Christ is Preeminent
Categories: Expository Sermon Outlines, Sermon OutlinesChrist is Preeminent in All Things
INTRODUCTION: Read Colossians 1:18-19.
1. Open your Bible please to Col. 1:18-19.
2. Paul teaches that Christ is first and superior to all others.
3. In discussing these things Paul uses the word “preeminence.”
4. Paul mentions for areas in which Christ is to be understood as “preeminent.” We’re talking about four areas where Christ is to be understood as first and superior to all others.
DISCUSSION:
I. CHRIST IS “PREEMINENT” IN ALL THINGS PERTAINING TO THE CHURCH!
1. Col. 1:18a says, “And He is the head of the body, the church.”
2. In the illustration Paul is using the physical body to illustrate the spiritual body of Christ. Paul is teaching that Christ is the head of the group of people that make up the church. Christ is the “preeminent one” or the head and the thinker and the spokesman for the church.
1) Each faithful Christian is a spiritual member of Christ’s spiritual body.
2) Rom. 12:4-5, like Col. 1:18, uses the physical body to illustrate the spiritual body and to illustrate the multiple number of members that make up both the physical body and the spiritual body.
3) Just as a physical body must have a head, and the head directs the body, in the same manner Christ is the head of the spiritual body, the church.
4) Each local congregation learns what Christ, the head, the Preeminent One wants by keeping their minds freshly filled with the New Testament teaching.
II. CHRIST IS “PREEMINENT” IN ALL THINGS PERTAINING TO CHRIST BEING THE “BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS!” Col. 1:18b
1. Look at the phrase: “who is the beginning.” This does not mean that Christ was the first one to be created. This statement emphasizes the preeminence of Christ relating to Christ being the creator of the universe and all the things that are in our world.
2. The Greek word “arche” (translated by the English word “beginning”) means “that be which anything begins to be, the origin, the active cause” (Thayer, p. 77).
3. Revelation 3:14. Jesus declares to those of the church at Laodicea that He is “the Beginning” or the “first cause” of all that God, the Great Designer, designed to be created.
1) Again, Christ was not the first one that was created. Christ was not created. Christ is eternal and has always existed. Christ began the universe. God’s role in the creation of the universe was planning and designing what God wanted created. God was the architect. God drew up the plans.
2) Christ’s role in the creation was working as a carpenter or a building contractor. Admittedly, Christ as the builder, the contractor in building the world and the universe did not use hammer and nails or wood or brick to create the world and everything in it. Though the power of Christ’s word, Christ brought about the literal and actual existence of all of God’s design and plans.
4. John 1:1-3. Christ was the “the Beginning of creation.” That is, the “first cause” of creation.
1) The Bible teaches that there are three personalities that are God. God, the Father; God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit all have the characteristics of Deity that only God possesses.
2) These characteristics of Deity are that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all eternal, they are all omnipotent (that is they are all powerful), all three are omnipresent (able to be present at all places at the same time), all three are omniscient (having all knowledge).
3) Vv. 2-3, “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
5. Col. 1:15-17, like John 1:1-3 affirms that Christ’s role in creation was that of being the creator of all that the Father designed and planned to be created.
6. Matthew 16:18. Jesus makes the promise that He will build His church. This relates to building God’s spiritual creation. “Rock” is used figuratively in reference to the bed rock foundational truth that Peter had declared in verse sixteen, when Peter said, “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus was saying, “upon the bed rock foundational truth that I am the Son of the living God I well build my church.”
1) We won’t turn to Acts 2, but Christ did begin His church just like He promised.
2) This passage and many more in the Bible teach that Christ is not only “the Beginning” or “the first cause” of God the Father’s physical creation, but that Christ is “the Beginning” or “the first cause” of God the Father’s spiritual creation — His church.
3) The church did not originate in the mind of man but in the mind of God. The church was purchased by the blood of Jesus (Acts 20:28, “the church of the Lord which He purchased with His own blood”).
4) Christ began the church 10 days after He ascended into heaven, in Jerusalem, as about 3,000 heard, believed, repented, confessed that they believed Jesus is the Son of God and were baptized, as recorded in Acts chapter two.
5) Christ made it possible for every sinful man or woman to be forgiven of their sins and become members of His church, when they obey the same thing that those did in Jerusalem in 33 A.D.
7. Christ is the Preeminent One in regard to the beginning of both the physical and spiritual creation of God!
III. CHRIST IS “PREEMINENT” IN ALL THINGS PERTAINING TO BEING “THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD.”
1. The first born from dead means Jesus is the first one to arise from the dead never to die again.
2. Before Jesus was raised from the dead, both from the Old Testament and the New Testament, we read of different ones being raised from the dead.
1) 1 Kings 17:22, the son of the widow of Zarephath.
