Christ, the Head of the Church

Intro

I am something of a word nerd. Many of you who have taught children to read, know how challenging the English language can be.

I remember reading a few years back an article about some words in the English language that compete for the most definitions, meanings, or senses.

In the 1928 Oxford English Dictionary the word with the most senses was "set" with some 200 senses (now expanded).

But in our frenetic society you would to be surprised to hear that "run" is the English word that has the most meanings.

In the case of those words "context is king" when determining its meaning.This is expanded out when you use metaphors.

For instance when the Psalmist says the Lord is my Rock he doesn't mean that God is a literal rock.He is speaking metaphorically. By explaining a characteristic of God, who we don't know, by a characteristic of something we do know, a rock.

By associating the unknown with the known, we gain clarity and insight.Metaphors are actually really important. In fact all our language about God, is analogical and metaphorical. Because "no one has ever seen God." Which means that 1. our only knowledge of him comes from God himself, and 2. it is always analogical—that is related to something known.

Christ is described as The Head of the Church; but what does that mean?As we mine scripture to find just what that means, what we will find is that the headship of Christ is a doctrine that gives us such Hope and Comfort.

So to begin our series on the Church it is fitting for us to begin with Christ.There are a plethora of metaphors used in the NT to describe the relationship of Christ and the Church.

But one, we will see subsume’s many of the rest. That is Christ as Head of the Church.

So in answering the question what does it mean that Christ is Head of the Church, we are going to look mainly at Ephesians. First Eph. 1:22-23, but for context we will draw in Eph. 1:18-21 There Paul is speaking in the figurative sense of Christ's headship as a king, with authority and rule.

Then we will look at Paul's use of the organic sense of Christ headship using the metaphor of a head and body, from Ephesians 4:15; drawing in Eph 4:10-14 for context.Once we have looked closely at these I will show there connection and importance as ground for the rest of series on the Church.

Head in the Figurative Sense

Look with me at Eph. 1:18-23

Let me just summarize what Paul says before these verses.

Paul prays, and specifically that the eyes of their heart would be opened so that we would see and know three things: the hope of our calling, the riches of our inheritance, the greatness of his power toward us,

Then in v. 20 he explains what he means by greatness of his power, namely:

Raising Christ from the dead (v. 20)

Seating him at his right hand (of power)(v. 20)

Above everything (v. 21)

And putting all things under his feet (same thing) (v. 22)

And gave him (who is above everything, and has all under his feet) to the church (v. 22)

Which is his body (v. 23)

The fullness of him (who fills all things) (v. 23)

The question is why does Paul want us to know that Christ has been made head over all, and has been given to the church?

And what does that even mean?

What Paul is saying is exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 28, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me…"

Paul is using head in a figurative sense, as that of a king, or ruler over a people. we use that phrase head of a state, or head of government. In our presidential system Donald Trump is head of state and head of government, our chief executive.

Paul is saying Christ is king!

What Paul is saying, is that God having raised Christ from the dead and seating him at his right hand invested him with a kingship.

Notice in verse 22 it says “he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.”

Christ is head over all, that is Christ is preeminent over all things. All those designations in verse 21 “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” means that there is nothing left outside of his authority and control.

And God gave him to the church.

Now you might be asking, I thought Christ already had authority over everything. Wasn’t he the agent of creation as it says in Colossians 1 and Hebrews 1? Yes, he has had universal kingship as the second person of the Trinity, what we call the Word of God, or the Logos.

But Christ sits at Gods right hand, not as the divine logos. Not as the Word of God. But as the God-man.

Have you ever stop to think about that. Christ took on flesh and dwelt among us. But now Christ having rose from the dead, in all his glory sits at Gods right hand as fully God and fully man.

And so we have a king, great David's greater Son, sitting in session in heavenly places, at God's right-hand. A place of supreme power and authority.

Illustration

As John in Revelation 5 sees a lamb that was slain take the scroll from the right hand of God and then the elders sing a new song to him saying:

Revelation 5:9–10 (ESV): Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” But in verse two the angel despairs saying who is worthy to open the scroll and break it seals? “And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it."

Adam failed to rule and reign as a king in the garden, but Christ as the second Adam was faithful to rule and reign, defeating his enemies, namely death.

But it was a man who had to open that scroll.Christ is found worthy because he was slain and by his blood he ransom a people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

And that’s our king!

Application

If Christ your king is in heaven, why is your heart not there with him? Why are you so worried about earthly princess, who in power and authority are dismal compared to Christ.Christ as king is just, unlike our rulers.

Christs kingship banish his fear.How could any plans of Christ ever fail seeing that he is over all in authority and power and control.

Listen to these words. the puritan John Flavel:

“He sits in heaven on purpose to manage all to the advantage of his church, Eph. 1:22. Are our enemies powerful; lo our King sits on the righthand of power. Are they subtle and deep in their contrivance; He that sits on the throne, overlooks all they do. Heaven overlooks hell. “He that sits in heaven beholds,” and derides their attempts, Psal. 2:4. He may permit his enemies to straiten them in one place, but it shall be for their enlargement in another. For it is with the church, as it is with the sea: what it loses in one place, it gets it another; and so really loses nothing. He may suffer them also to distress us in outwards, but shall be recompensed with inward and better mercies; and so we shall lose nothing by that. A footstool you know is useful to him that treads on it, and serves to lift him up higher; so shall Christ’s enemies be to him and his, albeit they think not so.” (Flavel, 1.521).

