read some meditation that A.W. Tozer had written on John 3.16 and he ended his meditation or one of the sections of his meditation by saying that Jesus Christ is the one who knows you the best. Jesus Christ knows the very worst about you, and yet Jesus Christ is the one who loves you the best. Somehow that really encouraged me this morning, and that's why we gather here this morning, because our Lord knew us in the midst of our sin, even as John tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I guess that's Paul. But while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. and we gather this morning to rejoice in that glorious fact. So this morning we're going to be continuing in Colossians, but before we start let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father it is with great wonder and awe that we Consider the fact that you have forgiven us and restored us and given us a place in your kingdom and before your throne. Not even merely as slaves, but as friends and as sons. Father, that is glorious beyond imagination. And it is even more glorious when we look at the price at which you paid to make that happen, that you were willing to give up even your own son. You were willing to let him become a curse, to become your enemy, to bear the full weight of our sins, so that we could be reconciled with you. Father, there aren't words for us to describe how great that is. But Father, we rejoice in that and we give you the glory. You are a great God. You are full of love and compassion and mercy and grace. Father, you are also full of judgment and wrath. You will not allow your law to go unnoticed and broken. And so Father, we rejoice in all that you are. And Fathers, we come to your word this morning. We want to have a deeper taste, a greater appreciation for all that you have done for us. So Fathers, we turn to look at your word. I pray that you would open our eyes to help us to see Christ more, that we would rejoice more in all that he has done for us, that we would love him more because of what he has done. And Father, I pray that the result of our seeing and our loving would be a walk of obedience before Christ, that He would be our Lord, not because we're in bondage, but because we love, that we are not in drudgery, but rejoicing to be His servants. So Father, we pray that Your Spirit would be in our midst towards that end. Father, that Your Spirit would enliven our hearts, that we would have a joy in hearing Your Word this morning and enlighten our hearts. Give us an understanding of Your Word as we study it together this morning. Father, I pray that You would empower me through Your Spirit, that it would be the work of Christ pouring through me and not merely myself speaking these words. Through Your Spirit, You would guard my words to make them things that are only true and glorifying of Christ, and things that are helpful to build up those who are here in the knowledge and delight of Christ. So Father, we rest this time in your hands. I pray that our meditation will be an act of worship this morning. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. So this morning we're starting our second section of Colossians. We're going to be looking at Colossians 2 verses 8 through 16. But before I start, I want to go back and remember what Colossians is about and how Colossians is organized. So we have quite a few visitors here this week, so this will be the quick run up to where we've been and for the rest of you, a good review. We'll start with our purpose statement for Colossians. I kind of wrote out a brief statement about where we're going to be heading in Colossians. So, Colossians calls us to see how truly glorious Jesus is, and to root all of our hope in Him, knowing that He is true wisdom to meet our every need. This will prevent us from instead pursuing the hopes and the purposes of this world and being captured by worldly wisdom. And so we've already finished the first part which was really trying to show us how truly glorious Jesus is and to encourage us to root all of our hope and trust in him. And now we're going to be moving into the second section which deals with the second half of that that will turn us away from the hopes and purposes of this world being captured by worldly wisdom. So, also a review. We've organized Colossians into four parts. The first part, which was approximately Chapter 1, was rooted in the Gospel. That's what we finished last week. Where we're going to start this week is refusing worldly wisdom, which is approximately Chapter 2. Then in chapter 3 we're going to see that we need to be renewed in Christ. And then in chapter 4 we'll see that this is relational truth as Paul speaks to multiple individuals in the church in Colossae. And so, last week we finished the first section of Colossians, and that contained the foundational truths that make up this book. The Colossians are complete in Christ, and the Colossians must be rooted in Christ. So in the first verses we saw Paul's prayer. Paul reminded them that their hope was in the Gospel, and he wants them to continue placing all of their hope in the Gospel. In the next verses, we saw Paul's song. Not only is he rooted in the gospel, he is rooted in glory. He sings about the glories of Christ, who he is and what he has done for us. And then he calls the Colossians, continue finding your hope here. Be stable and steadfast, not shifting from this hope. And then last week we saw Paul's purpose, and that was to see everyone rooted in Christ. Paul serves the Gospel to see everyone mature in Christ, to see Christ built up in them, the hope of glory. And so Paul commands them, be rooted in Christ. Continue where you had started. Keep your life in the Gospel. So as we continue on this morning, we're going to start the second section of Colossians, which was refusing worldly wisdom. So having called the Colossians to see that everything they could ever possibly need is in Christ, and then he commands them to place all their hope in Christ, now Paul is going to warn the Colossians. He's going to share his concerns about the church with them. And Paul has some concerns. He's seeing some dangers that Epaphras has communicated back to them. And Paul's concern is that they have forgotten that they are complete in Christ. Because of that, they're ready to turn and pursue