Christ Is All and In All

Q: What does the Bible say about Christ being the resurrection and the life?

The Bible states that Christ is the resurrection and the life, indicating that eternal life and resurrection cannot exist apart from Him. In John 11:25-26, Jesus declares to Martha, 'I am the resurrection and the life.' This profound statement emphasizes that all life and resurrection are bound to Christ alone. Those who believe in Him, even if they die, will live again, highlighting that faith in Christ guarantees eternal life. Our relationship with God and our salvation hinge on Christ Himself, underscoring that without Him, we have nothing.

Q: How do we know that Christ is all and in all?

The scripture declares that in Christ, all things are held together and completed, affirming His centrality and sufficiency in all aspects of life. According to Colossians 3:11, 'Christ is all, and in all.' This verse encapsulates the belief that every aspect of existence finds its purpose and fullness in Christ. Ephesians 1:20-22 further elaborates that God has placed all things under Christ's authority, affirming that He is the head over all things for the church. This foundational belief reinforces the idea that true fulfillment and purpose in life are only found through a relationship with Him.

Q: Why is understanding Christ's role in salvation important for Christians?

Understanding Christ's role in salvation assures believers that their acceptance by God is entirely through Him and not based on their own works. Hebrews 4:14-16 illustrates the importance of recognizing Christ as our high priest who intercedes for us. This understanding empowers Christians to approach God with confidence, knowing that their salvation is secure in Christ's righteousness, not their own. Romans 3:25 also confirms that God has set forth Christ as a propitiation for sin, highlighting that salvation is solely through faith in Him, eliminating any reliance on personal merit or works. This reinforces the grace of God in our lives and the assurance of eternal security for believers in Christ.

Q: What does it mean that Christ is all in the new creation?

In the new creation, Christ is the source of life, with believers being made new through Him, highlighting that all spiritual blessings are found in Him. As stated in Ephesians 2:8-10, believers are described as new creations, saved by grace through faith. This new creation reality emphasizes that every spiritual blessing comes through Christ alone. We are His workmanship, created for good works that God has prepared for us, reinforcing the truth that no spiritual contribution can come from us, making Christ's sufficiency vital for our spiritual transformation. Additionally, we find our identity and purpose in Him, reminding us that all things in this new creation derive their meaning and significance from Christ.

