Christ Is All

Hi, everybody. Would you turn to Colossians chapter 3? I'm sure over the years you've heard this passage preached from many times. Well, I'm going to try to preach from it again. I hope we have the Lord's presence. Verse 9. Colossians chapter three, lie not one to another, seeing that you put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew. uncircumcision nor uncircumcision.

Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free. But Christ is all and in all. What do I know of this verse of scripture? Christ is all." What does this statement mean to me? I know what it means. What does it mean to me? Christ is all and in all. Now, Christ is the New Testament word for the Old Testament word, anointed. As a matter of fact, we just heard it when We heard that scripture read from 2 Samuel 23. He's the anointed. Another word is Messiah. Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

He is God's anointed prophet. And you know, I think I would do well to bring this out every time I preach. He's God's anointed prophet. He's like no other prophet. Every other prophet said, thus saith the Lord. He said, I say unto you. No other prophet said that. He's God's priest. A prophet brings men a word from God. He is the word of God. A priest brings men to God. And there's no priest like him. Every other priest brought the blood of an animal. He comes into God's presence with his own blood. He's a king. That's the other anointed office. God's anointed king as David was, but he's like no other king. Every other king has borrowed authority to have it just temporarily. He has inherent authority because of who he is.

Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. I love calling his name Jesus of Nazareth. I love it when Philip said to his brother Nathanael, we found him of whom Moses and the law and prophets did write. Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathaniel's reply was, can any good thing come out of Nazareth, that podunk town? Can any good thing come out of there? I think it's interesting that in the original, the definite article is used.

Christ is the all, the only one. You know, this can't be said of any other man, can it? Christ is the all in Now, I realize that most of this world population, he's nothing. Probably over half of the world's never heard his name, probably more than that. He's certainly nothing to them. And then there are some who would say, well, he's important. And I try to fit him into life's busy schedule. And there are some people to which he is all. Is he all to me? He's all, there's no question about that. Is he all to me? What does that mean?

Now, you'll notice in our text, Paul said, lie not one to another. Now, we all know we're not supposed to lie. You're born knowing you shouldn't lie and you're born a liar. I mean, we don't have to teach our kids to lie, that comes natural. So when he's talking about lying not one to another, he's not simply saying, don't tell lies.

What he is doing is saying, don't project an image about yourself toward others that is not real, that clouds the issue of Christ being all. If somebody's around you and they feel judged, they feel threatened, they feel criticized, they feel little, You're projecting some kind of image that's a lie, that is a discouragement to them. You're making yourself something. And if you're something, Christ is not all.

I'm nothing. That's the only way I'm to present myself. Paul said that about himself. He said, I'm not a wit behind the chief of apostles, though I be nothing. Paul really believed that. Lie not, one to another. Don't project an image that makes you somebody that makes somebody feel uncomfortable. And it takes the issue off Christ being all of a sudden you're something. Don't do that. Lie not one to another, seeing that you put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man, this new creature in Christ Jesus. Every believer is an old man. And we're always trying to get him off. He won't be off till we die. We're an old man that's corrupt according to the deceitful lust.

And every believer knows that. And as a matter of fact, the only way you can understand that is if you're a believer. An unbeliever can't understand that because they don't understand sin. Only a believer understands sin. That's why the believer sees himself as sinful. He's the only one who knows you've got to have a holy nature.

You have to have a new man to understand that. He says, you put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge. The new man has some knowledge, some God given knowledge that the unbeliever does not have. And what is that knowledge? Which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.

And here's what that knowledge is, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, Circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all. Now that is the knowledge of the new creature in Christ Jesus. There's some understanding of this glorious truth that none of us could ever get a hold of all it means. And it can only be said of Christ. Christ is all. What if I said Todd is all? You'd winch your teeth. You'd think I've gone crazy. It would be a wicked statement. It would be a narcissistic statement. It would be a deceived statement.

He's the only one of whom this can be said. And it's the appropriate thing to say with regard to him. Christ is all. And in all. Now, let me read you the amplified version of verse 11. In this knowledge, this is the amplified version. In this knowledge, all fleshly distinctions that men make are done away with. All the distinction, black, white, rich, poor, religious, unreligious, good, bad. Smart, done, whatever distinction it is. Let me read this to you.

Colossians 3.11 from the Amplified Version, there is no distinction between Greek and Jew. All that's been done away with. There is no distinction between circumcision and uncircumcision. All these religious distinctions are done away with. There is no distinction between nations, whether barbarian or Scythian. There is no social status, whether it be bond or free, but Christ is all and in all.

So believers are equal in Christ with no distinctions. I love it that way. Now, what does this mean? Christ is all in all. It's an infinite statement. We can't mine the depths of it, I realize that. But what does this mean? What do I know of this? I hope this is not something cliche to me, but it's the very depth of my all. This is all to me.

