Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien
February 25, 2024
INTRO
Good morning! I’m Pastor Brent and I’m excited to start a new series that we’re calling “Biblical Church Leadership” which will go for the next four weeks. We are launching from the gospel of John and the commissioning of Peter to shepherd the flock of God, which we covered last Sunday in John 21, and now we are going to set the foundation for how we understand the nature of the church and church leadership.
After we cover some important topics in this series about the church and church leadership, we will begin studying the book of Acts on Palm Sunday, and that will take us all the way through the summer.
I ended last Sunday by giving Peter the last word from 1 Peter 5. This Sunday I’d like to start our new series by giving Peter the first word from an earlier chapter of this same letter. After many years of faithful shepherding of the early church, this is what Peter wrote as he defined what the church is and who Jesus is as the cornerstone:
1 Peter 2:4-10 says, (SLIDES 2-5) “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
(SLIDE 6, title) ILLUST — Theologian Edmund Clowney points out the language in this passage that recalls Old Testament descriptions of Israel: “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.” But now Peter applies these terms to all those who believe in Jesus, who trust in the sure foundation of Christ, the Cornerstone, the One who fulfills the Old Testament promises of a Savior, and has redeemed us through his mercy and grace at the cross and in his resurrection life.
In other words, the true church is only founded on Christ and the true church only consists of mercy-receiving sinners who trust in Jesus for salvation, and God then builds us together, brick-by-brick, to become a visible community of faith, a spiritual house, a family of worship and witness.
This is the start of a good theology of the church. And our series on Biblical Church Leadership must begin with a message about Christ, the Head of the Church.
Here’s what I want to make very clear as we begin this series: Jesus Christ is the head of this church. He is our Chief Shepherd, the Cornerstone, the One who has called, redeemed, and established us here with this particular group of people, in this particular place, at this particular moment in time. He is in charge here.
Our passage this morning is a paradigm-setting passage. It sets us on the right trajectory, it makes sure we know why we are here, and it elevates Christ as supreme.
Open with me to Colossians 1:1-23. This morning we are going to walk through one of the most important passages about the supremacy of Jesus as the head of the church.
BACKGROUND
Now, it’s really important that we know a bit of background here about the church in the ancient Greek city of Colossae. Paul wrote this letter to the Colossian church while he was in prison in Rome around 60 AD.
If you were to read the rest of this letter, it becomes evident that Paul was writing to address some kind of false teaching that was undermining the true message of the gospel. Apparently, these Christians had been led astray into something that claimed the name “Christianity,” but was clearly not aligned with the gospel.
One commentator puts it this way, “The most dangerous part of the false teaching in Colossae was that it wore the mask of ‘Christianity.’ It did not deny Christ, but it did dethrone him. It gave Christ a place, but not the supreme place.”
APPLY — Friends, this is exactly what happens today. There are churches and denominations today that claim the name “Christianity,” but have dethroned Jesus and substituted idols of pop-culture, political planks, human traditions or authority, or new definitions of moral truth. You can find a YouTube preacher to suit any version of “Christianity” for your itching ears.
How did Paul combat this? He begins this letter with a specific prayer that elevates Jesus as supreme, points us to the true gospel, and calls us to faithfulness as God’s people.
You see, Paul offers a positive picture of the supremacy of Christ as the head of the church.
Let’s read. READ Colossians 1:1-23.
ORG SENT — There are three foundational truths, three reminders, that Paul gives to the church in Colossae in this passage (SLIDE 7): 1) He gives a clear description of his role as a leader in the church. 2) He makes sure these early believers have a right understanding of the gospel. 3) He ensures they elevate Christ as supreme and surrender to him as Head of the church.
Paul achieves these three reminders by bookending this passage with the description of his role, then moving toward the middle of the passage he asserts a right understand of the gospel, and at the center of the passage is a hymn of the early church about the supremacy of Christ. So there is a flow to this passage that narrows in on the central theme of Christ as head of the church.
MAIN 1 — Paul’s role (vv. 1 and 23). (SLIDE 8)
Paul begins and ends this passage by using two specific terms that describe his role in the church. He is deliberately bookending this beautiful opening section by making sure the Colossian believers know what his leadership is all about.
READ vv. 1 and 23. There are two unique terms here:
Apostle (v. 1) = (SLIDE 9) a “sent one”, delegate, messenger, one sent forth with special orders or with a special assignment.
Some may wonder if this role of “apostle” is a biblical office that should still exist in the church today. Throughout church history, it has been debated whether there is still special apostolic authority or apostolic succession. What is the best way to understand this?
