Thing you have to worry about
this morning, I don't stumble and fall on somebody. Two days ago, I wondered if I'd
be able to make it or not. I have some dizziness. I stagger
around. The doctors don't know what to
call it. The Lord does. I just go on about
my business. I want to warn you if you see
me fall, just get out of the way. Colossians chapter 1, Colossians chapter 1. We have a meeting at home for
the last several months. Whoever leads in public prayer,
they always pray for God that he might be pleased to revive
his church and to stir up an awakening in our country. And if you find it in your heart,
God lays it on your heart, I know you'll join with us. in those
prayers. Remember Jonathan Edwards said
one time he attributed the Great Awakening to the praying of the
people from Scotland. He had asked for their prayers. God had laid them on his heart. They had an awakening. I don't
know why. I know God sent it. And he sends things to people
that they want. If a fellow really wants an awakening
or a revival, it will probably come. I read just as plainly
as words can say that if you ask and seek and knock, God will
give it to you. Is that what he says? He never
said he might, he said he would. So if we could just ask and seek
and knock, I know the blessing is on the way. Colossians chapter
1, the title of my message today is, Christ is all and in all. He's everything. Verse 15, Christ, who is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.
For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, that are
in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions,
principalities or powers, all things were created by Him and
for Him. And He is before all things,
and by Him all things stick together. have their cohesiveness. All the stars and planetary systems
and all those things swirling through space at such tremendous
speeds and have no cops at any intersection and don't have any
stoplights and never do have a collision. You know why? Because of Him. Because of Him. And he's the
head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in all things, all things, he might have the
preeminence. I like that. All things, he might
have the preeminence. Whatever you're talking about
in this book, he has the preeminence. Yes. For it pleased the Father
that in him, this God-man, should all fullness dwell. Chapter 3
and verse 10. To believers, those who are in
Christ, as neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision
or uncircumcision, barbarian or Scythian, bond-free, But Christ
is all and in all. To those who are in Christ, whether
a man is a Greek or a Jew, is totally insignificant. Whether a man is circumcised,
circumcisioned, or uncircumcised, Jew, Gentile, what does that
have to do with anything? Whether a man's a barbarian or
a Scythian, whether he's bond or free, rich or poor, that doesn't
amount to anything. Christ is everything. To each
of these classes, all classes, every kindred and tongue and
people and nation, Christ is everything. Everything. I want to talk to you this morning.
about the preeminence of our Lord Jesus Christ, how that Christ
is all and in all. You pray for me and I'll try
to speak a few words for the glory of God and the glory of
our souls. In the scriptures, in creation,
in providence, in salvation, Christ is everything. He has the preeminence. Preeminence
in creation. Preeminence in the rule of this
world. He rules it. Preeminence in our salvation.
Preeminence in the life of faith. He's everything. Christ is all
and in all to the believer. Every man, now listen to these
words carefully, every man who preaches or teaches I've experienced
this as well as I know I've experienced it. Every man who preaches or
teaches emphasizes something, his chief emphasis. Some it's
prophecy, some it's the church, some it's free will, but they
emphasize something. Every man who preaches or teaches
has some chief hermeneutic principle, some chief principle of interpretation. And I mean by that this, some
use denomination. You know they come across something
in here and it doesn't match the creed and the confession
and that must mean something else and they just go on. Because
it doesn't fit their chief hermeneutic principle. And with some it's
confessions which are always changing. With some, a whole
bunch of people, it's prophecy. They come across scriptures here,
and if it doesn't match what they think about prophecy, the
future things, then they just dismiss it. Away with it! That gate means what it looks
like it means, but it does. But it does. With some, it's legalism. Law and work. Everything they read in this
book has to match their view of law and works or they won't
have it. And everything they preach or teach is according
to their view of law and works. But in our day, and this is so
sad, but in our day the very chief hermeneutic principle in
all Christendom is free will. They read something in this book
and it doesn't match what they believe about free will. That
can't mean that. God wouldn't do that. I bet he
does. Whatever he says here, he'll
do. But I'm saying all that to say this. Everybody has some
established notion up here in their head before they ever start
reading this Bible and everything has to fit that notion. They don't do what James said,
receive with meekness the engrafted. Don't get mad, bow to it. Bow to it. The chief hermeneutic
principle of God's preacher is Christ. Christ and Him crucified. You can't preach the whole counsel
of God without preaching Christ. And you can't preach Christ without
preaching the whole counsel of God. They're one and the same. I heard years ago when I first
started preaching that this Bible, this book here is history, or
His story. His story. Isn't that something?
