"All" in Colossians chapter 1

Could we turn please to the book of Colossians chapter 1. I was stirred by Jim's last words and his mention different times what we think of the Lord Jesus and our action and our hold on the truth and the truth's hold on us reflects on what we think of the Lord Jesus. And that's largely what the book of Colossians is about. Without trying to go into much of the background perhaps others have studied it recently it's our subject in the weekly Bible study at Ontario presently.

And so in going through this book and a good way to study for assembly Bible reading or any study is to read the passage over and over again. And I really appreciate these four chapter epistles where you can can read it in a relatively brief period of time and you can begin to grasp the flow of truth in the epistle. And in doing so I noticed that the little word all kept coming up again and again.

And then I did a little further search and I found that the word same Greek word that is translated all is often translated every. And so then I began to look and I found that 38 times in this little epistle we have reference to all or every. And that's an awful lot we're not going to try and cover all those today.

But I thought I found that 21 of those times is in chapter 1 alone. And I want to go through Colossians chapter 1 briefly with you. We'll likely end up reading the entire chapter but as we go I want to categorize the Spirit's use of this word all and every into some headings that will perhaps enable us to grasp the truth concerning our Lord Jesus Christ.

My last point will be concerning the supremacy of Christ because that seems to be what was being attacked at Colossae. They were bringing in the worshiping of angels and other things. Things that would compete with the absolute supremacy of Christ.

And to compete with Christ is to dethrone him. And that's one of the common uses of all throughout this epistle. Again we're going to limit ourselves to chapter 1 primarily but we trust that when we end we will have a grasp of the total supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ over every other being over every other thing that any man might worship.

Let's read from Colossians chapter 1 verse 1. I'll stop when we get down to verse 4. Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and Timotheus our brother to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossae grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ praying always for you since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which ye have to all the saints. I'm going to pause there.

The first mention of all. Of the love which ye have to all the saints. I want to put a little title of unity.

Here is the use of the word all in connection with unity and this is vital. Every believer is a child of God and while there are many believers that we cannot have practical fellowship with because of their associations sometimes because of their manner of life we should have a love to all the saints. And let us be cautious in our conversation in our speech in our ministry that we not detract from the love which we should have to all the saints.

Unity. Practically again I say there are many times things just as in our home we love our children. We love all our children no matter how many we have and they're all individuals but there are often times we can't express the same degree of love outwardly because of conduct, attitude, whatever.

And so it is with fellow believers but he commends them. He has never been there but he has heard of the love which ye have to all the saints. Love for all the saints is the mark of a believer.

A I have often found myself praying for all the saints of God and then telling God I have a lot of questions about who is a saint of God sometimes. Many that name the name of Christ but are they? I don't know but I can pray for the whole household of faith. I can love all the saints all the time even if I cannot have practical fellowship with them.

So unity expressed in this word. All of the love which ye have to all the saints. Now verse 5. For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel which is come unto you as it is in all the world and bringeth forth fruit as it doth also in you since the day ye heard of it and knew the grace of God in truth.

I'm going to stop here again. We have a mention in verse 6. Which is come concerning the gospel which is come unto you as it is in all the world. I'm going that's what he's saying here.

As it is in all the world. The gospel that we preach is a gospel for the world. It is not some little idea that we have.

Something that is a gospel whole tradition. The gospel of the grace of God is for the world. John could say we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world and that is the gospel that we preach.

And likely the Apostle has in his thoughts as he uses this world that has come into all the world. These super spiritual people who were seeking to deceive the saints. They had their own little peculiar twist.

Their little localized doctrine that they fed people. He's saying our gospel is a gospel for the whole world. It's gone out.

This is not some private brand. This is a gospel for the world. And let's look down at verse 23.

I'm going to link some of these together. So under this title of universality verse 23. In the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unapprovable in his sight.

That was 22. Verse 23. If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye have heard and which was preached to every, and that's our word, to every creature which is under heaven whereof I Paul am made a minister.

Every creature. Universality. This gospel has gone out into all the world.

This gospel has been preached to every creature. Now look down to verse 28. Whom we preach warning every, that's our word, every man and teaching every man, our word again, in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

The gospel we preach is good for everyone. It's good for the whole world. It's good for every man.

It's good for every creature. And so the universality of the gospel contained in this little word all. Let's continue reading from where we were.

Let's read at verse 7. As ye also learned of Epaphras, our dear fellow servant who is for you a faithful minister of Christ, who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit, for this cause we also since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. I want to use the word totality. And I trust you'll see what we're talking about.

That ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. God doesn't want us majoring in one particular line of truth, one particular thing that is our special pet. He wants us to be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

Lovely to see and to know well-rounded believers. Believers who have a handle on all the truth of God. Believers who are not majoring in minors.

Our brother has talked about legalism. That's often what leads to that. Majoring in the minors.

No, the Lord would have us to know the totality of truth that we might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Again, he's likely making a jab at the false teachers. They said there's certain lines of truth that we can teach you that will make you super spiritual Christians.

Paul says no. He wants every believer, every individual believer to be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Go on to verse 10.

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. Being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.

That is in every aspect. Again, not some particular line of thing but in all things. Mention has been made of the fruit of the Spirit and it's singular and it's ninefold.

And just because we have one aspect, that's not what we should aim for. We should desire to so walk in the Spirit that we can manifest all the fruit of the Spirit. So his desire is that they might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

That they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. Being fruitful in every, that's our word again, in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Will any of us ever be able to say we have arrived? We have reached as high as we can go? No, the bar is set at all and every.

