You are able, would you please remain standing for the reading
of God's Word this morning I'll be reading from Paul's letter to
the Ephesians, chapter 1, beginning with verse 22.
Paul writes. 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, and all.
This is the word of the Lord. He may be seated.
Some of you may remember that this past summer I went on
sabbatical and our family had the opportunity to spend just
over 5 weeks in Great Britain, touring England and Scotland,
visiting churches and pastors and learning from them, being
encouraged by them. One Sunday we attended worship
at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Edinburgh, Scotland,
church that's planted by my friend Neil McMillan.
We happen to be there on a Sunday where they were ordaining
and installing a new elder to serve as a shepherd of their
church. And just like we do here in the
Presbyterian Church in America and at our church, Park City's
Presbyterian Church, every time that we ordain and install a new
elder, we ask them a series of questions.
And it struck me that the Free Church of Scotland has questions
that are very similar to ours, all except for one, a question
that we don't have to ask here in the United States of America.
The 4th question in the Free Church of Scotland for
candidates for ordination goes like this.
And you probably should get it comfortable.
It's a bit of a doozy. I'm going to read the entire
thing. Do you believe that the Lord
Jesus Christ, as King and Head of the Church, has therein
appointed a government in the hands of Church officers
distinct from, and not subordinate in its own province
to civil government? That the civil Magistrate does
not possess jurisdiction or authoritative control over the
regulation of the affairs of Christ Church.
And do you approve of the general principles embodied in
the claim Declaration and protest adopted by the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1842, and the
protest of Ministers and Elders? Commissioners from Presbyteries
to the General Assembly read in the presence of the Royal
Commissioner on the 18th of May, 1843, as declaring the views
which are sanctioned by the Word of God, and the standards of
this Church with respect to the spirituality and freedom of the
Church of Christ, and her subjection to Him as her only
Head, and to His Word as her only standard.
Do you follow all that? Just one question, By far the
longest of the ordination questions the Free Church of
Scotland. But what does it mean?
More importantly, why do they ask it?
Well, the Free Church of Scotland was formed in 1843 when
nearly 1/3 of the ministers of the Church of Scotland resigned
because of government interference in the affairs of
the church. This was known as the
Disruption, as a result of years of disagreement over who has
ultimate authority over the church.
Is it the Church or is it the state?
More than just a political issue, it raises a very
important theological question. Who is the head of the Church?
This simple question has had a
very complicated answer over the centuries.
For the Church of England. The supreme Governor of the
Church is the monarch today. That is King Charles.
Right now, King Charles is the supreme governor of the Church
of England. For Roman Catholics, the visible
and delegated head of the church is the Pope.
And for many evangelical Christians today especially, and
our culture that is fixated on Christian celebrity, the cult of
personality, many people would say that the head of their local
church is the pastor. But as we're seeing this morning
and Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, he clearly states
that God appointed Jesus Christ to be the head over everything
for the church. For Paul, Christ alone is the
head of the church. And this morning together we're
going to see just exactly what that means.
What does it mean that Christ is head of the church?
What does it mean for us as the church to be His body?
The first way that we see this question answered by Paul in
Ephesians is this. Jesus is the authority of the
church. Look with me, Ephesians chapter
1. We'll look together at verse 22.
Paul begins verse 22 like this, and he put all things under his
feet. As we're going through the book
of Ephesians, verse by verse, very slowly, it's important that
we connect each word and each phrase to its context,
especially when we have hanging prepositions and hanging
pronouns. Here we have two pronouns given
to us, connected by the Word and leading us to understand that
everything that Paul is saying is building a larger argument.
So we have to begin by asking, well, who is the he and what is
the his referring to? If you have a Bible, I want you
to go ahead and get it out. If you don't have a Bible, get
out the blue Pew Bible in front of you.
Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 1 and back up to verse
17 and Paul says, and he put all things under his feet.
Who is the He? We have to go all the way back
to verse 17. Paul tells us the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory.
