In Him

Well, good morning, everyone. If you have a Bible there, then grab it and turn to Colossians chapter 2.

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

This is where we're going to be this morning, verses 6 to 15.

And God has so much to teach us this morning as we turn to his inspired word.

So why don't we just, as you're turning there, let's just pause our hearts and let's just still ourselves and let's pray as we come to his word this morning.

Heavenly Father, we thank you so much that what we have in our hands is no ordinary book.

This is your inspired word. It is your word.

And so, Father, we ask that your spirit would come now and he would help keep our minds' attention.

And that he would stoke our hearts' affection for your son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

So if you've got chapter 2 there, let's read verses 6 to 15.

This is where we are this morning.

Verses 6 to 15 of chapter 2.

So Paul, writing to these Colossian Christians, he writes this.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him,

strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,

which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

For in Christ, all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form.

And in Christ, you have been brought to fullness.

He is the head over every power and authority.

In him, you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands.

Your whole self, ruled by the flesh, was put off when you were circumcised by Christ,

having been buried with him in baptism,

in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God who raised him from the dead.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh,

God made you alive with Christ.

He forgave us all our sins,

having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness,

which stood against us and condemned us.

He has taken it away,

nailing it to the cross,

and having disarmed the powers and authorities,

he made a public spectacle of them,

triumphing over them by the cross.

Amen.

This is God's word to us this morning.

So, to kick us off,

when was the last time you grabbed a real bargain?

Right?

A real bargain.

This kind of comes part of the territory of being Scottish.

We love a bargain.

Nothing excites me more than a discount aisle in Tesco,

and I'm not exaggerating there.

When was the last time you grabbed a bargain?

Because I was reading this week about a woman who bought this bowl

at a car boot sale in America,

and I think you'll agree that's a pretty ordinary looking bowl.

Now, I don't know what was going through her head as she bought it.

Maybe she was thinking it would be nice on her mantelpiece,

or it would be good to chuck her keys into,

or something like that.

Whatever she had in mind,

she managed to haggle a deal,

love a haggle,

haggle a deal,

to get this bowl for $3.

A few years later,

someone else looked at that bowl

and uttered the words,

do you know what you've got there?

Because that was a rare,

a thousand-year-old Chinese bowl

dating back to the time of one of China's most distinguished dynasties.

In actual fact,

that bowl that she bought for $3

was worth $2.2 million.

Now, why do I tell you that?

Because as I've been hanging out with Paul this week

in these verses in Colossians,

they've reminded me of that lady

who's paid $3 for that bowl.

Because here is Paul,

and if you like,

what he's doing in these verses

is he's saying to these Christians

that he's writing you to,

do you know what you've got here?

Do you know what you've got here?

Look at verse 6.

Do you see it?

They have something.

What does he write?

Just as you what?

Received.

They've got something.

As in, they've been given

and they've taken hold of

this great gift that God has given them.

And the great gift that God has given them

is not possessions.

The great gift that God has given them

is a person.

They've Christ.

That's what they've got.

True for every single believer here

this morning,

and ever since this letter was written,

we have Christ.

Now you may have picked it up

as we read it through there,

just how many times

Paul uses that phrase,

in him.

Did you get that in the reading?

In him.

In him.

In fact, let me hit you

with just some key Colossian stats.

Okay?

That phrase, in him,

is used 15 times

in this letter,

as I count them,

and seven of them,

that's just under half,

come in these ten verses.

Track with me.

In him, verse 6.

In him, verse 7.

In him, verse 9.

In him, verse 10.

In him, verse 11.

With him, verse 12.

With him, verse 13.

Seven of them.

Now why?

Why does Paul do that?

Two reasons, I reckon.

So that their eyes would be directed

off of themselves to him,

to Christ.

Do you not know that to be true

in your own life?

That's what I pray for

more than anything else,

that God would help me

take my eyes off myself

and fix them on Christ.

So that they would see him.

But more than that,

in him,

is what they are.

Do you see?

Paul is drawing their minds

to their new identity

that they have

in

Christ.

Jesus has made them

his own.

This is what he's saying.

He has, as it were,

he's taken you

into himself.

This is the new you.

This is who you are.

And probably more accurately,

this is whose you are.

You are Christ's.

Do you see what he's saying?

