Peter Tan-Chi - Christ is All-Sufficient: Focus on Jesus
So today, our topic is very simple. Colossians 2, we will discuss, everybody, «Christ is all-sufficient». One more time. together, «Christ is all-sufficient, focus on Jesus». You and I will never know the sufficiency of Christ until you learn to humble yourselves and to stop trusting false idols to meet your real needs and focus on Jesus. Chapter two has to begin with the last two verses of chapter one. So let us read the last two verses of chapter one before we go to chapter two. «We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ». (Colossians 1:28)
The word, «complete in Christ» simply means all that God wants you to be. «Complete in Christ» does not mean you become perfect. «Complete in Christ» simply means you will become full. You become like a flower, fully bloomed. All that God wants you to be, you reach your full potential. And that is what Paul is saying. «For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me». (Colossians 1:29) The balance of our part and God’s part is always a mystery. God will supply all your needs, but you got to do your part. So, sufficiency of Christ does not mean you do nothing. But I will teach you how to experience His sufficiency. The Bible tells us, God is all-sufficient. «Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves», everybody read, «but our adequacy is from God». (2 Corinthians 3:5)
To say that Jesus is all-sufficient is to humble yourselves. To humble yourself, to say, «I am not sufficient. God is more than sufficient». If you are proud, which is what the world is trying to teach us today, «You can do it on your own,» I am going to tell you something. You will never fully understand the sufficiency of Christ. The message today is so simple, «Christ is all-sufficient». What must you do? «Focus on Jesus». All right. What do you mean, focus on Jesus? Let us begin, Colossians 2. «For I want you to know how great the struggle I have on your behalf and those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face». (Colossians 2:1)
Paul is an amazing spiritual father. He is concerned for all kinds of believers, even for believers who have not known him, who have not seen him. And he says, «I am struggling in your behalf». How is he is struggling? By praying. You see this phrase repeated in other parts of the Bible. When Paul uses this phrase, he is saying, «I am praying for you». You can serve God wherever you are by praying for others and Paul is, saying, «I am praying for you». What is he praying for? «That their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself». (Colossians 2:2)
Paul is saying, «I am praying that you will be encouraged». Because the Colossian believers are discouraged. Now, some of you are discouraged today. I do not know where you are spiritually, but the truth is this, sometimes you are discouraged. Yes? If you look at what is happening, if you look at other countries, maybe you look at your situation, you are disillusioned. You are disappointed. Disappointment can lead to what? Despair. And despair can lead to depression. Colossians 2 tells you how to overcome depression. You are to understand, Jesus is all-sufficient. So he is talking about, «I want you all to be encouraged». Now, how are you encouraged? Notice, he uses something very important. As I pray for you, as you learn to live in a community, «being knit together in love,» but he talks about something special. He says, «I want you to have understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery».
What is God’s mystery? Answer? God’s mystery is Christ Himself. Grammatically, if you read the Bible, you now connect God’s mystery is equal to Jesus Christ. What is the Bible saying? The Bible is saying, no one has seen God except Jesus Christ. You will never know God until God reveals Himself to you and to me through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is described as what? «…hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge». (Colossians 2:3) If you have Jesus Christ, you have that treasure of knowledge, the treasure of wisdom. How can that be? Let us find out. «I say this so that no one would delude you with persuasive argument». (Colossians 2:4) «For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless, I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and stability of your faith in Christ». (Colossians 2:5)
Paul is telling the people, «Right now, you are not yet deceived. As of now, you are still stable. As of now, I rejoice to see your good discipline and stability of your faith in Christ». And then he tells them, «Therefore,» this is how Paul encourages discouraged people. «Therefore», what must you do? Let us read together, «as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord», the Bible says, «Walk in Him». (Colossians 2:6) Meaning, coming to Christ is just the beginning. Walk with Him means you obey. Next verse. Very important. «having been firmly (Everybody, read) rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, overflowing with gratitude». (Colossians 2:7)
He gives you four verbs. It is called verbal participle. What are the four verbs? Four Verbs. Number one, rooted. The word, «rooted», has the idea of a tall tree. The tree will never survive without roots because the root is the foundation. You have to be rooted in Jesus. Next, being built up. As you are rooted in Christ, you will grow. Some of you want to grow without being rooted in Christ. Impossible. Christ first and then you grow. How do you grow? Established in your faith. The word, «established», surprisingly, it is in the present tense. «Rooted» is past tense, past perfect tense. Rooted in Christ, but present tense. What must you be doing? You are going to be built up.
