Don't Get Sucked In (Part 2)
Finding Our Sufficiency In Christ! • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsWe are to find our completeness in Christ instead of man's traditions or philosophies.
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Empty Tradition
Empty Tradition
I won’t ask for a show of hands because some of you are probably too embarrassed to acknowledge it, but Cleveland Browns fans are perhaps some of the most loyal fans in all of sports…Browns fans view Sunday as the main event of the week and arrive early to Cleveland Stadium for tailgate parties and talk Browns incessantly until game time when they filled the stadium to root on the Brownies…that all changed in 1996 when owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore and changed their name to the Ravens…Browns fans were devastated but that didn’t stop them from doing what they had done for years…on opening day, September 1, 1996, they did what they always did for the last 46 years…they wore their Browns jerseys, waved their Browns flags, held tailgate parties at the stadium and chanted “Let’s Go Brownies”…then shortly before game time, they marched to the stadium gates but they stadium was quiet and empty…
Until 1996 the Cleveland Browns football team had some of the most loyal fans in all of sports. For them Sunday was the main event of the week. Early on Sunday morning they came to Cleveland Stadium to enjoy tailgate parties and talk about their beloved Browns, and then in the afternoon they filed to the stadium to cheer and holler.
But all that changed in 1996. Owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore and changed its name to the Ravens, crushing the hearts of Cleveland fans.
Surprisingly, that didn’t stop these fans from doing what they had done for years. On opening day, September 1, 1996, some fans showed up at Cleveland Stadium just as they had done for the last forty-six years and held tailgate parties. They wore Browns jerseys, waved Browns flags, and chanted, “Let’s go, Brownies.” Then shortly before 1 P.M. they refilled their cups and marched to the stadium gates. But the stadium was quiet and empty.
Traditions die hard, especially religious ones. An empty tradition is an end in itself, a habit without meaning. It is cheering fans without a team or a game, for God is gone
their tradition had become empty, a habit without meaning…for many a Browns fan, Sunday was a day to find release from the pressures of life and for at least one afternoon to identify with a gridiron hero and find fulfillment in celebrating victory…
According to Lisbeth Levine in the Chicago Tribune, for several years TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey carried on a running public battle against excess pounds that many people can identify with. Having tipped the scales as high as 237 pounds, she tried one diet after another. The weight would come off but then later come right back on.
Then in 1993 Oprah found a new personal trainer named Bob Greene. Greene gave Oprah a ten-step program that included guidelines such as (1) exercise aerobically five to seven days a week, preferably in the morning; (2) exercise at an intensity level of 7 or 8 on a scale of 1 to 10; and (3) work out for twenty to sixty minutes each session.
But Greene’s ten steps were not the most important bit of coaching he gave Oprah. He turned the tide for Oprah by helping her understand why she wanted to eat so much. In People magazine Oprah said, “For me, food was comfort, pleasure, love, a friend, everything. I consciously work every day at not letting food be a substitute for my emotions.”
When we’re sad, lonely, feeling empty, eating is one way we can try to fill the void.
Similar to the substitution of excess food for love, we often use things in this world to try to satisfy our true need for God. God designed us to live in relationship with him. Therefore we will feel empty until we love him and walk with him. To substitute things like sex, money, success, and family is to fight a losing battle.
Browns fans are still coming up empty but they hold out hope that this year will be the year!
Much like Browns fans, we often find ourselves searching for something to cheer about, some way to be identified with something worth celebrating only to become disillusioned with what we find…when we go after what the world says is worthy of our efforts we come up empty every time!
Are you here this morning and finding yourself empty? Are there things you are pursuing that just don’t seem to bring you satisfaction? Where are you turning for answers to life?
With those thoughts in mind, let’s turn to …as we continue our journey through Colossians to Finding Our Sufficiency In Christ.
As you are turning there, by way of introduction I’d like us to take some time...
Breaking Down Paul’s Argument in Colossians
Breaking Down Paul’s Argument in Colossians
Breaking Down Paul’s Argument
Breaking Down Paul’s Argument
Breaking Down Paul’s Argument in Colossians
Breaking Down Paul’s Argument in Colossians
We know from that Paul’s heart for this church and her sister churches was that Jesus would have first place in everything...he was so concerned about this for them that he prayed very specifically...
he also was concerned enough about them to pray a very specific prayer for them.
He heard of their faith —
He was thankful for their love for one another because they knew of
the glory that awaited them —
He was also thankful for their love in the Spirit —
But he also was concerned enough about them to pray a very specific prayer for them.
