Christ, the Head of the Body — Ephesians 3-5

0:01 Alright. Well, happy Mother's Day once again. Let's let's get started off with the word of prayer. Our heavenly father, we do give thanks for the opportunity that we have this morning together here in this place. We are we're thankful for the lord Jesus Christ.

0:21 We're thankful for the scripture. We're thankful for the holy spirit and heavenly father, we we pray that you would open the eyes of understanding this morning. We we find it a benefit to spend time in your word. We're thankful for the time that we had considering the lord Jesus Christ and and his death and his burial and his resurrection at the breaking of bread. We're thankful for a day like today where we can set aside to honor mothers and nationally recognize mothers and in fact worldwide recognize the importance of mothers and your...

0:59 The importance of your design. Father, we we pray just now as we open your word that that you would give us the help and instruction that we need facing the things ahead and so we ask this now in the name of the lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Perhaps you will recall in scripture when Paul was walking on the road to Emmaus or no, the road to Damascus and I should even go back and correct myself again. Saul was walking on the road to Damascus that that he was struck by a great light and he fell he fell fell down before him and this voice came and said, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

1:47 And we understand and we know that that voice was the lord Jesus Christ himself and Saul at that time would later be called Paul was persecuting the church, right? He was persecuting men and women whoever would would call themselves Christ Christ followers, whatever call himself a Christian. He was authorized to beat him, to take him to prison, etcetera and the voice came from heaven that says, why are you persecuting me? And this gives us a little bit of insight into the fact that the lord Jesus Christ himself considered the body of Christians, the church that had been started, Christ had ascended and is in heaven now but Paul is writing as he is preaching our our Paul is attacking the Christians and now Christ comes and says, this is my body that you are persecuting and he makes this reference, you are persecuting me. So, the connection I was trying to make there is a sense that this new body, the church, this new group of people, Christians, the lord Jesus Christ identified himself so much with it when when Saul was persecuting them, they were persecuting him.

3:14 And so, I would invite you to turn to Ephesians chapter three this morning. Ephesians chapter three please. This morning, I'd like to bring before us a topic of the lord Jesus Christ as the head of the church. The lord Jesus Christ is the head of the church and so, Ephesians chapter three, we're going look at a couple of portions in Ephesians. The first in Ephesians chapter three verse one.

4:35 When in other ages, it was not made known unto the sons of men, that was to mankind. As it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and his prophets by the spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel and so here we have as as Paul is explaining the very beginning of this the Old Testament where the church was hidden. It was a mystery and in the Old Testament where the Jews were god's chosen people and there seemed to be not a lot of hope for the Gentiles but god would reveal his plan in a more full sense to say that that the church would be for the Jew and the Gentile to come together and notice what it says in this passage. It says, come together in one body and so, we understand this concept that that god would use to illustrate to us the principle of the church being a body. Now, you're in in Ephesians.

5:41 Go to Ephesians chapter one please. Ephesians chapter one and verse 18. I'm gonna lay a little groundwork with these scriptures and then we'll connect them together. Ephesians one eighteen says, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may be able to know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of his glory of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought or showed in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at at his very own right hand in the heavenly places. Verse 21, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in the world that is to come and has put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all and so here we have it again.

6:53 This word that Paul mentions, the body, the all true believers, the body mentioned and who's the head? Christ is the head of the body. Now, if you'll go to Ephesians chapter four, again, making this connection and looking for the the church as a body, Christ as the head. Ephesians chapter four and this time, we'll begin reading in verse 11. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and some teachers for the perfecting of the saints or the the bringing to completion or maturity of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ Till we all come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of his of the son of god unto a complete man, a mature man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

7:49 Verse 15, but speaking the truth in love, we may all grow up unto him in all things which is the head even Christ. And then one other passage we'll look at here in in Ephesians is in Ephesians chapter five and five and we'll begin reading verse 23. Ephesians five twenty three. Now, before I read this particular passage, I want to remind us that well, in fact, probably, I would say a vast majority, what maybe like 80% of the times that we refer to this passage, we are looking for instructions about the husbands and wives. Wives submitting to their husbands, husbands, love loving their wives, etcetera and it's that's true.

