Sermon Notes - Colossians 2:8-15 - Littleby Baptist Church - June 5, 2022

1.     The start of Chapter 2! (re-read verses 6 and 7).

a.      Live for Jesus and don’t let false teachings lead you astray.

b.     Be rooted in Jesus, building a foundation with Godly knowledge and wisdom.

c.      Be established in faith, so that we will not be easily swayed by reasonable arguments.

d.     Hold on to the teachings that are true to the Word of God.

e.      Be thankful for all that Jesus did for you. We haven’t seen the reward yet, but it is there waiting for us.

2.     Colossians 2:8

a.      Is Paul talking to the Colossian church or to us?

b.     This is one of those Yes answers, because both are true.

c.      The Colossians were being deceived, they were being taken captive through philosophy, tradition, and flat-out deceit.

d.     If we look around today, atheism is a philosophy that there are no deities or gods.

                                                    i.     Most of us know someone who says they are an atheist.

                                                  ii.     I have someone on my team that is an atheist.

e.      Some follow the philosophy that since there is pain in this world and that a good God would eliminate pain, there cannot be a God.

f.      We could spend all day talking about some of the philosophical teachings around today that discount our Awesome God.

g.     How about tradition?

h.     Mark 7:13

                                                    i.     In the day this letter was written… some of the Old Testament laws would be traditions that would add rules that must be followed for salvation.

                                                  ii.     Today, some traditions that can and do detract from the Gospel of Jesus. Think of anything that falls into the ‘we have always done it that way’ type of stuff.

                                                iii.     Some churches believe you have to be a member of their church to partake of communion, that is a tradition that is not found in the Word and God and basically tells people that the members of that church are right and everyone else is wrong.

                                                iv.     Traditions can stifle the work of the Holy Spirit.

i.       Then there was flat out deceit.

                                                    i.     I would say calling Jesus some lower-level deity as a purposeful lie trying to lead someone astray.

                                                  ii.     A common one today is that we can all choose or find our own way to heaven.  

                                                iii.     Or that someone is all set to go to heaven if the good in their life is more than the bad.

                                                iv.     That is a belief, a philosophy, and a flat out lie that will lead people to condemnation.

j.       These are all lies of the devil to lead people astray.

                                                    i.     To take people captive so that they do not follow Jesus.

                                                  ii.     To hold them down so that they choose not to respond to the Gospel.

k.     These are worldly ‘truths’ and are not based on our Lord Jesus and the amazing things He has done for us.

l.       We need to guard ourselves against these teachings.

m.   We need to be grounded in the Word of God.

3.     Colossians 2:9

a.      The fullness of the Father is in the Son.

b.     The fullness that we receive can only come from Christ.

c.      Apart from Him, all that is left is emptiness.

d.     Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

                                                    i.     The pursuit of worldly wisdom, knowledge, and philosophy is futile, meaningless, and is like chasing the wind.

e.      Following any of these worldly things will bring emptiness.

f.      It is only through following Jesus and His Word that we can be filled with the fullness of God.

4.     Colossians 2:10

a.      As followers of Jesus, we are made whole.

b.     We are children of God.

c.      We have been grafted into the family.

d.     We have been given the fullness of life through Jesus.

e.      When the day comes, we will receive resurrected bodies that give us eternal life in Glory.

f.      The fullness of life that will be given to us through the fullness of Grace that our Lord has so graciously offered to all who turn to Him.

g.     Think about that, the Grace is freely offered to all of us.

                                                    i.     Does not matter what we have done… Jesus is waiting for us.

                                                  ii.     Does not matter how broken we are… we are made whole, filled, by the Love of the One who died to save us.

                                                iii.     We need to turn to Him.

h.     These couple of verses are a direct challenge to the Gnostics, but also enforce our need to avoid false teachings at all costs so that we are not taken captive and fall into the devils trap.

5.     Colossians 2:11-12

a.      Circumcision – An Old Testament practice instituted by God to mark His people as set apart for Him.

                                                    i.     Many legalistic Jews of that day were trying to make new gentile believers be circumcised.

                                                  ii.     Paul’s point here mirrors Romans 2.

                                                iii.     Romans 2:25-29

                                                iv.     A Gentile follower of Jesus is seen as a law-abiding circumcised Jew in God’s eyes.

                                                  v.     Our Lord is truly looking at our hearts, not how many things we can check off the list. 

                                                vi.     What is in our hearts should be seen in the way we live our lives, but it is not adherence to a bunch of rules that paves our way to Glory.

b.     Baptism – Our Lord was baptized, and we should follow Him in being baptized as it is an outward symbol of the salvation we have been given.

                                                    i.     Baptism in itself does not save us, but it is a wonderful way of describing our death as a sinful person as we go under the water.

                                                  ii.     And the new life we are given as we rise out of the water.

c.      The real point here is the moment of our Salvation we are baptized by the Holy Spirit.

                                                    i.     Our old sinful self-dies and a new person comes to life as we express our faith in Jesus.

d.     In the moment of salvation, we die with Christ but are raised through our faith in Him by the Power of God.

6.     Colossians 2:13

a.      When we live in sin we are separated from our God.

b.     Before we turn to Jesus we are doomed to spend an eternity in agony.

c.      But through Jesus we have been made alive.

d.     Through Jesus our trespasses, our sins, have been forgiven.

7.     Colossians 2:14

a.      Erased the certificate of debt… our debt was legit.

b.     We owed it.

c.      It would be like signing for a car loan, our signature is on it.

d.     We have to pay for it.

e.      But Jesus came along and says follow me and I will take care of it.

f.      Jesus erases that debt.

g.     The debt no longer exists, it is gone.

h.     Through Jesus’ amazing gift, through us being baptized with Him by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.

i.       That debt is gone, and a new life has been given.

j.        How did Jesus accomplish this?

                                                    i.     He nailed our sin to the cross!

                                                  ii.     When Jesus climbed on that cross, He took our sin with Him.

                                                iii.     That deep dark secret we hide from our past, Jesus nailed it to the cross.

                                                iv.     The sins from this last week, Jesus nailed it to the cross.

                                                  v.     He took it all, and nailed it to the cross and paid the price.

                                                vi.     He bathed it in His blood

k.     Jesus took our debt and erased it.      

8.     Colossians 2:15

a.      In nailing our sins to the cross.

b.     In erasing out debt.

c.      Jesus disarmed them, He took the power and weapons away from demonic power and authorities.

d.     He took their strength away.

e.      He made it so that they have NO power over us.

f.      Their weapons are useless against us.

g.     If we are living in Jesus, if our heart is focused on Him, and we are following our Lord, the devil has no power over us.

h.     He will tempt us.

i.       He will lie to us.

j.       He will trick us.

k.     But he has absolutely no power over us.

l.       Jesus is the triumphant one!

m.   Jesus has already defeated the devil.

n.     He has already made it so that all who follow Him are saved.

9.     1 Corinthians 15:56-58

a.      Thanks be to God we have victory in Jesus.

b.     He paved the way.

c.      He erased our sins.

d.     He has made it so the devil has no power over us.

e.      Therefore… because of all of that…

f.      Stand on the truth of the Word of God.

g.     Trust in Jesus.

h.     Give you entire life to Him.

                                                    i.     Don’t hold anything back.

                                                  ii.     Let Jesus into every aspect of your life.

i.       And be about His business which can be summed up as Loving God and Loving Others.