Verse 11, my, my, what a verse, speaks of there being no distinction,
no difference in Greek or Jew, circumcision, uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, bond, or free, but Christ is all, and
in all. The Lord Jesus Christ is all. Now, this has been preached on
so many times. I've tried it myself and can
only attempt it today. To preach all the counsel of
God, which is found in three words, Christ is all. Who is sufficient for these things?
The Lord Jesus Christ is all in so many things and everything,
but so many ways I'll try to bring out. He's all. in the purpose
and the will of God. He is all in the creation of
God. He is all the fullness of God. He is in all the Word of God. He is all the wisdom and knowledge
of God. He is all the salvation of God. He is in all the promises that
all have to do with Him. And all the blessings of God
are in Him. Christ is all those. He has all
preeminence. He's in all His people, and He's
in all that is heaven and all that is eternity. Christ is all. Now, since Christ is all, let
me just say this before we begin. Since Christ is all, that means
everyone else, if He's all, everyone else is really nothing at all. If Christ is all, and He is,
wisdom and knowledge and so forth, if we do not know Him, we know
nothing at all. Since Christ is all, all the
treasures, blessings, Scripture says riches, unsearchable riches,
if we do not have Christ, No matter what we may have, we have
nothing at all. Nothing. Scripture says, there
is he that maketh himself rich, yet is poor. We have nothing. There is he that is poor, though,
who has Christ and has it all. Has it all. Brother Scott used
to say that, that Christ is all if you don't have anything else
at all. Christ is all in the purpose and will of God. Look
at Ephesians 1. You know these verses by heart,
but some do not. Ephesians 1. The Lord Jesus Christ
is all in the purpose and the will of God. Everything God has
willed and purposed has to do with His Son. Like creation,
the next point. Everything God-willed and purposed
is concerning God's Son. And here it is, Ephesians 1,
verse 4, says, according as He has chosen
a people before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated
us under the adoption of children. by Jesus Christ Himself according
to the good pleasure of His will. And here it is, verse 9, He's
made known unto us the mystery of His will. Most people don't
know that. Some do. It's according to His
good pleasure, this is what it pleased God, that He purposed
in Himself, verse 10, that in dispensation of the fullness
of time, when it's all said and done, when it's all over, He's
going to gather together in one. Everything, everyone is going
to be gathered together in Christ. Things in heaven, things on earth,
even in Him. In whom? It's all in Him. We have this inheritance predestinated
according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the
counsel of His own will. So the reason, and this is my
next point. Christ is all in the purpose
and the will of God. Everything God purposed and willed,
everything He predetermined to happen and do has something to
do, has everything to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. Gathering
of people in Him. Creation. Look back at our text
in Colossians. Look at chapter 1 of Colossians. Look back there in verse 16. Verse 15 says that Christ is
the image of the invisible God, the firstborn, first begotten,
first bodily image of any creature. Before there was anything created,
Christ was. Where was Christ before the world?
He was with the Father. He was daily His delight. He
was the Son of God, the eternal Son of God. He had an image.
And verse 16 says, By Him, In the purpose and the will of God,
God said, let us make man. Let us create things. Let us, didn't He? Who's He talking
to? Jesus Christ. They say God has
no hands. Oh, yes, He does. They're the
hands of Jesus Christ. And God said, let us make man.
It says God formed man. Who? Christ did. He made all
things. All things were made by Him.
Verse 16, all things were created by Him. They're in heaven and
earth, visible, invisible, thrones, dimensions, principalities, power,
all things were created by Him and for Him. Some of us have children
and grandchildren. And we love them dearly. And
if we were rich enough, we would just do... It's hard telling
what we would do for them. Sinful though they be. If they're
obedient children, let me put it that way. If they're obedient
children, you'll do all you can for them, won't you? It's good
for them. God said, this is my Son in whom I'm well pleased. So what did He do? I'm going
to make a universe, planets, stars, sun, moon, earth, people,
things, everything to redound to the glory of my Son. You make them. They're by you. You're going to get the credit
as being the Creator, though we did it together, God and the
Father. You don't mind giving the Son glory, do you? Oh, no. You love Him like yourself. And for Him. For His glory. And everything in creation is
going to point to Him. Amazing. The Son. Beginning with
the Son in the sky. A tabernacle. That's what I was
going to quote. You know why God made the heavens?
