How to Tell Good News from Fake News | Colossians 2:6-7
Series: Colossians: Supreme!
Title: “How to tell Good News from Fake News”
Scripture: Colossians 2:6-7
Bottom line this week: We can tell fake news from good news as we live our lives firmly in the truth by being
grounded in the truth,
growing and bearing fruit through the truth, and being
grateful in the truth that Christ Jesus is Lord of all…including of my life.
Today I want to answer the question: How do we tell truth from lies?
It has been most frustrating the past 5 years especially to tell the truth from lies. On the news, on the internet, on COVID-19, on election counts, on CRT, on you name it.
And even within the truth, we have universalism, legalistic teachings and we have prosperity gospel teachings and it’s pretty easy to be confused on what’s true and what’s not.
The Apostle Paul had to deal with this same challenge too. And in a church that he’d never been to a thousand miles away. We can learn a lot from Paul on how to tell the truth from lies.
Opening story:
Then there’s the MS story. This middle eastern woman comes to Christ and immediately starts making disciples who make disciples. When her future husband meets her she’s already started 25 house churches of about 250 people in 5 cities.
When she moves to America with her new husband (Pastor X) she eventually finds herself depressed saying,
“The western Church is under a satanic lullaby and I’m going to sleep. And every time I want to wake up the lullaby goes faster.”
When they returned to this middle eastern country she was from, the movement then grew to 5,000.
Leaders are “making a mess of the country and Jesus is just the cleanup crew.” -Pastor X
1,300 leaders arrested that year—enemy #1 was the house church movement.
Q. Why is persecution not growing the church? pastor x asked God.
God answered, “You made converts, not disciples. Converts run away from persecution. Disciples will die for me.”
“Because she encountered me she will die for me. You must give the word of God but it must be sealed by the power of God.”
Now doing a disciple making movement (DMM).
As some are running to the mountains for their lives and staying in caves, they are also starting up their zoom meetings so they can reach more people for Jesus. Wow.
20:21 mark: “The only way to change a nation is through discipleship.” -Steve T. “…Through love.”
2 weeks ago I preached: Psalm 1, “Who Influences You Most?”
Bottom line: Let God influence you more than anyone else, so that whatever you do you prosper.
This flows right from that one because God influences us most through his word and his Spirit.
Bottom line this week: We can tell fake news from good news as we live our lives firmly in the truth by being
grounded in the truth,
growing and bearing fruit through the truth, and being
grateful in the truth that Christ Jesus is Lord of all…including of my life.
Colossians 2:6-7 are hinge verses in the letter. Hinges on a door, when working properly, make the door open and close properly. When aren’t, they don’t.
2 Kinds of Knowledge
In French, there are two different words for ‘to know’.
One (savoir) means to know a fact,
The other (connaître) means to know a person.
God is more interested in us knowing people than facts. The most important knowledge of all is knowing God and being known by him. Even this is not the end though. It is never enough simply to have knowledge – you must also have love. -Nicky Gumbel
Pace’s outline (Outline I’m using today)
“God calls us to grow in our walk with Christ in order to strengthen our faith and find our fulfillment in him.”
I. We must deepen our intimacy with Christ. (2:6-7)
A. We are called to be grounded. (6-7)
B. We are called to be growing. (7)
C. We are called to be grateful. (7)
James 1:5-8 if any of you lacks wisdom you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double minded and unstable in all they do.
Colossians 1:15-20
Conclusion
Final illustration:
As I reflect on Tun Keller’s summary of Larry Hurtado’s main points in his book, I see a lot of wisdom to help me lead our church going forward.
I learned about this article while having lunch with Neal McGlohon. He summarized the o
5 points in a slightly different order . Neal shared it this way:
1. The early church was multi-racial and experienced a unity across ethnic boundaries that was startling. (Democrat, Progressive concerns)
3. The early church was famous for its hospitality to the poor and the suffering. (Democrat, Progressive concerns)
2. The early church was a community of forgiveness and reconciliation. (What both sides thinks it’s doing when in fact what we see is fighting for power)
4. It was a community committed to the sanctity of life. (Republican; conservative concerns)
5. It was a sexual counterculture. (Republican; conservative concerns)
Final applications:
I. Grounded: Born to walk having personally received Christ in all his fullness…
II. Growing: Walk in/with Christ rooted and built up...
III. Walk believing the gospel in all of life—not just eternal life…
IV. Grateful: Walk in gratitude.
The old saying still holds. If he’s not Lord of all he’s not Lord at all.
Is he Lord of your life?
Does your life reflect that outwardly?
If not, let’s prayerfully repent asking him to restore us, reconcile us and transform us so that we gladly surrender to his word, his ways and his work.
Pray
Lord’s Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17-32
Other
Hugh’s outline
“Paul’s protective charge to the Colossians” or “What’s the walk that protects like?“
I. A Birth Walk. (6) “This means out experience of first coming to Christ out to mirror how we walk in him all the days of our lives.”
What was our spiritual genesis like?
