Sermon #1440Ñ
Title: Christ
Pre-eminent
Text: Colossians 1:18
Readings: Bobbie
Estes and Merle Hart
Subject: The
Pre-eminence of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Date: Sunday Evening – December 3, 2000
Tape # W-13a
Introduction:
My
text this evening is Colossians 1:18 "And
he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." The
title of my message is Christ Pre-eminent.
It
was Paul’s purpose in writing this letter to the Colossians to both set forth
and defend the glorious Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ as the
incarnate God. In this first chapter
he declares Christ to be...
·
The King into whose
kingdom we have been translated by the new birth, telling us in verse 13 that it is God almighty "Who
hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the
kingdom of his dear Son."
·
The Redeemer through whose
blood we have redemption and the forgiveness of all our sins. Colossians 1:14 "In
whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins."
Notice: Redemption and
forgiveness go hand in hand. All who have been redeemed by Christ’s precious
blood have been forgiven by God’s free grace of all their sins, forgiven when redeemed
of all sin, past, present, and future!
·
God Incarnate
and God the Creator of All Things - Colossians 1:15-16 "Who
is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: (16) For by
him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible
and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
powers: all things were created by him, and for him:" He who is “the
firstborn of every creature is “the beginning of the creation of God,” not the
first creature of God as some heretics say, but “the beginning of the creation
of God,” that is to say the One from whom creation sprang! (See Rev. 3:14).
·
The Eternal,
Self-Existent God who Upholds and Rules All Things in Providence - Colossians 1:17 "And
he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
·
The Head of His
Body, the Church, and the First One to be Risen from the Dead to Die No More - Colossians 1:18 "And
he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."
·
The One in Whom
All the Fullness God and All the Fullness of Grace Resides - Colossians 1:19 "For
it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell." Colossians 2:9-10 "For
in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. (10) And ye are
complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power."
·
And That One in
Whom and by Whom we are Reconciled to God - Colossians 1:20-22 "And, having made peace through the blood of
his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether
they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (21) And you, that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
(22) In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and
unblameable and unreproveable in his sight."
Proposition: Having declared all these glorious truths about the Lord
Jesus Christ, our Savior, the Apostle concludes that it is the purpose of God “that in all things he might have the
preeminence.”
Pre-eminence
belongs to only one person. Two people cannot be pre-eminent. And God
the Father, indeed all three of the divine Persons, have determined that the
Lord Jesus Christ, as the God-man, our Mediator, Surety, Substitute, and
Savior, shall have pre-eminence in all things!
It must be stressed that this universal
pre-eminence has been given to Christ not as God the Son, the second Person of
the holy Trinity, but as Christ our Mediator and Surety. As God it
could not be given to him, for he is in every way one with and equal to the
Father and the Spirit (1 John 5:7). But as our Mediator and Surety, the One who
would become incarnate to save us, our Lord Jesus Christ was given pre-eminence
in and over all things as the “appointed
heir of all things” (Heb. 1:2).
Christ
has this pre-eminence now. He has had it from everlasting. And he shall have it
for ever more. It is his by indisputable right! That is what I want to
show you in this message. In all things our Lord Jesus Christ is and forever
must be pre-eminent.
·
His Father Decreed It.
·
He Fully Deserves It.
·
His Saints Desire It.
·
His Satisfaction Demands It.
I
hope that, by reminding you once more of this blessed fact, you who trust him
will be inspired with greater confidence in him, led to worship him, and moved
of God the Holy Spirit to commit yourselves to him with renewed devotion and
zeal. And I pray that you who as yet are without Christ may this very hour be
brought to him in faith, committing yourselves to him who alone is able to save
your souls, and who alone is worthy of your trust.
Obviously, my
subject is infinitely bigger than my puny brain. I cannot begin to exhaust it.
When I have said all that I can say about it, there will be far more yet to
say. But I want to show you from the Word of God seven aspects of our
Savior’s great and glorious pre-eminence.
I.
Christ is pre-eminent in the eternal purpose and decrees of God.
God
almighty, the God of the Bible, the only true and living God is a God with an
eternal, unalterable, absolute purpose, a purpose which can never be defeated,
overturned, frustrated, or hindered to any degree. He has predestined and
foreordained everything that comes to pass. The Scriptures are crystal clear in
teaching this.
