Colossians 2:1-7 Part 2
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome to FCC where we worship God is Spirit and in Truth, one verse at a time.
We are so glad that each and everyone of you are here and that you came with expectation.
What expectation are you talking about?
The expectation that God will speak to each one of individually, as well as corporately.
The expectation of personal and corporate revival.
The expectation that God will do a work in our heart and conform us into the image of Jesus.
The expectation that we will leave with one nugget that will not only change our lives, but be so transformational that we share it with everyone.
What expectation did you come with?
Prayer
Prayer
Read Colossians 2:1-7
Read Colossians 2:1-7
Review
Review
Last week, we covered verse one and part of two.
And we looked into the heart of the shepherd, the Apostle Paul.
We are in the Lycus rover valley and in verse one Paul mentions Laodicea, so lets take a look again at the map.
This is the same Laodicea in that is mentioned in the book of Revelations Chapter 3 when John the revelator is talking about the 7 churches.
There is approximately 6-11 miles between these 3 small churches.
Today, this is called modern day Turkey
Last week we learned that Paul had a great struggle for the churches in Colossae and in Laodicea, we will learn later in Colossians about the church in Hieroplolis
The struggle was in prayer, the struggle brought him great agony (agon)
How do you know it was in prayer you might ask?
Paul was is Rome in prison, he was chained to 4 different Roman guards a day .
the only thing Paul could do for these churches was pray
And we all come to the place in our life where the only thing we can do is pray
But what is amazing is that Paul never met any of them, he did not know them, but yet was praying for them.
Do you pray for those you do not know? Do you pray for the church? Please, oh, please pray for our services and for the church at large!
2. We saw in verse 2 that Paul prayed for the hearts of those Colossae and Laodicea to be encouraged and knit together in love, agape love that is.
Encouraged- para-ka-leo- to be comforted (state) v. — to be or become consoled for sorrow or distress. To come alongside, to strengthen.
The Holy Spirit is known as our comforter church..
Para-kle-tos
Para-kle-sis
Encourage- give support to someone, confidence, or hope to (someone).
We all need people to come alongside us to encourage us, to love us, to counsel us, and to tell us when we are wrong.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Five: One Man’s Ministry (Colossians 1:21–2:3)
Shallow sympathy usually makes people feel worse, but true spiritual encouragement makes them feel better. It brings out the best in people.
F. F. Bruce comments: “Paul emphasizes that the revelation of God cannot be properly known apart from the cultivation of brotherly love within the Christian community.”
Knit together in love- süm-be-bä'-zo -it is a medical term in the Greek that means to unite or mend a broken bone, to join together with affection.
Do you know how the Holy Spirit encourages and comforts us? And compels us to press on?
It is through another brother or sister in Christ church!
We cannot be encouraged and knit together in love without the fellowship of the brethren
But without the fellowship of the church, we will rather become discouraged, we will isolate, and thus we will start making bad choices and fall into sin
Love cannot be exercised when we are by ourselves and all alone it is only exercised in the one another ministry
A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.
But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
Love is the glue that hold everything together!
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, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
So, Paul prayed for the church at Colossae and Laodicea to be:
Encouraged
For endearment, that they would be knit together in love
For enrichment, he prays for the Great Attaining church! His desires is that they would attain all this:
He prays that they would attain all the riches of the full assurance of understanding,
to the knowledge of the mystery of God,
both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge
Now your probably thinking what is all of this? So lets take a closer look into the heart of Paul for not just these churches, but the church for today.
I think it is important to remind you that Paul is shifting here to confront the Gnostics teaching that is going on.
The Gnostic were teaching that that they had secret knowledge, that Jesus was alright, but it needed to be Jesus and the secret knowledge they had.
Church, Jesus plus anything else is heresy! False teachers will always attempt to grab your attention by great words of wisdom and speech.
It like a infomercial that sucks you in and then next thing you are buying the product they are selling you
Or it like stopping by a car lot and the car salesman comes us to you and starts working you and soon your taking it for a drive.
But what he did not tell you is that when you drive it off the lot it depreciates $5000
Gnostic buzz words are full or fulness, knowledge and wisdom
They were bringing in:
Jewish legalism
Eastern Mysticism
Greek Philosophy
And we will learn about these as we move through this great epistle...
So Paul prays that they might have understanding and when one has understanding it leads to assurance.
Understanding-Sunesis -refers to applying biblical principles to everyday life.
Paul prays that they would take what the are learning and apply it into lives.
When we seek to understand the things of God we grow in the grace of God and are transformed!
but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
When we seek to understand the things of God that blessed assurance comes into our lives and it is not theoretical, but relational. It through spending time with the Lord in prayer and in his word, by fellowshipping with like minded people that we grow..
Blessed assurance
Blessed assurance
I can’t think of any greater treasure, any greater riches than knowing for sure that you are going to heaven.
If you have any doubts about your eternal destiny, your life is miserable.
Two things are important in coming to the place of assurance:
Two things are important in coming to the place of assurance:
Trust in Jesus
Your eternal destiny depends on whether or not you believe that Jesus died for your sins.
