Text: Colossians 1:15-23, Title: Exaltation and Transformation, Date/Place: NRBC, 6/8/08, AM
Opening illustration: “But now and then someone tells me frankly that my preaching needs to be less doctrinal and more practical. Practical application is vital. I don’t want to minimize its importance. But the distinction between doctrinal and practical truth is artificial; doctrine is practical! In fact, nothing is more practical than sound doctrine. Too many Christians view doctrine as heady and theoretical. They have dismissed doctrinal passages as unimportant, divisive, threatening, or simply impractical. A best-selling Christian book I just read warns readers to be on guard against preachers whose emphasis is on interpreting Scripture rather than applying it.” –John MacArthur, “Instinctively, most of us follow a leader who has real vision and who can transform that vision into a meaningful and hopeful strategy.”
A. Background to passage: Paul has introduced himself and has prayed for the saints and faithful brethren in Colosse. Then we have one of the great passages on Christ in the NT. And in it, and the following verses, we will see the basis for the first part of our vision statement—the reason for our existence. Over the next five weeks, we will deal with each point in our vision statement with a supporting text. I don’t see my role, nor my right, to stand before you and tell you my opinions and personal wisdom without divine revelation to support such ideas. I strive to let the text speak. Request prayer regarding this issue over the coming six weeks. See the vision statement diagram.
B. Main thought: The church (NRBC) exists to exalt Christ by altering Tifton and the globe…
A. Exaltation of Our Head (v. 18)
1. Paul says here generally in v. 16 that all things were created through Him and for Him. Then in v. 18 very specifically he brings in the church and speaks about Christ being its head, its source, its foundation, its first-born, then he gives a purpose clause—“that in all things He might have preeminence.” So he says that one of the reasons that God made Christ head of the church was so that he might be preeminent everywhere. He is our head so that the whole world might know that He is of infinite worth. The church exists to put on display the perfections and excellencies of Christ, so that the whole world would know of his value and worth. And the church can do it in a way that an individual can’t. This is why exaltation of Christ is first in the statement and on the hand in the diagram—it is our primary reason for existence.
2. Eph 3:10, 21, Philip 2:8-11,
3. Illustration: the conversation that Tory and I had with the lady at the Auto Battery and Electric, about splits and churches that don’t act like churches, and how that is just the norm, and how I smiled, left, and preached a sermon on my way home with fire and righteous indignation at her idea of the church, but also at the reality of what many churches have done to the reputation of Christ through their uncaring actions, “God AIMS to fill the universe with the glory of his Son, Jesus, by making the church the showcase of his perfections. Or, to put it another way, and include the idea of body: God means to fill the universe with the glory of his Son by putting the church on display as the embodiment of his Son…
4. Every meeting, every worship service, every SS class, every fellowship, every business session, every committee, every program, every dollar used, every sweat dropped, every attitude displayed, every second spent in New River Baptist Church, and every Baptist church, should be spent to the glory and honor of Christ. And it is not only stuff done inside these walls and on this campus, it is our lives daily—the church gathered and scattered. We should strive to make Jesus look good in everything, not as though he looks bad and we are covering up, but with the intent to show in reality that he is the greatest, the highest, and the best of all beings. The evaluation question of everything in the church is: does it make much of Jesus? Does it accurately display His value, worth, teachings, and commands? And if we ask the question of our own church as to whether or not Christ is magnified in Tifton because of services, ministries, reputation, attitudes, actions, etc. and we decide he is not, we must be cutthroat in rooting out the issues of sin that hinder that display. This is not child’s play; the glory of Christ is at stake! And we must get it in our heads that this is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER! Nothing is greater nor more important than His glory. And that everything we do, everything we say either helps or hinders making much of Jesus in the eyes of a watching world, and a needy universe. Work at training your mind to think in terms of uplifting the reputation and glory of Jesus. Constantly shout, “He is Worthy!” Put it on your phone, your screensaver; teach it to your children as a motivation for why we do everything. Husbands, wives, SS teachers, disciples, ask each other if Christ is being glorified in what is going on right now—not just theologically, but fix it now!
