Under His Feet

Good morning, welcome to NHCC, please open your Bibles to Ephesians 1.

Read Ephesians 1.

Pray.

Repeated language from what we have seen before.

Ephesians 1:9-10- “making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

Ephesians 1:20-21- “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”

This is the lens through which we need to read the rest of this letter, even the rest of the Bible: God has put Jesus in a position of authority over all things.

Lordship of Christ, over all things, but in particular, over the Church.

1. Jesus is the head of the Church.

The language of all things being under the feet, or under the rule or authority of Jesus sounds familiar.

Colossians 1:17-18- “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.”

Pre-eminent- to hold the first place.

Christ is the head of all things, first place in all of existence. He is also first in the Church.

What do we mean by Church? John Gill- “The whole body of God’s elect, the church, which is built on Christ the rock, for which he gave himself, and which is the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven.”

This is not NHCC. It’s so much bigger. The universal church, through all time, through all space.

Notice what is being stated- In the same way as Christ is pre-eminent in all of creation, this is similarly true for the Church.

Notice what has been stated- All things created by Jesus, through Jesus and for Jesus.

Jesus is the agent of creation and the aim of creation.

Jesus sustains all things, holds them together.

And we see the aim of what Jesus is doing by being the head of all things- reconciling all things to Himself.

Restoring all of creation, and will one day put on the finishing touches.

We find the same to be true of the church.

The Church has been created by Jesus, through Jesus and for Jesus. It is sustained by Jesus and has been created for the purpose of reconciling all things to Jesus.

Don’t take my word for it, see it in the Scriptures.

First, the Church created by and through Jesus.

Matthew 16:15-18- “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Here we see the truth upon which the Church is built. The confession of faith of Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God.

Second, created for the Jesus.

Revelation 21:1-2- “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Coming day when my daughters ask me how they look. Do I look pretty for him?

Jesus has great affection for His bride, the church. He enjoys her and finds joy IN her. He sees her beauty and delights in her.

This is hugely encouraging. Why it’s so important to understand the significance of forgiveness and imputed righteousness.

Jesus sees His bride, the Church, and delights in her.

We were created for Jesus. The Church was created to be beautiful in His sight.

Finally, Jesus sustains the church.

John 15:5- “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Fruit bearing, which is the very nature of the church, relies on only one thing. Jesus.

We as individuals and as a church owe any fruit to the sustaining work of Jesus.

Jesus is the head of the Church. Or put even more simply, for the Church, Jesus is everything.

So what are the implications of Jesus being the head of the church?

Jesus leads the Church.

Where the head goes, we go.

We know where Jesus is taking us. We see it clearly laid out in Scripture. Where Jesus went, we follow.

Jesus blazed the trail for us. He lived differently. He calls us to do the same.

Key and Peele- God speaks. Do we live in such a manner?

God calls us to an eternal life, not only in length of life, but in quality of life. The life we have been given is eternal because it is not from us, but is of God.

Remember the words to Peter- flesh and blood didn’t give you this knowledge.

When we are given the life of Jesus, we follow in the very footsteps of Jesus.

We say the things He said, we do the things He did, we prioritize the things He prioritized.

Stated simply, we live the life He lived.

The Church relies on Jesus.

Anything we do, or accomplish, will rely on Jesus’ leading and on His power and strength.

“Tune my heart to sing thy grace.”

What difference to we want to make in this community? In this world?

John 13:34-35- “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What do we desire for the relationships built in this church family?

We rely completely upon Jesus.

Highlighting the importance of prayer.

We ask for Jesus’ example, His direction, and His power to accomplish that to which we have been called.

George Castanza not knowing what His project is supposed to be. We often feel this way towards the life to which God has called us.

We don’t have to feel this way. God makes clear what our lives are to look like.

But He also invites us in to conversation with Him.

Building a prayer ministry here at NHCC. We have the desire to go further.

If this is a passion of yours, please come talk to me.

We must be a church that relies entirely on Jesus.

3. Our reflections.

If what has been said thus far is true, then we ought to reflect on the importance and centrality of the Church, as the body of Christ.

Bryan Chapell- “But she is the beloved of Christ and the only instrument that will ultimately fulfill his purposes on this earth. That is why she is worth the effort, and worth the dedication of our lives.”

Chapell says that the Church is worth the dedication of our lives. Do we feel that?

How do we think about the Church?

I wonder how we feel about the church and then naturally, how we speak about the church.

How do we fellowship with the Church?

Are we invested in the church? Does God know our love for the church and involvement in the church? Does our church family know of our love for the church?

The world will know we are Christ’s disciples by our mutual love.

What does such a text assume? The world will know that Jesus is real and that we follow Him.

How do we contribute to the Church?

All relationships require sacrifice.

Do we sacrifice that which we may enjoy in order to contribute to the fellowship and ministry of the church?

Or, do we find the church on the sacrificial altar? Have we given up the enjoyment of God’s purposes for the enjoyment of the world?

Bryan Chapell- “Despite all of her weakness, there is no more powerful and organization of hope in the world than a body of believers loving one another, helping and forgiving one another, praying for the work of Christ in their midst, supporting each other in joy and in sorrow, equipping disciples, showing mercy to outsiders, and praising the God who enables it all.”

The first chapter of Ephesians ends on the authority of Jesus, but also on the authority of the Church.

Jesus will accomplish His ends, and He will do so through His body, the Church, making Him known throughout the entire earth.

Everyone wants to be a part of something. There is nothing bigger for us to be a part of. God bringing about His plans through Christ’s body, the church. Will you be a part of what God is doing?

Will you fall in line? Will you live your life according to the design that Jesus has created for you through His blood? Will you seek His sustenance and provision for all of what He has called you to? And will you be a part of God’s Church, committing yourself not only to Jesus, but to those surrounding you. Serving them. Caring for them. Spreading the gospel to those who do not know?

This is how Jesus Christ gains the victory.