“Is Jesus Your Everything!”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 28, September 28, 2008

I want to declare to you as the Apostle Paul declared in the Colossians that "Christ is all and in all.” Christ was everything to Paul. To the Corinthians he had written, I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. To the Galatians he wrote: God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. And to the Philippians he declared, To me to live is Christ.

Today’s Christians seem to put Jesus in a box, either in Palestine a long time ago or now at the Father's right hand. We need Paul's vision - to see Christ past, present, and future. If Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and Ending, Author and Finisher of our faith, if by Him all things consist, it would follow that everything centers and converges in Him. For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created by him and for him Colossians 1:16
How many Christians ever think of Christ as the One by whom all things are created, as C0lossians puts it; by whom all things were made: as John puts it; by whom God made the worlds, as Hebrews put it?

By Him redemption consists. In order to conform men to the image of His Son, God gave His Son. There is no salvation in any other.

By Him the Gospel consists. The Gospel is simply the good news about Jesus, that He came, died, and rose again. It is not a program, plan, or philosophy that saves, but a Person.

By Him the church consists. God gave him to be head over all things to the church which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all Ephesians 1:22,23

By Him true doctrine consists. Some Christians become disciples of a phrase, playing a one string banjo. For example, Some get off on a tangent on sanctification. But sanctification, strictly speaking, is not just a doctrine it is Christ Himself. I Corinthians 1:30

Spurgeon said, "Holiness is not the way to Christ; Christ is the way to holiness."
Better still, Christ is our holiness.

Some make the Holy Spirit the figurehead of movements, but the Spirit testifies not of Himself but of Christ John 15:26 In that classic passage regarding the Holy Spirit, John 7:37-39, it is Jesus who is at the center of the stage: If any man thirst, let him come to ME and drink. He that believes on ME, as the scripture has said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water. This spoke HE of the Spirit which they that believe on HIM should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that JESUS was not yet glorified.

Any supposed experience of the Spirit that draws attention to itself and not to Christ is not to be trusted.

By Him the resurrection consists. Jesus said to Martha, Your brother shall rise again. She said, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Martha was orthodox, but she needed to move from the doctrinal to the personal. So Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.

The resurrection is not something to believe, but Someone to believe.

By Him faith consists. It is not the quantity or the quality but the object of our faith that matters. Saving faith is faith in Christ, not just things about Christ. It is not faith in our faith, but a faith in our Christ.

By Him all Christian experience consist. The Christian life is simply Christ, the indwelling and outliving Christ. To me to live is Christ The victorious life is just more of Christ and less of self. He is our Life, not just a teacher of how to live.

By Him separation consists. He is the Great Divider, who came not to send peace, but a sword, and He in fact must separate us. Separation is not just quitting things, it is going to HIM, outside the camp bearing HIS reproach. When He was on earth, there was often a division of the people on account of Him, and He still divides men today. But this should not be confused with those who cause division among us. They are to be watched out for and avoided.

Let me ask you a question; What is the main thing about the Lord's return?
It is the Lord. Some are merely looking for an event, rather than for a person.

By Him Christian fellowship consists. Our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ I John 1:3 The mark of true fellowship is love to all the saints, which springs from faith in Jesus Colossians 1:4 By Him our testimony consists. We are His witnesses, not His lawyers. We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. Simon Peter comes to Jesus because Andrew goes after him with a testimony.

By Him our fruitfulness consists. He that abides in me and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing John 15:5

It is not what is done for Him, but, by Him that counts.

I wonder how much church activity really comes from Him? We need to get our eyes off our efficiency and on His sufficiency.

By Him the answer to every situation or need consists. God has promised to supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Jesus. If we need victory we can reign in life through Christ. If we need peace, the peace of God will garrison our hearts through Christ Jesus. If we need wisdom, He is our wisdom. If we need strength, we can do all things through Christ.

By Him the future consists. It is not just about going to heaven, it is about being WITH CHRIST. It is His presence that makes heaven so glorious. And it is separation from Him that is hell's worst feature. My dear friends - I wish I could convey this incredible message to you in such a clear and simple way that we all would get it all!

Jesus is to be our everything. It is in our looking to Him - not in a backward over the shoulder glance or in a futuristic hope so - it is in our looking to Him right now as He is here this very moment in time, that life itself will make sense.

A little girl was struggling to put together a ripped torn up map of the United States, discovered that on the reverse side was a picture of George Washington and that by putting his picture together she also assembled the map, illustrates a profounder truth.

Nothing can be assembled, either one's life or the universe, apart from Christ. But when we know Him everything else will find its place….. for by Him all things consist!