This morning we're going to take
our text for the message and the title for the message found
in verse 11. Colossians 3 verse 11 says, In
the Lord Jesus Christ, because we are one new creation in him,
and in Christ being risen with him, being quickened together
with him, being made one with him, there's no more Gentile
or Jew. There's no more circumcision
or uncircumcision. There's no more, salvation has
nothing to do with circumcision or nationality or being a barbarian,
being a Scythian or being bond or being free, being a slave
or being a free man, but in salvation the Lord Jesus Christ is all. everything. He's everything in
salvation. He's the Alpha. He is the Omega. He's everything in salvation. Three words. Christ is all. Now whenever you think about
salvation, whenever you think about what salvation is and who
salvation is, remember these three words. Christ is all. You mean there's nothing else?
In the matter of salvation, in the matter of sinners being justified
before God, He's it. He's everything. He's everything
in salvation. In Him dwells all the fullness
of a Godhead bodily. We had that a couple weeks ago.
Chapter 2 verse 9 and 10. And we are complete filled to
the full, complete in Christ, complete in Christ. In a matter
of all spiritual blessings and eternal salvation, the Lord Jesus
Christ is all and in all. These three words contain infinite
and infinite volume of eternal blessedness. No other words so
sum up the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ than these three
words. Can you think of any other three
words? Three words that so sum up salvation? Christ is not part,
not something, everything. Christ is all. He's the all and
in all. Now, in looking at these three
words and thinking upon them, I found some other places in
this book of Colossians where some other phrases using three
words were found. And let's look at those, first
of all, in a way of introduction. Look at chapter 1, verse 27. To whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is, here's the three words, Christ in you. Now you think about that. Christ
in you, he said, I and my father are one. I in them, thou in me,
that we may be made perfect in him. Christ in you, that is the
hope of glory. That is all of our hope of salvation
is Christ in you. He's all our hope, all our salvation. We have a good hope through the
Lord Jesus Christ because Christ Himself, He is our hope. He's
all of our hope. It's not a hope, a hope, a hope.
Christ is our hope. Now here's the second thing,
the second three words that I was thinking about, trying to come
up with an introduction to this message. In chapter 2, verse
10, Let's read verse 9 and 10, "...in
Him dwelleth all the fulness of a Godhead bodily, and you
are complete in Him." Now those three words, complete in Christ. Now isn't that saying the same
thing, Christ is all? Complete in Christ. Can you add
anything to perfection? The Lord Jesus Christ has perfect
salvation. He obtained for us a perfect
redemption. Can you add anything to His perfectness, completeness
in Him? We are complete in Him. Now, may God be our teacher. We are complete in Him. Christ
is all. Now, here's another three words
that I thought about here in chapter 3, verse 4. when Christ
our life shall appear." Now, here's the three words. Notice
who is has been supplied, not in the original. Christ our life. Now that sums it up, doesn't
it? Three words. Christ our life. He that hath the Son hath life.
He that hath not the Son does not have life. Christ our life. Christ our salvation. nor the name under heaven, given
among men, whereby we must be saved." These three words of
holy inspiration, given by Almighty God, contain a world of blessing
to the Lord's people. To you who believe, Christ is
precious. To you who believe, the Lord
Jesus Christ is altogether lovely. To you who believe, Christ is
not something. To you who believe, He is everything. He's everything. He's all and
in all. Christ is all. Being found in
Christ. You remember from Philippians
chapter 3, Paul said, I count everything else lost, dung, and
ruined. that I might win Christ and be
found in Him. Not having a righteousness which
is according to the law, but that which is to the faithful
obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness. Being
found in Christ, having eternal union with Him, we have all things,
all spiritual blessings in Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ
is all. Talking about the Christ of God
now. the Lord Jesus Christ. He's all and in all these people. in all things, in all spiritual
blessings. Now, basically four points this
morning. Christ is all in the eternal
and sovereign purpose of God. Christ is all in the eternal,
sovereign purpose of God. Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's all. He's everything. He's all the
counsel of God. He's all the purpose of God. He's all the
wisdom of God. Christ is all in creation. You remember Colossians chapter
one? It says, verse 15, who is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature,
for by him were all things created that are in heaven, that are
in the earth, visible, invisible. thrones, dominions, principalities
were power, all things were created by him and for him, and he's
before all things and by him all things consist. So in creation,
Christ is all. He created all things by the
word of his power. In providence, the things that
we see happening in time or have all been decreed from eternity.
He'll work with all things after the counsel of His own will.
In creation, Christ is all. In providence, Christ is all.
And especially in salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, He's all. He's all of salvation. There's
salvation in nothing else and no one else but the Lord Jesus
Christ. God saves every sinner who he
wisely, powerfully saves on purpose. No one is saved apart from his
sovereign will, sovereign purpose. Salvation is always based upon
the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Christ is all. Who says
so? Who says so? God says so. The Lord Jesus Christ. He said,
this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. You hear him.