If you look at the evidence of the New Testament, the office of “apostle” was for those specially commissioned by Jesus himself to spread the gospel in the first generation of the church. But as the church age unfolds, the role of apostle becomes more generalized, like a spiritual gift, and the leadership of the church is turned over to Elders as Paul and his companions appoint overseers in local churches.
So I think it is proper to see a uniqueness in Paul’s calling as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” because he was uniquely commissioned by Jesus on the road to Damascus, but also it is proper to remember that in a general sense we all are sent ones, bearing the message of Christ in word and deed wherever we go. That’s what it means to be a church that fulfills the Great Commission.
Servant (v. 23) = (SLIDE 10) this word describes someone who executes the commands of another. It is an action-oriented, willing, and humble role. Often this word is translated as “minister”.
Paul is a minister of the gospel. He is serving God by serving the church. He is bearing witness in his sacrificial service to the truth of the gospel.
KEY: These two terms together help paint a picture of the motivations and purposes of biblical church leadership. These two bookends display a distinct sense of humility and servant-leadership for Paul.
Paul is on assignment, he’s accountable to Christ.
Paul is serving others, he’s not here for himself.
These priorities can easily get sideways, sometimes resulting in church leaders who make ministry about preserving their own power or authority, protecting their reputation, or earning themselves accolades or more advertising revenue from YouTube ads.
This is exactly the kind of situation the Reformer Martin Luther found himself 500 years ago. Against the abusive authority and false doctrine of the late-medieval Catholic church, Luther asserted that the only true churches and the only true church leaders are ones who preach the biblical gospel from God’s Word.
Reformation scholar Alister McGrath described Luther’s view this way: (SLIDE 11) “What legitimates a church or its office-bearers is not historical continuity with the apostolic church, but theological continuity. It is more important to preach the same gospel as the apostles than to be a member of an institution which is historically derived from them.”
In other words, we must ask ourselves: Is Christ the Cornerstone and is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of our doctrine and life together? If so, then we are truly part of “the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” that has endured through generations as Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3:15.
Now that we know Paul’s role, we need to look at how he makes sure these early believers have a right understanding of the gospel.
MAIN 2 — Right Understanding of the Gospel (vv. 3-14, 21-22). (SLIDE 12)
There is simply too much to cover if we were to go verse-by-verse in this section. I’ve preached this part of Colossians before, so I would recommend going back to listen to my message on chapter 1 from July 17, 2022.
Here’s what I’d like to do: I’ll simply walk through some key concepts that Paul uses here to frame up what is most important when we consider what it means to be a gospel-centered church.
Who are gospel people? (SLIDE 13)
We are holy (vv. 2 and 22) (SLIDE 14) — We are God’s holy people, reconciled to Him, without blemish and free from accusation because of what Christ has done for us on the cross.
We are family (vv. 12b and 21) (SLIDE 15) — We are no longer strangers, now we are children with an inheritance in heaven. We are the family of God, co-heirs with Christ!
We are rescued (v. 13) (SLIDE 16) — We are forgiven, rescued from the dominion of darkness, and brought into the light of God’s kingdom!
What are gospel people we marked by? (SLIDE 17)
Faith, hope, and love (vv. 4-5 and 23a) (SLIDE 18) — We have faith in Jesus and love for God’s people that springs from our eternal hope in heaven!
Good works (vv. 9-12a) (SLIDE 19) — Through the empowering and transforming Spirit of God, we can know his will and live in ways that please God, not out of obligation, but out of joy and love for God!
KEY: These things flow from what we’ve received in the gospel. We are made holy in God’s sight through Christ, we are made family through Christ, and we are rescued by Christ. Only when we are secure in Christ’s work on our behalf can we pursue growing in obedience and faithfulness in these things.
This is where Paul gets to the heart of the matter. Remember, we’ve been working our way toward the middle of this passage, centering on the supremacy of Christ.
MAIN 3 — Supremacy of Christ (vv. 15-20). (SLIDE 20)
These verses are one of the most beautiful and glorious descriptions of Jesus. I’ll remind you what I said earlier: Jesus Christ is the head of this church. Paul captures some of the most important words in the entire Bible to help us see the supremacy of Christ as we consider what it means to be a church founded on the gospel.
It is believed that these verse may have been a hymn of the early church. In the original Greek New Testament, these verses are formatted like song lyrics. They likely were sung corporately by the early believers.
