enabled this evening. I wish to direct your very prayerful
attention to the chapter that we read together. Paul's epistles to the Colossians
in chapter 3 by way of text verse 11. Paul's epistle to the Colossians
chapter 3 and verse 11 where there is neither Greek
nor Jew circumcision nor uncircumcision barbarian Scythian bond nor free. But Christ is all and in all,
whether he is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free. But Christ is all and in
all. It's my usual practice to either
preach from the same text or continue to develop a text from
the morning service, but I felt somewhat inclined to venture
upon this text this evening through the week. But Christ is all and in all. there are some lessons that we must learn over and over
and over and over again and actually what's before us
this evening is inexhaustible you won't get above it you won't
get beyond it you never get past it but really what we have in these seven words is a summing
up not only of this verse not only of this chapter not only
of this epistle but of the whole scripture of truth and indeed this is something
we continually learn again and again and again it has many different
aspects it has many different elements but we always find ourselves
if we're in a right spirit back here we always find ourselves
in this place I remember hearing of the doctrines becoming
well acquainted of them in the mind, in the preaching of the
chapel I came from. We knew that options of grace,
but one day something shattered me. In fact, it was Mr Stone I mentioned
this morning. He said, if our religion is a
bloodless religion, it's a lifeless religion. You see, it wasn't enough to
know of total depravity, of unconditional
election, of limited atonement, of irresistible grace, or the
final perseverance of the saints. Those things were important,
vital in many ways, but this is the heart of the matter. and we'll never get past it now
before we break our text up somewhat we must by necessity consider
the context in which we find this verse because Colossae is
a very interesting or was a very interesting place you will find some very interesting
parallels with the epistles of the Ephesians, particularly regarding the towns
themselves. What I mean by that is this.
By the time that Paul wrote, Colossae had become a shadow
of itself, just as if Ephesus had. Indeed, it's found, you can find
it on a map of Paul's missionary journeys on the southeastern
part of Asia Minor, what is now modern Turkey, on the banks of
the river Lyceus. And really at that, by this time,
Colossae had lost out to Laodicea, as the main town of commerce,
education and activity, some 10 miles away. It had been upstaged, as one
commentator puts it, but nevertheless, nevertheless, the preaching was
effectual. We read of Epaphras, our dear
fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ. Epaphras' ministry was much used. But what had happened? Confusion. the confusion was caused not
by one single factor but by a multitude of factors all of which are not new in fact
they're still present today albeit in a different form pagan cults were one problem sectarian Jews were another problem and Gnosticism was the third
problem and they're all about today but here we have this man Epaphras
who ministered with Paul to the people but these blend of errors
were creeping in and it's often the case that
there's an attempt to undermine the truth, to bring down those
things which have been said. This was the curse here. It was
deliberate. And that been the situation,
Paul writes. Now Paul writes from what we
would believe to be a situation of confinement. Indeed, it's
not unusual to consider Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon
to be part of the same group of letters, written at a similar
time, when Paul was imprisoned are in and around
these periods. You see, very often, people write
their best material from a prison cell or when they've just been
released from a prison cell. If we consider John Bunyan, a man of no natural education, Arrested for preaching without
a license. Think of that. Nothing in the eyes of the world. But what a mighty instrument
he was. In the hands of a sovereign God.
Likewise, I know we don't share all this theology but Dr Paisley
wrote that famous commentary on the Romans from the prison
cellars. Very edifying in many ways. Tremendous! To write something like that
was just a Bible. Nothing else. Just a Bible. But you see here he writes with
the pastor's heart. He writes out of concern for
the people. But also we mustn't forget this
jealous for the glory of God and thus he addresses in a very
direct fashion the problems that were found at Colossae and after
the usual introduction you know interesting to note in our Western
culture we sign our name at the end of a letter. In the Eastern
culture it was the practice to write at the beginning, state
who you were, send a greeting and so on. And he follows this
pattern in all of his letters apart from the epistle to the
Hebrews of course. But here he writes addressing
the issues and these blend of issues, these blend of problems,
these blend of errors had aimed at one thing to undermine the person and the
work of the Lord Jesus himself. In fact, in studying for this, it reminded
me of a statement just before I was born There
was a man who preached in the itinerant ministry, lived the
last 16 years at Leeds. He was from Ivinghoe, originally
in Bedfordshire, by the name of Mr Percy Jones. He was an
eccentric bachelor, but he was a real student of the Word. He
spent all, if anybody denied himself and led a godly life,
he did. He spent all his time in the study. And he made some profound statements.
