Jesus First - Week 1: “Jesus First Over Me”

Sep 13, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Overview Effect of Seeing Jesus

When astronauts glimpse Earth from space, their perspective shifts from self-importance to awe at reality’s vastness. Colossians invites us into a similar awakening—a vision of Christ so expansive it shatters me-centered living. A clear view of Jesus exposes our smallness while anchoring us in his cosmic reign. This devotional begins where the sermon did: with the humbling truth that life isn’t a story about us, but about the One who holds creation together. To see Jesus fully is to stop pretending we’re the main character. [24:31]

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 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.”
(Colossians 1:15–18, ESV)

Reflection: What daily habit could help you “zoom out” to see Jesus’ supremacy more clearly? How might this shift your frustrations or priorities today?

Day 2: Identity Written in Dual Citizenship

Saints. Family. In Christ. These aren’t religious labels but blood-bought realities for those who belong to Jesus. Our deepest identity isn’t shaped by trauma, achievement, or others’ opinions—it’s sealed by grace. Like the Colossians, we live as citizens of heaven while planted in earthly communities. This tension frees us to love our neighborhoods without making them our source of worth. [38:08]

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
(Philippians 3:20–21, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel the pull to “prove” your identity? How might resting in being “in Christ” change your interactions today?

Day 3: The Stew of “Jesus Plus” and the Taste of Enough

The Colossian heresy simmered with secret knowledge, rituals, and rules—a toxic brew disguised as spirituality. Its lie persists: “Jesus is good, but you need this too.” Paul dismantles additives, insisting Christ’s sufficiency isn’t a theory but a feast. To live Jesus-first means rejecting the condiments we use to improve His recipe. [32:01]

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
(Colossians 2:6–7, ESV)

Reflection: What “Jesus plus __” formula have you subtly believed? How does His finished work declare that ingredient unnecessary?

Day 4: Regime Change in the Break Room

Salvation isn’t a self-help plan but a hostile takeover. Like the pastor’s post-conversion factory shift, Jesus invades ordinary moments with His rule. Anger softens into patience. Indifference becomes compassion. The kingdom isn’t a distant ideal—it’s Christ’s active reign through Monday commutes, grocery lines, and silent prayers. [57:45]

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
(Colossians 1:13–14, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you noticed “regime change” in your habits or reactions? What stubborn area still needs surrender to His kingship?

Day 5: Aiming at the Only Bullseye That Counts

Matthew Emmons lost Olympic gold by hitting the wrong target—a tragedy mirroring misplaced life aims. Success, comfort, and control make shiny bullseyes, but Christ alone warrants our full aim. Colossians ends week one with a challenge: Will we waste our lives on secondary targets or let Jesus’ centrality redefine “winning”? [01:03:26]

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”
(Hebrews 12:1–2, ESV)

Reflection: What “target” have you unconsciously been aiming for? How could realigning with Jesus’ supremacy adjust your daily focus?

Sermon Summary

Colossians opens with a big, heaven-sized view of Jesus. The blue marble image helps put life in perspective: nobody who sees the whole earth from above concludes, “It really is all about me.” Paul gives that kind of perspective by showing Christ as the key to creation, the One who has first place in everything. Life is lived either me first or Jesus first. It cannot be both.

Paul writes to a church being pulled toward a Jesus-plus spirituality. The Colossian heresy mixes pagan ideas, special rules, and religious language, but its root claim is simple: Jesus is not enough. Paul answers that lie with a massive vision of Christ. Jesus is fully sufficient in his person, fully sufficient in his work, and fully sufficient to make his people complete.

Paul begins with the Colossians’ position before mentioning their problems. Christ redefines those who belong to him as saints, family, and people in Christ. Their deepest identity is not their past, performance, pain, or progress. Grace comes first, and peace flows from grace. Identity is received from God, not achieved through striving or self-creation.

The gospel also reorients life from the small story of me into God’s bigger, everlasting story. Paul thanks God for faith in Christ, love for all the saints, and hope laid up in heaven. Faith in Jesus produces love for his family, while hope in God’s reign frees people from making pain-free circumstances, financial security, or political stability the foundation of life. Christianity cannot be moderately important. If Christ is true, he is of infinite importance.

