This sermon emphasizes the sufficiency of Christ and His Word, highlighting the importance of seeking fullness of life, wisdom, and guidance through a deep relationship with Jesus and the Scriptures. It underscores the need to rely on Christ alone for salvation, growth in godliness, and equipping for every good work, while warning against the deceptive philosophies and traditions of man. The message encourages continuous growth in the knowledge of God and Jesus to experience the multiplying grace and peace available to believers.

Well, our study for this morning is entitled, The Sufficiency of Christ and His Word. The Sufficiency of Christ and His Word. Let's pray together, shall we? Lord, we thank You again for the indescribable blessing of being found in Christ Jesus our Lord. We thank You for who You are and what You've done for us. We thank You for this great, great salvation You've given to us. Lord, it's mercy abounding and grace upon grace. Thank You for the joy of gathering in the name of Jesus Christ and being the people of God, the present Kingdom of Heaven upon this earth, the place where God rules in the hearts of men and women. Lord, we're so delighted to be a part of that. We're blessed by one another's company. But above all, we are blessed by the reality that You are here with us. And Lord, we turn our expectation toward You. Our hope of a fruitful, valuable, edifying time together is anchored in the fact that You are here and You are good and You are kind and gracious. We thank You for Your Word, Lord. What an astounding treasure You've given us in the Scriptures. And we thank You for the Holy Spirit given to guide us into all the truth and to take the things of Christ and declare them to us. So Lord, we give You thanks in advance for what You're going to do as we ask You to work according to Your will and Your good pleasure and Your great glory, we pray in Jesus' name, Amen. We'll begin in the book of Colossians in a moment concerning the subject of the sufficiency of Christ and His Word. A few questions about that great topic and our lives. Where do we turn to find what we need for things like family responsibilities, which are huge, job demands, which are often intensive, for maturing in spiritual wholeness, which we're absolutely called to in the Scriptures? Where do we turn for the having of real hope? Not wishing, not dreaming, but real hope. Where do we turn for the necessary wisdom that we need for life day by day? Where do we turn to get the counsel we need and the counsel we need to give to others who come to us for help? Where do we turn to get equipped to minister to others as God has called us to do? In our family, at work, at church, out in the community, from prison cells to boardrooms. Ministry needs to take place. Where are the people of God that turn to get equipped and find the supply for all of these things? Well, I think the Scriptures are exceedingly clear on this and abounding in encouragement. And that is, we are to turn to the sufficiency of Christ and His Word. It is only possible, really, to underestimate what is given to us in Christ and what is found in God's Word. These realities are declared by the Scriptures to be sufficient. You know, to be enough. Enough for what? Fullness of life for which God has recreated us in Christ Jesus to grow in. Let's look at a few places in Colossians, some selective spots. It's a phenomenal book in declaring the sufficiency of Christ, that the Lord Jesus Christ is enough to make life all that God intends life to be. Here's a great declaration to that end. Colossians 127, To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. The declaration here is about a gloriously rich mystery. Now the exciting thing about mysteries in the Bible is that they are revealed in the Scriptures. They no longer stay mysterious. You know, mysteries out in the world, the great mysteries in the world that the world wants us to marvel at, they're like unknown. You can't explain, you can't find an answer to them. You know, it's that kind of a mystery. It's a mystery story, it's a mystery quest. Mysteries in Scriptures refer to this, critical, absolute, essential truths that you could only learn by God Himself revealing them. And see, these are the things people really need. Things that people can stumble across or discover on their own. Really, they're very elemental, they're very mundane, they're very temporal, they do not guarantee life. But the mysteries of God hold life itself in them. And in the Word, the mysteries are revealed. God Himself has to tell us what they're about. Here's one of the gloriously rich mysteries that is being revealed among the Gentiles. That means among all the nations. There's a great mystery declared here that God is enlightening people on. Around the world, and has been doing it for these 2,000 years because the mystery is about Christ. Here is the mystery, Christ in you, the hope of glory. What a great mystery to be unfolded. Tells us where we are to place our hope. How we are to get ready for glory someday. Another word to use describing the eternal dwelling place of God, heaven above. But also, where to turn to find glorious things happening on the way to glory. Heavenly things happening on earth as we