Title Is Christ Alone Enough?
Is Christ alone enough?
Col 1:15-20
*This is a sermon on July 20, 2008.
I don't like the fact that my sermons are always long.
Even more so on a hot summer day.
So this week, I am going to try to preach as if I was leaving for a vacation.
However, there must be a long reverberation and afterglow of the soul.
Are you living as an apostle of peace?
“There is nothing more precious than the Lord Jesus, the wealth of this world, the honor of this world, and the happiness of this world… … I have given up all the joys of the world and all the pride of the world. There is nothing more precious than the Lord Jesus. There is none but Jesus” (Hymns, no. 102).
By comparing the Lord Jesus with the things of the world, the Lord Jesus is relativized. Although the chorus song ends with 'There is only Jesus', looking at the lyrics as a whole, it still doesn't seem to sing the fullness of only Jesus in an absolute sense. It seems like there must be something other than Jesus.
“I want you to know how much I am trying for you and for those who are in Laodicea as well as for those who have not seen my face in person” (2:1).
The founder of this local church can be said to be “Epaphra” from Colossae.
“This gospel is what you learned from our beloved Epaphras, our servant” (1:7; 4:12). Perhaps Epaphra was one of those who accepted Christ during Paul's three-year evangelistic life in Ephesus. He was commissioned by Paul to preach in Colossae, and Paul recognized Epaphra as a faithful servant of Christ on behalf of himself and his companions. He was a preacher of the word of truth, that is, the gospel (1:5).
The majority of the members of the church in Colossae were Gentiles, and Paul, who wrote this letter, was in prison. Epaphra went to Paul to report the situation of the church in Colossae. Evabra also delivered encouraging news from the church, but she needed great teachings to defeat false teachers that she could not afford. So, the book of Colossians was written by Paul after hearing Epaphras' church report.
According to Epabra's report, the Colossians were in danger of falling into chaos in their faith and ideology due to the advent of false teachers, but they maintained order in the church and were not deceived by the ideas of false teachers. For Paul, nothing could have been more pleasing and grateful than this. However, I felt the need to comfort the members who might have been affected or hurt by the teachings of false teachers, and further strengthen the faith of the Colossians.
“We have prayed that you may fully understand the will of God with all the wisdom and judgment that the Holy Spirit gives you” (1:9). Paul not only prays for their understanding, but also warns against the teachings of false teachers through this book.
It is very difficult to reveal the identity of a false teacher or Paul's adversary.
Paul's letters often contain his opponents, but it is difficult to find a consensus on their identity. Therefore, it is not easy to reveal the details of the teachings of the false teachers in the church in Colossae. However, the basis for knowing their claims can be inferred from the contents of the false teachers' teachings and their errors in the warnings of the apostle Paul and his words.
Their argument is, first, that they emphasize the observance of religious ordinances and holy days and feasts. That is, it was an emphasis on the conscious. Second, it emphasized the ascetic life. It was that in order to reach spiritual heights, we had to control our physical and natural desires. Third, the worship of angels and spirits was emphasized. It was taught that angels and spirit creatures determine the birth and destiny of human beings. What is wrong with the teachings of these false teachers? The most serious thing is that while acknowledging that human salvation comes through the work of Christ, that alone is not enough, they worshiped angels and spirits, and advocated the law, observance of festivals, and asceticism.
We cannot be said to be in the same situation as the Colossians are in crisis. However, it cannot be said that the faith that is satisfied with Christ alone is our faith. Even though it was impossible to serve both mammon and God at the same time, under the neoliberal economic system, the sufficiency of Christ alone was questioned under the power of economic power. Power, honor, and authority still usurp Christ's throne, and Christ's place to lie down is only a manger. When Jewish religious authorities released Peter and John and told them to ‘speak no more in the name of Jesus,’ Peter chose to listen to God rather than men, but Peter’s descendants did not necessarily do so. It mixes the words of men and the words of God in an appropriate way.
It means that it is a pity that only Jesus and only Christ have the unwavering faith of only Christ. Hell of disbelief, heaven of Jesus! These slogans are like sleep talk, which is different from the 'Only Jesus!' here. It's not just about hearing 'oooo' being slurred at such kind of evangelist on the train. For the supremacy of Christ and his fullness cannot be expressed in that way. Indeed, for Christians, Jesus Christ must be the only Redeemer and Savior. Because a Christian must be one who lives the meaning of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in his life. He is not a mature Christian who is relieved only by adding other gods and other religious ideals besides Christ. For a mature Christian, Christ alone is enough!