So, let me take a few minutes here to walk you through these incredible verses as we exalt Christ together:
Jesus reveals God to us (v. 15) (SLIDE 21)
In verse 15, the words “image” and “invisible” create a juxtaposition. The idea of “image” is like that of a mirror: it is the visible reflection of someone.
KEY — Jesus is the visible reflection of the invisible God. He makes the unseen nature and character of an immaterial God a seen and physical reality. This emphasizes the deity of Jesus. He is God in the flesh, the revealer of God.
Jesus created all things (v. 16) (SLIDE 22)
There’s an important feature here that is a unique claim of Christian doctrine. Look at the end of verse 16, “all things have been created through him and for him.” These two words, through and for, are incredibly important.
Everything was created through Jesus, meaning that he is the instrument of creation. He is the mechanism by which the Triune God made everything.
But we can’t stop there. The word for is just as important. This word “for” means that the purpose of creation is for Jesus.
In other words, everything exists for his glory, for his pleasure, and for his purposes. Jesus himself is the purpose for which YOU were created.
APPLY — Take a minute to wrap your mind around that. The reason you exist is not for yourself. You don’t exist to make money, you don’t exist for pleasure, you don’t exist for your kids, you don’t exist to make your dad happy, and you don’t exist for your job, and you don’t exist as a meaningless pawn in the vast scope of history. You exist for Jesus Christ; he made you, and he loves you.
Jesus holds everything together (v. 17) (SLIDE 23)
Jesus is the reason there is a cosmos and not chaos. He is the instrument of creation, he is the purpose of creation, and he is the sustainer of creation. Every aspect of the created order relies on Jesus from top to bottom, beginning to end.
Jesus is the head of the church (v. 18) (SLIDE 24)
This is a wonderful metaphor. The head gives direction, the head leads the body. Without the head, there is no control over the body. The whole body is dependent on the head to tell it what to do and to guide all of his functions. Jesus is not merely Lord over creation generally, but he is Lord over the church.
His lordship is a living relationship. You see, the head and the body have an organic connection; there is a relationship that is living and breathing. We need to pursue a relationship with him. He is the only source of life and the only leader of this church is Jesus himself.
Jesus reconciled us at the cross (vv. 19-20) (SLIDE 25)
This is the heart of the gospel and what it means to be a gospel-centered church: Jesus achieved peace by dying on the cross so that we could be reconciled to God when we trust in him by faith. There is no other gospel and no other Cornerstone of our faith than the risen Jesus Christ. He is the head of the church, the giver of life, and protector, the sustainer, and the only Savior.
APPLY
These are glorious truths. And it will take a lifetime to wrap your mind around all the implications of the supremacy of Jesus Christ.
But here’s how I want to end this morning. I took some time this week to ponder some practical ways our approach changes when Jesus is elevated as the head of the church. Here are some things to set the proper perspective (SLIDE 26) for us as a Christ-centered church:
We pray (SLIDE 27) — we’re dependent on Jesus.
This has become a renewed burden on my heart. And our Elders together want to lead the way by inviting you to a time of prayer and of sharing about the vision for our church on Sunday March 10 from 6:00-7:30pm. We’ll provide dessert and childcare. We’re calling this an “all-church kitchen table” conversation. A lot has happened in the last year. We want to acknowledge some things that were difficult, and also look with anticipation and hope toward the opportunities in front of us. We will talk about ways we plan to grow our leadership, discuss plans for moving ahead with our building project, and most importantly: we are going to pray. Prayer is our expression of dependence, and we need to come together to renew our commitment to prayer as a congregation, especially at an important inflection point like this moment in our church family.
This is related to the next one…
We humble ourselves (SLIDE 28) — this isn’t about us, its about Jesus.
We must continue to make Christ the center of attention and exalt him above all.
We serve (SLIDE 29) — we love and care for others like Jesus.
The DNA of our church is to serve others. We want servant-leaders and volunteers who sacrificially care for others, modeled after Jesus.
We aren’t afraid (SLIDE 30) — we trust in the sovereign power of Jesus.
No matter what this world throws at us, we will not succumb to fear.
We know what is true (SLIDE 31) — what is right and good is revealed by Jesus.
We have God’s self-revelation, and we can trust in his Word.
We have hope (SLIDE 32) — our future is secure in Jesus.
We don’t worry about tomorrow. We trust in the promises of God.
We are loved (SLIDE 33) — we are lavished with the unmerited favor of Jesus.
Friends, you are God’s beloved child. Bask in the goodness of his grace.
There are definitely more things we could say, but this is a good start! May we continually remind each other: Christ is the head of this church, he is the Chief Shepherd, he is our Cornerstone, and we trust in him.