Chris Katulka: Thanks for joining us for The Friends of Israel Today. I'm your host and teacher, Chris Katulka. Now, before we get to our regular programming, I want to invite you to visit us foiradio.org. When you get to our website, we have nearly a decade. That's right, 10 years of content on the site that features great biblical teaching about the Jewishness of the Bible with a host of various interview guests talking about important issues related to Israel and the Jewish people. Again, that's foiradio.org. Now today we're going to start a four-part series on the letter that Paul wrote to the Colossians. There are several reasons that Paul was writing to these believers, but today we're going to focus on the supremacy of Christ, the importance of the supremacy of who Jesus Christ is in our lives today. So today we're going to begin our series on Colossians. 

But before we get there, let's look at what's happening in the news. Israelis are turning to God's creation for a post-October 7th healing. They call it eco-therapy. Israeli Noam Badein wrote in The Jerusalem Post, “The breathtaking wildlife and natural beauty around us were not merely aesthetic; they were instrumental in facilitating a powerful therapeutic process.” Badein who traveled through Alaska and Canada believes nature can heal the trauma of war in a post October 7th Israel. Well, here's my take. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans chapter one that creation is a visible testimony of God's existence. So it's no surprise that God's creation brings a sense of peace to one's life after such a traumatic experience like October 7. Please remember, only lasting peace though can come through the Prince of peace, Jesus the Messiah.

Chris Katulka: Several years ago I was watching a comedian on a short film driving a 1995 Volvo 960 station wagon. This was an ordinary car for its time. It was a family car, a station wagon designed to pack up the kids for soccer practice or pick up the groceries from the grocery store. The Volvo was maroon, nothing fancy at all. This was a car that looked like every other car out there in its time. But this particular 1995 Volvo 960 station wagon was a bit different. It looked like a family car from the outside, but under the hood was a 380 horsepower Ford V8 with a supercharger and a Mustang 5 speed gear box. A racing engine that was shoved into a family station wagon made this car very unique. As one person put it, you go from a go-kart to a jet fighter.

Today we're starting a series on Paul's letter to the Colossians. We'll start in chapter one today, but before we get to the meat of chapter one, let's look at the history of the letter to the Colossians. Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians from Rome during his first imprisonment around 60 to 62 AD as was described in Acts 28:30. During this time he also wrote letters to the Ephesians and Philemon. In Philemon 1:9, Paul refers to himself as “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.” He makes similar statements in Ephesians as well. In fact, he notes that Tychicus was responsible for delivering these letters. Given that the account in Acts concludes around 60 to 62, Colossians was likely written within this period of Paul's imprisonment. Additionally, since Colossians and Ephesians and Philemon don't discuss the outcome of Paul's trial, which he expected in Philippians 1:19-21, Colossians was probably written before his letter to the Philippians.

Colossae, the city addressed in this letter, was situated in the Lycus Valley about a hundred miles east of Ephesus in Asia Minor. The name “Colossae” may come from the word “colossus" suggesting something large, possibly connected to the region's unusual stone formations that were around it. Colossae was close to Hierapolis and Laodicea, its neighboring cities in the valley. This area was known for rich mineral deposits and actually frequent earthquakes and lush pastures. Paul references several times that he had not personally visited Colossae making, this letter actually an expression of his care for a community that he actually knew from a distance. 

Paul had three main purposes in mind when writing to the Colossians. First, he aimed to emphasize Christ's deity and supremacy in order to counter false teachings threatening the Colossian church. Second, he wanted to guide believers toward a spiritual maturity, encouraging them to grow deeply in their faith. And finally, Paul sought to update the Colossians on his own circumstances, asking for their prayers and support in his ministry. 

But today I want to focus on the supremacy of Christ. Listen to what the apostle Paul writes in Colossians 1:15-20. He writes this, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Whether thrones or powers 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 and he's the head of the body, the church. He's the beginning and the firstborn among the dead so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, making peace through his blood shed on the cross.”

Look throughout the New Testament, writers like the Apostle John and Paul remind us that Jesus wasn't created in Bethlehem. He was born in Bethlehem, but as the prophet Micah says in Micah 5:2, “his goings forth are from long ago from the days of eternity.” Yes, he was born in Bethlehem, but he existed long before his physical birth. John's gospel reminds us of this in John 1:1 when he says, “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” He was in the beginning with God. Well, here in Colossians chapter one, the apostle Paul is giving us a view from under the hood. Do you see where I'm going here? See, Isaiah 53 tells us the suffering servant of Israel looked just like everyone else. There was nothing physically that set him apart from the rest of humanity.

In Isaiah 53:2, it says, “He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.” But then you go to Colossians and you see this ordinary looking man,Jesus, is also the image of the invisible God. He created all things that are visible and invisible, holds all things together. He's the head of the church and God was pleased to have his fullness dwell in him. Let's go back to that ordinary Volvo station wagon. There was nothing at all when we see this car that would make you stop and look at it, it looked like every other car, but when the driver puts his foot on the gas and you hear what's under the hood, that car goes from ordinary to unique, from bland to supreme. Jesus was fully man. There was nothing in his appearance that would make you think that God was walking next to you, but the moment he opened his mouth and taught with authority or worked miracles that could only come from God himself, that's when you knew Jesus was no ordinary man.