Now the title of this message
that I am bringing tonight is Christ is all and in all. Christ is all and in all. Most of you are familiar with
the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. You know down
in Bethany there was a a little family. There was a brother and
two sisters, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. And our Lord evidently visited
that home more than once. And these three believers were
special to him, for when Lazarus became ill, the sisters sent
word to the master he whom thou lovest is sick." And our Lord
waited several days. In fact, Lazarus died. And then
he came back to Bethany. And if you turn in your Bible
to John chapter 11, he came back to Bethany, and he sent word,
he stopped a little ways outside of town, and he sent word to
Martha that he wanted to see her. And here in verse 20, it
says in John 11, Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus
was coming, went and met him. But Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus,
she came out to him, and she said to him, Lord, if you had
been here, my brother had not died. But I know that even now
whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee." And Jesus
said unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. And Martha said unto
him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at
the last day. Now, hidden here In all of this
that's taken place, and I've heard lots of sermons on this
subject here and from this scripture, but hidden here is a statement
that I'm about to read that our Lord made to Martha, which helped
me years ago, helped me a great deal in my understanding of my
relationship with Christ and his relationship with me. Most
people would have been totally satisfied with what Martha had
to say. She said to the Lord, she said,
if you'd been here, he wouldn't have died. She recognized his
power to heal. If you'd have been here, this
tragedy would never have occurred. You would have prevented it.
And then she ascribed to him a relationship with the Father. She said, whatever you ask of
God, he'll give it to you. I know that even now, whatever
You ask the Father, that's ascribing to Christ great power, sovereignty,
and a relationship with the Father. And then our Lord said, will
your brother rise again? And then she said, I know that
he'll rise again in the day of resurrection. She believed in
the resurrection of the dead. There were a lot of folks down
in Corinth that didn't believe in it, but she did. But our Lord
made a statement to her, and I want you to listen to it. And
it's what my message is all about tonight. And Jesus said unto
her, Martha, I am the resurrection. I myself, I am the resurrection
and I am the life. What he's saying here is life
and resurrection are not even things to be considered apart
from Christ. Life and resurrection, eternal
life, spiritual life, resurrection, a relationship with God doesn't
even exist apart from Him. You can't put it in a creed.
You can't put it in what we believe. You can't put this in a catechism. Resurrection and life are not
even to be considered. They don't even exist apart from
Christ. He says, I am the resurrection. I am the life. Read on. He that
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And
whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die, because
I am the life. He has me as life. Martha, do you believe this?
And that's what I'm asking myself and you tonight. Do you believe
this? I didn't ask do you believe in the resurrection. I'm not
asking you if you believe in the power of Christ to heal.
I'm not asking you if you believe in the relationship that Christ
has with the Father. Authority and sovereignty over
all things, whatever he asks the Father, the Father will give
him. But do you believe that Christ literally himself is the
resurrection? That he is the life? To have
Christ is to have all things. And not to have Christ, whatever
you believe about him or whatever you profess about him, not to
have Christ himself is to have nothing. To have him is to have
all things, whether you understand it or not. I want to, this is
just too deep for me. I know it is for me too. Whether you've experienced it
or not, whether you feel assured of it or not, But to have Christ
by faith is to have all things in God and all things of God
and all things from God. That's what he's saying. I am
the resurrection. I am the way. I am the truth.
Truth is Christ. There's no such thing as arriving
at Christ through the truth. You arrive at truth through Christ.
He's the truth. When you have Him, you have truth.
When you have him, you have life. When you have him, you have resurrection. Let me show you that in Ephesians
chapter 1. Listen to this, Ephesians chapter
1. Christ is all. To have Christ
is to have all. Not to have Christ is to have
nothing. He said, I'm the vine, you're the branches. A branch
cannot abide alone. Severed from the vine, it's only
fit for burning. You abide in me, my word abide
in you, you have life. Look at Ephesians 1 verse 10. That in the dispensation of the
fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in
Christ. Both which are in heaven and
which are on earth, even in him. God's going to gather together
