Welcome to Reign of Grace. This
program is brought to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries,
an outreach ministry of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany,
Georgia. It is our pleasure and privilege
to present to you the gospel message of the sovereign grace
and glory of God in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that today's program
will be a blessing to you. Thank you for listening. And
now for today's program. Welcome to our program. I'm glad
you could join us today. If you'd like to follow along
in your Bibles, I'm going to continue where I left off last
week in the book of Colossians chapter two. Today, I'm going
to begin at verse nine, and I want to talk to you about this subject,
a believer's completeness in Christ, a believer's completeness
in Christ, because that's so important to understand that
the grace of God in the salvation of sinners does not bring sinners
part way. It doesn't bring them halfway
or three quarters of the way or 99 and 44 one hundreds percent
of the way. It's not a situation as some
kind of indicate that Christ built the bridge only so far
and we have to build the other part to get to it. That's not
what it means. It's not the fact, it's not the
salvation that God provides and gives to his people is the fullness
of grace. It's not that Christ did his
part, now you must do yours. Because the Bible's very clear
about the sinfulness of man. That if by nature, that is as
we are naturally born, We are born fallen people. We fell in Adam into a state
of sin and death. And we're born that way. We're
born dead spiritually. Now, not physically, obviously,
if we're born and live. We have physical life. But what
we lack is spiritual life. So that we have no knowledge,
and no desire for the things that glorify God really glorify
Him, especially in the salvation that He provides through His
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's why you have so many
false churches and false Christians today. They want salvation, but
they don't want it God's way. They want it their own way. And
so they deny the God of sovereign grace, the God of election. A
lot of people will deny that God chose the people before the
foundation of the world to save and gave them to Christ, but
that's what the Bible teaches. They'll deny the ground of salvation
being the righteousness of God, His righteousness imputed, the
merit of Christ, obedience unto death, as the surety, the substitute,
the redeemer of His people, and they make their own faith the
ground of salvation. They're saved because they believe,
not because of what Christ did on the cross. Christ only did
so much, but it's our faith, they would say, or our believing
that really makes it sure. But my friend, that is not the
gospel. The gospel is the preaching of
a complete 100% full salvation that has been accomplished, provided,
and given and applied by God to His people, wherewith they
are saved to the uttermost. by Jesus Christ the Lord. And
here's what backs that up. Look at verse nine of Colossians
chapter two. It says, for in him, that is
in Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Now, what is it talking about
bodily there? That's talking about Christ as
God manifest in the flesh. God the Son, co-eternal with
the Father and the Spirit, the second person of the Trinity,
in human flesh without sin. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us." Christ is both God and man in one person. He's every
bit God, every attribute of deity, and He's every bit man without
sin. So He's God-Man, He's Emmanuel,
God with us. God manifests in the flesh. And
in that capacity, as God-Man dwells in that person, Jesus
Christ, all the fullness of the Godhead. Now what is the Godhead?
That's the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If you want
to know anything about God the Father in the salvation of sinners
and in a way of blessing, having a right relationship with God,
it must come through this person, Jesus Christ, crucified and risen
from the dead, the God-man. If you want to know anything
about the Son, Christ Himself, it must come, as you understand
and view by revelation, who Christ is as God manifest in the flesh. If you want to know anything
about the Spirit, it must come by revelation in Christ, because
in Him dwelleth all the fullness, the fullness of His glory, the
fullness of salvation, the fullness of their nature and character,
the God, the God, the Father, Son, and Spirit, it all comes
through Christ. You cannot know God, anything
about the Father, Son, or Spirit. One God now in three persons,
but not three gods. One God in three persons. And
it's through Christ the God-man that we come unto the Father,
pleading the merits of His righteousness, His blood, as our whole salvation. And that's what it is. It's all
a free gift from God. Romans chapter eight speaks of
this, that God who gave his only son, how shall he not with him
freely give us all things, his people? So in him dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And so all who come to Christ,
all who are brought to him by the Father and through the Spirit,
to receive Christ, to believe in Him, to rest in Him, to plead
His blood, His righteousness alone by the grace of God. It
says here, and you are complete in Him. Now that's a believer's
completeness in Christ. Complete how? You're completely
forgiven of all your sins on a just ground, the blood of Jesus
Christ. If you've come to the true Christ,
You are completely justified before God. You have a righteousness,
a full righteousness, a perfect righteousness, the righteousness
of God, that by which you are justified in God's sight. You
cannot be charged with sin. No sin can be charged to your
account. You say, but preacher, I'm a sinner. I am too. But who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? You cannot be
condemned. Condemnation is completely removed
from the people of God, because Christ was condemned for their
sins imputed to Him in their place. He put away my sins, for
by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
It is by the blood of Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, that
my sins are washed away. What can wash away my sins? Nothing
but the blood of Jesus. But let me assure you, the blood
of Jesus for His people, His sheep, His church. All who are
brought by God to faith in Him, they're completely washed away.