Isaiah
46:9-10 "Remember the former
things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none
like me, (10) Declaring the end from
the beginning, and from ancient times the
things that are not yet done,
saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"
Acts
15:18 "Known unto God are
all his works from the beginning of the world."
Romans
8:28-31 "And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose. (29) For whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to
the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (30) Moreover whom he did predestinate,
them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified. (31) What
shall we then say to these things? If God be
for us, who can be against
us?"
Ephesians
1:11 "In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"
According
to the Scriptures, in all the purpose and decrees of the Almighty the Lord
Jesus Christ is central, primary, and pre-eminent. In other words, everything
that God purposed to do and everything he does is for the glory of Christ as
our Savior. In Ephesians 3:11 we are
told that everything is “According to the
eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
A. Christ was the Father’s Elect, chosen
and set up in the Father’s decree from everlasting as our Mediator.
Isaiah
42:1 "Behold my servant,
whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my
soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment
to the Gentiles."
Proverbs
8:23 "I was set up from
everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was."
B. In that same sovereign, eternal decree a
great multitude of sinners was chosen in him unto salvation.
Ephesians
1:4 "According as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love."
1
Thessalonians 5:9 "For God hath
not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus
Christ."
2
Thessalonians 2:13-14 "But we are
bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of
the Spirit and belief of the truth: (14) Whereunto
he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ."
All who have been, are, and shall be
saved by the grace of God are saved because of God’s election of them unto
salvation in Christ before the worlds were made. The Lord God purposed
and resolved to save us by the substitutionary sacrifice of his dear Son. It
was appointed and ordained of God that “in
the fullness of time” Christ would assume a human body and soul, work out
perfect righteousness for his people by his holy life of perfect obedience to
God as our Representative, and then lay down his life, pour out his precious
blood, as our sin-atoning Substitute, redeeming us from the curse of the law by
fully satisfying the justice of God for us. And so, it came to pass.
Hebrews
10:5-7 "Wherefore when he
cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but
a body hast thou prepared me: (6) In
burnt offerings and sacrifices for
sin thou hast had no pleasure. (7) Then
said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy
will, O God."
Galatians
3:13 "Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that hangeth on a
tree:"
1
Peter 1:18 "Forasmuch as ye know
that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers;"
It was also purposed of God from
eternity that each of these elect, redeemed sinners would be saved through the
“sanctification of the Spirit and belief
of the truth,” by the regenerating power and grace of God the Holy Spirit,
through the preaching of the gospel, by which faith is communicated to us (2
Thess. 2:13-14).
But God’s purpose of grace toward us did
not end there. He also
purposed that all the called would be forever preserved in grace in Christ by
his divine power and sealed by his Spirit, so that in the last day Christ would
lose nothing.
Isaiah
49:6 "And he said, It is a
light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to
the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth."
John
6:39 "And this is the
Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day."
Ephesians
1:13-14 "In whom ye
also trusted, after that ye heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (14) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption
of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
Christ
is pre-eminent in all the purpose and decrees of the triune God. Second, I want to show you that...
II. Our Lord Jesus Christ is pre-eminent in all the works
of creation and providence.
This
is what the Holy Spirit tells us in Colossians
1:16 and 17 "For by him were all things created, that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by
him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
A. Jesus Christ is the Creator of all
things.
He
is not a creature of God, but the Creator who is God. But remember, this
passage is specifically describing his pre-eminence as our Mediator. It is as
our Surety that the Apostle tells us that “All things were created by him, and
for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
Everything
that has been made proclaims the wisdom and power of God the Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ. He who is our Savior is also our Creator.
John
1:3 "All things were made
by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
Hebrews
1:10 "And, Thou, Lord, in
the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the
works of thine hands."
B. Our Savior is also the God and King of
providence.
This universe is not held
together and governed by laws of nature, but by the Son of God. “By him all things consist!” He is “over all, God blessed forever” (Rom.
9:5). It is Christ whom the Spirit describes as “upholding all things by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3).
Revelation
19:16 "And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name
written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
C. Our
Savior’s disposition of all things in his sovereign providence is for the
salvation of his people.
God the Father has made his Son
as our Mediator the Sovereign Monarch of the universe, trusting to his hands
the reins of universal government, that he might give unto every chosen,
ransomed sinner eternal life.