This is your identity.

Now think about it.

There are

all sorts of places

that you and I

can look to

for our identity

in life.

We can look to

any number of things

in life

that we want

to define

who we are.

Our jobs,

our relationship status,

our gender,

where we go to school,

where we went to university,

our first job

that we've got,

the whereabouts

of the house

that we live in,

the catchment area

that we live in,

our kids go to that school,

the kind of car

that we drive,

all kind of things

that we can look to

to define us in life,

who we are.

But whoever you are

here today,

and whatever you think

about this God,

let me give you

something to chew on

as we travel through

these verses,

okay?

This is

the identity

that you and I

were made for,

right here.

A life lived

in relationship

with the God

who made us,

the God

who loves us,

and the God

who knows us.

Right here,

this is the identity

that you and I

were made for.

Our little girl,

Grace,

she's got a wooden

train set

that she loves

to play to.

This is the toy

of the moment,

wooden train set,

and on the train set

she's got a little

battery-powered train

that goes round

and round this track.

But what she's done

recently,

it's her new

favourite thing to do,

is to take the little

battery-powered train

off of the track

and let it run

its course.

Honestly,

the number of times

that I've collected

that train

from under the sofa,

I could not tell you,

okay,

but this is her favourite

game at the moment.

Take it off the tracks

and let it run.

Now,

you could argue

that that train

is free,

yeah,

because it's off the tracks,

it's doing its own thing,

it's no longer constrained

by the tracks,

it's free to go.

Or,

you could strongly suggest

that when the train's

on the tracks,

it's doing the very thing

that it was

made to do.

Friends,

right here

is the identity

that you and I

were made for.

These verses tell us

about life on the tracks.

Or as the Westminster

Shorter Catechism

puts it,

let me get my geek

on for you,

okay,

question,

what is the chief end

of man?

Answer,

man's chief end

is to glorify God

and to enjoy him

forever.

There is life's purpose,

right there.

Paul wants these

Christians to see

the enormity

of what they have

in Christ

and he says,

do you know

what you've got here?

And in terms of

what they have in Christ,

there are two big things

that he wants them

to grasp from verse 9.

But before we get there,

see the appeal

that he makes to them

in verses 6 and 7,

which I think

is a big imperative

of this letter.

It's a big thing

that he wants them to do.

And if you wanted

to sum it up

in a phrase,

this is what I try

and do,

this is how my mind works,

okay,

the phrase that stays

is that the way in

is the way on,

okay,

the way in

is the way on.

Look what he writes.

So then,

just as you received

Christ as Lord,

continue,

as in,

keep going,

keep on going,

doing what?

Living your lives

in him.

Or if you've got

an ESV Bible there,

it says,

walk in him,

doesn't it?

Walk in him.

I love that word,

walk,

because it's a just

keep on,

keeping on kind of word.

Keep on,

keeping on.

It's an everyday word.

Keep on living

your lives in Christ.

Everyday,

everyday.

So the everyday stuff

that you and I do

in our lives,

the school run,

the big shop,

the homework,

the downtime,

the gym regime,

do it all conscious

of your new identity

in Jesus Christ.

Walk in him.

Do you feel it?

Walk in him.

Every day of your life,

walk in him.

Rooted and built up in him,

strengthened in the faith

as you were taught.

So put the roots of your life

deep down into Christ.

Get grounded in him.

Get anchored in him.

And as you do that,

draw nourishment,

be transformed,

and grow in godliness

as the sap of the Spirit

works its way

through your life.

And what will be

the overflow of that?

Thankfulness.

Thankfulness.

It's a wonderful word,

is it not?

I was thinking this week,

how much joy

in the Holy Spirit

do we miss out on

because we're not

a very thankful people?

Thankfulness.

Friends,

is that not the fruit

that you want to see

in your life?

Thankfulness.

Thankfulness.

Thankfulness.

Well,

key to this,

if it is,

is for us to see

the natural order.

In other words,

how this change

comes about

because this is not

an outside-in

kind of change.

It's not an outside-in

kind of change.

This is an inside-out

kind of change.

And this is the only change

that will work.

Why?

Because the heart

of the problem

is the problem

of the heart.

We need new ones.

That's the problem.

We need new ones.

We need changed ones.

