Colossians 2:1-10 - Be Alert
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Intro;
Intro;
Good morning.
We’re continuing our study of the book of Colossians this morning, looking at Colossians 2:1-10 - “Be Alert.”
Last Sunday night, we discussed the Gospel-encapsulating topic: “Making Known the Riches of the Glory of the Mystery of Jesus Christ.”
We talked about how I as a preacher (and you as a Christian, too) get to talk about the wonderful and beautiful message that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
In light of that, let’s make sure that we believe and teach the pure, UNADULTERATED, untainted Gospel of Jesus Christ … not ANOTHER Gospel, which is NOT another (Gal. 1:6-10).
That’s the essence of what we’re going to notice this morning — We need to “Be Alert,” we need to be watchful against the possibility of false doctrine.
The Text:
The Text:
For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,
This first verse of chapter 2 just emphasizes the point that Paul cared very much so about the church in Colossae …
And the church in Laodicea as well, which was nearby.
(By the way, how did THAT congregation end up?)
Really bad, right?! (They became Lukewarm to the point that Jesus wanted to spew them out of His mouth - Rev. 3:14ff).
Paul states that he really cares about these brethren — He had a “GREAT CONFLICT” for them!
Have you ever been CONFLICTED about something?
Should I do THIS or THAT?
Sometimes we get CONFLICTED in life …
This verse could also be translated “what a great STRUGGLE I have for you!”
Paul’s love for the brethren was a STRUGGLE — and in what sense?
I tend to think that it has to do with the fact that he loved and cared about them SO MUCH that he didn’t want to see them fall!
It was a great conflict carrying the burden of all the churches he worked with.
2 Corinthians 11:28 (After a long list of trials that Paul went through for the Gospel’s sake, he mentions - “besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”
P aul did not want to see the church at Colossae to fall into the hands of false teachers …
that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,
This, too, is my prayer for you and me — That our hearts will be encouraged by our study of this Book — and all our studies together!
That we would be “KNIT TOGETHER in love!” (Isn’t that a beautiful metaphor?) (But for those of you ladies you like to knit, it takes WORK doesn’t it?!)
And then notice what Paul wanted them to ATTAIN to? (Read “attaining to all riches ...”).
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.
In God are hidden ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge!
2 Peter 1:3 - “as His divine power has given to us ALL THINGS that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue!”
Proverbs 1:7 - “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found hidden in God and His Word!
But notice Paul’s shift here to the worry he had that the Colossians would be deceived away from the truth — “Now this I say lest anyone should DECEIVE YOU with persuasive words.”
Paul wants these Christians to be ALERT/on the LOOKOUT for false doctrine!
What specific false doctrine was trying to creep in at Colossae and other places? (Well, we’ll make note of that in a few verses).
For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
Again, Paul emphasizes as he writes this from a Roman prison cell that he is not with these Christians at Colossae, but he is with them in spirit!
He’s on their side! He’s pulling for them! He longs for their success!
He rejoiced to see their good order, the steadfastness of their faith — And remember, this congregation at Colossae had a fantastic reputation!
Wouldn’t it be a shame if that wonderful reputation was ruined by false doctrine creeping in?
Paul writes, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so WALK in Him!” (And we’ve had a sermon in this series dealing with the importance of WALKING worthy of Jesus Christ” (Again, verse 10 of chapter 1).
rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
What was to take root in the lives of these Christians?
The same thing that must take root in our lives — The Word of God!
The seed which is the Word of God - Luke 8:11 - falls on various types of soil according to the parable of the Sower:
The wayside soil, which is immediately snatched up by the devil,
The stony soil, which did not allow the seed to take ROOT,
The thorny soil, which choked out the seed and did not allow for it to become fruitful,
And the good soil, which took ROOT and produced fruit.
“ROOTED and BUILT UP in Him and ESTABLISHED in the faith, as you have been taught, ABOUNDING in it with thanksgiving.”
That is the hope for every Christian, that we would be rooted, built up, established, and abound in the faith!
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
So this is where we get to our main topic for today — “Be alert!”
Another way of saying that is “BEWARE!”
There were several early heresies that arose in the first century or two, shortly after the church was established:
I would say the most followed heresy in history has to be Catholicism I would think, but there were actually other heresies that cropped up considerably before it.
I’ll just mention some of these names and you can look them up if you want:
Montanism, the Judaizers, Marcionism, Manichaeism, and Gnosticism.
A lot of these were interrelated in their beliefs, but it’s Gnosticism that I want to talk about here.
The root word of Gnosticism is “Gnosis,” which in Greek means “knowledge.”
The Gnostics believed that they had some special revelation of knowledge that made them superior to just regular Christians! (Obviously, pride was at the root of this error).
There are 4 main elements of Gnosticism that are directly confronted in Colossians chapter 2:
The philosophy we just talked about, that they had a super knowledge compared to everyone else — (Read 2:3-4, 8),
The ritualism of the Judaizers (which Gnosticism had elements of) (The Judaizers clung to the Law of Moses when it had been done away in Christ) (Read 2:11, 14, 16-17),
Mysticism and angel worship (Read 2:18),
And asceticism, which needs some further defining:
Asceticism was tied to the Gnostic belief that everything physical is inherently sinful …
Now, does the Bible teach that we are to be SPIRITUALLY minded and not carnally (or physically) minded? (Of course).
But the Bible does not teach that everything physical in nature is automatically evil.
It is not evil to be born into this physical world, it’s not evil to eat, to drink, to breathe.
The marriage bed is not evil.
On and on we could go with this.
But the Gnostics said that everything physical was evil, and you needed a super level of knowledge to understand this, so that you could practice asceticism to rid yourself of that physical evil.
So they would do things like:
Withhold food from themselves …
Deprive themselves of sleep ...
Require themselves to be celibate …
And isolate themselves from society.
Colossians 2 deals with this element of gnosticism, too - (Read 2:20-23).
By the way — How do you defeat Gnosticism?
Prove that Jesus came in the flesh — John 1:14 (Which was a major reason for the writing of the Gospel of John).
So we say all that to say this — Paul was begging these Colossian brethren not to fall for these false doctrines that would take them away from Christ!
“Beware lest anyone cheat you ...”
The same warning is needed by all today as well!
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Again, this falls perfectly in line with John 1:14!
It also falls in line with John 1:1-3, and 1 John 1:1–4 as well: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Again, verse number 10 that we are finishing with this morning says: “And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”
We are complete in Jesus our King!
Not only do we not need any other Gospel, but we affirm there is NOT another Gospel (as we stated in our introduction - Gal. 1:6-9).
Thus, we must all be on HIGH ALERT to make sure that we don’t fall for the various lies and divisions that have branched off of and separated themselves from pure, true New Testament Christianity!
Are you a member of the pure and true church of Jesus Christ this morning?