Posts tagged Colossians 2
How to Walk in Freedom in a World Constantly Entrapping You | Colossians 2:16-23
How to Walk in Freedom in a World Constantly Entrapping You | Colossians 2:16-23

Series: Colossians: Supreme!

Title: “How to walk in freedom in a world constantly entrapping you”

Scripture: Colossians 2:16-23

(Commentary helps listed at the end)

Bottom line: Walk in freedom in Christ and avoid the dangerous ways of the world apart from Christ by remembering who you are and what Christ has done for you.

If I was to yell at the top of my lungs, who would you say that I am? Dave Ramsey? Nope. I’d be Mel Gibson playing William Wallace in the movie Braveheart.

FREEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOM!!! -William Wallace, Braveheart

Today we’re answering the question, “How do I walk in freedom in a world trying to intrap me and contain me and control me?“

Opening story:

I was listening to the Knowing Faith podcast with Jen Wilkins, Kyle ?, and JT English. They were all asked what book of the Bible they find themselves re-reading a lot and why. JT, author of Deep Discipleship, answered Colossians. He said in effect, it addresses things we’re going through today and gives us the answer to the philosophies of this world: the supremacy of Christ. A high Christology is the answer to the “isms” of this world.

Would be good to share a story about being entrapped in something of this world like a cult like Mormonism, a conspiracy, false religion like Jehovah Witnesses, Christian nationalism, …

Amazingly, when Epaphras visits Paul who then writes this letter about being free in Christ, Paul is physically in prison!

Story of a little girl enslaved physically and spiritually that led to a Jailer and his family being freed spiritually. See Acts 16:16-38

“Paul recognized that civic freedom did not always equate to authentic liberty.”

“Perhaps this understanding of true freedom was most influenced by his experience in Macedonia with Silas (Acts 16:16-38). As they were spreading the gospel, they were harassed by a young girl who was enslaved in every way. Physically, she was a slave to her masters who were exploiting her for financial gain. Spiritually, she was possessed by a demonic spirit who had seized control of her life. By the power of Christ, Paul instantly freed her from both.

As a result, Paul and Silas were flogged and imprisoned. The Scriptures vividly describe how they were heavily guarded, thrown into the most secure area of the jail, and their feet were shackled with chains. Yet none of these could restrain their hearts from worshiping. As they expressed their praise to God, an earthquake shook the prison, the doors opened, and their bonds were broken. While others may have fled and sought what they supposed was freedom, Paul and Silas continued to operate in the spiritual liberty they had never lost. Paul reassured the jailer that they had not escaped, and the guard responded with a request for true freedom, salvation in Christ.” -Pace, p. 70-71

Paul and Silas, arrested and imprisoned in the most secure dungeon in Philippi, maintained their joyous freedom in Christ despite their outward circumstances. This was because of leading this twice-enslaved girl to freedom in Christ and led others to freedom in Christ as well.

Outline: (based on Willmington)

Paul WARNS 2 churches against 4 dangerous -ISMS or philosophies that rob us of our freedom in Christ.

From railroad crossing signs to skull and crossbones on bottle of rubbing alcohol, we’re surrounded by warnings.

Children need to be taught to heed these warnings while adults need to be reminded that familiarity breeds contempt. -W Wiersbe

Paul gives us 4 warnings against losing our freedom in Christ. (Based on Willmington’s Outline)

  1. Gnosticism (8-10)

    1. Fiction (8): Gnostics diminish Christ to an angel.

    2. Facts (9-10): Christ incarnate was God in bodily form. Jesus of Nazareth was God in the flesh.

  2. Legalism (11-17) “Let no one judge you”

    1. Paul describes the LOVE of Christ (11-15)

      1. We’ve been CRUCIFIED and RAISED to new life with him (11-12).

      2. He has FORGIVEN our sins (13).

      3. He has “CANCELED the charge” against us “NAILING it to the cross” (14-15).

    2. Paul describes the LIBERTY in Christ (16-17). Because of this, believers should not criticize (aka judge) each other…

      1. In matters of diet (16a): Food or drink like alcohol, meat, pork, sugar, caffeine, etc.

      2. In matters of days (16b-17): Sabbaths, Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Passover, the liturgical calendar, feasts, etc.

  3. Mysticism (18-19) “Let no one disqualify you”

    1. Fiction (18): Mysticism teaches that God can be KNOWN through 2 METHODS:

      1. Through worship of ANGELS (18a…in addition, myths abound…

        1. .People DO NOT “get their wings” and become angels at death.

        2. Christ was NOT a super angel. HE CREATED angels!

      2. Through seeing of VISIONS (18b)

    2. Fact (19): One can only know God THROUGH CHRIST, who is the head of the body, the Church.

  4. Asceticism (20-23) “let no one enslave you”

    1. Fiction (21-22): Asceticism teaches that one can PURIFY the spirit by PUNISHING the body.

    2. Facts (20, 23):

      1. The spirit cannot be purified by PUNISHING the body. (23)

      2. The believer’s body and spirit have been CRUCIFIED with Christ. (20)

Conclusion

Bottom line: Walk in freedom in Christ and avoid the dangerous ways of the world apart from Christ by remembering who you are and what Christ has done for you.

