Welcome to six one-hour presentations called “David Bryant Unplugged”. Why unplugged? The talks come to you unedited, unscripted, exactly as they were delivered on five Tuesday nights, the winter of 2012. A group of believers invited David to let his hair down, and pour into them some of what he’s been discovering in recent years about the greatness and glory of Christ. So, he did just that. He titled the series Christ Is NOW! David focused each hour on some dimension of the spectacular supremacy of God’s Son.
You need to know two things before you begin to listen. First, David spoke in an intimate setting, not a large auditorium. Second, David used about 100 power point slides with each talk. Obviously, this audio resource won’t give you that advantage. But we’re totally confident that 99% of the time not seeing the pictures on the screen will make no difference at all in your enjoyment of this experience. The content is all here. David’s enthusiasm for the topic is all here. And the same Holy Spirit, who used these talks to change lives during those eight evenings, is ready to work in your heart right now.
One practical suggestion: From time to time, you might want to push “pause” in order to take a couple of minutes to reflect on what you’ve just heard, before heading into the next section of a talk. Many who attended these sessions gave David two evaluations: First, they told him this was some of the richest teaching on Christ they had ever encountered. Second, they said that by the end of each talk they found themselves more passionate for Christ than ever before. That level of impact is why it might be useful, from time to time, to hit pause so as to ponder what you’ve just heard, and even to pray about it.
Be sure to survey the many free resources to help you follow up on this series of talks atwww.ProclaimHope.org. Take a special look at the free e-Book titled Christ Alone, which offers summaries and prayers that go with each of these eight presentations.
David Bryant Unplugged
Six Part Audio Series
The Crisis, the Christ and the Coming Christ Awakening
In this introductory talk, David discusses what many believe to be the single greatest crisis inside our churches today: “the crisis of Christology”, or as David puts it: “the crisis of supremacy”. It is against the backdrop of this desperate condition, impacting every believer, that David lays out a fresh and exciting vision of the spectacular supremacy of God’s Son. Giving an overview of the next seven talks, David looks at the greatness of Jesus using seven prepositions – Who He is To us, For us, Over us, Before us, Within us, Through us, Upon us. Then, David helps listeners grab onto a dynamic hope about what God is getting ready to do for His people in this generation – what David calls “a nationwide Christ Awakening movement.”
The Spectacular Supremacy of Christ TO us – right now
This speaks of how His supremacy is eternally rooted in His deity, His nature, His character, as well as His Trinitarian existence as the Son of the Father. He is the embodiment and fulfillment of all the purposes, prophecies and promises of Scripture. In Him we see the fullest display of God’s holiness, love, righteousness, justice, compassion – as well as God’s commitment to the reclamation of His whole creation along with all who trust in Him (Hebrews 1). Jesus said “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14). Colossians 1 tells us “Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation….” There’s nothing God wants to reveal to us about Himself beyond who Jesus is. It’s all to be seen in “Christ alone”.
The Spectacular Supremacy of Christ FOR us – right now
Concerning His incarnation we read in Colossians 1 – “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him” (verse 19). He became one of us, for us. His supremacy became visible through the totality of His earthly ministry, including His righteous life as He kept the Law perfectly on our behalf. Then, in His flesh He offered Himself for us by His redemptive, sacrificial crucifixion, followed by His victorious resurrection to conquer death for us. We read in Colossians 1 – “through Him (the Father) reconciled to Himself all things … through His (the Son’s) blood … through whom we have redemption by His blood, the forgiveness of our sins”. All He did for us means that our hope about our eternal destiny is based on the redeeming work of “Christ alone”. It is totally sufficient.
The Spectacular Supremacy of Christ OVER us – right now
He is supreme-to-the-max as the King of the universe, the Ruler of history, the Lord of the nations and the Master of our lives. Preeminently, He reigns as the Head of the Church, which is “the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1). In fact, He “ascended above the heavens that He might fill the whole universe” (Ephesians 4). Jesus is over all because God the Father has “rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves … (because He is) the firstborn over all creation … firstborn from among the dead … head of the body, the Church; (because He has) reconciled all things whether things on earth or things in heaven, making peace by His blood shed on the cross”(Colossians 1:13, 15, 18, 20). His on-going reign in Heaven and earth assures the fulfillment of God’s purposes for the ages through “Christ alone.”
The Spectacular Supremacy of Christ BEFORE us – right now
First, Jesus goes before us into the Throne Room of heaven, opening a living way for us through His blood so that we can follow Him boldly into the Holy Place (Hebrews 10). There He also intercedes without ceasing. He is also the “first fruits” of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15). He has gone ahead of us into death and resurrection, so that now we can reckon ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Him (Romans 6). In His triumph over sin and death, He became the eternal heir of all the promises of God (Romans 8). Thus, through Him we may enter into those promises, as in Him they become our inheritance as well (2 Corinthians 1). Because He already reigns on high, as we set our hearts on what His kingship is all about, we get to share in all the resources of His Kingdom (Colossians 3). Regarding all God has for us, “Christ alone” goes ahead of us and prepares the way for us.
The Spectacular Supremacy of Christ WITHIN us – right now
Christ reveals His supremacy by His saving presence among His people. He sets up His throne among us. By His Spirit He dwells within us, reproducing in us His godly characteristics, His inexhaustible wisdom, the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5). He transforms us individually and corporately to become more like Him, helping us overflow with His love for the Father and each other. He unites us by His reign among us. Paul writes in Colossians 1 — “Christ is in [among] you, the hope of glory … I ask God to fill you … (you) share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light … (so) live a life worthy of the Lord”. Our life together is bound around “Christ alone”.
The Spectacular Supremacy of Christ THROUGH us – right now
His reign is manifested as His Spirit works through His Church to reach multitudes of unloved, disinherited, oppressed, impoverished and, above all, unreached with the Gospel, both neighbors and nations. He reigns as He empowers His people to further that Gospel worldwide. Concerning this dimension of Christ’s reign through His followers, Paul writes about “the commission God gave me … to make known among the nations the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ … to this end I labor, struggling with all His energy He so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1). Christ scatters the strongholds of dark powers as He brings God’s purposes to their ordained climax. Our mission advance is about “Christ alone”.
The Spectacular Supremacy of Christ UPON us – right now
Because Christ’s reign is inexhaustible, there is always “so much more” the Father desires to give us. Sometimes He comes upon us when His glory breaks through by outpourings of the Holy Spirit in the renewal of His people – what some call “Christ-awakenings”. During these times, Jesus intensifies and accelerates our experiences of His supremacy. Our King is also passionate for the consummation of all things. One day He will come “toward us” in a spectacular, bodily return, as He triumphs throughout the universe forever. Both now and later, the “increase of His Kingdom” has no end (Isaiah 9). We wait continually for more of “Christ alone” as we pray “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22).
To, For, Over, Before, Within, Through, Upon – what a spectacular résumé this is for the Son of God! No wonder Paul sums up the magnitude of this seven-fold vision of the greatness, majesty and glory of God’s Son with that decisive declaration of the Father’s everlasting intent, in Colossians 1:18:
“ … that in everything Christ might have the supremacy.”