We're in that portion of Colossians chapter 1 where we are looking at that great section, the great Christological section that Paul is giving to the Colossians. If you have that handout, you'll notice that ... Do you have one? The arrangement, as Paul has it, lends itself to, I think, a fairly easy division into two main stanzas. As I mentioned last week, many commentators think that it may be a hymn because of its patterns and the rhythm that you can see in it, the repetition of words, the repetition of the way things flow. And so I have divided it up into the first stanza, and that's what we looked at last week, and then the second stanza that we'll look at tonight. I asked a couple of times last week the question, do you know who your savior is? And I suppose that's really the question that we're still answering and looking at tonight. Do you know him? How well do you know him? After all, this is the one for you who have publicly professed your faith in him. And you have followed that up with that public profession, which is baptism, and you followed that up with church membership and you were enduring and trusting in him. For you, I'm asking you this question because you have profess to put the care of your soul. Into the hands of this one, how well do you know him? And I think that you'll find if you'll if you'll give some consideration of the scripture and meditate, you'll be you'll be strengthened in your trust in him. Well, Paul continues here in his discussion of the person, the work of Christ, we're starting now on the second stanza, but let's go ahead and read all of it together. I'm in Colossians chapter one. In verse 15. He is the image. Of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him, all things were created that are in heaven and that are on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things and in him all things consist. Here is our introductory line now for the second stanza. He is the head of the body, the church. Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may have the preeminence. For it pleased the father that in him all the fullness should dwell and by him To reconcile all things to himself by him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross. I have four main points for this second stanza, if you want to take notes or if you're thinking in terms of what the outline is for. Four statements that Paul gives in the second stanza, speaking of Christ as Lord of the church. First, first statement that he gives, you'll notice in verse 18, Christ is what does the text tell us? He is the head of the body, the church. He is the head of the body, the church. Now, notice the connection between or the flow from the first stanza to the second stanza. The one who is the head of the church is the same one who is creator over all. He is the same one who is the head of the church, who is the one who is the same one who is the creator overall. Christ, as we saw in the first stanza, occupies the place of preeminence over all of creation, that is, over everything in general. Christ has the preeminence as its creator and Christ occupies the place of preeminence, the place of primacy. over his church in particular. So everything in general, over all of creation, Christ is Lord. And now beginning in the second stanza, this same one is Lord in his church, over his church. He and he alone is the head of the body. Over all of creation and of the church in particular. Now, why do the Colossians need this? Well, again, as I spoke more about this last week, especially, but this is one of those doctrines that's being challenged by the false teaching in the Colossian congregation. They need to understand his Christ's lordship, not only over all of creation, everything in general, but his lordship in the church in particular. This false teaching that's creeping in, causing problems in the congregation, These teachers are denying the believers completeness in Christ. This is done by denying the sufficiency of Christ, and by that, remember, if they are denying, if you're going to do that, you have to in some way or in some measure deny the sufficiency of his person or the sufficiency of his work. The supremacy of his person, the supremacy of his works in some way that has to be challenged. If you're going to draw people away from him after some other lesser Savior. That has to be done. So this is why the Colossians need to have this second stanza also. Christ, who is the same creator and Lord over all creation, is the same one who has the place of primacy in his church. But the false teachers are attacking at this point, and so Paul has to deal with it. They are promoting instead the worship of angels. Excuse me. As if Christ needed supplementary help. Or as if Christ just needed to simply be replaced. But what's the truth? Christ is the head, he is the head of the body. Now, if you look ahead and I'm going to skip ahead a little bit to chapter two, verse 19, Paul is going to deal more thoroughly with what he just introduces at this point in chapter two. In verse 18, he says, Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up in his fleshly mind. Notice this, and not holding fast to the head. From whom, and here is a little bit of a further explanation here that Paul gives. From whom, that is from the head, From whom all the body nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments grows with the increase that is from God. I was going to go into a little more detail there in chapter two in terms of Christ's headship. So what can we say at this point? What can we say about the church's nourishment in Christ alone? What can we say about the church's being knit together in Christ alone? What can we say about the church's growth and that is true church growth, that is, as Paul describes it, that increase from God. Only by holding fast to the head of the body. Where will we find these things, nourishment, knitting together, growth, which is an increase from God only by holding fast to him who is the head of the body. The Lordship of Christ as it relates to the church, what is Paul telling us? Christ occupies by himself the position of primacy, the position of preeminence. He and he alone is the supplier. He is the head. In Christ and in Christ alone for the church is found life and growth. Now, this is crucial for a church to grasp. We've we've had some preaching recently in Ephesians four, this is going to be that this is going to be the Bible chapter of the year for our church. If you want to take a look again at Ephesians four. I want you to notice again. We've had preaching on this recently, it's worth it's worth reviewing, but I want you to notice again what Paul says about Christ's headship. This is crucial for a church to to to make sure. That a church understands. In Ephesians four. Oh, in verse 14, that we that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men and the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into him who is the head Christ from whom the whole body joined and knit together by whatever joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself is in love. Christ is the head. Christ is the head who supplies growth. But notice in Ephesians four, how does Christ exercise his headship. How is this accomplished that we would look at a congregation that is stable? It is growing, and there's this kind of growth, we would say that they are growing up into this godly maturity. They're no longer being tossed about by everything that comes along, every wind of doctrine that blows along. They're not affected anymore like they used to be by the trickery of men. They're on to that. The cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting is recognized and improperly responded to. How does Christ exercise his headship? Well, notice that up in verse seven, it's through the gifts that he gives. And in what particular kind of gifts does Christ give to his church in the exercise of his headship? Well, he gives men who teach. He gives apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers. He gives these particular gifts to his church for the exercise of his headship, for the purpose of us. Well, as he goes on to say that for this purpose, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, to the outcome, to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Christ exercises his headship, but Paul, you notice in Ephesians four, doesn't leave This concept of headship in just the realm of the abstract, but he makes it very concrete for us. You see what it looks like when a church is holding fast to their head. That they may grow up in all things into him who is the head. Christ exercising his headship, he is the head. And so you see here, Christ, he supplies growth. But he does it very, very practically, if you will. He gives gifts to his church. And these gifts all have something in common. You notice what all the gifts have in common. They all proclaim his word. They all proclaim his word. They have that in common. Christ exercises his headship and we were where would we find the exercise of his headship? Where do we find the reception of his head? Where do we find a body? holding fast to the head. It's where we find his word proclaimed with all of these results falling out because the pastor teachers are teaching, because the pastors and teachers are themselves preaching the apostolic and prophetic word. Standing on that foundation, Christ is the head who supplies the growth, but notice how Paul makes it. He puts it down at a very concrete terms, how Christ exercises that. In Christ and Christ alone as a church is where we will find our life and our direction. It also has a very it also has this affects the way we look at Matthew 18 when we verse 20 when we look at ourselves as assembled. We have to think about our assembly in terms of his headship. The preaching of his word and the listening to his word and the falling out of all of those results. as a result of the apostolic and prophetic word preached to us, the word of Christ preached. There's a there's a tremendous promise in Matthew 18. There is this possibility of two or even just three people gathered and Christ gives his promise of being there in the midst with them. But what's the condition that has to be met? That assembly has to be what? In their meeting, what in his name, you know what that means to meet in his name. That means to meet according to his word. It means to meet under his authority. That means as the assembly, we together say we meet under no other headship but Christ's alone. And how do we work that out? Very practically speaking, it's his word that we open up. It's his word that we preach. It's his word that we believe it's his word that we make application to our lives. That's the condition not any not any assembly meets that condition. It has to be in his name for that condition to be met where Christ will be there with his blessing and approving presence. Assembling in any other name or under any other authority not only is not It cannot be a church only in his name. This ought to make us think the promise of Christ to grant his that his his blessing and approving and sustaining attendance is only for those gatherings which are under his headship. What does Paul tell the Colossians? Christ is the head of the body and no one else. I'm just skimming the surface. There's many, many implications and applications that flow out of this that affect us as a church that we have to be very careful to consider. A body without a true head is not a body. A body without a head is not a true body. When you look at this, perhaps you may remember the warnings in the second and third chapters in the book of Revelation where Christ gives this warning that