Speaking out of Colossians 1, Tony Merida discussed the supremacy of Christ while kicking off the spring chapel series on Jan. 21 at the University of Mobile as he reminded students that Jesus alone is sufficient.
“This is a remarkable passage, and it’s a passage that leads us to faith, calls us to worship and motivates us to mission,” Merida said.
Subscribe to The Alabama Baptist today!
SIGN UP for our weekly Highlights emails.
Merida said he especially enjoys speaking with college students because it was during his own collegiate journey when the gospel took hold of his life and he surrendered his life to Christ.
“What happened to in me in college is what I’m praying for all of you,” Merida said. “Jesus captivated my heart. He absolutely changed my life. In Colossians 1, we have a passage that really exalts Jesus, arguably as well as any other passage in the New Testament.”
Merida is the founding pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, the vice president for planter development for the Send Network, as well as serving as a board member of The Gospel Coalition. He is also the author of several books, including “The Christ-Centered Expositor,” “Ordinary” and “Orphanology.”
Supremacy of Christ
“To believe that Jesus is enough and to believe that Jesus is sufficient, you first need to believe that Jesus is supreme,” Merida said. “It’s the supremacy of Christ that leads us to believe in the sufficiency of Christ. If we doubt that Jesus is enough, we really don’t understand who He is. Once you understand who He is, then you can see that Jesus is all I need.
“This matters for your own salvation to believe that Jesus is enough but also for your day-to-day life. If you’re here today and struggling with some sort of conflict, difficulty or illness, I want you to hear that Christ is enough. He meets us where we are, He strengthens us and sustains us, and He will sustain us until we see Him.”
‘Joy in chaos’
Merida shared a personal testimony with students of how important it has been for him to mediate on foundational truths of Scripture over the past year as his wife was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.
“Initially, it did not look good at all, but thankfully by God’s grace, rounds of chemo, two surgeries, 16 rounds of radiation and prayers from people all over the world, she is currently in remission and has clean scans and we’re really thankful,” Merida said. “We’ve sung the song, ‘Firm Foundation,’ with extra passion this year. I’ve still got joy in chaos. I’ve got peace that makes no sense. I’m not held by my own strength. I’m not going under. He has been faithful in every season. He has never let me down, so why would He fail now? He won’t. If you don’t believe that, you need to read Colossians 1 and hear what Paul is saying that Jesus really is enough.
“In all of the highs and lows of life, the big questions of life like eternity and for the day-to-day, we need Jesus every day of our lives. Paul showed us that Christ is enough. What I want to show you in this text are five characteristics of Jesus that he exalts and ask that you would consider today and would lead you to worship and lead you to mission.”
As Merida continued diving into the characteristics of Jesus from this passage, he emphasized Christ’s clarity, Christ’s creation, Christ’s control, Christ’s church and Christ’s cross.
“Once you understand who Jesus is, you are able to understand and recognize false teaching,” Merida said. “Jesus made the invisible God visible. He provided clarity to what God is like. Jesus is unique; there’s no one like Him. Because we have a preeminent Christ, you can know the peace of Christ. If we don’t have the peace of Christ, we need to go back and make sure we’re considering Jesus rightly. When we see Him for who He is, then we can endure hard things and can even pursue hard things knowing that He is with us and for us.”
‘In the game’
“We live out of the overflow of the heart. You’re going to worship someone or something, and when you love Jesus deeply, you live out of your love for Him. Jesus is the head of the redeemed people of God, and we are the body,” Merida noted. “The church is an organism, a living body and not an organization. The church is the means by which Jesus carries out His mission on earth. When you go to a church, it’s not like you’re going to the movies. It’s like you’re joining the army. You are a participant in the mission. We are part of the team together. We’re not watching the game. We are in the game. It’s no small thing to be a part of a church. You are intimately connected to Jesus Christ. When Jesus is captivating your heart, you want to say to everyone, ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good.’”
‘He is enough’
Merida concluded by encouraging students to hold onto Jesus throughout every season and every situation because of His sufficiency and supremacy.
“If Jesus can hold together the cosmos, He can hold me together in my chaos,” he said. “Whatever I’ve got going on, He is enough. We should never look to Jesus in our trials and think He’s not enough. He’s holding everything together. He’s got us. He will hold us fast. It is through faith in Jesus that God declares us righteous in His sight. He took my place so I could receive His righteousness, and this is why we sing praise. Because of Jesus, my greatest problem has already been solved. When your tank is empty, remember the tomb is empty.”
Share with others: