Jesus: The Way of all things
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Sum of all things: JESUS!
Sum of all things: JESUS!
Jesus is the sum of all things (Eph1:7-10) He is God’s grand plan to save sinful man. God’s scheme of redemption made known in Jesus. Today may we look at clearing up some misconceptions, Jesus the better way to a better life, Jesus sum’s up the way.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight
9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him
What we know when we have Christ
We have redemption
We have forgiveness of sins
We have the riches of His grace
We have the known mystery of His will
We have all things summed up in Him!
So if we have these things, we have a better life, we have eternal life (Jn5:24; Jn6:40)
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
And add to that
40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
Today we are looking at Jesus the way of all things and Jesus is the way to a better life.
Clearing up some misconceptions
Clearing up some misconceptions
Jesus is the answer to the misconceptions of this world. For there is much more to this life than the things of this world (possessions; positions).
Contrary to what the world believes, money cannot buy love or happiness. Nor can position, possession or relationship outside of the relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the answer and the way to true happiness, peace and everlasting joy. Jesus even warns about the misconceptions of this world (Mt6:19-21; Lk12:15)
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus even says to be on guard
15 Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
This world cannot offer what Jesus promises (promised) - (Jn14:27; Jn16:33; Jn15:11)
27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
Jesus promised peace that settles a troubled and fearful heart.
33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Peace that will get you through tribulations in this world because Jesus overcame the world and made us more than overcomers.
So joy, peace that settles a troubled, fearful heart that faces tribulation in this world. speaking of joy, just one more verse on that too
11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Full! Full of what Jesus has for us, what Jesus did for us just so we can have a better life.
Jesus: The Way to a better life
Jesus: The Way to a better life
To know Jesus is the way to a better life, we need to consider the root of this life, the problems in this life that plague man and keep them from the way to a better life.
In this world the problem that keeps man from knowing the way to a better life is Sin.
Things like immorality, thefts, murder. How about coveting, deceit, envy and pride? These are things that destroy people, destroy families, destroy friendships and other relationships and separate people from God.
Jesus and James did not mince words, Jesus would not be accused of being a people pleaser; He told it like it was.
Jesus spoke of a sinful heart (Mk7:21-23; Jam4:1-3)
21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.
23 “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
James said it like this, keep in mind that he is speaking to Christians.
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Problems, quarrels, conflicts from within
We lust, we desire, we covet
We envy, so in turn spiritually murder each other
We fight for what we don’t have because we forget what we do have in Christ Jesus. Satan wants to keep us in the problems, quarrels and conflicts
Jesus is the solution to the sin problem, Jesus identified the problem, James expanded on it and Paul explains the solution to the problem (Tit3:3-7)
3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
So what did Jesus do for us to give us a better life and to be the way of all things?
He saved us out of His kindness; according to His mercy
He did it by the washing, regenerating and renewing through the Holy Spirit.
Out of kindness, out of love, mercy and of grace, Jesus Christ saved us, He justified us (Rom5:1-2). He gave us hope when we are baptized into Him and He became our hope (1Tim1:1) when we were born again of water and Spirit (Jn3:5)
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
Justified by faith! Introduced by faith into His grace and exult in hope
That hope not just being in a thing the person, Jesus Christ who is the sum of all things.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,
That introduction by faith into rebirth by water and spirit
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Introduction by faith into the kingdom of God.
He took our burdens away, the burden and penalty of sin. He took the unhappiness, the joylessness, the hopelessness that kept us from lasting, everlasting, eternal peace away!
Again we have the warning about what we store up because it can keep us from the Way of all things, Jesus.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
Things that can be destroyed, things that can be stolen; His way is better
20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
This life, it may not be easy, in fact it won’t be, for we know in this life we will have tribulation. Easy or not it will be worth it (Lk6:22-23; Mt5:11-12; Lk6:35)
22 “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23 “Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.
This passage works right along with one you may be familiar with too
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Even when not easy, and it is difficult, Jesus the better way, the way of all things, the way to a better life gives us instructions and promises (Lk6:35; Mt6:31-33)
35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
Love, the answer is love, and we know God is love (ref. 1Jn4:8) and that means Jesus is love. Jesus is love, Jesus set the example, showed us the way.
Our great reward is to come, in the interim, when it is hard, when it is difficult we need to know the way of all things Jesus, well, He will always provide.
31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
When we seek His way, He will provide, there we see physically, but God, through Jesus, the sum of all things, provides spiritually too (Mk10:28-30)
28 Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake,
30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.
Beyond meeting our physical, spiritual needs He gives us joy (Jn15:11); joy that is inexpressible (1Pt1:8); and He is our life (Col3:4)
11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
God’s joy through Jesus in YOU! so that your joy may be made full! So full it is inexpressible
8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
Joy that is in those who love Him, to those who trust Him, those who know that He will provide for them for Jesus is the way of all things, for He is our life!
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
So you in Him and He is you, with work to do to bring Him glory so that we may be glorified with Him (2The1:10-12; 2The2:14)
10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power,
12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I think by nnow you can see the sum of all things in Christ Jesus is that Jesus is the Way, the way to eternal life, the way to a better life.
So let me finish with:
Sum up the Way!
Sum up the Way!
In this world that says “buy this;” “do this;” “experience this” and you will be content, be happy, be joyful, we have biblical examples of one who had it all but had nothing, who came to his senses and recorded this for us (Ecc5:10; Ecc12:13-14)
Solomon who only asked for wisdom when he ascended to the throne was given everything and found everything was vanity and of no value.
10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.
And he finished off his writing with this.
13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
lead to invitation (invitation slide 1)
All things are going to be judged, so, if your all things are in Christ you have nothing to fear, but if not, then make a decision today to take the Way, the better way to all things in Christ Jesus today
continue invitation (invitation slide 2) song, prayer, (exit slide)