Centrality, Supremacy, Preeminence and Sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

Last time we were here, shared about the spiritual excellence of 3; primarily from Colossians 1:27-28. This weekend we want to share with you some thoughts about:

Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. 
We also hope to share some thoughts about worship, which is the chief duty of man.

Centrality, Supremacy, Preeminence and Sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

2 Timothy 3:1-5 

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

"Perilous" means "hard, difficult, grievous, rugged, furious, or ferocious."
The only other time this Greek word is used is in Matthew 8:28, where it is translated as "exceeding fierce," to describe two who were possessed with devils. 

These Verses unfortunately speak of Christians who have succumbed to their carnal lusts. They are lovers of their own selves; they cater to the popular "me-centered" theology. They may love God but they love pleasures more than God. They have a form of godliness in that they go to "church" every week and outwardly appear to be good Christian folk; but they deny or do not allow the power of the Holy Spirit to crucify their flesh.

Time is later than we think! Yet a little while and the door (to the kingdom of God) will be shut. Five foolish virgins (who also represent born-again believers) will not be allowed to enter (the kingdom of God). Our God, Who is love, and Who is full of grace and mercy, is also our God of judgment.

Jeremiah 8:7 "Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but My people know not the judgment of the LORD." 

"Knoweth" and "know" are figures of speech which convey the sense of acting on the knowledge. Charismatic and Spirit-filled believers today have plenty of knowledge, but do we act on that knowledge? God's people did not act on that knowledge in the time of Noah; Lot; Isaiah; Jeremiah; when Jesus walked the face of the earth in the church; at Corinth; in what is called the Dark Ages; and they do not today! Human nature has never changed and never will. But even the stork, the turtle, and the crane act on their knowledge.

In the beginning, God. At the end, God. He is the Alpha and the Omega. Everything in between the beginning and end is also God! He has always had His Master Plan for everything in between the beginning and the end. We can read about His Master Plan in the Bible. But He has hidden most of the spiritual significance of that Master Plan from the natural eyes, the natural ears, and the natural understanding ... from the natural mind. 

The centrality, supremacy, and preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ must be of highest emphasis for us as believers. No one who calls himself a Christian or believer in Christ would ever dispute this fact. This topic could easily occupy volumes of books.

We also believe that it will take an eternity for the Holy Spirit to reveal to us everything about the Lord. He is to be supreme and of utmost centrality in heaven and earth and what is under the earth ... in the whole universe, whatever that may contain.

His centrality, supremacy, and preeminence is the Master Key to all of Scripture. One of the many, truly amazing verses in the Bible is in Luke 24, when Jesus, after His resurrection, spoke with the two men on the road to Emmaus.

Luke 24:27 "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself."

Therefore, whenever we read the written Word of God, we should always ask the question, "What do these verses have to do with Christ?" That is the starting point in understanding the Word of God.

The Bible is the most accurate history Book; also prophetic over all of time; but above all of that, it speaks of Christ. The amazing grace of God is that Christ, in all of His greatness, is given to us (Isaiah 9:6-7)!

One of the 5 major passages of Scripture which point to the centrality, supremacy, and preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ is Colossians 1. Four other such passages are John 1, Ephesians 1, Philippians 2, and Hebrews 1. When we read the Verses from Colossians 1, we should emphasize all of the many references to Him, His, and He, all of which refer to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:9-23

9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Verses 12-14. For us, for you and me, that which was in the mind and heart of God from before the foundation of the world has its beginning in the receiving of Christ by faith into the heart of the individual believer. But that is not the end ... that is only the beginning!

What is the point in my salvation? Not my satisfaction, not my gratification, not for my benefit, not for my pleasure, not for my comfort, not my salvation as the end in itself, but the revelation of Jesus Christ, the realization of His centrality, His supremacy, and His preeminence according to the desire of the Father.

Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."

Verse 18, "that in all things He might have the preeminence." In ALL things! All means ALL! Everything for us as believers depends upon that inward revelation of Jesus Christ in our hearts. Verse 19, "for it pleased the Father that in Him (in Christ) should all fullness dwell." Are we "saved" to please ourselves or to please the Father?

