He Is the Head of the Body

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

-Colossians 1:15-20

George Gallup, Jr, in his article entitled, “Who is Jesus?,” based on a survey taken years and years ago writes that Americans viewed Jesus as one who loves humankind, is willing to forgive, kind, and compassionate.

They also viewed Him as someone with a strong personality, who was warm, brave, emotionally stable, without sin, and perfect.

Smaller margins of people thought that He was easy to understand, practical, physically attractive, physically strong, divine (rather than human), and accepting (rather than demanding).

Some would probably picture Him as a baby in a manger, a child living in a carpenter’s home, a healer and miracle worker, a fiery preacher, a masterful leader, and/or a holy man.

Today, some think of Him as their homeboy (have you ever seen the “Jesus Is My Homeboy” t-shirt?). Some sing of Him as if He is their boyfriend. Some perceive Him as if He is a Disney character who will fulfill all our wishes (only if we believe hard enough).

Some would affirm Him as the Second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, the New Adam, the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Savior God!

I can go on and on and on and on, but as you can tell there are various ways people recognize Jesus Christ.

Yet, there is one particular-additional way in which we must recognize Jesus Christ, which will affect how we preach, how we do missions, how we do praise, how we do ministry, even how we live and die. Namely, we must recognize the sovereign lordship of Jesus Christ.

1. JESUS Christ is the sovereign Lord of Creation (vv.15-17).

[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Before His incarnation, He was in the image of God. In His incarnation, He was in the image of God. After His resurrection, He was in the image of God. Currently in His throne, He is in the image of God. From everlasting to everlasting, He is in the image of God. He is in the image of the invisible God. He is the manifestation of the invisible God, for He is God. See Christ—See God! Know Christ—Know God! Follow Christ—Follow God!

And He is “the firstborn of all creation.” “Firstborn” not chronologically, but “Firstborn” in dignity, preeminence, rank. In other words, He is sovereign over all creation.

[16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. Christ who is God, Christ who is sovereign over all creation, is the very agent who created all creation.

All things material; all things spiritual; all that you see (i.e., visible); all that you cannot see (i.e., invisible); all the starry hosts; all the galaxies; all the angelic hosts; all the supernatural powers; the totality of existence; Christ not only is the agent who created them, but He is the goal of all creation. That is, for His glory and honor and praise He created them. So, all things exist for Him.

[17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Christ, who is God, having always existed and having created the universe, preserves and sustains his very universe.

As one scholar puts it, Christ is “the principle of cohesion” who makes the universe a cosmos instead of a chaos. That is why there is harmony and order and purpose and unity in the world. There is cosmos not chaos because Christ is the sovereign Lord of creation—over all creation.

2. Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord of the church (vv.18-20).

[18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. Now, that sentence in the beginning of v.18, “And He is the head of the body, the church,” is what I wish to emphasize (what the rest of the passage [vv.18b-20] is simply saying is this: just as Christ is the origin of His universe, He is also the origin of His Church; just as Christ is the preserver and sustainer of His creation, He is the preserver and sustainer of His Church; just as Christ is the preeminent one among all His creation, He is the preeminent one among all who have been raised from the dead).

God’s Word refers to the church as a bride, a building, a family, a flock, a kingdom, and a vineyard. But in v.18 the apostle Paul refers to it as the body. The church is the body and the body is the church. And it is with Christ as its head.

In other words, just as Christ is the sovereign Lord over all His creation, Christ is the sovereign Lord over His body, the church. And we who by God’s saving grace have repented of our sins and embraced Christ as our Lord and Savior, for us He is our chief and our leader. For us He is our provider and our preserver and our sustainer. Hence, the church will be triumphant solely because of Christ the head. He is the sovereign Lord of the church and He will be faithful. The head will not disappoint!

Then what of us the body? He is our chief. He is our leader. He is our sovereign. So, what of us the body?

Here is my answer: The body must be a Christ-centered body! The church must be a Christ-centered church! Ultimately, it’s all about Christ. It’s all about the head.

Do you know what this means for everyday Christian life and ministry? It means that our preaching must be Christ-centered. It means that missions must be Christ-centered. It means that our praises must be Christ-centered. It means that even as we seek to love one another, we must love Christ even more. We must elevate Christ not men. We must please Christ not men. We must die for Christ (if need be).

We must rather have Jesus than silver or gold. We must rather be His than have riches untold. We must rather have Jesus than houses or lands. We must rather be led by His nail-pierced hand. We must rather have Jesus than men’s applause. We must rather be faithful to His dear cause. We must rather have Jesus than worldwide fame. We must rather be true to His holy name than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin’s dread sway. We must rather have Jesus than anything
this world affords today. It’s all about Christ!

It is about Christ—Christ who is the sovereign Lord of both the creation and the church. May we never lose sight of that!