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Lighthouse Baptist Church
Complete In Him
(lighthearted guitar music) - Thank you for listening to this message. Brought to you by the audio ministry of Lighthouse Baptist Church. It's connected in New York. For more great content, please visit us at lighthousebaptist.org. Now let's open our hearts and minds to the Word of God. - Chapter two. By the way, have you ever heard the story of it as well? Like the story behind that? Oh my word, that is powerful. Now I don't want to mess up any of the details, but I know that he lost like his entire family in a tragic boating accident. And he wrote that song. And you think about that in that story. It changes how you sing it. And eventually we'll read it and read the story 'cause I think it's just that powerful. This morning Colossians, chapter two. Let's all stand, and I'm gonna preach a message called complete in him. That's a message title this morning, complete in him. The world is looking for completion and a lot of different things, right? But when we look at the Bible and what it actually says, we find that completeness, being truly complete is found in one person and his name is Jesus. Colossians chapter two, and we're gonna read verses six down through verse number 10 this morning. Colossians two, verse number six. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him, established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Here's our verse, and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. Let's ask the Lord to use this message to impact our hearts, to find the real answer to being finally complete in our Savior Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, I thank you for your word. Lord, I thank you for this passage. I thank you for Colossians. But I thank you Lord, for the opportunity that our church had to sing that powerful song. Lord, help us this morning Lord. Maybe this morning Lord, it's not well with us. But help us to rest in your promises. But as we looked at those words, and as we sang those words, Lord, there's a very real truth, that it is well with us because we know that it is well with you. I want to ask that each of us, Lord, this morning, would find that truth. And Lord, that we would find the truth, Lord, in this message, we want to apply it to our lives. But help me, Lord, to say the words that I should say, avoid the illustrations or the stories that I shouldn't. Lord, help us, Lord, to find your truth, and apply it to our lives in a very special way. Lord, thank you for everything that you're going to do, and to pray this all in the wonderful, precious holy name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen, thank you, you may be seated. So, complete in Him. This message should impact us. If you know Christ as your Savior, there is a very great realization that you need to come to, that your completeness is found in your Savior. And that's a great, great thing. Now, this message, or the first point this morning, is our walk. When you look at a verse, you've got to understand the context. And here in Colossians, he's setting us up to really get the truth, and we need to understand it. So, first of all, the point number one is our walk. We find that in Colossians two, verses six and seven. If you're taking notes, if you're at our walk, parentheses, Colossians two, verses six or seven, if you want. Letter A under this, our walk in faith. Look at verse number six again, of our passage, Colossians two, verse number six. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him." Do you catch that phrase there? As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, this is to define our walk. How did we receive Christ as our Savior? By faith. So, I guess what our walk needs to be. Good job, by faith. You're awake. Good job, you did it. At least Jim's awake, nobody else is over here. Jim's awake, and we all need to wake up, okay? We walk by faith, okay? That is what he's saying. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him." Go to 2nd Corinthians chapter five. This is a very easy verse that I think we all should get this morning. 2nd Corinthians five, verse number seven. It's a verse that's in the parentheses, and that's okay, but there's a great truth in those parentheses. Look what it says here in 2nd Corinthians chapter five, verse number seven. 2nd Corinthians five, verse number seven. It says before we walk by faith, not by sight. You know why that's important? Because sometimes what God calls you to do doesn't make any sense. I was living in Ohio before I came here. Oh, hi, and I moved to New York, crazy. You know why? 