Colossians 2:4-8
Watch Out!
I. \\#1:1-2:23\\ Christ Exalted Through His Person and His Work
A. \\#1:1-12\\ Introduction
1. \\#1-2\\ Paul’s Salutation
2. \\#1:3-8\\ Paul’s Recognition
3. \\#1:9-11\\ Paul’s Prayer
B. \\#1:12-2:3\\ The Person of Christ
1. \\#1:12-14\\ Paul’s Thanks
2. \\#1:15-22\\ Paul’s Message
a. \\#15-17\\ Who Jesus is in Creation.
(1) \\#15\\ Jesus, the image of the invisible God.
(2) \\#15\\ Jesus, the firstborn of every creature.
(3) \\#16\\ Jesus, the Creator of all things.
(4) \\#17\\ Jesus, the One before all things.
(5) \\#17\\ Jesus, the One by whom all things consist.
b. \\#18-21\\ Who Jesus is in the church
(1) \\#18\\ Jesus, the Head of the body.
(2) \\#18\\ Jesus, the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.
(3) \\#19\\ Jesus, in whom dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead.
(4) \\#20\\ Jesus. the Peacemaker.
(5) \\#21\\ Jesus, the Reconciler.
(6) \\#22\\ Jesus, the Presenter.
3. \\#1:23\\ Paul’s Challenge
4. \\1:24-2:3\\ Paul’s Ministry
a. \\#1:24\\ Paul Enduring
b. \\#1:25-28\\ Paul Entrusted
c. \\#2:1-3\\ Paul Expected
C. \\#2:4-23\\ Warnings to the Church
1. \\#2:4-7\\ Don’t Be Beguiled
2. \\#2:8-15\\ Don’t Be (Spoiled) Ruined
3. \\#2:16-17\\ Don’t Be (Judged) Condemned
4. \\#2:18\\ Don’t Lose Your Reward
5. \\#2:19-23\\ Don’t Lose Your Christ
D. \\#2:10-23\\ The Solution is to Remember
1. \\#2:9-10\\ Who Christ is.
2. \\#2:11-15\\ What Christ has done.
3. \\#2:16-23\\ What we should do.
II. \\#3:1-4:18\\ Christ Exalted Through His People
So we don’t get too far removed, let us remember what the theme of the book is. It
is "Christ, Lord of All." It deals with the presentation and exaltation of Jesus.
In these first two chapters, we are seeing the Person of God Displayed through
Christ. We need to remember that Jesus is God and a great deal of these verses
are telling us that and warning us not to get moved from it.
I. Notice where the Colossians were.
A. Paul continues to encourage this church with positive observations.
1. \\#6\\ You have received Jesus.
2. \\#5\\ You have an ordered walk in Christ.
a. Ordered means the due arrangement, the right placement, a
proper condition.
b. Paul was saying the church was where they should be.
3. \\#5\\ You are steadfast.
a. Steadfast means stable and secured.
b. Steadfastness has to do with being solid, reliable.
B. It is a marvelous thing to hear a church is doing well.
1. It is interesting that so many seem to struggle with doing right
today.
a. Of course some think everything is well.
b. We Bible-thumpers blame it on the times.
2. In reality, it appears a large number of churches in Paul’s day
also struggled.
a. It is hard to know since most epistle are written to churches
that had problems and not to churches that were doing well.
b. This is one church that was doing well!
II. Paul’s Command
A. Here Paul urges the church to keep doing what they have been doing.
This is good council to any church or believer.
B. \\#6\\ So walk in Him.
1. Everything Paul is about to detail falls under the general counsel
"WALK in HIM."
2. We remember the term for the Christian life is WALK.
a. To walk is a steady, even pace.
b. The Christian need not race like a rabbit or crawl like the
turtle. Tis the faithful, steady walk that pleases the Master.
C. \\#7\\ Notice the admonitions. This is not deep theology. It just
"plain" language encouragement.
1. Stay rooted.
a. Roots deal with the foundation and fundamentals.
b. Keep the foundation solid.
(1) Foundation doctrines deal with the person of Jesus, among
other things.
(2) Namely that Jesus is the eternal, Son of God. This is
a thought that Paul repeated often in this section.
(3) Remember that I shared with you at the introduction that
some believe Paul was directing this epistle to the false
doctrine, Gnosticism, which makes Jesus less than One
with the Father.
(4) Notice what Paul says.
(a) Jesus is completely God.
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
(b) Jesus is Head, Lord, Master of all principalities
(rulers, lords) and powers (authorities, strengths).
Col 2:10 …which is the head of all principality and power:
(c) Jesus is the Head of the church.