other things in addition to Christ. They're going to start adding on things on the side. Now, it doesn't appear that the Colossians are denying any core truths about Christ. They aren't changing the message about Christ. It doesn't have the same tone as perhaps Galatians or even parts of Philippians does, where Paul reacts very harshly to a false gospel. But it does appear that they're just adding things on. They're adding things in that were in addition to Christ. They're embracing the wisdoms of this world to bring them to completion, as though the wisdom of this world could add something to them. And so Paul warns them against this. They're complete in Christ. Pursuing other things is to pursue nothing, to pursue emptiness. It's worthless and vain. And so in this section, we'll see several things. First, Paul's going to give a warning to the Colossians. He's going to give them a reason to heed the warning. He's going to give them some practical examples of how to apply this warning in their lives, and then he's going to give them a theological foundation. Why and how do we live these things out in light of Christ? And so this week we're going to look at Paul's warning, and he's going to argue with them. Do you want captivity or Christ? That'll be the verses we're looking at this morning, 2.8-15. Then next week we're going to look at Paul's example, the examples of how to apply this warning, the root and the fruit of your activities. That'll be Colossians 2, 6 through 19. And then when we return to Colossians in April, we'll look at Paul's theology. Are you dead or are you alive? That'll be the end of Colossians 2 and into Colossians 3. So let's read Colossians 2. We'll do 2, 8 through 15 this morning. Again, you can follow along in your Bibles or I have the text up here on the screen. So, Colossians 2 verse 8. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of this world and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority. And Him also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God. And you who are dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by cancelling the record of death that stood against us. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, having triumphed over them in him." So as we look at this passage this morning, our proposition, our main point is going to be that the world is trying to capture you, but you've already been captured by Christ. The world's trying to capture you, but you've already been captured by Christ. And then I played around with this sermon a lot. This sermon was going to cover more verses. Then I decided I was covering too much, so it was going to cover less. It's going to be a little bit shorter sermon this morning. Some of you might rejoice in that. But we'll do two points this morning. The first, we'll look at the first half, a sober exhortation. The world is trying to capture you. And we'll look at verse 8. And then we'll look at a glorious motivation. But Christ has already captured you in Colossians 2, 9 through 15. So let's look at the first point. A sober exhortation. And so the main warning of Colossians takes only one verse in chapter 2. He says this plainly. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of this world, and not according to Christ. It's a short command, but this is what Paul is really concerned about. This is why he's writing this letter to the church. He's saying, this is a danger that is about to happen to you. He's worried the Colossians have been captured by other ideas, that they've been made to serve other masters. And Paul doesn't want to see his brothers and sisters in Christ carried off as slaves. So after building a foundation of their hope in Christ, a foundation that he wants them to run back to, a foundation to run to for safety, he then brings his solemn warning. Don't be captured. Don't be captured. And as we look at this warning, I want to consider three things about the command here in verse 8. We're going to kind of tear this apart a little bit. Three things. First, we'll look at vigilance. We'll look at consequence. And we'll look at discrimination. So we'll start with vigilance. Paul's warning is a call for us to be vigilant. So Paul starts with the words, see to it. See to it. We might translate this, watch out, or beware, or take heed, or maybe more in the vernacular, heads up. Something's coming at you. The warning here isn't a call to passivity. Paul wants us to take action on this warning, to listen to this warning, and then actively watch out for these things. He's saying, this is an active danger going on right now. So the wrong way to walk out of church this morning is to file this warning away in the back of your mind to be thought about later, maybe not to be thought about at all. Paul sees a clear and a present danger, and he wants us to watch out. He says, look out, something's coming. It's almost like if any of you play golf, a golfer yelling four on the golf course. You'd expect everyone to kind of look around and make sure they weren't about to get beamed in the back of the head by a ball or a sailor. This is something I'm a little more familiar with, a sailor calling jibing as they're crossing through the wind. It'd only be the foolish sailor who heard the call jibing and didn't watch out for the boom because they're going to end up with a headache and more than likely in the water. And so, as we listen to Paul's warning this morning, we really need to be prepared to measure our lives against this warning. This is something that Paul wants us to take an active step in looking into. We should go home this afternoon and through this week and make a concerted and honest effort to determine if we've allowed philosophy and empty deceit a place in our lives. Now, we'll talk about how we do that more in a few minutes. We haven't described what that means yet. But let's start with determining to do that. We determine to put effort in. We're going to see to it as we go on. We need to go and take areas of our lives, especially major things that guide our thoughts and our day-to-day actions, things that others might say guide our life, and really evaluate them against Paul's warning. We need to take our life and set it next to Paul's warning and say, Am I in danger of these things Paul's talking about? Is this thing that's directing