"His Lordship Is ENOUGH! HE"S Got It Covered..."
JESUS IS Enough - Part Two
Colossians 1:13-29
Question; How do you like going out to eat? I sure do? Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to eat at Checkers - not the hamburger stand; but the seafood restaurant...near Perimeter Mall.... When we drove up to the place - it was one of those places where they park your car...
I think we all were in shorts and sandals and we were the only ones in the restaurant with kids... We had a blast - the food was great! I had crab cakes... The menu said Maryland Crab Cakes - Now, I grew up in Maryland and haven’t lived their for 22 years... And I’ve been to a lot of places that say they have "Maryland Style" crab cakes... And they haven’t even come close. So I said to the waiter, "Hey, I’m from Maryland - best seafood around - are these really Maryland crab cakes..." He said (he was from Maryland too) - "no, but there pretty close..."
And they were pretty good - but their were just two... Now, when my mom makes them home made - I usually force myself to stop somewhere around at 4 or 5 of those bad boys. So though they were good at Checkers, they weren’t enough - they left me wanting more - in fact, we left from there a got a couple scoops of Rockey Road ice cream on the way home....
You know, most things in life are like that - though they may be good; they just aren’t enough to ‘really’ satisfy you. And you usually find yourself driving to someone pr someplace else to trying to get some more.
This is our second week in a study of the book of Colossians; a series we are calling; Jesus is Enough!!!! Do you believe that?
Listen; if you ‘really’ come and sit at His table.... You will find that Jesus is Enough!! He is more than enough!!!!
Last week talked about How His Grace Is Enough!!! His grace is enough to:
Free us from our sins
Rescue us from danger
Brush away our tears
Reconcile us to God
Remember I said last week; that Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians Christians to let them know that Jesus is enough... And the reason that he did that was because people in their time; like people in our time - were telling them that Jesus was NOT enough... They were telling them that they needed Jesus PLUS - something else....
These false teachers were threatening to destroy the church. They were teaching people that Christians can not be complete in Christ -- They were telling them that they needed more than Jesus.
And though they were not denying that Jesus had some importance, They were in reality; dethroning Him and denying His preeminence.
Things haven’t changed much in 2,000 years -- there are still many (J.W.; Judiasm, Islam, Mormons, New Age) there are still many groups who make the same core claims.... They say that Jesus was a great guy, an enlightened teacher who said many great things, some even admit that He was a prophet of God, but he was not, they categorically claim, God incarnate-- He was a good man - But still, just a man.
They put Jesus on the same level as Buddha, Mohammed, Michael the arch angel or a spiritual guide....
Paul, who at one time, denied CHRIST and fervently persecuted the Church -- but who had met the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, was now convinced beyond all doubt as to who Jesus is, AND PAUL with great boldness and clarity lets His readers know in no uncertain terms, that Jesus Christ is as he says in verse 18 of chapter one "SUPREME (PREEMINENT) IN ALL THINGS." He is LORD of all.
Today as we look at verses 13-29, we will see the great apostle Paul reminding us of who Christ is -- HE IS SAVIOR, CREATOR, GOD. And He is the CHURCH
CHRIST IS SAVIOR [1:13,14; 20 -23]
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins..." (13,14)
Mans greatest problem is that he is a sinner -- it is a problem that he can not solve himself, AND IT IS A Problem that can not be solved by some worldly philosophy, a religious teacher or Guru.
What man needs is a Savior... And Paul in these verses tells us about what Christ does for us, as our Savior... In verses 13 and 14 we see 3 saving acts of Christ vividly described.
Notice in these verses, that Paul uses the words "us and we" and not "you" -- this is because Paul, is talking about salvation experientially -- YOU SEE, he too has been saved by Christ.