The he is God the Father of glory.
But who is the His? What is it referring to?
Well for that you have to go to verse 20.
In verse 20, Paul says 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. So in verse 22, Paul's building
on the idea of authority. What he's saying here in the
opening words is that God, the Father of all glory, has given
authority to the Son Jesus Christ.
He's given authority over death, over all rule and power and
dominion, above every name and over all things in Paul.
And verse 22 is intentionally borrowing from the language of
Psalm 8. You don't have to turn there,
just listen. This is Psalm 84.
What is man that you are mindful of him, the Son of man that you
care for him, yet you've made him a little lower than the
heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
You've given him dominion over the works of your hands and
you've put all things under his feet.
Does that sound familiar? The same language that Paul used
the beginning of verse 22, and he put all things under his
feet. Now Psalm 8 is a messianic
Psalm, a Psalm that foreshadows the coming Messiah, the
long-awaited Savior King. So what Paul is doing here in
Ephesians one, verse 22, is he's saying Jesus is the long-awaited
Messiah. He is the Savior King, and God
the Father of all glory has appointed to him all authority,
authority even over death itself and over every earthly Kingdom
and every human government. He reigns and rules over all
things. And so it's to stand to reason
that if Jesus Christ the Son of God reigns and rules over all
things and he has authority over the church.
And this is exactly where Paul goes.
Paul continues in verse 22 and gave him that is, God gave Jesus
as head over all things to the church.
God has appointed Jesus to be head of the church.
Now there are two words that we have to understand here in order
to really comprehend what Paul is teaching us, the word head
and the word church. I want to begin with the word
church. What does Paul mean by the word
church? The Greek word that Paul uses,
the word ecclesia. It's a word that means
congregation or assembly or community.
It's a word that Luke uses, an act to describe the congregation
of the people of Israel. That's a word that Paul will use
over and over and over again in his letters, in the New
Testament, in First Corinthians, Colossians, Romans, and of
course here in Ephesians, every time to refer to the church.
So what does that teach us? What is Paul saying?
What is Paul's definition of the church?
For the apostle Paul, the church is not a building, it's not an
event, it's not a thing that you go to.
It's not a human institution or organization or nonprofit.
Now for the apostle Paul, the church is a people, a people
that God has called to himself, a people that God loves so much
that he sent his own Son to die in their place and to rise again
for their salvation. For Paul, the church is a
people. And so this morning, I have no
doubt that is you got dressed and you came here.
You probably thought or maybe even said, I'm going to church
today. Maybe this afternoon you'll be
talking to a neighbor. They'll ask, well, what have you
done today? And you'll say, well, this
morning I went to church. I'm not saying that's
necessarily bad, it's just not totally true.
We don't go to church. We are the church and everywhere
we go, we are the church. This morning as the church,
we've gathered together for worship this afternoon and
throughout the week we will be scattered at his church all over
the city as his people to be his ambassadors for Paul.
The church is a people. What does it mean that Jesus is
the head? How is Jesus the head of the
church? Well, it's clear that what Paul
has been saying is that Jesus has ultimate authority,
authority over death itself, authority over every government,
every institution, authority over the church.
We see this language in Colossians one verse 18, and he
is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in
everything he might be preeminent.
Christ alone, the head of the church, He alone has authority
over the church. And this has profound
implications for how we are to understand Christ as our King,
us as the church, and how we ought to be governed.
Now in our church at PCPC, we're part of the Presbyterian Church
in America. You may not know that we have as
part of our church a constitution, part of that
constitution. It's called the Book of Church
Order. Now, I know that probably many
of you don't have a book of Church order.
Perhaps some of you've never even read it.
Promise none of you sleep with it under your pillow.
But you need to know, and I hope you're comforted to know that we
have a document that helps us operate as a church.
This should be a comfort to us because if you've ever been a
part of a church that doesn't have any rules and any
regulations, on one hand it sounds nice, but it's amazing
what people can do to destroy the church.
