ the Son. And that’s why I’m going to repeat these verses again for just a moment.
Colossians 1:15
“Who (speaking of the Son up in verse 14, in whom we have redemption through his blood. So you know that has to be God the Son) is the image of the invisible God, (in other words, Jesus Christ was the visible, physical, manifestation of that invisible God that we’re going to be looking at quite often in the book of Colossians) the firstborn of every creature.”
Now let’s go on to verse 16, and again.
Colossians 1:16
“For by him (God the Son) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things (today we would say EVERYTHING) were created by him, and for him.”
Now before we go into the next verse that shows how He is also the glue that holds the whole universe together, I always like to show all the verses that pertain to His Creatorship. And of course, I’m going to take you back to John’s Gospel for a moment. John’s Gospel chapter 1, verse 1. I think that everybody knows and for some reason or other it escapes them that this is the Person of the Godhead Who called everything into being. And He did it with the spoken word. And that also enlightens us when we get into Revelation chapter 20, that it will be by the spoken word that He will destroy the nations at the Battle of Armageddon. It’s by His spoken word that He accomplishes His power. Now let’s look at John’s Gospel, chapter 1 and we’ll just read verse 1.
John 1:1-3
“In the beginning (same three words that Genesis 1:1 begins with) was the Word, (capitalized and I always emphasize, what are words used for? To communicate. So I’ve got to the place where I call Christ the Communicator, because He’s the One Who speaks the Word. And so regardless of whether He’s communicating with the invisible things that will become visible, or whether He’s communicating to the human race today, it’s always God the Son Who is the Communicator) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. (And now verse 3 makes it so plain) 3. All things (everything) were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
And then to confirm that we’re talking about God the Son, or Jesus of Nazareth as we know Him back in His earthly ministry, let’s look at verse 14 and it puts the frosting on the cake.
John 1:14
“And the Word was made (what?) flesh and dwelt among us. (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
See how plain that is? The Word, the Communicator, that Person of the Godhead Who created every thing was made flesh and dwelt among us. And John says, we beheld his glory and the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.
Come on over now to Ephesians chapter 3. And I do this so that all of you out in television, if you’re teaching one on one or a Sunday School class or a men’s group or whatever, will be able to show them these verses – that this is what the Word of God says. Now Ephesians 3 and dropping down to verse 9.
Ephesians 3:9
“And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery (or secret) which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, (the God of Genesis 1:1) who created all things (how?) by Jesus Christ.”
In other words, yes, the Triune God was involved in creation. The Triune God came together before anything was ever created and delegated the work of creation to the second Person of the Trinity, as we many times refer to Him, to God the Son. And so the whole Trinity is involved in creation, naturally. But it was God the Son, Jesus the Christ, Who spoke the word of creation and every thing, whatever it is, made its appearance. Okay, so much for review then.
Now if you’ll come back to Colossians chapter 1, we will move on in to the next verse, verse 17. And I’m sure every one of you has wondered like I have – you stand outside on a beautiful starlit night and maybe you’ve just read something in National Geographic, or some other magazine, about the wonder of the universe. And how it’s still expanding. There are still “bangs” taking place, and new stars are being formed. I stand there and I look up at that and I have to wonder, “Now why hasn’t some scientific journal ever recorded that they’ve seen evidence of stars banging into each other.” Have you ever read anything like that? I never have! Nothing ever bangs into each other out there. Everything is just like clockwork. And they’re all in their particular places and if people would just stop to think – ACCIDENTALLY? Well, then they would be banging into each other wouldn’t they? But everything is in such perfect order and such perfect timing, none of it is exploding out of order. And so Who is in control? The same Person of the Godhead, Jesus the Christ, God the Son. Now let’s look at verse 17.
Colossians 1:17
“And he (since He is the Creator) is before all things, and by him (by the word of His power) all things consist.” (The better phrase for consist is “held together”)
Everything is held together by His power. And if ever He would relinquish His power, then yes, you’d have worlds in the universe in collision. But it doesn’t happen because He’s in total control. Now, I certainly don’t claim to be a scientist, and I know science has come a long way since I was in chemistry 101 and physics 101. And I know that they’ve learned a lot more about the atom than what my professors even understood. But I did read an article not too long ago that they haven’t come that much further, except when I was back there they thought there were only two particles in the nucleus and that was the neutron and the proton. Now, of course, they’ve found many other particles in the nucleus, but the consensus is still the same. Why don’t these particles break out of the nucleus and create fission? Well, there’s something that I don’t think even the scientists today can explain. And my old chemistry professor just simply called it nuclear glue. Well, that stuck with a little old freshman. I never forgot it. And I know I’ve got scientists that are listening and if they can correct me, I’m ready to be told. But something is still holding the whole atomic structure of the universe together. And they haven’t really got the answer, but I do! The answer is, the power of Jesus Christ! And He is the One by Whom all things consist, or held together.
