I look out and I see Cheryl's
face gone and I think sadness for a moment but then I look
out and I see Trevor and Anna and their children. What a blessing it is to see
you folks. I know that there's a time coming
soon when they too will be moving on. The Lord has given Trevor
work in Texas. Good thing you're not there right
now, young man. I'm sorry for getting away from them. I just
saw them for the first time in a while and I had to make a statement. Good to see you too, young man.
Our devotional this morning is an article of a previous bulletin
written by Pastor Charles Pennington. And when I read this, I thought,
Well, just let me read it for you. It says, we preach the gospel
of God's sovereign, free, grace in Christ Jesus the Lord. That salvation is in Christ alone,
by grace alone, through faith alone, according to the Word
alone. For the most part, the message
is rejected. But do not be discouraged. It
has ever been so. Elijah thought he was the only
one left who believed God, yet he wrote, Who hath believed our
report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? And when
the Lord Himself preached in His hometown of Nazareth, the
people marveled at His gracious words when He spoke of blessings. But when He spoke of sovereign
mercy, they tried to kill Him. The Apostle Paul was accused
of being a pestilent fellow, a mover of sedition, the ringleader
of a sect, and he was imprisoned for preaching the gospel. Remember
this. Remember this. It is written, the word of God
is not bound. My word shall not fail, he says. And again he says, this is the
word which by the gospel is preached unto you. Amen. Turn once again, if you would,
to the book of Colossians. We've been looking at this letter
that was written to the Colossian church, and I bring to your remembrance
that we began this series noting that the Apostle Paul's desire
in writing this letter to the saints at Colossae was to encourage
these very saints in their walk with the Lord. And that's what
Paul is doing for you and I. When we look at God's Word, it's
speaking to us. It's not speaking to some group
of people way back then. I called in one time, and some
of you may recall this, I called into a radio station, and I asked
the guy on there, one of these answer kings, you know, who thinks
he knows everything and can answer everything about the Bible. I
asked him, I said, they were talking about the doctrine of
election. The doctrine of predestination. And I asked him, I said, all
that stuff you just said, what about the book of Ephesians?
What about chapter 1 in Ephesians where it says we were predestinated
before the world was to be conformed to the image of Christ? What
about those very words of God right there? And he said, oh,
that's not for us today. I couldn't believe he said that
on the radio. And I can't believe that people listen to that. I
turned him off. That was for the Ephesians. Really? So we should just go through
and pick and choose what fits us in here? Isn't that what the
world does? Isn't that what they do? They make a lord of their own
imagination, one that would fit what suits them. I don't like
a God that worships on Sunday, that's football day. I'll be
a seventh-day Adventist and I'll follow a God who worships only
on Saturday. Don't mess with my football. People make up gods in all kinds
of ways. And the worst god of all is the
god of self. Because we all do that. Pride. Oh, how pride can get in the
way of our worshiping the true and living God. We began with verse 23 of chapter
1. where Paul says, if you continue
in the faith grounded, settled, firm, holding on to, and settled
and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye have
heard and which is preached to every creature which is under
heaven, wherefore I, Paul, am a minister. It said if you continue in the
faith, grounded and settled, if you just continue on, hanging
on to that One who is actually hanging on to you. Remember who it is that holds
us. Remember who it is that keeps us on the path to Him. Looking
to Him, those of you who may have received a text from me
this last week on a message, I said it was the greatest message
ever heard. Oh my goodness. I am not ashamed to admit that
in tears after hearing that message, I stood in my shower and prayed,
Lord, don't stop. Don't stop giving me the trials
that take me away from what I think I am in the flesh and turn me
to you, because that's His love to us. He does that because He
loves us, not because He's angry with us. He reminds us of our weaknesses. And when we see our weaknesses,
we see His strength, His power. And we're assured that our salvation
is not in anything of this flesh that thinks it's a God, but in
the true and living God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is a point that Paul brings
out. Hang on to that hope of the Gospel. Hold on to it. that we all need to keep before
us as we continue in this letter. Hold fast to that hope of the
gospel, the good news that Christ the Lord came to save sinners.