Christ rules both universally and over the church. But as he rules over the providential kingdom, the whole world he subordinates that to his spiritual kingdom, he orders and rules this for the advantage and benefit of the church.

“As King of the universe the Mediator so guides the destinies of individuals, of social groups, and of nations, as to promote the growth, the gradual purification, and the final perfection of the people which He has redeemed by His blood.” (Berkhof, 410)

That means that the current pandemic is providentially good for the church. Have you thought of it that way? God is ruling and raining, causing all things to work together for good. I wonder do we see it as a good? Do I see it as a good?So what does the king require?Kings require allegiance, loyalty, and obedience.

The path Christ took to exaltation, fills us with hope because he didn’t go alone, but all who have been united to him by faith have also gone with him. As we spoke of a few weeks ago, the already but not yet. We are already ascended and glorified in Christ. He is the first fruits, and we Will follow after him.

The knowledge that Christ is king is head overall and given to the church, should move you to great acts of worship.

How many are dull and lethargic, when coming to worship the great king. It’s not so when you see a celebrity, or see someone famous. You Goc and blush, and there is a thrill — but you have come to the heavenly Jerusalem, Zion the city of our God, and you have come to worship the great king. Who is head over all, how then can you not approach him with reverence and fear and with great honor.

When John was in worship on the Lord‘s day and sees a vision of the risen ascended and raining Christ, it was so overpowering the glory of Christ, as the sun when it shines in its strength, that when he saw him, he fell at his feet as dead.

That is the vision of Christ I am trying to impress upon you today.

Head in the Organic Sense

But Paul expands our vision of Christ as head by using that word also in an organic sense.

For not only is head in reference to someone with absolute authority, leadership, and dominion, but it can also be used of the organic connection of that between a head and a body.

Look with me at Eph. 4:1-16, I will read the whole for context, but we will focus on Eph. 4:15-16.

Let me summarize:

Paul after plumbing the theological depths, moves to ground what God has done for us, the indicatives, as the foundation for our obedience, the imperatives.Because of this we are to walk in manner worthy of our calling, in unity.

Further in his ascension and session at God's right hand, Christ has given gifts to the church (which we will talk about next week).

These he gave so that the church will be equipped for the work of ministry.

For the purpose of attaining mature manhood—what Paul calls the fullness of Christ.This was to keep us from being tossed to and fro by the prevailing winds of the times, and the crafty manipulative speech of false teachers.

Rather we are to speak the truth in love, which is possible by growing up into the head, into Christ.

Now Paul here is speaking of conforming our lives to that of Christ—but because of our union with him, it is much more than just following Christ as our example.

Paul illustrates this kind headship with the language of a body—with joints, that connects us together—as well as are connected to the head. He elaborates in Col. 2:19: "not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God." I suppose in some science-fiction movie you could have a head without a body, but in real life that’s impossible.This growth Paul says comes from Christ. He is the source for all life and power in the body.

This growth depends on the intimate union of all the parts to the head.

But notice that it is also symmetrical when each part is working properly... Paul is not saying that we will reach mature manhood, the fullness of Christ by having some of our members doing all the work. But when there is proportionality to our working.

As in the human body—I'm no doctor but if you have organs that just refuse to work, your going to be sick, if not dying. I said this last week, and because in our current evangelical mindset we are so prone to individualism, I will keep saying it. We are members of one another, Christ as our head. That means you can't have union with Christ and not have union with his body the church, and the individual members thereof.

Further this growth into the Head is a growth in love.

Application

Christ as head is the source and power of our lives. How do you stay connected to him?

The catechism says in Ques #88 "What are the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption?"

The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.

It goes on to say in the following two questions:

How is the Word made effectual to salvation? The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith, unto salvation.

How is the Word to be read and heard, that it may become effectual to salvation? That the Word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and practice it in our lives.

Are you availing yourselves of the means of grace.

Let me say this to you who are worshipping online:

You must work ten-times harder to cultivate an attitude of reverence and fear as you come to worship God.

I know the tendency is to be all comfy in your lazy boy with your feet up, in your jammies. But worship is not passive, we are not to watch others worship. But know one is watching you. It would be so easy to slip into bad habits, which let me warn you will seep into other areas of your life.

To cultivate that union with Christ, what Jesus in John's gospel calls *abiding—*we must be soaking daily in his word. Listening for the voice of Christ our head.

All this begs the question, how do I get into that kingdom, how do I have Christ as my king?

And you who know him as king, you have one job still—go and tell others.

Publish the good news that the king is on his throne and he’s coming again. Don’t be going not ready when he comes.

My pastor has a saying, “To say stuff, to people about Jesus on purpose.”