The First Letter of Peter- 5

1 Peter 1:18-21.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, December 14, 2025.

We are continuing today in a section where Peter is describing what it means to be a part of this new spiritual people belonging to Jesus Christ.  So far, Peter has given them three main instructions.  First, fix your hope completely on the grace to be revealed at the Second Coming of Jesus.  Second, be holy as our Lord is holy.  Third, we are to conduct ourselves in the fear of the Lord while we live as pilgrims in this world.

It is this last command that is still in view in verse 18.  Part of what instructs our conduct in fearing the Lord is knowing just how we were and weren’t redeemed.

Let’s look at our passage.

Conduct yourself in fear during the time of your pilgrimage in this world (v. 18-21)

It is easy to think of how our redemption leads to joy and happiness.  However, Peter wants us to contemplate how it leads to a fear of the Lord.

Let me remind us of what the fear of the Lord means.  Anyone who is an enemy of God should be terrified of Him because He is holy and will not put up with our wickedness.  However, God is also merciful and desires to redeem us out of our wickedness and the consequences it brings to us and the people around us.

For the one who believes God, the fear of the Lord is the desire not to be separated from God anymore.  I fear life without the Greatest Good in the universe being favorable to me.  It also is the fear of rejecting the great love that God has given to us in Jesus.  I don’t want to live life without a love that would lay itself down for me even while I was a sinner.

What does Peter mean by telling us that we were redeemed?

Redemption is the action required in order to restore the things that have been lost for a person.  Sin has cost humanity dearly, and it has dearly cost each of us as individuals.  We lost an earthly paradise.  We lost a perfect union with God.  We lost an earth that was designed to cooperate with humanity. 

Even those who lived a life of faith in God would find themselves stuck in the grave (the holding place for human spirits who had died).  Though some people were clearly worse than others, all people were guilty of sin against God without exception.  In fact, the Bible does not hide the fact that the heroes of the faith were not perfect.

This created an impasse where God wants to save those who have trusted in Him despite their failures, and yet, it would be unjust simply to do so.  It would also be a problem for God’s nature.  He is holy.  How could He dwell eternally with sinful people, no matter how good they looked next to others?  He made us to dwell with Him, but we had lost that ability. 

This is where Peter reminds us that God did not redeem us with silver and gold, as is often the case among humans.  When he redeemed Ruth, Boaz had to cover the price of the land that had been sold (or more properly, leased).  Of course, he also married her in order to “raise up” a son for her dead husband whose line was in danger of being extinguished.

However, no amount of money, silver, or gold can remove our sins from us and the guilt that goes along with them.  In order to regain our lost status as the children of God, our lost relationship with God, and our lost dominion over the earth, we needed God to help us because we were in a position of helplessness.

The world today is full of men and women seeking to take dominion of the earth through their wealth (silver and gold).  On top of this, they seek to set themselves up as the gods of this world.  All of this is done in the face of the One True God.

Peter then mentions that we are being redeemed from the “futile way of life inherited from [our] forefathers.”  Thus, redemption is not just what we are getting back.  It is also about the powerless position that we leave behind us.  This is not just about the ultimate powerless position of being stuck in the grave after death but is also about the way of life that Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden, a life of fellowship, provision, perfect-imaging, dominion, and freedom.  Instead of these things, we have degenerated into a way of living that was handed down to us by our forefathers.

How can a person be broken free from the prison of futility that they inherited from their forefathers?  The Gentiles had inherited a religious system of worshipping the fallen Elohim as if they were gods.  This system was full of further ways to sin against the creator through sexual immorality, sacrificing humans (even children), and placing created things above the true Creator.  They had also inherited a political system that looked to special men to save this with the help of those weak, pretender gods.  They also inherited a system of social relationships that was built upon who had power and who didn’t.

Even Israel had taken the Law of God and encased it in a multitude of traditions that trapped them in futility (i.e., ways that are powerless to do anything of value).  Without God, we are trapped in a life of wasting away in a bondage that He didn’t make for us.  In fact, gold and silver (wealth) are often at the root of this bondage.

We are in the same position today without Jesus.  Our republic was built upon the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ, but over time, we have created ways of doing economics, politics, business, religion, and relationships, that are not God’s ways.  They are thus futile in the end.  Jesus is redeeming us out of these broken, human-made systems.

How can a person be broken free from their life of futility inherited from their fathers?  They can only do so by the grace of God.

Having spoken about what was not used to redeem us, Peter then points to the reality that God redeemed us with the blood of Jesus Christ, the precious, unblemished, and spotless lamb.

The blood of Jesus is precious because he is the only human who has perfectly imaged the Father and is worthy of receiving all that has been lost by humanity.  It is unblemished because he did not give in to the desires of his flesh, the desires of the world around him, or the temptations of the devil.  Peter is basically letting us know that Jesus is like a perfect, sacrificial lamb, spotless.  His death was a worthy sacrifice that was acceptable to God and made atonement, or a covering, for all our sin.

There is no other person who has ever lived who fits the above description.  The fact that Jesus, who is the perfect, worthy one, who is favored of God, used his life to be a sacrifice instead of conquering and taking over the earth is completely contrary to how most humans think.

This is what John the Baptizer was referencing in John 1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  This is what Isaiah meant in Isaiah 53:7, right after he said that “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way…”  Jesus was the one who “like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.”  Even further back, it is what Abraham meant in Genesis 22:8 when he answered Isaac’s question about where the lamb was for the burnt offering.  “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”

This miracle child was to be placed on the altar and sacrificed to God.  How could God ask such a thing?  It is clear in the story that God was not going to let Abraham go through it.  Yet, notice Abraham’s answer to his son.  Is Abraham lying to his son?  I don’t think so.  He had a relationship with the God of heaven, and he spoke by faith.  He didn’t know how God was going to do it, but God would keep His word to Abraham through Isaac, even though Isaac may be put to death.  The writer of the Hebrews says that Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead if He had to do so in order to keep His promise to Abraham.