'Cause God called me to do it. It was a step of faith. You still living in New York is a step of faith. And here's the truth for all of us, we gotta get this. Our Christian life is to be defined by our faith. If we were saved by faith, we are called to walk in faith. Do what that means, sometimes you won't know where you're going. And that's okay. God will direct you as you follow him. And I wanna also, let's understand this. In our Christian life, it is called a walk on purpose. It's not called a long jump. You know, if you watch the Olympics or if you've ever watched the Olympics, you see those guys, they come running a full steam and they launch off and it seems like they're just gonna fly right off the door. They're just gonna go forever. That's not what God calls us to do. It is a walk. It's not a run, it's not a sprint, it's not a high jump, it's not any of those things. It is a walk, meaning every step needs to be deliberate. And God's not asking you to all of a sudden just jump off the Grand Canyon. He's asking you to take a step of faith. And as you take that step of faith and you continue to follow him, you'll look back and go, "Wow, I've come a long way." Because you just simply pursued him and followed him in your walk. Look at verse number seven of Colossians chapter two. Look at the first word, rooted. Now, you see trees that fall over in a storm. You see a big ball of roots, right? You have the roots do, they stabilize the tree. We got a whole bunch of trees back here on our bank property, they're huge. I went back there, I was kinda wandering around. Probably wandered off our property at one point or another. But I was standing back there and I look up and I go, "That tree is really big." You ever get that feeling? You ever seen a tree and you're walking by it, I'm a simple thing, okay? So I look over the tree and I'm like, "Wow, big tree." That's what I think, okay? And so you see this tree, it is huge. And you can look at the vastness of this tree, but you don't realize there's a whole bunch of roots and make it possible. If the tree didn't have roots, it would not have sustenance, it wouldn't grow, it wouldn't be as big, it would have fallen over long ago. Rooted. Go to Hebrews chapter six, verses 17 through 20, Hebrews chapter six. By the way, when you look at rooted, guess what that is? That is a past tense, okay? Simple grammar, that is past tense. It is your essential foundation. It is your faith. Hebrews six, verses 17 through 20 is a great passage. Hebrews six, verses 17, down through verse number 20. Let's look at what it says here in this wonderful passage as I go there, I have it in my notes, but I wanna walk around, so I'm gonna go there. Hebrews six, verses 17 through 20. I think I'm in the right passage. Am I in the right passage? Yeah, I am, okay. Hebrews six, verses 17 through 20. For he testifies that word of priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. For there is verily, I mean, am I in the right passage? Yeah, no, I'm not, where am I at? Hebrews six, what am I doing? Oh, that's seven, what am I doing? Okay, I'll find it eventually. Okay, there it is. Wow, thank you guys for being honest. I'm like, what if this doesn't make any sense? Okay, here it is, verse number 17, for real, this time. Wearing God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise, the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath. Look what it says in verse number 18, that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge, they hold upon the hope set before us. Which hope, look what it says here. We have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, in which enter it into that within the veil. Wither the forerunner is for us, entered, even Jesus made him high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Did he catch that verse for summer 19? Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul. You're not hoping the Bible is, it's not this, we're like, I hope to be a billionaire one day, that'd be great, but that's not gonna happen. It's not like, I hope this, hope in the Bible is an expected end. So it's not like this, hope in the Bible is this. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am saved and I'm on my way to heaven. Why? That's what God's word tells me. I know that without a doubt. It's not like I go to heaven and I'm like, I hope that's not what God wants. God wants you to know, 1 John 5, 13. These things have ever written unto them which believe that they may know that they have eternal life. That's what that verse is talking about. And I misquoted it, but it's okay, you'll get it. You know, it is an expected end. Why? Because God has always kept his promises. It is an anchor of my soul. It is something that I am rooted in. Go back to our passage, Colossians chapter two, verse number seven. So remember, he's talking about faith in verse number six. As you therefore receive Christ, Jesus the Lord's a walkie and then by faith, and then he says rooted and built up in him. Built up, again, this is past tense. It means this, growth. So rooted speaks of your foundation, which is your faith. Built up speaks of you growing in him. God does not want you to be a baby Christian for your entire life. He doesn't want it to be where you're like, I don't know what to do. I need to be spoon fed. That's not what God in wants for you. So look what it says here, but we're gonna continue on with another passage here. First Corinthians chapter three, first Corinthians chapter three, verses 11, verses 11 through 13. So remember, this is built up on the foundation of faith. First Corinthians chapter three, verses 11 through 13. It speaks of Jesus Christ being our only foundation. And we gotta