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Sermon #1652 Miscellaneous
Sermons Title: ÒYe are complete in him!Ó Text: Colossians
2:10 Date: Friday
Evening — September 1, 2006 27
Annual Sovereign Grace Bile Conference Grace
Baptist Church of Danville Danville,
Kentucky Introduction: Our Lord Jesus said, ÒBlessed are they that mourn.Ó If you can, in your heart,
verify that statement, you are one of GodÕs blessed ones. Multitudes know
nothing about the blessedness of that work of grace that causes a sinner to
mourn his sin, mourn himself, and mourn because he has been made to look upon
the Savior he has pierced. Such people know nothing of GodÕs saving grace. Our Savior said, ÒBlessed are they that mourn.Ó But there are multitudes who
seem to think he said, ÒBlessed are they that mourn, and mourn, and mourn,
and mourn, and mourn.Ó That is not what he said. Our Savior said, ÒBlessed
are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.Ó The mourning he speaks of is a
mourning that leads to comfort; and comfort leads to joy. By all means, we ought to lament and mourn what we are.
The evil, the unbelief, the vileness we know is in us is reason to mourn. But
the knowledge of what we are in ourselves should never eclipse the blessed
revelation of grace and salvation in Christ. Our great God, by the mighty operations of his
grace, by the saving revelation of his dear Son, turns fasting into feasting
and mourning into praise, giving Òjoy, and gladness, and cheerful feastsÓ in our souls (Zech. 8:19). Rejoice If I have read the Book of God correctly, it is the
intent of our God,
in everything revealed in Holy Scripture, to comfort his people, to encourage
us to believe him, and to promote in us the blessed Òjoy of faithÓ in Christ. His word to us is, ÒRejoice!...Rejoice
in the Lord alway; and again I say, Rejoice!ÉRejoice, because your names are
written in heaven!...Rejoice in hope of the glory of God!... Rejoice evermore!... Let us be glad and rejoice,
and give honour toÓ
God our Savior! In fact, if we would Òwalk worthy of the Lord unto
all pleasing,Ó
if we would honor our God as his children in this world, God the Holy Spirit tells us
that we must do so by — ÒGiving 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 sinsÓ (Col. 1:10-14). When we realize the glorious kingdom in which we live and the great King we serve, — when we think
about the privileges of grace that are ours in Christ, — when we consider the boundless
love of God our
Father to us, the free grace of Christ for us, and the work of God the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, in us, what
reasons we have to Òrejoice in the Lord alway!Ó The Book of God does not
teach us to be Ònavel-watchers,Ó but Christ-watchers. Nowhere are we told to look
within. Rather we are told to look out and look up, Òlooking unto Jesus,
the Author and Finisher of our faithÉlooking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ unto eternal life!Ó — Salvation is looking to Christ.
Salvation is all about looking to Christ. It is my purpose in preaching this message to encourage you who do
not know my Savior to trust him, I want to allure you to Christ, by showing
you the blessedness of life in him. And I want to inspire confident joy
and thanksgiving, praise and adoration to our God in you who know him, by reminding you of wonderful
things our God has done for us in Christ. It is the great desire of this pastor and this congregation
that our God will visit us this weekend and grant us a time of refreshing,
reviving our souls with his grace. Colossians 2:10 I can think of no better way to accomplish these desires,
than by reminding you of five words of indescribable blessedness found in Colossians 2:10. —
ÒYe are complete in him!Ó If God the Holy Spirit will teach us just a little of
what he has written in that sentence, if he will effectually write his
message in those words upon your heart and mine, we will leave here tonight Òrejoicing
in hope.Ó No Middle Ground ÒYe are complete in him!Ó — There is no middle
ground. Either
you are complete in Christ, lacking nothing, or you are altogether without
hope before God. We either have everything God requires of man, everything
God gives to men, everything Christ has and is as the Mediator between God
and man, or we have nothing. ÒYe are complete in him!Ó — Precious sentence! Sweeter
than honey to my soul! Oh, may God the Holy Spirit make it so to you! If
you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, though utter emptiness in yourself, ÒYe
are complete in him!Ó Weak,
poor, helpless, unworthy though you are in yourself, in him, your Lord, your
Redeemer, your Savior, you are complete in the fullest, broadest, and most
varied sense of that mighty word — Òcomplete.Ó What wonders of grace we have before us! May God the Holy Spirit be our Teacher
