In Christ

Colossians 2:9–10 (NIV)

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

If you were here last week in person or on zoom we spoke on the concept of Union with Christ and how should this union define us In Christ. We dsicussed three identifiers last week. Do you remeber them? I am Justified, I am Adopted, and I am secure. Today we will look at three more identifiers to build upon that beautiful picture of who we are In Christ through our Union with Christ.

Pinocchio, Cinderalla, Beauty and the Beast, other than that they are all Disney classics they are stories of gaining a new identity or regaining ones true identity. But not only in Disney classics.

Listen to this quote from Ralph Ellison; once asked, “Would you say that the search for identity is primarily an American theme?” He answered, “It is the American theme.” You may know his classic novel. He was the author of the Invisible Man. A story of a man having a bit of an identity crisis. In American Literature we have Huckleberry Finn on the river, Jay Gatsby on the dock. In film we have Luke Skywlaker, Dexter and back to contemporary Disney with Frozen…all these stories movies are about identity. Why? I believe it is because the search for identity dominates our lives.

Who am I? That was easy when I was serving in the United States Air Force. I was a Weapons Specialist Technician, a radar mechanic on the F4D - Phantom and eventually I moved onto working on the F16 - Fighting Falcon. Who am I - I was an airman working on fighter jets. Upon my honorable discharge I could not claim to be that any longer. Wanted to be an architect - calculus burst that bubble. Swithed to an Associates of Arts degree and became a graphic designer for Gap Inc. That lasted for 10 years. Eventually heard God’s calling into ministry and served as a pastor for youths for nearly 15 years. And thought possibly I would become a lead pastor of the church I served but that did not happen. Now I stand before you as your Interim Pastor for the English department here at Community Baptists Church. Is that who I am?

I will get back to that in our conclusion. Once again Paul is fighting the ceromonialism of Judaism. In this morning’s text Paul is dealing with the Colossian Church. He had concerns about them being deceived by false wisdom and cautioned against deceptive philosophy. In verse 8 Paul uses the word “captive” to decribe how the Colossians can become prisoners of the current philosophies/wisdoms that are only traditions of men and not according to Christ’s teachings. The false wisdoms and deceptive philosophies are empty vessels compared to what Christ is offering. Paul begins this morning’s text by giving the Colosssians the antidote to the disease of false teachings that was spreading amongst them. Paul wants no prisoners of war, so he reminds them of who Christ is.

Who is Christ? How often do we ask ourselves that question? Paul reminds the Colossian church that “in Christ all the Deity lives in bodily form” which was to remind them and us that Christ was fully human and in that form all that God is, dwelled inside of Christ. It means God’s entire fullness, with no part excepted, completely, all of the divine attributes and powers is found only in Christ. He is God. The word ‘all’ emphasizes that it is vain to seek the fullness anywhere else than In Christ. (King, M. (2008). An Exegetical Summary of Colossians (2nd ed., p. 142). SIL International.) But there is more to the antidote. Antidote being our remedy. Paul contiues to tell the Colossians that “in Christ you have been brought to fullness”. Paul is telling them/reminding them the truth of Christ’s fullness they share in that fullness as well. How? In Christ they are brougth to the fullness of the Deity. They are spiritually complete because of their union with Christ. In Christ we have every spiritual need supplied, we are spiritually complete, we lack nothing in our relationship with God, we are brought to completeness, we are filled with all divine gifts, we are filled with God’s love, power and riches. (King, M. (2008). An Exegetical Summary of Colossians (2nd ed., p. 145). SIL International.) Last part of our morning text says that Christ rules over every power and authority. This is both in heaven and on earth. On the spiritual plane as well as the physical plane. Whose power and authority? This is a reference to the angels, both good and evil, but Paul is especially emphasizing the evil angels here. They are angelic powers, spirit powers, demonic powers, evil spirit-beings, powers which rule in the world, and want to enslave people. It means all created powers, those who have the authority to rule. They are all beings who rule, whether supernatural or human, with the reference here being primarily to the supernatural ones. It means all political, economic and racial power structures, but in this verse it probably refers primarily to national gods or deities (King, M. (2008). An Exegetical Summary of Colossians (2nd ed., p. 146). SIL International.) In Christ’s death and resurrection, in our union with Chirst He conquered all powers and authority. Like I shared last week. This is our reality now In Christ.

These two verses has huge implications for our life’s faith journey. There is never a moment after we receive our salvation are we never not In Christ. Oh I know - it does not seem like we experience the fullness that we have In Christ like we should. Who’s fault is that? I know it definitely is mine in my life. I do not reflect, recognize, and remember who is Christ enough. I believe if we make that a morning excercise we can walk this journey of faith In Christ better and more self aware of our indentity In Christ.

