Let us commence our service this
evening with a word of prayer. We welcome you all and we seek
that the Lord's blessing might be here. Let us pray. O Lord God of heaven and of earth,
do be pleased to grant us thy help, the Holy Spirit's blessing
here this evening. Help us to worship thee in spirit
and in truth. And those who may join with us
online, to grant Thy blessing upon them as well. O Lord, we
thank Thee that we can come into Thy house and around Thy word
and with Thy promised blessing. Lord, we ask this through our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. Hymn, 99. Tune, Ellingham 462. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God, the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians
and Chapter 1. If you are joining with one of
our free Bibles, that is page 1094, 10-9-4. Colossians and
Chapter 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God, and Timotheus, our brother, to the saints and
faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossae. Grace be unto
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We
give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying
always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and of the love which he have to all the saints. For the hope
which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof he heard before in the
word of the truth of the gospel, which is come unto you as it
is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also
in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of
God in truth. As ye also learned of Epaphras,
our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister
of Christ, who also declared unto us, your love in the Spirit. For this cause we also, since
the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to desire
that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in
all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that ye might walk worthy of
the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work,
and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all
might, according to the glorious power, unto all patience and
long-suffering with joyfulness, giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us made to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear
Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness
of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
of every creature. For by him were all things created
that are in heaven and that are in earth, Visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers,
all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before
all things, and by Him all things consist. And He 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. For it pleased the Father that
in him should all fullness dwell. And having made peace through
the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto
himself, by him I say, whether they be things in earth or things
in heaven, and you that were sometime alienated and enemies
in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in
the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. If ye 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, whereof I, Paul, am made
a minister. Who now rejoice in my sufferings
for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions
of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the church,
whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation
of God. which is given to me for you
to fulfil the word of God. Even the mystery which hath been
hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his
saints, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in
you, the hope of glory. whom we preach, warning every
man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present
every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Whereunto I also labour, striving
according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. Lord, bless to us that reading
of his holy word, and help us as we come before him, in prayer. Let us pray. O Lord God of heaven and of earth,
we come to thee through thy beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, of whom we have heard lifted up on the pages of thy
sacred Word. Do grant, Lord, that we might
have high thoughts of Thee and truly understand what we have
in our Lord Jesus Christ, that we might know Thy preeminence
and that it be in our hearts and in our affections that Thou
holdest chief place. O Lord, we know that in Thy temple
everyone does speak of Thy glory, and may it be so with us that
he is precious to us, and we speak well of him, that we recommend
him, that he might be to us the altogether lovely and the most
precious one. O Lord, do be pleased to bless
then our gathering around thy word, that as thy word is lifted
up and expounded, we might be drawn unto thy beloved son. O Lord, we would humble ourselves
before thee on account of our sin and shame. But we do rejoice
that thou hast made a provision, not only that our sins be forgiven,
but that we be cleansed from all unrighteousness, that we
not continue on in sin, but that thou dost send forth thy power
and take away the love of sinning and break the strength of it
and the power of it. And Lord, you set us free, redeem
us, loose us, from those bonds and yokes held under the law,
held under the sentence of death. O Lord, remember any gathered,
whether here or online, that feels indeed the fetters and
the bondage, and feels then being held fast by this or that. Lord, do set thy people free.
Remember that thou hast said, if the sun shall make you free,
you shall be free indeed. So we do pray for those spiritual
blessings that come forth from Thee, and give Thy people those
things that the world cannot afford, and that belong to the
new man of grace, and that shall not perish when this poor dying
world is done. O Lord, do grant us those eternal
blessings. We seek Lord to come before Thee
making petition for those that are afflicted, to remember those
unable to gather in Thy house because of sickness, to remember
Thy servants afflicted, and they decide at this time to grant
Thy kind healing hand, and to bless and sanctify these times,
grant light in the darkness, grant a balancing of the clouds,
grant that there might be in the tribulation, that in Thee
there might be peace. And Lord, that thou hast be pleased
to come and hear and answer prayer and raise up again to health
and strength those that are afflicted. Remember those having treatment,
those having chemotherapy, to be pleased to grant thy blessing
upon the treatment and that the side effects might not be too
much and that thou hast be pleased to lengthen days. Oh Lord, do
be pleased to remember all that walk that path and their loved
ones, to sustain them and to strengthen them. Lord, do be
pleased to prepare us each for that time that we must depart
this life. We read of Elisha that fell sick
of the sickness whereof he died. And Lord, there are several dear
friends that we know that are sick, and Lord, we know, we think
of dear friend up in Swayze that is walking that path, and we
do pray for him. Oh Lord, do be pleased to grant
that help to each of his loved ones. And do see, Lord, that
everyone that hears of these things, that we might have renewed
unto us the Vital necessity of a good hope through grace, a
hope beyond the grave. Lord, we know that if a few years
go by, this world will be done for us. We shall not see it anymore. We shall not tread its path.