Now then, we’ve established that He’s the Creator. He’s the sustainer of the universe, but for you and I as believers, He’s even something greater than that. He is the Head of the Body, what Paul calls, the Church. Now I’m always emphasizing that nobody but Paul refers to the Church as the Body of Christ. You won’t find that term anywhere else in Scripture. Only in Paul’s letters. And so it is uniquely insulated from all the rest of God’s dealings with the Old Testament and that which is still ahead of us after we’re gone. And that is that the Body of Christ is so unique in that we are attached to our Head Who is in heaven, just like our physical body is attached to the head here. And you know how long we’d last without the head. Well, it’s the same way with the Body of Christ. It just couldn’t function without the Head.
And so this is one of the basic doctrines of the Apostle Paul, that every believer becomes a member of the Body of Christ and He is the Head. And from the Head, then, everything flows to keep the body functioning. And that’s why the Body of Christ is not just another organization. You don’t just draw up a Constitution and a bunch of By-laws and say you’re going to establish a Body of Christ. Now you can establish a church as an organization, but you can’t establish the Body of Christ, because it is a spiritually driven thing and it has its livelihood, it has everything that makes it a living organism, connected to the Head, which is in heaven.
And this is what makes it so uniquely different. Everything that pertains to our spiritual life is, by virtue of the headship of Christ, Who is in heaven. Now, I’ve also made the statement over the years, and so far nobody has made a big deal about it, and I say that Christ, in Paul’s teaching, is never called King. He is not the king of the Church. Now He will one day be King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but He is not the king of the Body. And I’m always making the definition as such. If He was the king, then I could not have that functioning between the head and a member of the Body because I would be under His kingship, I would be a subject. And oh, what a difference. But see, as members of the body of Christ, we’re not subjects to some higher authority, we’re part of it. Do you see the difference? We’re part of that headship, which is in heaven.
And that is what makes us totally different from anything that even Israel has ever hoped for in the past or can hope for in the future. Yes, they’re looking for the King. They were looking for the King. He came and they rejected Him. But they’re still looking for the coming King. I’ve always, more than once, put the little analogy on the program and I say this with tongue in cheek, because I know where our Jewish friends are coming from. They still can’t recognize that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah. They just say, “Yes, He’s coming, but He has not been here before.”
Now I always like to use the anecdote of this Christian clergyman who was arguing with his Rabbi as to whether He’d been here before. The Rabbi said, “No, He’s never been here before, but He’s coming.” They kept arguing and finally the Rabbi came to a good conclusion. He said, “I’ll tell you what. Let’s just wait until He gets here and then we’ll ask Him, “Have you been here before.” Well, that is a good view of the Jewish mentality. But, they’re looking for His kingship, rightly. He is going to be the king. But for us, as the Body of Christ, no, He’s not a king. He’s the Head of the body. And that makes us, as Romans chapter 8 makes it so plain that “therefore we are joint-heirs with Christ.” What’s His is ours. Naturally, because we’re hooked up, we’re together. Now verse 18.
Colossians 1:18a
“And he is the head of the body, the church;…”
What’s the Greek word always translated ‘church’? Ecclesia! And I was reading again last night in a little Greek New Testament, and every time the New Testament word ‘church’ comes up, it is always ‘ecclesia’ in the Greek. And the word ‘ecclesia’ meant a called out assembly. Separated from the mass. So we always have to determine, then, what called out assembly are we dealing with? We’re not dealing with that same called out assembly that made the nation of Israel in the wilderness, a church, according to Acts chapter 7. We are not part of that called out assembly, I don’t think, on the day of Pentecost. Now, whenever someone disagrees with me on that, I say that’s fine. That’s not going to determine your eternal destiny. Now when it comes to that, yes, then I have to get my hackles up and say, “Now wait a minute.” Because eternal destiny is in view. But some of these other things, I can live with people who disagree and that’s one of them. If they want to think that the Church, which is the Body is in Acts chapter 2 and they can find it there, well so be it. I can’t find it because I just can’t find any church language in Acts chapter 2. But that’s not that big a deal. But that word “ecclesia” is simply translated “church” in Acts chapter 2. Whereas I feel it should be translated “assembly” because it was a separated group of Jews from the main body of Israel and they were an ecclesia, or a called out assembly. But they are never called the Body of Christ. Paul reserves that for his converts and I think Scripture is clear on that. So here is another instance where the assembly that Paul is talking about is that which he refers to as the body of Christ. Now reading on in verse 18.