We need cleansed ones.

And praise God,

that is what He has done

for us

in Jesus Christ.

We have new hearts.

Praise God

for His grace.

We have new hearts

because of what we saw

last week at verse 27.

God lives in our hearts

from the very moment

that you and I received

Jesus Christ.

That's mind-blowing

that He has taken up

residence in the hearts

of His people.

And He's changed us.

And He's committed

to changing us

from the inside out.

Friends,

the way in

is the way on.

And so good

is what they have.

I think this is why

Paul warns them

so strenuously

at verse 8

about entertaining

those

who would say to them

that the way in

is not

the way on.

These false teachers,

remember we've seen them

over the last few weeks,

are somewhere

in the background

of this church.

Paul says,

don't let them take,

don't let them

take you captive.

He's getting them

to think about a ship.

What you don't want

is people smuggling

on board your ship

and robbing you

blind of your

precious cargo.

Don't let them

take you captive.

And that's what

these teachers will do

if you listen to them

and if you take to heart

what they are saying.

People perhaps

who are peddling

a special kind

of circumcision,

a special kind

of baptism,

a special kind

of outward act

that if you did it

then it taps you

into some kind

of spiritual fullness

of an experience.

But whatever it was,

I think the heart

of their message

is that true

spiritual change

and growth

is to be found

outside of Christ.

And what does Paul call it?

Do you see the word there?

Hollow.

It's hollow.

As in,

there's nothing there.

It's empty.

Remember that experience

when you were young

and the first time

you ever got given

a big giant chocolate egg?

Do you remember that?

Remember thinking to yourself,

that whole thing

is chocolate.

And then you bit into it

and boy,

had Cadbury's let you down.

Hollow.

Hollow.

This is what he's saying.

It looks great

on the outside

but there's nothing

to it when you get

to the inside.

Why?

Because I think

the things that they are

promoting are simply

human ways of thinking.

Do you see what he says?

Worldly philosophies

dressed up

in spiritual clothing.

And the reason

that these things

can't work,

the reason

that these philosophies

can't work

is because they've got

the order wrong.

What these people

are promoting

is an

outside-in

kind of change.

And it just doesn't work.

And friends,

we might not be facing

the same philosophies,

the same human tradition,

challenges that these

Colossians are facing,

but that way of thinking

still rings true today

in every single one

of our lives

as we live our lives

in this world.

When you see that

Jet 2 advert

that tells you

that going on that

holiday break

will bring you

that inner sense of peace,

the inner sense of calm

that you so desperately need.

And I remember

in the office

I used to work in,

people used to come back

from holiday

and they used to use

the same phrases

again and again and again,

so much so that I

just created a little game

called Back to Work Bingo.

Okay?

What do they used to say?

That break seems like

a distant memory.

Dick.

Back to the coal face.

Tick.

Another day,

another dollar,

or as I like to call it,

another round,

another pound.

Tick.

In other words,

that did not deliver

lasting change.

I've climbed the ladder,

I've hit the snake

and I'm right back

to where I was before.

And I think down

where we live,

the charity shops

are stocked

with designer clothes.

Why?

Well, presumably

because somebody

saw them online

and bought it

thinking this will do nicely,

wore it for a while

and a while later

just got bored of it

and thought,

do you know what?

Charity shop.

Previous generation,

you had one job for life.

Today,

it's not uncommon

to have multiple careers,

let alone multiple jobs

because we think

if we just change

the external,

if we just change that,

then that will bring

lasting inner change.

ways of thinking

based on the faulty hope

that the external

will change the internal.

And the thing is

that the outside-in

kind of approach,

it cannot deliver

on what it promises.

And maybe not in ways

that we would immediately

think about,

nor by the means

that we would immediately

care for,

nor to a time scale

that we would immediately

subscribe to,

the inside-out change

that God brings

by his indwelling spirit.

It can

and it does

bring lasting change

and one day

that change

will be eternal.

Little wonder

that Paul says

continue to live

your lives rooted in him.

Little wonder he says

do you know

what you've got here?

And so in the time

remaining friends,

I just want to pick out

the two F's

that Paul uses

to help them see

what they have in Christ.

These will be really quick,

okay?

Firstly,

what do they have?

Nine to twelve.

They have fullness.

They have fullness.

