My text this morning is in Colossians chapter 2, if you would turn there with me. Colossians chapter 2, right after the book of Philippians. We'll begin in verse 9. Just look at two verses here. While you're turning, let me give you my simple title. It's a good title. Christ is enough. Christ is enough. Colossians 2, 9 and 10. Hold your place there for just a few minutes. We'll get to it. Now let me say in the beginning, if I have Christ, there's nothing missing and nothing needed.

He's enough. And Christ is enough if He's all that you have. If you trust in nothing but the Lord Jesus Christ, you'll find Him to be infinitely sufficient. If you add to Christ, you take away his sufficiency. Christ doesn't just assist us in our lives. He fully satisfies our deepest needs, physical, spiritual, emotional, And even practical, He alone saves us, He alone sustains us, and He alone guides us. Often people think they need more to be content. That's just the world in which we live in.

More money, more success, more control. But when Christ is all you have, and you see that He's all you have, contentment isn't dependent on circumstances. Contentment doesn't have anything to do with how much money you have in the bank. Contentment is not in how much is in your 401k. Contentment is having a substitute that's going to stand before me and between me and God on the day of judgment. The Apostle Paul learned to be content.

He said in any situation, That's my goal. I'm still so... Is discontent the word? I don't know. I'm not content so many times. I want to be content like Paul was. And he was content because of Christ's strength. And he wrote in Philippians 4, these words, listen, he said, Not that I speak in respect of want. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. And He said, and I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound, and everywhere and in all things I'm instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need, and I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. If Christ is enough, and He is, then fear and insecurity and worry, well, they lose their power.

He's working all things together for our good. Romans 8, 28. Now, I've read that verse now for 35 years, and I've leaned on that verse, and I have done my best to believe that verse, but I feel like today I'm really beginning to believe that. He's working all things together for my good, but things don't seem good. Things often seem dark and gloomy and chaos, but we rest on His promise to us. I'm working it for your good.

Lord, help us to see that and believe that and to believe it when we don't see it. That's my goal, to truly believe that Christ is enough. When we realize that Christ is enough, our true identity is not in our achievements or in our possessions or the opinion of others.

I've always, since a young boy really, cared about what other people thought about me. Probably just insecurity on my part. I've often respect those that are just themselves It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks. I've never been one of those. I care about what folks think.

But our worth is not rooted in others' opinion of us. Our worth is rooted in Christ. Not in what we acquire and not in what we control. Because when it's all said and done, we really don't control anything. You know, if I had any control over anything, The weather would be like it is today every day of the year. But I don't have any control over anything. I don't have much control over myself, much less you or anyone else.

And this is how we learn to experience joy even in loss. Some of you here this morning have experienced great loss. You've experienced suffering. You've experienced loneliness. at this moment. But the believer's life is anchored in Him. And we, like Paul, we learn in whatever state we find ourselves in to be content knowing that in the end, everything's going to be okay. Everything's going to be fine. Our Lord Jesus is sufficient. In every provision, every piece, every purpose, Christ is enough.

Okay, Colossians 2 verse 9. Let's look at this text. Paul writes in verse 9, for in Him, that means Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power. Now here, we have a group of believers in Colossae, called Colossians, this letter was written to them, called Colossians, who were hearing from false teachers who were trying to pull them away from the sufficiency found in Christ alone.

They were telling them that they needed more in order to be saved. You need to keep the law to be saved. Well, there's only one problem with that. We can't keep the law. We don't have the ability to keep the law. And the truth of the matter is, the scripture very plainly teaches that the law was never given for us to keep in order to be saved. The law was given by God to show us our inability of keeping it. Paul said, if God hadn't given me the law and told me not to covet, I never would have realized that my lusting, my coveting was lust and that it was wrong.

Men say, you need to observe Jewish traditions to be saved. They were telling these folks, Christ is a good starting point. But you need deeper intellectual insight. In other words, Christ is not enough. You need more. This shifts all authority from Christ to man. Look up at verse 8. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Among the Jews, legalism, law keeping, and that's all legalism is, scriptural legalism, was required for acceptance. You've got to keep the law. You know, God gave the Ten Commandments. How are you doing on the Ten Commandments? How many of the Ten Commandments are you keeping? Do you know how many I keep? Do you know how many I can't? Because to keep them, I've got to keep them perfectly. And I can't do that.

So God didn't give the law just to rub our noses in our inability. He gave us the law to show us our inability and our need of Christ. Because Christ is enough. Look down at verse 16. Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of a holy day or the new moon or the Sabbath days. They were saying, you know, you've got to abide by these dietary laws. You can't eat this. You can't eat that. You can't drink this. You can't drink that.

