Colossians 1:9-12

Here I Stand Theology

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Lord it is unto you that I ask this morning for your mercy and for your grace to be demonstrated to be shown to the people in this house through the songs that have been saying through the word that has been read thus far and the word that will be read as we move along and that God you would have compassion and mercy upon those who are lost unto those who are dead it trespasses and sins to those who have a stony heart that you

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God do work regeneration as you

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O God would bring to life that which is dead that you

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O God give hearing to the help me as I preach your word this morning to do nothing less than to magnify your blessed in your holy name by staying true to your word for it is in Jesus name

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I pray amen amen here in the book of Colossians as we began last week we see in the first eight verses how that it is evident it is clear

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Paul's focus Paul's message Paul's theme to the church at Colossi is

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Jesus Christ we shared just a little bit about the context of what was taking place in the church at Colossi the practices the worship of the cult of Sybil and the practices that they went into the the things that they did and we made a statement toward the middle to the end of the message last week how in this in the verses 3 through 8 how

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Paul truly was setting the people of Colossi up to hear and to know that Christ was preeminent that Christ was above all that's what we'll see throughout the truly the remainder of the book of Colossians it is about Jesus Christ and the remedy and the answer to false teaching and to heresy is for the redeemed of God to continue to proclaim the unwavering truth and person and work of Jesus Christ the church at Colossi the real issue the chief issue as we read have read through this and studied this

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I want to communicate this to you the chief issue at the Church of Colossi was the church's

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Christology the Christology when I say Christology I'm talking about the church's view of the person and work of Christ either the

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Church of Jesus Christ will have the highest view of the person and work of Christ or the church that does not compromises the truth of the gospel and is committing idolatry the aim and the goal every single week when we gather is this to exalt the name of Jesus Christ above everything

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Jesus Christ is the only thing and so I want to say this at the front of the theme of the message is the is again what we're going to focus on primarily is verses 9 through 12

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I don't know if we'll do work look at 13 and 14 today or not but definitely we want to get to verse 9 through 12 and so let's go ahead and read verses 9 through 12 and we'll move forward the

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Apostle Paul says this for this reason we also since the day we heard it did not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding you may walk worthy of the

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Lord fully pleasing him being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God strengthened with all might according to his glorious power for all patience and long -suffering with joy giving thanks to the

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Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the

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Saints in the light and that's probably all we're going to go through today is that those four verses there now

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I want to say this before you start getting your phones out and calling in your order ahead to McDonald's there's still going to be quite a bit we're going to look at today we it's very very important as we consider again the context and understanding the context we can rightly divide and rightly understand and rightly know what the

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Apostle Paul is saying to the church and the importance of what he is saying to the church it is very very important that here the

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Church of Colossae particular that we're reading about but every Church of Christ in general understand and know that Christ should have the preeminence over all things and so again the church's responsibility this principle is is key it's a universal principle then and now the church's responsibility only responsibility truly is to preach and teach the nature of the person character and the dignity and the majesty and the glory of Christ Jesus the

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Lord that is the church's responsibility some would say why do we go to church on Sunday mornings because Jesus Christ is worth praising because Jesus Christ gave his life on the cross becoming the propitiation for our sins living a perfect sinless life fulfilling

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God's dying a death that only he could die and raising to life as only he could so that we might have salvation that is the reason that we are here to exalt the name and the person of the

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Lord Jesus Christ the Church of Colossae however had an issue where they were getting mixed up in the cult of Sybil and Judaism just a little bit and we'll see later on how that all kind of blends together but the

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Apostle Paul in the first section in verses 3 through 8 he commends the church at Colossae for their faith in Christ if you remember the reading last week if you've read that again this week you'll remember how he said

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I'm praying always for you but since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the

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Saints how those were connected and how that because of the hope that is laid up for you he it all points to Jesus and then he says how you heard the truth of the gospel which has come to you and it's bringing forth fruit as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew of the grace of God in truth now there is a difference between hearing of the grace of God and it just being a cursor give you giving it a cursory glance or a person the cursory listening to and there is a difference of you hearing the

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Word of God the grace of God in truth and it being reality in your life the gospel changes men and women the gospel makes men women boys and girls new creatures the gospel when a man woman boy or a girl is saved by the grace of God you need to understand and you need to know that you have been passed from death unto life that you have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness in to the kingdom of light and that that has been accomplished by Jesus Christ God our father sent his son and the son sent the

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Spirit the Spirit applied the work that Jesus accomplished it is important that we know these things

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Paul reminds the Colossians by way of commendation here that their faith in Christ and their love for the

