10/15/23 - The War Has Been Won
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Mention Caleb and Taylor update
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Prayer
We’ve been looking at Spiritual Warfare.
Today, I have five truths for us to hold on to because...
The truth is, in this spiritual war...
Main Idea
We must remind ourselves daily that we do not struggle for victory but from victory
Struggling FOR victory would mean that the war hasn’t already been won and that we somehow have the power in ourselves to win it!
Struggling FROM victory means that the war has been won and that we are merely acting in the power and authority that our victorious king has made available to us.
So these 5 reminders are intended to be recycled every day, especially when you feel the struggle intensifying...
To struggle from victory, remind yourself that...
1. You Have Received Jesus Christ The Lord
1. You Have Received Jesus Christ The Lord
Remind yourself that...
You have received Jesus Christ the Lord
Paul is combatting philosophies and traditions that are counter to the gospel.
So he has to go back to the basics for a moment...
He’s reminding them not of who they are but of “whose they are”.
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
The way Paul forms his statements seems to indicate that what the Colossians received was a tradition and worldview that squashes all others.
I’m gonna quote a few resources to help us understand everything Paul is trying to say:
Receiving Christ also implies receiving the traditions about Christ—what he did and taught and what it means—and this tradition, rather than human tradition (v. 8), provides the guidelines for the Christian life
Thats good. But I love what this commentary adds too...
Speaking to the Christian Tradition…
Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 44: Colossians, Philemon Comment (2:6, 7)
The Colossians have received Christ himself as their tradition
Philippians, Colossians, Philemon The Application to the Colossians (2:6–7)
strong impression from the text is that they actually embraced him, not simply the message
Jesus is our tradition. Jesus is our life. Jesus is our ALL.
Jesus has come to them. And they have received Him… The real Him.
Not “buddy Christ” (Dogma), or “Jesus is my homeboy”, the feminine Jesus of the 60s and 70s, the still crucified Jesus predominating Catholicism, or the “Historical Jesus” fools have concocted in their so called “learning”!
Philippians, Colossians, Philemon The Application to the Colossians (2:6–7)
If Paul had written “Lord Jesus Christ,” attention would focus on the office of Jesus—his lordship. This calls for a different analysis. The word “Lord” is in apposition to “Jesus Christ,” and the article in the Greek accentuates his point (the Greek reads “Christ Jesus the Lord”). The statement means you received Christ Jesus, the one who is the Lord
So the Colossians received the real resurrected Jesus, the Lord of the Cosmos, Victor over death!
When we received the realJesus, we not only got Him, but we pledged our allegiance to Him!
When this renews our minds, we must let it do its work in us too.
rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Jesus must run deep within us.
Jesus must be who we build our lives upon
Our faith in Him and all that He has done and taught must be what we are established in.
And we must thank Him for all that we know and experience of Him.
Application
??When the battle discourages you, remind yourself that you have received The true Lord of all, Jesus Christ. He now owns you and holds you as His own.
I would begin to rehears the gospel to yourself.
Justification by faith.
Full atonement of sin in His blood.
Remember, we walk (or continue) in Him.
The gospel isn’t just where you start your Christian journey.
The gospel is also how you sustain your Christian journey
Remind yourself that you have received the Lord Jesus Christ
To struggle from victory, remind yourself that...
2. The Enemy’s Lies Are Empty
2. The Enemy’s Lies Are Empty
Remind yourself that...
You have received Jesus Christ the Lord
The enemy’s lies are empty
Now Paul addresses what we like to refer to as the Colossian Heresy.
Opening Up Colossians and Philemon The Colossian Heresy
The Colossian heresy
The church at Colosse was troubled by theological strife. There were some there, whom we will call ‘spoilers’, who were of the opinion that Christ Jesus alone was not sufficient for salvation, so they questioned his divinity and his gospel. Their hotchpotch of theology included philosophy, traditions of men, and worldly thinking (2:8). They gave place to authorities other than Jesus Christ and worshipped angels (1:16; 2:15, 18). The spoilers were also insisting that Jewish ceremonial laws were necessary for salvation and sanctification (2:16). All these things were part and parcel of the Colossian heresy. Intellectual it may have been, but spiritual it was not. It is generally agreed that this was not a full-grown heresy, but the beginnings of second-century Gnosticism.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Don’t receive slavery to philosophies or human traditions: It will take you prisoner and you will struggle to become free.
All anti-Christ philosophies, traditions, and lies have ONE source: THE DEMONIC.
Paul is basically saying that we must know our enemies motives and tactics.
Know Your Enemy: Sun Tzu in the art of war argued that in order to win a battle you must know yourself, with weaknesses and strengths, and then know your enemy and how he does things. Then that you should imitate your enemy in order to get the upper hand.
This is what I would like to call an Anti-Christ philosophy.
It sounds good. But,
We aren’t struggling for victory, but from victory.
