Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 1030 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
945 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. I've entitled the message for
this morning, Christ is All. I'd like to read from Colossians
chapter three, verse nine. Paul says to the church at Colossa,
lie not one to another. Don't pretend to be what you're
not. seeing that you have put off
the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which
is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created
him." Now, we read of a new man the creation of God that has
a particular knowledge. Let's see what it is. Where in
this new man, in this new creation, there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,
barbarian-Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Would to God that you and I will
have that spiritual knowledge given to us by the Holy Spirit
placed in the heart of the new man, the creation of God. Now, if I would want to give
a summary of the message of the Bible. This is one of the verses
that I would go to. Christ is all. Now, that could not be said of
any created being. Although I fear many of us, including
myself, act like we think the world revolves around us. Self, self-promoting, self-righteous,
self-centered, self-indulgent, selfish. unable to see anybody
else's point of view because we're so taken up with self.
You've met people like that, I've met people like that, and
I fear far too often I am like that, and that would describe
me. But this does not describe the
Lord Jesus Christ. He truly is all in us. all. Now, some years ago, I was
preaching in a place where the man I was preaching with, I felt
like something was missing from his preaching. I wasn't getting
anything out of it. I felt like it was glorifying
the flesh, and I did not believe he preached the gospel. We discussed
it. But sometime during this time, he asked me the question,
If you had one thing you could say to a young preacher beginning
his preaching, what would you say to him?" And I replied, Christ
is all. And he looked at me and said,
oh, your interest is in Christology. And I thought he doesn't get
it. Christology, the study of Christ, a branch of his theology. No, if Christ is all is some
form of Christology, you've missed it all together. Christ is all
and in all. Now, Paul was writing to a church
that he'd never met in the flesh. And he is writing of some errors
that he had heard had been propagated in that church, and he was dealing
with those. But during that time, he makes
this statement, "'You put on the new man, which is renewed
in knowledge, after the image of him that created him, and
this is that knowledge, where there is neither Greek nor Jew,
no racial or ethnic distinctions. There is neither circumcision
nor uncircumcision. There are no religious distinctions. There is neither barbarian nor
Scythian. There are no societal distinctions
or educational distinctions. There's no bond nor free. There are no economic distinctions. Christ is all. Now that is the message of the
scripture. Christ is all. And if he's all, you know what
that makes everything else? Nothing. Paul put it this way, I determined
not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. But what do you think of politics?
What do you think of abortion? What do you think of whatever
else you want to fill in the blank? I've determined. not to
know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
Christ is all. That makes everything else nothing. Now, if you look throughout this
book of Colossians, one of the key words, perhaps the key word
other than Christ Himself, is the word all. He uses it over
and over again in Colossians 1.15. He says, who is the image,
speaking of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature. That word every is the same word
translated all. He's the firstborn of all creation.
Now, that doesn't mean he's the first created being. That's blasphemy. He was never created. He's the
eternal God. But as the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world, He's also the firstborn from the dead
from the foundation of the world. That's what Paul calls Him in
the latter part of verse 18. He's the firstborn from the dead.
