I want to talk to you a little
bit this morning out of Colossians 2. I actually begin at verse
14. Actually, my text at verse 14. That's kind of an awkward place
to begin because there's so much before. But I can't keep re-preaching
what I preached before as we go through these scriptures verse
by verse. But the title of this message is The Body is of Christ. The body is of Christ. Now the
Apostle Paul in these verses has been led by the Spirit to write of
the preeminence of Christ in all things. That's what the gospel
is all about. That's what salvation is all
about. That's what the church is all
about. The church is one foundation. is Jesus Christ her Lord. It's not me, it's not you. Christ
is the foundation, we're the building. He is the rock, we're the little
stones. That's what, when he talked about
Peter, he said upon this rock, he wasn't talking about Peter,
Christ is the rock of the church. He's the foundation of the church.
Peter, Petros, that's the little stone, that's what we are. And
where his building, the passage that Brother Robert read in Ephesians
2, the building, fitly framed together, making one new man. And normally when you see this
term, the body, it's talking about the church, who is the
body of Christ. That's not what it's really talking
about here specifically, and we're gonna show that. But I
need to make that clear. The church is the body of Christ.
And there's one body, the scripture says, not many denominations,
not many segments, not many divisions, but one body and Christ is the
head. I heard a message years ago that
described the Lord Jesus Christ in the glory of his person and
in the power of his finished work, his blood, his righteousness,
which is the ground of our salvation. The merit of his work, the merit
of his obedience unto death, not our merits, we don't have
any. Not our collective works, but his one work. By one offering,
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified, Hebrews
10, 14. But I heard a message years ago that described Christ
this way, that Christ is the foundation of the church, Christ
is the head of the church, and Christ is the heart of the church. Isn't that something? And he
is. He's all and in all. And so the
apostle here in Colossians 1 and Colossians 2, he's been describing
the preeminence of Christ, his preeminence in creation. He is
the creator, the word made flesh dwelt among us, but that word
was existent in the deity of his nature as the son of God,
the second person of the Trinity before this world ever began.
And it was all created by him and it was all created for him.
That's why we're here. We're not here for each other.
We're here for, we're to love one another. We're to care for
one another. We're to pray for one another. We're to help one
another. But our ultimate reason for being here is for His glory. And so it was created by Him
and for Him. His preeminence in providence. He's the governor. He's not a watchmaker God who
winds it up, walks away, and lets it wind down. He is in control. God's in control. I heard a preacher
on TV years ago who made this statement. He said, a lot of
believers are fooled. They think God's in control, but he's not.
And I said, my friend, he's just in control of what you just said.
He is in control. Now, we don't understand all
the workings of God's providence, do we? We can't wrap our minds
around all of that, but that's immaterial. He's God and we're
not. He knows what's best. We're his children. Then he goes
to the ultimate point here and that's Christ's preeminence in
salvation. He's all and in all in my salvation. All of my salvation was conditioned
on Him. Our salvation is founded upon
His merits, His blood, His righteousness. He is the vine, we're the fruit. It's not conditioned on us. Not
even our faith. Yes, we are brought to faith
by God. Robert read that, Ephesians 2a, for by grace are you saved,
through faith, and that not of yourselves, it's the gift of
God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his
creation, we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, that's
our union with Christ. Unto, not because of, but unto
good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them. And that's what he's talking about here. Look back
at verse 11, talking about Christ in whom also you are circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands. That's spiritual circumcision.
In putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision
of Christ. I talked about that last time.
That circumcision of Christ there refers to His being cut off from
the land of the living in His death on the cross for the sins
of His people charged to His account, imputed to Him. And
He paid our debt in full. He satisfied the justice of God. It says in verse 12, buried with
Him in baptism. That is, when Christ died, I
died. When He was buried, I was buried.