This will be the fourth of six identifiers in our discussion on the indentities we have In Christ through our Union with Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

In one of the commentaries I used to prepare today’s sermon it said “Chapters in the Bible do not compete for importance but no chapter is more important than 1 Corinthians 15. It defines the gospel by which we are saved, the historicity of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the certainty of the resurrection of the dead. It gives the fullest explanation in the Bible of the resurrection of the body and the living hope all believers possess. (Prime, D. (2005). Opening up 1 Corinthians (p. 131). Day One Publications.)

Maybe this this chapter in Corinthaians is one we should read daily?

Paul reminds us we were once in union with Adam. Adam had it made. God created everything and it was perfect. He didn’t even have to look for a wife, God even provided that for him. He was literally and figuratively in paradise. The only economy at this point was to enjoy everything God had made for him and his wife. Work the land and multiply. There was only one rule to follow. Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If they did they would surely die. We all know the outcome. Our union with Adam we questioned, denied, and disobeyed God. Worse, Adam allowed his wife to give into her temptaions. The result is lost companionship from the wife but most important is the companionship with the Creator God. In our union with Adam we live with guilt, fear, and death. All who are born in Adam are dead in their trespasses and sin, estranged from God, and without hope in the world. (Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/1-corinthians-15-22). Paints a bleak picture. Union with Adam is a death sentence. All humans who have not yet found redemption through faith in Christ remain in Adam (Ciampa, R. E., & Rosner, B. S. (2010). The First Letter to the Corinthians (p. 763). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.) The union we have In Christ reverses the death sentence for all who choose Christ as Lord and Savior. We become royalty and are brought to the fullness of God. We are redeemed back into an intimate relationship with the Tirune God. In Christ we are made alive. Daily repeat to ourselves:

I am in Christ

Our fifth identifier comes from Philippians.

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Paul expresses complete confidence in God to complete the work he began with the Philippians. No circumstances or suffering can stop the work of God. We can here it in the beginiing of the text. “And I am sure of this...” I love the way this writer put it - Paul’s thankful recollections from prison for the Philippians themselves and then for their fellowship in the gospel is freighted with joyful confidence. (Hughes, R. K. (2007). Philippians: the fellowship of the gospel (p. 28). Crossway Books.) The word frieghted in this context means loaded or burdened. Burdened with joyful confidence. Paul put his faith in God’s goodness.

If you did not catch it, yes Paul was writing from prison. As a teenager when I read this verse, committed it to memory, I never realized he was in prison. The book of Philippians is often referenced as the Be Joyful book of Paul.

Nothing can keep the work of God from being completed. He begins it and He will see to its completion. In no way Pauls reminds the Philippians will God abandon the work He began. And the work of God through their partnership in Christ is good - it is perfect.

I turn 60 next year in January. In Christ it is indeed that I am sure of this, it is God who has kept me. It is not my efforts that has made the difference on holding onto God, the effort is all His.

We cannot be confident in our goodness. We cannot be confident in our character. We cannot be confident in our history. We cannot be confident in our career persona. And we cannot be confident in our own perseverance in faith. But we can be confident in God for everything. We can be confident in His word: “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (v. 6).

This is a promise for every man, woman, and child who turns to Christ. (Hughes, R. K. (2007). Philippians: the fellowship of the gospel (p. 28). Crossway Books.) Yes their is loads of work to be done in and through us In Christ and God Himself will see it done. We can confidently claim:

I am Unfinished

Last of our identifiers come from Romans.

Romans 6:5-7 “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.”

(let church know I am adding v7) In this chapter of Romans, Paul gives a discourse on dying to sin through the new life In Christ. Paul here is wanting us to know we have experienced “a death like His” a spiritual death. His of course being Jesus. Paul wants us to reflect that we begin our new life through participation in Jesus’ death; this is how we die to the age of sin and the old way of life that came along with it. If we have been united with Him in His death, then “we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Osborne, G. R. (2017). Romans: Verse by Verse (p. 166). Lexham Press.)

How often do we think about our death in Christ? I know I do not. But think of the ramifications. Paul says we know that our old self has died. That in our spiritual death our sin is brought to nothing. We have been wrenched from the grip of the evil one and sin cannot ever master us again.

Many members of our churches (in the general term not us here at CBC) are more secular than they are godly and care more about their present pleasures than the things of Christ. The true meaning of Christianity has become obscured because of a this-worldly perspective in which self rather than Christ is on the throne of our lives. (Osborne, G. R. (2017). Romans: Verse by Verse (p. 167). Lexham Press.)

