Headship of Christ
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Introduction
Introduction
We have been working our way through the first chapter of Colossians together and specifically looking for the last couple of weeks at the Hymn of praise written for us in verses 15-20. The reason for this praise is seen in the prayer for the Colossians as the beginning of the book. The Colossian Christians were living together in love. This love was like that of the special unconditional love of God. A love stronger than a brotherly love.
The Colossians were also growing in the gospel. The gospel was not and is not a once and done thing. They continued growing, increasing, and bearing fruit.
The believers in Colosse had been delivered out of the domain of darkness and brought into the kingdom of light. Jesus kingdom.
For this and much more Paul and Timothy wrote a praise to God.
They praise Jesus, that all is created in the sphere of Christ. He is the mediator. He is the preserver. He is the controller. He is ultimately where all of creation is pointing.
In this last section today the praise is shifting focus to the new creation. The praise is for Jesus present role.
In the end of v. 17 we saw that all things are held together in Jesus.
Now we see also that Jesus is bringing together those who were once lost in darkness.
In our passage for today we will see that Jesus brings reconciliation through His headship.
Read Col. 1:15-20
Prayer
Jesus - Head of the church.
Jesus - Head of the church.
What does it mean for us that Jesus is the head of the church?
The Body
The Body
We first have to come to an understanding of the body.
The word that church comes from refers to
a regularly summoned legislative body, assembly
a casual gathering of people
people with shared belief, community, congregation
This is not a specific Christian term as it is found in other literature but in the context of scripture it often refers to
the global community of Christians, (universal) church
This is not the only place where Paul refers to the church as a body.
Paul when writing to the Romans in chapter 12 speaks of the body and how its members should relate to one another.
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Also in 1 Cor. 12
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
As well as Eph 4:16
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
While there is a stress on individual parts of the body in these passages, the purpose is the body as a whole. A body that is growing together as a unit.
This description of the church is an organic one rather than organizational.
The church is so much more than an organization.
What about us?
What is our view of the church?
Do we have a right view of the church?
Is the church for us a business model?
You have your everyday workers, those that are members who attend regularly,
You have your supervisors, your deacons or elders, who help to keep things on track.
You have your owners and executives, your pastors, who provide leadership and vision.
In the business world today there is often a disconnect between many of these different levels.
There can also be the same disconnect in the church as well.
The church though is not a business.
The church is the body of Jesus!
What does it mean then that we are the body of Jesus?
It is true that there is an organizational structure for the church that is laid out for us in scripture.
It also more importantly means that we are dependent upon our head.
If you think with me of a body, perhaps your own body.
How important is the head to the body?
There are so many applications to this, a few that came to mind for me were football, self defense, and steer wrestling.
What part of the steer is the rider aiming for when they leave their horse?
The head of course.
Why?
Because the body follows where the head goes!
This is why it is so important for us as the church, as the body of Christ, to have the right head on our shoulders.
If we are replacing Jesus as our head with something else. We will not be heading in the right direction.
The body and its function is important to Paul as we see from these verses but that is not what is being praised in any of these verses and especially not our text for today.
What is being praised is Jesus and His role as Redeemer.
The Head
The Head
The praise in our passage is for Jesus as our head!
If Christ is the head of the church, it means that the destinies of creation and the church are bound together and that God’s purposes for all creation grow in the the congregational life of the church. {1}
The NIV Application Commentary: Colossians and Philemon The Head of the Church, the Firstborn from among the Dead (1:18–20)
The church does not exist to meet the needs of its members or to insure its institutional survival, but to fulfill the redemptive purposes of Christ, its head.
Let me restate that, the church exists to fulfill the redemptive purposes of Jesus, not to insure it’s own survival or solely meet the needs of its members.
We are here, we exist as a body, for Jesus!
He is our head, and as our head we seek to share the good news.
Of course part of Jesus redemptive purpose is to build up believers.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
This is all well and good but if we stop there are we not missing the point?
If we aren’t following our head, our Lord Jesus, and spreading the good news that Jesus died for all outside of these walls, outside of our church community are we truly being directed by our head.
We are referred to as the bride of Christ. Eph 5:23 provides for us a picture of submission.
For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
Jesus as head is our savior, our redeemer.
The NIV Application Commentary: Colossians and Philemon The Head of the Church, the Firstborn from among the Dead (1:18–20)
The metaphor “head” designates him both as supreme over the church and as the source of the church’s life. In the image of a living body, the head not only directs and governs the body, it gives it life and strength.
We are to praise Jesus because He is the perfect head.
