The Preeminence of Christ

Welcome to this week's message from the Church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

I want you to turn with me this morning to Colossians chapter 1.

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

And we're going to be looking at this morning the preeminence of Christ.

And what a I'm talking about perfect picture this is of who Jesus Christ really is.

Thank you, gentlemen.

The preeminence of Christ.

In fact, ladies and gentlemen, there, hey, without Christ, there is no preeminence.

And that is so exciting this morning.

In Colossians chapter 1, we've been looking at, and by the way, if you do not have a worship guide, just raise your hand, and our guys, Brother Bob back there, make sure you have one.

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

Okay.

All right.

Thank you.

Anyone?

Anybody need a worship guide?

All right, good.

So, as Paul is addressing the church at Colossae, and as I told you earlier about this church, Paul had never visited the church at Colossae.

But Epaphorus, who was one of Paul's closest workers and helpers, had really, we believe, started the church in Colossae.

And basically the church had exploded.

It was awesome.

It was reaching a lot of people.

It was growing.

And Epaphoros, possibly being the pastor, was excited.

But as all churches, after they get started and God's using them in great ways, Satan doesn't like a church to be excited about Jesus.

Do you realize that this morning?

Satan doesn't like, hey, churches that are on fire for God reaching people with the gospel.

Satan gets upset.

And you know what he does?

He so craftively and secretly and manipulatively, you know what he does?

He begins to send false teachers and false philosophies into that church.

And so all of a sudden, Epaphras finds himself with this situation.

The church at Colossae was threatened, was beginning to be threatened by some false teachers.

And some false philosophies was beginning to invade the Christian community.

And it was with a combination of Judaic and Gnostic doctrines.

Now, Judaic means the Jewish rituals, the Jewish legalism.

In other words, for you to be right with God, you've got to be circumcised.

For you to be right with God, you've got to attend all the ceremonies, and you gotta do, you gotta do, you gotta do, you gotta do.

And then the Gnostic doctrines were was the doctrines of worshiping other beings other than Jesus Christ.

They thought Jesus Christ was just one of the gods.

But they had a multiplicity of gods and really believed in a lot of angel worship.

So these two doctrines, the Judaic and the Gnostic doctrines, were beginning to come into the church.

And so Paul's answer was very simple.

He said, in order to dethrone these false doctrines and these false philosophies, I'm going to give you the right doctrine, the only doctrine, the preeminent doctrine, and that's Jesus Christ our Lord.

And so he really begins to lay the truth down.

In fact, the more we study the apostles' approach here in Colossians in this letter, the more I am convinced that there is only one solution to our moral and spiritual problems in our churches, in our country, and in our homes and in our lives, and that is the preeminence of Christ.

Amen?

The preeminence of Christ.

Him being Lord of all.

So in these verses before us this morning, Paul teaches us that, hey, to be doctrinally sound on the headship of Christ, we must give attention to three things.

And let me say something this morning.

I really believe if we don't get this doctrine right, we will be swayed and we will be manipulated and we will be carried away by every false doctrine.

We will be subject to these false doctrines.

And then it's my job as your pastor to protect you and to teach you the right doctrine.

Paul told Timothy, as he was discipling Timothy and getting ready to really be executed, he said, now Timothy, here's what you've got to remember.

Till I, hey, till Christ comes, you've got to give attention to doctrine, to doctrine, to teaching, to right teaching, to the pillars as we were talking about last year.

I mean last week.

The pillars of the church, the foundations of the church.

Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine.

1 Timothy 4, 13.

So that was so, so important.

So this morning, let's look, you know, about I think probably one of the most exciting things about understanding the preeminence of Christ.

And by the way, I want you to look at verse 18.

Here's the proposition, here's the main heart.

And he says, and he, Christ, who is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.

That means he was the first one ever raised from the dead, that in all things he may have the preeminence.

For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.

Now, I'm not going to read all those 18 verses, but we're going to cover a lot of territory this morning.

And the first principle I want us to look at.

If we're going to be doctrinally sound and understanding the preeminence of Christ, the headship of Christ, number one, is the biblical preeminence of Christ.

The biblical preeminence of Christ.

And I just read the verse to you.

And what a powerful, that in all things, by the way, what does the word all mean?

All.

Amen.

All.

All things.

Whatever it is, all things.

It doesn't mean some things, a few things, but all things.

He says that in all things he may have the preeminence, that he may be the controller, that he may be the boss, that he may be the president, that he may be the governor, he may be the ruler.

That's what the word preeminence literally means there.

So we see the wrong views about the preeminence of Christ means wrong views about everything else.

And boy, is that not true.

So let's look at it.

Paul sums up the biblical preeminence of Christ in, I think, three mighty powerful declarations and statements.

Number one, here's what he says Christ is the center of creation.

If you don't get this one right, you won't get any of the rest of them right.

Amen.

We've got a couple of views.

The one view is what they call the Big Bang theory.

And yeah, yeah.

What does that mean?