He draws their attention

to who Jesus is.

Who is he?

He is God in the flesh.

The deity dwells in him.

In other words,

if you want to know

what God is like,

you look to Jesus.

And what is he?

He is the supreme.

He is the head

over every rule

and authority.

And in him

is fullness.

Now follow the logic here.

You see,

you see,

God is not in the business

of saving us

to shortchange us.

What would be the point

of him doing that?

He has set us apart

for himself.

I think that's what

the circumcision language

there is about.

He has set us apart

for himself.

And he's identified

himself with us

and us with him

in his death

and resurrection.

That's the baptism

language there.

And he's made us his own

in order to display

the glory of his

transforming grace

to the world

in us

as he transforms

us by his grace

from the inside

out.

Therefore,

because of

who he is,

right,

who he is

and where he is,

God will supply

the wisdom

that we need

to live the Christian life.

God will supply

the power

that we need

to live the Christian life.

God will supply

the resources

that you and I

need to live

the Christian life.

The goal

of the Christian life,

which is to be

more transformed

into the likeness

of Jesus Christ

for the glory of God.

You see, friends,

making us holy

is God's

unwavering agenda

until he takes us

home to be

with him.

And so the question

that would come

at us today

is stemming

from our union

with Christ,

right,

we're in him,

is do we know

the communion

with Christ

that stems

from our union

with him?

Friends,

do you know him?

Do you know him

every day?

Walking in him

every day,

going to the storehouses

of his grace,

asking him

that he would help us

to know him more.

See,

these false teachers

are telling you,

says Paul,

that you lack.

Paul says,

in Christ,

Christ in you,

you have fullness

of life.

You have everything

that you need.

There's the first F,

fullness.

The second F,

what do they have?

Verses 13 to 15,

they have forgiveness.

Spiritually speaking,

in their previous life,

they were dead.

Do you see that language?

They were dead.

Dead person,

what do they need?

They don't need

resuscitation.

Okay,

I don't care what kind

of first aid badges

you have,

or the course

that you've been on,

or the mouth-to-mouth

that you've learned,

none of that is going

to work on a dead person.

What does a dead person need?

Resurrection.

Resurrection.

Resurrection.

And God,

who spoke life

into being

in the beginning,

spoke life

into their beings

and gave them life.

And what does it say?

And he made them

alive with Christ.

Alive with Christ.

And how was he able

to do that?

Because Jesus dealt

with our biggest problem.

Now follow with me

this language

because it is so vital

for us to see.

Verse 13,

he forgave us.

Do you see it?

If you're struggling

with guilt here this morning,

all of us,

I'm sure that is.

These are the verses for us.

Verse 13,

he forgave us.

Of what?

All of our sins.

Do you feel the totality

of that word?

All of our sins.

Not some of them.

Not the wee ones.

Not the majority

of our sins.

All of our past,

present,

and future sins.

He paid for them.

He paid for them.

All the things

that you and I

have done wrong.

First and foremost

against this holy God.

All of them.

Get your head around

that sum in your head.

All of them.

Gone.

Dealt with.

Settled.

How?

Because Jesus Christ,

as we were singing earlier,

paid for them.

Friends,

I don't know about you,

but when it comes

to my sin,

I know that I have

racked up a pretty

whopping bill.

I mean,

it is a whopper.

And truth be told,

I have got no idea

how big that bill

really is.

And the one thing

that I do know

is that it is only

going one way.

And Paul says rightly

that your sin bill

has stood against you.

It condemned you

to justly

having to face

God's wrath,

that is his righteous

anger against our sin.

And you had no hope

and indeed you had

no desire

ever seeing

that bill

paid back.

I think we're meant

to feel the gravity

of this here.

Our sin is serious

against this holy God.

But incredibly,

Jesus stepped in

and if you like,

he took

our bill of sin

and he said,

let me get that.

Let me get that.

Let me take responsibility

for that.

And he took it with him

all the way

to the cross.

And your bill

and my bill of sin

was nailed to the cross

with him

and now it says

all over in capital letters,

not guilty.

It says written

in his blood,

paid for.

Paid for,

dealt with,

cancelled.

I remember singing

a song when I was

growing up

by a guy called

Tim Hughes

and it was called

See His Love.