understand that. It's not like my foundation is my heritage or my foundation is because I live in America. My foundation is found in Jesus Christ. Look at what it says here in first Corinthians chapter three, verses 11 through 13. For other foundation can no man lay, then that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now, if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest. For the day shall declare it. Because it shall be revealed by fire. And the fires shall try every man's work of what sort it is. Now, of course, speaking of the judgment seat of Christ, where you and I will stand before Jesus Christ and our works will be judged. It's not about like, I want you to understand, this is not about judgment. The judgment seat of Christ is not about God judging you. It is simply saying, okay, what did you really live for? What was your real intention for showing up at church? For doing what you do. For going out and sharing the gospel. What was the real goal? If the goal is simply so that people will go, wow, you came to church every Sunday this month. Congrats, guess what that'll do? That'll be burnt up. That's not what he wants you to live for. And look what he says. Now, look at verse number 12. Now, if any man build upon this foundation, the foundation of Jesus Christ, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, of course a wood, hay and stubble will burn away. The gold, silver, precious stones won't. When you burn gold, guess what happens? When you melt gold, it becomes more pure, not less. So the fire doesn't burn away the gold, they simply makes it more pure. And here's what we have to understand. God wants us to build upon the foundation that has been laid. You know how you do that? By the word of God. Go to 2 Peter chapter three, verses 17 and 18. This is a wonderful, wonderful couple of verses. Every year when I was youth pastor, I had to basically tell my pastor what my goal was for this year. You know what I always did? I always shared these verses. That was my goal. What was my goal in being youth pastor? What is my goal in being your pastor? That all of us will grow to be more like our Savior. Look at what it says here in 2 Peter chapter three, verses 17 and 18. In verse 17, you find a dangerous kind of thing, right? A scary thing for all of us. Look what it says, "He therefore beloved, seeing you know these things before, be whereless, he also being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." That's scary, isn't it? That you can be led away from the truth of God's word by someone else and we're gonna get to that eventually from our passage. But look what it says here. Look at the answer for summer 18, but, right? So this is what could happen, but this is how you live for him. This is how you avoid that. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to Him be glory both now and forever amen. How can I grow pastor? If God wants me to be root up and built up in Him, how can that happen by you studying His word, by you reading His word? If you only ate throughout the week, as much as you show up to church, all of us would look very different, myself included. We would look very different, wouldn't we? Eventually that would really affect us. We would start to look emaciated. We'd start to be very skinny. We'd start to be starving and we wouldn't survive. But why is it in our Christian life that we think that we can just show up to church and I can be spoon fed from the pastor and I'm gonna survive spiritually throughout the week? You won't, you won't. You've got to read God's word. That is the answer to error and we're gonna get to that in a little bit. I'm jumping ahead, but that is the answer to error. Look what it says next in our verse in Colossians chapter two, verse number seven. Rooted and built up in Him and anybody there? What does it say? Established in the faith. Hold your finger there in Colossians two, which I should have told you 14 times before this, but go to Romans 16, Romans 16, versus 24 through 27. In the Sunday school hour you turn to a lot of passages and guess what? We're gonna do the same thing now. That is okay and we'll be all right. Roman 16, verses 24 through 27, these are great verses. By the way, I love the book of Romans. It's one of my favorite books. Anybody else with me? Anybody? I love the book of Romans. It's phenomenal. Roman 16, verses 24 through 27, says that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, amen. Now to Him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest. And by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, may known to all nations for the obedience of faith. To God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever, amen. Do you catch what He's saying here? The mystery of the gospel, the mystery of God, the mystery that the Old Testament saints didn't know fully, you now have access to where? In His word. Do you know David, a great man of God, didn't have everything that you have? The Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come on people to accomplish a task. Okay, you think of like the building of the tabernacle, think of the building of the temple. The Holy Spirit would