whom I've known for many years.
In fact, they've been to this church, he and his wife. I've preached to him many times.
We've exchanged correspondence. He's listened to our tapes. I
felt like that our gospel was a blessing to him and his wife
and his children. His children came to some meetings
that I preached in other places But someone, somehow, has led him and his wife away
from this completeness in Christ. And we're no longer friends,
I suppose. While I was in this meeting recently,
someone called him. He lives in the town where I
was preaching, he and his wife. And this individual called to
tell him that I'd be preaching there several nights and invite
him to come and hear me. And there was a time when he
would drive several hundred miles to be in the service and to hear
this gospel that I preached so long. But the reply on the telephone
to the person who invited them to come was, there's more to
preach than just Christ. That's sad, isn't it? And there's no way you can even
imagine yourself in that condition, is there? But the harsh deceitful above
all things is desperately wicked. Who can know it? And there's
no way that I could ever imagine this man making a statement like
that. There's more to preach than Christ. But the Apostle Paul didn't think
so. He said we preach Christ and him crucify. God forbid that
I should glory save in the cross of Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me and unto the world. I've determined
to know nothing among you," what did he say? Except Jesus Christ
and him crucified. I've determined to know nothing
among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. And all things
are in Christ. In chapter 1 of Colossians, that's
where I want us to begin, chapter 1, verse 19. I read verse 12
through 18. Now let's look at verse 19, chapter
1. It pleased the Father that in
Christ should all fullness dwell, and having made peace through
the blood of his cross, by Christ to reconcile all things. all things to himself. Christ is the reconciler of all
things. All the sheep, all the elect,
all the people of God, all the kingdom of God, everything in
the kingdom of God is reconciled to God by Christ, no other way.
By him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in
heaven. whether it be Old Testament believers or New Testament believers,
whether those who are not taken up yet or those who are already
taken up, whether it be Abel, Moses, Abraham or Saul of Tarsus,
reconciled by Christ. And you, Gentiles, that were
sometime alienated, enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet
now hath he reconciled. How? By whom? In the body of
his flesh through death, that's how. To present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in his sight, what a gift, what
grace, what mercy, what prospects, what promise, what glory, what
an inheritance, if you continue. if you continue in the faith,
grounded, grounded, established, settled, and do not move away. No matter what wind of doctrine
comes, or what enticement, or what pressure, or what Or what ambitions, or what greed,
or what opportunities do you continue in the gospel, grounded
and settled? Don't move away and don't be
moved away. And be not moved away from the
hope, from the person What is the hope of the gospel? Christ
in you, that's the hope of the gospel. He's the hope of the
gospel. And move away from Christ, which
you have heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven,
whereof I, Paul, am made a minister. That's his gospel. And then here in chapter 2, verse
1, he tells the people he has great concern, great care for
them. I would have you knew, I would
that you knew what great conflict, concern, care I have for you
and for them that led to sin, even for people I've never met.
Believers I've never met who've never seen my face in the flesh.
I have great concern for them. Two things, verse 2. I have great concern for you,
and here are the two things that are uppermost and so important. that their hearts, all of these
believers, that their hearts might be comforted, being knit
together in love, in love for Christ. That's what our Lord
asked Peter. He said, Peter, do you love me?
Do you love me? Not do you love these disciples,
he did, but do you love me? Yes, I love thee, but feed my
sheep. Do you love me? Yes, I love thee. Feed my lambs. Do you love me? Lord, you know everything. You
know I love you. Then feed my sheep. That's the greatest thing. The
greatest of these is love. Now about is faith, hope, and
love. The greatest of these is love. The love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Love for Christ. If any
man loves not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.
Let him be accursed when the Lord comes. Love for Christ. Love for Christ. And here's the
second thing. If your hearts might be comforted,
you might be united and knit together in a love for Christ.
