Things still not working turn
to Paul's epistle to the Colossians Chapter 2 I Don't do this a lot, but I'm
only going to read a very short portion of this Colossians chapter
2 I'll read one full verse and a part of the next Colossians
2 begin in verse 9 For in him Dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily and ye are complete in him The title of my message is complete
in Christ I Let me read it again. And I will contextually add a few
things here. But as you will see, God willing,
it is in context. Let's read it again. For in Him,
that is Christ, and no other. And no other. The statement made
in verse 9 can apply to none other than Jesus Christ Himself. For in him, that is in Christ,
dwelleth all the fullness. That means the repletion. That
didn't help me a whole lot. But here's a word that may help
you. The saturation. You know what it is to be saturated?
You ever walked on ground that was saturated in water and when
you walked on it, just every step, water squished up out of
it? The saturation. For in Him, that is in Christ,
dwelleth all the saturation of the Godhead. And then this amazing
statement, bodily. So I add, even in His humanity. Even as a man. Remember the book says God was
made flesh. Jesus was not a man with God
inside Him. Jesus was God made flesh. That's a big difference. For
in him, that is in Christ, dwelleth all the fullness, that is the
saturation of the Godhead bodily, even in his body. And ye are
complete. You are saturated. replete or
Filled to the utmost capacity. Yeah, that's another way of putting
it and ye are complete in him Don't miss the last two words
Because they sum it all up and ye are complete And he just stopped
there. I would have to say that don't
fit me That's right As glorious as this is for in
him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead body and ye are
complete and if he just stopped there I'd have great doubts I
Mean great I have doubts, but I'd have great doubts. How could
that apply to me? I'm not complete Anyone who knows me at all knows
that man ain't complete I But this is what it says, and ye
are complete in him. And ye are complete in him. Think
of the enormity of that statement. Think of the immensity of this
blessedness. Ye, these Colossians, former,
no doubt, former idolaters. Right? Many of them, no doubt.
Former, some of them probably very immoral people. You go back
and study Greek culture, and especially in some of these well-known
towns or cities. Neil, it was replete with immorality,
corruption, unrighteousness, ungodliness. And yet Paul writes
to these people, and ye are complete in him. And I'll tell you what,
where we live, in our communities, it's no different today. It's
no different today. Think of that, the enormity of
this, the immensity of this blessedness. And this vast blessing is upon
those who have received Christ. It's actually that simple, verse
6. As ye have therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Granted, the emphasis
in that verse is encouraging those who receive Christ to so
walk in Him. But here's who it's written to,
to those who have received. But look, not just received Jesus,
though that's true. But it's the Jesus. It's Jesus
of Nazareth. But it's more than that. As ye
have therefore received Christ Jesus, a specific, definite,
singular Jesus. The Jesus who was and yet still
is The Christ. Do you see it? The Messiah. The
anointed one. That one promised from eternity. We just didn't know anything
about it until after Adam and Eve fell. You know? He was as a lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. But more than that, isn't it?
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus, the Lord. You cannot receive Jesus Christ
as your personal Savior and not receive Him at the same time
as your Lord. It doesn't work that way. That's
not the way God ordained it. It's being taught that way a
lot. And I've got no real problem with saying, receive Jesus Christ
as your personal Savior, because He is a personal Savior. He saves
personally, individually. When he saves 5,000 at a time,
Joe, he still saves each one of them personally and individually.
But he saves them as Lord, and the one who saves them as Lord,
they acknowledge him as Lord. Or there is no salvation. This great blessing is pronounced
upon a people who have, and I'm gonna put it this way, and I
do it for a fact, simply by receiving him. Now it's no simple thing
to receive him. But simply by receiving him. Is that not true? Is that not
what the, listen to another witness, John chapter one. And listen
to the very similar words of Receive him as you have received
Christ Jesus the Lord that he says and in him Dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily and ye those people who've just
received him Ye are complete in him now listen to what John
how John puts it in John chapter 1 in verse 10 Speaking of this
same Christ Jesus the Lord He was in the world and the world
was made by him and the world knew him not he came into his
own and his own Received him not so there were some that didn't
receive him did they? but as many as Received him do
you see it? And that means everyone who did
receive him. All, but all who did receive
him, to them gave he power, that is, the right to become the sons
of God. Then he defines this reception.
