The Fullness of Christ

0:16Thank you for listening to the Sermon Audio Podcast for Crossroads Bible Church in Rockdale, Texas. Crossroads Bible Church is a Reformed Confessional Baptist Church that meets every Lord's Day at 10 a.m. for Bible study and 11 a.m. for corporate worship. For more information about our church and for directions, you can find us online at www.crbcrockdale.org. Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Go ahead and turn to the book of Ephesians. That is where we are this morning. We're finishing chapter one of Ephesians. We will be starting in verse 20 through the end of chapter 1. My objective, as you see in your bulletin, the title is The Fullness of Christ. And our objective then is that the church may know that she is the body of Christ. His fullness. More specifically, then, that the church was given to Christ by the Father along with all authority to complete his fullness. The redemption of his church, his body. And to that end, then we will explore this thesis: the consummation of the mission and work of Christ by the power and authority given to him by the Father was to be the head of the church, his body, his fullness. And that's what we will explore this morning through the text. As a way of introduction, I'll say there is a lot that we still don't know about the human brain. But something that scientists have been able to observe more recently with modern technology is that a single neuron in our brain can send up to a thousand signals to the body per second. Is estimated that the human brain contains roughly two hundred billion with a B, neurons. You do that math. That's roughly two hundred trillion signals that your brain is processing and sending every second. Just our brain, then, is unfathomable. And to say then, from that perspective, that our bodies are fully and completely dependent upon our brain is a bit of an understatement. The emphasis from Paul as he finishes this section in chapter one is to complete his exhortation on the fullness of the authority of Christ. And he does that to such an extent, in such an expansive extent, that we can be left without any doubt as to who is in control of our lives. He emphasizes power, in that all movement, all life, all animation of our bodies comes from him. Like a head is the power over the body, and in that nothing is stronger or mightier or more powerful than Christ. He emphasizes authority in that everything in all creation, including everything good or evil in the spiritual realm, is subject to Christ. That is to say that Christ is the authoritative subject or object over which everything else is subject. He emphasizes honor in that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, that position of honor, of dignity, and authority. You'll also see that he'll emphasize timelessness in that he reigns endlessly, and that his reign is ageless. That is to say that there will, not now, or ever will be, or ever has been, a time or a moment in which Christ did not and does not or will not have the full and final power and authority and honor and reign over all things. And those are the things then that we'll get into with our text this morning as we consider the fullness of Christ, as though exploring that topic is something we can do this morning, but we will try, Lord willing. Stand with me if you would as we read verse 20 of chapter 1. That he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. This is the word of the Lord. Lord, we thank you, and again, and as always, uh for your word, Lord, we thank you for the work of Christ, for his power and his authority. And I pray and ask, Lord, by your spirit, would you make that known so clearly and evidently to us this morning? Ask all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. Let's begin back again then with verse 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. The Father, then, with his great might working in Christ, having raised him from the dead, and all the implications that go along with that, that we've talked about many times, now seats Christ at his right hand. As has been discussed then with respect to 1 Samuel, that Brother Stephen is taking us through in Bible study, mentioning there when we're going through 1 Samuel now at least one time that God says in 1 Samuel 15 that God regrets having made Saul or having made Saul king. Other times we read that God repents certain actions. The Bible uses this metaphorical language and this imagery to convey realities in such a way that means something to us, right? This is what we talked about. These things are not to be taken literally in the sense that we don't think, as we approach our text this morning, that God the Father, who does not have a body, is somewhere in heaven sitting down on this giant throne, and there sitting next to him is Christ. We don't think that literally. Rather, this is something that the reader would understand. The right hand of the king was the sword hand. This is the hand of power. Most people then and even now were right-handed. Sorry, lefties, but the right hand was the good side. It was the good hand. It was the right hand. Hence the right. Sorry. I know there's an inordinate amount of lefties in here. So the right side of the king, the one sitting on the right side, is the one sitting in the position of authority, of strength, right? Willing to fight the fights, willing to uphold the decrees, willing to act on behalf of the king's moral authority. That's the right hand, and certainly we can say that is Christ. Even more, this right hand position of Christ, it's in the heavenly places. It's the right hand position in the heavenly places. He has seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. That is above all things. Such that everything, both spiritual and physical, are under his authority. Nothing exists outside of his control. Then to say that he is seated in the heavenly places far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and name. Anything and everything that exists is subject to the authority of Christ. We've talked about it many times through the book of Genesis, if you remember, even more recently, with respect, even I thought it was the last week or the week before, with naming Christ, right? The identity and the specificity with names. Names are important. Names carry weight, they carry identity, and Jesus' name is above all. Allah cannot save. Muhammad cannot save. Some God in an unspecific sense cannot save. Name any nether name. It cannot save. Because it is not the name that is above all names. It is not the Savior and King above all. All other names fall short because all other identities are subject to Christ. Philippians 2, 9 through 11. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. The glory of God the Father. Verse 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. The emphasis perhaps is always on the age to come. But the authority of Christ is not only in the age to come, but equally important, his authority, as our text says, is in this age. And it has been given to Christ now. And from there he says, go. Now go. I ask you to consider how many pastors and Christians, even, spend all their time deciphering the news headlines, trying to figure out when Christ will return. Instead of living joyfully and boldly under that power and authority that he already has right now over all things. How many think that the devil still runs the world? That Satan is still the ruler of the world. I hear this often. Perhaps it comes from John 12, 30 to 32. Jesus answered, This voice has come for your sake. After the context there in John is the voice of the Father speaks and confirms that he is being glorified through Christ. And Jesus answers the Father's voice and says, This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world. Now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. And do we think so little then of Christ's authority and his providence that we cower under the threat of some great and grand tribulation? That we stock up on canned goods so we don't have to take that dreaded mark, whatever that is. This is foolishness, church. We have spent so much time worrying about the beast coming from the east and not trusting in the living, trusting in and living in the authority of Christ, that we have let demons in through the back door. Look at our country. And tell me we are not under some form of judgment for having not demanded that it is in Christ we live. It is Christ who is in authority. It is Christ who is on the throne. It is Christ who is in control of all things. His head has been crushed. The strong man has been bound. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The authority of Christ in this age, with him as our head, means nothing less than the time is now to go plunder the enemy. The time is now where Christ will draw all people to himself. We're not hiding in houses. We're not waiting for things to fall apart. We're living boldly under the authority of Christ. This is his city. This is his state. This is his country. This is his world. And every knee on earth and in heaven will bow to the king of kings.