all things in Christ. in whom we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated according to him, 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 in Christ. This is so clear in the Scriptures.
Let me show you a few verses. Turn with me first to John 3.
I am the resurrection. I am the life. I am the way,
I am the truth, I am the life. All things are in Christ. And
if I have Christ, I have all things, whether I understand
it, whether I've experienced it, whether I feel confident
of it. If Christ lives in me, I have
all that God has. Look at John chapter 3, verse
35. The Father loveth the Son, and
hath given all things into his hand. And he that believeth on the
Son hath all things. He hath everlasting life. And
he that believeth not the Son will never see life. But the
wrath of God abideth on him. Turn again to Ephesians 1. Let's
look at another passage here in Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1,
verse 20. Listen to this. Ephesians 1,
20. And I'm saying Christ is all. which
he wrought in Christ, Ephesians 1, 20, when he raised him from
the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly
places, above all principality, power, might, and dominion, and
every name that's named, not only in this world, but the world
to come, angels, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, name it. And he hath put
all things under his feet." and giveth him to be the head over
all things, all, A-L-L, all things to the church, which is his body,
the fulness of him that filleth all in all." Nothing outside
of Christ. Christ is all. Somebody may charge
us with preaching too much Christ. I hear people say there are other
things. There's not anything else. You're deceived to think there's
anything. All, you hear these words, all, Christ is all. Listen
to Colossians 3.11. Colossians 3.11. Where there's
neither Greek nor Jew. There's no national lines. Circumcision
on circumcision. There's no party lines. Barbarian,
Scythian, there's no social lines. Bond or free. Whether you're
in jail, whether you're in slavery, whether you're the master, but
Christ is all! He's everything! And in all. Turn to Colossians 1. Now I've
got four or five points. In this message, Christ is all.
He put all things under his feet, giving him to be the head of
all things. All fullness dwelleth in Christ
is all. Now here's the first point. Jesus
Christ is all and in all in this first creation. Colossians 1,
listen to this, verse 14. Colossians 1, 14. In whom we
have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin.
Who is the image of the invisible God, the very exact image of
the invisible God. You want to see God? See Christ.
The firstborn of every creature. He's the beginning of the creation
of God. I don't know what that means,
but that's what John said in Revelation. Jesus Christ is the
beginning of the creation of God. He's the firstborn, the
first begotten of every creature. For by Him were all things created
that are in heaven, earth, visible, invisible, thrones, dominions,
principalities, powers, all things were created by him and for him.
And he's before all things, not only, he's before all things.
You hold that right there and let me, don't turn to this, let
me just read this to you. In Proverbs chapter 8, if you're
taking notes, the scripture, listen to this. When there were
no depths, Christ was brought forth. when there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills Christ was brought forth. While as yet God had not
made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest parts of the
dust of the earth, when he prepared the heavens, Christ was there.
When he set a compass on the face of the when he established
the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when
he gave to the seas his decree that the waters should not pass
his commandment, when he appointed the foundations of the earth,
Christ was by him, as one brought up with him, and Christ was his
delight, rejoicing always before. He's everything. Go back to Colossians
1. He's before all things. Verse
17, and by him all things exist, consist. In other words, he upholdeth
everything by the word of his power. Time is in his hand. The sun
comes up at his command and sets at his command. The breezes blow,
the snow falls, the wind blows, the earth shakes, lightning.
His voice is in the lightning and the thunder. There's nothing
that occurs on the face of this earth or in heaven above or in
the universe that's not under the direct charge and command
of my Lord Jesus Christ. That's right. He disposes of
all things and controls all things. He's the head, verse 18, of the
church, the body, which is the beginning. He's the firstborn
from the dead and in all things He might have the preeminence. Don't you turn to these, let
me just quickly turn to them and show you something here.
Hannah said this, she said the Lord kills the Lord, Jehovah,
my Lord Jesus Christ. He kills, he makes alive. He
brings down to the grave, he brings up. He maketh poor, he
maketh rich. He bringeth low, he lifteth up.
He raiseth the poor out of the dust, lifteth the beggar from
the dumb hill, my Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ disposes
of all creatures and controls all things. Matthew 28, he said,
