The Preeminence of Christ in His Bride
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15 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:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
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.
Introduction
Before Elohim ever created anything He had a purpose in the back part of His mind, something that He wanted to do, something He wanted to express.
First, “God wanted to reveal Himself to the people”
He did that in the prophets, in the Psalms, in the history.
He was the history, the Psalms and the prophets.
All these things spoke of Christ.
He is the thing! He was the prophets. He was in them. He was in the Psalms. He was in the history, and He is the things to come, “the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Then, if He is that, then He should be the principal theme of our talking, of our thinking, of our singing, of our walks. He should be the principal theme of our life.
If He’s the principal theme of the Bible, and the Bible is in us, then He should be the principal theme of everything that we do, say, or think; should be Christ. 63-0728 - "Christ Is The Mystery Of God Revealed"
All that God was was perfectly revealed in Christ. All things are wound up in that one person, Jesus Christ.
“Secondly, to have the preeminence in His Body of believers, that is, His Bride, that He might live in people.”
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.
The first of many sons. How do we become sons and daughters? By His Spirit dwelling in us.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 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:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
His entire purpose from Pentecost to now has been to have the Preeminence in His body, in your body and mine.
What does it look like when Christ has preeminence in us?
1. When He is preeminent in us the Word is restored back to it’s proper place.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
When God was preeminent in Christ He lived every Word that was spoken in the Old Testament.
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Now notice, again, He said, “Search the Scriptures, for They are They that testify of Me.” Search the Scriptures, the Scriptures, the entire Scriptures.
What am I trying to do? To show you that this Bible is the thing that’s right. 63-0728 - "Christ Is The Mystery Of God Revealed"
Bro. Branham did not come to replace the Bible, he came to shine light on its pages.
There were some things written which had to be sealed up, but those things have been revealed by the ministry of the Seventh Church Age Messenger.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
The Message of the Hour is Scriptural Truth for the day and hour we live in.
Example: Baptism
We baptize by immersing in the name, “Lord Jesus Christ” Why? Because the Bible tells us to. Yet this has been a mystery to the church ever since the Nicene Council in 325 AD, when the baptismal fomula was changed to “Father, Son and Holy Ghost” and the practice of infant baptism became widespread.
An explicit reference to the Trinitarian formula of Baptism cannot be found in the first centuries.
Page 61-62
The New Catholic Encyclopedia
2nd Edition
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
The scripture said it plainly, but it wasn’t understood plainly because of the veil of denominationalism.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
There is no such a thing as name of the “Father,” because Father is not a name. It’s a title. There’s no such a thing as the name of “Son,” ’cause Son is a title. There’s no such a thing as name of “Holy Ghost.” That’s what He is. 61-0425B - "The Godhead Explained"
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Christ the Word is preeminent in His body when we follow His commands to be baptized according to the scriptures.
The entire Bible has been illuminated in this way, and that present truth is an absolute to us. Something we can hang our hat on.
2. When He is preeminent