And we who have been given the eyes to see what we are before
a thrice holy God, we know our flesh will never change. We strive
to do what is pleasing to our Lord, but we know that by His
loving revelation that in this flesh In this flesh that you
see standing before you is no good thing. Do you see that in yourselves? Oh,
how I pray the Lord will keep that before me at all times,
so that I can see the glory of my Savior before me also. The
Lord came to save sinners, of which I am chief. In Philippians 3.3 we read this,
For we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and
rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Our
confidence is in our Savior and in Him alone. In Matthew 1.21
it says this, And she, speaking of Mary, shall bring forth a
son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for He shall save
His people from their sins. There is no question, there is
no if, there is no maybe. Our God rules right now. He sits
on His throne right now. The God-man. Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, has always been Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He just
wasn't Jesus Christ in the flesh. He has always been the man with
all power. He sits on His throne of power
now, working all things out according to His good pleasure. Look over
at verse 1 of Colossians chapter 3 with me if you would. If ye
then be risen with Christ, Seek those things which are above,
where Christ does what? What's he doing there? Sitteth
on the right hand of God. That's what it says, huh? The
right hand is the sign of power. Now I apologize to you folks,
it might be left-handed. But the right hand is a picture
of power. It's a picture of the power of
God, and that's exactly what the Lord Jesus is. He is a picture
of the power of God. He is the power of God. In Matthew 28, 18, we read it
this way. And Jesus came and spake unto
them, saying, Power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth. I don't know what you folks do
with that. But that seems to me like he
has all power. That seems to me like that means
there's nothing left. He's already got it all. It's all his. Let
me back up, if you would, to verse 10 of chapter 2. Verse 10 of Colossians chapter
2, we read this, and ye, speaking of God's people, are complete
in Him, speaking of Christ, which is the head of all principality
and power. Now, I've looked up these three
words. Complete. Plural. If you go to
the Strong's Dictionary, it says it's G4134. Strong's went through
a number of all the words in the Bible, and that way he could
be referred to. I know that helped you, right? No? Oh, OK. It means
to make replete. That is literally to cram. You're not just complete. You're
overflowing. Cram it. Fill it all through. If there's any room left, pack
some down in there. Are you getting the picture? Let's continue on. It means to
level up, or figuratively, to furnish, to satisfy, to execute,
to finish, to verify, to accomplish. It's complete to the end. It's
to fill it up, to fulfill, to fold, to fully preach, to perfect,
to supply. Now, the next word I looked up
was principality. It's RK. That's G756, by the way, which
means a commencement or a chief. Various applications of order.
In other words, it's principalities, times, place, or ranks. It's
a beginning, a corner. It's the first. It's the magistrate. It's the power, principality,
principle, rule, principality. We are complete in Him, which
is the head of all principality, the head of all power. And then
that word power. Ekkosia, G. 1832, just in case you wanted
to know. which is privilege, or that is a force, a capacity,
competency, freedom, mastery, magistrate, superhuman, potentate,
token of control, delegated influence, authority, jurisdiction, liberty,
power, right, and strength. Are you getting the picture of
what it's telling us there? We're complete in Him. Now this
is important because this is about what today's message is
going to be. And when I bring it to a close, you'll see what
I'm saying. We're complete in Him. Why are we complete in Him?
Because He's full! Those who believe that there
are degrees of reward in Heaven. Take your degrees and do whatever
you want with them. If I have Christ, I have it all.
If Christ is in me, if I am in Christ, I have everything. Look with me, if you would, over
at verse 16 of chapter 1. Here's why we have it all. Here's why we can say, in Christ,
we have no need of anything else. Verse 16 of chapter 1, "...For
by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are
in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones..." I want you to think about that,
thrones. That means any kind of authority that has been set
up on this world, That's right. Even Hitler. Christ Jesus was the Lord over
that. The Lord took His dog called
Satan and allowed him to inflict the pain on Job. It was the Lord's dog that did
that. And it was because the Lord allowed
him to. The same Lord that we're reading
right about here, who has all things recreated by Him that
are in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were recreated
by Him and who? And for Him. Folks, our Lord sits on His throne
of all power right now. Look at verse 9 of chapter 2. Verse 9, what does it say? Therefore
in Him, in Christ, in our Lord and Savior, the very One who
we trust in, the very One who has given us faith to believe
His Word, the very One who has come to us in the darkness of
this world and shined His light in us, dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. There are three separate distinct
persons absolutely, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.
Yet all three are one. They are all one in thought,
They are all one in decision. They are all one in counsel.
