Beware Colossians 2:1-10 Sunday, July 3, 2016 Colossians 2:1 (NKJV) 1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, Now remember, Paul is writing from a Roman prison and he says I have a great conflict. The word is agōn - from which we get agonize. It s translated as struggle in the ESV, agonized in the NLT, struggling in the NRSV. We would naturally think that he would be going through some agonizing moments in that prison, but his agony isn t for himself. It s for the Christians in the region of Colossi, which includes Laodicea. The word actually means Strife, contention, - a contest for victory or mastery such as was used in the ggreek games of running, boxing and wrestling. Paul is in agony, or spiritually wrestling for the spiritual wellbeing of others, of Christians in this region. Some of the people he is contending for he has never met. I received a text yesterday from a brother that was contending for another brother s spiritual wellbeing and he asked froor prayer backup. That s what true Christians do, they care for one another - 1 Corinthians 10:24 (NKJV) 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other s well-being. Page 1 of 7
Colossians 2:1 3 (NKJV) 1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 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, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. MacPhail calls this a prayer of agony. Paul saw that there was a grave danger in Colossi and in Laodicea, and it caused great conflict in the heart of the apostle. They were in danger of going off in one of two directions. There is still such danger, and we need a lot of agonizing prayer for the church today. This explains why we find the Laodiceans in a lukewarm condition in the Book of Revelation: they had lost sight of the person of Christ. That their hearts may be encouraged - That means the whole propulsive nature of man. He is praying that their hearts, their humanity, their whole persons might be comforted. Being knit together in love - to cause to come together. It s our love that will draw us together. After all, a church is not united by gifts or even by what we term today as spirituality. The bond that unites believers is love. It is the cement that holds us together it is the Elmer s glue of the church. attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding - Full assurance is an interesting expression; it literally means to be under full sail. It means that all Christians should be moving along spiritually they should be moving along for God. We should set our sails for spiritual growth. Too many believers simply set their sails to get by. We need to set our sails to move out, to move ahead for the glory of God. Then Paul says that he wants us to understand a mystery. What s the mystery? The church is the mystery, it had not been revealed in the Old Testament. God was going to save Gentiles that had been made clear in the Old Testament, and He did save them. But on the Day of Pentecost God started a new thing. He began to call out a group of people into the body of believers, baptized by the Spirit of God into this body. This is what Paul is explaining in Page 2 of 7
1 Corinthians 12:12 (NKJV) 12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. You see, Christ had a physical body while He was here on this earth, and He has a spiritual body down here today. That body is the body of believers that have trusted Him, and the body is called Christ. That is why the Lord said to Saul of Tarsus, Why are you persecuting me? (Acts 9:4). Saul was persecuting Him personally. The church is Christ it belongs to Him. in 1 Corinthians 12:13 Paul goes on to say - 1 Corinthians 12:13 (NKJV) 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. We have all been baptized (immersed) into Christ. We have all been made to drink into one Spirit. That is what brings the unity into the church. We are never commanded to make unity in the church. The Holy Spirit has already made that unity. He puts all believers into one body, and we are told to keep the unity of the Spirit. Our problem today is that we are not keeping the unity of the Spirit. And then v.3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All that we need is in Christ. If only we could learn that! He is the reservoir of all knowledge. All wisdom, all knowledge is in not from Jesus. Whoever desires wisdom to navigate life successfully must come to the realization that there is nothing more, nothing less, nothing else than Jesus. All treasures of wisdom are in Him. The story is told that one day William Randolph Hearst was looking through a book of famous artwork when a painting caught his eye. I want this painting for my collection, he said to his aides. But after making some inquiries, they reported that they were unable to locate the particular work. If you value your jobs, Hearst said, do whatever it takes to find that treasure, and secure it for me immediately. Page 3 of 7
