Well, after a six week break or so, we return this morning to Paul's epistle to the Colossians, where we continue to work our way through chapter two. I'm sure you may have heard of a Protestant reformer called John Calvin. And back at the time of the Reformation, John Calvin ministered in the city of Geneva in Switzerland. and he was a preacher. He preached most days of the week and his method of preaching was the same as what we're doing now to systematically go through books of the Bible. But then in 1537 there was some trouble in the city of Geneva and he was kicked out of the city and was unable to return for two years. So he went off elsewhere on the continent. And then after two years, in 1539, he returned to Geneva. And his first time in the pulpit, he opened up where he had left off two years ago, and he began preaching in just the next verse, as if there had been no break whatsoever. Well, it hasn't quite been two years, but that's what we're doing this morning. And my records show that on Sunday the 18th of November 2018, we covered verses 6 and 7 of chapter 2. So today, God willing, we'll consider verses 8 to 10 of Colossians chapter 2, just picking off where we left off. But first, perhaps, a brief recap of the letter would be helpful. Well, the overall theme of Paul's letter to these Christians in the city of Colossae is the supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul's chief aim in writing to them is to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ in order to remind this church just how great he truly is. As we go through this letter, As slowly as we're going through it, it can be very easy to get bogged down in individual verses and to lose sight of the big picture. So this is the big picture that we must keep in view. Every sentence that Paul writes in this letter stems back to this point, that Jesus Christ is all in all. As the eternal Son of God, He is the all-sufficient Creator. As the eternal Son of God incarnate, He is the all-sufficient Mediator between God and man. As the Son of God crucified, He is the all-sufficient Redeemer who has lived as the perfect man in place of His people. And as the Son of God crucified, risen, ascended, and glorified, He is the all-sufficient Saviour, Lord, and High Priest of His people. And so there is no aspect of the Christian life that is lived apart from or outside of Jesus Christ. You cannot get beyond Him. But this is what some at Colossae were beginning to teach. They were saying, well, that's great that your faith is in Christ, but now you need to do this and this and this. And the things they were suggesting were you need to get circumcised now. You need to tap into the spiritual realm and contact the angels. And no doubt there was probably a long to-do list with many other weird and wonderful things. but these seem to be the chief ones that Paul hints at in the letter. And so in response to this, to this teaching that he's heard about from Epaphras, Paul is saying, no, no, no, no, no. And he has spent chapter one reminding them of who Jesus Christ is and what he has accomplished on behalf of sinners. He is saying, if you have come to Jesus Christ by faith, You are fully a Christian. If you have come to Jesus Christ, if you are trusting Him, if you are trusting His death on the cross for your salvation, and that has dealt with your sin once for all and makes you right before God. If that is your hope and your trust, you are a complete Christian. You are 100% a Christian. You might be a bear in Christ, but you're still in Christ, and all that remains now in Christ. And so Paul is writing because he is concerned about this new teaching, particularly that it would begin to undermine their confidence in Christ. So last time we considered Paul's encouragement to them in chapter two, verses six and seven, where he writes, as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. So that's the encouragement. And now in verses eight to 10 comes the flip side of that, which is the warning. And so, he goes on to say after this, 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. 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. So Paul is saying to them, keep going, but beware. Keep moving forward and looking ahead to Christ, but be wary of what is round about you. Be wary of what's coming in from the sides. In the Christian life, we very much need to have good peripheral vision. We need to keep focused on Christ, on Him, but beware of some of the false teaching that might be creeping in from the wings. So Paul warns them here, and Paul's ministry included warning. We see that back in chapter one, verse 28, where Paul writes, him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom. So warning is part of his ministry. In Acts chapter 20, Paul is about to depart from the elders in Ephesus and he says to them, therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. And so now, here is a warning for these believers in Colossae. And it is a warning that we will do well to heed today as well. And so Paul, in these verses, gives a call to vigilance and to watchfulness. He says in 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. So Paul is saying that there is a philosophy out there that is empty and deceitful because it is based on human tradition and the principles and values of the world. as opposed to a philosophy that is according to Christ. So what do we mean by philosophy? Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy. Well, Paul doesn't mean the academic subject of philosophy as you might study in a college or university today. There's nothing wrong with that. Paul lived in the days when the writings and teachings of the Greek philosophers were widespread. People loved to hear new ideas and speculations. In Acts, we find Paul going to places such as the lecture hall of Tyrannus in Ephesus and Areopagus in Athens. Places where people loved to gather to hear new ideas. and philosophies but by this point in history all of this hadn't developed into a system that we know as philosophy. During this time there were Jewish historians who described the Jewish faith as a philosophy as well. So we need to have a first century understanding of what Paul means by philosophy. When he uses this word he means your worldview. Paul means your way of thinking which acts as the lenses through which you see everything. So Paul is saying here that there is a way of thinking creeping into the church that comes from human tradition and worldly principles. There is a way of thinking conjured up by sinful men who are alienated from the life of God. So there's a way of thinking that does not have its origin in God, but in the hearts of sinful men. And it is wrong because it is not according to Christ. It's a man-centered philosophy or worldview as opposed to one that has Jesus Christ at the very center. So Paul is warning them in this verse, to be on guard against a Christless way of thinking that was beginning to creep into the church. And as Christians, we need a worldview that is according to Christ. That's what Paul commends. Beware of that one which is not according to Christ. So we need one that is according to Christ. And that means that we need to see and understand everything around us in light of who Jesus Christ is and what he has done. We need the Christian worldview. And the Christian worldview can be summarized in four words. Creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. I'm making new creation one word. Four words. That's the Christian worldview. We need to understand that all things were created in him. We need to understand that then man, in our sin, we fell from that perfect state of creation, but God has chosen to redeem the world in Christ and to restore the world to that perfection in Christ. Creation, fall, redemption, new creation. and we understand everything around us in that framework. That's Genesis to Revelation in four strokes. That's the skeleton of the Bible, a very bare one, but nonetheless. And as a church, that's the foundation that we need. As individuals in our own jobs and spheres of service, this is what has to shape and colour our thinking. A worldview according to Christ. And that's the only way that life will make sense in this world. This is how things will fall into place. A world created by God, a fallen world cut off from God. That explains all the bad that we see all around us. But that's not the end because we then see God redeeming a sinful people and reconciling all things to himself in Christ. and restoring things beyond that original perfection. And it's great when God gives us this understanding of his word and we come to that way of thinking. It's great when we can see all things in light of what the Bible says and understand God's master plan, his grand scheme of redemption. But the problem is, because of the fall, that humans come up with their own ideas Ideas that are not of Christ. Ideas that are not based on God's word. And humans naturally alienated from God bring a way of thinking that is marred by sin. And that's what's happened in Colossae. There's people coming in with this Christless mindset. And so this is how we determine whether thinking and teaching is false or not. If it is false, it will not be according to Christ. If it is false, it will not fit into the biblical framework that God has provided for us. So Paul commands us as Christians to be aware of it and to discern the true nature of its origins. He's not saying that we shouldn't understand false teaching and the arguments made. He's saying we shouldn't be deceived by it. There's a difference. We need to be aware of the false arguments that people make, be it against Christ, against Christianity, against the church. You have to understand something to know why it's wrong. But Paul is saying we need to then be careful that we're not taken in by it because it will come in a very deceitful way. False teaching will not come surrounded by warning signs and flashing red lights because Satan is no fool. He disguises himself as an angel of light. He uses wolves in sheep's clothing. And so false worldviews from which comes false teaching will be packaged and presented attractively and will always come with persuasive words of wisdom. This is how Satan spreads falsehood. He works through human pride that elevates human reason above God's revelation. But the problem is that human reason is flawed by sin. It has the wrong starting point. It's already on a false trajectory when God's out of it, and it deceives people, and it gets people into a mindset that is separated from God. And Paul says to the church, beware, because none of us are