It is through this headship that Jesus brings reconciliation.
Authority in New Creation
Authority in New Creation
This reconciliation is what brings about the new creation that we as believers are now part of.
Just as Jesus is praised for initial creation, He is also praised for new creation.
Jesus is the source of the church’s life.
Reconciliation as defined in the Holman Bible Dictionary is
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Reconciliation
Bringing together of two parties that are estranged or in dispute. Jesus Christ is the one who brings together God and man, with salvation as the result of the union. Reconciliation basically means “change” or “exchange.” The idea is of a change of relationship, an exchange of antagonism for goodwill, enmity for friendship. Attitudes are transformed and hostility ceases.
As we see in our verse, Jesus is the beginning of this.
English Standard Version Chapter 1
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
Jesus of course was not born from the dead but raised from death.
Paul is again using the term firstborn to represent status.
Jesus resurrection is a source of new life for others.
He is the first of those who share in the new creation, the new kingdom.
Jesus tells us in John
Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
There is power in this new life, this new creation.
The power of resurrection is brought “into the midst of the ‘present age,’ in order that the power of the new age might be unleashed upon the world while there was still time for the world to be saved.” {2}
David Garland writes
The NIV Application Commentary: Colossians and Philemon The Head of the Church, the Firstborn from among the Dead (1:18–20)
The goal of the resurrection is not merely to give individual believers the hope that they might also defeat death. God is not satisfied for Christ to be head only over a small band of devoted followers. The goal expressed in 1:18b is far grander: Christ is firstborn of the dead “so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”
Paul is praising Jesus authority over sin and death.
We too can praise in this truth.
We now live in the age of redemption because of Jesus resurrection.
Death is a consequence of sin, Jesus took that sin and conquered it through His resurrection.
Jesus resurrection happened so that in everything, including our reconciliation, our change of relationship, he might have supremacy.
Jesus Reconciliation
Jesus Reconciliation
Paul continues to support this claim in verses 19-20.
English Standard Version Chapter 1
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.
Where did God’s presence dwell in the Old Testament?
Tabernacle/temple
Paul praises the fact however that God has now chosen to dwell fully in Jesus His Son.
Jesus takes the place of the temple, or any other built place and fully represents God in person.
F.F. Bruce states
The NIV Application Commentary: Colossians and Philemon The Head of the Church, the Firstborn from among the Dead (1:18–20)
all the attributes and activities of God—his spirit, word, wisdom and glory—are disclosed in him.
What we are seeing here in this specific passage is God’s redemptive power in Jesus.
We see God’s desire for His children to be reconciled to Him.
Jesus the peacemaker.
Jesus the peacemaker.
If you remember with me - Reconciliation basically means “change” or “exchange.” The idea is of a change of relationship, an exchange of antagonism for goodwill, enmity for friendship. Attitudes are transformed and hostility ceases.
Looking back to verse 16 we saw that in the beginning, God created all thing through Jesus, this is now repeated for us in verse 20, except that it is now referring God’s new creation.
In the end, all things will have their relationship with God changed.
The New American Commentary: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon Jesus: Lord of the New Creation (1:18–20)
The scope of reconciliation includes the material creation, the animal world, humanity, and spiritual beings
Rom 8:20-22
English Standard Version Chapter 8
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Nothing whatsoever, not the the spirit world, not the material world, not humanity, will be remain untouched by the blood of Jesus as we see in 1:20.
This does not mean that everything or everyone will be saved, that would go against God’s nature of justice.
It means that Jesus is the great peacemaker.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
The NIV Application Commentary: Colossians and Philemon Contemporary Significance
Victory in the cross. The first half of the poem asserts that Christ is sovereign over all creation as the one in whom and for whom all things were created. The second half of the poem explains how Christ exercises his sovereignty by reconciling the world through shedding his blood on a cross.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We have seen some reasons from Paul and Timothy’s hymn of praise over the last few weeks as to why we can praise Jesus.
So what next?
This is all simply good or interesting information if it stays in our notes and in our minds.
This truth has to go to our hearts.
How does it get there?
It takes time of course.
One specific way is in song.
We worship what we sing.
And we sing about what we worship.
It matters what we listen to and what we sing.
I know if I listen to too much country music I start to get a little depressed because so much of it is my lady left me, my car broke down, my dog bit me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy good country.
It matters what we sing.
I would like to challenge us this week to remember the things that are praised in this passage.
Let us take the time to praise the Lord with our song.
{1}David E. Garland, Colossians and Philemon, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 91.
{2} David E. Garland, Colossians and Philemon, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 92.