one more time to Colossians 1 and verse 18. I trust the Holy Spirit will enable me to bring one more message to you on the subject of Christ's re-eminence. Now I have not even begun to scratch the surface of this text. Let's read it again together. Colossians 1 and verse 18. 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 preemption.

I have tried to show you in recent weeks that it is the purpose of God that in all things the Lord Jesus Christ hath the preeminence. God has determined to give Christ his Son the glory of and preeminence in all things as the reward of his obedience as our covenant shall be unto death.

I want this morning to show you Christ's preeminence in this aspect, that it is the Father's love and honor for his son that is displayed in his preeminence. This is what our Lord tells us in John 3.35, The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his name. Our Lord Jesus tells us in John 5.23 that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father. he that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which has sent him.

So that the Lord Jesus Christ is given such preeminence, such honor by God Almighty that the only way you can know God, the only way you can worship God, the only way we can honor God is by faith in and through the merit of Jesus Christ our Lord who is himself God the Eternal Son.

The Lord Jesus Christ is everything to his Father. Everything. The Father loves the Son, delights in the Son, honors the Son, exalts the Son, and magnifies the Son. Therefore, he has determined that his Son have the preeminence everywhere and in all things. Christ is to his father what Benjamin was to his father Jacob, the son of his love. The father's love for the son is evident for everyone to behold in this thing. He has given him preeminence everywhere and in everything. God Almighty has given Jesus Christ all preeminence everywhere and in all things.

Now this may sound to some as though it's just a matter of doctrinal understanding and not really any practical benefit. Let me give you an illustration that will, I hope, make you understand just how practical this is.

C. H. Spurgeon, when he was a young man, was preaching in London, England. God graciously gathered many, many thousands to hear him preach the gospel, so much so that they had to tear down the new Park Street Chapel and build the Metropolitan Tabernacle. While it was building, Spurgeon and the Tabernacle congregation met at Surrey Gardens Music Hall in London. And while Spurgeon was preaching there to thousands of people, I'm talking 15, 20,000 people were gathered here and preached.

He was preaching one Sunday, and of course being a man who preaches the gospel of God's grace, Without any hesitancy or compromise, he was despised by many as well. Someone in the crowd, this is back 125, I'm sorry, 150 years ago, someone in the crowd yelled, fire, fire, fire. And of course, there was a stampede, just a rush of people to get out of that burning building, what they thought was burning. As the thousands rushed for the various doors, many were trampled on, two were crushed to death, and Spurgeon was devastated. He was just devastated. He didn't see anyone, he didn't preach, he didn't do anything for two weeks.

Two weeks after the fire, he stood to preach again. And this was his subject. He said that which sustained his soul, that which gave him the courage to go on, that which inspired him to continue in the work God had put in his hands, was the fact that God Almighty has exalted his son and given him preeminence in everything.

Now, in Colossians chapter 1, verses 15 through 20, we're given a picture of our Savior in his exaltation. It is drawn by the pen of the Apostle Paul by divine inspiration, and it is a great, glorious picture of our Savior. Here we see the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our exalted King, holding all things in his almighty hand. He who loved us and gave himself for us has got the whole world, the whole universe in his hand. He who died upon the cross knows the most distant star, but that's not all. He gave it its name, and more than that, he sustains its fuel, and he has himself determined the length of its existence. He who is our Savior holds absolute control over everything in heaven, earth, and hell.

Did you hear me? He who is our Savior holds absolute control over everything in heaven, earth, and hell. He rules the universe by absolute sovereign power to give eternal life to those whom the Father has given him. That simply means that Jesus Christ the Lord is ruling the universe absolutely, and that he does so with one distinct purpose in mind. so that everything which he brings to pass, and nothing comes to pass that he doesn't bring to pass. Everything which he brings to pass is brought to pass for the object of saving his people from their sin.