All authority is given unto me in heaven and earth. He prayed
in John 17, verse 2, Thou hast given me power over all flesh. And I want you to listen to this.
Over here again in Proverbs 8, listen. Counsel is mine and wisdom
I am understanding. I have strength, by me kings
reign, by me princes decree justice, by me princes rule, and nobles,
even by me all the judges of the earth." He has the keys of hell and death
there at his side. And listen to this, I'll have
you turn to this, Hebrews 1. Hebrews 1. God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in time past to the fathers with the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,"
listen, "...whom he hath appointed heir of heaven," no, "...of earth,"
no, "...of a religious community," no sir, "...of all things." He's
the heir of all things, by whom he made the worlds, who being
in the brightness of his glory and the express image of his
person, upholding all things by the word of his power, when
he had by himself purged our sins, sat down triumphantly,
reigning, conquering at the very right hand of the majesty on
high. Almighty God said it in verse
7, or verse 6. And again, Hebrews 1, 6, when
he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he says, and
let all the angels of God worship him. My friends, Jesus Christ
is all in creation, in heaven, in earth, in the seas, and in
all deep places. He reigns and giveth it to whomsoever
he will. Secondly, I'll have you turn
to Ephesians 2. Jesus Christ is all in the new
creation. Now, we believe that we're new
creatures. We've been born again. We've
been begotten from the dead. We've been born again to a living
hope. We're new creatures in Christ
Jesus. And that new creation, in that
new creation, Christ is all. There's nothing of us or from
us or through us makes any contribution to this new creation. Look at
Ephesians 2, verse 8. For by grace have you been saved
through faith, and that not of yourself, faith not of yourself,
it's the gift of God. It's not of works, lest any man
should boast. like the original creation. We
are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. Unto good works, which God hath
before ordained, that we should walk in them. Let me give you
seven thoughts here, quickly and briefly. In this new creation,
Christ is all. That's evident. I've read he's
all in the original creation, the first creation. But in the
new creation, he's all in the covenant. The Word of God says
that he's the surety of the new covenant. The Word of God says
that he brought again from the dead that great shepherd of the
sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant. But let
me show you this. In Hebrews 9, this is very interesting. and very powerful. Hebrews chapter
9. Now what's a covenant? It's a
testament. It's a testament. And immediately
when we think of a testament, we think of a last will and testament.
Someone decrees, someone promises, someone leads to someone that
which is his. It's not his, it's not that person,
it's this person. And this person makes a last
will and testament and leaves it to that person. Now watch
in verse 15 of Hebrews 9. For this cause, you know, we
have nothing, we're poverty stricken, God has everything. And God's
going to give unspeakable gift, unsearchable gift, God's going
to give something to us. Verse 15, for this cause, he
is the mediator of the new covenant, the new testament, that by means
of for the redemption of the transgressions that were under
the first covenant, they which are called, they which are designated,
might receive the promise of eternal life, the gift, the inheritance,
eternal inheritance. But where a testament is, there's
got to be the death of the testator. It does not go into effect. The
covenant, here we are poor. But God, by choice, is our Father. And God, by choice, is going
to make us an heir. And God, by choice, is going
to give us promises and all these promises, but it's ever been
in Christ. He's the surety. He's the head. He's the author and finisher.
He's the testator. And there's one thing specifically
required for me to get what's given to me. He's got to die. And then it becomes mine. Verse 17, For a testament is
a force after men are dead, otherwise it is of no strength at all while
the testator lives. Christ died. Purchased it all. Made us fit, made us sufficient,
made us meet. He's all in the covenant. Well,
I've got to hurry. Second, I said seven things. Second, he's all
in election. Turn to Ephesians 1 again. He's
all in election. Now if you want to study election
and you want to get really into it, you study it from this standpoint. One statement in a little poem
written years ago, Christ be my first elect, God said, and
then chose his people in their head. We were chosen in Christ. You see, God didn't just go around
here and pick us out and then provide Christ. Christ provided
first. Christ is the first select. Christ
is all. God gives it all to him. God
has vested it all in him. And the only way I partake of
it is to be in him. When God blesses him, he's got
to bless me. I'm in him. It's just like this
body here. You get into, you're hot, sweaty,
been out in the garden, working. And you come in and get in a