That's what it means that He's the firstborn of all creation. Now, do I understand this? No. Do I believe it? Yes. Christ
is the firstborn of the dead, eternally. He was so before time
began. Before there was ever a sinner,
there was a Savior. Look what it says in verse 16. For by Him were all things created,
whether they're in heaven or on earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers,
all things were created by Him and for Him. He's the creator
of all things, visible and invisible. All things were created by Him
and for Him. What's meant by all things? All
things. He's the creator of all things, for He has made all things
for Himself. Yea, even the wicked for the
day of evil. I am the Lord, and there's none
else. I am the Lord, and there's none
like me. I make peace. I create evil. I create light. I form the darkness. I, the Lord,
do all these things. Now, whatever it is, God is the
cause, and Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is the cause. I love what the 4 and 20 elders
said, for thou hast created all things for thy pleasure. They
are and were created. In the beginning, Jesus Christ
created the heavens and the earth. It was Jesus Christ who said,
Let there be light, and there was light. He created all things. Verse 17 says, He is before all
things. In His eternal existence, He
said, before Abraham was, I am. He is the eternal I am. He's never I was, I used to be,
I want to be, I should be, I will be. He is I am that I am, and
He is so eternally. He is the eternal I am. and he
is before all things in the sense that he's the source, he's the
cause, he's the origin of all things. It wouldn't be without
him. Somebody says, what's the origin
of the coronavirus? He is. Now, I don't know what
all his purpose is in it. I know he's in control of it,
and I'm thankful for that, but he is the before all things. Whatever you have, He's before
it as its source, its cause, its origin. And whatever He does
is right, whatever He does is holy, whatever He does is just,
whatever He does is good. I don't have to understand that.
I just believe He's good, and whatever He does is right. He
is before all things. And next, it says, by Him, all
things consist. All things are held together
by Him. You know the reason you took
that last breath you breathed? He willed it. You know the reason
your heart just pumped? Because He willed it. And everything
that takes place, He is in absolute control of. By Him, all things
consist. By Him, all things are held together. And look what it says in verse
18, and he is the head of the body, the church, who is the
image, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might
have the preeminence. This is God's agenda. This is
God's purpose, that in all things his son, Jesus Christ, would
have the preeminence, be firstborn. Oh, He's always first, the firstborn
from the dead. For it pleased the Father that
in Him should all fullness dwell. That's God's purpose, that all
fullness dwell in His Son. No wonder He's all. If all fullness
dwells in Him, He is all. And it says with regard to the
Lord Jesus Christ in verse 20 of Colossians chapter one, and
having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to
reconcile all things unto himself. Now, when Christ died on the
cross, he reconciled all things to himself. Now that means several
things. Scripture says to this end he died that he might be
Lord both of the dead and the living. Because he died on the
cross, he's everybody's Lord. He's your Lord? Somebody says,
no, he's not. Yeah, he is. You might not know it, but he
is. You're in his hand and he does with you and everybody else
whatsoever he's pleased to do. He's the believer's Lord and
they love it that way. But here's what this means in
the context of what he's saying. He reconciled all things to himself.
That's talking about his reconciliation of those he died for. He reconciled
everybody he died for to this extent Verse 22, he hath now
reconciled in the body of his flesh through death. Here's what
his death did on Calvary's tree, to present you, everybody he
died for, all who believe, holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in his sight. That's how reconciled they are.
Everybody he died for is holy. is unblameable. There's nothing
that can be laid to their charge. Unreprovable in God's sight. Now, God's sight, He sees things
how they are. And if I'm that in God's sight,
I am that. And that's what He accomplished
by His glorious death on Calvary's tree. Look in verse 28, whom
we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all
wisdom that we might present every man all as the word perfect
in Christ Jesus. That's what we're presented in
Christ if we're believers, perfect, without blemish, faultless before
God in Christ Jesus. In verse 3 of chapter 2, it says,
"...in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Now,
this One who has all, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge
are hidden in Him. In verse 9 of chapter 2, "...for
in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Now,
in this man Christ Jesus, there is all the fullness of omnipotence,
absolute power, all the fullness of omniscience, all wise, altogether
knowing, all the fullness of omnipresence. You can't go anywhere
where He's not. all the fullness of sovereignty,
His will must be done, all the fullness of justice, love, grace,
mercy, independence, immutability, all the fullness of God, all
the substance of whatever God is, dwells, resides in the body
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I love what the next verse says,
and you are complete in Him. That means you lack nothing.