Now, the fact of Christ's preeminence ought to assure our hearts of several things. First, the Lord Jesus Christ is an all-sufficient Savior. As in our day, in Paul's day, There were many, especially here at Colossae, who taught that Christ himself alone is not enough. You have many, many things that are involved in religion, and they taught that Christ, while he is our Savior, while he is our Redeemer, while he is the Son of God, yet he is insufficient and inadequate in and of himself. that he is incapable by himself, just by the merit of his blood, his righteousness, and the power of his grace to save our souls. Somehow, we must add something to Jesus Christ. We must contribute our part in this matter of salvage to dispel that heresy. The Apostle Paul, inspired of God, simply declares that Jesus Christ is preeminent, and the Father has put all things in his hands, everything, so that we are now made to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in life by virtue of the Lord Jesus Christ's life and death and resurrection.

Secondly, the Lord Jesus Christ is not only an all-sufficient Savior, he's also a sovereign He who died at Calvary rules all things absolutely. That means nothing can ever separate him from the people he loves, and nothing can ever separate us from him. That means that all those for whom he shed his blood at Calvary shall be with him at last in glory, exactly as he prayed in John chapter 17. That means that no harm shall ever befall those who are loved of him, for he rules all things. You understand that? If he loves me, as indeed he declares he does. If he loves you, as indeed he declares he loves you, you who believe with an everlasting love. If he loves you. Listen to me now. Some of you sitting here without faith. I'm telling you right now, if indeed you're the objects of his love, if he's chosen you and redeemed you, he will so rule this world that no evil shall befall those who are the objects of his love. No real evil. It may appear evil to you or vile. It may appear evil to me in time. It may appear evil to us in the onset, but listen to me, no evil shall befall those who are loved of God. No evil, not in time, not in eternity. That means nothing shall ever cause us to perish.

So to the fearful, the unbelieving, the anxious, the trembling, the fretful, even the believer of whom it must be said that sometimes we're fearful and unbelieving, anxious and fretful. Our text says, let not your heart be troubled. Christ is preeminent. Christ is preeminent.

Thirdly, our Lord Jesus Christ is a rich, bountiful Savior. everything. That's it. All things are here. All things are here. He freely gives us everything as we need. God our Savior possesses such riches of grace and glory He possesses such riches of universal dominion. He possesses such riches that he possesses everything there is. It's his. And yet his riches are so infinitely full that they can never be diminished. We feed upon him daily who is the bread of life and yet there's bread every day. We drink from Him daily, who is the fountain of the water of life, and yet there's water of plenty. We go to Him daily to supply us with grace, and yet there's grace plenty for our souls.

So to you who worry about your daily needs, to you children of God who fret about the lean years that may be ahead, to you who fear you will have no pension when it comes time for you to enjoy your golden years in your old age, The Holy Spirit said, be content with such things as you have. Christ is preeminent. Christ is preeminent.

And fourthly, the Lord Jesus Christ is a Savior worthy of our heart's trust and devotion. I want so much for you to see this. You can safely trust this great God, our Savior. You can trust Him in all things. You can trust Him at all times. You can trust Him implicitly with all things. He deserves your trust. He deserves the devotion of our hearts.

Our Lord Jesus Christ doesn't need me, and He doesn't need you. His church doesn't need me, His church doesn't need you. His kingdom doesn't need me, His kingdom doesn't need you. Oh, but we need Him. We need Him. And if He accepts me into His kingdom, or you, if He receives any love, honor, service, gift, or praise from you or me, it can only be because of His love and goodness toward us. He to whom God the Father has given preeminence. should have the highest place of devotion and honor and trust in our hearts.

Now, I want this morning to go over some things with you. Some I know will be a bit repetitious, but I emphasize them deliberately. But I want you to understand that Jesus Christ, this preeminent one, who has rightfully taken the possession of all things as the God-man, our Savior, mediator, is honored of God and loved of God. And he ought to be honored of you and loved of you. He ought to be honored by me and loved by me.

All right, how has the father given his son the preeminence? As I have stated so many times, when Jesus Christ is looked upon in his essential Godhead, he is not given preeminence in anything, for he is every way equal with the father. Turn over to John chapter 5 for just a moment. John chapter 5. I started to read this in our scripture reading earlier. But in John chapter 5, the Lord Jesus speaks. This man standing in front of these Jews. He says in verse 17, Jesus answered them, My father worketh hitherto, and I work. And the Jews understood exactly what he was saying. They understood exactly what he was saying.

