Built Up In Christ
Notes
Transcript
Date of issue: 1378
The most famous of structural failures has to be the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Situated behind the Pisa Cathedral, and known simply as the Tower of Pisa, the tower was originally built to house the bell of the Pisa Cathedral complex.
The tower was built on an entirely unstable foundation. An altogether too-small limestone base of only 10 feet deep was built into a dense clay bed, which meant the tower was never going to last. Only three levels of the planned eight were completed by the time a war broke out between city-states, which gave the foundation time to settle, possibly preventing a collapse while the building continued.
Only five years after completion, the tower started to achieve its now famous lean, slanting at nearly 10 degrees. In the 1990s authorities believed that the building was about to collapse, so they took action by adding 600 tons of counterweights to the base. This preserved the building giving it the signature lean that has made it a beloved tourist attraction. However, structurally this building is a complete failure and one earthquake away from being a pile of ruined rubble.
When things are not built on a proper foundation there will always be dire consequences. Most times there will not be a a visible slant to the construction, rather a a pile of ruin. When you look at the leaning tower of Pisa your mind says, something just isn’t right and the same thing happens when you observe people who live without a firm foundation in Christ.
And like a building with a faulty foundation, we must be careful to be built upon Christ the solid rock. He is the cornerstone of our faith. We want to ensure we are built up properly and avoid living lives that lean, or worse yet, crumble. Today we will observe the importance to be.
Built Up In Christ
4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.
5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Pray with me!
We must remember the context of our passage here in relation to our previous messages. Paul had heard a good report of the church, that they responded to the gospel and were growing in their faith. They were filled with grace and love, but it had also been reported to Paul that there was false teaching and heresy creeping into the church.
Paul tells them... Remember the mission, remember the truth of Christ, remember the gospel that saved you, remember the God who loves you. Remember all those elements, for those are critical to fight against false teaching. You will not crumble to ruin if your foundation is Christ. Paul links together all these elements to keep the Colossians from failing and falling to Deception. We too want to ensure that we are not deceived and continue to be Built Up In Christ.
We will observe.
The Warning of Deception (v4-5)
The Remedy to Deception (v6-7)
The Ways of Deception (v8)
First we will observe the Warning of Deception.
4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.
Here is The Warning
After over 30 verses Paul finally gets to the main point of this letter. The English standard version gives us a high culture translation for this verse; “That no one may delude you with plausible arguments.” I want to simplify the language and bring the warning of Paul to life. Here is the warning.
Don’t be deceived. Don’t fall for the trap, don’t accept the counterfeit. No matter how enticing the arguments sound, don’t do it.
Remember Paul prayed that the believers would further continue to embrace the gospel. Paul prayed that they would live in the power of Christ. Paul motivated them to know their mission and pushed them to live to the glory of God. Now Paul gives his warning. Do not be deceived.
The language of the New International Version helps us to better understand what Paul is trying to communicate.
4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
There are going to be many people that try to entice you to believe a lie. They are going to try to bait you in with sugar-coated half-truths. Their logic is going to be precise, their reasoning is going to be spot on and their rhetoric is going to be flawless. Their argument is going to be difficult to argue against. No matter what. Don’t be deceived. Don’t trade the truth for a lie, no matter how well-crafted the argument may be.
Don’t let anyone deceive you. They will peddle half-truths as whole truth and they do it oh so convincingly. Whether its through their millions of books that they sell or the perceived power they display in their speaking. Always take it back to the Scriptures, always take it right back to the firm foundation of Christ. Don’t let anyone deceive you.
Paul then goes into a positive spin of this negative warning.
5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
In the previous verse he gives a warning and here he says, “he is rejoicing to see your good order and firmness of your faith.”
Don’t be deceived, but i know you won’t because of the firmness of your faith. He is pastoring them in a absolutely brilliant way. He is giving the warning and then encouraging them at the same time. This passage before us today is truly literary genius. The Holy Spirit inspires Paul to write some of the most artistic words.
Paul is saying don’t fall for the arguments that are fine-sounding, rather HE is arguing for them to continue to believe the truth. He is telling them not to be deceived, while telling them, that they have firmness in their faith.
Here he also links together the rejoicing of his own suffering from Colossians 1:24. Paul is so mature that he rejoices with good and bad situations. Despite what the circumstance is ,he is able to connect with those brothers and sisters.
In giving this warning Paul begins to unveil the remedy and he starts with the last phrase of the verse, “your good order and firmness of your faith in Christ.” Paul transitions to military language. And we can see that his words “order and firmness” paint the picture of the Colossians standing their ground, they are good soldiers who are not breaking rank, or defecting to the other side. Even though the enemy is attacking with false doctrine and heresy they are maintaining their fortified position in Christ.