What Abraham did that day was to be willing to act out something that God the Father was going to do in the future.  It became a template that would help us understand what God was doing later.  Jesus was the Lamb of God that was sacrificed on our behalf in order to cover our sins.

Peter then states that this perfect Lamb of God, Jesus, was foreknown by God before the foundations of the earth were laid.  God knew that there would be a rebellion if he made sentient beings who had free will.  Before He created humans, He already knew that the Eternal Son would have to take on human flesh and do for us what we could not do for ourselves, redeem humanity from its fall into corruption and out of close relationship with the Father.

Why did God wait 1,000s of years before He sent Jesus, as Peter says, “in these last times”?  There is wisdom in God first giving us a choice.  Will you trust Me or do you want to experience the knowledge of what is good and what is evil?  Of course, our choice was that we wanted to know.  The word for knowledge here is not about head knowledge.  It is about the knowledge that comes from experience.  By the time Jesus came, humans had experienced the depths of the folly of that choice.  We would be more open to God’s solution to our problem at that point than if He had sent Jesus down right away.

Over time, if we are listening, we come to see that evil is not just something that is in that person over there, but it is also in me.  It is not something that I can cover by simply being “better” than another person.  In fact, if Jesus had been revealed at the very beginning, then our following sin would have been ever worse.  God’s delay was actually a grace that helped us to understand the necessity of Jesus.

In the face of 1,000s of years of rebellion, God was faithful to give us grace in the man Jesus.  Why does He wait 1,000s of years after the sending of Jesus to bring sin on this planet to an end, fixing all things?  It is the redemptive grace of God.  He is not willing that anyone should perish.  So, He delays the day of judgment.  In the face of all the evil that humans do to us and all the wickedness that fallen angels and demons may produce, we are shown that God can be trusted to overturn it.

Peter ends with the reminder that putting our faith in Jesus is putting our faith in God the Father.  In Jesus, we who were not believers in God, i.e., were not living according to His ways, have become believers in Him.  To embrace Jesus in faith is to believe God the Father.  However, to reject Jesus in unbelief is to reject the Father.

Peter describes God the Father as the One who resurrected Jesus from the dead.  This is not a contradiction to the statement of Jesus that he had power to take up his own life after death.  If you pay attention to the words of Jesus in John 10:18, you will notice that he says, “I have authority to take it up again.  This commandment I have received from My Father.”  Jesus is authorized to take up his life again, i.e., he has been authorized by the Father.  Thus, both are true.  Jesus takes up his own life, but he does so as the perfectly obedient Son.

The plan and operation of the Father has always been through Jesus as the source of life.  This is part of the glory that Peter says the Father gave to Christ.  He was given the glory of being the first to raise from the dead (firstborn from the dead).  He was also given the glory of the only one to sit at the right hand of the Father.  He is also given the glory of the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  He also has the glory of the one who has brought many children of God into glory with him.

Peter then states that our faith and hope are in God the Father completely when we embrace the Son of His love.  It is He that will send the Lord Jesus to take up the kingdoms of the world.  It is also He that will give us the right to be perfected in order to stand at the side of Jesus Christ in His presence.

Knowing all that God has done in order to save us ought to put a reverent fear within our hearts.  How can I rebel against such love?  How can I do anything but bow the knee in awe, asking of the Lord Jesus, “Save me, please!”

Spiritual People 2 audio

The Letter to the Colossian Church- 07

Subtitle: The Dangers around Them-2

Colossians 2:9-15.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, August 24, 2025.

We continue looking at the danger that the Colossian Christians faced of teachers who would try to take them captive through wise sounding ideas.  Of course today, such teachers are readily available on the internet.  It is the same danger, but we face far more of it.

Paul had challenged them in verses 6 and 7 to walk in Christ.  When we are positively focused on Jesus, it is our best defense against false teachers.

In verse 8, Paul identified the roots of the attacks from these teachers on the Gospel of Christ.  These teachers were using philosophy and empty deceit that was often mixed with religion and personal visions.

Let’s pick it up at verse 9.

The benefits of being in Christ

When a person understands what they actually have in Christ, they are not susceptible to these philosophies and vain deceptions that false teachers use.  They are looking for people who are hungry for something more.  This is why Paul has emphasized over and over that we have everything we need in Christ.

Verse 9 ties back to chapter 1 verse 19.  There, in the hymn to the Son of God’s love, Paul made the statement that “it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in him.  In chapter 2 verse 9, this statement is made again, but some more exact language is added.

The first word added is the word “deity.”  Although “the fulness” was strongly connected with the concept of God and deity, Paul adds the word deity so that there is no  question.  The fullness of deity dwells in Jesus.  The believer needs to understand that there is nothing about what makes the Father to be God that isn’t fully present in Jesus.  We can use ideas like omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence as a starting place.  There does not exist a “greater fullness” of deity than exists in Jesus.

Paul also adds the adverb “bodily.”  Part of the attacks against Christians had to do with the inability to accept that full deity could exist in human form.  It was common for these teachers to diminish the man Jesus and treat the “spirit of Christ” as something separate.  Yet, they still sought to attach themselves to Christianity because it would make it easier for them to draw Christians after them.

Jesus has full deity, and yet, he is fully man, body and all.  This bodily emphasis shuts down the penchant for Greek thinkers to view the body as evil or incompatible with full deity.  This is the one you are following.  He is fully God.