Therefore, the Jews sought the more to kill him, because not only had he, in their opinion, broken the Sabbath, but he said also that God was his father making himself equal with God. They understood exactly what he was saying. Now all they had to do was to stop their rage and say, now wait a minute, you misunderstood me. I didn't mean for you to understand that I'm God. I did not mean for you to understand that I am altogether equal with the Father. But he didn't say a word. They understood exactly. Jesus Christ is God.

And as God, he doesn't need the Father to give him anything. He possesses all things equally with the Father and the Spirit. But our Lord Jesus, in his mediatorial character, as the result of his obedience to the Father, having satisfied the justice of God, bringing in everlasting righteousness, and putting away the sins of his people, now is given preeminence by virtue of his obedience to the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ, our mediator, is preeminent in the affections of his Father's heart.

Turn to Proverbs chapter 8 for a moment. Proverbs 8 and verse 30. The Son of God is here speaking. He's personifying himself as wisdom. And he is telling us about himself as wisdom being the wisdom of God in salvation. The wisdom of God by which our redemption and salvation and grace is accomplished in him. And he says this in verse 30. Then was I by him. as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight."

Now, he was not brought up with the Father in his essential deity, oh no, he is eternal, you understand that? But in this covenant relationship as our mediator, he is brought up with him, he is daily his delight, rejoicing always before him. so that nothing is so dear to the father's heart as his only begotten well-beloved son as our mediator. The father values, cherishes, prizes the son. He prefers his son to all. He chooses his son above all. The father loves the son.

If indeed you could pry into the heart of God, if I can use such language, if we could pry into the very heart of God, and see what's at the very heart of God, you'd see Jesus Christ our mediator. Jesus Christ our mediator. That is preeminence. The Father says, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. He is well pleased with and delights in the righteousness of his Son. That's the only perfect righteousness there is. He is well pleased with and delights in the sacrifice of his son, the merit of his blood. He is well pleased with and delights in the intercession of his son. And he is well pleased with and delights in Lyndsey Campbell in his son. He's well pleased with all his people in his son, because in his son we are righteous, being redeemed and justified freely by his grace.

as God has made Christ the object of his love preeminently, so he is preeminent as the object of his Father's trust. Our Lord Jesus said again, John 3.35, The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hands. Let me show you from the scriptures. Turn to Ephesians 1. Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 12. The apostle Paul is calling for us to trust God. God who chose us, who predestinated us, God who blessed us, God who sent his son to redeem us, God who shall bring us at last into glory and the perfection of holiness. He said, now trust him, trust him, trust him, trust him, trust him.

And look at what he said in Ephesians 1.12, that we should be to the praise of His glory, underscore it now, who first trusted Christ. Who first trusted in Christ.

The Father trusted His Son with His people from eternity. In that covenant of grace that Lindsay spoke of a little while ago, the Lord God Almighty gave us as sheep into the hands of the shepherd. He gave us as a trust to His Son. He gave us His covenant people to be redeemed by His Son, saved by His Son, preserved by His Son, and glorified by His Son. And the Son said, I'll go and redeem them, I'll justify them, I'll preserve them, I'll save them, I'll keep them, I will bring them at last to glory, and I'll say, Lo, I am the children which Thou hast given Me. The Father said, All right, do that. Ask of Me, and I'll give you the heathen for your inheritance. The father and son struck hands in the covenant, and the father said, here they are.

Now, this is the father's will, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day. The father trusted his son with all his creation. We read in Psalm 2, verse 7, I will declare the decree the Lord hath said unto me, thou art my son. This day have I begotten thee, talking about in prophecy the resurrection of Christ from the dead. There was never a time when, as the Son of God, he was begotten. He's the eternally begotten Son, but he was begotten of God when he raised him from the dead. And he says now, as the result of his resurrection, which was the testimony of his complete obedience, ask of me and I'll give you the heathen for your inheritance and the uttermost part of the earth for your possession.

Indeed, the Father trusted the Son with his very glory. And all things, Paul says, shall be subdued to him. Then shall the Son also himself be subject to him that hath put all things under him, that God may be all in all. God the Father made Christ preeminent over all things by giving him the place of highest majesty and dominion.

