Welcome to the podcast of the white Church in Adelaide, South
Australia We're. Going to have Justin come and
share the word with us. Does anyone remember what
happened last Sunday? What was the word spoken to us
last Sunday? Been an example?
Have we put some of that stuff into place this week?
Has God been staring some things?
Have we started to put things in place that he's been speaking?
I definitely have started thinking about some things,
especially the way at my work, the way I present my lifestyle
to them and how I present it. But I think Justin's completely
on something different today. So come up, maybe not, we'll
see. But I'm going to pray for you,
Justin, and we'll pray for our hearts as well to be ready.
Father, we just thank you for your word that speaks into
situations and into our lives. We thank you for what you're
you're speaking through this man this morning.
We thank you for our hearts open to the anointing over our hearts
anointing over Justin as he speaks his word.
May this word be from you, Lord, and anything that is of Justin
would fall away. We pray for your, your
anointing, your authority, your endowment over him as he speaks
his word. Lord, we just ask that you would
just show him, lead him. He's already sensitive.
But Lord, if there's anything else that you want to speak that
He'll be ready and prepared in Jesus name, Amen.
Amen. Yes, good morning again.
Yeah, last week we we spoke about being an example.
And obviously we know our greatest example is Jesus
Christ, right? We spoke about, you know, having
models that we could follow, role models.
And the perfect role model that we have is Jesus.
He's the greatest of all. So this morning we're actually
going to be talking about Jesus. It's, it's probably one of the
most favorite things I ever want to talk about.
I like to talk on the microphone a bit, if you haven't guessed
already. But one of the things I would
love to talk about and I shared with our men's group on Monday
night as well, is just the gospel and Jesus, who he is,
what he's like because he's, as we mentioned at the beginning,
he's the reason we're all here, right?
He's the reason we're here. It's, it's not just that I do
things for him. I do things because of him.
And so we're going to open, if you can open your Bibles,
physical or digital, we're going to start in the book of Hebrews
this morning, Hebrews chapter 1. We're going to read a few verses
and then we're going to jump over to Colossians.
Brilliant. Thank you.
Pete, This is going to be the NIV.
I'm pretty sure I sent to you NIV.
So it says in the past, God spoke to our forefathers.
So you're going to understand the book of Hebrews is written
to the Hebrews. So a Hebrew people, people of
nation of Israel there they had all the prophets, they had all
of these, these different people speaking to them of what God's
plan and God's purpose was and, and sharing with them priests
and all stuff. So when he's saying in the past,
God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many
times and in various ways. In other words, God is speaking
through different different ways, through different people,
different messages, different, different things are coming up.
But then in verse 2, in these last days, in these days that
we're living in right now, he has spoken to us by his Son,
whom God appointed heir of all things and through whom he made
the universe. Verse 3, the Son Jesus is the
radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his
being. Jesus said, if you've seen me,
you've seen the Father and here God the Father is saying, if
you've seen Jesus, you've seen me.
He is the exact representation of God's being sustaining all
things by his powerful words. And we we took communion this
morning. This is this is key.
After he had provided purification for sins, he sat
down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven.
I just, I don't know if you've ever pondered that, that piece,
it's actually in the Nicene Creed as well, which we're
working through with the men's connect.
The fact that Jesus is seated at the right hand.
He's not standing anymore, right?
The, the, when I sit down, it's because my work is finished.
Otherwise I'm standing up. I'm keeping he's, he sat down.
It's going to go. I've when Jesus was on the
cross, famous words, it is finished and then he goes and he
sits down. He rises from the dead and then
he ascends into heaven and he sits down.
Why? Because the work was finished,
once He had provided purification for sins, He sat
down at the right hand of God. There is no more sacrifice
needed. This thing has been completely,
100% dealt with for all time forever.
He sits down at the right hand of the majesty of heaven.
I think it's just important when we think about Jesus like He is
everything, verse 4, we'll throw to verse 4.
So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has
inherited is superior to this. Like we were singing this
morning. You know who else is worthy?