Secondly, You are complete in him who is the head over all rule and authority (v. 10).  The word for complete here is the idea of being fully supplied.  Jesus has full deity, and in him, you are fully supplied for whatever you may face.  Essentially, there is nothing you need that hasn’t already been supplied for you.

Notice that Paul emphasizes that Christ is “the head” over all rule and authority.  This would be over human authorities for sure, but Paul is more focused on spiritual rulers and authorities.  These false teachers loved to project spiritual hierarchies that one could discover and benefit from them.  However, Paul shuts that down.  There is no higher authority than Jesus.  No other spiritual entity can give benefits to you that are greater than those Christ gives, and without his approval.  These fallen spiritual beings that were being worshipped by the Gentile world have no power and authority over Jesus.  It is the other way around.

So, why is it that Christians sometimes feel like there must be something more than what we have?  This can be for various reasons. 

One reason is that you may not be completely trusting Christ.  If we are only half-hearted in our “walk” with Christ, sometimes trying his way, sometimes listening to the world, then the Holy Spirit will stir up in you a holy discomfort so that you will press into Christ more.  You need to take Christ seriously.

Another reason could be that you are paying too much attention to the messaging of the world around you.  The world is great at telling you that you need to act now, or you will not get what you want.  It stirs up an unholy dissatisfaction with life and the supply of Christ because he is not supplying the whims of your flesh.

Also, you may simply be a weak human who is learning how to trust in the power of Christ, rather than the feelings of your flesh.  We walk by faith not by sight, nor by feelings.  Those moments of “feeling”  like there should be more is a test to double down and trust the Lord.  Lean into the supply of the Christ: the Word of God, the Holy Spirit’s help, and mature believers in Christ who can help you.

In verse 11, Paul shows them some of the things they have in Christ that are connected to what the false teachers were often promoting.  One of those teachings had to do with Gentiles being circumcised.  Paul tells them that they were circumcised without hands, in Christ.  This is a clear reference to a spiritual circumcision of the heart, which is done by the Holy Spirit.  We’ve seen this before in the Old Testament.  Even as Moses is declaring God’s love of physically circumcising Hebrew boys on the 8^th day, we find passages that emphasize a circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16).  The Lord spoke to Israel through Jeremiah about this as well (Jeremiah 4:3-4).  Here is Deuteronomy 30:6.  “Moreover, the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”

The physical circumcision of a child was representative of a greater circumcision of the heart.  It would remove the barrier of the desires of our flesh from between  us and the LORD.  It would allow for a relationship of love.

Christians, even Gentiles, have had their hearts circumcised by the Holy Spirit, the greater circumcision.  They do not need to go back and do the physical.

Yet, there is a second layer to this teaching.  Though Christians have been spiritually circumcised in heart, everything that Jesus did in the body as the perfect man is applied to them.  Our faith in Christ allows his perfect work to apply to us.  Thus, Jesus was physically circumcised on the 8^th day.  That act doesn’t save us, but it does apply to us.  His circumcision is our circumcision by faith.

We see this same mechanism in verse 12 concerning water baptism.  Water baptism symbolizes the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Jesus died to this world and its false life, and was raised up to live the true life that God the Father had for him.  When we are water baptized, we are identifying with Jesus.  Just as he died to this world (literally), we die to this world (spiritually),  Of course, we will physically die and be physically resurrected one day too.  However, we do not have to wait until then to have the benefits of his death and resurrection apply to us. 

We are identifying with what Jesus did and what will one day be done for us, but we are also participating in his death and resurrection spiritually.  We continue to physically live, but we do so with the same attitude and heart that Jesus had.  We do not live for this world or our flesh and its desires.  Instead, we live for the will and plan of God the Father through the Son of His love.  Jesus is the victor over the worst that the devil can throw at us.  This victory also belongs to those who are in Christ today.  The same power that raised Christ from the dead works in us to break free from the hold that wicked spiritual beings have had on us through our sin.

We have been raised up already by the Spirit through our faith in Christ and the working of God.  We are alive to God and His purposes while remaining dead to the world and its purposes.  This is not a mere mental trick.  This sinful world and the sinful spirit-rulers crucified the Lord of Glory.  Do you think Jesus is interested in anything they have to offer now?  He wasn’t interested when he was in mortal flesh, and he is even less interested now that he is in immortal flesh.

The sin of this world, my own included, will only lead to death and judgment before God.  This brings us to verse 13.

All of these benefits of Christ come to us while we are yet sinners.  Paul reminds them that they were dead in their transgressions and in the uncircumcision of their flesh.  It was precisely in such a condition that Christ made us alive together with Him.  You are alive spiritually, which allows you to hear and to be led by God.  All of this is possible because Jesus has forgiven us all of our sins and transgressions.  Of course, Christ didn’t just willy nilly zap you.  It was your faith in him that becomes the channel of God’s grace to you through the forgiveness of Jesus.
This leads to a Holy-Spirit-influenced digression by Paul.

How can Jesus simply forgive us our sins?  The short answer is that he has died in our place as a substitute.  He paid our penalty for us.  Yet, it is deeper than that.

Paul pictures Jesus at the cross with a sign above his head that was supposed to list the charge against him.  However, Pilate put on the sign, “King of the Jews.”

Of course, the charges against Jesus were bogus, and he was not worthy of being put to death.  Yet, if you and I were put on a cross, there would be all kinds of true charges that could be placed on our cross.  This is what Paul is talking about when he mentions the hand writing document of decrees that are against us.  Some versions couch this in debt terminology.  That is okay, if we think of it as a moral debt.  Yet, in light of the experience of Jesus on the cross, it is probably better to see this as a document of the charges for which we have been found guilty.

