The Sufficiency of Christ and the Word

Transcript

GR 977
5/18/1997
The Sufficiency of Christ and the Word
Colossians 2:47
Gil Rugh

The book of Colossians in your Bibles. Colossians and the second chapter. It's a short letter. Four chapters. And if you would periodically read through the letter, it will keep the continuity of the book somewhat before you as we work through the individual pieces. And I think if you make that a practice as we move through not only the book of Colossians but other books of the Bible that we study, the more familiar you are with the content, the more the studies we do will stick with you. You'll have a better grasp on the book as a whole.

The apostle Paul has been preparing the Colossians for what he is going to have to deal with regarding false teaching that is confronting the Church. False teachers had arisen in the area. They were confronting the church not only in Colossae but evidently other churches in that region as well like Laodicea and Hierapolis. Paul focuses what he says here to the Colossians but will tell them to share this letter with others in the region as well. His emphasis through chapter one and into the beginning of chapter two has been on the total sufficiency of Jesus Christ. He is the One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, chapter 2 verse 3 tells us. Everything you need, all the understanding you need is found in Him.

Concern with the Colossian church and the heresy facing it is a concern that Paul had about other churches as well that he dealt with. It is primarily a concern with false teaching that infiltrates the church and corrupts it from within. As such what this kind of heretical teaching does is take a portion of truth and adjust it, add to it or take away from it and then promote it very effectively and in so doing you corrupt the truth concerning Christ. All the errors that infiltrate the Church and claim to offer new insights or additional information that will make the believer or the Church more effective at the bottom are an attack on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Because if you were adding to or taking away from Christ and what is revealed concerning Him, you are attacking His sufficiency as He is.


The connection is important and we'll see it as we move through our study today as well. You cannot separate the sufficiency of Christ and the sufficiency of the Word of God. We talk about the sufficiency of Christ. We talk about the sufficiency of the revealed Word of God. And we'll see the connection there. Because some of the teaching that infiltrates among the Church talks about Jesus but gives no content, no doctrinal stability to that concept. Movements are joined together because we agree on Jesus. What do you mean we agree on Jesus? I mean, as far as Jesus. Well, Islam believes in Jesus. Roman Catholics believe in Jesus. All the stripes of Protestantism believe in Jesus. The Jehovah Witnesses believe in Jesus. The Mormons believe in Jesus. So what do you mean we are united by Jesus? If you're understanding of Jesus Christ is not formed by the truth of the Scripture, then you're not really dealing with the biblical Jesus. And we need to be careful about these kinds of emotional and superficial kinds of messages that really can end up undermining the truth of the Scripture.

Leave a marker in Colossians and come over to 2 Corinthians chapter 11. The apostle Paul dealt with a similar problem at the church of Corinth. The details will be a little different. But really what was happening is teaching was infiltrating the church at Corinth and it had been much more effective at Corinth than it had been at Colossae to this point which was really undermining the purity and simplicity of devotion to Jesus Christ. And thus was an attack on the sufficiency of Christ, the One and the Only One that we need, the One in whom everything we need is found.

Second Corinthians chapter 11 verse 2 Paul says, "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin." So the picture here that the Church has been engaged to Christ so to speak and Paul looks forward to that day when we will be joined with Him in His presence and the marriage of the Lamb occurs and He does not want us to be defiled by other lovers so to speak, to have been spiritually unfaithful. So He says in verse 3, "But I am afraid, that as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness." Keep this passage in mind. You'll see similarities as we move through Colossians chapter 2. The Serpent deceived Eve by His craftiness. What did he do? Has God said this? Well, it's not the whole truth. "Your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." And the last part of that verse is what I really want you to focus on. "Your minds being led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." Jesus Christ is enough. That's simplicity. That purity of devotion to Him.

"For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached or you receive a different spirit whom you've not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully." And you ought to underline that last statement. "You bear this beautifully." Look at verse 19, "For you, being so wise [and there's sarcasm here], tolerate the foolish gladly." Now there's a move afoot among the Church today. It's a broad movement or a religious movement. And my concern is for the church that professes to be biblical that we must guard at all costs about being narrow or being thought negative or taking a stand against anything. But you note under the direction of the Spirit of God, Paul's condemnation of the Corinthians is you're too tolerant. Oh, you bear with this false doctrine, false teaching beautifully. You're so smart that you're glad to tolerate the foolish. That's a condemnation. This tolerance, this openness, this acceptance. Let's look for ways to agree. Let's ignore our differences.