No one. No one is worthy in Revelation
5. It's when they're like, who's
worthy to open the scroll? And John's weeping and he's
like, there's no one, no one in heaven and earth.
No one possibly could even do anything about this situation.
And then he sees a lamb that was slain and the entire song in
heaven changes. It's you see this remarkable
thing, They're singing one song to God the Father, then they see
the lamb and it changes the song of all creation.
And now the song is out. Ah, worthy is a lamb.
Why? Because he's the only one
worthy. He's the only one with a name
high above all names. So he inherited this name.
He's he's the exact representation of the Father.
And he comes down, he provides purification for sins.
He ascends back into heaven. He's seated there.
And now the song for all time is worthy as a lamb.
Why? Because no one else was worthy.
No one else was able to do this. No one else had any ability to
save humanity except him. And so as we started, we're not
just here for him, but we're here because of Him.
Like the fact is, I'm here because of him.
I can enter God's presence because of Him.
I have purification of sins because of Him.
Nothing I could ever do, nothing any of us could ever do but Him,
right? Because of his sacrifice,
because of what He did, because of what he accomplished.
So if we could turn, we're going to turn in your Bibles to
Colossians chapter 1 and we're starting in verse 15.
It's another one that kind of does the same thing.
It talks about Jesus again, He is the image of the invisible
God, the first born over all creation.
Next verse fourth, by him, by Jesus, all things were created.
Things in heaven and on earth, both the visible and the
invisible, the stuff we can't see, the supernatural.
All created by him, whether Thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities, all things were created by Him and all things
were created for Him. He is before all things, and in
Him all things hold together, and He is the head of the body,
the church. He's ahead of this.
He is the beginning and the first pawn from among the dead,
so that in everything, say everything, everything, he might
have the supremacy. So that in everything he might
have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all
of his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to
himself all things were there, things on earth, things in
heaven, by making peace through His blood shed on the cross.
Father, we thank you for your word this morning.
We thank you for Jesus. We thank you that as the
Scripture says, you are pleased to have your fullness dwell in
Jesus and to send your Son to reconcile the world, as John 316
tells us, for God so loved the world that he gave his Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life. We thank you for your Son Jesus
this morning. We thank you for your word that
we're going to dive into that tells us more about him.
And we ask after today we would outcries like the prayer, the
pulp praise and Ephesians one that after today we would know
you better. We would know what you are like.
We would position you rightly in our hearts and in our lives in
Jesus name, Amen. We're going to stay in
Colossians. We're going to jump around a
bit. I've titled this morning.
Well, it's a rough title. Jesus our all.
I don't know if you saw in that,
that text that we had there, the amount of times the word all or
every or stuff like that appears, it's quite a bit.
It's like he's the first born over every creature.
By him all things were made, all things were created for Him.
He is the head that in all things he might have the
supremacy. So Jesus is all, like he is
everything. I wonder if he's everything for
us. Like I have to remind myself
often, like I'm like, Jesus, are you my everything?
Like because I'm here because of you, Like, and this is the
interesting thing, right? The very breath that I have is
because of him. Like I'm my physical existence
is only because he is sustaining me.
It's only because he created the world in such a way that he
could actually sustain life. And so my very existence is
because of him. And so I I pray that at the end
of this, regarding Jesus, you are our all, you have all.
And for any area that is not all, all means all.
For those who study the Greek, I'm sure our resident theologian
Leon would be able to tell you that all means all, whether it's
in the Greek, whether it's in the English, the Hebrew, whether
it's in Italian or French, all means all.
It means 100% everything. Jesus are all so if we could
have that scripture back up in Colossians, we're going to look
at the first verse, verse 15. It says the sun is the image of
the invisible God, the first born over all creation.
So my first thing here is that Jesus is first of all.
So we're gathered today, some people would or many people
would agree. And the early church, they
gathered on the first day of the week, they gave Jesus the first
day, right? And the Bible takes of this idea
in my money that I give him the first fruits, the tithe, the 1st
10%, right? But Jesus is first.