It means gases and atoms and all these things somewhere out in space.

They don't know how, they don't know where.

But it just came together and bang.

Guess what?

Here we are.

Woo! Tadpoles, frogs, then eventually professors at the university.

Hello.

What an evolution.

Bang! I'm a tadpole.

I'm a frog now.

I'm a professor.

Wow.

Man, that takes that takes a lot of education.

Takes a lot of faith.

Amen?

The big game theory.

Evolution.

We just evolved.

You know?

Don't know how, don't know where, but here we are.

Hmm.

Man.

And we got a lot of educated people that believe that.

In fact, that's the number one, hey, proposition, theology, doctrine of how we got here.

But we don't, we know that's a lie.

We know that's not true.

We know that's heresy.

Why?

Because we know Christ is the center of creation.

Look at verse 15.

Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all, what does it say?

Over all creation.

Then part of verse 16 says, for by him all things were created.

Verse 17, and in him all things consist.

Ladies and gentlemen, as this eternal image of the invisible God, the Lord Jesus is the creator and sustainer behind all things created.

Listen to me.

God created the heavens and the earth.

If you don't believe God created the heavens and earth, how can you believe that God, hey, wrote the Bible?

Amen?

He is the creator and the sustainer of the whole universe.

The entire universe is held together in him, and the order of things is nothing more but a beautiful reflection of who he is.

Can you imagine how this earth was formed?

Have you ever just been out west or just been up in the mountains or been to a state park?

It is gorgeous.

And ladies and gentlemen, that just didn't happen.

We've got a creator, a designer.

Oh, hey, he was the originator.

He was the architect.

He was the designer.

He was the sustainer.

Oh, I think about this.

First of all, what's this?

The creation.

I thought about this as I was working on this.

The heart of Christ.

The heart of Christ desired the world to be created.

Then I put this.

Hey, then the will of Christ destined the world to be created.

Then the mind of Christ planned the world to be created.

And then the word of Christ spoke the world into existence.

That's how this universe was created, ladies and gentlemen.

I mean, it was created by him.

Hebrews 11:3.

Hebrews 11:3

And here's what it says: it says, by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.

I mean, he had a heart for the word.

He planned it.

He thought it through.

It is the very reflection of all that he is in his mind, his heart, his will.

And he spoke it into existence.

He made it.

What a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful picture.

Now watch this.

I want you to see this.

Look at verse 15.

Who is the image of this, hey, of the invisible God, the firstborn of every, what does it say?

Every what?

Every creature.

In other words, Christ is God, and Christ is in God the Father.

And before anything was, God was.

And before anything was, Christ was, because God was.

And after everything will be, Christ still will be because God is and will be.

Before anything, they were.

And after everything is over, they still will be.

They are the creators.

In fact, I wrote this in my margin.

The masters of creation is God the Father, God the Son.

I am a Father of one.

When you've seen me, you've seen the Father.

Hey, they're the master, but notice what else?

Look at verse 16.

For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and visible, whether it be by the thrones or dominions or principalities or powers or all things were created by him and for him.

You read that and say, oh, yeah, yeah.

Oh, you can't miss what's in that one verse.

It's powerful.

And what he's saying here, he's the maker of creation.

And notice what he says.

Mm-mm-mm-mm.

This is so good.

He literally says, first of all, for by him were all things created.

He created the atmosphere.

He created space.

Amen?

He created not a big bang, not atoms coming together.

God created space.

But now notice what else he did.

He created, hey, space, the sky, the space.

But notice what else he did.

They are in heaven and they are in earth, visible and invisible.

In other words, he created the stars.

He created the earth.

He created the animals.

He created not just the sky, but the substance for the sky.

He created the clouds.

He created all the substance that goes into the universe.

But then notice what else he created.

And then he goes on and he says, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or power, all things.

Now we see he created, hey, the sky, he created the substance and the stars and all that.

And then he created the souls of men.

He created it all.

All that in that one verse.

And they tell me that you can't explain creation.

Woo! I can.

God created it through Jesus Christ his Son.

He did it.

He thought about it.

He had a heart for it.

He designed it.

He planned it.

And he spoke it into being.

Why?

Because he's God.

And by the way, he did it in six days.

Talking about a work ethic.

Hello.

He didn't have time to sleep.

Amen.

Six days.

Well, how long did it take the Big Bang Theory to vibe?

I don't know.

Well, when did it happen?

I don't know.

Where did it come from?

I don't know.

Well, what do you know?

Well, I just know I'm here.

Man, that takes a lot of really deep thought.

Where'd you come from?

I don't know.

Where are you going?

I don't know.

Do you know anything?

I don't know.

And we pay, hey, we pay a lot of money for our kids to be taught that.

Hello! Hello! How smart are we?

I don't know.

I'm sorry.

That's why I told my kids when they got ready for college, and I know I'm gonna step on a box here, but it's my box, not yours.

I said, I'm gonna pay for your college education.

But you go into school that I pick.