Col 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands
having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of
God.
2. Stay built up in Him.
a. Paul said the he was "beholding their order" \\#5\\.
b. They needed to keep adding to what they believed and did in the
correct way.
c. Some churches start right but get off the mark in time.
(1) Vary in Bible doctrine.
(2) Vary in God’s methods.
(3) Vary in godly leadership.
d. Most often, today at least, the variation comes to get numbers.
e. Righteousness is up to the church. Size is up to God.
3. Stay established in the faith.
a. Faith here refers to all that we believe.
b. The church is to be Biblical in their belief system.
c. That means not only to we base what we believe on what the
Bible says but that we also use sound exegesis for
interpreting the Bible.
4. Abide in the teachings you have been taught.
a. Doctrines do not change.
b. That does not mean our understanding of them does not change,
but what the Bible says, the Bible says.
5. Abound in the thanksgiving.
a. Not only is it important to believe the Bible, to study the
Bible correctly, and to stay with what the Bible says…
b. It is also important to have the right attitude while doing so.
c. The Bible and its teachings are not our burdens. They are our
delights.
d. We should be thankful for the truths God gives us.
III. Paul’s Warnings
A. Staying on track is not as easy as it seems for there are some who seek
to derail us.
1. It would be nice if we could easily spot these faith-wreckers but
they are not easily spotted.
2. I see three kinds of people who would derail us.
a. Some are wolves.
(1) These are dark-hearted non-believers who have no use for
God or the Bible.
(2) Those are easy enough to spot because they are not trying
to hide what they are doing.
b. Then there are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
(1) I have more respect for the wolves than for the wolves in
sheep’s clothing.
(2) These are the doubters and unbelievers who pretend to be
believers to try to tear us down.
c. Then there are the sheep in wolves’ clothing.
(1) These are Christians who mean well but get confused.
(2) You have heard of the fellow who gets confused and runs
the ball to the wrong goal post? That is what happens to
these.
(3) It happened to Peter.
"Get thee behind me, Satan." \\#Matt 16:23, Mk 8:33, Lu 4:8\\
3. The thing is that regardless of what type of person is trying to
derail us, at least at that moment, they are working for Satan.
a. Jesus actually spoke the force that that was directing Peter.
(1) That must have been difficult for Peter to be addressed
as Satan.
(2) Peter was a friend who was doing Satan’s work that day.
(3) Sometimes Satan’s best inroad are through friends who
give bad advice.
b. Don’t be one and don’t listen to one.
4. Regardless of who may be trying to confuse us, we have to stay
true.
B. Notice the warnings:
1. \\#4\\ Beware less someone beguile you with enticing words.
a. Beguile means to trick.
b. To trick implies a deliberate intent to wreck your faith.
c. "enticing words" means these deceivers have arguments which
sound good.
d. The thought here is that someone is corrupting your doctrinal
truth with good arguments that lead to wrong beliefs.
e. There are two keys to resisting good arguments which lead
astray.
(1) Is the source sound? Is it truth?
(a) Doctrinal truth must be Bible.
i. It can not be assumptions drawn from the Bible.
ii. It can not be conclusions drawn from the Bible.
iii. It must be BIBLE.
iv. We all have certain beliefs which are drawn FROM
the Bible, but these are not to be DOCTRINAL
TRUTHS.
a. Doctrinal truths are too important to be
anything but clear Bible teaching.
b.. Sound doctrines must come from sound
doctrinal passages of Scripture.
(b) Doctrinal truth should not be based on an unclear
Bible verse.
(c) Doctrinal truths should not contradict other
doctrines.
(2) Is the reasoning sound?
(a) As I have said, "Reasoning should not be necessary
for doctrinal truths."
(b) If any logic is required, make sure it is sound.
(c) One truth does not necessary prove another fact.
(d) Deceivers are masters at making you think they have
proved something from the Bible, when they have not.
2. \\#8\\ Beware less someone spoil you through philosophy and deceit.
a. In what way?
b. Let’s define our words.
(1) To spoil means to ruin.
(2) Philosophy is man’s reasoning.
(a) Paul said sound reasoning can be based on man’s
traditions; that is, what man has learned.
(b) Or based on the rudiments of the world; that is, what
man can observe.
(3) Vain deceit is trickery.
(a) However, not all reasoning is sound.
(b) When reasoning is mixed with trickery it becomes a
mental poison.
c. Examples:
(1) Harold Camping and his false predictions of the second
coming.
(a) September, 1994
(b) May 21, 2011
(c) October 21, 2011
(2) Catholicism, Mormonism, Jehovah Witness, and many others,
have an entire religion based on this practice.