And I tell you, people who love Christ love each other. And the
second thing, though, is under all riches of the full assurance
of understanding, The Lord, the Son of God, has come and given
us an understanding that we may know him that is true, and we
are in him that is true, even in his Son. This is the true
God, this is eternal life. He has come and given us an understanding. Listen, to the acknowledgment
of the mystery of God, the Father in Christ, the Father
in is in Christ. God is in Christ. Here is what
he is talking about, over here in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5. My concern is that you might
be united together in love for Christ, in love for Christ and in an
understanding and acknowledgment of the mystery of Christ and
the Father, the Father and the Son. And here, listen, here it
is, here's that mystery. In 2 Corinthians 5, verse 18,
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ, and hath given us this ministry of reconciliation,
to wit, namely, that is to say, that God was in Christ. reconciling
the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, but
hath committed unto us this word of reconciliation." God was in
Christ, reconciling the world. The greatest riches of all is
to love him and understand that redemption is in Christ. The
Father is in Christ. Show us the Father, they said
to him. He said, He that hath seen me
hath seen the Father. If you turn to 1 John chapter
5, or rather the book of 2 John, let's do the book of 2 John.
The book of 2 John. The first five verses. These
two words are used over and over again. Truth and love. Truth
and love. Truth of Christ. God was in Christ. To know Christ is to know God.
To have Christ is to have God. To be in Christ is to be in God.
Look at 2 John 1, "...the elder unto the elect lady and her children,
whom I love in the truth, not I only, but also all they
that have known the truth." For the truth's sake which dwelleth
in us and shall be with us forever, grace be unto you and mercy and
peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son of the Father, in truth and love." There's where it is, it's
in truth and love. It's knowing the truth of Christ
and loving it. It's knowing the Father and the
Son and loving them. I rejoice greatly that I found
of thy children walking in truth. As we have received the commandment
from the Father, now beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote
a new commandment unto you, but that which we had from the beginning,
that we love one another." Love Christ, love and acknowledge the truth,
and love one another. And don't look for anything pertaining
to God outside of Christ. Don't look for anything pertaining
to God's grace, God's love, God's mercy, God's righteousness, God's
kingdom, God's redemption, God's covenant, outside of Christ.
Look at verse 3. In whom? have an understanding and acknowledgment
of this mystery of God, of the Father in Christ, in whom, in
Christ, are hid, are contained, all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge. Paul said that three times in
just a matter of a few verses. Go back to verse 19, chapter
1. Please the Father that in Christ
should all fullness dwell. Verse 3, chapter 2, "...in whom
are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Verse
9, chapter 2, "...for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily." One of the great preachers of
the past, John Playful, preached a message one time in
which he had five points. The first one is this, that everything
that Almighty God has for the sons of Adam, whom he
redeems, everything, from beginning to end, is in Christ. Vested
in him, hid in him, placed in him, contained in him. The second point was this, and
those blessings, those heavenly blessings, which make us fit,
qualified for his kingdom, are ours by union with Christ. He's
the heir, we're joint heirs. He's the head, we're the body.
He's the vine, we're the branches. The fruit is not ours, it's his.
We only bear it, but he produces it. And these mercies are ours
by union with Christ. And the third point was this,
that union with Christ is by faith in Christ, by receiving
him, by believing him, by submitting to him, by loving and embracing
him, by confessing him. That union is effective. And
those blessings are ours. The fourth point was this. And
that faith, that faith is born of the word of God. Of his own
will begat he us with the word, the word of truth. You're born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word
of God that liveth and abideth forever. Whosoever shall call
on the name of the Lord shall be saved, but how shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they
hear without a preacher?" Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God. I'm not ashamed of the gospel.
It's the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believes. Faith comes by hearing. Christ. He's the Word incarnate. He's
the Word inspired. He is the Word of God. Words
are a communication of thought. A person has a thought in his
mind and only one way to convey it to others is words, whether
it's written or spoken. That's the way to convey what
I'm thinking to you. And God We have the mind of Christ,
we have the mind of God. We have an understanding of the
mysteries of God, because God has revealed these things to
us. The natural man receives and adopts the things of God.
