The Sufficiency of Christ - Joe Jewell

All right, you can go ahead and grab your Bibles and open to Colossians chapter 2, which is where we'll spend the majority of our time together today. And as Pastor, Ryan mentioned, we are in the really the early stages of planting a church in Livermore. And God has been so gracious to give us a team. And so grateful for some of our folks to be here as well and are really, our aim is to Lord willing launched in September, 7th of September of this year. So if you think about us afterwards, please pray for that. I'm going to go ahead and read our package today and then we will unpack God's word together, cautions to will start in verse 6. The Apostle Paul inspired by the spirit of God says, therefore as you have received Christ, the lord. So walk in him rooted and built up in him and it's stablished in the face just as you were taught abounding in Thanksgiving. See to it. That no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit. According to human tradition, according to the elementary Sprints spirits of the world and not according to cry. He says four-in-hand the whole fullness of the world. And not according to Christ. Four-in-hand the whole fullness of diety dwells bottling and you have been filled in him who was the head of of all Rule and Authority in him? You were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands. By putting off the body of 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 power of for working of God, who raised him from the dead and you were dead in your trespasses and in uncircumcision of your flesh. Praise God, he made us to live together with him having forgiving us of our trespasses by canceling, the record of debt and stood against us with its legal demands. We could close our Bibles today. A man, this is set aside nailing it to the Cross. He disarmed. All the rulers and authorities and put them to open. Shame by triumphing triumphing over them in Him. Father, we thank you for your word. It is true. And it's a thort. A different lives. Help me to preach Christ. And his sufficiency seeds his Supremacy today, all for your glory, and the joy of your church. In Jesus name, amen. Amen. the barometer of our faith in our spiritual strength is not Determined by how many years we have been following Jesus.

Face is not strengthened by the length of time that you have been following Jesus or Christian. By the amount of Bible knowledge, that you have. We often think of our Christian faith, like a career, the longer I'm in it, the more likely I will be promoted, right?

But there is no corporate ladder in the Christian faith. Being able to articulate. The gospel with accuracy is one thing having its truth. Captivate your soul is quite another, a man. And that's what we're talking about today. Jesus is not only sufficient to justify you before the Father in heaven. But God also desires his sufficiency to capture our attention and our affections and our allegiances to him and then It's so what I'm believe God's word of saying to us. If I could sum it up in one sentence and if you have the slide, you can put it up there. That real spiritual strength, flows from active trust in Christ. Sufficiency real spiritual strength flows from active trust in Christ's, sufficiency

Now, Paul when he is writing this letter to the Colossians Church, he's in prison and he's in prison and he gets word from a man who he actually liked Christ a few years earlier in the city of Ephesus. And because of those two men coming to Faith In Jesus from Ephesus. They bring the gospel. Good news the influence of Paul into the city of colossae and Paul now is in prison. For the sake of the Gospel is preached in Christ, in these now and chains. And one of those guys comes to Paul in prison and we know this box, 19 B comes to Paul and it gives them a report. And so what we have before us today in Colossians is a letter based upon a report of the face and how the church is doing in colossae. In a man tells Paul about the thriving faith of the Colossians. But he also tells Paul about a threat to the pier. Full of Jesus Christ, within the city, and the Church of colossae, And so we see even as the book opens. And in chapter 1, he's praising the church for their faith, but as he gets going throughout the letter, what we fine is Paul is concerned because there are wolves among the sheep. First teachers are threatening the simple faith of these Christians. It's so Paul writes this letter from prison. To the church in Tallahassee is to show the church to remind the Church of the sufficiency and the supremacy of Jesus Christ. What was happening is and what we can see today is there is a bit of gospel dressed in the church.

And this is what Paul is afraid of. He wanted to warn this church not to drift away from the gospel. I need you to see this and then Colossians even in the earlier of our chapter. What's reread in verse to who? He says the point of me riding to you is so that you have a full astrance full assurance and understanding and knowledge in the mysteries of Christ and sew in today, is text, it gives us three ways to stay anchored. There's a slide for this. We have that to stay anchored in the sufficiency of Jesus and at the same time guarding against drifting away from the gospel. And so, what Paul gives us in this particular section is one command to liberate one warning to protect one reason to trust. Jesus is enough.

