[0:00] Is Jesus your all. Hallelujah.! Love that song. And a very fitting song for the message this morning.
[0:12] ! The message this morning. Turn to Colossians chapter 2. And I think the title for this would be We Are Complete in Christ.
[0:30] And we'll be looking at that. And, you know, we will also be looking at some false things.
[0:46] But Jesus warned us in Matthew 24. In other places also we find warnings about deception.
[0:58] In Matthew 24 he says, And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And later, There shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect.
[1:28] This morning what I want to look at is Jesus. Yes, he is our all in all. We are complete in him.
[1:40] But our enemy, the devil, he brings many options. There are many false Christs and false prophets bringing other ways, bringing other ideas, bringing other paths to walk in.
[1:56] But if we are in Christ, we are complete in him. And we just need to block out all those other voices and all those other ways.
[2:16] You know, you know, Satan has always tried to devise another way.
[2:30] There's only one name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. But Satan has come up with many options over the years, over the centuries.
[2:45] He's come up with many options. And today I believe there are many voices trying to draw us aside, trying to delude what God has done, trying to discredit our Lord Jesus.
[3:07] And, you know, there's two very prevalent things, I believe, in the religious world today.
[3:21] One is that, you know, like Jude says, we turn the grace of God into lasciviousness and people live their lives however they please and claim that, and claim to be living in the grace of God.
[3:39] God. And then the other ditch is that we add to the grace of God and we add law, you know, and, and, and, I appreciate very much what Brother Merlin had to bring this morning.
[3:55] But talking about the Apostle Paul and the things that he wrote and the things that he taught, I believe there's probably no one that better understood the, the trap that the law brings.
[4:13] Now, today we might say, well, you know, we are not tempted with going back into the old ceremonial law. But, I believe that we can use many other things, many things that we're acquainted with today can take its place and can be used, you know, whenever we bring something to try to, to, to make ourselves better in our own strength, to make, to, to help us be accepted in the sight of God.
[4:53] You know, the things that we do in our own strength, in our own flesh, to try to be pleasing to God, they're a failure.
[5:06] The only thing that is pleasing in the sight of God is Jesus. That's the only person that is pleasing to God. And it is only as we are in Christ, like Ephesians says, we are accepted in the beloved.
[5:23] We are only accepted because we are in Christ. He is our salvation. He is the only way to God.
[5:35] He is the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. And, and so today as we look at this, in Colossians, I just want to pick out this verse to start with.
[5:55] And ye are, well, verse 9, for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.
[6:10] So as we are born again and we are in Christ, that is how we become complete. All provisions of God are in Christ.
[6:25] You do not need anything outside of him to live this Christian life. And I'm not separating Christ from the Holy Ghost either because Jesus is the one that baptizes in the Holy Ghost.
[6:43] And so it is only as we are in Christ that we can have the Holy Ghost and that we can receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. All the provisions of God are in Christ.
[6:59] And as we are in Christ, we are complete in him. Now we'll be talking some about, you know, the Bible has in many places talks about the mystery, the mystery of God.
[7:17] And Merlin read this, but we'll look at it. We'll just read it again. In chapter 1, verse 26, even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
[7:49] You know, it is such a mystery to the principalities and the powers that are out there. It is such a mystery to the lost world outside of Christ is how the church can have Christ in us, Christ in me.
[8:10] And that is the hope of glory. And as we have Christ in us and we are in Christ, oh, hallelujah, we are complete in him.
[8:22] Now he says here, let's read verse 28, whom we preach, we preach Christ Jesus, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
[8:40] You know, when we are in Christ, you know, that's just the beginning when we're born again. That's just the beginning of our walk with him.
[8:52] But, you know, and it's not a contradiction here. What he says, he says, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
[9:10] The apostle Paul, his goal in life was to help the church of Jesus Christ to become that perfect man, to become perfect in Christ Jesus.
[9:26] The Amplified says here, where he says, and teaching every man in all wisdom. The Amplified says the comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God.
[9:45] He gives us wisdom. He gives us comprehensive insight into the ways and the purposes of God.
[9:56] You know, what Merlin was talking about, was the purposes of God working in our lives. That's one of the things he was talking about this morning.
[10:07] And have we given ourselves surrendered to God and surrendered to the righteous processes of him, that he works in our lives to make us and to mold us and to form us into what he would have us to be.