There's great comfort that handed down from generation to
generation. We have a book of church order,
and in our denomination our book of church order begins with
these words that Jesus Christ alone is the King and the head
of the church. No human being is in charge of
the church, not the king, not the Pope, not even your pastors,
not even your elders. Christ alone has authority.
Christ alone is head of the church.
What that means for us is that Jesus is the senior senior
pastor. He is, as Peter says, the chief
shepherd. Peter will put it this way in
his encouragement to the elders of the church.
First Peter 5 verse one Peter says, I exhort the elders among
you as a fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of
Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be
revealed. Shepherd, the flock of God that
is among you, exercising oversight, not under compassion
and compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for
shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your
charge, but being examples to the flock.
And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the
unfading crown of glory. What Peter is saying is that
Jesus as the Chief Shepherd of the church has called and
appointed under shepherds, pastors and elders to lead the
church. Not domineering over the church
but serving in as an example and laying their lives down for the
church. Not saying do what I say, but
instead follow me as I follow Jesus, who is the chief Shepherd
and the true head of the church. Now this means at least three
things for us practically. First, it means the church is
built by Jesus. It's built by no man.
We're tempted to think that if we just have the right pastor,
then the church will grow. That makes sense practically.
It's just wrong theologically. Let's never forget the promise
that Jesus made Peter when he said on this rock, Peter, I will
build my church. The gates of hell will not
prevail against it. Christ right now is building his
church, and he will build it until he comes again.
Second, must recognize that church leadership must submit to
Jesus in all things, every decision, every part of their
call to be a shepherd. Leaders of the church must
submit to Jesus as their ultimate authority.
And 3rd. Twice in the Gospel of John,
John the Baptist is approached by people assuming that he must
be the Messiah. Twice John the Baptist clearly
says I am not the Christ. The pastors and elders of the
church are not Jesus. They never can be.
We cannot save you and we will let you down, but Jesus the
Chief Shepherd has called us to point you to him, to proclaim
him the only one who's laid his life down for our salvation, the
only one who is our Savior. This leads to the second thing
that we see here in Ephesians about Christ as the head and us
as the body. Not only is Jesus the authority
of the church, but second, Jesus is the source of life for the
church. You see, there are two ways to
think about Christ as the head. One is to think about authority,
but the other is to think about Christ as the head, as in the
source of life. Like the headwaters of a river
that brings life to everything that it touches.
Here Paul uses a different image, and for centuries
scholars have wondered, well, which of these two definitions
ways of thinking about Christ as head is most accurate?
Is Paul trying to teach us that Jesus is the head and that he is
the authority? Or is he trying to teach us that
Jesus is the head and that he is the life?
I think it's entirely possible that Paul meant both.
See, because at the beginning of verse 22, it's so clear Paul's
talking about authority, the authority that God the Father of
all glory has given the Son Jesus to have all over all
things, even death itself, over every government, every
institution, and yes, over the church.
But then in verse 23, notice his imagery, his language changes.
It changes from institutional language about government to
organic language. Notice what he says beginning in
verse 22. Paul says he put all things
under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the
church, verse 23, which is his body, the fullness of him who
fills all and all. Paul's language regarding the
church is not just institutional, it's organic.
One way to think about head is to think about the head, the
leader of an organization or an institution.
But another way to think about a head is to literally think about
a head that's connected to a human body.
And that's the imagery that Paul is now using here in verse 23.
Christ is the head of the church, which is his body.
And Paul uses all kinds of images throughout the book of
Ephesians to describe the church, the image of household
or family, temple or dwelling place, the image of the bride
here in Ephesians one, it's the body.
And I'll further develop this imagery in Ephesians chapter 4.
Just listen Ephesians 4 verse 15, Paul writes rather speaking
the truth and love. We are to grow up into every
way, into Him who is the head into Christ.
From whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint
with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly,
makes the body grow so that it builds itself up and love.
