Sunday Schl- May 9, 2010 DISTINGUISHING TRUTH FROM DECEIT Unifying Tpic: AN ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY Lessn Text I. Paul s Struggle Fr The Clssians (Clssians 2:1-3) II. Stand Firm In Christ (Clssians 2:4-7) III. Fullness In Christ Grwth (Clssians 2:8-10) The Main Thught: Beware lest any man spil yu thrugh philsphy and vain deceit, after the traditin f men, after the rudiments f the wrld, and nt after Christ. (Clssians 2:8, KJV). Unifying Principle: Peple are deceived by all kinds f philsphies and human traditins that lead them away frm the hidden treasures f knwledge and wisdm. Where can we find thse hidden treasures? Paul tells the Clssians that knwledge and wisdm are in Christ Jesus and in the lives f thse wh are grwing in Christ. Lessn Aim: T help students understand that they have everything they need in Christ. Life aim: T teach Christian t live full in Christ, knwing that He is the Sn f Gd wh cmpletely gives us all we need fr salvatin and fr blessings in this life and in heaven. 2:1 Fr I wuld that ye knew what great cnflict I have fr yu, and fr them at Ladicea, and fr as many as have nt seen my face in the flesh; 2:2 That their hearts might be cmfrted, being knit tgether in lve, and unt all riches f the full assurance f understanding, t the acknwledgement f the mystery f Gd, and f the Father, and f Christ; 2:3 In whm are hid all the treasures f wisdm and knwledge. 2:4 And this I say, lest any man shuld beguile yu with enticing wrds. 2:5 Fr thugh I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with yu in the spirit, jying and behlding yur rder, and the stedfastness f yur faith in Christ. 2:6 As ye have therefre received Christ Jesus the Lrd, s walk ye in him: 2:7 Rted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abunding therein with thanksgiving. 2:8 Beware lest any man spil yu thrugh philsphy and vain deceit, after the traditin f men, after the rudiments f the wrld, and nt after Christ. 2:9 Fr in him dwelleth all the fulness f the Gdhead bdily. 2:10 And ye are cmplete in him, which is the head f all principality and pwer. HISTORY: INTRODUCTION (Chapter 1:23-29) i The little bk f Clssians (nly fur chapters) was written by the Apstle Paul t a grup f believers in a city called Clsse. Clsse was nt a city f tremendus imprtance, but it had sme significance as ne in a triad f cities (Ladicea, Hieraplis, and Clsse) in the Lycus Valley. The Apstle Paul wrte t this little church which had been funded and initially pastred by a man named Epaphras, because they were underging sme prblems. They were being cnfrnted by men teaching false dctrine abut the Persn f the Lrd Jesus Christ. S, the Apstle Paul wrte this letter t straighten them ut. 1:23 If ye cntinue in the faith grunded and settled, and be nt mved away frm the hpe f the gspel, which ye have heard, and which was preached t every creature which is under heaven; ii Paul says "IF INDEED YOU CONTINUE..." Once saved (recnciled t Gd), we can still be lst! 1. What abut "the security f the believer?" 1) Thugh the Bible des teach the security f the BELIEVER 2) It als teaches the insecurity f the UNBELIEVER 3) And it teaches that a BELIEVER, if nt diligent, can becme an UNBELIEVER! (He 3:12-15; 16-4:2,11) 2. And s, Paul emphasizes that we must "cntinue in the faith", which invlves: a. Being "grunded and steadfast" (thus the need fr fllw-up) b. "nt mved away frm the hpe f the gspel," which can ccur thrugh: 1) Errr r false dctrine (2Pet. 3:17). 2) Temptatins t sin (2Pet. 2:20-22). 3) Trials and hardships in life (Rev. 2:10).
