"The Triumphant Emperor"

Colossians 2:15

Bible Passage

Colossians 2:8-15 (CSB - Christian Standard Bible)

8Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.

9For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ,

10and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

11You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,

12when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

13And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses.

14He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

15He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

1

HOOK (Grab Attention)

Illustration

Stories, books, movies:

We love a good story of Good vs Evil with good winning in the end.

Especially when the story has a HUGE plot with so many facets of complication

It is such a relief when it has come to completion.

We have this REALITY in Jesus.

It is NOT just a story.

It is NOT a movie.

It is REAL LIFE.

Believe that.

2

BOOK

Bible Passage

Colossians 2:15 (CSB - Christian Standard Bible)

15He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

Explanation

"Rulers and authorities"

Who are they?

"Principalities and powers"

These are the rebel Sons of God from the Divine Council (Psalm 82 and 89)

from Genesis 6 who came down on Mt. Hermon and had children with the women

whom God spread out after the Tower of Babel and divided them among the nations

Gave them regions to rule, but YAHWEH claimed Israel as His own physical nation

We are apart of this nation in the spiritual aspect (Romans 9:6)

Deuteronomy 32:8

Bible Passage

Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (ESV - English Standard Version)

8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,

 when he divided mankind,

he fixed the borders of the peoples

 according to the number of the sons of God.

9 But the Lord's portion is his people,

 Jacob his allotted heritage.

Explanation

This WHOLE passage in Colossians is referring to the spiritual aspects of our reality in Christ.

Circumcision of the flesh

raising genuine believers from the dead, causing NEW LIFE in them.

Paul mentions something very interesting that describes these enemies of ours.

Colossians 2:8, 20

CSB = Elements

ESV = Elemental Spirits

What or who are these??

"Stoicheion" = the first things.  Preliminary things.  Primary things.

Now what is the "stoicheion" in the spiritual realm?

There is a multifaceted truth to this that Paul understands and all of them qualify here.

The Law led us to Christ

The Earth Spirits (Earth, Water, Air, Fire)

The principalities over nations and regions and realms that are in the unseen realm

the spirits behind the Teraphim in the households of the Jews

The "angels" who were on the necklaces of the Colossians for "protection"

Down to the unclean spirits who come from the Nephilim Giants destroyed in the Flood aka "demons"

YAHWEH is the MOST HIGH GOD and there is NO ONE LIKE HIM, but there are entities that He has placed in charge of things under Him.

Some are loyal to the Kingdom and others have rebelled and stolen worship for themselves.

Paul understands what kind of people the Colossians are, the way they lived and worshipped and how He is moving their focus onto Christ as SUPREME in the universe.

Bible Passage

Colossians 2:13-23 (CSB - Christian Standard Bible)

13And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses.

14He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

15He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

16Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.

17These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is Christ.

18Let no one condemn you by delighting in ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm. Such people are inflated by empty notions of their unspiritual mind.

19He doesn’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with growth from God.

20If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations:

21“Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”?

22All these regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines.

23Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.

Bible Passage

Colossians 2:14-15 (CSB - Christian Standard Bible)

14He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

15He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

3

LOOK

Application

What does all of this mean for us?

Through the Cross, Jesus:

Obliterated your sin and the record of it.  IT DOES NOT EXIST TO OUR FATHER.

He destroyed it in Himself on the cross and gave you His righteousness!

He "spoiled", "disarmed", "put off the" principalities and powers who have rebelled against Him.

Christ has freed you from their bondage on EVERY plane.

If you are in bondage as a genuine believer in Christ, it is because YOU put the chains on YOURSELF

If you are a slave to your sin and not to Christ, that is reason enough to examine if you are really born again...

4

TOOK

Challenge Application

When you are going through the different seasons of life:

good times

bad times

fun times

difficult times

Jesus has CONQUERED ALL of the enemy and is using us and our situations to put the enemy under our feet as his Sons and Daughters.

We are operating from VICTORY.  HIS VICTORY.

The game is over, we need only to keep our eyes on JESUS...Our Triumphant King and Emperor

He triumphed over them by His death, resurrection, and ascension.

"put them to open shame"/ "Disgraced them publicly"

LITERALLY means that he "made an example of them"

an "example" for ALL of the cosmos to observe and take note of.

Which side are you on?  Are you still holding on to your sin or have you given up, and thrown yourself on Him?

We need rescue.  The wages of sin is DEATH.  Destruction.

Jesus is returning and His reward is with Him to give to every person what they deserve:

whether it’s in Him

or in themselves

We will see Him, The Most High God, face to face soon...and those are born again will rule and reign with Him, over all realms, into the ages...

Bible Passage

Revelation 22:12-17 (CSB - Christian Standard Bible)

12“Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to repay each person according to his work.

13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

14“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

15Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let anyone who hears, say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life freely.