The All in All King

1. Read: Colossians 3:8-11

2. About the Text:

1) Colossians is about being in Christ’s Kingdom.

2) Christ is King; “that in all things, He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18).

3) Practically speaking, we must own Christ as our King.

4) Colossians 3:8-11 is about doing that.

5) It is about making Christ “all and in all”.

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds” (Colossians 3:8-9).

1) If our heart is full of self, there’s no room for Christ.

2) For Christ to live in our lives, we must empty ourselves of wickedness.

3) This means having a heart of repentance – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

4) The Christian has been forgiven.

5) Forgiveness is not license to sin; it’s opportunity to begin again.

6) “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; ??Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin” (Romans 4:7-8).

2. This is not a comprehensive list, but we must put off all these things.

1) They all come from the desires of the flesh.

2) “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).

3) Ceasing to lie is most important!

a. Lying to God.

b. Lying to others.

c. Lying to ourselves! – Jeremiah 17:9

d. We’ve got to test everything we say and think against God’s word.

4) These sins fill our heart so that there is no room for Christ; they must go.

5) What happens if we stay empty? – Matthew 12:43-45

6) We must fill our lives with Christ – “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Colossians 1:9).

3. The Christian has put off the old man.

1) “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Romans 6:6).

2) “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Ephesians 4:22).

4. The all in all King can only live in an emptied heart.

1. “and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:10).

2. New Man

1) In Roman culture, a “New Man” was a slave that had been freed.

2) “Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed’” (John 8:34-36).

3) “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).

3. Renewed in Knowledge

1) The New Man is renewed in knowledge.

2) “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

3) “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4).

4. The Image of Him Who Created Him

1) Spiritual creation occurs at baptism.

a. “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

b. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

2) Christians are created in the image of Christ.

a. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

b. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

c. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).

5. The all in all King can only live in a renewed heart.

1. “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:11).

2. Humans love to pit one group against another – identity politics.

1) No human group has the right to claim itself better than another (Romans 3:23).

2) Groups that do this are inherently un-Christian.

a. Smallest cliques

b. Political groups.

c. Largest nations.

d. Even Christians vs. non-Christians.

3. There is no identity politics in Christ.

1) “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

2) Christ transcends all of this. He is all and in all.

4. We want everyone to transcend join Christ!

1) “Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

2) “And Paul said, ‘I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains’” (Acts 26:29).

3) “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

5. Christ is all.

1) “He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).

2) “And they sang a new song, saying: ??‘You are worthy to take the scroll, ??And to open its seals; ??For You were slain, ??And have redeemed us to God by Your blood ??Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, ??And have made us kings and priests to our God; ??And we shall reign on the earth’” (Revelation 5:9-10).

6. The all in all King can only live in a transcended heart.

1. Christ is the All and In All King can only live in…

1) An Emptied Heart

2) A Renewed Heart

3) A Transformed Heart

2. Invitation