This warning comes with commendation. Don’t be deceived, but stand your ground. What practical words for our own time.
Don’t be deceived by the culture. Don’t buy what Hollywood is selling. Don’t think you can mix in carnality and approach Christ casually and not call it compromise. Don’t listen to every voice claiming Christ or proclaiming to be evangelical. Don’t accept the counterfeit. Don’t strive for health, wealth and prosperity of the prosperity gospel. Don’t gobble up the social justice of the social gospel. No, remain faithful to “The Gospel,” For any time you add something in front of the gospel, whether prosperity, or social, it is no longer the gospel. And it will crumble to a heap of ruin. Don’t be deceived.
Rather, stand your ground. Be grounded in the truth. Be grounded in His Word. Be grounded in obedience. Be grounded in worship. Be grounded in service. Be grounded in Christ and His glorious gospel.
Don’t be deceived, but stand your ground. Like a good soldier. Don’t back up or back down. Paul gives the warning for deception and moves right into the remedy for deception.
What is the remedy for deception?
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
Verse 6 and 7 are the entire summarized response that Paul wants from the Colossians. Not only are we to stand our ground, we must continue to make progress by moving forward, by walking in Christ, living for Christ. We are to remain settled in our understanding of Christ and live in it.
The beauty of the gospel is not just that we receive some knowledge of Christ. Rather, when we repent and believe, we receive Christ Himself. As we talked about last week that Christ dwells within us, lives with in us, so we must walk in Him.
This is the second time that Paul uses this idea of walking in this letter. It means the daily conduct of your life, and built into it is the idea of movement, progress, growth and maturity. As you are walking in the Christian life you are journeying with Christ and growing with Him. These words come right after the call to know your mission. Your mission will always involve walking with Christ. You will walk with Christ as you parent your children, you will walk with Christ as you love your spouse. You will walk with Christ as you serve the Church. As you walk you will continue to mature if you remain grounded in your convictions, if you remain steadfast in Christ.
Here Paul is urging believers to keep moving forward no matter what kind of obstacles of false doctrine and heresy come toward you.
Just as Paul used military language reminding them to stand their ground, he now goes on the offensive and encourages them to take some ground as they walk with Christ.
Smart men walked on the moon, daring men walked on the ocean floor, but wise men walk with God.
Leonard Ravenhill
Here Paul is offering wise words, and encouraging believers to wisely walk with God. We don’t want to fall and crumble in a ruinous life because deceit entered into our lives. Rather we want to embrace the remedy to deception, Jesus Christ. The cure to deceit is always the truth, and there is no greater truth than the truth Himself Jesus Christ.
There is great wisdom in walking with Him. There is great reward for continuing the journey with Christ. For when you are walking with Christ you won’t be lured away by the counterfeit of heresy and false doctrine. Here is another great warning.
If I walk with the world, I can't walk with God.
Dwight L. Moody
The opposite is true, and the whole point here. When I walk with God, I won’t walk with the world (2x). When I walk in Christ, live in Christ, dwell in Christ and am on mission for Christ, no matter what the world throws at me it won’t stick, no matter what the devil uses to entice me I won’t bite. We are to be walking so closely with God that the radiance of His glory blinds us to all other things.
False doctrine and heresy, no matter how excitingly packaged and polished will remain worthless to those who treasure Christ above all. The remedy to deception is relationship with Jesus Christ. This is why Paul spent so much time building up the supremacy of Christ, so they would be built up in Christ.
We understand that Christ is the remedy to deception, but how do we walk in Him?
7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
This verse is loaded with practicality. The first metaphor that Paul used was to Walk in Christ, just as you were taught. Paul knows first-hand what the Colossians were taught because their Pastor Epaphras had visited with him to give the report. He knows of the quality of their teaching. He knows that they heard the truth, know the truth, and have all they need to live in the truth.
So Paul reminds them of the depth of Christ, who is the remedy for deception. He gives them three more ways to endure false teaching, each of which is another metaphor and word picture. What Paul is doing is ensuring without a doubt that the Christians understand this point.
He is illustrating the importance of the doctrine of Christ with one illustration after another. Just like a good preacher will use illustrations to help paint the picture of the meaning of the sermon, Paul is using metaphors to help the Colossians understand the supremacy of Christ. These illustrations help to present Christ in dazzling, brilliant color, compared to the black and white of heresy.
First we walk in Christ. Next we, are rooted in Him.
Rooted-draws on the realm of the plant kingdom. From tiny delicate flowers to mighty oak trees, they all have a root system. “Just as plants draw nourishment from the soil through their roots, so the believers should draw life-giving strength from Christ. The more they would draw strength from Christ, the less they would be fooled by those who falsely claimed to have life’s answers”. [1]
Christians are to have deep, deep roots, firmly planted. They are not to be like tumbleweeds, with no roots, who are blown about by any and every wind of doctrine. Rather, the righteous must be planted and rooted firmly.