come on people to give them special talents, to do something, and then the Holy Spirit would leave. That's not the case for you. The Holy Spirit now dwells inside of you, so now you can live for Him. And now you have not just the Old Testament, you've got the completed Word of God in your hand. And in 2024, you have it in your hand, you have it in your pocket, you have it everywhere. It is accessible, but you know what we do? You and I found, even though the Word of God is more accessible now than it has ever been in all of history, we read it less. Than all ages of history. Do you know that like the average church pew, like the church member of the church back in the 1800s knows more than most pastors in the pulpit? Do you know that? They knew more about the Word of God than most pastors who were around preaching. Why? They studied it, they read it. It was a part of their life. And church, for us, to make a difference without those doors, the Word of God has to be more than just a Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night thing for us. It has got to be more. We have got to read it. We've got to study it. We've got to dig into it and know what God says because church, there is a whole bunch of error out there. But God's Word is the answer to that. Established in the faith. There's another phrase here in Colossians two, verse number seven, that we need to understand. It says this, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving, you know what that teaches me? That I am to not listen to false teachers. I need to know what God's Word says, and I need to use that as my filter, right? How I look at the world, because there's a whole bunch of false teachers out there. Go to 2nd Peter, again, chapter two, verses one through three. 2nd Peter, chapter two, verses one through three. Now I'm gonna read these verses first, and then we're gonna go back a couple verses, okay? So don't cheat yet, okay? But we're gonna read these verses first, and then we're gonna then look back at the verses before. It'll help us, understand, you'll get it, okay? So you're looking at me like I'm completely confused. You'll get it, we'll get there. 2nd Peter two, verses one through three. Look what it says. But there were false prophets, also among the people, even as their shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with thamed words make merchandise of you, whose judgment now of a long time, lingrith not, and their damnation slumberth not. Do you see what happens here? What he's saying? False prophets are gonna sneak in, and they have snuck. Okay, is that the word? They have sneaked, they have snuck, I don't know. They have come into the church, and they are prevalent. They are all over the place. But what is our answer? Here's what we're gonna look. Go back to verses. First Peter, or second Peter, chapter one, verses 20 and 21. Okay, so just a couple verses back. Second Peter one, verses 20 and 21. Look what it says. "Knowing this verse, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not an old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." And then what's the next word? But, and then it talks about the false prophets coming in. So what is our answer to false prophets? It's in your lap, it's the word of God. Hey, I know that the scripture is not given by any private interpretation. So what you're saying doesn't match up with this. And so what you're saying is wrong. It's really that simple. If it doesn't match up to this book, and what you know in this book to be true, then what they are saying is wrong. And if you're studying the word of God, the way that you should be, you will be, it'll be very easy to determine what is right and what is wrong. It just, you'll be like, that doesn't match up with these verses. And there's a contradiction. Somebody's wrong and it's not this. Makes sense? It's not God's word. It's your interpretation of it, and therefore you are a false teacher. The answer to false teachers is God's word. As you have been taught, the greatest asset that we have to know what is truth and error is the word of God. So we have to know God's word. We need to. Absolutely. Without a doubt, we need to know it. And I already said this phrase was Colossians 2, verse number seven, finishes up with a powerful little statement. This is a bounding therein with thanksgiving. Why should I be thankful? Why should I be a bounding? That means overflowing with thanksgiving, where it's almost like you can't help but be thankful, which is completely the opposite of most of us, right? I can't help but complain, but here's the truth. In our life, we need to be overwhelmed with thanksgiving, and why? First of all, thankful for what he has done. Second Corinthians nine, verse number 15. You don't have to go there, it says this. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift, which is who? Jesus. No matter what goes on in my life, I can be thankful. Why? Because of what he did. I didn't deserve it. I deserve to be in hell, but God commended. He demonstrated his love for me, and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. That is something that should overwhelm us every day, not just on thanksgiving, not just on good Friday, but every day of the year. Why? Because without that, I have no hope. Without that, I am dead. I am destitute. I cannot serve God. I cannot live for him. I have nothing. But guess what I also need to be? I need to be thankful for who he is. Go to Colossians three. Now this one shouldn't be very hard to go to. Colossians three, verse number 17. Look what it says. Colossians three, verse number 17. What's wherever you do in word or deed? Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Thankful for who he is. He is the Lord. He has every right to tell you how to live. I would need to be thankful to God for giving me his son. Why? Again, church, this should be something that we cannot help but tell everyone about. When I first proposed to my wife and miraculously, she said, yes, I still can't believe it. She said, yes, you know what I had to do? I had to tell everybody. I went back to college and I didn't know you. And I'm like, hey, guess what? She said, yes. I'm like, who are you? I had to tell everybody why I was overwhelmed that she actually said, yes, and she's gonna be my wife. Church, here's the thing. When was the last time you were overwhelmed with what God did to you, that you couldn't help but tell everyone you came in contact with God? Church, here's the thing. Sometimes the church at Ephesus did great things and in Revelation two, it talks about all these different churches. And he says, Jesus, talking to this church, he says, hey, you've done great things, but I have somewhat against you because you have left your first love in church. I know sometimes we go, well, we're the church of Laodicea. I think more or less we've got to understand that we can all fit in different parts. But in Ephesus, that is what Jesus said about that church in church. I think if we're honest, he's saying that about us too. Hey, you've lost your first love. You're not loving me in that priority anymore. You're really in honesty and all honesty. The way we live our life throughout the week, we love the world more than we love God. 'Cause it's all about me. It's all about my comforts. It's all about, well, I can't give up my Saturday morning to pass out tracks. Wait, what? We've lost our first love. And here's the thing, I need to be abounding with Thanksgiving because of what Jesus did for me. And because of that, that then motivates me to now live for him every day. Titus chapter two talks about this, about his grace and how it teaches us all these different things and how we're supposed to live. Church, here's the truth. We've got to get to this. I should be overflowing with thankfulness for what Jesus did. And that should motivate how I live my life every day. Every day I need to wake up and go, oh yeah. You died for me. There is nothing that I could ever do that would compare with what's already been done. I need to live for him. So our first point this morning, our walk, our second point this morning is this, our warning. In Colossians chapter two, we see a very real warning from the Apostle Paul. Let's look at it, Colossians chapter two, verse number eight. I'm almost there. I have to say it in my head. Okay, there we go, we're getting there. Colossians two, verse number eight. It says this, be where? Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. uni says here, be where? It's almost like, you know, like those warning lights that they have like a nuclear power places. They got like this red warning light and when that goes off, run for the hills, 'cause something's gonna happen. It's almost like that, we gotta understand. (buzzing) You know, hey, beware, this is coming for you. Look at what it says, lest any man, the source of this spoiling is people around you. This people coming in and teaching you false doctrine and you not knowing, it's coming from other people around you. Look at the next phrase here, spoil you. It means to plunder you or take you captive. Now, how does this happen? Through philosophy and vain deceit. Now, in Jewish times, we need to understand this. The philosophy is speaking of Greek philosophy. This is an attempt to make sense of the world through reasoning. Going, okay, yeah, it makes sense, you know, because of this politician, the politician, whatever. It makes sense that we're going down this path. This was also Gnosticism. This is only through attaining secret knowledge that people can find their salvation and overcome the material world. That's this philosophy that he's speaking of here. It was a temptation to say, hey, you have to seek this secret knowledge that it's really hard to find. Actually, the truth of the gospel is not hard to find. My little boy got saved at five. It's not hard to find. When you really know it and you seek it, it's not hard to find. Look at this vain deceit. This is an empty delusion. This world has bought that hook, line, and sinker. Empty delusions. After the tradition of men, think of this, the Jewish religion is really what we've got to think of here. They govern themselves by the traditions of their elders. They, the Pharisee, the scribes, all these different people. The traditions of their elders. Now this one, this last