They are hidden, but God has revealed them to us. How has
he revealed them to us? By the Word. Who is the Word? Christ. The Word was made flesh
and dwelt among us. I and my Father are one. God
spoke to us, our fathers were the prophets, have spoken to
us by son. And that's how God's mind and God's, almighty God's
purpose and almighty God's covenant is conveyed to the elect, to
the believer, Christ. Christ is all. And the fifth
point was this. And that faith and that word,
that word that produces faith, is by the power of the Spirit
of God. The Word of God, unaccompanied
by that power, brings nothing but condemnation and judgment. But when that Word is preached,
Christ is preached, the Word is Christ. When Christ is preached
in the power of the Spirit, then the Word falls on good ground.
and brings forth fruit, some thirty, some sixty, some a hundredfold. But it's all in Christ. In Christ,
verse 3, are hid all the treasures, all the riches of wisdom, God's wisdom, and
the knowledge of God. No man knoweth the Father but
the Son, he to whom the Son will reveal. And this I say," and this I say,
I've said it three times right here in this short passage, this
I say, what are you saying, Paul, that all things are in Christ? This I say, lest some man, any
man, should beguile you with enticing words. When I thought about this man
that that has departed from Christ,
from the message, the gospel of Christ. I thought about others
in this half a century in which I've been preaching the gospel
and traveling over the world and coming in contact with lots
of people. I thought of others who have
been beguiled, deceived, led away. Turn to 2 Corinthians and listen
to what Paul says here in verse 11. Chapter 11, 2 Corinthians chapter
11. Paul says to that church at Corinth,
Would to God you could bear with me a little in my folly. And
indeed, you do bear with me. You have and you do. I want you
to understand I'm jealous over you. I'm jealous. It's a godly jealousy. I've espoused
you to one husband, Christ. I may present you a chaste virgin
to Christ, not being enamored with anything else or anyone
else, but Christ. Taken up with Christ, wrapped
up in Christ, in love with Christ. walking with Christ, resting
in Christ, trusting in Christ, looking to Christ, not with a
divided heart or divided affections, with Christ only. Because I fear. I fear. And Paul feared because
he's seen it happen. Demas hath forsaken me, having
loved this present world. Alexander the coppersmith, he
said, did me much evil. Hymenaeus and Phagellus have
departed from the faith. He kept naming these people.
And I fear, lest by any means, as a serpent beguiled Eve, enticed
her through his subtlety, so your mind should be corrupted
from the simplicity of Christ. The simplicity that is in Christ,
the singleness. The gospel is simple when you
understand it. It's Christ. The gospel, when you understand
it, when God gives you an understanding of the mysteries of the Father
and the Son, it's clear, it's simple, it's single. It's not complicated. We're lost,
defiled, dead in trespasses and sin, with no love, thought, or
desire after God. But God, who is love, made a
covenant of grace and mercy long before the world began, in which
he said, I'll have a kingdom, I'll have a world wherein dwelleth
righteousness, a heaven and an earth wherein dwelleth righteousness,
a people like my beloved Son, my only begotten Son, a people
just like him, conformed to his image, I'll have a people. So
in that covenant in Christ, he chose a people out of every nation,
tribe, kindred, tongue unto heaven, and gave them to Christ, committed
them to Christ, made him their surety back then, made him their
federal head, made him their representative back then, the
lamb slave, the sacrifice, the offering, the high priest, the
substitute before the world began. Gave them to Christ, put them
in his hands. Father hath given all things into my hands, he
said. Everything that is the Father's is mine, he said. Gave
it to me. When he created Adam and Adam
fell and all these things, Satan fell and Adam fell and the world
was plunged into sin and disease and death and darkness and God
sent a promise. The seed of woman will bruise
the serpent's heel. Bruise the serpent's head. The
serpent will bruise his heel, but he'll bruise his head. He'll
conquer him. He'll cast him out. In the fullness of time, in God's
own time, he sent his son, made of a woman, made under the law,
to honor it, satisfy it, made under the law, made a man, flesh
and blood, into this world to redeem these people that God
had given him before the world began. And he said, the works that I
do are the works of him that sent me. The words that I speak
are the words of him that sent me. The will I do is the will
of him that sent me. It's written in the book of me.