(3) Anytime anyone has to write a new book to explain the
Bible, WATCH OUT!
d. Too much thinking can mess up sound doctrine.
Ac 26:24 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul,
thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
(1) I know that sounds terrible, but it is because at some
point with God, we have to take things by faith.
(2) Some things just can’t be proved or figured out.
(a) Some people hurt themselves by trying to prove what
God said or by trying to figure out what God did not
say.
(b) We should study things out to nth degree and if we do
not, we are being lazy.
(c) But some things just can’t be proved or figured out
and if you won’t take faith as a stopping point, you
might end up believing a lie.
(3) Does that make us blind? ignorant? stupid?
(a) Not necessarily.
(b) But just like somethings cannot be proved, they cannot
be disproved either.
(c) Some issues you just have to take a stand based on
faith.
(4) Creation is such a case.
(a) You either belief life came from God or life came
from nothing.
(b) Ultimately, those are the only two choices.
(c) Although there are arguments for both, neither can be
proved.
(d) You will have to take a stand on one of the other by
faith.
e. So if a Bible truth cannot be proved, disproved, or figured
out, sometimes it is best to just accept it by faith.
(1) If God wants to prove it later, He will.
(2) If He does not, He won’t.
3. \\#16\\ Beware less someone judge you, attempting to bring you back
under the rituals of the Old Testament law.
a. This was an everyday battle for Paul as he contented with the
Jews in his commission to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.
b. \\#17\\ Here is where Paul tells us that the rituals of the
Law were types (shadows) of Christ and His coming.
c. Now that Christ has come, we are not obligated to carry out the
types any longer.
1. Paul mentions some areas of the law which are "shadows."
a. meat and drinks - Eating practices
b. holy days, new moons, and sabbath days
2. Somehow, and Paul does not explain how, these were pictures
of Christ.
3. For the time being, Christ has fulfilled these pictures and
the church is not obligated to live in these shadows.
4. Of course, being Gentiles, these things were never given to
us to begin with.
d. Still, that does not mean that the moral teaching of sin under
the law is done away with.
e. As we have said many times, what was wrong under the law is
still wrong.
4. \\#18\\ Don’t Lose Your Reward
a. This is a confusing passage.
b. Paul is warning us that some who are proud (vainly puffed up by
his fleshly mind) and ignorant (intruding into those things
which he hath not seen), will try to deceive you.
c. In so doing, they will cost us some rewards.
d. Now here is where the verse gets confusing. I think the
rewards that Paul mentions deal with:
(1) "voluntary humility" - Our humility
(a) I don’t know many who do but I would think that
people who correct the Bible must be a proud lot.
(b) The influence of proud people in our life tends to
make us proud too.
(c) A humble spirit is the spirit that God requires of
His servants.
(d) Those with a humble spirit shall be greatly rewarded.
Mt 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same
is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud,
but giveth grace unto the humble.
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may
exalt you in due time:
(2) "worshipping of angels" - Our service
(a) I do not know if that is what Paul meant by this
phrase or not.
(b) It is obvious that Paul is not encouraging us to
worship angels for that is idolatry. (However I
have never understood why John would attempt to
worship a messenger of God TWICE!)
Re 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do
it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of
Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Re 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and
seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these
things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of
thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book:
worship God.
(c) "Worshipping" means religious observance.
(d) The Greek word is translated "religion" the three
other times it is used
\\#Acts 26:5, James 1:26, 27\\.
(e) The word for "angelic" means messenger and could be
the heavenly or earthly kind.
(f) So the phrase could mean the "religion of God’s
messengers or servants."
(g) Some have been robbed of their religion or service
to God by these derailers.
e. The detailers might seal the lost person’s damnation, and they
might steal our crowns.
5. \\#19-23\\ Don’t Lose Your Christ.
a. The derailers want to evil influence us so that we are "not
hold the Head."
b. They want to wreck our faith in Jesus.
c. Some things are just critical the faith. (Without them, there
is nothing to believe.)
(1) The Bible - If there is no Bible, there is nothing.
(2) God - If there is no God, there is nothing.
(3) Savior - If there is no Savior, there is nothing.
I hope you do not think I am telling you that Christianity is a dumb man’s
religion.
1. I am not at all saying that you should not think on, study, or examine
eternal truths.
2. Neither am I saying that we should not debate those who have other
religious views or no religious views.
3. What I am saying is that you must have faith.
a. Study, learn the truth, reason soundly.
b. However, if you can’t see how something is true, don’t try to invent
ways to make it work.
c. Just trust God.
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