Someone attended here for a while. I couldn't even tell you his name. They just kind of showed up one time, and we took the Lord's table. And after we took it, he texted me. Maybe he emailed me, I don't remember. And he said, was that wine that we drank at the Lord's table, was that real wine? And I said, yes. It wasn't grape juice? No, it was real wine.

Well, I'll have you know that alcohol hadn't touched my lips and since March the 14th 1987 and I wanted to say I don't think that little thimble full of wine will send you there but I didn't and he quit coming but this it's not about touch not and taste not everything should be done in moderation but listen and don't throw a handbook at me Drinking wine in moderation or even a beer is not going to send you to hell. Everything is done in moderation.

But that's what legalism is. Don't do this, don't do that. You've got to do this, you can't do that. Observing feast days, new moons, sabbaths, eternal religious rules will not save you. These false teachers were saying, yes Christ saves you, but law keeping completes you. No it doesn't. Christ completes you. You're complete in Christ, because Christ is enough. And this denies that Christ's work is already complete.

They were teaching them that mysticism and angel worship were required. Look down at verse 18. Let no man beguile you of your reward in involuntary humility and worshiping of angels. Listen, an angel... You'd be amazed how many people are caught up with angels. You know, the worship of angels. No angel died for you. No angel shed his blood for you. that your sin might be washed away.

These false teachers were teaching that you need visions and mystical experiences. You need mediation through angels. You need angelic encounters. You need deeper, hidden experiences. And Paul went on to say there in verse 18, to say that such teachers are vainly puffed up. Fool of them to say it. Take on that holier-than-thou attitude. I hate that attitude, don't you? Somebody comes across like, you know, well, you know, I never, sorry.

They're not holding fast to Christ, the head, verse 19. And again, Christ is not enough. If Christ is not enough, you'll need something more, but he's enough. You need nothing else. And that kind of thinking replaces Christ as the sole mediator. There's only one mediator between God and man. You know what a mediator is. One that goes between one party and another. Our sin has separated us from God. We're alienated from God, the Scripture says. How are we going to be reconciled? How are we going to be brought back together?

A man and a woman are married. They have marital problems. They go to a counselor. And that counselor is a mediator. They go between the two parties to try to resolve the issue. That's what we need. We need a mediator. We only got one. There's one mediator between God and men. The man, Christ Jesus. He's enough. Christ is enough.

To be saved, there's a need of self-denial, and Paul quickly shuts down hard such lies. Look down at verse 21. Touch not, taste not, handle not, which are all preparing strictly uses. And that's what they were teaching. You've got to deny the body to achieve holiness. Physical deprivation means spiritual growth. You become holy by self-discipline and suffering.

That's why people think that these monks that go off somewhere, you know, and sit around, you know, like, you know, there's something special holy about them. Listen, they're just rotten sinners just like you. They just don't know it. They just think they're special because they separate themselves from the world and sit around and go...

These things focus on the flesh instead of the finished work of Christ. All these are just another way of saying Christ is not enough. But Christ is enough. Paul in verse 9 says, Christ is fully God. Do you see that? He's the fullness of the Godhead bodily. In verse 10, Paul says, you are complete in Him. You know what that means? Christ is enough. You don't need anything else. This is an art, isn't it?

Not improved, not supplemented, but complete. Christ plus philosophy. Christ plus law, Christ plus experience, Christ plus self-denial, Christ plus secret knowledge, all equals the same thing. Christ is not enough. Now let's for a few minutes dig into what Paul is saying here in these two verses. Again, verse nine, for any of them, Jesus Christ is the fullness. of the Godhead bodily. So first thing we see is the fullness of God dwells in Christ. Not some of it. Not just a portion of it. Not just a reflection. All the fullness.

Everything that God is, Christ is. Jesus Christ is God. God is in three persons. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is all that God is. all His holiness, all His power, all His wisdom, all His mercy. There's nothing, nothing like Him in Christ. Because there's nothing like Him in God. If a man misses Christ, he misses God entirely. If a man has Christ, he's got all that God requires.

Why? Because he's enough. That's why the Gospel is not about improvement. Now, listen. I want to be a better man today than I was yesterday. I really do. But that's not my hope of salvation. Because if it was, I'd never have any confidence or assurance. Because I don't see much improvement right here where it counts. Do you? Maybe I'm the only one. I don't know. I don't think so. The Gospel is about possession of Christ's perfection. How good do I have to be to be in fellowship with God? I've got to be perfect. How am I going to do that? Through His perfection, through His work for me. That's good news. Because you can never attain what God requires, but somebody did it for you. Secondly, Christ is the fullness of the Godhead. Jesus Christ is not merely sent by God. He is God.

