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 sometimes 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 in the sight of the Lord." Verse 18 will have most
of our attention today. 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. Let me do something
a little unusual this morning, and that is to that text I would
like to add an expanded paraphrase of this place by J. B. Lightfoot. Here we go. And not only Does he hold the
position of absolute priority and sovereignty over all the
universe, the natural creation? He stands also in the same relation
unto the church, the new and spiritual creation. He is its
head and it is his body. This is his prerogative because
he is the source as well as the beginning of its life, being
the firstborn from the dead. Thus, in all things, in the spiritual
order as in the natural, in the church as much as in the world,
he is found to have preeminence." The words of J. B. Lightfoot. This is now the third point made
by Paul showing the relationship of Christ unto all things that
we might imagine, all things that exist. Looking back over
the recent context, We are aware that we have now come to the
third aspect of the preeminence and the sovereignty of our Lord. The first one was back in verse
15, and that was His relationship unto God. Now He has a relationship
unto God which was, as Paul said, He is the image of the invisible
God. He is the firstborn, that is,
the highest. and the most exalted of every
creature. He is the brightness of the glory
of the Father, and He is the express image of His person. Hebrews 1 and verse 3. In short, Christ possesses deity,
thus in the incarnation, God was manifested in the flesh,
for Christ the Son is very God. Then secondly, In verse 16 and
verse 17, Paul writes of his relationship unto creation. Now this relationship we saw
was two-fold. A. He created all things in heaven
and in earth. He created all things seen and
unseen, including the celestial beings or the celestial hosts. And in verse 16, then we notice
in verse 17, He preserves all things in their being. It is
He that sustains them. He preserves them, having called
them into existence. Preserves them now from going
back again into nothingness. He sustains that which He has
created. They do not free will. They do
not exist on their own, simply by their own ability or order. But our Lord Jesus Christ sustains
all that He has made and created. This we confirmed also from other
places in the Scripture. Hebrews 1, 3 again, upholding
all things by the Word of His power. That is, the Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, as an aside to this, the
saints are preserved in Jude 1. They are sanctified, they
are called, and they are preserved in Jesus Christ. The saints as
well. are preserved by the keeping
providence and sovereign power of our God. Again, in 1 Peter
1 and verse 5, who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Thus concerning
both creation, the original And that created in Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 2 and verse 10, they are, each one of them, preserved
by the sovereign upholding power of our Lord. Now, let's put two
more verses to this for our help. In 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse
10, where Paul says of the living God, and listen very carefully,
that He is the Savior of all men, especially of them that
believe. Now, the word Savior here, some
take in the sense of Preserver. Soter is the word for his guilt. And Owen mentioned on this text,
if the Lord is the Savior of all men in the spiritual sense,
then He is the Savior of unbelievers and of apostates and of reprobates,
which of course is a ridiculous thing. But as Gil said, these
words are to be understood of the providential goodness and
the temporal deliverance of God by God upon the human family,
in that it is God It is Christ the Lord who supports them in
their being and also supplies them with all the necessity of
life that they have. Not the Son, but the Father is
imbued in that passage in 1 Timothy 4 and verse 10. And note a distinction that Paul
makes along the way. He says, God or the Lord is the
preserver or is the savior of all men. And then he adds, especially
or particularly of them that believe. As Owen said, the apostle
treats here of divine providence. which is towards all, but especially
and particularly is it toward those that are believers in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the other verse is Psalms
36 and verse 6, and it says, Thou, O Lord, preservest man
and beast. It is God that preserves those
things and sustains life in both man and beast until it pleases
him to let it go. Then there's a third thing that
is in our Colossian text in chapter 1, and that is our present study. It speaks of the relationship
of Christ unto the church, or the body of Christ, as it is
called. Having written, therefore, of
the glorious relation in which Christ stands to the Father and
in which He stands unto creation and the universe and all things
therein, Paul now will declare that blessed union and relation
between the Lord and His holy body, the Church. He opens verse
18, if you will notice, with the same words as verse 17, and
he, which prepares the way for Paul to detail the position and
also the work of the Lord's Christ in relation to creation. in relation
to creation having created and sustained that which he created
and governs what he has brought into being. Now concerning the
church, it is brought into being or in close existence unto Christ. His death, which did both redeem
and reconcile the elect unto Him. Not only did it redeem them
from their sin, but it reconciled them unto God. Now, note his
relationship unto the church. In verse 18, he is the head of
the body. He goes on to say the beginning.