And they are all one in action. They are all one in purpose. I and my Father are one. I can't explain that to you any
more than that. And any man who thinks he can,
I would really, really question it. There's certain mysteries
about God that we will never know until the day we walk alongside
of Him. And the sooner we accept that
and understand that, the quicker we'll stop questioning
things and trying to come up with ideas of our own. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. They are one. You cannot worship
the Father as God if you do not worship the Son as God. You may
not understand it to its fullest, but the children of the Most
High are all taught of God to believe that very thing. Folks,
when Christ Jesus walked this earth, God was manifest in the
flesh. That's Scriptural. The perfection
of the Creator walked this earth. We read that just a moment ago
in verse 16. Everything was created for Him,
by Him, and through Him. The perfection and holiness of
God hungered and thirsted and wearied and was tempted yet without
sin. He knew no sin. I can't explain that anymore
to you than what Scripture does either. Another mystery. How
could the most perfect one of all things be made sin? I don't know, but God's Word
says He was. And the good news about that is that He was for
my sake. He was for your sake. He was
for His people made sin that we would be made righteous in
Him. That's great news. That's great news to this guy
who walks around in sin all day long, knowing that my Savior
has taken that upon Him. Is it to you? The perfection and holiness of
God hungered, thirsted and wearied, and was tempted yet without sin.
He knew no sin. All that He did pleased the Father,
including laying the sins of all His chosen people, all those
whom He has loved from everlasting, all that the Father had given
Him before the world was. It pleased the Father to bruise
His Son. That's in Isaiah 53. It pleased God. It pleased God to provide Himself
our sacrifice. I can't understand that either. He, God Almighty, saw the travail
of His own soul. He saw the sorrow that He would
have to go through that day on the cross. He saw the heaviness
of our sins being laid upon Himself and was satisfied. Take that to the bank with you.
That's also in Isaiah 53. The power of our creator, the
one whose thought, the very thought, brings all things to pass, purposed
himself to be our substitute. This is true love. Have you ever seen one of those
people standing on the corner saying to every person walking
by, Jesus loves you? Jesus loves you. If you would
just come to Jesus, His love is for you. The Jesus I know in Scriptures
didn't wait for me. He's not waiting for any of us.
He has been ruling on His throne of glory since the day one, since
before time began, and He's not waiting for us to do something
about it. He's coming to us when we won't come to Him, and bringing
us to Himself, and He keeps bringing us to Himself over and over and
over and over again. That's what that whole message
was that I pointed out to you. The message, my salvation is
sufficient. by Kevin Thacker. That's what
that whole message is about. Being brought to the Lord and
Savior day after day after day after day until He finally takes
us out of this body of death and takes us home. That's true love. He purposed
to take our damnation upon Himself that we would be made the righteousness
of God in Him. He took our sins into the grave
and He left them there never to be seen again. We have been
redeemed. That means that atonement has
been made. We have been made at one with our Lord and Savior. Where we were once separated
from Him by sin, He has made us righteous in Himself and brought
us together with God again. The price has been paid. The
glory belongs to Him. And if we are in Him, that's
where He will guide us to look and seek, to turn our eyes upon
Him. Can anything pluck you from your
God's hand? If you don't come to the waters
of baptism, can that deny you of your God's will? If you don't
worship on the seventh day, can that deny you of your God's will? If you don't walk the aisle or
make a decision or anything else that your imagination can come
up with, can anything separate you from your little God's will? If it can, then that's all you've
got. A little God. And you've got no hope. And you've
got no assurance. And you've got no peace, because
you see the peace and the assurance and the hope that this poor sinner
before you has is only in my Savior, who is God Almighty. who has all power in heaven and
earth, and everything under the earth, who rules over all principalities
and dominions and all that. If you then be in Christ Jesus,
then look with me at Ephesians chapter 1 for a moment, will
you? Chapter 1, and let's read verses 3-14, Ephesians to the
left, just a few pages. If you are risen in Christ, as
we read in verse 1 of chapter 3 of Colossians, look here at
Ephesians chapter 1, verses 3-14. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath
chosen us in Him. In Christ, before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
Him. In love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will. To the praise of the glory of
His grace. wherein he hath made us accepted
in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein
he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having
made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his
good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself. that in
the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together
in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and
which are on earth, even in him, in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. that we should be to the praise
of His glory, who first trusted in Christ, in whom ye also trusted.
After that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed
with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest, the pledge,
the determination of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession unto the praise of His glory. Now back to our text in Colossians
chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3, look at
verse 2. No, let's begin at verse 1 again.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.
Where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, set your affection
on things above. not on the things of this earth.