He said, if you examine all errors and you get to the root of them,
they all undermine the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Think about
that. And I've proved it to be true.
I think he's right. I think he was right now in coming to the words of our
text you know it's true to say that this is well we can't exhaust
it Christ is all and in all but in order to venture to be faithful
to the scripture and faithful to the context in
which we find these words and we have to remember sometimes
we have to take these things as a whole the chapters and the
verses are but human additions to help us find our way around
the original was one complete epistle we divide our discourse
into these five points we seize all in creation firstly secondly
is all in his person thirdly is all to his people and in his
people fourthly is all in the ministry and fifthly is all in
conquering glory so firstly been all in creation
as you know I'm not one for been particularly passionate about
the issue of creation itself, albeit we would say here, and
I have to mention it because I'm quite shocked at what I hear
at time to time, we believe here in a 6 day literal creation. We have to remember, what does the scripture say?
in verse 16 of the first chapter, "...for by Him were all things
created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities
or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him." And He is
before all things, and by Him all things consist. In the beginning was the Word,
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. You see, what we're seeing here,
is the pre-eminence of Christ. in the events of life from the
very beginning unto the very end we've said many times here
but we have to say again and repeat really for emphasis not
for vain repetition but all the events in this world
all of them are ordered and thus they are
ordered by the Lord for his glory for the salvation of his church
and what's the end of it all? well it must be the pre-eminence
of Christ it must be it must be it must be because no matter
what takes place no matter what happens In the end, the Lord
will be glorified. Remember, the Father has said
that all judgment is given into the hands of the Son. And thus, if Christ judges, it's
righteous judgment. But if Christ acquits, it's a
righteous acquittal. No one can say. No one can charge
the Lord with unfairness. I know that's often the charge,
isn't it? You explain these things to people
and they say, well that doesn't seem fair. But fairness would
be destruction for all of us. It must be. It must be. But you see here, we have grace. We have truth. And what the Apostle
is saying that all the thrones, all the principalities, all the
powers, all the dominions that take place, all work out to the
furtherance of the Gospel. Because they have to. Because
Christ is pre-eminent. And you know it's not just here
in this isolated epistle. There's a great deal made of
this, isn't there? There's a great deal made of
this. go to Revelation and chapter 4, the final verse, we have the
4 and 20 elders sitting down before the throne. Remember the
4 and 20 elders is a representative number of the holy elect of God.
Old Testament, New Testament, throughout all ages. Now if they
say this, how much more should we say? Thou art worthy O Lord
to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all
things and for thy pleasure they are and were created and thus disappointments are his appointments and really again do we not see that if the Lord is to vindicate
his people all things must work together for good and thus he
is all and in all secondly he's all in his person in fact we just follow on really
unto verse 18, and he is the head of the body, the church,
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things
he might have the preeminence. The head of the body, but in
his person what do we see this further on verse 19 what I should
have quoted I beg your pardon for it pleased the father that
in him should all fullness dwell well that's it isn't it we spoke
this morning of the divine nature united with
the human nature and thus we have a fullness a
fullness the God-man we have the fullness in respect of his
ultimate purpose that here the Messiah should come that he should
go about doing good that he should suffer, bleed and die, rise again
the third day and ascend unto the Father his person and all that he is in his person
is necessary that's all necessary you can't
take anything from his person and you can't add anything to
it there's an attempt today to remove his human nature isn't
there? and say the Lord Jesus is altogether
spiritual well we take away vitality not
just in terms of who he is but what he is and thus he's all
in his person he thirst he was weary he drank, he ate, these were
all necessary elements of his person, the fullness yet the
unity with the Father the prayers of the Lord Jesus Christ that were not silenced when we
read them unique prayers, aren't they?
