What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. He Is The Head
• II. He Is The Source
• III. He Is The Firstborn
• IV. He Is The Preeminent One

TRANSCRIPT

I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Today, our sermon text is taken from Colossians 1:18. Allow me to read for you. “And he [referring to Christ] 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”.

The literal meaning of the word “church” is called-out ones. Today, when we use the word “church”, it can basically mean two things depending on the context. Firstly, it can mean a building set apart for worship. For example, this building: 10 Downing Street in Oakleigh is a church. Secondly, it can mean the people in the church. And within this definition, there are two meanings. It can either mean the local church or the invisible church or universal church.

The local church is a gathering of people made up of believers and unbelievers. As the Bible often would tell us, sheep and goats, wheat and tares. Not everyone who is a member of the local church is a true believer. Jesus Himself said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). The universal or invisible church is made up of only true believers.

Here, the Apostle Paul was referring to the true believers belonging to the church of Jesus Christ. He was speaking to the believers at Colosse. And he was telling them as true believers, this ought to be their relationship with Jesus Christ Himself. So, this will be our title: ‘What Is Christ’s Relationship With [The] Church’? Notice here, Christ was described as the Head, the Source, the Firstborn and the Preeminent One.

I. He Is The Head

Firstly, “[Christ] is the [Head] of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:18). Paul used the analogy of the body to illustrate the body of Christ, the church.

We all know that the human body is made up of different parts. Every human body has a head. And all the different parts take directives from the head. When the head decides to go to a particular place, the legs respond by carrying out the order. When the head decides to do a certain thing, the hands respond by doing the work. So, the body responds by taking directives from the head. And then carries out the responsibilities and duties accordingly. The body is connected to the head and it cannot function independently from the head.

As the visible hands and legs are doing the physical work, there are also invisible parts of the body working behind the scenes. Invisible parts that our naked eyes cannot see. The heart is pumping blood and oxygen through the veins to the different parts of the body to keep it alive. The sensory organs perceive what the body is doing, and where it is going, and sense the surrounding dangers. All these are things that we cannot see, but they are there. When everything is working in harmony, all is good. But when one part is injured and paralysed, the whole body suffers.

Two important spiritual lessons we can learn from here. Firstly, as a church, we must take directives from Christ who is our Head. He has given to us His Word, the Bible, to do the work of the ministry. He has given to us undershepherds, pastors and elders, to guide and lead us. He has blessed each believer with at least one spiritual gift. Some have multiple spiritual gifts. For what purpose? To do His Work.

Once, someone approached the pastor and said, ‘There is a prominent church member who wants to have his wedding in the church. But that man is marrying an unbeliever’. To that, the pastor replied, ‘In that case, I cannot do it’. The man said, ‘Well, we understand your convictions. So, we have decided not to ask you to conduct the wedding. We will ask another minister to do it’. The pastor said, ‘No. I cannot do that too’. The person said, ‘Well, then that particular church member would be offended’. The pastor said to him, ‘Does the church belong to you or to that member’? The man said, ‘No’.

It does not belong to me either. The church belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Head. So, why not we ask Him through His Word whether this is the right thing to do or not? We must take directives not from the people; not from the majority or to make ourselves popular, but from the Lord Himself and His Word. So, in the church, there are biblical lessons to be taught and learned, errors to be corrected, decisions to be made, misunderstandings to be resolved. There would be relationships to make; relationships to be reconciled and also relationships to be disassociated. Ministries to be established and sometimes, sadly, to be dissolved. Funds to be collected and then to be administered etc.

How can we do all that? As you and I seek to accomplish all these responsibilities and duties, we must take directives from Christ who is the Head, through His Word. That is the way the church should function. Secondly, there are ministries which may not be visible and prominent, so to speak, but they are just as important and necessary. The bulletin you read in the church website, the live streaming worship service you watch when you are not able to attend church physically are done by brethren who are working quietly behind the scenes. People whom you do not know.