Let me say first, God is. You know, I love the way the Bible makes no attempt to prove the existence of God. In the beginning, God. That's a self-evident fact. In the beginning, God. God is, and God is as he reveals himself to be in this book. And in that very opening verse in Genesis chapter one, in the beginning, God, The word God in the Hebrew is Elohim. The singular of God is El. The plural of God is Elohim. One God, yet in the plural, why? One God in three distinct persons.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Can I explain that? No. Do I believe it? Yes. It's what the Bible teaches with regard to the character of God, God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. Now, the Bible reveals him as good. God's good. Everything about him is good. Every attribute is good. Oh, his justice is good. His grace is good. His wrath is good. Whatever we say about God, He's good. God is God. That means He's sovereign. He's absolutely in control of everybody and everything. His will is always done. There's never a time when His will is not done. God is independent.

When you were praying, you said, He doesn't need us. You know, He doesn't. He has no needs. There's nothing we can add to Him. There's nothing that we can do that'll make it better for Him. Oh, He blesses us by making Himself known to us, but He has no needs. All of His attributes come out of that. He's all-powerful. He's immutable. He's holy. He's sovereign. He's other. He's just. He's gracious.

And whatever else this Scripture reveals Him to be, and all we will ever see of God, is Jesus Christ. We're not going to see God the Holy Spirit. He's spirit. We're not going to see God the Father. All we're ever going to see of God is Jesus Christ. That's one way in which God is, with Christ is all. He is all God, 100% deity, just as if you were not man at all. All humanity, the man Christ Jesus, just as if he were not God at all. I love what Paul said in Colossians 115, he is the image of the invisible God. Hebrews 1 3, the writer says he's the brightness of God's glory and the express image of his person. I love it when.

Philip. said to the Lord, and he didn't realize that this was a derogatory and a wicked statement he was bringing to the Lord. But he said, show us the Father and we'll be satisfied. And the Lord said, have I been so long time with you, Philip, and yet hast thou not known me? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. He didn't say it's as if he had seen the Father. He said, He that seen me hath seen the Father. Jesus Christ is all we'll ever see of who God is. Now, as far as I mentioned, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, one God and three distinct persons.

All the persons of the Godhead have a part in salvation. I don't even know what kind of language to use because to say a part is not, forgive me, but they all have Their function, I don't know what it is. I don't know the right word to use, but I know this. God, the father elects. God, the son redeems. God, the Holy Spirit gives life. And Christ is all in election.

You know, when we use the word unconditional election, I know what we mean. I mean, it's not conditioned on anything in us, but it's highly conditioned. It's conditioned in Christ Jesus, our Lord. He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. Christ be my first elect, He said, then chose us in Him, our living head. There's one reason for election, Jesus Christ. He's all in redemption.

Hebrews 1.3 said, He, the Lord Jesus Christ, by Himself, with no help, with no contribution from you or I, He by Himself purged our sins. He did it by Himself. He's all in my redemption. I'm redeemed for one reason, Jesus Christ died for me and put away my sins. But understand this, He's all in God the Holy Spirit's work, the work of regeneration.

Now, if I'm saved, I've been birthed into the kingdom of heaven. I've been born from above. I've been born again. Here's why I was born again, because Christ died for me. No other reason. And when I am born again, this is when I find out that Christ is all. He's all in election. He's all in redemption. He's all in regeneration. Turn with me for a moment to John chapter 1. In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. Face to face with God. And the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. Now look in verse 14.

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 of grace and truth. John bear witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. And of his fullness have we all received in grace for grace, for the law was given by Moses.

But grace and truth, came by Jesus Christ. Now, is anybody going to say the law is not true? Of course it is. But he says, grace and truth. Now, why does he say that? Because the law only gives half the picture. Shows God's justice, shows God's wrath, shows God's displeasure against sin. It exposes our sin, but the law doesn't tell us of his grace. You see, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Verse 18, no man has seen God at any time, never will.

The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, the near, dear relationship of the Son and the Father in the Father's bosom, He hath declared Him. Now, Jesus Christ is all we will ever see of God. In him, Paul said in Colossians 2, 9, in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead in a body. All the fullness of every attribute of God dwells in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ is all in God's eternal purpose.

God is eternal. My mind almost shuts down when I try to think about the eternal nature of God. Short circuits, I don't know what you would call it. He never began to be. He's eternal. Before the creation, before there was a sun, moon, or stars, or galaxies, the vastness of space, the minutia of an atom, before there was anything, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit delighted in one another.

God's eternal purpose before the creation is the glory of His dear Son. That's God's purpose. Everything comes out of that one purpose. That's God's purpose, the glory and honor of His Son, Ephesians 3.11 speaks of the eternal purpose, which he purposed in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And that purpose is the glory of his Son.