That's not fair.

I said, Well, you pay.

That's simple.

No questions asked, no debate.

I pay, you go where I tell you to go.

And by the way, they did.

Liberty University and Tennessee Temple.

Christian schools.

Why?

Did they get oh, we taught them the Big Bang Theory.

Because we're educators.

Hey, we we know what the truth is.

So we gave them true liberty of true education in the classroom.

But you can't go to Alabama, you can't go to Auburn and allow them.

Hey, if they are so confident that they're right, why don't they let us present our view?

But they talk about education of freedom.

There's nothing free about that.

They're just narrow-minded.

You know why?

They're afraid of the truth.

Why?

You shall know the truth.

I'm about to have a spell.

You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.

That's why.

There's order in our creation.

There's purpose in our creation.

There's divine direction in our creation.

Because God thought it.

God loved it.

God designed it.

God planned it.

God organized it.

He was the master architect and he delivered it.

Wow.

You're something special this morning.

He created you special.

You were not some.

Have you ever thought, well, how'd you get here?

I don't know.

Well, I got news for you.

How did you get here?

You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and marvelous are God's works in you.

And he makes no jump.

Psalms 147, verse 14.

Psalms 147:14

Amen.

Amen.

Christ is the center of creation.

He's the master.

He's the maker.

Look what else he is.

He's also who?

The maintainer, verse 17.

And he is before all things, and by him all things consent.

He didn't only make it, he maintains it.

Everybody's worried about the, what do they call this?

The global warming.

I love God.

Every time they think they got it figured out, he blows their minds.

And then you know, they say, now, how do you explain that?

Do you know their answer?

I don't know.

But it happened.

You know, something just happened.

Why?

I don't know.

Lord help us.

We are a little smarter than that, folks.

Come on.

Come on.

We're smarter than that.

But we see that God created this universe.

He says in Acts 4.24, and I love this, they lifted up their voice to God in one accord, and they said, Thou art God, which made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them.

Wow.

I love what he says in Acts 7.50.

He says, Hey, hath not my hand made all these things?

God, thank you.

Thank you.

And then, not only was he the maintainer, look at his mission.

His mission for us.

This is awesome.

His mission for us is verse 16.

For by him we were all things created, but look at the end of it.

All things were created by him.

You are created for him.

You're not an accident.

You say, Well, you don't, I don't even know who my daddy is.

Oh, yes, you do.

You said, No, I never met my daddy.

Hey, let me tell you who your real father is.

When your mother and your father forsake you, the Lord will take you up.

God was thinking about you before you ever were conceived.

He knew who you were.

So you don't let Satan, hey, beat you down and say, well, nobody cares.

Yes, he cares.

He cared so much that he fearfully and wonderfully made you.

Thank you, Lord.

Don't you ever forget that.

Amen.

Don't ever forget that.

I came from a broken home.

But once I learned this principle, God, hey, hey, that God's taking care of me.

God loves me.

God made me for a purpose.

And it's for him, for me and you, to, hey, for him to please him.

That's who you start pleasing him, you won't worry about who your mom and daddy is earthly.

Thank God for him, but hey, hey, God the Father surpasses that real quickly.

Amen.

Amen.

But he uses that father and mother relationship as a picture.

That's what breaks my heart.

Satan has done so masterfully destroyed in the Bible in Ephesians 5 that the relationship between a husband and a wife and their children should be a relationship that God the Father has with us.

And Satan knew that.

That's why he's worked so terrifically to destroy the home.

Because, see, he's trying to get you to think that God is not a God of order.

God's got a plan.

He didn't just decide one day I'm going to make this thing.

He planned it out.

He thought it out.

Wow.

But not only is Christ the center of creation, but number two, Christ is the head of the church.

Look at verse 18.

And he is the head of the body.

He's the head of the body.

Man, I love that.

As the first man raised from the dead, Christ has become the head of a redeemed humanity.

Mm-mm-mm.

He alone, therefore, must have the preeminence in all things, for he has openly declared his lordship over all created beings.

So, as the redeemer and head of the church, Christ does some things for us.

You know what he does?

He directs us.

Ephesians 5 1.

Listen to what it says.

It says, be imitators of God as dear children.

His purpose for creating us is for us to be like him.

Amen.

Paul said, follow me as I follow him.

He wasn't talking about following himself.

Humanly speaking, he was talking about following the Christ-likeness in him.

Big difference.

Don't follow Pastor Danny.

Follow the Christ-likeness in Pastor Danny through the word of God.

Hey, you my wife used to say, when he's preaching, you can believe anything he says.

But apart from that, don't pay any attention.

Well, be careful.

That's not exactly how it went, is it, honey?

She said, only when I was playing cards.

I am a good bluffer.

David and I used to whip Christy and Susan every time in Rook.

They could never beat us.

Because we were good bluffers.

Christ is the head of the church.

He directs, hey, his direction.

But he has goals and plans for us.

I never connected this.