my life, is this thing that's fueling my passion, that's consuming my thoughts, is it rooted in Christ or is it rooted in something else? And this requires a passionate desire to hear and obey. And it also requires what I'd call some brutal honesty. We need to be able to look at our lives and be honest with ourselves. Can we look and be honest about what we find in our lives? Are we willing to see what is there and make the changes that are necessary? Or will we look at our lives with blinders and find everything is well? Paul says, no. Be vigilant. See to it. Don't hear and ignore this warning. Hear and take action. So first, Paul's warning is a call for us to be vigilant. But then next we will consider the consequence. Paul's warning is earnest because there's a real danger involved. And so Paul continues. He says, see to it that no one takes you captive. There's an enemy out there that's trying to capture you. There's an enemy army coming after you. And so perhaps the best illustration isn't the golf course or the sailing ship. The best illustration perhaps is the battlefield, that there's an army lined up and the commander's yelling, watch out, they're coming. You'd expect them all to get ready right then. The one who didn't get ready for the enemy to show up is a foolish soldier. He's calling out to his troops, watch out. Paul's literally saying that philosophy and empty deceit can capture your souls. The word here in Greek means that you've been plundered, you've been carried off as spoil. that you're about to be carried off into the world. If you allow these things free reign in your life, you're going to look up one day and find that you're no longer of Christ because you've been captured by something else and been carried off. And we shouldn't dismiss this warning as something that could never happen to us. It's easy to hear these things and say, whoa, Paul's talking about those who are about to be carried off from Christ, think, that's not going to apply to me. I'm a Christian. I'm not going to have that happen to me. But remember, Paul is writing to those whom he's rejoiced to see the firmness of their faith. That's actually the last thing he said. I rejoice to see the firmness of your faith. He has thanked God that the gospel came to them. He thanked God that the gospel bore fruit in them. He saw their faith in the love that they had for all the saints. He's writing to those who in every respect look like believers, who are believers, who found hope in Christ. And Paul is saying to those believers, watch out. If you allow worldly wisdom a place in your life, it will overwhelm you and carry you off. You'll be captured. You'll be in bondage to this world. And so this calls us to really consider what things are ruling our lives. What things are directing us? Have we been captured by something? If Paul is writing to those who knew and obeyed the gospel but are still in danger of being captured, we have to consider whether we've been captured by a worldly pattern, a worldly guide. Are there things that rule over me? Ideas and principles that demand my allegiance? Are there things in this world that I cannot do, rules that I cannot be free from? Now, all those questions that I just asked, yes answers aren't necessarily a problem. In fact, as I ask those questions, are there things that rule over me, ideas and principles that demand my allegiance? You better answer yes to those. We must answer yes because Christ ought to rule over us. Our Lord does demand our allegiance. We are duty-bound and love-bound to obey his command. But the danger comes when those things that rule our life aren't vitally connected to Christ. Although we're starting to tread into our next point. How do we tell the difference between these things? But we really ought to consider and identify what things are ruling over me. What rules lead my life? What organizes my life and demands my obedience? Have I been captured by anything? And if so, what? What have I been captured by? There's a real danger involved here. And then third, we'll see discrimination. Discrimination. If Paul is warning us of a real and present danger, We need to figure out what it is. And that really is the question. That's the question of the whole book of Colossians. And it's somewhat of a hard question because Colossians isn't so clear about it. How do we tell if we're in danger of being captured by something? So first we need to say this is an infinitely important question. If there's a danger that might capture us, we need to identify what it is. But also this is a challenging question. With the vagueness of Colossians, the amount of thinking that we're going to need to put into this question, there's a chance that a spirit of judgment or licentiousness can creep in as we try to answer this question. We can be too harsh with others and say, you've been captured. Because we like to be harsh with others or we can be too easy with ourselves. There's no way I've been captured by worldly philosophy. And so we need to answer this question carefully and correctly. We need to answer it with honesty and with love. And so how do we tell the difference between good things, things that are pulling us towards Christ, and things that might capture us? What's the way that we're going to discriminate between these two things? This morning I'm going to try to answer that question by looking at what Paul describes the danger as, and what Paul describes the danger as opposite to. So we'll look at a positive and then the opposite of the danger. So let's start with, first, how does Paul describe the danger? So Paul uses four phrases to describe the danger to the Colossians. He says, see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and impetus seat. according to human traditions, according to the elemental spirits of the world. So philosophy is a Greek term. It literally means love of wisdom. And it refers to sets of carefully crafted arguments. The Greeks were well known for this. They had long philosophical systems. They had lots of great arguments about why this was true or why that was true. Not necessarily grounded in any sort of reality, but they loved the argument of it. And so it's a Greek term out of that. And Paul's saying, don't get captured by the arguments of this world. The world will carefully craft