faithful minister of Christ at
the church at Colossae. And he and Paul crossed paths
at Rome. And you know how you like to
talk about, we like to talk about our children when we see somebody. Well, pastors like to talk about
their brethren, their congregation. And Epiphas had told Paul all
about the brethren at Colossae. And Paul delighted to hear what
Epiphas told him. We see that in Colossians 1.
He's talking of the Gospel and he said, You also learned that
Gospel of Epiphas, our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful
minister of Christ, who also declared unto us your love in
spirit. As we read this letter, we discover
that Epiphas also obviously told Paul of some of his greatest
fears for his brethren. And we learn it from Paul's warning
over in Colossians 2. Look over there with me. Colossians
2, verse 18. He says, let no man beguile you
of your reward in a voluntary humility Oh, I'm sorry, Colossians
2.8. Beware, lest any man spoil you
through philosophy, in vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments or elements of the world, after worldly things,
and not after Christ. This was one of Paul's greatest
fears for the brethren. This is one of Ephraim's greatest
fears for the brethren. It's my greatest fear for you.
Colossians 2.5. I'm sorry, Colossians 3.5. We see another fear. He says,
"...mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth." Two
things, brethren, that we have that will wage war against us.
Both of them are in the flesh. One of them is the sins of our
flesh, the covetousness and the idolatry of the flesh, the anger
and malice of the flesh. And the other is religion, things
that appeal to the flesh, traditions of men. It's not after Christ. These two things are dangerous
for us. But Paul knows that this two-fold
desire to be saved from this two-fold fear will be accomplished
one way. We find it in what Paul asked
God to do for them in his prayer back in Colossians 1 verse 9.
He says, because he's heard of their love in the Spirit, he
says, for this cause, we also, since the day we heard, do not
cease to pray for you and to desire, and here's what they
desired, that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will
in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. For what reason? Verse 10, that
ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful
in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. And
Paul knows there's one way that this is going to be accomplished.
Verse 11, strengthened with all might, according to His glorious
power, unto all patience, and longsuffering with joyfulness.
And as Paul prays here, he begins to praise God. And what he's
about to say to us here indeed is the will of God. This is the
fountain of all spiritual understanding. This is the strength wherewith
God strengthens the believer by His glorious power unto all
patients in longsuffering and joyfulness. This is the cure
of all that is harmful to us. This is the cure. First of all,
to the believer, God hath made you fit. Verse 12. giving thanks unto the Father
which hath made us meet, fit, to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in life, who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear
Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness
of sins. God the Father. has drawn you
to Christ Jesus the Lord out of your state of corruption in
which you were born and created you anew through the Holy Spirit.
And believer, right now, right now, without another minute passing,
without anything left to be done, you're fit, perfectly fit. to be a partaker of the inheritance
with the saints in life. Nothing else to be done. That'll
shut the mouths of folks who think there's something else
to be done. You're fit meet to be partakers right now. Right
now you're delivered from the power of darkness. It's not going
to have dominion over you. You're delivered from it. You've
been translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son. You've got
a new king now, and he's going to see to it. Nobody else is
going to have dominion over you. You have redemption. You've been
bought with the price of His blood, the payment of His blood.
All your sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven. We could just stop right there.
