The Supremacy and Sufficiency of Jesus – Colossians
The Supremacy & Sufficiency of Jesus
Sermon Manuscript | Together Church | Pastor Brandon Werner
June 7, 2026 | Series: Colossians
INTRODUCTION
If you have your Bible… open with me to Colossians 1:15-23.
Right here, there’s an obvious shift in the tone of Paul’s letter to the Colossian church. He moves from opening greetings, expressions of affection, and a powerful prayer to magnifying Jesus.
Scholars often call this passage the “Christ Hymn” or “The Hymn of Christ”. This is a hymn that lifts high the name of Jesus!
Paul exalts Jesus by emphasizing two theological doctrines that are essential to the faith of everyone who is part of the new humanity.
Paul magnifies the supremacy and the sufficiency of Jesus.
It’s all over this passage.
Let’s read the text, then we’ll work to unpack these core doctrines.
Colossians 1:15-23
15 [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
As we’ve seen every week in this series, this text is part of the letter Paul wrote to the Colossians to show the church that God is creating a new humanity through faith in Jesus… and that they belong to it.
And here’s the main idea of this particular passage:
If you are going to live like you belong to the new humanity, you must believe in the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus.
Without a confidence in the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus, your faith will constantly be subject to the struggles and trials in this life. It is our confidence in Jesus’ supremacy and sufficiency that provides the firm foundation we all need.
These two theological doctrines are like, “hand, meet glove.”
They are distinct but they work together inseparably.
So let’s get into them…
BODY
- What is the doctrine of the supremacy of Jesus?
Saying Jesus is supreme means saying He is FIRST… and we mean first in every elevated way that word could mean. Jesus is above and ahead and before and over of all things.
Colossians 1:18 uses the word “PREEMINENT” to describe Jesus.
That word literally means “to be first” or “to hold first place.”
It means to “rank above others” or “hold the highest position.”
So, believing in Christ’s supremacy means believing that there is no area where Jesus is not supreme!
- Jesus is supreme as God.
He’s not merely “God-like”
Or a messenger from God
Jesus IS God.
Paul says Jesus is “the very image of the invisible God” and that “in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”
In the next chapter, in Colossians 2:9, Paul also says, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily”
Jesus is not like God, He is supreme because He is God.
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
If Jesus is supreme as God, what does that mean? In what ways?
In this passage, Paul says it means…
- Jesus is supreme over creation.
He stands above creation itself.
Jesus did not come from creation; creation came from Him.
Paul says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things were created through him and for him.”
If something exists, it exists because of Jesus and for Jesus. Paul says it exists BY Him, THROUGH Him, and FOR Him.
God is the only being that is totally self-sufficient.
He does not need air to breathe… He created the air.
He does not need food to eat… He made food.
He does not need rest or sleep… the Bible says He gives us sleep.
The architecture of the universe, the rhythms of the world, the rising and setting of the sun, the tides and moon cycles, the laws of nature, the systems that govern everything… HE MADE THEM ALL.
They exist because of Jesus.
And as Creator, everything is subject to Him and to His rule.
He is Lord over all nature, Lord over the hosts of heaven (the invisible), Lord over every life, Lord over every death, Lord over every illness, Lord over everything.
Jesus Christ is Lord of all.
And that means…
- Jesus is supreme over all powers.
Paul says that every power, dominion, ruler, and authority exists because Jesus created them and upholds them.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Paul says it this way in…
Romans 13:1
13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
This does not mean God approves of every decision made by those who rule. But it does mean that God is sovereign over every ruler and that nothing happens outside His control.
There is not a better example than the crucifixion of Jesus.
Of all the evil acts that have ever occurred in this world, the evilest thing that has ever happened is the torture and execution of Jesus, the perfect Son of God, at the hands of evil governing authorities.
What those rulers did was completely evil…
But Jesus was sovereign over it all.
He could have stopped it. In Matthew 26, as He was being arrested, Jesus made it clear that thousands of angels were at the ready to deliver Jesus.
But Jesus knew God’s plan.
What others intended for evil, God intended for good.
From the evilest act in human history came the greatest act of love and redemption this world has ever known.
Jesus is over all powers, and…
- Jesus is supreme in redemption.
Paul said…
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him
Jesus is supreme in redemption… He rules over salvation itself!
There is no other name in heaven or on earth by which man can be saved. Jesus alone has the power to rescue us from sin and death!
Muhammad is not supreme over redemption… he’s dead.
Buddha is not supreme over redemption… he’s in the grave.
You are not supreme over redemption and your own salvation!
Your religion cannot save you.
Your family cannot save you.
Good works cannot save you.
Reason and logic cannot save you.
There is only One who can save you, and His name is Jesus.
He was dead, but now He is alive forevermore. And He alone holds the keys to death and hades. Only Jesus is Savior and Lord of salvation!
And that also means…
- Jesus is supreme over His Church.
He saved His Church, and He is the head of His Church.
Paul says…
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
If we aren’t careful, we can drift into behaving like the church belongs to us. The church belongs to Christ. It exists by Him and for Him.
The supremacy of Jesus calls us to lay aside our preferences and traditions, our comforts and agendas, to worship and glorify Jesus.
Romans 12:1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
When Paul says, “that in everything he might be preeminent,” Paul is saying Jesus is worthy to be worshipped. Our lives on His altar, a living sacrifice to God. He’s worthy of it all. He is the head of His Church.
Jesus Christ is supreme.
He is first over all creation, before every throne, has all authority, controls all dominion, possesses all power, and is worthy of all worship.