17:01Just practically, isn't that a better way to live?

17:05I think it is. But we must not back down, church, in the face of any of these kinds of arguments. We see devastating hurricanes that sweep through cities, and yet the gospel tells us that the wind and waves obey the voice of Christ. Does the reality that hurricanes hit land negate the power and authority of Christ over nature? I say no. Not just the material world, though, but also the spiritual world. Christ commands every single angel. And not even Satan himself could act without the permission of God. Read Job chapter 1, if you don't believe me there. Everything is subservient. There's a good vocabulary word for you this morning. Subservient. That is unquestionably submissive to Christ. Everything. Not just in the material, though. It's not just in the spiritual, but it's also in the moral. The mental. And not prayed, Lord, please come back and end this suffering? Trusting that he actually has the power to end such things and he will. Who has not battled against the temptations of the enemy and the sins of the flesh and not prayed, Lord, please come back and deliver me from this warfare? Trusting that he actually has the power to keep you, to sanctify you, and to deliver you. Who has not battled against their own mind, being taken captive by intrusive thoughts or corrupted imaginations, and not prayed, Lord, please come back and cleanse my mind. Trusting that Christ can. And he will cleanse our thoughts and clean our consciences. Such prayers would only be wishful thinking unless Christ really did have the authority over those things. And the good news, the great news really, is that He does. He does. Despite how it may feel at times, there is a plan. There is a plan, Church. There is a purpose. And the full and final redemption of all things is presently upon us. To that point, Martin Lord Jones says this quote Do not allow thoughts about the coming visible manifestation of the kingdom rob you of the realization of the fact that Jesus Christ is reigning now. He is glorified. The crown is upon his brow. He is at the king. He is the king at this moment. He will come in a visible manner, but he is king now. And certainly as he will be, as certainly as he will be then. May the eyes of our understanding be. Enlightened that we may know this. You may say, then, as was said to me, if the scope of his power really does extend to the outer reaches of all the physical things and all the spiritual things and all the moral things, why isn't he fixing things now? Why isn't he conquering things now? You remember back in Hebrews, we have that answer, church. Hebrews 2, verse 7. Quoting Psalm 8, you have made him for a little while lower than the angels. You have crowned him, Christ, with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. Is that not what we just talked about? Now, he says, in putting everything under everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside of his control. At present, we do not see everything in subjection to him, but we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor, because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. That's the answer, isn't it? If Christ is the head, and we are the body, and if he took on flesh like us and suffered for us because of our sin and the death of that sin caused, and he did that as the means by which he secured our redemption in him in this eternal and spiritual union, why should we think that we would also not suffer as he did? It is not as though he is expecting something from us that he himself did not endure in the flesh, and to a far greater extent than we ever could. Since therefore Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. For whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for human passions, but for the will of God. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. Let us then hear and accept the full scope of the power and authority of Christ, and see the present trials, the present sufferings that we do see as confirmation of his authority, as opposed to the objection of it. Because as the psalmist says in Psalm 119, verse 67, before I was afflicted, I went astray. But now I keep your word. Verse 22, and he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. This is the exhortation of the fullness of Christ. The glorious truth that the mission and work of Christ, that all of creation itself from the beginning before the ages began, that all this power and authority are so clearly displayed, and they find in it its final consummation and purpose in the redemption and the union of the body. Church. Tonight's the covenant of grace. Don't miss it. But more specifically, last week, Brother