Those here shall not see us. The place that knew us shall
know us no more forever. Oh Lord, do deliver us then from
everything that would war against our souls. that we take away
our assurance, our comfort, our joy, our anticipation of a blessed
resurrection. O Lord, do be pleased to have
mercy upon us. Lord, we are so easily deceived,
so easily turned aside. Lord, Thou who has given us faith,
do maintain it. Thou has given us hope, do renew
that hope. And Thou who has given us life,
make that life more abundant. Thou didst say, I am come that
they might have life and have it more abundantly. O Lord, fresh
life pour upon the whole. May we feel, Lord, those blessed
times that we have been brought nigh by Thy precious blood and
where we have had the joy and peace in believing. O Lord, we
do seek that Thou should remember us as a church and people here,
that Thy blessing might rest upon us to build us up, strengthen
us and make us a blessing to this town and to further afield. We do pray for many dear brethren
and friends in this land and in Canada, in America, Minnesota. We do pray for them and lay them
before Thee. And we thank Thee that Thou hast
given us those that do hear Thy word from the pulpit here and
find it a blessing. Lord, do bless Thy word. And Lord, may Thy people truly
rejoice, losing sight of the messenger, but see no man but
Jesus only. Help us especially this evening
to lift up a precious Christ. We do seek Lord to make intercession. Lord, concerning our government
and the bills that are before it, especially the assisted dying
bill, that thou wouldst be pleased to turn the hearts of our representatives
in parliament so that they vote against that bill, that it might
be overturned as it was those nine years ago. Oh Lord, we thank
thee for what was done then and we pray again, hear the prayers
of thy people and Lord, do be pleased to overturn the designs
of wicked men and women. O Lord, we do pray for wisdom
for those in authority over us and that thou hast be pleased
to grant us still those liberties and freedoms that we would prize
and thank thee for as being able to gather as we do this evening. We thank thee for mercies received
in the earlier part of this week, journey mercies and care and
help We commit unto thee the remainder, and when we come to
thy day to start another week, may thy blessing be upon it. And Lord, each be given strength
to be able to come to the house of God. O Lord, we do seek mercy
on those round about us. Lord, many that we have spoken
to, Lord, do cause that that word might yet bring forth fruit,
be a seed that still is germinating and that will soon be seen as
the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. O Lord,
do grant a revival in our day and help us to be what Thou hast
have us to be. and strengthen us in thy ways,
to be with our dear aged friends and help them. Our young friends,
Lord, we so desire thy blessing of calling by grace and also
to be joined together. Lord, may there be many that
are single now that are brought to be married and bring up children
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And Lord, do help
and be with each family. O Lord, we do pray that Thou
wouldst help the churches and provide pastors after Thine own
heart, deacons, and those that shall bear responsibility, those
that shall be useful and practical in our churches. O Lord, we do
pray for this. We seek, Lord, that Thou wouldst
remember thy people that are in trial, we know, and it would
be a strange thing if they were not in our assemblies at any
one time, those in tribulation, for thou hast said ye must through
much tribulation enter the kingdom, or those that were not under
thy chastening hand, because every son whom thou receiveth
thou dost chasten and correct. And O Lord, we would think it
a strange thing if thy people were gathering, and they did
not desire the crumbs from the master's table, or handfuls of
purpose, or to glean amongst the sheaves. And thy commission
to Peter, feed my sheep. and feed my lambs, Lord, do help
us so to do, and may, by thy Spirit, thy people be satisfied
with the goodness of thy house. Thou art the goodness of the
house of God. So, Lord, we do commit our way
unto thee, and ask now thy light upon thy holy, sacred word, and
that thy blessing might be upon the word this evening. We ask
Thee these things with the forgiveness and pardon of our every sin,
through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. Hymn, 181. Tune, St. Stephen 229. Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayer for attention to Colossians chapter 1 and reading
for our text, verse 14. In whom we have redemption through
his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. redemption through his
blood. I want to speak with the Lord's
help of Christ and what he is to the Church of God. The Apostle Paul, in writing
to the Colossians, and indeed we find this in many of the epistles,
is seeking to strengthen believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our
Lord said that if he was lifted up above the earth, he would
draw all men unto him. And we know the apostle desired
to know nothing among the Corinthians save Jesus Christ and him crucified. But that does not mean that we