John
3:35 "The Father loveth
the Son, and hath given all things into his hand."
John
17:2 "As thou hast given
him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou
hast given him."
1. Christ is
pre-eminent in the purpose and decrees of God.
2.
He is pre-eminent in the works of creation and providence. And...
III. Our Lord Jesus Christ is pre-eminent in the Book of
God.
How I wish I could get every man
who claims to be a preacher to see this! The Bible is not a book about science,
but the Book about Christ. This is not a book about morality, but the Book
about Christ. This is not a book about history, politics, philosophy, or law.
It is not even a book about prophecy, church dogma, or theology. This is a
HIM-BOOK. It is all about HIM, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not enough just to preach the Book, we are sent of God to
preach the message of the Book, and the message of this Book is Jesus Christ
and him crucified. There is not a page in this Book that does not speak
of Christ, not a page!
The Son of God tells us plainly
that he is the message and theme of Holy Scripture, that he is the living Word
of whom the written Word speaks.
John
5:39 "Search the
scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which
testify of me."
Luke
24:27 "And beginning at
Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the
things concerning himself."
Luke
24:44-47 "And he said unto
them, These are the words which I
spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled,
which were written in the law of Moses, and in
the prophets, and in the psalms,
concerning me. (45) Then opened he
their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, (46) And said unto them, Thus it is
written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the
third day: (47) And that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem."
The Apostle Paul considered the
preaching of Christ to be synonymous with preaching all the counsel of God, for
Christ is all the counsel of God!
Acts
20:26-27 "Wherefore I take you
to record this day, that I am pure
from the blood of all men. (27) For I
have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God."
1
Corinthians 2:2 "For I
determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him
crucified."
I
want you to see this clearly. The Bible, the Word of God is a Book with one
message, and that one message is redemption, righteousness, and eternal life in
Christ.
A. The Old Testament Scriptures speak of
Christ, point us to Christ, and call us to faith in Christ.
From
the moment that God announced in the Garden of Eden that the Seed of the woman
would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15), Christ was the central fact and
figure of Old Testament prophecy. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, and
all the prophets spoke of him. Here are a few of the many prophetic statements
that pointed directly to the coming of Christ, his glorious Person, and his
redemptive work.
Genesis
22:13-14 "And Abraham lifted
up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him
a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram,
and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. (14) And Abraham called the name of
that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to
this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen."
Genesis
49:10 "The sceptre shall
not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come;
and unto him shall the gathering of
the people be."
Deuteronomy
18:15-18 "The LORD thy God
will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like
unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; (16) According
to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the
assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither
let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. (17) And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. (18) I will raise them up a Prophet
from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth;
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."
Psalms
2:7-8 "I will declare the
decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art
my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
(8) Ask of me, and I shall give thee the
heathen for thine inheritance, and
the uttermost parts of the earth for thy
possession."
Psalms
45:6-7 "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy
kingdom is a right sceptre. (7) Thou lovest righteousness, and
hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of
gladness above thy fellows."
Psalms
110:3 "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy
power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the
dew of thy youth."
Proverbs
8:22-23 "The LORD possessed
me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. (23) I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever
the earth was."
Song
of Songs 1:2-4 "Let him kiss me with
the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better
than wine. (3) Because of the savour
of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment
poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. (4) Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into
his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love
more than wine: the upright love thee."
Isaiah
53:8-11 "He was taken from
prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut
off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he
stricken. (9) And he made his grave
with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no
violence, neither was any deceit in
his mouth. (10) Yet it pleased the
LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to
grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD
shall prosper in his hand. (11) He
shall see of the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many; for he shall bear their iniquities."
Micah
5:2 "But thou, Bethlehem
Ephratah, though thou be little among
the thousands of Judah, yet out of
thee shall he come forth unto me that is to
be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have
been from of old, from everlasting."
Zechariah
12:10 "And I will pour upon
the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace
and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and
they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall
be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."
Malachi
3:1 "Behold, I will send
my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye
seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant,
whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts."
In
addition to the direct prophecies about the coming of Christ, God gave
numerous types and pictures to foreshadow his coming. The types are so
numerous that I cannot begin to name them But let me mention just a few. They
may be divided into three different categories.