Stephen taking us through that was last week, the covenant of redemption. And this beautiful promise made between the persons of the Trinity. That together with one singular purpose, the Father would give to the Son a people to redeem. And the Spirit then would draw them and keep them. This is the covenant of redemption. This, again, promise made between the persons of the Trinity. Father would give to the Son a people. You can say then that the church, that is this body of Christ, this promised people, to the praise of his glory, are the final completion of the purpose and plan of God. Why are we here, church? What is this life for? It's to bring glory to God and to joy and to enjoy him forever as his people. When this is our perspective, then we can look back at our lives having the assurance that he truly is in control of all things. And we can thank him. We can praise him for even the trial and even sorrow and every joy and every trouble because everything has been purposed for his glory and for our eternal salvation. God then is primarily concerned with the fulfillment of his promises, the fulfillment of his covenant. This covenant that he made with himself, the redemption of his people, which means that he is primarily not concerned with our temporal happiness, but rather with our holiness, our sanctification. And only he knows how best to bring that about. And only he has the power and the authority to complete that work, the work that he began before the ages began. And the Father has put all things under the feet of Christ. I do want to be careful that I don't say, and that you don't think that somehow the triune God was incomplete without the church. Or that the triune God is still somehow incomplete until the fullness of his church comes in. God does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by any human hands, as though he has need of anything. That's Acts 17. But at the same time, we don't deny that we, as those who are joined to Christ by faith, have some unexplainable, and I'm not afraid of the word, even magical, union to Christ. It's real and unchanging. In much the same way, it seems magical that two hundred trillion neuron signals can continuously control every aspect of every cell in our body. We are joined to Christ in a very real yet unexplainable way. Such that in him we live and move and have our being. All that is true of Christ is now true of us. Because we are joined to him. In fact, when the Father sees us, he sees Christ. He sees the fullness of his body clothed in pure white, like a bride made ready for her bridegroom. The unbreakable marriage between Christ and his church, the head and his body, this union is forever. So then, as we close the consummation of this mission and work of Christ by the power and authority given to him by the Father was to be the head of the church, his body, his fullness. The authority of Christ is a total authority. Nothing exists outside of his power and control. The scope of his authority is endless and timeless. He is in control of all things on earth and in the material world and in the material universe. He is in control of all things in the heavenly places. He is in control of all things that exist only in our minds and our imaginations and our consciousnesses. He is over all and in all. And with that total and all-encompassing authority, he decreed to create and redeem for himself a body, a bride, a church, with Christ as the head, we as his people. Death has been defeated. The enemy has been crushed. The king is on his throne. What is left then? What is left then? There are still many members of his body. Souls in his church left to be brought into union with him.

33:57A world that is still in want of redemption. This is where our mission begins, church. And has already begun. So in light of his victory and our union with him, let us boldly go without fear or reservation.

34:23Because he has one. And we will win. Amen. That you do indeed have all authority, Lord, and that the scope of that authority is all things. We confess that we are here for your glory. We confess and know, Lord, that you have won the victory on our behalf, Lord, that you have defeated death. By grace through faith in Christ and His work. And then from that, would you give us boldness now to act and to go to serve, Lord.

35:30Be your hands and feet here, now. To do our part to redeem the world.

35:41Help us, Lord. Encourage us, empower us. Give us fearlessness. Give us a greater measure of faith, Lord, and as we have prayed by your Spirit, give us wisdom and insight and discernment, Lord. We would walk according to your ways and obey you. Call these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.