He is the only Savior and the Head of His Church.
In everything, He is preeminent.
And because Jesus is truly supreme over everything, He must also be sufficient in all things.
- What is the doctrine of the sufficiency of Jesus?
When we understand the doctrine of the supremacy of Jesus, it’s easy to see how the doctrine of the sufficiency of Jesus flows from it.
You know, a lot of times, when we say something is sufficient, we are saying, “I wish I had more, but I can get by.”
We might say…
- My paycheck is sufficient.
- My car is sufficient.
- My living arrangement is sufficient.
We might use the word “sufficient” like that, but that’s not the doctrine of the sufficiency of Christ.
To believe Jesus is all-sufficient means to literally believe Jesus is all I need. It means believing…
JESUS + NOTHING = EVERYTHING
That requires faith.
Jesus is not sufficient because He gives me stuff. He is sufficient because in Him all things hold together. If everything else was taken away, but I had the fullness of Jesus, every need in my life would be met and I would be fully satisfied in Him.
We might ask, “What about my other needs?”
- I need air to breathe
- Food to eat
- Rest for my body
- Relationships and love
- The right conditions to live
Go back to God’s supremacy. Hand in glove.
Why do you need all those things?
Because God created you that way.
And how are those needs met?
They proceed from God.
Those physical needs are all reminders of our ultimate need for God and our complete dependence on Jesus.
- I don’t thank the air; I thank God who fills my lungs
- I don’t thank my food; I thank the Lord who provides
I wouldn’t exist if God didn’t create me, and none of these things would exist or belong to me if God didn’t make them and give them.
My life is wholly bound to Him. And because I have Christ? I can sing,
Oh, how strange and divine
I can sing ‘all is mine’
Yet not I but through Christ in me
He is all-sufficient.
And so Paul says, “And in Him all things hold together.”
CONCLUSION
Now put these together.
The supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus.
What happens to us when we really believe this is true about Jesus?
Immediately, God changes your perspective.
You are no longer a slave to your emotions or a prisoner of your circumstances. You move from “victim” to “warrior with purpose.”
Whatever you are facing, suddenly you have this confidence…
God is at work in it.
The moment you remember and believe He is supreme and sufficient, your soul agrees with God like this…
- I know He is good.
- I know He is supreme… totally in control.
- And I know He is all I need.
Before you remembered and believed, you might have thought…
God, why is this happening to me?!
After you remembered and believed, your mind shifts…
God, show me what You are doing.
Before, you might have thought…
God, this isn’t fair.
After, you believed…
God, You are using this to draw me closer to You.
Before, in fear…
You were trying to control what is outside your control.
After,
You put your trust in God and found peace regardless of the outcome.
Before, when your expectations weren’t being met,
You reacted emotionally and even sinfully towards others.
After,
You found grace to respond correctly and glorify God.
Before,
You were focused on yourself and what others could do for you.
After,
Your focus shifted and you saw ways to love God and others – even in the midst of suffering.
These two theological doctrines are so fundamental to Christian maturity that I am willing to say this absolutely…
It is impossible for your faith to truly mature and survive the storms of this life until you finally anchor your soul in the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus.
This is a process we all have to grow through in our walk with Jesus.
God has used many circumstances to help me establish and grow my own faith in the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ:
- I remember one time I was battling a health issue…
- Another occasion, I was in a chapel at the OU Medical Emergency Room after my dad and brother were in a life-threatening car accident and my dad was in a coma.
Those two examples are forever burned in my memory.
But the truth is these truths about Jesus are so important that I’ve learned they must become part of my daily life.
- When my expectations go unmet
- When someone else lets me down
- When I am hurting or feel sick or tired
- When I experience loss and grief
- When I try hard and fail
- When I’m discouraged or weak
- Even when things are going well and I’m feeling great!
In all times and every situation, believing that Jesus is in control and all-sufficient immediately changes my outlook in any circumstance.
Instead of hyper fixating on my problem, my heart changes.
I stop asking, “God, why are you letting this happen to me?”
And I start asking, “God, what are you doing?”
Believing these truths have taught me something important…
I may have questions for God, but I do not question God.
Why?
Because I already know who God is!
He is always good, always in control, and always sufficient.
The mystery of God’s supremacy is not IF He is in control. He is.
The mystery is how God is going to respond this time. I don’t know.
That’s the mystery.
And that mystery moves me to depend on God more and seek Him in prayer. I’ve learned to ask…
- God, what do You want me to know? AND
- God, what do You want me to do?
And that’s enough.
GOSPEL INVITATION
If you are not a disciple of Jesus, and you have suffered from difficult circumstances, then it would be natural for you to believe God does not exist or if He does exist, He is not very good at being God.
Here is what you need to know about the God of the Bible.
God desires to have a personal relationship with you.
God is supreme over every difficult circumstance you have ever experienced in your life.
God has allowed those difficult circumstances to show you how much you need a relationship with Him.
To have a personal relationship with God, you must believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
INVITATION
Move into a time of prayer.
- What are you facing right now? What situation or circumstances is causing you the most pain, the most stress, the greatest burden, or the hardest struggle? Identify it.
- Now, join me in this prayer:
- “God, I know You are good.”
- “Jesus, I know You are in complete control.”
- “And I know You are all I need.”
- Let your soul rest in those truths.
- If time, point out “this is where singing and worship come into play… “You’re worthy of it all” “You are my strength”
- Now ask,
- “God, what do You want me to know?” LISTEN.
- “God, what do You want me to do?”
- He is enough. Trust Him. Do whatever He said.