and Guide as we dive into this deep sea and contemplate the mystery of the
perfection that is ours in Christ. The words of our text will be the points
of my message. I want to milk every word. ÒYe are complete in him!Ó — The Spirit of God
seems to have but one object in view in giving us this sweet sentence. His purpose is to cause every
believing soul to look to Christ with the confident Òjoy of faith,Ó seeing clearly that as all the
fulness of the godhead dwells in him, so all the fulness of Christ is yours, Òand
ye are complete in him!Ó ÒYeÓ Look at the first word — ÒYe.Ó — You who believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, you, all of you, and only you, Òare complete in him.Ó á
You,
who were Òdead in trespasses and sins,Ó are complete in him! á
You,
who Òin time past walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air,Ó are complete in him! á
You,
who Òwere by nature children of wrath, even as others,Ó are complete in him! á
You,
who were once Òwithout Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God
in the world,Ó are
complete in him! á
You,
who labor and toil, vex and perplex your hearts continually because of the
indwelling sin
you hate, are complete in him! á
You,
who are groaning
under a conscious sense of the body of sin and death that is in you, are
complete in him! á
You,
who are loved and chosen of God, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, justified and
sanctified by his grace, born of his Spirit, and robed in his righteousness,
being clothed with the garments of salvation, are complete in him! ÒAreÓ Now, look at the next word — Òare.Ó — The Scriptures plainly
declare that GodÕs elect have been complete in Christ from eternity (Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1:3-6). Our
completeness is in Christ. We have been complete in him for as long as we
have been in him. And there never has been a time when we were not in him. It is a blessed thing to live in the sweet assurance that we
shall be complete in Christ in heavenÕs everlasting glory and bliss. — ÒWhen we see him we
shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.Ó What a sweet hope that is! But here Paul is talking about that which is the
present blessedness of every sinner who believes on the Son of God. He does not say you shall be
complete some day, when your faith is stronger, or when your love is more
mature, or your works are better, or you see more clearly. There are no
conditions or qualifications for us to meet, that might be complete in Christ.
— ÒYe are complete in him!Ó Everything here is grace, free, unconditional,
unqualified grace!
The Spirit of God is not exhorting us to be complete. He is not telling us
how to be complete, or what we must do to make ourselves complete. — No.
He states a fact, affirms a reality of revelation, and announces a work
finished, to which nothing can be added and nothing can be taken away. — ÒYe are complete in
him!Ó Right now,
at this present moment, — ÒYe are complete in him!Ó Do not imagine that there is
something lacking, some deficiency you must make up, something you must
complete. He is saying, ÒKnow this and rejoice: You are full, complete and perfect
in Christ. Being one with him, in union with him, his fulness, completion and
perfection is your fulness, completion and perfection.Ó This is the glory of faith. It looks to Christ alone and
gives glory to Christ alone. Faith leaves all works behind.— ÒIt finds
all perfection in Christ, and it works by love and good works, not to get
perfection by them, but to glorify Christ, in whom we are already perfect and
complete.Ó (William Mason) — And that which is the glory of faith is
the comfort and joy of faith! What joy, what comfort we find when we look to Christ
alone for everything! ÒCompleteÓ Now, look at that word ÒcompleteÓ (peplhrwmenoi). It is one of
those very commonly used words that we tend to overlook, simply because they
are so commonly used. But this word is simply bursting with meaning. As it
is used here, it describes something about the children of God that is
accomplished for them, without our aid or assistance. It is a completion in which we
are totally passive.
It is not something about which we are passive. Far from it. It is something
that floods our souls with joy. But we were completely passive in its
accomplishment. What does the word ÒcompleteÓ mean? How far are we to carry this
statement — ÒYe are complete in himÓ? Is it possible too carry it
to far? Must we
be careful not to go overboard here? LetÕs look into the Book of God and see
how it is used in other places. I think it is safe to say that we must
attach no more meaning to the word and no less than that which is obvious in
the way it is used
by the inspired writers of Holy Scripture (John 1:14-16; 1 Cor. 10:28; Eph.