Paul’s prayer shows that God never calls his people to a life he will not resource. God gives wisdom to know his will, power to do his will, and strength to endure in his will. Endurance meets difficult circumstances, patience meets difficult people, and joy gives thanks in both. The Jesus-first life is not white-knuckled religious effort. It is an open-handed relationship that draws on Christ’s strength.

Paul finally names the deepest change as a regime change. God delivers people from the domain of darkness and transfers them into the kingdom of his beloved Son. Me-first living is not neutral, because it belongs to a realm of darkness and alienation from God. Jesus came not to launch a religion but a rescue operation. The only bullseye that finally counts is Jesus, and his loving rule brings real life, real joy, real purpose, and real identity.

Key Takeaways

1. Identity is received, not achieved Paul names believers as saints, family, and people in Christ before calling them to do anything. Christ’s identity overwrites the labels imposed by failure, rejection, pain, or the pressure to keep performing. Grace gives a standing with God that cannot be manufactured, managed, or earned. Peace grows where identity rests in that gift. [38:35]
2. The gospel reorients the whole story The gospel does not exist to make Jesus a supporting character in somebody’s personal story. Christ brings people into God’s redemption story, one large enough to live for and worth dying for. Faith in Christ bears fruit as love for his people and hope beyond changing circumstances. A life centered on lesser hopes eventually discovers it aimed at the wrong target. [46:23]
3. God resources what God requires Paul prays for wisdom to know God’s will, power to do it, and strength to endure within it. Christ does not ask his people to manufacture spiritual fruit through white-knuckled effort. His strength meets weakness, his wisdom meets confusion, and his power sustains obedience through long seasons. The Christian life is impossible apart from the Christ who lives within his people. [50:42]
4. Jesus brings a real regime change Paul describes salvation as deliverance from the domain of darkness and transfer into Christ’s kingdom. Me-first living is not harmless independence but a captivity that blinds people to their need for grace. Trust shifts from self and self-salvation onto Jesus, the One who redeems and forgives. Cooperation with a new ruler replaces the exhausting effort to keep new rules.

## [60:43]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:04] - Jesus First Begins
[24:06] - The Overview Effect
[26:17] - A Cosmic Christ
[26:57] - Me First or Jesus First
[29:32] - Background on Colossians
[31:07] - The Jesus-Plus Error
[33:29] - Jesus Redefines Identity
[40:38] - Jesus Reorients Life
[48:34] - Jesus Resources His People
[55:27] - Jesus Rules Through Regime Change
[62:02] - The Only Bullseye That Counts
[64:01] - Prayer and Response

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Colossians 1:13–14
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” [58:12] [01:00:43]

Colossians 1:18
“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.” [28:33]

Colossians 1:1–2
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” [35:37]

Colossians 1:3–8
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.” [43:06]

Colossians 1:9–12
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” [50:10] [50:42]

Observation questions

In Colossians 1:1–2, what three identity words or descriptions does Paul use for the believers in Colossae, and what comes before peace in his greeting? [35:42]
According to Colossians 1:3–8, what three qualities does Paul thank God for in the Colossian church, and how are faith, love, and hope connected in the passage? [44:13]
What outcomes does Paul connect to being filled with the knowledge of God’s will in Colossians 1:9–12—especially in the areas of walking, fruitfulness, strength, and thanksgiving? [52:04]
In Colossians 1:13–14, what are the two realms Paul contrasts, and what gifts are found in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son? [58:22]

Interpretation questions

Paul calls ordinary Christians “saints,” family, and people “in Christ” before addressing their problems. How does this order protect a believer from building identity mainly on failure, pain, success, or spiritual performance? [37:17]
Paul says that faith in Christ results in love for all the saints and hope laid up in heaven. What might it reveal when someone claims faith in Jesus but has little desire to love and serve other believers? [45:06]
Paul prays for power “for all endurance and patience with joy.” What is the difference between endurance in hard circumstances and patience with difficult people, and why would both require God’s strength? [53:37]
Paul describes salvation as being transferred from one domain into another kingdom. Why is salvation more than adopting religious habits or trying harder to follow rules? [01:01:15]