I come to do thy will. And when he fulfilled all righteousness
for those people, gave them, imputed to them, reckoned unto
them, charged to them a righteousness they didn't have, which God required,
which he produced, then he went to the cross. There he satisfied
the justice of God. There he was separated from God. That man, Christ Jesus, suffered
and died for all of his people. He gave them a perfect righteousness
by his obedience. He gave them a perfect standing
before the law. He justified them by his death. He went to the grave where one
day they would lie. And he came out, conquered sin,
hell, Satan, and death. by his death. And he ascended
to heaven, where he sat down on the right hand of God and
said, Father, I finished the work you gave me to do. And the
Father said, When this thing is over, when the fulness of
time is come, and the last sheep is found and brought home, and
the last elect hear the gospel, we'll wind this thing up. There'll
be a new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness,
populated by people Just like the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
simple. That's just the way it is. There's
no reason to complicate it. He did it all. He paid it all.
He finished it. He sat down, expecting that his
enemies become his footstool. But here, Paul says, I'm concerned. What takes men away from that?
Well, like I say, I've thought about the people through the
years. I remember some who got enamored with the gifts, the gifts of the Spirit, tongues,
discernment of spirits, word of knowledge, all these quite
pretties that just got enamored with them and drifted away from
the gospel. Others got enamored with what
is called church truth, got wrapped up in organizations. and a defense
of certain doctrines and church truth. It's like those Galatians,
those fellows in Galatia. It's all right to preach Christ,
but there are some more things to preach, like what you ought
to do and how you ought to do it and when you ought to do it. I've seen others get wrapped
up in prophecy, signs of the times. They just become enamored
with these things. I've seen others get wrapped
up in education. They're going to make Christians
out of all their children. Separate them from other people's
children, build schools, and take them to school. It's got
wrapped up in those things. Some of those things are pretty
good in their place. God uses whatever
God uses when God uses it. Circumcision was good one time.
The tithe was good one time. Sabbath-keeping was good one
time. The priesthood going into the Holy of Holies was good one
time. There are a lot of things that are good in their time,
in their day, in serving their purpose, but Christ is all and
in all. And that's Satan's cheap end
and cheap objective, is to entice people away from a full, complete
trust in Christ alone. Mark my words. Mark my words. That's when the fall starts.
That's when the departure starts. When individuals get enamored
with something other than Christ. That's right. Satan leads them
to partially lean on the flesh. even reinstituting the laws,
going back and bringing the Old Testament requirements into this
day, and so many things. And here is the problem. While
you are there in 2 Corinthians 11, look at verse 13. See, these people that Paul says
here, lest any beguile you with enticing words, they are smooth
folks. Look here at verse 13 of 2 Corinthians
11. These are false apostles. They're
deceitful workers. They transformed themselves into
the apostles of Christ. And no marvel for Satan himself
is transformed into an angel of light. He doesn't come as
the artist pictured him in a red suit with horns and a tail with
an arrow on the end of it. He comes in the pulpit. I don't
think, I don't even think that Satan hangs around in the houses
of ill fame and the hokey talks and the dives of this world.
I think he hangs around in religion, don't you? He always did. In
religion. That's where he works. That's
where he wants to defeat Christ. That's where he wants to blot
out the name of Christ. That's where he wants to attack
Christ. religious people. Satan is transformed into an
angel of life, therefore it's no great thing if his ministers
also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness. Whose righteousness? Yours, not his. I'm a minister of righteousness,
the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness which is by
the faith of Jesus Christ, not even by your faith, it's by his
faithfulness. I'm a minister, but they're ministers
of your righteousness. There's something besides Christ,
that's his message. There's more to preach than Christ,
that's his message. Christ is not sufficient, that's
his message. And the end shall be according
to their works. Let's go back to my text so I can finish. In Christ are hid all the treasures,
all of them. He has made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification and redemption. Is there anything else? And this
I say, this I remind you, lest any man should beguile you with
slick words, enticing words. The preachers of God do not use
slick words, enticing words. Paul said, I didn't. Well, let's
read it over here in 1 Corinthians 2.4. He plainly says, when I
came to you, 1 Corinthians 2 forward, my speech and my preaching was
not with enticing words. Not with words of man's wisdom.