9:09 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse the church with his with the washing of the water by the word that he might present present the church to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it would be holy and without blemish. So, all men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh but nourish and cherishes it even though even as the lord does the church. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

9:56 Now, there are, let's see, I mean, I I got one, two, three, four, five, six things I want to highlight. About six. I keep on. I mean, my my fingers are coordinating now. I got six things that I want to highlight in these verses.

10:09 Now, the first is that the fact that we see Christ is the head of the church. Look at verse 23. Even as Christ is the head of the church. Now, look, here's let's let's let's let's make this connection or understand that what is Paul doing here? He's writing this letter to the Ephesians and we read right off in chapter three that he was revealing the mystery that the Jew and Gentile have been brought into this new body, the Church.

10:40 So what's new here? Well, Church. What's old here? Husband and wife. I mean, that dates back a little ways, doesn't it?

10:49 It takes back all the way to Adam and Eve, right? And so, here we've got this this concept where where Paul directed by the Holy Spirit, he's taking something old and that is known to help explain something that is new and that's what we want to catch that I mean, husband and wife, that's that was an age old worldwide understood thing. Even Sarah called Abraham lord. Little L, right? And so, we under we understand that people would understand that concept and he's saying, look, husbands are husbands are the head of the woman even so Christ is the head of the body and so really the focus here is to help us understand how the the relationship of how Christ is to be to the body.

11:42 He is the head of the body. Now, that's our that's our topic for this morning. Christ, the head of the body. Could we all say that together on the count of three? One, two, three, Christ, the head of the body.

11:58 Okay. So, if I were to ask you, hey, what's our topic? Then, you'd probably say, Christ, the head of the body, right? That would be the correct answer. Now, remember I said there was six things that we wanted to highlight in here and so the second one is found in verse 24.

12:14 Therefore, the church is subject to Christ, okay? Christ is the head. It's the first thing we highlight in verse 23. Verse 24, the the church is subject to Christ. We want to understand that that Christ has authority and we are subject to him.

12:35 What we're better, we're better to put our subjection than in the all powerful, all knowing, almighty lord Jesus Christ. So, he's head of the church. We are subject. The church is subject to Christ. Verse 25, Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.

12:57 Christ loved, he gave. He demonstrated his love by giving and so, here's Christ. This is our head. He's the head and he's still loved. He's the head and he still gave.

13:37 Here's Christ, the head. We're subject to him but he he's going to sanctify us. He's going to cleanse us. He's going to nourish us. He's going to cherish us.

13:47 And then in verse 30, we we note this, that we are members of Christ's body, and Christ is the head of the body. We won't take time to turn there but I'll just make a reference to Colossians which was also written by Paul. He he and these are familiar verses to us particularly where it talks about that Christ made all things by him, all things consist and that Christ is to be what? Preeminent, right? And so he's the head.

14:23 He's the head of all things but he not only is he the head but he's supposed to have a place of prominence. It makes sense, doesn't it? If you want to be on the top, well, in in this analogy or or considering the body, well, it's it's the thing that's on top, right? And that's exactly the place that we should give the lord Jesus Christ. He's the head.

14:45 Now, if anybody wants to move their seat, they're totally welcome to because I did put this easel up here for a reason because I've done a little artwork, okay? And I'm I'm gonna bring a a chart out but but just before I do that, let me let me read read you a quotation from William McDonald. Listen listen to this. Joey, what's our topic? Head of the body, right?

15:19 Jesus Christ, head of the body. We got it. Alright. So, listen to this. Listen to what?

15:22 The headship of Christ is truly acknowledged when he is allowed to control the church's activities, to make decisions, and to superintend to every aspect, alright? So, catch that. The headship, he's he's allowed to control everything. Christ ahead. To to many, this will sound vague and impractical.

