Grow With Pastor Joe

“I’d like to buy the world a Coke” was a huge hit in 1971 as Coca-Cola sought to fight the rising competition of other soda companies. It became such a hit at the time for its focus on authenticity as the world itself, especially in the West, young people were searching for something real. As the classic world uniting jingle says, its “the real thing.” We live in an artificial world. Throughout the decades there are more manmade ingredients in modern Coke than ever before. Yet, throughout life, people are still looking for something that is real. We are faced with the reality that our bodies need dietary supplements because our bodies don’t produce what we need for a variety of reasons. All of those reasons of course come back to the sin cursed world and bodies in which we live. Furthermore, many are obsessed with substitutes. We have exchanged dairy for non-dairy and even tobacco for vape pens. We have traded sugar for “Splenda.” In a world of supplements and substitutes, there is a rise to return back to the days when we knew where our food came from and for good reason. People are not just seeing the need for something real with what goes into their bodies, but also what goes into their minds and hearts as we see the exponential and dangerous rise of artificial intelligence. Spiritually, many are leaving churches that they grew up in where there was no real substance and the megachurches that had unimaginable “success” in the late 90’s and 2000’s are now in major decline; for that I am thankful. People want the real thing!

            In this present world of supplements and substitutes, we need the real thing and the real thing is the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. The real thing is not a thing, but rather the eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else can compare. Nothing else can save. Nothing else can satisfy. All other religions, beliefs, rituals, or actions are worthless. They are poor supplements that add nothing or pale in comparison to Christ. They are bad substitutes that offer no real salvation, love, hope, joy, peace, or assurance in this life and for the next. Everything that the world offers is less than Christ and anything less than Christ won’t do. To rest one’s eternity and everyday life on anything but Christ is to lay one’s weight on the morning mist that vanishes the moment it is touched. We must see as believers that there is nothing more that I need than Christ and anything less than Him alone will never do. Furthermore, we must see that He doesn’t just provide all that I need for Christian living, He is all I need for Christian living. All of my treasure and wisdom is found in Him. As we continue our study of Colossians, we see that our passage today is Col. 2:3 which says, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” The Apostle Paul has just showed the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ in the opening chapter that was full of Christocentric and Christological truth. Now, Paul begins to explain what the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ looks like on the everyday level for the believers. They were facing and we too are facing theological and practical threats to our Christian life. They were facing the early Gnostics who believed that all physical things were evil and that there was a hidden higher knowledge of God outside of Christ. There was also the threat of the legalists who sought to add to the person and work of Christ by binding believers to tradition of men alongside the truth of God. Considering their context, ours today is much the same. We are facing the same threat and those who are in Christ must see that He indeed is the real thing and that He Himself is our treasure and wisdom. That will be our focus today and we will see that it is Christ who is the supply, substance, and sum of our treasure and wisdom that we have through union with Him.

            First, we must see that Christ is our treasure. When we think of treasure, we think of something that is precious, worthwhile, valuable and something to be sought. One of my first thoughts about the word treasure is a treasure map. I think of the classic book Treasure Island, or the cult classic movie The Goonies where the potential of a discovery of treasure sends people risking their lives for the chance to find it. The word “treasure” in our verse is the word “thesaurus” which refers to the place where precious things are stored or laid up. The implication is that treasure is the place of both collection and protection. Therefore, Christ is where our treasure is collected (stored up) and protected for He Himself is our treasure. Mt. 6:19-21 says, “¹⁹ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: ²⁰ But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: ²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Jesus made it clear that the treasure of this world is not a place where anything of value is guaranteed protection. Rather, our treasure must be in Him and in the Heaven itself (Col. 3:1-4). Now, let’s see what it means that Christ is the supply, substance, and sum of our treasure.

One, Christ is the supply of our treasure. Paul uses the word “riches” in his letters to the churches. Those who are saved are in union with Christ and have riches in Him, specifically in knowing Him as seen in Col. 2:2. As we think about the riches and treasure of the believer, we must see that Christ is the supply of our treasure. We were poor but are now rich because He was rich and became poor for us (2 Cor 8:9). The Christian life is a true rags to riches story, but not by the believer pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, but by the marvelous grace that is in Christ. He supplies all that we need from start to finish by His matchless grace. Col. 2:3 begins by saying, “In whom,” which shows us that what follows is found only in, by, and through the Lord Jesus Christ. The believer has all that they need in Christ because all that they need is Christ. He is supreme and sufficient in His supply for nothing else will do. This is critical especially in recalling the threat of Gnosticism and Legalism. These same threats attack the church today. This is why we must see that there is no supply outside of Him and that all that we need is supplied by Him. The word “hid” is the word “apokruphos” which means to conceal or hide away. The idea is of something that is concealed, kept secret, or unseen. Here in our context, we see that this treasure is hidden from the world, the unbelieving; but to those who have entered into union with Christ it has been revealed through the mystery of the hope of the gospel and hope of glory which is Christ indwelling us in intimate union. The idea that these treasures are hidden in Christ shows us that they must be discovered and disclosed to us, but the reality is that they have been, continue to be, and forever shall be revealed to us by the Spirit through the scriptures. Christ is the supply of our treasure for He is the redeeming reconciling revelator as seen in the Christological theme of Col. 1:9-21.

Two, Christ is the substance of our treasure. Notice first this small three letter word, “all.” This all shows us that there is no exception or exemption. Everything that is collected and protected in our union in Christ as treasure is in Christ Jesus. All things are in Him, and we are complete in Him as seen in Col. 2:8-10. He lacks nothing, therefore, those who are His lack nothing in Him. We need no other substance to live the Christian life apart from the supreme and sufficient person and work of Christ. When we speak of substance, we are talking about the very thing something is made up of, or what something is in essence or reality. When we say that Christ is the substance of our treasure, this means that it is Christ Himself who is our treasure. We know Him. We belong to Him. We are in union with Him. He has revealed Himself to us, redeemed us, and reconciled us. That’s treasure. Christ is not a treasure map without treasure, nor is He just a route to get to the treasure. He is the map and He is the treasure. He is the strength to seek and search. He is the beginning, middle, and ending of our journey. He is no pot of gold or treasure chest that can be damaged or used up. He is a well of living water. He is the Bread of Life. He is the one who is infinite and inexhaustible in His treasure for His people. If our treasure is “wisdom and knowledge,” then it is Christ who is our wisdom and knowledge of God. He has revealed the will of God the Father through His word and work that we now experience through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Christians must understand that our treasure is not merely the blessings of going to Heaven. The substance of our treasure is found in our union with Him. I am His. He is mine. If our treasure is found in what He gave us, then remember that the greatest thing that God ever gave you was His Son. The greatest thing the Son, the Lord Jesus, ever gave you was Himself. When He gave you Himself, this came with a treasure-trove of blessings that have been previously seen in Colossians and Ephesians. The substance of our treasure is found in that Christ is in us and we are in Him. It is union and understanding that union through the wisdom and knowledge that only knowing Him can bring.

Third, we must see that Christ is the sum of our treasure. If we were to put all things that we have as blessings of our salvation they could all be summed up by and in the person of Christ. The Christian life and experience itself is summed up in Him. Christ is our life. He is our everything. The hope of the gospel and hope of glory that Paul has focused on and the “full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ” (Col 2:2) are summed up in the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. What is more priceless than Him? What is more precious than Him? What is more valuable than Him? What is worth seeking and sacrificing for more than Him? What other treasure can satisfy? The sum of the Christian’s treasure is Christ Himself and all of the fulness of revelation, redemption, and reconciliation that we experience through union with Him. Our greatest treasure is knowing Him! He is infinite; therefore, my treasure is infinite. He is inexhaustible; therefore, my treasure is endless. He is a reservoir of riches. There is no supplement for the treasure that Christ is and has. There is no substitute for such treasure. He is the real thing.            

I had every intention of looking at the second part of the verse to see that Christ is our wisdom, but we must stop here. Where is your treasure? What do you treasure? What is so precious to you that you’d do anything for it? For those who do not know Christ, you are poor. You have nothing. Yet, now, look in faith for there is Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life and all who come to Him in precious faith will be received. You who are without forgiveness, there is a treasure chest of mercy with more than enough to pardon. Those whose sins stain their hearts and hands; there is a fountain of grace that can cleanse every stain. Do not come to Him with your good works, religious knowledge, or fleshly strength. Come. Come poor and needy. For there is more treasure flowing from the nail pierced hands of Christ than all the world could ever offer. Such spiritual eternal wealth flows from His wounds. There are riches untold in knowing Him. As we close, dear believer, are you treasuring your treasure? Do you see the treasure that is in Him? He is our treasure. He is the real thing. Our treasure is not streets of gold but found in Christ Himself. Our treasure is not crowns that we may win, but it is in Him. Do not chase the treasure of the world. Make Christ more than preeminent, make Him precious in your very heart and home.