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Christians are to be like a massive tree with deep roots in rich soil, because they have been firmly planted in Christ, by streams of living water. You might allow your mind to imagine a mighty oak tree towering high. However, If we follow the context of this passage we can go back a few verses to verse 2 and see that Christians are united and knit together in love and the reality of our faith is not in isolation as one mighty oak, rather we are like a grove a great trees all planted firmly in Christ.
My all time favorite illustration about Christians and the church is comparing Christians to a grove of Giant Sequoias. The Giant Sequoia is the largest tree in the world and the secret to it’s size is not it’s individual strength, but the the collective power of the grove. Sequoia’s grow in groups of trees. These groves share a root system that is woven together like a massive intricate net that allows each tree to rely upon the strength of the other trees. Their root system is so intertwined that the winds cannot knock these massive trees over.
Collectively they are stronger together because they have deep roots and are firmly planted. We too in the church are like a grove of mighty sequoias. As we are united in love and woven together in our lives which are firmly planted and rooted in Christ the impact of our testimony will be remarkable. These kind of attributes from authentic Christians are in clear contrast to church goers who have fallen to the deception of false doctrine and are prone to abandon the faith as heretics, and whose life ends in a heap of ruin.
We walk in Christ, we are rooted in Christ and we are built up in Him.
7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Built Up- To be built up is an ongoing process. This is a present tense participle in the Greek meaning it is something that continues to happen, there is continuous action. The foundation of the gospel has been laid, and Christ is the cornerstone for the Christian on which the believer’s life is built up.
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Yes, when we understand the gospel we can rightly be built up. When we understand the truth of Christ we can be built up. When we know Christ as Savior, Lord, God and King, we can be built up.
Unlike those who fall to heresy, and those who collapse to false teaching a genuine believer will continue to be built up.
The imagery here is great as Paul paints another word picture for us. In the ancient world there were some tall buildings that the Colossians would be familiar with, the Colosseum in Rome, ancient towers. Perhaps they had even known about one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world the Colossus of Rhodes***. All of these were built upon a steady and sure foundation and they were built up. The life of the Christian should continue to build and build and build. In our era we know of giant buildings that reach upward and we call them sky scrappers. We can relate to massive buildings and the parallel is this.
In Christ we should continue to be built up. Higher and Higher, greater and greater, as we become more and more like Christ. Here we see the remedy to deception is found in being built up in Christ. However, we also want to use this word picture to show what a life that falls to heresy looks like. Built into these word pictures from Paul is an opportunity to imagine the opposite. If we are to walk with Christ, be rooted in Christ and built up in Christ. The warning is this. The life of those who believe false doctrine and heresy is ruin.
That same wonder of the ancient world, the Colossus of Rhodes is now nothing at all. It once towered some 108 feet tall, similar in size to the stature of liberty. It was made of bronze and was a testimony of the time. However, it could not withstand an earthquake and fell to a pile of bronze rubble. All that was left of it was taken by Muslim invaders and melted down for distribution upon 900 camels. This one massive mark on the world is nothing more than a melted memory and those who do not trust in the Lord Jesus Christ share a similar fate. Not only will there be ruin, but that ruin is eternal in the lake of fire. Whether a massive sky scrapper that has crumbled to a pile of ruin or a massive statue that has fallen a Christian is different. A believer continues to be built up in Christ. Christ is the remedy for deception, He is the remedy for ruin. Paul then gives one final word picture.
7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Established in the faith-Here the word picture is that of a legal binding document. Established is a legal term for a binding contract [2]. It carries this idea of an argument that is strengthened by a strong case, a contract that is signed. Here we have a binding contract between the believer and Christ, we call that contract a covenant. Paul is saying once again, “Remember who you are, and remember who you belong to.” You belong to Christ, and the legal document is the covenant in which signed and purchased with His precious blood. Be strengthened and established in that promise.j
Walk in Christ, be rooted in Christ, be built up in Christ, and be established in Christ.
All of these combined will produce the result of deception’s remedy. Thanksgiving which is abounding. All of these should produce the same result. Hallelujah, Thank you Jesus. Praise be to God, To God be the Glory. Thank you for the remedy of sin and the remedy of deception.
When we know who Christ is we will never accept a counterfeit. That’s because we are firmly anchored to Christ and the Gospel.
Hebrews 6:19
19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
We walk with Christ, we are rooted in Christ, we are built up in Christ and are established in Christ. We are anchored firmly to Him. These are all acts of His amazing grace.