He's the first born over all creation.
He's first of all, right? In Revelation 2213, Jesus says I
am the alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
He's first of all. Now here's the question though.
Just because I give God 10% of my money, does that mean that
90% is mine to deal with and I get to do whatever I like with
that? Because, you know, I put Jesus
first. Oh, I put, I gave Jesus the 1st
30 minutes of my day this morning, which means the rest of
the the next 23 hours, they're mine.
I get to do with what I want. No, no, it means that in
everything he's first. In every thought that I have, in
every action that I have. Just because I give him the
first day of the week, Sunday, I gather for God's people, does
not mean that Monday to Saturday I get to do what I like.
It means that in every decision, in everything, I go your first.
My attention is not so much what's going to be best for my
kids that's good, or what's best for my wife, or what's best for
our our future. My focus is actually God, what's
best for you first and then everything will flow from there.
He is the first overall. John 11 says that in the
beginning was the word. He's the 1st and I think in our
lives I I challenge you and kind of say God, have I just made you
the 1st in time? In other words, I just give you
the first little portion and the rest is mine.
Or am I actually making you first in everything, in every
decision, in every action, in every everything that I
consider? Am I considering your ways
first? Jesus is first Oval.
Go to the next next section, verse 16 in Colossians chapter 1
says for by him all things were created, things in heaven and on
earth visible, invisible were the Thrones or powers, rulers or
authorities. All things were created by him.
My second point, he's not just first of all, he's the source of
all, as we said, as I said earlier, the very fact that I'm
breathing here is just enough for God's creation.
Romans one says, you know he's made his, his glory manifest
just through creation around us because he sustains everything
by his powerful word. He's the source of all Acts 1728
says, for in him we live, we move, we have our being.
He is the source of all he is. He is my source.
I am, I'm going to be gone down for a SEC because we were, we
were chatting in South Africa and we walked to like markets
and we walked back and he just asked me an interesting
question. I didn't really have a good
answer. I sort of have a good answer for
you. Sorry, bro.
And he just asked me said, well, how do you, how do you kind of
balance everything? How do you balance eldering in a
church and full time work and having a family of four and how
do you balance everything? I didn't give him a very good
answer because I'm like, I don't have a balance.
I'm sorry. And it's not because I don't
take care of my family and I don't.
It's because I'm kind of going. I just trust him as my source.
I can only do it because of his grace, but I can only do it
because of his energy that's powerfully working through me.
Colossians 129, Paul writes and he says for this I toil
struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within
me. And I think if we asked some
people in this room, you know, how could you do what you did
for Christ? And I bet you they'd say it
wasn't because of our energy, because if it was up to us, we
probably wouldn't be doing it. But it was because of his
energy, his source working through us that we were able to
do what he's called us to do. And we remember that he is the
source of all, not just our physical existence, but in
everything that we do for him. He is actually the source that
we draw upon. He's the power that we draw upon
for everything that he's called us to do.
And there's this danger sometimes we can step into and
say, well, I'm going to do this for you, Lord, but I do this
also by you because of your energy that's working in me.
And as our revelation of Jesus needs to be, not just I'm doing
this for you, but I have to do this because of you and by you
and through you. Because I don't want to strive
in my own strength. I don't want to.
If I do this in my own strength, I'm going to wear out.
I'm going to be tired, I'm going to be exhausted.
But if I lean into him as my source, if I lean into him, I'm
able to continue. I'm able to keep going.
I'm able to run with endurance the race that He's marked out
for me. So he is not just my first in
everything, but he is also my source that I lean into for
everything that he's called me to do.
Whenever I'm tired and I'm struggling, I'm like, man, I'm
leaning into him. We're going to go to the next.
Oh, actually that same verse, actually right at the end, verse
16, Colossians 116. All things were created in
heaven, blah, blah, blah. All things were created.
I didn't just blah, blah, blah. The word of God, I'm sorry,
people. All things were created through
him and for him. This is very cool.