I tell you, that's anathema to philosophy and the vain deceit
of men that come in after the traditions of men trying to tell
you there's something left for you to do. That's anathema to
it. You're fit. He's made you fit. Here's the second thing. And
all your fullness dwells in Christ Jesus the Preeminent. Paul has told the brethren of
their redemption. Now he's going to describe their
Redeemer. He's going to describe the One
who's the King and the Redeemer. Verse 15, Our Redeemer, Christ
Jesus, is the image of the invisible God. Christ Jesus the man, the God-man,
is the express image of God. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit were pleased that all the fullness
of the Godhead dwell in the man, Christ Jesus. Colossians 2 not
for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily You see
you can't see God You can see this man Christ Jesus
We see him by faith now, but we'll see him The Lord told Philip
he that hath seen me hath seen the father he declares God Every
glorious attribute of God, the glory of God, is seen in Christ
Jesus, the Son of Man. Moses asked to see God's glory
over in Exodus 33. And in verse 19, the Lord said,
I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim
the name of the Lord before thee, and will be gracious to whom
I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show
mercy. And he said, thou canst not see
my face, for there shall no man see me and live. And the Lord
said, behold, a place by me thou shalt stand upon a rock. And
that rock is Christ Jesus, the Lord. And it shall come to pass,
while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cliff of
the rock, and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see
my back parts, but my face shall not be seen. And when the Lord
passed by and proclaimed His glory to Moses, the glory of
His name, Lord of hosts, Lord who's over all, Lord who controls
everything that is, that glory is seen in the firstborn of every
creature, the King, the heir who's over all, Almighty Christ
Jesus, the Lord. The glory of God's covenant,
His covenant name, the Lord God, covenant name is seen in Christ
Jesus because every promise God makes to His people, everything
God promises to you and to me, everything God has to say that
He will give you and me is yes, it's amen, it's final in the
Lord Jesus. The glory of His full mercy and
grace is in Christ Jesus. The glory of God's long-suffering,
the reason that God didn't destroy this world when Adam sinned in
the garden and plunged the entire human race into sin and this
world under the curse, the reason God was long-suffering and did
not destroy it, the glory of His long-suffering is in Christ
Jesus the Lord. God's abundant goodness, his
truth, everything God has to say, everything good God has
to give is in Christ Jesus. The glory of mercy that he reserves
for thousands. The glory of iniquity and transgression
and of sin being forgiven. and the glory of doing all in
accordance with His justice, perfectly holy, perfectly just,
and yet merciful, is all seen in Christ Jesus. That's His righteousness. It's manifest in Christ Jesus. He's a just God and a Savior.
And when Moses was in that rock, standing on that rock, hidden
in the cleft of that rock, And he saw him pass by, he saw his
back parts. But now, having gone to the cross,
having risen again, seated at the right hand of God, Paul said,
God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined
in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Colossians 1 15 says he's the
firstborn of every creature This word firstborn means he is the
king He's the owner of all things and he's the heir of all things
He controls all things look at verse 16 for by him were all
things created Christ Jesus, the Son, the Son of Man, by Him,
were all things created that are in heaven and that are in
earth, visible and invisible. Were the thrones... Why was a king made? What was the pattern to pattern,
to get the pattern for a king and a kingdom? It was Him. He came before the throne. And
dominions, and principalities, or powers, all things were created
by Him and for Him. And He's before all things. And
by Him all things consist. You think about, you remember
how when the Lord gave the pattern of the tabernacle? And everything
about that tabernacle was patterned to glorify Christ Jesus. He was the pattern. That's why
God told Moses, see that you make it after this pattern. In
the same regard, when He created all things, they were made by
Him and for Him. When He made the trees and the
herbs having seed in themselves, why do you think He made them
that way? Because that's how His people were created. In Him. Made in Him. When He gave wisdom
to those folks to sew and work in fine linen so they could make
the veil, He gave that same kind of wisdom to folks to teach them
how to grow grapes. He designed the pattern that
the grape would have to go into a wine press. That the grape,
the juice of that grape would have to be crushed out of that
grape to make wine. Why did he give men that kind
of wisdom to know how to do all that and how to grow grapes and
how to crush them and do it? So he could come along and say,
you see that grape that's crushed in that wine press? That's what
I'm going to do. I'm going to tread the wine press
along on Calvary's Cross. You don't think he came along
and looked at that and thought, That'll kind of illustrate what
I'm going to do. He made it for that purpose. He made it for
that purpose. I've told you the same with the
seed. He said, unless a seed fall into the ground and be broken,
no life comes from that seed. And He said, even so, the Son
of Man had to come into this dark, damp, cold earth and He
had to be broken on Calvary's tree with the sin of His people
on Himself that life might come forth. He didn't just look at
that seed and say, well, that'll sort of get the point across.