just have a single focus upon the death and crucifixion of
our Lord Jesus Christ and don't also focus on who He is and what
He is to the Church of God through His sufferings and through His
death. In the Word of God, our Lord
is exalted in many different ways and we desire in the ministry
here to, in every way that the scripture does, to lift up a
precious Christ. So it is in the verses that are
following our text that especially He is exalted and He is glorified. I just want to notice, though,
at the beginning, how much Paul is in prayer for those at Colossae. He's in prayer giving thanks
for them, but not only giving thanks for those that have been
given grace and called, but also praying for them. And I feel
sometimes it is something where we greatly lack. We pray for
those to be converted and to be brought forth and to be joined
to the Church of God, but do we pray earnestly that their
love might increase, they might be established, they might walk
worthy, they might walk be filled with the knowledge of His will,
be given all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that they might
be strengthened with all might, all of these things the Apostle
is covering in this first chapter and first part of it. Very specific
things he's asking for believers and when the Lord's people are
laid upon our hearts, when we have our loved ones, we have
our church members, may we be very specific in our prayers
in what we are making intercession for them because that is the
pattern of the Scriptures. It's not just general prayer,
it's very specific things that are asked for. And that implies
as well, they are things that the Church really needs. Without
them, she would be impoverished. Without them, she would not be
to the same praise and glory of the Lord. One of the great
blessings for the people of God, not only that they know the Lord
and are washed and cleansed and redeemed, but that they grow
in knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They know more of him and more
of his preciousness and what he is to them. And so it is with that desire
and that thought that I want to bring the word before you
this evening. So on to look at two main points. The first is the first word of
our text, in whom, that is in Christ. What the description
of Christ here is, and he is given the preeminence and five
specific points in the verses that follow the preeminence of
Christ. And then secondly, what the Church
has in Christ. That also is covered in the verses
after our text, and again, five headings. What Christ is to his
people. How necessary, when we think
of the types that go before us, you think of Joseph and Joseph's
brethren, And there is Joseph's brethren having dealings with
Joseph, but they don't know what Joseph is to them. They don't
know the relationship. They don't know what his designs
are for them. They're thinking that it is against
them, he's hard on them, dear Jacob as well. But there comes
a time when he is made known to them what Joseph is to his
brothers. we have a similar situation with
Boaz. Ruth, she led by Providence,
goes into Boaz's field, she gleans there, she is favoured there,
but she doesn't know who Boaz is or what he is to her, and
it is Naomi that says he is a near kinsman unto us. So for Ruth, it was a wonderful
thing to be told what Boaz was to her. We think of Esther, Mordecai. Esther had not told what Mordecai
was to her at all. And all that went on at the end,
it was made known. She did make it known to the
king. It was known to all of her people what the Lord had
done and provided. Thinkest thou that thou had come
to the kingdom for such a time as this. And so it's in this
similar way, like Joseph being made known to his brethren, Boaz
to Ruth and Esther, Mordecai to their people, that Christ
might be lifted up and to what he is. to us and what he means
to the Church of God. So the first thing then is the
preeminence of Christ. The verse before our text says,
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated
us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. So the in whom is His
dear Son. This is the Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ, that is being set forth here. And in these verses
is His pre-eminence. He is lifted up, He is exalted. There's a very similar method
that was used in the epistle to the Hebrews, where Christ's
pre-eminence over angels, Christ's pre-eminence over the law and
over the sacrifices, all the time he is lifted up. So here
we have in the first place that he is made in the image of God. In verse 15, who is the image
of the invisible God. God manifest in the flesh. Our Lord says, No man has seen
God at any time, but the Son hath declared Him. If ye have
seen me, our Lord said, ye have seen my Father also. I and my Father are one. To us, to think of a God that
is everywhere at one time, that is invisible, that fills all
things, that is eternal, that has made the heavens, the galaxies,
the skies, the stars, the sun, the moon, made this world and
everything on it the greatness and majesty and might of God. Apple minds cannot comprehend,
they cannot grasp such a thing. But God has seen fit to reveal