Most of us do not know who are the brethren who open and close the church every week or the sister who updates the prayer list. You may not physically see them doing the work, but they are absolutely necessary and vital. People tend to focus only on ministries that are visible. And allow me to say this, perhaps, the most obvious visible ministry is the pulpit ministry. But this is not the only ministry that enables the church to function. Without the brethren working behind the scenes, this pulpit ministry will not be able to stand.

One day, Charles Spurgeon was walking with a group of visitors around the church. And they came to a small room at the corner of the building. And Spurgeon pointed to that room and said, ‘That is the powerhouse of the church’ meaning to say, ‘That is the engine that drives the car’. So, everyone was very curious and eager to know what is inside that little room. When he opened the door, there was a group of people on their knees praying, even before the worship service started.

Dear friend, you may not be physically involved in the work of the ministry, not because you are unwilling, but because you are afflicted with illnesses, sicknesses, or other infirmities. But one thing you can do: you can pray. And if you do that, you are doing something that may not be visible in the eyes of men, but yet, it is most important and necessary. And that could be the only thing that God wants you to do. Christ — the Head of the church — knows our abilities. He knows what we are capable of. And when we are lying on our sickbeds, He still wants us to serve and glorify Him. And that may be the only thing He wants us to do. Pray for the church.

II. He Is The Source

Our second point is Christ is the Source “who is the beginning” (Colossians 1:18). The word “beginning” means the originator or the source. Next year, our church will be celebrating our 40th anniversary. It is a significant milestone. The life of a church has a beginning. And Christ is the Originator and the Source. In other words, He is the One who built the church. The people are just instruments.

Allow me to quote a classic example in the Bible about Christ being the Source of the church. Please turn with me to Matthew 16:18-19. Jesus said, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”.

This is an amazing passage, especially the statement Jesus made, “I will build my church”. Again, the emphasis is “my church” which means the church belongs to Him. But before we get to that statement, there are several hurdles we need to cross. There are different interpretations regarding these two verses. When Jesus said to Peter, “[Thou] art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”. Who was this rock?

Basically, there are three interpretations. Allow me to explain. The first view is that Peter is the rock. The Roman Catholic Church believes very strongly in this view. And they conclude that from this verse, Jesus had appointed Peter to be the head of the church. And the pope is the successor of Peter who is the rock. There are even some Protestant theologians like William Hendrickson who believe that Peter is the rock. But not his successors. Only Peter himself because he was the first one to confess that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah.

Let me explain why this view ought to be rejected. Take a moment and consider this: ‘How can the church which is the body of Christ — and Christ is the Head — be built upon a man, Peter’? It is one thing to have the body of believers built upon a man. But to include Christ who is the Head of the church and then built upon a man? That is impossible. So, this view ought to be rejected. The second view is that Peter’s confession is that rock. This has been a majority view amongst the Protestants.

In other words, they believe that when Peter said in the preceding verse 16, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), well, they said, ‘That confession that Jesus Christ was the rock, Jesus was referring to that’. Now, this view is only possible if the emphasis of the confession was on Christ and not Peter. The reason is because you read several verses later, Peter said to Jesus that ‘He should not die. It should never happen to Him’. And Jesus had to rebuke him. “Get thee behind me, Satan… for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matthew 16:22-23).

That confession was thrown out of the window. And we all know that, later on, Peter’s confession turned into outrage, denials, three times he denied the Lord. So, that rock could not have been built upon Peter’s confession. The third view is that Christ is the Rock. This is the minority view amongst the evangelicals. In my opinion, I believe this is the correct view. Why do we say that? You see, Peter’s name was Petros which means little rock or stone. But Jesus used the word — for rock — ‘Petra’ which means the foundation rock or bedrock. So, the verse could mean ‘[Thou] art Peter, [Petros, little rock; little stone, but] upon this [Petra, this foundation rock] I will build my church’ (Matthew 16:18).