I was raised all my life, you know, that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, and whosoever believeth in Him... And no emphasis was ever put on the part of that verse. It seemed to get a little lighter when they quoted it. And that is, whosoever believeth in Him, and to believe in Him is to trust Him as who He is.

God. And God is... Powerful. He's called God Almighty. What does that mean? That means He's full of all might. He's sovereign. He's in control. He can do anything. He can do everything. We can do nothing. He said without me, you can do nothing. He was right. He was right. He's not a lesser being. He's not a created being. He's not a moral example. Our Lord is fully divine.

And that matters because only God can forgive sin, and only God can satisfy divine justice, and only God can give eternal life. So, eternal life is not dependent upon what I, the worthless sinner, does, or can do. It's dependent on what Christ has done for me.

Isn't that good news? Christ is enough. He's enough. If Christ was anything less than God, He would not be sufficient as a Savior, but because He's the fullness of the Godhead, His salvation is perfect, it's complete, and it's eternal. Thirdly, Christ is God revealed bodily. This is way above our heads. But God took on flesh. He didn't remain distant. He's not watching us from a distance. God didn't send an angel. God didn't merely speak from heaven. He Himself came.

But when the fullness of time has come, God sent forth His Son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. Now did you hear what that said? It told us why He came. It tells us why He was sent forth from God, why He was made of a woman, and why He was made under the law. Why was He made under the law? As a man, He was made under the law.

All of us are. We're under God's law. He did so to redeem us who were under the law that we might become children, not slaves. It doesn't have anything to do with what you do. It has to do with everything with what He did. Jesus Christ is God made visible. The invisible became visible. The infinite became an infant. But He didn't stay an infant. And every Christmas, we try to put Him back in that little manger. Try to keep Him unaffected. He's the little baby Jesus. Listen, He grew up.

And He went to the cross and He died in the room instead of wretches like you and me. all the fullness of God's in Him. The untouchable became touchable. The eternal God stepped into time. He that was not bound by time came in time and became under time.

And we're not saved by principles. We're not saved by performance. We're saved by a person. Few people understand that. And He's God and He's man. Not 50% God, not 50% man. He's all God and all man. Do I understand that? No. But by God's grace, I believe it. Because that's the only hope I have of salvation. And I can say with full confidence to you this morning that Christ is enough. Nothing can be added to Him. This destroys every false hope. We don't need Christ plus works, plus law, plus religion. We just need Christ. So many today struggle because they're trying to add to what God has already finished.

Why would you do that? I've often used the example like going to one of these art museums where they have the masterpieces, the Mona Lisa or whatever, you know? And it's a masterpiece. And they'd be like me going and taking some crayons and saying, you know, I think I'm going to touch this up a little bit. Well, they'll throw you in jail. You just try it. They'll throw you in jail.

When it comes to Christ, you can't improve upon perfection. His work's finished, it's finished for me. Christ is enough. You can't add to something that's full. You can't add anything to all. Verse 10, and you are complete in Him which is the head of principality and power. If something is complete, it's finished. There's no more work to be done. Those who have Christ lack nothing. There's no higher blessing. There's no deeper experience. There's no greater fullness.

That word complete means filled up. It means lacking nothing. It means brought to fullness. Complete. Christ is enough. To add anything to Christ is not to improve salvation. It actually denies His sufficiency. See that? If I've got to add something to what our Lord did in His perfect work of righteousness for me, then I just muddy the waters. I just add poison to what's pure. If you're in Christ, there's no deficiency. Your sin's fully forgiven. Your righteousness is fully given. Your standing with God is fully secured.

Philippians 4.19, but my God shall supply all your need. How much? All of it. How? According to His riches in glory. Where? In Christ Jesus. That's what your Bible says. Write it down.

Philippians 4.19, look at it.

John 1.16, and of His fullness have we all received and grace for grace. all not being the world, all His people.

Romans 8.32, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, I quoted this a while ago, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Hebrews 7.25, wherefore He, Christ, is able to save them to the uttermost, beyond what's required. So that all my past sin, all my present sin, and all my future sin has been taken care of. Oh, now you're going to cause people, you're going to give them a license to sin. If you truly see that Christ paid for all your sin, past, present, you're not going to want to sin in the future.

We're going to because of who and what we are, but we're not going to want to. We don't need a license to send. We got one, and we gave it to ourselves. Go down to the license bureau, and when your license expires, and tell them, yeah, I don't need one. I typed one up, put my picture on it myself. You hand that to a police officer to see where that gets you. He's able to save them most.