A. Receive him > accepting him
They received teaching and traditions handed down about Christ.
They received not just Jesus but Jesus in all his fullness.
They received him as Christ/Messiah/King.
They received him, “As one who fulfilled messianic prophesies of OT“
They received him as living prophet, priest, and king.
They received him as a historical person rooted in humanity through the incarnation.
Jesus = Joshua = The Lord is (my) salvation
Capt of salvation—there is no other
They received him as Lord—not just Savior (this is big)
Billy Graham says in the Annals of America: “No man can be said to be truly converted to Christ who has not bent his will to Christ. He may give intellectual assent to the claims of Christ and may have had emotional religious experiences; however, he is not truly converted until he has surrendered his will to Christ as Lord, Savior and Master.”
Spurgeon comments on this, saying: “It is interesting to notice that the Apostles preached the Lordship of Christ. The word Savior occurs only twice int he Acts of the Apostles (Acts 5:31, 13:23). On the other hand it is amazing to notice the title “Lord” is mentioned 92 times; “Lord Jesus” 13 times; and “The Lord Jesus Christ” 6 times in the same book. The Gospel is: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.”
They received him as Lord will help resist gnosticizing influences around us.
Major cults have defective doctrines of Christ
Mormons
Jehovah Witnesses
Christian Science
Like gnostics, they say that they believe in Christ
But what kind of Christ?
Legalism
Prosperity gospel
II. Walk in him (6b, 7a) Walk—how?
A. In him…
B. Rooted and…
Tumbleweed vs
Psalm 1
C. Built up in him
III. A Walk in Faith (7b)
A. Same faith
In salvation
In sanctification
B. Growth doesn’t discard or move on from early truths of Christ for newer truth. Jesus isn’t a beginning to be left behind by the “mature.”
His truths are so deep
Incarnation
Reconciliation
Adoption
Eph 3:17-19
IV. A Walk in Thankfulness (Gratitude) (7c)
A. A healthy Christian walk spills over with
Gratitude (for what He’s done)
Praise (for who He is)
B. Good spiritual test—thankfulness. “A thankless spirit betrays a life that is no longer focusing on the greatness of Christ. It is looking down, not up.
C. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thess 5:18
My notes
Vv. 6-7
Who is God? What has he done?
Christ, Messiah, King —come, reign, rule
Jesus—Saved, rescue
Lord—ruled, defeated darkness
Who am I? What do I get to do as a result?
I am…
A citizen—follow, serve
A rescued/saved citizen—celebrate, serve
A followers, soldier—serve, fight (prayer), free others from capture
A child of light—walk/continue in Christ rooted and built up in him
V. 9
Who is God? What has he done?
Christ/King—rules
Deity/God—worked all-powerfully in those he’s rescued
Head—rules, leads
Healer—circumcised us
Creator/sustainer—made us alive with Christ
High priest—forgave all our sins; canceled all our debts; nailed our sins to the cross
Substitutionary atoning sacrifice—took our place and sin and curse
Deliverer—Disarmed the powers and authorities; made public spectacle of enemies through the cross
Who am I? What do I get to do as a result?
Citizen—participate in his kingdom
Rescued—Walk in fullness of his glory in us
Follower—Walk with him
Circumcised—Walk in purity and healing freed from power of the flesh
Dead man walking—Walk as a dead man without fear or flesh
Baptized with Christ—live forgiven
Raised with Christ—live forever with Christ
Uncondemned—live grateful
OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS:
Walking dad jokes
1. During a trail walk, my mother was so tired she said to my father, "Slow down you. Don't you Everest?"
2. I was walking along a trail and ran into my friend named Nick. It was quite a see-Nick trail today.
3. I was walking on a trail and dropped my trail mix. I started wondering if it was a trail remix now.
What did the guide say when he left the hikers on their own? May the forest be with you.
14. What do you do if the feet of the hiking robot breaks? You reboot it.
asked my father how his hike was, he replied, "It had its ups and downs".
30. I bought a new jacket for a hiking trip. It's called a trail blazer
You pick 'em up, O Lord, I'll put 'em down. - Author Unknown, "Prayer of the Tired Walker"
People say that losing weight is no walk in the park. When I hear that I think, yeah, that's the problem. - Chris Adams
I have two doctors, my left leg and my right. - G.M. Trevelyan
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. - Paul Dudley White
Walking would teach people the quality that youngsters find so hard to learn - patience. - Edward P. Weston.
Don't think you're on the right road just because it's a well-beaten path. - Author unknown
Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend. - Albert Camus
OUTLINES
MAIN COMMENTARY HELP:
Exalting Jesus in Colossians by Scott Pace
Preaching the Word: Philippians, Colossians and Philemon commentary by R. Kent Hughes
ESV Global Study Bible
Bible in One Year by Nicky Gumbel
Bible Knowledge Commentary
The Outline Bible, Wilmington
Paul for Everyone, The Prison Letters, NT Wright’s commentary on Philippians and Colossians
Gospel Transformation Bible
NIV Study Bible
BQ = Better Questions