if they will not repent of their sins and return and listen to him, he will remove their lampstand from them. This status that Christ grants where he says, this is my body, this is my church, that status is removed. If they refuse to meet in his name, that is under his authority, that is according to his word. Christ is the head body without a head is not. It's not his body and it's not a church. That's the first observation, Christ is the head of the body of the church, but notice the second one. Christ is the beginning, the first born from the dead. Christ is the beginning. The firstborn from the dead, Christ occupies that place of preeminence over all of creation. As the giver of physical life. But listen, that would not be enough. That's that's not all of the story for the for the eternal son of God, Christ, God incarnate was rewarded with a kingdom. And it's a kingdom of the living. He was already from the beginning Lord over his universal kingdom. He is the beginning before everything. He had that universal kingdom, but then Christ came to us, like us, and as one commentator puts it, through the travail of the cross and the triumph of the resurrection, he has attained lordship of the church. He is the beginning of the firstborn from the dead. Preaches his resurrection to us. He is the beginning. To the church in a particular way, notice what the text tells us. He is the beginning in a particular way to the church. He is revealed as the originator. That's when you see that word beginning. He is the originator. He is the source of something very special to his bride. And what is he the source of the originator? He is. In that place of preeminence over his church as the first born from the dead, that is, as the church's source of life. He is the beginning in that general sense, First Ainsa. But he's also he also is the beginning. He is the source, the originator, a very special gift. In a very particular way to a very select group of people. And that gift is life everlasting. It's life eternal. He is the firstborn from the dead. The church lives because He lives. The redeemed have life because their head is alive. Because He rose from the dead. Well, there's many things we could say about the resurrection of Christ, couldn't we? Many, many things. There are many applications to us because of the resurrection of Christ. There are many truths that are preached to us. There are many gifts given to us because of the resurrection of Christ. It affects the way we look at sin. It affects the way we look at our daily walk. It affects the way we anticipate what is waiting for us in the future. Just a few things along these lines, when Paul wrote to the Corinthians and he said, if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and it's vain. It's totally devoid of truth if Christ is not risen. And if the preaching of Christ is empty, then your faith is also empty. It's vain, it's worthless, it's devoid of truth. And if Christ is not risen, Paul goes on to say your faith is futile and you're still in your sins. But what if he is risen? What if Christ is the firstborn from the dead? What does it preach to you about the forgiveness of your sins? Now, the Colossians needed to hear this. One of the classic techniques of the false teacher is to always hold that over your head. is doubting whether or not you've been completely forgiven. Fully forgiven. Work a little harder. I have a new rule that you must submit to. Perhaps, perhaps, just maybe work hard enough. Listen to my philosophy. Follow my rules. They're so persuasive. Maybe, maybe you will enjoy forgiveness. Classic technique, but what does Paul say? This one who was the head, this one that that true believers are holding fast to? Who is He? He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. He is alive. And the Scripture says much about what that means to us and what is won for us because He is alive. If Christ is not risen, you're still in your sins. But what if He is? What if He is? What if He is risen? It has an important effect upon our obedience. Paul wrote to the Romans and said, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. It has a daily effect upon us when we consider our obedience and our walk before him. We have a spirit enabling to obey. We have new hearts. And later on in the same letter to the Romans, Paul will say this. But if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the very same spirit. The spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. He is the firstborn from the dead. Rich, rich meanings flow out from there. that the Scriptures work out for us. I'm only just touching the surface of these things. Again, in his letter to the Romans, Paul says this, For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pains together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly awaiting, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope. The forgiveness of sins. Our daily walk before him, the redemption of our bodies, Christ, our head is the firstborn from the dead. Now, again, remember what we talked about last week about this title of firstborn, it's not necessarily chronological, it's a title of preeminence. And when I read this description, firstborn from the dead, I think of some of these images, again, from from the Book of Revelation, where you have an assembly of the living. all gathered around him who is the preeminent living one, the one who was slain, and yet he lives and is surrounded by all his people who were living. He is the firstborn from the dead. He is in that place of primacy. He occupies that. He is in possession of that title of preeminence of the living. I mean, their sins are forgiven if we are in him. We have newness of life. That's what we walk in. We look forward to the redemption of our bodies because he is the first born from the dead. What does this mean to you