In John 6, 35, our Lord said, I'm the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger. Never. And he that believeth on me shall never thirst. And down in verse 19 here, we read, for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness do it. Paul says you are complete in Him. Not you will become complete. That's not a future hope, but it's a present reality. Why? Because Christ is enough. Christ is enough. Do you believe that?

You can't add to complete. Complete means having all the necessary parts. Complete means finished, making or doing. Complete means making something whole or perfect. Complete means concluded, finalized. Complete means accomplished, achieved. Complete means fulfilled, settled.

Christ's authority guarantees our security. He's the head of all principality and power. What does that mean? No spiritual force outranks Him. No enemy can undo what He's done. No authority can overrule our salvation. The One who completes us rules over everything that could threaten us.

Who's going to separate me from the love of God? Huh? Nobody can. I'm more than a conqueror through Christ that loved me. In Christ we already have everything required for salvation, everything required for acceptance, and everything required for eternal life. Nothing can be added and nothing is missing. And again, no growing into completeness. No waiting for fullness. We have a righteousness that cannot be improved, a salvation that can't be undone, a standing with God that cannot be elevated.

What can be added to perfection? The lost are still searching. The deceived are still adding. But the believing sinner, safe sinner, is resting. Why? Same. Christ isn't up. He's not the beginning of salvation, He's the whole of it. If we have Him, we don't lack anything. There's nothing that God requires that Christ does not provide.

That word, enough, means as much or as many as required. You go to pay for something, and maybe you're in a foreign land, you don't know the money very well, and you're looking at them to shake their head. If they're honest, they'll say, that's enough. You've paid for it. Christ is enough. Christ is enough. Now I want you to look one other place and I'll finish.

2 Corinthians, turn back a few pages. 2 Corinthians chapter 12. And I'll wrap it up quickly, I promise. 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 7. Paul, same person here, writing to now the church at Corinth. And he says in verse 7, "...unless I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations..." Paul was one that God in Spirit Paul said, I don't know if it was the Spirit or what, but God took him into the third heavens and revealed all these wondrous things to him.

And he said, because of this abundance of the revelation that God gave me, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. Do you know anything about a thorn in the flesh? He said the messenger of Satan to buffet me lest I should be exalted above measure. Who gave Him that thorn in the flesh? God did. In verse 8, For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, three times, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, who did? The Lord did.

My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness, and most gladly therefore, Paul says, I would rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities. That boggles my mind. Only a believer could say that. I take pleasure in trouble. suffering and infirmity. I take pleasure in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, I am strong. The only person that would say that is either a liar or a believer. That's right. All of us face struggles. We face pain and limitations. They are our thorns in the flesh. And many look for human solutions. You won't find them there.

But the believers taught that God's power works in our weaknesses. The Gospel teaches us that Christ is sufficient for every single trial. His grace is always, always, always enough to carry us through. In verse 7, we see that Paul had such a thorn in the flesh, a persistent challenge that kept him humble and looking to Christ alone.

That's why God sends them. He's going to keep us looking to Him. Because we know there's nowhere else for us to go. God's going to send you kind of trouble where you know He's the only one that can give you any help for it. Just like that, as we want Him to.

We need Christ. Weakness is not evidence of failure. Weakness reminds us that we're not self-sufficient. We need Christ. And listen, Christ is enough. In verses 8 and 9, Paul asks God to remove the thorn. But God lets him and us know that we do not need escape. We need grace. God's response. Do you notice what it is? My grace is sufficient for you. And it is. Why? Christ is enough.

When God does not remove hardships, He provides grace for us to endure and triumph. God's power is made perfect in our weaknesses. That's what He says. God's power and glory are most evident in lives of insufficiency. That's evident to every believer. In verse 10, we see that Paul chooses to boast in his weaknesses. Why? Because they magnify Christ's truth. And so do ours.

Don't be hesitant or reluctant to pour your heart out to God like we saw in the Bible study this morning. That's the only way you'll ever get any relief is to pour your heart out to God. Because Christ is enough. Our trials, limitations, our thorns, our opportunities to depend upon Christ and it always brings glory to His name. Because Christ is enough. His grace is sufficient.

His power is perfect in our weaknesses. Salvation is not a call to comfort. It's a call to rely fully on Christ He transforms weakness into glory. Whatever our fold in the flesh may be, and we've all got them, and they're all different, but we must not seek strength in ourselves to deal with them. We rest in Christ's sufficiency.

I'll ask you one other question. Why? May God be pleased to make it so. For our sake, His glory. Emphasize it, for our good. It's for our good that we learn these things. Oh, I tell you what, it'll make life a whole lot easier to deal with when we realize that He is enough.