Three and a half months later, the aides returned to Hearst. Did you find the treasure?, he asked. Yes, they replied. After much searching and painstaking research, we found it. Did you purchase it?, he asked. No. Why not? Hearst asked. Because we found it in your warehouse. Paul is saying to the Colossians, You already have all the wisdom and knowledge you will ever need to get through life successfully. It s all in Christ. When you ve got Him, you ve got it all. Colossians 2:4 5 (NKJV) 4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. In the days of the Roman Empire, a certain wealthy senator became estranged from his son. When he died unexpectedly, his will was opened. Because my son does not appreciate what I ve done, I leave all of my worldly possessions to my loyal slave, Marcellus, the will read. However, because I am a man of grace, I bequeath to my son one of my possessions of his choosing. Sorry, said the testator to the son. You can only take one of your dad s possessions. Which will it be? I take Marcellus, said the son. Brilliant! That s the idea. When you take Jesus Christ, you get all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. When you open your heart to Him, you find everything you need. It s all in Him. Why is this understanding so Page 4 of 7
important? Because it is the only way to keep from being sucked into enticing words, cults, and other dead-end pursuits of pseudo-spirituality. That s what was happening in Colosse. People were coming on the scene, saying, What Paul is preaching is fine, but there s much more. No, Paul says. Be steadfast in your faith in Christ. All of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him. Colossians 2:6 (NKJV) 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, Would you circle or highlight that first word? As, Nnot since but as. OR let me say just as, in the same manner, in the same way that you received Jesus. We receive Jesus in simplicity. If there was any struggle at all it was getting to simplicity. Letting go of the things that were killing us, letting go of the lifestyle that was taking us to hell and simply trusting Jesus for our salvation. So now we re told to keep moving, to walk. We ve been told to told to walk in light (Ephesians 5:8), in love (Ephesians 5:2), in wisdom (Colossians 4:5). And here we are told to walk in simplicity. Note to Multimedia: Please bundle those last three verses on one screen shot Along the banks of some rivers, you will find that they are lined with a substance called near quicksand. It s almost quicksand but not quite. If you keep walking on this near- quicksand, you don t have a problem. But if you stop, you ll start sinking, and you ll eventually get sucked in completely. So, too, if we don t keep walking in our Christian experience, we ll start sinking, we ll get sucked into some false teaching or worldly thinking. The way to keep walking is not to seek some deeper truth. The way to keep moving is to do so in simplicity, to walk in the same way we received Christ. Page 5 of 7
Colossians 2:7 (NKJV) 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. What you might see in a brand new trackt of homes before the framing goes up is a concrete slab. But what you don t see is all along the exterior walls and where some interior bearing walls are, is that the concrete goes way down. Before we can ever build up, we must first dig down. We need to be rooted if our building, our temple for God is going to be right. So, be rooted, be grounded, be - or continue to be established in the Word of God. Then the building begins, first the framing, then the stucco or drywall, then the finishing touches. Then the building is established - to make firm or reliable How? (Oone may ask) - By faith. Now, here comes the warning: Colossians 2:8 10 (NKJV) 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. Philosophy - this is the only time the word appears in the Bible. It refers to human understanding, in contrast with divinely revealed knowledge. Wiersbe so simply put it - Have roots that dig down into the richness of the Word. Have foundations that are strong, laid upon Jesus Christ. How important it is to be taught the Word of God! Believers fall prey to religious Page 6 of 7
philosophies unless they are rooted in Christ, grounded in the Word, and built up in Bible truth. Colossians 2:9 10 (NKJV) 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. In Him dwells all the plerōma this is a clear-cut statement of the deity of Christ. It could not be stated any stronger than it is here. In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead not just 99.9 percent but 100 percent. You are complete in him. Complete is a nautical term, and it could be translated in this very vivid way: You are ready for the voyage of life in Him. That s so telling, it s so powerful! You are ready for the voyage of life in Christ, and whatever you need for the voyage of life you will find in Him. This is why we say that Christ is the answer. What is your question? What is it you need today? Are you carried away by human philosophy? Then turn to Christ. Are you carried away by enticing words? Are you carried away by the systems and traditions of men? Turn to Christ. Page 7 of 7