Ministry

Let me go back to reading Ephesians chapter 1, please. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, we might gather together in one. We might sum up, we might head up all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him.

At the end of the chapter, verse 22, and hath put all things under his feet, and made him to be the head over all things, for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him, that filleth all in all. Over to chapter 4, and just at verse 15, that speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. Over to chapter 5, verse 23, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.

And he, I think that goes back to the husband, who is the savior of the body, preserving the body. We have looked at this yesterday, and I think I can make a connection with what we have been reminded of, this one whose head possesses the most fine gold, and not like the image in Daniel, which deteriorated down to the end, and eventually a broken kingdom, there is one, because of the grace of this person, who is absolutely no deterioration, we have been reminded of that. And I just want to consider now something of the truth of headship as it relates to the Lord Jesus.

I think it may be a truth that we underestimate or fail to appreciate, and you may say after all I have to say that I have underestimated it too, but it is a tremendously important truth, given to us in the word of God, it tells us how God thinks, and how God plans, and what God has planned in a central around his beloved son. There are, as far as I can discern, two kinds of headship in the New Testament. There is a representative headship, and the word head is not used with relation to that, but so often we refer to federal headship, and we are talking about Adam, and about Christ.

I think that is reflected in the statement Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 15, as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. But that truth is developed in Romans chapter 5, and I think you are quite familiar with that. I think the illustration of that may be seen in the Valley of Elam.

You remember when the Israelites and the Philistines were at war, at least they were supposed to be having a war, but there was a cessation of the war, as the giant strides up and down, and taunts the army of Israel, and he says, this is the arrangement. Give me a man, and I'll fight you. If he wins, you win.

If I win, we win. He was a representative of the nation of the Philistines, and he wanted a representative of the nation of Israel. And you know that when David did win, then all the rest of Israel just let, gathered their swords, because the Philistine army was defeated, its head had been defeated.

I'm not laying out the words that this text is taken from. But in Adam, there was death that came as a result of that one man. As by one man, sin entered the world, and death by sin.

So death has passed upon all men for that all sin. So Adam, as a representative of the human family, sins brings in death. As a result of this disobedience, there is the condemnation of death.

One act of disobedience, and he brings a different standing for all that he represents. What a wonderful contrast. He's just a type of another that will come.

And that one does not bring in death, but now he brings in justification, a justification of life. That is, instead of condemnation, now a right standing before God. Instead of Adam establishing a standing of sinners, as by one man's disobedience many were constituted sinners, so by the obedience of one were many constituted righteous.

And so Paul is giving us the great truth, that not only did the death of Christ answer to God for our sins and bring us into a right standing before God, but he is the one representative who brings all into that standing before God and therefore fits us to live graciously in the presence of God. No longer under the dominion of sin. No longer under the power to which Adam subjected himself.

But now there is something of a different power, a different standing. So rather than objecting, why would the sin of one man, Adam, have such a tragic effect on the whole race? We learn this. God has that headship, that representative headship in you, in order that he might bring many into a righteous standing by the act of one at Calvary.

Because, you know, we hear people in the gospel, or listen to the gospel, and strangers do it, and they say, but how can what one man did answer for me? Surely I have got to do something myself to be right with God. And of course, God has arranged this great truth of headship, in this case federal headship, a representative, and we have been brought into a right standing before God on the basis of one who represented us in one act of obedience, submitting, as you have in Philippians chapter 2, he humbled himself and became obedient to the extent of death, even the death of the cross. And it might just be worthwhile mentioning for those who are listening, to teachers who are telling us that not only is the death of Christ essential for us, but we have had his life imputed to us.

The righteous acts of Christ in his life have been imputed to us for our righteousness as well. Please understand, it's the representative, through by one act of righteousness, has constituted us righteous. And all the law keeping of Christ, with glorifying to God, and the law keeping of Christ, is the evidence that he's a good sacrifice.

But we have not had the acts of Christ imputed to us any more than we have the acts of Adam imputed to us. Just one act, and a standing's changed by one act, a standing of righteousness is established. But, maybe I'll just stop there for one moment.

What would be the problem if all of Adam's sins were imputed to Adam? Well then I would have gender, not just the condemnation of death. I would have to answer to God for the judgment of Adam's sin. And so would every child who died.

If Adam's sins are imputed to all in his headship, then the child, who has done nothing himself, has imputed to him the sins of Adam. And I would take the principle from Romans chapter 5, where there's no law, there's no transgression, where a child has no idea of what God's requirements are. God does not hold that child accountable for that, nor for Adam's sin.

If there's one act on Adam's part, if there's one act on Christ's part, I just think it would be important for us to understand the distinction. But the other kind of headship is a relational headship. And that is the major subject of headship that is taken up in the New Testament.

One is federal. Now you know what the story is of the federal government. We're all living in a federal government and I hope you didn't vote for them, but you have a representative.