Not one stain, not one blot, not one blemish. And that means
this, that doesn't mean that even as believers, sinners saved
by grace, we're still sinners, and that will continue until
we die from this life and go to be with the Lord. But our
sins cannot condemn us and cannot be charged to us. We have a perfect
righteousness, a complete righteousness, a complete salvation from God. We didn't earn it, we didn't
deserve it, we didn't contribute to it. Now understand me. It's what it says in verse 10,
and you are complete in Him. Now, somebody says, well, you'll
see these bumper stickers that said, be patient with me, God's
not through with me. Well, let me tell you something.
There's a sense in which that's true. As believers in this life,
we have a life to live and a battle to fight. But now, let me tell
you something about that battle. We have a battle with Satan.
We have a battle with the world. We have a battle with the flesh,
our own selves. And let me tell you something,
that battle, even though we have to fight that battle and continue
in that battle, live in that battle, we are completely safe. And there's already a complete
victory that has been accomplished, not by us, but by Christ. by Christ, it's completely sealed
up. There's no possibility that we
could lose because Christ has, you know, he told his disciples
in the book of John, he said, in the world, you'll have tribulation.
This is, I think it's John 16. He said, in the world, you'll
have tribulation, but be ye of good cheer for I have overcome
the world. This world that's against the
people of God has been completely overcome by Christ. And we're
just waiting for that time when He comes again and reveals that
to the whole universe in His second coming, when He calls
up His people unto Himself in glory and judges the world in
righteousness, which will condemn them. They are condemned already.
And so He says, you are complete in Him. That's the believer's
completeness in Christ. And verse 10 says, you are complete
in him, which is the head of all principality and power. In
other words, there's nothing over him. He's been given the
preeminence. Back up in Colossians chapter
one, he speaks of the preeminence of Christ. Listen to this, talk
about Christ, who has obtained redemption by His blood for His
people, even the forgiveness of sins. And look at Colossians
1 verse 15. It says, who is the image of
the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. That means
He has a preeminence, is what that means. And it says in verse
16, for by Him were all things created. He's the creator along
with the Father and the Spirit. that are in heaven and that are
in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or power, all things were created by Him. And
look at this, all things were created for Him, for His glory,
for His preeminence. Verse 17, He is before all things,
and by Him all things consist. Do you know the only reason that
this world is not already destroyed is because of Christ saving His
people from their sins? He has still some of His chosen
people given to Him before the foundation of the world, upon
whom He has become responsible, who have yet to be born and brought
into the kingdom. When the last one of those is
gone, or brought into the kingdom, rather, then He'll come again. but He won't come until then,
because God is not willing that any of them should perish, but
that all should come to repentance." That's 2 Peter 3, 9. That's not
talking about everybody without exception. It's talking about
God's elect. They're all going to be brought to repentance.
They're going to be given the gift of faith and the gift of
repentance. They're going to be brought into
the kingdom of God by His grace and turned from the world in
repentance. And when the last one is brought
in, Somebody said in the Old Testament, it's that last top
stone that is laid. That's when Christ will come
again. Well, look at verse 18. This is Colossians 1. He is the
head of the body, the church. You see, the Pope's not the head
of the church. That's a false church anyway.
