How Important is Jesus to you?

Hebrews 1:1 - 14, Colossians 1:15 - 20
We get a wide range of answers. Some are indifferent. Some see him as a great historical person but he is not important to them. Some react violently when you suggest he is relevant to them. Here, most of see him as very important. You get a great spectrum of answers.
There are reasons for this - there are 2 key factors:
1. Who do we think he is?
2. What do we think he has done and is doing?
The Colossians were Christians that were in danger of being led astray by saying he hadn't done everything necessary for their salvation, they said they had secret information that led to higher understanding. Paul was very concerned and wrote this letter. He summarised who Jesus is and what he has and is doing - in these verses. It is only a summary, he later draws out things in more detail. What can we learn? This is an incredible passage in depth and scope. It is very important for us to have a clear understanding. Paul knew people needed a clear understanding.
1. Who Jesus is. There are many different views, some doubt he ever existed, he was made up, created in their minds. People are duped. The Bible us at best a good story. People accept historical characters such as Julius Caesar and Henry VIII. There is more historical data regarding Jesus than these two. It is not realistic to doubt Jesus existed. So who is he? In the gospels we get to see what he said about himself. He said he was God. He left no doubt. John 10:25 to 30. He said plainly that God is his father and he was his son - I and the father are one. He claimed to be God. Some people do not accept Jesus is God and try to water down what he said - they try to explain it away. How do we know he meant what he said? Next the Jews tried to stone him because they said he was blaspheming by claiming to be God and he was only a 'mere man'. The Jews understood what he was saying. Jesus was entitled to say this. If Jesus had been misunderstood he would have corrected them and told them they had got it wrong. Jesus let them express their anger because he meant it.
His disciples, after his ascension, continued to preach he was God,. If they had wanted to avoid all of the antagonism, they would not have said Jesus was God, this offended people and some died for saying it. In this letter Paul strongly reasserts that Jesus is God - verse 15, he is the true image of the invisible God, verse 19 - he had all the fullness of the deity in bodily form. This is really important for him to grasp this. Today this really offends people, some people try to twist his words. The Bible is consistent - Hebrews 13 - the radiance of God's glory. Phillipians 2:5 Jesus is in very nature God. It has far reaching implications if Jesus is God. We need to clear about it here. We may think it is not important if we are not Christians. If we are Christians this knowledge keeps us from errors.
a) He is the image of the invisible God. Man was made in the image of God in Genesis, but he is only like God in some ways, we are not gods. We are a likeness of God. In verse 15 he is likened to the invisible God. Jesus is the image we can see and look to. Jesus is the part of God we can see. God is 3 persons and we can see only Jesus. He appeared in the Old Testament such as the Burning Bush. He is fully equal with the other two persons. Verse 19 - he has all the fullness of God in him. It not some or most but 100% of the entire fullness of God. If someone says he is any less than that they need to be corrected. It really does matter.
b) Paul focuses on two things Jesus does and why they are important:
(i) Creation - Jesus was and is pivotal to the whole creation. By him all things were created. He was not created himself, he was the creator of all things visible and invisible, on Earth and in Heaven. He says it twice in verse 16. They were created for him to enjoy. If Jesus was not fully God this would be an outrageous and foolish claim. Paul summarises the scope of the creation, absolutely everything. It is an amazing world. If we look at the complexity and wonder of it we can see a creator's hand. If we come at the world with an open mind we can see a creator. All came from a powerful God. The whole of the spiritual realm - the angels and the heavens were made by him as well. False teachers often dwell on the spiritual realm. Paul puts these into perspective - they were made by him and for him. He is more powerful and pre-eminent over them - verse 17.
In him all things hold together. Some see God as a watch maker, he made it and wound it up and then left. The Bible constantly challenges this - Hebrews 1:3 he sustains it by his powerful will. It does not just drift off into chaos. God works. It is hard to see God at work when we have troubles but there are many things we cannot see - radio waves, mobile phone signals, TV etc. If we have the right equipment we can tune into it. It is equally foolish to deny God's power because we cannot see it.
2. He is the church because it could not exist without him - what he did in salvation. He became a man and died on the cross. If he hadn't done it we would not be saved, we would have been consigned to die in hell. If Jesus has not died for us we will go to hell. Jesus can deal with our sin because he is God. He is perfect because he is eternal, because he is God he can take our sin and give us his righteousness. He created people so he could have a relationship with them. When we have sinned we were separated from God. When he died for our sins we were restored. The resurrection showed God had accepted his sacrifice. Jesus was the instigator in creation and salvation.
What are the implications if we are not Christians? As our creator he is entitled to our love and respect. Because he is God he sees what we do and what we think. Because he is perfect and just, when we face him at the end of our lives we will go to Hell if we have not accepted him - if we reject his offer of salvation. We have the opportunity now to turn to him and receive his offer of salvation.
For Christians the implications are that we have a perfect and complete salvation provided by Jesus. We still owe him love, respect and obedience. We should follow him in all that we do. We still struggle in many things that we face, we face many problems in our lives. We have a great saviour . He had the power to create and sustain us, he has the power to care for us too. Jesus can save us to the utter most. He saved us and can rescue our unsaved loved ones and we should trust in his power to save.