Christianity Plus

October 9, 2016       NOTES NOT EDITED
Christianity Plus

Colossians 1:13-20

SIS: Jesus is the All-Sufficient Savior Who meets all our needs.

The biggest problem to living a victorious

Christian life is getting side-tracked by arguments, attitudes or circumstances.  This is one of Satan’s best strategies: if he can’t prevent you from becoming a Christian, he will try to prevent you from becoming a victorious Christian.  He does this by a subtle strategy called CHRISTIANITY PLUS . . . This counterfeit functions by combining Christianity with other good causes like:  Christianity and global warming or some such other crusade.  The implication of Christianity Plus is that Christ alone is not sufficient to meet the world’s needs–it needs something else to be a complete philosophy of life.

C.S. Lewis was an Oxford professor of English.

After years as a non-believer and critic of Christianity, he became a Christian.  His life story became a popular Hollywood movie–Shadow Lands.

Spent his years after becoming a Christian

defending the truth of Christianity.  He also wrote Christian books for Children, such as the Chronicles of Narnia (one book became a major animated movie for children: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe).  One of Lewis’ smaller works is a classic called the “Screwtape Letters.”  It is a mythical look at how Satan tries to destroy the influence of Christians.  Screwtape (Satan) writes letters of instruction to his nephew, “Wormwood,” giving his nephew pointers on how to ruin a Christian’s or church’s influence.

Here is one bit of Screwtape’s advice:

   My dear Wormwood: The real trouble with your patient is that he is that the way he is living is “merely Christian.” [Lewis’ word for basic or true Christianity]. [All Christians] have individual interests, of course, but the bond remains “mere Christianity.”  What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call”Christianity And.” [what I call Chrtianity Plus].  You know–Christianity and Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychic Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform.  If they must be Christians [Screwtape reminds Wormwood] let them at least be Christians with a difference.

If you listen to so-called “faith teachers” such as Kenneth Copeland,

Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Joel Olsteen and a host of others you will detect this ancient error Lewis referred to through Wormwood – Christianity plus faith.  All the faith teachers demote Jesus and teach the error that victorious Christian living needs something more – in effect – God needs our help.  Friends, back in the hollars of West Virginia we had a name for nonsense like that “horse pucky.”

This is one of Satan’s chief strategies to keep Christians

and churches from have a significant impact on their communities.  If Satan can keep Christians and churches from being focused on the main issue--serving Christ–then Satan can keep many from coming to Christ. 

As Christians, we must stay focused on Who Christ Is, What He Has Done, and What He Expects for Us to Do.

We need to focus on the answer to the question:

“What if what the Bible says about Jesus Christ is really true?”

If you believe Jesus Christ is Who He said He was and did what

He said He did – this will have a profound impact upon your life.

Last week I said, “Easter is all about you.”  This week, we are

going back to our primary purpose of serving Jesus.  From now

until next Easter, it is not about you – it is all about Christ.  When you

figure this part out – there’s great blessing in it for you.

Kind of sounds like double-talk doesn’t it – life is not about me but

all about Christ, and yet I reap all of these great benefits.  That’s not

double-talk – that’s God talk.  Let’s examine what the Bible

says about the supremacy of Jesus Christ and the impact that

serving Him has on our lives.

The Bible describes the Supremacy of Christ.

 (Col 1:15-20)  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. {16} For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. {17} He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. {18} And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. {19} For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, {20} and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

As long as Christ stays at the center of our lives, our lives

will stay on course.  The key to everything in life is simply:  Christ.

Jesus said, “If you know the truth, it will set you free.”

If that is true – it is a powerful truth – if you act on it.

I read recently about a man in Germany who was serving

 a long sentence but because of his good behavior he received a parole from the prison authorities.  The man refused to leave prison until his full time was served, quite a few more years.  The prison officials were shocked but according to the law, a man put in prison doesn’t have to accept a parole.  Sounds crazy, but many people are imprisoned by sin when they could be free.  You just need to believe what the Bible says is true and act on that belief.

If Jesus is truly Who He said He was, did What the Bible says He did,

and is reigning now like the Bible says He is reigning, and finally,

if Christ is coming again just like the Bible says, then . . . this will

have significant, and eternal impact upon our lives.

