Colossians chapter 2. Wouldn't it be a great blessing
if the Lord was pleased to meet with us tonight? And if he spoke
to my heart, and if he spoke to your heart, that'd be a blessing,
wouldn't it? I pray that that's what takes
place. I've entitled this message What
is in Christ? That last phrase of that hymn
we just heard, the word of the Father now manifest in the flesh,
what a glorious, incomprehensible person the Lord Jesus Christ
is. Now, what is in the Lord Jesus
Christ? Well, the passage I just read
says, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And note they're hidden in him. That means you can't see them. unless the Lord is pleased to
reveal them to you. They're hid in the Lord Jesus
Christ. I love that passage of scripture
where the Lord praying to his father says, I thank thee, O
father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hid these things
from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes. Now Paul says in verse four,
and this I say, which is a reference to what
he said in verse three, in whom are hid all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man
should beguile you with enticing words, using false logic and
plausible arguments to draw you away from this, that all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in him. Now, you and
I will be tempted to leave this. Now, that's quite a thought.
Someone will be attempting to use plausible arguments that
seemingly make sense and seemingly logical arguments that will make
us leave this. You know, there's a lot of warnings
in this second chapter. Look in verse eight. He says,
beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy. and vain
deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments or the
elements, the principles of the world, and not after Christ. Look in verse 16. Let no man
therefore judge you in meat or drink or in respect of an holy
day or the new moon or the Sabbath day. Look in verse 20, verse
20. Wherefore, if you be dead with
Christ from the rudiments of the world, why is the living
in the world? Are you subject to ordinances,
its rules, touch not, taste not, and handle not, which are to
perish, what they're using. See how many warnings he gives
us. As a matter of fact, I got to thinking about this issue
of being warned in the scripture regarding being led astray, being
led away. Now, when the Lord said, enter
in at the straight gate. What's the next thing he said? Beware of false prophets. It's the next thing he said after
he said, enter in at the straight gate. Wide is the gate and broad
is the way that leads to destruction. Many there be that go in there,
but straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads
to life and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets. And in every epistle, Romans
16, 17 mark them that cause divisions contrary to the doctrine you've
received. In 1 Corinthians 15, if Christ
be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among
you that there be no resurrection? 2 Corinthians, I'm going through
the apostles, I mean the epistles and just giving you one of many
verses in each one regarding this. 2 Corinthians 11, verse
13, Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore,
it's no great thing if his ministers be transformed into ministers
of righteousness. Galatians 1, 7, some would trouble
you and pervert the gospel of Christ. Ephesians 4, 14, we read
of the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie and
wait to deceive. Now, is Paul being paranoid or
is this a very real fear? Look in, well, just let me read,
this Philippians 3, 18, many walk of whom I've told you often
and now tell you weeping. That was Paul's attitude about
this, not harshness, but weeping. They're enemies of the cross
of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 2.18, Paul spoke
of those who forbid us to speak to the Gentiles, that they might
be saved, opposing the message. In 2 Thessalonians 2.9, we read
of him whose coming is after Satan with all signs and powers
and live wonders, speaking of that man of sin. 1 Timothy 1.6,
we read of those who have swerved from the truth and have turned
aside to vain jangling, understanding neither what they say nor of
whereof they affirm. We read in 2 Timothy 2.17, their
word will eat as doth a canker, a cancer, of whom are Hymenaeus
and Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred. We read
in Titus 1.10, of many unruly vain talkers and deceivers whose
mouths must be stopped. Hebrews 10, 29 speaks of how
much sore punishment shall he be thought worthy who trodden
underfoot the Son of God and have counted the blood of the
covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing. In James 2,
20 we're warned of those who preach faith without works. 2
Peter 5, 8, Peter warns us, your adversary, the devil walketh
about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 2 Peter 2,
1, but there were false prophets among the people, even as there
shall be among you. 1 John 4, 1, many false prophets
are gone out into the world. And 2 John 11, if there come
any that bring not this doctrine, don't bid them Godspeed. Third
John, we read of diatrophies, who loves to have the preeminence.
