THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The All-inclusive Christ
Message Three—The All-inclusive Christ as the Centrality
and Universality of God’s New Testament Economy
Scripture Reading: Col. 1:18; Phil. 2:9; John 15:26; Col. 1:12; Col. 3:4a; Col. 1:27b; 1 Cor. 1:24
I. Christ has the preeminence, the first place, in all things—Col. 1:18, 15b; Eph. 1:19-20: (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
A. Among the three in the Godhead, the preeminence always goes to the second, the Son—the first, the Father, always exalts the Son, and the third, the Spirit, always testifies concerning the Son—Phil. 2:9; John 15:26: (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
1. Christ has the first place in all things; for in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell—Col. 1:18b. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
2. In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily—Col. 2:9, Phil. 3:21. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
B. In God’s old creation, Christ is the Firstborn of all creation—Col. 1:15b. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
C. In God’s new creation in resurrection, Christ is the Firstborn from the dead—Col. 1:18b. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
D. We can also see the preeminence of Christ in God’s exaltation—Acts 2:33a; Eph. 1:19-20; Phil. 2:9b: (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
1. Christ has been exalted to the right hand of God in the third heaven—Acts 2:33a; Eph. 1:19-20. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
2. In God’s exaltation of Christ, He has been given to be Head over all things—Eph. 1:22b. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
3. God has also given Him the name which is above every name—Phil. 2:9b. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
E. Christ has the preeminence in the church, being the Head of the Body, the church—Col. 1:18a. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
II. Christ is everything to the believers for their enjoyment—Col. 1:12; 1 Cor. 1:2; Col. 3:4a; Col. 1:27b; 1 Cor. 1:24, 30: (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
A. Christ is the God-allotted portion to the saints—Col. 1:12; 1 Cor. 1:2:
1. The Father has qualified us for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light—Col. 1:12. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
2. The phrase theirs and ours in 1 Corinthians 1:2 indicates that Christ as the all-inclusive One belongs to all the believers. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
B. Christ is our life—Col. 3:4a: (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
1. Christ lives in us—Gal. 2:20a, 2 Cor. 13:5. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
2. Christ should be our living—Phil. 1:21a. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
3. Christ should be magnified in our body—Phil. 1:20b. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
4. Christ should be formed in us—Gal. 4:19. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
5. We need to grow up into Christ, the Head, in all things with the growth of God—Eph. 4:15b, Col. 2:19b. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
6. We have to grow to such an extent that we can be presented to God full-grown in Christ—Col. 1:28b, Eph. 4:13b. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
C. Christ is in us as the hope of glory—Col. 1:27b: (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
1. The hope of our calling (Eph. 1:18b; 4:4b) is the hope of glory, which is the transfiguration of our body and the manifestation of the sons of God—Rom. 8:19, 23-25. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
2. “He will change my body like unto His own, Wholly making me the same as He”—Hymns, #948. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
D. Christ is our every necessity and our full enjoyment—John 8:12; 1 Cor. 10:4; Col. 2:16-17; Matt. 11:28: (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
1. Christ is our light—John 8:12. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
2. Christ is our spiritual food—John 6:51, 57b. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
3. Christ is our spiritual drink—1 Cor. 10:4. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
4. Christ is our breath—John 20:22. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
5. Christ is our clothing—Gal. 3:27. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
6. Christ is our dwelling place—John 15:7a. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
7. Christ is our enjoyment and rest—Col. 2:16-17, Matt. 11:28. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
E. Christ is our divine provision—1 Cor. 1:24, 30: (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
1. Christ is God’s power—1 Cor. 1:24a. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
2. Christ is God’s wisdom—1 Cor. 1:24b, 30a. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
3. Christ is our righteousness. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
4. Christ is our sanctification. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
5. Christ is our redemption—1 Cor. 1:30b. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
III. Christ is everything to the church—Col. 1:18; 1 Cor. 12:12; 1 Cor. 3:11; 1 Pet. 2:4-8: (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
A. Christ is the Head of the body—Col. 1:18. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
B. Christ is the body of the Head—1 Cor. 12:12. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
C. Christ is the foundation of the church—1 Cor. 3:11. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
D. Christ is the living stone, the cornerstone, and the topstone of the house of God, the church—1 Pet. 2:4-8, Eph. 2:20, Isa. 4:7. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
E. Christ is all the members of the new man—Col. 3:10-11. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
IV. Christ is the centrality and universality of God’s New Testament economy—Col. 1:17. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
V. Christ is the reality of every section of the God-ordained way—Rom. 15:16; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; 1 Cor. 14:3-5: (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
A. Christ is the reality in the fulfilling of the New Testament priesthood of the gospel—Rom. 15:16; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
B. Christ is the reality in the feeding of the new believers—John 21:15. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
C. Christ is the reality of the perfecting of the saints in the vital groups—Eph. 4:12; Heb. 10:24-25. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)
D. Christ is the reality in the building up of the church, the Body of Christ, by prophesying in the bigger meetings of the church—1 Cor. 14:3-5. (The Crucial Contents of God’s New Testament Ministry: Training Outlines)