1.  First, if what the Bible says is really true, then

       Jesus is sufficient to save us from our sins (13, 14, 20)

(Col 1:13-14)  For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, {14} in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

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(Col 1:20)  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

The word rescue means essentially the same as we

would find in English: to deliver from danger, especially something life-threatening.  This original Greek word is rarely used and carries the idea of “defending with military might.”  I like to compare the idea of salvation to “the Cavalry” in the ancient west.

We’ve all seen these movies with John Wayne.  A wagon train is

pressing into the Wild West in search of new opportunities on the open range.  As they press into the territory owned by the Native American Indians, a battle breaks out and swarms of Indians descend upon the Wagons – now circled to provide safety and fighting for their lives.  Ammunition is running low and casualties are mounting for the pioneers.  A young man escapes to go to the local fort to get help.  Just when all seems to be lost and the pioneers are in danger of being overrun, you hear the sound of a bugler from off in the distance.  The bugle get louder as the soldiers approach.  It is the United States Calvary.  They are hear to save the day and rescue the pioneers from certain death. 

That’s what the word “rescue” refers to in verse 13.  We were in the clutches of the Devil (the “dominion) and Jesus saved us from eternal death.

There are actually four words used in verses 13, 14, and 20 to explain exactly what is meant when by the doctrine of salvation.  We see what rescue meant.  Here are three other words that explain exactly what Jesus did for us on the Cross.

We were “redeemed.”  The force of this word in regard to salvation

reminds us that our salvation came at a very high price.  This word paints the picture of a financial transaction – a quid pro quo event.   Literally, the word is a compound word that means “to loose away from” or as we would say today, “to pay a ransom.”  There is NO suggestion in Scripture that God paid a “ransom” to the Devil.  The use of the term “redemption, or redeem” is to remind us of the terrible, high cost God paid in Christ for our freedom from sin.  This should move us to a feeling of gratitude and a desire to serve God with all our being.

Perhaps the highest ransom ever paid was paid by Stephen Wynn, a

Jewish developer who is credited with much of the recent resurgence and expansion of Las Vegas.  Wynn is a major player in the Casino industry.  In 1993 his daughter was kidnaped.  Wynn paid $1.45 million dollars to get her back.  The kidnappers were caught when one used some of the money to buy a Ferrari in Newport Beach, California. One million four hundred and fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money to pay for a ransom.  That price pales in comparison to the price that God paid for your soul – He paid with the life of His only Son.

  A third word is used to describe how we benefit from

Jesus, if what we read about Him is really true:  “Forgiveness.”

The word, “forgiveness” describes the result of God’s

ransoming us with the death of His Son.  We enter a state of “forgiveness.”  This word in the original Greek language refers to a “pardon.”  When someone is pardoned, it does not mean one is innocent.  It means that a higher authority declares that one’s will not be punished.  God pardoned us because Jesus already paid the price (ransom).  We now experience a state of righteousness.  The Bible says:

“Jesus became sin [a ransom] for us so that we may become

the righteousness of God.”  (2Cor. 5:21).  We have been pardoned.

A fourth word describes our situation,

if what we read about Jesus is really true:  “reconcile” v 20.

and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

This word is perhaps the most important of the words describing

our salvation.  This word refers to the “new relationship” established between man and God because of the work of Jesus Christ.  This goes to the heart of the work of Jesus Christ – to reunite a lost child with his father.  We are the lost child and God is the Father. 

The amazing thing about the Greek word here translated, “reconciliation,”

is that it occurs nowhere else in the language of the day.  Paul made the word up.  He added a prefix to a word that means reconciliation so the word would mean: absolute and complete reuniting of man with God.  We see that picture created by the words in verse 20: “whether things on earth or things in heaven.” 

On the cross: Jesus absolutely and completely – He cosmically –

set everything into a right relationship with God!  That is true in part

as we live our life now, but it will be made absolutely whole when

we rejoin Jesus in Heaven one day.

If what the Bible says about Jesus is true – and it is – then Jesus is

absolutely sufficient to save us from our sins: to rescue us, to ransom us to forgive us and to absolutely and totally reconcile us to God!  All I can say to that is: WOW!

But, there is more . . .