one will really get us, or these last men have this last one will get us. After the rudiments of the world. You know rudiments, it's the basic principles, the basic tenets that the world believes. You know what they really are? Do whatever pleases you. Whatever makes you happy. Ugh, ugh, makes me sick. You know what the Bible teaches me? That the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it. Who cannot do whatever pleases you, but that's what the world believes. Another thing that we're really seeing in our culture now, do whatever society dictates. Well society says this, or this is what, this is what everyone else is doing. No, that's not how we hard to live. Now finally this morning, we flew through that one because I really want to spend a little time here and we're almost out of time. Point number three, our wonderful savior. Point number three, our wonderful savior. Look at what it says at the end of Colossians two, verse number eight. "Be whereless any man spoil you through philosophy "and vain deceit after the tradition of men, "after the rudiments of the world, "and not after Christ." You know what I want you to get this? Our wonderful savior, our walk with him keeps us from error. I've said this multiple times and I want you to get this. Our walk with him keeps us from error. And then he goes on in verse number nine of our passage to really explain our perfect example. Colossians two, verse number nine. "For in him dwelleth all the fullness "of the Godhead bodily." That narcissism that I mentioned earlier, they did not believe that Jesus actually took on flesh. Instead, they claimed that he only appeared to have a physical form taken from this existence. Thus, he could never truly die. And so they're kind of ridiculous. But that's kind of what he's fighting against here. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. But I also want you to understand this. When Jesus walked on the earth, what he did and how he responded is how God the Father would have responded. Why, he is God and human flesh. And so if you want an example of how God would respond to rejection, you look at the person of Jesus Christ. You want to know how God looks at the world and how he loves the sinner? Look at Jesus Christ, look at what he did. Jesus does not ever condone wickedness. But what he does is he comes along side and teaches them the truth. Do you know what I'm saying? Jesus didn't go into that sinner's house because he wanted to condone what they were doing. He was going in that sinner's house to teach them the truth. That's what he did. The Pharisees struggled with that. They couldn't understand how a righteous person would come inside of a sinner's home and eat with them and talk with them. But we've got to understand Jesus is looking at it from a different angle. He's not condoning what they're doing. He is getting into their house so he can share the truth with them. Church. 'Cause we need to understand. When you get this, we need to be cultivating friendships for the point of sharing the gospel with them. You're walking up to somebody that you don't know. No, I love tracks. But you're walking up to somebody that you have no idea who they are and you hand them one of these. Turn back, eh, I don't know who you are. You build a relationship with your neighbor and you help them out. You see they're struggling? And then you hand them a gospel track. They're gonna take notice of it and they're gonna go, "Wow, maybe you are a little different than me." And they're gonna want to know what you have and why on earth would you spend time out in the freezing cold to help them shovel their sidewalk when you could just go inside and warm up and drink that hot chocolate? 'Cause the gospel is more important than our personal comfort. Don't believe me? Look at what he did. You think that was comfortable for our savior? No. Why did he do it? Because we needed him too. There are times we need to cultivate relationships for the purpose of sharing the gospel. I thought it was just bonus. That was extra. You didn't even write that down, but that's good. So, our walk keeps us from error. Our perfect example, Colossians 210 talks about this. Our completion. Our completion. Let's read this verse verse number 10. And ye are complete in him, which is ahead of all principality and power. Of course, our completion means we don't need anything else outside of him. I don't need anything else outside of my savior. I don't need to seek satisfaction and anything else outside of him. Go back to second Peter, chapter one, verses three and four this time. Second Peter, chapter one, verses three and four. Second Peter, one, verses three and four. Look at these searches. These are really good. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us, succeeding great and precious promises, that by these he might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world to the last of that verse, especially verse number three tells me that God has given me everything I need to be successful. Did you catch that? According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Now we can break that down. He's given us everything we need to live. And if you look at what Jesus said, "I am the water of life, I am the breath of life, "I am the bread of life," all these different things that's everything you need. Everything you need, you need air, he's a supplier of it. You need water, he's a supplier of it. You need food, he's a supplier of it. Everything you need is found in the person of Jesus Christ. He has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. We don't need anything outside of him. You don't need a priest to tell you what God's word says. You can know it because you have the Holy Spirit. Colossians 2-10, look what it says in your complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. I want you to go to Colossians chapter two and this is where we're going to finish up. But Colossians chapter two, which you're already there, hopefully, maybe, if you haven't lost it yet. Colossians chapter two, this is a great couple of verses in verses 14 and 15. We're actually going to jump back a little bit. We'll jump back to verse 13. I like to include this one too. Look what it says here, "And you being dead in your sins "and the uncircumcision of your flesh "half he quickened, made alive, together with him, "having forgiven you all trespasses." Look at verse number 14, "Blodding out the handwriting of ordinances "that was against us, which was contrary to us, "and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." Look at verse number 15, "And having spoiled principalities and powers, "he made a show of them openly, "try and think over them in it." That verse is so powerful. It's so good. Blodding out the ordinances that was against us, the handwriting ordinances that was against us, nailing it to his cross, that's a great image that we need to understand. All those violations that we did against God that were contrary to him, he took it, he nailed it to his cross and said, "It is paid in full." The principalities, the powers, the demons, everything else you know what he did? He made a show of them openly. He said, "Oh, you think you're gonna win?" "No, you're not." Don't forget, he destroyed them at the cross. Everything that held you from being complete is now complete because of what he did. When he said it is finished, he meant it. He meant every word of it. He didn't mean you have to add something to it. You need to do your own good works and add it to your faith. No, he finished it. He paid it in full. It is done. In church, here's the thing. We can rejoice in that. But more importantly, that should motivate us to now live for him throughout the week. If he did that from me, well, we just read those verses. We were dead in our sins. All those different things that he spoke of. Now it should motivate me to now go, you know what? It may not be comfortable in that track. It may not be comfortable to come on Wednesday night and skip dinner. It may not be comfortable to do these things, but God, I'm going to do it because it will bring you glory and I will never forget what you did. That's what he's calling us to do. Church, you are complete in him. He is giving you everything you need, but that completeness should push you forward. Not going, okay, I'm completing him. I can do whatever I want. I know I can ask for forgiveness and don't forgive me. That is not what God has called you to do, church. Roman six very clearly says, what, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? You and he says those next two words, God forbid. God forbid that should not be a temptation in our lives. Church, here's where we are. Think if we're honest, we all struggle. We all struggle, we need to commit to him. Say God, I recognize this morning that I'm completing you. That's a wonderful truth. But God, I also see very clearly that there is a certain walk that I am called to live. Every day, all the time. Why? Because of what you did. And God, this morning, I recognize I'm completing you. But God, I also recognize there's a way that I'm going to do this. But God, I also recognize there's a long way I got to go to do more like you. Church, here's what we're going to do. We're going to have a time of invitation. Debbie's going to come up. She's going to play a wonderful new piano. We're going to all stand. And we're going to do business with God. This altar is open. They're wonderful padded little things that you can pray at. Your seat is open because you're sitting in it. Pray, do business with God. Commit yourself to say, God, I recognize I'm completing you, but I need to make sure my walk is living in light of that fact. Church, do business with him. As she gets ready, you may say, I'm doing pretty good. You can do better, right? You can say, God, I'm falling way short of what you expect. You can do way better. All of us, all of us need to do business with God this morning. Let's all stand. Let's have our time and the notation. We hope that message was an encouragement to you. To stay up to date with us, please follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook and LBC's connected data. If you would like more information on how heaven can be your home, please visit LighthouseBaptist.org/TheGospel. 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