Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Colossians 2-4
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: It's good to see you today. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin, and we are continuing our journey through Scripture. ⁓ we are going to be in ⁓ Colossians and we're gonna finish it up, ⁓ chapters two, three, and four. ⁓ if you remember, ⁓ Paul again, he's ⁓ in prison, he's writing ⁓ to some of the different churches. ⁓ he's ⁓ been talking about ⁓ the preeminence of Christ. ⁓ he's there's ⁓ this Gnosticism that was kind of this idea that there's secret knowledge to be found and the goal of life was to accumulate the right kind of knowledge and it would point you in the right direction and you'd get this secret wisdom that was out there. ⁓ and that that's kind of applied to a lot of pagan ⁓ rituals and worships ⁓ worship and ⁓ that obviously ⁓ was a threat to Christianity and would kind of warp what Christianity was. that ⁓ that ⁓ well this can just be about us accumulating knowledge. And Paul is making the case that no, Christ is the the goal, right? That that he is he he is preeminent over all of that. ⁓ and so some of the language here is kind of like Gnostic language, but it's pointing people to Christ. It's not some random ⁓ you know, set of ⁓ truths out there that we can find. No, it's found in Christ, in Christ alone. What you're looking for, ⁓ the wisdom that you're looking for is found in him, in Christ. And ⁓ and so chapter two starts off, ⁓ I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you. I have for you and those in Laodicea and for as many who have seen my face in the flesh. 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 again, he's saying, Here's the answer. ⁓ you you've been searching for this. Well, here it is. This is the the mystery of God that is found through Christ. ⁓ now verse four, now this I say, lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words, for though I am absent in the flesh, I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and steadfastness of your faith in Christ. So clearly there are people that are trying to deceive and per persuade them in a different direction. Paul is pushing back against that. Verse eight, 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. ⁓ I I think and this is again this kind of philosophical stuff, but you may have heard the term and I'm sure you have postmodernism. ⁓ I believe this is a deception. ⁓ it is very clear. postmodern modernism has been around for a while and one of its main goals is to to destroy the idea of truth. ⁓ and that is why you hear ⁓ phrases like my truth. That is ⁓ why our society is moving away from God. That's why our it's ⁓ uncomfortable for people to say that one ⁓ religion is more valid than another. ⁓ these are things that have crept in and and are pulling us away from the truth that the answer is found in Christ and in Christ alone. Now that may make you uncomfortable too, because we're seeped in this. ⁓ tradition in this society. That, you know, we don't want to offend anyone by saying, No, here's what is true. ⁓ you know, you you may believe that ⁓ you know, there are multiple ways to heaven and that there are different ways that we can find a secret wisdom on how to ⁓ to live. You know, some people try to find that through hallucinics, some people try to find that through ⁓ you know, ⁓ d different ⁓ philosophies and things like that. But the truth is that wisdom and knowledge is found only in Christ and in Christ alone. And if if if you're going to claim to be a Christian, to believe in scripture, then those other things ⁓ they they do not hold the same sway and we should be willing to say that. Now we do that in respectful ways and we d you know you don't you don't have to, you know, ⁓ bash people who are trying to find ⁓ wisdom and knowledge in other ⁓ worldly ways, but we shouldn't just say, ⁓ yeah, well, that's good. If that works for you, great. You know, what works for me is Jesus. No, we should tell them if you're looking for truth, if you're seeking knowledge, it's only going to be found in Christ and Christ alone. And you're not gonna be all that popular for saying that, but you can say that in a loving manner. You can say, well, we can agree to disagree. But ⁓ if you're going to believe in in God, if you're going to believe in Christ that is presented in Scripture, ⁓ he is the only source of true wisdom and knowledge. ⁓ it ⁓ Paul continues to go on and says, For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power, and that it is all found ⁓ in Christ. ⁓ then ⁓ it continues on and kind of starts getting into some, you know, the idea of of being religious, of legaliz legalism, ⁓ religious rituals, things like that. ⁓ says ⁓ verse twelve, you were buried ⁓ with him in baptism in which you were also raised with him through faith and the working of God who raised him from the dead. I love that picture. You're buried with Christ whenever you're baptized, you are raised to live a new life in him. ⁓ And ⁓ it says, And you having been dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he is made alive together with him, ⁓ having forgiven all your trespasses, having wiped out ⁓ the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross, having disarmed principalities and powers. ⁓ he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing o triumphing over over them, all the Principalities and power. You know, the I and I talk a lot about the spiritual battle that we are we are in. Well, the victory is already won, ⁓ but the battles is still raging. ⁓ and ⁓ it's important for us to understand the d the difference that we engage the battle from a position of victory, ⁓ not from defeat. ⁓ so then it it talks about so let no one judge ⁓ the food you drink, the the ⁓ the ⁓ the food you eat, the things that you drink in regard to festivals or new