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Grace-based biblical teaching and sermons with Pastor Jason White. Messages that focus on Life in Christ and practical application as New Covenant believers.
In the early 1990’s there was a movie that came out called City Slickers. Now I know that some of you just tuned me out because you weren’t even born in 1990, but don’t tune me out just yet.
So if you haven’t seen this movie there were 3 men who were right around 40 years old and going through kind of a mid-life crisis. They have all of these things they are involved in, trying to figure out how to be happy in life, but things at work were falling apart, their family lives were in disarray, and so they were looking to just get away.
So they end up going on this cattle drive in the southwest… they are thinking, “We are just going to get out in nature, be out in the open, and just escape our problems for a little while.”
But they get out there and they start to encounter all kinds of other problems on their journey. One of the problems they run into is with the trail boss named Curly, and the character that Billy Crystal plays thinks that he brought them out on this trail ride to simply kill them…so he’s terrified.
But as they get further and further into this cattle drive, he and Curly actually begin to build a relationship together, and one of the things that Curly is always doing is mysteriously holding up one finger at them…they are like, “What is this one-finger thing about?”
Well, what they eventually find out is that he is suggesting that the secret to life is just “one thing,” and so they are like, “Well, what is it? Tell us. What is the one thing life is all about?” But Curly won’t tell them. What he says is that they are going to have to figure that out for themselves.
So they continue on their journey and keep encountering all kinds of problems, but they do manage to get the cattle to their destination. And through successfully completing this journey through all of the struggles they encountered, the men end up gaining a new appreciation for life, and they figure out that Curly’s “one thing” saying…the secret to life is different for each person…
The one thing is whatever is most important to each person and learning to appreciate and focus on that one thing.
And the movie ends and they are smiling, happy…they’ve found their one thing and we as an audience are left thinking, “I need to find my one thing…and that one thing could be anything and when I find it, I’m going to be so happy and content.”
And you know what? That sounds really great. But it’s not true.
I mean the part about life being all about one thing is true, but the part about it being whatever is most important to each person and learning to appreciate and focus on that thing is not.
See, the one thing isn’t really a thing. It’s a who. It’s a Person, and His name is Jesus!
He tells us in John 14:6 that He is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. (HE IS THE ONE THING)
And you know, there are a lot of us here this morning who know that. We’ve come to the place in our lives where we understand that there is sin in our lives and that as sinners we are separated from a holy and perfect God.
And we know that Jesus came to die for our sins, that He was raised from the dead, and that He offers us forgiveness and eternal life as a gift that we receive by faith.
And a lot of us have put our faith and trust in him to forgive us and reconcile us to God. And in the beginning, it was great…we were so excited and for the most part, finding life in Him.
But somewhere down the road…and it’s a different timetable for a lot of us…things don’t go the way we thought they would.
We start to feel like we’re not getting all we are supposed to out of life, that there’s got to be more than just this, and so we start looking to things in our past or things we haven’t tried yet to make us more complete – give us the abundant life we think we are supposed to have.
Jesus is part of the equation, but there is more to it than just him.
I’ve experienced this in my own life. When I started coaching and teaching in my early twenties, I was a Christian and Jesus was really important to me. I saw my job as a ministry… more so than a job. I wanted the students that I was coaching and teaching to see their need for Jesus and trust Him as their Savior. I DIDN’T WANT IT TO BE JUST ABOUT TENNIS.
But early on in my coaching career, we were not very good. For the first time in many years, the team that I was coaching did not win District, and I remember feeling insecure…I felt insignificant and wanted to be known – wanted to be recognized.
So I began pouring myself into what I was doing even more. I was driven to get my team back on top, and a good portion of the reason I wanted that to happen was so that others would give me respect…so that I could get recognition and feel like I was significant.
I still believed in Jesus, wanted others to come to know Him, and was doing ministry along the way…but if I am a 100% honest, my philosophy would have been JESUS PLUS BEING A WINNING COACH = EVERYTHING.
Jesus wasn’t enough. I needed more. I needed to win.