2) 2 Kings 4:35, the Shunammite widow’s son.
3) 1 Samuel 28:9-19, God allowed the spiritist, medium, or witch or Endor to momentarily bring Samuel up and speak to her on behalf of King Saul.
4) Matt. 9:25, Jarus’ daughter was raised.
5) Luke 7:15, the son of the widow of Nain.
6) John 11:44, Lazarus.
7) There may have been others that Jesus and others raised from the grave, however, Jesus is the first one to arise from the dead never to die again.
3. 1 Cor. 15:20 teaches that Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee that men and women will rise from the dead. “Firstfruits” refers to one who would arise from the dead never to die again.
4. By Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus conquered every enemy and showed that he is Lord of all. He is preeminent! There is nothing in life or death, which can keep Christ from conquering anything He needs to conquer. Christ has supremacy or preeminence in all things.
5. The last part of Colossians 1:18 says, “that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
IV. CHRIST IS PREEMINENT BECAUSE THE FULLNESS OF GOD DWELLS IN CHRIST! – Col. 1:19
1. Col. 1:19 says, “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.”
2. The word “fullness” refers to that of which Christ is filled.
1) Christ is filled with all the divine characteristics that the Father and the Holy Spirit are filled with.
2) Christ is eternal. Christ is omniscient, which means that He has all knowledge. Christ is omnipotent, which means that He has all power. Christ is omnipresent, which means that He is able to be present at all places at the same time.
3. Colossians 2:9 uses the term “Godhead” in reference to God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.
4. Col. 2:9 refers to “the fullness of the Godhead bodily,” referring to the fact that each of the three members of the Godhead are separate personalities and that all the divine characteristics dwell in each one of them and specifically mentioned is Christ. “For IN HIM dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
5. It was the Father’s will that all the powers and attributes of God dwell in his beloved Son. These powers and attributes of God dwell in his beloved Son. These powers and attributes were not distributed to a multitude of angels or lesser gods, but are in the Son of His love.
CONCLUSION:
1. If you are not a Christian, your number one concern should be to obey Jesus’ plan of salvation and become a member of His church.
1) In Acts 2:36 Peter and the apostles are closing out the first gospel sermon that was preached. This was ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven.
a. These are the closing words of the sermon: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
a) Peter points out that they were guilty of the sin of insisting that Christ be crucified.
b) The term “Lord” refers to Christ as being the Master and Ruler of one’s life. This is the same as teaching that Christ is to be the “Preeminent One” in a person’s life.
c) Those listening were convinced that sin was in their life and that they needed to do what was necessary for Christ to become the Lord and Master of their life.
2) Acts 2:37 contains the question that those at Jerusalem asked the apostles: “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostle, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” They realized that they had sinned and needed to be forgiven of their sins.”
3) Acts 2:38 contains Peter’s answer: “Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
4) Acts 2:40 contains the report that Peter demanded that his listeners step forward and obey what they should obey: “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”
5) Acts 2:41 contains the report that a large number obeyed what the apostles of the “Preeminent One” commanded them to do: “then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”
6) Acts 2:42 contains the report of these baptized individuals worshiping God through five avenues of worship on a regular basis:
a. “And the continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine [this avenue of worship is called the preaching and learning of God’s word]
b. and fellowship [the word “fellowship” means “joint participation.” For one thing it would refer to joint participation as they worshipped the Father. Paul also used the word in Philippians 1:5 in reference to Christians giving of their financial blessings to support the preaching of the gospel, which is a second avenue of worship taught in 1Cor. 16:1-2]
c. in the breaking of bread [a third avenue of worship referred to as the Lord’s Supper and partaken of each Sunday, 52 times each year (Acts 20:7 and 1 Cor. 11:23-26)]
d. and in prayers [a fourth avenue of worship and God teaches that male members of the church are the ones to lead prayers in mixed public assemblies, not females (1 Timothy 2:8, 11-12).]
7) Acts 2:47 mentions a fifth avenue of worship: “praising God.” Acts 16:25 lets us know that one way the Christians of the first century praised God was through singing [OKJV].
8) Acts 2:47 also lets us know, that as the days went on, more people obeyed that same pattern of salvation for receiving the forgiveness of sins and the same pattern of five avenues of worship “praising God and having favor with a ll the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
2. Think seriously about the fact that this lesson has taught us; that what brought about the forgiveness of sins and the acceptable avenues of worship pleased the “Preeminent One” and His apostles in the first century.
3. Since that pattern for salvation and that pattern for worship pleased the “Preeminent One” and the apostles, let’s not try to do things any differently.
1) If we do things differently we would be gambling with our soul, correct?
2) We encourage you to obey what they obeyed and worship like they worshipped.
3) Whatever your need would be, please come forward as we stand and sing!