He goes on to say, the firstborn from the dead. And he goes on
to say, having preeminence over all things. So in verse 18, we
notice it again. And He. That is, it is repeated
for the sake of identifying the Son that we might know His relationship,
not only to God and creation, but also unto the church. This is His dear Son. Back in verse 13, being none
other than Christ Jesus, the Lord of glory, the Son of God. And Paul makes these connections. His dear Son is the very image
of the invisible God and is creator and preserver of all things. What's more, he said the same
One who is in the image of God and the same One who is the Creator
of the world is also the Head of the Church, the Body of the
Lord. The Eternal One, the Eternal
Son of God is the Savior and is the Head of His Church. The One that upholds all things
by His power is also the head, is also the guardian or the superintendent
of the church as well. He presides as head over the
church which he has bought or purchased with his very own blood. Now here is another of several
metaphors that are used to describe Christ and his people And his
church, such as other metaphors that we meet with in the Scripture,
defines the relation as shepherd and sheep. We find back in John
chapter 10, he is the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life
for the sheep. The sheep know him and they follow
him. He is the good, he is the chief
shepherd, and he hath a flock. And we are the sheep of His pasture
and the people of His name. Again, He is described as the
foundation and we the building. Back in Ephesians 2, verse 20-22. Also in 1 Peter 2, verses 4-6. There is that metaphor again. A living stone. Ye, as living
stones, are built up as spiritual house to offer spiritual sacrifices
by Him. Now that great mystery in Ephesians
5, verse 22 through 33, couched as it is in the union of marriage,
husband and wife, as one flesh. being a one flesh union, whereby
in Ephesians 5 and verse 30, we are members of his body, of
his flesh, and of his bone. And from that union which God
has ordained of marriage, a union of a man and a woman into one
flesh or body, Paul draws out the fact that we also are members
of His body and of His flesh and of His bone. Yes, He is the
foundation stone. They are the living stone set
in the building for the temple of God. It is called a holy temple
in Ephesians 2 and verse 21. An allusion in reference to the
temple where God's typical presence dwells during the old economy. For in that temple God put His
typical presence there for them as they worship. But one of the
more frequent figures of Christ and the church is that of head
and body. Colossians 1.18 is one example. It is called both the body and
the church in this verse of Scripture. So let's begin with Paul's words
concerning this. He is the head of the body, the
church, with emphasis upon the word head. He is not the foot. He is not the hand or the arm.
Our Lord is the head. And it is the word kephalē. And
it simply means in reference to the physical head, for the
same word is used of the physical head of the body. That is the
top part of the body, where the hair grows and where the brain
is encased. The ears are attached, the eyes
are fixed and set in. Place where you wear a hat. It's also the same word that
he uses here. This is the natural head, as
Paul is thinking. And this is the head that is
meant in such text as Matthew 10 and 30. The hair of your head
are numbered. Same word that we have in Colossians
1, 18. Mark 6, verse 24 through 28. when the head of John the Baptist,
the literal head of John the Baptist, was brought to Siloam
before Herod on a platter. His literal head. But Paul used
the same word when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 3,
the head of Christ is God. That Christ, or rather God, is
the head of Christ. And the same word when he wrote
in Ephesians 5 and verse 23, that the husband is the head
of the wife. Again, it is the same word when
used figuratively or symbolically some places in the Scripture,
like Romans 12 and verse 20. In so doing, you shall heap coals
of fire upon their head. Not literal heads or literal
fire. And then in Acts 18 and 6, Paul
said, I have preached the gospel faithfully to you, not holding
back anything low. Your blood is upon your own head. Then again, from the similitude
of the natural head of the natural body. Christ is declared to be
the head of the church or of the body. Now, if He is the head,
and that of the church, then the church is His body. We are members of Him, one of
another. The members, His mystical or
His spiritual, bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh. As in
1 Corinthians 12 and verse 27, Paul tells them, Ye are the body
of Christ, and members in particular. application between Christ and