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Paul wanted them to understand God’s will with all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that they become spiritually mature, in fact not only is he praying for that, he is striving for it……to grow in maturity they needed to stay strong in the fight against false thinking and teaching…they needed discernment...
Paul is fighting for them to be spiritually mature……he is concerned for them and their sister churches…he wants them to stay strong in the fight against false thinking and teaching...
So he begins to lay out a formula for them to aid them in their fight...
He was also concerned that enough of them were beginning to follow the false teachings and it needed addressed...
So he begins to lay out a formula for them to aid them in their fight...
Paul’s concern for them to show discernment was so strong he appeals for it four different times...
, , , …
Let me give you that formula...
Don’t Be Deluded By What Sounds Good! ()
— let no one delude you…that includes you…oftentimes we justify our actions or in-actions by deceiving ourselves with arguments that make sense, but are not in accordance with the whole truth of God’s Word…so we need to be discerning not just of what is said out there, but also what we say to ourselves in our own heart!
Find Your Completeness In Him. ()
Talking about this today...
Don’t Be Intimated By Man’s View of Spirituality. ()
Lord willing we will deal with this next week!
Then he is going to show us what that kind of life looks like ()
Then throughout the rest of the letter, he spends time telling them how all this plays out practically ().
The point is, that if the Colossian people were to stand against the false teaching and the emptiness of following something or someone other than Christ, they needed to be discerning and to allow that discernment to impact the way they chose to think and act!
The point is, that if the Colossian people were to stand against the false teaching and the emptiness of following something or someone other than Christ, they needed to be discerning and to allow that discernment to impact the way they chose to think and act!
Just as powerful as that message was for their day, it is equally powerful ours…there is a great need among God’s people to know the truth of His completed Word and to allow that completed Word to have an impact on their thinking and behavior…
...far too many believers today choose to live by emotions and what feels good to them or what sounds good to them; instead of living by the principles of God’s Word…
We want to consider the second element of Paul’s formula for finding our sufficiency in Christ…you and I need to develop greater discernment to...
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
That word “observe” has to do with “obedience, keeping”
Our Mission
We want to lead people to Christ and teach them to think and act biblically.
Our philosophy of ministry is the same as Paul’s in …
Our philosophy of ministry is the same as Paul’s in ...
Our Philosophy of Ministry
We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.
For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.
Proclaiming Christ to every generation
from the youngest to the oldest we are focused on learning the Word of God and what He expects for us and striving to put that into practice!
We are seeking to do that with wisdom along with warning, for the purpose that we all grow to reflect the character of Christ more fully!
So with all that in mind as you open your Bible today to , we want to consider the second element of Paul’s formula for finding our sufficiency in Christ...
As you open your Bible today to , we want to consider the second element of that formula...
Find Your Completeness In Him
Find Your Completeness In Him
and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
Why should we find our sufficiency, our completeness in Christ alone?
Two reasons...
Man’s Philosophies Are Empty and Deceptive. ().
Man’s Philosophies Are Empty and Deceptive. ().
Philosophy is a combination of two Greek words...
Man’s Philosophies Are Empty and Deceptive. ().
Man’s Philosophies Are Empty and Deceptive. ().
Phileo…meaning “love”
Sophia…meaning “wisdom”…how knowledge impacts your daily life...
Together, philosophy is “a love for wisdom”…it is the love and pursuit of wisdom…Man’s philosophy is a love for wisdom apart from God...Christianity shows a love for the wisdom of Christ...
Man’s philosophy is a love for wisdom apart from God...
Christianity shows a love for the wisdom of Christ...
all of us, in a sense are philosophers…we view our world through a particular lens…we all interpret and follow a set of philosophical principles regarding the world in which we live…WORLDVIEW… ours is a biblical worldview...
.Everyone has a worldview in which they seek answers to the age old questions of “who am I”, “Why am I here” and “Where am I going?”
Paul wanted them to know some things about following worldly philosophies…first he wanted them to…
Be aware of their danger!
Be aware of their danger!
See to it = command meaning they are to constantly be on guard, need to recognize your enemy is near…Paul says, “I want you to be very, very careful here”…be careful in your own mind, be careful in your families, be careful in your church…
This does not mean we are to be paranoid and suspicious of everyone but rather have a constant awareness…don’t get lazy with your faith!
This is a constant theme in the NT
; ; ; ; Peter 3:1
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Matt 7
And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
“Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
Acts 20:29
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;
This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
Captive = rare word in the NT, has the idea of being carried off as booty, taken as spoils of war or kidnapped…please take note this is not written to unbelievers…
Captive = has the idea of being taken as spoils of war or kidnapped...
Many who fall prey to the cults and other false teaching have once had an association to the church in some way, but because of their ignorance of the truth of Scripture, they were, or are carried away like spoils of war!
Many who fall prey to the cults and other false teaching have once had an association to the church in some way, but because of their ignorance of the truth of Scripture, they were, or are carried away like spoils of war!
Elizabeth Hill testimony...
Paul is warning them to be alert to the false philosophies of the world because apart from Christianity and a right understanding of Biblical truth, all other philosophies either deny God or have an unbiblical view of Him and that is very dangerous...
Paul is warning them to be alert to the false philosophies of the world because apart from Christianity and a right understanding of Biblical truth, all other philosophies either deny God or have an unbiblical view of Him and that is very dangerous...
Secondly he tells them to...
Sophia…meaning “wisdom”
Together, philosophy is “a love for wisdom”…it is the love and pursuit of wisdom…
Christianity shows a love for the wisdom of Christ and in that sense it is a philosophy...because everyone has a world view, all of us, in a sense are philosophers…
Together, philosophy is “a love for wisdom”…it is the love and pursuit of wisdom…because everyone has a world view, all of us, in a sense are philosophers…everyone wants answers to the age old questions of “who am I”, “Why am I here” and “Where am I going?”
...because everyone has a world view, all of us, in a sense are philosophers…
...everyone wants answers to the age old questions of “who am I”, “Why am I here” and “Where am I going?”
Worldly philosophies vainly attempt to answer those questions of ultimate reality…Christianity provides the ultimate answers...
Paul is warning them to be alert to the false philosophies of the world because apart from Christianity and a right understanding of Biblical truth, all other philosophies either deny God or have an unbiblical view of Him and that is very dangerous.
Be alert to their origin.
Be alert to their origin.
“according to the tradition of men.” …just because something is said repeatedly or observed frequently doesn’t mean it fits with the whole of Scripture… “we’ve always done it this way, or this is what I grew up believing” doesn’t mean it is always the right thing…you search it out…you measure it up, regardless of where it came from...
“according to the tradition of men.” …just because something is said repeatedly or observed frequently doesn’t mean it fits with the whole of Scripture… “we’ve always done it this way, or this is what I grew up believing” doesn’t mean it is always the right thing…you search it out…you measure it up, regardless of where it came from...
This is one of the greatest filters we can use…does the line of thinking you are seeking to follow originate with God or does it originate with man?
Sometimes false teaching comes in the form of research. Sometimes it comes in the form of opinions. Sometimes it comes in the form of history.
The argument seems compelling. It seems to make logical sense. But the person never opens their Bible and proves the validity of their comments...
Search the Scripture, ask questions, seek clarity...
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Paul continues by pointing out their need to...
Refuse to accept the content of their message.
Refuse to accept the content of their message.
Refuse to accept the content of their message.
Refuse to accept the content of their message.
“empty deception”. ..these words in the NT are pretty broad.
They function as umbrella terms for systems of thought and the implications of that system.
Janine and I have friends in Indiana whose daughter was horribly murdered in Indianapolis which made the National News, you could do an internet search for Amanda Blackburn to read more…we had the privilege of serving with her parents Phil and Robyn Byars (Amanda was one of the children in our Awana Ministry)…(Phil is now the Pastor of First Baptist Church in Elkart)…at one particular counseling conference they shared their testimony and relayed the message that some people encouraged them to curse God for what the Lord allowed to happened to their daughter…with power in his voice, Phil said “I will not curse God. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know how to feel or what to think right this moment. But I know this…I will not curse God.
I have no idea what those people were hoping to gain with their “counsel” but Phil was able to filter their words through the truth of Scripture he already knew…he confessed he didn’t know what he should be doing, but he knew what he couldn’t do...
Cling to God…yes
Run towards God…yes
Confess his hurts to God…yes
Curse God…no…that is what Job’s wife did...
Man’s philosophies seek answers apart from God and will only leave you stuck in a world and condition cursed by sin instead of delivering you to the marvelous kingdom of Christ that is filled with Him and His grace.
Man’s philosophies seek answers apart from God and will only leave you stuck in a world and condition cursed by sin instead of delivering you to the marvelous kingdom of Christ that is filled with Him and His grace.
If your search for answers for life take you away from God and His Word and your relationship with Christ, you will always come up empty!
He then challenges them to...
Sometimes, it does not come with an open Bible.
Other times in comes in content that does not scream out Jesus.
Worldly philosophy is inconsistent with Christ...
Be advancing forward, not backwards.
Be advancing forward, not backwards.
