Convictions - Jesus Christ is Head of the Church
Chris Bowditch
Our Convictions • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 25:28
0 ratings
· 32 viewsPart 1 of a series designed to help us think through our deeply held beliefs about God (theological convictions) and to make sure we continue to live consistently with these convictions.
Files
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Red rag = good luck
Red rag = good luck
Steve Waugh red rag
Carried on him at all times when batting.
He believed it bought him good luck.
Deeply held belief that drove his actions. This red rag brings me good form. Therefore I must preserve it and take it with me out into the middle everytime I bat.
Convictions
Convictions
All of us have convictions. All of us have beliefs and principles that we know to be true and we strive to let those convictions drive our actions.
But it’s easier said than done sometimes I think.
Often in fact when we feel regret or remorse, it’s usually because our behaviour has gone against one of our deeply held convictions. And even more interestingly often times we don’t spend much time deeply thinking about what our convictions are. And it’s only after the fact when we do something or don’t do something and our conscience rears its head that perhaps we start to think about what exactly are our deeply held beliefs.
If we want to be people of integrity. We need to be people of conviction. And if we want to live out our convictions. We need to think about what they are.
And as Christians, we want our convictions to be shaped not by tradition, or culture, or our own thoughts (reason) about what we like. No we want them to be shaped by God. And he shapes them by His Spirit working through the Bible to reveal to us what are the deep theological truths upon which we should live.
Our Convictions
Our Convictions
As a Diocese, and as a local church we have 5 stated convictions.
When Bishop Richard Condie launched the vision back at Synod in 2017 he said:
“Convictions… are settled beliefs and principles that we know to be true and that ought to drive our actions. Convictions are corrective. Challenging our wrong behaviour and taking us on the right path. They are inspirational. The truths we know about God and his mission inspire us to turn towards him.”
Our five convictions are:
1. Jesus Christ is head of the Church
2. And he has sent us to make disciples
3. By word, prayer and service
4. Supported by fruitful godly leaders
5. God being our provider, and us stewards of his gifts.
Why do a series on our convictions?
Why do a series on our convictions?
We’re heading into our Annual Meeting and so it’s a chance for us to corporately think about what ought to be driving our decision making as a church.
We heard last week about unity. If we align ourselves with these convictions as a whole, we will find greater unity as we get on with being a church for Lindisfarne, making disciples of Jesus.
There’s a chance that at this point in time, our convictions are 5 points on a page that no one remembers. I hope that these are more than just 5 points on page, but actually are an accurate reflection of our deeply held beliefs as a church. I hope you’ll feel a greater sense of belonging when you realise you’re on about the same things we’re on about as a church as we work through them.
Conviction 1: Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church
Conviction 1: Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church
What does this mean?
We’re confident of what we do in this church because we know God is working out his soverign purposes.
Everything we do is done in humble and obedient service to his lordship.
But is this idea true?
Absolutely.
We saw it in our first reading in Ephesians
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
And if we kept reading Paul’s letters in the NT, we would see this idea come up again and again in places like:
Eph 4:15
Eph 5:23
1 Cor 11:3
Col 1:18
But it’s not just Paul. Jesus himself speaks of his authority and power over and for the church.
In places like John 20:21, Matthew 10:1 and Matthew 28:19 - as Jesus is sending out the disciples on mission he does so with his authority as head of the church which he recieves from the Father.
Likewise we see Jesus’ attitude and leadership/lordship of the church clearly in Matthew 16:18. As Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus says,
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Jesus is going to build his church and protect his church for all eternity based on the foundation of those who profess Christ as lord.
And so we could dig deeper into any number of passages to get a better understanding of this conviction of ours, that Jesus Christ is head of the church. But I thought today we’d take a look at Colossians, our second reading, where Paul outlines the supremancy of Jesus. His lordship over not just the church, but all the world.
Let’s take a look, Paul makes 3 big points and outlines one response.
He says Jesus, the Son:
1. Shows us who God is
1. Shows us who God is
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
You want to worship God, you have to worship Jesus. You want to know what God is like? You look at Jesus. If you don’t like saying the name Jesus or worshipping Jesus in all you say and do, then you don’t like God. You take away Jesus and you lose God.
Jesus is God.