wheref I Paul am made a minister; Nw, Paul talks abut his surce. Paul ften defended his right t speak fr Gd. Every time he said, "I am an Apstle," he was saying, "I am a sent ne frm Gd." At the end f Clssians 1:23 he says, "...I, Paul, am made a minister." In ther wrds, he didn't chse t becme a minister, Gd made him a minister. That fact gave him credibility and punch in speaking t the Clssians. When Paul referred t his ministry, he was defending his right t speak fr Gd--t establish his authrity. Paul wanted the peple t hear him as the spkesman fr Gd--nt as a self-styled, self-appinted, nn-credentialed teacher like s many that existed in the wrld. S, he repeatedly accredited his ministry. Clssians 1:24-29 is simply a detailed lk at Paul's ministry. In these verses, Paul presents eight different aspects f the ministry f a servant f Gd--eight different aspects that shuld characterize the life f anybdy wh serves the Lrd Jesus Christ, whether it's teaching, preaching, r ministering in any capacity within the framewrk f Christianity. 1:24 Nw I rejice in what was suffered fr yu, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard t Christ's afflictins, fr the sake f his bdy, which is the church (NIV). Paul was in prisn when this Epistle was written, being a minister f the gspel f Christ, was nt ashamed f his imprisnment, but was willing t rejice in his suffering t fulfill his Gd given task. As we serve the Lrd Jesus Christ with the recgnitin that Gd has called us, what kind f attitude shuld we have? What spirit shuld we have? Paul answers this in the first three wrds f verse 24: "Nw I rejice..." What's the spirit f the ministry? Jy. The spirit f the ministry is jy. Whatever ministry yu have been given is t be enjyed. He s simply saying that suffering is unavidable in bringing the Gd News f Christ t the wrld. When we suffer, Christ feels it with us. But this suffering can be endured because it changes lives and brings peple int Gd s kingdm. There are tw needs f the church: 1. The need fr a minister wh will tirelessly labr fr the church, that is, fr the bdy f Christ. 2. The need fr believers wh will tirelessly labr fr the church, that is, fr the bdy f Christ. The church needs a minister (servant) wh will willingly suffer fr thers. V24 Nt nly was Paul lking t heaven fr cmfrt, but he realized that while he was n this earth, ding the wrk f the ministry fr the sake f peple like the Clssians, he was filling up that which is lacking in Christ's afflictins. The message teaches that the minister f Gd actually cmpletes the suffering f Christ. When Christ was upn the earth, He lved the church and gave Himself fr it; therefre, He pured ut His heart and life fr the church, that is, fr believers. Christ ministered, served, wrked, labred, and did it all labriusly. Christ bre whatever was necessary in rder t build the church. And in s ding He left the pattern fr all thse wh wuld fllw after Him. Serving the church in this wrld is nt easy. The believer knws that withut Christ men are lst and dmed t judgment. Therefre he suffers whatever burden and pain necessary t reach and grw peple. S Christ's afflictins are nt yet cmplete. His bdy will still suffer until the day that we are caught up t be with Him fr eternity. Part f the reasn that Paul rejiced was because he was cunted wrthy t share in the sufferings f Christ. Accrding t verse 24, Paul endured his suffering fr the sake f the church--t win peple t Christ and then t mature them in Christ. And he certainly paid a price. What benefit d peple get frm ministers? There is much benefit t having the Wrd f Gd presented t us, having the cmplete Wrd preached t us. 1:25 Wheref I am made a minister, accrding t the dispensatin f Gd which is given t me fr yu, t fulfil the wrd f Gd; The church needs a minister wh has been chsen by Gd t prclaim the Wrd f Gd. V25 Paul was made a minister by Gd. He was nt in it because: He thught it was a gd prfessin t enter. Sme friends thught he wuld make a gd minister. He had the natural talents fr the ministry What an enrmus call and respnsibility, yet it cmes frm Gd; therefre, it must be fulfilled by Gd. Paul was chsen t carry ut, minister the Wrd f Gd, that is, t make the Wrd f Gd fully knwn. 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid frm ages and frm generatins, but nw is made manifest t his saints: 27 T whm Gd wuld make knwn what is the riches f the glry f this mystery amng the Gentiles; which is Christ in yu, the hpe f glry (NIV). The church needs a minister wh will share the great mystery f Gd the glrius message f "Christ in yu, the hpe f glry."v26-27 What des this mean? Yu see the false teachers in the Clssian church believed spiritual perfectin was a secret and hidden plan that nly a few privileged peple wuld discver. Their secret plan was meant t be exclusive. Hwever, Paul calls Gd s plan "the mystery", a secret, nt in the sense that nly a few wuld understand, but because it was hidden until Christ came. Remember that the wrd "mystery" means secret, sme