nice, refreshing shower. Well, it's not just your head
that is blessed, you're blessed all over. What one part of the
body feels, the rest of it feels. If you eat a good meal, from
the top of your head to the sole of your feet, you're rejuvenated.
So when God gives Jesus Christ anything, if I'm in Him, I have
it. But only in Him. You're not going
to bless Christ here and throw me a crumb. He's all in election. Look at Ephesians 1, 3. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,
according as he chose us in Christ, from the foundation of the world,
that we should behold him without blame before him, in love having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Christ. according
to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of
his grace, where he made us accepted in Christ." Verse 7, in Christ
we have redemption, through his blood. Everything in the covenant
is Christ. Everything in election is Christ.
Everything in justification is Christ. Therefore, being justified
by faith, I have peace with God, through my Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 3.25, God set forth Christ
to be a covering, a sin offering, a mercy seat, a propitiation
that God may be just and the justifier of them who believe
in Christ. And then thirdly, Christ is all
in the putting away of sin. He was wounded for my transgression,
bruised for my iniquities, the chastisement of my peace was
upon him by his stripes, and he 1 Peter 3, 18, he suffered
the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. Hebrews
9, 26 says, once in the end of the world hath he appeared to
put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. When he had by himself
purged our sin, not my confession, not my baptism, not my profession,
not my acceptance of Christ, but the The effectual blood of
Christ puts away all sin. Before I ever hear about it,
before I ever know about it, before I ever understand it or
experience it, the blood maketh atonement for the soul. That's
right. He's all in righteousness. Let
me show you this. Turn to Jeremiah chapter 23. This is very interesting. And
this is one place we all have a struggle. We don't feel holy. In fact, we know by ourselves
and in ourselves that we are not holy. And yet who shall stand
in his holy presence? He that hath clean hands and
a pure heart. Righteousness. Without holiness,
no man will see the Lord. There is the struggle that we
have. Well, where are we going to get this holiness, this righteousness? Jeremiah 23, verse 6. Listen. Judah shall be saved, this righteous
branch, this son of David, this king. In his days Judah shall
be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, and this is his name,
whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness. He's
my righteousness, and I hold that. He's my holiness. He's my righteousness. He's my
acceptor. He is. Turn to Jeremiah 33. Jeremiah 33. And his name shall be called
the Lord our righteousness. Look at Jeremiah 33, 16. Here's
almost the same thing. Remember verse 6, Jeremiah 23
said, In his days Judah shall be saved. Verse 15, Jeremiah
33, verse 16, In those days Judah shall be saved. And Jerusalem
shall dwell safely. And this is the name wherewith
she shall be called. the Lord our righteousness." What's his name? The Lord our
righteousness. What's my name? Your name. The Lord our righteousness. That's
right. That's how holy... Someone said
this, with his spotless garments on, I'm as holy as God's Son.
But I have to be for God to accept me. He's my righteousness. All
of it. Yeah, but preacher, you know,
People say that the Lord helps them to help themselves, you
know. Thank God that's not true. Well, you know, He puts away
our sin, but it's up to us to, you know, to please God, to serve
God. Well, I'm glad that's not true.
I'm glad that's not true. I'm glad He's my righteousness
from A to Z. And six, in the sixth place,
He's my acceptance. Hebrews 4, turn to this. I read
a while ago, He hath made us accept in the Beloved, but listen
to this. Hebrews 4. You know, they asked
old John Jasper, they said, when you get to heaven, and they stop
you at the gate, and somebody says, John Jasper, what right
you got to be here? What you gonna say? And he was
a great old black preacher over in Richmond, Virginia during
the Civil War. What right? They're going to
say at Heaven's Gate, John Jasper, what right you got to be here?
Who are you? What you going to say? He said,
I'm going to say I ain't got no right to be here at all. I
ain't got no right to be here. I'm not here on my righteousness.
I'm here on the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Completely. Hebrews 4, listen. Verse 14,
seeing then that we have a great high priest that's passed into
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let's hold fast our profession,
verse 16, and let us come boldly unto the throne of grace that
we may obtain mercy. Why? Because he's there. There's
no reason to come otherwise. It would be a fearful thing to
fall into the hands of a living God. There's no right to come,
there's no reason to come. But seeing he's there, then let's
come boldly and find mercy and grace to help us in our time
of need. And then last, Jesus Christ is all in salvation. Neither
