That's an introduction to the
message, Christ is all. That is the message of the book
of Colossians. That is the message of all the
scripture. Christ is all. Now, that could not be said of
any created being. Although I fear many of us, including
myself, act like we believe the world revolves around us. We're unable to look at things
from any point of view but our point of view. It's called self. Self-absorbed, selfish, self-righteous,
self-centered, self-promoting, self-indulgent self. Self's a bad thing. But there's one whom Paul called
in Colossians 3, 24, the Lord Christ. He is all. And in all Christ is all. Some 20 some years ago, I was
in a meeting and there was a preacher there reformed and in hearing
his preaching, I didn't like it. Something's wrong. something was missing. And I had a conversation with him afterwards.
And during the midst of that conversation, he said, if you
were going to give a young preacher some good advice, what would
you say to them? I said, Christ is all. And he said, oh, I see you're
interested in Christology. That's a branch of your theology. And I thought, this guy does
not get it. He has no understanding of this
glorious truth. The truth. that Christ is all. Paul was writing to a church
that he'd never met in the flesh. Look what he said in chapter
two, or chapter one, verse three. We give thanks to God and the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since
we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, we don't know you, but
we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love, which
you have to all the saints for the hope, which is laid up for
you in heaven. Where have you've heard before in the word of the
truth of the gospel, which is coming to you as it is in all
the world and bring a forth fruit as it does also in you since
the day you heard. and knew the grace of God in
truth as you also learned of Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,
who for you is a faithful minister of Christ, who also declared
unto us your love in the spirit. We heard about you through this
man you heard the gospel from. Look in chapter two, verse one. For I would that you knew what
great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea and
for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh. Now he
had never met these people. He simply heard of their faith
in Christ Jesus. And he's writing to them concerning
a false message that had been brought to them. Look what he
says in verse eight to these same people that he'd never met.
He said, beware. Beware, lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit. After the tradition of men, after
the rudiments, the elements, the ABCs of the world, and not
after Christ. Look what he says in verse 18,
let no man chapter two, let no man beguile you of your reward
in a voluntary humility. You ever been around somebody
who volunteers to be humble? I'm going to be humble. Oh, good. It's phoniness. worshiping of angels and intruding
into those things which he had not seen, vainly puffed up by
his fleshly mind and not holding the head. Now he is warning these
believers of this. And then he says in verse nine
of chapter three, the passage I just read, he said, lie not
one to another. Don't pretend to be something
you're not. Seeing that you've put off the
old man with his deed to have put on the new. Which is renewed in knowledge
after the image of him that created him. You know that you're a creation
of God. And what is the knowledge of
this new man? Now there's no salvation without
knowledge. I'm not saved by my knowledge.
I'm saved by Christ. I know that there is no salvation
apart from knowledge. Now, what is that knowledge? This is very simple where there
is neither Greek nor Jew. There are no racial or ethnic
distinctions. There is neither circumcision
nor uncircumcision. There are no religious distinctions. There is neither barbarian or
Scythian. There are no educational societal
distinctions. There is no bond nor free. There are no economic distinctions.
Here's the one thing Christ is all. Now there's people who Christ
is important to, but not all. There's people who Christ is
real important to, but He's not all. And there are people, I
hope I'm one of them, I hope you're one of them, to whom Christ
is all. And I hope we'll understand just
what that means by the end of this message. If I could pick
out The key word of this epistle, the epistle of Paul to the Colossians,
these people that he'd never met, yet he wanted to be used
by God to protect them from the errors that they could fall into. If I would find the key word
of this epistle, it would be the word all. Let me show you that. Chapter
one, verse 15. Speaking of Christ, verse 15,
who is the image of the invisible God. Now understand this, all
you will ever see of the invisible God is Jesus Christ. The firstborn of, that word every
is the same word translated all. The firstborn of all creation. Now that doesn't mean he's the
first created being. That's blasphemy. Look what verse
18 says. Here's what this means. The word
is used again at the end of verse 18. He's the firstborn from the
dead. He's the firstborn from the dead.
