Colossians 2:11-15

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

I want to help close this thought from last week. If you were not here, then you can go back and watch online.

We all lean towards an addictive personality. Some more than others. Our flesh or sinful desire is to pursue more and more and more.

We lack CONTENTMENT

Paul is writing this letter to the believers at Colossae and they have heard the good news of Jesus. They have received it.

The Jews have came in and said just Jesus and the Gospel is not enough.

You must also add to the good news of Jesus and he list the things they need to resist

In our addictive personality, it is easy for us to not be satisfied with the Gospel.

We start to chase after Gospel plus other things.

For them in Colossae, it was the Jews who said yes the Gospel plus circumcision, festivals and food laws.

I will see people give their lives to Jesus and want all that the religion of Christianity has to offer. They end up getting a whole lot of the world and not much Jesus. (confusing I know, Seek Jesus and His word) (Our youtube sermons)

Today’s text is some of the things that they were hyper fixating on that was not Jesus. It has to do with the law.

I have this image in my head that I want to recreate for you. Imagine with me that Amy and I are out on a date to a nice restaurant. We sit down at the table.

I get my phone out as she is sitting across from me and I start to get on her facebook/instagram and start to scroll her page.

She starts to tell me a story and I keep scrolling then I interrupt her and say I saw that on your facebook.

She pauses then we continue.

She starts to tell me all the things she likes about me and I say to her oh I saw your post. I saw what you said about me on there.

Things get really quiet.

I start to scroll her pictures and I think to myself. She is so pretty. Wow. Look at that pic. I love this pic of her.

She is sitting across the table from me. She is live and in person.

I am fixated on her facebook page and believing that seeing her online is more than spending time with her in person.

The real Amy is across the table from me. She wants to actually talk to me and she wants to say nice things to me personally and not just post them online.

This image helps me understand todays text.

Paul writing from prison says the law points to a Savior.

Jesus is Savior. You have trusted Jesus as Savior. Jesus is Savior.

Don’t add to Jesus. The law.

Jesus fulfilled the Law.

Colossians 2:11 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.

Who is Him refer to? JESUS

Jesus from verse 9

Colossians 2:9–10 HCSB

9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Jews are wanting to add to their salvation a physical circumcision.

Paul through the Holy Spirit writes this scripture to the church in Colossae and says

You were Circumcised Spiritually in Jesus. The Law points to Jesus coming and fulfilling the law.

Romans 2:29 HCSB

29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That man’s praise is not from men but from God.

Colossians 2:11 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.

Not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh

This speaks to them making the physical act an idol.

It reminds me of the Israelites with Aaron in Exodus and Moses goes up to meet with God and then they make a Golden image with their hands to replace God.

Application point for us

We receive Jesus as Savior and Lord and then we are not content in Him but keep pursuing. (Meeting a mormon on your doorsteps, buying more Christian tshirts than tithing, giving away 90% of your income)

These physical things start to creep in and become the pursuit instead of Jesus and His word.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament Chapter 2

But the flesh loves to be religious, so long as that religion does not have a cross to crucify the flesh.

Verse 11 In Christ you have been brought in. In Christ, you meet the regulations. In Christ, you have been made righteous.

Jesus is sitting at the table. He fulfills the law and makes us whole. Resist the temptation to act in our flesh without Jesus.

The text continues

Colossians 2:12 HCSB

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.

So that his death is counted as their death and His resurrection is also theirs.

Baptism demonstrates that being a Christian means dying with Christ to the old way of life and its habits and it also means coming alive to a new family of God and its new life style.

In many countries, baptism signifies leaving all to follow only Jesus. If you are baptized, then you are saying that you are joining a new family. The act of baptism can be extremely dangerous because of this.

Some lose their family because they leave a false religion and follow Jesus.

It is the dying to our old life and old ways but it is ALSO being raised to life in a new way. Following Jesus is an adventure.

Colossians 2:13 HCSB

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.

Every Jew would agree with Paul that the Colossians in their pagan days they were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh

Ephesians 2:12 HCSB

12 At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

Good news of the passage…

He made you ALIVE with Him and forgave us all our trespasses.

Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary c. Already Free from the Law’s Demands (2:13–15)

The logic of such constructions is that, when God looks at those who are ‘in’ Christ, he reckons that what is true of Christ (particularly his death and resurrection) is true of them also.

Paul says Forgave us all

How many of our sins are forgiven? All

Total number of Sins forgiven? All

Notice that Paul uses this word (Circle us) Although the Jews had physical circumcision. They just like their pagans needed forgiveness.

In all my years of pastoring here, I recognize that we can give kids a hot meal on Wednesday nights, We can work to provide affordable housing, We can give kids rides to church, We can support them at their events, We can employ them, do summer programming.

One things we can’t do that only God can is Forgive them of their sin.

Forgiveness is also so sweet when you come to find it. It is a rest for our soul.

Colossians 2:14 HCSB

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.

Galatians 5:19–21 HCSB

19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The certificate of debt.

Taking a nail and scratching through them. Then taking the nail that nailed Jesus to the cross and nailing this certificate to the cross.

Colossians 2:14 HCSB

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.

Colossians 2:15 HCSB

15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him.

The picture here is the major plot twist.

Its a picture of a king returning from war and he would parade through the streets and he would show all the stuff he had gained from defeating the enemy. He would show how he disarmed all the rulers and authorities.

Paul writes and says this is what Jesus did.

He went to the cross and the sign was put over his head that read Jesus King of the Jews. That is indeed who he is.

He came to save.

They thought they were killing Jesus and yet Jesus willingly went to the cross to bring about victory for us.

Luther called this the ‘wondrous exchange’

2 Corinthians 5:21 HCSB

21 He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary c. Already Free from the Law’s Demands (2:13–15)

As the representative of his people, Jesus dies their death on the cross, so that, dying it with him, they need never die again. This is how God has dealt with sin, so that his people may have new life.

So let me bring us back to the picture we started with.

Imagine sitting at the table with the person you love… but instead of talking to them, you’re staring at their social media page.

You’re looking at pictures of them… reading posts about them… scrolling through what they’ve said…

All while they are sitting right across the table from you.

That’s what Paul is trying to wake the church up to.

Don’t settle for the shadows when Jesus Himself is sitting at the table.

Don’t chase religious activity when Jesus already fulfilled the law.

Don’t keep adding things to the Gospel when the Gospel has already finished the work.

Because look at what Jesus has done for us.

You were dead in your sin… and He made you alive. You had a certificate of debt… and He nailed it to the cross. You were guilty… and He forgave all your trespasses. You were bound by sin… and He disarmed the powers that held you captive.

Church, that is not partial forgiveness. That is not temporary forgiveness.

That is total victory in Jesus.

Every sin. Every failure. Every shameful thing from your past.

Nailed to the cross.

And when Jesus walked out of that tomb, He didn’t just win a victory for Himself.

He won it for you.

That’s why following Jesus isn’t empty religion.

It’s not rules. It’s not chasing spiritual experiences. It’s not adding more and more and more.

It’s a relationship with the living Savior who sits at the table with us.

And the good news today is this:

You don’t have to chase satisfaction anymore.

Because in Christ you are already full.

You don’t have to keep paying a debt.

Because Jesus already paid it.

You don’t have to keep living in your old life.

Because you were buried with Him… and raised with Him… to walk in a brand new life.

So church, let’s not chase shadows.

Let’s sit at the table with Jesus.

Let’s fix our eyes on Him.

Because everything we need… everything we are searching for… every bit of life and freedom…

is found in Christ alone.

Amen.