INTRODUCTION:       There are many churches who teach that a person can never be quite sure if they are accepted by Christ or not. These groups teach that you have to join their church, be faithful to it and to follow their group and its leaders in order to please God. They tell you that you must do works and if you do not do enough works you have little hope of heaven. They teach that you might be saved today but if you do not measure up God will reject you.

           Many men and many women go on month after month, and year after year, without and real power in their lives because they do not know their standing in Christ. Many things can rob us of experiencing the power of God in our lives. Doubts keep them in a unsettled state of insecurity in Christ. Worldliness,

           That to totally contrary to what God says in the Bible. Once a person by faith believes in Jesus Christ and is saved, they are eternally saved and have all the fulness of Jesus Christ.

I. GOD SAYS THAT THOSE WHO RECEIVE CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR ARE GIVEN ALL THE FULLNESS IN CHRIST. (2:9-10)

A. A man without Christ is a hopeless and pitiful being.
1. A person may live in a pent-house or be bum in street. No matter how full or empty is ones life with material things...without Christ he still remains unfruitful, unfulfilled and without purpose.

          Jesus said in Matt. 16:26, "For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

2. A person may be rich in the worlds goods or poor as a church mouse, but both equally worthless and without value or purpose if they do not know Christ Jesus Christ as their Savior.

3. Romans 3:10, ". . .all had sinned and come short of the glory of God."

4. Most men have made a failure at the business of living

a. Born a sinner.
b. His best falls short by a million miles.
c. Man has no righteousness of his own to offer to the Lord. Even the righteousness of those who are born again is not their righteousness, but the imparted righteousness of God. Only God is righteous.

5. List of man's failures:
a. Technology- Man has placed his faith in technology, which is the use and control material resources.
- Yet it caused stress, fast pace, high blood pressure, heart attacks and brings no satisfaction.
- Diseases as cancer caused by unnatural foods and chemicals, radiation, & etc.

           Zeph. 1:18, "Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath' but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land."

           2 Peter 3:7, "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly man."

b. Philosophy - The dominate philosophy today is humanism which glorifies man and his accomplishments. Yet the at highest peak of man's ability man is still unable to cope with his world. America and the free world today is reeling under the terrorism on only a small group of people. People are scared, buy gas masks and taking antibiotics afraid of anthrax.

- Man's greatest intellectual achievements, are still primitive when compared the complexity of the world and universe.
-All the philosophy trying to overcome crime and our destructive nature, end war & all fail.

           Prov. 9:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."

           Prov. 14:12, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

c. Science- Romans 1:18f tells us man has perverted knowledge of God. They have made God to be a man, and worshipped the earth and creation, instead of God
- Man denies GOD in Creation...teaches evolution.
-Mankind sees man becoming master of the universe, how utterly foolish.

d. Religion- Man has invented every conceivable type of God that can be imagined. He has made God to be a man. The mark of a false religion is that they degrade our God who created us and make him like a man. The Bible says that God created man...yet, foolish men made their god and then bow down to it. He seeks a way to conqueror death..yet he has no assurance. He puts faith, in an idea he had of what he thought God would be pleased with instead put faith in what God has said about Himself.

           READ: Isaiah 45 5-13.

           Jer. 14:14, "the Lord said unto me, "The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophecy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart."

           Matt. 24:24, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceived the very elect."

           1 John 4:1, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

6. All these things are only natural! God has amply warned us of the failure of man's way. Because at man's best he failures.

           His idea's are polluted, because he is polluted by having a sinful heart and mind. We are shocked at the failure of the family, of America, of freedom....yet fail to understand, man will destroy every good thing God in his mercy gives him.

B. Why does he fail?
1. He ignores his creator, his designer.

2. He ignores the only source of power in the universe.

3. ILLUS: Like a man who goes to the race track to win the INDY 500, and doesn't have a race car.

4. BUT even if man seems to be successful, or was be successful "what has a man profited if he gain the whole world, and lose his soul?

C. V9...Christ is the very source of life itself.
1. Not the idea of a great impersonal power as in Star Wars. God is not some mysterious unknowable, unreachable, untouchable, impersonal force.

2. John 1:1...In the beginning- GOD - Gen. 1:1

John.1:3 ..In Him was life... and the life was the light of the world. This is the KEY....in Him is life.