First of all Pauls says that;
Christ Has Rescued Us
The word used here, implies to be rescued from Danger. Back during the earthquake that hit California in the early 90’s. I remember watching the news coverage of the tragedy. I saw many rescues being made. One was a rescue made at an apartment complex in Reseda called Northridge Meadows where part of a 3 story apartment building -- became a 2 story apartment building as the 2nd and 3rd floor collapsed on to the first floor. This building was where nearly half of all the people killed in the earthquake were when the deadly event occurred.
While watching the coverage the cameras showed several rescuers pulling a man from within the debris and ruble of that apartment building, as the crowd that was gathered applauded his rescue.
The man has been laying near death for over 5 hours, he was trapped inside, helpless -- He needed someone to rescue him.... He was powerless to help himself.... There was nothing that he could do but pray & hope... And if no one came to his rescue certain death awaited him.
Paul says that Jesus has rescued us, Christ has rescued the Christian from the dominion of darkness. The tense of the Greek verb indicates (aorist) a one time event in the past and not a continuous action. There was a time when the Christian like the man in Reseda was trap under a collapsing building of sin.... powerless to save themselves.. with certain death just up a head.
And there was also a time, when we responded to Christ in faith AND were then pulled out by His blood, from the ruins of sin. We needed a Savior to rescue us and Jesus Christ has.
And NOT only has He rescued us;
HE HAS TRANSPORTED US
After the rescuers rescued the man from the crumbling building in California, what did they do with him? Leave him laying on the ground?
No!! They transported him to a place where he could receive the medical treatment he needed.
In like manner, when God rescued us from the dominion of darkness, When He freed us from the power of sin and Satan... He did not just leave us, lying on the ground, Nor did he leave us to wander aimlessly, but rather he brought us into the kingdom of God. He brought us from darkens into light -- from death into life...
Christians at the moment of their salvation are brought into the Kingdom of God -- we do not have to wait until Christ comes for the establishment of His kingdom -- it is already here. As Paul writes in Hebrews 12;
"We have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. We have come to thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven..."
Christ has rescued us and brought us into His kingdom......
AND HE HAS ALSO REDEEMED US
The word used means; "the buying back of something that has been sold" or, "the release of a prisoner by payment of ransom..."
Listen; We had sold ourselves into condemnation in order to practice sin. And we were held (and some still ARE held) in prison, by that same sin...
But PTL!, Jesus Christ has bought us back, as Peter writes in I Peter 1:18,19
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as gold or silver that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers (what an accurate desribtion of life without Christ - we may ‘try’ to fill it with many things but are still left empty), But with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect..."
Question; WHERE is this redemption, where is this forgiveness of sin found?
In verse 14, a VERY significant phase starts off the verse - "in whom" - Listen; this redemption is found where, "in whom" or to BE specific, in Christ....
"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are IN CHRIST..."
Rm 8:1
"To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified IN CHRIST JESUS and called to be holy...." 1 Cor 1:2
"Therefore if anyone is IN CHRIST, he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come... 2 Cor 5:17
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that IN HIM we might become the rihgteousnes of God" 2 Cor 5:21
"IN HIM we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he has lavished on us..."
Eph 1:7
"But now IN CHRIST JESUS you who were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ..." Eph 2:13
"You then, be strong in the grace that is IN CHRIST JESUS...." 2 Tim 2:1
"Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they may too obtain the salvation that is IN CHRIST JESUS...." 2 Tim 2:10
Question; AND Please Listen UP - because THIS is NOT just any question - it is the question of the ages.....
IF all this awesome stuff is found when we are IN CHRIST
HOW do we GET in Christ?
Well, if we are going to get there at all - would you agree with me, that we will have to do it God’s way? And here is the way God has revealed in His word....
"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ..." Gal 3:27
"Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death...." Ro 6:3
According to God’s word - the only way for someone to get IN CHRIST - which is where all that good stuff like redemption, forgiveness of sins, salvation, grace, being a new creation & putting on Christ comes into our lives, is through the immersion of a repentant believer.... GOD has told us of no other way....
Like I said, I was watching the coverage when that guy AFTER 5 days was pulled from the building - Let me ask you what would you have thought of him, if when the rescuers got to him - and said, "hey buddy, grab on and we’ll pull you out," if he said NO?
