GROWING PART 2

Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.

So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.

INTRODUCTION

Good evening Southpointe, we are in the study on growing. So my question is what is growing to you and what is growing to the Word of God?

Growing : increasing in size and maturity; - of living things normally healthy and not fully matured.

Apostle Paul was concerned about the young Christians.

When you have something growing in the garden, then you are concerned about the weeds and disease and bugs that can come and destroy the plant.

Apostle Paul was giving three warnings beginning with verse 8 in to verse 19.

Warnings of things that could stop the growth or do harm to the health of the young Christian.

Let’s look at verse 8:

Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

Some put it this way: Don’t let anyone kidnap you!

Someone is out to capture the Colossians’ loyalty.

But actually it is worst than that, Apostle Paul used the term to refer to slave-raider which carried off it victim, body and soul.

There’s this disease that has came upon the crepe myrtles and it is called Black mold.

Show the picture of the black mold

This black mold will grows on branches and it will split off the tree, leaving an open wound for insects and disease.

The black mold is hardly notice but it slide in and rob the health of the tree.

Apostle Paul was telling the young Christians here be careful, people can come in with these ideas about new liberties but Paul says don’t go near them if you value your spiritual freedom.

The word philosophy here has no reference to the work of Greek Philosophy but it was dealing with teachers who was offering this deep knowledge of divine mysteries.

They would try to led them into this spiritual enlightenment or they would appeal to basic common knowledge, human knowledge over divine wisdom.

Paul said, they were trying to deceive them and that their words were empty.

He goes on down in Verse 9-15 tells the different.

For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. KJV

So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

No words can better describe the place Christ has in the purpose of God for man’s salvation.

1. In Him, meaning you have come to fullness of life in Him.

This means not for your future only but now right this moment.

For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

This means the fullness of forgiveness and redemption. If someone comes to Christ for salvation, then they have found in the Lord fullness of life.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

United with Christ, believers now share in all that Christ has won.

In Christ believers now have all that can be theirs in this world.

That word “rudiments” means elementary ideas, like ABC stuff.

Not only those things but the believers shares Christ’s victory, for Christ is now head of all rule and authority.

So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

This meaning that all supreme authority over all spiritual powers, you see the church is beneficiary, enjoying in Christ perfect freedom from all his enemies.

Christians are freed from dominion of darkness and need not to fear demonic power any more.

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

2. Fellowship with Christ.

When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.

For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

It seems that Apostle Paul was showing the truth verses lies. And many believe that these false teachers were telling the young Christians here that they had to believe their teachings are they could not have a deep union with God.

And it seems to be that the false teachers were telling them that it was fine to hang on to their sins as long as that believed.

Apostle Paul begins to write about your conversion and baptism, and Paul said, you were circumcised, you were buried with Christ, you were raised with Him.

But in that process, Paul speak of Spiritual circumcision. The key word to that is Spiritual.

They knew about the outward act which would be stripping off of the body of flesh.

But the Spiritual circumcision was without the hands of man, it an inward experience and it starts with the forgiveness of sins.

You see, every true disciple of Christ grieves over their own carnality, flesh, old nature, old man.

So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.

I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.

So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't.

I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.

I love God's law with all my heart.

But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Apostle Paul is saying to all of them that we all mess up but our answer is in Christ Jesus.

We can have victory over sin but it is not by human effort but through The power of Christ.

For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

3. Freedom through Christ.

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins.

He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.

In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross.

What Apostle Paul was showing in verse 13 was that we all are dead in sin, separated from God, and the only answer to that problem is to be raised from the dead thru Jesus Christ.

But in verses 14,15 show that When the Father gave His only begotten Son that it was impossible to withhold the benefits that came along with Him.

The blessings of the gospel were perfectly won for us at the cross of Christ.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

The penalty of sin, the demand of the law was nailed to the cross and by this it was cancelled.

Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins.

But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand.