Now in this third chapter of
the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul is arguing for holiness
of life. He is arguing for holiness of
life. He was contending against sin
and for the maintenance of Christian graces. But I want you to notice
that he did not, as some do, who think they are preachers
of the gospel, who think they are setting forth, as it were,
the truth of the Word of God when they speak, Paul did not
resort to reasons that were inconsistent with the gospel of free grace.
He does not use one single legal argument in this chapter before
us today. He did not say, this do, and
you will merit reward. If you do not this or that, you
will cease to be loved of God. No, Paul did not use legal arguments
in his setting forth of the need for holiness of life in the believer. He knew, Paul knew, that he was
writing to believers who were not under the law, but under
grace. And he therefore uses arguments
that's consistent with grace and are suitable to the character
and condition of the elect of God, holy and beloved. Notice, if you will, in this
chapter that it begins in verse 1 by reminding the saints of
God that they have risen with the Lord Jesus Christ. When the
Lord Jesus Christ was put to death on the gory tree outside
the city of Jerusalem, you know he was taken down and he was
buried, and God raised him from the dead on the third day. And
Paul says, if ye then be risen with Christ, what does he mean?
He means that all of those for whom Christ died when he died
on the cross That when he died they died in him And that's what
it means here in verse 3 when it says for ye are dead It means
that you're representatively dead because your representative
died in your place and you were in him if you are the elect of
God the chosen of God you were in him from Eternity you were
put in him you were chosen in him And so when he died, you
died in him. And when he was buried, you were
buried in him. And when he was raised from the
dead, hallelujah, we were also risen with the Lord Jesus Christ. We came forth out of the grave
in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so if they indeed
have risen with him, Then they are to set their affection on
things above, if they have the resurrection power of our Lord
in them, if the Holy Spirit indwells them, if they are indeed believers
in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is now ascended to the right
hand of the Father, then they are to, as it were, as he argues
here, they should leave the grave clothes of their sins behind
and act as those that were newborn, whose affections are on things
above, and not on the things of the earth." Now that just
necessarily follows, that if you're in Christ, if you died
in Him, and if you were raised in Him, then beloved, we are
not to live after the old life, but were to live according to
that new nature which God has infused and implanted in our
souls. Now the second thing he declares
here, that the believer's life is in Christ. We notice in verse
4, he says, when Christ, who is our life, The Lord Jesus Christ
is our spiritual life. He is life from the dead. We mention, as Paul did here
in verse 3, he says, for you're dead and your life is hid with
Christ in God. When the Lord Jesus came forth
out of the grave, we were in Him, and from that time on, from
the time He died, we were hid in Him. And God looks upon us,
not as individuals, He looks upon us as we stand in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And God sees Christ, and then
He sees me. He sees the merits, the loveliness,
He sees the worthiness, he sees the meekness of the Lord Jesus
Christ and then he looks upon me as I stand in him. Christ is my life and he is the
life of every child of God in this world, every true believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now these are the arguments here
that Paul uses for us. If you're dead with Christ, and
if you live in him, that he infers holiness from this, because in
verses 4 here through 10, and we read them a couple of times,
and you can see here how he tells the people of God to live in
virtue of the fact that Christ is their life. Beings that Christ
is their life mortify, put off the deeds of your members which
are up on earth. These various sins that are mentioned
here, we're to kill them off in our lives, and we do so by
the power of the resurrection which is in us, by the power
of God's Holy Spirit. Now then, he brings forth the
third argument, and that argument is found here in verse 10 and
11. And it tells us, here Paul does, that we put on the new
man, that new man which is Jesus Christ, which is renewed in knowledge
after the image of him that created him. Now there's been a change
in these people, these Colossians. They have been born again. They've
been regenerated by the Spirit of God. They are now alive in
the Lord. They're now seated in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus. God's power is working in them. And he says that you have this
new creation. You've got Christ living in you. And then in verse 11, he tells
us a very startling thing. He says, where there is neither
Greek nor Jew in the realm here of the saved, the born again,
those who have been made new creatures in Christ, He says
that there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but in that sphere Christ
is all and in all. The only distinction there is,
is Jesus Christ. He is the distinction. It's not
what our nationality is. It's not what we were before
the Lord saved us. It's not what we had that identified
us and distinguished us from others. It's now Christ. He's the distinguishing mark. And in the new birth, We are
created in the image of the Lord Jesus, the second Adam, and in
consequence, all the distinctions that pertain to the old creation
are no longer of any value. I'd like to read to you at this
time a quote by Charles Spurgeon, which I thought was very, very
good in connection here with what we're now saying. The only
distinction, he says, which makes the Christian or marks the Christian
from other men and the only essential distinction in the new world
of grace is Jesus Christ. In the realm of grace, things
are what they seem to be. Christ is apparently all because
he is actually all. All that is real in the believer. All that is holy, all that is
heavenly, all that is pure, all that is abiding and saving is
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The fact lies at the basis, this
very fact lies at the basis of the whole Christian system. Christ
is really and truly all in all in his church and in each individual
member of it. The Lord Jesus Christ is all
in all. Now the argument here is that
since the only abiding distinction In the new creation is Jesus
Christ that we should take care that His image shows clearly
through in our life. His image be most clearly stamped
upon us. Now, beloved, if the Lord Jesus
Christ, listen, if we confess with our tongue that we're Christians,
if we go about saying that we're in union with Christ, if we go
about saying, and we do say it, that we have been risen with
Christ, and that Christ abides in us, and that Christ lives
in us, and that Christ is our life, then let us be careful
that our behavior and that our entire character say that we
are Christians as well as we say it with our tongues. Let
our behavior say it. Now the child of God should be
known by his Christliness. by the light and the love and
the life of Christ being seen in him. The believer ought to
be known by the fact that he is in Christ and Christ is in
him and that the life of the Lord Jesus Christ is being revealed
in his life. Now this is the seal and the
mark of election to be like the Lord Jesus Christ and we're all
destined according to Romans chapter 8, to be conformed to
the very image of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is predestinated
by God. Now first of all this morning,
I want to give you a few words after these words of introduction
that I've given you already, a few words about whom this truth
is recognized by. You see, Christ is all. That's
a tremendous statement. Christ is all and in all. What a statement that is. I wonder
this morning, and I certainly, I've read advice, I've heard
advice given to preachers, by older preachers, to never take
too grand a text when you get ready to preach. Never take to
what we might say a high text, a text of scripture that would
require a great deal of brilliance to handle it. But nevertheless,
I've chosen this text today because I believe the Lord would have
me to do it, but I can't tell you all that's involved in this
text any more than I can carry a world in my right hand. This
is a tremendous text of scripture. And if there's anybody here that
is capable of preaching a better sermon on it than I am, I'd certainly
sit down and let you preach it, because I'd like to see Christ
exalted and glorified. Christ is all, and He is all
in all. Now Paul does not say that Christ
is all in all to all men. But what he does say is that
there is a new creation in which the man is renewed in knowledge
after the image of Him that created him, where all national and ceremonial
distinctions cease, and Christ is all in all. Now it's not to
every man that Christ is all and in all. There are many in
this world to whom Christ is nothing. The Lord Jesus Christ,
He is nothing. Some say, well, he's a good teacher.
I know various religions say that Jesus is not the Son of
God, he's just a good teacher. Well, that's to say that Christ
is no more than a philosopher or an educator And, beloved,
Jesus Christ must be the Son of God, or else our gospel is
a rope of sand. The Lord Jesus must be divine,
and He is divine, but to some, Christ is nothing. And He scarcely enters the mind
or into the thoughts of some people. Some people only use
His name to curse and to swear with. To some people, Jesus is
not all in all. He's nothing but a name to use
when they can't think of any other name to use. And to many
others, if they have any religion at all, it is a proud presumption
which excludes Jesus Christ altogether. I know there are many who believe
that they can save themselves. They have what we call the criminal
or whole two, the criminal doctrine of salvation by works, salvation
by our own doing. They believe that salvation is
a human project and they don't need Jesus Christ. They believe
that they can save themselves, that they can do whatever is
required by God the Father, that they can do it in and of themselves
and they do not need a savior. But now the creed of the self-righteous
has no room in it for the sinner's savior. They don't look upon
themselves as being totally and utterly ruined in the fall of
Adam as those who are enlightened by the Word of God. They do not
consider themselves to be ungodly and so therefore the justifier
of the ungodly is nothing to them. They're not in that class,
don't you see? They don't need Christ. The Bible
says the whole need not a physician. Those that consider themselves
well and they consider themselves righteous, then they don't need
the Lord Jesus Christ. They don't want to hear about
Him. They'd rather not hear about Him. If you're here this morning
and you feel that you can save yourself, you don't feel that
you need a Savior, then the shorter this discourse will be, the better
it'll please you. because you're not interested
in hearing about a sinner's Savior. But beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ
is a root out of dry ground to many. to many and there is no
humbleness about him there is no beauty that men should desire
him and until the Lord opens your eyes for the Holy Spirit
and shows you the depth of your need and shows you your plight
as you stand before God as a sinner then you're not going to be interested
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Well what will these do when
he is revealed in power and great glory in the day of judgment. What will these do that have
no use for Him in life and have no desire for Him? They think
nothing of His person. They think nothing of His work.
They think nothing of His cross. They despise Him, but they'll
not be able to despise Him when they stand convicted before His
throne. They'll not be able to do that.
To those of you this morning to whom He is nothing, Let me
admonish you, kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish from
the way when his wrath is kindled but just a little. Without Christ
you are today without hope. And according to Ephesians 2
and 12, you're without God in this world. What an awful state.
You're without God in this world, without hope. Now, nothing remains
for Christless souls at the last but a fearful looking for of
judgment and fiery indignation. Now, there are others in this
world to whom Christ is something, but not much. but not much. They're anxious
to save themselves, but since they must confess some imperfection,
they use the merits of Christ as a sort of makeup for their
deficiencies. You listen to me carefully. I'm
driving home a point. You listen to me. Now, their
works they esteem is just about enough to get them in, so they
add just a little bit of Christ just a little bit of his grace
and they feel that they'll surely get over the top if Christ helps
them just a little bit. It's true that we're not everything
we ought to be, but if we just get a little help from Christ,
we'll get over the top. Now, beloved, they think that
the blessing and all sufficient work and sacrifice of the Savior
will fill up their failures and imagine that they're humble in
allowing so much as that. If they just allow him to do
a little bit, that's all they require. They're no better off
in my book than those to whom Jesus is nothing. They're no better off as far
as I'm concerned because all this is a vile contempt and despising
of Christ to think that He came to help you to save yourself,
to dream that He is a part Savior and He'll divide the work and
the honor of salvation with you. If you think that he's going
to divide the work and the honor of salvation with you, then my
friend, that's a robbery of the Lord Jesus Christ, a robbery
of his glory. Those who yoke the sinner and
the Savior together as each doing a part, they rob Christ of all
of his glory. Now listen to me, and this is
a robbery indeed, and it's going on all around us. Because there's
so many people that believe this. There's so many people that this
is their religion. Me and Christ have got together
and we've got a good thing going. Christ and I, we got together,
you know, and I contributed my part, he contributed his, and
we got a good thing going, and I think I'm going to be saved
at last. Oh, I mean, we're working together
on this thing here, you see. Now, the Bible says that He,
the Lord Jesus Christ, trod the winepress of the wrath of God
alone. Meaning that when the Father
poured out upon His Son the judgment for sin, that Jesus stood alone. And the Scripture went on to
say, and of the people there was none with Him. And so when
God the Father was bringing judgment upon His own Son, and the Bible
says that the Lord had laid on Him the iniquity of us all, and
the Scripture says that it pleased the Father to bruise Him, well
when all of this was going on, where were you? Where were you?
Were you there taking your part in the judgment? No! You were
not there. The scripture says there was
none of the people, there was none with Him. He trod the winepress
of the wrath of God alone. In the work of salvation, Jesus
Christ stands alone. Matthew 1 and 21 says He shall
save His people from their sin. Salvation is in the whole the
work of God. Now if Christ is not all to you,
He is nothing to you. Now you hear me carefully, like
the hen said when he got in the middle of the highway, I'm going
to lay it on the line. You listen to what I've got to
say here this morning that he God Almighty, He, the Lord Jesus
Christ, will never go into partnership with any sinner. He will not
be the part Savior of your soul. If He be something, He must be
everything. And if He be not everything,
He is nothing to you. Christ is all and in all. And He's got to be your whole
Savior, or He's not your Savior at all. There are many religions
in this world who unconsciously, to themselves at least, many
are saying, I read this, I hear this said, think that Jesus Christ,
they say they think he is much. But yet they do not understand
that he is all in All. Now you cannot drive some
people away from the idea that they're to do something or to
be something in order for God to save them and to keep them.
That they've got to do something or be something. Now they've
got to have the right feeling. I would trust Christ but I somehow
or other just don't feel right so I can't do it because I don't
feel right or I don't think I have repented enough. I don't think
I've quite got to that place yet where I've been going over
all my sins, and I just somehow or other don't think I've repented
enough of my sins. Well, beloved, listen to me this
morning. Listen to me. Christ is all in
all. Sinner, you're empty, and Christ
is full. You are filthiness, and He is
the cleansing. You're nothing, and He is all
in all. And the sooner that you consent
to this, the better. The sooner you give up on the
way you feel, the sooner you give up on what you haven't yet,
you don't think, measured up to, or got finished, or you haven't
got enough repentance, you haven't got enough this or that, give
up on it. Come as you are just now. For Christ is not almost all,
But He is all in all. Just come now. Just come to Him
like you are. Now, there are some too who think
that Christ is all in some things. In some things. They have not
yet seen the full teaching of the text. They have not yet come
to understand exactly what it is that our Lord is saying here.
He says that Christ is all and in all. And they say, but He
is all, He is all in justification. They say that. He is all in justification. He does cover our sins. He does
give us righteousness before God, but now when we come to
sanctification, but as to our sanctification, then Christ is
not all. We have to affect that ourselves.
We got to do that. We start in the spirit, but we've
got to be made perfect in the flesh and after the flesh. And
as to our final perseverance, it depends wholly upon our own
diligence, they say. We know that Christ does, that
Christ did die on the cross, but whether or not we really
get to heaven or not, it depends upon our own diligence and our
own watchfulness. Are we not, they say, in jeopardy
till the very end? Can we ever know for sure that
we are saved in the Lord and that we have a sure and eternal
salvation? Are there not some points in
our religion which depend upon our own virtue and upon our own
goodness? Isn't there some points? My brother
and sister, God forbid that I should say a word against earnest watchfulness. against diligent endeavors, but
I warn you, do not place them in a wrong position or speak
as though the ultimate salvation of a child of God was based upon
such sifting or shifting sand as our own endeavors, as our
own works, as our own abilities. We are saved in Christ. The Bible
says we are complete in Him. The Bible says we're sanctified
in Christ Jesus. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians
1 and 30, and He is made of God unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. So you see that Christ is all,
not in my justification only, but He's all in all. He's all in my sanctification
as well. He is all, not only in the first
steps of my faith, But in the last step, that last step when
I step over the threshold into eternal glory, Christ is all.
There's no point between the gates of hell and the gates of
heaven where a believer will have to say, Christ fails me
here and I must rely upon my own endeavors. Christ has failed
me. I'll not be able to make it in
Christ only. I'm going to have to get a hold
of this thing myself. Listen to me. From the dunghill
of our corruption up to the throne of our perfection, there is no
point left to chance or for us to supply. Our salvation has
Christ to begin with, Christ to go on with, and Christ to
finish with, and that in all points at all times, for those
that God has been pleased to choose and put in his Son. He is all in all and man is nothing
at all. There was an English peasant,
a very poor man, that was walking about the streets of a run-down
community in the outskirts of England years ago. His name was
Jack. and uh... he was looking for
something he was desperate and uh... he happened to hear somebody
singing and the window was open and so he got up close enough
to hear what this lady was singing and she was singing the old hymn
Christ is all all in all and he listened to that and he heard
it come home to his heart and he went to join a group of believers
and they asked him, well, what's your testimony? Well, he said,
I am just a poor sinner and nothing at all, but Jesus Christ is my
all in all. They thought, my, that's a rather,
I don't know whether we can take you in the church on that kind
of a testimony or not. And they kept asking him, trying
to get something else out of him and all he could say. Differences
among believers But there is no difference on this essential
point. And it is not uncharitable if
I say that the man or woman who does not accept this truth that
Christ is all and in all that they are no Christian, nor is
it too wide a liberality to affirm that every soul who is sound
in heart upon this point is most assuredly a saved soul, most
assuredly a believer. Now this stands as the mark of
the newly created, the born again soul, that Christ is all in all
to them whatever he may be to other people. Whatever he meant. If you're here this morning and
you say, I believe that Christ is all in all, that's a mark
of a believer. And whatever he is to other people,
that don't make any difference. It's what he is to you that distinguishes
between you and this lost and perishing, this dying world. Now, what does this truth here
include? Well, certainly, the very outset
is evident that it involves the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. It involves the honor and the
glory of the Son of God. It involves the honor of Him
whom God has sent into this world. Now, if you come here and attend
this church regularly, you'll hear Christ exalted. This ministry,
that's what it's about. We're here in honor of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. We're sinners here. All of us
are sinners here, and we don't have a shadow of a ray of hope
apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. And we come here in honor of
Him, we exalt Him, we sing about Him, we preach about Him because
there isn't any of us going to heaven without Him. But thanks
being to God, we can all go with Him. We can all go with Him to
eternal glory. His glory is what is involved
in this truth. Christ is all and in all. Now Christ is all in the church
by way of glory. In this church here, That's what
it's about. Our glory is about Him. It's what Christ is, not what
we are. Not what we are. We don't talk
much about what we are. We're ashamed of what we are
by nature. We're ashamed of it. But it's
what Christ is that we talk about. And what Christ has said, not
what we say. Somebody said, well, don't you
believe the Bible is outdated? Don't you believe we ought to
be, you know, listening to some of these smart people running
around nowadays, some of these free thinkers? No! A thousand
times no! The Word of God is what we listen
to. What Christ said gets the honor
in this church. We glory in the sayings and the
teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. And what Christ has done, not
what we've done, gets the glory here. We give the glory to Him
who suffered and died, bled in our room and stood in place on
Calvary's cross. He that suffered the agonies
of that terrible death on our behalf. He that went to hell
for us. It's what He's done that gets
the glory here in this place. And what He told us to do, not
what we invent to do ourselves. We stick with the book the best
we can. the best we're able to do it.
Now these are laws to us and nothing else. Christ will get
the recognition and the glory. He's the head of the church and
he gets the honor and the glory. Now the distinction of races,
and we've mentioned that briefly, let me just say a little bit
about that again. The glory of nationalities and
the customs of nations all became nothing in the church for Christ
in the Christian church Became the head of the church and he's
the one that is all in all Christ all in all by way of distinction
and it's not where you came from and whenever I meet somebody
I'm not interested in whether they're Jewish or not interested
in where they came from, whether they're from some heathen country
over here. We're all probably from a heathen
country, really and truthfully. And if you're born in America,
you're no exception. But listen, let me tell you this.
Let me tell you. I'm not interested in that. The
thing I'm interested in is this. Do you believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ? Do you know Christ? Do you trust
Christ? Are you a believer? And if you
are, that's what I'm interested in. It's Christ! He's the one
that we're interested in. Somebody said, but you don't
know my background? I really, if you want to tell me, go ahead.
I'll be just as polite as I can. I'll listen up. But I'm really
not interested in all your... What I'm interested in, do you
know Him? Are you in Him? Do you trust
Him? I mean, is your soul, has your
soul embraced Him? Are you in Christ? That's what
I want to know. That's the distinction, don't
you see? Christ, all in all, by way of distinction. Nothing
else really matters, really. Nothing else really matters.
Now, I know some people that hurts. Oh, say, preacher, our
religion, my family's religion. You know what we... I'm not really
interested. Do you know Christ? Are you in
Him? Now, Christ is all in all to
us. In a 3-4 way, let me mention it quickly. Let me give this
to you. I'm going to get you out on time,
but you just listen to me. First of all, He's all in all,
in a 3-4 way to us, number one, to God. He's all that God demands
of me. He's our mediator, our high priest,
our intercessor. Christ is for us before the throne
of God. And He's all I need there. He's
all I need. Some people always, you know,
talking about that they're going to tell the Lord this and that
when they get to the judgment. They've got really, you know,
something to say for themselves. You know, I don't have anything
to say for myself. I'd rather just let my representative
handle it. I'd rather let my advocate handle
it. I'd rather let my lawyer handle
it. I'd rather let Christ handle it. Let Him speak for me before
God. And He does. And he's my all
in all before God. I mean, he's appearing. The Bible
says, in the presence of God, what? For us! That's where he
is. And so he's my all in all before
God. And then before our enemies, Satan. Oh my, you know I'm no
match for Satan. I'm no match for Satan. But Jesus
is. My elder brother can handle Satan.