Himself in His beloved Son, made like unto His brethren, yet sin
accepted. We, when we were created, we
were made in the image of God. But our Lord Jesus Christ is
the very image. He is God. He is the eternal
God. He is one with the Father. It is a blessed thing to realise,
like dear Mary did, when she said, when with child with our
Lord, my soul doth rejoice in God my Saviour. Her Saviour in her womb. A sword shall pierce thine own
soul. Also, says Simeon, that the thoughts
of many hearts shall be revealed. Yes, Mary was a sinner and the
Lord Jesus, her baby, was her Saviour and He was truly God. God and man in one person in
the image of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ is eternal. He is holy, the thrice holy God. May we always remember that.
One of the attributes of God that is repeated three times,
it is the only attribute repeated three times. Holy, holy, holy
Lord God Almighty. Then we have the sacrifices that
Balaam caused to be sacrificed in Well, he'd been called to
curse the children of Israel, but he blessed them three times
and seven, seven sacrifices, reinforcing this is a triune
God that is being worshipped. So we have our Lord Jesus Christ
lifted up and exalted in this way. I and my Father are one. He is the true God. Dear Thomas, you know, he struggled,
he struggled to believe that our Lord had risen from the dead.
But when our Lord showed himself to him, his response was, my
Lord and my God. No blasphemy there, no mistake
there. He saw the Lord Jesus Christ
truly as God, and our Lord was worshipped as God. How very different than when
John in the Isle of Patmos, that he would bow down, no, lift up,
that so I am of thy fellow servants, thee prophets. Same as it was
with Peter with Cornelius, I am but a man, worship God. But our
Lord Jesus never reproved any for worshipping him. He is the
Eternal God, the very image of God. The second thing that Paul
brings before the Colossians is his preeminence in creation. In verse 16, For by him were
all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him
and for Him. How our Lord is exalted in that,
in all that is made, and we can see those things that are made,
or many of them, some they're too small for us to see, some
they're too far away for us to see, But those things are His
works, His handiwork. And what a reminder of this when
our Lord was in the ship, asleep, and they awoke Him in the storm,
and He arose and rebuked the winds and the waves, and there
was a great calm. What manner of man is this that
even the winds and the waves obey Him, with heaven and earth
at His command? He waits to answer prayer. And so, our Lord is lifted up
in this way in creation, and John in his gospel, he begins
in this same way in verse 3 of the Gospel according to John,
chapter 1 verse 3. All things were made by Him and
without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was
life and the life was the light of men. This is our Lord Jesus Christ,
our Creator and our former preeminence in creation. Then we have Him
pre-eminent in the Church of God. In verse 18, He 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 pre-eminence. He is the Head of the Church. He is the Body. No earthly king
is the head of the church. No archbishop is the head of
the church. Christ is the head of the church. And each local church looks unto
the Lord Jesus Christ and the one true church. In every nation,
kindred, and tongue, and in all climes, and throughout all time,
there's one church. He is the head of it. No pope. No usurper, but the Lord Jesus
Christ alone. What an antichrist is any that
would supposed to be the head of the church. Christ is the
only head of the church. He has that preeminence. The
Lord Jesus Christ is to be looked to in all things by the church
of God. The church are his members on
earth. They're like a body, and he is
the head. And the church is the different,
the hands, the arms, the body, the legs, the feet, each in a
different capacity. But all in him. And so much so
precious in that, you know, when we get a pain in our body, the
head feels it, doesn't it? The smallest member, you get
a thorn in it. And we feel it, the head feels
it. And the Lord Jesus Christ, he
cares for the church. He's suffered for it, he's redeemed
it. The church is his and he is its
head. What a way of our Lord being
lifted up and glorified. We might think the church below
is despised, rejected, of men. Our Lord was. And the church
gets smaller, we might think, and even be like Elijah, that
think we're the only one left. But the Lord said to him, there
were 7,000 had not bowed the knee to Baal. But what an evidence
that the Lord knew. The kingdom of God standeth sure. Having this seal, the Lord knoweth
them that are his. And in Elijah's day, he knew
who were his. And with the Church of God, He
knows them that are His. He knows His members, every one
of them. But in the fourth place, He is
preeminent in the resurrection. Again, in verse 18, the firstborn
from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence,
our Lord Jesus Christ, was the first begotten from the dead. Yes, you might say, well, what
about Lazarus? Wasn't he raised from the dead?