What is Paul saying? What's it mean that the church
is the body of Christ? What's it mean that Christ is
the head of the body? Well, when I was in high school,
I was a bit of a science nerd. My dad's a doctor, my sister's a
doctor. You could say in many ways
that's the family business. And my science nerddom got so
bad that I actually went to doctor camp in high school.
I know it's embarrassing. My favorite class in high school
was a 2 hour class. We actually had to show up one
hour before everybody else just so we could have two whole hours
for AP Biology. I loved it because I was
fascinated by all the things that God has made, particularly
fascinated by the human body and all of its intentionality and
complexity. Every cell, every part, every
system. Clearly pointing to some
intelligent designer who made it that way with the human body,
with all this complexity and all of its intentionality.
As we think about the body, we see that every part, every
system, every cell matters. But you don't have to be a
biology major to recognize that there is no part more essential
to the human body than the head. You see, you can lose a finger,
you can lose your foot, but you cannot lose your head.
Why? Well, the head is the source of
life for the body. The head has our eyes, through
which we see. The head has our ears, by which
we hear. The head has our mind, our brain
by which we think. It's home to our central nervous
system that involuntarily controls our breathing and
causes our heart to beat. The head is the source of the
body. If you sever a head from a body,
the body will die. And so it is that if you sever
Jesus from the church, the church will die.
And that is exactly Paul's point here in Ephesians one, verse 23.
Christ is the head of the Church, which is His body.
What that means for us is that Jesus is the only source of life
for the Church. He alone is where we find
salvation. He alone is not only where we
find eternal life, but He alone is where we find the fullness of
life here and now, that in Christ we battle sin in Christ,
and through His death and resurrection we have victory
over sin in Christ. We are now called to live as
holy people who've been set apart in Christ, and we are so
connected to Jesus through our union with Him.
It's as if a body is connected to a head and through the head.
So life is given to the body and the body grows.
Through Jesus. Life is given to the church, and
the church Gross. If you and I are honest this
morning, we often look to so many other things to give us
life. And we do this not only as
individuals, but we do it as the church.
And so often we're tempted to center our churches on things
other than Jesus. And when we do that, churches
tend to die. It is only when Christ is truly
the head of the church, not only and His authority, but in a life
that He gives to the church, that the church is nourished and
grows. Paul put it this way, Colossians
2 verse 19, He says, holding fast to the head, from whom the
whole body nourished and knit together through its joints and
ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
There is nothing and no one else that can give us life.
So as the church, the body of Christ, may we find our life and
Christ alone. But what does that mean for us
practically as the body? How do we live this out?
That's the third and final thing we see in Ephesians chapter 1.
If Christ is head of the church and His authority and the life
that He gives to the church, then what does it mean to be the
body #3 The body of Christ bears his fullness to one another and
to the world. What does it mean to be the body
of Christ? Well, Paul here is describing
the fullness of our union with Jesus.
He is the head. We are the body.
We are connected to Him by faith.
What this means is that as those who've been connected to Jesus,
we bear His fullness to everyone around us.
Look with me again at verses 22 and 23.
Let's put it all together phrase by phrase.
Paul writes Ephesians 122 and he put all things under his feet,
and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is
his body. Now notice what Paul says next.
This body, the body of Christ, is the fullness of him who fills
all and all. What Paul is saying is that you
and I, as the church, as the body of Christ, are the very
fullness of Christ. The church is the fullness of
Jesus. Now if you really think about
that, that should give us pause. How are a bunch of people, how
are we the fullness of Jesus? This language, fullness of It's
a word that Paul's used before. It's a word that he uses
actually to describe the incarnation.
If you're with us during Advent, the title of our sermon series
was the Fullness of the incarnation language that we
borrowed from the apostle Paul. Colossians chapter 1, where Paul
is teaching on the incarnation and he says for in Jesus all the
fullness of God was pleased to dwell the exact same word.