Now keep in mind these false teachers when he says in verse 4 of 2 Corinthians 11, "if one comes and preaches another Jesus," well, what they are doing is making a variation. Remember the book of Colossians how the Gospel was corrupted by the Judaizers who said, you must believe in Christ, you must follow him and you must also keep parts of the Law. Paul said that's not the Gospel at all. But keep in mind we say another Jesus or another Gospel. What they are doing is taking the truth concerning Christ, taking the truth concerning the Gospel and corrupting it. And the Corinthian church was so understanding and nonjudgmental they put up with it.

You know, it's amazing. Churches will have wars over things that they ought to tolerate. I mean woe be if you change the color of the carpet. You know, you change the order of the service. Those kinds of things people really get up in arms about. I was talking to a pastor this week who called me from another state. He says I'm having a war in my church. I can't believe what people are saying about me and my wife. You know why? We moved a plaque in a room. We put a new coat of paint on another place. Somebody called and read me out and said, "I knew the man who painted that 20 years ago. Who are you to change it." Run that by me again. These kinds of things the churches battle over. You know, we all get our tradition. Indian Hills has it. And when we change things some people get very unsettled. I mean, we're all like that. When you come, don't you usually take your seat. It doesn't have your name on it but I look around. Henry Voss is in Glory today. I'll use him as an example. He used to sit right back there. When I'm not preaching . . . when I wasn't preaching when we went to church, I always went to my same seat. And some of you know what it's like. Some of you have mentioned, I went to sit in my seat and someone else was sitting in it today. Just a little bit irritates you, doesn't it? It doesn't matter. They've never been here before. They didn't know it was your seat. They should have known. Well, you know, people get upset about that and pretty soon we're having a war. And I don't want to be trivial. I don't want to act like I'm angry because of a seat, so I go out and holler about something else. You know, I want to look decent in this.

Well, those things we can be tolerant about. It's not a theological issue what the color scheme is, what the design is or what goes on here. The church doesn't battle over that. But theology. Oh my! We ought to be understanding. They love the Lord. We love the Lord. We serve the same Jesus. Let's not battle over doctrine. Well without doctrine which is teaching, I don't know what your Jesus is like. You don't know what my Jesus is like. Do you have the Jesus of the Jehovah Witnesses, do you have the Jesus of the Mormons, do you have the Jesus of the Scripture? We have to talk about doctrine, truth. The Corinthian church was having a war. They are fighting among themselves. They couldn't even get along in communion service. But they tolerated false doctrine beautifully.



I fear the Church has fallen into such a sad state of affairs today. Let me give you some examples of what is infiltrating the Church. And I've just selected three and these are things we've been over so many times, you're familiar with them. And I did that purposely so we don't have to go through the details. For example, psychology. I was reminded of this because I received my regular mailing from . . . I forget the exact title. The American Association of Christian Counselors or something like that. And they do it to me just to irritate me I know. But right on the front in bold letters it says, "Committed to the integration of the Bible and psychology." Now is that not an attack on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ and the revealed truth of God? When you're saying we have to take the truth of God and integrate it with the wisdom of man so that you as a "Christian counselor" will really be able to help people with sin and the problems of living. I say that is an attack on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ and the truth that He has entrusted to our care. The Church ought to be up in arms against that. But no it bears with it beautifully. And if you oppose it, it's because you're unloving. You don't care about people. You don't want to help people. And somehow the real issue gets lost. Yes, we really want to help people. We really love people. And in Jesus Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And in Him and Him alone is the salvation of God fully realized and experienced in your daily life. So the sufficiency of Christ comes under attack and I fear that the average Christian just thinks this is wonderful. They bear with it beautifully. Because what? It's put in disguise as we are going to see happen to Colossae. We ought to pick up right away. You want to integrate the Bible with anything I'm opposed because I find the Word of God sufficient.

Another area, the area of demons and demonology that we've talked about. How does this fit? Since we've done this, we have a booklet on it if you want to work through it more. Those who are promoting the idea that your real problem as a believer is demons that have not been dealt with that dwell in you. I say wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. Where in Scripture does that come from? Well the Scripture doesn't tell you. We have clinical evidence. You know you want to make it sound medical. What is clinical evidence? Well, we've talked to people. We've looked at people and we've determined some of those have demonsbelievers. How did a believer get a demon? Well, they may be ancestral demons. Your great, great, great grandmother on your mother's side may have been in the occult, played with an ancient ouija board. Demons got in her and of course these ancestral demons are just passed down from generation to generation and they don't leave just because you got saved. I say that is an attack on the sufficiency of Christ, sufficiency of His work. There has been a major flaw. I've got demons in me and God never got around to telling me about it in His Word and it's really not possible for me to live a godly, Christhonoring life when I have indwelling demons. But I've got to go to this individual who through his clinical studies has come to the determination. That's the problem. That's an attack on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, the sufficiency of the Word of God. And yet I was disturbed to see a major book on this, promoting this idea, a couple months ago when I looked at the ten best sellers for the month among Christian books. That book is still one of the ten best sellers. The Church bears with it beautifully. They tolerate the foolish gladly.