I mean, I kind of, but this week I had a Holy Ghost spell because he says in James chapter, his plans and direction is for us.

That's why he made us, because we want to be pleasing to him.

But in James 4.14, it says, whereas you know not what shall be on tomorrow, what is your life?

I know that's not all up there.

This was given after the outline was turned in, sorry.

But but James 4.14, whereas you know not what shall be on tomorrow, what is your life?

Even a vapor.

Now watch, that appears for a little time, then vanishes away.

We're only here for a little time, folks.

And then he says in verse 15, and it's so connected to this principle about him being the head of the church that he wants to direct us, then he said, So, regardless of what you do, make sure you do it in accordance to his will, what you do.

Verse 15 in James 4.

Why that?

If I was here, he'd say, That's good, preacher.

Amen.

So, we're here for a purpose, and that purpose is to fulfill his will.

We said that in the very first message.

But hey, it's a connection here.

He created us to please him, and we please him by doing what he wants us to do.

Not what we want to do, can we say amen?

So that's very important, man.

That's good.

And then, hey, he created, he's the head of the church.

He wants the church not only, hey, he gives us direction, he gives us goals and plans for this church.

Man, you heard me test a vision last week about the fields and the golf course and all that we see that's gonna be taking place down there.

And you're gonna be a part of that.

That is God's will for this church.

And how do we know that?

Because we, his word has led us every step of the way in full unity of what we want to do, how we want to reach this community with the gospel.

Average age in this whole community is 34 and two and a half kids and two dogs and cats.

We're gonna reach the kids.

David said he ain't building anything for the dogs.

That's all right.

We got a feel out there.

I'm still bringing Rocky when we have church outside.

But amen.

We've got a vision.

We got a vision.

Amen?

We've got a vision.

Wow, God's directed us, his plans, and then usefulness.

God has a purpose.

He wants the church to be useful.

We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus under good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Walk in them.

And then he, hey, he has, hey, the church is for full.

I love this time existence.

Before anything was, Christ was.

But when he established his church, his church will be forever.

He that believeth on the Son hath light.

He believeth not, the Son of God shall have not light.

1 John 5.10.

Upon this rock I'll build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Matthew 16, 18.

You're part of that church.

That's exciting.

Boy, is that exciting?

I was talking to a couple other days.

They said they're going to join.

They said they've never been a part of a new church, and they're so excited to just be a part of a New Testament church, loving God and loving people.

Wow.

Well, Christ is the center of the creation.

Christ is the head of the church.

Number three, Christ is the fullness of the Godhead.

Look at verse 19.

It pleased the Father that in him all the fullness should dwell.

Now, man, that word, you read that and you really don't understand what that means.

I didn't.

But that whole phrase, the all-fullness, all fullness, those two words literally means all the attributes and character of God.

I know it.

You huh?

That's what I thought.

Now, wait a minute.

Are you telling me, Paul, through your writings, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, that when you and I have the, and we're saved and we have the fullness of Christ, we have all the attributes of God the Father and Jesus Christ Himself through their power at our disposal?

Is that what you're telling me?

Yes! Yes! You said, I didn't know I had that.

I know.

It's all of this.

We walk around so discouraged and defeated.

I know we don't even know what we have.

Hey, what he's saying is, while the hey, and I love this, we must go further in recognizing that Christ, what's this, is fully possessed of deity.

Now here's what that means.

While divinity is an attribute, and I wrote it down of deity.

Deity is essentially the nature of God alone.

Christ is God alone, and when Christ is in us through the person of the Holy Spirit, we have God's attributes and character and power living within us.

Whew! See, I know one of you got it, but we huh?

Yeah, I really got that?

Oh, that's in me.

If you're saved through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is.

It is.

And let me show you why.

Now look at verse 9.

Here's what, when you and I are walking in the fullness of this power, look what happens in our life.

For this cause, we also, since the day we heard it, did not cease to pray for you and desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

When you are filled with the fullness of God, you have all spiritual understanding and direction.

You know who you are in Christ, and you know what you're supposed to do for Christ and where you're going for Christ.

Woo! That's uh evidence of the fullness of Christ.

If you're here this morning and you say, I don't know, first of all, I'm not sure I'm saved.

Secondly, I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing.

Thirdly, I it's kind of like what are you supposed to do?

I don't know.

Where are you going?

I don't know.

That's the Big Bang Theory, remember?

But when you are filled with the fullness of Christ, you know who you are in Christ.

You know what God's called you to do, and you know what you're saying where you're going.

And they call that the glory of the hope that lies in you.

You're gonna see that in verse 27 in a minute.

Woo! You're with me.

Is this good or is this good?

You say, Pastor, I don't even know what I got.

Well, now you do.

Now you gotta start.

See, it's possible to have the person of Christ and know the person of Christ, but not have his presence in you.

Amen.

Amen.

See, when his presence is in you, daily walking with him, you have the fullness of God.

And you know that.

And look what else you know.

Look at verse 10.