And He says, wherein also you are risen with Him. When He arose
again, I arose. He as my representative, as my
substitute, as my surety, as my redeemer, as my mediator. Through the faith of the operation
of God who has raised him from the dead. And then he speaks
in verse 13, you being dead in your sins and uncircumcision
of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven
you all trespasses. Now that tells you this, it tells
you that it could never be conditioned on us. Because this all took
place when we were dead in our sins. Right? Now what can you do when you're
dead? That's spiritual death. That's the absence of spiritual
life. You can't do anything to attain or maintain the forgiveness
of sins. You cannot earn it. You don't
deserve it. Now I'm talking to myself now.
I'm not just saying you, you, you. Me, I'm with you. We all
sin and come short of the glory of God. There's none righteous,
no not one. There's none that doeth good,
no not one. That's us by nature. And what Robert read in Ephesians
2 there when he says that, we are by nature children of wrath
even as others. In other words, the elect of
God, there's no difference in us and the children of wrath
by nature as we're naturally born. If you're saved, you have all
the blessings and benefits of salvation, but it all came to
you by grace through the righteousness of another. It didn't come to
you by faith. Now God uses the means of God-given
faith to bring you into the enjoyment and the sight and the light of
it. But it all came to you by the blood of Christ. That's what
he said. Even having forgiven you all trespasses. When? When I was dead in trespasses
and sins. It's all by the blood of Christ.
Now look at verse 14. Now blotting out. Now look here.
Here's the first point of this message. Our sins nailed to his
cross. Look at it, blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary
to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. Now what is this handwriting
of ordinances? Well, that's the law of God.
And different commentators will approach this different ways.
Normally, we think of the handwriting of ordinances as something like
the Ten Commandments, written, the written law. We can talk
about the whole law of Moses, the ceremonial law, the civil
law, the priestly, Levitical law, all the law. Some say, well,
it has to refer back even to the law of God given to Adam
before Moses. You know, there was law before
Moses, before Before Sinai, there was law. The Bible says that
sin cannot be charged where there's no law. And also, it tells us
this. You remember in 1 Corinthians
15, 56, it makes this statement. Paul makes this statement. He
says, the sting of death is sin. In other words, the reason we
die is sin. Well, why is sin the cause of
death? He says, well, the strength of
sin is the law. In other words, the power of
sin to bring us to death is because the law condemns where sin is
charged. If there was no law, there'd
be no charge. We talk about people today who won anarchy, basically. It means there's no laws. Every
man for himself. Well, what would it be? Well,
it would be just nothing but bloodlust. Every man for himself. Survival of the fittest. But
that's not the way it is. God is a God of law. The law
is a reflection of his very holiness, his nature, his justice. So what
law is he talking about? Well, here's the key. Look at
verse 14. He says, blotting out the handwriting
of ordinances that was against us, contrary to us, and took
it out of the way by nailing it to his cross. What law is
against us? What law is contrary to us? What
he's talking about is the exposure, the revelation of the sinfulness
and depravity of man that comes through the law. That condemns
me according to my best efforts to keep it. That's what he said
over in Romans chapter 3. We read it this morning. that
the law brings in all people, all who fell in Adam, guilty
before God, all who are under the law. So for whom did Christ
die? Well, he died for the elect of
God. He died for his sheep, he says. Why did he have to die
for them? Because without God's grace,
without his death, without his payment of the debt, the law
would condemn them. Isn't that right? That's why
God charged, imputed the sins of His elect to Christ before
the foundation of the world in the everlasting covenant of grace.
He's my surety. He was made responsible for my
debt, the debt incurred when I fell in Adam, the debt that
incurred when I sinned for all have sinned and come short of
the glory of God. It was all charged to Him. So
the law of God that's against us, that's contrary to us. Why?