Our strengths can’t help us.
Mimicking our enemy is the opposite of what our King has commanded.
We and our enemy are not the only two parties in this war.
Paul is not telling us to know our enemy as Sun Tsu says we should.
Paul tells us to know our enemy’s motives, tactics, BUT, most importantly,
We need to know our enemy’s inferiority to Jesus
Application
Students: Be mindful that you will encounter intentional attacks in the classroom.
Adults: Be aware that you are also still bombarded daily with lies that wish to enslave you! News, TV, Music, even policies at your work...
So I’d say to everyone:
Learn to recognize philosophies and human traditions when they are being presented to you...
like marxism, Freudianism, hedonism, theological liberalism.
Like Darwinism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism
Some Christians can be very naive and foolish when interacting with human traditions and philosophies. Usually, they do it because of a misguided sense of “unity” or “ecumenicalism” not ever realizing or admitting that, just like the Colossian heresy, these human tradition and philosophies are, as one commentator put it, “a purposeful attempt to draw Christians away from their [anchor point]”.
Most importantly, learn to recognize true gospel truth.
The more you ingest the scriptures the more you will be able to recognize that which seeks to enslave you while also falling more in love with the one who has freed you!
Philippians, Colossians, Philemon The Application to the Colossians (2:6–7)
sinking the roots of faith into the soil of Christian truth
Remind yourself that the Enemy’s lies are empty
To struggle from victory, remind yourself that...
3. You Have Been Filled In Christ
3. You Have Been Filled In Christ
Remind yourself that...
You have received Jesus Christ the Lord
The enemy’s lies are empty
You have been filled in Christ
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
Remember this:
We need to know our enemy’s inferiority to Jesus.
Please don’t take this the wrong way… But some athletes are inferior to others simply because their just not very good at their sport. Like me… I’m inferior Pastor Scott at golf not because he’s really good… But because I’m really bad.
Rather than our enemies inferiority being determined by who he is or his skill set.
Our enemy’s inferiority to Jesus is dependent upon Jesus’ infinite superiority.
Jesus is God. Jesus is completely God. Jesus is God in human flesh.
Philippians, Colossians, Philemon The Answer to the Threat (2:9–15)
Paul meant that the fullness of deity dwells in Christ. The expression is unusual, but the God-man relationship cannot be expressed well in human language. The fullness of deity was Paul’s way of stating that Jesus is every bit God
If this is true, then Jesus is indeed superior to all.
This is amazing in and of itself… But it just keeps getting better.
and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
This is not a statement saying that we are God just like Jesus. No.
The subject most agree that Paul is addressing and combating about the Colossian Heresy is SALVATION. And he’s going to continue dissecting it. But here, Paul is using a play on words to tell us that..
Colossians and Philemon 1. Spiritual Fullness in Christ (2:8–15)
In him, and in him alone, God has decisively and exhaustively revealed himself. All that we can know or experience of God is therefore found in our relationship with him.
We know fully, God’s character because we see it in Jesus.
We know fully, God’s affections because we see them exemplified in Jesus.
We know fully, God’s intentions because we see them and learned them from Jesus.
We know fully, God’s presence because Jesus has sent His Spirit to us and now we have Him with us and in us!
In fact, it is God’s Spirit who’s purpose is to bring to mind all that we know of Christ. The Spirit not only does supernatural physical things… He produces supernatural relational things. Relational things that are directly tied with how we view, see, understand, and relate to Jesus.
All our fully knowing is dependent upon the Spirit fully filling us.
Not on our own ability to comprehend it.
I have to admit…
I don’t completely understand how it all works, but I see it in the Scriptures. I’ve learned it in my life.
Sometimes I don’t feel like I’ve been “filled in Christ”… Then I doubt Him. I doubt my salvation. I test my boundaries. I play in sin....
This text we are looking at is exactly why what I’m sharing with you is soooo important!
I have seasons of deep darkness. You do to. I struggle at times because I’m always adopting, without realizing it, the western cultural philosophy I was born into because of the age we are in.
The Age of Instant Gratification
Thanks McDonalds. Thanks Netflix.
Application
Have you been entrapped by some type of weapon of the enemy? Are you struggling to comprehend God? Are you struggling with affections for Him? Are you struggling with your discipleship?
I plead with you beloved, ask your God to give you more of an outpouring and expression of His Holy Spirit! If he doesn’t give it right away… then keep knocking… Keep pleading...
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.
And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,
yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ”
And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
To struggle from victory, remind yourself that...
4. You Have Been Given Jesus’ Record
4. You Have Been Given Jesus’ Record
Remind yourself that...
You have received Jesus Christ the Lord
The enemy’s lies are empty
You have been filled in Christ
You have been given Jesus’ record
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Essentially here… Paul is reminding us that...
Jesus’ righteous pre-resurrection life is our righteous life now.