Application questions

What labels have been especially loud in your life lately—labels from your past, a disappointment, a relationship, your work, your pain, or your performance? What would it look like to answer more fully to being a saint, part of God’s family, and in Christ? [40:15]
Where are you most tempted to make life a story about you—your plans, comfort, reputation, opinions, or control? What is one specific area where Jesus needs to move from a supporting role to first place? [42:15]
What lesser hope are you most tempted to treat as your foundation: pain-free circumstances, financial security, political stability, approval, or success? How could hope in God’s eternal reign change your response this week? [45:41]
Is there a current decision or confusing situation where you need wisdom to know God’s will? What practical step could help you seek God’s wisdom rather than simply doing what feels easiest or most natural? [51:43]
Where do you currently need endurance for a difficult circumstance, patience with a difficult person, or joy that gives thanks in the middle of both? Share one specific need so the group can encourage you. [54:02]
When you feel spiritually weak or distracted, do you usually respond by white-knuckling your way forward or by asking Christ for his strength? What might an open-handed dependence on him look like in a real situation this week? [54:17]
Colossians says Jesus delivers people from darkness and transfers them into his kingdom. Have you personally transferred your trust off yourself and onto Jesus? If so, where do you sense his loving rule changing your desires or responses? [01:00:43]

Sermon Clips

35s

#JesusFirstLife

“And under Jesus' loving, wise, liberating rule, a regime change is underway. I just wanna give you the lesson that I've learned for the last thirty six years. Here it is. Here's the bottom line. The Jesus' first life, it's not about keeping new rules. It's about cooperating with my new ruler. The one who loves me more than anybody loves me. The one who's all wise and knows best. The one who has all power and is able to make me into everything I'd ever dreamed be and more.”

43s

#ClearViewOfJesus

“Christ in view. So listen friends, a clear view of Jesus will change your life. And the clearer your view of Jesus, the more impossible it is for you to ever think that it's all about you. And friends, that's the journey we're gonna see as we begin today in Colossians chapter one. And so if you're a notetaker, I want you to write this down. This is our big idea from those first 14 verses. Here it is. Life is lived either me first or Jesus first. It cannot be both.”

47s

#TransferredToHisKingdom

“Notice the goal of redemption is a regime change from me first to Jesus first. So how does it happen? Here's the key. Here's the key right here. So we're transferred. Transferred into the kingdom of his son. Transferred. Works like this. The moment you transfer your trust off of yourself and anything you could or ever do to save you, when you transfer your trust off of you and onto Jesus, you are transferred out of the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God's beloved son, in whom there's redemption and forgiveness of sin. But it is either or. It's not one foot in each.”

51s

#IdentityFromGod

“So here's a liberating thought. With God, identity is received. It's not achieved. It's not something you strive for. It's something you work from. Now contrast that with our world. The culture in which we live today relentlessly pushes identity on everyone all the time. And and notice how our culture pushes identity as if identity were self derived, self authored. Identity in our culture, look within, find your deepest desires. Now take those desires and project that out into the world, and other people are supposed to affirm that identity that you're projecting. And if they do not affirm the identity that you project, they are an oppressor and you can react to them any way you want because they're haters. That's how our world works.”

32s

#GraceThenPeace

“And notice what Paul says, this is who you are and then he says, grace to you and peace from God the Father. Never forget the order. Grace, then peace. First comes grace, then flows peace. Grace means gift. Your identity, your standing, your belonging to God is given as a gift to you, paid for by Jesus Christ. Grace comes before peace.”

36s

#LetJesusBeJesus

“So the bottom line is, friends, listen. Here's here's what I'm trying to say. The Jesus' first life is not a white knuckled religious effort you gotta come up with. That's not what we're talking about. About. We're talking about an open handed relationship where you let Jesus be fully Jesus in your life. Those are different things. One is about you doing stuff, and there's about you letting God be God. In the decision points when you would rather take over, you say, I'm not gonna do it. In the decision points where you're only gonna operate from what you've got, you say, God, I want what you have for me.”