It's always start with 46. He says, therefore as you received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk in him. In other words, growing up, spiritual strength in the faith doesn't mean moving away from the gospel. It means going deeper into it. And before I assume everyone here, knows what the gospel is. What is the gospel? The gospel is this, and there's a slide for this one as well. And it, to be honest with you, I'm just summarizing John Piper here, so don't think too much of me. But he says this, the gospel as revealed in scripture, is the message that Sinners find fully turn of joy and God Alone, through faith alone by grace alone, and based on Christ Alone, a man, and that is the gospel today. But Paul says, as you have received the gospel, the good news of Jesus. The gospel is not only the starting point, but he says it's the whole race. Keep walking in it. J d greear a pastor in North Carolina, says the gospel is not just the, the diving board, it's the pool itself. Tim Keller, says it this way. The gospel is not just the ABCs of Christianity. It is the A to Z. It is not the first step in the stairway of trues. It's more like the Hub of the will of God's truth. The command in verse 6, the way that you and I are liberated by the truth of Christ is we have to walk in the way that we came to him, and that's through the gospel the same way that you received him. So, walk in him, it's interesting that Paul says, he doesn't stay now, jump in Christ, or hop in Christ or skip in Christ. He says, what he says Walk In Christ. He means a consistent day-to-day Living With Jesus, a progressively growing in Jesus or another word for progressively being Sanctified in Christ. Why? Because growth doesn't happen in a, in a, in a full-on Sprint growth doesn't happen from what? I'll say it this way. I always like to say gross doesn't happen like like in a microwave. All right? If you, if you want a microwave disciples, you'll get TV dinner disciples. Right. But the Christian faith is more like a slow cooked meal, a man or the different ingredients of our sanctification, in the fullness of Christ is placed in our life. And the reason that Paul says walking Christ is because walking is one step at a time, one foot in front of the other one day, at a time, learning the fullness in the sufficiency of Christ. The Christian Life is a life of reliving Easter day by day.

Paul says not only walk in Christ but walk as you have received him, reminding us reminding you and me to reflect on how we began with Christ.

John Bunyan in the Pilgrims Progress describes his moment of conversion as a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders. Do you remember for the Christians in the room today? Do you remember what it was like to come face-to-face with your savior for the first time in your heart to be open by the grace of God and to see your sin for what it truly is a nano and to see the cross for what it is, and a step in the face for the very first time to remember that. I remember years old, I grew up in the church and to me that's not a vanilla testimony. That is God's grace on my life and then so you kids if there's a few in their praise God you were being raised up in the church and that's an amazing thing. I was 11 years old and I thought up until that point, that Christianity was just what we did. It was our community, it was who we are as it as a family, but for the first time, I remember, Actually, in a, in a Baptist Church Plant in the preacher for the, for the first time I ever heard opened up the scriptures and showed me that I can have a relationship with. Jesus is God, the spirit of God met me there and open my heart to his grace. And I came to Faith In Jesus and I was remember what it felt like. I I remember I was desperate, I became independent, humbled by Grace thankful Made Alive for giving my eyes open to the love of God. And Paul says, as you have received him, so walk in him.

And then he says this is what it's going to look like. As we walk in crisis, we take one step at a time.

He says, it'll be like you are rooted built up established in the faith.