secret that Gd was nt able t reveal t the wrld until man had been prepared t receive it. " nw made manifest t His saints." This is tw-fld, tw parts t its revelatin: First, the mystery is that Christ actually will live within the hearts and lives f the believer. The Hly Spirit is the persnal presence f Christ. Secnd, the mystery f Gd is that Christ will live within any persn, n matter wh they are Gd is n respecter f persns. Wh culd have imagined that Gd s secret plan was t have His Sn Jesus Christ, live in the hearts f all wh believed in Him? Christ was made knwn t and dwells in the Gentiles; that is, it is nt limited by racial r natinal lines. The critical fact is that it is nw revealed: it cannt nly be knwn, but knwn by many persns. When Gd sent His Sn Jesus Christ int the wrld t die fr man, Gd shwed the wrld that He lves every persn equally. He des nt favr anyne nt ne persn much less a class r natin f peple. Every persn can nw apprach Gd and becme acceptable t Him thrugh His Sn, Jesus Christ, the hpe f glry. Jesus Christ is the mystery f Gd and it is Jesus Christ that reveals Gd t men. When peple lk at Jesus Christ, they see Gd. When peple cme t knw Jesus Christ, they cme t knw Gd persnally. Once a persn appraches Gd thrugh Jesus Christ Gd places His Spirit within the persn s heart. 1:28 Whm we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdm; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: The church needs a minister wh will preach Christ and will warn and teach every man. V28 The minister is t preach Christ. Fr this declares the very ppsite f what man has always dne. Man has always prclaimed principles, ideas, theries, psitins, rules, cdes, mrals, laws, philsphies, institutins, and religins. This is nt the minister s prclamatin. He is t preach a Persn, nt things, n matter hw gd they may be. The minister is t warn every man. Man must be warned: he cannt enter glry unless Christ is in him. N man is perfect; n man has enugh righteusness t make himself acceptable t Gd. Man cannt earn r d enugh righteusness t becme perfect. Man s nly hpe is Christ, fr Christ alne is righteusness; Christ alne is perfect. Man must be warned. The minister is t teach every man. It is nt enugh t warn men. Once they respnd t the warning by inviting Christ int their hearts, they have t be taught. They need t learn hw t live ut the great teachings f Christ. The minister is t teach in all wisdm 1:29 Whereunt I als labur, striving accrding t his wrking, which wrketh in me mightily. The minister is t labr and labr t present every persn perfect in Christ Jesus. (Eph.4:12-16) The church needs a minister wh will labr and wrk strive labriusly, depending upn Christ fr energy. The wrd "labr" (kpia) means t til and t struggle in labr and wrk t the pint f exhaustin, fatigue, and pain. It is a picture f an athlete struggling, agnizing, and pushing himself well beynd his capacity in rder t achieve his bjective. The wrd "wrking" (energeia) means energy and efficiency, and is nly used f superhuman pwer (Wuest). In this case, it is the pwer f Christ! When the minister has gne as far as he can, Christ steps in and infuses energy and pwer int his bdy an energy and pwer that wrks in him mightily. The nly way t experience this physical energy and pwer f Christ is t use all f yur wn strength; being cmpletely empty. Paul depended upn Gd in his labrs! He realized that withut Gd he was nthing, and culd d nthing wrth lasting. S he always lked t Gd fr help in accmplishing his gal. If we will view urselves as Paul viewed himself, as a servant and steward, cnsider yur suffering fr yur brethren a great privilege and surce f jy, then we will be cnvinced that we gladly devte urselves t the same gal Paul had! iii As we cmpleted chapter ne f the bk f Clssians, verses 23-29, we heard Paul talking abut hw he'd been made a minister f the gspel, and hw he'd made sure that he was a beneficial ne: a minister wh prclaimed Jesus t them, admnished them abut sin, and taught them the full Wrd f Gd. He knew that it was nly by presenting the whle cunsel f Gd that he culd knw they wuld be presented as cmplete in Christ. And it was because f this that Paul wrked s hard, labring and striving. Clssians 2:1-3 Paul s Struggle Fr The Clssians 2:1 Hw Great A Struggle We have cvered the need fr a minister wh will tirelessly labr fr the church, that is, fr the bdy f Christ. Nw we will cver the secnd need: The need fr believers wh will tirelessly labr fr the church, that is, fr the bdy f Christ; wh are cnsistently grwing (a mature believer) in the Lrd. One f the great tragedies f