Third area. I've gotten involved. I shouldn't do it. But I've been studying Charismatics again. I've been listening to tapes. I've been watching videos, watching programs. Yesterday's paper, Omaha World Herald, big article on the Pensacola revival in Brownsville, Assemblies of God churches there and all that's going on. It's been going on for over a year. I don't know how many people have been therea million and a half or something like that. Wednesday through Sunday night something like that. People from Omaha who have been there and Lincoln who say how wonderful it is. You know, I find one re-occurring theme through all the Charismatic theology and that is God told me this. The Spirit is speaking to me and this is what He is saying that the foundation of our theology is not doctrine it is experience. That's an attack on the sufficiency of Christ and the sufficiency of His Word.

Rodmen Williams who is probably the leading theologian of the Charismatic movement acknowledges this movement is not founded in doctrine. It's founded in experience. But that is a foundation of sand. And you find them all over the map theologically. But the Church thinks it's wonderful that we all agree on the Spirit and on Jesus and can work together in spite of our theology and doctrine. We bear with it beautifully. We tolerate the foolish gladly. And woe be if you speak against it. You're narrow, bigoted, you're unloving, you're cultic and on we go.

Paul reminds the Colossians. We are studying Colossians. Come back to Colossians 2. Colossians 2. The details of the Colossian heresy will have its own specifics but at root it is an attack on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, the sufficiency of the Scripture which is the revelation of Jesus Christ. In verses 4 to 7 chapter 2 we really make the transition from what Paul has been talking about, about the doctrine and truth which he taught which bind us together as believers and as a church, to the specific issues and errors that were confronting the Colossian church.

Paul picks up with verse 4, "I say this." That refers to what he has been talking about in the first three verses particularly of chapter 2. The encouragement that we are to experience as we are bound together in love reminding them and then in verse 3 of the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. "I say this in order that no one may delude you with persuasive argument." Now for the first time he mentions the danger that is confronting the Colossian church. That they might be deluded, deceived. The idea is deluded or deceived with words. And he further elaborates it by calling it persuasive arguments. You may not be deluded or deceived with words of persuasive arguments. And this word which is translated by our two words "persuasive arguments" is a legal word, a courtroom word used of lawyer's arguments. But there's a negative flavor to it in the context. The arguments that might be used to win a case but justice is not done. I mean, through persuasive arguments and cleverness of speech a guilty man is found innocent or an innocent man is found guilty. That would be the flavor of the word that is used here. He wants them to be careful that they don't get deluded by the speech of those who would use clever and deceptive but powerful arguments.

One commentator said that it would be equivalent to our English expression talking someone into something. You know someone who's a good talker he'll say you know how did I get talked in to that. What he is saying is what? When they were talking it sounded so good and so logical it made sense. But you reflected back and say now that wasn't right. That's the idea here. You're talked into something. And what the danger is the Colossians . . . We say it so many times. We all say yes, yes, yes. You talk to the average Christian. Do you believe in the sufficiency of Christ? Oh, yes. Do you believe in the sufficiency of the Word of God? Yes. But you also find them advocating some of the very heresies that I've mentioned which are an attack on the sufficiency of Christ and an attack on the Word of God. They have been deluded, deceived by persuasive articles. They have become convinced if you really want to help people you need more than just the simplicity of the Word of God. You need more than just the purity of devotion to Christ and His sufficiency. They have been deluded and deceived by powerful and effective arguments.

And I have to say having read quite a bit of the material and watched a lot of the preaching that comes on from these various areas, I have to say they are good talkers. They are good with words. I find myself saying now Gil, are you sure they are not right. I say, I'm sure because here the Scripture says this and they are saying something else. I know, but just consider what they're saying. I say wait a minute, wait a minute. I can't. It's wrong. But they say it very well. That's why the vast majority of television religious programming, religious television is error, but it's promoted in a very interesting and convincing way.

