Next, let’s discover the place of our Lord Jesus Christ in God’s plan for the Church.
Jesus is the Ruling Christ who has the power and authority to fully accomplish His will in His Church and in the world.
Colossians 2:10: ...10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
Matthew 28:18: 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
Revelation 1:5: ...5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood...
Imagine the Church, the Body of Christ, with Jesus as its actual head. Some might say, “Preposterous,” others “...scandalous!” He is our only Leader, present and able to direct His saints to do His good will.
Colossians 1:18: 18He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
Ephesians 1:22,23: 22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 4:15: 15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ...
Jesus personally presides in our midst, meaning His “preeminence” with respect to the Church (Colossians 1:18). We gather at His command and in His presence. He is the One we need and He has what we need. We hear His voice, “I am the good shepherd.” His sheep know His voice, hear His voice, and follow Him. How do we know that He is present in our meeting? He promised never to leave us or forsake us. With eyes and ears of faith He is seen and heard by those who gather, listen and wait.
Matthew 18:20: 20For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.
Matthew 28:20b: ...20band lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
The Church is a dwelling of God in the Spirit, and our Lord Jesus is the builder of the unique, divine structure. God questioned King David, “What kind of a house will you build for Me?” Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God is supremely qualified and ever willing to construct a house, a dwelling place, of the joined-lives of the saints. “I will build My Church,” He said.
Matthew 16:15-18: 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
Hebrews 3:2-6: 2He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. 3For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 5Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house– whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
Colossians 2:19: ...19and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
1 Corinthians 3:1-9: 1And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 4For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?
5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Our Lord, the Builder, also shoulders the burden as the Cornerstone of the Church, the supreme foundation stone, on whom all other stones rest. Each saint is set as a living stone, placed stone on stone by the hand of God. Any other BEGINNING STONE frustrates the building of a temple of God in the Spirit.
Matthew 21:42: 42Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The Stone which the builders rejected, This became the Chief Corner Stone; This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. 44And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”
Jesus governs His Church. He leads each saint in life and service by His gentle and lowly spirit. Jesus leads as the Servant of All, calling, “Follow Me.”
Matthew 23:1-12: 1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. 5But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. 8But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”
Luke 6:46-49: 46“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”
One Chief Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ, shepherds the flock. All others appointed to shepherd and guide are under-shepherds, accountable to the saints and answering to the one, supreme Shepherd.
1 Peter 2:25: 25For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
1 Peter 5:4 (Peter addressing elders): 4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
“If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31). The devil, our adversary, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking all whom he may devour. Take heart, dear saint! Jesus stands along side us to guard and keep us safe now and forever.
1 Peter 2:25: 25For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
John 10:27-30: 27My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.
Revelation 7:13-17: 13Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15For this reason, they are before the throne of God;
and they serve Him day and night in His temple;
and He who sits on the throne will spread His
tabernacle over them.
16They will hunger no longer,
nor thirst anymore;
nor will the sun beat down on them,
nor any heat;
17for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be
their shepherd,
and will guide them to springs of the water of life;
and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Within the Church, a kingdom of priests to God, Jesus functions as the High Priest of our confession. He is, even now, at the right hand of the Father, ever to make intercession for us.
Hebrews 4:14-16: 14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus is the Bridegroom, the Church, His bride. The ultimate proof of His love, a life sacrificed for another, culminated on the cross.
John 3:28,29: 28You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, “I am not the Christ,” but, “I have been sent ahead of Him.” 29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.