While we are no longer under the dominion of sin, we are still drawn into it and must resist it at all times. Why do we Christians so readily fall back into it? Our flesh has the proclivity to sin within us. Sin can no longer overpower us, but it can deceive us. Satan does not overpower but lives entirely by deception (Rev 12:9; 20:3, 8, 10). He in one sense is “the god of this age” (2 Cor 4:4), but he is only the god of the people of this age, not of believers. He can only defeat us when we yield to his blandishments. The second purpose is “that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” This is the true identity of those in Adam, enslaved by those sins that control their lives. Once we sinners turn to Christ in faith and are crucified and buried with him to sin, we are liberated. We are no longer in Adam but in Christ (5:12–21), and the sin of Adam has been nullified so that we can start a new life with a new identity. (Osborne, G. R. (2017). Romans: Verse by Verse (p. 167). Lexham Press.)

Believers of Christ must begin to think clearly about the the implications for our lives of the death and the resurrection we experienced In Christ. There is not a moment any longer that we are enslaved to our sin and the old-self. In Christ sin was brought to nothing and now we are possesed by Christ and there is not a momnet in the day that we are not in His grips. We must think deeply on this matter doing so we can daily claim:

I am Free

This radical audcious love we recieved upon our conversion day needs a voracious, vigilent defense. Yes the worldview the world system we live in focuses on self centeredness to the Nth power. Every step of our lives and the lives of our loved ones there are powers and authorities trying to strip us of our identity In Christ. To keep us from the deep powerful work of the Gospel. If we are not voracious and vigilent in our defense the philosophies and false wisdoms in our world system will keep us distracted from the truth of what we have in our union with Christ. Or worse we succumb to looking for hope in the world system. Foundational is that In Christ we have been brougth to the fullness of God. Rest on that a moment.

The fullness of God is the totality of everything God is—His attributes, His character, His perfection, His holiness, His power, His love, et cetera. The fullness of God is His complete nature; it is who He is. The riches of God are available to us. God by His grace, fills us with His Holy Spirit, enabling us to live more like Christ, in whom the fullness dwells. In Christ, through our union with Christ we have access to the fullness of God.

In Christ we are to set our minds on being brought to the fullness of God. Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Scripture is the best tool for our voracious vilgilent defense of the radical audacious love we have In Christ. For the mindset of our old self wants to set our minds on the things that will keep us from the new mindset we have In Christ. We must see it in sharp contrast, even colliding, with the new mindset given to us. We must see the new mindset as a more attractive, the more compelling option.

In Christ we have an abundance of everything. This morning’s text states it clearly. And points last week and today’s sermon describes some of that abundance. Is this possibly why we often treat the good news, yes the Gospel of Jesus like leftovers because we have an overflowing abundance of it. We take what we learn here in church, put it in Tupperware, and place it on a shelf. We access it when we’re spiritually hungry, but ignore it otherwise.

If we only eat when we have a spiritual nutritional need, we miss the colossal implications of Christ’s work; this cannot be our mindset or we miss the opportunity to be spiritually resurrected with Him. Christ should be the center of everything we do. To live In Christ, we have to understand His role in the physical and spiritual realm. According to Paul, powers we don’t perceive are working to take our minds captive. They are out to take our attention away from our relationship in our union with Christ. By actively seeking Christ, they can be conquered. (Barry, J. D. (2014). Colossians: Being Like Jesus (p. 59). Lexham Press.) Pro tip - “activiely seeking Christ”. I feel sometime we are only passively seeking Him. Just enjoying the crumbs and not that entire loaf that is ours in the Bread of Life.

By intentionally seeking Christ daily we are reminded of the supernatural power of the Gospel we have through our union with Him and all the abundant blessings that identifies us In Christ.

Who am I? I am the Interim Pastor of CBC … In Christ. Carries so much more weight when I reference it that way doesn’t it. Meaning my identity is not in what I do, my identity is in whom I serve. We are workers in Christ, we are parents in Christ, we are students in Christ. Say to yourself your job title and follow it with In Christ. I can be assured your attitude about your work shifts for the better. Oh and if you are retired you are retired in Christ. Like the MA, PHD, CMB the IC (In Christ) signifies something special about who you are, and who are we, we are people who in Christ have been brought to the fullness of God.

By pressing daily into our identity In Christ through our union with Him we should be able to live without paralzing guilt, be comforted that we are no longer enemies of God but now we are His children, and we can never lose our union with Christ. Say with me, I am justified, I am adopted, and I am secure. In the death and resurrection of Christ we are hidden in Christ’s fullness that comes from God. In Christ each day we are His work in progress, and In Christ we too died and resurrected spiritually and we are no longer slaves to sin. Say with me, I am in Christ, I am unfinished, I am free and once again I am in Chirst. These are the truths we should recite to oursleves every morning.