His people as the head, they the body, or the members of the
head, which is the Lord Himself. And before we proceed further
on, let us sum up some places where Christ Himself is called
the head of the church or the head of the body. To go along
with Colossians 1 and verse 18, there is that passage that runs
so parallel in Ephesians 1 and verse 22, and has put all under
his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church. Ephesians 1, 22. Ephesians 5
and verse 23, Christ is the head of the church, Paul said. Ephesians
4 and 15, grow up unto him which is the head, even Christ. Christ is the head of the body
or the church. And by the way, he is also called
in Colossians 2 and verse 10, the head of all principality
and of power. Nothing outside the scope of
our Lord's ruling sovereignty. In 1 Peter 2 and verse 7, the
stones the builders disallowed is made the head of the corner. That's a quotation from Psalm
118. It's quoted again in Acts chapter
4 and verse 11. And it is a common and an ordinary
thing that a head have a body. That a head have members. and
such like, and a body have a union with a head, this is natural. Even in the natural body, it
is so, and it is necessary. In such cases, there is one and
only one head to anybody, only one head to all. Likewise, there
is but one body that is in union with that head. But the body
consists in what Paul called many members. In 1 Corinthians
12 and verse 12. Twelve and twenty. Many members. And then Paul notes some there
in that metaphor, such as the feet. He speaks of them. The
eye, the hand, the ear. Each member set in its proper
place and serving its purpose. for the overall good of the body,
and acting at the direction of the head. Thus Christ is head
of the body, the church, and in holding to the similitude
there can be but one head of the Lord's church, and that is
Christ Jesus himself. No mortal man can be the head
of the church of our Lord. None whatsoever. For there is
not room for two heads, and Christ is head of the church. He is
its ruler. He is its guide. He is the mainspring
of its life. He is the center of its activity. He is the very seed of its life
which it has in Him. Thomas Goodwin, a Puritan long
ago, did write words like these. There is a twofold sense in which
Christ is the head of the church. Put them in whichever order you
will. He is the head in respect of
union and of His communicating spiritual life unto them. Just as when our Lord said, I
am the vine, ye are the branches, neither can you bring forth fruit
except ye abide in Me. John 15 and verse 5. Being by divine life, unionized
to Him as the head, of all spiritual life flows through and from the
head to the members. And if that union should be severed,
the members cut off from the vitality of the head would wither
and certainly would die. For from the head comes the principle
of motion, the motions which are activated then in and through
the members. They are first formed, however,
in the head, and therefore flow unto the member. Says Paul in
Colossians 2 and verse 19, from the head, from which all the
body, by joints and bands, having nourishment, ministered and knit
together, increases. Ah, that blessed union of Christ
and His church. Compare also Ephesians 4 and
verse 15 and 16, where much like that is said. But then again,
his headship respects his imminency. Not only his life-giving union
with his church, but also his imminency. He is the highest
in sovereignty, the highest in honor. He is over all. None are exalted above Him. He is over all. He is the firstborn. He is preeminent over all. He is the highest of all, however
we choose to say it. And now, what Paul adds in Colossians
1 and verse 18, who is the beginning? Some render it origin. Lightfoot
claims the word beginning has a dual meaning. as it comes to
us out of the Greek. A. In regard to time or priority
of time. But then B. The power of origination. The power to bring a thing into
being. The power to give it being and
to sustain it. And that is our Lord. Now the
question concerning the beginning is whether it stands alone as
a distinct designation of Christ or whether in its context it
belongs to the part of the next phrase that follows it, the firstborn
from the dead. Is he joining them together?
The beginning, the firstborn from the dead. Or is Paul saying,
he is the beginning of the church of which he had just spoken,
of which he is the head. Certainly the church is dependent
upon him for her very, very salvation. Her very life comes from Christ
and through Christ. And every blessing, every spiritual
blessing comes to us through our blessed Head, even Christ. But note further, He calls the
Lord the firstborn from the dead, or as some give the words, first
begotten from the dead. It's how some might read that.