Christ is all to the Father, is he not? He's all before God
in a matter of saving sinners and he's all to his people. Christ is God saves every sinner
whom he wisely saves on his sovereign purpose. Look over at Ephesians
chapter 1. Ephesians 1 verse 11, In whom
also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory
who first trusted Christ. So, in the matter of salvation,
the Lord Jesus Christ, in the eternal sovereign purpose of
God, the Lord Jesus Christ, He's all. He's all the sovereign purpose
of God. And God saves sinners on purpose
only because Christ is all. He's all. Turn over to Romans. You know this one, don't you? Romans chapter 8. Christ is all. And we know, verse 28, that all
things, all things work together for good, Romans 8, 28, to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
God saves every sinner who He wisely saves on purpose. God's
purpose and grace given us in Christ before the foundation
of the world. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate,
to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brothers. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
then he also called. And whom he called, then he also
justified. And whom he justified, then he
also glorified." Now what shall we say to these things? Well,
Christ is all. If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not, verse 32, Romans 8, his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who can lay anything to the charge
of God to elect? Is it God to justify? Who is
he to condemn? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather. is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God,
who also make us intercession for us. Christ is all. The Lord
Jesus Christ is all the eternal purpose of God in saving sinners
through the Lord Jesus Christ. Not by works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us in
the Lord Jesus Christ. The second thought is this, Christ
is all, and in all, in the holy word of God that is in the scriptures. What is the scripture, this book,
66 books, 66 books in this Bible, what's it all about? Is it just
a history book about the Jewish history? Is it just about a word
about a man from Nazareth named Jesus? What's this word of God
all about? It's all about salvation through
the Lord Jesus Christ. How the Lord Jesus Christ came
and fulfilled all things for us. And this book is all about
Him. He says so. Turn over here to
Luke 24. The Lord Himself said so. He
said to those Jews, you are they which search the Scriptures,
but they are they which testify of Me. And you will not come
to Me that you might have life. Luke 24. You remember the risen
Lord walking with these two men on the road to Emmaus. And he
said unto them, verse 25, O fool's soul of heart, to believe all
that the prophets have spoken, ought not Christ to have suffered
these things, and to enter into his glory, and beginning at Moses,
he went right back to Genesis, and beginning at Moses, and all
the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the
things concerning Himself. All the Scriptures about the
Lord Jesus Christ. All of it about the Lord Jesus
Christ. Our Lord said again, right there
in Luke 24, He said unto them, verse 44, These are the words
which I have spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that
all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law
of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning
me. Then he opened their understanding
that they might understand the Scriptures. You see, all the
Word of God is about the Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter
where we turn, the Jeremiah or Isaiah or Lamentation or Kings
or Chronicles or 1st Samuel, 2nd Samuel. It doesn't matter
where we turn in Joshua or the book of Ruth or Samuel. It's
all about the Lord Jesus Christ. It's all about Him. So in the
Word of God, we can safely say that Christ is all. He fulfilled
every promise of God for us. The exceeding great and precious
promises of God, the Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled every one
of them for us. He fulfilled the law of God for
us. Our Lord said this in Matthew
5 verse 17, He said, Think not that I am come to destroy the
law and the prophets, I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled
every type, pattern, picture, shadow, and prophecy. You remember
when we studied the book of Acts in chapter 10, where it says
to him, give all the prophets witness. You see, in the scriptures,
the Lord Jesus Christ, He's just not a sub-message. He's the sum
and substance and subject matter of all the Word of God. Christ,
the Lord Jesus Christ, he's all and in all. All the scriptures
tell us about how the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled every promise
for us. Not one word shall fail because
he has made every promise certain and sure. The scriptures tell
us about who he is. His person and His work. He is
that prophet sent from God to reveal God unto us in the person
of His Son. Our Lord said, I thank thee,
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've hid these things
from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto your children,
babes. He's a prophet to reveal. He's
a priest, the priest of God, the great high priest, to make
atonement for our sin. All the scriptures tell us about
every blood sacrifice, starting way back there in Genesis chapter
3, all the way through all those bloody sacrifices on Jewish altars
that flowed for thousands and thousands of years. All those
are type and picture and pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ dying
as our substitute in our room and in our stead. In the scripture,
Christ is all. He's a prophet to reveal, He's
a priest to redeem, and He's a king. What does a king do?