All the truth of God for all the people of God to know all the will of God to be walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. Being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Verse 11 again, strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.

Does it seem that he's laboring that word all? That certainly does. He doesn't want them to be occupied with some little line of thing. He wants them to realize that the truth of God is vast and all-encompassing and it's for all the people of God, it's for us to be strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.

Although we might manifest the totality of divine truth in our lives, understanding the truth, buying it and selling it not. Now we get to our last point, the supremacy of Christ that I want to end with. Reading from verse 12, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son in whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins who is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of every creature and that's our word so the firstborn of all creation.

Let's just keep reading here because he just piles on these references. Verse 16, for by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him and he is before all things and by him all things consist and he is the head of the body the church who is the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in all things he might have the preeminence for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell and having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven and you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblamable and unapprovable in his sight if you continue in the faith grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven whereof I Paul and made a minister so let's back up to verse 15 who is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of every creature or of all creation you're well aware that firstborn has nothing to do with birth the Lord Jesus was not born in the beginning was the word and the word was with God in the word was God so firstborn has the thought of rank of privilege of honor of priority and so he is the firstborn of all creation what a lovely title of the Lord Jesus supremacy he is the firstborn of every creature or of all creation and that of course puts the angels and whatever other rankings of spiritual beings that they wish to elevate that puts all of them underneath him because he is the firstborn of every creature for 16 twice we have reference here for by him were all things created remind you of John 1 without him was not anything made that was made all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him so he is the creator of all things no exceptions anything else you want to put some priority on as the false teachers would he says they were all created by him he's the firstborn the one with priority over them all because he's created them all without exception all things were made by him then verse 17 and he is before all things and by him all things consist twice more he is before all things that is in his rank in his standing in his value before God who is the image of the invisible God he is before all things and by him all things consist that's a thought of hold together so he not only created the universe but he holds it together surely he is before all things so that's in relation to creation he is the preeminent one in creation he is the supreme one now go to verse 18 and he is the head of the body of the church who is the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in all things he might have the preeminence so the spirit of God takes us from the natural creation the heavens and the earth and all things that are in them he's the firstborn of all creation and he is before all things by him all things consist now he moves to the body it's been pointed out often that Ephesians particularly deals with the truth of the body of which he is the head body truth but in Colossians we have the preeminence put on Christ as the head of the body very little mentioned about the body but emphasis on the head he is the head of the body the church who is the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in all things he might have the preeminence that's what our brother Jim was saying practically as we submit to truth as we buy the truth we will fulfill God's intention for him that in all things all things he might have the preeminence beloved our gatherings are not about any traditions any rituals any routines our gatherings are not about personalities about the abilities of some men or the lack of abilities not of whether we sing well or don't sing well our gatherings are brought to Lord Jesus and the more we can focus on that the happier our fellowship will be the healthier the assembly was with which we are associated will be if we can get get beyond one another get beyond issues and focus on the one who in all things should have the preeminence and I would say many many times even in the midst of difficult times it has just been a joy to come to the Remembrance Meeting where it seems quite often by the grace of God we are enabled to get beyond some of the issues and just focus on Christ and it's lovely it's heavenly it's the fulfillment of this that in all things he might have the preeminence verse 19 for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell that's a that's a statement that defies explanation in its fullness obviously once again it rules out giving any credit any worship to any other being because it is pleased the Father that in him all fullness all fullness fullness means full so when you add the word all to fullness you have something beyond fullness and so he's saying that Christ has everything connected with deity there is nothing lacking there is nothing that can be added to it there is none that can challenge the supremacy of the Lord Jesus it pleased the Father that in him all fullness should dwell he could say he that has seen me has seen the Father that's a profound statement but it's this truth it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell everything that was true of deity was true of him even though he was walking in a body of flesh and blood among men in him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and we could read more of that in chapter 2 verse 20 and having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven again I say supremacy because of the extent of the value of his death upon the cross let us always make much of the cross of Christ in our gospel preaching obviously in our ministry clearly and in a remembrance of the Lord Jesus we are continually drawn to the cross the greatest proof of his love the greatest sacrifice that could be offered as far surpassing all the types and pictures and that's what he's dwelling on here we don't see the fullness of this yet all things reconcile to God let me ask you will ever anything more ever be done until we see the fullness of it no reminds me of Hebrews chapter 2 we see not yet the full effects of Calvary but someday in all of the creation of God it will be manifest that by the blood of his cross he has reconciled all things unto himself does not mean that all will be in heaven this is not teaching universality this is just saying that God will sort things out to their final destiny there will be a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness and that is we will owe to the blood of his cross the body of his flesh through death will accomplish that make it possible for God to establish a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth nothing but righteousness without will be everything that offends and that makes a lie but all things will be at perfect peace with God and all because of the Lord Jesus I trust that these thoughts will give you food to consider on there are a lot more all's in this epistle and they all are a tribute to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ to the salvation that we enjoy through him they would remind us that there should be a unity of believers love for all the Saints there is that universality of the gospel never limit your gospel in any way preach it to whosoever with a true heart and leave the work of salvation to God by all means the totality of what Christ has accomplished all summed up in all the supremacy of Christ the firstborn of all creation dwelling in him all the fullness of the Godhead we trust that these words would glorify the person of our Lord Jesus Christ that we might go home with a desire to have a grasp of the truth concerning himself concerning all the truth of the Word of God that it might preserve us in a day when there's so much to discourage to turn us aside to compromise truth may we hold it fast