2. Creator and sustainer and therefore boss of the world
2. Creator and sustainer and therefore boss of the world
16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Because Jesus made everything and sustains everything he is the boss of all things.
We worship Jesus because he made us and he sustains us. And if that’s true, if nothing happens outside his creating and sustaining power, then he is indeed fully trustworthy as he is able to deliever on his promises to grow the church and save his people.
(So Jesus is God. He made everything and sustains everything… and…)
3. Head of the church
3. Head of the church
18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Jesus is head of the church because of what he’s done for the church. Dying on the cross and rising to new life and reconciling the world to God through the cross. The church stands out from the rest of the world because as his body we are the ones who stand out from the world in acknowledging who is really running the show. It isn’t us. It is Jesus.
So if Jesus is God, is the creator and sustainer, and the head of everything including the church. What should our response as the church be?
Our response? Hold onto the gospel and serve it’s proclomation.
Our response? Hold onto the gospel and serve it’s proclomation.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Do you realise what Jesus has done for you?
You were God’s enemy. But now you have been reconciled.
We know the immense difficulty of bringing about true reconcilliation in this country.
But God has done the impossible. He has made peace where there was none. He has bought life where there was death. He has bought purity where there was only filth and shame.
How did God do this? Jesus died on the cross for you.
This is the heart of our faith. This is the gospel, the good news.
And it was that good news, that gospel, that Paul proclaimed and which Paul served.
It is this good news which transforms lives and this gospel which is the foundation for the church as it serves Jesus.
Our convictions change us
Our convictions change us
What does this conviction mean in practice for you and me? How does it change our thinking and our behaviour?
Don’t read out the heading:
1. The church is a body not a building.
1. The church is a body not a building.
If asked you to picture our church in your mind. What do you see?
Perhaps the big windows at the front that tower over the village with the cross.
Maybe you imagine the lovely gardens.
Perhaps its your the view of the front of the church here from your regular pew that you’ve grown so accustomed to.
They’re ok pictures. But if they are the first things that come to your mind, then thats an invitation to check your convictions. Because Jesus Christ is not head of a tall narrow red brick building on the corner of Lincoln and Amelia Sts in Lindisfarne Tasmania. No he’s head of his body. Of the people who happen to gather in that building to worship and serve Him.
The church is a body not a building. If someone asked as to draw the church instead of drawing four walls, a roof and a cross on top. We should be drawing faces. The people of God. The body of Christ. Serving the world as Jesus’ hands and feet.
2. The church doesn’t belong to me.
2. The church doesn’t belong to me.
I wonder how you concieve of this gathering you’re part of today?
Some of us have been here a long time, 95 years. Others have walked in for the first time today.
Some have come from other Anglican churches, some have come from different denominations to find a home here at LA.
Whatever the case may be we are all susecptiable to thinking of this church as our church, as my church.
It’s great that we love the church enough that we’re willing to identify so strongly with it. And I’m certain a lot of the time that’s all we mean when we say, ‘this is my church’.
But we need to make sure we don’t forget that in fact this isn’t ‘my church’. It isn’t the ministers church. It isn’t the longest serving members church. It isn’t the Parish Council’s church. It isn’t the Bishop’s church. It’s Jesus’ church. He died for it. He reconciled us to God. He is in charge of it. And our job is to respond to His call to remain faithful to the good news and seek it’s proclamation.
3. We do what Jesus wants, not what we want.
3. We do what Jesus wants, not what we want.
When we rememeber that God has called us collectively as his body to serve him in his church not ours then we realise that as a church we are called not to keeping the peace. Not to making people happy. But to worshipping Jesus and doing what he’s called us to do.
And we’ll delve into that more next week when we get to conviciton to, he has sent us to make disciples.
So let us look our lord, our head, Jesus. And let us seek to do everyhing in humble and obedient service to his lordship.
Jesus you are the head of your church. We are privelliged to be part of your body, the church here in Lindisfarne. Help us to follow you in all we do and say, and forgive us for the times we’ve put our own thoughts and needs above yours. We pray you would build this church on the faithful proclamation of the good news, that you have died on the cross once for all, so that we might live. Thank you for loving us so much you’d be willing to die for us. In response to your great love, we commit to be your servants, just as Paul did, seeking to bring the good news to more and more people in Lindisfarne and beyond. AMEN.