Let's read that. That verse, he says this. Therefore as you receive Christ, still walking him, rooted and built up in hand established in the face just as you were taught and he says of abounding in Thanksgiving process rooted. In other words, you look like a tree. Our endurance comes from our roots. Our Roots are in the grace and a sufficiency of Jesus. And from that point, Our Lives grow, it's a lot. Like this is very someone like language here, right memory? This song, as if you've read it before, blessed, is the man who walks in the counsel of the wicked who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. I correct it at. Pastor Ryan North stands in the way of Sinners, North sits in the seat of scoffers, but his Delight is in the law of the Lord. And on his law, he meditates on it day and night. And then verse 3, he is like a tree planted by the streams of water that yields and its fruit in its season. And a leaf does not weather in all that. He does, he prospers. This is what I life is meant to look like Christian. You also says, you'll be you'll be built up. He's using architectural language here. And in other words, this means you will progressively grow construction development within your life. You're always growing. You're always maturing, you've never arrived. You're always, it's always the gospel, the gospel, and you're growing a little bit more every single day being built. For your ruediger bill top, but you're also established in the face, This isn't about belief. Man, I'm all about sound Doctrine, but this isn't just about having good solid belief about what the scripture says it's about being anchored and and strengthened in the gospel confirmed and what you believe, you know that the holy spirit of God has sealed your salvation. There is no losing you. And there's a confidence in Christ. What you saying is, as you walk, it day-by-day Lori living Easter day every single day. This is what your life is going to look like, you're going to be built up, your roots are in the gospel, you're going to be continually growing and established in the face and built up and you will be established. You're going to have this sense of confidence that there is no one who can steal me away from Jesus. Amen. And then he says you're going to be abounding in Thanksgiving. He says the consequences of walking in price this way is, you will have a thankful Heart, A Grateful heart is the sign of a healthy heart. I live at the Heidelberg Catechism says that gratitude is the primary response to Grace. It reflects this new life that we've been given your gratitude gauge is the clearest signal or test of your spiritual strength today. The clearest sign that you are rooted built up and established. Its how grateful are you? The other night I was driving home. I actually from from the church that were are sending church that we're currently attending right now and it was just my wife and I that night and we were driving from Fremont and I remember I was driving. I looked at at the gauge and I was like, we got like 12 miles left until we have to pull over.

Gratitude is like that. Gratitude is a gauge to reveal, where your attentions and affections and allegiances are because it knows God gives not because we're good because he is So what's your gratitude gauge? Is it on E. Is it full?

I love with a fusions Paul. The Apostle also says in Ephesians chapter 2 got it gives us something we didn't work for something. We didn't learn it. Paul says, for by Grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing, but it is the gift of God, not a result of work so that no one may boast. Grace grows gratitude and the more that you see the state of where you have been before Christ the more gratitude gross. It's so Paul is saying Walk In Christ in the same way that you received him, but then he goes on and to address some of those concerns that he had that he heard from in prison. So he says, as you receive Christ so walk in him but watch out Be watchful and it gives us one warning to protect you. And Mercedes says this see to it. That no one takes you captive by philosophy and emptiness, eat, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ,

Pause Werther. His tone is this song.

Right now paulus is Pecos from. Me. And this is what you're going to look like as a Christian. And even in chapter one, as we read earlier, in the, the pre-eminence of Christ in his, is Big view of Jesus. And then, and now and there's like a shift in his tone and he sounds the alarm. And it's it means to be to be where to be aware and the threat is, his is clear and present danger and pulse see to it that no one takes you captive, it's this. This military language of picturing. Prisoners of War. Paul describes false teachers with the language of spiritual warfare.

And a text does not imply that you can lose your salvation. It confronts those who walk in a false priest, sumption of salvation.

But it also warns you and me is a followers of Jesus to guard against false teaching that will kidnap you and your confidence in Christ. Riverside says, again, see to it. That no one takes you captive, but then it's interesting, he says by philosophy. I mean, you just, you just calls it out by philosophy. Also says, in verse four states, I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible argument. So there's clearly a different worldview that is being taught within the church with in the city of colossae. But this is a place. This is the only place we seen in in all of the Bible that I could find that has this word philosophy. Which also means a love for wisdom. In the ancient world, it described The Pursuit Of God truth or virtue. Philosophy with philosophy, seeks to understand is it's, who am I, how did we get here? Why am I here? Where am I going? And so, when Paul uses the word philosophy, he's actually using it pretty negatively within a context of what class is Tua saying, Paul is concern about the World Views that are Uprising within the church. And I don't have to tell you, that there are a million different World Views with Even in our own Community within our own City. Few Google World News. You're going to get different ideas of a political world of you and environmental worldview, a review on love, and the list goes on. This is what the false teachers claimed and really there was two teachings within this false teaching called gnosticism. That is at Paul is really focusing in on its two things. First that Jesus isn't God, they respected him, but they're saying he's not fully Divine. He's not the second member of the Trinity, and number to there's this secret spiritual knowledge. That's you need in order to be a real. Follower of God, this sort of secret spiritual sauce that you can get it. Yes. Remember the the popularity of The DaVinci Code? You guys remember that? I mean for like maybe a couple of years people were obsessed with it. Why? Because they love the idea of a secret code that unlocks a hidden knowledge, a secret spiritual sauce, it's the same same idea here. And what Paul wants to make clear, is that Christ? Plus anything, is subtracting Jesus from everything. Like, we might have a slide for that one Christ. Plus anything is subtracting, Jesus for me from everything. you can say it this way that adding to the gospel is dangerous because adding is abandoning Paul wrote a similar scene in the to the Galatians. And he says this, I'm astonished that you were so quick to Desert him who called you in the grace of Christ and now you're turning to a different gospel. See, when you add or abandon the gospel, you're not leaving just sound Doctrine. But it becomes personal. Because what you're leaving behind is the person of Jesus.