is there salvation in any other, for there's none of the name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. He's
the author and finisher of our faith. And God said he has set
a date in which he's going to judge this world. And I know, I know, I'm sitting
another night thinking about this, I know there are people, and I pray that there's not any
of us here tonight. And he gave evidence of it when
he raised him from the dead. There's your victory. There's
your righteousness, there's your mediator, there's your testator,
there's your intercessor, there's your justification, there's your
sanctification, there's your redemption, there's your holiness.
It ain't here, it's not here, it's not there, it's not in teaching,
preaching, it's not in giving. It's not in going, it's not in
witnessing, it's not in anything these hands can do. In my hands,
God Almighty, no price I bring. Can you say that and mean it? Well, I don't know which I am. It counts for something, doesn't
it? No. I mean, after all, these people
haven't done anything and I've given my life. No. The thief on the cross is evidence
of it. He walked into glory, arm-in-arm
with the Redeemer, and he never did anything for God but curse
him. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. And he'll be there with the same
glory and the same hope as the Apostle Paul, who wrote fourteen
of these epistles in this That's soul might, both mights. In other words, I'm telling you,
Christ is all. And you're complete in Him. And
you can't get better than complete. But without Him, you're not complete.
One man said this, when you speak of a knowledge of God, or a relationship
with God, you've got to understand that in that knowledge and in
that relationship, Jesus Christ is all from the Father, to the
Father, and with the Father. He's all from the Father. He
said, I'm come that you might have life. God sent forth his
Son made of a woman, made under the law to redeem us. He's all
from the Father. Nothing else is coming. No one
else is coming. Secondly, he's all to the Father. I'm the way, the truth, and the
life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. Having boldness, brethren, to
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. And he's all
with the Father. Wherefore the Father hath highly
exalted him, not you, him, and hath given him a name which is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus They're not even going to know
my name up there, but they know His name. At the name of Jesus,
every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He's
Lord to the glory of God the Father. A friend of mine, my
brother Barnard, preaching a meeting one time, and he was invited to a home
for supper. by a lady that was in all the
services. She came to all the services.
Her husband didn't come to any of the services. He wouldn't
attend church at all. But he always welcomed the preachers
to his home. You see, he ran the local tavern. He ran the local beer joint.
And he didn't mind his wife having the preacher for supper. In fact,
he always came and visited with the But he wouldn't come to church.
Brother Barnard was sitting there having dinner in the home, and
there was the husband ahead of the table, and the pastor, and
his wife, and the fellow's wife that owned the tavern. And they
got in a conversation, and the fellow that owned the tavern
said to Brother Barnard, I guess you noticed I'm not in church.
Barnard said, yes, sir, I've noticed that. Appreciate you
inviting us to eat. He said, want to know why I'm
not in church? Barney said, well, if you want to tell me. He said,
I'm not there because every preacher that comes around here tells
me that in order to be saved, I've got to sell my tavern. And
I've got money invested in that tavern. My daddy ran it before
I did, and it's my life business. It's my support. And these preachers
tell me in order to be saved, I've got to sell my tavern. Barnett
said, you don't have to sell your tavern to be saved. He said,
what did you say? He said, I said, you don't have
to sell your tavern to be saved. Would you have told him that?
Most of us wouldn't. He said, I think I'll come hear
you preach. Well, he was there that night. He came that night
with his wife. Do you know that's true? He could
sell that tavern and all the taverns in town, he wouldn't
be saved. You're not saved by doing anything
for God. You're not saved by cleaning
up your life. You're not saved by accepting
Jesus. Did you know that? You're saved by grace. You're
saved by God, salvations of the Lord. It's free. Well, that man came and heard
Brother Barnard preach. And you know something, before
that meeting was over, God saved that man. Brought him to Christ. And he sold his time. Of course he did. Believers not
going to operate a beer joint. But you're not, you can operate
a beer joint and not be a believer and you can preach and not be
a believer. Being a believer got nothing to do with operating
a beer joint. You see what I'm saying? Doesn't make you a believer. Clean up your life all you want
to and you'll just be a Pharisee, you'll be a whited sepulcher.
You'll be full of dead men's bones, and that's what most churches
are full of. They're full of gravestones. But when God gives