And when he votes in Congress, it is reckoned that you vote to be the representative. And that is federal headship, that is representative headship. But there is corporal headship, talking now about a body.

There is corporal headship and it's a relational headship. The relationship between the head and the body is imputed. When you're looking at that with Christ, then you have to go to 1 Corinthians chapter 11, where Paul takes up actually three spheres of headship.

And he reminds us of this. The head of every man is Christ. The head of the woman is the man.

And then the most important of the three is mentioned last, because Paul's not going to develop that. The head of Christ is God. But that last and most important of those spheres of headship sets the tone for what headship is.

Headship is not lordship. And we have a, to my way of understanding the truth of the New Testament, we have a great deal of confusion on that. And we talk about the authority of the head.

We actually are looking at administration when we're talking about the head. Administration encrusted to one for the good, for the health, for the sustenance of another. So when you're talking about headship, you're talking about the truth of care.

The head is responsible for the body. You're talking about the truth of coordination, to bring the body together, in a coordinated and united way. You're talking about the Greek truth of cultivation, that cultivates and nurtures the body.

Can I use an illustration that I don't understand and I think you will too? If you have an individual who, through injury, has a disconnect between his body and his head, then the body actually wants that. If it's upset, if it's spasmed, it can do whatever it wants, you never know when it's going to do that. It just reacts on its own.

That's how the head operates. In other words, lordship is not recognized there. It is not a response to the control of the head.

It just controls itself. But the other side of that is this. The head is not able to exert its care for the body.

And therefore, there might be wounds, but the head is not able to send nourishment to the head. The body responds to the healing of that wound itself, but the head can't do that. The head doesn't do that because of the disconnect.

And a person may be riding along in a wheelchair and the foot may slip off the foot holder at the bottom and the head is not able to know where the foot is and the wheelchair might run into the wall or whatever it may be. The care of the head is not reaching, not nurturing the foot. So you have the thought of lordship, responsibility to him, obedience, authority.

You have headship, responsibility for us and his care is nourishing of the body. So, the head of Christ is God. In his coming into humanity, he maintains, retains eternal beauty.

And the head and the one who is cared for by the head are all the same. And it is God's role to care for this man. And he undertakes for him in every detail.

He has given his angels charge over him that they should keep him in all his ways. Here is one who is caring for the Christ. And how much that develops in the word of God is in the statement.

And it gives us the truth of heaven. It gives us really the origin of this, exemplified by the Lord Jesus, who is God, who came into humanity. But there is a creatorial headship as well.

In addition to that divine headship, there is that creatorial headship that the man is the head of the woman. And of course, that headship should have led Adam rather than following Eve to protect her from the temptation of the evil one. It should fail in Adam.

But that headship remains. But now in redemption, another headship comes in. Christ is the head of the man.

Now, this is complicated. Probably because I can't explain it. Maybe because I don't understand it well enough.

But I take it that this is God's way of bringing blessing to a redeemed humanity. One who has come into creation, who through the leadership of males will bring in a redeemed humanity into blessing that God himself has designed that mankind, that humankind should enjoy. And so you have this headship of Christ over the man.

Is there a practical outcome of this? Well, I think you know. I think I can see the practical outcome of this at the moment. That the headship of Christ over the male is reflected in the fact that the woman whose head is the man is being veiled.

And the headship, the supremacy of Christ is being given evidence by the head covering of the sister. And I think that the corresponding headship of the man over the woman is also an evidence today. In the long year of the sisters.

And in the short year of the men. That's a very practical subject that Paul takes up in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. So you have this headship over humanity.

The Lord Jesus could bring in all of humanity through blessing. That is his responsibility through redemption. But if you turn to Colossians chapter 2, we are reminded of this, that we are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power.

So you're looking at the angelic creation. And his headship again is there by essential right. He made his angels, his ministers of flaming fire, according to the quotation in Hebrews chapter 1. And because he is God himself, the angels obey him.

They recognize his Lordship. But in coming into creation, he actually now has been given as a man, a place, a headship over the angelic creation. Peter tells us about that, that he is gone and sat down at the right hand of God.

Angels and principalities of power being made subject unto him. For a little while he became lower than the angels. And he has lifted humanity to the height of the throne of Godhead.

And he himself is the one who has put, and had all the angelic creation in all their ranks, put in subjection to him. And Paul tells us in Colossians chapter 2, he is the head of all principality and power. That is in contrast, or that is to set up the great truth that Paul is dealing with in Colossians.

We have read of it in Ephesians chapter 3. We've read it before, haven't we? And Ephesians chapter 5. And we have, you would read about it in Colossians chapter 1. He is the head of the church, the body. He is the head of the body, the church. And you're reminded again of the need for holding the head in Colossians chapter 3. For maintaining this truth of the head and maintaining this reality.

