Sermon Tone Analysis

*Col.

1:18-20- Jesus as Lord of the Resurrection*

* *

*BI-Not only is Jesus Lord of Creation, He is Lord of the Resurrection*

 

*1.

**Position- Head of the church*/ He is also head of the body, the church;/

* *

Head of the Body- The church- ekklesia: from the root word “to call out” thus a group of called out ones.

In Greek, the term was used when a select group of people came together to discuss state affairs.

In the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the OT scriptures, the term was used in reference to the assembly of Israel as a whole.

But in the NT, it referred mainly to a)the worldwide grouping of Christians and to b)an individual assembly of Christians

 

Jesus refers to it as *His church*

Matthew 16:18- /“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it./

* *

The Father appointed the Son as Head over the Church

Eph 1:22- /And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,/

 

Jesus is Head (controlling member of church) and we are members of that Body with a purpose.

1 Cor.

12:12-27/- But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

For even as the body is one and yet has many members, *and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.*

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

For the body is not one member, but many… *But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired*/

*/ /*

In /The Master’s Plan for the Church/, John MacArthur- “the church is a body, and we want to look closely at its anatomy.

Every body has certain features: a skeleton, internal systems, muscles and flesh.

A church needs to have a framework (a skeleton), internal systems (certain attitudes), muscles (different functions), and flesh (the forms of the programs).”

The framework of this body is the skeleton.

Without the skeleton, the body would be a mass of flesh and muscles that could not pick itself off the floor.

The skeleton of the church should include the following,

·         A high view of God- knowing God more and glorifying Him always

·         Absolute authority of Scripture- nothing should shape our decisions more than the Bible.

·         Sound teaching- Explaining the truths about God clearly- not feel good sermons

·         Personal holiness- 2 Cor.

7:1 (/Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.)/

·         Spiritual authority- we must submit ultimately to Christ and then to those spiritual leaders over us.

/The early church had a stormy relationship with the wicked and powerful Roman government.

Cycles of severe persecution interrupted by tenuous peace recurred at the whim of the emperor.

Roman officials, ignorant of the actual teachings and practices of true Christians, often acted out of bigotry, fear, superstition, or misinformation.

The royal court assumed that the growing Christian church operated along the same lines as their own base and greedy religions./

/The emperor, coveting the wealth these Christians must surely possess, summoned their head bishop to the royal court and ordered him to produce “the treasures of the church.”

The frustrated bishop protested that the church had no gold, jewels, or other valuables (which was indeed true at this point in history).

The emperor, brushing aside the bishop’s objection, demanded that the riches of the church be brought to him in the morning.

The bishop left the royal presence quietly./

/The next day the bishop dutifully appeared at the palace doorway.

He was empty handed.

“I told you to bring me the treasures of the church!” the emperor raged.The bishop then invited the emperor to look out at the palace steps.

Gathered together, peering sheepishly at the great doors of the royal palace rising above them, was a mass of ragged beggars, cripples, slaves and outcasts,/

/“These,” said the bishop with a sweep of his arm, “are the treasures of the church.”For

his unappreciated but accurate insight, the good bishop was promptly martyred./

Romans 12:4-5- We as members of the body all have function and responsibilities

/For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,// //so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another./

/ /

FF Bruce- “Paul is here thinking of the variety of services rendered by the diverse members of the church, in accordance with their respective abilities, all together helping to build up the community to which they belong.”

* *

So you may be asking how does Jesus being head of the church relate to Jesus being Lord of the Resurrection.

Well, Paul is transitioning from creation to resurrection.

He is transitioning from heavenly things to earthly things.

Creation was a heavenly act.

The Church is an earthly organism.

So Paul is saying He is head of the church and the church consists of those who have entered into a new life in Christ, a resurrected life.

This body is different from the world because it has a different head.

Before our salvation, we were a part of a body with many different heads that strived to control us- selfishness, greed, fame, acceptance.

But those who are slaves to Christ are a part of a new body with a one head-Christ.

*2.

**Prerequisite- the beginning, first-born among the dead */ and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead/

Jesus is the beginning, the beginning of what?

He already stressed that Jesus was “before all things.”

Was Paul making his same point again?

No- He has changed ideas from creation to resurrection.

* *

The beginning, the firstborn among the dead-* *Jesus is the beginning of the new creation (spiritual rebirth) but more importantly, he is the “firstborn” from among the dead”.

The “dead” are such spiritually, and so Christ is the Supreme or highest ranked as resurrected persons into a new spiritual life.

When Jesus rose from the dead he had a new quality of life, a “resurrection life” in a human body and human spirit that were perfectly suited for fellowship and obedience to God forever.

In his resurrection, Jesus earned for us a new life just like his.

We do not receive all of that new “resurrection life” when we become Christians, for our bodies remain as they were, still subject to weakness, aging, and death.

But in our spirits we are made alive with new resurrection power[1]

 

Power of the Resurrection

1 Cor.

15:12-19- /Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?// //But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;// //and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.//

//Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.//

//For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;// //and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.//

//Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.//

//If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied./

/ /

There were those in the Corinthian church that were saying that resurrection from the dead was not possible.

Paul is stating here the absurdity of Christians saying the resurrection of the dead was impossible.

The resurrection from the dead is a key doctrine or teaching in our faith as Christians.

It is impossible for us to deny it.

Did Jesus rise from the dead?

Y or N.  Will Jesus raise up Christians from the dead?

Y or N  (Do not Answer) Will He raise you up?

 

Christians will be resurrected

John 6:39-40 “/This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.//

//“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”/

All persons will be resurrected one way or another

John 5:28-29 “/Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,// //and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment./

Christ led the way in resurrection

 1 Cor.

15:20-23-/But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.

//For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.

//For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

//But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming,/

/ /

Jesus is called the “first fruits of those who are asleep”.

The first fruits was a agricultural term that explained the first fruit or vegetable that grew in a harvest showed the farmer that there was much more to come.

Jesus being the first to be fully resurrected showed the world that there is more human resurrection to come.

We will all be resurrected

 

Man’s Resurrection Body

1 Cor.

15:35-60- Jesus explains fully the idea of our bodies in Resurrection

/All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.//