And because God loves us what he's going to do typically and this is what I've learned over the years is use the hardest moments to preach the loudest gospel message. He's going to use the hardest moments in our lives to reveal what it is that we are trusting in and to reveal our powerlessness. I remember about 10 years ago. I had walked away from what was supposed to be my church. First Church Plant. and after a series of Like really painful interactions with our at the time sending church I was forced to resign. And I walked away from those people and that dream.

I walked away quite quite honestly thinking I will never come back to this pastoral ministry again. soon, after I got word, And we were living with friends, cuz we were homeless. I got rumors. I got word that rumors are spreading and things were said about me from the pulpit.

It is hurtful.

Because it was coming from not only mean. Someone I worked with my friend.

And I remember thinking, why does this bother me so much?

Yes, I have people saying nasty things about me lying about me spreading rumors about me.

Thereafter power.

And then I getting it. And there are tactics they're using but I'm asking why is it's bothering me? I remember saying to God in the moment just give me my old life back. Let me leave Ministry. Everything seemed okay before I stepped into the pulpit.

And I can't say that I heard from God, but this is what I felt like. I heard it's not that you're that. You want your old life back. It's that she wants your old Idols back. And I love you too much. To give them to you. Remember, going to church that Sunday happiness moment with God in the open, my eyes to this. To my true situation, which name came into focus and I had never realized how dependent I had become on human approval, or acceptance until, so much of it was taken away.

Every church I've been apart of. I was widely accepted and loved it approved. I appreciate it. I always felt the love. Now, for the first time, I found myself in an uncomfortable position of deeply being misunderstood by people, I called friend, and now, realizing just how much I've been relying on something other than the approval and the acceptance, and the love that was already in mind in Christ Jesus.

In a fresh way, the power of the spirit of God in the gospel. Came over me that day. That the gospel simply doesn't rescue me from the past and rescue us for the future. But it also rescued me that day in the present from being enslaved by things like fear and insecurity anger and self-reliance, bitterness and entitlement and insignificant. And through my pain, I was being convinced all over again. That the power of the Gospel is just as necessary and relevant, after you become a Christian as it was before.

And when the seasons of pain and confusion hits typically, the first way you will be will be tested is will you divorce yourself from Christ and be captivated by other empty promises? Listen, the enemy's big guns are not getting you to do that sing tonight. It's robbing you from your confidence in Christ. The enemies. Big guns is robbing you from your confidence in Christ. Why? Because if you rob my confidence in the sufficiency of Jesus, you take down the entire Foundation of my spiritual strength. And Paul concern wasn't at the church. Was Stop Believing Jesus. He knew they would but that they would stop. They would start accepting a wrong version of Jesus. And this is why even in chapter one, as I said earlier, that Paul goes right into the pre-eminence of Jesus as we read. And now in light of all of that, he's saying why Christ is Enough and how he's enough. Is chapter one, is the Hulu chapter 2 verses 9 through 15 is the why? And the how And one of the claims of false teachers was that you needed medially mediators to access God. And this is what we see in person. I 10 verse 9 says this.

For in him, the whole fullness of diety dwells bodily and you have been filled in him who is the head of the rule of the authority in him. Also, you are circumcised with with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of The Flash by the circumcision of Christ.