What is going to happen? You are going to be established. Established (in your faith), has the idea of you are becoming stronger and stronger in your faith. And overflowing with gratitude. The end result of knowing Jesus is a life of gratitude. The evidence of somebody who understands Jesus is a life of thanksgiving and gratitude. My question to all of you, when bad things happen to you, are you able to say, «Lord, I thank you, You must have a good purpose»? Not easy. You can only do that if you have received Christ, rooted in Christ, growing in Christ, your faith is being strengthened, the end result is what? Overflowing. Look at that verse, «overflowing with gratitude». Not just thankfulness. Overflowing. A life of thanksgiving. You have emotional needs? Yes or no? You have spiritual needs? You have physical needs? But I want to tell you something. Do you believe with all your heart that Christ is all-sufficient?
Well, let me tell you, the context of this verse has to be about warning. You know why warning? The most dangerous thing when it comes to discipling people, Christianity, is the reality that deceptive people will come in the church and deceive church members. Paul is a good discipler. He is a good spiritual father. He wanted to warn his people. And here I am today, I want to warn all of you. The most dangerous thing that can happen to you and to your family is for you to embrace wrong teachings. You see, wrong teachings are not blatant. They are not obvious because they contain some truth. They contain perhaps some Bible verses but they are not taught properly. That is what Paul is saying. You be careful with this people. «No one take you captive». You become a victim of the wrong teaching «through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men». These are all the worldly wisdom.
Let me give you an example based on what is happening in Colossae. What was the problem? Well, the problem was, number one, mysticism. They combined the worship of Jesus, the worship of God, with the worship of angels. Now, today, we may not worship angels, but we can worship other mediators. Why? Because you are saying «Jesus is not enough». You need other super beings to help you. Syncretism — combining different religions or philosophies. Gnosticism. In the time of the Apostle Paul, there was a growing wrong teaching. It is called Gnosticism from the word, «gnostic knowledge». They believe in special knowledge. «I will give you special knowledge so that you will end up in heaven». You will not believe this.
There are a lot of foolish things going on around. Be careful when you watch YouTube, when you go to the internet and they claim, «The Bible says this, the Bible says that». You better learn how to study the Bible and what we are doing to you every Sunday is to teach you how to study the Bible. It is called chapter by chapter, based on context. You read the entire Bible. That is why I encourage all of you, read the entire Bible at least once every year. Another example of false teaching, What is legalism? You know, some people come to Christ, but then they are told you need to maintain certain standards for salvation. You judge others who do not keep this standard. You know, for some people, they are becoming very legalistic. What you can eat, what you cannot eat. Which day is really the day for worship, you have got to do it. Can you imagine? How shallow is that Christianity? Christianity has to do with your heart. You love God with all your heart. You can do all of those and hate people. You can do all of those and gossip. You can do all of those and cheat.
So that is not real spirituality. That is called legalism. Showmanship. Jesus is sufficient. Do not be legalistic. What about this one? Asceticism — imposing man-made rules on oneself; severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence. Now, do not get me wrong. I am not against self-discipline. I am not against denying yourself. Example, in my case, I like to avoid eating sugar, I like to avoid drinking soft drinks. That is me. If you still drink soft drinks, I still love you. But I do not say I am more spiritual but for me, I have certain disciplines. But this kind of asceticism, You see, they practice denial into thinking I will gain points in going to heaven. The Bible is saying, that is not the way. What is important is you understand who Jesus is, what He has done for you. Now, what is the problem today? 21st century. Wrong thinking.
Example, number one, «Live your own truth». Truth is relative. Whatever you believe in, that is you. Well, the Bible says, «The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting». (Psalm 119:160) Our truth is not based on human opinion. It is based on the Word of God. You will not know the truth until you know the Word of God. To protect yourself from wrong teaching, I have one simple advice. Get to know the Word of God. Do not even just believe what I am saying. Study the Bible. That is why many false religion, even today in the Philippines, they will not allow you to study the Bible on your own. They will forbid people to study the Scriptures. They say you will be led astray. On the contrary, I encourage you to study the Bible. The more you study the Bible, the more you will know the truth. «Personal happiness is the highest goal».