1:23; Col. 2:9). (John
1:14-16) ÒAnd the Word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (15) John bare witness of him, and
cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is
preferred before me: for he was before me. (16) And of his fulness have all we received, and grace
for grace.Ó (1
Corinthians 10:28) ÒBut if any
man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his
sake that showed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the LordÕs, and the fulness thereof.Ó (Ephesians
1:22-23) ÒAnd hath put all things
under his feet,
and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, (23) Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.Ó (Colossians
2:9) ÒFor in him dwelleth all
the fulness of
the Godhead bodily.Ó Obviously, when the Spirit of God says, ÒYe are
complete in him,Ó
the word Òcomplete,Ó first means Òcomplete, without limit, condition or qualification
of any kind.Ó Whatever
we are in Christ, we are completely. Whatever we have in Christ, we have
completely. In all matters regarding our spiritual welfare, and our soulÕs
salvation, we are complete in Christ, complete without any supplement of any
kind. Gnostics In PaulÕs day, as in ours, there were some who thought
that faith in Christ had to be supplemented. Such men, then and now, vainly
imagine that faith is learned, not bestowed, that it is a matter of philosophical
achievement, not a matter of divine revelation. While deceitfully professing
to believe in the supernatural, while professing to teach that ÒSalvation
is of the Lord,Ó their doctrine is nothing more
than the cunning assertion that the new birth, faith in Christ, and
acceptance with God is really achieved by argument, reason and logic. These brilliant idiots actually teach that faith in Christ
is a complex mystery, something that can only be attained by arriving at a
superior level of knowledge, knowledge of which they are, Òmost humbly,Ó
supreme examples. They mystify everything revealed in the Book of God. With
their beguiling words of wisdom, they do everything possible to turn you away
from Òthe simplicity that is in Christ.Ó That is precise the context in which Paul makes this
declaration (Col.
2:6-10). — ÒYe are complete in him.Ó (Colossians
2:6-10) ÒAs ye have therefore
received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: (7) Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the
faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (8) Beware lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the
rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (9) For in him dwelleth all the
fulness of the Godhead bodily. (10) And ye are complete in him, which is the head of
all principality and power.Ó Nothing can ever be added to faith in Christ, without
making the thing added the object of faith. Nothing can be added to the Gospel of Christ,
without making it another gospel. There is nothing new in theology except
that which is false. Those who seek to improve the Gospel of Jesus only
deface it. It is so perfect in itself that all additions to it are but
outgrowth of heresy. One of the greatest evils of our day is the attempt
of men to rationalize GodÕs revelation of himself in Holy Scripture, thereby
obscuring Òthe
simplicity that is in Christ.Ó But GodÕs elect will not be beguiled from their steadfastness. We
know whom we have believed. And our hearts are filled with joy to hear our God
declare, ÒYe are complete in him.Ó — Blessedly, absolutely complete! — Just as
complete in him as Òall the fulness (completion) of the godhead dwelleth in him bodily!Ó O my soul, believe this, and rejoice! Be ashamed, my heart, of every
reluctance to believe that which God has declared! Let our admiration be fixed
upon this delightful privilege. Arise, my brother! Arise, my sister! Shake
off the fears and doubts with which Satan would bind you! Behold yourself as
God declares you to be, as you really are, — Òperfect in Christ Jesus.Ó Do not let your sins shake your
faith in him and cause you to question his all-sufficiency and his
all-sufficient grace. Illustration: Happy
Jack ÒI
am a poor sinner, And nothing at all; But Jesus Christ is My ÔAll in all!ÕÓ You are, with all your depravity, still in him, Òand
ye are complete in him.Ó You have need of nothing, but him. In him you are at this moment
just, in him entirely clean, in him an object of divine approval and eternal
love. Though feeble, forgetful, frail, fearful, and fickle in yourself,
yet in him you are all that can be desired. — ÒYe are complete in him!Ó Look on your own nothingness
and be humbled; but look to Christ Jesus, your great Representative and
