Introduction…
- In August we spoke about the Supremacy of Christ …
- The Colossian church had been subjected to attack from 4 different sides and Jesus was being discredited…. Insufficient …
- Jews believed that you could not abandon the Mosaic law …
- Gnostics believed you needed additional special knowledge …
- The philosophers of this world believed you had to find God …
- The people believed additional works of man were required so they practiced penance.
- In Colossians chapter 1:15 Paul teaches the supremacy of Christ …
- The exact image of God…
- All that God is dwells in Jesus in bodily form
- All the deity of God is in him …
- He is the full manifestation of God …
- The invisible made visible.
- The firstborn …over all creation …
- This speaks of Rank, position, authority …
- Head over all creation …
- For he made it
- For his purposes
- For he sustains it.
- The exact image of God…
- The Colossian church had been subjected to attack from 4 different sides and Jesus was being discredited…. Insufficient …
- Summary …
- Jesus is God in flesh…
- The almighty creator and sustainer of all things …
- His supremacy is beyond question.
- It’s probably true to say most people believe God Almighty exists …
- But it has no impact on their lives.
- He is up there somewhere … a mystery.
- They may pray or call for prayers in a crisis …
- But when the crisis is over all is forgotten.
- But it has no impact on their lives.
- Today we want to go a step beyond the Supremacy and show the Sufficiency of Christ.
- Then over the next 3 weeks by way of application we will deal with the impact of this sound doctrine …
- In our personal lives … Colossians 3:1-17
- In our domestic lives …Colossians 3:18-4:1
- In our church … Colossians 4:2-6
- Then over the next 3 weeks by way of application we will deal with the impact of this sound doctrine …
Reading …
A promise is only as good as the promissory. ..
- The promise of God thru the prophet Jeremiah was …Jeremiah 31:33-34
- I will give them a new heart … and their sins I will remember no more …
- In the letter to the Hebrews the scripture makes it clear that the fulfilment of that prophecy is found in the death and resurrection of Jesus … Hebrews 10:15-18…
- Therefore applicable to us today…
- As a banker by trade I learned that in granting credit it is important to ensure that the lender has …
- The ability to honour his commitment …
- And the willingness to repay.
- Would you believe the promises of President Putin …
- He has power but …
- In dealing with the supremacy of Christ we know that…
- By his power and authority he is able to keep promise… Colossians 2:10
- And by His purposes we are assured he is willing … Colossians 1:16
Fullness … Completeness…Colossians 2:9
- You have been given fullness (Completeness) in Christ …Colossians 2:9
- Who is the head over every power and authority…
- Headship speaks to ability …
- Given fullness …but it cost him …
- Speaks of willingness …
- Who is the head over every power and authority…
- In Christ …Colossians 2:9…
- A term used throughout the New Testament … X75
- Always has reference to people who are already believers …
- We are positioned in Christ the moment we receive him as Lord.
- Included in Christ when you heard the word of truth .. having believed you were marked in him with a seal… Ephesians 1:13
- A term used throughout the New Testament … X75
- Fulness or completeness … Colossians 2:9
- You have been given fullness in Christ … Colossians 2:10
- Greek … Pleroo
- Make full, fill up to the top, cram
- No deficiency.
- Perfect tense …
- A past completed action …
- With present ongoing effect .
- The High Priest of Hebrews … Jesus death …Hebrews 10:14
- Offered one sacrifice …
- For all sins
- For all times
- And then sat down … work complete.
- Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect, forever.
- Offered one sacrifice …
- A past completed action …
- What is the word of truth … Sound doctrine …Hebrews 10:11
- Previously Priests offered up sacrifices over and over again …
- But to no effect …
- Sacrifices can never take away sin …
- But to no effect …
- But when this priest offered up one sacrifice …for all sin …
- He made perfect… complete
- Two thousand years ago he cried … Finished…Perfect tense
- The work is complete …
- Today we can still benefit from the ongoing effect.
- The work is complete …
- Previously Priests offered up sacrifices over and over again …
- Complete … Nothing more to be added.
- To the Jews Paul says …
- No religious practices can satisfy God's law. …Colossians 2:16
- The world's philosophers …
- The wisdom of man can’t find God …
- Asceticism …
- There is no forgiveness in any form of penance …
- Mysticism …Angel worshippers …
- There is only one intermediary … Jesus
- To the Jews Paul says …
- The work is complete, finished … at the cross of Jesus.
- And we are given fullness … a gift …Colossians 2:10
- Complete means complete …All, perfect, fullness.
- And in the language of Jude he presents us faultless …Jude vs 24
- Jesus is all sufficient…
- From verse verse 11 to 15 Paul unpacks Jesus sufficiency in overcoming man's 3 biggest spiritual problems…
- Our sinful nature
- Our sin
- Satan's power.
