Colossians 2:9-10

Colossians chapter 2 reading verses 8 through 10 our focus on verses 9 and 10. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. May God bless to us his sacred and holy word this morning. Many years ago there appeared a story in which a man spoke about the fact that he picked up a unique rock from the North Carolina streambed. And it was so unique, decided he would keep it at his cabin, but he used it for a mundane purpose. It was used as a doorstop. And he used it for a doorstop for a number of years. He didn’t think much about it until someone who was a geologist happened to be traveling through the area, hiking, and he stopped by the cabin. And he noticed the doorstop, and he began by picking it up and closely examining it, and he discovered it was actually a large clump of coal, or excuse me, gold. In fact, it proved to be one of the largest gold nuggets ever found east of the Rockies. The man who owned the cabin simply didn’t realize what treasure that he had in that rock. When Jesus Christ came into this world, people did not recognize his great value. He was despised and rejected of men, were told in scripture. People saw no beauty in him that they should desire him. In the person of Jesus Christ, however, we have God manifested in the flesh, which is what verse 9 is about. But somehow, people missed it. Sadly, The same is true regarding Jesus Christ today. His value is often overlooked. Paul has carefully spoken of the greatness of Jesus Christ in chapter 1 of the book of Colossians and even into the beginning of chapter 2 where he has told us that in him are hid all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God. false teachers purposely wish to obscure what the scriptures teach concerning Jesus Christ, that they may allure you or draw you away from Jesus Christ to the various human philosophies, human traditions, and certainly the various ceremonial things of this world, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. So the apostle carefully argues for you to look more fully at the person of Christ and realize his value here in our text this morning and verses 9 and 10. Now, let me begin by the person of Christ and realize his value here in our text here in our text this morning here in saying this, you should carefully ponder the person of Jesus Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the fullness of the godhead bodily. Now, it is true that you find Jesus Christ is a real man. We read here about him having him having a body body in this passage of scripture. It’s clear from the Gospels that the people in Judea and Galilee knew about the person of Jesus Christ. They knew he was a man who came from Nazareth, and he was considered the carpenter’s son. He had a ministry like that of a prophet where he preached throughout the land of Israel, where he healed people, where he performed various miracles. However, when he came onto his own, his own received him not, and that he, even though he claimed that he came from God, and even though he proclaimed that salvation was found in him, he was crucified by the order of Pontius Pilate at the insistence of the Jewish leaders and people. The starting loon news that Christ died on the cross. and yet rose from the dead was something that caught many people off guard. But there were eyewitnesses and many of them. Over 500, we read, that saw the risen Christ afterwards. Although he came onto his own and his own received him not, yet indeed, he was who he claimed to be. The Jewish religious leaders, remember, tried to cover up the resurrection. They bribed the soldiers that were guarding the tomb to say that the disciples came and stole them away. However, this bribe to squash the resurrection story was commonly reported among the Jews, and therefore it wasn’t very effective. Christ’s disciples went all over the land of Israel, we read, preaching salvation by faith in the resurrected Christ. When Paul gave his defense, you recall, King Agrippa. He said that the ruler knew these things about Christ, for this thing was not done in a corner. It wasn’t hidden. Everybody knows about this. Josephus, the famed Jewish historian, records a brief summary of Christ, calling him a wise man, a doer of wonderful miracles, a teacher with many followers. So the scriptures speak about the man, the man, Jesus Christ, and people knew about the man, Jesus Christ. They saw he had all the characteristics of human being. He ate, he drank, he rested, slept, all these things. He had human emotions. He experienced sorrow and anger and grief and compassion and love. He even wept. He had human suffering. He felt pain. He agonized. He died. He faced human temptation. He certainly was tempted by Satan and by many others to sin. Now why is this important that we understand that Christ was a true human being? Well, the scripture says in Hebrews 4 or 5, for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. Christ having a human name, nature puts him in sympathetic contact with you and I as human beings. He knows all about our infirmities. He knows all about our sorrows and our sufferings. He is affected with a mutual sense of the troubles that you face as a human being, and this makes him a very effective high priest on our behalf. Now, you might think now that his earthly work is done, he’s had his ministry, he’s accomplished his death on the cross, why does he still have a human body in heaven? Glorified, but he’s still human. Well, the apostle indicates that Christ’s human nature makes him sympathetic to human beings. Whatever you experience as a human being, Christ knows it. He even knows what it is to suffer for sin. Although he was sinless, he did bear sin on our behalf. He knows what it is to suffer God’s wrath for sin. All of this is an encouragement to you so that you can go to him in your time of need and believe that he’s sympathetic to your cause and get help. There was once a young boy who had lost his right hand. He felt so badly about it that he didn’t want to see him. anybody. He avoided all human contacts, stayed in his room as much as possible, ashamed that he lost his hand. He said, his father told him, I’m going to bring a minister in to see you. And the young boy said, I don’t want to see the minister. But his father had the minister visit anyhow, despite his son’s protest. When a minister went and approached the boy, the boy was surprised to see that the minister had no right hand. He just had an empty. sleeve. He came over to the boy and he said, I haven’t any hand either. I lost mine as a boy. I know what it feels like. It wasn’t long and it wasn’t hard for that young boy to immediately get acquainted with the minister and develop a friendship with him. He knew how he felt. In a similar way, you are drawn to the Savior who knows the human condition and experience. now you find Jesus Christ is the true God. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily. The Lord Jesus Christ is God blessed forever as Romans 5 or 9 5 tells us. It is important. It is essential that we have a proper grasp of the majesty and the deity of the deity of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Because in this one person, you have closely united a divine and a human nature, a unique situation that cannot be duplicated. Now, these two natures are never mixed together, but they’re in his one person. From Jesus’ birth, you remember, he would be known as Emmanuel, God with us. as Jesus himself taught, all men should honor the son, even as they honor the Father. He made himself equal with God when he was here on this earth. And people recognized it and did not like it. But they heard what he had to say, claiming to be the son of God. Despite Christ’s appearance, as a mere man, he looked like a Jew, he looked like a common Jew, he looked like a common Jew. He came from Nazareth and you look at him and you’d say he’s just a man ah, but he was God manifested in the flesh as the Bible tells us. It’s interesting that the Bible indicates that the Godhead dwells in Christ. It’s almost like it’s a tabernacle situation in the Old Testament. An allusion, I think, to the Old Testament tabernacle of Moses plain on the outside. but glorious within because God’s special presence is there. Christ was plain on the outside. No beauty in him that we should desire him, but within, within him, he was God manifested in the flesh. Nor should Jesus Christ be considered some lesser God as the cults. The Jehovah Witnesses would tell us he’s a God, but he’s not the God. He’s mighty, but he’s not Almighty. He’s mighty, but he’s not all and so forth. I want you to see here that Paul does not claim that Christ possesses just a portion of God’s attributes and characteristics? No, no. Carefully notice how he states this, all the fullness of the Godhead. Did you see the emphasis here? By fullness is meant every perfection, every quality which makes up the divine nature. There’s nothing lacking in Christ. So that he’s co-equal with the Father and the Spirit. And just so you don’t miss his point, don’t even talk about the fullness, he says all the fullness. So there’s no question about it here. When we talk about eternalness and immensity and all my presence and omnipotence, omniscience, immutability, self-existence, all these things dwell in Christ. In other words dwells significant also and that it indicates this divine character just wasn’t there to reside for a short period of time. It dwells there. It remains there. It’s forever. There. Permanently. Jesus Christ did not merely have these divine attributes for a time and then they were withdrawn. No, no. It’s important to realize the Eternal Son of God remains exactly as he always was, even though he now has a human nature. The incarnation involves a union, but not a transmutation. These two natures are joined, but they’re still, as I said, distinct. Now, there’s no good way to portray this, because we don’t have anything to connect with Christ. We don’t have a good comparison in this regard. perhaps I could put it this way. We could compare this to a marriage union where a man and a woman are joined together. The husband and wife are not commingled so that they are no longer two distinct individuals. Raina is still rain and Jack is still Jack is still Jack in the marriage relationship. Only here we have to be careful because we’re not saying there are two persons in Christ. We’re saying there are two natures in Christ and those are not commingled. So that’s the best way I could explain it to you, but I have to be careful that we don’t get the wrong impression here. There’s one person about his two natures. So the Son of God does not lose anything of his divine nature. He’s not changed or diminished in any manner when he takes upon himself a human nature. Now, it is true, and the scripture tells us the incarnation is a great mystery. It’s not something that is perhaps easily understood by us. 1 Timothy 316 says, and without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached under the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up the glory. This union of Christ to natures here is a secret that was revealed to us by God. it is not easily comprehended or perhaps grasped by us and so there is this aspect of a mystery connected with the gospel of Christ in the person of our Lord and Savior and 1st Peter 1 2 we read it about the 112 we read about the angels desire to look into these matters knowing the Son of God knowing now that he took on a human nature, all this was interesting to the angels. The holy angels who don’t have any need of redemption are curious, and they inquire about this matter, how God saves sinners through the incarnate Jesus Christ. They have a great desire to pry into these heavenly mysteries. They’re eager students, though I suggest to you, And I, as we look at Christ’s two natures and we say, well, yeah, Jack’s, you know, up there talking about theology again, this is important theology. If the angels who are not redeemed that don’t have any place in redemption are curious and interested in knowing about this, what about you and I who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ? Shouldn’t we be curious and interested to know about our Savior and this unique person that he is? it ought to stir up more interest to delve into the person of Christ because our salvation certainly depends upon Christ and our interest should supersede that of angels. So you should carefully ponder the person of Jesus Christ. The second thing he says this morning is this. You should realize you are complete in Jesus Christ. In verse 10, and you are complete in Him, which is the head of all. all principality and power. Now, Christ is all sufficient for your salvation. You are complete, he says, in him. The idea here is you’re completely filled, if you would, or filled full in Christ. If you have a cup