Here, there is a play of words. The idea is that Peter is only a little stone, perhaps, a pebble. But Jesus was the Foundation Rock upon which the church was built. Throughout the Old Testament, God was frequently described as the Rock of Israel. He alone was their Refuge and Strength. Most certainly, Peter understood that because he knew he could not be that rock.

Only Christ was that Rock because He said in 1 Peter 2:4-8. Just let me briefly read to you. ‘We, the believers, are lively stones built upon the foundation stone, the head of the corner which the builders rejected because to them, it is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence’. Again, the word ‘Petra’ was used. This foundation rock was none other than Jesus Christ. The church was built on Christ. If Jesus Christ is the Rock — the Source upon which the church is built upon — then what does that mean to us? You and I ought to build our church, our homes, and our lives upon Him. Primarily, it means to build upon His teachings.

To build on the Source, firstly, we must be “doers of the [Word]” (James 1:22). Hearing the Truth is not enough. Jesus described the true believers as people who not only hear the Truth, but also “doeth them” (Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:47-49). The true mark of discipleship is not simply hearing and believing, but believing and obeying. James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”. So, if you do one thing and not the other — you hear, but you don’t do — you are “deceiving your own selves”.

To build upon the Source, secondly, we must be prepared. It is like building a house. The rain, the wind, and the flood may not have come yet, but we are prepared because we have built ourselves on this strong foundation that will not be shaken, even in the face of the greatest adversities. Dear friend. Is your foundation strong enough to withstand the trials, tribulations, afflictions, and challenges of life? Is your foundation built on this Rock that is solid that even all sorts of strange winds of doctrines come, you will not be shaken?

To build upon the Source, thirdly, we must apply the Word of Truth. The Bible is filled with wonderful lessons. But they are wonderful only when we apply them. It will not be beneficial for us if the Bible is only for our head knowledge and no application. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, ‘You can be perfectly orthodox. But perfectly useless’. You must apply. Otherwise, it is just head knowledge.

To build upon the Rock, lastly, we must dig deep. In the Gospel of Luke 6:47-48, Jesus said, “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man [who] built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, [and] the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock”.

The wise man dug deep. How deep? He dug until it hit the rock and then he built his house. It takes great effort to dig deep. So, that tells us that this wise man was not in a hurry. Today, people live in a hurry. They want quick answers. Just a click of the button. They want to have the answer. But this man was not looking for an easy way, a quick conversion, or a superficial profession. He did not quickly run through the Bible. But he dug deep into the Word of God.

And the more he dug into it, he realised how wretched he was. And this overwhelming wretchedness of his sinfulness caused him to run to the Lord Jesus Christ and cling onto Him. Those people who dig deep into the Word of God would want to pray more than ever. They would want to read the Bible more than ever. They would want to learn more about God than before. They would want to trust in Him more than ever, to walk in the light of His Word, and to find out how real God really is.

Are you such a believer who is a doer of the Word? You are prepared. You are always rightly applying God’s Truth, always digging deep into the Word of God. If not then you are not the one who has built your house upon the Rock, the Source. And when the rain, the wind, and the flood — just like the trials, tribulations, and afflictions, and all sorts of challenges — come into your life, you will surely be shaken. But if you are founded on the Rock then you will be steadfast.

So, this is how we apply this truth into our lives. Christ is the Source, the Rock of our church, our homes, our lives. And we must build it upon this strong foundation. There will be trials. It is inevitable. It will come if it has not already come. It will try to shake you. Only when you are founded on the Rock then you will not be shaken.

III. He Is The Firstborn

Our third point is Christ is the Firstborn; “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18). Now, as we continue to read Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “[And] the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. What is this gate of hell that is unable to prevail and overcome the church?

Here again, there are two interpretations. The common view is that the “gates of hell” refers to the attacks on the church by Satan and his demonic forces. And the promise is that they will never succeed. Now, there is a problem because the word “gates” is a strange way to describe an attack. No army would attack another army carrying a bunch of gates.