According to the elementary principles rather than Christ …this is a difficult portion of the text…some translations differ on the English words they put into the text.
there are a couple of different ways this phrase could be interpreted--but the bottom line is that Paul is taking a jab" at the false teachers claim to "depth."
interpreted--but the bottom line is that Paul is taking a
"jab" at the false teachers claim to "depth."
they wanted to be viewed as "deep thinkers”, having spiritual depth
the phrase "elementary principles" was also used to describe the alphabet in Paul's day.
the alphabet in Paul's day.
it is very possible that He is bringing up the picture of returning to the first day of school...the false teacher's best attempts at giving deep answers to life are shallow and even backwards...
returning to the first day of school.
the false teacher's best attempts at giving deep answers to life are shallow and even backwards...
life are shallow, superficial, and reductionistic.
the point is -- why would a believer, who has tasted of the heavenly riches of Christ -- want to find supposed answers from the shallow well of the world?
heavenly riches of Christ -- want to find supposed answers
from the shallow well of the world?
“its like earning a doctorate and then going back to kindergarten (John MacArthur)
kindergarten (MacArthur)
If there has ever been a day to beware of the things listed in , it is today...it plays into how we complete the following statements...
verses of Scripture are saying?
if there has ever been a day to beware of the things listed in , it is today.
state of American Christianity.
- if there has ever been a day to beware of the things listed in
, it is today.
It plays into how we complete the following statements...
It plays into how we complete the following statements...
I will be happy if _________”
I have a right to _____________”
I will earn favor from God and others if I ________”
I will be blessed if ____________”
In contrast to the emptiness of worldly philosophy, Paul states that...
Jesus Provides Authentic Completeness ().
Jesus Provides Authentic Completeness ().
Our Identification With Christ Provides Great Confidence ().
God Completely Exists in Jesus ().
God Completely Exists in Jesus ().
We’ve seen this word for fullness before back in — it is a word that means the sum total of all that God is, all of His being all of His attributes...
In Paul’s day, much like ours, people did not want to believe that Jesus is God…they thought Jesus was a mere angel whose body was only apparent, not real…that he only came from God instead of being God…just like then, today there is either a denial of his humanity or a denial of His deity...so Paul makes it abundantly clear that all of what makes God God exists in Jesus permanently and bodily…he is both fully God and fully man...
So what we have in Jesus is the perfect God-man…the one who stands in the gap for us…the one who bridged the gap between us and God that was created by sin…He is the one who is able to bring God to us and make us fit to be in God’s presence…there is no reason to go anywhere else…to go through anyone else...
There is no fullness in man’s philosophies that are based on faulty and sin cursed reasoning...
“Life is an empty bubble on the sea of nothingness” Philosopher Jean Paul Sartre
Jesus Completely Exists In Us ().
Jesus Completely Exists In Us ().
As a result of sin, man is born separated from God and is incomplete...
Incomplete spiritually because we are separated by sin and out of fellowship with God...
Incomplete morally because we are out of God’s will...
Incomplete mentally because we do not know understand ultimate truth...
At the moment of salvation we are marvelously made complete in Christ…the fullness of God dwells in Christ and the fullness of Christ dwells in us!
The fullness of our life comes from the fullness of Christ in us…it is through Christ that we partake of the Divine nature… …we do not become God, we simply share in Him.
With Him as our Head, there is no need for us to be sucked in to pursuits of wisdom outside what we have in him...
1. We have complete salvation (11-12)
1. We have complete salvation (11-12)
The false teaching that threatened this church was a conglomeration of mysticism, astrology, philosophy and legalism...
The false teaching that threatened this church was a conglomeration of mysticism, astrology, philosophy and legalism...
Apparently here there was a belief that adherence to the OT law was necessary for salvation…the OT Law required that on the eighth day after birth, all Jewish boys were to be circumcised as an outward sign they belonged to God’s covenant nation of Israel ()…However, God continually emphasized the circumcision of the heart (; ; )
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
Roman
Paul is confirming they have already received Christ’s spiritual circumcision through their identification with Him in baptism…as a result, they do not need the outward sign of physical circumcision to legitimize their identity as God’s people.
A legalistic adherence to the Law or man-made traditions is not for the Christian because we have already been completely delivered from the law’s demands in Christ…we have been freed from sin’s dominance and judgment and anxiously await the time when we will finally be free from sins presence!
A legalistic adherence to the Law or man-made traditions is not for the Christian because we have already been completely delivered from the law’s demands in Christ…we have been freed from sin’s dominance and judgment and anxiously await the time when we will finally be free from sins presence!