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Saints came from the truth of the gospel not from there in this the word that we use last week but I would love it for you to to not just throw this word away their ascetic practices remember ascetic means their spirit they esteem their spiritual disciplines as their righteousness they esteem their experiences as their righteousness but we have only one righteousness and that is

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Christ Jesus the Lord he told the Corinthian Church unto you he has become wisdom and righteousness and justification and sanctification and redemption it is

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Jesus Christ their practices as we communicated a little bit to you last week some of their practices were worshiping of angels how that they that that they sought to angels to mediate between them and God how that they tried to have out -of -body or not that they tried to because listen this is real

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I want you to know something the devil he will imitate what

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God does to a certain degree as the magicians did with the miracles that Moses perform but he can only go so far but my friends he will lead you in to death the devil will lead you into death and if he can get you to practice and to do things and to seek other ways other than Christ as a means of hope in salvation he will do that and you will certainly if you follow that be damned for that their practices in the

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Colossian Church was to have out -of -body experiences where they became so worked up in the flesh that they would

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Trent they would they would move beyond the flesh because they they considered the flesh to be evil don't get me wrong the flesh is nothing but evil but my friend they thought if they could get out of the flesh and into the quote -unquote spiritual realm that they would be transported into the presence of angels and be able to in the presence of angels worship the

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Lord Jesus Christ and they would seek by means of mediation to do these things now can you understand just knowing that the issue that Paul had with them the reason that Christ must be proclaimed every single time the church is gathered together because it just takes a little bit to lead people astray and so I'm gonna refer to this as we think of new age now new age practices really came around probably around the 70s or 80s in our time as far as we know it but my friend the

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New Age practices of today was the heresy that was going on in the

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Colossian Church then what the enemy does is he recycles the same lies over and over and over and over again to mislead those who are not

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Christ but those who are Christ those who hold to the

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Word of God will not be led astray you will not be led astray so he reminds them that it did not come from their

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New Age practices but rather their faith and love came from Christ and I want to say something here if you look to anything other than the finished work of Christ for salvation then you do not have salvation salvation is not faith plus works salvation is not

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Christianity plus Judaism as was with the case here in the many of the epistles that were written current

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Christianity is not Christ plus ascetic practices Christianity is

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Christ alone for you are saved by grace are you say through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast so Paul reminded them that the gospel was their source of salvation historically the issue of heresy didn't have a name they didn't really give the the heresy a name they didn't call it

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New Age that's just a reference I was making concerning the practices but theologians throughout church history have truly just referred to what was going on here as the

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Colossian heresy it was the Colossian heresy now what what many people fail to understand that some elements of the of the heresy included ascetic practices and what they were intended to do the whole purpose in these people doing these things was to placate or to satisfy to satisfy supernatural powers or angels and the reason they sought to to placate the angels was so that they they thought that by doing this but their destiny would be directed that the course of the stars would be directed that the calendar would be regulated which is astrology today they thought by doing these things by seeking the help of angelic powers that they could somehow help accomplish and aid in their righteousness but friends if you seek to mediate through any other person other than Jesus Christ you will be damned forever for there is one

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God and there is one mediator between God and man and that is the man

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Christ Jesus syncretistic religion is what this was referred to syncretistic religion it was just a hodgepodge it was just a mishmash of all these different religions combined they thought by combining and throwing them into a pot that they'd be okay

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Vance Havner I believe he said concerning syncretism an old preacher Kenny likes him he said what they did they made a hash any of you ever had hash or made hash you just throw a bunch of stuff together

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Vance Havner said I don't need hash it when I'm away from home cuz I don't know what's in it and I don't need a hash at home cuz

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I do know what's in it that's a good statement right there but this syncretistic religion is the bondage for which

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Christ came to deliver men from it is why we proclaim

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Jesus Christ in him crucified as the only means of salvation

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Douglas Grudius in 1988 wrote in his book accurately points out this that angels are the messengers of God sent to do his will usually behind the scenes the

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Bible never tells Christians to cultivate conscious relationships with angels although they do visibly appear throughout the both the old and the

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New Testament let it be let me be clear here so there are no misunderstandings we teach that there are angels but the

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Bible does not teach that we are to cultivate and have a buddy relationship where we've got a private angel that walks around with us nor are we called to seek for angels to reveal themselves unto us because we're seeking another source if we do that that is the issue that is the challenge so that's what

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Grudius said this teaching sought to undermine the person and work of Christ and the sufficiency of his salvation and believers having him in 1950 there was a theologian named s

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Lewis Johnson I believe he was a he was a professor at theological seminary he was born around 1915 he died in 1984 but in a commentary that he wrote in the 50s on this book of Colossians I want to share just a little bit of this with you because it is so relevant it is so important without a doubt

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Colossi was the least important church to which any epistle of the st.