And then in Jude 4, we read of certain men crept in unawares,
ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness. That's every one of those epistles,
a warning. And there are much more warnings
than that. Is this overkill? Look at Acts chapter 20. I want
you to see what Paul had to say to the Ephesian elders. Verse 29, For I know this, that
after my departing, Acts 20, 29, I know this, that after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing
the flock, also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse
things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch and
remember that by the space of three years, I cease not to warn
everyone, night and day, with tears." Now, as we see, a lot of the
New Testament is warning against that which will corrupt us from
the simplicity that's in Christ Jesus, from what He said right
here, that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in
Him. With that warning in mind, Paul
said, I'm saying this, lest any man deceive you and entice you
and begot you. What is in Christ Jesus? And this is such a glorious thing
to think about. I just got my Gordons out and
looked in the scriptures to see what the Bible actually says
is in the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, Colossians chapter
two, verse nine says in him dwelleth. all the fullness of the Godhead. All that God is in his infinite,
excellent glory resides in the Lord Jesus Christ. All of God's
pleasure is in Christ. You want God to be pleased with
you? You're going to have to be in Christ because he says,
this is my beloved son. In whom? I am well pleased. All of God's love is in Christ. Nothing shall separate us from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. All of God's love, all of God's
favor is in Christ. Ephesians chapter three, verse
11, we read of the eternal purpose, which he purposed. In Christ
Jesus the Lord. God's purpose is all in Christ.
This is His purpose. It's to glorify His Son. It's
to exalt His Son. That's God's agenda. That's God's
purpose. And it's all in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Why does God save sinners? To glorify His Son. That's His
purpose in all things. Every spiritual blessing. Ephesians
1 verse 3 says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ who hath blessed us. with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, our Lord. God's choice
is in Christ. Election is in Christ. According
as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.
I understand why God can elect me because I'm in Christ. That's
why that's the only reason is in Christ. Being holy and without
blame before Him is in Christ. According as He hath chosen us
in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him. Acceptance is in Christ. He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved. You know, I read in the paper
every morning of where the been doing this for years, they're
always talking about the president's approval rating. You know, it's down,
it goes up, down, 25, 35. But you know, I've got 100% approval
rating. 100%. God approves of me in Christ. I have his 100% approval. Now, isn't that a glorious thing
to have? That's in Christ, acceptance. You can't get any more accepted
than you are. You can't get any more love. You can't get any
more saved than you are in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1.7 says, in
whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness
of sins. You know, the only way, and listen
to me real carefully, believer, the only way you're to think
of your sins are forgiven sins. It's not taken away from the
reality of your sin and my sin, but they are forgiven sins. We read in Romans chapter 8 verse
1, there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are
in Christ Jesus. No condemnation in Christ. If
I'm in Christ, I'm not condemned. I'm justified. How can I be?
There's nothing to condemn me for. I love thinking of standing
on judgment day and my name is called and there's nothing but
perfection there. Nothing to condemn me for. That's
what's in Christ, no condemnation. Ephesians 2.6 says, a seat in
heaven. He's made us to sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. What a glorious place
to be. I'm in heaven right now. Right
now, I'm in heaven. I'm not as sure for heaven as
if I'm already there. I'm already there in Christ.
A seat in heaven with my name on it. Ephesians 2.13, nearness
in Christ Jesus. You that were sometimes afar
off are made nigh. by the blood of Christ. I'm near. I'm a person near to God. Near,
so near to God. Nearer, I cannot be. In the person
of his dear son, I'm as near to God as he. However near God
or Christ is to God, that's how near I am. Dear, so dear to God. Dearer, I cannot be. In the person
of his dear son, I'm as dear to God as he. Ephesians 3.12,
in whom we have boldness. boldness and access with confidence. By the faith of Him, I have boldness
to come into God's presence and know He'll accept me for Christ's
sake. I can come into the very holy of holies of God with boldness. Access, freedom of entrance,
confidence in Christ. You see, this boldness is in
Christ. It's not myself. I don't have any boldness in
myself. I just wait to drop into hell
in and of myself. But in Christ, I have boldness to come into
His very presence. Second Corinthians 118, all the
yay and amen promises of God, all the promises of God in him
are yay and amen. There are no conditional promises.
You need to do this for this to work. No, they're all yay.
No yay and nay in him. They're all yay in him. In Christ,
I have justification being justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus. I'm justified. Well, you
know, I never get that. That thrills me more now than
it ever has. I'm justified. I stand without guilt before
God. In Christ, there's sanctification.