Yes, he was, but he was to die again. He was revived again,
but he still must die. But our Lord Jesus Christ rose
from the dead, the power of an endless life. He is that Melchizedek
having neither beginning nor end, an endless priesthood, And
the Lord Jesus Christ then is the firstfruits, the forerunner,
the firstbegotten, the assurance that all the others will come.
That was what was done in harvest time. The harvest, the firstfruits,
were an earnest, a token that the rest of the harvest would
come in. And you see the Lord's intercession
in John 17, same intercession carried on in heaven. Father,
I will that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am,
that they may behold my glory. I ascend unto my Father and your
Father, my God and your God. The Lord Jesus Christ seated
at the right hand of the Father. All power and all authority is
no longer in the tomb, no longer on earth. but he is in heaven
and from thence he will come with power and great glory at
the last day. And so in the resurrection, he
has the preeminence, the one who has gone before and perfumed
that grave with the sweet savour and fragrance of a risen saviour,
the power over the grave and over death. And the last way that I'll bring
before you this evening on this passage, that Christ is in preeminence,
is in that reconciliation and restoration. We have in verse
20, and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him
to reconcile all things unto himself. By him I say, whether
they be things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works,
yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through
death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in his sign. No, sometimes on earth we can
have men, women that are used in this way. There might be two
warring parties and we have one that is able to speak to them
both and to reconcile them and to bring them together as one. And our Lord is spoken of as
the one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. "'Tis the Lord that stands in
garments dyed with blood, "'that stands in between. "'He instead
of me is seen when I approach to God. "'He is our advocate
with the Father, "'Jesus Christ the righteous. "'He is appearing
in the presence of God for us. "'It is in the Lord Jesus Christ
"'that He is the preeminent in reconciliation. bringing a people
that were far off to be brought nigh. And what an encouragement
that that then is for the Church of God, to view the Lord Jesus
Christ, and when she feels far off, by sin, by iniquity, to
realize this is his position. This is what he is exalted in. This is what he has done. And
in a sense, We have our Lord in John 10 saying, other sheep
I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring
and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. And we have Paul
when he writes to the Ephesians and he says of the Gentiles that
at that time, he is in Ephesians 2 verse 12, that time you were
without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers
from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God
in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who
sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace who hath
made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of petition
between us. He is the one that is reconciled
in himself, both Jew and Gentile. Those that are believers amongst
the Jews, those who are believers amongst the Gentiles, they are
one. And this was seen especially
when the Spirit was poured out in Cornelius' household, and
Peter had seen that at Pentecost, and he saw that with Cornelius,
then hath God also given repentance, remission of sins unto it, unto
the Gentiles, have given the Holy Spirit in the same manner
and power. So then Christ is lifted up before
us, before these Colossians, in this way, five ways, in being
in the image of God, preeminent in creation, preeminent in the
Church of God, preeminent in the resurrection, and in the
work of reconciliation and restoration of His people. I want to then
move on to what the Church has in Christ. Our text says, in
whom we have. redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins. And as we go on down the passage,
we find other things that the church has as well. But let us
begin with where our text begins, which is in redemption. In whom we have redemption. to
be set free by the payment of a price. We are enslaved to sin,