He made the seed that way to illustrate what he would do at
Calvary Street. He's before all things, and by
Him all things consist. They were made by Him and for
Him. Colossians 1.18 says, and He's
the head of the body, the church. He's the head of the body, the
church. child that was chosen of God
belongs to Christ our head. Every believer from every generation,
whether in heaven or on this earth, whether in heaven or not
yet born, belongs to Christ our head. And each believer is a
member of his body in particular. He's the representative head
from all eternity. He's the political head who reigns
over all. And He's the economical head
who provides all things for us. Look over to Ephesians chapter
1. Ephesians chapter 1. It's a few pages back. Ephesians 1.
Look at verse 22. and hath put all things under
his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the
church, which is his body, the fullness of him." You know what
that means? You know what glorious good news
that is? one member You little poor little weak little fickle
little sinner if you are part of that body He won't be complete. He won't be full and that ain't
gonna happen Which is his body the fullness
of him that filleth all in all look over to Ephesians 4 verse
16 from whom, Ephesians 4.16, from whom the whole body is fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies
according to the effectual working and the measure of every part. That's what He's doing. And He's
making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Look over to Ephesians 5.23. Why does He care for this body
so? Why is He so concerned over this body? Verse 23. For the husband is the head of
the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church. And He's
the Savior of the body. Look down to verse 24. As the
church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands and everything. The church is subject to Christ.
Look down at verse 26, or verse 25. Husbands, love your wives
even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Verse 26, that he might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. You know
what's happening right now? When they're reading that letter
at Colossae, that Paul's written, and he's telling them all these
things, you know what's happening? They're being washed by the Word. They're being washed from all
the pollution, they're being washed from all the sin, they're
being washed from all those vain ideas of following after those
vain deceiving philosophers and that sinful flesh of their own
flesh. They're being washed as they
hear these things. He washes by the water by the
Word that He might present it to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should
be holy and without blemish. This is our head. Now look at
verse 18 back in our text. Colossians 1.18. It says here, He's the head of
the church who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever He's the high
priest after the order of Melchizedek who has neither beginning of
days nor end of days Proverbs 8 22 said the Lord possessed
me in the beginning of his way before his works of old I was
set up from everlasting from the beginning or ever the earth
was I Just as Eve was created from Adam, so his bride had her
beginning from him. And Christ Jesus here, though,
is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. He was the beginning
of the first creation. But Adam sinned and plunged us
all into spiritual death and the former creation fell into
ruin. But Christ Jesus came to where
we are. And He died in the room instead
of His people, purging the sins of His people, cleansing His
people of all sin, obtaining eternal redemption for us. And
He's the firstborn, risen of His own power from the dead,
accepted of God. So that this new creation and
everything about the new creation is His. He's the Creator of it. He's the beginning of it. He's
the beginning of this new creation. When He creates you anew in the
heart, 1 Corinthians 15-12 says, He is the firstfruits. He is. That in all things, He might
have the preeminence. He's first in sonship. No one's
a son like Jesus Christ is a son. He's first in election. God first
chose Him and then chose His people in Him. He's first in
covenant relationship. He's the surety of God's covenant,
the mediator of God's covenant, the messenger of God's covenant.
He's first in redemption. Our redemption is a person. Do you worship a person? He's your
hope of person. Our redemption is a person. Our
life is a person. He quickeneth whom He will. He's
the first to conquer death. He conquered sin. He conquered
death. He conquered hell. He's preeminent
in all His people. Is He preeminent in you? John
Owen was speaking to the English House of Commons on the greatness
of Jesus Christ. And he said this, Christ is the
way. Men without Him are cane wanderers. Christ is the truth. Men without
Him are living a lie. Christ is the life. Men without
Him are dead in trespasses and in sin. Christ is the light. Without Him, men are in darkness. Christ is divine. Men without
Him are withered branches. Christ is the rock. Men without
Him are carried away by the flood. Christ is the Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end. He who has not Christ hath not
the beginning of good nor the end of misery. It is better not
to be than to be without Jesus Christ, that in all things He
might have the preeminence. Why? Why? All the reason we need
is in verse 19. For it pleased the Father that
in Him should all fullness dwell." Now, I like these words, all. That means everything. And I
like this word, fullness, because it means there's no empty space.
