Yet, all of this…. All of what? Well, all of this peace, this hope, this contentment, this forgiveness of sins, this hope of eternal life that is available through the Preeminent One, is a free gift—a free gift from God. It is called “grace.” Listen to what Paul says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6, verse 23. Eternal life! In other words, heaven. No, we can’t earn it; we can’t buy it. It is the free gift of God.

And where does our salvation center? It centers not in creeds; it centers not in our own goodness or our own righteousness; not in doing endless penance; not in making charitable offerings. It rests, rather, in one place and in One Person, and that Person is the Preeminent One—Jesus the Christ. He is, you see, “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” John 1, verse 29. Yes, He is preeminent in salvation. Our salvation begins and ends in Him. Peter writes, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that we were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without spot or blemish” 1 Peter 1, verses 18-19. And the Hebrew writer would say, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered and, once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him” Hebrews 5:8-9.

Christ is also Preeminent in the Church. He is the head of the church; He is the foundation of the church; He built the church; He saves the church; and thus, He needs to be preeminent in our worship. He must be preeminent in our prayers. Jesus tells us, “If ye shall ask anything in My Name, I will do it” John 14, verse 14. Oh, we dare not attempt to approach the Father, but in and through the Name of the Son.

Jesus needs to be preeminent in the songs that we sing. I was looking through the index in our song book before services this evening, and there are so many wonderful, beautiful songs that center on Jesus—all aspects of Jesus: Jesus, Lover of My Soul; Rock of Ages; Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross; Jesus Paid It All; Jesus, Name Above All Names. Hummm.

Well, Jesus also Needs to be Preeminent in Our Preaching. He was preeminent in the preaching among the apostles in the long ago. Paul said, “We preach Christ crucified” 1 Corinthians 1, verse 23. He would also declare to the church in Corinth, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” 1 Corinthians 2, verse 2. And to the churches in the region of Galatia, Paul wrote, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” Galatians 6, verse 14.

Oh, how this world needs a tide of Gospel preaching—a tide of Gospel preaching flowing out of every pulpit across the land. We need to forget about entertainment; we need to forget about theatrics; we need to forget about social and situational messages; we need to forget about psychological babble-speak. We need to preach “Christ and Him crucified.” That’s what the apostles preached in the long ago. That’s what the early church was founded upon, and that’s what we need today—the Gospel Christ, the Preeminent One.

Jesus Must also be Preeminent in the Lord’s Supperas well. Think about the fact that the Lord’s Supper looks back to a crucified Christ, because we are to do this in remembrance of Him—“Do this is remembrance of Me,” Jesus said, Luke 22:19 [“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”] and 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 [“…and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’”]. But it also looks forward to a coming Christ, as Paul wrote, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” 1 Corinthians 11:26. And He is coming again.

Yes, Jesus must be preeminent in the church; He must be preeminent in our worship.

And lastly, Christ WILL BE Preeminent in the Judgment. Jesus had something to say on this matter. He would say, “The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son” John 5, verse 22. We also read these words, Matthew 25, verses 31 and 32: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” And then, Paul would write, complementing these Words of the Lord, when he says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 5, and verse 10 [“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”].

But also, in the same light, consider the wonderful promise that Jesus has made to us. He would say, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house there are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself; that were I am, there you may be also” John 14, verses 1 through 3.