arguments to entice you and entrap you. Plausible arguments, like we talked about last week. Plausible arguments that you might at first want to listen to. But don't imbibe every argument. When you hear a reason that you should do something, instead when you hear a carefully crafted argument, dissect it. Determine its motivation and its intent, its source and its purpose. And then determine whether you should listen to it or reject it. We need to pay attention. There are really good arguments that still have no grounding in any sort of truth. Paul wants us to be mature enough in Christ that we will, as he says in Ephesians 4.14, we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men and their deceitful scheming. There will be deceitful schemes. Men will come up with cunning arguments. And we need to say, just a second, I don't need to obey every argument I hear. I need to think about the basis of this argument. What are these people really calling to? And so philosophy doesn't really describe what the danger is, but how the danger comes. The danger is in the cunning arguments of the world that will sway and capture us if we aren't firm in our faith in Christ. So that's the first description. We can be captured by philosophy, these carefully crafted arguments. But then next Paul calls the danger empty deceit. Empty deceit. I think this is the flip side of the description philosophy. These things may be carefully crafted arguments and at surface level they may appear to have sound wisdom embedded in them. And that's part of the problem. They might appear to be sound wisdom. They may be alluring and enticing. They might even sound godly. But at their heart they're full of emptiness and deceit. And because the arguments are empty and deceptive at their core, they're actually calling us to embrace emptiness. To embrace that which is opposite of the fullness of Christ. Opposite to the goodness of God. They entice us to trade the fullness of God for a lie of this world. And they deceive us so that we can't even see that the trade's been made. We think that we're grasping on to something good, but there's nothing there and we can't see it. We're blinded to the emptiness that we just embraced. And so it's philosophy, but also empty deceit. You're going to be captured, you can be captured by that sort of thing. But then third, Paul says the danger is according to human tradition. It's philosophy and empty deceit that are according to human tradition. So every argument has to be rooted somewhere. And Paul says that the arguments that are endangering the Colossians church are rooted in human traditions. We might say in cultural customs, in age-old practices. The lives of this world are often based in culture and tradition instead of being grounded in Christ. And so we need to consider, is this argument, is this thing that I'm following, this passion that I'm pursuing, is that something that belongs to my culture, to the traditions that I grew up with, or is that part of Christ? And is what I'm doing just the way things have always been done, or are they explicitly and clearly rooted in Christ? And then fourth, Paul says that the danger is according to the elemental spirits of this world. And so one root was human tradition. The way things have always been done, there's safety in age-old traditions. But another root for the argument is elemental principles of this world, the way the world is organized, the way that the world is motivated and directed. Now there's some disagreement on exactly what this phrase means, and you might see it if you're looking in different translations. We'll call this the elements of the world. Some will call this the elementary principles of this world. The ESV, which I'm using, calls it the elementary spirits of the world. There's disagreement on whether Paul is simply referring to the order of things in this world, the way the world orders itself, or to the demonic spirits that are behind the order of this world. But I don't think it matters too much right now which Paul's talking about. It doesn't make much difference to how we apply this passage, whether Paul's talking about the way the world is ordered or the spirits that are behind the way the world is ordered. Paul's saying that that's what motivates these sorts of arguments. The things that motivate the world are opposite the things that ought to motivate a Christian, because the world isn't motivated by Christ at all. It's motivated by other loves and other joys. And the arguments of this world will always be motivated by worldly motivations. Perhaps even behind that to have demonic forces pushing these things into this world. And so we need to consider what motivates this argument. What's its driving force and its purpose? Is it Christ? Or is it something else? So these things are philosophy. They're carefully crafted arguments that are nonetheless empty deceit. They're based on the way things have always been done in history and they're based on the elemental traditions, the principles of this world, the way the world orders itself. And so we get a little bit of an idea of what Paul's talking about by looking at the positive description of these things. But I think we only get so far that way. I think there's still maybe perhaps a lot of areas where we wouldn't understand exactly what Paul is aiming at. And I think we get a lot more understanding from looking at what is opposite of this danger. And so Paul says that they're according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of this world, but they're not according to Christ. And I think that's the most important phrase in this command. Do not get captured by things that are not according to Christ. Paul is saying they will be carefully crafted arguments that are deceitful at the heart anyway, that they'll be based on human tradition. They'll be based on the way the world is organized. But the main thing is they're not according to Christ. However we might describe the dangers, at their core they aren't rooted in Christ. They aren't driving their desires from Christ. These philosophies that may capture us are careful sets of arguments that don't start with Christ. Or more accurately, don't start with Christ as He's revealed in Scripture. In fact, a lot of carefully crafted arguments start with Christ. They just don't start