Jesus is Preeminent

Every church has values that shape how it thinks, serves, and ministers. But before we talk about what we value, we must first begin with who we value.

Our first core value is this: Jesus Is Preeminent.

The apostle Paul writes,
"And He is the head of the body, the church... that in all things He may have the preeminence." — Colossians 1:18
 
The word preeminence means first place. It speaks of supremacy, superiority, and unrivaled importance. It's often said this way: "Jesus is not to just be prominent, He is to be preeminent. He does not merely deserve a place in our lives; He deserves the highest place. There is no one like Him, and there is no one above Him."

And this value is really the foundation from which every other value flows.

Jesus deserves first place because of who He is.

He is the eternal Son of God. He is the Creator through whom all things were made (John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:16). He stepped into His creation, lived the perfectly sinless life that we could never live, died the death we deserved, and rose again in victory over sin and death. Today, He is seated at the Father's right hand, reigning as King over all creation, interceding for His people, and one day He will return to establish His kingdom in its fullness.

Because of who He is and what He has accomplished, Jesus deserves far more than our admiration. He deserves our worship, trust, obedience, and love. He deserves our complete surrender.

Paul writes in Philippians 2 that God has highly exalted Jesus and given Him "the name which is above every name," so that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:9–11). Whether people acknowledge Him today or not, Christ is Lord. We do not create His supremacy by believing it. It is a reality we joyfully recognize.

To say that Jesus is preeminent is simply to affirm what has always been true: He is worthy of first place in everything.

Even the Scriptures point to the preeminence of Jesus in all things!

After His resurrection, Jesus walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus and explained "in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27). Later that same day, He told His disciples that everything written in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms pointed to Him (Luke 24:44). Earlier in His ministry, He had told the religious leaders, "These are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39).

The Bible is not most essentially a collection of moral lessons or inspirational stories. It is one unified story of God's redemption through Jesus Christ.

Now, that doesn't mean every passage mentions Jesus by name. What it means is that every passage fits into the grand story that culminates in Him. The Old Testament prepares the way for Christ. The Gospels reveal His life, death, and resurrection. The Epistles explain the significance of His work and teach us how to live in light of it. Revelation points us to His glorious return and eternal reign.

This changes the way we read Scripture. We don't approach Scripture primarily asking, "What should I do?" We first ask, "What does this passage reveal about God and His redemptive plan through Christ?" As we behold Him throughout Scripture, we are transformed into His likeness.

Because Jesus is preeminent, He is also the focus of our worship.

And worship is much more than music! It is the response of a heart that recognizes the worth of Christ.

When we gather with the church, we sing because He is worthy. We pray because He hears. We open the Scriptures because He speaks through His Word. We celebrate baptism and the Lord's Supper because they proclaim His saving work. Every aspect of our gathering is meant to direct our attention toward Christ.

But worship doesn't end when the service does.

Romans 12:1 calls believers to present their bodies as "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." Worship is the offering of our entire lives to the One who gave Himself for us.

The reality is, every person worships something. The real question is whether our hearts are centered on Christ or on something else.

A lot of people live as though following Jesus just means adding Him to an already busy life. But following Jesus is actually about recognizing that every area of life belongs to Him.

Our marriages should reflect His love. Our parenting should display His grace and truth. Our work should be done as unto Him. Our decisions should be guided by His wisdom. Our finances should honor His priorities. Our relationships should reflect His character.

As Paul writes, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" -- Colossians 3:17

There is no part of life that falls outside His lordship.

When Jesus is truly preeminent, following Him goes beyond an hour or so service on Sunday. He shapes the way we think, the way we speak, the way we love, the way we forgive, the way we serve, and the way we live every day.

One of the greatest misconceptions about following Christ is that giving Him first place somehow diminishes everything else we love.

The opposite is true!

When Jesus is first, we don't love our families less! We love them better. We don't become indifferent to our work. We work with greater purpose! We don't lose our identity. We discover that our identity has always been found in Him rather than in our accomplishments, possessions, or circumstances.

Jesus doesn't compete with every other priority in life. He rightly orders them.
 

This is what it means to say that Jesus is preeminent! Everything begins and ends with Him. He is the center of Scripture, the focus of our worship, and the foundation of our lives. Our greatest desire is to know more about Jesus, to know Him more deeply and personally, to treasure Him more fully, and to make Him known more faithfully.

Because in all things, Jesus deserves the preeminence.