Because of sin. The wages of sin is death. There's
none righteous, no not one. You remember the Old Testament
story of Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, who was throwing
a great feast. It's recorded in Daniel chapter
5. And he was having a great party and they ran out of Vessels
to pour their wine and their drink in and so he said well
Let's go over there and get those vessels that my daddy or my granddaddy
stow out of the temple in Jerusalem and bring them over and we'll
Party with them, too And you remember what happened the handwriting
that came on the wall the God sent a it's in a spirit to write
on the wall those words meanie meanie TKO Farson and What does
it mean? What does that tikal mean? When
he was telling Belshazzar in Daniel chapter 5 verse 27, here's
what it says. It says, Thou art weighed in
the balance, in the scales of justice, and found wanting, lacking. My friend, that's you and me
by nature. We're weighed in the balance and found lacking. That's
what it means when it says we've all sinned and come short, missed
the mark. of the glory of God, the glory
of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ, his righteousness,
his blood, his merits. The written law, which brought
in all people who fell in Adam, who sinned against God, guilty
and deserving of condemnation and death. The law of God is
not for or in favor of sinners, it is against sinners. The only
way we can be saved, the only way we can be justified, made
right with God, the only way we can be declared not guilty,
the only way that we can be declared righteous in God's sight and
know that God is for us, in favor of us. How's that way? What way? The law is a reflection
of God's holy and righteous character. How can God be for me if His
law is against me? Well, that's the point. Right
here in answer, by nailing it to his cross. Now what did he
nail, who did he nail, he nailed his son to that cross. I know that sinful human beings
like us, we were the instruments, but you know what? It was God
doing the work all the time. This is the work of God. Nailing
his son to the cross. And what does it mean that he
died for our sins? The Bible says he was made sin. Yes, he was. Literally made sin. How does that? By the charging
of the debt of the sins of his people to his account. He was
made a curse for us. He was made of a woman, that's
his humanity, made under the law. Bible says that what the
law could not do for us, God sending his own son in the likeness
of sinful flesh, but without sin. And what he did in his death
on that cross is he put away the whole body of sins of his
people. That's what he says back up there
in verse 11. putting off the body of the sins of the flesh
by the circumcision of Christ. Christ was cut off. He was forsaken
by the Father. He said, my God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me? That is a mind-boggling issue,
isn't it? I know there was a legal separation
between the Father and the Son because of our sins charged to
Him, and He died. I really cannot explain all that.
I can't really theologize it or doctrinalize it, I just know
it's so. And I know it was based upon
the sins of his people charged to his account, imputed to him. So then, how do we view this? Well, Romans chapter eight and
verse 33 tells us that, who shall lay anything to the charge of
God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
can condemn us? It's Christ that died, yea rather,
is risen again, and is seated at the right hand of the Father,
ever living to make intercession for us. It speaks of Christ as
surety and substitute of his people, whom he redeemed with
his blood. And the righteousness of the
law was established by his obedience unto death for his people. For
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
that believeth. He was manifested to put away
our sins. And look here as a result of
that, look at verse 15, here's the second point. Satan's power
over us is spoiled. It says in verse 15, and having
spoiled, made ineffective, moved out of the way, principalities
and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them in it or in himself. You know, a lot of people do
not understand Satan's power. They look at Satan as some kind
of a being with horns and a tail, carries a pitchfork. That's nothing
more than a cartoon. That's a figment of man's imagination. The Bible says Satan disguises
himself as an angel of light. And his greatest His greatest
desire is not to get people walling around in bars and brothels and
drug dens, like that's just human nature. His greatest desire is
to get you in a false refuge, a false religion. That's right. I'm going to show you that in
just a moment. That's his goal. And his power, what he's saying
here is in the death of Christ, he spoiled all the satanic hosts
and stripped them of their powers. And he made a public show of
their defeat like the conquerors back then when they would conquer
a country and they bring the king and they would parade him
through the streets dragging him behind a chariot in chains
and make a public spectacle of him. That's what Christ did on
that cross. How did he do it publicly? Well, when he died,
what happened? Darkness came over. The veil
was rent in two from top to bottom. Many of the saints of God were
resurrected from the dead, just like he did Lazarus. Lazarus
come forth. And then, ultimately, he made
a public show of them openly when he, what, was raised from
the dead. Death could not hold the Savior. Who died? And it wasn't a fake
death, it wasn't a pretense, it wasn't a hoax. It was a real
death of his body, his humanity for the sins of his people. But
the grave couldn't hold him. Why? Because in his death there
was a conquering, a victory over sin, over Satan, over the world. In his death righteousness was
established because in his death he paid the debt. of the sins
of his sheep charged to him. And the righteousness which God
had always imputed to his people from the beginning was accomplished
right there on Calvary. Sin demands death. Righteousness
demands life. Now whose righteousness do I
have? Well, if I'm in Christ, I have his. And that's what he
did. And here's the power of Satan.