Paul starts out this passage with the warning of deception and then gives us the remedy. He now gives us the ways of deception. Here is the way that we can be deceived.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
Here Paul goes again with a warning. Do not be deceived. Do not fall to these things. He lists for us some ways that people are deceived. This is because “believers face the very real threat of being captivated by false teaching and lured away from an unswerving devotion to the absolute supremacy of Christ. Paul’s warning now becomes direct” [3] Here he attacks the false teaching head on.
This verse begins with, “see to it that no one takes you captive.” Do not be carried away by false doctrine. Do not be kidnapped by heresy. Do not be lured away from the truth into the bondage of error. Do not be robbed of the truth of Christ. He is your greatest treasure. Do not let anyone plunder and pillage you. Christ is worth far more than any counterfeit.
The way of deception is always through the wisdom of man. It’s when everyone does what is right in their own eyes, it is through philosophy.
Philosophy-Paul was a philosopher, so he is not against philosophy in general. However, he was fighting against a philosophy that is hollow and deceptive, literally, an empty deception which stands in stark contrast to the fullness in Christ (1:19; 2:9). The hollow and deceptive philosophy of the false teachers promises much but delivers nothing.
This philosophy is dangerous because it keeps people from seeing the truth. This philosophy is deceptive, it leaves you empty because there is no substance or truth to it. Don’t be carried away by hollow human philosophy, understand the fullness of Christ and the doctrines of grace.
Then Paul goes onto characterize such deception. The first characteristic of man made philosophy is that it is...
Empty deceit-Scholars tell us...”For all its attractiveness, this philosophy was but empty illusion.38 If the Colossians embraced it, they would be the losers and not the gainers thereby. Those who knew what they were about when they “received Christ Jesus the Lord” could not find it acceptable; it was a human tradition which overthrew the essential truths of Christian faith and life. It sounded good, it appealed to natural religious instincts, but there was nothing in it for Christians” [4]
All religious philosophy is empty deciet. Legalism is emptiness. You can’t follow a set of rules to receive Christ, you must have Grace. Gnosticism is emptiness. There is no higher knowledge to attain to, Christ is the height of glory.
Even in our own era we see religious philosophy that is emptiness. Whether the pursuit of nirvana as a buddhist, the practice of alms as a muslim, or the sacrifice of food to Hindu gods, it is all empty deceit. The deception is deep and Christ is the only remedy to false teaching. Paul goes on to tell us that this philosophy is.
Human tradition-Here we can see the relationship between Paul and Jesus. Jesus was fighting the tradition of men that had grown like a cancer, and Paul is fighting the same fight with human tradition. The traditions of men are deceptive because they make you believe you are doing the right thing because that’s what your parents and grandparents did. It’s difficult to break away from the family tradition even when you know the truth. “Just because people have believed something and handed it down through the years does not make it true. Tradition usually serves merely to perpetuate error” [5].
The believers in Colossae had beleived and accepted the gospel, now they were being pressed upon by so many ways of thnking that would pull them away, that will carry them away through philosophy. The last aspect is:
Elementary principles of the world-This phrase carries an idea of what the world believes is truth. What is the spirit of the age or the common practice of the culture.
A good example of this is that many people in the world believe that you should just follow and trust your heart. If you would just listen to your dreams you will be ok. We see this philosophy perpetuated in nearly every Disney movie as the main character, usually some kind of princess can find the answer to all of lifes’s questions if she just follows her heart. This is not good advice, in fact it is far from biblical, but this is the best that the world has to offer, and it sounds so good, right. This is the kind of stuff you can put on t-shirts and bumper stickers. Follow your heart.
The Bible has a different answer. We know from Scripture
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
We don’t want to follow the wisdom of the world, this empty philosophy. We don’t want to be carried away by bumper sticker wisdom. We don’t want to follow after traditions of men. We don’t want to comprimise for the counterfeit philosophy that is worthless. No we want Christ, to pursue Him, treasure Him and trust Him. Christ is all we need and this is the point of the passage. We will be built up in Christ when we continuously pursue Him and live for Hm.
Colossians and Philemon 1. Spiritual Fullness in Christ (2:8–15)
“philosophy” is the product of mere human speculation and does not put its adherents in touch with divine truth.
You can gather all the philosophy you want and it will always leave you hopeless and empty. Rather you should hunt down theology, pursue theology, gather and gain theology. For when you know God, you will have all you need to know.
The summation of all this philosophy is this...No man-made religion can lead to the truth, for truth can be found only in Christ. In Christ are hidden “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2:3 NKJV). No one can come to God except through Christ (John 14:6). True philosophy will focus on Jesus Christ—it will not put Christ in any lower position, nor will it focus on human endeavor” [6]
Don’t be deceived! Don’t fall for the trap.
[1] Bruce B. Barton and Philip Wesley Comfort, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1995), 186.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 304.
[4] F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1984), 98.
[5] John F. MacArthur Jr., Colossians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), 101.
[6] Barton, 1995, 189.