immune from falling into deceit. If we were, Paul wouldn't have to warn us. So he says, beware, don't be cheated. This word means, do not be plundered or taken captive. He's saying, make sure you're not sucked in and captured by it. That's what false teaching does. It captures you and takes you and holds you bondage. It is the truth that will set you free. The truth as it is in Christ Jesus and everything else will hold you in bondage. And so Paul is saying, don't let anyone plunder you of the unsearchable riches of Christ. Don't become their prey. Don't give in to any teaching. that is not focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. Any teaching that takes away from Christ and makes little of his saving work on the cross will be used by Satan to cause havoc and to hold people in bondage. Because the church is dependent upon God for her life and vitality. God has given her his word, breathed out by him as the foundation and rule of all that she does And Satan's deceitful and empty philosophy that is according to the traditions of men and the basic principles of the world, it does not have the divine origins that scripture does. And therefore all thinking and teaching of this kind that Paul warns against is empty of the vital power that is only of God. And so when this unbiblical, Christless way of thinking comes into the church, it causes untold damage to her health. Because we can't grow and mature in Christ if our thinking is Christless. And so we need to keep watch that all our thinking and teaching is centred upon Jesus Christ. How do we do that? How do we keep watch? How do we beware, as Paul warns us? It means that we test everything that we read, we see, we hear, we test it all against the word of God. The validity and the truth of every piece of information that we come into contact with must be determined by Scripture alone. The word of God, rather than human reasoning, is the final arbiter of truth. Not our own traditions, not the world's philosophy, but Jesus Christ and his word. The better that we know his word in our own hearts and minds, the more able we are to filter out all the worldly dross that we hear. And so we are not taken captive by falsehood as we abide in Christ and as we abide in his words and in prayer. And this is what must determine the principles that regulate and govern our lives as individuals and as a church. That means that, again, as individuals and as the church, we don't just shy away from the world. We don't just go like that and say, right, I won't listen to anything that the world says. I need to beware. No. It means that we take what we hear and we bring a biblical worldview to it. We bring a biblical mindset and we say, no, this is why it's wrong because thus saith the scriptures. And so we engage, we take on the world and what they say. and we give them something better. And so we need Christians in every sphere of life to be salt and light in every area who, when they hear thinking that is just deceitful, according to men's traditions, according to the basic principles of the world, we need Christians who have been brought out of that and who now have the mind of Christ and who can then bring a biblical perspective on all aspects of life. So we need Christians in every sphere of society. We need Christian philosophers, as we see this word here. We need Christians in the field of science, in politics, in art, in media, in construction, in healthcare, in retail, in education. As a church, we're called to redeem the culture, to be salt and light. We need those who have that Christian worldview, who understand all things in light of who Jesus Christ is and what he has done, who can show the flaws in the ways of the world, and who can present a better alternative, a life redeemed and restored in Christ, governed by his word. As the church, it's our duty as well to respond to the moral and ethical issues of our day, but to respond according to Christ, according to his word, to tell a better story to do with humanity, marriage, every area of science and medicine, to say, no, we've got something better for you in light of who Jesus Christ is. So why is it important for us as Christians to have everything, everything according to Christ, everything centred upon Christ? Well, verses 9 and 10 tell us, Paul writes, 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. He is God, we are in Him, and He is the head over all things. So Paul said, don't be deceived by anything that the world says, because in Jesus Christ, you have the final and the perfect revelation of Almighty God. You don't need the trash offered by those who are separated from God, because you have the divine word of life from Him. In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Divine life and human life sit perfectly together in him. In his human body, in which there is a human soul and human life, there is also the divine life, 100% both. There is nothing about God that is lacking in Jesus Christ. There is nothing that can be learned about God outside of Jesus Christ. There is no more of deity to be found elsewhere. Doesn't this cause you to marvel when you consider who the Lord Jesus Christ is, that it pleased God the Father to have everything of himself in his Son, who would take on human flesh. perfectly to redeem the world and reconcile sinful