Note the "If" in Verse 23.

One of our most treasured Verses in the Bible is Colossians 1:27: "Christ in you, the hope of glory." That, as in Verses 22 and 23 of Colossians 1, is what has always been in the heart of God from before the foundation of the world.

The reason that Jesus died on the cross of Calvary was not simply that we might be "saved" and go to heaven one day. It is the purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ to present a holy, unblameable, unreprovable, fully mature, without spot or wrinkle, glorious body of Christ to the Father, that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15). Paul said,

Galatians 1:15-16

15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

 

"When it pleased God!" Everything must be for His pleasure, not ours. When Paul said that God "separated him from his mother's womb," he was not speaking about natural childbirth. What was his mother's womb? the Jews' religion (see Galatians 1:13-14).

In like manner, we must be separated from our natural, man-made religion; but separated unto the gospel of God (Romans 1:1).

Our mother's womb is anything that is a product of our natural mind or body.

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?"

Matthew 16:16-18

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

"This rock" is the inward revelation of Who Christ is. Upon "this rock" the Lord is building His church, not my church, not your church, and not your pastor's church. This inward revelation of the Christ is only the beginning, not the end. Paul prayed earnestly

Ephesians 1:17 "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:"

In both Matthew 16:17 and in Ephesians 1:17 God the Father gives the inward revelation of the Christ.

It is no coincidence that the last Book in the Bible is called "Revelation." For the inward revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is given to us by God the Father, is our beginning. I can give no man this inward revelation of Christ; you can give no man this inward revelation of Christ; your pastor can give no man this inward revelation of Christ. Only the Father can give us the inward revelation of Christ. And upon that inward revelation of Christ, the Lord is building His church. He is bringing many sons to glory. What a marvelous, amazing work is in progress!

Unless our hearts have been stirred by the Holy Spirit to desire to please the Lord in all things, to glorify the Father, then we can never complete our mission here on earth. The condition of our hearts is critical! There is no room in the heart of the true believer for "what do I get?" or how does this help me? Like the early believers as recorded in Acts, we must be gladly willing to lay down our lives for His sake. For He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Anytime that our words and our understanding of the Godhead does not emphasize these things, we had best take notice. God is not a servant, to do our bidding. Far too much of our prayers are filled up with instructions to God and lists of "I wants." Our loving Father gives us what we need, not what we want.

Jesus also is not a sibling; He is not "our big brother." This sort of understanding or expression, as it approaches its full end, will poison any believer's relationship with the Lord.

Equality with God is not a thing to be grasped at. Jesus is Lord. For all His various titles and roles, we cannot treat Him at the same time as both brother and Lord. One or the other must be more real.

Suppose you go to court and you happen to know the judge personally; let's say his name is Tom. You would never dare to call him Tom in court; you must call him "your honor." How would you address the president of the U.S.? would you call him Barrack or Mr. President? How about the queen of England? If anyone ever had any reason to call Jesus "brother" it would have been James and Jude. They were natural brothers to the Lord Jesus as well as spiritual heirs of the Father. Yet in Scripture they dared only to refer to themselves as servants to their Lord Jesus Christ. They never referred to Jesus as brother, no, not once. If anyone treats Jesus as a brother, what right or understanding do we have that those apostles and teachers did not have?

Even Joseph's brethren understood the place of his lordship in Egypt. Joseph was their brother, yes ... but he was their lord more and to be treated as such. Because Joseph was lord, he could call for and treat his brethren as brethren, for that they were. But at the same time, because Joseph was lord, his brothers had to consider him wholly as lord ... regardless of their natural relationship to him. His Lordship cannot be compromised nor diluted. The Lord is Lord and no other facet of His nature will ever compete with or divert from this pillar of truth.