I love to think even of a predestination in this light. Whom he did foreknow. He also did predestinate for what end? To be conformed to the image of his Son. God took another look at His Son and said, I'm going to have a bunch more just like Him, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. I love the way the Lord is called in Revelation 13, verse 8, the Lamb having been slain from the foundation of the world.

The purpose of the universe is that in all things, Christ might have the preeminence and he created the universe for Christ to come here and die. That is his eternal purpose. God's eternal purpose is Christ is all. Christ is all in creation. Scripture says all things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. All things were made by him and for him. And he is before all things and by him all things consist. You know, it was Christ who said, let us make man in our own image.

He's all in creation. The great creator became my savior and all God's fullness dwells in him. Christ is all in God's providence. And this is how much He's all. He's all to God. He's all in God's purpose. He's all in creation. Okay, once creation was brought into existence, He's all in God's providence. That means that He is the first cause behind everything. Whatever it is, He is the first cause. And I know people make all kinds of objections. What about bad things? What about evil things? What about catastrophes?

Well, yeah, he's the first cause. And he brings good out of evil, but he is the one who is the cause. Shall there be evil in the city, and hath not the Lord done it? Amos chapter 3, verse 3. Whatever's happening in your life, whatever happened today, whatever's going to happen tomorrow, isn't that wonderful? He's the first cause. You know, if He's not, I'd be afraid to go outside. What's gonna happen to me? But He is the first cause of everything, and there's not one thing that is left out of that.

All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. If Christ is all, you can't add anything to all, can you? You can't take anything away from all. Jesus Christ is all. Now, here is the next statement with regarding to Christ being all. Jesus Christ is all in the scriptures. That means the Bible only has one message, and that message is this, Jesus Christ is all.

You know, I dislike catechisms and all the things churches have. to condense the Bible and here's what we believe and church confessions and things like that because they're written by man. I don't care how accurate they may seem, they were still just written by man, uninspired by the Holy Spirit. We have the word of God. Christ is all in the scriptures. I don't care what men say. Christ is all in Scripture. Someone says, well, we can condense it. Oh, so you can do a better job than God did in writing the book from Genesis 1-1 to Revelation 22-21.

This is all God's Word and this is all we need. And Christ is all in the Scriptures. He said in John chapter 5, verse 39, you search the Scriptures in them, you think you have eternal life. And they are they which testify of me. Every word in this book testifies of Jesus Christ.

Now, I had somebody make an objection to me not that long ago about this. They said, there are things in the Bible that don't have anything to do with the gospel. And the thing they brought out was how in both Deuteronomy and Leviticus, you're forbidden to wear a shirt or a garment made of two different fabrics. And without spiritual eyes, you couldn't understand what that was. But it's true, we're forbidden to wear a garment of two different fabrics. There's only one, the righteousness and merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord. But someone without spiritual eyes would look at that and say, well, what's that got to do with anything?

Everything in the Bible, every story, he's all in the scriptures. And he is all in salvation. There is such a thing as being saved. I want to be one of those people, don't you? I want to be somebody that God has saved. I love that scripture. He hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which were given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. I want to be in that bunch, don't you? I want to be somebody that he has saved. Well, let me say this about salvation.

Jesus Christ is all in salvation. Now, every doctrine of the scripture, he's all in it. If I don't see that, I haven't understood it. We've already talked about election. He's all in election. You take Christ out of election, it's scary. It seems it's not something that comforts you, but oh, when you see that I've always been united to Christ, chosen in Him.

He's all in preservation. I'm preserved by Him. He's all in faith. He's the only object of faith. He's all in repentance. I repent of anything that is contrary to Christ is all. That's what repentance is. That simple. Whatever doctrine in the Bible there is, Christ is all. In every doctrine, and if I haven't understood that, I really haven't understood the gospel. Now, here's what I wanted to try to preach. Jesus Christ is all we're going to see of God. Jesus Christ is all in creation. Jesus Christ is all in providence. Jesus Christ is all in salvation. He's all in every doctrine.

But listen to this. Jesus Christ is all in every believer's experience. Now, what do I mean by that? Well, a whole lot. Let me begin here. God looks to Christ for all that he requires of me. And I look to Christ for all that God requires of me. Christ alone is the only object of our faith. It's not Christ and. It's not Christ and my experience, it's not Christ and my understanding, it's not Christ and my evidences, it's not Christ, no, Christ only. He is all in my experience. Now, here's what I mean by that.

When I try to confess my sin, I do it every day. Forgive me of my sins. It always seems so hollow. It always seems so shallow. I know I do not mean it as I should. It's inadequate. When I think of my faith. Oh, it's so weak, it's so wavering. When I think of my sorrow for sin. I'm amazed at how hard that sorrow is and how it's just inadequate. Everything about me in my experience is inadequate, there's nothing I do think or feel that makes me feel good.

Oh, that's good. No. Christ is everything in my experience. Now, here's what I mean by that. Christ is all my experience. I looked at his faith. Not my own. And that's scriptural. We're justified by the faith of Jesus Christ. I'm resting in his faith. I'm resting in his faithfulness.

When it comes to confessing my sin, oh, it's always just, I feel like a hypocrite every time I confess my sin. I feel like this is not genuine enough. This is not sorrowful enough. I feel like, my sorrow for sin. You know, I might get sorry when I'm exposed somehow, but I forget it quick enough. And a few days later, I'm almost like it didn't happen.

Let me show you a passage of scripture in Psalm 38. Now when you read the Psalms, we realize it's David or whoever wrote it speaking, but the first person we look for in speaking in the Psalms is Christ himself. He is speaking in the first person in every psalm. Somebody says, what about those penitential psalms where David confesses his sins?

My sin became his sin. And he confessed before his father. But here he's speaking from the cross in verse eight. He says, I'm feeble and sore broken. I've roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. Lord, all my desires before thee, my groaning is not hid from thee. Yes, these are the words of David, but these are the words of Christ. My heart panteth, my strength fails me as for the light of mine eyes. It also is gone from me. He's talking about that utter darkness he went through on the cross.

My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore. My kinsmen stand afar off. They also that seek after my life lay snares for me and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things and imagine deceits all the day long. But I, as a deaf man, heard not. I was as a dumb man that opened not his mouth. Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and whose mouth are no reproofs. I didn't defend myself, for in thee, O Lord, do I hope. Thou would hear, O Lord my God, for I said, hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me.

When my foot slip, if they magnify themselves against me, for I'm ready to halt. I'm ready to go down. This is David speaking. It's the Lord too. My sorrow is continually before me, for I will declare mine iniquity. I will be sorry for my sin. Now, these are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when my iniquity became his, here is true confession. Mine is inadequate. It's not enough.

But here he says, I will declare mine iniquity, and I will be sorry for my sin. This is the only true sorrow. You remember when he says, is there any sorrow like my sorrow wherewith the Lord has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger? Oh, how sorry he was for sin.

Now, my experience is that my experience is no good. All I look to is his experience. You know, He is all in my motivation. The only motivation that I have is that He's all, that all God requires of me, I have in Him. Now, if you put me under law, if you give me something I need to do, that never produces love.

It only produces resentment. And God's being too hard on me. He said, this is too strict. This is too much. Law only produces resentment, unbelief, and hatred. It never produces love. But you tell me that it can't get any better for me than it is. I'm complete in Christ. I'm accepted in the beloved. I can't get any more loved. I can't get any more saved. I can't get any more justified. I can't get any more sanctified.

I'm complete in Christ. That and that only produces love to him who loved my own soul. We love him because he first loved us. I know this. He's all in heaven. Human people talk about what they're done here. They're up there looking down on me. No, they're not. No, they're not. Not interested. They're beholding the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.

David said, As for me, I'll behold thy face in righteousness. I'll be satisfied when I awake in thy likeness. And without question, he is all in heaven. He said, Father, I will that they whom you've given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory. for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. And heaven will be beholding him who is all. The Lamb is all the glory in Emmanuel's land.

And until then, Jesus Christ is made to me all I need, all I need. He alone is all my plea. He is all I need, wisdom, righteousness, and power, holiness forevermore. My redemption, full and sure, He is all I need. But not only is He all I need, He's all I got. There's a difference. He's not just all I need while He is. He's all I got. Somebody once said to a preacher, if all I got's Christ, is that enough? He said, well, it is if he's all you have. If you have anything else, he's not enough.

Now, I'm sure you've probably heard at some point the story that Spurgeon tells of Jack the Huckster. Ever heard that story? Jack the Huckster. He was a huckster. He was a dishonest man. And some thought even dim-witted. He had enough sense to be wicked, Jack the Huckster. But he heard a woman singing a little song, I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all, but Jesus Christ is my all in all. And he liked the way it sounded, repeated it. And one time God made that real to him. And he found out, indeed, this is true.

I am a poor sinner and nothing at all. But Jesus Christ is my all in all. So he went to join a church and he said, well, what's your experience? He said, I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all, but Jesus Christ is my all in all. I said, well, have you been born again? Well, I'm not sure about that, but I know this. I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all. Jesus Christ is my all in all.

Well, don't you have low times when you're burdened over your sin. Well, I said, I was a poor sinner and nothing at all. You can't get lower than that. What do you have high times? I said, Jesus Christ is my own law. What could get better than that? I'm a poor, I hope we can leave here with this song in our hearts, rejoicing in it. I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all. that Jesus Christ is my all in all.

Christ Is All

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