Here in Colossians, he's using this word to describe the
incarnation, that in the person of Jesus, in his incarnation, in
his flesh, the very fullness of God, the Father of glory
dwelled. And now Paul is using the exact
same word in the book of Ephesians to say that in the
church, the fullness of Jesus dwells.
Do you see the progression? Jesus is the fullness of God.
The church is the fullness of Jesus.
Notice Paul says that we're not just any kind of body now as the
church, we're the body of Christ.
That is, we are an extension of Jesus, so united to him that we
now bear the fullness of Jesus in US and the way that we relate
to one another and the world around us.
This is what Jesus prayed for in the Upper Room before we went to
the cross. John 17 verse 20.
Jesus prayed. I do not ask for these only, but
also for those who will believe in Me through their word.
He's talking about you and me. Any one of us that believes in
Jesus today, we believe because of those who have gone before
us. Jesus is praying for us.
He goes on in verse 21 that they may all be one, just as you
Father, or in me, and I and you, and they may be in US, so the
world may believe that you sent me.
Jesus is praying before he goes to the cross.
That His church would so be united to one another, that they
would be united to Jesus in the same way that Jesus is united to
the Father and to the Spirit. Also that the world would see
the church, and when they see the church, they see Jesus.
Is that how you think of the church?
Is that how you think of yourself?
As we look around this sanctuary this morning, that we bear the
very fullness of Jesus, the body of Christ.
We are God's witness to the world.
Leslie Neubiggen, the British theologian, and he was a
missionary with the Church of Scotland to India.
And after he served in India for 40 years, he returned back to
Great Britain to find that his home country had changed.
It becomes secular. People had abandoned the faith
that they had been taught. The culture was plagued with
skepticism, so he spent the remainder of his days applying
everything he knew as a missionary to his own homeland
of Great Britain. And as he asked a question, How
do you reach a skeptical society that no longer believes in the
gospel? This was his answer, New Beacon
wrote. How is it possible that the
gospel should be credible, that people should come to believe
that the power which has the last word in human affairs is
represented by a man hanging on a cross?
I'm suggesting that the only answer, the only hermeneutic of
the gospel is a congregation of men and women who believe it and
live by it. In other words, for New Vegan,
the great apologetic and our skeptical age is the church
itself, because we bear the fullness of Jesus.
How do we do that? We do that through the ordinary
means of grace. We come here and gather together
as his people on Sunday mornings.
This is why Sunday morning worship matters, because we're
putting into practice our union with Christ as our head, united
to him through his Word and through the sacraments like
baptism. We put this into practice as the
body of Christ through our fellowship, being called to be
united to a bunch of people we would never be with otherwise.
For the sake of Christ, united together in the same way we're
united to him. We put this into practice, the
fullness of Jesus and us as the Body, as we're sent out and
blessed by the benediction to go into a lost and dying world that
desperately needs to not only hear, but see the gospel at
work. To see it at work in you and in
me. In a word, we bear the fullness
of Jesus to the world through love.
Love for Christ, love for one another, and the love for our
neighbor. And this is exactly what the
apostle Paul prays for in Ephesians chapter 3.
This is his prayer over you and over me, that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and
grounded in love, may have the strength to comprehend with all
the Saints, with all the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.
And listen to this, that you may be filled with all the fullness
of God. Or may that be true of us.
We would be filled with the very fullness of God, with Christ as
our head and we as His body, because as here in this body,
the Church that we put our union with Christ into practice, it's
here in the church that we embody Christ as the head, the
authority over all things, the life of the body, and the hope
of the world. Let's pray.
Father in heaven, may we be the body of Christ and our time and
place, and we live this out towards one another in the way
that you've called us to love one another, be united to each
other. Each part of the body matters,
but O Lord, may we look to you, Lord Jesus, as our only head,
our only source of life and our only authority.
May we bow down before you and look to you as our Saviour.
We ask this in Jesus name, Amen. Let's stand, let's sing.