Colossians 1:18a
“And he is the head of the body, the church: (He is again, a reference to his eternalness, to his creatorship) who is the beginning, (He comes from eternity past) the firstborn from the dead:…”
Now here is where I always have to qualify. I maintain that resurrection never happened until Jesus Christ arose from the dead. Now you had people who were raised from the dead back in the Old Testament, but they weren’t resurrected. They were simply brought back to life and they died again. Lazarus, the Lord Himself called him forth from the tomb, but that was not resurrection. Lazarus died later. So this is why the Scripture makes a point that no one had ever been resurrected from the dead until Jesus Christ. He is the first to have ever been resurrected, never to die again. And here the verse makes it so plain, that He is the beginning, He is the firstborn from the dead. That’s why I taught way back when we were in Acts that the term, “the only begotten Son of God” does not mean His birth in Bethlehem, but it means that He is the only one that was resurrected from the dead. The Scripture makes it so plain that that’s what the term refers to. And here again, He is the firstborn from the dead, He is the first to have experienced resurrection power and here again is the reason, in the last part of verse 18.
Colossians 1:18b-19
“…that in all things (in everything) he (Jesus Christ) might have the (what?) preeminence. (He’s above everything. Now verse 19 which puts the cap on it.) 19. For it pleased the Father (the whole Godhead has been involved in everything that Christ has done) that in him should all fullness dwell:”
Now I may use the verse a little later, but for now, just come back with me to Isaiah chapter 9. And this fits right in with what Paul is saying over and over here in Colossians, that Jesus Christ is the visible manifestation of the invisible Godhead. And the Godhead of course is the whole Trinity. And here we’ve got them in Isaiah chapter 9 way back in the Old Testament. And so it isn’t just a figment of Paul’s imagination, it’s something that fits with all of Scripture.
Isaiah 9:6-7
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: (Who are we talking about? Jesus of Bethlehem) and the government shall be (future) upon his shoulder; (here’s the part that I like) and his name shall be called (when He once again sets up His rule and reign) Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (These are all terms concerning Jesus of Nazareth and Bethlehem) 7. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
And when will all this happen? When He comes and sets up His kingdom and establishes His throne where David’s was on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. And until that time, as we’re going to see the word “peace” a little later in the chapter, the world will know no peace. My goodness, we like to pride ourselves for the last several years at least since World War II and the Korean & Vietnam Conflicts, we’ve been at peace. Well, maybe we in America have been fortunate enough, but I’ll tell you what. At the millennial turn, I think I read in our daily paper, that there were 40 + wars raging on the planet. Oh, not great big world war type things, but for those people involved, it’s war. It’s misery. It’s heartache. It’s losing everything.
And the world does not have peace tonight, nor will it have until this point in time when His peace will be without end as He rules upon the throne of David. Now, the other verse I’m sure comes to your mind is John 14, and you know it as well as I do. I doubt that there’s very many people in my whole listening audience that don’t know this chapter. Let’s come down to verse 8, after Jesus has said all these things and then Philip responds.
John 14:8-9
“Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” See how plain that is. Jesus said, “if you’ve seen Me you’ve seen the Father.” Now verse 10.
John 14:10
“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?…”
I know that leaves people hanging by a thread but you come back to Colossians and Paul clarifies it. That Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified Christ, is the physical, visible manifestation of that invisible Godhead. And we have to take it by faith. We can’t understand it. I can’t understand a three person Godhead that can function as one. But the Bible teaches it. And so we take it by faith and one day we’ll understand it, I’m sure we will, but for now, we just take it by faith – that Jesus Christ is the Creator of everything, He is the visible manifestation of the invisible Godhead and that in Him, verse 19 again says, that it even pleased the Father. And I think that would also include by implication, the Holy Spirit.
Colossians 1:19
“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell;”
Now, how can you argue with that. How can someone say, “Well, I can go another way. I don’t need the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Because, as I pointed out in our last program, there isn’t another religion on the face of the earth that can claim the Creator as the core of it’s belief system, but we do and we do that by faith.