If you're in Him, you're complete. Now, you may feel lacking, but
you're not if you're in Him. You're complete who is the head
of all principality and power. Now, in Chapter 3, verse 9, let's
pick up there. "'Lie not one to another, seeing
that you put off the old man with his deeds and have put on
the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image
of him that created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew,
Circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond or
free, but Christ is all in all." Oh, I love that statement. I
hope it never becomes cliche to me, but that I'm made to bow
and worship before Him. Christ is all in all. Jesus Christ is all that God
is. We read in Isaiah 9, 6, unto
us a child is born, speaking of the virgin birth of the Lord
Jesus Christ, some 2,000 years ago, spoken of prophetically.
700 years before it took place, he said in the two previous chapters,
behold, the virgin shall be with child. And he announces in Isaiah
9, 6, unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given. That son wasn't born. That son
is the eternal son. And his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor. the mighty God, the everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. Now, somebody says, explain that
to me. I can't explain that. I just
believe it. This is who Jesus Christ is,
the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. The Lord said, he that has seen
me, hath seen the Father, and all you and I will ever see of
God the Father is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He is all
that God is, and He is all that God is pleased with. He said, this is my beloved son
in whom I am well pleased. And I love the way he said, in
whom I'm well pleased. He didn't say with whom I'm well
pleased. He said, in whom I am well pleased. And everybody that's in him,
God is well pleased with. Oh, God's salvation, God's pleasure,
God is pleased with Jesus Christ, and He's pleased with everybody
that's in Christ. They can't be separated. They are united to Him. Jesus
Christ is all in the Scriptures. To Him give all the prophets. The Lord said, you search the
scriptures in them, you think you have eternal life, and they
are they which testify of me. Every single one of them. Every
story in the Old Testament is given to illustrate the gospel.
Every sacrifice, every law, every feast day, every holy day, whatever
it is, it's given to teach us something of the Lord Jesus Christ. For instance, in the law, you're
told not to mix linen and wool. You're not to make a garment
out of two different fibers. Well, what's that all about?
It's to teach us that the only garment we have is Christ. He's
not a mixture of human righteousness and His righteousness. It's only
His righteousness. There aren't two fibers. There's
only one, Him. To Him give all the prophets
witness. He said to his disciples, beginning
at Moses and the prophets, he expanded unto them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself. He opened their understanding
that they might understand the scriptures, and every scripture
is of him. Every one of them. Can't take
that too far. He is all in our doctrine. What
do I mean by that? The Gospel is called the doctrine
of Christ, and every doctrine of the Scripture cannot be understood
apart from Him. Election. God choosing His people
before time began. Scripture teaches that. You can't
argue with that if you believe the Bible is the Word of God.
God elected a people before time began. But what is that without
this? According as He hath chosen us
in Him, before the foundation of the world. The key to election
is Christ. The elect were viewed in Him. They were never viewed independently
of Him. They were chosen in Him. When
we talk about redemption, I'm redeemed by His blood. His blood
put away all my sins. When we talk about justification,
I'm justified by His righteousness. I have the very righteousness
of God as my personal righteousness, the righteousness of Christ.
When we talk about being called, we're called by His grace. When
we talk about faith, He's the object of faith. When we talk
about repentance, we repent of anything that's contrary to Him.
When we talk about regeneration, we're talking about being redeemed
by His Spirit. When we talk about being preserved,
we're preserved in Christ Jesus. He is salvation. Every doctrine
points to Him. When Simeon said, Now lettest
thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
He is salvation because he is all in salvation. And because
he's all in salvation, he is salvation. Now, Jesus Christ
is all in my personal experience. Now, what do I mean by that? In my personal experience, my faith always seems inadequate.
My repentance always seems inadequate. My love always seems far too
shallow. My confession seems too insincere. I'm talking about the way I know
I am before God in my personal experience. I'm not looking to
my faith. I'm looking to His faith. We're
justified by the faith of Christ. I'm not looking to my confession
of sin. My confession of sin is always
incomplete. But when my sin became His sin,
He said, I acknowledge my transgressions. Nobody confesses sin like the
Lord Jesus Christ. I've never been sorry enough
for my sin, but He said, I'll be sorry for my sins. I've never been sorry enough.