Turn to Revelation chapter 12 with me. I always like to go
to this. Talk about the Satanic power
that is broken over God's people by the death of Christ. Well, what is Satan's power?
Well, look at verse 9 of Revelation 12. He's called the great dragon.
That's a symbolic reference of revelation to Satan. He was cast
out. Now we know he was cast out when
Christ died on the cross, was buried and rose again. That's
what the Lord himself said, John chapter 12 for example. That
old serpent called the devil. What does that mean? That means,
he says, and Satan, the adversary, now look at, which deceiveth
the whole world, Who's that talking about? Everybody who's deceived?
And he says, he was cast out into the earth and his angels
were cast out with him. And it says, and I heard a loud
voice saying to him, now has come salvation and strength and
the kingdom of our God. That's referring to the merits
of the obedience unto death of Christ. The power of his Christ,
the anointed one, the Messiah. Look at this now, for the accuser
of our brethren is cast down." Now there's Satan's power, the
power of accusation. What do you mean by that? Well,
it says, which accused them before our God day and night. The power
of accusation. If somebody accuses you of a
crime and they come and arrest you and then they take you to
court, the first thing they're going to want to bring up is
witnesses that will prove the accusation. And if they bring
up witnesses that prove the accusation, then you have to accept the penalty
of the crime. Is that not right? But what happens
if you're accused falsely and the charges don't stick? Then
you go free. How does Satan accuse me and
you? Look, God, they are sinners. That's what I am. I'm a sinner.
They deserve death and hell. That's what we deserve, isn't
it? They've earned condemnation. That's what we've earned, isn't
it? But what if there's some just and right way that the charges
of Satan against us do not stick? There is a just and right way.
Look at it. Verse 11. And they overcame him, what does
it say there? By the blood of the lamb, there
you go. That's what turns back the charges
of Satan against God's elect. the blood of Jesus Christ, and
by the word of their testimony. What is the word of our testimony?
There's several ways you can state it, but one of the best
ways I find in Galatians 6.14, God forbid that I should glory
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's one way
to put it. That's my testimony. My hope
is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus'
name, on Christ the solid rock I stand." All other ground is
sinking. I don't plead my baptism. I don't
plead my church membership. I don't plead my works in any
way. I plead Christ and his righteousness
alone. His blood alone. That's the only
thing that's gonna turn back the charges so that we can truly
say, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's love? Didn't
David say it in Psalm 32, blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth
not, chargeth not with iniquity? And Paul, writing by inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, said this is what David meant, blessed
is the man to whom the Lord imputes righteousness without works. I stand before God in Christ,
washed in His blood, clothed in His righteousness, and though
I'm a sinner who deserves nothing but condemnation and death, there
is no charge laid to my account. I'm in Christ. That's right. Isn't that something? Well, turn
over to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Now that's Satan. Satan's
power of accusation is broken by the blood of Christ. by His
righteousness imputed to us. But another power that Satan
has, if you look at 2 Corinthians chapter 4, is the power of deception. Now, didn't it say there that
he deceives the whole world? And that's even including God's
elect as we're born naturally. We're born deceived. That's why
Christ said you must be born again. You must be brought, as
Brother Randy said last week, out of darkness into his marvelous
light. Well, look at 2 Corinthians chapter
4, verse 3. Remember I said now Satan's goal
is to have people in a false refuge of religion pleading a
false ground. Secure in a lie, a refuge of
lies, as Isaiah called it in Isaiah chapter 26, I think, or
27. But he says in verse three, but
if our gospel be hid, it's hid to them that are lost. Verse
four, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds
of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel
of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. He says, for we preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus, the Lord. And ourselves, your servants
for Jesus' sake. And look at verse six. Here's
how Satan's power of deception is broken over the people of
God. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face, in the person, in the work of
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the new birth. When God
brings a sinner and gives him spiritual eyes
and spiritual ears, a new heart, to see God's holiness and justice,
to see our sinfulness and depravity, and to drive us to God's grace
in Christ Jesus for all salvation, for all forgiveness, for all
righteousness, then Satan's power of deception is broken. I was
blind. Now I see. And those spiritual
eyes didn't come out of my goodness or my decision or any power that
I have, not out of my free will, so-called. No, it came from the
sovereign power of Almighty God, from Christ, who is my life.