again? Well, there's a lot of things we've already looked at already, but you can say this, that if you. Are trusting in Christ. If it's him that you have come to for the salvation of your soul, Listen, in him, you have found a salvation that is comprehensive. It's comprehensive. If it's true that what we have in the first century in this congregation is a very early form of Gnosticism, they would have no place for the redemption of the body. But the salvation that this one brings, the Lord over all creation and the Lord over his church, Well, we wouldn't expect any less, would we, to say that the salvation that this one is able to bring, it's going to have to be a comprehensive salvation. The forgiveness of my sins and the redemption of my body. There's nothing that's left out. It's comprehensive. He is the first born from the dead. What hope this preaches to me. What hope this preaches to me. When I look, when I think about my own physical death. The sting of it's gone. When I see who my head is, when I think about who I'm clinging to. It's gone, the sting is gone. If Christ is not the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, preaching Christ is worthless. Preaching him is a waste of time. If Christ is not the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, none of us have any rescue from our sins. There's no rescue from wrath. There's no rescue from death. But if you are trusting. However, however weak it may seem to you. If Christ is the one in whom you've placed your trust, you have found life. You have found him who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. Well, observation number three. Number three, we find in verse 19, For it pleased the Father that in him all the fullness should dwell. Christ, this is number three, Christ is the dwelling place for fullness. All the fullness dwells in Christ. Now, there are two main interpretations on this, so let's proceed with some caution here. Here's the first main interpretation, and I had my commentaries lined out and they're split on this. So this is kind of funny. I sent out an email because I wanted to consult with the other elders before I gave my opinion. And one elder, he'll remain unnamed, he said the first line of his email was something like, well, it could go either way. But anyway, the email was very helpful to me. Here's the first way that you can interpret verse 19. It pleased the Father that in Christ all the fullness should dwell. Here's the first option is that Paul is just simply giving a repetition of the deity of Christ. If you look in chapter two in verse nine you'll see fullness used in this way. Chapter two verse nine for in him that is speaking of Christ for in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Well obviously fullness is being used to describe Christ's complete deity. There's no there's no subtraction from deity when you look at Christ. All right. The second option is this, that from the flow, and you have your handout in front of you, from the flow and from the arrangement of the hymn, the first stanza is the lordship of Christ over all of creation. And that was certainly, and that we certainly found in that stanza, the deity of Christ, his full, undiluted, unmitigated deity. The Lordship of Christ as he relates to creation. But in the second stanza, it's the Lordship of Christ as he relates to the church, as he relates to the redeemed. So is it biblical to speak of Christ's Lordship of creation in terms of his fullness? Well, yes, it's biblical to speak of Christ's fullness in terms of his deity over all of creation. Yes, but this is what I'm asking now. Is it biblical to speak Of Christ's lordship of the church. In terms of fullness. Well, I think it is biblical, and again, if you look back in Ephesians chapter one. We're defining what Paul means by fullness in this particular context in Colossians, and I think that you'll find Ephesians chapter one will. Will give you some good help on this. In chapter 1 in verse 22, speaking of Christ, here God, and he put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Now, do you see what Paul just says about the church? He describes the church as His body, Paul describes the church as his fullness. His body is his fullness, the church is his fullness. So I'm going to give you my opinion at this point. When I look at the flow of the hymn, when I look at the division of the lordship of Christ over creation, how that is described, and I see, I think, a very, very clear shift where now Christ is described not in terms of his lordship over creation, but his lordship over the church, his lordship over the redeemed. And when I look at Ephesians 1 and 22 and 23, I'm of the opinion that it's of the second option. That this fullness that Paul is speaking of, he is referring to the redeemed, to his church. For it pleased the Father that in him all the fullness should dwell. We are his body, that is, we are. These are incredible things to think about, I'm going to struggle to to explain this in a way that's going to be satisfying for you. We are we are his body. We are so in Christ. We are so united to him that Christ himself reveals this to us. He himself revealed this describes us with this title that we are his body. We are complete in him. We are his body, that is, we share, that is, we reflect his glory and his beauty to this world. Very important point there, Ephesians. But also that Christ is glorified and Christ is exalted in the redemption of his church. You see that that that flow, Christ is glorified and exalted, not just the fact that he is fully God, not just in the fact that he creates all that there is, not just that he is the sustainer of all that he is, but Christ also is exalted and glorified through his body, through his church. In that sense, I think Paul is speaking of the church as the fullness. Now, I'm going to let John