15:47 How can you have an invisible head? How can the lord in heaven guide the local church on Earth? The answer is that he will never fail to make his will known to those who patiently wait for him and to wait for him to reveal it. True, this will require a great deal of spiritual exercise on the part of the believers, the body, it would be much easier just to take matters into our own hands and to make our own plans. But it should be remembered that the New Testament principles can only be carried out if there is New Testament power.

16:26 And those who are unwilling to tread the path of dependence, prayer, patient... Patiently waiting will never have the privilege to see the great head of the church guiding the local assembly here on Earth. William McDonald in his little book, Christ Loved the Church. So here's my here's my drawing. Right here.

16:59 I'll bring it out here front before I put it on the easel. Okay? Here we have a an illustration or concept that was in my head that I tried to put on the whiteboard, okay? And so, if there's any graphic artists out there, you can give me some tips or pointers afterward but the the church, this concept of the the body is is or or the concept of the church is being compared to the body and so we have Christ at the head and we want to make that distinction and so these dotted lines, if we went up all the way across, Christ at the head, he's separate. Then, we've got his body here on this Earth and so, as we consider this illustration, we wanna talk about what what do we do with an announcement like was given last week?

18:08 When when a a local body would would say we would hear, a local body would hear that their elders are choosing to step back for a while and and they're they're choosing to step down and we want to fervently pray about what the lord has in the future and so, we we want to understand and remind ourselves that well, the lord Jesus Christ, he is the head of the church. He's the head of the church and we're trusting that like right here, we have shepherds listed in this body. So, WBF had had shepherds in its body and so we're trusting that that Christ as the head was directing the shepherds to say, look, look, we're we're stepping down. And we're also trusting that in the context of this body that because the these represent spiritual gifts by the way. You probably figured that out, right?

19:10 I didn't point that out but we read Ephesians chapter four where it makes reference to spiritual gifts but we're trusting that the lord will direct others to fulfill this role of shepherd and some are doing that recognized or not. Multiple people can have this gift as well as the other gifts that are in the body and so, here's the thing that we really want to grab a hold of is to say, look, we're we're Roger used the word transition. We're looking for the future and it doesn't just have to be, okay, who's going to be elders among us? Who's going to be the the shepherds recognized? It's really what did we read before in every aspect?

19:56 We're willing to let the lord direct. He's the head. He's directing, Okay? And so, we want to be sensitive to how the lord is directing. Now, in our in our little illustration here, we've got the spiritual gifts that are that are scattered throughout and we understand the concept of a body that we have that we would have all of our appendages, the the makeup of the body.

20:25 Let's see. Deanna, how many fingers do you have? 10. 10. She's got em all there.

20:48 What if, what if all 10 of our fingers had a mind of their own? What would that be like? We think about like so like has Noah, has your has your index finger ever had an original thought? You know, like that. So, what if what if all the fingers were saying, I want to do this, I want to do that, I want and like it would just be confusion, right?

21:17 And and so, here we have this illustration that Christ uses his body. In fact, we read in in Corinthians, Paul also writing in in first Corinthians would talk about what the what the eye say to another part of the body, what the foot say to another part of the body? We have that illustration and so, all the parts of the body do not have their own mind but they are serving the function of the head. Right? And so here, this is this is kind of mind staggering, alright?

21:52 See if you follow me is that We all have a brain, right? We all have a brain. Why did he do it like that? Why didn't he make it make us like fingers that don't have a mind of their own? And so here's the thing, we do have a mind of our own.

22:15 But we are to act as if we don't have a mind of our own. Does that make sense? And and it's it's not check your brain at the door. It's not go through life blind. It is be so intact with what the head is doing that I only move when my head says.

22:35 I live as if I do not have a brain that goes contrary to his. And so that is is a a concept that I think it it comes out as we study this body. Now, look, here we are and we've got fifteen minutes left in our message. And so I wanna give... I wanna share with with us, and you might think about some more things, but here's...