tday s sciety is the lack f cnsistency. Few peple are cnsistent in their daily walk with the Lrd. It has becme a struggle. When Paul talks abut what a great struggle, Cl. 1:29-2:1 g hand in hand. 1:29 Fr this I labr [unt weariness], striving with all the superhuman energy which He s mightily enkindles and wrks within me. 2:1 FOR I want yu t knw hw great is my slicitude fr yu [hw severe an inward struggle I am engaged in fr yu] and fr thse [believers] at Ladicea, and fr all wh [like yurselves] have never seen my face and knwn me persnally (AMP). Remember Paul had never seen the Clssian church persnally; he was nt the minister n the field, Epaphras was. Paul als wanted this letter passed n t the Ladicean church and all thers, and he was cunting n ties f lve t bring the churches tgether t stand against this heresy, and t encurage each ther t remain true t Gd s plan f salvatin in Christ. He did nt nly write a letter, he labred in prayer. POINT: This says smething f enrmus imprtance: ministers are t wrestle in prayer fr believers and churches all ver the wrld. In fact, churches can be mature in the Lrd nly as the ministers f the wrld wrestle in prayer fr all the churches f the wrld. A half-hearted, half-cmmitted minister can nly prduce half hearted, halfcmmitted peple. Paul was struggling and striving against adversaries fr the sake f Christians everywhere. He labred hard, tiled, strve, agnized, struggled, and wrestled in prayer. Prayer is nt easy; it is labr. This giving and striving is an example nt nly cming frm Paul but riginates frm the One that placed it in him, ur Lrd Jesus Christ. Striving fr peple that we'll never meet this side f heaven is a great calling. As yu lk at the usage f these wrds f agny thrughut the New Testament, yu begin t understand that Paul's battlefields were bth spiritual and physical. The cntests f struggle were fught bth in prayer (Luke 22:44; Cl. 4:12) and in earthly cnflict (1Thess 2:2; Phil 1:30). And the reasn fr his struggle was that they wuld be kept n the right path, nt fllwing after false dctrine (Luke 13:24; 1Cr 9:25; 1Tim 6:12; 2Tim 4:7; Heb 12:1). 2:2-3 Be Encuraged Paul hped that the ultimate result f his struggle fr them wuld be tw things: 1 Encuraged (cmfrted) hearts and 2 full assurance f understanding v2. The wrd "cmfrted" (paraklethsin) means t be strng, strengthened, established, and braced. Where des such strength cme frm? Where is the spring frm which such cnfidence and assurance flw? Strng hearts cme frm lve frm being knit tgether with thers in lve. A persn wh feels emtins f neglect, verlked, ignred, withut friends, left ut, r by-passed seldm feel strng, cnfident, r assured; On the cntrary, he feels weak unacceptable, and incapable f handling situatins. He feels insecure, which either causes him t withdraw r react in a superir and bastful attitude. The pint is this: the answer t a strng, cnfident, assured heart is lve being knit tgether in lve with thers. The church is t build lve amng everyne, nt neglecting r verlking anyne. This des nt certainly cme frm religin, ceremny, ritual laws, r rules and regulatins; it cmes frm lve hearts knit tgether in lve. Strng hearts cme frm knwing that what yu believe abut Gd is accurate, and true. Once Gd s Spirit infuses strength within the believer s heart, bth assurance and cnfidence cmes alive and gives abslute assurance that we truly knw Gd and are adpted as His dear sns and daughters; that what we believe abut Gd is accurate. The Spirit f Gd instills that cnfidence within ur hearts. When a persn has "full assurance f understanding t the acknwledgement f the mystery f Gd, and f the Father, and f Christ in whm are hid all the treasures f wisdm and knwledge" v2-3, then that persn has matured in truth and have the ability t apply and use truth wisely. The Clssians didn t need t g t the Gnstics and pay t learn secret knwledge f hw t reach Gd. The teaching f Christ was pen t everyne. We never exhaust the treasures f knwledge in Christ, there is always mre t learn. Often, we get verwhelmed by ur wn circumstances, and becme cnvinced that Gd will never get us ut f this mess, that this trial will never be ver, r that we'll never have victry ver ur sin. But then Gd brings smene like Paul acrss ur path wh has a testimny f victry, f deliverance, f Gd's faithfulness. It encurages us that Gd is still wrking, still n the thrne, and still paying attentin t us. Yu can recgnize peple that Gd brings t yu fr encuragement, because He makes a supernatural, spiritual cnnectin between yur hearts. They becme knit tgether in lve. Clssians 2:4-7 Stand Firm In Christ 2:4 And this I say, lest any man shuld beguile yu with enticing wrds. The church needs mature believers wh will resist seductin and deceptin V4.