Turn to Philippians 2. I want you to look at two texts here. Philippians chapter 2, verse 9. Wherefore? Wherefore? Now, if you read that in the opening of the sentence, you ought to automatically ask yourself, why? What's it there for? Wherefore? And that could go back up a line or two by now. In verse 8, our Lord Jesus has come, he made himself of no reputation, he humbled himself, became obedient. Look at verse 8 now. Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore? This is the reason why. This is the reason why. God also hath highly exalted him. and given him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

I told you earlier this morning of my uncle's death this past week. He lived his life 58 years. just like many of you are living right now, with his fist shoved square in God's face. And he would not bow to the Son of God. He would not confess Jesus Christ to be his Lord. He would not take the yoke of Christ upon him. He has now. And you will too. You see the reason God exalted his Son? is because he's accomplished redemption and he's determined that everybody, EVERYBODY will bow to him and confess him Lord. Everybody. You too. You too. It's not a matter of if you're going to confess him. It's not a matter of if you will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. You shall acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord either here in mercy and grace or yonder in judgment and wrath. But acknowledge him you will.

Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3. Hebrews chapter 1. This first chapter of Hebrews is such a glorious description of Christ, it's hard to break in anywhere and stop anywhere. But look at verse 3. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he, get it now, had by himself purged our sins. He sat down in the right hand of the majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee." Remember I told you Psalm 2 was told by this right here. This day have I begotten thee. And again, I will be unto him a father, and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he bringeth the first begotten into the world, he saith, let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels, he saith, who maketh his angel spirits and his ministers a flame of fire. Unto the son, he saith, thy throne, O God." What? Does God speak to this man? who is raised from the dead, who sits now in his right hand and says, thy throne, O God. That's exactly what he said. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

And God the Father will give his Son everything that he asked of him. The Lord Jesus makes intercession. Read the 17th chapter of John and see how he makes intercession for the salvation of children. He says, Father, I will that they hear my voice. He says, Father, I will that they be sanctified. Father, I will that they believe on me. Father, I will that they be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, the glory which is yours. And the father says, okay, it's yours. It's yours. So that those for whom Christ makes intercession shall be with him in glory. There's no question about that. He said, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied so that there's no possibility that those for whom he may travail in death, that they might live. There's no possibility that one should perish. He shall see and possess the joy that was set before him for which he endured the cross, despising the shame.

Now, this is what I'm telling you. This matter of Christ's preeminence is much, much more than mere words of adulation and pretty phrases of praise or religious sentiment. The crown which Christ wears is not a figurehead crown. We see in our day some figurehead monarchs. The Queen of England is a figurehead monarch. She doesn't have any real power. She doesn't have any real power. Now if you see her in one of those parades. Man, she looks splendid. Getting a little old, but she looks splendid. She looks like she's got everything. She's got a lot of money, but she doesn't have any real power. She just got a figurehead crown. You understand that? Most people look at Christ being Lord as having a figurehead crown. Looks good in a parade. He looks wealthy, he looks majestic, but he doesn't have any real power.

Will you hear me? Jesus Christ is an absolute monarch. He is indeed the only absolute monarch ever to exist. This man, who is God our Savior, is the monarch of the universe! And he possesses absolute power over everything and everybody. God himself has given his dear son the preeminence and he is worthy of that preeminence. The Lord Jesus has had all God's creation, all God's glory, all God's people, all God's purpose, the very honor of God himself devoted and given to him that he may have the

And you look here in this first chapter of Colossians, and you'll see that this preeminence is just everywhere. The Father has given the Son preeminence in everything. You ask, well, where is His preeminence? Wherein does He have preeminence? In verse 14. He's preeminent in the salvation of His people. Colossians chapter 1, verse 14. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. Now, I didn't read that mistakenly. I left even out deliberately. You'll notice the even is in italics. That means that it was added by our translators to make the text read more smoothly. But there is no word for even in the original text. And what the Apostle Paul is telling us is that redemption and the forgiveness of sin is the same thing. So that those for whom Christ obtained redemption have the forgiveness of sin. Now that's a clear, positive declaration of particular and effectual redemption.