Gates are not meant as weapons. Gates are meant to keep and protect the people. It is more of a defensive tool than an offensive tool. The second view is that the “gates of hell” simply means death because ‘passing through the gates of hell’ was a common Jewish way of referring to death. If that was what Christ meant then the idea is that not even death — whether in its natural form or in times of persecution — would be able to destroy the church that Christ has built.

Personally, I believe this is the right interpretation. Because if we are founded upon Christ — the Rock, the Source — then nothing will be able to separate us from Him, not even death. Remember in our previous message, the Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor [heights], nor [depths], nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus…”. Nothing, not even death.

So, Peter was not the rock. But he did have an important part to play because the Bible tells us he was given “the keys [to] the kingdom of heaven: [with the added promise] and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven… whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. Does that mean that Peter had the exclusive privilege to determine who will go to Heaven and who will go to Hell?

Here again, because of the misinterpretation, the Roman Catholic Church believe that there is no salvation outside the church. Therefore, exclusion from the church by excommunication means one is cut off from the body of Jesus Christ. That person will go to hell. So you can imagine the priests and the popes have tremendous authority over the people. That is the reason why the people were very afraid of the priests and the popes, thinking that they have such great powers to bind someone to heaven or cast someone into hell. But nothing is further than the truth.

If you notice, the emphasis was not on Peter, but on something given to him. And that something was the keys, which speaks of an authority given to him to bind or to loose with the keys. You know, if I can give you an illustration, when I was working in the prison ministry in Singapore, I used to visit the prisons and I would see the prison wardens carrying huge keys. They have authority in a way because of those keys. Because they could open the doors to release someone, or they could lock the doors to keep someone inside.

What are those keys which are so powerful to bind people to heaven or loose people to hell? The word keys was a reference to the gospel, or you may call it the gospel keys because whenever the gospel is preached it would either bind people to heaven or loose people to hell. That is why it is plural. It has two abilities—to bind or to loose. Peter and the other apostles had faithfully use this gospel case in their lifetimes. The reformers Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards and so forth, had also faithfully used this gospel keys.

Do you realise that you and I are also given this gospel keys and we must use them faithfully. Whenever we preach the gospel message and the people reject it, we know in our hearts that that person is still lost. He will be sent to the eternal lake of fire. But on the other hand, when someone responds to the gospel we preach and believes in Jesus Christ in repentance and in faith, we know in our hearts that that person is now bound for heaven. Heaven will be his eternal home.

Can you fathom this tremendous responsibility that we have, to be given the gospel keys? How can we keep them to ourselves? We turn around. Our grandparents, parents, and children are still lingering outside the kingdom of God. And we have this gospel keys. How can we just keep quiet? God forbids because of inconveniences, rejections, some words of mockery and then we shied away. No, we would share the gospel at all cost and let God do his salvific work through the wonderworking of His spirit.

But some of you here may be asking, what has this text got to do with Christ being the firstborn from the dead? Why do I bring this into this particular verse? Well, I want to drive this point to you. Even if the believer dies, whether it be by natural form or in times of persecutions, he is not lost. He will be raised from the dead. How do we know? Because Christ is the firstborn from the dead.

In the Old Testament, before the Israelites harvested the crops, they had to first present the first fruits known as the representative sample. They had to offer these first fruits and through the priest be offered to God. The full crop could not be harvested until the first fruits were offered. When they did that, it was a sign that this was first and many more would come. The harvest would then come. It was like an instalment so to speak that the future harvest will come.

So what it means here is that Christ was the firstborn from the dead, the first fruits of the resurrection harvest of the believers because he was raised from the dead. So there would be a future harvest of resurrected believers including you and me all because he was risen from the dead. Some people may question, ‘But that is not true. How could Jesus be the first? Because there were other people in the Bible that had been risen from the dead before him, like Lazarus.’ That is true. Lazarus was raised from the dead, but he died again. But what about people like Enoch who was taken into heaven? That is true. But Enoch did not die.