23:05 I asked this question. Hey, Christ is ahead, so what can I do? What can I do as a member of his body? And here here are a few things that I'd like us to consider. The first thing is, what can I do?

23:20 These are action items that we all can do. I can submit to Christ as my head, my authority. I can do that. I can submit to Christ as my head slash my authority. Remember the lord Jesus prayed in the garden, not my will but thine be done and this is what we do.

23:44 We come to the, we come to we come to god. We come before our our head. We come before our head and we say, what's your will? I wanna lay aside my will. What is your will?

23:59 I'm gonna submit to you. I'm gonna submit to you and look, we submit to Christ first before any other established authority. We submit to Christ. We we would say, the Bible tells us to honor our mothers. Honor our father and mother.

24:18 But it tell... It's... We would first submit to Christ then to our fathers and mother. Honor... The Lord tells us to...

24:25 This word tells us to submit to government. Submit to those in authority over you. First to Christ then to others. The the the scripture would tell us to obey those that have the rule over you, referring to the elders, the local embersite, but you submit to Christ first. You see?

24:40 We always gotta keep that in mind is that Christ is the head. Christ is the head. He is the preeminent and so, what do I do? I subject myself to the head. I put him first.

25:10 And under this title, submit to Christ's authority, submit to Christ as a head, relinquish my will, want his will. There's another phrase that comes out of scripture. It comes out of of Colossians and I'm going to call it holding the head, holding the head and it's used, well, let's just look at this here. Colossians chapter two and let's pick up in in verse 17. Colossians two seventeen, which are a shadow of things to come but the body is of Christ, right?

25:47 Referencing the church body. Let no man beguile you or trick you of your your award in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels. Intruding into those things which you have not seen, vainly puffed up by by his fleshly mind and then now notice verse 19 and not holding the head. Here, Paul is talking about the talking about the body. Once are being led astray and why were they being led astray?

26:20 They were not holding the head, not holding the head from which all the body by joints and bands have nourishment ministered and are knit together increasing with the increase of god and so, here he's saying, these people were veering off course because they were not holding the head and so what can we do? We can hold the head. Meaning, that we we give Christ his proper place as the head of the church and so, just to review that first one, the first action items are all together, okay? What can I do? I can submit to Christ as my head and authority.

27:01 Not my will but thine be done. I want to hold to this truth that Christ is the head. Number two, what can we do? We can pray. You know, if if I am want to know something, I need to ask, right?

27:25 If I if I want to find out something, I need to inquire and so here we are. What do I, what can I do? I can pray and what am I praying? I am acknowledging. Now, here's where the mind shift comes.

27:38 You know, it is we get in, we don't want to just be in this rope or routine of saying like, what's what what's a a prayer good god good meat, bless his food. We, how does that go? I don't. What's now I lay me down to sleep. We'll go way way back but you understand, we don't wanna just come to god like in this numb sense of saying, I'm gonna pray.

28:05 Oh, oh yeah. By the way, we we need to know what what to do about about the future of WBF. We're we're coming to god and saying, Christ, we're we're saying, we understand Christ to be the head. We're coming to god and understanding. Look, Christ is the head.

28:24 We are the body. We're the many members of the body and therefore, we want to know what the head wants to do. You see the difference? Instead of just kind of generically praying, we are are approaching, we're praying, what can I do? I can ask the head what he wants.

28:42 Hey, I'm on standby. I'm ready. When you tell me what to do, I'm going to move, right? So, that's that's the second thing that we can do. Third thing we can do kind of goes along with this is that we could wait, right?

29:10 How long has your hand, has your arm been around him? Couple minutes. Couple minutes? See? I mean.

29:16 Comfortably long. Yeah. So, but look, look, here's here's what's happening. Mason's arm is around Ryan and it's just in the wait mode, Right? Now when Mason has something else for the hand to do, he's gonna...

