Just Give Me Jesus

Introduction

Open your Bibles this morning to the book of Colossians chapter 1...

I read through this book this week as part of my Bible reading and some things jumped out at me, and that’s what I want to give you this morning...

Read selected verses from chapter 1...

Paul tells us in these verses that it’s all about Jesus…Jesus is Supreme above anyone or anything else…And moving forward into chapter 2 and 3, he gives us three areas where Christians put something in the place of Christ, and it’s these three dangerous areas that I want to preach on this morning for a little while.

I want to preach a little while this morning on the thought of “Just Give Me Jesus”

Paul says three things about this thought...

I-Not Philosophy, but Christ

Colossians 2:8 KJV 1900

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

In these verses, Paul warns against being taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophies.

The doctrines of men were varied, but they were all dangerous and damaging. He warns them not to be spoiled by such doctrine.

This has the idea of “leading off as prey, to carry away captive, to rob or kidnap.” He reveals the doctrines of men would rob believers of the abundant riches available in Christ.

He addresses four specific doctrines we are to guard against.

1-Philosophy

Human reasoning, intellectualism. A system of thought or discipline. Let me give you some popular examples:

Nihilism teaches “nothing, literally...” The key idea in Nihilism is the lack of belief in meaning or substance.

Existentialism teaches that humans have no predetermined purpose, and instead make their own through choices and actions.

Hedonism teaches that pleasure is the only thing that is intrinsically good or valuable and that pain is the only thing that is intrinsically bad.

There are many many more philosophies that exist in our day and I’d encourage you to go home and research them because when you do, you’ll see how they’ve all been mixed together in our society…What’s sad is everything about them is the complete opposite of the Truth found in the Word of God…

Paul warns against being ruined by these ideologies...

2-Vain Deceit

Lies, deceit, and intellectual fraud taught through subtlety. This goes right with philosophy...

3-Tradition of Men

This deals with the way men think when they ignore God and His purpose for life. The Pharisees and legalists were a continual presence surrounding Paul. Everywhere he went, he found tradition being held in higher regard than divine truth. This goes with point 2 this morning so we will be saying more about this in a moment...

4-Rudiments of the World

It is generally agreed this speaks of the base elements of the world: earth, water, wind, and fire. Some assume Paul spoke of an elementary view of theology that never embraced the profound truths of the Gospel and the divine plan of God for humanity. Others conclude this speaks of worshiping the creation more than the Creator. Both were prevalent then and now, and both are in error.

The Old Testament revealed Christ through types and pictures. Now we have the risen Christ. Many today continue to worship the stars and planets, placing more emphasis on them than the Lord who created them.

Why follow empty philosophy when we have all fullness in Christ? This is like turning away from the satisfying river to drink at the dirty cisterns of the world according to Jeremiah 2:13...

Of course, the false teachers in Colossae, just like today, did not ask the believers to forsake Christ. They asked them to make Christ a part of the new system. The problem with this though is it would only remove Him from His rightful place of preeminence.

Christ is sufficient! He’s everything, He’s all! It’s not philosophy, but Christ alone! You can have your philosophy, just give me Jesus!

II-Not Legalism, but Christ

Colossians 2:20–23 KJV 1900

20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

The doctrine of Legalism was prevalent in Paul’s day and it remains in our’s as well.

Did you notice that NO, NO, NO in verse 21..? This is a perfect description of Legalism…it’s defined more by what we don’t do, than by what we do…If you don’t believe that this has been a problem in our local churches, then go out and talk to people, and what you’ll find is that we are known more for what we are against than what we are for!

We have rules, but you shouldn’t wear them as a badge that you’re proud of and look down at everyone around you that don’t have the same rules...

People in our day, a lot like the Pharisees of that day, would wear their rules as a badge they were proud of…Hey, look at what I don’t do…I don’t do that, I’m better than you...

Adrian Rogers said, “Have you ever wondered what a church full of Pharisees would be like? 1. They would all attend every service 2. They would all tithe 3. They would all work in the church 4. They would all go to hell.”

I’m not advocating for abandoning the Biblical standard; there are things Christians don’t do, but here’s what I’m saying - GET IN THE BIBLE FOR WHAT YOU DO OR DON’T DO!