with Christ as He's revealed in the Word of God to us. And then because they start there, they're plausible arguments, but they're twisted and they become emptiness and nothingness by the end. And that's a test that we can take to all parts of our lives. How is this idea rooted in Christ? This argument that I'm listening to and considering, how is it drawing me closer to Christ? Or is it simply trying to make my life better? Is the pattern or rule that I'm following, is that something that's necessary for following Christ? Or is that something I'm just doing for me to make myself better? Are these things really rooted in Christ? Or are they rooted in something else? And that's something that I can't look into all of your lives and tell. That's something that you have to look at your own life in some brutal honesty and say, Why am I doing these things? What's the motivation? What's the driving force behind these things? Is it Christ or something else? And so that's the ultimate test. That's where Paul's driving at with this. How is this pursuit, this passion, this driving force, this devotion, how is it rooted in Christ? The philosophies of this world will always be rooted in something else. Whether it's the customs and the traditions of this world or the orders that the world has developed for itself. But the wisdom of the church must always be rooted in Christ. And so that's what we need to determine. How is this rooted in Christ? Is it according to Christ or am I listening to the world? That's the discrimination. Is it according to Christ? Is it flowing out of Christ and leading back to Christ? So kids, as always, I've got some kids questions on the back of the bulletin. So for this week, our first question is, what does Paul warn them against? The answer's simple. He warns them against being captured by worldly philosophies. Being captured by worldly philosophies. That brings us to our second point, though. There's a sober exhortation, don't be captured, but there's also a glorious motivation. And so the bulk of our text this morning is intimately connected to the warning of verse eight, but it isn't really part of the warning. He says, these things are not according to Christ. And he says, for in Him, for in Christ, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. And you have been filled with Him who is the head of all rule and authority. In Him also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. having been buried with him in baptism, which were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you who were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of death that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. So that's the bulk of our passage this morning. It's connected to the command. See to it. But it's not really part of the warning. Instead, it's more like motivation. Motivation on why we should embrace Paul's warning. In fact, the first word of verse nine could be translated because. It says, for in him. We could say that these things are not according to Christ because in him all the fullness of deity dwells bodily. So we're to see to it that we're not captured by these things because all fullness belongs to Christ. And as we read the rest of this paragraph, I think we need to hear it as both a positive and a negative motivation. Why would we do these things? Because they're of Christ. And at first, it's a positive motivation. We're supposed to look at all that Christ has done for us, rejoice, and grasp onto that. This is what Christ is. That should motivate us to run after Christ. But then I think there's also a negative motivation. Paul's saying, all fullness belongs to Christ. Outside of Christ is nothing. If you're not chasing after Christ, then you're chasing after nothing and emptiness. And so Paul's going to uphold how great Christ is and how much he has done for the Colossians. I like how one commentary put it. It says, as we study these three sections, which is something about this section in Colossians, He says, we shall discover two themes which thread their way through the whole paragraph. Sometimes interwoven, sometimes separate. There are two things. First, united with Christ, believers now share all that He has won. United with Christ, believers share all that He has won. And second, in Christ, believers now have all that can be theirs in this world. So Paul wants them to see, you share everything that Christ has done. Run after that. But at the same time, in Christ you have everything you can have in this world. Why would you run after something else? And so as we look at these next seven verses, I want to see five glorious truths that Paul upholds about the Colossians' life in Christ. How do you participate in the glorious wisdom of Christ? So, it's going to be statements about the Colossians and about us. First, we see that we are completely filled in Christ. You are completely filled in Christ. We'll look at verses 9 and 10. And so Paul enters verse 9 with the because. Because in Him is all fullness. And the first thing he describes is that all fullness belongs to Christ. For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. And so Paul is contrasting what the world has to offer with what Christ has to offer. He starts with the incarnation. Christ is God incarnate. Literally all that God possesses dwells in Christ. And if Christ is God incarnate, holy and completely God in human flesh, then what else could add to Christ? There's nothing else that could add to Christ. All the fullness of God dwells in Him. Everything that could ever possibly be dwells in Him. And so what else could add to Him? The answer is nothing. Nothing could add to Christ. The emptiness of this world's arguments is literally nothing compared to the fullness of Christ. The world may offer fullness, but it's mere deception, empty deceit, nothingness. Christ is infinitely full of deity. To Him belongs all things. All fullness dwells in Christ. That's one gloriously practical application of the Incarnation. Sometimes we wonder, why is the Incarnation really important? There's lots of reasons, but here's one. Because if Christ is God incarnate, God in human flesh, then everything belongs to Him. Everything belongs to Christ. Everything is in Christ. There is nothing else. If you run after Christ, you're running after everything. And