“Until I first read Colin Urquhart’s book, In Christ Jesus, I had never realized how significant that little word “in” is in the New Testament. Understanding that, as a Christian, you are “in” Christ Jesus revolutionizes how you see yourself, your self image, your identity and how you understand your value to God.”

“Take out a piece of paper, write your name on a piece of paper. Take hold of your Bible to represent Christ. Place the paper in the book and close it. You are in Christ. Where the book goes you go. Where the paper goes he goes. You are not part of the book, but you are now identified totally with the book.” —Nicky Gumbel

Pray

Lord’s Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17-32

Other

Pace Outline:

Bottom line: “Through the power of the gospel and according to our identity in Christ, we have been delivered from the demands of religious performance and are free to live for his glory through loving obedience.”

I. Our death in Christ releases us from the law. (16-23)

A. We are free from the shackles of reputation. (16, 18)

B. We are free from the bondage of religion. (16-19)

C. We are free from the chains of regulations. (20-23)

All of these admonitions hinge on the conditional clause in v. 20: “If you died with Christ…”

The finished work of Christ

+ Their corresponding participation in his death

= Frees them from the related obligations of the false teaching

Hughes’ outline:

The Guarding of Your Treasure

  1. A warning against legalism. (16-17) “Do not let anyone judge you”

  2. A warning against mysticism. (18-19) “Let no one disqualify you”

  3. A warning against asceticism. (20-23) “Let no one enslave you”

OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS:

“Several years ago Royal Robbins, a professional mountain climber, wrote an article for Sports Illustrated(March 6, 1978) that demonstrates the importance of seeing ourselves and life as we really are. He wrote:

‘If we are keenly alert and aware of the rock and what we are doing in it, if we are honest with ourselves beyond what we know is safe, then we will climb safely. For climbing is an exercise in reality. He who sees it clearly is on safe ground, regardless of his experience or skill. But he who sees reality as he would like it to be, may have his illusions rudely stripped from his eyes when the ground comes up fast.’

This reality is this: ‘In him (Christ) the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,’ and him we have been made full (2:9, 10). But we can lose the benefits of that fullness very easily. We can fall to legalism…” -Hughes, p. 292

As I reflect on Tim 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)

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

  • The Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren Wiersbe


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Darien GabrielGrace Christian Fellowshipnon-denominational church, Grace, Darien Gabriel, Bible-believing, Colossians, Colossians 2, how to walk in freedom
How to Tell Good News from Fake News | Colossians 2:6-7
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

(Commentary helps listed at the end)

Bottom line this week: We can tell fake news from good news as we live our lives firmly in the truth by being

  1. grounded in the truth,

  2. growing and bearing fruit through the truth, and being

  3. 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

  1. grounded in the truth,

  2. growing and bearing fruit through the truth, and being

  3. 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

    1. They received teaching and traditions handed down about Christ.

    2. They received not just Jesus but Jesus in all his fullness.

    3. They received him as Christ/Messiah/King.

    4. They received him, “As one who fulfilled messianic prophesies of OT“

    5. They received him as living prophet, priest, and king.

    6. They received him as a historical person rooted in humanity through the incarnation.

      1. Jesus = Joshua = The Lord is (my) salvation

      2. Capt of salvation—there is no other

    7. They received him as Lord—not just Savior (this is big)

      1. 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.”

      2. 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.”

    8. They received him as Lord will help resist gnosticizing influences around us.

      1. Major cults have defective doctrines of Christ

        1. Mormons

        2. Jehovah Witnesses

        3. Christian Science

        4. Like gnostics, they say that they believe in Christ

      2. But what kind of Christ?

        1. Legalism

        2. Prosperity gospel

II. Walk in him (6b, 7a) Walk—how?

A. In him…

B. Rooted and…

    1. Tumbleweed vs

    2. Psalm 1

C. Built up in him

III. A Walk in Faith (7b)

A. Same faith

    1. In salvation

    2. 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.”

    1. His truths are so deep

      1. Incarnation

      2. Reconciliation

      3. Adoption

      4. Eph 3:17-19

IV. A Walk in Thankfulness (Gratitude) (7c)

A. A healthy Christian walk spills over with

    1. Gratitude (for what He’s done)

    2. 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

  1. You pick 'em up, O Lord, I'll put 'em down. - Author Unknown, "Prayer of the Tired Walker"

  2. People say that losing weight is no walk in the park. When I hear that I think, yeah, that's the problem. - Chris Adams

  3. I have two doctors, my left leg and my right. - G.M. Trevelyan

  4. 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

  5. Walking would teach people the quality that youngsters find so hard to learn - patience. - Edward P. Weston.

  6. Don't think you're on the right road just because it's a well-beaten path. - Author unknown

  7. 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

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Darien GabrielGrace Christian FellowshipColossians 2, Darien Gabriel, non-denominational church, Bible-believing, church, Ladson, SC, Grace Christian Fellowship