Legalism is closely associated with ritualism. Traditions of men...This is definitely a dangerous doctrine. Pastor Mike Stone commented, “If we forbid what God allows, our kids will allow what God forbids. Legalism and license are opposing sides of the same extra-biblical coin.”

Here’s the point, if you’re all the way over here to the right of legalism, you’re just as bad as being all the way over to the left of liberalism…Both are philosophies, that are ruining people!

I love what Bro. Nathan Orange put up on social media one day. He said, if the Pharisees are calling me liberal, and the Liberals are calling me a Pharisee, then I’m right where I need to be! Let me tell you something folks, if you’re in the Bible, that’s pretty much what you’re going to heard from both sides...

We don’t have time to discuss all the extra-biblical standards that are taught and followed today, but I’ll just sum it all up right here...

If God said do it, then do it. If God said don’t do it, then don’t do it. If God is silent then I am not going to be dogmatic and impose my opinion on others.

There is such a thing as a balance, and the balance is found in Christ!

Christ is sufficient! He’s everything, He’s all! It’s not legalism, but Christ alone! You can have your legalism, just give me Jesus!

III-Not Carnality, but Christ

Colossians 3:5–10 KJV 1900

5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

The Church is Colossae didn’t just fight philosophy and legalism…In these verses, Paul confronts the issue of carnality and sinful desires among believers.

The word mortify means “put to death.” Because we have died with Christ (that’s in verse 3), we have the spiritual power to slay the earthly, fleshly desires that want to control us. The problem is, we don’t always do that...

Paul gives us a list of sins that belong to the old life and have no place in our new life in Christ...

He first gives us sins of idolatry in verse 5…You might wonder how I come to that conclusion; not only does the Bible call it out in verse 5, but think about it; these are all sins that please the flesh, and when committed, we, in fact, make our bodies our god…Look at them:

Fornication—Sexual impurity of any kind.

Uncleanness—A life of impurity, fueled by improper motives.

Inordinate Affection—Depraved passions. A mind that dwells on sin.

Evil Concupisence—A lust for the sinful.

Covetousness—The sin of always wanting more.

After warning us against the sins of idolatry, Paul then pointed out the dangers of the sins of hostility in verses 8–9.

Dr. G. Campbell Morgan called these “the sins in good standing.”

We are so accustomed to anger, critical attitudes, lying, and coarse humor among believers that we are no longer upset or convicted about these sins.

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “We would be shocked to see a church member commit some sensual sin of idolatry, but we will watch him lose his temper in a business meeting and call it ‘righteous indignation.’”

These are sins committed toward our fellow man, most often in a hostile and aggressive manner. Paul speaks of:

Anger—Sudden outbursts, smoldering, resentful bitterness.

Wrath—Seeking the role of God and passing judgment on others.

Malice—Ill will toward another, desiring to injure and get revenge.

Blasphemy—Speech which slanders another, God or man. A common form is gossip.

Filthy Communications—Foul speech, course humor, obscene gestures.

Lying—Anything less that the absolute truth.

We are told to put off these things and put on the new man!

In salvation the old man of sin had died, he had been put off, and they had put on the new man. Rather than a life that reflected one dominated by sin, they were to live in light of Christ. There needed to be an awareness of the believer’s obligation to become more like Christ. The longer they were saved, the more they should reflect Christ.

The same is true in our lives. The longer we walk with Jesus, the more we should reflect Him. We should not be known and recognized for the sin we commit, but the Savior we serve!

Christ is sufficient! He’s everything, He’s all! Pauls says to us, It’s not carnality, but Christ alone!

Conclusion

Paul understood the dangers of being led astray by empty philosophies or legalistic demands that claim superiority over faith in Christ alone. That is why he urges believers to stand firm and rooted in Christ—lest they become entangled by deceptive teachings or distracted by worldly pursuits.

The message is to keep your eyes on Christ alone!

Listen to me, you become like what you look at…We must keep our eyes, not on philosophy, not on traditions, not on ourselves, but on Christ alone!

May we cling tightly to His truth, trusting in His all-sufficient grace to guide us, transform us, and bring us into a deeper intimacy with Him. Let us proclaim with joy that it is not philosophy, not legalism, and not carnality that can set us free, but Christ alone.

You can have your philosophy, legalism, and carnality, but I want to say with the Apostle Paul, “Just Give Me Jesus.”