That is what young people are believing in. My friend, the Bible says, «But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these things will be added to you». (Matthew 6:33) Can I ask you a question? Do you think God wants you to be happy? How many says yes? Raise your hand. Hallelujah! You are not martyr. God wants you to be happy, yes or no? But He knows how to make you happy. To make you happy, you put Him first. If you seek happiness, it will fly like a bird. Apart from God, all your happiness are temporal. Any time you have somebody other than God that is your happiness, that person becomes your idol. Are we clear? That is the meaning. «Do what feels right». You know, I am burdened with a lot of young people today. They have premarital sex. You know why they have premarital sex? «It feels right». «As long as there is love, as long as you love each other, it is okay».
My friend, it is not okay. You would say it is very restrictive. The Bible tells us something to protect us, not to imprison us. You will never enjoy life if you do not follow certain rules. Many young people do not know the purpose of rules. You need rules to enjoy life. Take it from me. So what are we learning so far? Oh, this is what you need to be aware of. Worldly thinking. These are the ways of the world and they sound sophisticated but it is wrong. So be careful. Your greatest danger is believing something that is not biblical but it sounds so true and you embrace it and you become a prisoner. I have friends like that. They fall away from following Jesus. «My good deeds will cancel out my bad deeds». That is very popular today. The Bible says, «…you are saved by grace alone, not by good deeds». (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Your sins are forgiven, not by your good deeds. My sins are completely forgiven because of Jesus. «All religions are the same». Of course not. The Bible is very clear. It is not me. The Bible says, «…there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved». (Acts 4:12) Universalism is getting popularity today. «Because Jesus died on the cross, everybody will go to heaven eventually. Even the devil will be saved». With that kind of mentality, look at how it will poison you. «If everybody will go to heaven, why should I preach about Jesus»? You see. «Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but He who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven will enter». (Matthew 7:21)
The problem with wrong thinking it would lead to wrong behavior and it will lead the damnation of your soul. So do not do that. Beware of any teachings that diminish our view of Jesus or draw us further away from Him. Why is Jesus all-sufficient? Very simple. Number one, Jesus is God. The Bible tells us in Colossians, «For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form». (Colossians 2:9) No other verses will even make this as clear as I can. In Jesus, all the fullness of God, «all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form». Once upon a time, God did not take the shape of a man. God is spirit. Then 2000 years ago, God took the shape of a man called Jesus. So Jesus is God in the flesh. Do you believe Jesus is God now? If Jesus is God and you have Jesus, then Jesus is all-sufficient for you. Amen? Is Jesus sufficient for you? All right. Number two, Jesus completes us. What does that mean, he completes us?
Let us look at Colossians. «And in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority». (Colossians 2:10) «You have been made complete». Remember, I said the word «complete» means what? Full maturity, not perfection. Everybody, read. «Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord». (2 Peter 1:2) Notice, the key is knowing God. Knowing Jesus. If you know God. If you know Jesus. Let us continue reading verse three. Everybody, together. «Seeing that this divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness,» «through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence». (2 Peter 2:3) If you have Jesus, you have everything you need to live a godly life. You have everything you need to fulfill His purpose. You have everything you need to do His will. That is the meaning. Jesus is what? All-sufficient. Turn to your neighbor. «Jesus is all-sufficient».
So I will give you a test. Jesus plus what is equal to your happiness? The moment you add something there, I am now warning you. If you say «Jesus plus husband equals happiness,» «Jesus plus boyfriend, happiness,» «Oh, Jesus plus money,» «Jesus plus family,» you see? Be honest with me. What will really make you happy? If you cannot say, «Jesus plus nothing is equal to happiness,» and you are thinking, «I need to have a husband to be happy,» you will be miserable. You are not ready to get married until you are satisfied in Jesus and in Jesus alone. Everything else is a bonus. If you think you need a career to be successful, let me ask you. What happens if you lose your job? What about this formula? Jesus plus what? Equals salvation. Jesus plus? Nothing. Good. You are very good.