They have to be, they're God made not a cloud between father
and son and thus complete liberty in
prayer this is all part of his person and following that way
of obedience unto death he's all in his person very God and
very man but as a substitute, again this is inexhaustible really,
but this is a this is all that he is there
couldn't be anything more, there's nothing more that could be asked,
it's all there you can't ask for anything else
can you? obedience to the law, satisfaction,
substitution, justification, it's all there in him because of who he is, because
of his person. And that brings us into our third
point, here is all in and to his people. We read, didn't we, in that literal sense, it says in chapter
3 verse 4, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear then shall
ye appear with him in glory Christ who is our life now we must be
careful not to misunderstand these exhortations that we have
in the early part of the chapter because we could if we were of
that inclination attempt to turn these things on their head and
make them out to be simply elements of legal obedience but these
are not legal obedience this is gospel obedience it's a completely
different spirit and thus If ye be risen with Christ could
also be put, seeing ye be risen with Christ. There's an expectation
here. There's an anticipation that
the apostle is writing to believing people. And thus, the exhortation is
one, not of legal duty, but of gospel
grace setting affection on things above setting the mind on things
above because why? that's where union and communion
is found that's where liberty is found that's where Christ himself is
to be found remember he has ascended the earth, the world is decaying
and thus from time to time and I mean this in a genuine
sense We come across people and they're striving. They've got
a huge ambition and they'll nearly get or do anything to achieve
it. And some of them are very old. And we have to consider is that
all you've got? Is that all you've got? In your heart does it because
it goes out to them. Dear soul, we need more than
that, don't we? You see, here's the difference,
here's the contrast. Christ is all and in all. He's all to his people. We have to think about this carefully. What is he to us? We just sang
what think ye of Christ is the test. Probably one of the most
well-known hymns of Gadsby's hymn book. You see, to some,
it's nothing, is it? But a swear word. Insignificant. To others, it's
something. It's something. Not completely
insignificant. perhaps there's chapel attendance,
perhaps there's some reading of the scripture, something but you know our God is a jealous
God and he will not share his glory with another so we have to be brought to the
place, don't we? where we can say Christ is all that's it that's it he's all
there's nothing else it's nothing else it's here and thus he has to be made all
to his people and following on from that fourthly
we see he's all in the ministry Now this was something that was
very close to the Apostle's heart, wasn't it? We read of the disciples preaching
and teaching Jesus Christ. But again, examining the context,
these false teachers that had come in The first thing they
did was attempt to drag Christ from his throne. And thus, this is where he writes,
and he is the head of the body, the church. He's the head. Who is the beginning? The firstborn
from the dead. But this is it. That in all things
he might have the pre-eminence. Thus, the Apostle writes here
of the necessity of a Christ-centric ministry and it's a theme he never subsists
on. It's continual. Christ only,
Christ only, unto Christ, by Christ, through Christ. These
are the themes continually that we see. What does he say in respect of
these things? Well, we considered this particular
text with the friends at Osset the other week. To whom God would
make known what is the riches of his glory, of this mystery
among you, the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory, whom we preach. You see, this is a preaching
of a person. And thus, we can't exhaust this. We can't exhaust it. You know,
one of my relatives said to me some time ago, how do you do
that every week and find something else to say? Well, I was so struck. Initially,
I didn't answer, but my father answered for me. But these things,
dear soul, we can't exhaust them. Just think of this. How many
sermons have been preached here since 1811? Now, we haven't lived
through them all. Generations come and go, don't
they? But in all this, we've not exhausted the unsearchable
riches of Christ, have we? We can't. We can't. A faithful ministry will never
exhaust these things. but you know whatever we preach
Christ must be centric otherwise we've not preached have we? we
might have spoken, we might have given a lecture but we've not
preached and thus here Christ must be all in all the final
conclusion of the matter must point to Him must be of Him,
must be through Him and thus we come into our final
point we see is all in all in respect of conquering glory all that he is isn't just all
that he is previously all that he has been or even all that
he is now but remember all that he is in the consummation of
all things if all judgments given unto the Son my what a judgment
and there will be that personal return of the Lord but we have
to remember that judgment day is not what men think it's not
a weighing up simply of good against bad it's a declaration
of the vindication of the Church. As we read in that book of Revelation,
for we are more than conquerors through Christ. That's the answer,
surely it must be. But you know, when we go to the
final chapter of the Revelation, we see this, don't we? We've
considered a number of aspects this evening and behold I come
quickly I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every
man according to his work shall be you know that work is one of
two things isn't it? it's either the work of our hands
weighed up against a mighty and a holy law or or and here's the
mercy here's the grace here's the gospel or it's the work of Christ made
effectual for you and for me by substitution by imputation
by satisfaction It's either one or the other.
But you see here the eternal nature of Christ. He says, I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the
last. The Eternal Son. Bringing a conclusion to all things in His glory. and dear soul you don't need
me to tell you it won't be a secret every eye will see him every
knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord
but what you see here what we see here is a mighty saviour
a mighty saviour because there's nothing beyond him is there? you know it comes back to this
so many times we say that we believe the Lord can save the
vilest sinner but do we really? do we really? well when we read
a text like this and if we're given the grace of a text like
this to see in the true spirit of what this really means we'll see that Christ is all
and in all. What more can I say? Amen.