R sbc
Date: Sept 11th 2005
Subject: “Great Truths Concerning Jesus Christ”
Series: “Christ The Sum & The Substance of The Bible”
Sermon # 58
Text: Col 1:1-29
Intro: I know that I cannot cover this chapter without doing an injustice to the many truths that are in it. So what we will do is preach them as the Lord gives us wisdom, and gives us the enlightment we need.
In this chapter let me show you what I mean but Christ the Sum and the Substance in this one chapter...
He is seen to be the one who sends his Apostles: vs 1
He is the one in whom the saints abide: vs 2
He is the one that Grace descends from: vs 2
He is the Son of the Father in whom we give thanks to: vs 3
He is the one in whom saints have faith in: vs 4
He is the hope of all of the Lord’s people..vs 5 & 6
He is the one in whom some are faithful ministers of: vs 7
He is the one in whom we are to please: vs 10
He is the one that we have been translated into his kingdom: vs 13
He is the one in whom we have redemption and forgiveness..vs 14
He is the one who is the firstborn..vs 15
He is the one who created all things..vs 16
He is the one who is before all things..vs 17
He is the head of all tings..vs 18
He is the only one in whom the Father is well pleased: vs 19
He is the one that secured peace for us..vs 20
He is the one in whom we are reconciled..vs 21
He is the one that will present us holy and unblameable & un-reproveable..vs 22
He is the one whom Paul preached to every creature under heaven..vs 23
He is the mystery that was hid to other ages..vs 26
He is the one that lives in us..vs 27
He is the one in whom we have perfection..vs 28
All can say at this point is “WOW” praise God from whom all blessings flow, what a magnitude of wealth we have in our LORD JESUS CHRIST...Who truly without reservation, without hesitation, present him to you who are lost in this service this morning... What a saviour we have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I wish to deal with the first 10 verse this morning concerning the great truths of Jesus Christ...
I... “THE GREAT SENDING OF AN APOSTLE IS IN CHRIST”..VS 1
The word “Apostle” in it’s original meaning is one sent forth with a message directly from the Lord Jesus Christ and by his will. Paul lays claim to that title. There are no apostles in the strictest meaning of the word. But there are apostles the defining of the word, one who is sent..
There was no apostolic succession, meaning the abilities and the special gifts of the Apostles died with them. Of the original 12, and then the one chosen to take Judas’s Iscariot place none of those men passed on the gifts once they died. Paul was given this gift after Christ ascended back to heaven and meet him face to face on the road to Damascus....Acts 9
(1.) That apostleship is tied directly to personal conversation with Christ:
The word “apostles” is found nineteen times in the N.T. and out of the nineteen times it is referring to Paul sixteen times... here is two of them beside the one in out text:
Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
(2.) Paul magnified this office:
Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: Not in a bragging way, nor in a prideful way but in a godly way he was glad to bring such glory to this office.
1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
(3.) An Apostle had to have seen the Lord Jesus Christ :
1 Corinthians 9:1 Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?
I must move on or I will not get to where I want today:
II... “HE IS THE ONE IN WHOM SAINTS ABIDE IN”..VS 2
He is our anchor: Hebrews 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
We need not worry about drifting to far, that he will not lay hold on us and bring us back in. We need not fear loosing our hold for it is not ourselves that holds on it is he that holds on to us...
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Psalms 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
III... HE IS THE ONE IN WHOM ALL GRACE DESCENDS ..VS 2
It is a matter of fact that grace must come to us, it must descend on us. It has if we are saved this morning and all grace without exception is in Christ Jesus our Lord. There is no merit of grace, there is no one in whom grace can be bestowed except Christ. Let us site a few verses...
(1.) He is full of grace therefore he is able to dispense it:
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
(2.) Since he is full of grace it makes him able to supply sufficient grace to all our needs:
a. The need to be saved: Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a saviour which is Christ the Lord..
b. The need to be sufficiency: : 2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
c. The need for grace is one prayer away: Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
This verse covers it all, whatever you need this morning it is in Christ Jesus our Lord and through his wonderful grace..
IV... “HE IS THE ONE IN WHOM THE TRUE SAINTS OF GOD HAVE FAITH IN”..VS 4
Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Faith is a wonderful gift of God, Eph 2-8-9 with which no man shall see the Lord. We have been given faith in Christ..
(1.) True faith in Christ will be a steadfast faith: Colossians 2:5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
It will no waver, it will not loose, it will not quit, it will not be fleshly, it will not lack ability, it will not be tossed with every wind of doctrine that comes along, it will be fastened on him always...
(2.) True faith in Christ finds it’s blessing: Galatians 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
What is meant?
a. That we are accounted righteous as he was: Gal 3-6
b. That we are spiritually his children..Gal 3-7
c. That we are justified..vs 3-8
Read the chapter when you have time and mark the many blessings the Lord is talking about.
V... “ HE IS THE HOPE OF ALL THE LORD’S PEOPLE”..VS 5 & 6
It is clear that our hope is in heaven, on another occasion Paul said it like this: Php 3:20
No question he is our hope: Paul was preaching to King Agrippa and said these words about our hope:
Acts 26:6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: Acts 26:7 Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope‘s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews
The Apostle Peter said it was a living hope: 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
It is a hope that is obtainable: 1 John 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
VI... HE IS THE ONE IN WHOM MINISTER OF GOD SHOULD BE FAITHFUL..VS 7-8
If God calls a man to the ministry he should always be faithful... In fact Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
We should be faithful to the word of the Lord:
We should be faithful to the saints of the Lord:
We should be faithful to the Lord’s Church..
We should be faithful to our calling..
“In fact in this chapter verse 2 To the faithful brethren” We should want to here the Lord say, well done thou good and faithful servant... All Christians are servants, but ministers are servants in a different way and we must be faithful...
We should be faithful in the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ... 1 Cor 15-1-5