you a new heart and a new nature, the outside's cleaned it. That's
right. All right, thirdly, Christ is
all in the old creation. He's all in the new creation.
He's all in the gospel. All in the ministry of the Word.
It's Christ we preach. Paul said that over and over
again. I wish preachers had listened to him. We preach Christ. We
preach Christ. I'm determined not to know anything
among you but Jesus Christ. God forbid that I should glow
or save in the cross of Christ. We preach Christ. In Acts 5, it says, daily in
the temple and in every house they cease not to preach Christ.
Acts 8, 5 says, Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached
Christ. Acts 8, 35, Philip opened his mouth and began at the same
scripture and preached Christ. Acts 10.36, Peter said, the word
which God sent preaching Christ. He's Lord of all. Acts 11, and
when they would come to Antioch, they spake unto the Grecians
preaching Christ. Acts 17.3, Paul said, this Jesus
whom I preach to you is the Christ. Acts 17.18, the philosopher said,
he seems to be a setter forth of strange gods because he preached
Christ. Acts 28, 31 says, and Paul dwelt
two whole years preaching the kingdom of God and teaching those
things which concern Christ. You know, it's Christ who sent
us to preach. He said, you go into all the world and preach
the gospel. It's Christ who gives us the grace and gifts to preach.
Ephesians 3, 8 says, to me is the grace given that I should
preach among the Gentiles the riches of Christ, the unsearchable
riches. This very, I preach Christ, Christ sent me to preach Christ,
and the very gifts and grace I have to preach Christ comes
from Christ. You tired of hearing that word?
But he's all. I'm trying to say he's all. If you're a sage, you don't draw
breath without him. Take Christ away and you have
no gospel. Are you in darkness? Christ is the light. Are you
poor? He's our riches. Are you hungry?
He's our bread. Are you thirsty? He's our water.
Are you blind? He's our sight. Are you sick?
He healeth all our diseases. Are you in trouble? He's our
peace. Are you in prison? He sets the captive free. Are
you lost? He came to save the lost. Are
you a sinner? He's a friend of sinners. I want to tell the boys and girls
a story. It used to be they had one in
Chattanooga where I pastored, and they had one in Louisville
I knew about, and one in Chicago that was quite famous. Rescue
missions back in the days of depression, back when people
were walking the streets dirty, hungry, and tired, and weary.
And there was a man who ran a rescue mission that put out a little
flower, just a little card, And only, he says, are you weary?
Are you hungry? Are you sick? Are you lost? All
you need is John verse 16. And he put Reverend Joseph and
an address in this city. And there was a man, he ran a
little rescue mission. And there was a bum, a beggar,
out on the street one night. It was so cold and wet. He was so weary and dirty and
hungry and he crawled up in a little doorway and the wind was blowing
and the dust was blowing all around him and he scooched up
there in that doorway and pulled his coat up around his neck and
a piece of paper blew in and it was one of these little flyers.
Are you cold? Are you weary? Are you hungry?
All you need is John 3, 16 with that address. He stuck it in
his pocket, and he went hunting that place in the city. And he
found it. There was a light on inside,
it was late at night and dark, and he knocked on the door. And
Reverend Joseph came to the door, and he said, uh, I'm cold, and
I'm weary, and I'm hungry. And this says all I need is John
3.60. Come in, come in. Brought him in. He said, now
you go over there, it had a big fire going over there, open fire
over there in the fireplace. He said, you go over there and
sit in front of that fireplace. You look cold. He said, what
about this John 3, 16? He said, no, we'll talk about
that later. You go get warm. I'm going to fix you a hot bath.
You're dirty and tired and weary. He said, you just sit there.
So he sat over there and Mr. Joseph left. He's warming his
hands. He said, boy, That John 316 must be something
to warm an old, cold bum like me. That's why the man came down
and said, come on upstairs now. I got you a hot bath. So he went
up there and he said, take off those old dirty clothes and throw
them over in the corner. I got you some nice clean pajamas
and a bathrobe and here's some house slippers. Throw those old
clothes away and I'll go down and be fishing you something
to eat. He said, what about this John 316? He said, talk about
that later. So he crawled in that tub of
hot water and just slid down and soaked. And he thought to
himself, boy, that John 3, 16 must be something to clean up
an old dirty bum like me. And after he got all cleaned
up and put his bathrobe on, his house slippers and those new
pajamas, he came downstairs, his hair slipped back, and there
was a meal you couldn't believe. And the man, Mr. Jober, pulled
the chair and said, have a seat. and eat all you want." He said,
what about that John 3, 16? He said, we'll get to that later.
He sat there and ate, and Mr. Joseph said, I'm going up and
fix your bed. Now you just eat and then you
can go rest. And he ate all, he thought, well, there must