And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
Church, God doesn’t want you to wonder about your salvation. He doesn’t want you to say, “Well I hope it all works out”. He wants you to KNOW that you have eternal life.
The issue is trust. Do you trust Jesus? Have you trusted Him to save you?
2. Take care of unfinished business
Sometimes a person who has trusted in Jesus goes through a lot of doubt because of unfinished business.
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
I think that sometimes we can grieve the Holy Spirit.
He’s in our lives trying to help us follow Jesus, and instead we continue to live a life that’s displeasing to Him.
When you are living a life like the things described here, you ought to be concerned about your salvation.
Repent- Turn around. Get serious about your unfinished business.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Five: One Man’s Ministry (Colossians 1:21–2:3)
The mature believer has assurance in his heart that he is a child of God. The spiritual knowledge that he has in Christ constantly enlightens him and directs him daily. I have often counseled believers who told me they lacked assurance of their salvation. Invariably, they have been neglecting God’s Word and living in ignorance.
The mystery of God in this text points us back to:
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The mystery is the salvation is not only for the Jew, but for the Gentile alike. It is for everyone
And are Hope is Christ in you, the hope of Glory church.
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
In Jesus Church are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge
In Jesus Church are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge
Not in no one else, not in nothing else period
The Gnostics were trying to share with these churches that the treasures of wisdom and knowledge were found in their secret knowledge, not in Jesus alone
Listen, people knock on your door and want to share their books, what they are saying is that it is their books plus the Bible.
Just let them know Jesus and the Bible is all you need!
It does not mean that these treasures are hidden from you, but rather they are not just laying on the surface, you must go an a treasure hunt.
Treasures are not found without some diligence, without some work.
However:
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
treasures- the place in which good and precious things are collected and laid up, it a store house
wisdom – sophia – wisdom, broad and full of intelligence
Guess what word come from sophia?
Sophistry- sofes-tre- subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation with the goal of deceiving you
knowledge – gnosis – knowledge, understanding, intellectual asset, knowledge signifies in general intelligence
Scholars are a little unclear as to when the heresy of Gnosticism began.
Some claim that it might have begun 100 years before Christ.
Others claim that it had its roots in this church that Paul is writing to.
These are the same kinds of things that the Gnostics claimed to have.
Wisdom
Knowledge
Understanding
And the believe they had the fulness thereof...
They claimed to have secrets.
They claimed to have special knowledge (“Gnostic”) and wisdom.
In fact, one of their “gods” was a woman named “Sophia”. She was supposedly the one who gave birth to the god “Yahweh”, who would create the universe.
But shhhhh… it’s a secret …
Paul says that that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Jesus.
Not in religious system
Not in mans traditions
Not in this world or educational systems
But in Jesus!
People seek for Truth in everything bu Jesus!
Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.
I recall a story about a pastor who was concerned about some unsavory businesses that had opened near a school. His protests finally led to a court case, and the defense attorney did all he could to embarrass the Gospel minister.
“Are you not a pastor?” the lawyer asked. “And doesn’t the word pastor mean ‘shepherd’?”
To this definition the minister agreed.
“Well, if you are a shepherd, why aren’t you out taking care of the sheep?”
“Because today I’m fighting the wolves!” was the pastor’s quick reply, and a good answer it was.
When we see this text, this is not just an admonition for the Colossians or the Laodiceans, but for us.
Paul makes the connection between knowledge, wisdom, and, understanding and persuasive words that deceive.
That is exactly what the Gnostics were doing to these churches
That is exactly what happens today, we are surrounded by Gnostic church
In the Christian life, we never stand still: we either go forward or gradually slip backward. “Let us go on to maturity!” is the call we must obey (Heb. 6:1, literal translation).
The Christian who is not making spiritual progress is an open target for the enemy to attack and destroy.
Satan is deceptive.
He wants to lead believers astray, and to do this, he uses deceptive words.
The Greek term used here describes the persuasive arguments of a lawyer.
Satan is a liar (John 8:44) and by his lies he leads believers into the wrong path.
It is important that we exercise spiritual discernment, and that we continue to grow in our knowledge of spiritual truth.
Should we not grow, when the used car salesman comes, when the various groups of people that knock on our doors come, when you turn on the TV and listen to the TV evangelists wanting your money, when you turn on the TV set, when you navigate the computer, or when you read books that are not biblical, books that have a gnostic bent in them, guess what?
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Satan will come and place a veil over your eyes and blind you:
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
Colossians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Settled in Understanding
The basic attack of all false systems throughout history has been to deny either Christ’s deity, His sufficiency to save and sanctify, or both. Any group or person doing so is guilty of teaching “doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). As purveyors of another gospel, they are accursed (Gal. 1:8). Believers need to have a settled conviction about Christ’s deity and sufficiency to be able to withstand the onslaughts of such false teaching.
Is Jesus preeminent in you life? Are you growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Prayer
Prayer
Announcements
Announcements
Are there any announcements?
I have good news. There are three men getting baptized next week. Therefore, come out and celebrate what the Lord is doing!
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
The Lord Bless you!
Your Mission Starts now!