Substitute, and sing. á
Do
not be so intent upon your own corruptions as to forget his immaculate
purity, which he has made yours. á
Do
not be so mindful of your own poverty as to forget his infinite riches
conferred upon you. á
Do
not be so absorbed in your emptiness that you forget his fulness, the fulness
he has made yours by his grace. á
Do
not be so mindful of your natural imperfection as a fallen child of Adam, that
you fail to be mindful of ChristÕs perfection, the perfection that is yours
by virtue of your union with him God sees us only in his dear Son; and he would have us
see ourselves only in him, accepted in him and made perfect in him by his
almighty grace
(Rom. 6:6-11). (Romans
6:6-11) ÒKnowing this, that our
old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth
we should not serve sin. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin. (8) Now if we be dead with Christ, we
believe that we shall also live with him: (9) Knowing that Christ being raised
from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. (10) For in that he died, he died unto
sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves
to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.Ó Fully Supplied Second, this word, Òcomplete,Ó means Òfully supplied. Having
Christ, we have all that we can possibly need. Like Jacob of old, we say, ÒI
have enough!Ó —
ÒAll things are yours, for ye are ChristÕs!Ó Possessing this great Savior, the
child of God is Òthroughly furnished,Ó with regard to all things spiritual, eternal and
good, Òthroughly furnishedÓ Godward. We need not, and must not, ever look for
anything spiritual, for anything pertaining to salvation, eternal life,
redemption, righteousness, sanctification or holiness anywhere else. á
Do
we need righteousness? We are made the righteousness of God in him, who is made of God unto
us righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Cor. 1:30). If Christ is my Righteousness, I
can never be more righteous; and can never be less righteous. á
Do
we need acceptance with God? We are Òaccepted in the BelovedÓ (Eph. 1:6). á
Do
we need justification? Christ is made of God unto us (1 Cor. 1:30). We are Ò.Ójustified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.Ó á
Must
we be holy as
God himself is holy? Holiness is ours in Christ. God calls us his Òsaints,Ó
his holy ones! Christ is our Holiness, that ÒHoliness without which no man
can see the LordÓ
(Heb. 12:14). á
Do
we need forgiveness? It is written, ÒThere is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest
be feared.Ó
Pardon, rich, free, complete, irreversible pardon is in Christ. He has abolished
our sins! á
Is
it a clear conscience that we must have? The blood of Christ sprinkled on our hearts by the
Holy Spirit (Heb. 10:22) makes the conscience clean. Complete redemption,
accomplished by the Son of God, makes the believing sinner Òperfect as
pertaining to the conscienceÓ (Heb. 9:9). The blood of Christ proclaims, in boldfaced,
capital letters, — ÒNot
guilty!Ó —
ÒNo condemnation!Ó á
Does
God require perfection? It is supplied by Christ who has, by his one offering for sin,
perfected forever those who are sanctified by his purpose, sanctified by his
blood, and sanctified by his grace (Heb. 10:14). He presents us holy,
unblameable, unreproveable, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing! á
Is
it sanctification that we need? Christ is made of God unto us Sanctification. á
Is
it grace that
you need? — Pardoning grace for your sins? — Restoring grace to lift you from your countless
falls? — Strengthening grace to make up for your weakness? — Reviving grace to overcome your deadness? —
Cleansing grace
to bathe your foul soul? — The Savior says, ÒMy grace is sufficient
for thee!Ó What an infinite, boundless, storehouse of mercy Christ
is! — ÒAnd
ye are complete (fully,
perfectly, constantly, eternally supplied) in him!Ó — ÒIt pleased the
Father that in him all the fullness should dwell;Ó and his fulness is our supply. Our
Savior is not a sprig of myrrh, but Òa bundle of myrrh is my Beloved to meÓ (Song 1:13-14). He is a Cluster
of goodness, grace, mercy and love! He is every believerÕs ÒAll in all.Ó In every position of danger or duty Christ is our all-sufficient
supply. In every conceivable or inconceivable trial, we shall find in him all-sufficient
grace. Should every earthly stream of comfort be dried, Christ is enough. His
all-glorious person is the dwelling place of all-sufficiency. — ÒIn him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.Ó And that fulness is our supply!