29:31 His his head is gonna tell him. I think your knee is itching right now. So you get it? You get the point? That it's okay to wait.

29:45 It's okay to wait until further instruction. There's the hand. It's doing its thing. It's fulfilling the will of the head. It's fulfilling the will of the control center.

29:59 And so, another thing that we we I put up here, you have to read this sideways. So, half the audience can read like this sideways. Directing, the head directs, the body executes, okay? So, the head directs, the body executes. Come over here.

30:17 You have to read this way. You know, but we'll we'll maybe cover those things in a minute. Now, so we got three things. Submit to Christ is ahead, pray, and wait. Here's the here's the fourth thing.

30:31 Be the body. We've talked about this before. Be, in fact, I think I credit this phraseology to Bob Buttress. Be the body. Well, it came out of our study in in the Ephesians as well.

30:44 Ephesians five thirteen says, by love serve one another. That's being the body. And and here here it is. Here is where all these nice little colored gifts come in. Okay?

30:57 Here's where they all come in. Now, I know the administrators in the bunch will probably appreciate that I abbreviated at... And said admin. You know, say conserve space, did that very efficiently. But the exhorters of the bunch would probably point out that, hey, you abbreviated that.

31:19 And you probably left out some other gifts, which I did. Alright? So, be the body. By love, serve one another. Take your spiritual gift which you know, I'm looking out there.

31:34 I'm looking out in this body and I do see exhorters. I do see evangelist. I do see administrators. I do see ones that are gifted at serving. Gifted at helps.

31:47 The ones gifted at mercy that says, oh, we feel sorry that he left a few out. We'll give him some grace. The gift of faith, etcetera. You see that we see all these gifts in the body. All these gifts, be the body.

32:02 By love, serve one another. Take your spiritual gift. Ask ahead, what do you want me to do? And you understand, first Corinthians chapter 12 tells us chapter 12 verse seven that it that that every time we exercise, it profits the whole group. It profits the whole body.

32:22 So when I exercise my spiritual gift, the whole body benefits. This is Christ's design. This is the design. I'm... He's the head.

32:32 And so he directs us. And as we we direct, we move. We're we're we're working that we're we're seeing all these things come into fruition in the way that he intended. Serve. Now here's one more thing.

32:58 So I'll I'll review what we've said so far. Submit to Christ as my head. Pray. Wait. Be the body.

33:06 And the final one we'll consider is keep the unity. What can I do? Keep the unity. You see, again, I mean, it's an incredible design. If see if this makes sense.

33:22 If we would obey or look for direction, the head is directing, we're executing, unity is an automatic result. It's an automatic byproduct and so we're instructed in in the scripture to keep the unity and so we have this. We're one we got one head, Christ. There's one body. Many members and Christ has joined.

34:39 He he mentions it both in Ephesians and in Colossians. Christ as the head. This morning, I trust that we will all be able to take these items that we've talked about and put em into practice. This is something that we can take and we can do. We can submit to Christ as our head.

35:05 We can pray, pray fervently like McDonald said, this fervent exercise. Pray and then wait. Wait until we got clear instruction from the head. Be the body. Keep doing what you're directed to do.

35:22 Keep exercising your spiritual gift and keep the unity. These action points for us today. Our heavenly father, we we pray as we wrap up our time together here this morning. We we do pray for wisdom. We ask in earnest expectation.

35:39 Father, we're amazed as we take time to just really consider your design, the way you've designed this body. There's so many things that that are natural benefit to this. So many things that we didn't even cover but the fact that we're joined together, we're held together, we're knit together. We we read that verse in Colossians. It talks about the increase of god.

36:04 We're we're we are able to grow because of this and so we talked about the verses too or we read the verses that talked about a maturing process. Father, we understand that you are working not only to conform us into the image of Christ, not only to allow the spiritual gifts, spiritual fruit to be manifest in our life but you are working in us to bring us to maturity, to completion, and so father, we we pray these things now in the name of the lord Jesus Christ. Amen.