So that's the warning. Look at verse 5. And this is an encouraging verse. When we read about the Corinthian church, the Corinthians had been sucked into the error. Paul was concerned they were already being led astray from purity of devotion to Christ. But here Paul says the Colossians have not been duped by the error. So he is writing for them to stay strong. So he says verse 5, "Even though I am absent in body nevertheless I am with you in spirit." Paul was unable to be with them present in his physical body. He was a prisoner at Rome.

And you know, I was reminded as I read that Paul's imprisonment has gone on now for about five years. Remember, he was arrested to be taken to Rome but on the way he endured a twoyear imprisonment in Caesarea. Then about a year's travel time with some interruptions at the end of the book of Acts chapter 28 we're told he'd been a prisoner in Rome for two years. You know, it's amazing. Here's a man who's writing after that long of being a prisoner, but you don't find any discouragement coming out in his letters. And he's the one who wants to write and tell about the absolute sufficiency of Christ, about the power of God for every need. And yet he's been a prisoner for five years. Not discouraged, not diverted from the theology that he held on to. We appreciate the letters. He couldn't be there in body but he could be there in spirit. I'm with you in my prayer, my concern. And we know what that's like. You have children or family members that are away, you say I'm with you in Spirit. You think of yourself there. You're going through what they're going through in their thinking. And of course as believers we are upholding them before the Lord in prayer and in that sense we are with them as well.

And note what he says as the last part of verse 5, "rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ." Paul was filled with joy and rejoicing because the Colossians were standing firm. He uses two words which often have a military connotation. The first is your good discipline. And those words "good discipline" really mean an "ordered arrangement." It has the picture of every soldier standing in his proper place, in his proper position. That's the strength of the military unit. Every soldier has an assigned place, an assigned task. So Paul says the Colossians, each member of the body, has stood in his proper place holding on to the truth. Picture of the spiritual gifts at work and all the diversity we have and a different picture of the body. Here with a military picture. But each person standing firm for the truth in the place God has assigned them. You are not called to stand in my place. I'm not calling to stand in your place. But we are each called to stand for the truth in the place that God has established for us as His servants, as His soldiers, as members of His Body.

The second word elaborates on that really. "The stability" words have to do with the solid, united front of the army. When every person stands in his proper place. When every soldier is standing in his assigned position, then that army presents a solid front. So some use the word "bulwark" here. The bulwark of your faith. That's true for the Church. The church at Colossae as a result of every member standing firm for the truth in their assigned place, that church stood as a bulwark, solid, united in its stand for the truth. And that's the strength.

What happens? We've all seen war movies or news reels and a conflict is engaged and what happens? If the individual members of that battalion or whatever the group is begin to disintegrate you see all of a sudden someone turns and runs, somebody else turns and runs. All of a sudden what? The solidity of that group deteriorates and there's no strength against the enemy.

Paul's encouraged. The Colossians have stood individually and they stand united as a church against the error that is assaulting them. A good reminder for us and the ministry God's called us to.

And they stand. Good discipline. They're stability in regard to their faith in Christ. So their faith and confidence in Him in His sufficiency, in His adequacy which is the same as the sufficiency and adequacy of the Word which is the testimony concerning Him is the realm in which they stand.

Back in chapter 1 Paul gave thanks in verse 3. Thanks that began when he heard of their faith in verse 4 (Colossians 1:4), "Since we heard of your faith." Then you come to the end of verse 5. They have faith in that which they heard in the word of truth, the gospel." The end of verse 6, "since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth." Important we see that there is an inseparable connection between our faith in Christ and our faith in truth. And we walk in the truth, we will be walking in Christ, as he will develop in a moment.

Back in chapter 2 verse 5. So there has been a stability and a solid front presented by the church at Colossae. Praise God for the testimony of that church.

"Now therefore," verse 6. And the therefore really is going to build now on everything he has said up to this point through chapter 1 and chapter 2). Verses 6 and 7 will really give you the theme of what is going to be carried out in the next major section of the book down into chapter 4. Verses 6 and 7. In this transition to deal with the heresy, he'll give you the theme of what he'll be talking about. "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." You have received Christ Jesus the Lord. John 1:12, "As many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God." Christ is the One we have received. But it's interesting this word "received" also becomes a technical one in the New Testament for the receiving of truth. We don't have time to turn to the passages. You can jot down 1 Corinthians 15 verse 1, verse 3. Paul talks about the Corinthians received the Gospel. In Galatians chapter 1 verse 9 and verse 12 he talks about he received the Gospel and revelation from heaven. There are other passages like that. This word "received" is used in the context of receiving the truth of God. And so here you have received Christ Jesus the Lord. When did they receive Christ Jesus the Lord? When they received and believed the truth of the Gospel as we just looked at in verse 1. They are inseparable. It's the truth of God as revealed in the Word that enables us to understand the Person and work of Christ and so receive Him.