But what's it about? It's about Him. It's His story.
That's what this Bible is about. I am commanded to preach Christ. Paul said, woe unto me if I don't
preach. No, he said, woe is to me. Don't
preach Christ. And I desire to preach Christ.
Never have done it very well. I'd sure like to. And once you
ever see Christ, there's nothing else to preach. Christ is all and in all. You
may be surprised at this, some of you won't be. But I've had
people say unto me, pastor, preacher, we've trusted in Christ. We've
made our confession. We've been baptized. And here's
what they say. Now we want to go on to other
things. Better things. Better things
in Christ? Where are you going to find them?
I've actually heard that. I've actually been asked that.
Had that request made. Had a woman come into church
one time. She'd been there a time or two and left and went to reform
and came back and said, well, preacher, it's just like you
said it would be. And they came back and sat down again and they
started listening and hadn't been there two or three weeks.
And she said, pastor, I said, she said, I wish you'd preach
on the Holy Angel sometime. I've been listening to this fellow
on tape, and he preached 27 messages on the holy angels. I said, honey,
you don't want to hear from me then, because I preach all I
know in one message. It doesn't say much about it.
I don't know much about it. There's some people like that.
They're just driven. Driven to other things. But I'll
tell you, any move away from Christ is a downgrade. Any move
away from Christ is the spirit of apostasy. You don't want to
let anything ever come between you and Christ or get above Christ
in your thoughts and mind. Spurgeon said, I mean John Calvin
said, any move away from Christ is a move to divergent, strange
doctrines. And that's so. That is so. Nothing in the Word of God, now
hear this old man, nothing in the Word of God can be understood
or right, can be understood correctly apart from Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. Nothing in this book. What if a man, and I've seen,
I've had over Forty years I've been preaching at one place out
there, and I've had people bring me about everything. They brought
me a catalog of this man, this pastor's tapes. And it's about
the size of a Sears Roebuck catalog. And it had regeneration. 25 fixed
messages. And I started listening to those
things, and no Christ. All the little intricate matters
of regeneration which he don't know and I don't know and nobody
knows. It's just stretching it all out. Regeneration, regeneration. I know Christ. I don't want to
hear about regeneration if Christ is not in it. Let's just talk
about Kentucky basketball or something. What has a man learned if he
studied creation? And some of these preachers do.
Oh, they have a sermon on when he said, let there be light,
and then they have a sermon on when he said, let there be a
tree, and then a sermon on when they said, let there be a bird,
and all that stuff, you know. Just go on and on and on. What
has a man gained? What has he profited if you study
all that so thoroughly? And doesn't even talk about the
Creator. Jesus Christ. I read in this book all things
were made there of him and by him and for him and revelation
for them for his good pleasure. Everything exists. Everything
was created. We better say a word or two about
him I guess. What if you learned and studied
so much about able sacrifice and never did know how it related
to Christ that it was just a dim picture? What if you learned and studied
and boy the world has done it, religion has done it, trying
to find a piece of Noah's Ark, you know, and if I could find
a piece of Noah's Ark, if I could see a piece of that Ark I'd really
believe, no you wouldn't. If you send somebody from the
dead that my brothers believed, no they wouldn't. They don't
believe this Word, they don't believe it. They come by hearing,
not seeing. And hearing comes by way of the
Word. And you consider Christian obedience. Now I want you to
hear this good. People always tell you what to
do, where to go, what not to do. Christian obedience priests
apart from Christ. It's just plain old unprofitable
works religion. That's all it is. You say, but he's getting up
there all of a sudden and telling us how to live and what to do
and where to go and all these things. You knew that before
you went to church. You didn't need some preacher
to tell you that. But you'll never obey. The obedience
of faith, and you'll never obey otherwise, comes from looking
at Christ. Look at the Scriptures. Turn
to Luke, just a moment. Chapter 24. Most of you here
are familiar with this, I'm sure, but it won't hurt us, I guess,
to read it again. Luke chapter 24, I'm about like the Apostle Peter,
I'm about ready to put off this old tabernacle and it won't hurt
to remind you one more time. Chapter 24, if I ever find it. He's walking down the Emmaus
road, the Lord Jesus, and they don't know who He is. And he
says in verse 25, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets have spoken, ought not Christ to have suffered
these things and entered into this glory? And beginning at Moses, Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Beginning at Moses and all the
prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures, all of
them, things concerning himself. Verse 44, And he said unto them, These
are the words which I have spake unto you while I was yet with
you. that all things must be fulfilled
which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets
and in the Psalms written about me, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding
that they might understand the Scriptures. We continue to meet
and We continue to pray, as the preacher said last night, that
God give us a greater understanding. And we need a greater understanding. Look at chapter 9 and verse 9. Chapter 9, verse 9. It is written, it is written in the law of Moses,
thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the
corn, Now what's that have to do with
anything? When I was growing up, we raised corn and sometimes
dad would muscle the old horse, one side to the other, you know,
after that corn. Never thought anything about
it. Does God take care of oxen? Is that why he said this? Is
that all it means? Or sayeth he it all together
for our sakes, right here today. For our sakes, no doubt, this
is written, that he that plows should plow in hope, and that
he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of that hope. It
shows the ministry, I mean the maintenance of the ministers
of the gospel. That's what that was all about.