But even better than that, the Spirit of God says of Christ
Jesus, in Him is all fullness. Everything with no empty space. all fullness. You and I by nature
are all emptiness and all vanity. By nature we have an utter lack
of merit before God, a total absence of power to gain merit
with God, and a complete absence of all will to obey God, even
if we had the ability to obey. What did Paul say in Romans 7?
He said, I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good
thing, for to will is present with me, but how to perform that
which is good I find not. The evil thing I hate, I do,
and the good thing I want to do, I don't do. Empty. Vanity. This whole world
is emptiness. The preacher said, vanity of
vanities, all is vanity. He said, I've seen all the works
that are done under the sun and behold, all is vanity and vexation
of spirit. It'll just vex you. That's all
it is. But in Christ Jesus, there is
all fullness. All fullness. Now I want you
to walk with me through this letter real quick. Colossians
1, verse 9. For this cause, Paul said, we don't cease to pray for you
and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge
of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. It pleased
the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. Colossians
1, verse 11. He says, strengthen with all
might according to His glorious power unto all patience and longsuffering
with joyfulness. It pleased the Father that in
Christ should all fullness dwell. You want that? He's telling you
where it is. Colossians 1.16, by Him were
all things and by Him all things consist because it pleased the
Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. Look down at
verse 20. Having 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, because it pleased the
Father that in Christ should all fullness dwell. Look at Colossians
2 verse 1. For I would that you knew what
great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea, for
as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts
might be comforted, that they be knit together in love unto
all riches of the full assurance of understanding. to the acknowledgement
of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ in whom
are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Because
it pleads the Father that in Christ should all fullness dwell.
Look at Colossians 2.8, Beware lest any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men, after
the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are
complete in him, which is the head of all principality and
power. Because it pleased the Father
that in Christ should all fullness dwell. Look at Colossians 2.13, You being dead in your sins and
the uncircumcision of your flesh as he quickened together with
him having forgiven you all trespasses Because it pleased the father
that in Christ should all fullness dwell Look at Colossians 2.16, Let
no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect
of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath, which
are a shadow of things to come, but the body, the fullness, is
of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your
reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels, intruding
into those things which he hath not seen, vainly pluffed up by
his fleshly mind, and not holding the head, from which all the
body, by joints and bands, having nourishment ministered, and knit
together, increaseth with the increase of God." He's going
to do the increasing. Why? Because it pleased the Father
that in Christ should all fullness dwell. Now here's the application, brethren.
First of all, Colossians 1.21, Paul says, continue in Christ. Verse 21, And you that were sometime
alienated 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 unapprovable in his sight I Want
that don't you I can't do that. Can you? But all fullness dwells
in him What do we say to that verse 23 if you continue in the
faith? grounded and settled. Be not
moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which you've heard, which
was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof
I, Paul, am made a minister." What is that hope? Look down
at verse 27. The hope is Christ in you, the
hope of glory, whom we preach, warning every man, teaching every
man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in
Christ Jesus. So he says here, continue in
the faith. All fullness dwells in Christ.
