Christ, the Head of the Church

Christ, the Head of the Church

By Pastor Matt Black

06 August 2006
Lord's Day morning
Ephesians 1:22-23

Introduction: Open your Bible to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. The title then of this morning’s message then is “Christ, Head of the Church.” Let’s stand together and read Ephesians chapter 1 and verses 15 through 23.

[Stand and read Ephesians 1:15-23]

This morning we come to a teaching that I hope we all find as reality. Jesus Christ is the Head over all things, and He is Head of the Church. What does that mean? It means that Jesus Christ has absolute control over the whole world, and His Lordship and power and control are especially evident and amazing in the lives of His people. Is Christ Head of your life? If you call yourself a Christian, then you ought to look at your life. Who has the reigns of your life? Do you on a daily basis yield to the power of Christ as your Head? Do you daily say “without Christ I can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The headship and control of your life belongs to no one but Jesus Christ!

Our text tells us in verse 22 that God the Father has set Christ over all authorities and powers “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”

I. We see that Christ is the Head in His Power. He is the Lord and Head of “all things” Paul says. He controls all things.

A. Christ as Creator is the Source of all things.

First we see that Christ’s relationship to all things is one of sovereign and Lord. Christ is the Head. That is not just a theological term. Christ owns every one of us—every person on earth. He is the source of all things, the Head over all creation. He says in Revelation 1:8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” The words of the President of the United States are important. But all presidents and all kings and princes bow their knee to Someone who has more power than them all. They bow the knee to the Sovereign of all, Jesus Christ. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He is “head over all things”. There is no doubt about that. “The world was made by Him” (John 1:10). “By Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17). He owns it all, and He rules it all. All things are “upheld by the Word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). Abraham Kuyper once said, "There is not one square inch of the entire creation about which Jesus does not cry out, `This is mine!'" It all belongs to Jesus. “Without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3).

B. Christ is the Sustainer of all things.

Christ's Lordship is the cornerstone of how we must view life. “By Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17).

Do you understand what it means that Christ is the “head over all things”?

· It means though the world seems to be out of control, that Christ actually has full control tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, and all over all storms of any kind. Christ controls all precipitation, all weather, all seasons, all droughts and floods.

· Christ controls the timing and outcome of all wars.

· Christ is the Head over all kings and presidents and rulers. “The king‘s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). Your mayor and your Congressman and your Senator are all working under His authority.

· Christ controls the flow of history—“He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11). Christ is Head, the governor of all things.

· He directs the flow of all waterways and bodies of water, just like he directs the directions of the planets and all solar systems and universes.

o The earth is exactly 91 million miles from the Sun because Christ put it there. He hold it in place.

· The Law of Gravity and the Law of Motion and all other Laws of physics and nature proceed from the Lord Jesus Christ.

· Christ is the author of all life and all compositions of matter and energy. He is breaths the breath of life into every living creature. Every molecule in the universe operates exactly as Christ pleases.

· He raises up kings and kingdoms, presidents and nations, and He puts them down according to His own will. He is the “Head over all things”.

· He gives all creatures air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, and a sun and a moon to give us light

· He gives us all the amazing functioning powers of the human body and the mind.

· Christ decides the day of your birth and the day of your death. He has the keys to death and hell, and He opens the gates to Heaven. He is the supreme Judge of all the earth.

· At this moment He is ruling and reigning all aspects of powers in the heavens and earth in all places at all times. His Lordship holds everything in place. He “upholdeth all things by the Word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3).

· Christ orders and controls all things. He is the supreme cause of all things. That is what the word “head” means here. He is the Head over all things—the source and sustainer of all things.

Do you know the Son of God today? To know the Son is to know the One whom the earth and the heavens obey[1].

Do you see Christ is the source and sustainer of all things? He is the Head of all Power and authority.

II. Secondly we see that Christ is the Head of His People. For our text says that the Father “gave him to be the head over all things to the church” (verse 22). He is the Head of all things, and in an even more intense and obvious way, He is the Head of the Church. God gave Christ “gave him to be the head over all things” for one amazing purpose—for the calling out of “the church”. Christ created a world of people so that He could be Head and sovereign over the church. We have been called out from the world so that we can be ruled over by Christ.

A. Have you experienced a new creation? Just as Christ created the earth and heavens and rules over them, Christ has made a new creation. 2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” “If any man be in Christ, He is a new creature [creation]” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christ is the Head of each one of us individually as His people, and of all of us together who know the Lord in this Church corporately.

The Church of course is this called out assembly of people from the world. We were all enemies of God—sinning against Him continually. Some of us knew there was a God, and even prayed, but we never really took Him seriously, until He called us out of the world and made us part of His church. There was a time when we were all dead in trespasses and sins. God was still a ruler over us; He was still sovereign over us. But there came a time when He who rules the world began to rule over your heart and soul. He created something new in you. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26) He became your Head.

Application: If Christ is ruling over you, then you should praise the Lord for everything. Nothing happens by mistake. Christ makes no mistakes in ordering out your life. Turn over to Revelation5:2. Let us all look to Christ and praise Him! “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever (Revelation 5:12). Look over at Colossians 1:15-19. Christ “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 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: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 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 preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

Christ is sovereign over all things, visible and invisible—thrones dominions, principalities, or powers—He is the head of the body, and he so that he will have the preeminence in you!

So Christ is sovereign— James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, Just as He sovereignly created the world, He created new life in you! Have you experienced that new life? Are you living in the power of that new life? You see if you have experienced a new creation, you must also experience a new control!

B. Have you experienced a new control?

Perhaps you are here today, and your life is filled with many things, but Christ is far away. Many things have control of your life, but if you are honest, Christ is not the Head of your life. Oh, you go to church, but He is not controlling you.

What has the control over your life?

1. Perhaps you feel today that your life is filled with sin. You are carefree at times, but other times you are filled with guilt, which leads you to sin more. Christ is not your head—instead of Christ, your sinful passions and desires control you. If you are controlled by lusts and emotions and passions that lead you to sin, then Christ is not your Head.

2. Perhaps your life is filled with worry and fears. You may worry about almost everything in your life, because you yourself are in the driver’s seat of your life. You want to control over your life. Do you have worries? Do you have fears? If you are trying to handle your life on your own, it shows that Christ is not your Head.

Christ is the answer for your fears. If Christ is your Head you have nothing to fear! Listen to what He says in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

3. Perhaps men you are controlled by money and by the cares of this world.

4. Perhaps Mothers you are so busy with your children that you have no time for Christ. Is He your head?

Listen, if you are a believer, stop living for yourself. Submit to the Lordship of Christ. That is what our text says that Christ is “the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” Does Christ fill you? Does He control you?

Now listen, and we will close with this. If you have experienced a new creation, and a new controlling influence in your life,

C. Then you will experience NO condemnation!

Listen, Christ is the answer to your sin! Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus”. Are you in Christ Jesus? Is Christ your Head? Christ is your shield from God’s wrath. He’s a mighty fortress of love and forgiveness. In him we find mercy and peace and help in time of need. Turn to Jesus. Call Him Lord. Call Him your Saviour. Follow Him. Live for Him. Die for Him. See Him on the day of Judgment as your Advocate and not your Judge! No longer are we the enemies of God. In Christ Jesus we are called friends.

Conclusion: Is Christ your Head? Does He have His own way in your life? Do you have your own agenda, or can you say, whatever you say I will obey Lord?

Closing Hymn: 366 Have Thine Own Way Lord

[1] Words: Percy Dearmer, in The English Hymnal (London: Oxford University Press, 1906), number 221.