[10:26] Now, let's just start reading in verse 1 here in Colossians chapter 2. For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh that their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
[11:10] And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. 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.
[11:30] As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
[11:46] Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ.
[12:00] For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and ye are complete in him which is the head of all principality and power in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
[12:27] Buried with him in baptism wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead and you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him having forgiven you all trespasses blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to his cross and having spoiled principalities and powers he made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it.
[13:11] Now let's look at this. You know he goes through this and we won't necessarily look at it in order but notice here he talks about in verse 11 12 13 talks about being born again putting off the body of sins he compares this with circumcision and cutting away the foreskin and so the spiritual circumcision cutting away that old man of flesh cutting him off and burying him in baptism he is buried but then we arise in newness of life the life of our Lord Jesus Christ this notice what he says here in verse 12 ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who has raised him from the dead it is as we have as we put our faith in Christ as we put our faith in Christ and we believe that yes that he died and rose again the very spirit that raised
[14:40] Christ Jesus from the dead he will now come and raise us a new man in Christ Jesus he says we were dead in our sins but now he has quickened us together and he has forgiven us all our trespasses and all that long that long list that was that was standing against us it's blotted out it's nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ he paid the penalty he shed his blood you know you know there's only one penalty there's only one payment that can pay for sin and that's blood and Jesus shed his blood for us he nailed it to the cross yes despising the shame and now he's seated at the right hand of the father now verse 15 he says when he rose again he spoiled principalities and powers he made a show of them openly triumphing over them he he disarmed the enemy that's what this means is
[16:11] Jesus defeated the enemy he disarmed him you know Satan comes as a roaring lion and he'll come at times and he'll roar right in your face but Jesus has disarmed him you can be victorious over him Jesus defeated the devil and as we are in Christ we can be victorious over him now let's go back the mystery you know I want to read this verse in Timothy says in 1st Timothy 316 he says there and without controversy great is the mystery of godliness great is the mystery of godliness and here it is
[17:13] God was manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit seen of angels preached unto the gentiles believed on in the world received up into glory our lord jesus yes but this is the mystery that god was manifested in flesh through our lord jesus that he came in this way and now after he's after he's ascended to the father he sent the comforter which lives and dwells within us hallelujah such a mystery and we cannot explain it but we believe it by faith right we believe it by faith the mystery of god and okay in verse 2 he talks about the mystery of god the acknowledgement of the mystery of god and of the father and of christ in whom verse 3 are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge you know in our lord jesus all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge it is all in him and that is where we will find it we will not find it out there in some seminary we will not find it in in in all of those other things but it is as we seek christ and as we draw nigh to him then we will find the treasures of wisdom and knowledge we will find the treasures of eternal life and it is it is our enemy's goal is to is to draw us away from the simplicity of the gospel and and to to lead us off into some other way now he warns us in verse four he says lest any man should beguile you with enticing words with enticing words and you know this is you know we're warned in many other places as well about this and I just want to look at one in
[19:41] Ephesians and in chapter four he warns us here he says he's talking about the church here and and verse 13 till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the of the knowledge of the son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ you know this is what this is the goal is to bring us more and more into the image of Christ until we come to this place that we are that we are a perfect man and we are that when God looks at us he sees Jesus verse 14 that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine you know we hear many winds of doctrines and many things that they might sound good they might sound spiritual you know many times false doctrine will present itself as a super spiritual person but what is it really is it something drawing us away is it something that wants to take us away from the completeness in Christ are they trying to add something to Christ every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive those false prophets those false teachers they lie in wait to deceive they're conniving how can we how can we turn this man aside how can we get this how can they get us to follow them that's that's a lot of times the long and the short of it but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even
[22:11] Christ from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies according to the effectual working in the measure of every part make it increase of the body into the edifying of itself in love you know we won't spend a lot of time talking about this but but this is is the local body compacted together and joined a fitly joined together yes edifying of itself in love but let's go back to Colossians lest any man beguile you with enticing words you know isn't this well we'll continue on he doesn't stop with this but that is so many times the way the enemy comes trying to make his way sound better than the way of