Nw this is the pint I need yu t cmprehend: " lest any man shuld beguile yu with enticing wrds." The wrd "beguile" (paralgizetai) means t mislead, delude deceive, cheat, seduce, and lead smene astray. The need fr believers Believers can be seduced by the persuasive and elquent wrds f false teaching. Arguments: The creatin f the wrld by Gd. The virgin birth r the incarnatin f Gd in human flesh. The resurrectin f Jesus Christ frm the dead. Salvatin by grace thrugh faith etc. The argument can be against any f the majr teachings f Scripture. If they are persuasive enugh, sme persns are led astray. They begin t questin the truth and t wnder and dubt. The very reasn Paul has prclaimed that all wisdm and knwledge exist in Christ is t prtect believers against false teaching. Believers are t knw that all truth is in Christ, and they are t seek all truth in Christ. Believers can be seduced by the enticing and appealing wrds f thse wh live after the lusts f the flesh. Human nature is easily influenced by appearance attractiveness charisma thughts insinuatins suggestins imaginatins desires Therefre when sme idea is made in an appealing way, peple are enticed and led astray frm Christ. Again, the truth and the wise curse f behavir fr the believer is fund in Christ. The curse f wisdm is t turn away frm the seductin f enticing wrds and suggestins. 2:5 Fr thugh I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with yu in the spirit, jying and behlding yur rder, and the stedfastness f yur faith in Christ. The church needs mature believers wh will maintain discipline rder and steadfastness V5. The wrd "rder" (taxin) means t maintain military discipline, array, and arrangement; t hld a slid frnt. The wrd "steadfastness" (sterema) means t stand fast and persevere; t be immveable, steady, and unyielding; t never crack, give in, r back up. This t, is a military wrd. AND THE BELIEVERS WERE RESPONDING LIKE A VICTORIOUS ARMY. They were maintaining their discipline and hlding their rder and standing fast, even as Paul was writing this letter. Even during the standing a minister s encuragement is still needed. Paul says that he was with them in spirit, jying, and watching them gain the victry ver the false teachers. 2:6 As ye have therefre received Christ Jesus the Lrd, s walk ye in him: 2: 7 Rted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abunding therein with thanksgiving. The church needs mature believers wh will walk in the Lrd V6. This means at least tw things: 1. First, believers walk just as they have received Christ by faith. Yu received Christ by faith, s yu are t walk and cntinue with Christ by faith. When yu received Christ, yu trusted His righteusness, His death t cver yur sins and t make yu acceptable t Gd. Therefre, we are t walk cntinuing t trust His righteusness and death. It is all f that that cntinues t cver ur sins and make them acceptable t Gd. We have nthing within urselves t earn, merit, deserve, r make Gd accept us. We can d nthing and we can pssess nthing that will secure the apprval f Gd. The believer s nly acceptance befre Gd is Christ trusting His righteusness and death. 2. Secnd, believers received Christ as Christ Jesus the Lrd. That is, when believers received Him, they accepted Him as the true Messiah and Lrd frm heaven; yu accepted Him as the Lrd f yur life. Therefre, we are t walk befre Him as Lrd; we are t cntinue walking and serving Him as the Lrd f ur lives. There are three particular things the believer is t d in verse 7: 1. The believer is t be rted and built-up in Christ. There are tw pictures in this statement. The picture f being rted is that f a tree. The ther is the picture f being built r cnstructed is that f a building. The pint is this: the emphasis upn a strng attachment and a flw f nurishment and life frm Christ t the believer. That is the believer is t walk in a cntinuus, unbrken cmmunin and fellwship with Christ. His life and mind are t fcus upn Christ withut interruptin, drawing all nurishment and strength frm Him. This is critical, fr there is n ther permanent nurishment r strength nt that lasts frever and imparts eternal life t the human sul. 2. The believer is t walk established in the faith just as he has been taught. The wrd established means t be firm, stable, hlding fast and nt letting g. This shws the utter necessity fr strng teachers in the church. When believer have strng teachers, they are t learn all they can abut the faith and hld fast t it. They are nt t let it g!