Jesus made this clear. Those who were rejecting His message were rejecting His Father. Those who were rejecting Him were rejecting His Father. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth." In John 14:6 and John 16 He also says in a prayer to the Father, "Your Word is truth." Important we see this connection because this idea that we can separate Jesus Christ and truth is what is driving the ecumenicity that is sweeping over the evangelical church today. That we can unite around Jesus in spite of our different doctrines. So Roman Catholics, Mormons, Protestants and evangelicals become Promise Keepers because we unite around Jesus. But the Jesus of Roman Catholic theology is not the sufficient Christ of the New Testament. And the Jesus of Mormon theology is totally foreign to Scripture. And the Jesus of liberal Protestantism has nothing to do with the Jesus of the Bible. So I have to be careful that I understand that the truth of Scripture and the person and work of Jesus Christ are inseparably intertwined and anyone who divides them is a false teacher and not to be opposed.

You have received Christ Jesus the Lord. Literally, you've received the Christ, the Messiah, who is Jesus the Lord. Now a command is given, "So walk in Him." You've received Christ. Continue in Him. Present imperative. A command given in the present tense. Keep on walking in Him. Note this idea that you receive Christ and now you've got to turn off on a different path to grow, to progress, to be effective. What you received in your salvation was wonderful but it's not enough. That's heresy. That is an attack on the sufficiency of Christ, the sufficiency of the Word of God. No matter how it's couched. I don't need anything more than I received when I trusted Christ. I don't need anything else and I can do with nothing less.

Walk in Him, which is another way of saying continue in the truth. People get a mystical idea. What does it mean to walk in Christ? I'm impressed as I've been watching different programs on the Charismatic movement . . . It's like it's a feeling. I feel it in my heart. Do you feel Christ in this place today? Do you feel Him in your spirit now? Well, what do you mean? Go on. Could you help me out? What do you mean? I mean, we put it in this nebulous realm and you know what, in that context if I'm good at working your emotions, and I'm good with words and I create the kind of atmosphere environment, I can move your feelings. Then I tell you those feelings are really the presence of Christ and His Spirit in your heart. How do you know? You trust me. No, it's to be anchored in truth. When you walk in Christ you are walking in truth. That's the same thing. We'll see as we move along even further.

Walk in Him. What's it means to walk in Christ? Four participles elaborate it and explain it in verse 7. We'll just mention these with a mini sermon on each one. Verse 7 the command was walk in Him. Now four participles will modify what it means to walk in Him. First, "having been firmly rooted in Him." That "in Him" appears after "built up" goes with both "rooted" and "built up." You've been rooted in Him. That is a perfect participle. The rest will be present participles. Perfect tensesomething happened in the past; the results continue into the present. My present portion is as a result of what has happened to me in the past. It denotes stability. I have been and continue to be rooted in Him. He is the foundation of my life.

We are going to mix the metaphor here. This word "to be rooted," is a word that talks about building a building now. And even in secular Greek this terminology is used of the construction of a building. A building was rooted and built up. And we get the picture. Same idea as a trees rootgrounded in it, founded in it. Similar idea to what Paul said in writing to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. There is no other foundation that can be laid than that which has been laid which is Jesus Christ. Now we have to talk about building upon Him.

Incidentally, in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 about verses 6 to 11 he uses the same kind of mixture of a agricultural metaphor and switches to the building metaphor. The same thing is being said.

We have been rooted in Him. When did that happen? When I came to receive the truth of the Gospel, believing in Christ, I was rooted in Him and established upon Him as my foundation. To walk in Him first means you have been rooted in Him because He said in verse 6, "Therefore as you have received Christ walk in Him." Stay the course. Keep on track having been rooted in Him.

Second participle elaborating walk. "Now being built up in Him." This is a present participle. Now being built up in Him. This is the ongoing process of building the building. The word has the idea of adding layer upon layer or block upon block. Keep on developing. Keep on building. Keep on growing in Him. The danger is we get diverted. I start out with the truth of the Gospel focused in the Person of Christ but now all these other teachings come to tell me I need more; I need something else. God told me this so I bypass the Word. No, we are to being built up in Him.