[23:18] Christ verse five though I be absent of the flesh yet am I with you in the spirit joying and beholding your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him how did we receive Christ then we come to him in faith in humility believing that he is the answer to our need believing that as we come to him and confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and as we put our faith in him he cleanses us and he gives us a new life in Christ rooted and built up in him established in the faith yes established in him as we've been taught now verse eight be aware now here comes another warning be aware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men after the rudiments of the world and not after
[24:48] Christ for in Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and we are complete in him you know what is he talking about what is he warning us of I believe if we if we think a little bit of all the things that we've heard and and that we hear constantly a steady bombardment of false doctrine a steady bombardment of the philosophies of men and we need discernment to know what is of God and what is not but many times many times these false teachings they will in the end they will exalt man and not Christ they will exalt a man and you know I've seen it I've seen this that you know so a man comes and and he he helps someone supposedly get through to victory and everything looks and sounds good but somehow the person that he helped through to victory is how will
[26:09] I say his only victory is his connection with the false prophet this false prophet has to come back and help him to victory and keep him going and help him on listen it's not in us but it's in Christ and as we help other people we point them to Christ salvation is not of me but it is of Christ and this morning I point you to Christ he is the answer to our every need he is the answer to to whatever situation you find yourself in I can try to help you yes but ultimately the answer is in Christ Jesus philosophy in vain deceit intellectualism the ideas of men good sounding ideas disregarding
[27:19] Christ and his teachings you know I've had people tell me well what you're saying it's too simple it doesn't work that way and that's why they need counseling that's why they need all the all the counselors out there it's because they're not willing to come to Christ they're not willing to surrender to the Lord Jesus they're not willing to allow Jesus to have his way you know if if we can see that we are complete in Christ and in him is the fullness of the
[28:19] Godhead bodily in him is all the wisdom and knowledge of God in him is the answer for our every need and as we trust in him we can experience that he will bring it to our life yes how is that the apostle Paul he prayed for the Ephesians what was that he said to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God if we are filled with all the fullness of God what more do we need hallelujah amen and
[29:21] Jesus he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us you know he is able if we do not hinder him with unbelief he is able he is able to meet our need he is able to meet us where we are at and to take us on we are complete in our Lord Jesus we find everything for life and godliness in him what is that verse in believe it's in Timothy says that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works yes it is all in him the fullness of the
[30:26] Godhead bodily yes everything we need everything for our victory is in the Lord Jesus John 1 16 says of his fullness we have received grace upon grace abundant grace grace upon grace you know there's abundant grace available if we will enter in by faith it is the only way it is the only way to to receive this grace you know what is that verse Romans 5 verse 1 let's read that he says therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God we are justified by faith and we have access by faith into the grace of
[31:41] God oh hallelujah and as we stand in that place we are complete in him we are complete in the Lord Jesus you know like I said before the apostle Paul he he addressed the issues of his day and the issues of one of the issues of his day was people going back to live under the law going back and you know the grace of Christ is not sufficient by itself but we we need this we need that we need to we need to uphold this and and all of that you know
[32:50] I I want to look at I think I want to look at Galatians 3 for a little bit and we'll clarify some of that like I said before I believe that you know maybe it's not so much today that people will come and try to tell us that we have to keep the Old Testament we have that too but there's other ways there's other ways that people come trying to what is that verse they spy out our liberty in Christ and the enemy tries to bring a snare to lead us astray in
[33:55] Galatians chapter 3 for as many as are in verse 10 as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is everyone that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them you know and we still have this today that that people will come and say if you do not do this then you're under a curse if you do not do that then you're under a curse but let's just look at this verse 11 but that no man is justified by law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith and this is a quote out of the Old Testament the just shall live by faith yes and today we will live by faith or we will not be justified in the sight of
[35:02] God the law is not of faith but the man that do with them shall live in them verse 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law Christ has redeemed us from that curse let's just read the rest of it being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith you know last Sunday we talked about how Jesus brought in the new covenant and when he brought in the new covenant the old was old and it vanished away it was replaced it was replaced when
