Colossians 2:6-10

Say a few things from last weeks text and then get in the text for today. We won’t cover that many more verses today so in the thought of learning I thought I would repeat and highlight a few things from last week.

Seeker Culture

Colossians 2:3 HCSB

3 All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.

We talked briefly last week about this verse and treasures of wisdom and knowledge are HIDDEN in Him.

So if the treasures are Hidden then what must we continually be doing as a Christ follower. You have to keep seeking.

You ever lost a treasure?

I have several times. Do you know how many times I have dug threw my trash can looking for a treasure that I have lost?

I search and search and search. We lost the key to Macy’s car and I looked and looked and looked. We lost the Key to the Rav and I searched and searched.

One day Jane called Amy and said I found something you might want. It was our Rav key after about 3 months or longer.

One day I took down the bread basket and there was Macy’s key in the bread basket.

I spent hours searching for these treasures.

We have to be a seeker culture and what makes a seeker culture is a culture of individuals who are seekers.

We are seeking the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are hidden in Him.

It does not say seek the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden in your favorite youtuber or your favorite teacher.

The goal is to seek Jesus.

Now combine this thought with verse 6 and 7

Colossians 2:6–7 HCSB

6 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude.

Walk in him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude.

Combine this with Matthew 28

Matthew 28:19–20 HCSB

19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We as a staff leadership team were able to attend Downline Ministries Summit several weeks ago. The emphasis there was on Disciple Making.

I love this emphasis.

Many times in the church world, especially in Southern Baptist life, is to put all the emphasis on conversion and little emphasis on disciple making.

I long that as a church we are disciple making church.

So to be a disciple making church we must have a culture that seeks out disciples

Seek out a Christ follower who you want to learn from and seek them out.

You see someone that is following Christ and you want to learn more about Jesus so you seek that person out so that you can know Jesus more.

You seek out those you want to learn from.

Currently Neil Franks continues to be my disciple

Also Steve Donaldson

I seek these guys out. I try to learn from them.

I seek Christ who is in them.

The shift in Disciple making that I love is

I am responsible as a Christ follower to seek some one to Disciple Me

We often get this wrong in church culture.

We think that everyone is responsible to seek me out

I need you to inspire me

I need you to coach me

I need you to teach me

You need to do all this for me.

I pay tithe so please make sure the worship inspires me today.

Make sure the message is inspiring me today.

The right way is to seek Christ in someone and seek them out to learn from them.

Ask them what their schedule is and see if you can ride along with them.

Ask them if you can drive them somewhere

Ask if you can join them in their Bible study

See if they have time to meet with you.

See if you can workout with them

Find times to be with them.

Colossians 2:6–7 HCSB

6 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude.

Find someone who is walking in Him and living Christ out daily then seek that person out. I seek Christ in you and I want to know Christ more. I am seeking the Christ in you.

So that I might be rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith.

and overflowing with gratitude.

Colossians 2:8 HCSB

8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ.

Addictive Personality Disorder

An addictive personality is not a formal mental health diagnosis, but rather a collection of personality traits and behaviors—such as high impulsivity, risk-taking, sensation-seeking, and low stress tolerance—that make an individual more prone to developing substance or behavioral addictions. It involves an inability to cope with stress, resulting in a reliance on substances or compulsive activities for comfort or pleasure. Wikipedia +3Signs and Traits of an Addictive Personality While not everyone with these traits will develop an addiction, common indicators include: 

Impulsivity: Acting on a whim without considering consequences.

Sensation-Seeking/Risk-Taking: A constant need for excitement and new experiences.

Difficulty with Emotional Regulation: High levels of stress, anxiety, or depression.

Low Self-Esteem: Feelings of unworthiness.

Compulsive Behavior: Inability to stop habits like gambling, shopping, or substance use, even when they cause harm.

Need for Instant Gratification: Difficulty waiting for rewards. Mayo Clinic Health System +3

Causes and Risk Factors The development of an addictive personality is linked to a combination of factors: 

Genetics: A family history of addiction increases the likelihood.

Environment & Trauma: Early childhood trauma, stress, or exposure to substances.

Mental Health Conditions: Pre-existing anxiety, depression, or ADHD. 

Colossians 2:8–9 HCSB

8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ. 9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ,

The Christians at Colossae had received everything they needed when they professed Christ as Savior and Lord?

Yes or No

The answer is a resounding YES

I am linking this addictive personality disorder for the sake of application of the text here because they had received everything they needed but some were coming to them and teaching that they did not have everything they needed. I suspect that the major influence in this was Judaism.