The heavens declare His glory and the firmament showeth His
handiwork? Because it's a tabernacle. A place to display the Son, so
that every eye may behold Him. Why? You know, the Son is all
in it. Everything depends upon the Son. Everything lives in it. We live
and move and have our being of the Son. In the heavens, in the firmament,
He set a tabernacle for the Son, to worship the Son, not the S-U-N,
the S-O-N. Christ is all in creation. Everything
is by Him. He made it. And everything is
for Him, for His glory. He's all. That's what this is
all about. That's what this whole ball of
dirt is all about. Everything in it points to Christ. Stars,
the sun, the moon, the grass, everything. Christ is all the
fullness of God. Look at chapter 2, verse 9. Chapter 2, verse 9 says, In Him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. I said it
right, didn't I, Dad? Godhead bodily. Dad got all fumbled up on that
one time, and Mindy started laughing when she was a young girl, and
he went back and tried it again, and he messed it up again, and
she started laughing again. Never
did get it right, did she? In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Chapter 1, verse 19, it pleased
the Father that in Him, in Christ, should all fullness dwell. Oh, what a verse this is. All
the fullness of Godhead, of the Godhead in a body, in a man. All that God is in flesh. God was manifest in the flesh. That men and women said to him
when he came, you're just a man and you make yourself to be God.
They didn't know it. He didn't reveal himself to them.
But he revealed himself to the Son. He revealed because they're
blind. It was clear, like the Son, who
he was, that everything he did and said clearly revealed that
he is God. This is God on earth. But they
couldn't see. They couldn't see. Some of them
can't even say, we know that you're of God. No man can do
what you do except God willing. But they're still blind, aren't
they? It's just a man here. This is just a man. We see, you're
the carpenter's son. No, he's the one who made the
trees from which the wood that he made that furniture out of. But they couldn't see. Blind.
Why do we see? He gave us eyes. He said to his disciple, he revealed
himself to them. And Thomas fell down at his feet,
didn't he? And he said, you're my Lord and
you're my God. You're my creator. My creator. In all, in Jesus Christ, the
man, dwells all the fullness, all that God, who is Spirit,
is. The Godhead. The Godhead. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The Godhead. Christ is all. What
shall we call Him? Call His name, wonderful Counselor,
the mighty God. Why are we calling that? Because
that's who He is. The everlasting Father. No, no,
no, the Jehovah Witnesses say. No, no, no, there's a Father
and then there's a Son. But Christ said to His disciples,
Who says, show us the Father. Remember? Show us the Father.
God's Spirit. No man hath seen or can see it.
The only begotten Son is in the bosom of the Father. He hath
the clarity. And he said to Philip, he says to us, if you see me,
see the Father. All the fullness that is God. All that God is. Spirit. Holy Spirit. Christ said, I'll
not leave you. I'll always be with you. But
he's in a body. He said, I'll always be with
you. Spirit of Christ. All the fullness of the Godhead,
he said. And all that God is, sovereign.
All that God is, sovereign. God is, he said, I'm almighty. I'm the almighty God. All power. Omnipotent. All power. Omniscient, all-knowing, omnipresent,
everywhere at the same time. Who's that? Jesus Christ. Omnipotent. Did not He say, all power is
given unto me in heaven and earth? All the fullness of God. All
sovereignty. When He came, He revealed that. The elements were
subject to Him. Everything was subject to Him.
He made the wind and the waves stop. They said, what manner
of man is this? It was not just a man. The fish
jumped in his nets. Devils did his bidding. Men,
their hearts he could turn them like the rivers of water. Who
is this? It's God. All the fullness of
the Godhead in a body. All the character of God. All
the fullness that is God. Holy. Holy. Holy. Lord God of hosts. He's holy. Jesus Christ. The
only holy man to ever live. Just. You know, there's not a
just man on earth that doeth good and sinneth not. Jesus Christ
did. That means he must be God. Just. Righteous. Is none righteous?
No, not one. He was. That means He's God. Righteous. All the fullness of
the Godhead. Holy, just, righteous, goodness. He's good. There's
none that doeth good. No. Not one. He did. He went about doing good. Nothing
but good. And God said that to Moses and the people in Exodus
33. I'm going to make all my goodness pass before you. I'm going to proclaim the name
of the Lord. What's His name? Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. He made all His
goodness, all the goodness that is God, is personified in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Love. Behold what manner of love. Greater love hath no man than
Him. When Christ came to the tomb of Lazarus, He wept, and
they said, oh, behold how He loved him. Love. Greater love hath no man than
thine. Lay down his life for not just his friends, not for
good, not for righteous, but while we're yet sinners. Father,
forgive them. Love. Mercy. You know, we show
a little mercy. He's merciful. Full of mercy. That's who he is. All the fullness
of God was in him. All the mercy of God. The compassion
of God. He said he looked down on them
all, too, and had compassion. He had compassion on them. Oh,
Jesus Christ, all the fullness of God. Kindness. All the kindness
of God. How kind the Lord was and is
to even his enemies. Patience. Oh, how longsuffering. All the fullness. All that God
is. Christ was and is. The grace
of God. Christ is all. All the fullness
of God. Christ is all the Word of God.