- From verse verse 11 to 15 Paul unpacks Jesus sufficiency in overcoming man's 3 biggest spiritual problems…
A new Nature …
- In him you were also circumcised in the putting off of the sinful nature … Colossians 2:11
- The sinful nature is what all men have inherited from Adam …
- Therefore as sin entered the world thru one man and death thru sin and in this way death came to all men for all sinned. … Romans 5:12
- The nature is what causes us to act …
- Paul says …
- I am, by the sinful nature, a slave to the law of sin … Romans 7:25
- John says … if we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves …1 John 1:8
- It is the sinful nature that causes …
- Sexual immorality, Impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, idolatry, etc … Colossians 3:5
- Including anger, rage, slander, malice, filthy language … Colossians 3:8
- Herein lies the root cause of the sin problem …
- To correct this we have to go thru spiritual circumcision… Colossians 2:11
- The cutting off of the sinful nature….
- Not by man but by Christ … Colossians 2:11
- So at conversion we die with him, and we are raised by the power of God in the newness of life … A new heart …
- Not by man but by Christ … Colossians 2:11
- The cutting off of the sinful nature….
- Writing to the Corinthians Paul says …
- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come … 2 Corinthians 5:17
- Jesus said to Nicodemus …
- In keeping with the new covenant I now have a new heart and mind…Jeremiah
- But what about my sin????
Forgiveness of Sin …
- He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled (wiped out)the written code… that was against us and stood opposed to us … and nailed it to the cross… Colossians 2:13-14
- Jesus does not just forgive … his law demands justice …
- Jesus is faithful and just to forgive … 1 John 1:9
- But the law does permit substitution.
- Jesus does not just forgive … his law demands justice …
- Written code … Cheirographon …
- This written code is what we know as an I.O.U.
- Which the law demands must be settled.
- But clearly we sinners do not have the ability to repay …
- Which the law demands must be settled.
- So it opposes us … is hostile towards us…
- Guilty, guilty… and the law must take action against the debtor
- The law of Moses demands obedience …
- But does not provide the means … there is …
- No desire to obey in our hearts
- No ability to obey in our hands
- It is the standard, the accuser, the avenger.
- But does not provide the means … there is …
- The law of conscience is no different… Romans 2:12-16
- This written code is what we know as an I.O.U.
- But in his death Jesus paid the debt for ALL our sins …
- So the debt is wiped out …Ex Aleipho …
- E.G. I.O.U recorded on vellem … held by the creditor.
- I.O.U. …Paid in full … Tetelestai … finished
- And nailed to his cross for all to see.
- So the debt is wiped out …Ex Aleipho …
- Taken it away … Airo …
- The debt is lifted, removed, never to reappear…
- As far as the east is from west…Psalm 103:12
- Nailed to the cross … it is finished.
- The debt is lifted, removed, never to reappear…
- Now the law has no claim against us…Case dismissed.
- And in the all sufficient Jesus we have an Advocate representing us when accusers come… 1 John 2:1
- John says … He is righteous and just to forgive …
- Because the price is paid.
- And as believers we are faultless in terms of God's law.
- Because the price is paid.
Powers and Authorities disarmed …
- And having disarmed the powers and authorities he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross… Colossians 2:15
- Greek … Apekduomal …
- Disarm …
- Strip completely…Subdue completely.
- Disarm …
- Any Roman citizen would understand this verse …
- Last week we witnessed the public procession that was the Queen's funeral …
- In Rome such processions were granted to triumphant generals as they
returned home with the spoils of war.
- The defeated soldiers were disarmed and disrobed …
- They were followed by lictors who used rods to beat the defeated soldiers …
- They suffered total humiliation.
- For the general it was victory and glory
- For the defeated it was humiliation and death.
- They suffered total humiliation.
- They were followed by lictors who used rods to beat the defeated soldiers …
- At the death of Jesus the authorities believed they had finally defeated this man Jesus…
- I’m sure there were high fives all round and much celebrating.
- But history tells a different story.
- I’m sure there were high fives all round and much celebrating.
- The day Jesus cried … it is finished …was the start of the church and the total demise of Judaism as they knew it.
- By A.D.70…
- The church had grown throughout the Empire
- Rome had moved in and destroyed Jerusalem completely including the temple.
- Now with no temple and no place to sacrifice it all fell apart.
- As Jews left Jerusalem they took with them the message of Jesus
- Churches popped up all over the known world all preaching the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus.
- From that day to this and into the future the history of the Jews is a sad tail of continuous persecution and humiliation.
- Truly the death of Jesus was a resounding victory not a loss…
- Today God is still using the writings of Peter, James, John, Paul Luke to bring millions of people to a personal knowledge of Jesus as Lord.
- Throughout history great men and kingdoms have tried to kill off Christianity …
- Russia, China, Korea, etc
- But Christ humiliates them and wins thru the simple preaching of the gospel .
- The persecution of Christians continues unabated in many lands but the gospel message is still reaping a massive harvest.
Conclusion …
- Because Jesus is the supreme all sufficient authority…
- Who has gifted us …
- A new nature … enabling us to live for him
- Total forgiveness … making us immune to prosecution.
- Victory over Satan and his demons …enabling us to walk worthy of Christ.
- So in Christ we are made complete …
- What more can be added to that which is complete …
- Who has gifted us …
- In the meantime we live in the hope of glory …
- When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory… Colossians 3:4
- His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness… 2 Peter 1:3