Notice those words, the firstborn from the dead. Surely Paul intends
to signify something wonderful, great and amazing concerning
our Lord. What have we here? For Christ
was not the first one to come out of the grave after having
died. He was not the first one who
died and lived again. He was not the first one who
died, was put in a grave, and he lived again. We have examples
of the dead living again prior to the coming of Christ in the
flesh. In fact, there is a record in
the Gospels of our Lord having raised three people from the
dead during His earthly ministry. He raised three off of their
bears and brought them out of their graves. Still, Paul says
here that he calls him the firstborn from the dead. No others died,
lived again before him, yet he was the firstborn in some wonderful
way. For example, he was the first
to rise by his very own power. some power outside of themselves,
raise them. God threw a prophet. God threw
an apostle, even through the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And
the Lord was the first one to rise by His very own power and
never to die again. Death hath no more dominion over
Him. Those other people that were
raised to life again died again in the course of time. But death
has no more dominion over the Lord. Romans 6 and verse 9, He
has died, He has died once, He has died unto sin, and death
hath no more dominion over Him. Again in Revelation 1 and verse
5, Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten
of the dead, is how it is expressed there. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse
20. Now is Christ risen from the
dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept. Now we are
drawing near to the meaning of the apostle. the firstfruits
of them that slept." Even in Acts 26 and verse 23, that Christ
should suffer, that He should be the first that should rise
from the dead. And Paul is quoting Moses in
that particular place in the Scripture. All of those raised
from the dead before the resurrection of the Lord show us something
beyond question. And that is, they show us that
it is possible for the dead to live again. These are proofs
that it is possible for the dead to live again. Some while yet
on their beer being taken to the grave. Some after a few days
in the grave. And others, we know not how long
had they been in their grave. But the fact that they were raised
from the dead shows that it is possible that the dead may be
raised and live again. The passage in 1 Corinthians
15 and verse 20 could be read like this, Now is Christ risen,
the firstfruits of them that slept, or literally, that were
dead. Now, let us remember the significance
of the firstfruits in the Old Testament. The significance of
the firstfruit under the old economy. For this is evidently
what Paul has in mind in using that metaphor concerning Christ. Now, the firstfruits were those
that were first ripened and ready for harvest in their fields.
the first fruits of the grain or the corn or whatever it might
be. They were the first to ripen.
They were the first to be gathered. They were the first that were
usable and had come to their full ripeness. And there are
two things, I think, that stand out in connection with the first
fruits of the labor of their fields under the old economy. Number one, on occasion, Firstfruits
were separated unto the Lord. That first gathering was to be
waved before the Lord. The first fruits on some occasion
were to be brought before the Lord. Nehemiah 10.35-44. Leviticus 2.12. Leviticus 23.10. When they went into the field
and found that their fruits had begun to ripen, the first were
taken and were waved before the Lord. The firstfruits marked
the beginning of the harvest, and other and more fruit to follow. The firstfruits signified that
the field is beginning to ripen. And not just the little meager
amount of the firstfruits, but also that others would follow,
that there would ripen all over the field, others. Therefore
more fruit would come. The first fruits were, in a sense,
an earnest of the full harvest that was to follow. When one
went to his field, found grain ripened and ready for the Lord
or for his table or whatever, it signified to him that there
was a harvest that was to follow. When an Israelite went out into
his field or his orchard or his vineyard there to check the state
of his crop, and he saw the first ripening fruit or grain or produce,
he began to rejoice. that a greater harvest was soon
or nigh at hand. His pantry is born, and his table
would soon be well supplied because the first fruits signified the
coming harvest. Now the first fruits were the
evidence that the seeds sown had germinated, had sprouted
as they should, and brought forth new fruit with more to come or
more to follow. Thus, back to our text, in calling
the Lord the firstborn from the dead, the firstfruits of them
that slept, He is the antitype of the old Levitical law of the
firstfruits. The firstfruits were in the field.