His abundance is the Òsupply for your want.Ó Our God has supplied, supplies
and shall supply all our need Òaccording to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus.Ó
Well do we sing with John NewtonÉ ÒGlorious things of thee are
spoken, Zion, city of our God! He, Whose Word cannot be broken, Formed thee for His own abode. On the Rock of Ages founded, What can shake thy sure repose? With salvationÕs walls surrounded, Thou mayÕst smile at all thy foes. See! the streams of living waters, Springing from eternal love; Well supply thy sons and
daughters, And all fear of want remove: Who can faint while such a river Ever flows their thirst tÕassuage? Grace, which like the Lord, the
Giver, Never fails from age to age. Savior, if of ZionÕs city, I through grace a member am, Let the world deride or pity, I will glory in Thy Name. Fading is the worldlingÕs
pleasure, All his boasted pomp and show; Solid joys and lasting treasure None but ZionÕs children know.Ó Satisfied ÒYe are complete in him!Ó — I have not begun to
squeeze all the milk from that word ÒcompleteÓ yet. It might be read, Òsatisfied.Ó Satisfaction is a rare thing,
more precious than gold. None are so blessed, none are so happy, none live so
easy as those who are satisfied. And God the Holy Spirit here declares, ÒYe
are satisfied
in him!Ó The
believer is so complete, so fully supplied by him, that he is satisfied. ÒAll my life long I had panted For a draught from some cool
spring, That I hoped would quench the
burning Of the thirst I felt within. Feeding on the husks around me, Till my strength was almost gone, Longed my soul for something
better, Only still to hunger on. Poor I was, and sought for riches, Something that would satisfy, But the dust I gathered round me Only mocked my soulÕs sad cry. Well of water, ever springing, Bread of life, so rich and free, Untold wealth that never faileth, My Redeemer is to me. Hallelujah! I have found Him Whom my soul so long has craved! Jesus satisfies my longings; Through His blood I now am saved.Ó á
I am
satisfied with him as my sin-atoning Sacrifice, who has satisfied the justice of
God. á
I am
satisfied with his purpose, who has purposed my everlasting good. á
I am
satisfied with his providence, who does all things well. á
I am
satisfied with his revelation, who is the Revelation of God. á
I am
satisfied with his love, whose love cannot be quenched. (Habakkuk
3:17-19) ÒAlthough the fig tree
shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the
fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there
shall be no herd
in the stalls: (18) Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
(19) The LORD God
is my
strength, and he will make my feet like hindsÕ feet, and he will make me to walk upon
mine high places.Ó Filled Fourth, the word ÒcompleteÓ in Colossians 2:10 is frequently
translated Òfulness,Ó or Òfilled.Ó We are called Òthe fulnessÓ of Christ who Òfilleth all in allÓ (Eph. 1:23). ÒAll the fulnessÓ of the triune God dwells in our
incarnate Redeemer (Col. 2:9). ÒAnd ye are complete (filled) in him.Ó Nothing and no one can fill
the soul, except Christ. And when Christ comes into the soul, Òye are filled in him!Ó
Perhaps this thought, ÒYe are filled in him,Ó was in PaulÕs mind when he
wrote, — ÒI through the law am dead to the law, that I might live
unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for meÓ (Gal. 2:19-20). He whose name
is El-shaddai, God all-sufficient, is the Portion of my soul, and with him my
soul is filled. ÒIn
himÓ I am in that
house where Òthere is bread enough and to spare.Ó — ÒThe Lord
is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cupÓ (Ps. 16:5); and Òmy cup
runneth over!Ó —
ÒSurely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and,Ó then, ÒI shall dwell in the
house of the Lord forever!Ó As the waters cover the sea, the grace of God in the
fulness of Christ floods my soul! á
Where
once there was nothing but sorrow, now there is fulness of joy. á
Where
once there was nothing but terror, now there is peace. á
Where
once there was nothing but emptiness, now there is fulness. á
Where
once there was nothing but frustration, disappointment and pain, now there are Òpleasures for
evermore.Ó Christ Jesus, the Son of God, fills my soul with all
fulness! At the end of our day, should our Savior ask, as he once asked his
disciples, ÒLacked ye anything?Ó we will respond with unspeakable gratitude and joy, ÒNothing,
Lord!Ó — ÒYe
are complete in him!Ó ÒComplete in Thee, no work of
mine, May take dear Lord the place of
thine! Thy Blood hath pardon bought for
me, And I am now complete in Thee Complete in Thee, though this I
own, — I am a sinful wretch, undone; Yet, by Thy blood, and grace so free, I am complete, complete in Thee. Complete in Thee each want supplied
And no good thing to me denied; Since Thou my Portion, Lord, will
be, I ask no more, complete in Thee. Dear Savior when before Thy bar All tribes and tongues assembled
are, Among Thy chosen I shall be, At Thy right hand, complete in
Thee. Yea justified, O blessed thought! And sanctified, salvation wrought! Thy blood hath pardon bought for
me And glorified I too shall be!Ó ÒIn HimÓ Where is this perfect completeness, this infinite supply,
this unfailing satisfaction, this limitless fulness? — Òin him.Ó — ÒYe are complete in
him!Ó
ÒYe are complete in him!Ó — Pause over those two
little words, Òin him.Ó Everything is in Christ! If we are Òin himÓ we are complete. We are complete because we are Òin
him.Ó Complete
because of our union with him. Those two words speak of our blessed, indescribable union
and oneness with Christ. GodÕs elect are so allied with Christ, our
Mediator, that we are positively one with him. — We his Bride. He our Bridegroom. — We
are the Branches.