are trekking toward heaven. And, it's where to turn when your heart yearns to give glory to God. All of these are found in this great truth. Christ in you, the hope of glory. What an astounding truth. That the Lord Jesus Christ wants to come and dwell in people and among all the people who know Him. That's a phenomenal thing. Christ, the Messiah. Not the new age Christ, the Christ spirit that all innately have within them supposedly. No, the spirit we have is inherited from Adam and it's dead, non-responsive toward God when we start out in life. But the Gospel includes this great truth. That the Christ, the anointed King of kings and Lord of lords, who would be the Savior of all who would believe. He longs to come and set up His dwelling place in the hearts of men and women. Christ in you, the greatest one who ever walked upon this earth and the one who had a history forever before. He was born of a virgin. Emmanuel, God with us. Christ in you. In each one of us who become His people by embracing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, saved by grace through faith, Christ comes to dwell in us and He dwells among us too. Not only working in us individually, but working between us and working with us together. Christ in you. Those who have Christ dwelling in them, they have resident in them the hope of glory. Put it another way, the guarantee of making it to glory someday. How good is that? The philosophies of man cannot provide that. The religions of the world cannot provide that. This is only available in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ in you, the hope of glory. And hope, used in this sense in the New Testament, is so much more than and other than. We typically use the word. We typically give it the sense of wish. You know? Are you going to have a good day today? Well, I hope so. Do you have a good future laid out before you? Well, I hope so. Do you think you might make heaven someday? Well, I hope so. That's not this word. Synonyms for this word would be words like certainty, expectation, and guarantee. That's this word. Christ in you, the certainty of glory. Christ in you, the valid, full expectation of glory. Christ in you, the guarantee of glory. This is possible because of who He is and what He does. He takes those who deserve hell. When they call upon His name, He comes to dwell in their lives and works with them all along the way and takes them to glory someday with Him. And along the way, along the way as we are hoping in Him, He can bring glorious things to us and through us to bless those around us. And the ultimate is along the way, God gets the glory for that kind of life. This is a gloriously rich mystery. Those who know this and have this mystery as the explanation of their lives, that would be a Christian, a follower of Jesus. They are rich beyond measure in things that can never be taken away from us, never fade. Certainly this verse speaks of the sufficiency of Christ. He's enough for these things to be our experience. But there's more. Let's go to chapter 2, Colossians 2,3, In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. That pronoun, in whom refers back to the last person mentioned in the previous verse, which is Christ. Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Oh, how much we need to know the things that God wants us to know. How much we need the wisdom to rightly walk in the things that God is letting us know. What treasures those are? Well, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge reside in the Lord Jesus Christ. In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So many things to get to know that God wants us to know. That we need to know to walk in life the way He has intended. And then even more important than knowledge from God is wisdom from God. You know, a lot of knowledge without wisdom has just trouble waiting to happen. In fact, knowledge puffs up. We learn in the wisdom of God, knowledge applied in love. Oh, love edifies, builds people up. Well, in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Oh, and people, they're out looking for knowledge. They're trying to develop wisdom and the programs of man, the educational systems of man. You know what? They cannot get you to heaven. They cannot really even develop enough insight to live a godly life from here to heaven's door. What do you need? You need a more sufficient source. In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Man's philosophy cannot provide such. Human behavior modification programs are vain and powerless in comparison with this. What we need to know and the wisdom to walk in what we're getting to know is found in a person, in the Lord Jesus Christ, a person. You know, people are used to looking to places, to principles, to programs. Ah, here's where we're going to get what we need to know. Listen, this is where we need to go. Whether we're talking to people, whether we're relating to those who have an organized system of learning, or whether we never get involved with those things. Here's where we have to go. This is what changes everything. In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this is another one of those great mysteries of God. And here's, in fact, the previous verse refers to the knowledge of