B. Transformation of Our World (v. 21-22)
1. The next phrase in our vision statement is “by altering Tifton and the globe.” And it just so happens that Paul includes the life-transforming power of the gospel in this paragraph. But pastor, the statement speaks of transforming cities and planets, when Paul speaks of reconciling individuals. There is a hint of global reconciliation, but the results are personal. This is why it is the same. The bible doesn’t present the Christian church getting political and lobbying and pushing for legal moral reform. The bible teaches that there is no compulsion in religion, religious freedom, we must believe and act according to our conscience. Government will not nor cannot save anyone. The bible presents the method of changing a culture, a city, or a nation as the salvation and transformation of individuals one at a time. Paul says that Christ is made preeminent when the world sees you and former enemy of God, now reconciled, and living a holy, blameless (absence of something that would deem an offering unworthy to be offered), and above reproach (no accusation sticks) lifestyle.
2. Ps 27:4, Philip 3:8, Rom 12:1-2
3. Illustration: life of William Tyndale, “Some evangelicals, it seems, cannot conceive of any remedy for social ills other than legislative measures and more (or bigger) government agencies. They seem convinced that if we’re not lobbying for political solutions to evils like abortion, homosexuality, pornography, and secularization—then we’re doing nothing at all. Suggest (as I have) that the church should focus more on gospel preaching and less on political lobbying, and they’ll accuse you of promoting indifference.” –Phil Johnson, conversation with pastor Fred about the message of his ministry at Northside consisting of his convincing the congregation that they can reach everybody,
4. Sure, vote your conscience, but remember that legislated morality offers no eternal results. The victory for Christians is not when Roe v. Wade is overturned, but when abortion doctors get saved, and Christian women refuse to abort because they are alive in Christ. The way that we change Tifton is by helping reconcile your neighbor from his enemy status so that Christ can present him holy, blameless, and above reproach. And the way that we do that is by clearly communicating the demands of the gospel, and by laying down our lives in sacrifice on their behalf. But the requirement for change of others is change in self. Do you live a holy life, a blameless life, an above reproach life? If not, you will not see much influence and multiplication. And on of the few ways to speed up the process is to plant more churches, but more on that in a few weeks. But I do want to encourage you that you can do it! You can transform Tifton, GA and parts of the world! We must wage war upon small thinking that we can’t do much, because we are a small church, blah blah blah! We must dream big AND take radical steps to be so Christ-centered and Christ-exalting that people want what we have, and seek us out to find it.
A. Closing illustration: “God did not exalt Jesus and subject all things to him and then simply say, "Now go ahead and fill the universe with your glory; fill all things with yourself." Instead he raised him and exalted him and subjected all things under him and then made him one with the church, as head to the body, and said, "Now, my Son, you and those with whom you are united as head to body, go forth in the universe and fill it with all that you are in your body. Let everything, from the highest heaven to the lowest hell, be filled with a revelation of your glorious perfections in the form of a chosen, destined, blood-bought, called, justified, holy, glorified, and infinitely, everlastingly satisfied people, your body, the church of the living God. Amen,” “If we are not careful, our individualism can be used to harbor a sub-Christian holiness which tolerates sin. Our selfishness can lead us to a sub-Christian unity which papers over disunity about the gospel, and unites around other, lesser things. Even our flesh can know a sub-Christian love which is mere sentiment, having a family feeling because we’ve all been together so long. But friends, none of these things should characterize our church primarily because all of these things lie about God. They misrepresent His character. True holiness will include discipline. And true unity will be only around Christ—and the diversity of the church will evidence this. True love will go deeper than sentiment, beyond natural bounds. It will go out to the stranger for Christ’s sake. This is how God’s glory is displayed in the church. This is the only way the church will prosper.” –Mark Dever in A Display of God’s Glory
B. Recap
C. Invitation to commitment