You know, the Westminster Shorter Catechism with the
Westminster Catechism was like a, a summary of Christian
doctrine in the 1600s. And so basically they're just
trying to collate a whole bunch of questions and answers around
Christian doctrine. What what does this mean?
They've done it throughout history since Jesus came.
They had creeds and doctrines and stuff.
And the Westminster Shorter Catechism says this, the chief
end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
Haggai 27 The prophet Haggai said Jesus, God is declaring and
he's saying in the desire of all nations will come.
Now that could mean treasures, but it could also mean the
desire of all nations. Jesus, every single person on
the planet, every single heart has a desire for him.
Ecclesiastes tells us that He has put eternity in the hearts
of men. He is the desire of all, as that
Scripture says. Everything was created, not just
by him, but everything was created for him.
I think, Dan, you shared last week or the week before around
how even the rocks and the trees would cry out to him if they
could. Like we see creation.
We're like all of creation points to a creator.
Everything was created for Him. And so he is not just the first
of all, he's not just the source of all, but he is the desire of
all. And so I think sometimes we, we
look at this and we kind of, and I think some of the feedback
from the global equip Hillary was sharing with us, she's like,
it's not like, yes, we obey him, but he's also called us to love
him. He's actually not just called
for our obedience, but he's actually also called for our
affection. Why?
Because he is the desire of all. And as the people of God, we
come and we don't just say, I'm doing this for you, but Lord,
I'm doing this because I'm so in love with you.
I'm so in love with you. Everything that I have is yours
because I'm so in love with you. I'm so enamored by you.
It's why we, we sing songs and why we, why we glorify him
because we're just so in love with him.
You know, if you ask me and you start, you say, tell me about
Bianca, right, You would probably have to say, hey, well,
that's enough. Like you've told me too much
about Bianca because you're just going on and on about how much
you love her and how much you care for her and how much all of
this and and all the amazing stuff she does.
Is that the same with our hearts to God?
Hey, tell me about God. Well, let me tell you everything
I know about him because he's amazing.
He's awesome. As I started this and I said,
it's one of the things that I love to talk about.
Why? Because he's the desire of all.
I want to encourage you guys. Like let Jesus be the desire of
your heart and not just not just a little bit of a desire, but
let him be the full desire that you're like, man, I just cannot
wait to open your word. I cannot wait to hear more of
you, to see more of you, to sing to you, to glorify you.
Why? Because you're the desire of my
heart and I just love you so much.
Everything was created by him. Everything was created for him
Jesus our all the next verse, verse 18.
Oh sorry, no verse 17 verse 17. He is before all things and in
him all things hold together. The King James said in all
things he all things consist is the King James.
It says all things consist, all things hold together and I put
down here that Jesus is the sustainer of all.
He is the sustainer. Psalm 23 four though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
Why? Because your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. He goes on it, says you prepare
a table before me in the presence of my enemies and my
cup overflows. He is the sustainer of all we a
couple of years ago, we, we were in a bit of a situation with our
finances where things weren't actually going great.
We'd had a few surprise repairs on cars and stuff, and we had to
sit there and we kind of go, man, if something else happens,
we don't know how we're going to get out of this.
OK? It was a tough season.
Like, I generally manage money very well.
And so you can imagine as a provider for my house being
like, well, I don't know what I'm going to do.
Yikes. And I'll share it with Bianca.
I'm like, I don't know what we're going to do, but I trust
my sustainer. I trust the one who's going to
carry me through. I don't know.
Don't know how this is going to work out.
I don't know situations that you guys are facing.
I know some, I don't know all, but if we face and we look down
those situations, you're going to go, I don't know how this
thing's going to work out, but I trust the one who sustains me
and carries me through. I trust the one who is going to
carry me through. And I think that's the place
that we find great security, right?
Because Jesus even said he's going in this world, you will
have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world.
That was a that's a great assurity for us.
The writer of Hebrews says we have this sure and solid,
steadfast hope. The one who goes before the
veil, Jesus Christ, he is the one that carries us through.
He is the sustainer of all. He's my sustainer.
He's your sustainer. He's the one that carries us
through everything that we would ever face and He carries carried
us through our situation. He carries you through your
situation. I have, I have surety of this,
that anything that I face into my future, He will carry me
through. He is my sustainer.
Why? Because in He holds all things
together. He holds all things together.
He is the sustainer of all. So Jesus is first.
He's the source, He's the desire, He's the sustainer.
And then it goes on and it says that he is.
He is the one that surpasses all.
He's the head of the body of the church.
He's the beginning, the first born from among the dead, so
that in everything he might have the supremacy.
I remember being asked in university way back, somebody
said, oh, how if there was a God, why did bad stuff happen?
You know that question? You ever been asked that
question? It's a great question.
And I answered like this. And I said, what would you
define God as? How would you define God?
And then, oh, he's the supreme being, the unknowable one.
I said, OK, that's a great definition.
How on earth am I as a human being to understand the one who
is supreme? Supreme by definition means that
He is over and above everything. How could I understand what he
does and why he does it? The conversation ended pretty
quickly, but it left like if we think about this, the supremacy
Supreme not just in place but supreme in power.
Philippians chapter 2 verse 9 through 11 says this.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow. Read that again.
So I sinks in. Therefore God has highly
exalted, Not just exalted, highly exalted.
My ESV has slightly different words.
God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that
is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, not just in heaven, not just on the earth, that
every knee that is under the earth Speaking of hell, the
demonic powers and principalities and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
Father. Jesus is Jesus surpasses all, he
is supreme. It's a great reminder when we're
faced with situations and circumstances around health and
around our needs, around opposition that might come
against us, around trials, around pressure, that we
remember that Jesus surpasses all.
It's why we we pray and we say in Jesus name.
We don't just say it as a cliche like I've officially finished
praying now in Jesus name. It's a powerful statement.
Why? Because his name surpasses all
names. His name surpasses all names.
So when we pray in Jesus name, it's because we're saying
actually we know a name that surpasses all situations.
The situation that I've just prayed for, I've got.
I'm claiming on and calling on a name that is above all names.
I know that there is one who is seated above all, that is
supreme above all. He has power over sickness.
He has power over death. He has power over sin.
He has power over everything. Jesus surpasses all.
And so when we come up against, it's quite when we come and we
we fight demonic powers. Ephesians chapter 6 for my
community group. We're on Ephesians 6 this week.
Just throw it out there. Ephesians 6, which teaches us to
be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Stand firm. Interestingly, like it doesn't
necessarily say, you know, go and advance and charge and and
swipe his stand firm in his mighty power.
Why? Because he's supreme.
I don't stand in my power. I don't be strong in my
strength. I'd be strong in him and in his
strength. Why?
Because He surpasses all, He is above all, He's through all, He
is supreme and he holds all authority.
When Jesus came and he did the Great Commission in Matthew 28,
all authority on heaven and earth has been given to me.
Now go and make disciples. Very, very important that He
says that. Why?
I'm just I'm reminding you that you're going on behalf of me and
I've got all authority and I've got all power, which means no
force of evil, no demonic darkness, no stronghold, nothing
can hold you back. He surpasses all.
So he's first. He's our source, our desire, our
sustainer. He surpasses everything.
And we'll go into verse 19. For God was pleased to have all
his fullness dwell in him, that is Jesus in the next verse, and
through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether
things on earth, things in heaven, by making peace through
His blood shed on the cross. My final point is that Jesus is
the reconciler of all. He reconciles all.
This is phenomenal. Not only is he above everything,
not only does he sustain everything, not does only does
he hold everything. As we said at the beginning, I'm
not just here for him. I'm here because of him because
He reconciled me back to God. We talk about sharing
testimonies and the greatest testimony that any of us could
say is that he reconciled me back to God, that he brought me
back to God by his blood, by his sacrifice, by what he did, he
reconciled me back to God. If you would turn your Bibles to
1 Corinthians chapter 5 Two Corinthians, sorry, Two
Corinthians chapter 5, 2 Corinthians 516 says now on.