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Paul is addressed again he's not detracting from the Word of God he's making a statement of fact the

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Apostle Paul didn't feel the need to physically go to Colossi he never went to Colossi but he did feel the need to instruct them and to teach them about the preeminence of Christ so wrote

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Bishop Whitefoot some years ago Lewis Johnson said this some years ago in one of the finest commentaries on New Testament literature

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Colossi had been a great city of Phrygia but it was in the afternoon of its influence and if its importance when

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Paul wrote to the church there and yet the message to Colossi so bright with the light of the

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Apostles highest Christology has become amazingly relevant in the middle of the 20th century which is around 1950 with the sudden and startling intrusion of the space age and its astrophysics nuclear power missiles and rockets the

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Church of Jesus Christ has been forced to relate its Lord and Master to the ultimate frontiers

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Colossians which presents him as the architect and sustainer of the universe as well as the reconciler of all things both earthly and heavenly provides the church with the material it may and must use suddenly the epistle to the little flock in the declining city has become perhaps the most contemporary book in the

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New Testament library he went on to say this the usefulness of Colossians however is not a recent phenomenon the epistle is no late -blooming flower although its grandeur and brilliance may strike one's eyes with increasing force in the present time the

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Christology and the ethics of the letter are important for all time it is always furnished a proper antidote to humanly devised schemes of salvation as am hunter puts it to all who would improve

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Christianity by admixing it with spiritualism or Sabbatarian ism or occult ism or any such extra it utters its warnings what

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Christ is and has done for us is enough for salvation we need no extra mediators we need no taboos we need no ascetics he said this to put peace out the gospel with the rags and tatters of alien cults is not to enrich it but to corrupt it men because we are what we are always think that we've got something to add always think that we've got something to give and we always think that we're able to improve upon something that has been done but there is no improvement upon the work of Jesus Christ there is no improvement upon the person of Jesus Christ there is no improvement that is why the church's

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Christology must be high and it must be right so the

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Apostle Paul in verse 9 all that just to get to the text here the Apostle Paul in verse 9 said this for this reason since we heard it we do not cease to pray for you now this is a strong statement

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Paul said since I have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus the Lord since we have heard of the love you have to one another we pray for you regularly and he not only went on he didn't leave it as a general statement how many of you ever had somebody tell you

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I'm praying for you oh that's good I want to know what you're praying for me about they may be something

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I can give you that you can put a little bit of time in on the Apostle Paul was very specific here he said

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I pray for you regularly and to this is what I asked I pray that you may be filled the

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Greek word there for feel I did learn how to pronounce that plea oh it means to be filled to the brim it means to be have as much as you can possibly have it means to be filled to capacity

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Paul said I am praying that you will be filled to capacity with the knowledge with the knowledge of his will remember

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Paul knows why he's writing to them and we have it inscripturated in the

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Word of God for us he's writing them combating this heresy and reminding them that they must know

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Christ and how can a man know Christ by the Word of the

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Living God and whose responsibility is this to teach and to preach this it is the church's it is the pastor's responsibility it is the teacher's responsibility it is the singer's responsibility it is the responsibility of the lay members to proclaim

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Jesus Christ that is why we must hold true and hold fast to the truth of the

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Word of God Paul said I am praying for you regularly that you will be filled to capacity with the knowledge of his will the will of God is what

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God has determined and purposed we cannot know that outside of the

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Word of God the Spirit of Christ illuminates the truth of the

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Word of God to us as his people so he said

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I pray that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and he said in all wisdom and spiritual understanding now there are a great many and I will not exclude myself there are things

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I think I have a spiritual understanding of it I think I have a spiritual grasp of in the

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Word of God but it is very important that I do not exalt what I feel my understanding is above what thus says the

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Word of God that is a discipline that we must incorporate into our lives as his people and he said that that you may be filled to capacity with the knowledge of his will what he desires who he is the person the character of the dignity and the work of Christ you may be filled with his will and wisdom and spiritual understanding that word spiritual there is in the

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Greek pneumatic us if it's the work of the Spirit himself in us and he went on to say this because like verse 3 through 8 verses 9 through 12 is much the same statement separated by semicolons it's one thing one link in the chain that leads to the other link in the chain and those links in the chain being complete in Christ make us go and he said this that you not what that you'll be filled with spiritual understanding so that you verse 10 so that you may walk worthy of the

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Lord worthy of the Lord how are we made worthy we are made worthy by the finished work of Jesus Christ and how can we rightly and worthily represent the

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Lord by professing and confessing what Jesus Christ has done that you may walk worthy of the

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Lord fully pleasing him Jesus is the aim and the goal many times folks are put on guilt trips and this is the aim or that is the aim