As Christ is nailed to the cross, so too the accusations against him and us are nailed there too.  In Christ, our accusations and charges are nailed along with his.  The fact that Jesus would purposefully do this is a powerful act of love.  Our charges are stuck there on his cross forever, unable for any spiritual being to take them down and try to pin them against us again.  Jesus has cleared the way for us to approach the Father and come into His presence.  If God does this for us, then what spiritual being could stand against Him and us?

Satan is the origin of the concept of lawfare.  It has been his only weapon against humanity.  He has always used the law as a weapon against God and his human imagers.  Why didn’t God stop him from tricking Adam and Eve?  A deeper question would be this.  Why didn’t Adam and Eve (and you and I for that matter) remain faithful to the God who had only done us good?

In verse 15, most translations say that Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities.”  Of course, he was not disarming Herod and Caesar.  It is talking about Satan and his cohorts.  Yet, the word for disarmed is about more than simply taking a weapon from Satan.  These continual charges and accusations of Satan against humans have been taken by Jesus and publicly nailed to a cross.  The accusers are not only disarmed, but also disbarred.  They have nothing with which to approach heaven and accuse us, and they have lost access to make such accusations.  The power of this lawfare has been ended in Christ.

Satan has always played the cool lawyer.  He can always point to the action of others and present his own in their best light.  However, his actions with Jesus publicly demonstrate his true heart.  If given the chance, he would kill God.  His accusations have nothing to do with true righteousness.  He does not really desire social justice.  This is only a convenient placard that he uses to retain the color of law.  At the cross, Jesus made a public spectacle of just how wicked the devil is, and just how loving and gracious the Father is.  He triumphs not only over the devil’s plan, but over the devil’s argument.  He is our champion, and the devil is powerless to do anything about it.

This means that we have a choice.  Whose on the LORD’s side?  He can cover every single sin of ever single person that has ever lived on earth.  Yet, God is giving us a choice to walk away from the powers of this world, and to turn towards Jesus, who is the Messiah of God.  The character of both has been put on display once and for all.  The devil is a self-righteous, lawfare operating, spiritual being whose future is to be walled off from God’s good creation by the Lake of Fire for eternity.  Yet, Jesus is the one who took  your punishment upon himself so that you could be set free from your sins and live in God’s good creation forever.  If you haven’t yet, make the choice today to turn from your sins and turn towards the One who saves sinner!

Dangers 2 audio

The Letter to the Colossian Church- 3

Subtitle: The Son of the Father's Love

Colossians 1:15-20.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, July 27, 2025.

After declaring that God the Father has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints, rescued us from the dominion of darkness, and transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, Paul then takes some time to describe all that the Son of His love is, has done, and is doing even now.

Of course, there is no confusion about who this Son of His love is.  It is Jesus.  He has been identified three times in the verses before this.

Let’s get into our passage.

Jesus in regard to the Father and the creation (v. 15-17)

This section is poetic and has a clear structure to it that is helpful to recognize.  Here is a representation of how the stanzas relate to one another.

“He is:

The Image of the Invisible God

The Firstborn of all Creation

For by Him all things were created

Both in the heavens and on the earth

Visible and 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

In Him all things hold together”

These verses contemplate who Jesus is in relation to God the Father and the creation.  It involves several things that we could call Titles.  However, these titles are descriptive of some very important understandings about Jesus.

The Image of the Invisible God.  There are different reasons for Paul to emphasize this about Jesus, whether for Greeks or even Jews.  This connection between the man Jesus and God the Father is incredibly important for the Colossians to understand.  The Image of God language comes from Genesis chapter 1.  Adam and Eve were made in the Image of God.  Yet, they and we have not imaged God very well.  Not only did Adam fail, but the world failed to image God up to the flood when God rebooted the earth with Noah.  Noah failed to image God well as did Abraham, the patriarchs, Israel as a nation, David, the kings of Judah, and all the others. 

However, Jesus is not just another imager of God.  He is the perfect imager and is thus The Image of God.  The emphasis on God’s invisibility contrasted with the word image highlights the incarnation of Jesus, but this does not limit his imaging to the incarnation.  He didn’t have to take on the nature of a man in order to image God.  He was already imaging God to the creation before the incarnation.  No matter the state (pre-incarnate, incarnate, and glorified), He is the perfect image, imager, of God.  He is the one who allows us to see the Father for who He really is.  This is why Jesus told his disciples that to see him is to see the Father.

Yet, Hebrews 1:1-3 makes this even more explicit.  Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory, i.e., that which proceeds out from Him into the creation.  He is also the express image of the Father’s nature.  He is no shadow or lesser picture of the Father.

Now, Greeks don’t have a problem with God’s coming down and manifesting upon the earth.  However, it would be impossible for them to be killed by mortals, or to truly die at the hands of a mortal.  Paul is making sure that these Colossians understand the extraordinary claims being made about Jesus.  This very same man who died on a cross for our sins is the Image of God.

The Firstborn of all Creation.  We now see the connection between Jesus and the creation.  He is the firstborn of all creation.  But, what does this mean?  The firstborn is mentioned in several other places in the New Testament.  In Romans 8:29, Christians are conformed to his image so that he will be the firstborn of many sons.  In Hebrews 1:6, “When God brings the firstborn into the world, He says, ‘Let all the angels of God worship him.  This is quoting from Psalm 97:7.

The idea of firstborn has led some to speculate that it refers to Jesus being a created being.  They would not see him as eternal, but is this what Paul (and Scripture) is trying to get across?  I don’t believe so.