Men are not the head of the church, Christ is. I mentioned this last
week. The church is sometimes symbolized
with the symbol of a building. Well, Christ is the foundation
stone of that building. We're built upon the rock Christ
Jesus. And Christ is the chief cornerstone. This cornerstone was that by
which all things are measured. You see, believers are measured
by God as we stand in Christ, washed in his blood. clothed
in His righteousness. And Christ is the head of the
building, and He's the heart, the life of the building. And
so it says, He's the head of the body, the church, who is
the beginning. Verse 18, the firstborn from
the dead, that's His resurrection, that in all things He might have
the preeminence, for it pleased the Father, that in Him should
all fullness dwell. Fullness of what? Fullness of
the Godhead, the fullness of salvation, the fullness of forgiveness,
the fullness of righteousness. That's all complete in Him. And
look at verse 20. Now what's all this based on?
This is Colossians 1 now. Colossians 1 and verse 20. And
having made peace through the blood of His cross. I hear preachers
telling people, well, you've got to make your peace with God.
Well, Listen to me. Whenever God brings a sinner
to believe in Christ, that sinner stops declaring war against God. And let me show you what that
means. Now, God has already been made at peace with His people.
He's already been reconciled to His elect, His church, His
people, by the blood of Christ, not by what they do or not even
by their believing. But on our side of it, we're
born as enemies of God. Let me show you. It says, look
at verse 20 again, and have He 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,
that's all of His people that He chose before the foundation
of the world and gave to Christ. He's reconciled to them. On what
ground? The blood of Jesus Christ. the
righteousness of Christ imputed to them. Look at verse 21. And you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. Now, what is it to be alienated
from God? It means to be separated. And
he says, you're alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works. That's an unregenerate person
who's never been born again and never brought to faith in Christ,
even God's elect as we are naturally born. And that's why we must
be born again. And up until the time we're born
again by the Spirit and brought to faith in Christ, we are actually
alienated and enemies in our minds. And my friend, listen
to me very carefully here. That includes the most religious
of us. My friend, religion without Christ
is deadly. There are people who are religiously
trying to be the best they can be. But my friend, as long as
we're in unbelief and don't have Christ, don't have our faith
is not in Him, all of it is an affront to God. because it denies
His glory. It denies Christ and His work. It exalts the sinner in pride
and self-righteousness. And those who were sometime alienated
and enemies in their minds, yet now He's reconciled. God's been
reconciled to them from the beginning through Christ. Now He's brought
them to be reconciled to God. The apostle Paul wrote about
that in 2 Corinthians. Let me read this to you, 2 Corinthians
chapter five. And he was talking about the
gospel ministry here. And how it's to be presented
to lost people. And he says in 2 Corinthians
chapter five, in verse 19, as he speaks of this, He says, I'm in 1 Corinthians,
let me get to 2 Corinthians. I should have marked this, but
I didn't. But in 2 Corinthians chapter five, he speaks this
way. He says, he's talking about salvation
here. And he says in verse 18 of 2
Corinthians 5, and all things are of God, that is all things
in the new creation, in salvation, who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. Now, what is the ministry of
reconciliation? Well, it's the preaching of the
gospel. The gospel reveals how God is reconciled or made at
peace with his people who are sinful. And how they are made
at peace, reconciled to him. And here's what he says, look
at verse 19. To wit or namely, that God was in Christ, reconciling
the world unto himself. What do you mean the world? Do
you mean the whole world is reconciled to God? Or He's reconciled to
them? No. Because it's not the whole
world. The whole world, the Bible talks
about the whole world as an enemy of God and dies that way and
is going to be destroyed. What He's talking about is God's
elect all over this world. God has a people out of every
tribe, kindred, tongue, and nation. And it's not just for the Jews,
understand. It's not just for a particular
set of people, it's God's elect, both Jew and Gentile. And how
do you know that? Well, look at what it says now.
Whoever this world is, he's reconciled them unto himself. Look at it,
verse 19 of 2 Corinthians 5, not imputing their trespasses
unto them. He doesn't charge them with their
sins. Now, if God doesn't charge you
with your sin, you cannot perish. You cannot die under condemnation. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
can condemn us? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather
He's risen again, seated at the right hand of the Father, ever
living to make intercession for us. Blessed is the man to whom
the Lord will not impute iniquity. David said it. Paul repeated
it. Blessed, he described the blessedness of the man to whom
the Lord imputes righteousness without works. That's who he's
talking about here. Not imputing their trespasses
unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation,
the gospel. And so verse 20, here's how we
present the gospel. Now then we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's
stead, be ye reconciled to God. And that's what I'm doing on
this program. I'm looking at you and this applies to all. We're all sinners. We're all
by nature enemies of God in our minds, by wicked works, even
our religious works. And so when we preach the gospel
that shows forth the glorious person and the finished work
of Christ, We're telling you, commanding you, we're not inviting
you to accept Jesus as your personal Savior. We're not inviting you
to walk an aisle and get baptized. We're commanding you, be ye reconciled
to God. Now, how can I be reconciled
to God? On what basis can I come to Him?