He was different. God's fullness dwelled in Christ. Paul says this Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Now, our mind can easily travel to the beginning of the Bible here in Genesis when God created man and he said, “let us make man in our image.” And that's correct. But the concept here that Paul is alluding to is deeper because Jesus wasn't created in Bethlehem, according to the Apostle John, He always existed. The concept of Paul's use of the word here, “he is the image” to Christ is so that we praise him as the one in whom God ultimately reveals himself. As the “image” of the invisible God, He does not belong to what was created. Think about this. He doesn't belong to what was created but stands with the creator who in the Messiah, Jesus is acting upon the world and with the world.

We're not talking about Jesus being made in human image. Instead, Paul's talking about Jesus's divine “image” to God. Jesus is superior to the whole creation of earth and heaven. That's why the first title of majesty is followed by the second title that comes right away for Paul, which is Jesus is the “first-born before all creation.” 

But wait a minute, the title “first born before all creation” makes it sound like Jesus was created first. Listen, Paul's argument here is to show Jesus as the preexistent Christ, the majestic title, “first born before all creation” is not intended to mean that he was created first and thereby began the succession of created things. No, no, no, no. Instead the title refers to his uniqueness by which he is distinguished from all of creation. Paul's goal is not to guide you to a timestamp, but rather the supremacy which is due to him as God's agent of creation, who is before all creation as the firstborn. He stands over creation as Lord. Now when we come back, we're going to take a closer look at why Paul was so committed to teach the believers in Colossae about the supremacy of Jesus and why it should matter to us.

Chris Katulka: Steve, for 10 years I've had the privilege of hosting the Friends of Israel Today radio show and serving alongside you.

Steve Conover: Chris, I love working with you and the team and it's been my joy to be part of the FOI radio ministry now for nearly 30 years.

Chris Katulka: And really this is why it's an honor for both of us to ask you, our listeners today, to join on the ground level to help broadcast biblical truth all around the world. Whether Friends of Israel Today is airing on a local radio station or through our podcast, never before has it been so needed to have the truth of God's Word running throughout the airwaves.

Steve Conover: Romans 10:17 says, “so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Friends, we need your help to continue to produce and broadcast the Friends of Israel Today.

Chris Katulka: Now, the Friends of Israel Today radio program is supported by donors, listeners, and friends like you. See, we believe that if you have a passion for God's Word, then you should have compassion for God's Chosen People. And our goal is to raise $50,000 this month to continue to produce and broadcast the program that you're listening to right now with your financial gift. Today you will be taking the gospel to the ends of the earth with trustworthy, uncompromising biblical teaching.

Steve Conover: If the Friends of Israel radio program has been a blessing to you and you'd like to make it possible for all to hear, you can make a gift right now at foi.org/radiosupport and from the bottom of our hearts, thank you again, that's foi.org/radiosupport.

Chris Katulka: Welcome back everyone. We are in part one of a four-part series on the letter Paul wrote to the Colossians, we're focusing on an ancient Christian hymn actually in Colossians 1:15-20 concerning the supremacy of Christ. And what we saw in the previous segment was that Jesus wasn't a mere man created in Bethlehem to be Israel's king. He had and has 100% of all the qualifications of being a man, but he also had and has 100% of all the qualifications of being God. Just like the ordinary station wagon we talked about in the beginning of the program looks like a station wagon from the outside, but drives like a Formula one car on the inside. Why was it important for Paul to convey the supremacy of Christ to the Colossians? Well, listen, in Paul's day, there were a litany of thoughts about how the world was held together, and let me tell you, the apostle Paul stood at the crossroads of many of those ideas.

Paul was a Jewish man, a Pharisee trained by one of the leading rabbis of his time, so he was definitely well aware of Jewish thought and how the universe was created and held together according to the scriptures. But see, Paul was also familiar with the Greco-Roman way of life. He was surrounded by gentile pagan philosophers who said that all things were held together by Zeus or by divine reason. See, Paul stood in between Jerusalem, that’s Jewish, Ephesus, that's Greek and Rome, that's Roman. See, Paul was ministering in a very confusing world. No longer was he confined to the Jewish way of life, the Jewish faith in Jerusalem where that was the majority. Now he's surrounded by a pagan world ministering to Jew and Gentile alike. Just think about it, those gentiles who came to faith abandoned their pagan ways to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ. When they placed their faith in Christ, the pagan temples didn't come crumbling down.