Psalm 89:27, a prophecy is written in which God states: “I shall make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.”  The prophecy is a long one and deals with the failure of the sons of David to live up to the prophecies that God has given about David and Messiah.  Notice above that God is going to make this one His firstborn.  This is not about birth order or even actual birth.  The firstborn was more a status than it ever was a statement of who came into being first.  This status term declares his right to have the first place among all others.  He is the heir to the Father’s business and the Father’s holdings are for him.  So, when it comes to all created things, Jesus has the primary place over it all.  It is his inheritance.  How and why becomes clearer as we go forward.

All things created by him.  He has this firstborn status because everything was created by him.  The word can also have the sense of in him.  The Son was pre-existent to all created things.  We then get a series of pairs that are intended to make clear that we are talking about every created thing, whether in the heavens or on the earth.  Things you can see and the things you can’t see.  No matter how powerful something is, it owes its place to him (excepting the Father, of course).  This is expressed in the thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.

It was common for emperors to use son terminology of the kings who had pledged allegiance to them, even a firstborn as a status of preeminence above the others, not a description of which of them was born first.  This section makes it clear that all things which fit into the category of created things were created by him, i.e., he is not a created being.  If a person feels that it stretches the words in this passage to state that, John 1:3 makes this even more explicit.  “All things came into being through him, and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being.”  Jesus cannot have “come into being” by making himself.  It is clear that John is shutting down the idea that Jesus was a created being.  Yet, he is the firstborn of creation.

Paul then gives some prepositional phrases to help us contemplate this creator position of Jesus.  All things are created “through him.”  Jesus was the active agent or means of creation.  This essentially says the same thing as by him, but it has a sense of the Father’s involvement in the creative process. 

The next preposition is that all things were created for him, the firstborn.  They are for him in the sense that they belong to him, but also in the sense of their purpose being for him and his purposes.

By him, through him, and for him seem to contemplate the Son as the beginning of all things, the progress of all things and the end, or purpose of all things.

Paul then tells us that the Son is before all things.  This preposition involves time.  To be before all creation would place him before time itself.  Yet, he is also before all things in the sense of being in front of all things; he has first place, primacy, over all things.  Even before creation is brought into being, John chapter one interprets Genesis one as saying that Jesus is He who comes forth from the Father to create.  “Let there be light!”  The Son was the first light that came forth from the Father to create all things.

All things hold together in him.  The final statement in this section adds another concept to the first preposition, “in him.”  Things not only have their existence in him (by him), but their place in relation to one another are held together in him.  Without him nothing would hold together in every way that we can conceive.  He holds the molecules together, but also ask yourself this.  What keeps this world from falling completely apart and destroying everything?  What keeps this world going forward?  Do we have a guarantee that, even with what we see, it can survive?  Jesus is what holds all creation together, even with heavenly and earthly forces bent on rebellion against the Creator.

Jesus in regard to the Church and the New Creation (v. 18-20)

Though it is not stated above, there is a problem in the creation, both in the heavens and on the earth.  The rebellion of spirit beings have defiled the heavens and led humanity into that rebellion as well.  Though God made everything “very good,” it has been messed up by humans and fallen spirit beings.

This section moves to contemplating Jesus in regard to the Church and the New Creation, i.e., the fixing of the old creation.

Just as the Word, the Firstborn of Creation, came forth and created all things in the first place, so he has come forth in the man Jesus to make all things new.  The Son of God’s love began that work and is still in the process of making all things new.

The Head of the Body, the Church.  This first identity statement matches the style of the first identity statement in the last section (the image of the invisible God).  However, towards the Church, Jesus is the head, and we are the ones who are supposed to image him.  Calling Jesus the Head is a way of referencing his supremacy, but also his directive power.  The Church is designed to respond to the directives of the Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Of course, this brings up a problem between the commands of Christ and the execution by His Body.  Jesus has told us to “love one another,” and even “Love your enemies.”  Groups of Christians can find themselves doing things that are adverse to the commands of Christ.  There is generally some rationalization in which we give lip service to such obvious commands, and then, go on to neutralize them with our ideas.  In fact, this is the threat in Revelation 2:5.  There, Jesus warns the Ephesians that he will remove their candlestick if they don’t repent.  Christ is the judge of his Church.  He may allow things to go on for a while.  Churches may flaunt his commands while giving lip-service to them.  However, Jesus will eventually deal with them.

Just as Ezekiel saw the Glory of God leave the temple in Israel due to their lack of covenant faithfulness, so too, the Glory of God’s Spirit leaves churches to themselves.  They are no longer doing his will, and his Spirit is no longer working in them as a group.  Eventually, it will come to a head and the group will go out of existence in its present configuration.

Some people like to add the concept (or even replace) of the head being a source (similar to the headwaters of a river).  He definitely is that, whether this word is intended to give that sense or not.  Like a vine, Jesus is the source of spiritual life to all who have a living faith in him.

He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.  Jesus is the beginning of the Church, or renewed (redeemed) humanity.  The word translated “beginning” here can refer to the beginning of something in an abstract way, but it often refers to a leader who is the beginning of a new Kingdom, dynasty.  Jesus is the powerful leader whose actions have given birth, place, to this new group of people called the Church.

This is connected to the phrase, “firstborn from the dead,” and it connects to the earlier firstborn of all creation.  The dead is used as a group and even has the sense of the place in which the dead are kept, Hades, She’ol, the grave.  It is his reappearance from out of the realm of the dead that gives him first place among the renewed humanity.

