Is Jesus All We Need?

I want to share a little more about Mexico and connect it to Colossians. I don’t want to stand up here and be like, “They get it. We don’t.” Cultures are different and you do different things to reach different cultures.

In just a moment we will read from Colossians 2:8-15, and it starts by saying “see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world...”

That’s going to look different in different cultures. Our struggle is going to be different. But I also believe in various cultures the image of God is also going to be retained a bit differently.

Here is what is happening at Colossae when Paul is writing. There are a group of false teachers who are saying something like this--- “guys, it’s great that y’all have this foundation that Epaphras built for you, great that you are trusting in Jesus, super cool, but if you really want to be qualified for the kingdom, if you REALLY want to be a super-duper follower of God, then you need to jump through these hoops. You need to do these things. Paul’s message got you through the door, but if you really want to experience the Lord, if you really want to be sure that you’ll be protected from all evil, if you really want your life to count…you need to sign up for our program.”

That’s a bit simplistic, but that’s the basic message. It was a denial of the sufficiency of Jesus. And so Colossians 2:8-15 is the core of Paul’s message:

Colossians 2:8–15 ESV

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 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, 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. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Sermon Introduction:

I think that Colossian heresy is alive and well today. And I saw it a few different ways on our trip to Mexico.

First, there was the experience of seeing the big massive Catholic cathedral. Millions of dollars, laced with gold. I think it’s there to proclaim the victory of Jesus over the world.

But it sits wrong when you have an impoverished woman selling candy on the street corner only a block down the street in order to buy food for her kids. Her eyes are dead. Hope is drained. Her kids are starving.

Jesus is victorious! Come inside and you can have some of our gold. Is that the message of the gospel! It’s no different than the Colossian heresy. Jump through out hoops, get through our gates, and we’ll protect you. It’s a big ol’ temple in the name of Jesus that is standing in the way of someone actually seeing Jesus.

Secondly, there was a pastor and a church that was basically in a hut—tied together with sticks. They were celebrating their anniversary as a church. 16 years I think it was.

So simple. Nothing flashy at all. A handful of people gathering in the name of Jesus. 25-30 kids showed up. We shared Christ with them, played some simple games. It was beautiful. Simple. Fulfilling. We got ice cream for all of the kids—it was special to them.

Contrast that with here. Going to Winter Jam. Jesus trinkets. A hype man for Jesus. Smoke, lights, etc. etc.

Do we really need all of this fluff?

And then lastly, the man we met. American dream. Isolated from everybody around him. Stayed home watched Joel Osteen. Read his Bible.

So much stuff and fluff around Jesus. So many programs and strategies and campaigns and blah blah blah. We are drowning in it.

We even tried packaging authenticity and selling it.

And we become enslaved to this stuff. We become enslaved to these strategies and this particular way of doing church and enslaved to what we call Christianity in such a way that we miss Christ.

That’s what was happening in part at Colossae. And you can almost hear Paul’s heart breaking as he writes this.

These dear believers are being led away into the slavery of man made religion. Don’t let them take you captive Paul is crying to them. Jesus is enough, Jesus is enough! You do not need to embrace this system they are forcing upon you. Jesus is enough. Can you hear Jesus crying out to us today? I am enough! I am enough!

And this really is the central point of this text and therefore this sermon. Jesus is enough. This is what Paul is saying in verse 9 when he says, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily”. This is Paul’s way of saying if you want something “more than Christ” I’m sorry but you’re not going to find anything else. You will not find any philosophy or principles or 10 steps, or how to books that hold an answer that you do not find in Jesus Christ. In Christ the entire fullness of God dwells. Therefore, if you’re looking for something else to lead you to God or that leads to godliness you are not going to find it.

Then Paul continues in verse 10, “and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority”. Therefore, if in Christ is the fullness of God then those who are united to Christ are also made full. We must be careful to understand that Paul is not teaching as the Word-of-Faith teachers do that we become “little gods” or “gods ourselves”. As John Calvin pointed out "`Ye are made full, does not mean that the perfection of Christ is transfused into us, but that there are in him resources from which we may be filled, that nothing be wanting in us" Again as one author notes, “Thus, in union with Christ our every spiritual need is fully met. Possessing him, we possess all.”

It is almost as if a man where dying of thirst in the desert. He has nothing to quench him and he is on the brink of death, and finally He comes to a well of water. But this is not just any well, it is a well that has an endless supply of water and it is the best water available. Yet, this man decides there must be something better—so he forsakes the living water he has tasted to find something better. What Paul is saying is that, “you’ve been filled with Christ—the one that is God Himself; the head of all rule and authority!” You’re not going to find any better water. You’re not going to get any closer to God. He is all you need, He is all you will ever need, so sit and drink up!

3 reasons…quick summary…of why Jesus is All You Need.

Only Jesus can conquer sin

That’s what that whole bit about circumcision is about. They were trying to conquer sin with rules and regulations. If you want to be a good follower of God you need to do X,Y, Z. That’ll help you mortify sin.

We don’t talk quite like that anymore. But we sell Jesus trinkets. Maybe that’ll do it. Jesus bumper stickers. A thousand devotions. Rules and regulations about what a good Christian is supposed to be and do.

You and I don’t have the power to conquer sin. Only Jesus does.

2. Only Jesus can atone for sin. Our only hope for forgiveness is union with Christ.

We were dead in sin. Alienated from God. And I think that’s so often why we have the smoke and the lights and the emotional appeals and everything—because we’re hoping to get somebody in union with Christ. We know if we can get them connected to Jesus, that Jesus changes everything.

But it’s almost like we drop Jesus out of the equation. As if He is not passionately pursuing sinners—as if we’re not only ambassadors. As if he doesn’t have the power to change any heart.

He makes us a live. He makes dead people alive. We cannot do that. There is nothing in us that can do that. No light show, no creative way of sharing, no eloquent message, no forceful speech, no strategy, nothing. We cannot raise dead men to life.

But Jesus can. And when he does this—he also clears our debt. Nailing it to the cross. Every sin. All of it, gone. No longer in debt. We can’t pay that.

As Jerry Bridges has put it, “Not only has the debt been fully paid, there is no possibility of going into debt again. Jesus paid the debt for all of our sins: past, present, and future…We don’t have to start all over again and try to keep the slate clean. There is no more slate.”

3. Christ alone conquers the forces of evil

The Colossian boogey angel. Karma. God’s going to get you.

The image here is of a conquering Roman general parading his vanquished and humiliated enemies behind his chariot. Satan can still accuse us and indeed he will, but as the footnote in Bible says, “the ground of their constant accusations is taken away”. The Law our impersonal accuser has been stripped of its power and our personal accuser Satan has also been stripped of his power over us.

Luther…the blood of Jesus Christ.

No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand.

—authentic faith