and you fill it all the way to the brim, you can’t put any more water. If you pour water, he’s going to pour over the side. You can’t get any more water in it. It’s completely full. You are so completing. Christ, nothing needs to be added. Nothing can be added with regard to your salvation. He is all that you need for the salvation of your soul. Knowing Christ is enough. This is eternal life to know thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent, John 173. Paul declared that he desired to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified. in 1 Corinthians 2.2. Now, when we read about in Him here, your complete in Him, this in Him seems to have reference to your salvation, your belief in Christ. For in Romans 16-7, we read Salute and Dracus and Junia, my kinsman and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles who are also in Christ before me. To be in Christ before me. Christ is to be a Christian, to be a member of his spiritual body. This is by faith that this comes about. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved as the simple gospel message that is proclaimed. There is a perfect knowledge in Christ. Nothing is needed besides Him in order to be saved. For example, in Christ you have complete justification before God. 32, the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe. Now, the scriptures indicate that you and I are destitute of righteousness. We don’t have any righteousness. All our righteousness is filthy wrecks. But you have a complete righteousness in Christ, and His righteousness is all you need. In Christ you have complete sanctification. For you’re granted the spirit of holiness, whereby you’re enabled to mortify sin and overconfidence. come the flesh, which he will talk about in chapter three. Now you can perceive here how complete you are in Christ. Whatever you need for saving knowledge, justification, sanctification are all found in Jesus Christ. You don’t need any philosophies to be added. You don’t need any human traditions. You don’t need any legal ceremonies in addition to Christ. Christ Jesus, who of God is made under God. us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification redemption. 1. Corinthians 1.30. We have talked about this before. One of Satan’s great deceptions is to make you think you need something besides Christ. It’s not that they would deny Christ, but no, Christ isn’t enough. You need something extra, you see. And what Paul is saying here is, no, you don’t need anything extra. You just need Christ. There was a traveler here who engaged a guide to take him across a large desert area. And as two men arrived at the edge of the desert, the traveler looked ahead and saw before him trackless sands. There wasn’t a footstep in the sand. There wasn’t a pathway. There wasn’t a road. Not a single landmark in this barren desert. Turning to his guide, he asked in a tone of surprise, where’s the road? With a reproving glance, the guide replied, I am the road. Just follow me. Jesus Christ said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Follow Christ. Don’t be deterred. Don’t be distracted. Cling to him. There’s no need for anyone else. Christ is all sufficient for your salvation. That is what is important for you to know. Now, you must hold Christ as far superior to any creature regardless of authority or status. He says here, which is the head of all principality and power. Now, this argument is drawn from the fact that Christ is Lord over all. Christ is not the head of the angels and the principalities and powers here, which I think are referring to angels in their various modes, whether archangel or something of that seraphim, cherubim, cherubin, whatever the case may be. He’s the head of the angels, but not the same way as he’s the head of the church. But he is their governor, their creator, and certainly their sustainer. Now, we will find that there are times where people get caught up in worshipping angels. In verse 18, he talks about this fact of voluntary humility and worshipping of angels here. And we’ll have to talk about that later. But some people thought that angels provided special access to God. Or that somehow you could get a special blessing through an angel of God. Well, lofty and noble, the holy angels are nothing but mere creatures. They should never be worshipped. They can take the place of Christ. In fact, Christ’s superiority can be seen in the fact that the angels worship him not merely as he was in heaven. Oh, no. But when he was manifest bodily on this earth, we read in Hebrews 1-6, when He bringeth in the firstborn into the world, he said, let all the angels worship him. Yes, in his incarnate state, he was worshipped by the angels of God. How can angels compare to the Son of God? He’s superior to them even as incarnate. How can angels act as mediators between God and men? They’re not God and they’re not men. They don’t have either nature. Why, there’s one mediator we know between God and man, and that’s Christ Jesus. Christ alone angels, all spiritual blessings come through Christ, not through angels. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ. So as glorious the holy angels are, we should never be tempted to worship. And we’ll have to look at this later when we get the latter verses. They’re mere servants. Ministry. Spirits of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, many years ago, God complained to the Prophet Jeremiah that the Israelites chose poorly who they were worshipping. He says this in Jeremiah 2.11, My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. My friends, that’s what’s happening in many cases today. People have changed turned away from the Christ who ought to be all in all for everyone. And getting caught. up with all the human philosophy, all the human traditions, all the ceremonial things, even the worship of angels, and have turned away from the true glorious one, Jesus Christ. You are complete in Christ. Don’t exchange him for someone else. A large gold nugget was used as a doorstop because the owner didn’t realize its value. Don’t treat Christ the same way. Value him. Pond of the of Christ. We should think about Christ as the God man. We should spend some time thinking about that, what that means to us, and realize that in him, you are complete. Completely. He have everything you need. He fills your cup. Completely. And you need nothing else besides him. Let us close with a word of prayer.