Of course, this is in relation to his humanity.  The eternal Son was not in need of being recreated, but he took on human flesh in order to blaze a trail through death, the grave, and into a glorified existence.  When a believer in Jesus dies, they follow the path of the firstborn.  They die and are enabled to avoid being stuck in the grave.  Instead, we are allowed to ascend to the right hand of the Father and wait with the Son at his side.  We follow him through this spiritually.  We are not physically resurrected at our deaths.  It is later that all the righteous will follow the firstborn physically into the completion of our renewed humanity.

The old creation was messed up by our rebellion and sin.  It led to humans being stuck in the grave, the dead, and no mechanism for ever getting out.  Yet, Jesus has paid the price for our sins so that we can follow him out of the grave and into the immortal, indestructible bodies that the Father has planned for us.

Thus, the firstborn in this situation is parallel to his firstborn status among creation.  In both cases, he has first place and inherits it all.

So that he himself would have first place over all things.  His unique resurrection establishes the path forward for the rest of us.  This gives him first place over humanity as a human, not just as God.  As the eternal Son who created all things, he always had first place.  Yet, now, he must act in such a way as to receive the first place among the new creation.

Think about it.  In Jesus, a human is now the supreme authority over all things in the heavens and the earth.

Because it pleased [God] to have all the fullness dwell in him.  This phrase is literally, “because he was pleased to have all the fullness dwell in him.”  Since we are talking about the Son, it seems most likely that the first pronoun “he” is referring to God the Father, whereas the second one refers to the Son of His love.  It is His plan.  The Father desired the eternal Son to take on human flesh in such a way that the fullness of His Spirit dwelt in him. 

Think of the Old Testament.  We often see the Spirit of God coming upon individuals with a certain measure and for a certain event.  It was always understood that a human being could only handle so much of the power of God, the Spirit of God, without dying.  Yet, in Jesus, the fullness of God’s Spirit dwelled in him.  He was somehow fully God, and yet also fully human.

It appears that humans were not just designed to be a dwelling place in which the Spirit of God could enter and empower.  Even more, we were designed in such a way to make the incarnation of the eternal Son possible.  It made it possible for Jesus to do a work that no fallen angel could have ever forseen.

Notice that it “pleased” Him to have it so.  The incarnation of Jesus is God’s good pleasure.  It is His artistic flair in fixing all things, and we would do well to pay attention to this. 

And through him to reconcile to Himself all things.  Paul speaks of God’s intention “to reconcile all things to Himself.”  This seems to be part of the pleasure of God the Father.  It was the fullness of God in Jesus that allows him to reconcile all things back to the Father.

Reconcile is a word that involves something that is out of harmony, not as it is supposed to be, an error, etc.  To reconcile can take on various ideas, depending upon what is wrong.  God’s main intention is to reconcile humanity by making it possible for us to be released from the dead and to follow Jesus into the New Humanity.  This is a humanity that perfectly images God the Father and is in harmony with His purposes.

However, “all things” is about more than humanity.  What does it mean to reconcile the heavens?  This is where some project the idea called universalism.  It posits that God must save all, even the devil himself.  However, this is not what we see in the New Testament.  Yes, in relationships, we generally think of reconciliation as the two parties coming together and being in harmony.  Of course, this is the reconciliation that God desires.  However, reconciliation is also about making all things right.  Thus, sometimes reconciliation requires the removal of that which refuses to conform to the “very good” that God intends all things to be.  Thus, Romans 8:22 has all of creation groaning.  It awaits the manifestation of the Sons of God, i.e., redeemed and glorified humans.  Yet, at the same time, there is a warning of a day of removal of the wicked into the Lake of Fire.

Making peace by the blood of his cross…whether things on earth or in the heavens.  It was the shedding of his life-blood at the cross that makes peace with God the Father possible.  This is another way of talking about the reconciliation.  In Jesus, we who have been enemies can be transformed into not just those who have a peace treaty, but are still hostile.  Rather, it is peace with God in every way.  We are no longer enemies, and the hostility between us has been resolved.  Romans 5:1 says it this way, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Do you have peace with God?  You can only have peace with Him by putting your faith in Jesus and following him.  Peace with God also brings peace within us.  Our hearts and minds are susceptible to moments of turbulence because we live in this world.  However, the grace of Jesus enables us to see those storms settle down; “Peace, be still!” 

May God help  us to see the glorious nature of who Jesus is and what he has done for us.  And, may we firmly embrace the One who went to the cross for us, went into the grave for us, and has been resurrected to sit at the right hand of God the Father for us!

Son of the Father's Love audio

The Kingdom of God- 8

Subtitle:  Inheriting the Millennial Kingdom I

Revelation 19:11-20:10.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, May 4, 2025.

Last week, we looked at the promises of the a kingdom led by God’s Messiah that are in the Old Testament.  This Anointed King would judge the nations and cause the righteous to inherit the earth.  The kingdom of Messiah would never end.  That is the promise.

Today, we are going to look at the New Testament promise that speaks of the Second Coming of Jesus, the Messiah.  We want to explore how that will fit in with these Old Testament promises.

Let’s look at our passage.

The Second Coming of Jesus

Revelation 19:11-19.

The idea that the Messiah would come twice is not readily apparent in the Old Testament, but does make sense.  We talked about the nature of Messiah’s Kingdom.  It is operational now, but not yet fully as was promised.

There may be many reasons why this is so, but one of them has to do with God’s nature as a the ultimate Teacher.  He wants us to learn how to gain victory over our flesh, before He gives us immortal bodies that are not bent towards sin.  The resurrection is necessary because we cannot inherit the Kingdom of God in our flesh.  However, it is not necessary that it occur immediately.  God in His wisdom gives us a life of taking possession of our souls by patience, faith, and leaning on the help of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, the nations have had 2,000 years to hear the truth about who Jesus is, the reality of his kingdom, and the truth about what he is calling us to do.  At a point in time determined by the Father, Jesus will return to take up a direct rule over the nations bodily upon this earth.  This event will involve a judgment of those powers and people of the earth who have rejected his kingdom.