Listen; To reject Christ and His Gospel, is to reject your only way Savior ("salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we MUST be saved" Acts 4:12) - To reject Christ, is to turn away from your only way of escape - Understand - that to do this, is to refuse rescue & deliverance and choose to remain in the collapsing building of your sin...
Paul further describes this redemption in verses [20-23]....
"...and by Him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of His blood on the cross. This includes you who were once so far way from God. You were his enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions, YET now he has brought you back as His friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought us into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. BUT you must CONTINUE to believe THIS TRUTH and stand in it firmly. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received...." Col 1:20-23
Man needed, and still needs a Savior - and let me tell you, Jesus Christ is enough - He has that need -- more than covered... as a matter of fact, He has covered that that need in His blood.....
Jesus is Savior....
Christ IS Also CREATOR (1:15-17)
The false teachers in Colosse, were very confused about creation. they taught that ‘all’ matter was evil, including the human body. They also taught that Jesus did not have a real body since that would put Him in contact with evil matter. The results of these false teachings were tragic -- they resulted in The denial of the deity of Christ, the incarnation and the denial of the death burial and resurrection of Christ.
You know, people today are still confused about creation --- some like the false teachers in Colosse, are seeking a union with some mystical plane far beyond both our senses and the physical world...
And others have so elevated creation & nature that creation (nature, plants, birds, fish and animals) that these and NOT Jesus has become Lord of all....
"Be fruitful & increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground...." Gen 1:28
Now, don’t get me wrong, creation & God’s creatures are cool - But God is God and is Lord over creation. And man is the crown of His creation....
Paul in verses 15-17 clears up this confusion about creation as he tells us what Christ’s relationship to creation is....
Read 15-17
CHRIST CREATED ALL THINGS
Paul says that, "all things were created by Christ things in heaven and on earth, things visible and things invisible...." Christ created all things....
It is no wonder then, that by simply lifting his voice that the violent winds and crashing seas suddenly became calm.... and why at His command death, demons and disease fled (with their tail between their legs).... After all Christ is Creator and Master over all, and all things are subject to His command.
PAUL ALSO SAYS THAT CREATION EXIST FOR CHRIST
Everything exists in Him, for Him and through Him. Jesus Christ, is the sphere in which ‘all’ things exist, he is the agent, through which they came into being and He is the one for whom all things were made.
IF EVERYTHING IN CREATION EXISTS FOR HIM, THEN NOTHING IS IN ITSELF INHERENTLY EVIL.. AND THE FALSE TEACHERS RULES ABOUT USING, AND NOT USING GOD’S CREATION ARE MERE FOOLISHNESS. IT ALSO MEANS THAT GOD’S CREATION THOUGH STILL UNDER BONDAGE TO SIN CAN BE USED FOR GOD’S GLORY AND BE ENJOYED BY GOD’S PEOPLE, WITHIN CERTAIN GUIDELINES OBVIOUSLY....
CHRIST HOLDS THE CREATION TOGETHER
There is a wonderful cohesion in the universe. Atoms resist breaking a part with awesome energy.. Gravity and other laws of Physics regulate the heavenly bodies with astounding order. No one really knows why gravity works.. no one really knows exactly what holds matter & atoms together (they consist of rapidly moving electrical particles, and they are made up, primary of space).
How does it work? What holds it together? Who ‘really’ knows, except that Almighty God wills it so.
We also see in creation an interdependence among natural creatures -- creatures who depend on each other for their existence -- which defies the naturalistic view of origin. There is an order in this world from the human eye to, to the orbit of the earth bringing the seasons, to the flight of the arctic turn....
And Though (because of sin as Paul says in Romans) there is some disorder in our natural world right now -- and a great deal of disorder in the world of man at times -- we still know that Christ will one day bring all things back into perfect order once again.... Christ is Creator -- he created all things, all things exist for him and he holds all things together. He really does have the whole world in his hands...