The Lord Jesus is preeminent as the revelation of the invisible God who is the image of the invisible God. You see that verse 15? Jesus Christ in the flesh is God in a body. To experience any awareness of God but by Jesus Christ who has come in the flesh. Look at verse 15 again. Christ is preeminent in the creation. Our Lord is not called the creature of God, but the firstborn of every creature. He is the one from whom, through whom, by whom, and for whom every creature exists. He is the beginning of the creation of God. Look again, down in verse 60. Our Lord Jesus Christ is preeminent in providence. 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 of powers, all things were created by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

Now I'll tell you in brevity what that means. That means Bobby, he rules everything. He rules everything. That means that he upholds and sustains everything. Everything. and silly environmentalists. We live in the craziest age, I guess, ever been in history. I mean, crazy age. Men want to protect frogs and kill babies. They want to figure out a way to preserve trees and then figure out a way to put old folks out of their misery. We live in a crazy society. The whole world just absolutely gone mad. Our Lord Jesus Christ upholds everything! That means the sun's not going to burn after he puts it out. That means the world's not going to dissolve until he dissolves it. That means that he upholds the creation and upholds you exactly by his will. That's exactly right. You'll live just as long as he intends for you to live. Just as long as he purposed for you to live from eternity. And you'll not live a second longer. Not only does he uphold everything and rule everything, he disposes of everything. you and me included. He disposes of everything, and he shall have the praise of everything, you and me included. He'll have the praise of everything.

Jesus Christ is preeminent. Our text specifically says, verse 18, he is preeminent in and over the church of God. He is the head of the body, the church. I got to say it. I can't hold back. I watched that doddering old man from Rome in his Masonic Order costume get off a plane the other day. The silly old man carrying his God on his stick, you know. He gets off the plane and teeters down to the ground, came hard to bend over and kissed the ground. And folks, look at that fellow as though he's the head of the church. Not hardly. Not hardly.

Jesus Christ is the head of his church. He's the only one. The Lord Jesus Christ being the head of his church means that he has preeminence in his church. He's the foundation, the king, the lawgiver, the example. He's the bridegroom. He's the ruler. He's the builder. He's the strength. He's the preserver and keeper of the peace and point of unity. He's the message, the glory and the dominion as he is in his church. That means that his word rules in his house. That means that his will is submitted to in his house. That means that his ordinances are observed in his house.

The Lord Jesus is preeminent in the resurrection as well. He's the head of his body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. The first one to rise from the dead, never to die again. The first one to rise from the dead by his own power and merit. The first one to rise is also an indication that somebody else is going to. If Jesus Christ is the first born from the dead, then there must be someone else who's going to be born from the dead. And so his resurrection is the example pattern and assurance of our resurrection. His resurrection is also the proof of our justification. He was made to be sin, and for sin he was laid in the tomb. and there his body was buried for three days.

Now, is God satisfied with the sacrifice he made? Has justice been satisfied by the price he paid? Have our sins been put away by the death that he died? Let's see. One day passes. A second day passes, no shilling. On the third day, God Almighty declared by virtue of His resurrection that justice is satisfied, that the law is satisfied, that our sins have been put away by the day that He died. He was delivered for our offenses. Delivered to accomplish our offenses and raised again for our justification raised again to declare us justified

And the Lord Jesus Christ is preeminent in the work of reconciliation Look at verse 20 Colossians 1 20 Having made peace through the blood of his cross. Don't you love the way Paul uses that word blood? Constantly talks about the blood Constantly talks about the blood. Folks these days are too refined. They don't want to talk about blood. You go someplace you'd never hear about blood. Let me tell you something. It is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul. It is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul. The blood is the sacrifice he offered. That is the life represented in his blood poured out unto them. Jesus Christ has made peace, not provided peace, made peace by the blood of His cross. That means that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by His one sacrifice for sin, has so thoroughly satisfied the justice of God, the holiness of God, the law of God, and the wrath of God for those people for whom He died that God no longer has any quarrel with them. If your sins have been put away, God has no reason to be angry with you. And He's not. You understand that? If there's no sin, there's no cause for justice to be looking for you. If there's no sin, there's no cause for wrath to be upon you. And Christ has put away our sins and made peace.