Revelation 19:11 introduces the rider of a white horse who appears before the earth as the heavens open up.  This connects with several passages, but Matthew 24:30 is an important one.  “All the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”  Jesus uses the imagery of Daniel 7, which shows the Son of Man riding the clouds of heaven to God the Father in order to receive dominion over the earth.  Yet, in Matthew 24, Jesus depicts the Son of Man coming out of heaven to the earth in order to take up that dominion.

There is no question that this rider is Jesus, though his name is not mentioned here.  Jesus is presented in the New Testament as the Son of Man that Daniel 7 and Matthew 24 are talking about.  John is seeing that same event that Jesus revealed would happen in Matthew 24.

On top of that, notice the descriptions of the rider.  He is called Faithful and True.  He represents the character of God in keeping His promises to humanity.  It is not just that Jesus is faithful and true in his character, but that his very existence is the proof and actuality of God’s faithfulness and truthfulness.

We are also told that the rider will judge the earth in righteousness.  Isaiah 11:3-4 mentions that Messiah would “not judge by what his eyes see…and ears hear, but with righteousness.”  It may seem strange.  Surely, he should look at the evidence.  However, the point here is about a judge being swayed by the person who is in front of them to pervert justice.  Messiah will not do that.  He will give a righteous judgment (more on this in a bit). 

Verse 13 says that his name is the Word of God.  This ties back to John’s earlier Gospel (John 1:1-3, 14-18).  There John states that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory…”  John makes it clear in verse 17, for any who didn’t understand by then, that he is talking about Jesus.  Jesus is the Word of God.  All the words written by the prophets and collected together as Scripture point to Jesus, they reveal him.  If we were to sum up everything that God wants to say to humanity and put it in one Word, one person, it would be the totality of who Jesus is.

Verse 15 speaks of him as the one who strikes the nations with a sword from his mouth and who rules them with a rod of iron.  The first part is focusing on the words that he speaks.  He is the Word of God speaking the word of God.  This is blessing to some (those who believe) and a curse to others (those who do not).  Yet, the phrase about the rod of iron comes from several places in the Old Testament, but especially Psalm 2.  It points to a change in the kingdom of God.  At the Second Coming of Christ, the will of God will be enforced on the earth.  Jesus will not bend to the ideas and desires of the rulers of this earth.  They will bend to his will.  We see similar ideas in Zechariah 14, which speaks of the rule of the LORD after his coming to earth.  If a nation refuses to come up to Jerusalem and worship, then they will have no rain until they do.

Finally, the rider is referred to as the King of kings and Lord of lords.  We could spend a lot of time on this, but suffice it to say that it is a term that speaks of the highest authority and is connected to Jesus in 1 Timothy 6:13-14.  “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

Revelation 19:20-21.

Just as the identity of the rider is clear (Jesus), so the purpose of the Second Coming of Jesus is also clear.  We’ve already seen that he is coming to judge the nations, but he is also flanked by the armies of heaven (vs. 14). 

The nations have had ample time to submit to the authority and power of Jesus voluntarily.  The nations of the world today are strongly rejecting the wisdom of Jesus and forging their own paths.  Yet, these are proving to be unwise and destructive.  Yet, the book of Revelation reveals that even worse times are to come.

Yet, at just the right time, God the Father sends Jesus to judge the earth.  Isaiah 11:4 states that the Messiah will “decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth.”  Whenever you are tempted to question whether or not God cares about the little guys who are being crushed under tyranny, this should put it to rest.

Judgment is not necessarily a negative word.  It simply means a decision.  If my car was stolen and then I saw that my neighbor down the street had it, I would call the cops, and we would end up in court.  The judge would make a judgment, a decision, about the case.  When he decides that the car really does belong to me and that my neighbor knowingly stole it, the judgment will be a good thing to me, but a bad thing for the thief.  The Second Coming of Jesus is just like this.  It is good news for those who have been living by faith in Jesus, but it will be bad news for those who have rejected Christ and are living for themselves.

The armies are no doubt heavenly angels.  Matthew 24:31 pictures Christ sending forth his angels to gather his chosen ones.  Matthew 13:41 speaks of angels gathering “all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, ⁴² and will throw them into the furnace of fire.”

However, the armies of heaven also include earthly armies.  In this case, the only earthly armies that could be coming from heaven are the armies of resurrected, righteous saints.  1 Corinthians 15:23 speaks of the resurrected saints following him at his second coming.

This martial entry does not have to be a conflict, but the beast has gathered the kings of the earth with their armies in order to attack Jesus at his coming.  Can you imagine attacking the very One who went to the cross for your sins and to obtain your salvation?  Take note that this is the same problem that was at his first coming.  The perfect one, whom the world desperately needs, is attacked by the very ones he aims to help.  Jesus should be celebrated by the nations, but the nations of the world will try to kill him instead.  This is what we see in verse 19.

Thus, part of the purpose of this coming is to remove the enemies of Christ.  It begins in verse 20 with the beast and the false prophet being seized and thrown into the Lake of Fire.  These beings have worked in league with the devil to deceive the nations and harness them against Jesus.  They represent spiritual interference (interlopers) on the earth.  Then, the kings and their armies are summarily dispensed in verse 21.  In truth, all the great power of humanity to Jesus is but a drop of water to the universe.  There is no contest.  There comes a time when a military man needs to make a hard decision.  Am I fighting on the right side or not?  It is better to be killed by the beast and gain the inheritance of the saints, then to be safe for 42 months and then be taken out by Jesus for eternity.