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Jesus is the aim and the goal he and he alone deserves worship and honor and glory that you may walk worthy of the

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Lord pleasing him and then he went on to say this being fruitful in every good work see the preaching goes together the

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Word of God is a cohesive thought from beginning to end we are called to do good works works are not the standard of salvation but the result of salvation we're not saved because we do good works we do good works because we are saved that you would be fruitful in every good work and increasing listen to what the

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Word says increasing in the knowledge of God well

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I thought that was just something the preachers did every week when they encouraged us to read the Bible through the week well it's a it's a prayer of the

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Apostle to the church at Colossae and by the way just in case you're not aware this is something

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I pray for you all every week I pray that you all would be overcome with the knowledge of God listen you can know you can see

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God in general by his creation what he has done but you know

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God personally through the word that we have given unto us you may be filled with the knowledge of God increase in the knowledge of God that word increase it's not a once -and -done thing but it's a continual thing that happens it's a verb increasing in the knowledge of God and when you're increased in the knowledge of God you will be strengthened did you ever wake up and say

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God please let me be weaker today than I was yesterday huh we need strength to function don't we and my friend when you increase in the knowledge of God you will be strengthened as the

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Apostle Paul puts it in another place strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man for all patience according to his glorious power for all patience and long -suffering with joy giving thanks now remember what their practice was they were trying to be qualified by their ascetic practices they were trying to be qualified by their experiences they were trying to be qualified to be made right in the sight of God by their seeking of angelic help but Paul here in no uncertain terms lets them know what qualifies them as right in the sight of God he said giving thanks to the

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Father who has qualified us who has justified us who has made us right by the sending of his only begotten son to die for our sin he has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the

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Saints in the light and let's close with this this morning this high

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Christology that Paul is leading into this high view of Christ the character nature the nature character in person and the work of Christ that Paul is that we're going to next week

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Lord willing begin to get into there this Christology is something that must be held tightly to by the

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Church of Jesus Christ throughout church history there have been many confessions and statements of faith that have been written the the

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London Baptist Confession we're not going to get into that today but the London Baptist Confession of which is really the basis and standard statement of faith for Evermont a

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Baptist Church though it's of 1689 in in there's the Heidelberg Catechism there's the

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Belgic Confession there's the Westminster Confession of Faith the all of these confessions and standards that have been set out by the

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Church of Jesus Christ have been particularly clear on the issue of who

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Jesus Christ is in the Belgic Confession of the 1500s concerning Christ this is the church's stand we believe that Jesus Christ according to his divine nature is the only begotten

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Son of God begotten from eternity very specific not made not created for then he would be a creature but he is co -essential and co -eternal with the

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Father he is the express image of his person and the brightness of his glory equal unto him in all things he is the

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Son of God not only from the time he assumed our nature as is taught even today that Jesus began to be

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God at a certain point in his life but he is the Son of God not from the time that he assumed our nature but from all eternity as these testimonies when compared together teach us

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Moses said that God created the world and John said that all things were made by that word which he called

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God and the Apostle said that God made the world by his

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Son likewise God created all things by Jesus Christ therefore it must needs follow that he who is called

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God he who is called the word the Son and Jesus Christ did exist at the time when all things were created by him therefore the

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Prophet Micah said his goings forth have been from old from everlasting and the

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Apostle said he had neither beginning of days nor end of life he therefore that is true eternal and almighty

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God whom we invoke worship and serve that is a Christology statement right there and that is the

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Christology that we teach and preach and proclaim here at Reformata Baptist Church and God help us if we ever preach anything less than that concerning Christ I'll leave you with this and we'll close if you would stand with us this morning about two years ago

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Ligonier Ministries put out a statement on Christology I'm just going to read this in closing the statement on Christology by Ligonier Ministries is this we confess the mystery and wonder of God made flesh and rejoice in our great salvation through Jesus Christ our

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Lord with the Father and the Holy Spirit the Son created all things sustains all things and makes all things new truly

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God he became truly man two natures in one person he was born of the

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Virgin Mary and lived among us crucified dead and buried he rose on the third day ascended to heaven and will come again in glory and judgment for us he kept the law atoned for sin and he satisfied

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God's wrath he took our filthy rags and gave us his righteous robe he is our prophet priest and King building his church it is his church interceding for us and reigning over all things

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Jesus Christ is Lord we praise his holy name forever we we need to adopt that right there that's good how is your

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Christology how high view do you have of Christ are you worshiping the true and the living

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God are you saved today are you lost separated by sin from a holy

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God I want you to know today that God sent his son to die for your sin and believe me when the

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Spirit lets you know that you are his and that he is yours there will be no doubt about it until such a time