Doctrines abound which exalt the working of our faith as high as the faith of the Son of God. Seeking equality with Him exalts our ability and actions rather than His sovereignty and sufficiency. The end result of these false doctrines is all the same. The all abounding Lordship of Jesus will never be seen by anyone who is so concerned with human beings and natural relationships.

Perhaps every believer has heard the phrase, "He is so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good." In reality, unless we are heavenly minded then we will be no earthly good. May the centrality, supremacy, and preeminence of His Lordship be made so real and fixed within our hearts (not simply our minds) that it may withstand all of the attack and compromise which is directed against it in these last days ... perilous times indeed.

Make no mistake ... it is God who does all things by His Spirit. 

Some examples of the sovereignty of God:

1 Corinthians 3:6-7

6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

The word "sovereignty" does not appear in the Bible; neither does the word "sovereign." However, make no mistake, God is Sovereign! And every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scripturally, historically, and experientially, God can (and does) save people all by Himself! He can (and does) heal people all by Himself!

The Lord sovereignly closed the mouths of the lions when Daniel was thrown into the lions' den. The Lord sovereignly did not allow the 3 Hebrews to be burned when they were thrown into the fiery furnace. The Lord sovereignly caused the flood in the time of Noah. The Lord sovereignly created the heavens and the earth, everything in it, and man.

Ephesians 1:11 "He works all things after the counsel of His own will:"

God can do all things! He is all seeing, all knowing or omniscient, all powerful or omnipotent, and omnipresent. He lives in eternity. Despite all of the failures of man, God will have that which he purposed before the foundation of the world! The sovereignty of God does not do away with the responsibility of man. The two must work together for we are co-laborers with Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:9 "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."

Many long years ago, about 3 hours after I had shared with a small group of believers about the sovereignty of God, the Lord taught me about the relationship of the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of us as believers ...

God is certainly moving today in a sovereign way. But it is largely a hidden work, in the hearts of a faithful remnant, who are being purified by fire in the wilderness ... in the desert - outside the camp. That remnant is called overcomers.

The real key is the Lord Himself. It is only by the grace and mercy of God that we can do anything. We cannot even take our next breath, except by the grace of God. All we really can do is to cry out to the Lord, Help, Lord!

Isaiah 43:1-2, 7

Verse 1: But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.

These words of the Lord through the vessel of Isaiah are certainly most positive and encouraging. But to whom is the Lord speaking here? If we take the verse literally, the Lord is speaking to Jacob and/or Israel. But Jacob had died almost 1000 years earlier, so it is not likely that the Lord is speaking to Jacob. Further, Isaiah's ministry never was to Israel, the Northern kingdom. So the Lord was not speaking to the natural Israel of that day. Could it be that this is a prophetic word that has no time or cultural limits? Could this be a word for believers today? YES! It is a prophetic word for all (former) Jews and Gentiles throughout all ages of time who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Could it also be a word for the natural Israel of today? Not very likely, at least not for the nation as a whole. The Lord does not redeem those who consistently reject Him. To believe otherwise gets you very quickly into the heresy of ultimate reconciliation.

Jacob in Scripture represents the natural man, perhaps even the morally good, religious man, who unfortunately has no personal relationship with the Lord. Israel speaks of the redeemed man, the spiritual man, the man (or woman, of course) who has been born again and baptized in the Holy Ghost, i.e., equipped with the necessary weapons for the journey and ministry on this earth. This is called justification in the Bible. There are dozens of scriptures which bear record of this truth. Jacob is created but Israel is formed. The Lord "formeth the spirit of man within him" (Zechariah 12:1).

Please note that the Lord says that He has redeemed (spiritual) Israel. That is past tense, not future tense. It does not say, "I will redeem thee." Paul uses the same past tense when he says,

According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Ephesians 1:4

How can these things be? We do not know. It is a mystery. But God lives in eternity. We live in time.

Verse 2: When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

First of all, note that this verse applies to Israel, not Jacob. The Bible calls this process sanctification. It is true that God arranges all of our circumstances, our environment, etc., in order to bring us from Jacob to Israel. However, Isaiah 43 does not address that time period. This verse describes what happens after we become part of Israel.