Even to them that believe, notice, on his name. So if you receive
Christ Jesus the Lord, then you have to know at least a little
bit of something about Christ Jesus the Lord. Right? Because you can't call on a person
you don't believe in, and you can't believe in a person you've
never heard about, and you can't hear unless God sends somebody
to tell you about it, and they ain't gonna come tell you about
it unless God sends them to tell you about it. But when he does,
if you're one of his, You'll receive. What? You'll believe
on His name. But even that is qualified. Is
it not? Which were, not get born, not
even immediately are born, but which were born. The birth comes
first. Then comes the believing slash
receiving. Which were born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God. But look, we're not done yet. And the Word was made, what? Flesh. And who is this Word? If you go back and read the first
few verses, this Word is God Almighty. And the Word was made
flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full. Do you see the
Word? Full. Replete. saturated, filled
to the utmost capacity, full of grace and truth. And let me say this, where there
is no grace, truth will never be received. But let me say this, where there
is no truth, there has never been any grace yet. They both
go together. You can't really separate the
two. You must have grace first before you hear the truth. But
God don't give grace just for grace's sake. He gives grace
so that you might, and you read it, Joe, preach from it, and
ably so that you might acknowledge the truth, which is after godliness. And Paul then back in Colossians
puts it this way, and ye, that group of people, and ye are complete
in him. This is true of me, this is true
of you. If, if we are a born of God believer, If we are a born of God Believer
there are a lot of believers in this world, but they haven't
been born of God And one of the manifestations is they don't
believe the truth That's one of the manifestations of it another
Manifestation of it is when even when they say they believe the
truth they may have the right doctrines They can care less
whether they walk in him the same way If you got a problem
with being admonished to walk in Him in the same way you received
Him, you got a problem, you had a problem with receiving Him.
That's just the way it is. That's just, that's not me laying
down some law and being legalistic. That's the way of grace. Joe,
you preached on that this morning from the scripture. Grace teaches
God's people some things, what? That we're to deny certain things,
we're to put them to the side. Remember last week, lay aside
these things. Huh? That's why grace, if God's grace
is saved, God's grace is going to teach you to walk a certain
way. And it's going to teach you not to walk a certain way.
And that's not law, that's grace. That's grace. But think of it,
that's true of me. That's true of you if you've
been born of God and you're a believer. And if you've been born of God,
you are a believer. And if you really believe, if you believe
in His name, You're born of God. And ye, those people, even though
he wrote this to Colossians, he included some Laodiceans in
this as well, didn't he? But he also included people who
had never seen his face before. Look at it, chapter two, verses
one and two. I've never seen his face either,
Joe. So I can say this applies to me, Mac. I've never seen,
I've never heard Paul preach. All I have is these letters here.
But in that, I've heard him preach. In that, I've heard him preach.
When I read these words, you just heard the Apostle Paul preach.
You just didn't know it. You thought you was hearing me.
I'm just reading what he said. Right? That's right. Ponder on
this. Let me give you five things quickly. There is no other completeness.