If it be true that you are crucified with Christ, if you are buried
with Him in baptism, risen with Him and seated with Him in heavenly
places, then seek those things which are above. Seek the heavenly country. In
Psalm 17, verse 15, we read this, As for me, the writer of the
Psalm, David, writes, I will behold thy face in righteousness,
I shall be satisfied when I awake in thy likeness. In Hebrews 11,
9, and 10, we read this, By faith he sojourned, speaking of Abraham,
in the land of promise, as in a strange country. dwelling in
tabernacles in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him
of the same promise. For he looked for a city which
had foundations--" wait a minute. Yeah, for he looked for a city
which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. You
see where he's looking to the heavens? He wasn't looking to
what it was he was traveling around in the tents, living in
tents, sojourning in a different country. He was looking for the
promises of God. Heavenly places, 1 Peter 1, verses
3-4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away reserved in heaven for you." Now we're getting to the point
here in just a minute. Bear with me just one more moment. We're
to seek the heavenly country. We're to seek Christ and His
righteousness. Philippians 3, verses 9-11, And
be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith. that I may know Him and the power
of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being made
conformable unto His death, if by any means I might attain unto
the resurrection of the dead." We also want to seek all spiritual
blessings as peace or as life and glory. Ephesians 1.3, we
just read it. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places. Remember, we're talking about
setting our affections on things above and not on the things of
this world. On heavenly blessings. James 1.17, we read this, Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights, with whom is no variables, neither
shadow of turning. And then in verse 17 we read
this, But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and
good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. We seek
those things which are above, for He is there, seated at God's
right hand." Isn't that what we read? Set our affections, our hearts
on the things above. Unless our hearts are set on
the things of Christ, they will not be sought in the proper manner. In Proverbs 4.23 we read this,
keep thy heart from all diligence for out of it are the issues
of life. Do not set your mind, your thoughts and desires on
the things of this world. You can read about that in Romans
8.5. Food and clothing, care and families,
health and necessities of life are to be sought after, yes,
and provided for. We want to take care of our family.
We want to provide a roof over our head so we can worship. But
this is not the preeminence. If all we had was that front
room next door to sit in, we would sit in that front room.
If the building next door was falling down because we didn't
put a new roof on it, we would live over here and sit over here
and worship over here. It's not the building, it's who
we're worshiping. Christ must have the preeminence. All these things of the earth
shall fade away, but it says in 1 John 2, 15-17, but he that
doeth the will of God abideth forever. Look with me, if you
will, at verse 3 of Colossians chapter 3. And I'll bring this
to a close. For ye are dead, And your life is hid with Christ
in God. You see why I've spent this entire
time telling you about how powerful our God is? Why it's so important
to see Christ sitting on His throne right now, ruling everything
after according to His will right now? Because everything that
happens with me, is hid in Him. That doesn't mean I got the right
to go out and sin. That is absolutely not what I'm
talking about. And any man who thinks that it
is, doesn't know God. Go forth and sin not, is what
he told the lady at the well. Is that not what he said? We'll look at this next week,
Lord willing, but when Christ also as your life shall appear,
then shall you also appear with Him in glory. Mortify therefore
your members, it says in verse 5, which are upon the earth.
And then it goes through and lists them all. Mortify the sin
that is in this flesh. Turn away from it. But turn to
Christ who has fulfilled all righteousness for us. As far as the world is concerned,
with its riches, its honor, its temporary glory, fame, pleasures,
and relationship, we are dead. Our new life, our real life,
our interest is with Christ in God. It's hid with Christ. That means, in other words, it's
a bit of a secrecy. And I want to take you back to
a moment before the Lord opened your eyes to these truths. Did
you understand at all of who the Lord Jesus Christ was? Did
you understand at all of what His love meant to you? Did you
understand at all about what the power of His blood was that
was shed upon that tree for us? Did you understand at all about
what it meant for Him to go into the grave with your sins applied
to Him as though they were His? It's hid. It's hid from the world. But yet it is revealed to those
that He loves. I have loved you with an everlasting
love. Therefore, I have drawn you.
In loving kindness, I have drawn you. The more we are aware of our
union with Christ and the more our minds are set on Him, the
less interested we have in this world and its passing vanities. Our life is now hid in His blood. Our failings are seen no more. If He, God, no longer looks upon
the failings of our flesh, why should we? Look at verse 4, Colossians chapter 3 verse 4. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Folks, my title this morning is hid
with Christ in God. Everything that we see ourselves
as being sinners upon this earth has been hid in Him. By Him. For Him. Does that not give you reason
to praise and sing glory to our Savior. I'd like to ask you to
stand with me, if you would, and