Please note that the verse says "WHEN," not "if." In other words this is a promise. After Israel, the spiritual man, has been formed and equipped, we are PROMISED to go through trials, tribulations, sufferings, rejections, persecutions, etc. That is part of God's plan and has a Godly purpose. A few appropriate scriptures are:

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake. Philippians 1:29

We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22

More importantly, note that when we walk through the fire ... when we submit ourselves to the dealings of the Holy Ghost, that the Lord promises to be with us.

Jesus said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5).

Verse 7: Even every one that is called by My name: For I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea I have made him.

Who is "even every one that is called by my name"? You and me ... believers throughout every age. Verse 1 and 7 cannot refer to Jesus because Jesus was not created. He was with God in the beginning before the world was or ere man ever existed.

Here we see three action verbs, compared to only two in Verse 1, above. The one that has been added is the word "made." The "making" part is as a result of Verses 2-6. We can speak of the "making" as the "walking out process" called "sanctification." This is what Paul refers to when he says,

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12

In what is called the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), note that the prodigal son was still a son. He is symbolic of a carnal Christian ... one who refused (at first) to submit to the dealings of the Holy Spirit in his life ... one who did not like the process of "making."

In verse 12, this prodigal son says "give me," symbolic of the selfish, carnal attitude. BUT, the grace and mercy and love of God was at work in his life, and God arranged for hard times to come upon him, such that this son repented and returned unto his father. Then he said, in verse 19, "make me." He was ready to be made into the vessel that God intended for him to become. He was ready to walk through the rivers and through the fire.


Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed;

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32

Perhaps an even more startling statement in John 8:31 is that Jesus spoke to those Jews which believed on Him. Just a few verses later in John 8, Jesus tells those same Jews (who believed on Him) that they were of their father the devil (John 8:44). Jesus says, in John 8:31-42, that just because those Jews were the natural descendants of Abraham does NOT mean they are the true children of Abraham.

Ephesians 4:4-6 

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

We believers try to change those verses to read MY body, MY hope, MY faith, and MY baptism, yet it is all His. Most doctrinal errors arise when we try to interpret Scripture from our perspective, as it relates to us, independent of Jesus

Philippians 3:13-14 

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Haggai 2:6-9

6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

Verse 6 announces the coming day of God's judgment on the nations, which spoke of the fall of Persia to Alexander the Great, but Hebrews 12:25-29 relates this verse to the judgment of the nations at the second coming (parousia) of Christ. In Haggai 2:7, it seems clear that just as God filled the tabernacle and Solomon's temple, so He will fill this new temple, which is spiritual and eternal. When Christ came to the earthly temple, God's presence was evident as never before.

John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Haggai 2:8 on the surface seems like a rather strange interjection because Haggai 2:7 and Haggai 2:9 both speak of the glory of God. Consider two possible reasons for this somewhat strange-sounding interjection. It is certainly true that God provided for Solomon's temple and for Zerubbabel's temple. It is also true that too many modern-day ministers, either knowingly or unknowingly, look at natural silver and gold as being "theirs" and not "His."

However, we believe that the interjection in Haggai 2:8 does not speak of either of those two possibilities. "Silver" in the Bible speaks of the Lord's redemptive ministry and power or His atonement. "Gold" speaks of His Divine glory and nature, or His Deity. Therefore, everything from our redemption to partaking of His glory is caused by and comes from the Lord - man has no part in any of that. All we can do is accept, by His grace, that which Christ has done for us and continues to do for us. 

Everywhere in between the beginning and the end, God.

Further, God even arranges all of our circumstances to help us to cry out to Him. bring about great persecution and tribulation among His people, just as He did in Acts 8. That will leave the Church no alternative except to cry out from the depths of our being unto Him. How much better will it be to fall on that Stone now, rather than let It fall on us later.

Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. Luke 20:18

May the word and call of the Lord in this hour burn within the very depths of our hearts.