We come to this conclusion by what follows this text.

Colossians 2:11–23 HCSB

11 You were also circumcised in Him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of the Messiah. 12 Having been buried with Him in baptism, you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And 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. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him. 16 Therefore, 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. 17 These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is the Messiah. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm and inflated without cause by his unspiritual mind. 19 He doesn’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, develops with growth from God. 20 If you died with the Messiah to the elemental forces 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”? 22 All these regulations refer to what is destroyed by being used up; they are commands and doctrines of men. 23 Although these have a reputation of wisdom by promoting ascetic practices, humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.

Things that were big to the Jews with these new Christian converts

Circumcision

Disarmed rulers and authorities

Food and drink

Festivals

Regulations

Commands of Men

Then you also have

worship of angels

Visionary realm

Colossians 2:8–9 HCSB

8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ. 9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ,

So the Jews are seeking to take captive the Christian converts to Judaism. Yes seek Jesus but if you want more then follow the practices of the Jews once you have Jesus.

This letter says NO!

Don’t be taken captive through philosophy and empty deceit.

The temptation is for all of us.

It can be a stronger temptation, for those who would say I have an addictive personality, to trust Jesus as Savior and get tired of seeking only Jesus and his word so now you might start to go on to other things.

Some other reasons this might be attractive to these Gentile believers is that the Jews had received a pass on the festivals and practices of the Roman Empire.

So it is tempting to follow Judaism to get the free pass. It could also be tempting to follow Judaism because if they are getting a free pass then maybe that is the right road to go down. (Prosperity Gospel temptation)

Take Captive (N.T. Wright) Pun

A Greek-English Lexicon σῡλᾰγωγέω

σῡλᾰγωγέω,

Sylagogo

Synagogo Taking you into the Synagogue

v. 9

Don’t be taken captive and the reason for this is

In Christ all the fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ

Colossians 2:9 ESV

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

Only in Christ can one have fullness

Apart from Christ emptiness

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 2:9

Both Christ’s deity and humanity were challenged by this early Gnostic-like heresy. Those heretics diminished Christ to an angel whose “body” was only apparent, not real. Paul affirmed here that Christ is both fully God and truly man

Colossians 2:10 HCSB

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

Closing Story: The Toolbox

Several years ago, I was working on a project at the house. I had my toolbox out, and I was trying to fix something that should not have been that complicated. You know those jobs—supposed to take 10 minutes… turns into an hour.

So I did what most of us do.

I started grabbing more tools.

First a screwdriver. Then a drill. Then a different bit. Then a wrench. Then another wrench because surely the first wrench wasn’t “spiritual enough.” Pretty soon I had tools scattered everywhere.

I was convinced the problem was: “I just don’t have the right tool yet.”

So I kept adding.

More tools. More effort. More frustration.

Finally, Amy walked by and said, “What are you doing?”

I explained the problem in great detail—because when you’re confused, you like to sound smart.

She walked over, reached into the original toolbox, pulled out the very first tool I had used… adjusted one simple thing… and it worked instantly.

I had everything I needed from the very beginning.

The problem wasn’t that I lacked tools.

The problem was that I didn’t trust the one I already had.

Bring It Home

That is exactly what Paul is warning the Colossians about.

They already had Christ. They already had forgiveness. They already had new life. They already had fullness.

But voices were saying:

“You need something more.” “Add this practice.” “Add this rule.” “Add this experience.” “Add this system.” “Jesus is good… but not enough.”

And Paul says:

Don’t be taken captive.

Because when you start believing Jesus isn’t enough, you spend your whole life piling spiritual tools on the floor…

…and never use the One thing that actually gives life.

Tie Back to Seeking

Now don’t miss this:

We are absolutely called to seek.

But we are not seeking something beyond Christ.

We are seeking deeper into Christ.

Not new treasure. Not secret knowledge. Not religious upgrades.

Just more of Him.

The treasures are hidden in Him. The fullness dwells in Him. And Paul says,

“You have been filled by Him.”

Not will be. Not might be. Have been.

Final Image

So the Christian life is not like wandering around looking for another toolbox.

It’s like spending the rest of your life opening the one you’ve already been given… and discovering that every time you reach in, there’s more of Christ to know.

Final Charge

Church, don’t go looking for what you already possess.

Seek Him. Walk in Him. Be rooted in Him. Learn from those who follow Him.

Because if you have Christ—

You don’t need something more.

You need to keep discovering the fullness that was yours all along.