Jesus Plus nothing is equal to salvation. You know why? Jesus is sufficient. He died on the cross for your sins. He paid the penalty for your sins. If you have Jesus, will you have salvation? The moment you say, «No, Jesus plus.». What is that? Plus religion? What? Rituals? Sacraments? Whatever that is, that becomes a problem. You are saying Jesus is not enough. Is Jesus enough? Yes or no? That is the message. The Colossians were being deceived. That is why he now explains why Jesus is sufficient. He now gives you different metaphors. Circumcision, baptism, cancellation of death. Let us discuss this. Number one. «And in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ». (Colossians 2:11)
You see, the Jews are saying, «You need to be physically circumcised in order to go to heaven». And Paul is saying, «No, you do not need that» because circumcision is really spiritual. What do I mean? Spiritual circumcision. «Moreover, the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love God with all your heart and with all your mind». (Deuteronomy 30:6) The day you come to Jesus is the day your heart gets transformed. That is what Paul is saying. It is called spiritual circumcision. That, my friend, is what happens when you come to Jesus. Jesus is all-sufficient to help you lead a holy life. Why did Jesus do it for you? He not only circumcised your heart, he changed your life. «Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions». (Colossians 2:12–13)
To understand the power of this verse, uou need to understand now the picture of baptism. Baptism is an outward demonstration of what happens to you when you come to Christ. Biblically, the word «baptism» is called immersion. You are put under the water and you come out of the water. Meaning under the water, «I am dead to my old life». Coming out of the water, a new life in Christ. That is found in Romans 6. «…Do you not know all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death»? (Romans 6:3)
What does that mean? Let us read the next verse. «…We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised up from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life». (Romans 6:4) So the Bible is saying, baptism is a picture of what Christ did for you on the cross. When Jesus died for you on the cross, and you come to Jesus, you died with Him. Baptismal service, you are put under the water and when you come out of the water, new life in Christ. So this is what Christ did for you. He gave you a new life. Then He gave another picture. He «…canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross». (Colossians 2:14)
What does that mean? My friend, this phrase «canceled out the certificate of debt», in the time of the Apostle Paul, when you are in prison and your name is there, and here is the list of your violation, all your sins, all your crimes, are listed on that piece of paper. And you cannot get out of jail until they put a stamp. That stamp is called «Tetelestai». «Paid in full». Once they put a stamp, «paid in full», that means you are paid for your crimes. Amen. When Jesus died on the cross, he uttered the same word. «Tetelestai». What is «Tetelestai»? «Paid in full». What is paid in full? All the charges against me and I have a long list of sins. I do not know about you.
Are you aware of your sin against God? I know my life. It is a long, long list. But I praise God. When Jesus died on the cross, He shared His blood. And He put a stamp, «Paid in full. Peter is now free». Amen? You, your sins, all the charges paid in full. Last. Why is Jesus all-sufficient? Not only because He is God, not only because He completes us, everybody read, «Jesus gives us true freedom». What does I mean? Let us read. «Therefore,» Everybody, read. But for every time you see the word, «therefore», you go to the previous verse. The previous verses talk about what Jesus did for us — forgave our sins. «Therefore (everybody read), no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day». (Colossians 2:16)
In other words, guys, be careful with this wrong idea. In the past, I don not know about you, in the past, I do not eat certain foods on certain days, certain holidays. I do not do certain things because I was enslaved to a religious system. The Bible says, «No, you are set free. Your sins are forgiven». Not because you observe days, you observe holidays, you observe certain food. Everybody, read. «Things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ». (Colossians 2:17) So the Bible tells us, «My friend, you are free». In fact, the Bible repeats. «If you have died with Christ…» You have accepted Jesus and you rose again from the dead with Jesus. «…why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 'Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch! '» (Colossians 2:20–21)
My friend, God is not telling you to be lawless, but God is saying you are not under that system anymore. Everybody, read. «These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body». (Colossians 2:23) By the way, on Holy Week, did you still see some people crucify themselves during Holy Week? Yes or no? During Holy Week, do you know of some people in the Philippines who would crucify themselves? Are they sincere? Yes. Because they believe that «If I find punish myself, I will earn points to go to heaven». And the Bible saying, «No. Jesus Christ is the one and only payment for your sin, not yourself».