Typical People - Adam (Rom
5:14), Noah (Heb. 11:7), Melchizedec (Heb. 7:1-3), Moses (Deut. 18:15-18),
Aaron (Heb. 5:1-5), Joshua (Heb. 4:1-9), Boaz (Ruth 2:1; 3:18), David (Acts
2:25-36), Solomon (1 Kgs. 10:1-24).
Typical Things - The Ram Caught
in a Thicket (Gen. 22:8-13), Jacob’s Ladder (John 1:51), The Brazen Serpent
(John 3:14-16), The Paschal Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7), The Scapegoat (Lev. 16:21), The
Manna (John 6:32-33), The Smitten Rock (1 Cor. 10:4), The Altar of Sacrifice
(Heb. 13:10), The Mercy-Seat (1 John 2:1-2).
Typical Places - The Tabernacle
(John 1:14), The Temple (John 2:18-20), The Cities of Refuge (Heb. 6:18).
The
lists could go on and on. I have not even mentioned all the instituted,
ceremonial types, the sabbath days, and the many other instituted types of the
Old Testament, all of which pointed to the Person and work of Christ as our
Mediator.
Colossians
2:16-17 "Let no man therefore
judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new
moon, or of the sabbath days: (17) Which
are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."
B. I do not need to
remind this congregation that in the
doctrine and message of the entire New Testament is the Lord Jesus Christ.
As he was pre-eminent in all the
types and prophecies of the Old Testament, so he is pre-eminent in all the New
Testament.
1. The four Gospels give us four views of
Christ.
·
Matthew presents him as the promised King.
·
Mark presents him as the Servant of God.
·
Luke presents him as the Son of Man.
·
John presents him as the Son of God.
2. The Book of Acts demonstrates that our
Lord Jesus Christ was the singular subject of preaching in the earliest days of
Christianity.
The
words “preach,” “preached,” and “preaching” are used thirty-seven times in the
Book of Acts. It is not insignificant that every time they are used the subject
preached was Jesus Christ and the resurrection! If the Book of Acts is to be taken for our standard, it must be
concluded that unless Christ has been preached no preaching has been done.
That man who pretends to be a preacher but does not preach Christ and him
crucified mocks the people who hear him, and rather than serving their souls he
destroys them!
3. The Epistles reveal and explain the
mysteries of Christ and his gospel.
·
Romans 5:1-21 - Justification by His Obedience.
·
Hebrews 10:1-14 - Sanctification by His Blood.
·
Ephesians 3:1-21 - The Universality of God’s Mercy, Love,
and Grace in Christ - Grace is for
chosen sinners out of every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue, not just for
Jews.
4. The Book of Revelation is a declaration
of the sure triumph of Christ and his church by the gospel.
Revelation
1:7 "Behold, he cometh
with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail
because of him. Even so, Amen."
Revelation
5:9-14 "And they sung a new
song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof:
for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
(10) And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on
the earth. (11) And I beheld, and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the
elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands; (12) Saying
with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. (13) And every creature which is in
heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and
all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. (14) And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and
worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever."
Revelation
19:6 "And I heard as it
were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as
the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth."
C. The
only two ordinances of worship prescribed in the New Testament are designed to
focus our hearts upon Christ.
1. Baptism is a
symbolic burial and resurrection with him (Rom. 6:3-6).
2. The Lord’s
Supper is a symbolic remembrance of Christ and his great work of redemption as
our Substitute (1 Cor. 11:24-26).
Our
Lord Jesus Christ has been given pre-eminence in...
1. The Purpose and
Decrees of God.
2. The Works of
Creation and Providence.
3. The Word of God.
Fourth...
IV. The Lord Jesus Christ, as our Savior, is pre-eminent
in the whole affair of our salvation.
Don’t
ever think of salvation as one thing. When you think of God’s salvation, never
limit it to your experience of grace. Salvation is the whole work of grace by
which we are brought from the gates of hell into the gates of glory. It
includes far, far more than any of us have ever imagined. But of this we are
assured - In the whole work of salvation Christ is pre-eminent.
1
Corinthians 1:30-31 "But of him
are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption: (31) That,
according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."
As
I said, none of us has ever imagined all that is involved in the saving of our
souls. But there are at least ten things clearly revealed in the
Scriptures as different aspects of salvation. And in all ten of these things
Christ is pre-eminent.