He is the Vine. — We are his Body. He is our Head. —As Levi was in the
loins of Abraham when Melchizedek met him, so is every believer chosen in Christ, and blessed
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in him from eternity! — We have been and are blessed,
spared, redeemed, justified, sanctified, protected, kept, preserved,
regenerated, converted and accepted in Christ from everlasting, as one with
Christ, solely and entirely by virtue of our eternal union with him. This union of our souls with Christ is so real thatÉ
Now, let me tell you something that may shock you with
delight. — If that is how God sees us, if that is how God considers us,
that is how we really are! No sinner can have peace in his soul until, like Ruth, he
finds rest in his Kinsman, the Lord Jesus, and is married to him. Joseph
Irons once said, ÒI
am as sure as I am of my own existence that wherever God the Holy Spirit
awakens the poor sinner by his mighty grace, and imparts spiritual life in
his heart, nothing will ever satisfy that poor sinner but a believing
assurance of eternal union with Christ. Unless the soul obtains a sweet and
satisfactory consciousness of it in the exercise of a living faith, it will
never Ôenter into restÕ this side eternity.Ó It is because of our oneness with Christ, before the
creation of the universe, that we receive all our mercies. Faith in Christ, the gift of God
the Holy Spirit in regeneration, discerns this eternal union and gives us a
vital, living union with Christ in the sweet experience of grace; but the
union we have in the experience of grace is only the out-working of that
eternal union. And nothing in time can change that which was done in eternity. All that we come to experience in time is the fruit of
our eternal union with Christ.
In fact, everything we have in the experience of grace in
time was ours by virtue of this indescribable union of grace with the Son of
God from eternity. That is exactly what the Holy Spirit tells us in Romans
8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:3-6. As God the Holy Spirit puts it in Hebrews 4:3 —
Òthe works were finished from the foundation of the world.Ó No condition, outside of heaven itself, can be more
blessed than that which is produced by a God-given assurance of eternal,
everlasting, indissolvable, unalterable union with Christ. When I can lift my heart to
heaven and say, ÒMy beloved is mine, and I am his,Ó as one said long ago, Òthat is to
dip my morsel in the golden dish of heaven.Ó Because we are one with Christ,
one with Christ eternally, one with him while he lived on this earth, one
with him when he died at Calvary, one with him when he arose from the grave
and ascended to heaven, and now one with him by the new birth, we are made Òmeet
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light,Ó and shall be Òheirs of God
and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.Ó By GodÕs sovÕreign grace united To His Son eternally, I can never be divided From my covÕnant Surety. GodÕs free love, from everlasting, Made me one with His dear Son. Blessed union, strong, unchanging, I am with my Savior one! Once in Christ, in Christ forever. Thus His promise ever stands. Life and death and hell together Cannot tear me from His hands! Oft I fall, but God unchanging, Faithful to His covÕnant stands. He will never charge with sinning Those for whom His Son was slain. One with Jesus, one with Jesus, By eternal union one! One with Jesus, one with Jesus, O what wonders grace has done! One with Christ from everlasting! One with Him upon the tree! One with Him on high ascending! One with Him eternally! Amen. |
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