And I think a lot of us may operate under that philosophy as well. Now we may not SAY that this is the case, but if we look at our lifestyle…the way we live says that to have real life – to have everything, it’s Jesus +A successful career…My Talent…Power…Being attractive...A boyfriend/girlfriend…Our husband or wife...Having money…Being comfortable…Politics…Self-improvement (becoming the best version of self)
So I think that we all, if we’re really honest with ourselves, would admit to struggling with thinking there is more to this Christianity than just Jesus. We operate out of a Jesus PLUS type of Christianity
But the truth is that this isn’t a new thing (Show Title Slide). This was a struggle for those in the first century…in the early church.
We are starting a new series today on the book of Colossians, and here’s the deal…those to whom Paul was writing were struggling with this as well. And so we are going to start in Colossians 1:1 and go through every single verse in this letter that Paul wrote to them over the next few months. But today, I want to give you a quick overview (some background and an introduction) of where we are headed…of what Paul was basically writing this letter for.
What is the main message of Colossians? Why was Colossians written?
So Paul wrote this letter around 60 AD to the church at Colossae, and let me show you where this is on a map and I’ll share with you why this is important. (modern-day Turkey)
So as you can see, here is Colossae and it kind of forms a triangle between it, Laodicea, and Hierapolos. You can also see over here is Ephesus. This is another place that Paul had written a N.T. letter to (the church at Ephesus known as Ephesians).
And Ephesus was a major commercial center, and was a place that people from all over the province would visit. And we know that Paul preached the gospel here (Acts 19), and what we believe happened is that a man named Epaphras (who is mentioned in Colossians) visited Ephesus when Paul was preaching…he hears Paul preaching, puts his faith in Jesus, and then goes back to Colossae and starts telling others about Jesus (Col. 1:7) and the church is established there.
But here’s the other thing we need to note…at one time there was a major highway that connected Ephesus and Colossae and then even another one that ran north and south…
And so a lot of people would travel through Colossae and even began to settle there. This meant that there were a lot of different kinds of people in this city.
There was a DIVERSE POPULATION. People with different backgrounds…different religious affiliations…different philosophical viewpoints
And so Colossae became a pluralistic city where competing ideas, philosophies, and worldviews were discussed and promoted. Sounds a little bit like the place we live today, huh?
Anyway, so the church that was planted in the middle of this pluralistic society found themselves kind of distracted at times by these various teachings in their culture. (Is Jesus one of many gods?)
And on top of that, there were false teachers that had arisen among the Colossian believers who were tempting them with this promise of a deeper salvation, an enhanced freedom, a more enlightened knowledge, and a heightened power in their lives that went even beyond Christ.
In other words, they were teaching a JESUS PLUS GOSPEL. Jesus + following these rules… Jesus + having these kinds of experiences… Jesus plus other gods. Jesus plus ____________ = Everything.
And this is why Paul was writing this letter…to combat this false teaching and show them the superiority and sufficiency of Christ! Here’s the way one writer puts it:
“Paul knew that this diminishing of Christ, this depreciation of God’s Son, was the most dangerous and destructive heresy the Colossian believers could possibly encounter. So he wrote them this epistle to show the superiority of Christ over all human philosophies and traditions, all human opinion and preferences and personalities and accomplishments. It was a superiority so overwhelming, so devastating, so infinite, that we can hold unreservedly to this conclusion…Jesus plus nothing equals everything – and everything minus Jesus equals nothing!” (Tullian Tchividijian)
Where do we see that in the text? Let me show you a couple of the key verses where Paul is really driving home this idea of it being all about Jesus. Look at Colossians 2:6…
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
What’s Paul saying here? Well, he is basically telling the Colossians that the way they live the Christian life is the same way they started it.
How did it start? Well, they came to the point where they realized the hopeless situation they were in because of their sin and they trusted completely in Jesus’ finished work on the cross for Him to rescue them, to save them.
So how did it start? All by Jesus’ work…not their work or from anything else…just him.
So Paul is saying that the same way it started – where they trusted ONLY in Jesus is the same way they live the Christian life…(stop striving to get better - you can’t make yourself into a better you, stop looking to rules, laws, angels, other gods, or anything else)…
His finished work on the cross is enough to save you, completely transform and change you into a new creation on the inside, and also to conform you into His image on the outside.
So Paul says to “walk in him” the same way you started (you started by receiving, so continue to receive from Him…trust in Jesus and His work in you and through you)…
Not Jesus plus something you are doing…No, continue to receive from Him as your Source. V.7…
7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Paul gives the Colossians this analogy here to give them a picture of what he’s talking about…rooted in him – the Christian life is something that happens from underneath the surface, and that change from within didn’t take place from anything they are doing…Paul is reminding them it’s IN HIM – He is the one who changed them and will continue to build them up.