All that God has to say to us, all the mind of God, all the
thoughts of God, all that He would have men and women, human
beings to hear from God, to understand, is Jesus Christ. Did not He say
that? God said, this is my beloved
Son, hear ye Him. Just listen to him. He's everything.
He's all. This is the witness of God. This
right here is the witness of God, the testimony of God concerning
what? What? Who? It's all about His
Son. He's all. He's everything. The
Word of God. Go to Luke 24 with me. Luke chapter
24. All that God has to say to human
beings, and I thought about this this morning. You know, we listen
to people spat off their supposed knowledge and wisdom. We believe
in their witness, what they claim, all these things that the world
is talking about and propounding and expounding and setting forth
as wisdom and knowledge and understanding and this and that and the other.
God says it's a bunch of foolishness. It is foolishness. And we see
that, too, because the wisdom of God is Christ. And he that
doesn't know Christ is a blooming idiot, is a fool. A fool. Because God made the whole world
concerning Christ. Everything is about Him. Everything
will be found in Him or will be cast out by Him. And all the Word of God And we
read, and I quoted to you Psalm 19, everything, day unto day,
utterance, speech, everything tells about Christ, God's Son. But God wrote a book. God wrote
a book. The Bible. The book. The Holy
Bible. It's the only one that is. It's
God's book. What's it about? Jews? It's not about Jesus Christ. No, it's not about the Jews.
It's about Jesus Christ. It's all about Him, the Word
of God. All the prophecies to Him give all the prophets witness. All the Word of God. Look at
Luke 24. Our Lord, after He arose from
the grave, appeared unto to his disciples, and look at this,
verse 27. Beginning at Moses and all the
prophets, he expanded unto them in all the scriptures the things
concerning himself. for and following. He said unto
them, These are the words which I spake unto you while I was
yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were
written in the law of Moses, in the prophets, and in the Psalms
concerning me. Then hopened he their understanding,
that they might understand the scripture." What does the scripture
say? Christ is all. And that's all
it says. That's what it says. That's the
whole counsel of God. Christ is all. Is that too simple? It's so simple, people can't
understand it. So profound it must be revealed, but so plain
that the blind can't understand it. Christ is all. You know,
all the books, all the subjects in all the world are meaningless. They're nothing at all. You can
know them all and know nothing at all if you don't know Him
in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. That's
my next point. Look at Colossians 2, verse 3. Verse 3. In Christ are hid all the treasures
of wisdom. Oh, how people are taken up with
so much, aren't they? so many things, think they're
wise and think they know something. Christ is all. Listen to this. And you know these things. Oh,
how blessed are your ears and more, even more so your heart
to see these things, have an understanding. It's all plain
to him to understand. It's all plain to him to understand
if he's given you an understanding. In Proverbs 8, you know these
scriptures, it says Christ said, I am wisdom. He said, counsel
is mine. People are going to all sorts
of people for counsel. How foolish can you be if you
bypass and completely ignore and pay no attention to the wonderful
counselor? That's his name. You need counsel? He's the counselor. And this
book, David said, thy word are my counselors. There's nothing
in this book that we face. I mean, there's nothing that
we face that's not in this book. No trouble, no trial, no problem,
no malady, no anything that any human being can go through that's
not written in the book. When Christ was on this earth,
His disciples were with Him 24 hours a day. He told them all
their questions. Like Solomon did to Sheba, right? He told them all their questions.
He said, y'all are asking the wrong questions. Here's what
you need to ask. And then He would ask them, what
makes you Christ? This is the question. What about
this? What about that? What about Armageddon?
What about what? You worried about that? Christ
is all. All that's in His hands. All
that's in His will. All that's in His purpose. All
that's under His control. You know Him. Who and what are
you going to worry about? It's all. He said, counsel is mine. I am understanding, He said.