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

In other words, you're just reproducing good fruit.

You just, hey, you're doing exactly what God wants you to do.

You're telling people about Jesus, you're bringing people to CCW, you're you're witnessing to him, you're loving on them, you're helping them.

You're just you're just radiating all that Christ is.

Why?

You're in the fullness of God.

You're in the fullness, we call it, of the Holy Spirit of God.

It's actions, not talk.

Hello.

Let me repeat that.

It's actions, not just talk.

Amen.

And then look at the third thing.

You're strengthened with all might according to its glorious power.

Look at verse 11.

Mmm, glorious power.

Hey, you got power, not just any power, glorious power.

Not just some power, glorious power.

Say this with me.

Glorious power.

You know, you got a 110 and you got a 220.

And now you're, oh, 440.

Well, bless God.

I've always said I'm plugged into the 220.

Maybe I need to be plugged into the 440.

Amen?

But let me just tell you, Papa used to say, Danny boy, you don't want to be plugged into the 110.

You want to be plugged into the 220.

He said, it takes you to another level.

And see what happens when we get saved, we get plugged into the 120.

And that's, hey, that's where it starts, but we don't want to stay there.

We want to have a goal to go into the full 40.

Can I get an amen?

Walking in the fullness.

All I want everything God has, hey, for me.

But now notice what you got.

Hey, you strengthen, you got that power unto uh uh.

I know when I don't have it because I'm not patient.

He says you're gonna be patient.

Mm-mm.

First of all, he's strengthened with all my we're gonna have endurance.

Let me tell you what that means.

Strengthen with all my you're not gonna quit God.

You're not gonna quit God.

You're not gonna give up on God.

How many of us get so offended, and you know what?

We just say we're gonna give up on God.

We're just gonna quit God.

Or here's what we say.

You would never say that.

Because Satan's smarter than that.

You'd never say you're gonna quit God, but here's what you say.

Well, I'm just gonna quit church.

I don't have to go to church anymore.

All churches the same.

I had a guy tell me just recently.

All churches the same.

Just a bunch of hypocrites.

I said, guilty! By the way, he's a hypocrite, he just quit too.

Joined the crowd.

I said, didn't you just quit?

Well, I did.

I said, you're a hypocrite too then.

I said, never thought of it that way.

I said, we ought to start thinking.

Amen.

I said, let's just go to church Sunday and all a bunch of hypocrites be here together saying, God, we need help.

Amen.

Amen.

I need that preacher to step on my toes.

I need him to, hey, hey, he needs to whip me and then love me.

That's right correction, by the way.

Amen.

Hey, when I hey, when I'd whip my kids, I never whipped girls.

I did beat the tar out of Eric.

Actually beat the devil out of him.

But I'd always love him.

I'd always love him and let him know how much he cared about him.

As a right way and a wrong way to correct people.

Amen.

Paul said, preach the word be instead in season out of season.

Reprove, rebuke, and then exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

Amen.

And love.

So, so notice what he says here.

Hey, hey, we stick with stuff.

Then he says he gives us patience.

And then he gives us, hey, yeah, I can't.

I want it done yesterday.

To give us patience.

And I'm not going to don't pray for whatever you do, don't pray for patience.

Why?

The Bible says in Romans, tribulation worketh patience.

You start praying for patience, you're going to get tribulation.

I get enough without praying for it.

Amen.

Hello?

Can I get a witness?

So don't pray for that.

Just, amen, Lord, I need help.

I need help.

And then it gives us the spirit of joyfulness.

Long-suffering with joyfulness.

There's nothing more exciting to be around than a spirit-filled, joyful Christian.

Number two.

The biblical preeminence of Christ.

Now look at the second thing.

I'm getting warmed up.

I'm preaching tonight in Mount Pisco Baptist Church up on Sand Mountain.

One of my graduates building a church up there.

What's this?

I told him, I said, tell him this morning, buckle up, because I really will be fired up by the time I get there tonight.

The spiritual preeminence of Christ.

Look at what he said, verse 18 again.

That in all things we may have the preeminence.

The significant words which sum up the spiritual preeminence of Christ are found in verses 20 and 22.

Look at what it says.

Having made peace through the blood of the cross, that first phrase.

Then notice about the middle phrase in verse 22.

In the body of his flesh through death.

Man, that's two powerful statements.

In his mighty sacrifice on the cross, Christ demonstrated through his perfect humanity, because he was as much man as I am, but yet as much God as God ever has been, that his life and death were offered up through the eternal Spirit of God.

That his humanity, hey, that he was much as man as God, I mean as much man as human flesh is, and I am, and you are, but he was also as much God as God ever has been or ever will be.

Look at what he says.

Did I have that verse up there, Jason?

By the way, you're doing a great job.

Hebrews, I think it is.

Hebrews 9, 14.

Did I have that?

There it is.

How much more shall the blood of Christ, watch this, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God purge?

I love this.