There is yet another enemy that Jesus will deal with.  The break from chapter 19 to chapter 20 is unfortunate.  The story continues without a break.  Look at chapter 20:1-3.

The 1,000-Year Kingdom

Revelation 20:1-3.

An angel seizes the devil and chains him in the Abyss, or the Bottomless Pit.  This is a prison for fallen spiritual beings.  There is a difference between the Lake of Fire and the Abyss.  No one comes back from the Lake of Fire.  They are walled off forever from God’s creation.  We are told that the devil is only chained in the Abyss.  That is where the beast came from (Revelation 11:7).  The devil is held for 1,000 years and then released. 

The purpose for binding him is obvious.  It is so that he cannot deceive the nations any longer.  This helps us to explain why the world is as bad as it is.  Things would be bad enough if we were just sinning to please ourselves.  Yet, it is much worse because of the interference from the devil and his cohorts.  They want to destroy humanity and all that God plans with us.

The kingdom that Jesus sets up will have all of these enemies removed, spiritual and human.  We will be enabled to grow in a much healthier way with a much more righteous leadership.

This begs the question.  Why not put the devil in the Lake of Fire?  Why plan to release him later?  Let’s read on.

Revelation 20:4-6.

The devil is removed so that Jesus can rule over a 1,000 year kingdom on this earth upon his return.  This may seem to contradict the many places in the Old Testament that talk about a kingdom that never ends.  However, even this 1,000 year rule is not a beginning or end of his rule.  It is merely a different phase of his rule.  Presently, Jesus rules from heaven by the Spirit through those who believe in Him.  During this 1,000 years, he will be physically present on the earth.  He will rule over the whole planet.

Notice verse four.  Thrones plural are established and those who sit on them are given power to judge (by Jesus).  This is exactly what the Old Testament promises to the saints.  Jesus mentioned this to his disciples when he told them that they would rule with him on 12 thrones ruling over the 12 tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).  Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 6:3 when he reminds the Corinthian believers that we will judge angels one day.  These thrones are the varying levels of authority that will be given to the resurrected saints.  They will be the perfect administrators for the authority of Jesus.

Who are they to rule over?  Matthew 25 makes it clear that, though many will die during this period, some will survive.  Those who survive will be brought before Jesus, and he will determine who is able to enter into this 1,000-year kingdom.

Revelation 20:4 may sound like it is limiting this resurrection to only those killed in the tribulation.  However, Colossians 3:4 makes it clear that all the righteous will participate in Christ’s Second Coming.  Thus, this is giving particular encouragement to those who will face the beast and his short rule.  Essentially, it will be worth it to hold on to faith in Jesus.

We also see that there is a sense of political and religious duties.  The saints will rule and judge, but verse 6 adds that they will be priests of God and of Christ.

There is little said about what the period will look like, but the earth will have its first government that is ran by people who are 100% righteous.  They will be just like Jesus.  Imagine that!

This section also makes a distinction between the First Resurrection and those who are resurrected later.  The wicked dead will still remain in the grave awaiting a later judgment.  They will eventually be resurrected in order to be judged (Revelation 20:12).

The First Resurrection is clearly the resurrection of the righteous.  Jesus and some of the Old Testament saints were the first fruits of the resurrection (a harvest picture).  The Second Coming of Jesus will complete this First Resurrection.  The Second Resurrection is a resurrection of the wicked.  It happens at one time for all of them.

The Old Testament speaks of the earth being transformed by the presence of Messiah and his saints.  There will be no war.  People will live longer.  The natural order will be restored so that the animals will not eat one another.  Babies will be safe next to a poisonous serpent because nothing will harm others in his kingdom.  The cleaning of the destruction of the previous epoch will begin, but then be replaced with a rebuilding.  It will be a society that is not built upon the bodies and souls of men.  The immortal believers will teach and lead mortal humans who survived and will repopulate the earth.  The earth itself will bear more fruit than ever imagined as the curse is lifted by the presence of Jesus.

Why would this only last 1,000 years?  Why would it ever end?  Let’s read on.

Revelation 20:7-10.

The release of the devil is to show that even 1,000 years of a perfect king with perfect laws, perfect judgment, and perfect administrators will cure the heart of mortal humans.  He will be able to deceive millions if not billions into rebelling against Christ.

This gives an important message to the current world.  Many hold out the carrot of a Utopian age built by man.  Yet, God warns that we will never be able to do it in our mortal bodies.  We are too bent towards pleasing our flesh.  Even when God gives us a Utopia, we end up rebelling against it and attempting to destroy it at the first opportunity.

This is why the resurrection is so important and why Paul stated: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50).”  Death and resurrection is the only workable plan to fixing humanity.

So, why would God go through this if it is only going to end in rebellion again?  One reason is that God is keeping His word to all the saints of every age.  They will see the wicked removed from power, and the world will be ruled by the saints.  Another reason is to teach us the lesson of what I just stated, the need for resurrection and the impotency of perfect governance in the face of man’s penchant towards sin.

Yet, the kingdom of Christ doesn’t end in verse 9.  Rather, it will only enter into a new phase.  Just as the Millennium is a new phase to the rule of Christ, so the creating of a new heavens and a new earth will be another phase to the kingdom of Christ.  No mortal or wicked being will be allowed to enter the new creation.

These are the promises of God to those who will trust Him.  When He fulfills them, it will be clear that He keeps His word and does all things in wisdom.  “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  How you live will make all the difference in the world.

Kingdom 8 audio