My speech and my preaching was in demonstration of the spirit
and power. But these fellas come with smooth
words, deceitful words, enticing words. In verse 5, though I be
absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, beholding,
joying, and beholding your order and your steadfastness of your
faith in Christ. In Christ. Look to Christ. Not to your faith. Not to yourself. Not to the law. Not to your works. Not to your brothers, the best
of them or the worst of them. Not to your deeds, the best of
them or the worst of them. Not to anything, look at Christ,
the author and finisher of our faith. Watch this, and I'll give
you this and try to quit. Now, as you have therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. Turn back the clock. Roll back the clock. April 1950. this message. Christ is all. Christ is our wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. Christ is our Messiah, Prophet,
Priest, and King. Christ is all. And I received
Him. How did I receive Him? I received
Him as the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises, prophecies,
and pictures. The Messiah, the Prophet, Priest,
and King. That's what he is to me today,
48 years later. Same thing. As I received him,
I still receive him. How did I receive him? I received
him as my justifier, my redeemer. Enable God to be just and justify
me. That's how I received him. God's
holy and I'm a sinner. God's law must be honored. Christ
honored it. God's justice must be satisfied
in order that God may be just and justify me. That's how I
received him 48 years later. That's how I still receive him.
He's still that to me. And he's all that to me. And
I don't need anything but Christ. Thirdly, I received him as my
shepherd. My shepherd. We just sang it
a while ago. The Lord's my shepherd, my provider.
Lord my shepherd, I shall not want for food, He makes me lie
down in green pastures. I shall not want for rest, He
leaves me beside the still waters. I shall not want for salvation,
He restored my soul. I shall not want for holiness,
He gave me righteousness. I shall not want for comfort,
His rod and His staff comfort me. I shall not want for protection,
surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life. And I shall not want for a place in His kingdom. I shall
dwell in the house of the Lord forever." That's how I received
him then, Joe. And when you are 80 years old, like I am nearly,
you better be walking in him the same way, just like you started
two years ago. That's right. How did you receive
him? Well, I received him as a revelation
of God the Father. My wisdom, I can't know God except
in Christ. My righteousness, I cannot stand
before God except in my Mediator Christ. My sanctification, I
can't even pray without him. Can you? God won't hear me pray
except through Christ. He has to sanctify everything
I say and do, because I'm unclean by nature. In my flesh, I've
never pleased God, don't please him today, and never will as
long as I'm on this earth. But Christ pleased him. And Christ
makes everything the believer does in his name holy. He's our
sanctification. And he's our redemption. That's
how I received him. And it hasn't changed. That's how I walk in
him. I received him as my sufficient
atonement. His blood make an atonement for
my soul. One advocate, one mediator. And
that's where I am today. Bought with a price, paid in
full, justice satisfied, the law honored. Now then, that next
verse, I become rooted and built up in him. But I'm the same tree,
planted by the same water. My roots are in the same place.
I've got four pine trees that I planted when I, when we Those
fellas built that house over there 30 years ago. It's still
right where I'm planting them. But they are bigger now. I told
them the other day, if I'd known those things were going to get
that big, I wouldn't have planted all four of them, just one maybe.
They're huge, aren't they? One of them broke off and fell
on the house during the last snowstorm. But not a one of them's
moved. That right there, not a one of
them's moved. And the trees planted by my father. never move. Every plant that my Heavenly
Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. But his people are trees planted
by the living stream of water that bring forth fruit in their
season. Their leaves shall not wither, and whatsoever they do
prospereth. They are planted in Christ, rooted and grounded
in What does it say? In him. Established in him. Abounding with thanksgiving in
him. Now, beware, young people, lest
any man spoil you through philosophy, intellectualism, education. I've
seen some fellows leave the gospel because they got too educated. Oh, come on, preacher. Well, this book wasn't enough for them.
They went to those things. Wasn't enough philosophy. Simplicity
of Christ was beneath them. Traditions of men, rudiments
of the world, that's the Old Testament laws. And not after
Christ. Beware, lest anybody spoil you. These things, not after Christ.
For in him, grelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,"
and here is the good news, you are complete in him. Like the thief on the cross,
I was complete that day that God turned my eyes, opened them,
and let me see Christ. He that seeth the Son and believeth
on him hath life everlasting. It has never changed. And so many of you here, that
dims my sentiments to a T, to a T. All right, let's sing a
hymn.