How could there be? How could there be? For in him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. So where
is there any other fullness at? And where could there be any
other completion at? It's an impossibility, right? That's,
and I don't like the word, but I just don't have enough, that's
logic 101. That's just reason 101. Number two, there is no
fullness outside of Christ. There is no fullness outside
of Christ as a matter of fact outside of Christ you miss Christ
If you've not received Christ, all you have is emptiness. I
don't care how full you think you are You could be full of
religion. You miss Christ. You missed it
all you could be full of doctrine and even proper doctrine you
miss Christ you missed it all You've got nothing you can be
full of all that stuff, but it's nothing without Christ for in
him dwelleth all not for in election Yeah, not for in the five points
of Calvinism. Yeah Not for in predestination
Not not for in limited atonement But for in him dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily and you are complete where in
that same one That's where you're complete Number three, this is
a godfulness That's right So if there is any other kind of
fullness, it don't really matter anyway, does it? You're full
of, better stop right there. You're just full of it. This
is a God-fullness. This is a God-completion. Number four, this fullness is
Him, and completion is wholly, solely in Him. These are simple things, and
yet so profound, so vast, so immense, so enormous. This fullness is Him, and this
completion is wholly, solely in Him. Number five, all that
Christ is. Now this is amazing, but it's
simple enough, and yet so profound. All that Christ is. We are in
you. Somebody says, but I know you.
I need to point. It's Him that matters. Right? This is true of me and
of you if we are one of those that have received Christ Jesus,
the Lord. Now, remember that. Don't say, well, I believe like
everybody else here believes. That ain't what I, do you believe
Christ Jesus the Lord? That's it. Well, I've always
been taught that that's not it. I have, when you receive somebody,
there comes a time when you receive them. Because the very point
of receiving means that one time you didn't. It's the whole point
of receiving. In him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead. It didn't say in us dwelt receiving.
Receiving didn't dwell on us by nature by nature. We didn't
receive him. We hated him rejected him rebelled against him but
by God's grace there came a time when we bought we Joe and a part
of that receiving that believe in his name is exact like you
said Bowing down in submission ever comes before you ever can
talk about any authority Paul was a servant first then an apostle
his authority came from his submission to Christ and Mm-hmm, and that's
good. That's good Joe all that Christ
is we are in But what does being in Christ
entail? Right isn't that something then
we ought to look at in at least some detail What does being in
Christ entail? well turn to first Corinthians
and I'm not sorry. I was gonna say
I'm sorry. I got nothing new, but I'm not sorry. I have nothing
new Let me give you four things here about what being in Christ
entails Let's look at the source of being Christ being in Christ
first Corinthians 1 in verse 30 but of Him the last reference
is to God so God is the one he's all about but of him are ye in
Christ Jesus Being in Christ Jesus is a work of God. You don't
believe to get in Him. God puts you in Him in a miraculous
work, a sovereign fiat of grace. He puts you in Him and then you
receive Him. You know why? Because you've
got nothing else to receive once He puts you there. Everything else
around you, you know what you see? Christ, Christ, Christ,
Christ. Everywhere you reach Mason and
in one manner, it's been everywhere you reach. It's Christ Everywhere
you look it's Christ. You can't help it Something changes
in where you live where you are But of God are you in Christ
Jesus it's a work of God you don't get in Christ you have
to be put in Christ But we were put in Christ because God even
chose us in him before he put us in him And if you look at
the context of 1 Corinthians 1, you'll see he even mentions
the election and the choosing. And if you go back and look at
Ephesians chapter 1, you'll clearly see that election taught, chosen
in him before the foundation of the world. The source of being
in Christ is God. takes the work of God, but is
there something that manifests being in Christ? Does God put
somebody in Christ, Mason, then they're just in Christ and they
never know about it and nobody else ever knows about it. It's
just, they're just in Christ. Well, let's look at what Paul says
to the Corinthians again in his second epistle, second Corinthians
chapter five. And he says in verse 17, therefore, Kind of getting a summary of
what he said before right therefore if any man now that means every
man who is Right everyone not not a few not a select few out
of select Not a select few among the select not a elect few among
the elect therefore if any man be What's the next phrase in
Christ? He is a new creature You see
it so being in Christ does have a manifestation now granted blind
people ain't gonna see it But the person that happens to they
gonna know it They gonna know something's going on and other
people Whom this has happened to? They both begin to detect. Maybe this is going on in that
person to just maybe and Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature a new creation That means God is still again.