the mystery of God. This is part of it. That all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hidden there. In other words, you're not going to find them someplace else. They're hidden there. But they're not hidden from us. They're hidden for us. You know, when you have hide-and-seek games or you have little toddlers and they want a toy and you play a game with them and you hide it, you know. Then what do you do? You kind of go about the business of showing them where you hid it. You know. Oh sweetie, did you look at the closet under the stairs? You know. Well, here we are, God's kids and we need to know these things. And He just says, listen, I'll tell you where I hid them. They're all hidden in My Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So what's the implication for us? Be digging into that relationship with Christ all the days of our lives. And all the while we're digging away in the Word, looking to who He is and what He's done and what He's said and what He's promised. We're finding all of these treasures of knowledge and wisdom. Well, I'd rather sit down with the sweetest little grandma overlooked by the world and never in one program the world ever offered of education or development or whatever. But she had been digging all of her life in the Word of God into a greater relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, that's someone you can learn great things from concerning knowledge and wisdom. Why? Because she's been digging where the treasures are. And we can be doing the same thing every day. No one can prevent this really. No one can do it for us really. But if we're all doing it together, think of the treasures of knowledge and wisdom we have to press on in service. Think of what we have to share with people who come to us for help. In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Oh, this covers all of life. This covers teaching the Word. This covers raising your children. This covers counseling which we all need and we're all to learn to give. This verse absolutely is another place in Scripture that just trumpets out the truth, the sufficiency of Christ. He's enough. He's enough to bring a fullness of life to which God has called us. No wonder that very soon after these great verses, we come to a combination of two verses that declare more of the sufficiency of Christ and at the same time standing right on these two verses, a warning about human wisdom that wants to intrude into the place of the wisdom of God. And I'm speaking of Colossians 2, verses 8, 9, and 10. Beware lest anyone cheat you that could be rendered, take you captive. Beware lest anyone take you captive through philosophy and empty deceit according to the tradition of man, according to the basic principles of the world and not according to Christ. Why is this warning so important? Verse 9 explains it. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Implication for us? And you are complete in Him. What an astounding declaration of the sufficiency of Christ. But tucked right in there is a warning about things that are not according to Christ. Oh, the messages of the world abound. People selling their ideas. People selling their speculations. People selling their perspectives and their programs. Beware. Watch out for it. You say, yeah, but you know, God created everything and God is true and thinking wherever you find truth, all truth is God's truth and all that. Listen, not everything that sounds like it's true had its source in God. What are we saying? Well, the tradition of man, the wisdom of the world. Watch out for it. First John 5.19, the whole world lies in the lap or under the sway of the evil one. Second Corinthians 4.4, the God of this world. John 10.10, the thief comes only to rob, kill and destroy. Behind the unredeemed family of man with all of its good intentions and all of its plans and promised benefits, there's an enemy of our souls at work. And people who are great in their intentions but don't know that the enemy is wanting to manipulate their thinking, they get trapped and we're alerted. Beware. Beware lest anyone take you captive. Through what? Philosophy. Man's attempted explanation of what life is all about. We're not talking here about science, true science. Believers in the Lord and His Word do not have to be threatened by it all. True science where you just do experimentations or whatever and every time you do it, comes out the same because God made it that way. Boy, what's the deal here? Every time I add two plus two, I get four, you know? Probably enough to shake up a relativistic world, you know? I'd rather have some options here, three, five and six, you know? And you put this chemistry, this chemical with that chemical, it always produces this reaction. Why? Because God made it that way and it just declares the glory of God. But, you get to man's messages. Oh, this is another world. On the one hand, the heavens declare the glory of God but then on the other hand, beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit. The heavens declare the glory of God and everything revealed in even common grace insight to how God made it work declares the glory of God. But on the other hand, when man starts to explain what's going on in the heart of man, what's going on in the mind of man, what's going on in the immaterial reality of man and how they're going to help us and change it, one word comes to mind, beware. Just beware. Watch out. Be careful. Lest anyone take you captive through philosophy and empty deceit. See, the God of this world is greatly deceived. He actually thought long ago that he could deserve and get the throne of God for himself. Wow, he's a little off, don't you think? He's totally deceived and he is the master deceiver and he's now a banished rebel and he wants to captivate, dominate, rule our lives. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit. Well, what kind of arenas would this appear according to the tradition of man? You remember when Jesus came? The religious leaders, Jesus said, were making the scriptures of no reputation by their traditions. Well, how is that for confusion? The tradition of the elders, the religious experts of the society, of the chosen people, Israel, they had their traditions, things to do, things not to do, how to do them, how not to do them, from the Sabbath to everything else. And they had their little manipulating games where they could even dedicate things to God and protect themselves from actually giving to their parents and their family and others and just say, oh, we can't touch that, it's dedicated to God. And of course, all the while, they're slipping portions of it out to themselves. And the scriptures were just canceled out in people's lives by the tradition of the elders. Watch out for the tradition of man. If people in a society generally count on it as how to get life, develop life, and settle eternal issues, you can know it's questionable. The tradition of man, mankind in general. And boy, traditions, they get entrenched, you know? Tradition. Why are we doing that? Well, it's simple, haven't you heard? We've always done it this way. Oh, well then, that settles that. No, that doesn't settle that. It raises another question. What sayeth the scriptures? What does God have to say on this subject? Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit. According to the tradition of man, according to the basic principles of the world. I get a little edgy sometimes when people say, this is the way to do it, it's just common sense. Well, you mean a sensibility that's common to most everyone? Yeah. Okay, now, would that explain why the world's in the state it's in? You know, that everyone just commonly believes these things? God offers to us an absolutely uncommon sense, an insight from above. You know, they said about Jesus, no one ever spoke like this man. And no one ever could or would. We wanna be taken captive, controlled by, guided by, things that are according to Christ, not according to the basic principles of the world. You know, the world says, here's the basic principle. Well, you know, our religious fiat, God helps those who help themselves, you know, and everybody goes, oh, yeah, that's the way it works. But hold it a minute, that's not the way it works. That's not the way it works. That's what man thinks, because he works on a merit and deserve basis. God helps those who help themselves. Oh, look at that man helping himself so much. Well, you know, I guess maybe that's where the self-help programs come from. Look, he's helping himself so much that I being God, I'm just stirred to give a little more help from above. Thank God it doesn't work like that, because where would it all hinge? On our capacity to get something going. Well, then what on earth does the Bible teach? If it's not God helps those who help themselves? It's this, God helps those who finally admit they can't help themselves. You know, the one who says, Lord, I'm a sinner. I'm guilty, I'm busted, I'm broken, I'm bankrupt. No resources, no hope, I can't help me. What I've done for me has messed me up. Now, Lord, yes, and me too, brother, amen. That's all of us, isn't it? We want to be taken captive according to things that are of Christ. Why is that so important, verse nine? For in Him, in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. All the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Have for humankind to know and enjoy and grow in on earth below. All that fullness resides in Christ. It dwells in Him. It's just innate to who He is and what He can do. So when we're getting taken captive by these things of humanity, they're displacing the things of deity, the things of the Lord God Almighty that are offered to us through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. What a reminder of what He went through to make all of this available to us. That the everlasting Son of God, who always was before time began, became a man, became one of us. Took our sin and our wrong upon Himself. Died upon the cross. Rose again victorious over sin and death. And forever after in heaven, we'll have a body. Yes, a resurrected body. Yes, a glorified body. But according to Revelation, a body that will still have the evidences of crucifixion, the death that He went through to pay our debt of sin. Oh, beware of the messages of humanity. Don't let them take us captive because in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And the personal implication for living and serving and you are complete in Him. The fullness dwells in Christ. Those who dwell in Christ dwell where the fullness is. And when we are counting on Him, abiding in Him, looking to Him, hoping to Him, we can experientially walk more in the reality that in Him, we are complete. See, the philosophies and programs of the world is you've got to develop a full, complete life yourself. In the kingdom of heaven, it is, no, that complete, full, whole life is already in the Lord Jesus Christ and we're connected with Him by faith and that fullness of life becomes the very resource that by faith and dependence, we draw upon each day for Christian living and service and growth. We are complete in Him. Kind of a play on words, really. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ. This word translated complete can be translated filled up to the full. It's another play on the word fullness. The fullness dwells in Him. We get filled up in our relationship with Him. Fullness of life is ours in Christ. The word that speaks of making full, filling to the full, or you could say too, causing to abound or supplying liberally. That's the resource we find in Christ and we are connected with Him. These verses, they cry out concerning the sufficiency of Christ and a warning about those things that are insufficient, inadequate, contradictory to, destructive to the message of the fullness of Christ. Here's another one, Colossians 3, verse 4. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. A wonderful reminder to live in the expectation of the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ to gather His people up to be with Him forever. But for our study, right in the middle of the verse, a phrase that is so revealing concerning the sufficiency of Christ. When Christ who is our life, those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have been given eternal life. Jesus said He intends for that life to develop in fullness as we walk with Him day by day in this pilgrim path on earth. Here's the amazing thing. This eternal life that is to grow day by day in abundance and fullness, it's His life He's sharing with us. Christ who is our life. Sometimes we say and think, oh, I want to be more like Christ. That is a tremendous goal and desire. It's a great confession of interest and direction. But here's the wonderful thing. This is not left up to our best copying or mimicking or shadowing. He actually is our life. The life He's called us to, He shares with us as we seek after Him and trust in Him. You know, there are great pictures of this in scripture. The vine and the branches. We're the branches. Don't forget. The philosophies of man. They want to make us the vine. New Age gospel. Here's the New Age gospel. It's all about self-realization. Oh, wow. What do I need to realize about me? You just need to know this. You are God. And we say, what a letdown. You're kidding me. I'm God. It's all over. It's all over. He's the vine. That is the life source. We're just branches. You separate us from Him, we can do nothing. Nothing. He's our life. Second Corinthians four, you recall. We have this treasure in earthen vessels. Us, our lives, we're like a clay pot. Empty, a clay pot. Needing special content that we were created for. What is that content? Christ in us, the hope of glory. Galatians 2.20, I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. How do you do that? In the life I now live in these flesh and bones, this body, this vessel, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Every issue of life, every day, every step that we take, trusting in the Lord Jesus to be at work in and through us, He does that because He's committed to that. Well, how do you explain all of that? Well, I can't explain all of that. I'm just busy rejoicing that that's the way it works. The just shall live by faith. The just don't end up living by being able to answer every possible question they could ever raise, or that the enemy could ever shoot at them, or that the world wants to know before they budge an inch. I'm not saying I learned that the first day I walked with Christ, but He has His ways of teaching you that you can't and He can. And it puts you on the right path. You sit on your knees before God, and you know, the picture kind of develops, like, oh, I need to be, let's say, abiding in Christ. Amen. Christ is our life. Does that not cry out the sufficiency of Christ? He's enough to give us a real life. People say, get a life, and we don't have to be insulted by that anymore. We know we can't produce it on our own. We can just sort of say, well, I know where to go to get it. Christ, who is our life. Then Colossians 3.11, speaking of the new creation, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but here's the kingdom of heaven. Here's how it works. Here's what it's all about. Christ is all and in all. What a statement of the sufficiency of Christ. You know, in the world, in the philosophies of man, in the way people try to develop life and make decisions and find hope, these are huge categories. People want to settle. Are you Greek, Jew, circumcised, uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free? Let's get your credentials, see where you're from, see where you're about, see if I want to bother with you. See if