If God hadn't told me, I'd never know it today. But he explained
it to you. This book's about Christ. This
book's about Christ. And Christ is in this book in
a way that we'll never understand while we're in this world. But
it's about Him. It's about Him. Christ is the
way, the truth, and the life. He is the eternal word, the message
from God. Not only came down here as a
messenger, He Himself is that message. I say to our church
quite often, what Spurgeon used to say, that Christ is not only
our Savior, He Himself is our salvation. He's everything. He's
everything. Our Lord Jesus Christ. Now look
at creation. We read it in Colossians the
first chapter. All things were created by Him
and for Him. He's a creator. John chapter 1 verse 3 verses,
not anything ever made or created without Him. He did it all. He is the creator of all things. All of Him, by Him, and for Him,
and as I said, for His good pleasure. Everything was made. Why is this
world here? I'm not sure about all of it,
but it's made for the pleasure of God, for the glory of God
through his Son. And in it all, from beginning
to end, the Son has the preeminence in all things. Look at Providence,
the God-man, the mediator Christ Jesus. He rules this universe. He's not the modern pygmy Jesus
of our generation. The Jesus of the Scriptures rules
the universe and everything in it. Things in heaven, things
in earth, things under the earth, everything, he rules it. Mary's
son, the lowly Nazarene, our Savior, the Bible said is the
only potentate King of kings and Lord of lords. The Father hath delivered all
things, he said, into my hands. How many things? Everything. All things. The Father hath delivered
all things into my hands. He told his disciples before
he left, he said, I have power over all. all things in heaven,
of all power in earth, all power over all flesh, all things, Lord over all. This is Jesus, our Savior. Now look at salvation. I'm going to hurry off. There is none other name unto
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. He's the only
Savior. The only Savior. If you would
be saved, look to Him. Not partly to Him and partly
to your works. Entirely, completely on Him. Trust Him. Put all your confidence
in Him. Old Ralph Barney used to say,
put all your eggs in one basket. Trust everything to Him. Everything
to Him. Your salvation back yonder in
the beginning, your salvation from day to day, your perseverance,
your preservation, we trust Him. I like the sovereign Christ,
the great Christ, the Christ who's able to save, mighty to
save. Because I don't have an enemy
that I can withstand in my own strength. But all of them joined
hand in hand cannot overcome my Savior. That's my trust. He's my trust. The Lord Jesus
Christ. When the fullness of time has
come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the
law, to redeem us from the curse of the law. And I repeat with
joy, he shall not fail. Did we hear that last night?
He shall not fail. Nor even be discouraged. He shall
not fail. He only purged our sins, put
away our sins. They're gone. If He put away my sins, I don't
have them anymore. And He did. The Bible talks about
all those priests who offer often the same sacrifices, day by day,
day in and day out, which can never put away sin. But this
man, I love that, this man, After he had offered one sacrifice
for sin forever, sat down, it's done, it's finished. For by one
offering he hath perfected, you hear that? Perfected. Someone
said it last night, to be accepted of God you have to be perfect.
