Shepherds Conference 2018 Session 10 Notes

Steven Lawson

Christ: The Head of the Church

 

During the Reformation, there was a crisis of authority.

Who speaks for God: the church or Scripture?

Who is the head of the church?

Rome says it is the Pope.

The authority of heaven, they claim, is invested in the Pope.

The reformers pushed back and called him antichrist.

They argue that the only head of the church is Jesus Christ.

In England, Henry VIII proclaimed himself to be head of the church of England.

English reformers defied the monarch and claimed that Christ is the only head of the church.

The same happened in Scotland.

 

This is not an incidental matter; it is a fundamental matter.

No Pope is the head of the church.

No hierarchy of men is the head of the church.

No pastor, elder board, or congregational vote is the head of the church.

There is but one head of the church, and he is the one who is seated at the right hand of God the Father and who purchased the church by the shedding of his own blood.

 

The meaning of Christ’ headship

The ministries of Christ’s headship

The Mandate of Christ’s headship

 

The meaning of Christ’s headship

Two concepts in Ephesians 1:20-ff

 

First, Jesus is our ruling head.

Jesus is sovereign, having supreme authority over all matters that transpire in the church.

He is the ruler of the church.

He is of superior authority and rank.

This is somewhat like when we call a person a head of state or the head of a corporation.

 

Verse 20

God the Father raised Jesus from the dead.

He is a living head.

The Father seated Jesus at his own right hand.

The Father enthroned Jesus and invested in him all authority.

Verse 21

Jesus is far above all other powers or authorities.

This is supremely supreme.

He is above all angels in any hierarchy.

He is above any name that is named.

That includes all worldly rulers.

Not only is this true in this age, but in eternity future.

There are no term limits upon the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He will never step aside.

Verse 22

God the Father put all things in subjection to the Son.

Subjection is a military term for subordinates lining up under a superior.

Everything in the universe is in submission and subordination under the supreme sovereignty of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is a conquering king.

All things are like a defeated adversary under the victorious king’s feet.

 

None of us can comprehend just how sovereign Jesus is.

In Revelation 19, Jesus returns with many crowns.

He is sovereign.

Our minds cannot grasp how in control the Lord Jesus is.

Matthew 28:18

Jesus has all authority.

There is no authority outside of Jesus Christ.

 

Verse 22

The Father has given Jesus as head over all things to the church.

Head means ruling authority.

It is supreme to the extreme.

Jesus’ will is supreme in all matters, his word is final.

Jesus is the head and we are the body.

Jesus is Lord and we are the slaves.

Jesus is King and we are the subjects.

 

Second, Jesus is the organic head.

He is also the source of all life to the church.

He infuses life and grace into the church.

He gives his wisdom and power and love and peace to the church.

We have no need but that Jesus is all-sufficient to meet that need.

 

The fullness of him…

Everything he is.

… of him who fills all…

He pours himself into us.

He fills us and lives within us.

He is our ample supply.

He lives within us as we live for him.

Verse 23

He fills all in all.

In all places, all times, he fills all in all.

 

The meaning of his headship is that he is over us as ruling head and is in us as organic head.

He is lord and life.

He is over us as sovereign and in us as source and supply for all we need.

 

The ministries’ of Christ’s headship

Acts 1:1

… all that Jesus began to do and teach…

There is more he will do and teach in the church.

 

First, as head, he has the authority to choose his leaders.

Acts 1:24

The head of the church has to supply the replacement for Judas.

They prayed and said to Jesus, “you Lord…”

They pray, looking to Jesus.

Only Jesus knows the hearts of all men.

They ask Jesus to show which man Jesus has chosen.

Jesus controls the casting of the lot into the lap.

The head of the church sovereignly controlled the choice of the replacement.

They do not ask Jesus to confirm their choice.

They humble themselves and ask Jesus to show which one he had chosen.

The head of the church will move to bring leaders into the local church.

God is the one who calls and Christ appoints the leadership in the church.

 

Second, as head he has the authority to call a people to himself.

Acts 2:39

Jesus fulfills what he said in Matthew 16:18.

He begins to build his church by his sovereign grace.

Not every person on earth is built into the church.

Verse 39

as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Jesus is the name upon which we call for salvation.