And the reason. That the idea of you need more than Christ as your mediator is because the promise of scripture is that Christ alone is enough. He is the fullness of God. I love how HB. Charles status says it. I think we have a slide for this. He says go to the beach and fill a bucket with water. Your bucket has the fullness of the ocean that you're Full Bucket takes away. Nothing from the depths of the sea. This is the mystery of our Union with Christ. You are complete in Christ. He is everything you need. Nothing is lacking from our Salvation in Christ. So today we are forgiven, we are born again. We are redeemed from slavery, we are reconciled to God. We are declared righteous before the father, amen. We are adopted into God's family and we can be and know and have confidence that we are eternally secure, why? Because Jesus Took Crown from Heaven laid down his Sceptre of righteousness and human history, and you lay down lay down, lay down the rights of his divinity and went into humanity. And that's why you. And I can know that's Christ is sufficient and he is the fullness of God. And verse 9 says this. It says for Which to be honest or English translations, they don't do quite Justice to this because really not for means because so verse that says see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty the seat according to, you know, the different World Views among you. And then he says, because in him, the whole fullness of diety, dwells bodily,

How do we get the fullness of God?

In Ephesians 3:18 versus 19. Paul says this that I maybe have the strength to comprehend with all the saints, the breadth, the length of the height, the depth to know the love of Christ, that surpasses, the knowledge that you may be filled with the fullness of God, how do we get the fullness of God? Paul says by comprehending or laying hold of the love of God.

How do we get the fullness of Christ in our lives? By comprehending, the love of God for us.

We can do this. Because of verses 11 and 12.

Paul says, if you were circumcised was a circumcision made without hands who circumcision with a covenant sign of God's Old Testament promises to say that I am set apart and setting them apart from other worldviews other Pagan Nations, part of the message of the the Gnostic false teaching, with some Scholars say is that they were teaching circumcision as another way to gain more spiritual strength or insight. And Paul brings it up here that we are set apart. I buy it at set apart, not by anything that we can accomplish with our own hands. But by the death of our sin through the substitutionary. Atonement of Jesus. Oh, the one reason,

Lisa cross.

The one reason that you cannot, and I can have confidence that we will be rooted built up established in Christ in the cross. We deserve that, he bore it. He lived the perfect life that we couldn't becoming the perfect sacrifice. The all sufficient Alpha and Omega Creator and savior. Holy and the one who makes us whole, He took it and gave us his all o that you can try. You can try to fill your life with everything possible that you can put your hands on and it's likely going to be like trying to fill a water glass that has no bottom.

Following Jesus is not going to make you wealthy. Jesus is not going to make everything in your life fall in place. He may heal you. He may not if you look at every Apostle in the New Testament and how they died, they died badly right but not just died, they die like really bad dipped in oil right? Beheaded crucified upside down. Spurgeon, I know people like Spurgeon in and Ryan roofies Church.

Wrestled with dark depression, throughout his entire life and Ministry. The apostles beaten thrown out of the city and what do they do in in in chapter 5? What's the first thing they do? They left the presence of the council Rejoice that they would be counted worthy. That they would be counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. Every one of these willing to suffer because one thing everyone could say that in life and death, Jesus is enough for me. I am full because of Christ. So, take everything away and yet I will keep receiving more.

real spiritual strength flows from active trust in Christ's, sufficiency The fullness of everything God had promised, is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The promise of guidance in the Old Testament. Now in Christ, the promise to rescue us from sin. Now in Christ, the promise to have a new heart. Now, in Christ, the promise of the spirit would fallen off flash. Now in Christ, the promise of a relationship with the father. Now in Christ, God promise The Offspring of Adam and Eve of the women that he would crush the Serpent's head. Now in Christ, God told Abraham that through his offspring, all the nations would be blessed and now it's in Christ, God promised David that his throne and be established forever in Christ, God promised resurrection and victory over death in Christ, the fullness of God is not an abstract promised, but in a very real everyday experience for the Christian as we walked the same way that we receive Christ.

So today, Christian in light of this.

Walk In Christ as you have received him.

Watch out for distractions from his sufficiency. And worship in the fullness of Christ today. And then a man. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the truth that you are sufficient for everything that we could possibly need.

Thank you for providing for us though. We don't deserve it. The grace of your son, plunging into human history and dying to death that we deserved. But Rising Again by the Holy Spirit. Showing himself to. To everyone, who would see? And now back on the throne of grace, you have set your Holy Spirit to dwell with us to do greater things as you said, then what you would on Earth. And so father may we not leave here not knowing that we have everything we could possibly need because of Jesus. Forgive us. Lord, when we searched for other things, forgive us when we believe. The LIE of attractive things for give us Lord when we wander off but holy spirit, would you bring us back point us to Christ and his name to pray?