Woo-hoo! He purged our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Ladies and gentlemen, when the Holy Spirit comes in your heart and your life, it's gonna turn you upside down.

You're gonna be different.

You're gonna be saying, hey, they're gonna look at you, you ain't gonna be the same old man or lady you were.

He purges you.

He gets that, he crucifies that old man.

And you become a new creation.

Old things have passed away, but hold all things.

You get excited.

Amen.

I meant, you get excited, kind of like Alabama and Auburn.

You get excited.

I made up my mind.

You know what my task is to be more excited than any football fan.

Because I got a lot more to be excited about.

And I love sports.

So don't say I'm downgrading sports.

Golf.

I just really love golf.

Hit that little white ball?

Then you well, we ride, but you if you I ain't going there.

All right.

No, I'm picking it Doc now.

Oh.

But really, watch, watch.

Here it is.

Don't you miss this.

Number one, under the spiritual preeminence of Christ.

I want you to look at two things.

There was the spiritual preeminence of his life.

He was real.

He walked on this earth just like you and I walk.

I mean, he was real.

Listen to what he says in verse 21 and 22.

And you who once were alienated.

Hey, you and I were alienated and enemies in our mind by wicked works, boy.

Is that not to describe us before we got saved?

Yet now he has reconciled us.

Now, watch in the body of the flesh.

In other words, he was here.

He faced everything you face.

He faces everything that I face.

He's been tempted in all areas that you and I have been tempted.

And then he says, the body of flesh.

Then we see the spiritual preeminence of his, hey, life.

Here it is.

Apparently, Paul combines this and makes plain the actual humanity of Jesus.

He said, He was real.

And he gives us, as I was studying the scripture, I saw three things.

Number one, oh, as I read through the gospel story, we observed that his walk, his walk was spiritual.

His walk was spiritual.

Look at it.

Throw it up there.

Hebrews 7.26.

And here's what it says.

For he was holy, whoo! Harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens.

Wow.

You see that?

His walk was spiritual.

Ladies and gentlemen, our walk ought to be spiritual.

We ought to be real Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

And hey, our walk ought to be as pure and real during the week as it is on Sunday.

In fact, in Colossians 2, 6, there and we'll see it.

He says that we're rooted and built up.

He says, in fact, just look at it.

You're right there.

He says, and as you have received Christ Jesus, Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him, established in the faith.

You are walking in all the character and attributes of God.

Woo! I know what you're thinking.

I still hadn't figured that that I got that.

But you do.

You can activate that power in our hearts and in our lives.

So, notice what else, though, it is.

Not only is it his walk, in fact, you know what?

In John 8 46, no one challenged his character or conduct.

Facing his critics, listen to this.

The Lord Jesus could ask, here's what Jesus asked.

Which of you convicts me of sin?

Pilate said I can find no fault in him.

What a testimony.

Wouldn't that be a great testimony for us?

Wouldn't that be a great testimony if you stand before your accusers and say that's Jesus?

All things are what?

What about Daniel?

Remember Daniel?

You know what they said before the king?

We can find nothing wrong against Daniel except his loyalty to his God.

Wow.

Daniel purpose in his heart.

He would not defile himself.

Daniel 18.

We can.

And then we see his words.

Watch this.

His words.

His hey.

His walk.

His words?

Notice what he said.

John 7, 46.

No man ever spoke like this man.

Luke 4, 22.

They marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.

Matthew 7, 28 and 29.

They were astounded at the truth and the doctrine and the teaching and the compassion and the love that was coming out of his mouth.

I thought about that.

What about us?

What about our words?

What about our words?

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that we may minister grace unto its ears.

You've heard me say, what does that mean?

It's not good.

If it's not building up, if it's not spoken graciously, don't say it.

Let the words of my mouth, the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight.

Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

Wow, wow, wow, wow.

Psalms 19:4.

Psalms 19:4

Colossians 4.6.

Watch this.

Let your mouth be full of grace and season with salt.

Colossians 4.6.

And then one that I really get, this one's the one that bothers me.

Bothers me quite heavily.

Jesus said this.

Matthew 12, 36 and 37.

Listen to what Jesus said.

Unbelievable.

But I say unto you, and he's meant it too, but I say unto you.

Unto you, for every idle word men may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment.

Now he didn't say cuss word, he didn't say gossip gossiping, he didn't say, you know, malicious talk or malicious tearing down a cat.

He said idol.

And then verse 37, for by your words you'll be justified, and by your word you'll be condemned.

Jesus said that.

Those are the letters in red.

You know what the word idol?

I thought you might want to know that.

You know what it means?

Useless words.

Useless.

Now I don't know exactly how many words I used to know what we speak every day.

Women speak more than men.

That's true.

That's true, I promise.

I'm not making that up.

But out of those hundreds of thousands of words, how many of those words are useless?

Some of us talk because we just like to hear ourselves talk.

Doesn't matter what we're saying.

You ever talk with somebody and you try and you say they don't even give you time to get in.