God's doing the work Old things are passed away behold All things
are become that's what I said. Everything you see around you
is gonna be different. That's right when God Almighty puts
you in Christ Jesus when he More appropriately creates you In
Christ Jesus therefore if any man be in Christ he is New create
it doesn't become he is the being in Christ is a new creation It's
a new creation, but it's manifested in this way old things are passed
away behold all things are become new But What is it really Manifests
this new creation right because that's been what it means to
be in Christ, right? Well turn to what Paul said to the Galatians
what he wrote to the Galatians in Galatians chapter 6 This new creation, I mean what
what is that really? All right Galatians chapter 6
verse 14, but God forbid that I should glory, save in my free
will. Thank God he gave me a free will.
Wouldn't that have been a perfect place to put that? If free will
is really as important as most people say it is, and they say
it's absolutely vital. Now don't they? Oh yes they do.
That's not what he says. Nothing like that. He didn't
even say here receiving or nothing, does he? No. Look what it says.
But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross. And
you know that doesn't mean that Roman piece of wood, that stick
of wood he hung on, is talking about his sacrificial sufferings
when he hung on that tree. Yes sir. But God forbid that
I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ his
sacrificial Substitutionary penal satisfaction to God's righteousness
justice and holiness. There's Everything on which salvation
hinges in all of its aspects Right there what he did on that
tree. I mean God God could not, after the fall of Adam, listen
to me, after the fall of Adam, God could not send somebody down
just to tell us the truth and us just believe the truth and
go to heaven. Sin had to be dealt with. It had to be dealt with
and God dealt with it in his son, not just through his son,
but in his son. He bore our sins in his own body
on the tree. And I do like what Don Fortner
said, right after he said, bless God, he also bore them away.
He bore him in his body on the tree, but remember that one goat?
Yeah. Sent it out and laid, the high priest laid his hands on
its head. Transfer. That's right. Transfer. Now go. Bless God. Look, but God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.
I don't see the world like I used to see it. That's right. I don't
even see myself in the world like I used to see myself. It's
all different now. The way I used to think, Mac,
the way I used to believe, the way I used to walk. That's all
perverted, corrupt now. There's a new king in town now. King Jesus has set up his throne
in my heart, mind, and soul, by whom the world is crucified
unto me and I unto the world. Look, for in Christ Jesus, there's
that phrase again, right? For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision. Well, boy, at least I'm not a
law keeper. What, you think that's giving you some credit before
God? Well, I ain't no legalist. I'm a gracer. That ain't giving
you no credit before God. I believe in election predestination.
I don't believe in free will I didn't give you one ounce of
merit before God Almighty It's neither circumcision or uncircumcision. What is the what is it that avails?
but a new creature You see it in other words think of it in
the light of Saul of Tarsus and all of a sudden he becomes what?
Paul the servant and the Apostle See how it's all turned around
different now A new creature old things have become old things
are passed away behold all things have become new look and as many
as You know how many that means don't you all of them? And as
many as walk according to this rule now somebody I don't like
any rules then you don't love grace Then you don't know grace Because
grace rules in here not just from commands out here somewhere
and And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them. And let me tell you, it don't
say it this way, but this is what it means, nobody else. Peace
is not on anybody else. Until this happens to you, you've
got no claim to peace. Any peace you think you have
is a false peace. And as many as walk according
to this rule peace beyond them and mercy We need both I Could
have both look and upon the Israel of God now. I don't mean to throw
you a curveball here Most of you know, maybe some don't we
even mean we got a you know few that's Not been with us as long
but I am what men call a pre-millennialist But my pre-millennialism don't
rule this book. I And I hear pre-millennialists
say, Israel's not the church. Well, let me tell you something,
God's Israel is the church. The Israel of God is the church. And we who are Gentiles, being
wild olive branches, Paul said we've been grafted into that
root stock of the olive tree. My pre-millennialism deals with
Revelations chapter 20, and that's about it. and maybe some passages
from the Old Testament that may be referred to that time, the
Israel of God are the elect of God chosen in Christ Jesus. And
every Gentile who was chosen in Christ Jesus is a wild, I'm
still a wild olive branch. Joe, I may have took the place
of a natural olive branch that was broken off, but I'm still
a wild olive branch, but I'm still a part of the olive tree.