48s

#NotTheMainCharacter

“intellectual honesty compels us to say we all have main character syndrome at some point. Right? And we all see ourselves as the center of the story about me. It's all about me, my world, my success, my feelings, my plans, my opinions. Here's the problem. If we if we're not careful, we can even make Jesus a supporting character in the story about me, where he exists just to make my life into what I want it to be. And listen, Jesus loves you way too much, and he suffered way too much at the cost for that. So what does he do? In love, reorients us from the story of me to his bigger, greater, his everlasting story.”

53s

#GospelReorients

“The What's the The gospel's a different story from the story of me. The gospel's the story of God. His big story of giving a gift of redemption to a broken sinful world through the work of Jesus Christ paid for at the cross and validated through his resurrection. So Paul traces this gospel. Notice in verse six, he says this gospel has come to you like it's coming to you. He said this gospel is bearing fruit. Verse six also continues. He said, this gospel, you've heard it. You understood it. Verse seven, you learned it. In other words, they were reoriented from a me first life to a Jesus first life by receiving and responding to the gospel.”

48s

#HopeInGodsReign

“He's not saying that their hope is to go to heaven. That's it's not exactly what he's saying. He's saying that they have shifted their hope from material things of this world. Now their hope is in the god who reigns and rules from heaven. In other words, their hope was no longer rooted in a pain free life. Their hope was no longer rooted in the hope of financial security. Their hope was no longer rooted in the necessity of political stability. Their hope is no longer rooted in better circumstances. Their hope was rooted in God's eternal reign. And so Paul's thanking God for this, and listen, it all traces back. All of this comes about because of two words right here. The gospel.”

36s

#WorthDyingFor

“And so this gospel frees us from being the author of our own little story and invites us to become beloved characters in this story that is big enough worth living for and big enough worth dying for? Let me ask you this question. All honesty, eye to eye, heart to heart. Is what you're living for worth dying for? Is what you're living for worth Jesus dying for?”

52s

#IsJesusNumberOne

“So according to scripture right here, Jesus Christ already has first place in his church. According to this passage right here, Jesus Christ already has first place over all of creation. According to this passage right here, Jesus Christ already has first place over the dead, over death. Question. Does Jesus Christ have first place in my life? Does Jesus Christ have first place in your life? Now hear this. We're not talking about something you've gotta do. We're talking about you letting Jesus be who he is. This whole series is not about you learning how to do some new thing. This is all about you and me allowing Jesus to be who he says he is in our lives.”

42s

#FaithInChrist

“And I want you to notice he thanks god for three things. I didn't put these in your notes so you can write them down. The first thing, he thanks god for their faith in Christ. You see that in verse four? For their faith is in Christ Jesus. Now listen, every good thing god has for you flows right through this, Faith in Christ. Now, we're not talking about faith in faith. I believe in belief. Do you believe in belief? We believe in belief. That's not what we're talking about. And we're not talking about faith in facts about Christ. We're talking about personal faith in the Christ revealed in scripture to be the one who saves you.”

30s

#StrengthForWeakness

“Turns out, God wants to pour his strength into your weakness if we would but draw from it. So we're we're seeing the resource of wisdom to know God's will. That's important. The power to then do his will. I don't even have a power to act out on a diet, neither do you. Thank god that he's willing to give us the power to do what he calls us to do. And the third one is then the strength to endure in his will.”

27s

#ReceiveHisPower

“And notice the strength that we see in the passage isn't something that you have to come up with. You just have to receive it and allow God to pour it into your life. In other words, you can't do God's will without God's power, and he is pouring it into your life if you would but draw from it. And so this is intensely practical. I wanna I wanna show you three words in verse 11. It's so impractical. So what what kind of strength can we talk about? First, notice the word endurance.”

56s

#JesusIsEnough

“that make it seem like this is biblical stuff. That's what you have going on. But at the root of it, the Colossian heresy basically claims that Jesus Christ is not enough. And so there are basically three errors involved here. I wanna show them to you, and we're gonna revisit these as we work through the book. Error number one is that Jesus is not fully god and fully man. That's error number one. His person is insufficient. That's the first error. The second error is that Jesus alone is not enough for our spiritual fulfillment. So his his work is insufficient. Basically, the idea is, yeah, Jesus is great, but you also need there you go. Jesus plus, fill in the blank. We're gonna look at that in just a few weeks. And the basic formula is Jesus plus anything equals nothing. But Jesus plus nothing equals everything.”

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