Jesus Christ, when my sin became His sin, He expressed that true
sorrow for sin before His Father. My experience is no good. My
experience is His experience is my experience. I look to Him
for all things. You see, all God requires of
me even by way of experience, He looks to Christ for. Would
I want my repentance to be judged apart from the blood of Christ?
Would I want my prayers to be heard apart from the blood of
Christ? No, He is all in my experience. All that God requires of me,
He looks to His Son for. Oh, I love that. I wouldn't want
it to be any other way. And all God requires of me, I
look to His Son for. He's all in my experience. Now, Christ is all to you if
you have nothing else. Let me repeat that. Christ is
all to you only if you have nothing else. If you have something else
to hold on to, well, Christ in my experience, Christ in my good
works, Christ in my knowledge, Christ in my witnessing, Christ
in the way God used me, Christ in the way I've stopped this
sin, Christ the way I've started doing this good thing, you don't
have Christ as all. Christ is only all if he is all
you have. Somebody once said, if all you
have is Christ, is that enough? Well, it is if he's all you have.
If you have anything else, no. Now, this is a true story told
by a preacher from almost 200 years ago. He was telling the
story of what he called Jack the Huckster. I'm going to give
you the story in a moment, but some many years after he told
that story, there was a man in his church that he considered
his best friend dying, and he was just overcome with grief.
But when he was telling the story about that man, he recalled the
time that he first preached a message and gave the story of Jack the
Huckster. And this man, whom died, told Spurgeon that he found
comfort from that message, that story, and it was a story he
wanted to live by and die by. So let me give you the story
of Jack the Huckster. Jack the Huckster was what he
was called, a huckster. He was a dishonest man. He made
a living by dishonest practices. And one day, he heard a woman
singing. I don't know to what tune she
was singing, but she was singing this song, I'm a Poor and nothing
at all. But Jesus Christ is my all in
all." And he liked the way the song sounded, and he began to
sing it. Didn't understand what it meant,
but he began to sing it. But in time, God made that real
to him. He understood that he was a poor
sinner and nothing at all. And Jesus Christ was his all
in all. And he wanted to confess Christ
and believers baptism. He wanted to join the church. And some people who asked questions
asked him, well, have you been born again? Have you been converted? And this is how he answered that
question. He said, well, I'm not real sure. I can't answer
that positively, but I can answer this positively. I am a poor
sinner and nothing at all. And Jesus Christ is my all in
all. Well, they couldn't deny him
baptism, so he confessed Christ and believers baptism. And people
noticed over the years that he seemed happier than other believers. Man always seemed happy. And so somebody asked him, don't
you ever have doubts? He said, well, I never doubt
this. I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all. I never have any doubts
about that. And I never doubt this. Jesus
Christ is my all in all. He's all I have. I don't have
anything else to plead. Don't doubt that. Well, how is
it you stay so happy if you're a poor sinner and nothing at
all? Because Jesus Christ is my all in all. How could you
not be happy and believe that Jesus Christ is your all in all?
Now, I know with regard to me, the only time I'm happy, truly
happy, is when I see nothing in myself but being a poor sinner
and nothing at all." That's an easy place to stay if God gives
you the grace to stay there. A poor sinner and nothing at
all. But Jesus Christ is my all in
all. He's all God requires. He's all
I have. He's all I need. And He's all
I want. Indeed, Jesus Christ is all in
all, as the Lord taught us that. Now, we have this message on
DVD and CD. If you call the church, write,
we'll send you a copy. Look on the website, you can
get the message off that. This is Todd Nyberg, praying
that God will be pleased to make Himself known to you. That's
our prayer. To receive a copy of the sermon you have just heard,
send your request to todd.nyberg at gmail.com, or you may write
or call the church at the information provided on the screen.