Therefore, my friend, what is true freedom? Let us read together. True freedom is not the ability to do what you like doing when you feel like doing it. That is not freedom. That is addiction. That is slavery. What is true freedom? It is the power to say no to sin and yes to God. It is the power to do what is right. That, my friend, is true freedom. You will not have true freedom until you have Jesus. Look at what the Bible says. By the grace of God, can you be free? «For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny and godliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly». (Titus 2:11–12)
The only way to live a holy life is through the grace of God. The grace of God through Jesus gives you a salvation. Not just salvation, it gives you the power to say no, to deny ungodliness, to say no to sin, and to say yes to the Lord. So Christ is sufficient. You know why? When Christ is in you, He transforms your heart, He transforms your heart’s desire, He transforms your life, and He gives you a power to obey Him. That, my friend, is the good news. Is Christ all-sufficient? Yes or no? Yes. Well, my friend, the first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom, but its Master. You will only have true freedom if you have the right Master. I surrendered my life to Jesus years ago. He is my Master. No longer me. I am no longer the master of my life. Jesus Everybody, read. «For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the law but under grace». (Romans 6:14)
My friend, do not be enslaved to religion. Be enslaved to Jesus. The Bible tells us, «You are called to freedom, do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love served one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'» (Galatians 5:13–14) You see, Christianity gives us a higher moral standards. In the past, nothing wrong — obey the 10 commandments, do not do this. Do not do that. Nothing wrong. But you are not capable of doing it. You need the grace of God. The grace of God tells you, «I will obey God because I love Him».
Love is the highest motivation of the Christian life. You know, there was a story of a girl, as we close, this girl is so scared because she works for a boss. The boss is super rich. The boss lives in New York City. In that amazing place, Tte boss wants her to iron his clothes in a certain way. Like the collar has to be ironed in a certain way and the clothes has to be, you know, arranged to be, what do you call that term? Folded. You see, honey, I do not fold my clothes. You fold. Make the clothes, has to be folded in a certain way. There are techniques. And then when you put that in the cabinet, it has to be placed in the cabinet in a certain section. And then when you hang the clothes, it has to be, you know, in the certain style.
How many of you is married to such a man like that? Do not raise your hands. I feel sorry for you. Okay. But there are some men who are very, very meticulous. Yes or no? So this girl does not enjoy working for the man. But, you know, the man fell in love with her. And the man began to court her and they eventually got married. So from the honeymoon, everything was nice. No washing of clothes. When they came back, reality sets in. Now the wife has to wash the clothes, iron the clothes, but while she was doing it, she was about to get irritated, then she smiled. She is no longer irritated. You know why she is no longer irritated? Because now, the owner of the clothes is no longer her master. It is her husband, lover boy.
My friend. Let me ask you a question. How do you serve Jesus? Out of love or out of duty? The Bible tells us, «Jesus came to set you free». You know why? Our relationship with Jesus is love. You love Jesus? Yes or no? Then serve Him. If you do not know Jesus, in all fairness, how can you love Him? My friend, my concern is some of you are trying to go to heaven through good works. You are trying to earn heaven through good works. Nothing wrong, but you are not going to make it. What you need to do is to surrender your life.
Come to Jesus. Once Jesus is inside your life, you understand grace. He gives you the power. He gives you a new desire. I am not saying you are perfect, but something begins to happen. But some of you have not met Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Perhaps you have religion, but you never have a real relationship. I want you today to really surrender your life to Jesus. Until you surrender everything to Jesus, you will never know He is adequate. You know why? You have idols in your life. You are thinking, «I need this to be happy. I need that be happy». It is never Jesus alone. Perhaps today, God is speaking to you. God is saying, «Why don’t you trust me? Trust me alone for your life. For your future». Why? Jesus is God. Jesus completes us. Is Jesus all-sufficient?
Let’s bow our heads and pray. If God has spoken to you and you have never surrendered your life of Jesus and you want to do it today, to surrender your life to Him as your God, as your Savior, as your Lord, I want to talk to another group of people. Perhaps you know Jesus. Perhaps Jesus has been your Savior. But you do not realize Jesus is sufficient. You have Jesus plus something else. Whatever. That plus something. I want you to surrender that to God. Whatever it is in your life, you have something in your life that you feel you need to have in order to be happy, in order to be fulfilled. I want you to surrender that. For you, it can be marriage. It can be a boyfriend. It can be a career. Whatever it is. I want you to surrender that thing, that person saying, «Lord Jesus, even without that thing, I am happy. I will trust you». There is something you are holding on that you are making it your idols. I want you to pray this prayer with me.
Lord Jesus, I come before You just as I am. I come before You in humility. Lord Jesus, I have many idols in my life. I do not realize, I never realize that You are sufficient. I always think, I always thought I need You plus something else. Today, I realize You are adequate. You are more than sufficient. So I surrender my whole life to You. My future. I surrender them to You. Lord Jesus, You are sufficient. Thank You for being my God, for being my Savior. In Jesus' name we all pray, amen and amen.