Well, look back at Colossians 2. Now, listen to what he says here. He simply says this, the substance
of all of this, all of this great salvation, all of this glorious
salvation, all of the benefits, the substance is Christ. The
substance of the law is Christ. He says in verse 16, let no man
therefore judge you in meat or in drink, what you eat, what
you drink. Later on he'll talk about taste not, touch not, handle
not. That's worldly, he says. Taste not, touch not, handle
not. That's abstinence, you know? People say, well, Christian wouldn't
eat this, or Christian wouldn't drink that. He says, don't let
people judge you that way. That's Pharisaism, that's legalism. Well, preacher, aren't there
things we shouldn't do? Yes. But that doesn't determine
or make us children of God. It doesn't determine our salvation.
You see, he says, don't let people judge you that way. Or in respect
of an holy day. The holy days, that's the holidays,
the yearly festivals. He says, or of the new moon,
that's the monthly festivals. The Sabbath days, that's the
weekly days. There's a whole denomination
that calls itself Christian. They judge on the Sabbath day.
You've got to keep a Saturday Sabbath. Don't let people judge
you that way. That's not what determines or
even evidences salvation. He says in verse 17, these things
are a shadow of things to come. What's he talking about? He's
talking about these things in the law, these ordinances. They
were all foreshadowings, pictures, symbolic. One of three things, either God's
absolute holiness and justice, our sin and depravity, and our
need of Christ. And this is what he says, but
the body, the substance of these things, is what he's talking
about, is of Christ. The real substance of all those
things. Christ told the Pharisees that. He says, you boast in Moses,
your keeping of the law. But he said, listen, if you'd
believe Moses, you'd believe me, for Moses wrote of me. The
law was given to show you your sinfulness and your need of righteousness
by God's grace in Christ. The law was never given as a
way of salvation. to sinners? It's impossible. There's no flesh justified by
deeds of law in His sight. We need righteousness. We need
the perfection of righteousness revealed in the law, but we don't
have it, and we can't work it, and we don't want it God's way. But if we want the perfection
of righteousness revealed in any revelation of God's law,
summarized in love God perfectly and love your neighbor as yourself,
the only way you're gonna find it is looking to Christ. For he is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Romans 14, 17
says, for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink. The kingdom
of God is righteousness and peace. and joy in the Holy Ghost. It's all about Him. It's not
about you necessarily. Oh, He saves sinners. God loves
His people. God is merciful to His people. God cares for His people. And
how do you know that? Because it's all about Christ.
It's all about God's sovereign grace in Christ. It's all about
righteousness in Him. Forgiveness by Him. all of it. Christ is all and in all. Heavenly
Father, we thank you for your word of grace in him and we pray
that you will make it effectual to our hearts and our minds,
our very souls. For it's in his name we pray.
Amen.