Don't let anybody turn you from Christ. All fullness dwells in
Christ. Is it pleased the Father that
in Him that He should have all preeminence? All fullness dwells
in Him. And then he says to us in Colossians
3, Colossians 3, He says, verse 5, mortify therefore your members
which are upon the earth. Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate
affection, evil concupiscence, covetousness. It's all idolatry. It's all man worship. You should
know behind every idol, behind every actual idol, it all starts
one place with a man. So it's all these things right
here. It starts with a man. It's man worship. He says, for
which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of
disobedience. And in time past you walked like
that. You lived in those things. But
now put off all these. Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,
filthy communication out of your mouth. And lie not one to another,
seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds and
you've put on the new man. which is renewed in knowledge
after the image of Him that created Him. You've been recreated after
the image of God in that inner man. Renewed in knowledge after
the image of Him that created Him. Now, brethren, look at verse
11. There's neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond or
free, but Christ all. Christ all and in all. continue in Him. All wisdom,
all spiritual understanding, all strength, all fruits that
will be given to you, all peace with God, all acceptance with
God, all righteousness, all holiness, all redemption, all reconciliation,
all acceptance, all fullness is in Christ Jesus. Because it
pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. And
then here's the third thing. Do everything in the name of
the Lord Jesus. Look at Colossians 3 verse 17. And whatsoever ye do, brethren,
He's told them to forbear with one another, to love one another,
to forgive one another, to encourage one another. And now He says,
and whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. Wives, submit yourselves unto
your own husbands as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your
wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents
in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke
not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Servants,
obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with
eye service as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart. Singleness
of heart. singleness of heart as to the
fearing God. And what serve you do, do it
heartily as to the Lord and not unto men. Because why? Knowing
that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. For you serve the Lord Christ.
That's why. Do it all as unto Him because
you're doing it unto Him. There's nothing else brethren,
nothing else but Christ Jesus the Lord. It's going to turn
a sinner from everything below. Whether it's philosophy, fantasy,
tradition of man, I guarantee you if we took most of what is
practiced in religion today and took it to this book, you won't
find it in this book. Worshiping God is very singular. It's all fullness in Christ Jesus. And there's a lot of stuff that
can interfere. And the only thing that's going to set your affection
on things above and not things below is knowing you're fit right
now to enter into glory with God. Fit right now to enter into
glory with God. You see Paul, a man who was saved
out of the height of his profession in religion. One of the few men
you find in scripture that God actually saved who was so active
in religion as Paul was. Who was so wise as Paul was.
Who had such credentials as Paul had. But God made Paul a fool. He made Paul to behold himself
as absolutely nothing. He had to blind Paul from everything
he thought was worship, that he might behold that all fullness
dwells in Christ. And for the first time in his
life, for the first time in his life, the Lord Jesus Christ said,
Ananias, go down there to him. He prays. He's praying. Been to the temple thousands
of times. But now God's removed every hindrance out of his way,
and all he can see now is Christ's all fullness. And he said, now
he's praying. And then you have Paul went on
and on and on, wrote three-fourths of the New Testament. God used
him mightily establishing churches. He wrote everything we've read
here this morning. God used him mightily, mightily,
mightily. And then there was another man
in the height of his profession. And his was a profession of crime,
of robbery. And while he was in the height
of his profession, and Paul was in the height of his profession
and religion, they were both in the same profession. Robbing
God of His glory. And robbing God's people, sinners. But this man had everything the
Apostle Paul had, when God saved him. He had all fitness that
the Apostle Paul had. He had every fullness necessary to enter into
the presence of God and he was saved. And his life as a believer
lasted a very short time. And during the time that it lasted,
he had both his hands nailed to a cross and both his feet
nailed to a cross and couldn't do one thing. But look on Him in whom is all
fullness. And he died as complete in that
short amount of time as Paul did after a life of service to
God. You know why? Because our fullness
is not in us. Our fullness is in Christ Jesus
the Lord. All fullness. That's why Paul
says there in Colossians 3. Let me get you to turn there
with me. Colossians 3.1 and I'll close. He says this. I love this
text. If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Set your mind, your affection,
your heart on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye
are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. I love what
Paul says to the Corinthians. All things are yours, and you
are Christ's, and Christ is God's. It don't get more full than that,
complete than that. But look at this last verse.
Verse 4, And when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then
shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Amen. I hope that's
comforting.