1 Corinthians 1, 2. Them that are sanctified in Christ
Jesus, declared by God himself to be holy in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15, 22, there's
life in Christ. For in Adam all die, even so
in Christ shall all be made alive. There's triumph in Christ. 2
Corinthians 2, 14, thanks be unto God which always causes
us to triumph in Christ. Now, I was singing, Lynn and
I were out shopping last night and there's this song, It says,
don't remind me of my failures. I've not forgotten them. And
I kept singing that to Lynn. She was getting irritated. Don't
forget. But you know what? I really don't have any failures.
I don't have any failures. Because in Christ, victory is
not a failure. Every believer is successful
in Christ Jesus. They always triumph in Christ. Always. called me not too long ago as
a preacher, and he was feeling so discouraged over his preaching,
and I said, let me remind you of this. You always triumph in
Christ. Always. There are no failures.
There are no... I like this, in Christ the veil
is taken away, which veil is done away with in Christ Jesus.
The veil is taken away and I see how God can save me for Christ's
sake. The veil is taken away. I see how I can be accepted in
the beloved. The veil has been taken away.
Second Corinthians 5.19, God was in Christ reconciling the
world to himself. Complete reconciliation. God's
reconciled with me. I'm reconciled with him. Philippians
2, 1, if there be any consolation in Christ. Oh, the comfort that's
in Christ Jesus the Lord. It fills me with comfort to know
that everything that God requires of me, He looks only to Christ
for. And you know, that comforts my heart. That comforts my soul.
I rejoice in it. Rejoice, Philippians 3.1. Finally,
my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. And I do rejoice in the Lord. I rejoice that all of God's salvation,
all of God's favor is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And there
are a couple of verses down, he says, rejoice, but it's a
different word. It's glory. Where he says, we are the circumcision,
which worship God in the spirit, rejoice or glory in Christ Jesus. Now you're going to boast in
something. Everybody is going to boast in something. Here's
where a believer boasts. We boast in the Lord. He's our
boast. We're proud of him, aren't we?
We're proud of the Lord. We're proud of his gospel. Oh,
to simply be found in him. Colossians chapter 2 verse 10
says, you are complete in him. You don't lack anything. I don't
feel very complete. I mean, just to be honest, I
feel so many faults and failures, but I'm complete in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Grace, 2 Timothy 2.1, be strong
in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. All of God's grace, all
of God's favor is in Christ Jesus. And then we read in John 16.31,
these things have I spoken unto you that in me, you might have
peace. Now, don't miss that. Not just
that you might have peace, but that in me. you might have peace. In the world, you'll have tribulation,
you'll have trial, you'll have trouble. But be of good cheer,
I have overcome the world. We have righteousness. Isaiah
45, surely shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness,
and in the Lord have I strength. We have preservation. Jude 2
says we're preserved in Christ Jesus. And I like this one. What's
in Christ? You. Of Him are you in Christ
Jesus. Isn't that glorious? To be in
Him. Of Him are you in Christ Jesus. Who of God has made into us wisdom
and righteousness, sanctification and redemption. And oh, the danger
of being corrupted from that simplicity that's in Christ Jesus. Now that word simplicity, the
onlyness, the wholeness. If something's simple, that means
it's not two things, it's only one. Only one. Nothing to get confused about.
I don't even have to make a choice. I'm complete in the Lord Jesus
Christ. I've got nowhere else to look. Oh, how glorious it
is to be Simply found in him. And he warns us of being corrupt
as Satan corrupted, deceived Eve through a subtlety. So your
mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that's in Christ. Now, all that God has for the
sinner is in, through, by and because of Christ. He does what
he does for Christ's sake. Oh, I'm so thankful for that.
Now. In who? are hid, back to our
text, Colossians chapter two, verse three, in whom are hid
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man
should beguile you with enticing words, plausible arguments and
pleasing sounding speech to move you from this. Now look what
he says in verse five. For though I be absent in the
flesh, and Paul had never met these people, but this shows
the power of the gospel, yet am I with you in the spirit,
joying and beholding your order and the steadfastness of your
faith in Christ. Now, what does Paul mean when
he says, beholding your order. This rejoices my heart. This
gives me such comfort to see you like this. I behold your
order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. Now, this word order is used
for the priesthood of the order of Melchizedek. And remember,
the order of Melchizedek, that priesthood was superior to the
Levitical priesthood, wasn't it? It was of another order. It was better. It was all together
better. I mean, the Levitical priesthood
couldn't do anything for you. Oh, the priesthood of Melchizedek.