Jesus was unique. He was the only one who died, was buried, and on the third day He was risen from the dead. And so He became the firstborn of the dead. He was the first one to do that. And because He lives, we shall live also. Dear friend, one day you and I will die. For some of us here, it could be very soon. It is not a scare tactic. It is a reality. Death knocks. At any moment, unless Christ comes for us in the rapture, we will die. But our bodies will be raised from the graves. It is an undeniable truth because our Lord Jesus was the firstborn from the dead. He is the assurance. He is the guarantee of our future resurrections.

That is the reason why when we bury our believing loved ones. Although our hearts are saddened, but we know that one day that body will be raised from the grave to be reunited in the with the soul in a glorified body. And in the sweet by and by, we shall meet again on that beautiful shore in heaven. Christ is the firstborn.

IV. He Is The Preeminent One

Finally, Christ is the Preeminent One. Look at the last part of verse 18, “[That] in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). The word “preeminence” means to take the first place. If Jesus Christ is truly the head, He is truly the source, He is truly the firstborn, then He must take the first place in our lives.

In our church, whatever decisions we make whether pertaining to our fellowship groups, our ministries, our mission fields, our worship, our services, our giving, we must make Jesus Christ the first place. In our families, in regards to how we relate with one another, between parents and children, between parents and grandparents, ‘Which neighbourhood should we live in?’ ‘Which school should we send our children to?’ ‘Where should we go for holidays?’ We must let Christ take the first place.

In our lives, ‘Who should we marry?’ Or, ‘when should we marry?’ Our relationships with our friends and colleagues, our employments, ‘Should I take up this job or that job?’ ‘What activity should I engage in? ‘Is this activity right or wrong?’—We must always let Christ take the first place. He is the preeminent one, because he is our Head, our Source, our Firstborn, and therefore he must be our Preeminent One. This is what it means—Christ relationship with us.

May these four points be applied into our lives. Let Christ be our Head, be our Source, be an assurance of our resurrection, because he is the Firstborn, and let him always be the president of our lives. To the glory of His precious name.

Let us pray. Father in heaven, we give Thee thanks for this opportunity for us to consider this verse. Indeed, we ought to ask ourselves, what is Christ’s relationship with our church, with our homes, with us personally. Indeed, thou has reminded us once again who our Lord Jesus really is. He is the Invisible God, the Almighty, who came into this world, lived a perfect life. Ultimately, He died and shed His precious blood on the cross of Calvary to save us.

He is the Head of our church. He is the Source of our church and He is the Firstborn from the dead—because He lives, we shall live also. This is the greatest assurance we can have in our lives. And He must always take first place in all our decisions. In the things we do, say or think, for He is the Pre-eminent One. This is Christ’s relationship with us. This is what He meant to us. Oh Lord, remind us always, because as humans we always forget. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANS

A Faith And Love That Shines

A Faith And Love That Shines

Colossians 1:1-4

The Blessedness Of Our Christian Hope

The Blessedness Of Our Christian Hope

Colossians 1:5-6a

The Transforming Power Of The Gospel

The Transforming Power Of The Gospel

Colossians 1:6b-8

The Need For Prayers

The Need For Prayers

Colossians 1:9

Prayer for Spiritual Excellence

Prayer for Spiritual Excellence

Colossians 1:9-12

Walk Worthy Of The Lord

Walk Worthy Of The Lord

Colossians 1:10-11

What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?

What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?

Colossians 1:12a

What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?

What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?

Colossians 1:12b-13

I Am Redeemed And Forgiven

I Am Redeemed And Forgiven

Colossians 1:14

Christ, The Invisible God

Christ, The Invisible God

Colossians 1:15

Jesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I Know

Jesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I Know

Colossians 1:16-17; Romans 8:37-39

What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?

What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?

Colossians 1:18

What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?

What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?

Colossians 1:19-22

The Evidence Of Our Salvation

The Evidence Of Our Salvation

Colossians 1:23a

Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?

Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?

Colossians 1:23b-24

How Faithful Are We?

How Faithful Are We?

Colossians 1:25-27

Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!

Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!

Colossians 2:4-9, 19

Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!

Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!

Colossians 2:7

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12