It’s All About Him Colossians 2:9-15

Adapted from a Jeffery Anselmi sermonhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?

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I have officiated a lot of funerals.I have had the honor helping families

say good bye to their loved ones.For me a death always begs the

question concerning the meaning of life.

Why are we here?

What is life all about?

Do we have a calling in life or are we just supposed to do whatever seems

right to us or whatever will make us the most money?

Who is really supposed to be in charge of our lives?

Solomon’s wisdom points us in the right direction.

Proverbs 3:5 ESV Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will

make straight your paths.Proverbs 14:12 ESV There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the

way to death.

Ecclesiastes 11:9 ESV Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your

heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring

you into judgment.

We proudly wear the name Christian, a follower of Christ. Jesus is the Christ.

Matthew 16:15 ESV He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.“

As His followers, Jesus is supposed to be #1 and Jesus is supposed to be

what life is all about. Jesus is supposed to be in charge of our lives.

As we look at Colossians 2:9-15, I want us to consider WHY

It’s All About Him!It is important for us to understand

WHY it all HAS to be about Him.We do not want to get to the end of our lives only to find out that we invested it

in the wrong things.

WE ALWAYS need to remember what is most important in life.

As we study Colossians 2:9-15 it will become clear,

“It’s All About Him!”

Colossians 2:9 ESV For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the

circumcision of Christ,

12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead

in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh,

God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that

stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it

to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in

him.

In HimThe Fullness Of Deity Dwells.

It is all about Him because:

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

One of the reasons “It’s All About Him”

is the fact that in Him the fullness of deity dwells.

Since “dwells” is in the present tense it indicates the risen Christ is still the

fullness of deity as savior, as he was upon earth.

The significance of the incarnation continues.

“Fullness” means that in every sense of the word, Jesus was God. Jesus was

not just some man who did good things, He was not just some good

teacher, He was God in the flesh and now He is seated at the right hand of

the Father in heaven!

Since the fullness of deity rests in Christ, then the benefits of His saving

grace can be found nowhere else!In Him you will find God.

People search for God in all the wrong places,

God is found in Christ alone!

John 1:14 ESV And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

In Him You Have Been Filled.

10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

The Colossians lacked nothing outside of Christ; in Him they had everything they needed for salvation and right

living.But what does this “filled” mean?

The Life Application Bible states:It means that there is nothing lacking in

a believer’s relationship with God.God pours his love and power into

believers, giving them fullness for this life and readying them for the life to

come.

Believers need not look anywhere else.

Christ is the unique source of knowledge and power for the Christian

life.

Christ alone holds the answers to the true meaning of life because he is life.

(LAB)

Look around you.People are searching for something to

give their lives a boost.Few people seem content within

themselves.A strange and often hard-to-identify inner vacuum gives most people an uneasy sense of incompleteness.

But Christ fills the vacuum.

As Jesus’ person is fully divine, so we, united by faith to Jesus, find personal

fulfillment in Him.

We are complete in Christ.

John 1:16 ESV For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

You do not have to look elsewhere to

be complete, when you find yourself in Christ, you are complete!

In Him Your Old LifeHas Been Cut Away.

Jewish males were circumcised as a sign of the Jews’ covenant with God.

(Genesis 17:9-14)Circumcision was an expression of Israel’s national identity and was a

requirement for all Jewish men.

Circumcision was a physical reminder to Jews of their national heritage and privilege. It symbolized “cutting off”

the old life of sin, purifying one’s heart, and dedicating oneself to God.

(Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4; Ezekiel 44:7) (LAB)

11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without

hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

Verse 11 tells us that in Him the body of flesh is removed.

The word for “putting off” denotes a taking off of clothing and putting them

away. A total breaking away from something.

If we are going to experience the fullness of Christ, we must “take off”

the old way of life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new

creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

The reason we are a new creation is

because in Him, our old life is cut away!

It’s All About Him because:

With HimYou Have Been Buried.

12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from

the dead.Verse 12 tells us that we have been buried with Him in baptism. This is

where the cutting away of the old self happens.

Galatians 3:27 ESV For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put

on Christ.When we are immersed, we “put on”

Christ.We take off the old suit of clothing and

clothe ourselves with Christ.This is one reason baptism is a significant part of the salvation

process.

Romans 6:3 ESV Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his

death?Anyone who doubts the need for

baptism for a person who wants to be saved has not carefully studied

Romans 6.

The great thing about being buried with Him is…

You Have Been Raised Up.

God did not leave you in the watery grave; you were raised up with Christ!

Christ rose from the dead the possessor of a new eternal life for us, when we are in Christ, or clothed with Christ, we receive this as part of the

blessings we receive from God.

Notice though that baptism without faith has no effect.

The passage says you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful

working of God.Faith in the risen Savior is required

before baptism is effective, then and only then does it become a spiritual

experience.

Baptism is not just a sign, it is not just a religious exercise or ceremony, it is the meeting place where you put on

Christ.Baptism without faith and repentance

is nothing more than getting wet.You must rise and walk in a newness of

life!

It’s All About Him because:

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our

trespasses,

Through HimHe Made You Alive.

What does it mean to be alive?

There are many people who are existing, they are not living life.

When we are living life outside of God’s purpose for our lives, we are not really

living life.

In the context, what is meant is the fact that because we are in Christ, we will

have eternal life in Him.

These verses tell us we were dead in our sins or transgressions and through

Christ, we are made alive.

When we commit our first sin, we separate ourselves from God.

Jesus brings us back to life.

Do you really want to experience life?

Christ will make you alive with Him!

He Forgave All Your Sins.

In 1940, a twenty-one-year-old black man named W. D. Lyons was arrested

for a brutal triple murder in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His conviction was based on a coerced confession, and his trial

was a farce.

While the truth was never fully determined, the murders were probably committed by organized crime figures, who had framed Lyons because he had

a prior criminal record.No court in the country, including the

U.S. Supreme Court, had rules sufficient to get at the truth.

Lyons was a man caught in a system with no way out.

After twenty-five years in prison, Lyons was released by the governor of Oklahoma using his executive

authority.

Prison gates opened and Lyons walked free.

Spiritually, we are all left without a defense on a one-way trip into

darkness and death. Yet our pardon comes with a promise.

God will guide and prosper us in a new life in Christ.

Not only is our conviction cancelled, but we get power for rebuilding our

lives.Make eternal life your wonderful goal

and hope.

He RemovedThe Burden Of Perfection.

14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal

demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

In verse 14 Paul speaks of canceling out a debt.

This debt was the payment for sin. The record of debt that stood against us

speaks of the Law of Moses.

No one was saved by the Law.It was hostile because except for Jesus, no one was able to keep it.

Those under the Law who were saved were still saved by Jesus, because all

have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

You Win.

15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open

shame, by triumphing over them in him.

This “disarming” occurred when Jesus died on the cross.

The word for “disarmed” is literally “stripped,” as in stripping a defeated

enemy of armor on the battlefield.

The powers and authorities of this evil world stripped Christ of His clothing

and popularity, made a public spectacle of Him on the cross, and

triumphed over Him by putting Him to death.

Ironically, the victory belonged to Christ.

Actually He stripped the evil powers of their hold on the world, held them up to

public contempt, and triumphed over them by taking His rightful power and

position.

This means that through Him you win!

Conclusion

Jesus deserves to be first in our lives; our lives should be all about Him!

His life was all about you!

He did all He could for you, now what is your response?