INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• Last week as we examined verse eight of chapter two of Colossians we spent much time talking about spiritual abduction.
• In the conclusion of that message I suggested a way the Bible teaches us to be able to keep from falling prey to the empty deceptive philosophy of the world, which when we take the bait of bad philosophy we end up in captivity.
• I shared 2 Corinthians 10:5 which states…
• SLIDE #2
• 2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV)We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
• This verse is our best protection against falling for deceptive empty philosophies.
• Now here is the question, “How can we do this?”
• Being able to take your very thoughts captive to obey Jesus is not easy because our personal desires have a tendency to block out what God desires for us.
• Today I am going to suggest something that will make the process of taking everything thought captive to obey Christ something that is obtainable.
• The way we can achieve being able to take every thought captive to obey Christ is through an attitude adjustment.
• I am not talking about God whacking you with lightening or with the KJV Bible.
• What I am suggesting is that we strive to shift the holy trinity from “ME, MYSELF, and I” to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
• When we look at life it is so easy to believe it is all about me, my happiness, my way, my will, my desires, etc…
• In we should develop and attitude that says, It’s All About Jesus.
• Today we are going to see why our hearts and minds ought to embrace this new philosophy of life.
• If this becomes our philosophy of life then we can TRUST Jesus to the level to be able to TRUST Him with our thoughts therefore resulting in becoming more like Him!
• Let’s begin by looking at Colossians 2:9
• SLIDE #3
• Colossians 2:9 (ESV) For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
• It’s ALL ABOUT JESUS BECAUSE…
• SLIDE #4
SERMON
I. In Him the fullness of deity dwells.
• One of the issues we struggle with is the ability to fully grasp who Jesus is.
• I know we can SAY Jesus is Lord, that He is God, that He is God’s son, BUT are we able to really grasp the concept?
• I know we read the Bible, I know we come to church, but even though we do those great things, do we really understand WHO Jesus is?
• I believe WHEN we do get a handle on WHO Jesus is, that He is God, that He is ALIVE, that He does know us, it will change the way we live life itself.
• Let me dive deeper, if I KNOW that Jesus knows what I am thinking, I will work on trying to purify my mind.
• IF I know Jesus knows my heart, I will try to change my heart.
• IF I know Jesus sees what I do, I will try to change what I do.
• IF I know these things, then I will not try to fool people because I KNOW I cannot fool God!
• I want to be careful with this point because it is not meant to use you as a punching bag, but rather to get us to think deeper about our relationship with Jesus, to take Him even more seriously.
• When we do this we will find peace, contentment, and purpose in life!
• Our passage tells us it should be all about Jesus because in JESUS, the FULLNESS OF DEITY DWELLS IN BODILY FORM.
• Translation, when people were looking at Jesus, they were looking at God!
• SLIDE #5
• John 1:14 (ESV) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• Jesus said of Himself…
• SLIDE #6
• John 12:44–45 (ESV) And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.
• “Fullness” means that in every sense of the word, Jesus was God. Jesus was not just some man who did good things, He was not just some good teacher, He was God in the flesh and now He is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven!
• Since “dwells” is in the present tense it indicates the risen Christ is still the fullness of deity as savior, as he was upon earth. The significance of the incarnation (Him coming to be born of a woman) continues.
• The Hebrew writer hits the nail on the head in the opening verses of Hebrews.
• SLIDE #7
• Hebrews 1:1–3 (ESV) Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
• Awesome!
• Since the fullness of deity rests in Christ, then the benefits of His saving grace can be found nowhere else!
• This is why Jesus can tell us that He is THE way, THE Truth, THE life and that no can go to the Father except through Him!
• In Him you will find God. People search for God in all the wrong places, God is found in Christ alone!
• We are not worshipping some fairytale we are worshipping Jesus who is God! He is real and alive and well!
• Let’s look at verse 10
• SLIDE #8
• Colossians 2:10 (ESV) and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
• It’s ALL ABOUT JESUS BECAUSE…
• SLIDE #9
II. In Him you have been filled.
• Simple thought. If you are filled, are you empty? If you fuel tank is filled, is it empty?
• Silly questions but they prove a point.
• Notice verse ten says you have been filled IN HIM.