we're under the sentence of the law, we are in Satan's dominion,
as it were, and the only way of being set free is through
the shedding of blood. Without the shedding of blood,
there is no remission. There must be redemption. I want
to enlarge that because the redemption applies to everything in the
life of the people of God. And we see that especially at
the end of Psalm 25. We have this word in the last
verse, redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. And
when we think that our Lord said, in the world we shall have tribulation,
that is great troubles, in me shall have peace, that redemption
is not just redeemed from condemnation to now there is no condemnation,
it's not just redeemed from hell to heaven, It's redeemed from
all trouble and all affliction and all that we can have here
below. It has lost its power, it's lost
its curse, it's lost its authority. The Lord has redeemed his people. This is why Paul can say so clearly,
we know that all things work together for good, to them that
love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose,
because Christ has paid the price and He then is able to make those
things work together for good. Yes, there will still be afflictions,
there still will be trouble, this is not our rest, it is polluted,
and this mortal This corruptible must put on incorruption, this
mortal immortality, that death might be swallowed up in victory. The victory is beyond the grave,
it is through death, it is through much tribulation. But the people
of God have, not will have, they have redemption, and it is through
the blood of Christ. There's no wonder The Lord has
given to the Church of God the ordinance of the Lord's Supper,
where we show forth his death till he come, where we have the
cup, where we have his blood, the blood of the New Testament,
the New Testament in his blood, sealed, signed, and the Church
is ever to remember that. This is what they have in their
Redeemer, in the Lord Jesus Christ. in whom we have redemption through
his blood. The second thing is the forgiveness
of sins, and it's joined together. We have redemption through his
blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Those sins that demand
a payment, those sins that demand death, remember sin entered into
the world and death by sin. When our Lord came, he was given
the name of Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And we have a beautiful word
in John's first epistle, if we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And we learn from this joining
together especially, that where the Lord sets his people free
from darkness, from unbelief, from Satan's chains, where he
gives them the new birth, where he gives them new life, When
He gives every evidence that they are redeemed and set free
and that they live unto Him, their sins also are pardoned
and forgiven. Our Lord very clearly turned
to the woman washing His feet and anointing with oil and said
that her sins were forgiven. The impotent man that was let
down born of four in front of him, this first thing, that the
Lord says, thy sins be forgiven thee. And those that were there,
they said, who can forgive sins but God only? And the Lord said,
that thee may know the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive
sins. He saith to the sick of the palsy,
take up thy bed and walk. And he took it up and he went.
And very clear evidence outwardly that his sins were forgiven.
We cannot see forgiveness of sins, can we? We cannot see that
evidence. But the Jews couldn't see it.
But they could see a man that was sick of the palsy changed
to one that could walk. And in the same way, we can,
like Barnabas, see the grace of God when Men, women, children
are new creatures in Christ. All things passed away. They
begin walking in a way they hadn't before. They go away from those
paths of wickedness and sin. They cleave to the people of
God. They love the people of God. The Lord has taken away
their ignorance, their darkness, and put in its place a love to
him, a love to his word, and His word rules their lives and
bound up with that. If the Lord's done that to you,
if He's done that to me, then our sins also are forgiven. They cannot have redemption and
a new creature and a change like that and sins still remain unforgiven. Those sins that are put away,
those sins that Christ has paid for on Calvary, He's also forgiven
and pardoned. And the Church of God has this.