Third participleparticiple phrases reallyestablished in your faith or being established with regard to the faith. We are not just talking about your personal faith in Christ but more so here the truth. The faith is a body of doctrine of truth. This is elaborated in the next statementjust as you were instructed or taught. This word "established in the faith." So we are rooted or grounded in Christ. Now we are being built up in Him and stability is taking place. We are being established. A building, a structure that will withstand the assaults, that will not be blown over by the winds of doctrine that assault it, established, secured in regard to the faith.

"Just as you were instructed," you were taught, anchors it in truth. Walkthat means to continue the course. You've received Christ, you've received His truth, continue that course. You've been rooted in Him, you're being built up in Him, you're being stabilized, established in Him.

And the fourth participle"overflowing with gratitude." Overflowing with gratitude. An abundance of thanks characterizes those who are walking in Him. Because you are continually overwhelmed with His sufficiency, with His provision, with His adequacy. Not there must be something else, there must be something more, there must be something different. But overwhelmed with thanksgiving to the God who is sufficient, who is adequate.

We won't take the time but Ephesians chapter 4 gives you the same picture, different metaphor a little bit but the same picture, where you're taught the Word of God by pastor teachers and every part functions as it should in the Body. There the metaphor is the Body just like every part in the analogy of the soldier . . . Every soldier stands in his place, does his assigned role in standing for truth. So every part of the body performs its function. The body builds itself up, stands as a unit. We grow to Him. There the picture is of a body. Here it is of a building that's being constructed, that is solid.

You know this Church ought to be a solid building that is a testimony to the work of Almighty God in us. What does it say to the world that the Church is chasing after every trivial idea that comes down the pike as though we didn't know who were and why we were here? Is not the Church in 1 Timothy 3:15 the pillar and support of the truth? We mumble around following every new idea and we do major conferences to come and learn this new idea for church growth. Stay the course.

Let me summarize the four things we've gone through in these verses. A Church is to manifest the following four characteristics. Number one, discernment, verse 4. "Let no one delude you, deceive you, with persuasive arguments." The Church is to be characterized by discernment. We ought not to be deceived. We ought not to be deluded no matter how good the talker is.

Number two, discipline, verse 5, "Your good discipline." Remember that? Ordered arrangement. Everybody stands firm in their proper place, in their assigned role. The Church is to be characterized as a disciplined body, disciplined in that sense, standing in it's proper order.

Third, the Church is to be characterized by stability, verse 5, "the stability of your faith." We read that that meant that bulwark, that unified front so to speak created when every part stands as they should in their proper place, that we stand as the Church for truth and we don't bear beautifully with anything that opposes the truth and we don't tolerate the foolish gladly. There is stability. We are a bulwark, standing united for the truth.

And fourth, the Church is to be characterized by faithfulness. You've received Christ walk in Him. We are faithful to the Christ, to the truth, that we have received. We walk in Him. What does that mean? That means you have been rooted in Him. That means you are being built up in Him. That means you are being established in the faith. And that means you will be overflowing with gratitude.

That's the kind of Church we must be. That's how we must be characterized as we are confronted and bombarded with all kinds of false teaching, heretical teaching. You say, well, don't you think these teachers are sincere, don't you think they're earnest, don't you think their intentions are good? It doesn't matter. There's nothing so dangerous to the Church as error that is taught with good intention. It destroys the fabric. If I give you a glass of poison water or water that has been corrupted with foul bacteria with a good intention to take care of your thirst, it doesn't undo the damage. May we look at this ministry and evaluate ourselves in light of what Paul says through the inspiration of the Spirit was true at Colossae so that our testimony might declare before all that Jesus Christ is sufficient. His truth is sufficient. We find everything necessary for life and godliness in Him and in the Word that is the revelation of Him. And you will find Him sufficient if you will bow before Him believing that He is the Savior who loved you and died for you paying in full the penalty for your sin and trust Him. You're born into His family. His sufficiency washes over you cleanses you, making you new, and becoming your adequacy in every situation preparing you for eternal Glory. Let's pray together.

We thank You, Lord, for Your greatness. That's what we've been considering today, the greatness of our God. We are not adequate for these things but our adequacy comes from Him who is sufficient and adequate. Lord, thank You for the salvation we have in Christ. May we be filled with overflowing thanksgiving for the sufficiency of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May we have the marks of a Church that has found Him sufficient and is declaring His sufficiency to a lost and dying world. All for Your honor and Your glory and Your praise we ask in Jesus' name, amen.

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