be, this John 3, 16 must be something to warm an old cold bum and to
clean an old dirty bum and to fill up and feed an old dirty
bum. hungry bum. Well, to make a long
story short, Mr. Joseph took him up, and he got
in bed, and Mr. Joseph stood by the door, and
he lay there in that nice, soft, clean sheet. And Mr. Joseph left, and he thought,
boy, that John 360 must be something to rest an old bum like me. Next day, Mr. Joseph told him
all about the Savior. But my friends, that's where my heart's warmed,
and that's where my soul's cleansed, and that's where my soul is fed,
and that's where I find my rest in Christ Jesus. God so loved
this sinner that he gave his only begotten Son. that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Let
me close. Christ is all-fourthly in the
worship of God and the ordinances. We're going to baptize in a moment,
but this ordinance sets forth the death, burial, and resurrection
of Christ. We meet here around the Lord's
table, but it's his broken body and his shed blood that we commemorate. Brother Jim led us in prayer.
We ask in his name. We pray by the help of his spirit.
He's the mediator that makes our prayers acceptable. And every
gift God gives as a result of prayer comes through him. He's
all in the ordinances. And Christ is all in every grace. A man can receive nothing except
it be given him from the Lord. Who maketh he to differ? Paul
said, I labored more abundantly than you all, yet not I, but
the grace of Christ which dwells in me. My conclusion. Then if Jesus Christ is all to
me, I mean literally, conclusively, unchangeably, experimentally,
if he's all to me, then the loss of anything in this world for
his sake is no loss at all. Huh? Come on. Is he all? Paul said, I count all things
but loss for the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Secondly, if Jesus
Christ is all to me, then I can say with Jacob, I have everything. I'll give you an assignment.
In Genesis 33, verse 8 through 11, Jacob met Esau. Jacob met Esau, and he had a
gift for him, remember? And Esau said, no, I'm not going
to take the gift. I have enough. Check that word. When Esau said, I have enough,
he said, I have plenty. That's what he said. Check the
word, and I checked it again tonight. This is true in Hebrew.
That word is, when he said, I have enough, when Esau said, I have
enough, Esau said, I have plenty. But Jacob turned to him and said,
take it. I have enough, and that word
is, you know what it is? All, everything. Esau could say, I have plenty. Jacob would say, I have everything,
because I have Christ. There's a difference. There's
a difference. You'll note the difference if
you'll check that Genesis 33, 11, I have enough. There are
a lot of people in the world out yonder tonight who have enough.
They have plenty. But it's going to burn. I have everything. Everything. All right, if Christ is all,
to me, if he's all, literally, actually all, then the pleasures
of this world, the profits, the honors, are not going to interest
me. Paul said this, I want you to
turn to this, Philippians 4. This will be worth your while.
Philippians 4, verse 11. Let's look at it. I didn't get
to preach but once today, so I'm going to put it all in one
sermon. Philippians 4, verse 11. Listen. Not that I speak
in respect of want, for I have learned in what service state
I am to be content. I know both how to be abased,
I know how to do without, and I know how to abound, I know
how to have plenty. Everywhere and in all things
I'm instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound
and to suffer need. But I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me. I can do without because I have
everything, I have Him. That's right. And then if Christ
is all to me, when death comes, and I stand, as I said a while
ago, before the tribunal of God, I don't have to plead anything
but Christ. I don't have to make any excuses
or alibis or anything. I just say Christ is my all. The moon and the stars shall
lose their light. The sun shall sink in endless
night. Heaven and earth shall pass away,
the works of nature shall all decay, but they to whom Christ
is all, though lost and ruined by the fall, shall see these
dangers overpass and stand the storm and live at last. For what
Christ said must be fulfilled, and on this firm rock believers
build. His blood shall stand, His truth
prevail, and not one word or promise fail. You know what I
believe? Christ is all. I ain't just preaching
that, I believe that.

Christ Is All and In All

What does the Bible say about Christ being the resurrection and the life?

How do we know that Christ is all and in all?

Why is understanding Christ's role in salvation important for Christians?

What does it mean that Christ is all in the new creation?

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Christ Is All and In All

What does the Bible say about Christ being the resurrection and the life?

How do we know that Christ is all and in all?

Why is understanding Christ's role in salvation important for Christians?

What does it mean that Christ is all in the new creation?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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