God the Father has made him Lord and Christ.

It is this Lord, in verse 39, who is calling out a people to himself.

This is an effectual call.

The Bible talks about 2 types of calls.

There is the external call.

That comes from all sorts and goes to the ear.

There is the internal call of the Lord Jesus.

This call actually summons subpoenas the one who is called.

When Jesus calls like this, those called come.

John 10:22

Jesus calls his sheep and they come.

Jesus as the ruling head is sovereign over who he calls into the church.

No one comes into the true church except Jesus calls them.

And all he calls will come.

Thus Jesus assures the effectiveness of gospel preaching.

We give the external call.

Jesus gives the internal, effectual call.

The only way we know the Father is because Jesus willed to show us the father.

 

Acts 3:16

All whom he calls believe.

Why?

Jesus gives them faith to believe.

Acts 3:16, faith is in Jesus and it comes from Jesus.

The faith comes through him.

As Jesus builds his church, he gives people saving faith so that they can exercise faith in him.

He is both the source and the object of saving faith.

Faith that is in Jesus is faith that is through Jesus is a faith that comes from Jesus.

Hebrews calls Jesus the author and perfecter of faith.

Philippians 1:29

It was granted to you to believe.

George Whitfield said that man has free will to go to hell, but no free will to go to heaven.

Spurgeon said that he has heard much about free will, but he has never yet seen it.

 

As head of the church, he has authority to grant repentance.

Acts 5:31

We are talking about how Jesus builds his church one soul at a time.

We have no ability to conjure up our own forgiveness.

But there is only one active agent who grants repentance.

The one who gives forgiveness is also the one who gives repentance.

Also in Acts 11, same thing.

God grants the gentiles the repentance that leads to life.

 

As we proclaim the gospel, God has gone before us and God works with us and he calls out his chosen, gives them faith, and grants them repentance.

This is what Jesus does to build his church.

 

He has authority to convert his enemies.

Acts 9:1

Jesus can overcome any and all resistance.

If God can do this with Saul, he can do this with anybody.

Saul was breathing threats and murders against the disciples of the Lord.

He was hunting Christians.

Suddenly Christ appeared.

Saul fell to the ground.

Saul asks, Who are you, Lord?”

He answered the question himself before the end of the sentence.

Jesus brought an enemy to his knees and brought him to a place of self-denial.

This is a prototype of every conversion.

This is what Jesus did in your life if you are actually converted.

He humbled you and brought you low.

Verse 15

Saul is a chosen instrument of Christ’s.

No way could Saul have resisted that mighty call.

When Jesus calls, we come.

 

Acts 16

As head, he has authority to open closed hearts.

Verse 13-ff

God opened Lydia’s heart to respond to the things spoken…

Her heart had been closed.

God opened it.

Paul gave the external call.

Jesus gave the internal call.

Lydia then responded.

Verse 14, opened.

Verse 26, the same opened is used of the prison doors opened.

The earthquake opened the doors.

God opened Lydia’s heart.

This is how Jesus builds his church.

He blows the doors open in hardened hearts.

He sends spiritual earthquakes to open our hearts.

 

Acts 18

As head, he has authority to guarantee gospel success.

He has his people who will believe and who will respond.

Verse 9

The Lord tells Paul to keep preaching.

Jesus says that he is with Paul.

Jesus says that he has many people in the city.

This included those who would be saved.

 

Acts 20

As head, Jesus has authority to purchase and possess the church.

Verse 28

Paul is speaking to the elders in Ephesus.

Speaking of the church,

Which he purchased with his own blood.

Jesus purchased the church of God with his own blood.

The church belongs to him by right of ownership.

As the good shepherd, Jesus laid down his life for the sheep, his sheep.

Jesus did not die in vain.

All for whom he died he calls.

All whom he calls, he gives saving faith.

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Ephesians 5:1, Jesus gave himself up for us.

 

The mandate of Christ’s headship

None of us are free to reinvent church.

None of us are free to come up with our own way of doing church.

The head of the church has already instructed us how he desires to be worshipped.

He has shown us how he desires the body to function.

This is the regulative principle.

The activities of the church will be regulated by what Jesus says.

He has every right to govern every square inch of our church because he is the head of the church.