people to himself. When we consider him, all our language, all our adjectives just fall short of him. We can call him wonderful, we can call him mighty and glorious, but we do not even begin to do him justice. And yet, false teaching charges Christ with imperfection. False teaching says there is a deficiency in Christ. And here is what you can do to make up that deficiency in Him. And Paul is saying no, because in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. If you're not satisfied with Jesus Christ alone, You are saying that you need something better than God. You need something more than God. And that is deceitful because no such thing exists or can even be imagined. So if you leave Christ behind, if you depart from Christ as these Colossians were in danger of doing, you leave God behind as well. So Paul is saying, remain centered upon him because you are complete in him. You have everything you need for salvation and eternity if you have Jesus Christ. You have everything you need for living the Christian life now in this world if you have Jesus Christ and his word. You are complete in Christ. You're not complete in then doing all the extras, like keeping the law or following certain traditions, but you're complete in Christ. And he is sufficient for every challenge that we will face in life's journey, every temptation that comes our way, every difficult decision we need to make, every sin that we need to turn from. He is sufficient. He's sufficient for all our doubts and fears. When you receive him, you receive everything that God is, and you're caught up in the divine life, united to Christ by faith. You have and are in the one who is head over all things. You don't now need to turn to anything less than the head. So God has given you everything of himself and his son. That's why Paul proclaims Christ, as we see in verses 28 and 29 of chapter one. Then in verses six and seven of chapter two, that's why Paul encourages them to keep on in Christ. Because as John writes, of his fullness we have all received grace for grace. And so united to him, we may attain the true end of our existence, which is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. So beware of any system that does not give Christ all the honor. That's what Paul's saying. Anything that tries to take away from him, even just a little bit. because he is head over all. He is head over the physical world, he is head over the spiritual world, all principalities and power, and he is head over the church. And the church's power flows from this one head. So, just to conclude, John Calvin gave an illustration of what's going on here, and he likened the church to a sheepfold, which I guess our Lord uses this illustration in John chapter 10. So here you have the people of God in a sheepfold, and the fence around the sheepfold is the pure doctrine of the word, which is Christ-centered. And the philosophies and vain deceits are like thieves coming in to steal the sheep, to carry them away. but we must hear the voice of the shepherd who keeps us in the safety of his fold and gives us that pure doctrine to fence us in and we are safe when we abide in the doctrine of his word. He is there with us, keeping us by the fence of the gospel and he keeps us in and keeps the wolves out as we abide in the teaching of his word. So he keeps us in the true faith. He keeps us every day of our lives. But we are not idle. We are active in that, in the work of knowing the truth and shunning all falsehood. So my friends, let us be aware of all thinking that does not have its origin in the word of Christ. And the best way we can do that is by knowing and by delighting in the true doctrine of the word. and the Saviour whom it all points to. Amen. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you that when you call us to yourself in Christ, you keep us in life's journey. You keep us in your word and you keep us in the truth. We ask that you would help us. to know the truth, to have a desire to learn more of the things of God in our own lives. Give us a hunger for your word and a desire to read it and to learn and to be built up in Christ. Please keep us from all false teaching. Please keep us from error and from worldly thinking. Keep us from being attracted to and swayed by the thinking and philosophies of this world and keep us firmly rooted in the mindset of Christ which we find in your word. We ask then that you would be with your church in these days. Please keep her firmly established in the true historic faith. We pray for all those churches and congregations where there is false teaching in the pulpits, where there is no gospel being preached. We ask that you would either convert and reform those who are teaching falsely or remove them so that people will not be led astray. but we thank you that it is your work of guiding your people and that you will have all your people, you will keep us to the end. So keep us in your truth we pray, help us to be watchful and to guard our life in doctrine and help us to delight in Christ and to be constantly seeking the truth within him. So we ask you to go before us now and bless this day to us along with the forgiveness of our many sins we ask in Jesus name, Amen. Let us conclude by singing Psalm 52 in the Scottish Psalter. Psalm 52, verses 1 to 9, which you can find on page 282.