Before salvation we are completely dominated by our fallen human nature…but our new nature in Christ was created in righteousness and frees us from that domination...
The reason we still sin is because this body of flesh is corrupted by sin and as long as our new nature exists within this sin cursed body there will be a struggle with sin…See
Our new life is found in Christ alone…we are identified with Him in baptism (of the Spirit and by water) and his resurrection…Paul writes this as an event that has already taken place…the Greek verbs here are very expressive…co-buried, co-raised, co-made alive!
Since he is completely God and we are completely identified with Him what more do we need?
2. We have complete forgiveness (13-14)
2. We have complete forgiveness (13-14)
This is related to what Paul just said but is from a different perspective...
In our salvation is complete apart from religious rituals
Here he states that our salvation is complete apart from human works.
Dead in your transgressions...The way Paul constructs this sentence he communicates that before salvation, we existed in the sphere or realm of death…to be spiritually dead means we are completely unable to respond to God…God’s Word and spiritual truth makes no sense to us…
The way Paul constructs this sentence he communicates that before salvation, we existed in the sphere or realm of death
uncircumcision of your flesh is a reference to the Gentiles being outside the covenant of God…before salvation our situation is hopeless…we are outside of God’s covenant, we are dead with no ability on our own to respond to Him...
He made you alive…God initiated the salvation process because we were dead and could not respond to him…as a result of our union with Christ we now have complete forgiveness…this ought to bring us great joy!
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
Colossians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Complete Forgiveness
That God forgives the sins of those who trust in Him and includes them in His eternal kingdom and glory is the most important truth of Scripture
I love how Paul describes our forgiveness here…cancellation of debt…let’s walk through his word picture here...
Certificate of debt — handwritten note and signature that a debt was owed…we would call this an IOU…decrees is a reference to the dogma of the Law…Regardless of how good you may think you are, we cannot escape the truth that all of us owe a debt to God that we can never repay because we broke His law in every aspect!
Hostile to us means that there is enough evidence of our violations of God’s law that we stand guilty of deserving judgment in hell!
Canceled out is a word that means to wipe off…like erasing a chalk board or white board…
back then the ink used to write on the papyrus would not sink in to the parchment, remaining on the surface and if the scribe wanted to use the material again he would wipe off the ink...
In the same way, Paul declares that God has wiped the debt of our sin clean by nailing it to the cross…not a trace of it remains to be held against us…Jesus paid our debt in full and the holiness of God was satisfied…not only did Jesus cancel our debt, other Scripture reveals that He delivered us from the demands of the Law into grace...
But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
14
Now because of COMPLETE FORGIVENESS we can walk in the Spirit and by virtue of our obedience to Christ we fulfill the Law.
COMPLETE FORGIVENESS!
so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Rom
Now because of Christ we obey out of love, not as a slave to fear!
3. We have complete victory (15)
3. We have complete victory (15)
3. We have complete victory (15)
3. We have complete victory (15)
I love the imagery Paul uses here…it is that of a Roman general who was triumphant in battle parading his defeated captives in the street.
We don’t need mysticism (18-19)
Disarmed literally means “stripping him”…who is this talking about?
We have a completely new life in Him ().
We have a completely new life in Him ().
Satan and all his hoard were defeated at the cross and Jesus put an end to their futile attempts to stop salvation…He made them powerless….
We are completely forgiven ().
We are completely forgiven ().
Made a public display of them…exposed them for what they truly are....
Man’s Evaluations of Maturity Are Meaningless ().
Man’s Evaluations of Maturity Are Meaningless ().
We have had our sin debt completely cancelled ().
We have had our sin debt completely cancelled ().
Triumphed over them…He won a complete victory over them and returned in triumph...We are free from the power of Satan and stand victorious in Christ…
We have been made completely victorious ().
We have been made completely victorious ().
We are free from power of Satan and stand victorious in Christ…
Man’s Evaluations of Maturity Are Meaningless ().
Man’s Evaluations of Maturity Are Meaningless ().
So what does all this mean for us today…
There is no need for any believer to step outside their relationship with Christ to find that which will bring them greater fulfillment. All we have and need is in Him alone. Whatever you are searching for, find it in Christ.
There is no need for any believer to step outside their relationship with Christ to find that which will bring them greater fulfillment. All we have and need is in Him alone. Whatever you are searching for, find it in Christ.
They seek to disqualify your growth ().
They seek to disqualify your growth ().
Pray…transition to God Will Make A Way
They seek to glorify man, not God ()
They seek to glorify man, not God ()
Spiritual Growth only comes from God ().
Spiritual Growth only comes from God ().