Murray help me on this point, because you may be thinking back to Colossians 2.9. Well, Derek, fullness there talks about the deity of Christ. Well, this is what Murray says to that. He says the fact that Colossians 2.9 refers to Christ's essential godhood is not incompatible with this conclusion. For the fullness that Christ possesses as the eternal son does not interfere with The fullness he comes to possess for the execution of messianic office. There is fullness for Christ as God. There is fullness for Christ as Messiah. And that fullness, where would we find in all of creation? Where are we going to find that fullness? We find it in his body. We find it in his church. I know these things are incredible to think about. But again, I refer you to the first chapter of Ephesians. We are his body and Christ is glorified through us. Christ is exalted through his body. We are so united to him. So that in stanza one, in Christ is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. But in stanza two, in Christ is the fullness of a gifted and graced body. There is a fullness which the son has always possessed and there is a fullness which he was rewarded with in time. As the incarnate one. From all eternity past, the eternal son of God possessed the glories of deity, but in time he came to possess that which he did not possess before. A body. And Christ was not he was given not just a body of flesh, he was given a body of people. And Christ, again, this is amazing to think about. That He so identifies Himself with His redeemed, He calls us His body. He calls us His fullness. You are my fullness, He says. So the Son, as the incarnate Messiah, is filled. He is completed in his body of the reading. Now, you know what I'm not saying at that point. I am not saying that God was somehow. Lacking, he was lonely, and that's why he maybe you've heard that that's not what I'm saying, you know, I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is this. Is that the groom looks at his bride? And says. I am full. The groom looks at his bride and says. Now, everything is complete. Now, everything is complete, I think this is the sense of this of this amazing things to think about. How is the church's fullness? Well, let's be very specific. In what ways are we his fullness? Well, again, John Murray, I think is very helpful. Referring to Ephesians 123 to help Understand Colossians 1. He says it would point to the conclusion. That the church is the fullness of Christ, because to the church as the body of Christ is being imparted the fullness that is in Christ. How can we be? How can we be called his fullness? Well, it's only because of the things that Christ, who himself is fullness, grants to us. All right, does that make sense? Christ himself is in possession of all fullness. He shares that fullness with his bride, with his body. And so in that sense, then we can have this description that we are his fullness. But in what particular way? I think you'll find this. You'll find this very encouraging. He says this is Murray again. The church is the recipient of that fullness of righteousness, wisdom, knowledge, power, grace, goodness. Patience, love, truth and mercy, which has its permanent abode in Christ. It pleased the father that in him all the fullness should dwell. All the fullness should dwell when you look when you look at his body. You see what what do we find in his body? We find his fullness and what in particular does that mean? We find his righteousness. Is it any less righteousness that we find or is it his very righteousness that we find? Shared with his bride. Is it any less love, is it any less truth and is it any less wisdom or is it his? It pleased the father that in Christ all the fullness of these things should dwell. These things are communicated to us. We are his fullness. And why is this? Well, you notice what the text tells us, it's because it pleased the father. Because it pleased the father. This is another reason why I think the fullness refers to the glory of the church. The father doesn't at some point decide to allow the son to enjoy full deity. That doesn't make any sense. It pleased the Father to reward His Son with a body that reflects His own glory. It pleased the Father to reward His Son with a bride, to give to His Son a most glorious bride who is called His body, who shares in His fullness. And it is in Christ and it is in Christ alone that this fullness dwells again. You see how it fits in the stanza. Christ is Lord over his church. He is the one and he alone who is Lord of the redeemed. For in him and him alone that we find this. A group of people who are granted possession of and who reflect his glories of righteousness and all of the other things. The fact that the son would condescend To a group of sinners. Saved by grace. In this way that he would condescend in this way. To reflect that we would be given this privilege to reflect his glory. To be a reflection of his fullness, it's. What can I say at that point? It's a it's a magnitude of grace that just makes my head swim. Fullness. You can almost hear how the false teachers in the Colossian congregation were chipping away at this. Attacking the gospel at this very point. There's something less. And you must do all these other things to attain. Always in question. But look at what Paul preaches to them. Behold the Savior that Paul preaches to the Colossians, for it pleased the Father that in him, who is your head, from whom you draw your nourishment and from whom you draw your very life, spiritual life, physical life. In him, we find the dwelling place of fullness. And Paul told the Ephesians that there is a sense in which we understand that his fullness is his church. I'm unable, I'm unable to grasp it. Such grace and such mercy to us. Well, number four, our fourth observation tonight from the second stanza. Christ's lordship