And the olive tree is the Israel of God. He's writing about these
Jewish men that came in and claimed to be the elect of God, claimed
to be preaching the truth, and he's saying they're not the Israel
of God. They may be Israel by nature, but they're not Israel
in Christ. And that's what really matters. Now doesn't it? That's what really
matters. So now you've gotten a three
minute exposition of my premillennialism. And you know where I stand on
that. This is what being in Christ is. Everything's different and
the only boast I got is in Christ and His cross work. That's it. And I will glory there. We're
not just ought to glory there, that's the place we're supposed
to glory. We're given the right to glory
in Him and His cross work. Our affections, our devotion,
our loyalty lies with Him, right? That's what being a new creature
is. Your affections are turned to Him. Your devotion is turned
to Him. Your loyalty is turned to Him. This is the new creation. Now,
one last thing in this, that is, what does being in Christ
entail? Let's look at the state of this new creation in Christ.
In other words, what I mean by this, and be turning to John
chapter 17, How does God view it? Now, what
I've basically given you so far is God does the work, but when
that work happens, it has some manifestations, right? But how
does God view that? How does God view this in Christ
thing? Well, listen to what Christ said
in his high priestly prayer. John 17 and I've got to move
along. Verse 20. Neither pray I for
these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through
their word. Aren't you glad he prayed that too? Mason, he was
thinking about you when he prayed this. Every one of you in here
this morning, if you're one of his, he had you on his heart
as the high priest. Your name was there in one of
them stones. Yes, sir. I was right there, Joe, on his
heart, on his mind. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word.
That's the other 11. The 11. that they all may be, oh, here
we go, one. They all may be one. And then
look, it's so profound, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one. Us Do you see the profound? Immensity of what it means to
be in Christ it means to be related to Christ in Christ United to
Christ in a way that he was with the father And in a way that
the father was with him and John tells us these three are what? one And go on go on and read
the rest of that. I being in Christ. Jack, how immense that is. How
profound. But, now, we've looked at what it means
to be in Christ. We've looked at how it's manifested
that you're in Christ. We see how God sees it, don't
we? But let's take note of this completion in Christ. Two things,
first of all, about Christ. Because remember, it's in Him
that all this is true. In Him is the fullness of the
Godhead bodily. And we are complete where? In Him. So first of all,
in this man, and that's the way to say it, in this man, that
shows His union to us. And that's always first. You
will never have union to Christ unless He's first united Himself
to you. And he did that in sovereign purpose before the world began
And he came and did it and fulfilled all the legal requirements of
it when he died on that tree at Calvary and then he sends
out his spirit and he sends out his gospel and he brings them
all together in his ordained way and Creates a new creation
in Christ Jesus In this man which that shows
his union to us dwells in Let me stop just a minute there.