I am understanding. I don't understand. Well, then
look to Him. He said, I have strength. This is what the Lord is saying
here in Proverbs. I have strength. Are you weak? Do you need strength? Are you without strength? Where
are you going to get it? Well, I'll eat right and I'll
strive this. I'll bodily exercise profit of
the little. Christ said, you come, you sit. The strength is to sit still.
What's that? And know I'm God. Just come,
sit still, and hear that Christ is God. All your strength. I could just go on for hours.
He said, I love them that love me. He said, my fruit's better
than gold. I lead in the way of righteousness. All the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge. People say, here's the way, go in. Oh, no, go this
way. Oh, no, no, we found it over here. Go over there. Oh,
no, no, no, this is it. They're all wrong. Back in the
olden days, they're wrong. Here's the way. Here's the way.
Here's the way. Christ said, I am the way. Nobody's ever walked looking
to me and stumbled. It's one way. Always only has
been one way. See how foolish God has made
the wisdom of this world. Keep coming up with a new way,
new vision of the church. Ask and seek. Stand and seek
and ask for the old path, wherein is the good way, and you'll find
rest for your soul. What's the good way? Christ said,
I'm the way. The truth. What is truth? They keep asking that, don't
they? They keep asking that. They have been from the beginning.
What is truth? What is truth? Christ said, He
said, I am the truth. Truth about what? That's something. Who's God? Christ. What's God
like? Christ. Does God love sinners? Christ. Is God merciful? Christ. Will
God receive me? Christ. Christ is all. All the wisdom and knowledge
of God. The salvation of God. Ephesians
1. Go over to Ephesians 1. Salvation of God. Christ is all.
The salvation of God. It's all in Him. God gave it
all to Christ. The salvation. of His people
He put in the hands of Jesus Christ. I'm so glad. Aren't you? He's the captain
of our salvation. It's all in Him. All in Him. That's why He gets all the glory. And I'm not speaking things too
wonderful for me. Things I don't understand. Before there was anything, God
over all forever blessed us. God created a visible material
universe for Christ. And He made Him Lord over all
nature. He gave it all in Him. Sinful,
there are going to be fallen creatures. God said, you're going
to have to save them. You save them. And so all of
this, and there's going to be a visible kingdom. Christ on
the throne. The One who saved us. He gets all the glory, you see.
There's no conflict here with the Father. Ephesians 1 verse
6, all the acceptance of God, to the praise of the glory of
His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the blood. God accepts those in Christ. You come to God by hand, He'll
accept you. Accepted in the blood. All the
forgiveness of God. You got any sins? You need forgiveness,
verse 7, in whom in Christ we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins. The forgiveness of sins. Oh,
my. The wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
redemption. Do you have any wisdom? You don't
need any. You just need to know Christ.
by his knowledge of justifying man, his knowledge of the law.
Righteousness. You don't have any, do you? He
has it freely given you. Sanctification. Redemption. You
know, he paid the price, the price of our redemption, his
own precious blood. It's in his hand. Christ is ours. All the promises of God. All
the promises of God. God cannot lie, and the only
reason they're called promises is because We have to wait until it's all
fulfilled. We're creatures of time, but God can't lie. And known unto God always works
from the beginning of the world. And God made promises and will
never go back on them. Whatever He promised, whatever
God promised to whoever He promised it, it's going to come to pass.
The gifts and calling of God without repentance. And all the
promises of God are where? in Christ. Are they sure? Yea and Amen. Yes and Amen. That's the way it is. If God
promised all that come unto Him by Christ, I will receive. Do
you mean it? You can't lie. All the promises of God are in
Him. He said, Come unto Me, I'll give you rest. Joy, I'll give you the kingdom. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
God said, and you shall be saved. Because Christ is all. He's all. Not your works, it's His. God
said, I'm well pleased for His righteousness. Now you believe
on Him and you won't be found naked. Christ is all. It's all our covering,
all our acceptance, all our forgiveness, all our righteousness, all our
sanctification, all the promises of God, all the blessings of
God. Ephesians 1, 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings. Where are they? In Christ. All the blessings of God are
in Christ. Nowhere else. Peace? God's not
angry with that. Christ bore God's wrath. Pardon? We're not guilty. Why? Because God made him guilty. God made him guilty. Righteous?
You have an inheritance? An inheritance is not something
you earn, is it? Huh? Well, where'd we get this
inheritance? Who'd we get it from? We're joint
heirs of Jesus Christ. He's the Son. The preeminence,
and I'm going to close. Go back to Colossians 1. Colossians
1. In Christ are all the blessings
of God. Christ hath all preeminence. He said that we're to worship
the Son as we worship the Father, didn't He? That's what God said. Let all the angels worship Him. Didn't He? This is what men and
women that don't know Him get hung up on it. As we said, the Jehovah's Witnesses
and Mormons, they say He's just the Son of God. No, He's very God and very God
to be worshipped, because God said that. Didn't God say? Unto the Son, He said, Thy throne,
O God. and that all the angels worship
Him. All principalities and powers. Look at verse 18 of Colossians
1. He's the head of the body, the church. He's the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have
the preeminence. Brother, I told you, Brother
Chris Cunningham and I were admitting to one another sitting at the
table. that when we pray, we see... Christ said, pray this
way, our Father. But we both admitted that we
find ourselves talking to and calling on the Lord Jesus Christ
all the time. He said, I said, I do too. Lord
Jesus. Oh, Lord Jesus. And you think
the Father minds that? No, He's all. You saw who the
disciples talked to when they were on earth. Who did they come
running to in the middle of the night? And they got up and they're
worried about who did they come running to? The Lord. He hath preeminence. The Father
is pleased. He hath all preeminence. Call
Him God. Go ahead. Call Him the Father. Go ahead, the Father says. He's
worthy. He's been like a father to His
people. Give Him all the preeminence,
all worship, all praise. Let angels, men, and devils bow
down before the Son, God said. Give Him all the glory. It pleases
me just fine, the Father said. For all preeminence. He thought
it not robbery to be with God. The next thing, look at this.
He's in all His people. He's in all His people. Christ
is all and in all His people. And I was so pleased to hear
Brother John pray, Lord, You're all our desire. You hear him
say that? That's how you know you're His
people. That's what makes us to differ
from others. The desire, the delight, the
pleasure that religion has, is in its religion, in its things
and so forth. The world, it's clear the world
has no, there's no beauty in Christ that they should desire.
There's no form or company. His Word doesn't mean anything
to them. His worship means nothing to them. His blood means nothing to them.
His righteousness means nothing to them. They could care less.
But God's people, He's all. He's all. I mean, it really is. He's their desire. Paul said
this. Here it is. Oh, that I might
win Christ. Oh, that I might know Christ.
I want to be found in Him like the ark. I want to be found in
Him. And I want to be like Him. See,
it's a marriage. It's a mystery. I'll show you
a mystery. It's like a marriage. It's like
a woman that's completely and utterly taken up with her husband. She takes his name. She becomes
enamored with him, dependent upon him. He's a good enough
husband. And she's in love with him. She
loves his voice. She loves to be home with him.
She loves to talk to him, speak to him. She likes to talk to
others about him. He's her all. Well, Christ is all to God's
people. He's all their desire. He's all
their love. He's their life. Not part of their life. He is their life. For me to live
is Christ. What's that? To win Christ. To
be found in Him. To know Him. To be like Him. I want to be like Him. He's in
all His people in their hearts. You cut open the heart of God's
people and you know what you'll find? In all of them? Christ. Christ in you. The hope of glory. That's Colossians 1.27. That's how you know. He's put
Christ in you. The love for Him. A heart for
Him. A mind of Him. Worship. You go to the worship
where God's people are, you know what you hear them doing? Worshiping Christ. That's how
you know. Their songs, what are they singing?
Christ is all. Their conversation, when they
get together, if they start talking about spiritual things, you know
what they'll talk about? Christ! He's all and in all His
people. He's not in all people, but He's
in all His people. Christ is all and in all. And
in heaven, my last point. He's all in heaven. He's all. He's all in heaven. Everybody
there is going to be there because of Him. Because He did it all. He's their salvation. Because
God predestined them to be adopted unto children by Jesus Christ. In Him. They were chosen in Him. before the foundation of the
world. And they're all going to be there singing to who? Worshipping
who? Christ. Listen. I beheld and
heard a voice of many angels round about the throne and beasts
and elders. The beast, the number of them
was ten thousand times ten thousand thousands and thousands saying
with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb. They sung a new song,
Thou Art Worthy, to take the book, because you're the subject. And he wrote it. And opened the
seals, for thou wast slain and redeemed us to God by thy blood
out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. And you
made us kings and priests. And we're here all because of
you. Because Christ is all. So all eternity is going to be
taken up with Jesus Christ. It's his bride and he's the husband.
Christ is our. Is he all to you? Is he all to
you? Ask him to make it so. All right. Let's sing a closing
hymn. Number 42. Number 42. Crown Him with many crowns. We'll stand as we sing it. Number
42.