We are complete in him. The head is responsible for the nurture of the body. The head is responsible for the care of the body.

All the believers in Christ in this age will ever require for coming to full maturity is all to be derived solely, completely from Christ. Nothing else, no matter how exalted. I think there's a hint in Colossians that there were those that were affected by the budding of Greek philosophy that maybe there were angels through which there would be emanations coming.

And eventually there would be supply for us. The lesson of Colossians is this. This one who is the head of the body, the church is the one who fully supplies and cares for every believer.

No wonder we're reminded of the need for setting our affection on things above, not on things on the earth. We're linked with this one who is above, and all our life is derived from him. All our maturity, all our development in Christian living is all derived from Christ.

I don't want to confuse things, but I think we might have something of the same idea in terms of the vine that is given to us. All the nourishment that comes to the vine comes through that one who is a branch. And just this practical reminder to us, we can never meditate too much on Christ.

We can never know too much of Christ. We can never worship Christ too much. Looking at him will produce likeness to him.

Feeding on him will produce strength and character like the Lord Jesus himself. He is the head, responsible for the church, responsible for the body of the church. And so we're reminded of that in Ephesians chapter 5 as well.

He is the one who is the head of the church. He loved the church, gave himself for it, and this is the one who has set her apart and has sanctified her and washed her with the water of washing water and he's going to present her unto himself. The head is going to see that the body is presented to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.

A redemption head over all of humanity that is all-redeemed humanity. An angelic headship over all hypocriticality and power. A church headship over the church, the body.

But what we have in Ephesians chapter 1 is head over all of it. It flows out of what we were reminded of yesterday in verse 10 of Ephesians chapter 1. God is going to head up everything in Christ. And in that age that is yet to come, God has entrusted to Christ the bringing back of everything, the recovery of all to God's initial purpose for it.

1 Corinthians chapter 15 reminds us of the character of God. God is not going to be satisfied with death still remaining in His creation. God is not going to be satisfied with a creation that does not fulfill His purpose for it.

God is not going to be satisfied with His redeemed ones not coming into the ultimate of the purpose He has for them. He has entrusted to the head this great responsibility of bringing everything into its finality of subjection to God Himself. So, if we have grasped something of the sphere of headship over redeemed creation, that will all be involved in the headship of the all saints.

We were reminded yesterday of things in heaven and things in earth. So that will involve a headship over principalities and power. It will all be brought in under Him.

All angelic ranks of creation are not only going to be under Him they are actually going to be subjected to the church. Did I support that? Maybe? Right through the book of Revelation you'll have the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders. Until you get to chapter 19 where the church is coming out.

And there you will have the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures. Four living creatures are a kind of angelic being in that rank of angelic being. And for the first time in her glory linked with Christ the church pictured for us as the bride pictured for us of the four and twenty elders pictured for us as John the rapture in chapter 4. The church will have its place of administration over angels linked with Christ.

Know ye not, says Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 that the saints shall judge angels. And so the Lord Jesus has been raised to the place of headship over angels. We will share with him as one with him an administration over angels.

And so in that coming day there will be a headship in which the Lord Jesus will bring all redeemed humanity to the blessing that God has intended for us. Old Testament. New Testament.

Tribulation. Millennial. All redeemed humanity brought to God's great purpose by the head.

The angels brought into what God intended in their administration in ages to come whatever it may be. All through the one who is the head over principalities and powers. And the one who is head over the church.

The head over the body of the church. The head of the bride. He is going to bring all things into subjection.

He must reign until we have put down every enemy. And the one who subjects all things to him will be God even the Father. Who will put all things beneath his feet.

And all that has been put beneath him will finally be brought to its culmination, its great purpose as far as God is concerned. And the climax of it all is this. When the head over all things has accomplished his work he'll hand it all over to God even the Father.

The work is done. The headship has been accomplished for which I was designated the administration of the all things. As God shall be all and in all.

All that ever has raised its head against God's character will all have been put down. The last enemy that shall be defeated is death. And in that way in that glorious day of God and it's dawning I take it it will never end.

In that glorious day of God everything now beneath his headship the headship of the all things everything will be fully enjoying God fully brought into subjection to God fully glorifying God and God shall be all in all. Is that an important role? Is that something that God has designed to adore himself? A noble truth. The truth of the headship.

This is how God has planned administration. And God's administration will not fail. The father loved his son he committed all things to protect him.

He had given him headship for all things. And one rainy day the outcome of Calvary. That's what 1 Corinthians 15 is telling us.

He died. He rose. He's the first fruit.

And now the process must continue until it's final culmination. Redemption will bring everything in that coming day into harmony into unity into delight. For the heart of God God shall be all in all.

What a day. What a plan. What a man.

Who will as head of all things bring all things to their accomplished purpose for the glory of God. And I can borrow the words of a passage from which we were just reading before. This is my Bible.

This.