Therefore, we regard no one from a worldly point of view.
Though we were once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no
longer. Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has
come. Just pause there for a SEC.
This is the verse that our kids are in kids church memorizing
and I think it's just important that the the topic that they're
focusing on is this idea that we are new creations and just this
bit for free. But when he talks anew, it's not
just I've got a new phone. This is I've got something
completely different. This is the word metamorphosis.
It's like a Caterpillar becoming a butterfly, a completely
different. It rewrites its DNA.
When Jesus reconciled us to God, he didn't just kind of say I'm
just going to, you know, wash over some stuff, but you know,
it's still there. No, he completely rewrote our
spiritual DNA and therefore if anyone is now in Christ, he is a
completely new creation, rewritten DNA.
The old has gone, the new has come.
Next verse. All this is from God who
reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us this ministry
of reconciliation. Next verse and the God was
reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's
sins against them, and he is committed to us.
This message of reconciliation. God reconciles everything
through Jesus. Yeah, we can think in the light
of salvation. Jesus reconciles my life to God
through his blood. You know, the beautiful thing
about this as well is that Jesus also reconciles our
relationships one to another. We face some family kind of
disagreements and stuff over the years, and they've come right.
You know the only reason they've come right, you could say, oh,
it's kids, it's grandkids. No, no, no, no.
The only reason they've come right is because of the great
reconciler. He is the great reconciler for
any broken relationship, for any, any disjointed
relationship, any disunity, he's the great reconciler.
When man fell, the first thing that happened was our
relationship to God was broken. Second thing that happened was
our relationship one to another. We see Cain and Abel, Cain
killing Abel, our disjointedness together, we see Adam blaming
Eve, and now in Jesus, not only is my reconciliation to God, but
also the great reconciler comes and reconciles our relationships
one to another. Jesus is the reconciler of all.
I would encourage you, if there is any kind of relationship that
you can think of, you're like, man, this isn't as good as it
should be. Trust the great reconciler.
Hand it to the great reconciler. I love this morning in our
preview service prayer meeting, Pat Shane and she said, you
know, just cast all your cares on him for he cares for you.
Now this is this is part of this, right?
We're going to go, man, you know what?
I cast it to the great reconciler.
I cast my my issue. I cast that thing to the great
reconciler and I trust him. I trust him with it all.
And This is why I called this Jesus our all because I wonder
how much of us we're actually saying, you know what Jesus,
this is all for you and it's all because of you.
You are first in everything. You don't just get the little
first portion of my money or my week, but you are first in every
decision that I make. You are first in everything that
I do. I will consider your thoughts
first. You are my source.
I lean into you for everything you've called me to do.
You are my desire. I want to love you more.
I want to know you more. You're my sustainer.
I trust you with my future. I trust you with my past.
I trust you with what I'm going through right now.
You will carry me through. I know that you surpass all.
Any situation that I face, any
persecution or trials that I'm currently facing.
Any demonic power that is trying to pressure in, I know that you
surpass them all. You have a name far above all
other names. And Jesus, we trust you this
morning as the great reconciler that through your blood you
reconcile this back to God and that you also reconcile every
single relationship. And so, Father, we come before
you today, this morning, and we thank you again for Jesus and we
pray. Would you make him our all?
Would you make him out everything?
Not just everything that we do everything for him, but we do
everything because of him and we do everything because we love
him. Make Jesus our all today.
We do everything for him, by him, through him, and for him.
Jesus, may you have supremacy in every area.
We thank you that in these last days you've spoken to us by your
son Jesus. And this morning we give you
thanks and we give you praise. And all God's people said Amen,
Amen. Thank you for joining us for
today's message. For more information about The
Way Church, please visit ourwebsite@thewaychurch.com dot
AU. Have a blessed day.