• Another proper way to translate the word FILLED is to translate it COMPLETE.
• The NASB says in verse 10, “in Him you have been made complete”
• Think about this, in HIM, you are MADE COMPLETE, you have been FILLED. The verb tense indicates this completeness or filling is a one-time past act with continuing results.
• That one-time past act is when we placed our faith in Jesus to the point where we confessed Him as Lord, and repented of our sins and were immersed into Him.
• SLIDE # 10
• Galatians 3:27 (ESV) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
• When we are IN CHRIST, we lack NOTHING; in Him we have everything necessary for life and godliness!
• SLIDE #11
• 2 Peter 1:3 (ESV) His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
• In Christ we are not empty; life is not void of meaning. If we are in that position we need to reclaim the fullness that Jesus gives us!
• The Life Application Bible states: It means that there is nothing lacking in a believer’s relationship with God. God pours his love and power into believers, giving them fullness for this life and readying them for the life to come. Believers need not look anywhere else. Christ is the unique source of knowledge and power for the Christian life. Christ alone holds the answers to the true meaning of life because he is life. (LAB)
• Look around you. People are searching for something to give their lives a boost.
• Few people seem content within themselves.
• A strange and often hard-to-identify inner vacuum gives most people an uneasy sense of incompleteness.
• But Christ fills the vacuum. As Jesus’ person is fully divine, so we, united by faith to Jesus, find personal fulfillment in him. We are complete in Christ.
• Let’s examine verse 11!
• SLIDE #12
• Colossians 2:11 (ESV) In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
• It’s ALL ABOUT JESUS BECAUSE…
• SLIDE #13
III. In Him you are new!
• What is all this circumcision talk in this verse?
• In the Old Testament, Jewish males were circumcised as a sign of the Jews’ covenant with God. (Genesis 17:9-14)
• Circumcision in the Old Testament was an expression of Israel’s national identity with God and was a requirement for all Jewish males.
• Circumcision was a physical reminder of the nation’s heritage, identity, and privileged status before God.
• Circumcision symbolized the “cutting off’ of the old life of sin and a dedication of oneself to God. Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4; and Ezekiel 44:7 illustrate these points.
• Verse 11 of our text tells us that In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
• The phrase in verse 11 translated PUTTING OFF is a vivid picture of what happens when we are in Christ. The phrase paints the picture of the taking off of clothing and then putting them away.
• It denotes a total breaking away from something.
• In other words when you take off your clothing, you are no longer wearing those items any longer.
• If we are going to experience the fullness of Christ, we must “take off” the old way of life.
• This is why 2 Corinthians 5:17 is true.
• SLIDE #14
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
• You can be NEW because Jesus takes the old life and tosses it away! Part of living for Jesus is not falling into the temptation to try to put back on the clothing Jesus put away!
• Let’s conclude with verse 12
• SLIDE #15
• Colossians 2:12 (ESV) having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
• It’s ALL ABOUT JESUS BECAUSE…
• SLIDE #16
IV. In Him you have been buried and raised.
• We are a new creation because in Christ we are buried and raised with Him in baptism!
• When we are immersed, we “put on” Christ. We take off the old suit of clothing and cloth ourselves with Christ.
• The clothing change, going back to the previous thought takes place at baptism.
• The NASB translation of Galatians 3:27 points this out.
• SLIDE #17
• Galatians 3:27 (NASB) 27For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
• By the way, this is why baptism is a significant PART of the salvation process.
• SLIDE #18
• Romans 6:3 (ESV) Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
• The great thing about being buried with Jesus is we are raised with Him also! WE are raised to a resurrection of life through Him!
• God did not leave you in the watery grave; you were raised up with Christ!
• Christ arose from the dead the possessor of a new eternal life for us, when we are in Christ, or clothed with Christ, we receive this as part of the blessings we receive from God.
• Notice though that baptism without faith has no effect. The passage says we are raised up with Him through faith in the working of God.
• Faith in the risen Savior is required before baptism is effective, then and only then does it become a spiritual experience.
CONCLUSION
• We can trust Jesus to the point of taking all of our thoughts captive to the obedience of Him when we realize it is all about Him!
• Next week we will look at why being buried and raised with Jesus is such an awesome blessing!
