Christ's Relationship to His People

Jesus Christ Himself — Our All in All

We come today to a series of messages which have been used of the Lord to bless my soul as I have prepared them for delivery over this Word of Truth Broadcast. I desire to set before our hearts Christ's Relationship to His People; and see what He has been made unto His people in the gospel, unto those sinners who came to know Him in that living, loving and lasting union of grace.

I trust, dear friend, that our gracious Lord by His Spirit will work in our hearts to show us the beauty, glory, preciousness and suitableness of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is He “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Rom. 3:25).

There are three precious words found in Eph. 2:20 that shall be utmost in our hearts and minds as we go into this series, which are Jesus Christ Himself. You see, dear friends, all we have from God is in the Person of Jesus Christ Himself. All truth is in Him, all doctrine is in Him, all of God's salvation is in Him, all eternal life is in Him and all hope is in Him. In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3). Yes, in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9). Jesus Christ Himself is all and in all.

We must declare it today: Jesus Christ Himself, the personal, living, loving Lord is our all in all. Christ in us our Hope of glory; Christ for us, our full Redemption; Christ with us pleading and preparing our place in heaven is our Joy and Strength. Let me say it then at the outset of these messages: Brethren, Jesus Christ Himself should always be the prominent thought of our minds as Christians. Also if you dear souls have a desire to know the Living God as revealed in Jesus Christ Himself, then I say unto you, “Look away to Him by faith, for salvation is found in none other.”

It is sad to say but it is true, I know there are some who are taken up mainly with the doctrines of the Bible and are somewhat bitter in their narrow orthodoxy. I say in love to you that we are to love every Word of our Lord Jesus and His apostles, and to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3); but if we do not hold truth in connection with the Person of Jesus Christ Himself, then we have missed it all. Truth, dear friend, isolated from the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ grows hard and cold. I say true doctrine is priceless and I must contend for it, but not at the expense of my precious Lord. Every doctrine and teaching should lead us to His blessed feet to find in Him our all in all.

Dear friend, do you know that the relationship that Christ bears to His people is this: that He loved me, and gave Himself for me (Gal. 2:20)? This is the basis, the hope of all that His people possess in this life and the next. It is that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25); that “He bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24); that God “hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21); that “by his own blood he entered in once into the Holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:12).

Again, because of this relationship of Jesus Christ Himself to His people, He should be the object of our faith. The Scriptures declare in Isa. 45:22:

He did not say, “Look to my cross,” nor “look to my life,” nor “look to my death,” much less to my sacraments or to my church, but “look unto me.” From the lips of Jesus Christ Himself sounds forth the words:

I might not know all that is in the Bible — and I don't; I might be staggered by all that there is to learn about theology — and I am; I might walk in fear and trembling — and I do; I might daily fall short of the glory of God — and I do; I might find in myself no good thing — and I daily acknowledge this, but this one thing I do know: I can believe in Jesus Christ Himself for He is worthy of my trust. He can be relied upon; He can be trusted.

As we search the Scriptures to find out about Him and His relationship to His people, let us rely completely upon the Holy Spirit to teach us of Him, for our Lord said in John 16:13–14: “When he, the Spirit of truth…he shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

In John 6:51 our Lord said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven.” Jesus Christ Himself is the Living Bread of Life. He brings us life by His death — He was the corn of wheat that fell into the ground and died so it might bring forth much fruit (John 12:24). He ministers life to those who believe, and He sustains our spiritual life as we continue to feed by faith upon Him.

In John 8:12: “I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Jesus Christ Himself is our Light — the only source of the knowledge of God. Only in Christ is God, Who is Light, made known.

In John 10:9: “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” He is the Entrance into heaven, the new and living way (Heb. 10:20).

In John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” As our Good Shepherd He dies for His sheep, gathers them, knows them, defends them, seeks pasture for them, heals the sick, binds up the broken, gently leads those that are with young and carries the little lambs in His arms.

In John 11:25: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” Both physical and spiritual resurrection are to be known only in Christ. Those that believe in Him receive a life that never dies.

So we see in our first message that He is the sum total of all things, “for in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). I ask one question in closing: Do you know Jesus Christ Himself?

Christ Is All and in All

The words found in Col. 3:11 — “Christ is all and in all” — will be the basis of our message today. When you take your Bible and go through it with this thought in mind, that Christ is all and in all, you will indeed have a rich study. You will find that Christ our Lord is all in creation, providence, redemption, grace and glory. Yes, He is in all events, making all to work together for the good of His people. He is in all places; for He compasses our path and our lying down.

Isaiah declares:

The Scriptures speak of our being complete in Him, for He is our all in all; that in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and that He is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (Col. 2:9–10; 1 Cor. 1:30).

In Rev. 1:8: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” As A is the first letter, so Christ is the First, the oldest of all things. He lived before the world was. As Z He is the last — He will be the same when this world passes away as a worn-out garment and the skies are rolled up like a scroll of parchment. He is “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psa. 90:2).

In Rom. 5:14 we find that the first Adam is the figure of Him that was to come, and in 1 Cor. 15:45 Christ is expressly called the Last Adam. As the first Adam stood for the whole human race and what he did was imputed to us — his sin and rebellion — so the Lord Jesus Christ stands as our Representative. What He did upon the cross in paying our sin-debt in full has been imputed to us; His obedience and righteousness has been imputed to all who believe.

Adam brought ruin; Christ brings salvation. So Christ is all and in all in His relationship to His people, and this should bring out the praise from our hearts.

Christ is also the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him (Heb. 5:9). Why is it called eternal salvation? Because Christ is the Author of it. He Himself is eternal life and becomes eternal life to all His people.

What is salvation? To be released from condemnation, to receive forgiveness of sins, and to be justified in the sight of God for the sake of Christ — this is salvation. To be lifted up out of the horrible pit of our depraved, sinful condition and cleansed with the blood of Christ — this is salvation. To be adopted into the family of God and made a member of His royal household — this is salvation. To be reserved from the power of sin, from evil passions, and delivered from the turmoil of evil tempers — this is salvation. To have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us to sanctify us and make us like Christ — this is salvation.

And there is more: the earth will be ours, death shall be ours, heaven shall be ours; and when we get there by God's grace in Christ we shall wear a crown of glory and white robes, walk the golden street of the heavenly city and drink of the river of God's pleasures forevermore. There the smile of God will be upon us, and our joy shall last forever because Christ Who is our life shall be there, in Whom we shall rejoice forever.

Christ Our Great Physician

When we speak of Christ in relation to His people, we speak of the One Who knows us, cares for us, understands us, loves us, prays for us, dwells in us by His Spirit, and One Who shed His precious blood for the purpose of cleansing His people from all their sins. In the Person of our Lord we have One Who is suited for every one of the needs of His people, from the youngest to the oldest; and One Who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities; for He Himself was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15).

What a privilege to tell you of Him Who is able “to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). I will speak to you today on Christ's relation to His people as our Great Physician.

He is a most skilful Physician, a most tender Physician as He deals with the sickness of sin in our lives. He knows by experience how to heal the broken in heart and bind up all their wounds (Psa. 147:3). He is skilled in the use of the Word of God, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, and with it He pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit (Heb. 4:12). He has operated on millions of sin-sick souls.

As the Good Physician Who loves us, He never deals with us but in honesty and frankness. He never applies a bandage to cover up anything, but goes to the root and cause of the matter. He never applies just a little soothing salve of works, but lets us know the worst about ourselves; then He applies the remedy which He Himself has worked out — the application of His precious blood by faith to our guilt-stricken conscience.

Another qualification that recommends this Great Physician to us is that all He does for us is free. He says in Isa. 55:1: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money, and without price.” He forgives us all our sins freely; He justifies us before God freely; He pays our sin-debt in full freely; He clothes us in His perfect robe of righteousness freely; He gives us a new heart and a new nature freely.

When we come to Him with our cares and fears and doubts and unbelief, He says, “Cast them all upon me, I care for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). When we come with our sins that trouble us, He says, “Confess them, for I am faithful and just to forgive you of every sin.” When we come with our need of material things, He says, “I shall supply all your needs according to my riches in glory” (Phil. 4:19).

Christ Who Is Our Life

There is one thought among many that stands out as we continue these messages: the expression “Christ, who is our life.” Brother John sets it forth in these words: “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Our Lord Himself declared at Lazarus' tomb: “I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25). Yes, Christ is the source of His people's life.

Dear friend, because you and I are dead in trespasses and sins by nature, Christ must speak to us by His Holy Spirit to quicken us and make us alive, or we shall forever lay dead without hope in the grave of sin. But praise His name, He Who called Lazarus out of the tomb brings us out of our grave of sin!

Let us walk through the Gospel of John and meditate upon the expression “Christ our Life.” In John 1:4 He is the Source of our life. In John 1:14 He is the Glory of our life. In John 3:5 He is the Power of our life — He plants in us the Seed of eternal life which is Himself. In John 4:14 He is the Water of Life — a well of water springing up into everlasting life. In John 5:24 His Word is the Assurance of our life — “he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” In John 6:48 He is the Sustenance of our life — “I am that bread of life.” In John 7:38 He is the Blessings of our life. In John 8:36 He is the Liberty of the believer's life.

In John 10:27–28 Christ is the Security of our life:

Security — oh what security: that Christ Himself Who is my life, is also the Security of that life! Since “my life is hid in Christ in God” (Col. 3:3), you cannot, Satan cannot, I cannot cause myself to be separated from Him Who is my Security.

In John 14:3 Christ's appearing is the Hope of our life. He said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” Yes, praise His name, He Who is our life is also our hope, for He is coming back to take us to be with Him forever.

In John 17:24 our Lord's High Priestly Prayer: “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedest me before the foundation of the world.”

These then are the many reasons why Christ is our life, for He Himself is the Author and Finisher of it all to His people. Children of God, rejoice that Christ Himself is your life. And to you who do not know Christ as your life, I say, seek Him with your whole heart and He shall be found of you (Jer. 29:13); for no one seeks Him in vain.