3. If man is to find himself, be complete, to fulfill his purpose he must begin with GOD.

ILLUS: I know personally of material gain and the emptiness of a life without Christ. Even with great success I felt empty, wanting to know why I was here! Of trying to find a purpose for life.
John 1:12.."but as many as received Him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."

4. The power of salvation is not in a idea, or philosophy of a man, but in the person of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

D. Colossians 2:10 can be translated "and you have been given the fullness in Christ." This is the Good News. You cannot do it for yourself...but Christ can and will do if for you if you will allow Him too.
1. There is total emptiness apart from Christ and complete fulness and life with Him.

2. No life lasts...apart from Christ.

3. Man can wallow in the slop of the world and seem to be happy with glee, but he's blind without eyes to see his horrible condition. He's headed for the slaughter house yet doesn't know it.

           Back in 9-11, the TV preachers were all proclaiming America is in revival now because of the terrorists attacks. For a few day the TV stations did not run their sit-coms and the airways were clear. But a week later things were back to normal, the sit-com with their filthy language and sexual perversion were back going full blast. The New York Times on the front page told that in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks...the people of New York were engaging in a fury of sexual affairs. No Mr. TV preacher, the terrorists attacks have not bought a turning to God but a escalation of sexual sins. 4. Only in Christ is found fullness of life, there is no life apart from Christ. There are two kinds of life: physical life that is material and ends with the world. Spiritual life that can be everlasting to the one who believes in Christ and received the gift of eternal life.

5. Solomon one of the richest men who lived who was the wisest man on earth in Ecclesiastes concluded all the world offered was "was vanity"......WORTHLESS

E. But a man must be in Christ to experience fullness of life.
1. Moral assent, desire to go to heaven or sincerity are not enough.

2. Only the exercise of faith, trust, dependence, saves a man. As a man hears the truth, the Holy Spirit illuminates his heart, and he humbles himself to God, believing the promise of God to the saving of his soul.

3. John. 6:56..."He that eatest my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in Him"

ILLUS: Like pouring sugar in clear water. Christ permeates that person give life, to direct and guide him.

F. When a man is saved - Then and only then can he fulfill the purpose for which he was created.

1. Apart from God man is nothing, but with Christ he becomes alive.

2. Man was created to Glorify God, anything less man missed the mark.

3. Man is a depraved being, has no glory of his own, no righteousness.

4. Only God is righteous, and holy. Thus when God indwells us man becomes a new creature! A Creation of God, with God's righteousness.

He now has purpose and value/ because God does!

A. Old Testament Circumcision was outward sign of the covenant between God and Israel.
1. Outward sign or act of regenerate heart.

2. OT believer was circum. and circum. his children because he believed God. He sacrificed animals, prayed, kept the law, not to save himself but because he trusted and believed God.

3. V11..[another way to translate the verse].."In Christ you were circumcision. in putting off the old sinful nature, not a circumcision. of hands, but done by him"

4. Verse says, that a saved man is identified with Christ outwardly, because of Christ being in him. Jesus did the cleansing, He did the work of making us Holy, and Righteous.

B. V12 Baptism is used as a illustration.
1. Outward act is symbol of what has taken place in ones heart.

2. Symbol of being buried with Christ [as he was buried] What is buried? Our sins!

3. Circumcision. or baptism or any ritual of man never effected his salvation in any way.

4. Christ was totally sufficient for our salvation. Salvation was totally of Christ, and totally sufficient. The victory over sin was complete...in Christ.

C. When a man is saved be is no longer under the control of sin.
1. The old nature remains, but it is not in control of the Christian, unless he lets it be.

2. Man's nature determines who he serves. New nature is more powerfully.

3. When a Christian sins, he does so willingly in spite of the new nature which detests sin.

           John 3:3, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

           John 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

D. A man is able through Christ to have all the victory of Christ.
1. Paul, I Cor. 10:13.."no temptation common to man, that with the temptation is made the way of escape.

2. Counterfeit Christians have a hard time with sin, because he has no power to overcome it. Only in Christ can one overcome sin.

3. Best he can do is be moral, yet that is his own righteousness which is but filthy rags.

E. The Christian is a saved sinner! v13-14
1. Was dead in sin, unable to be anything but a failure.

2. But now he is "quickened" made alive in Christ.

3. Blotted out are all the law, which exposed us for what we are..sinners.

4. The Law said "guilty", We said "yes" and accepted God's grace and He [not ourselves] nailed our guilt to his cross, meaning we are totally forgiven.