A king reigns. And the Lord Jesus Christ, His
book tells us about His lordship, about His sovereignty, how He
is King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ is all in the Word
of God. Christ is all and in all. Thirdly,
the Lord Jesus Christ is all and in all in eternal glory. in eternal glory. What's eternal
glory going to be all about? Christ is all. Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain to receive all honor, glory, and blessing
both now and forever. We sing a song, sometimes it
says, one phrase of that song says, the Lamb is all the glory
in Emmanuel's land. In glory, what's it going to
be all about? People talk about streets of
gold. There is no street. It's streets
of gold. It's singular street of gold. Rivers of water. Crystal palaces. All those things are symbolic.
But here's the thing. Christ is all. Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain. The whole Revelation talks about
the Lamb, the Lamb, the Lamb, the Lamb. in a sacrificial character
all the way through the Revelation. Worthy is the Lamb who loved
us, washed us from our sin in His own blood. Worthy is the
Lamb to receive all honor, glory, and blessing both now and forever.
What are the departed saints of God doing right now? to be
absent from his body, to be present with the Lord. They're worshiping
the Lord and giving him all the honor and glory for the salvation
that's of the Lord. Christ is all to the believer
now and for eternity. The Lord Jesus Christ is all
and in all. Here's the next thing, the Lord
Jesus Christ is all and in all. before God. He is all from God
and He is all to God. In Him dwells all the fullness
of a Godhead bodily. The God of the Bible will not
accept anything outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. You remember
what Abraham said to Isaac, God will provide himself a lamb. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
lamb that God has provided. And John said, behold the lamb
of God that takes away our sin. The Lord Jesus Christ is all
from God, and he's all to God. In the fullness of the time,
God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law,
to redeem them that were under the law. He's all from God. Is
there another Messiah coming? Do you look for another? Is there
another Christ? He's the only one. Christ is
all and in all. I can't fathom those deluded
people over there in the land of Palestine who are still looking
for a Messiah. The Lord Jesus Christ has come. He is the Lion of the tribe of
Judah. No Jew today can trace his heritage
back to the tribe of Judah. It's impossible. The Lord Jesus
Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Don't look for another.
Christ is all. He's all from God and He's all
to God. The God of the Bible will not
accept anything outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need a
Mediator to stand between us and God. You need a Mediator,
my friend. And that one mediator is the
Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is all. In a way, mediation,
advocate. He's an advocate. He's our advocate. There's one advocate. Jesus Christ
the righteous, the Lord Jesus Christ is all. He's the only
mediator. He's the only advocate. We need
a high priest appointed and anointed of God to represent us with a
suitable sacrifice for sin. What is that suitable sacrifice
for sin? Christ is all. That's why Paul
said, I'm determined. Nothing, no anything among you
but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We need a kinsman redeemer who
is willing and able to redeem from all bondage and the curse
of the law. Christ is all, is He not? All
that God has provided for us, everything, every spiritual blessing
God has provided for us is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ
is all. Christ is all in the way of all
of salvation. We need a spotless Lamb of God
to make perfect atonement for us before God, and certainly
the Lord Jesus Christ is that atonement for us. Here in His
love, not that we love God, He loved us. And He sent His Son
to be the propitiation, the atonement, The blood sacrifice that puts
away our sin. In the matter of salvation, in
the matter of pardon and redemption, the Lord Jesus Christ is all. He's everything that God has
given for us. He loved the church and gave
himself for us. God will only accept that which
he's provided. And we're accepted where? Where
are we accepted? In the beloved. Ephesians 1 verse
6 says that we are accepted into the beloved to the praise of
the glory of His grace. Why is that so? God has so decreed
and fixed it that in salvation, Christ is all. Christ is all. What do you preach down there
at Zebedee Grace Church? We preach that Christ is all. Anytime someone asks you, what
does that preacher preach down there? Three words, Christ is
all. Christ is all. The Lord Jesus
Christ is everything. Now, here's the next point I've
got here. In salvation, and this is repetitive,
but there's nothing wrong with being repetitive. Someone said
that a person needs to hear something at least seven times before he
retains it a little bit. So I'm going to tell you again.
I'm going to tell you, Well, I'm going to tell you, and then
I'm going to tell you, and then I'm going to tell you what I
done told you, okay? In salvation, Christ is all. Christ is all before the believer. We know without doubt that we
are at our best state, vanity, lost, dead without God and without
Christ. But in the Lord Jesus Christ,
we have all the fullness of all spiritual blessing in Him. We are complete in Him. In our salvation, you ask any
believer, his salvation? Christ is all. Christ is all
my salvation. He's made to the believer. That
verse we quote all the time. He's our wisdom. He gives us
wisdom to know how salvation is accomplished by the Lord Jesus
Christ. He's made unto us wisdom. He's
our righteousness. Blessed is the man to whom God
imputed righteousness without works. He is our sanctification. By the one offering He perfected
forever them that are sanctified. He is our redemption. In the
matter of redemption, Deliverance from sin. Well, the Lord Jesus
Christ is everything. Christ is all and in all. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily and the believer stands complete in Him.