He's the one who saves us. I believe that he is the Lord
Jesus Christ. And that's the priesthood of
a superior order. And Paul said to the Corinthians
regarding public worship, let all things be done decently and
in order. It's where we actually get the
word taxonomy from. It's the arrangement of things.
And you think about this. God is a God of order. Look at creation. There was a specific order. things
he did on the first day, things he did on the second day, things
he did on the third day, things he did on the fourth day, things
he did on the fifth day, things he did on the sixth day, in a
specific order, specific things. And then he was finished. And
he looked at his work and it was very good. God is a God of
order. Now, there's a divine order to
things. And if we get messed up on this,
it'll corrupt us from the simplicity of Christ. Now, what do I mean
by that? The first thing I thought about
was forgiveness. Does salvation begin with forgiveness
or does it end with forgiveness? Now, if it ends with forgiveness,
That means there are certain things you and I need to do in
order to get that forgiveness. You do this, this, this, and
this. I was reading about all the conditions of forgiveness.
First you've got to believe, then you've got to repent, then
you've got to all these different things. Now, you do have to believe.
You do have to repent. But you're not forgiven because
you do those things. You do those things because you've
been forgiven. When you're forgiven, here's
what you find out. You find out you've been forgiven. You didn't
do something to be forgiven. You find out you've been forgiven
for Christ's sake. You see how if I get the order
wrong, it's totally wrong. There's so many examples of this.
What about election? Election, well, God didn't pick
me out and put me in Christ. That's the wrong order. Christ
be my first elect, he said. Then chose us in him, our living
head. I have always been in the Lord
Jesus Christ. The Lord didn't look at me and
pick me out and say, I'm going to save that man and I'm going
to put him in Christ. No, I've always been united eternally
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now to mess up that order is
to mess up the meaning. What comes first, life or faith? If you got to believe in order
to have life, you're making faith a work. Now, there is no salvation
apart from faith. And chronologically, as far as
our experience goes, life comes when we believe and not before
then. Understand that there's not a period where you have life
and then you have faith. It doesn't work that way at all.
Now, logically, though, logically, life must come before faith,
because you can't believe unless God gives you life. Here's another
thing of order. Which comes first, faith or justification? Which comes first? Do you have
to believe before you can be justified? No. Justification
is eternal. I've always been justified in
God's sight. Now, in my own experience, I
haven't been. In my own experience, I felt myself to be under the
wrath of God and under His displeasure and thinking I was going to go
to hell. But if I'm justified, I have always been justified
before God. 2 Timothy 1.9 says He saved us
and He called us with a holy calling. Not according to our
works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given
us in Christ Jesus. That's justification, sanctification,
redemption. Everything we have was given
us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Now, do I understand
that? No. No. feel no need to, but
I believe it with all my heart. Before there was a sinner, there
was a savior. I think that sums it all up right
there. Before there was ever, no, the sinner, and then there's
the, no, before there was ever a sinner, Before there was ever
a fallen angel, before there was ever a creation, Christ was
the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Now look at this,
turn to Romans 10. Here's an example. I remember preaching one time
somewhere else and somebody said to me, you're preaching internal
justification, like that's a bad thing. I thought, yeah, I sure
am. I didn't know there's anything wrong with that. There's not. There's not. You know, the Lord
said, I'll by no means clear the guilty. If he ever sees you
as guilty, you'll never be clear. God's elect have always been
just before him. Now, are you saying you don't
have to believe? No, I'm not saying that. You have to believe.
You have to repent. You have to come to the Lord
Jesus Christ. You don't need to figure out your only thing
to do is to come to Christ as an empty handed sinner seeking
mercy. But if you do, you're going to find out you've been
eternally justified by God. Romans chapter 10, verse 13,
I want us to notice the order here. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. Oh, I love that verse. The Lord, the name of the Lord,
that's who he is. Whosoever, I'm one of them. This
is, I've said this before, this is better than if it said Todd
Nybert. If Todd Nybert calls upon the
name of the Lord, he'll be saved. Because there may be another
Todd Nybert. There may be. Matter of fact, I know there
is. I don't know where they are at, but there's probably several.
But I am, it might not have meant me, but I'm a whosoever. That's
me. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord. Look at the certainty of this
shall be saved. I go on reading. How then shall
they call on him in whom they have not believed? You cannot
call on him whom you've not believed. It's not gonna happen, it's impossible.