That's how he's the firstborn of every creature. He's the firstborn
from the dead. There's a passage of scripture in Revelation chapter
13, verse 8. I reckon I could view this as... I've got a lot of favorite verses,
this is one of them. Christ is called the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. Before there was any creation,
before a star ever twinkled, before the sun shined, before
there was a universe in its vastness, Before there was creation, before
there were angels, Christ is the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. You know what else that means? That he's the lamb who is the
first forgotten from the dead from the foundation of the world.
Before there was ever a sinner, There was a crucified, risen
Savior. He is the purpose of God. He's the first begotten from
the dead. Before creation, you know what
my hope was? That Christ was raised from the
dead, accepted by God, and I'm accepted in Him before I was
even born. Look what verse 16 says. For by Him were all things created. By Jesus Christ were all things
created. Visible and invisible, all things,
note that word all again, for by him were all things created
that are in heaven and earth, Visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones or dominions or principalities or power, all
things were created by him and for him. I am the Lord, he says. There is none else. I am the
Lord. There's none like me. I form the light. I create darkness. I make peace. I create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. There's only one response. Worship. This is who he is. The song of the four and 20 elders
is thou has created all things for thy pleasure, for thy pleasure
they are and were created. In the beginning, Jesus Christ
created the heavens and the earth. Jesus Christ said, let there
be light. And there was light. He is the
creator of all things. Look what verse 17 says. And
he is before all things. In his eternal existence, before
Abraham was, I am. He never began to be. He is the eternal Christ before
all things. He is the source. Jesus Christ is the source. He's
the cause. He is the origin of all things. Whatever is, His will was before
it. He's before all things. I don't
care what it is, He's before it. He is before all things. That means He is the cause of
all things. He's the first cause. I don't
care, take it as far as you like, He is the first cause of everything. Forget what I'm saying, this
is what the Bible says. He is the first cause of everything. He's the Lord. Not only is He
before all things, by Him, look in verse 17, by Him all things
consist. You know that breath you just
took? It's because He willed it. You know the fact that your
heart just got pumped and you didn't die? It's because He willed
it. Because by Him, all things consist. You're in His hand. I'm in His
hand. He is in control of all things. And look what verse 18
says. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things,
he might have the preeminence. Now this is the purpose of God.
This is the agenda of God, that in all things, Jesus Christ might
have the preeminence. This is the only time this word
is used in the New Testament. It's the verb form of the adjective
first. First in honor, first in excellence,
first in glory. It pleased the father that in
all things he might have the preeminence. That's what pleases
God. Let's go on reading. Four, verse
19. It pleased the father that in him should all fullness dwell. This is a necessary consequence
of him being all. Verse 20 and having made peace. The next time somebody says,
have you made your peace with God? Remember, no, he made my
peace with God. Having made peace through the
blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things. There's that word all again.
You see how much this is in here? To reconcile all things to himself
by him, I say. Whether they be things in earth
or things in heaven and you that were sometimes alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now have he reconciled
in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and
unblameable and unapprovable in his sight. Now, how much did
he reconcile all things to himself? To this extent, every believer
Right now, present tense, in God's sight, is holy, is unblameable, is unreprovable, nothing to reprove
me for in the very sight of God. I love thinking about this. Because
if you want to reprove me, you can find all kinds of things
to reprove me for. I have no doubt about that. I mean, how
long is the list? Go on. But you know, when God
looks at me, there's nothing to reprove me for because Christ
reconciled me. And in him, I am fully and completely
reconciled. Look in verse 28 of this first
chapter. Whom we preach, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom
we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all
wisdom that we may present every man, and that's the word all,
same word in the original, that we may present every man perfect
in Christ Jesus. Finished wanting nothing. Look in chapter 2 verse 3. In whom are hid how many of the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge? All the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge. Look in verse 9 of chapter 2.
For in him, in the Lord Jesus Christ dwelleth, resides, All
the fullness of the Godhead in a human body. All the fullness
of omnipotence dwells in the Lord Jesus Christ. All the fullness
of sovereignty, absolute control, God out of control. I like that. God out of control. You know
what that means? It means you can't control him. That's exactly
what that means. He is absolutely in control and
he's outside of our control. He has fullness of sovereignty,
fullness of power, fullness of independence. I love to think
of his independence. He dwells not in temples made
with hands as though he needed anything. He doesn't need you.