And one of the verses

went,

greater love

no one could ever show.

Mercy so undeserved,

freedom I should not know.

All of my sin,

all of my hidden shame

died with him

on the cross,

eternity one

for us.

Such love,

such love

is this for me.

You see friends,

God doesn't say to us

in his word,

he doesn't say to us

in the Bible,

guess how much I love you.

Go on,

have a guess,

guess how much I love you.

He says in his word,

look at my son

on the cross

dealing with your sin

and see how much

I love you.

I'll just pause there

for a minute friends.

Do you need to soak that in

that all of your sin,

that the devil would shout

in your ear this morning

accusing you

that you have no right

to stand before this holy God

and you don't

were it not for Jesus?

Those accusations

that almost stopped you

coming here this morning

in the first place.

Do you need to pause

and just to think

on the forgiveness

that God offers you

through his son this morning?

those words

from Ezekiel 36

that we read earlier,

I will sprinkle

clean water on you

and you will be clean.

I will cleanse you

from all your impurities

and from all your idols.

I will give you

a new heart

and put a new spirit

in you.

I will remove from you

your heart of stone

and give you

a heart of flesh,

all your sin paid for.

And don't miss verse 15

as we come to a close.

I was trying to think

how people today

celebrate their victories.

If you remember Hibs,

if I can say that word in here.

Remember Hibs

when they won the Scottish Cup

a few years ago

had this massive

open top bus parade

down Leith Walk

if you were here

when that happened.

Well on this day

how an army

celebrated their victory

when they returned

from the battlefield.

What they used to do

is to ride into town

and display their victory

to the watching world

by having their prisoners of war

ride in front of them

and they would parade

into town

with the prisoners of war

walking in front of them

and the message

to the world

was that we won

and they didn't.

We won

and they didn't.

And here is Paul

saying to these Christians

picture Jesus

after the cross

he's riding back

into town

and who's at the front?

The devil's at the front.

And he's declaring

to the watching world

that I won

and he didn't.

I won

and he didn't.

Friends

Jesus

has made you his own.

In him

do you see what Paul's saying?

You have fullness of life

and in him

you have forgiveness of sin.

He has given us

the greatest power

and he has dealt with

our greatest problem.

We have everything

that we need in Christ.

Let him transform you

from the inside out

says Paul.

Friends

that bowl

was worth

2.2 million dollars.

Imagine the joy

of the seller

and most likely

their bank manager

when they found out

just what that was

truly worth.

But

consider

how the person

that sold it

at the car boot sale

for three dollars

must have felt

when they found out

that that was worth

2.2 million dollars.

I'd imagine that

whoever that person was

and their bank manager

was pretty devastated.

I never knew

what I truly had.

Well the truth

of these verses

for the Christian

is that in Christ

in Christ

the Christ

that we have received

we have something

infinitely more

and eternally

valuable

in him.

Paul Tripp

puts it like this

and with this

we close.

It is amazing

to be tolerated

by God.

It would be an honor

simply to be invited

to the wedding

but it is beyond

comprehension

to be the beloved

bride

of the King

of Kings

and the Lord

of Lords.

Christian

do you know

in Christ

what you've got here?

Let me pray.

And so friends

just as we close

there was two people

I was thinking about

as I was preparing

for this message

this morning.

Firstly

if you are here today

and you need to come

to Jesus

and to receive

the forgiveness

that he offers

and to ask him

to continue

to transform you

from the inside

out.

And the second

person is

if you are here

today

and the devil

is beating you

up seriously

because of your

sin

in the quietness

now

do you need to

come to the cross

and to know

really know

the forgiveness

that Jesus

has won for you

as he declares

to you

that he won

and the devil

didn't.

So maybe just

in the quietness

now

maybe offer

your own prayer

to the Lord.

This is Jesus

in his glory

King of Heaven

dying for me

it is finished

he has won it

death defeated

heaven beckons

me.

So Father

thank you

for your word

this morning

where would we

be without

your word

thank you

that you

love us

enough

to tell us

these truths

so Father

help fix

our minds

this week

and our hearts

on the glory

of your son

Jesus Christ

may he be

more precious

to us

this week

than anything

that the world

can offer us

and it's in his

name that we pray

Amen

Chao

Chao

chimp

Ch working

by