Colossians 2:11-23 Guard Your Treasure

Intro:

In the old testament, Israel got into trouble with God because it worshipped other gods

They ended up in captivity for 70 years as a result

Interestingly, it started out innocent

There were two prominent gods when Israel inhabited the promised land, Baal & Asherath

Baal was the god over weather and the elements

Israel worshipped Baal in hopes their would be rain for their crops

Asherath was the god over fertility

Israel worshipped Asherath because they needed children to work the farm

Israel didn’t start out by forsaking God and rushing to worship the others

The Israelites added these on to their worship of God

They thought it wouldn’t hurt to cover their bases by increasing their odds of a better harvest and more children

The problem is that these god required worship at their temples and that included sleeping with the temple priestesses

It would often include child sacrifice

What started out as an insurance turned into blatant sin and an eventual destruction of the family and country

It ends up stealing the treasure God blesses his children

There are other things out there that Christians try to add to their faith that they think will enhance their walk with the Lord

We are going to look at some of those this morning

You have to be careful to guard the treasure because people out there want to steal it

Read Colossians 2:11-15

Transition

Paul wants the Colossians to live under the power of Jesus

He wants them to know they don’t need to do anything else except follow Him

Makes You Alive vs. 11-15

In order to guard the treasure God has blessed you with you need to know what that treasure is and what is does for you.

The treasure of God makes you alive

For the third time in Colossians, Paul lists out the blessings and benefits Jesus gives his followers

These blessings bring to life every believer

vs. 11 Circumcised

The first blessing we see is that we have the circumcision of Christ

This isn’t a physical circumcision, but a spiritual one

Most of the Colossian Christians were Gentiles who had never been physically circumcised.

Paul assures them that they were indeed circumcised in a spiritual sense, which is even more important than physical circumcision.

Apparently, they were being taught that they had to be circumcised to be right with God.

These direct claims reveal that Paul writes Galatians to combat people who arek pressuring the Galatians to undergo circumcision and submit to the law of Moses as a means of completing their Christian experience.

Douglas J. Moo

Paul makes it clear that they were circumcised, by putting off the sins of the flesh.

God has cut off the body of sins

Our spiritual circumcision meant the putting off of the old man.

“The Greek word for ‘putting off’ denotes both stripping off and casting away.

The imagery is that of discarding – or being divested of – a piece of filthy clothing.”

You have been separated from your sins and all the judgment that comes with that.

vs. 12 Raised in Faith

The next blessing we see is that we have been raised in faith

Baptism is the ceremony that symbolizes us dying to our old sinful life and being raised a new creation

That is what we publicly declare when we get baptized

You are being raised to a new life by your faith in Jesus Christ

God is doing the work of regeneration in you because of the death and resurrection of Jesus

vs. 13 Forgiven

The third blessing we see is that we are forgiven

We don’t just get a fresh start, but a clean slate

You were dead in your trespasses

The Bible uses three words for sin

Trespass = Being where you’re not supposed to be

Iniquity = to bend or go astray

Sin/ Transgression = Missing the mark like an archer

Paul says we were dead before Jesus because we weren’t where we were supposed to be

But we have been made alive in Jesus Christ

There is only true life in Jesus

Everything else is a fake and empty

He is the only one who can forgive your sins/ trespasses

What a blessing

vs. 14 Debt Cancelled

The fourth blessing you receive is your debt is cancelled

All of that sin comes with a debt that needs to be paid

I love how Paul describes this one

Your record has been cancelled

The debt has been wiped out

There were legal demands that stood against you

If you have ever been through the legal system you understand these three areas

Committing a crime can remain on your records for years

That follows you every where

There are legal demands you have to fulfill

That may men time served or probation

Finally, you have to repay the debt you incurred with your crime

If you go out to the Federal penitentiary you will find guys working to make a very small wage, of which a large portion goes towards repaying your debt to the victim

Your sin does the same with God

You have a record, a debt you can’t pay, and a sentence of death

Jesus wiped all of that clean by nailing it to the cross

Feeling more blessed?

Sin not only separates

The guilt and shame that come with our sins can be removed

vs. 15 Disarmed Principalities

The final blessing that we see this morning is that Jesus has disarmed principalities

Satan and the demons thought they had victory on the cross but it ended up in defeat

Jesus went and took the keys to this world and proclaimed victory to the enemy

These demons don’t have the same weapons to use against Christians that they have against those who are not in Jesus

Think about that for a second

He accomplishes victory over them on the cross

Disarms them and prevents them from fully attacking you on earth

You start to understand what Isaiah meant when he said “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.”

Paul says if the rulers of this age had known they would’ve never sent him to the cross

1 Corinthians 2:8 ESV

None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

By rulers, he means both the spiritual powers of darkness and their earthly representatives

Not only did he disarm them but led them in triumphant procession

2 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

Paul had Roman victory parade where a conquering general led the defeated captives through the streets in triumph

Think about those five blessings that come in the treasure of your relationship with Jesus

You are separated from sin in your spiritual circumcision

You are raised in faith

You are forgiven of your sins

Your debt is cancelled

Your enemies are defeated

This makes us quite the treasure

All of these Make you alive in Christ

IF you are alive in Christ, then make sure that no one cheats you out of your treasure

Let No One Cheat you vs. 16-19

It’s important to guard your treasure because people will try to cheat you

The opening “so” is important.

It connects this thought with the previous thought.

Because Jesus won such a glorious victory on the cross, we are to let no one judge you in food or in drink or in other matters related to legalism.

A life that is centered on Jesus and what He did on the cross has no place for legalism.

We are going to look at two ways people try to cheat you out of enjoying your treasure

vs. 16-17 Let No One Judge You

The first way people cheat you out of enjoying your treasure is that they judge you

Legalists were threatening the church

Judaizers were requiring them to get circumcised and then follow the Jewish Kosher diet

The Old Testament law had certain provisions that are done away with in Jesus, regarding such things as food and sabbaths.

It isn’t that those laws were bad, simply that they were a shadow of things to come.

Once the substance – Jesus Christ – has come, we don’t need to shadow any more.

It went beyond that to attending festivals and the Sabbath

Christians are therefore free to keep a kosher diet or to observe the sabbath if they please.

There is nothing wrong with those things.

However, they cannot think that eating kosher or sabbath observance makes them any closer to God, and they cannot judge another brother or sister who does not observe such laws.

Legalism is exhausting

Vegan in Breakfast restaurant

My friend Lance and I were at a conference Mon-Wed this week

On the way home we stopped for breakfast at the cool place in San Dimas

As we stood in line to order there was another party that was taking a long time to order

Turns out one of the people were vegan

She was upset because there weren’t any meals marked vegan on the menu

She then proceeded to ask questions about everything they ordered

When she got her food she took it back because it was up to her standards

I looked at Lance and said legalism is exhausting as a I took a bite of my egg and bacon taco

vs. 18 Let No One Disqualify You

The second way we see Christians get cheated is that they let people disqualify them

The gnostics delighted in false humility, worship of angels, and being smarter than everyone else

They would then in turn judge everyone not like them

They are puffed up by their sensuous mind

That means they did these fake religious acts because they were driven by their sexual desires

People will try to belittle you to overcompensate for sinful lifestyle

It is a way to silence you and the voices in their head

When you walk in the liberty of being made alive in Christ, you don’t need the approval of other people

You can be set free from those chains

vs. 19 Godly Growth

Instead, pursue Godly growth

Die to Worldly Principles Vs. 20-23

Guard your treasure by dying to worldly principles

vs. 20-21 Don’t Submit to Regulations

vs. 22 All Things Perish

vs. 23 Appearance but No Value