And how shall they believe in him in whom they've not heard? You can't believe something you've
never heard. I've heard people say, well, you know, Their head's
wrong. They believe the wrong things,
but their heart's right. That's foolishness. That's foolishness. That's all
that is just absolute foolishness. You can't believe something that
you've never heard. It's impossible. How should they believe on him
in whom they've never heard? Look what it says next. How should
they hear without a preacher? Are you saying that you have
to hear a preacher? I didn't say that. He did. How
else are they here? Without a preacher. And don't
put too much emphasis on the preacher. It's the message he
preaches. It's the gospel he preaches. It's the content of that message.
You've got to hear that message. And God speaks through a preacher. And there's something humbling
about this. We'd like to think, well, the Lord speaks directly
to me. Oh, does he? No. No, he doesn't. He speaks through
the preaching of the word. Are you saying he doesn't speak
when we read the Bible? Are you saying he doesn't speak when we pray?
No, I'm not saying anything like that. I'm not saying like that
anything like that at all, but I know this. If God's going to
speak to you, he's going to speak to you through a preacher. Paul the apostle. God sent Ananias. I love that. I mean Paul is the,
you want to talk about a big fish? I would have sent Peter
or John or one of those fellows, you know, maybe all of them,
because Paul, this is a very important man. And God sends
Paul Ananias. You never hear about him any
time after this. Never heard of him before this. I mean, he's
seen nobody. But Paul is going to be humbled
and God is going to speak through another man. Now, I'd like for
the Lord to just come directly to me and teach me and I could
feel pretty good about that. I figured this thing out. The
Lord's done something really special for me. No, it pleased God by
the foolishness of preaching to save them to believe. Now,
that's that's God's order. And notice what it says in verse
15. And how shall they preach except
they be sent? Nobody can preach the gospel
unless God has sent them. You can't be saved by a false
message, by a false prophet. It can't happen. How shall they
preach except they be sent? Now that is God's order. Paul warns us in Colossians 2
of men coming and trying to draw us away from God's heavenly order. And that's a very real danger. And don't, somebody says, well,
this is hair splitting. No, it's not. No, it's not. God
the Holy Spirit used this word. He said, I'm beholding your order. Your order. If you, if you get
the wrong order, and this is not just an intellectual thing,
but if you get the wrong order, you have the wrong message. Beholding
your order and back to our text. Here's the last thing he says. Verse five, Colossians two, five,
for though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the
spirit, joying and beholding your order. and the steadfastness
of your faith in Christ. Now, faith is in the person of
Christ. I wish I could say that the way
it ought to be said. David put it this way in Psalm 18 too.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God, my
strength in whom I will trust, my buckler and horn of my salvation
and my high tower. The Lord is the one we trust,
the steadfastness of your faith in the Lord. You see, I know
whom I have believed. And I'm convinced, I'm persuaded
that He is able to keep that which I've committed to Him against
that day. My faith is not in myself. It's not in my faith.
It's not in my understanding. It's in the Lord. Wholly, completely
in the Lord. That's where my confidence comes
from. My confidence is in Him. It's not in myself. It's in Him. Paul said, when I see your order
and the steadfastness, the immovable character of your faith in Christ,
Look in Colossians 1 verse 22. Verse 21. And you that were sometimes
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight,
if you continue in the faith. Grounded and settled. and be not moved away from the
hope of the gospel. Turn to, well, look in Colossians
2 verse 6. This is what we'll consider soon. As you therefore receive Christ
Jesus, the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted down and built up
in him and established in the faith, as you've been taught,
abounding there in the thanksgiving. Turn to Hebrews chapter three. Verse five, Moses was faithful
in all his house as a servant for testimony of those things
which were to be spoken after. But Christ as a son over his
own house, whose house are we? If we hold fast the confidence
and the rejoicing of the hope. Now, what is the confidence?
What do you have confidence in? There's only one thing I have
confidence in. Christ. That's it. And we hold that. Paul said in Philippians 3.3,
we are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit. We rejoice in Christ Jesus and
have no confidence in the flesh. None at all. We are made partakers of Christ
if we hold that confidence only in Christ all the way to the
end. Look down in verse 14. For we are made partakers of
Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence. Steadfast
unto the end, the beginning of our confidence. What was that?
Christ. You hold that steadfast to the
end. And Paul said, what gives me
confidence in you is when I behold your order and the steadfastness
of your faith in Christ. May God grant us this order. and this steadfastness, this
immovable character of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's
pray.