so Paul follows up with verse 10, all fullness belongs to Christ. And then he says, you have been filled with Christ. You have been filled with Christ. The one who has all fullness in him. All the fullness of God dwells in Christ. And you've been filled with him. You've been filled with the one who has all fullness. So nothing you could ever do could possibly add to that. No work you do, no wisdom you possess, no pattern that you follow can add to what is already in you. If Christ is in you, you have everything. Nothing can add to that. So instead of looking to the world to somehow add to you, you should turn and embrace all that Christ is in you. To find fullness, don't listen to the world. Dive deeper in knowing Christ and understanding and communing with Christ. And as though we needed to add to this glorious truth, Paul continues a little bit and he says, Christ not only possesses all things, he rules over all things. In him all the fullness of God dwells bodily and you have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority. He rules over all things. So Paul finishes verse 10 by saying, he's the head of everything. Every rule and authority. Christ is ruler over all creation. And these words actually kind of push us towards the spiritual side of creation. He says that even the spiritual forces that govern this world are subservient to Christ. He rules over all things and He dwells in you. If He dwells in you, then no authority can bind you. There is no authority that can place any rule on you. You need not bow to any other rule. If Christ dwells in you, then worldly wisdom can't bind you. The powers of this world are powerless against you. If you're completely filled in Christ, you don't need anything else. Why would you need anything else? If you're completely filled in Christ, isn't listening to the world foolishness? You're going to slap in the face of your Redeemer. I got you. But now I'm gonna go look for something else. You're completely filled in Christ, you don't need anything else. But then Paul continues, you're completely cleansed in Christ. And so we enter verses 11, 11 and 12, going backwards, there we go. Verses 11 and 12, in him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. And so, Colossians 2, 11-12, he's talking about circumcision and baptism, something that kind of comes out of Lafayette the first time he's talked about that in this book. But as you read through the New Testament, it quickly becomes clear that circumcision was an oft-debated topic of the early church. Is circumcision necessary for the believer? Does circumcision add anything to the believer? And circumcision becomes kind of a unique case. Kind of something that everyone had to debate about a little bit and figure out the answer to in the New Testament. Because it was a debate about the nature of Judaism. How did the Old Testament laws apply to the New Testament believer? What are the natures of the two covenants? The covenant of Moses and the covenant of Christ. And so there's something unique about that debate. But as Paul brings it in here, on the other hand, I think it becomes the ultimate representative case. Can anything beyond knowing Christ through the Gospel add something to the believer? Can anything besides Christ add to the believer? Does something as spiritual sounding as circumcision add anything to the believer? If circumcision can't add anything to the believer, then assuredly nothing can add something to the believer. This is a very spiritual sounding thing, but Paul is going to say it doesn't add anything to you if you are in Christ. If that doesn't, then how could anything else ever add to you? And so Paul's answer to circumcision is that you've already had a better circumcision, a removal of dead flesh, a better cleansing, because Christ has circumcised your old dead self and removed it from you. What was a picture has become reality in you. You've had something better. You've been completely cleansed by the baptism of Christ. Your old self was cut off, completely removed in the circumcision of Christ. You are completely part of God's people because Christ dwells in you. Nothing can make you more cleansed. Nothing can make you more holy. Nothing can make you more a member of God's people because you're already filled with Christ. If you're completely cleansed in Christ, why would you accept the world's demands on you? If your dead flesh was cut off in Christ, why do you listen to the world tell you, you need to be better, you need to do this, you need to do that? That's just foolishness. So, you are completely filled in Christ, you're completely cleansed in Christ. And then Paul works off that image of baptism. He says, you've been circumcised, having been buried with Him in baptism. And then he says, working off that baptism, he says, you are completely alive in Christ. Moving into verse 12 and 13, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And so, as Paul discusses baptism in cleansing, he says, your old self died in baptism in Christ. But the story doesn't stop there. That's the glory of the gospel. The story doesn't stop there. Not only did your old self die in Christ, the same power that rose Jesus from the dead has called you back to life again. And this is all the more glorious because in your sin, in separation from God, you were completely dead. But in Christ, God spoke life back into us. God didn't merely destroy our sins. He called us to share in His life. To partake in His being. And all of this is realized as Christ lives in us. We are alive because Christ lives in me. In Christ, you are filled with the divine life. Christ, the source and creator of all life, dwells in you. In Him you are completely alive. You know the meaning of life to its fullest. In Him you have life and you have it abundantly. Paul says it this way in Galatians 2.20, I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Christ, the author and perfecter of all life, is living in me. I'm dead, but have within me all life. But if you're completely alive in Christ, why would you return to this world to find life? When you are part of this world and bonded to the elementary principles or elementary spirits of this world, you are dead. And that's all the world can offer you is death. And death can never bring about life. For all the glamour and