But there's something more needed. He made peace by him through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself. By him, I say, whether they be things in heaven or in earth or things in heaven, and you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now have you reconciled."

You see, insofar as the justice of God's The reconciliation was done on God's part at Calvary 2,000 years ago. But I came into this world kicking and screaming, fighting against God. And I lived my life with my fist shoved in God's face. And I would not be reconciled to God until God the Spirit applies His grace in the sprinkling of the blood And now I'm reconciled to God. That means, buddy, I'm not angry with God. I don't any longer have any quarrel with God being God. I'm no longer upset with the fact that God ruined me.

I want to tell you something. Faith in Christ is nothing less than and really nothing more than you putting down your shotgun and quit trying to feel God. That's what it is. Faith in Christ is a man or a woman surrendering to God Almighty as He's revealed in Jesus Christ. Surrendering, stacking arms, laying down your weapons and saying, all right, you take her. You take her.

Lord Jesus Christ will one day reconcile everything. Three days. Everything that has been, Everything that is and everything that shall hereafter be. He'll fix it. He'll fix it so that everything is praiseworthy. Right now we look at things in such confusion and we have such confusion we don't know what's going on. I was preaching along this line once years ago And a preacher had come in here. And when he left, he said, how can that man say that everything is according to the will of God? And everything is going to get quoted to God. And everything is going to be good for God's people. He was utterly confused. Utterly confused. and most people are.

Don't try to judge God's works either in grace or in providence by what you see. Don't do it. Don't do it. You can't see that good. You can't see that good. But when God's finished, when the Lord Jesus is finished and He's delivered up the kingdom Everybody, every demon in him, Satan himself, every angel in glory, and every human being will see this has been good. He has done all things, and God will be praised by him.

In a word, wherever we look, in heaven, in earth, In time, in eternity, among men, or in the immensity of the infinite God himself, even in hell, Jesus Christ has been given preeminence in everything. Because the Father said, I give you that. Why was Joseph exalted to the throne of Egypt? Because Pharaoh said, that's what I want. And God said, I want my son exalted above everything. The Lord Jesus Christ was born to this preeminence. He was given a kingdom before the world began, and born that the government should sit upon his shoulders. And he bought it. Listen to the scriptures. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the straw, because he hath poured out his soul unto death. And he was numbered with the transgressors. And he bared the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

So by his death, our Lord Jesus paid the price that earned him the right to possess the universe for the saving of his people to the glory of God. He alone has the preeminence because he alone is able to manage it.

There are just too many irons in the fire. Too many irons in the fire. I look at things, and I get so disgusted. I told Shelby last night, I think I'll throw the papers away, cancel them, and quit watching any news, reading anything going on. You just get absolutely disgusted. Absolutely disgusted. That's because everything's confusing to me. I can't manage one thing, much less two or three. There are too many irons in the fire.

In this universe, in heaven, in earth, in hell, in creation, in providence, in grace, in the minds of men, in the hearts of men, in the deeds of men, righteous and wicked, in the minds and hearts of barbarians, and educating men, everything is in his hands. Everything is in his hands. And he manages it with the ease of omnipotence. ease of omnipotence. He rules with the ease of omniscience. So that the world, the universe, all that's in this world, and all that's in hell itself is no trouble or bother to him. In Austin, if I believed him like I ought to, there wouldn't be any trouble or bother He's able to manage it!

Therefore, the Father has given the Son the preeminence, and He deserves it. He deserves it. If the Father has given Him such preeminence, shouldn't we? It's truly but a small thing for me. Who am I? but a small thing for me to extol him and give him the honor of preeminence in my heart and life. Would to God that I could do so perfectly.

The psalmist said, what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits unto me? He who loved me so freely, who has done so much for me, Who's given so much to me. Who's been so constantly faithful to me. This is what I'll render to Him. This is what I'll do. This is how best to give Him preeminence.

Are you listening? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. How can I praise Him? How can I honor Him? How can I extol Him? How can I give Him preeminence? I'll take the cup of salvation from His hand and I'll call unto Him the Lord. I'll worship, praise and trust Him as long as I live. Amen. God help you now to give Him preeminence. Take the cup of salvation and drink the water of life freely. And spend your life calling on Him.