We are guilty before the law. Christ is our only pardon. We
are lost without God by nature. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
way, the truth, the life. No man come to the Father but
by and through Him. Christ is all and in all. Without
Him, we have nothing, we are nothing, and we know nothing. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we
have all things. Why? Christ is all. Christ is
all and in all. Truly, a believer can say, the
Lord Jesus Christ is everything in our salvation. The Lord Jesus
Christ is all we need to stand justified before God. We all
shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ. How do we stand
before the judgment seat of Christ? In the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ
is all and in all. Christ's perfect obedience to
the law of God that He fulfilled and honored in precept and penalty.
Christ's obedience is our righteousness before God. Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it.
It's a matter of the law. Righteousness being established,
Christ is all. He is the Lord, our righteousness. His sacrifice is all of our atonement
for sin. His word is our instruction. The Word of God is a lamp and
light unto us. The Word of God is our instruction. We're not seeking the words of
men to preach, although we do quote men who have a right understanding
of the gospel, but we preach Christ from the Word of God.
His Word is our instruction. We're not to preach ourselves.
Paul said, we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ the Lord, and
ourselves your servant for his sake. Christ is all in the matter
of preaching the gospel. Determined to know nothing among
you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. His word, His word
is all of our instruction. His wisdom is our direction.
Where would He point us to? Would He point us back to Sinai's
mountain? Would He point us back to the
fiery judgment of the law? Our Lord said, come unto Me and
I'll give you rest. Our Lord said, oh, everyone that's
thirsty, come unto Me and drink that which is free and satisfying. His wisdom is our direction.
He said, look unto Me. Isaiah 45. Look unto Me and be
saved. All the ends of the earth. I
am God, the only just God and Savior. Now, look unto Me and
be saved. His Word is our instruction.
His wisdom is our direction. His power? His power? How much power does He have?
All power, He said in heaven and earth, is given unto Me.
We preach God as big as we can, and He's much bigger than we
can say. God is God over all things. His power is our protection. We are kept by the power of God
through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. His blood alone is our
justification before God. We're justified by His blood
atonement. We're saved from wrath through
Him, justified by His blood, His grace. The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. His grace is our salvation, is
it not? Salvation by the free and sovereign
grace of God. We can say with the Apostle Paul,
because Christ is all, we can say by the grace of God, I am
what I am because Christ is all and in all. His love is our eternal
security. His love is without fail. His love, nothing can separate
us from the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you read that in Romans 8. He mentions everything that you
can think of. Nothing can separate us from
the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. In the love
of God, the Lord Jesus Christ And in all, His everlasting mercy
is our hope. His everlasting mercy is our
hope. The only way God can be a just
God and Savior is for God to save sinners through the merit
and righteousness and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ
is all. His mercy is our hope of salvation. His fullness is our completeness. You remember John chapter 1?
Of His fullness have we all received grace for grace. His immutability,
that's our security and our strength. His immutability. What did I
mean by immutability? That means God doesn't change.
We change all the time. We're immutable. We change all
the time. Every day. Every morning. Every
way we change. God never changes. He said, I'm
the Lord, I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob
are not consumed. He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever. Why? Christ is all. Christ is
all. His immutability, His unchangeableness
is our strength, our salvation. His resurrection is a guarantee
of our final glory. He said, I'm He that liveth and
was dead. Behold, I'm alive forevermore. He delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. In the matter of resurrection,
resurrection glory, we're going to have a new body fashioned
like unto His glory's body. You know why? Guess why? Christ is all. In the matter
of resurrection glory, the Lord Jesus Christ is all. He's going
to raise His people from the dead. by His glorious power. His intercession is the assurance
of our deliverance. He ever lives to intercede for
us. He's able to save them to the
uttermost, all that come to God by Him, seeing that He ever liveth. He ever liveth to make intercession
for us. You see, in the matter of resurrection,
the matter of salvation, in the matter of intercession and deliverance,
the Lord Jesus Christ, He's all. He's all of it. Everything that
God has for any sinner is in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is
a faithful saying, and this is worthy of all acceptation, that
the Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Now, tell me, what
could we possibly want for when all the Godhead is engaged to
make the believer complete in the Lord Jesus Christ to His
eternal glory. Could you want for anything?
Could you add anything to the Lord Jesus Christ? Christ is
all? What can you bring? Rest in Him,
my friend. The Lord Jesus Christ is all
and in all. God forbid that we should glory
save in the Lord Jesus Christ. in the book of Jude. Let me read
this in closing. Now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling and to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only wise
God our Savior be glory and majesty and dominion and power both now
and forever. Christ is all and in all. Amen.