A. Election - We were
chosen in Christ unto salvation (Eph. 1:4).
B. Predestination - In love God
predestinated us to be conformed to Christ (Eph. 1:5; Rom. 8:29-30).
C. Redemption - We have
redemption through his blood (Eph. 1:6). With his own blood he entered in once
into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us Heb. 9:12).
D. Justification - We are
justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Christ (Rom.
3:23-28).
E. Forgiveness - Redemption,
justification, and forgiveness go hand in hand. It is impossible to have one
without the other two (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14).
F. Regeneration - The new birth
is having Christ formed in you by the power and grace of his Spirit (2 Pet.
1:4; Col. 1:27).
G. Sanctification - Christ is our
sanctification. We were set apart in him in divine election as the objects of
God’s grace, to be made holy (Jude 1). We were declared to be holy when Christ
washed away our sins at Calvary (Heb. 10:10, 14). And we have our Savior’s holy
nature imparted to us in the new birth (2 Pet. 1:4).
H. Preservation - Christ keeps
and preserves his chosen, redeemed, called sheep in the arms of his almighty
grace. Our preservation by him secures our perseverance in him (John 10:27-30).
I. Resurrection - When Christ
comes again we shall be raised up from the dead by the power of God. Every
chosen, redeemed, regenerate sinner shall be raised up to glory in the last day
(1 Thess. 4:13-18).
J. Glorification - When we have
been raised up from the dead all God’s elect shall be glorified together,
transformed into the very image of Christ, and made to possess that very glory
that he now possesses as our glorified Mediator (John 17:5, 22).
Our
Lord Jesus Christ has been given pre-eminence in...
1. The Purpose and
Decrees of God.
2. The Works of
Creation and Providence.
3. The Word of God.
4. The Work of
Salvation. I have already hinted at this next thing; but, fifth, I want you to clearly understand that...
V. Christ is and
must be pre-eminent in all true preaching.
That
man must not be considered a faithful gospel preacher who does not preach
Christ. Preachers are like the pole to which Moses fastened the brazen serpent.
Our only function is to hold up Christ crucified before sinners. The gospel we preach is Jesus Christ. We
do not merely preach a Christ centered gospel. Christ is the gospel we preach.
There is a huge difference.
When
our
Lord himself began his public ministry in the synagogue at
Nazareth, his sermon was all about himself. Listen to what he said...
Luke
4:18-19 "The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (19) To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."
As
we read the writings of the Apostle Paul, we cannot help observing
that to him the preaching of Christ, the preaching of the gospel, and the
preaching of the Scriptures were all the same thing.
Acts
20:27 "For I have not
shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God."
1
Corinthians 1:17 "For Christ
sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words,
lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect."
1
Corinthians 1:23-24 "But we preach
Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks
foolishness; (24) But unto them which
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of
God."
1
Corinthians 2:2 "For I
determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him
crucified."
2
Corinthians 4:5 "For we preach
not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for
Jesus' sake."
A. We preach Christ when we preach him in
the fullness of his redemptive grace and glory as God our Savior.
Let
me be explicit and clear. I want no one to misunderstand what I am saying. The
preaching of the gospel, the preaching of all the counsel of God, the preaching
of Christ of necessity involves the preaching of his...
1. Eternal Deity
and Godhead (John 1:1-2).
2. Suretyship
Engagements (Heb. 10:5-10).
3. Supernatural
Incarnation (1 Tim. 3:16).
4. Obedience as our
Representative (Rom. 5:19).
5. Efficacious
Atonement (Heb. 9:12).
6. Sovereign
Dominion (John 17:2; Rom. 14:9; Phil. 2:9-11).
7. Saving Power and
Goodness (Heb. 7:25).
8. Unfailing
Intercession (1 John 2:1-2).
B. The preaching of Jesus Christ and him
crucified, when attended with the power of God the Holy Spirit, is the
effectual power of God unto salvation.
Romans
1:15-17 "So, as much as in me
is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. (16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (17) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
Romans
10:13-17 "For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (14) How then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and
how shall they hear without a preacher?
(15) And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad
tidings of good things! (16) But they
have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our
report? (17) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God."
C. This
same message is God’s message of grace for the reproof, correction, comfort,
inspiration, correction, and instruction of his saints in righteousness.