So think about how is a plant built up to what it is supposed to be? Through the root plus something else the plant has to do?
NO, it just grows from the root and is built up from there. Now it might need to be watered, but who is it that sends the rain? God, right? The plant just continues to receive and grows into what it already was, and Paul is saying that is the same thing that happens to them in the Christian life…Jesus rooted you in Him and He will build you up…It’s a work of Christ. verse 8
8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Here Paul addresses the problem of what’s been going on in the Colossian church…there are others who are trying to teach them about other philosophies, religious practices that will enhance their walk with Jesus…but Paul is saying they are empty – they’ll do nothing for you – and then He points them back to Jesus again…look at verse 9
9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him.
Ok so in pointing them back to Jesus here, Paul reminds them that in Jesus all of the fullness of God existed in him.
Everything about who God is…the totality of God…was present in the body of Jesus Christ. That’s amazing, right?
But did you see what Paul said in verse 10?
He said that they (the Colossians who have already placed their faith in Christ) have been filled in Him.
In other words, the same way that God was fully in Jesus, Paul is saying that He is fully in them by his Spirit.
They are FULL of God…complete in him…and they have everything they’ll ever need in Christ!
And you have everything you’ll ever need in Christ if you’ve put your faith in Him as well!
The fullness of God dwells in you through his Spirit. And He is enough. He is all-sufficient.
It’s not Jesus plus something else…it’s just Jesus who is the answer to the Christian life. (one thing)
So this is where we are going with this series…throughout this letter to the Colossians, Paul is going to remind us that IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT JESUS AND HIS SUFFICIENCY.
So if you are here this morning, and you are kind of checking this whole Christianity thing out, you may have figured that this whole Christianity thing has something to do with Jesus but from what you’ve heard it is basically Jesus plus something else…
It’s Jesus plus following rules. It’s Jesus plus avoiding certain things. It’s Jesus plus whatever your preconceived idea of being a Christian is all about.
Well, what I want to tell you this morning is that it is not Jesus plus anything else…it’s just Jesus.
IT’S NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU DO, IT’S ABOUT WHAT HE DID FOR YOU.
And He went to the cross out of His love for you to die for your sins so that you could be forgiven and have abundant life in Him.
And so it’s my hope and prayer that you will receive his free gift of salvation this morning and begin to experience the abundant life that can only be found in and through Him.
Now for those of us who have already trusted Christ for salvation I want to encourage you to think about what you may be trusting in besides Jesus to bring you life.
Is it Jesus plus your talents?
Jesus plus self-improvement?
Jesus plus your politics?
Jesus plus your spouse, your kids, your career, your entertainment habits, your ministry?
It can be good things that end up taking the place of Jesus and become the most important thing to us…what we are trying to draw life out of.
And listen, Jesus is in the business of drawing us back to Him as our Life…
And that may happen through his word or other people, but be aware that it could be through our situations and circumstances.
God will use your pain to invite you to trust Him as being enough…all that you need.
He will use your dying marriage, your job loss, your parenting struggles, you being cut from the team, your addictions, and the times when the doctor calls you into his office and says, “I’ve got bad news.”
In all of these situations and situations like this, He is inviting you to trust Him and that He really is enough…all that you REALLY need for life.
So next week we are going to start at Colossians 1:1 and begin working our way through this letter Paul wrote to the Colossians about 2,000 years ago and still has a lot of relevance to where we are today. I want to encourage you to read through it ahead of time. Read the whole book of Colossians this week. It’s only 4 chapters long…so you can do this.
Guys, this is a journey that Jesus has had me on for the last several years.
Learning that it’s not Him plus my success in my career or ministry, it’s not Jesus plus being comfortable, it’s not Jesus plus my health or anything else…it’s just Him. He is enough.
And I’m still learning. I’ve grown a lot, and I’m excited to share with you what I’ve learned…but I’m still growing with you. By no means do I have this all down. So let’s commit to learn together…to begin to trust him that He really is enough…all that we need.
Let’s begin to trust that the good news, that the gospel really is a “Jesus plus nothing = everything” kind of gospel.