They were still the center of pagan life. The pagan culture they were raised in didn't disappear. Every day they were still influenced by pagan philosophy, pagan worship, all of it. See, Paul is speaking into the most foundational of all questions. A question that is still asked today in our secular culture. And that question is this, where did all of this come from? Where did I come from? How is all this held together? Look, in all of our amazing scientific endeavors of the 21st century and all of our advanced technologies that can explore the vast universe, scientists still can't answer those deep philosophical questions humans have been asking for thousands of years. Paul, in a beautiful hymn in Colossians chapter one, is connecting both the Jew and the Gentile into a song of praise to Jesus for being the One who God was pleased to dwell in, because through Him all things were created, all things are held together with the desire to reconcile all things to Himself. He's supreme above them all. Look in a world where our modern educators answer life's deep questions like the history of our origins or how the universe is upheld and they teach it with such blind certainty. See, Paul draws us to trust in the Son in whom we have redemption and forgiveness of sins. How can we be so certain? Because “He's the image”, Paul says, “of the invisible God, of the firstborn over all of creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created in Him. All things whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers, all things were created through Him,” he says, “and for Him.” Paul wants us to understand the roots from which we come. Paul wants us to understand the depths of our relationship with God. Paul wants to answer the difficult questions of our origins to ground us in the supremacy of who Jesus is.

Steve Conover: Israel, on the verge of becoming a state, a teenaged Holocaust survivor arrives on her shores alone. His name is Zvi Kalisher. Little did he know, his search for a new life in the Holy Land would lead him to the Messiah. Zvi, enthusiastic to share his faith, engaged others in spiritual conversations, many of which can be found in our magazine, Israel My Glory. While Zvi is now in the presence of his Savior, his collected writings from well over 50 years of ministry continue to encourage believers worldwide. Now, Apples of Gold, a dramatic reading from the life of Zvi.

Mike Kellogg: I have a 60-year-old uncle who lives in Haifa. When he learned that I had received the Lord as my Savior, he wanted nothing more to do with me. He said, “I do not want to hear any more about you. You no longer belong to our family.” This was 20 years ago, and all this time he has been very hostile to me.

One time I went to Haifa to visit my uncle, but when he saw me, he closed the door and said, “Go away. I do not know you!”

I told him, “I have come to see you. How are you feeling? Even after you have mocked me, I do not hate you because the Lord gives me much love, and I am able to give it to others.” But he refused to listen to me, so I left.

I was very sad, not because he had rejected me, but because he was in darkness. I knew there was nothing I could do to bring him to the Lord, but I continually remembered him in prayer.

Now, after 20 years, the Lord is answering my prayers. Imagine my surprise just recently when, upon answering a knock at my door, I found my uncle and aunt standing there. My aunt was even more against me than my uncle after I became a believer. When I visited them in Haifa, she wanted to call the police on me.

I received them into my home as best friends, forgetting what had been between us. My children played special songs from the Psalms on their instruments for them. This made them very sad, and they cried. They have no children, and my uncle began to tell me he could not understand why God had given him so many troubles. He said, “You are happy because you have nice children. I have nothing. Now I am sick, and I do not know how long I will be in this world.”

I said to him and his wife, “Do you want to be happy and have a good life?”

“Yes,” he replied, “even if I have to give away all my money.”

I said to him, “The Lord says you were sold for nothing, and you will be redeemed without money.”

“How do you know this?” he asked.

“Please take the Bible and read it for yourself,” I said. 

“What?” he asked. “Do you also, as a Christian, believe in the Bible? How can this be?”

I told him, “We have the same God, the same Redeemer. If you will believe, you will see the salvation of our Lord. What we believe is all written in the Bible!” I then read to him many chapters of the Bible, all showing that the coming again of the Lord is drawing very near. 

I said, “Now is the time to receive Him as Savior. Shall we pray in the name of our Savior?”

After our prayers, my uncle and aunt said “Amen” for the first time!

My wife then brought supper to the table and we ate. After supper, my uncle wanted to know how I had come to my faith in the Lord. This was a big surprise to me, and with much joy I gave them a witness for the Lord.

Chris Katulka: The impact of Zvi’s life in ministry in Israel, it didn't end when he went home to be with the Lord. In fact, Zvi’s legacy lives on. Our Friends of Israel ministry representatives continue to share the gospel in Jerusalem, Israel, and really all throughout the world. We also serve Holocaust survivors and their families. We provide free food, medicine and clothing, and we even promote the safety and security of the state of Israel and the Jewish people everywhere. So when you give to the Friends of Israel, your donation actually allows us to advance the gospel of our Messiah Jesus. You can give online by visiting foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org. You can click right there on our donate link. Also, be sure to let us know where you listen when you contact us.

Chris Katulka: Thanks for joining us for today's episode of The Friends of Israel Today. Now, if the Lord is leading you to support our radio ministry, please visit us at foi.org/radiosupport. Now, next week, we're going to continue our study in Colossians chapter two, where we're going to continue to see the supremacy of Christ and how that gets worked out in our relationships with one another. 

Our mailing address is FOI Radio, PO Box 914 Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. Again, that's FOI Radio, PO Box 914 Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. Our web address is foiradio.org. That's foiradio.org. Our listener line is 888-343-6940. Again, that’s 888-343-6940. Today's program was produced by Tom Gallione, edited by Jeremy Strong, who also composed and performs our theme music. Mike Kellogg read Apples of Gold, and Steve Conover is our executive producer. I’m Chris Katulka, your host and teacher. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Passion for God's Word. Compassion for God's Chosen People.