you have any hope or not. You know, really, isn't that a pitiful way to think? Oh, in the kingdom of man. It's huge. You have a religious background or not? Are you a Gentile or are you a Jew? What is your race? What is your nationality? What is your education? What is your wealth? You know, in the kingdom of heaven, these things do not matter, brothers and sisters. I mean, they don't matter to God and they can matter less and less to us as we grow in the Lord Jesus Christ. These categories aren't how we settle, whether people can make it in life, be significant in their contribution, whether we want to have anything to do with them or not. These things have nothing to do with that. There's two categories. People who don't have Christ and people who do have Christ. And we who do have Christ should have a growing compassion that those who don't have Christ join us on the same terms that we started out, repentant, admitting our guilt, our need, our shame, our debt. Here's what matters in the kingdom of heaven. Christ is all and in all. The Lord Jesus Christ lives in everyone who knows him and he wants to be becoming all in all to all of us. And then in joy and thanksgiving and appreciation for all of that, we want to encourage everyone else come into this wonderful place in Christ. There's serious loss and consequence without this. There's joy unspeakable and full of glory with this. How's this for a statement of sufficiency? Christ is all and in all. Oh my goodness, isn't that what sufficiency means? He is enough for fullness of life. Now, just for a few minutes, for a few minutes, let's look at the other side of this great picture. We've looked at the sufficiency of Christ. Let's consider for a moment the sufficiency of his word. Wait a minute, are we adding to Christ? I don't know. No, we're getting the message that tells us of all the fullness of Christ. This is his word. When I say, my wife said the most wonderful thing to me this morning. Am I separating her words from who she is? No, I'm telling you something that touched me that was a part of her and it came out in her words. The scripture, these are the words of God. In fact, this is where we go to learn about the sufficiency of Christ. We don't go off on a mountain and empty our minds and om a bit and meditate some. Boy, an empty mind, what a disaster they're waiting to have. We know who would love to fill it with his own perspectives. The enemy of our souls. No, we want our minds filled with things God has said to us in his word and then meditation is thinking on those things, considering them and being built up in them. Second Timothy chapter three, the sufficiency of God's word. Verses 14 and 15, but you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them and that from childhood you have known the holy scriptures, the sacred heavenly writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Chapter three talks about the last days, verse one. But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. Verse 13, evil man, oh there are evil men around and imposters, that is religious pretenders and they will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you, child of God, Timothy, must continue in the things which you have learned. What's that? The holy scriptures. Timothy, raised from childhood on the holy scriptures. If you have children in your home, if you have grandchildren in your lives, the most important thing they need to learn from us is the message of the holy scriptures. You say, well, nobody taught me that when I was young. Well, maybe you're young in the Lord now. Let's learn together. Let's make up for lost time. Well, I didn't do that with my kids. Well, start praying that you'll have a new opportunity to do it. Pray that others will come into their lives and help them do it. And pray that you will be an instrument for the next generation. To learn the holy scriptures. Well, I, you know, here's a tradition of man. You know, I just want to raise my kids kind of neutral and I'll leave all of that to be settled when they grow up. Someone else will be settling it for them. The world, the flesh, and the devil. Oh, let's teach our kids the holy scriptures. Because they're able. There's an ability in the scripture. There's a sufficiency in the scripture. Not just a religious book to learn some facts. There's a dynamic from God there. These are the words of the living God. And they're able to make us wise for salvation. You remember when we were foolish concerning salvation? I can remember it was the days and years before the last week of 1965. I was a fool concerning salvation. I thought Jesus was okay for my dad. He was a wonderful man and much respected and greatly used. Chaplain Ray, they called him. Instrument that touched many lives in the prisons. And I respected him. But, you know, if he needs that or wants to help people in need, that's fine. But I'm too wise for that. And if you could see the real picture, you know, there's a hat there that says fool on it. But the scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation. And praise the Lord, my folks gave us huge access to the scriptures. Around our house and the church we went to and others praying. Who you think is gonna win out? God or the devil? Word planted, seeds planted, watered by prayer. God'll get you. So glad he tracked me down. So glad he busted me. So glad he made me willing to say, I am a fool when it comes to the things of salvation. And the scriptures are now making me wise for salvation. How? Through faith which is in Christ Jesus. So salvation there. The scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation. This speaks of the sufficiency of the word of God. It's enough to bring you from deadness and sin in Adam to new life eternal in Christ Jesus. What an impartation of wisdom. It's the scriptures. But there's more here. The next two verses speak of the scriptures ability not for bringing us unto salvation but equipping us unto fullness of life. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God, the child of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Those are words of sufficiency. We've read words like that applied to Christ. How is it that we now read words like this applied to the Bible? Because these words in scripture are the words of God. Yes, recorded by man as the spirit stirred, holy men of old. But God attended to be sure that what they recorded and said was the message on the heart of God. All scripture, all the writings, every word in these great letters and books from history to poetry to theological exposition, all scripture, every word written is given by inspiration of God. Literally breathed out of the heart and mind of God. Think of that. The God who spoke when there was nothing and now we look and from what he spoke, there is a majestic universe. By the word of his power, he created it. By the word of his power, he sustains it. This is the same God who gave us these words and when we humbly bow down and meekly receive the implanted word, we find out it is able to save our souls, not only from hell to heaven, but from vanity and barrenness to abundant fruitfulness. These are the words of God and he speaks life into our souls and life into our daily walk. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. Well, sure it's profitable. Sure it is well able to bring a spiritual benefit because it's God speaking. Oh, may we never lose or diminish the glory of being able to stop, sit down, slow down, read the word of God, listen to the word of God and consider again. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. That's what makes the Bible so unlike any other piece of literature in the history of humanity. All other books are man writing them. Some bad books because it's just man. Some good books because men who've searched the scripture are sharing in print what God taught them there. But there's nothing like the word of God. All scripture is inspired of God and is profitable. It's able to bring spiritual benefit in what areas? Profitable for doctrine. Doctrine is not a bad word. Many in the church world treat doctrine as, oh, we're not into doctrine, they say. Our church is not into doctrine. Well, how sad. Doctrine just means the teachings of God. In fact, the word doctrine means teaching and in the context of the scripture, God teaching us about himself and about life. You're not into that, what are you into? Well, sometimes it's just self. Self, favorite topic of the world and in many places, the favorite topic of the church world. The scripture is profitable for doctrine, for telling us the truths of the way of life in the Lord Jesus Christ. But they're also profitable for reproof, warning us, awakening us when we drift off in our pilgrimage from the way of truth and we're off into the things of the world, into one ditch or the other on the side of the way of life. Those ditches are legalism and licentiousness. Self-righteousness, self-indulgence. They look so different from each other, but they're the same. How so? They're both off base when it comes to life. Christ, who is our life. The scriptures teach us about that and then warn us when we're off track or hearing a message that's off track. But they're also profitable for correction, that is, getting us back on track in our daily walk with the Lord. But there's more. The scriptures are profitable for instruction in righteousness, that is, unfolding for us how to press on in this way of life to more and more abundance of life. And when we're receiving the scriptures and letting the spiritual prophet come out of the Word into our hearts and lives, here's the end toward which it's all working, that the man of God, the child of God, may be complete, mature, fully developed, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Oh, these are glorious things. They're all available to us right there in the Word of God, which we are to take day by day as the bread of life, as words of life, because they're from the Lord of life. All scripture inspired of God, profitable, to make people complete, fully developed, to thoroughly equip them. We might say, oh, I want to serve the Lord. I just don't know how to get prepared. Listen, get in the Word and let God plant the Word in you. That's where the power is. It isn't, oh my goodness, will I ever be able to live up to this? Well, if you're talking about your best effort, forget it, just say no, I can't do this. Well, that's a good start. Then be watching how the Lord can be your strength, how