is universal. Notice in verse 19. Well, excuse me, in verse 20, and by him. And by Christ to reconcile all things to himself by him. Whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross. It is through Christ. It is through Christ that reconciliation is made. It is through this one who is the head that God reconciles. It is through this one who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that reconciliation and peace is made. It is only through Christ The one in whom all fullness dwells. It is in him and in him alone that peace is made. It is only by the blood of his cross that peace is enjoyed. It is only through this one that you will find reconciliation and notice there's no place where his reign is not extended. You notice the way that Paul basically says that it's by him, it's by Christ. To reconcile all things to himself without exception. There is the without exception clause in the first and did you notice that before? By him, all things were created and then Paul essentially says without exception, you want to pick heaven? He made it. You want to pick something on earth? He made it. You want to pick something visible? He made it. Perhaps something invisible, he made it without exception. And perhaps you can think of a throne. It's by Christ's design. Perhaps you can think of a dominion. It's by the design of him. Principalities, powers, you see what Paul is saying? Without exception. Well, this idea is repeated in the second stanza here in terms not of creation overall, but in terms of redemption in particular. There's also a without exception clause there. Only in him, it is by him to reconcile all things to himself by, you know, understand that that's not universalism. All things to himself by him, whether it doesn't matter. Where are you going to go to escape him? What fence are you going to push down and step across and finally say, aha, I'm outside of the reign of Christ. All of the things I've been reading about no longer apply because I'm outside the reign of him. But where are you going to go to be able to say that? Where are you going to be able to say that you are the exception to what we've just read in the scripture in terms of where you will find reconciliation and peace and rescue from your sins? Where are you going to go to justify saying to yourself, well, I'm the exception. You can have Christ, that's fine, I'm going to follow a different path. Paul says, without exception. His lordship is universal. Where will you go to escape him? Where will you go to go to find a reconciliation other than his? No place, things on earth, things in heaven. Only through him, Christ reigns over all for the glory of God and for the blessing and protection of his bride. Christ reigns over all for the glory of God and for the blessing and protection. For the provision of his bride. So, again, in the first stanza. In the first stanza, behold, your Savior, the Creator King. But look in the second stanza and behold your Savior, the Messiah King. Lord over all that has been made in general, Lord over his own special people. In particular, maker of all there is, sustainer of all there is and sustainer of his people. He is he is her head, her authority, her life, her rescue. This is your savior. Do you know who he is? Isn't this amazing to consider who he is? Let me leave you with just a couple of final things for you to think about. I want to speak for a moment to to those of you who have not professed faith in Christ. And some of you tonight have not professed faith in Christ. Maybe you are a child. Maybe you are younger and you have not professed faith in Christ. I want you to listen to me very carefully for just a moment. Maybe you're a little older. Maybe you're a teenager. Maybe you are a young adult or older and you have not professed faith in Christ, I want you to, if you will, please give me just a moment. I want to ask you this question, and you've been you've perhaps been you've been listening along, you've been thinking a little bit about who Christ is. And these these incredible descriptions that are given of him. These incredible statements that describe his superiority over all. And you've seen these descriptions of how He exercises His superiority. For what goes and to what ends, He works His power. I want to ask you this question. What keeps you from coming to Him? What is it really that holds you back from this one? I mean, if I were describing some Some miserable creature. Well, I can understand why you'd want to stay away. But look at who the text describes. Look at his glory and his beauty. I struggle to preach through something like this because it's too much for me. I can't I can't grasp what I have in front of me. His glory, his power, his beauty. Why do you not come to him? Why do you not? You know, in Him, we've seen already in Colossians, we've seen that in Him is the inheritance of the saints and the light. Why not come to Him? Why not come and take this inheritance that's offered to all who trust in Him? What excuse is good enough? I mean, really? Why do you not come to the One? I'm not a weak Savior. He doesn't offer us salvation that's questionable or suspicious. He's the Creator and Sustainer of all there is. This is the One who is Lord. This is the One who is the Redeemer. This is the One who sheds His blood. This is the One who makes reconciliation and peace and life now and life to come possible. Why not come to Him? I'm asking if you would just consider for a moment, why not just lay down your excuses? Because you really don't have any good excuses to resist this one. Look at how kind He is. Look at how glorious He is. Look at how generous He is. Why not come to Him? Why not come to Christ and find true life and true hope and forgiveness for your sins? Why not come to Him and find rescue from the wrath of God that is to come which abides on you