He hath perfected us forever. And then it goes on with that
glorious word from God and their sins and their iniquities. I'll never remember him again. Oh, I love that kind of Savior. And it's all of Him. It's all
of Him. Let me show you something. Acts
chapter 10. I want you to see this. And think about it. There are
so many different beliefs in the world today. And some of
you have a scope for your Bible, and that's a great hindrance. It says here, talking about the
Lord Jesus Christ, it says, verse 43, to him. Do you ever wonder what the prophets
preached in the Old Testament? Reckon they ever made any explanations
when they offered those sacrifices? To Him, give all a prophet's
witness. Well, what did they say? They said that through His name,
whosoever believeth shall receive the forgiveness of sins. That's
what they all preached on from the first to the last. And all
the types said the same thing. Christ is all and in all, no
doubt about it. Believe on him, or better, I
like it better, believe him, thou shalt be saved. That's what
Paul said. He said, I believe on him, I
believe about him. He said, I know whom I believe. And I'm persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. Whom,
salvation is a whom. He is all and in all. All that, I love saying this,
thinking about it. All that God required of me,
He sent His Son to provide for me. Never left out a thing. You know what God requires of
you? That you trust in Him, give Him glory, serve Him with your
whole heart from your mother's womb. Nobody's ever done that
except one man. He trusted in the Lord from his
mother's womb. For me. In my name. It's kind of like if I did it,
but I didn't do it, he did it. He is all and in all of God. Now this is important,
of God. The wording is important. Of
God. Are you in Christ Jesus? Those of you who are. In Christ
Jesus, who? Of God. It's made of us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification and redemption and all that we
need for time and eternity. It's all in Christ. in Christ. Lastly, in this life of faith
and obedience, Christ must be all. Every commandment must be
sprinkled in the blood of Christ. Or you're just a legalist. That's right. In the life of faith and obedience,
Christ is all and in all. You remember Saul of Tarsus?
He became the Apostle Paul and after that he said, the love
of Christ it constrains me. But I judge that if he died for
all, we were all dead and we sure didn't need it. And he died
for all that we should. Now listen to these things. There's two points in two verses.
He said, we no longer live unto ourselves, but to him that loved
us and gave himself for us. Next verse says, we no longer
judge after the flesh the world's judgments. He said, though I've
known Christ after the flesh, know I Him no more. We judge
things with spiritual judgment. Spiritual judgment. That is so
important. He said, the love of Christ constraineth
us. Now just to give you an example
or two from the scriptures that I've done, and the scriptures
is full of it. Once you see it, you can't overlook
it, you can't miss it, it's everywhere! Galatians 2.20, verse 19 first,
it says, Paul said, And this is important, through
the law. I'm dead to the law. I might live unto God. Paul,
how did you satisfy the law? How is it that
through the law you're dead? He said, I'm crucified with Christ.
When he died, I died. In life I now live in the flesh.
I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me. and gave
himself for me. What's the principle of obedience
there? The principle of getting us to
follow after Christ? I live for him who died for me. Husbands and wives. Husbands,
love your wives even as how? Like Christ loved the church.
Gave himself for her. It's everywhere. It's everywhere. Ephesians 4, verses 30, 31, 32. I'll just give you a part of
it. Be ye kind and tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, forgave
you. How? Like Christ forgave you.
Everything points us to Christ. And on and on. But I'll go. Turn
to Titus 3. Titus chapter 3. I remember the first time I saw
this. I have a background where I've
heard so much of this preaching Driving people with the whip
of the law or the hands of hell. Threatening them with judgment.
If your house burned down because you were doing something bad,
like Job's friends. And if you do real good, you'll
get crowns. How about a bunch of them? When I saw this, it just cleared
it all up. What I'm telling you this morning.
Let's begin reading with the first verse of chapter 3. Put
them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to
obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak
evil of no man, to be no brawlers with words or fists, but to be
gentle, showing all meekness unto all men, for we ourselves
also. Uh-oh. Remember what you were? If you don't remember what you
were, you don't know what you are. For we ourselves also were sometimes
foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures,
living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But after
that, oh I love these conjunctions, but after that, the kindness
and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. It wasn't by works
of righteousness which we've done, but according to his mercy,
He saved us by the washing, regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost,
which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. He's all and in all. That being
justified by His grace, He's everything, we should be made
heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful
saying. And God said it was. And He said,
just say it all the time. Just keep on saying it. This
is a faithful saying, and these things are willed that thou affirm
constantly." Just tell them over and over. Remind them who they
are, what devils they used to be, and show them what Christ
did for them. That they which have truly believed,
really believed, savingly believed, might be careful. Be careful. Be careful to maintain good works. When they hear that preacher
get up there and tell them what they are, what they were, what
Christ did for them, what He made them to be, the hope of
eternal life and glory, they're going to be careful. Give them
the honor and the glory and the praise. These things are good and profitable
unto men, You can't preach the gospel.
Cannot. Nobody ever did, ever can, ever
will. You can't preach the gospel without
telling the truth about God. And you can never know the truth
about you until you see the truth about God. Because in His light,
we see ourselves. Oh, Isaiah, he had a lot of things
to say about a lot of people. And one day he saw the Lord,
and woe is me, I'm cut off, I'm undone. He saw himself. He saw himself. May God bless
these words to every heart, mine and his.