2.  If what the Bible says about Jesus is true, then

       Jesus is sufficient to meet our daily needs (16-17)

(Col 1:16-17)  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. {17} He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

There are two things every household should have.  One is “duct tape.” 

But, even more important than that is:

an abiding, child-like trust in Jesus to carry you through difficulties

and meet every need in your daily life – give you your daily bread –

as Jesus taught us to pray.

For two years I did research on a concept in science called

the “Theory of Everything.”

Man has since the dawn of time tried to find the one

physical law that accounts for all that exists.  In millennia of looking they have not found it.  This is the pursuit to which Albert Einstein devoted the lastthree centuries of his life.  He failed to discover the “Theory of Everything.” 

This pursuit continues to baffle some of the greatest minds

the world has ever known.  For years they have used what is called the “Standard Model” to describe the basic elements of nature: proton, electron, and neutron.  The trouble is: this model has collapsed with the discover of an almost limitless quantity of sub-atomic particles like leptons, anti-particles, and quarks described with different colors and flavors.  In 40 years ago, scientists were convinced that matter was relatively simple.  Quantum physics has shown just the opposite to be true. 

Now, they are turning to “Superstring Theory.”

Scientists without the guidance of faith have surmised that everything that exists in the world, including the physical laws that caused things to exist, is the result of the vibrations of sub-atomic strings.  But guess what they need to make the “string theory” work.  They need to discover a hypothetical particle called the Higgs boson.  This particle is commonly called by physicists: “the God particle.”

Even physics does not work without God.  The answer to the quest of a theory of everything is this:  “God is the Theory of Everything.”

By Him, through Christ, all things “hold together.”  Without Him

nothing sticks together!  God is the glue that keeps all the pieces of

our daily lives in place.

Scientists have discovered the strongest glue on earth – it’s produced by a bacterium.  The bacterium Caulobacter crescentus uses the toughest glue on Earth to stick to river rocks, and now scientists are trying to figure out how to produce the stuff.   The adhesive can withstand an enormous amount of stress, equal to the force felt by a quarter with more than three cars piled on top of it. That’s two to three times more force than the best retail glues can handle.

Now, if this be true . . . that God is the glue that  holds the very universe together . . . don’t you think he can hold your life together?  Then, we should live as if God can take care of every detail of our lives.  Isn’t that what Jesus said to his first set of disciples: (Matthew 6:25-27)

25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

If your life seems to be falling apart, it is because you are not letting

God keep it together.  Jesus is sufficient to meet our daily needs.

3.  Third, if what the Bible says is really true, then

       Jesus is sufficient to keep us for eternity (18)

(Col 1:18)  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

If Jesus is the “firstborn” then who is coming in second?

It is you and I.

Romans 6:4-5

(Rom 6:4-5)  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. {5} If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

This is the whole point made by the ceremony of baptism.

It looks back to a salvation and ahead to our glorification.

Don’t get sidetracked by vain arguments, worldly persecution,

and circumstances.

Don’t accept a CHRISTIANITY PLUS.

Don’t get sidetracked by the “ands” of life: Christianity and crisis, Christianity and political correctness,or Christianity and circumstances, or Christianity and Science, or Christianity and “anything else.”  Stay on track.  Stay focused on Jesus.

Years ago, a famous Scientist visited a Christian college

campus to talk about the relationship of Christianity and Science.  At the end of the lecture, students were allowed to ask questions.  The questions indicated that many of the students had given up on Christianity as “unscientific.”  Many of their questions seemed to indicate that they did not think Christianity could adequately or sufficiently explain the phenomenon of the universe and all that is.

The scientist, who was a Christian, seemed to be more

than a little upset with the questions these Christian students were asking that demonstrated a lack of trust in the truth about Christ.  Finally, the scientist said, “Students, you stand firm on the Jesus event, and everything else will work out O.K.”

Well, isn’t that exactly what this passage teaches.

Uncertain times are ahead.  We need to learn to “stand firm

on the Jesus event.” Jesus is the All-Sufficient Savior and
can—and will—meet “all” our needs.

If it is true, Jesus is sufficient to secure our salvation.

If it is true, Jesus is sufficient to meet our daily needs, and

If it is true, Jesus is sufficient to keep us for all eternity . . .

If all this is true, then . . .

what else really matters.