Okay, BUT - What does it mean, or What should it mean to us, that Christ is Creator....?
For One Thing It Means THAT Christ Is In Charge Not Us....
Psalm 24:1,2 says; "The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it (that includes ‘you’); FOR he founded it upon the seas and established upon the waters..."
Because he created us - he own us and He sets the rules... We are to listen to Him (we need to remember in regards to our relationship with God - it’s like Bill Cosby says, "I brought you into the world and I can take you out).
Second That Our Life Has Meaning & Purpose....
God created us for a reason and not because he got bored one day... Listen you and I are here, because an Almighty & All Loving God created us,
This view of human life stand is stark contrast to the modern view - which says that human beings are nothing more than highly developed animals, just some green slim that crawled up on a shore and got lucky.....nothing special.
Listen, God created you because He loves you and because He wants you to experience a personal relationship with Him and to enjoy all the rest of creation! This makes you special and unique!!!
"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory & honor & power, BECAUSE you made all things. Everything existed and was made (that includes you & I), because you wanted it..." Rev 4:11
God made YOU - because He wants you!!!!!!!! (I matter.....)
3rd Jesus being creator means that’s
He’s Got It Covered......
I grew in Baltimore - and I was a huge Oriole fan (baseball not bird). And in the 1970’s they had perhaps one of the best left side of the infield ever... Brooks Robinson & Mark Belanger. Back then the Oriole pitchers didn’t have to worry if a rocket was hit that way -- because they knew those guys had it covered...
Listen; because Jesus is creator - we don’t have to worry - when the rockets of life (sickness, disease, hardships, death, famine) come screaming our way because Jesus’ got it covered...
That is what Paul is saying in the following verses as well;
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardships or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword...No in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. FOR I am convinced that neither death or life, neither angels or demons, neither the present, nor the future, nor any powers, nighter height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Ro 8:35-39
A THIRD POINT PAUL MAKES ABOUT CHRIST IN THESE VERSE"S IS THAT
JESUS IS GOD!!!
Listen; Jesus was not simply; a man, a nice guy, a great teacher or even a prophet.... Jesus Christ was God incarnate -- He was God in the flesh....
Now the false teachers in Colosse didn’t like or understand this. They adamantly denied this Biblical teaching, that Jesus was God. And today many groups and religions, representing ‘billions of people, ’ have joined in with these heretics and deny the deity of Jesus Christ.
Listen, you need to understand this; Here is the common thread, linking all cults & false religions (be they New Age or Old Lies), The thing you will find when you strip away all of the fluff & garbage, is these 2 core teachings; A denial of the deity of Christ and the denial of the absolute authority of The Bible. They take Jesus off the throne and they make the God breathed Words of the One true God -- subordinate to man made books, words and teachings...
Question; How is Paul in these verses declaring Christ deity...
BY CALLING CHRIST CREATOR
The last point we discussed about Jesus is that He is what? That Jesus is Creator.... The reference to Christ as Creator by Paul in this letter, was not to reveal some deep hidden truth about creation, but RATHER to affirm the fact and identify of Jesus as God...
After all, much of scriptures attributes creation to God...."IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH."
Moses in his final words to His people in Duet 32:6 said, "IS THIS THE WAY YOU REPAY THE LORD, O FOOLISH AND UNWISE PEOPLE? IS HE NOT YOUR FATHER, YOUR CREATOR?"
Isaiah 40:28 reads, "DO YOU NOT KNOW? HAVE YOU NOT HEARD? THE LORD IS THE EVERLASTING GOD, THE CREATOR OF THE ENDS OF THE EARTH."
BY CALLING CHRIST THE IMAGE OF GOD
The word image means, "an exact representation & revelation." That is why - Jesus was able to say, "...anyone who has seen Me, has seen the Father..."
Christ is the very image of the invisible God. No one has ever seen God. He is not available to our senses. But Christ revealed to us what God is like.