[36:05] Jesus when Jesus body was broken and his blood was shed and he gave his life he brought in the new covenant Jesus took that curse you know cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree and they hung Jesus on the tree and he took that curse he took those curses of the old covenant and he took them away he took them that we do not need to take them we are now under the new covenant and those curses are removed they have no power over us but today that the blessing of Abraham what is the blessing of Abraham notice what he says here that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith that's Christ in us the hope of glory the spirit of
[37:08] Christ has come upon us dwells within us because we're a new creation in Christ Jesus Jesus became a curse for us and thereby removed it from us and now we can by faith we can enter into the blessing of Abraham which is the spirit of God living within us yes Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law if we can along with the apostle say here in chapter 2 verse 20 here in Galatians I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of
[38:10] God who loved me and gave himself for me is that our testimony that is our testimony and we are set free from the curse of the law we are set free from the snares of the enemy and we can overcome the enemy when he comes against us with whatever he comes against us he says I do not frustrate the grace of God for if righteousness come by the law then Christ is dead in vain you know if you can do something to become righteous in your own strength then Christ died in vain but we can't and adding other things to Christ will not add to our salvation if anything it will lead us astray and hinder us take us away from lead us away from
[39:15] Christ human tendency is to try to figure out its own way human tendency is to try to live this life on our own strength the carnal mind tries to be acceptable to God but God says it can't be it can never be acceptable to him only what is of Christ is accepted Ephesians 1 6 says we are accepted in the beloved that is the only way that we are accepted that is the only reason that God accepts you is because you are in Christ Jesus and that is sufficient that is all we need is to abide in the Lord Jesus we are complete in him the law is very appealing to the flesh man because it is something that he can do he can try to do it he can try to keep it he can try to live it but he will always fail we saw that last
[40:38] Sunday Romans says the law was weak in that it depended on the flesh and today whatever whatever that men bring your way that depends on your performance is a failure it's a failure because we are complete in him and only are we complete by staying in our Lord Jesus there's many counterfeits that the enemy brings many counterfeits many ways that he brings to try to dilute Christ to try to to to dilute what he has done his provisions his way but they will all fail they will all fail Jesus defeated the enemy Jesus like we read Jesus disarmed the enemy he disarmed him and so you know when he comes and he roars at you and it looks so impossible just remember as you stand in faith he's defeated because you're under the blood of
[42:03] Jesus we must beware of deception yes like we read here he was he was warning us he says beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit beware beware because it will come you will hear it misinterpretation of the scripture you know there's many people that will bring the word of God they will bring the Bible but they will misinterpret it they will wrongly apply scripture and try to lead you astray it's by design the enemy will do that why because he hates
[43:09] Christ he knows he's defeated he knows his day is coming when he will go to hell for forever and he wants to take as many along as he can do not be swayed by cunning men trying to lead us astray we must be aware of deception but Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law and Christ today is seated at the right hand of the father interceding for us as we abide in him we are complete in our Lord Jesus we are complete in him in him in him we are complete he is the head of all principality and power all things are under his feet hallelujah so let us live our life in
[44:24] Christ Jesus in Christ Jesus you know let me see religion's natural tendency is to revert to law trying to meet God's requirements with our own efforts and get this trying to find to find a way to be pleasing to God that bypasses the cross you know that is what our old flesh desires is a way to bypass the cross but he's very clear here that that is how we enter in to Christ Jesus that is how we have that new life that is how we enter into Christ is to be buried with him our old man crucified with Christ like Romans says you know there's there's these verses in
[45:30] Romans 10 Romans 10 where I believe this is very much people are still very much trying to do this in our day but here he's talking about Israel and how they how they tried to establish their own righteousness in verse in 10 chapter 10 verse 3 he says I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge a zeal of God you know many people today they have they have a zeal of God and like what is that verse it says they have a form of godliness but they deny the power thereof he says from such turn away but here we have a people they have a zeal for God and and says they're ignorant of God's righteousness and they go about to establish their own righteousness and in doing that in trying to establish their own righteousness they fail to submit themselves unto the righteousness of God you know we have no hope to establish our own righteousness
[47:04] I I hope I've repeated that often enough this morning we have no hope to do that to accomplish that and that is what he's talking about here again and for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth Christ is our righteousness Christ is the one that makes us righteous it is as we abide in him that we are accepted in the sight of God oh yes I think we will stop with that but let us remember Jesus Christ is made to me all I need we sing that song but might it be a reality to us might it be a reality to us that
[48:15] Jesus is all we need as we abide in him he he is our life as we abide in him we are accepted before God because we are in him and that is the only way to God Jesus is our only hope he is the only way but we are complete in him we need add nothing we we do not need to add to add anything to be right in the sight of God to be holy in his sight but we need Jesus and him alone may the Lord bless as