The Lord is the firstfruits of them that slept. The firstfruits,
then the harvest. The firstfruits, and then much
or more to follow after them. What is the resurrection of Christ
our Lord? But the firstfruits of them that
slept are of them that died. In discussing the resurrection,
in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul speaks of the certainty
of all in Christ being made alive. That's in verse 22, the last
part, 1 Corinthians 15. Then in verse 23, he speaks of
the order of their being made alive, which is it. Christ the
firstfruits, or Christ literally the firstfruits, and then afterward,
after that, here's the order again, the firstfruits signifying
a great harvest that is to follow. Christ first, the firstfruits,
and afterward, after that, thereafter, at some later time, then they
that are Christ They that are Christ, the full harvest. The full harvest with Christ
as the first fruit. And notice what he said, they
that are Christ at His coming. Christ the first fruit, afterward
those that are His. That would be dishonest to make
this only a spiritual resurrection for several reasons. One being,
the whole chapter concerns the death and the resurrection of
the body. It is physical death that is
in play. And B, Christ has no need of
regeneration. Certainly, we could not say that
in the sin that He was quickened from deadness in trespasses and
in sin. That would be blaspheming. Our
Lord was quickened from the grave. And then C, The regeneration
of the elect is not delayed until the coming of the Lord. The regeneration
of them. So, John Eady wrote on Colossians
1.18, quote, the resurrection prior to his own were proofs
that the dead can be given life again while his resurrection
is the pledge that they in Christ will live again. John 18, in
that they which are fallen asleep in Christ have not perished. And we do not lay them away as
those that have no hope. Now, a couple of points on the
resurrection. By the way, resurrection means
to stand up again. Resurrection means simply to
rise up or to stand up again. Anastasis, to rise from the dead,
to get up. again from the dead. Point number
one, of those raised prior to the raising of Christ, it was
but the restoration of their physical life. None of them were
glorified and in time died again. Remember Lazarus? He ate, he
dined with them, and they wanted to kill him again. Point number
two, when Christ was resurrected, He in great numbers left the
saints reposing upon their couches of death. Our Lord came out of
the grave. He left many, most of the elect
of God reposing upon their couches of death. Save that number which
we read about in Matthew chapter 27 verse 52 and verse 53. A miracle occurring in conjunction
with the death of our Lord. He died and the graves of saints
were opened in Jerusalem. It would seem that they lay there
till after His resurrection. from reading the text very carefully. But the graves were opened and
many saints came out of them after his resurrection. Paul speaks of about 500 brethren
in 1 Corinthians. But not even all the deceased
saints lived again at that time who had died prior to his death
when he arose, but many did. Many came out of the grave But
the majority slept upon their beds of death. But coming back
to Colossians 1.18, the last part, verse 19, and the words,
that in all things he might have the preeminence. Now, he thinks
that they are right who say that the last phrase of the 18th verse
here in this place refers not just to his being the firstborn
from the dead, but the whole paragraph is included in that. However, his raising from the
dead removed any bar to his super headship. He is alive, he is
resurrected, he is therefore the head of his church. And it
paved the way, his resurrection, for his supreme sovereignty over
all things. In every sense, in all respect,
And in consequence of it being all that Paul has said of him
previously, he has the first and the highest place. For he
is the image of God. He is the creator. He is the
firstborn of every creature. And notice Paul adds in verse
19, Colossians 1, absolute supremacy is his because it pleased God
the Father that in Him, that is in Christ, should all fullness,
all plenitude of deity dwell in Him. It pleased the Father
that in Him, the Son, should the fullness of the Godhead dwell. And that bodily, he says in one
place. We'll close him for now. See
now, my brothers and my sister, what a faulty view so many hold
of Christ. how He is undeified by some,
how by others He is lord to the level of a man, how He is blasphemed,
how He is degraded, how He is robbed of His lordship, of His
sovereignty, and of His deity. The Scripture cries out, He is
Lord of all. It is blaspheming that Rome has
set a man as the head of a church. For Christ only is the head of
his true people and of his elect. We have no man head. We have
a divine head, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He is the head
of the church, the body. He's the firstborn. He has preeminence
over all things. Thank you, and let's stand together,
please, for our dismissal prayer.