They just keep talking.

Useless.

My family our family's terrible about that when we all get together.

Terrible.

Terrible, terrible, terrible.

What did you say, Chris?

Terrible, terrible, terrible.

Careless.

Oh, thoughtless.

That's what it means.

Careless and thoughtless.

What does that mean?

That we ought to think through what we say.

Oh, can I get an o me?

Oh me on the count of three.

One, two, three.

Oh me.

You say, well, I think through everything I say.

No, you can't.

You're talking too fast.

I am.

Okay, that's enough of that.

I can see y'all, yeah.

Y'all really.

Y'all got that one.

His walk was spiritual, his words were spiritual, and then watch.

Lastly, his works were spiritual.

Those who witness his many miracles and deeds of kindness concluded, he has done all these things well.

Mm-mm-mm.

We are his workmanship.

I love Galatians 6 14.

God forbid if we should glory in anything except the cross by whom our hey, our walk and our everything that we are is crucified unto the world, but we live for him.

Whether we eat or drink, whatsoever you do, watch, say it with me.

Do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10 31.

Our work, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15 58.

Then number two, not only there was spiritual preeminence of his life, but there was spiritual preeminence of his death.

Verse 20 and 23, having made peace through the blood which you heard.

And then verse 23, which was preached to every creature under heaven.

Verse 13, hey, we see the rescue of Christ, who has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear son, from the kingdom of the damned to the kingdom of the divine.

Woo! Is that not good, church?

From the kingdom of the damned to the kingdom of the divine.

We've been delivered.

We've been delivered, folks.

Wow.

And then there's the removing to Christ.

Look at what he says.

The removing.

Who has delivered us and translated?

He took us from the pit to the palace.

And then there's the reconciliation in verse, hey, 20.

Look at what he says in verse 20.

And having made peace through the blood of the cross.

Hey, we've been reconciled, all things in themselves.

Reconciliation means to be put right.

He's, hey, because of Christ's righteousness, you and I have been set free.

Not because of what you've done or what you are, but because of his righteousness.

We've been reconciled.

We've been forgiven.

Verse 14.

Redemption.

Verse 23.

We've been recipients.

If you 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, wherefore I, Paul, am made a minister.

Now watch.

This does not refer to the condition for salvation, but the condition after salvation.

There's nothing you can do for your salvation, but after you get saved, you've got the power of God living in you now to live to the fullness of Christ.

And watch this.

And hey, to what?

Walk right, speak right, and work right.

Can I get an amen?

That's what he's talking about.

What is he saying is when you're really saved, you're gonna stay, you're gonna hang in there.

Oh, you're gonna get knocked down, but you're gonna get back up, but you're not gonna give up.

You're not gonna throw in the towel, you're gonna stick with the stuff.

The word of the living God.

Man, that's good.

Okay.

Then the last thing, and I'm three.

We see the spiritual preeminence of Christ, the biblical preeminence of Christ.

Then thirdly, we see the personal preeminence of Christ.

Look at verse 18, that in all things he may have the preeminence.

The apostle expresses this personal preeminence of Christ when he speaks of Christ in you.

Look at verse 27.

Christ in you, the hope of glory.

You've heard that sang and sung.

But no one can honestly acknowledge the biblical preeminence, the spiritual preeminence.

Watch this.

You can't.

We can't until we know him, until he comes into our hearts and our lives.

No one can acknowledge any of that without giving him the rightful place.

You know when I know somebody really gets saved?

I can tell you, it's pretty obvious.

It's pretty evident.

It's not about him anymore or her anymore, it's about him.

He has taken over.

He's preeminent.

Do you talk about him as much as you do you?

Do you talk about him as much as you do other things?

Because whatever you talk about the most is what has preeminence in you.

Ouch.

Hello?

You okay out there?

Bam, said, Oh, you just put me on the on the turf with that one, preacher.

I know I didn't mean, I went down with you.

But is that not true?

Whatever is preeminent in your heart comes out of your mouth.

Woo! Forgive me, Lord.

Oh me, amen.

So, two three things I want you to say when I'm through.

First of all, the acceptance of Christ in coming.

Look at what he said in verse 27.

Christ in you.

Now, I remember Dan Mitchell in Theology 101.

I remember this so great.

I know some of this little you're getting some theology this morning.

Now, watch this.

In my theology 101 class, here's what Dr.

Mitchell taught us.

Christ in theology is fundamental.

In other words, Christ is the foundation of all that you believe.

You agree with that?

Say amen.

Okay?

Then he made this statement.

Christ in history is evidential.

There's facts, there's history, there's geological evidence.

We know Christ lived on this earth.

It's evidential.

But then he made this statement.

But Christ in experience is consual.

It's consequential.

In other words, if you don't have an experience with Jesus Christ and radically change because he comes into your life and changes you, you really have not experienced who Christ is.

Oh, you can have the right theology, you can have the right historical, but until you experience him personally, you don't have a clue what we're talking about.

Literally.