I'm a sinner, I deserve nothing but death and hell. How can God
be just and still reconcile men to Himself? Well, look at verse
21. Here's the key. Here's the ground. Here's the gospel. For He hath
made Him to be sin for us. God the Father hath made Christ,
God the Son incarnate, to be sin for us, His people. What do you mean made Him to
be sin? He was made a sin offering, a sin bearer. The sins of God's
people, His elect, were imputed, charged, accounted to Christ.
Christ was made their surety. He became responsible for their
sin debt. He was made sin. And it says,
for us, that is for His people, His sheep, His church. And then
it says, who knew no sin. Now that phrase refers back to
Him, Christ. Christ who knew no sin. See,
He didn't become a sinner in order to save us. He wasn't imparted
or infused or imbued with our sins. He didn't become corrupt. He didn't become a sinner. But
He was made sin, He was made guilty, He was made a curse by
the charging, the legal charging of the sins of His sheep to His
account. And He became responsible for
it. Those sins became His. And so he had to die for those
sins. That's the payment. The soul
that sinneth must die. He didn't sin, but he was made
sin. And the wages of sin is death. So he had to die. He had to be
a propitiation, a sin-bearing sacrifice to bring satisfaction. And that's what he did. And out
of that death, out of his obedience unto death, came the perfect
righteousness that God has imputed, charged, accounted to the persons
of his elect. And that's what he says. He was
made sin, Christ who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him. The same righteousness of God
that is revealed in the gospel. Therein is the righteousness
of God revealed. That's the merit, the worth,
the value, the power of Christ's obedience unto death as the surety,
the substitute, and the redeemer of his people. And that's how
he did it. Look back at Colossians 1 now.
Now we're talking about we're complete in Christ. This is how
this completeness comes about. It's a work of God's grace, sovereign
grace. wherein He chose us, gave us
to Christ, sent Christ to do the work that He required, to
bring forth a perfect righteousness, to put away our sins by His blood,
and then to send His Spirit in the world, to give us life from
the dead, to give us a new birth, wherein He gives us eyes to see
and ears to hear, hearts and minds to understand, know, and
believe, and receive Christ. born of God under the preaching
of the gospel. So look at it again, verse 21
of chapter one of Colossians. And you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. That's the way
Christ presents his people to the Father, holy, separate, Unblameable. They cannot be charged. Unreprovable. They're complete in Him. And
then he says in verse 23, and I want you to see this, if you
continue in the faith grounded and settled, last week I talked
about being rooted and built up in Him, established in that
understanding of Christ. So if you continue in the faith,
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope
of the gospel, Don't be moved away from the hope of the gospel,
because the gospel, listen, the hope of the gospel is the certain
assurance of eternal life and glory based on the righteousness,
the blood, the grace of God in Christ. So be not moved away
from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, and which
was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof
I, Paul, am made a minister. Now that word if there, verse
23, people go crazy with that. And they say, well, that means
you could lose. No, that if is an evidence, not a condition. It's an evidence of being complete
in Him, the believer's completeness in Christ. And those who are
complete in Christ, who believe in Him, they will continue. And the evidence of their completeness
in Christ is that continuing in the faith, being not moved
away from the hope of the gospel. It's an evidence. not a condition. Understand that. I hope you'll
join us next week for another message from God's Word. We are glad you could join us
for another edition of Reign of Grace. This program is brought
to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries, an outreach ministry
of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, Georgia. To receive
a copy of today's program or to learn more about Reign of
Grace Media Ministries or Eager Avenue Grace Church, write us
at 1102 Eager Drive, Albany, Georgia. Contact us by phone at 229-432-6969
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today and may the Lord be with you.