Nothing so inspires devotion as
the gospel of Christ. Nothing more severely reproves our sin and unbelief.
Nothing ministers comfort to our souls like the doctrine of Christ crucified.
Nothing promotes holiness like the message of God’s rich, abundant, free grace
flowing to us through the blood of our crucified Savior!
1. Christ is our
only hope of salvation.
2. Christ is our
only rule of life.
3. Christ is our
only motive to godliness.
4. Christ is our
only inspiration to devotion and consecration.
Romans
12:1-2 "I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
1
Corinthians 6:9-11 "Know ye not
that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers
of themselves with mankind, (10) Nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall
inherit the kingdom of God. (11) And
such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
1
Corinthians 6:19-20 "What? know ye
not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (20) For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
Our
Lord Jesus Christ has been given pre-eminence in...
1. The Purpose and
Decrees of God.
2. The Works of
Creation and Providence.
3. The Word of God.
4. The Work of
Salvation.
5. The Preaching of
the Gospel. Sixth...
VI. Our Lord Jesus Christ shall be pre-eminent in the day
of judgment, too.
In
that great and terrible day, when the great white throne is set and the books
are opened, Christ will be the Judge. He will be the standard of judgment. And
he will be the executioner of justice.
John
5:22-23 "For the Father
judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: (23) That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that
honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him."
Acts
17:31 "Because he hath
appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all
men, in that he hath raised him from
the dead."
2
Corinthians 5:10-11 "For we must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the
things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (11) Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;
but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your
consciences."
But
I must tell you something else. In that great and glorious day
Christ shall be something more. He will be our Advocate, our Righteousness, our
Plea, and our Salvation.
Jeremiah
23:6 "In his days Judah
shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS."
Jeremiah
33:16 "In those days shall
Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our
righteousness."
Jeremiah
50:20 "In those days, and
in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of
Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I
reserve."
Our
Lord Jesus Christ has been given pre-eminence in...
1. The Purpose and
Decrees of God.
2. The Works of
Creation and Providence.
3. The Word of God.
4. The Work of
Salvation.
5. The Preaching of
the Gospel.
6. The Day of
Judgment. And the last thing, but
certainly not the least is this...
VII. Our Lord Jesus Christ shall be pre-eminent in the
glory of the eternal world to which we are going.
I am speaking specifically now to
you who are my brothers and sisters in Christ. The pre-eminence of Christ shall
be our happiness and bliss in the glory world. Search the Scriptures. You will
see in those places where the veil is lifted and we are allowed to peek into
eternity that Christ has been given the highest place that heaven affords. In
the world to come Christ shall be the Object of endless, universal adoration
and praise.
A. In him we will
see the fullness of the triune God perpetually revealed to our everlasting
astonishment.
B. In Christ we
will see the purpose of God, in all its wisdom and goodness, fully
accomplished.
C. In Christ we
will see all the mysteries and wonders of redemption and grace made manifest.
D. In that world to
come our Savior’s great prayer of intercession shall be answered perpetually,
throughout the endless ages of eternity, to the inexpressible gladness and joy
of our souls.
John
17:24 "Father, I will that
they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold
my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation
of the world."
Then,
oh, then, we shall praise, honor, extol, and worship him who loved us and gave
himself for us. What an everlasting song of praise we shall sing to him who is
the pre-eminent One of the triune God - Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation
5:9-10 "And they sung a new
song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof:
for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
(10) And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on
the earth."
Revelation
15:3-4 "And they sing the
song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and
marvelous are thy works, Lord God
Almighty; just and true are thy ways,
thou King of saints. (4) Who shall
not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for
all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made
manifest."
Revelation
19:1-6 "And after these
things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia;
Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: (2) For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged
the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath
avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. (3) And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever
and ever. (4) And the four and twenty
elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne,
saying, Amen; Alleluia. (5) And a
voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and
ye that fear him, both small and great.
(6) And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice
of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for
the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
Application: This is the
purpose that is purposed of God in all things - “That in all things he (the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior) might have the pre-eminence.” And he will have
it! He shall have it! He must have it! And all who love his name love for it to
be so. When we see him pre-eminent over all things and in all things, we will
shout, “Amen and Amen!”
Ñ Sermon #1244 August 11, 1996
#1440 I only preached the introduction to this message on tape W-13a.