You know him, you know of him, but you don't know him.

Big difference.

Big difference.

Big difference.

The glory of the gospel is whoo! The the when you hey to him God would make known that is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Say this with me.

Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Say it, church.

Christ in you, the hope of glory.

What does that mean?

Here it is.

Get ready, buckle up.

Here's what that means.

That, hey, the gospel, the glory to the gospel is that Christ, the center of creation, the head of the church, and the fullness of the Godhead, hey, desires to knock at your door so that you can open the door and he will come in.

That's the glory, the hope of glory in you.

Revelation 3:20.

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door, knock.

Any man, hey, hear my voice and open the door.

I will come in.

Who comes in?

The Saved Christ, the center of creation, Christ the head of the church, and Christ the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

God Himself.

Thank you, Lord.

Preach that word.

Woo! Man, that's good.

Preach that word, Pastor David.

That's good.

Man, that's good.

And then number two, the acknowledgement of Christ indwelling.

Paul put it this way in Ephesians 3.17.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Have you discovered the secret of glory of the riches of Christ in that verse dwelling in us?

Are you free from the concern and the burdens of living?

The burdens of sin, the burdens of fright, the burdens of fear, the burdens of disconnection and disunity.

Are you free from all the garbage?

There's a hymn.

Oh, give it then to me.

The rest of ceasing from myself to find my all in thee.

Man.

And then the last thing appreciation of Christ's infilling.

Mm-mm.

Christ in you.

Verse 27, the hope of glory.

God's purpose in, hey, in salvation is that Christ would invade our life.

Christ's purpose is for us, hey, hey, to be invaded by Christ and live by faith.

His purpose is for us to be indwelt in our lives by love and filled our lives with hope.

Paul put it this way in Romans 15, 13.

I think we have it there.

Now the God of hope.

Look at what he says.

Now the God of hope.

Oh, I love it.

Fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This means that Christ, as our hope of glory, should fill our lives with three things.

Hey, a new certainty.

A new certainty.

Ladies and gentlemen, when Christ fills you, you have a new certainty.

And you know what you have?

You have a blessed hope.

You have the hope of glory.

You're going to be with him.

You're going to spend an eternity with him.

Woo! What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see.

When he takes me by the hand and leads me to the promised land.

What a day.

That's gonna be.

That's gonna be.

A new certainty.

A new, hey, secondly, a new radiance, radiancy.

Wait, wait, wait.

Go back.

Wait, wait, wait.

You've got to see this verse.

Hebrews 6 19.

Watch this.

With hope.

Naiva, there was an old song.

Christy, you may know it.

Granny may know it.

She's getting ready.

Remember, there was an old spiritual, an old spiritual about to anchor that hose.

Well, here's where that came from.

Which hope we have has an anchor of the soul.

Both sure and steadfast.

And which enters into that within the vile.

My anchor hose.

When you get saved, you throw the anchor over and it hooks into Jesus Christ.

And there's no wave, no storm that's gonna take you down.

Oh, it may be rough.

Oh, it may be dry, but bless God, the anchor ain't gonna move.

Well, the ship's been better.

Woo! That's it.

We have a new certainty.

Then we have a new radiancy.

Look at Romans 5, 2.

We rejoice in hope of the glory of God, says Paul.

Woo! We have you know, W.

A.

Tools are listen to what he said.

When Jesus came after you, he came after you with a perpetual enthusiasm with a holy zeal.

If he came after you like that, why in the world can't we live for him like that?

Amen.

But more than that new certainty, that new zeal, those who look to him are radiant, they should never be ashamed.

Hey, hey, I ain't taking it off.

Well, I take it off to give somebody, I'll put another right off.

I'm not ashamed.

I got a holy zeal for Jesus' also.

Holy zeal.

I'm fired up, folks.

Why?

I've got a new certainty.

When I die, I'm going to be with Jesus.

Wow.

That glory.

That hope of glory.

And then lastly, I have a new purity.

See, doesn't matter how high you jump, hey, it's how straight you walk when you land.

You with me?

I can jump the highest with the best of them.

But when you land, we need to walk straight.

Amen.

Listen to what he said in 1 John 3.3.

Everyone who has this hope in him, watch.

Everyone purifies himself.

Just as who?

Jesus is pure.

Paul, I mean Peter put it this way: be holy in all manner of behavior, because it is written, be holy for I'm holy.

1 Peter 1.15.

Well, let me wrap it up.

Here it is.

To believe in the personal preeminence of Christ in the life is to be totally related to God Himself.

Put it on your head.

Yeah.

Let's get a little conclusion.

How are we going to respond to this preeminence of Christ?

Are we going to put him first biblically?

Spiritually?

And personally?

Oh, may our prayer be, Lord Jesus.

Open the doors of our mind, our hearts, and our wills.

Watch.

To your incoming indwelling.

Hmm.

And hey, infilling.

Come and have preeminence over me.

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

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We hope you have a wonderful day and again, God bless you.