the Lord can be your wisdom, how the Lord can be your rock of salvation. Just see all the things in here that He wants to be to us. That's how we get equipped. Our faith built in Him, get up each day looking to see what He can do. What He is going to do. And that is constantly fed and enlightened by feeding on the all-sufficient Word of an all-sufficient God. These words speak of the sufficiency of the Word, just like they were used to describe the sufficiency of Christ. Well, just in reflection upon this, and to be reminded of the simple path to realizing and growing and actually living in the sufficiency of the Lord and His Word, let's read these two final verses. Second Peter, chapter one, verses two and three. These are words of sufficiency again applied to God, but they're words again that anchor down on relationship, which is the heart of the kingdom of heaven. Second Peter, chapter one, verses two and three. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Oh, grace and peace multiplied. That sounds like fullness of life. Verse three, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Well, those sound like words of sufficiency as well. Through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. Verse two speaks of grace and peace being multiplied to us. Not just added like you might add out of an eyedropper or something, you know, drop, drop, drop. Listen, if in that eyedropper is grace and peace, drop all you can my way, please. But it's way better than that. Grace and peace be multiplied to you. Multiplied, and God's the one doing the multiplying. So let's replace that eyedropper with what? A fire hose? Want some more grace and peace? Plenty more. Multiplied to us. Grace, God's undeserved kindness and enablement from forgiveness to transformation, to fruitfulness and service. Grace and peace be multiplied to you. Oh, that sounds so good, but how do I enter into that multiplying grace and peace? It is so simple. We could have a blank paper and oh, tell me how to get into all that. You know, we've numbered already one to 50, you know. How do we do it? Okay. Give me the steps. Are there seven? Are there 12? How many are there? Are there 50? No, there's one and it's daily. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. The knowledge of, not the collecting of factual information. Let's turn it to another word related, the knowing of God. Getting to know God. That's how grace and peace are multiplied to us. Not some program we develop, but some person we get to know better and better day in and day out. How so? Right here in His Word. That's where He's revealed. That's where we're told the truth that will set us free and will build our faith. Then verse three. As His divine power has given to us all things. Has given. Past tense. Oh wow. Already ours? Has given to us, the people of God, all things that pertain to life and godliness. Wow. Yes, everything that pertains to living life as God intended, growing in godliness as He desires, it's all been given to us already. How do we access it? How do we know of these things? How can we learn of them so we can trust in God to be working these things in and through our heart? Same as verse two. Through the knowledge of Him who called us. Let's change that word again. It doesn't change the meaning and it's a good word to translate, but it gets back to relationship. Through the knowing of Him. How do we proceed in these things concerning the sufficiency of Christ and His Word? We need to be getting to know the sufficient Lord better and better. We do that in His Word, not just some imagination or something or some tradition. We do that in His Word. These are His personal revealing love letters of who He is and what He's done and how much He wants to do for us. You know, we don't need human wisdom and the kingdom of heaven for godliness. We don't need worldly philosophy. We don't need psychological speculations. We don't need self-help programs. We do not need the power of positive thinking. All of those are a distraction trying to displace this. What do we need? We need Him. We need to know the Lord Jesus better and better. And He wants to do that revealing work in His inspired, inerrant Word. He is sufficient for fullness of life. His Word is sufficient to reveal His sufficiency to us as we grow in fullness of life. Well, let's pray together about this, shall we? Lord Jesus, we bow before You this day. We acknowledge in light of Your Word Your greatness, Your majesty, Your glory. Yes, Lord, we catch all those up in this one word, Your sufficiency. You are enough, Lord. It's not Jesus plus something. And Lord, we seek You this day. We call upon Your name. We bow before You humbly. We thank You for Your Word. Your all-sufficient Scripture revealing an all-sufficient Savior. Lord, lead us day by day into Your Word. Plant Your Word deep in our hearts, Lord, that we might grow in the knowing of You and thereby have faith in You to access all of these matters that bombard us every day at home and work and office and church and ministry. Lord, in You, we find all we need. We demonstrate that through us for Your glory and that we might be an encouragement and help to those around us. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.