3. The believer is t walk verflwing with thanksgiving. Christ Jesus has dne s much fr the believer s much that flws n and n, never ceasing, nt even fr ne mment f any day. Therefre, the believer learns t walk in an unbrken spirit f thanksgiving a thanksgiving that verflws in praise t the Lrd mment by mment thrughut the day. Clssians 2:8-10 Fullness In Christ As we have learned, the Gnstics were trying t pull the Clssians away frm the simple teachings f Christ and back int the slavery f a human system f rules that culd nt help them. The imprtance f this passage is clearly seen in the meaning f scripture. 2:8 Beware lest any man spil yu thrugh philsphy and vain deceit, after the traditin f men, after the rudiments f the wrld, and nt after Christ. (8a). The wrd "beware" (blepete) means t take heed, lk ut, guard yurself. Why? Lest any man spil yu thrugh philsphy. The wrd "spil" (sulagge) means t lead int captivity r slavery. Being cntinually watchful fr false teaching des nt cme naturally. Paul is nt encuraging a "critical spirit" but a "discerning spirit." When we knw Christ and His truth well, anything false is revealed immediately by the light f Christ s Spirit. When we are filled up with Christ and His blessings, there is n emptiness in us lking fr smething else t fill it. See that n ne takes yu captive thrugh philsphy. (8b). iv Philsphy (philsphia frm phíls = friend/lver + sphía = wisdm) is literally a lve f wisdm and came t mean tenets (dctrine) f heathen Gentile philsphers. The Gnstics were fnd f philsphia. The lve f human wisdm characterizes every system f philsphy; they all fllw the traditin f men and the elements f the wrld. Instead, men shuld lve Christ, Wh has made true wisdm unt us and in whm are stred all the treasures f true wisdm and true knwledge. Philsphers tried t discver what is true and what is right. A hunger fr truth is t be admired. But philsphy is a prduct f the human mind and it prduces human traditin. It is nt Gd s revelatin; rather it was speculative, mythical and misleading. Wrse, sme f the teachings riginated frm demnic spirits (1Tim.4:1). That means it sunded gd but there was nthing inside. They brught ruin and disappintment t thse wh depended n them. Only Christ s truth carried a real reward. (8c). v The wrd "rudiments" (stichien) refers t parts f a systematized, regulated arrangement. What is represented is smething that is in itself is nly "elemental" and thus less than cmplete. Paul cntrasts these limited elements with the fullness which is put n display in the persn f Jesus. That is the theme f this chapter - - the cntrast between limited, elemental things, and the cmpleteness that is fund nly in Jesus Christ. We end up cncentrating n all the little bits and pieces and frget the big picture. It desn't matter if the systematized apprach t faith is built up frm wrldly philsphy, science, religius dctrines and rituals, etc. It desn't matter what rituals yu perfrm, fd yu eat, festivals yu keep, r day yu wrship n since all f thse things are elemental types and shadws that reach their fulfillment in Christ. The purpse in all these is t lead t spiritual understanding and it is nt in themselves righteusness. T assign them a place f imprtance equal t faith in Jesus is t then take away frm and diminish the cmpleteness f Jesus. T cncentrate n the rudiments can result in capture f the persn. The persn can becme mre cncerned with these limited elements than with the fullness f unity with Christ. They never reach unity in Christ because they are always trying t add smething t Him that is f their wn will pwer; t build up knwledge bit by bit r act by act. Peple trust their wn talents and "career" fr material prvisin and becme captured by material things. All f it can capture the mind t the pint where it directs the heart away frm the fullness that is nly in Jesus Christ. Anyne wh seeks t add n t r replace Jesus with anything else is using vain philsphy and deceitful speech fr the purpse f capturing the heart, mind and sul f thers. I culd g n and n; hwever, the pint has been cvered. 2:9 Fr in him dwelleth all the fulness f the Gdhead bdily. 2:10 And ye are cmplete in him, which is the head f all principality and pwer: The wrd "fullness" (plerma) means that nt a single part f Gd s nature is lacking in the nature f Christ. The wrd "dwells" (katikei) means t be at hme, t be permanently settled and present. This tells us that the fullness f Gd has always dwelt in Christ, even befre He came t earth; that the fullness f Gd was nt just a temprary gift t Christ. What des all this mean t us in a day t day living? It means tw wnderful things: 1. First, Gd is nt far ff in uter space smeplace. Gd is nt uncncerned with the wrld. 2. Gd is lve, nt evil. Only a Gd f evil wuld leave man in the dark where he wuld have t grpe and grasp and stumble. The Gnstics believed Christ was nt the supreme Gd but nly ne f the lesser emanatins frm Him, ne f the angels. They claimed t knw the secret and nly way t Gd, but actually it was Christians wh knew the way (Christ). The answers t the wrld and life are nt fund in a philsphy, nr in human ideas, but fund in a