This is what they have in the Lord Jesus Christ, the forgiveness
of sins. The third thing is one that we've
also touched upon in one way that our Lord is given the preeminence,
and that is a head. verse 18 and he is the head of
the body the church i want to just reiterate on this point
what a blessed thing it is to have a head a good head what
a solemn thing when we read of churches established churches
and they've had a head or a figurehead and they haven't been good they
haven't adhered to the word of God. They have gone the ways
of the world. They've been a great light on
the church. Our Lord speaks in John 10 of
under-shepherds, highlings that flee, that he is not. He is the chief shepherd. He
is the good shepherd. He is the shepherd that careth
for his sheep. And so we have, again, for the
church of God, a head, a good that shall guide it right, that
feels for it, that makes provision for it, and the Body, the Church,
can look to Him in all things. The great Head of the Church,
in prayer meetings, in seeking to mediate between brethren,
in seeking to know which way to go or what to do, in bringing
before our God the trials of the way, we come to our head,
the head of the Church of God. The fourth one is that we have
in the Lord Jesus Christ, one in whom the Father is pleased. In verse 19, for it pleased the
Father that in him should all fullness dwell. Every provision,
everything that the church needs is in the Lord Jesus Christ. We speak reverently, there's
no jealousy with the Father. He is not saying, oh, I'd rather
you come to me for these things, don't come to our Lord. Again, we have a beautiful type
of this with Pharaoh in Egypt in Joseph's day, When there was
the famine, and there was the great storehouses, and the people
came for bread, he said, go unto Joseph. Joseph had the authority
of Pharaoh. He was next unto the throne,
and Pharaoh was pleased in all that he did, and he left everything
in his hand. And we have that with the Father
and our Lord. While on earth, the miracles
our Lord did, they bore witness that the Father was with Him.
Those miracles, He said, I do in my Father's name. And the
times are, the Father spoke from heaven, this is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased. What use would it be to say,
oh, we've got a person that's able to bring us to Buckingham
Palace and to allow us access there, but when you got to the
gate, those in the palaces, I don't know who your mediator is or
your advocate is, they don't have authority from us. You can't
come in here. How vital it is if we are trusting
in the Lord, if he is our head, if he is the one on whom we are
trusting, For heaven and entrance there, He must have the authority
of heaven. And of course we have the seal
of that in His rising from the dead, His ascension into heaven. And the gift of the Holy Spirit,
I will pray the Father, He will give you another spirit which
shall abide with you forever, tarry at Jerusalem until you
be endued with power from on high. So the church has one. in whom the Father is well pleased. God hath highly exalted him. He hath given him a name which
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow. And this is he who is the church's
head, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins. But lastly, he is our peace. In verse 20 and already we have
spoken of the reconciliation in him that he is in charge of
that and the restoration of the people of God. But I want to
think in this point with what the Lord is for the church as
going to John 16 and verse 33 where the Lord says in May you
shall have peace in the world you shall have tribulation but
in me ye shall have peace. And it is that peace-speaking
blood of our Lord, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who again
and again came to his people, and especially in the resurrection,
and he came speaking peace to them. And it is a blessed thing
to realise the church has, in Christ, peace. You might this
evening be anything but peace, troubled and tried and tossed
and tempted and have great apprehensions and great concerns and worries. But you know, if the Lord Jesus
Christ gives peace, who then can make trouble? If he calms
those troubled waters, if he says to the winds, and to the
waves be still, they will be still. In Him is peace, and He
has done it through that precious blood shed at Calvary. He is our peace. He is the Church's peace. Peace by His cross. as Jesus made the church's living
head. To may we view this evening the
preeminence of our Lord, may we view also what he is to us,
is to the Church of God. And dear friend, if there are
those of you who do not yet know the Lord, or don't have the assurance
of it, one way that the Lord's people are known, is where the
Lord draws them to himself. And when he is lifted up, as
we try to do this evening, there is a drawing to this beloved
man, this precious Jesus. When the Lord rose from the dead,
he only appeared to his own, to his disciples, not to the
world. And by nature he is as a root
out of dry ground. There's no form nor comeliness
that we should desire him. But when the Lord gives grace
and gives life, then there'll be seen a beauty in him. Unto
you which believe he is precious, and they're drawn to him, the
Father draws to him. And may you be encouraged. If from time to time under the
preaching of the word, you're drawn to the Lord, you see just
a little glimpse as if the veil is drawn back and you see just
a little hindered glimpse of the beauty or loveliness of the
Lord Jesus Christ and of the plan of salvation and what he
is to the church of God and what he has done for the church of
God and how reliant the church of God is upon him. Our Lord
says, because I live, ye shall live also. We were chosen in
him. We are bound up with him. And
as the Lord lives, so shall we live. And where he is, there
we shall be at last. Be encouraged and keep on our
way like the apostle says, looking unto Jesus. Amen. Hymn, 596. Tune, Lynton 175. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
Be with you all now and evermore. Amen.