moon, right? ⁓ then it continues, it says, Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding ⁓ into those things which is not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, not holding fast to the head, ⁓ from whom the body nourished and knit together by joints, ligament grows with its increase that is from God. As you read that in a few different translations, it becomes a little more clear what he's talking about here is that there will be those people who are religious that think that you should worship in cerf certain ways and that here here's the false humility that you should have. Of course they wouldn't use that term. ⁓ here's how you should go about ⁓ worshiping. You should ⁓ here here's you should worship angels, you should see visions, you know, all of these things that are in addition to. And it doesn't mean all of them are wrong, ⁓ but those are not necessary. ⁓ to ⁓ to find ⁓ your hope in Christ. ⁓ verse twenty, therefore if you died with Christ from the basic principles of this world, why as though living in the world do you subject yourselves to regulations? Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle. Again, these are those human made, worldly rituals that we have created, ⁓ which all concern things which perish ⁓ with using according to the commandments and doctrines of men. These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self imposed religion, false humility mu humility and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. So so he's saying don't don't don't look religious. Don't look like you ⁓ you know that that your goal is just to make it look like you're a good Christian. No, live it out, right? ⁓ being a a good follower of Christ is not ⁓ about the rituals that you go through. It's about how you live your life, how you engage with other people, ⁓ your perspective, your attitude, your emotions, all of those things. And that's what chapter three gets into. It says, if you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things of earth. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ. When Christ who is our life appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. Therefore, now he gets very specific here, right? He's starting to kind of put ⁓ examples to what he's talking about. Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth. Fornication, uncleanliness, passion, evil desires, covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience in which you yourselves once walked. when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these things anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge, according to the image of him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all in all. So so we put off those worldly things, those ⁓ sinful things, and we put on ⁓ Christ. And in Christ, the all the the human things that separate us, whether it's ethnicity, whether it's ⁓ from your country, whether it's color and race, creed, whatever it may be, it is Christ who unites us. ⁓ and then it goes in chapter verse twelve of chapter three, ⁓ has the character of the new person. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another, forgiving one another, if any one has complained against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you must so you also must do. But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual song. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. And then it has the Christian home, the household codes. We're going to get more into this in Ephesians, but ⁓ one thing that's very important, there's a cultural thing. Roman families had household codes. Now that was extremely important. And they became very suspici suspicious if ⁓ a group came in that did not have household code codes of how things were ordered and and you know, the values that they had. One thing that is obviously different and and it's so stupid. We we ⁓ we get so frustrated 'cause it says, Wives submit to your own husbands. Okay. And we hear that and think that that's a ⁓ that's ⁓ putting worth ⁓ of the husband above the wife. That is not what that's doing at all. In fact, if you compare the household codes, the household codes of the Bible are tell the husband to love his wife. Roman household codes were ta told the husband how to rule over his wife. This was a radical departure, a radical change, but it had the household codes, so Romans would the Rome wouldn't be, it's like, ⁓ who is what is this group with their principles? No, they still had the household codes of how the order of how the household was to work. ⁓ we have butchered this. Satan has used that one word to submit, ⁓ to just destroy ⁓ so much and cause so much chaos, which that's what he does. ⁓ and just ⁓ understand as you read that, this is a radically progressive view of how men and women interact and how husbands treated wives. than what the normal household codes of the day were. Chapter four continues, ⁓ verse two, continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in thanksgiving, praying also for us that God would open a door for us for the Word to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in change, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom to the towards those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Now what does that mean there? Yes, we speak in grace, but salt gives gives flavor, gives ⁓ that preserves the truth that we speak is what gives meaning to life. So we say it in grace, yes, but we we we make sure that we are Telling what is true. ⁓ that we are supposed to be ⁓ salt and light to the world around us, ⁓ pointing the world to Christ and Christ alone. ⁓ the rest of chapter four is just kind of ⁓ closing ⁓ blessings that Paul normally does. All right. ⁓ we'll go ahead and start into Ephesians. Let's do the first three chapters of Ephesians. So Ephesians one through three. All right, we'll see you then.