Dwells is fixed. Stationary. In other words, it
ain't coming and going. It's there and that's where it
lives. It's there and that's its place. That's its home. In
Him dwells all that God is. Right? The fullness of the Godhead,
Father and Spirit. It's all embodied In the man,
Christ Jesus the Lord. All of it. I can't explain that
to you. That's just what the book says
about it, right? That's the way it is, whether
I can lay hold of it and dissect it and understand it or not,
Joe, that's the way it is. In this man, his union to us
dwells, it's fixed, stationary. In this man dwells all that God
is, and in him, that's our union to him. In him, we are complete. Oh, how often have I preached,
and rightfully so, about things I think we're in need of. Right? But let me tell you something,
in Him, we're complete. You don't lack nothing. I don't
lack nothing. There are a lot of things in
this world and in this life and in our sojourn here, Mason, we
lack and we need to add. He says add to your faith virtue,
virtue knowledge, all these things. But let me tell you, in Christ,
you can't add, how can you add to saturation? You can't. That's why I call
it saturation. In Christ. In Christ dwells all
that God is. And in Him, we're complete. Now, here is Christ. Just a few
things. Just a few things. I don't have time, even in this
whole life, to explain and expound and proclaim all that Christ
is. But just a few things. Here is Christ, and remember,
as I talk about who Christ is, remember, and ye are complete
in Him. Isn't that what it says? And
go look at the context. Make sure I'm not going out of
context. But also remember, and ye are
complete where? Not in yourself. Him Christ is
God in full essence Yes, right. He didn't have a little piece
of God He was God Manifest in the flesh in the beginning was
the word the word was with God and the word was God that word
was made flesh God in full essence God in the
full majesty of deity Even as a man. Even as a man. Full power. Full dominion. Full authority. God sees me where? In Him. Do you see that? Now that's not talking about
me having full dominion, me having full power, but God sees me where?
In Him. In full dominion. In full power.
In full authority. God sees us in Him, thus God
sees us. as full sanctity. I'm fully sanctified in Him. You can't add to sanctification
if you're full of Him. Full in Him. Full in Him. Full sanctity. Full wisdom. Full impeccable righteousness. We often lean on righteousnesses
that are not full. Remember the prophet prophesied
that even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight
But when we're talking about being in him, we're talking about
a god-righteousness an impeccable righteousness full impeachable
integrity I ain't never known anything else, anything about
that except in him. Full, now think about this one,
full, uncomparable worth. He calls his blood precious blood. So precious that it can redeem
men from sin. Isn't that amazing? Full, uncomparable
worth. Now, one last third thing. Do not try and see yourself that
way. That's our problem. We read that,
we believe it, but we misconstrue it and we try to see ourself
as complete. That ain't it. And ye are complete
where and how? In Him. You're not going to see
it in yourself. You can only see it when you
see Him. Because it's in Him that we're
complete. Not in ourselves. In Him. We
are complete in Him, period, Mac. Not we're complete in ourselves
when we're in Him. We are complete in Him. See the difference? And there's
a big, way big, whole lot of big. Mucho gracias big. I don't
even speak Spanish. Was that close to it? I don't
know if that was even right. Hear that? Don't try and see
yourself that way. Believe it and rest in it, because
God said it. Amen. Believe it and rest in it because
God promised this is the truth So if I sum it up, let me sum
it up this way have you received Christ Have you received him if you
haven't expect nothing Expect nothing from God, but his wrath
and judgment and But if you've received him you have the right
to expect everything He says all things work together for
your good Now either God Has to be true and is fulfilling
that Mac or God's a liar and God cannot lie You don't expect
based on you You expect, and that's what hope means. It's
the expectation, the constant expectation based upon the promise
of God. If you haven't received Christ,
you have the right to expect nothing but His wrath and His
judgment. But if you've received Christ,
you have the right to expect everything. He'll come back one
day and join you literally to Himself. We're gonna live in
a place where he's gonna be the light of the city. Won't be no
sun and moon anymore, right? And they won't enter into that
city anything that defiles. There is an abomination before
God. So if we're in there, Mason, then what's that mean? Then we
ain't defiled or abominable anymore. Now if you see me right now,
you will see defilement and you will see abomination, but God
doesn't see me in me God sees me in him Now I best start looking
at you that way and you best start looking at me that way
If we need some things to add, let's help one another in them,
but let's also remember, for in him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him. Father,
oh God, help us to walk by this. Not just to believe it, but believe
it by your grace, by your spirit, and through your word, believe
it that it changes our walk. our outlook about one another,
our love for one another, our long-suffering with one another.
All these things I ask in Christ's name, amen.