You need him, but don't kid yourself to think that he needs you. He's
independent. He has fullness of wisdom, fullness
of love, fullness of grace, all the fullness of God. dwells in
his body and you, verse 10 are, what's that word? Complete. In him, which is the head of
all principality and power. Look in verse 13 of Colossians
2. And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of
your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven
you, how many of your trespasses? All your trespasses. Now I can
say to every believer, all your sins are forgiven sins. Even the ones you haven't committed
yet are forgiven sins. Verse 19, he talks about those
not holding the head from which all the body by joints and bands
having nourishment ministered and knit together increases with
the increase of God. Back to verse 11, chapter three, where there is neither Greek
nor Jew circumcision, nor uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian bond, nor free, but Christ is all Jesus Christ. is all that God
is. Now, think about that. Jesus Christ,
Jesus of Nazareth, the one who was born of a virgin some 2,000
years ago, in the fullness of God's time, Jesus Christ is all
that God is. Isaiah 9, 6, unto us a child
is born, that's speaking of his birth, but unto us a son is given. That son was never born, that
son is eternal and he's given. And the government shall be upon
his shoulders. His name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor." That doesn't mean a counselor like somebody you
go to see. That means He's the one whose
counsel is done. He's the counselor. He's the
one who predestinates everything according to the counsel of His
own will. He's wonderful counselor, the
mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Somebody
says, explain to me how He can be that. I just believe it. I
can't explain it. I just believe it. He that has
seen me hath seen the Father. He is God almighty. He's all that God is. He's all
to God. This is my beloved son. He's
all to God. He's all in the scripture. To
him give all the prophets witness. Every one of them. You search
the scriptures, he said to the Pharisees, and in them you think
you have life, and they are they which testify of me." Every single
one of them, every story in the Old Testament, every sacrifice,
every feast day, every law, it's all given to testify of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is all in the scriptures. In all the prophets, he expounded
unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. He's all in our doctrine. Now, don't be guilty of speaking of
doctrine in a negative way. Dry doctrine. The doctrine's not dry, you are.
It's not dry doctrine. It may come across that way to
you, it may come across that to me, when my heart is dried
out. But God's doctrine is the doctrine
of Christ. It's not dry doctrine, and Christ
is all in our doctrine. What do you mean by that? He
is our doctrine. When you talk about election,
what's that mean unless you know you're chosen in him? Talk about
justification, we're justified by his righteousness. YOU TALK
ABOUT REDEMPTION, WE'RE REDEEMED BY HIS BLOOD. WE'RE CALLED BY
HIM. WE'RE KEPT IN HIM. WE'RE PRESERVED
IN HIM. WE'RE ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED.
ALL OF GOD'S FAVOR, ALL OF GOD'S SALVATION IS IN CHRIST. SALVATION
IS HOLY FOR HIS SAKE. BE YE KIND, TENDERHEARTED, FORGIVING
ONE ANOTHER EVEN AS GOD FOR CHRIST'S SAKE HATH FORGIVEN YOU. in our doctrine. Simeon said,
now let us thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have
seen thy salvation. He is salvation, therefore he
is all in salvation. Now listen to this, and this
is a blessing to me to think about this. He's all to God. He's all in
salvation. He's all in our doctrine. He's all in our experience. Now,
what do I mean by that? He's all in our experience. Everything with regard to my
experience lacks. What do I mean by that? My faith always seems inadequate. My love is nowhere near what
it should be. My confession of sin lacks some
sincerity. I mean it does, even when I confess
sin. I might be confessing sin knowing
I'm gonna commit it again. Is that true confession? My repentance,
oh, it's so lacking. My sorrow for sin is not nowhere
near what it ought to be. I mean, everything considering
me is lacking. But here's what I'm hoping in.
I'm hoping in his faithfulness. I'm hoping in his love. Not my
love to him, but his love to me. And I'm looking to his experience
as my experience before God. You know, there's a Psalm 38. I love this Psalm. It's Christ
speaking from the cross. And in that Psalm, he says, for
I will declare mine iniquity I will be sorry for my sin. Now somebody says how could Christ
say that? Because my sin became his sin
and he is the only one who ever truly acknowledged sin. He acknowledged my sin as being
his sin and you know he's the only one who expressed true sorrow. You know, isn't it irritating
when somebody apologizes to you and you know they don't mean
it? It just doesn't measure up, does it? And when I say I'm sorry
to the Lord, it doesn't measure up. But when He did, He's the
only one to express true sorrow for sin. Christ is all, all that
God requires of me, he looks to his son for. And all that God requires of
me, I look to his son for. Christ is all only if you have
nothing else. If you have anything else, Jesus
Christ isn't all to you. He's only all to you when you
have nothing else. Nothing in my hands I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling. Foul I to the fountain fly. Wash me, Savior, or I die. When Charles Spurgeon was a young
preacher, he told the story of Jack the Huckster. I'm going
to tell it in a moment. And he told that story early
on in his preaching. And later on, there was a man
who he considered to be pretty much his best friend who died,
that had been a member of that church for many, many years. And he loved that man and he
was overcome with grief at the death of his friend. He was thankful
for the death of his friend. You know, if somebody dies in
Christ, that day was the best day of their life. Life is going
to continue in likeness to Christ. But he remembered what this man
had said to him. He said, when I was young, I
heard that story of Jack the Huckster. And I thought, I want
to live and I want to die just like that. Now let me give you
the story of Jack the Huckster. And I hope this will make this
real. There was a man. And he was known
in that community as Jack the Huckster. You know what he was? He was a huckster. He was a dishonest
man. That's the way he made a living.
Jack the Huckster, what a title. And one day, Jack the Huckster
heard a woman singing, I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all. But Jesus Christ is my all in
all. And he would sing that song with
no understanding of it. I guess he liked the tune of
it. And one day God made known to him what that song meant. I'm a poor sinner and nothing
at all. But Jesus Christ is my all in
all." And he believed that. And he wanted to join the church
and he wanted to be baptized. And they said, well, Have you
been born again? Have you been converted? He said,
well, I'm not real sure of that, but I'm sure of this, I'm a poor
sinner, nothing at all, and Jesus Christ is my all in all. And
they couldn't deny that, so they baptized this man that had been
a huckster. And they noticed over time in
this church, they noticed that this man, Jack the Huckster,
seemed to be happier than everybody else. And they thought, what
is the reason this man seems to be so happy? So they asked
Jack the Huckster, don't you ever have any doubts?
He said, I never doubt that I'm a poor sinner and nothing at
all. And I never doubt that Jesus Christ really is my all in all.
That's all I have. How is it you stay so happy?
because I stay being a poor sinner and nothing at all. And Jesus
Christ is my all in all. There is nothing that gives this
sinner talking to you more joy and confidence and peace than
this. I am a poor sinner. before God,
nothing at all. I really believe that. But Jesus Christ is my all in
all. And staying right there, happy, peace. Soon as I leave
that, that's when I get in trouble. Do you know what this means?
Christ is all. He's all to God. He is all that
God requires of you. Have you ever believed that Christ
is all and you didn't want anything else? If you believe he's all, you
do not want anything else. That's the message of Colossians.
That's the message of the Bible. That is the gospel that Jesus
Christ is all. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you that your
son is all How we thank you that his sin payment on Calvary Street
is all. How we thank you that his perfect
righteousness is all. How we thank you that all you
require of us, you look to him for. Lord, give us the grace. to see ourselves in no other
light than that of being a poor sinner and nothing at all. But Jesus Christ, thy blessed
son, is our all in all. Lord, we ask, we plead in Christ's
name that you won't let one person in this room leave without trusting
thy son as all in all. Lord, deliver us from our own
understanding and give us the grace to believe To rely on,
to love, to glory in the eternal truth that thy son is all. We ask these things in Christ's
name and for his sake.