His perfection at keeping the Law, loving God, and loving people. When God looks at us, beloved, He sees a life that Jesus lived.
Jesus punishment and death for sin is our punishment and death for sin now.
All the wrath that has been stored up by God for sin, cosmic treason, has been poured out completely on Jesus, because, just as when God the Father looks at you now and sees Jesus, when God the Father looked at Jesus on the cross… He didn’t see the righteous Son He knew. He saw you and me in Him. And so he poured it all out on Jesus!
Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is now our resurrection from the dead.
Not only is Jesus the family head representing all of humanity. But the resurrection that Jesus experienced is promised to me and you!
As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, so the Son of God will resurrect the dead in Christ!
By giving us Jesus, God has demolished all the legal demands that were on us. The Law of Moses has no claim on us now.
And really, he has demolished any other type of legal demand that might be given to us through some human tradition or philosophy.
Think about it for a moment. Every type of human tradition has some type of self appointed legal demand:
You can’t eat this. You can’t say that. You can’t have that type of car. You can’t vote for this guy. You can’t drink that!
By the way, you owe this because this is your skin color. Oh, and if you don’t vote for me then you ain’t really this. You don’t have the right to your money because your supposed to let us give it to who we want. How dare you! You can’t say something like that because it hurts people’s feelings!
You should be willing to call this person that gender. Oh, you better not get upset that he’s in their locker room.
Theres gonna be hell to pay! Time to get canceled!
I’m not just speaking to one side of the political isle here. The enemy has infested all parties. He’s even infested churches.
You can’t drink that coffee in here, you might spill it, this is God’s house!
We shouldn’t help them because they don’t deserve it!
You can’t wear jeans to church. You wouldn’t dress that way to go meet the president would you?
You listen to John Mayer! Christians aren’t supposed to do that!
You shouldn’t work at a place that sells liquor. Drinking's a sin!
Look. Jesus demolishes all of it. So many people base their version of “salvation” upon the human traditions and philosophies they’ve embraced.
Anyone or anything that tells you that you need more than Jesus is lying to you!
Jesus is enough to put all these demands to death!
Application
When guilt comes to you, whether it be law guilt, pious guilt, warmonger guilt, green guilt, white guilt. Whatever it is that begins to entrap you, take it to the cross. And remind yourself of who and what God has nailed there!
If you heard something from my illustrations just a moment ago, whether you are convicted or not, I beg of you, turn from these demonic strongholds. Recant them. Disavow them. And put your hope and allegiance in Jesus and Him alone.
You have been given Jesus
To struggle from victory, remind yourself that...
5. Christ Has Triumphed Over Every Enemy
5. Christ Has Triumphed Over Every Enemy
Remind yourself that...
You have received Jesus Christ the Lord
The enemy’s lies are empty
You have been filled in Christ
You have been given Jesus’ record
Christ has triumphed over every enemy
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Our spiritual enemies have been stripped of their weapons.
This is speaking of their weapons against your soul.
Physically here: they may still tempt you and they may still accuse you.
But they are no longer able to accuse you to the father. The only weapon they had against you was your sin and their claim to take you to hell with them. But that has been completely eradicated.
You may still at times believe them and be lured to sin, which then they will just lie to you again and accuse you, but DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. They have NO CLAIM ON YOU.
Our spiritual enemies have been publicly humiliated
Our spiritual enemies have been completely defeated.
If you’ve seen or read C.S. Lewis’ The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe you will remember how Aslan’s enemies were so excited when he presented himself in place of Edmond. They celebrated. They mocked. They cheered. The Narnians were distraught. They were battling without hope. But when Aslan rose again and confronted the His enemies they were shocked. They were Afraid. And when Aslan killed the witch, they retreated utterly humiliated.
Beloved, this is what Jesus has done to our enemies by His resurrection from the dead!
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 2
The image is of a triumphal Roman military procession. The defeated king with all of his surviving warriors and the spoils of war were paraded through the streets of Rome, as a public spectacle for all to see.
Application
When you are accused to your face and shame comes and despair comes:
Remind yourself that THE ENEMY HAS NO CLAIM ON YOU!
And use the accuser’s lies for good by confessing your sin to God and turning from it!
Christ has triumphed over ever enemy
Remind yourself that...
You have received Jesus Christ the Lord
The enemy’s lies are empty
You have been filled in Christ
You have been given Jesus’ record
Christ has triumphed over every enemy
Because...
Main Idea
We must remind ourselves daily that we do not struggle for victory but from victory
In closing
I want to remind you all, that at one point, we were on the wrong side of this battle? Both willing enemies and enslaved captives.
The war has been won, not just for the defeat of God’s enemy, but for the ransom of our wretched souls.
Maybe you are still God’s enemy and satan’s captive slave.
Beloved, whether slave or free, let these final verses I am reading from Colossians 1 do the work they need to do in you today!
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.