I.　The issue of our experience and enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ is the church as the new man:

A.　The only way Christ can be all and in all in the new man is for Him to constitute Himself into us.

B.　The process of being constituted with Christ takes place through our enjoyment of Christ—Col. 1:12; 2:16-17.

II.　Colossians 2:6-7 reveals that Christ as the good land is the rich soil in which we have been rooted so that we may grow with the elements that we absorb from the soil—cf. 1 Cor. 3:6, 9; Col. 2:19.

III.　Colossians 2:8-15 presents a full description and definition of Christ as the soil, in which we do not lack anything; as we take time to absorb Him as the all-inclusive land for our enjoyment, the facts in these verses become our experience—cf. Deut. 8:9:

A.　Christ as the soil is the One in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily—Col. 2:9:

1.　Fullness refers not to the riches of God but to the expression of the riches of God; what dwells in Christ is not only the riches of the Godhead but the expression of the riches of what God is—v. 9; 1:15, 18; 3:10-11.

2.　When we are rooted in Christ as the soil, we are made full in Him; we are filled up with all the divine riches to become His expression—Eph. 3:8, 19.

3.　In Christ as the soil we are filled, completed, perfected, satisfied, and thoroughly supplied; we do not lack anything—cf. Phil. 1:19.

4.　Christ as the soil is the history and mystery of God with all the riches of His person and processes—Col. 2:2:

a.　Christ is God—John 1:1; 20:28-29; Isa. 9:6; John 14:9-10; 2 Cor. 3:17; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Acts 2:36.

b.　Christ is man—1 Tim. 2:5; Acts 7:56.

c.　Christ is our necessities—John 14:6:

(1).　He is our light—8:12.

(2).　He is our air—20:22.

(3).　He is our water—4:14.

(4).　He is our food—6:35.

(5).　He is our clothing—Gal. 3:27.

(6).　He is our lodging—John 15:5.

(7).　He is our enjoyment and rest—Col. 2:16-17; Matt. 11:28.

d.　Christ is our divine provision—1 Cor. 1:30:

(1).　He is our power—v. 24b.

(2).　He is our wisdom—vv. 24b, 30b.

(3).　He is our righteousness—v. 30b.

(4).　He is our sanctification—v. 30b.

(5).　He is our redemption—v. 30b.

e.　Christ is to the church:

(1).　He is the Head of the Body—Col. 1:18.

(2).　He is the Body of the Head—1 Cor. 12:12.

(3).　He is the foundation of the church—3:11.

(4).　He is the cornerstone of the house of God, the church—Eph. 2:20.

(5).　He is all the members of the new man—Col. 3:10-11.

B.　Christ as the soil is the Head of all rule and authority—2:10.

C.　In Christ as the soil there is the killing power, which puts the flesh to death— v. 11.

D.　In Christ as the soil there is an element which causes us to be buried—v. 12a.

E.　In Christ as the soil there is an element which causes us to be raised up— v. 12b.

F.　In Christ as the soil there is an element which vivifies us—v. 13.

G.　In Christ as the soil there is the wiping out of the handwriting in ordinances— v. 14.

H.　In Christ as the soil there is the victory over the evil spirits in the atmosphere—v. 15.

IV.　We must take time to enjoy the Lord as the all-inclusive land so that all the elements of Christ as the rich soil may be absorbed into us for us to be made full in Him in our experience—2:10a:

A.　We need to allow adequate time for prayer, which will enable us to absorb more of the riches of our God—4:2; Dan. 6:10:

1.　Our contact with the Lord should not be rushed; if we are in a hurry we shall not be able to absorb much of His riches.

2.　We need to spend more time in our spirit to adore the Lord, to praise Him, to offer thanks to Him, and to speak to Him freely.

3.　We need to forget our situation, our condition, our failures, and our weaknesses and simply take time to absorb the Lord—Luke 8:13; Matt. 14:22-23; 6:6.

4.　If we would absorb the riches of Christ as the soil, we need to have tender, new roots—cf. 2 Cor. 4:16.

B.　As we absorb the Lord's riches into us, He permeates and replaces us with Himself until all of our natural distinctions have been eliminated and we become the new man in reality.