He can handle him. And so, Jesus is my all in all
when it comes to my enemies here in this world. And you know,
if we tried to handle the devil, he'd say, Jesus, I know, but
who are you? Who are you anyway? Well, see,
I can't handle him, but my elder brother can, so I just keep referring
him to the Lord Jesus. And so Christ is my all in all
when it comes to my enemies. Oh, Satan cannot overcome the
blood, but we can overcome through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is both shield and sword
to us, armor and weapons of war. And amidst all the trials of
this present world, Christ is all the believer needs to bear
him up through this world. And then thirdly, within myself,
Christ. is all. This is so important. Listen carefully. If I look within,
I see all manner of deformity and deficiencies. And it just
wipes me out sometimes. Have you ever got a good look
inside of your heart? And a good look inside of really
what you are by nature? What you really are? I'm filled
with dismay sometimes. But when I see Christ, formed
in my heart by the Holy Ghost. When I know that Christ is in
here, when I see Him formed there, I'm comforted, for He will both
destroy the works of the devil and perfect that which He has
begun in me. I am a sinner, but my heart rests
in a Savior. I'm burdened with this body of
sin and death, but look, Christ is found in me, and He is the
hope of glory. I am by nature a child of wrath
even as others, but I've been born again into the family, the
second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, and I'm a member of the household
of heaven. If Jesus Christ is in your heart,
then whatever else you see there, my friend, will only endear Him
the more to you. Remember that. If Christ is in
your heart, Whatever else there is there will only endear you
to Him. I think that's a very, very powerful
and important statement. For all I see within myself,
lacking or sinful, I see a sufficient remedy in the Lord Jesus Christ
who is all in all. So then we see that Christ is
all before God, Christ is our all before our enemies, and He's
all within our hearts. He's all. within our hearts.
All that God requires us to be, Christ is for us. Now that's profound. All that God requires of you,
He provided for you in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Why shouldn't you worship Him?
Why shouldn't we talk about Him? Why not? Well, I think we ought. Now listen, I abhor the very
idea of putting anything side by side with Him as a ground
of my dependence before God. I abhor that. Is there some prayer
of yours, some emotion of yours, is there some work of yours that
you would substitute, that you would want to substitute before
God in the place of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is there? Well, my friend, if there is,
whatever there is, in us that is not of Christ and the work
of the Holy Spirit will have to come out of us and blessed
be the day in which it is ejected from our hearts if there's anything
that we put alongside of Him. Pray that Christ may dwell in
you for He is all that is worth having, believe me, He's all
that is worth having in you. He is all for us, all to us,
all in us. Christ is the channel of all,
Christ is the pledge of all, Christ is the sum of all. Now, you know, I thought about
this, Christ being the sum of all, and if you were traveling,
you know, you wouldn't have to take the house with you. I drive
an old motor home sometimes, an old one, I mean an old one,
but you wouldn't have to if you had money. If you got money,
you don't need a house, you don't need food, you don't need to
carry nothing with you like that, you don't need it. If you got
money or a plastic or credit card, you got everything if you
just got money. Ain't that right? I mean it's
all right there in the money. All you gotta do is stop, get
you a room, stop the need and all of this. And Christ is the
sum of all things. If Christ is yours, then all
things are yours. Christ is God. And ye are Christ. Christ is
all we need. He's all we desire. And He's
all of the good that we can conceive. Can you think of any good beyond
Him? If you want to know what heaven
is, think about what Christ is. Know what Christ is. There are
many things in this world that are good, but there is nothing
that is good for everything. Christ is the substitute for
all things. Nothing is a substitute for Jesus
Christ. He is strength and beauty, safety
and sanctity, peace and plenty, healing and help, comfort and
conquest, life here and life forever. What can be less than
God if God be all? All is a synonym for God. Worship Him with all your hearts,
rejoice in Him, and bless Him from day to day, and let not
the world think you poor who are so rich in Him. Never allow men to think that
you're unhappy who have perfect happiness in the ever-blessed
Emmanuel. Oh, the blessedness of the man
who can say, Christ is mine. On the other hand, Think of the
wretchedness of the man who has not the Lord Jesus Christ. For you see, if Christ is all,
you who do not believe are devoid of all in being destitute of
Jesus Christ. As the believer have all in Christ,
you have nothing without Him. You're without Him and you have
nothing. You have nothing if you don't
have Christ and don't flatter yourself. He said, well preacher,
I think I can come up with a few things I have. You don't have
anything if you don't have Christ. He's all and in all. Now the
Christian man is rich, but everyone who is destitute of Christ is
what? Poor. Poor, I say. Brother, if Christ be all in
all, then how is it that we love Him so little? Oh, these dull,
these cold, these dead hearts of ours. If He is so precious,
how is it that we prize Him so little? Shouldn't we prize Him
more? May the Lord stir up our hearts
to holy fervency that if Christ be all for us, we may be all
for Christ. All for Christ. Well, I'm going
to leave off right there. I think there's enough being
said today to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ. to some degree,
and I want to leave off right there and leave those thoughts
with you, that you will think on Him. Christ is all and in
all. May the Lord bless you.