persuasiveness of the world's arguments are nothing more than death. Because they're not vitally connected to Christ. Anything that's not vitally connected to Christ is death. If you're alive in Christ, why be tempted by what the world has to offer you? If you were dead but raised again in Christ, why would you look for more and better life from the world? Again, it's foolishness. It would be a rejection of Christ to turn and embrace the world. And then fourth, we come to Colossians 2.13-14, we see that we're completely forgiven in Christ. So as we enter verse 14, Paul describes how those who are dead in trespasses had been made alive in Christ. And so he said, and you who are dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him. How? Having forgiven us all our trespasses. having forgiven us all our trespasses. It's simple. Your trespasses were set aside. They were forgotten. They were cancelled by the cross of Christ. We owed God fealty, worship, obedience, and reverence. But instead we were rebels, refusing his rule and scorning his glory. We had trespassed against our God. and our king. And so we owed a debt to God that could never be repaid, a record of debt that stood against us, that would stand against us for all eternity, condemning us to death and destruction and eternal separation from God. It stood there as a bill of debt saying, he owes me, he will not be freed until he pays me back. But, and this is the glorious part of this paragraph, that record of death was set aside. It was nailed to the cross of Christ. That record of death needed to be cancelled somehow if we were ever to have life. So it was nailed to the cross. There at the cross the debt was paid for all of God's people. Forgiveness and reconciliation was brought completely. There the record of debt was set aside. Marked as paid. And not just marked as paid and hidden away somewhere, but marked as paid in view of the entire universe. The cross of Christ was where that debt was nailed up and said, paid, crossed out. These don't owe me anything anymore. No longer does any record stand against the child of God. As Paul will say in Romans 8.1, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The record of death was cancelled and was cancelled in view of the universe at the cross of Christ. But if that's true, why would you participate in the world's futile attempts to assage and deny their guilt? If that's true, nothing else can add to your forgiveness. You don't need to search anything else. If that's true, no one has a record of debt that places you in bondage. So you don't need to listen to the world's arguments. In Christ you are completely forgiven, washed, and set free. Which brings us to our last point. You are completely victorious in Christ. Brings us to verse 15. It says, verse 15, he disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. So verse 15 brings us back actually to verse 8. The philosophies of this world are according to the elemental spirits of this world. The principles that this world operates under are founded on demonic wisdom and powers. In 21st century America, that might be something we don't think about very much. That there is an enemy that opposes us. There are demonic forces in this world. But Paul talks about that quite often. He says, there are enemies everywhere. You have your enemy, the devil. And then when he's talking about other gods, he doesn't even say they don't exist. They aren't the true God, the great God. They're demonic powers that enslave people. And that's what this world operates under. How much they want to reject that, they still operate under the power of the elemental spirits of this world. The world is bound to follow worldly philosophies. They are literally bound by them. They're captured by that philosophy and that argument. They have to follow this fad and that fad. They have to go from movement to movement because the powers of darkness rule over them and they have to follow those who lead them. But such powers have no power over you anymore. Not because you've defeated them, you have no power in their face, but because Christ has. At the cross the record of dead was nailed up and marked cancelled, but at the cross also Christ won a victory so complete and so final that it not only defeated the rulers of this world, but Paul says he paraded them around in open chain. It showed them to be powerless in front of Him. Even in death, He destroyed them. By dying, He destroyed them. And in His resurrection, He's parading them around like a triumphant emperor parading his prisoners around the Colosseum and through the Forum in Rome. And the one who won that decisive and final victory, He is in you. Christ is in you. The hope of glory. Literally, the world and the powers thereof have been defeated, and you are free. You are not in bondage to the things that the world is in bondage to, that the world is bound to. So don't bow before things that have been defeated so decisively, and finally, that they've been held up to open shame. If you're free, why would you return to bondage? If Christ is the victor, why would you listen to your former captors? If you're free, the wisdom of the world can make no demand on you. So if all this is true of Christ, if all this is true of Christ and He's in you, then the world has nothing to offer. Nothing outside of Christ can add to you. The world is offering you bondage and death and destruction. Christ is giving you freedom, life, and everlasting treasure. If we can clearly see who Christ is, and if we're truly communing with Christ, then the path lies plain beneath our feet. We should be pursuing Christ, not listening to the world. We should be knowing Christ more, not searching for something else. We should be resting and reveling in all that Christ is, not slapping the world's wisdom on our problems. Christ has won the victory. Christ has set you free. And Christ lives in you. What else do you need? And so kids, here's your second question for the morning. Why should they not be captured by the world? The answer is simple. Because they've been freed by Christ. Because they've been freed by Christ. And so as we finish, This is Paul's main point. Don't get captured by the world because you have so much more in Christ. Don't listen to the arguments of this world. This world will argue all sorts