BY CALLING CHRIST "THE FULLNESS OF GOD" [1:19]
LET ME READ 1:19 AND 2:9 together,
"FOR GOD WAS PLEASED TO HAVE ALL HIS FULLNESS DWELL IN HIM"
"FOR IN CHRIST ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD DWELLS IN BODILY FORM"
Jesus is God....
"IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD AND THE WORD WAS GOD.....THROUGH HIM ALL THINGS WERE MADE; WITHOUT HIM NOTHING WAS MADE THAT HAS BEEN MADE... AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH (GOD BECAME FLESH) AND MADE HIS DWELLING AMONG US. WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY THE GLORY OF THE ONE AND ONLY..."
Jesus is God
But hey, what’s the big deal anyway -- I mean, If people respect and love Jesus it shouldn’t matter if we disagree about whether he is God or not... Don’t we have enough things to argue about, at least they like Jesus -- SO HEY LIGHTEN UP -- IT ISN’T THAT IMPORTANT. Oh really?
In John 8:24 Jesus is talking to the unbelieving Pharisees, listen to what He told them about the importance of his identity;
"I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be (Jesus claimed to be God), you will indeed die in your sins..."
That’s why it’s important/a big deal BECAUSE TO deny that Jesus is God the son -- To deny that he is -- God in the flesh -- is to stand condemned in your sins.
Christ is Savior - Creator - God
THE 4TH PAUL SAYS ABOUT CHRIST IS THAT :
CHRIST IS THE CHURCH (1:18, 24-29)
What does it mean that Christ is The Church
CHRIST IS THE BOSS
"AND HE IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY THE CHURCH"
He is in charge, He sets the rules, we are to do things -- His way. The church belongs to Jesus and so do we.
CHRIST IS THE ESSENCE OF THE CHURCH
Paul was on his way to Damascus to continue his persecution of the Church... While on that desert road he met Jesus Christ. And Jesus said, "SAUL, SAUL WHY ARE YOU PERSECUTING ME." How could Paul a man on earth.. Persecute Jesus who was sitting at the right hand of God in heaven. By persecuting Christ’ Church.
You see, Christ is not the Church in some mystical, spiritual or metaphysical way.... Christ is the church in a very practical way...He is the local church -- this church. And the way we treat the local church; whether we love it and are committed to it -- or abuse and neglect it, is the way we are treating Christ -- And whether we want to see it that way or not - it doesn’t matter because that is the way that it is.
CHRIST IS THE PURPOSE AND POWER OF THE CHURCH.
"We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy which so powerfully works in me..."
In verse 28 we see the purpose of the church - to proclaim Jesus to everyone - and to keep on proclaiming Jesus to everyone (the purpose of the church is to teach people about Jesus - to ‘admonish’ or warn them when they stray) WHY??? -- so that -- everyone will become mature, complete, AND find fullness in Jesus......
And in verse 29; we see the power of the church --
Now, remember who is writing this - Paul - an apostle, a man who was given by God the ability to heal the sick and even raise the dead... Yet he still knows where the power is....
"To this end I labor (proclaiming Christ so His people will be complete in Christ), struggling (I got to do my part - I can’t just sit on my butt); with all His energy which works so powerfully within me..."
When Comes To Church Jesus got it covered.....
The purpose of the church is to bring people to Christ and build them up in Christ and the power of the church is Christ!!! Not ourselves... (Z 4:6).
Jesus Christ is enough....
He’s got it covered.....
He’s Savior >>>> He’s got our salvation covered.....
He’s Creator >>>> He’s got our life covered.....
He’s the Church >>>> He’s got Central covered....
He’s God >>>> He’s got everything covered....
Christians, Christ is all we need to be complete...we don’t need more self help technics and self help books - we need more Jesus
He has all the answers to life; fullness and meaning.....
Non Christians - you are living in a building heavily damaged by sin - the fault line is deep & wide - and the big one is coming and your building is coming down.
There is only ONE WAY out - Jesus Christ. He has dug through the debris