Persn, the Persn f the Lrd Jesus Christ. Think fr a mment: if a Persn (Gd) really created the wrld, then the answer t life and creatin (truth and reality) are bund t be wrapped up in Him. Christ is nt just a partial representatin f Gd, like an angel sent as Gd s representative. In Christ dwells all the fullness f the Gdhead. And thse wh wrshiped Christ were wrshiping Gd since Christ has the fullness f Deity. Fr in him dwelleth - Inhabiteth, cntinually abideth, all the fulness f the Gdhead. In Jesus f Nazareth, Gd was uniquely and bdily amng us. The incarnatin was real. Here ur Lrd Jesus Christ was ne persn with tw natures: the Gd-man. Since the pwer f Gd rested in Jesus Christ, Christ vercmes all ther pwers. Believers are cmplete (filled up) in Christ. The wrd "cmplete" (peplermeni) means t be made full. We seek n ther surce f grace and truth; we shw n allegiance t anyne else; and we submit t n ther authrity. Christ is the head; He is the surce f life; and He is svereign ver life. Gd did this in cnnectin with Jesus Christ. SUMMARY: Paul was struggling (cntending) fr thse at Clsse and Ladicea and all whm he never seen. He wanted the church t be encuraged in heart and united in lve, s that they may have the full riches f cmplete understanding; that they may knw the mystery f Gd, namely, Christ. All the treasures f wisdm and knwledge are hidden in Christ. He did nt want them t be deceived in any manner by fine-sunding wrds. He tld the Clssians that all wisdm and knwledge were fund in Christ s that n ne wuld delude them with persuasive argument. The Gnstic heretics were preying n Christians. False religin is ften presented in a way that fascinates the intellect. The teachers appear t knw things that thers d nt understand. Prtecting the flck frm such teachers is serius wrk. Even in writing the letter in a Rman prisn, Paul was present with them in spirit. Paul was in a Rman prisn at this time, but he was happy t hear abut the fact that they'd cme t faith in Jesus. The things that pleased him were hw rderly they were and hw firm their faith in Christ was, and he didn t want them t lse that. He wanted them t cntinue t live in Christ; t live wrthy f the call they received. They received Jesus, as well as we have, because we were sinners that needed a Savir. That's the way we shuld walk in Jesus, t. Our trust, ur faith, ur dependence must be cmpletely in Him, nt in urselves. It is nt ur self-righteusness. It is nt ur religius bservatin. It is all abut cntinually cming back t the fact that we are sinners, and Jesus paid the price fr ur sins. Three wrds abut the Clssians that pleased Paul in verse 7 were: 1. Rted and Built-up (in Him) 2. Stablished (in the faith) 3. Abunding (with thanksgiving) The peple that came t the Clssian church with persuasive arguments were the same kind f peple that are in the church tday. Hwever, the warning was t "beware lest any man spil yu thrugh philsphy and vain deceit." There are tw surces that the false teachers philsphy and empty deceptin cme frm: the traditin f men, and the elementary principles f the wrld, that is: Man s traditins: Why can't Cathlic priests be married? Why must we call them "Father"? Why des the Cathlic church believe in Purgatry? Why must we pray t Mary and the saints? Why must we pledge membership t certain churches? Why must we wear a suit and tie t attend? Why must we nly sing certain styles f hymns? Rudiments (basic principles) f this wrld signs and spirits f the stars rather than Christ. "Fr in him all the fullness f the Deity lives in bdily frm." "The Wrd was with Gd and the Wrd was Gd; the Wrd became flesh and dwelt amng us, wh frm the Father, full f grace and truth; frm the fullness f His grace we all received ne blessing after anther" Jh.1:1, 14, 16 NIV. We d nt lack anything when we are in Christ. Christ is the Head ver every pwer and authrity. APPLICATION: Everything is in Christ. Cntinue t fllw after Him being established in yur faith! Make a distinctin in what the Wrd says and what smene says. Check it ut fr yurself. i http://www.biblebb.cm/files/mac/sg2137.htm ii http://executableutlines.cm/cl/cl_05.htm iii http://www.rndaniel.cm/library/51-clssians/clssians0201.html iv http://www.preceptaustin.rg/clssians_28-15.htm v http://www.pheug.cm/faithmatters/index.php?page=faithmatters.avidcapture