now? Why not come to Him? Is it because of what other people might think of you? Well, what does Christ think of you? You know, on that day, On that last day of this age when you stand before the throne and the books are opened, what will it matter in that day what people thought of you? What will it matter what your friends thought of you? What will it matter in that day? Why not come to Him and find a rescue? To find a rescue from the punishment for your sins. Why not come to Him? Well, let me conclude tonight for those of you who are trusting in Him. You've made a public profession of your faith, of your repentance from your sins. I want to speak a word to those of you who are enduring and trusting in Him. I've already given you a lot of applications tonight, but just this final one. If if I can encourage you, if you were to pray. He would pray for our church. I want you to notice how. I want you to step back for just a moment from this overall him that we've been looking at, I want you to think about what Paul's doing. There's a there's a problem that Paul has on his hands. There's a problem that he has to deal with. This problem of this false gospel and these false teachers. I want you to notice what Paul does for the protection of the Saints. He loves them dearly, even though he says he'll say later on he's not met them, but still he loves them dearly. He has this report from Epaphras. He has this love for them. And he has this earnest desire to to protect them and to give them what they need. Notice what he's doing. He's simply proclaiming the truth about who Christ is. And he's simply proclaiming the truth about what Christ does. This is what they need for their protection. He doesn't need some complicated program. He preaches Christ to them. Who he is, his glories and his beauties and his graces and his gifts. If the Colossians will be filled with this knowledge, as Paul prayed earlier, if the Colossians will be filled With this knowledge, who Christ is, what he does, his person and his work and be filled with it, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding, they're going to be able to recognize what's going on. They'll be able to refute the false teaching if they'll be filled with this knowledge of their savior. It's the I'm going to use the. I'm going to use the lot and Sodom and Gomorrah analogy. Not allegory, analogy. Big difference. False teaching is not content to mill about outside on your driveway. They are knocking on the door. The false teachers are not content to just hang out in the street and call your name. They're trying the doorknob. They want in. But notice what Paul does for the protection of the Saints, a very careful preaching of the glories of Christ, who their Savior is and what he does. The false teachers, false teaching is not content to stay outside. The evil one himself and his minions are not content to just politely knock. If it happened in Colossae, why do we think that we are immune? We better not think that. Think about why God has been so gracious to preserve this letter for us. Why God was so gracious to send his spirit and to fill Paul and to move Paul along, not with Paul's own opinions, but Paul was moved along by the Holy Spirit to write this and God super intended the writing of it and he preserved it down through all of these years for our benefit. Could it not be that we should take warning? That we need to be careful and we need to observe what's the remedy for this? Notice what Paul does. He preaches Christ to them. He teaches them who their Savior is and what He's done. They're going to try the doorknob. They're not content to stay outside. They're going to walk around and test the windows. We have to have a faithful preaching of Christ. If we lose that, we've lost everything. Would you pray for us? Pray for your pastors and teachers. Pray for us as a church. We dare not think that somehow we have somehow magically become immune from that which plagued this congregation. They were believers. That's the way Paul speaks to them. They were trusting in Christ. This is a papyrus had preached the gospel to them. And according to Paul's own evaluation, they had believed the gospel. Dangerous, very, very dangerous words can be persuasive. That would lead us away from him. So let's pray, let's pray for ourselves when Paul when Paul gives and delivers to them this faithful and careful preaching of Christ, it's like Paul is He's ushering all the false teachers out of the house and he's shutting the door and he's turning the deadbolt. If the Colossians will give a good meditation and think about these things and notice that Paul doesn't just say, well, you need to believe in Jesus. Notice how careful he is and detailed he is on who he is. And what he has done, this is what they need to fill their knowledge with, you know, that very famous quote from Calvin where he said that the human heart is an idle factory. Your heart is this manufacturing center of lesser saviors. And so I'm going to end tonight by saying not only be aware of everything that's outside, but you need to also be aware of the tendency of your own heart. That would, if left unchecked and uncontrolled, would daily manufacture lesser saviors. Daily. Unsubmitted to the word. Left uncontrolled, would run rampant, whispering to you, other saviors, promising you lesser hopes. Christ is the Lord of his church. Your heart will manufacture substitute lords who will demand your worship. What are you to do? Guarding your own heart, guarding your ears as you listen to teaching, What is it that you're going to do? Well, how about this? Would you do this? Give a good meditation on the text. And not this one, but others that reveal who your Savior is. Do you know who He is? Do you know who He is? Fill yourself with this. Fill your knowledge with this for your protection and for your blessing.