of things and they might sound enticing sometimes. But don't listen to them because the one who has all wisdom dwells in you. You need wisdom? Go to Him. Don't pursue the emptiness of this world. The world will hold out its emptiness like it's a great treasure. But don't pursue it because the One who has all fullness dwells in you. Go to Him. Don't get entangled in the traditions of this world because the One who is risen from the dead in newness of life dwells in you. And don't get entangled by the principles of this world because the One who defeated them lives in you. The wealth that you have in Christ is unfathomable, and there is no wealth that exists outside of Christ. Trying to add to your life, to supplement your faith with things other than Christ is a path to nowhere. It's really a relinquishment of your treasure in Christ. To no treasure go to Christ. Seeking anything else is letting it pass through your hands. And so we go to our lives with this question, is everything in my life according to Christ? Not according to human tradition, not according to the elemental spirits of this world, but according to Christ. Is this principle that's guiding my life, helping me to rest in Christ? Or am I reaching for something else? Is something else calling me to hope in it? Are the regulations that I put myself under helping me to enjoy Christ? Or am I just proving myself? Is this passion that I'm pursuing showing me that I have nothing in this world besides Christ? Or is it distracting me from seeing Christ's glory? Is this thing that's taking up my time, pushing me into Christ, pushing me into the Word, and pushing me into prayer? Or is it preventing me from finding time to commune with Christ? Is this distinctive drawing me to love the body of Christ, the Church? Or is it obstructing fellowship and isolating me from others? These are questions we need to answer. We need to go this week and say, are these things true of me? Have I founded something that is not according to Christ? We need to answer with brutal honesty, because there's always a danger that I've chosen to pursue and follow something that's not according to Christ, something that's more in line with the wisdom of this world. And we need to be vigilant. But at the same time, make this a joyful question. Make it a joyful question. This is a chance to root out dead weight in your life, the weight and sin which so easily entangle, and to take hold of Christ more. There's no drudgery in this call to vigilance. Only the opportunity to embrace more of who Christ is. So go out and take hold of Him by faith. We set down things so that we can take hold of more of Christ. Because whoever puts their trust in Him will never be put to shame. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you that Christ has done all these things for us. Father, we had pursued emptiness. We had pursued the lies of sin. We had become nothingness, death before you. But you filled us with all the fullness of Christ. You deigned that your wisdom and your glory, your being and your power would dwell within men again. You fashioned the perfect man and dwelt in him fully and perfectly in Christ. And now you have deigned that he would dwell in us. Father, that's glorious. Father, we were completely dead, and yet you have made us alive in Christ. We were transgressors before your throne. We owed you a debt that could not be paid, yet you have forgiven us in Christ. Father, we had lost the battle. We had been captured. but you have won the victory for us in Christ. Father, I pray that you would show us how great and glorious those things are. Father, let our awe for those things never wane, but let it grow more and more every day, that they would be our driving force and passion, that we would wake up in the morning so that we could see more of what Christ has done for us, that we would go through our day loving more of what Christ has done for us. Father, direct us to that so fully and so completely that the wisdom of this world can't grasp hold of us. Father, I do pray that you would give us wisdom as we look at our lives. Father, I pray that you would give us passion to find things in our lives that are not according to Christ, and honesty to confess to ourselves when this thing really isn't truly according to Christ. And Father, I pray that you would give us joy in setting that aside and pursuing the things of Christ more. Father, I pray that you would send us out with your Spirit this morning towards that end, that your Spirit would be our comforter and our convictor, the one who shows us the things of Christ and calls us away from all else. Father, we need your Spirit to be in us for that to happen. It's not in us to do these things, but we know that Christ has won them for us and your Spirit will bring it to us. So in Christ's name we pray. Amen. So I'll open it up if any of the men have any questions or comments or anything else they brought this morning. Right, and so I would 100% agree that things like Jehovah's Witnesses would be a philosophy that is completely anti-deceit, and that would be something you could be captured by and carried off. But I think there's also subtler things that Paul's warning those that have the gospel. We would look at some of these groups, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and say they have lost so much of Christ that we can't even affirm that they have the gospel anymore. So assuredly, they belong to the world. But he's talking to people that are in Christ, have the gospel, he's rejoiced in them, that know the gospel, and say, you can still start to pull in things from the world and say, I've got Christ, but I'm lacking something here, so I'm gonna go to the world to find that. And so yeah, I think exactly what you said is true. Yeah. Yeah. As we're studying Christian history, to exact some sort of changes and improvements in the situation. But the true reformers always found that reformation only worked out. And that it was when they desired to take the word of God and translate it into the tongue of the common people that true reform worked out. Absolutely true. So excellent examples of how the wisdom of Christ is what the church ought to run to, because running after anything else is not going to fix the church, it's going to mess it up more. Oh, I'll turn it over again.