[0:00] Welcome. Thank you for listening to this wholesome word by David Entry. The word you catch will change your world. May your story change from this message.
[0:11] Be blessed. Colossians chapter 2. I'll read from verse 1 just to help refresh our memories. Colossians chapter 2 from verse 1 to 15.
[0:25] For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts might be comforted, be knitted together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ, in whom I hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
[0:53] And thus I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words, for though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joy in and behold in your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
[1:09] As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
[1:23] Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
[1:35] For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principalities and power, in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead.
[2:10] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against you, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross, and having spoils, principalities, and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
[2:40] Here ends the reading of God's holy word. Shall we pray, Father, what we don't know, teach us. Where we are not, take us. Who we are not, make us. Reveal Christ to us through the pages of scripture.
[2:53] Holy Spirit, you are the source of truth, the Magister Veritatis. We pray that reveal Jesus to us. Let us know Jesus so we can walk in him to the glory of your name.
[3:05] Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Hallelujah. Well, Colossians, as I've been teaching, and how Colossians is very important for an effective Christian living.
[3:18] There are certain books in the Bible, which, every book in the Bible is necessary, because all scripture is given by the breath of God. So every part of scripture, anybody who tells you, listen, I want to say something.
[3:33] If you hear a preacher who makes any part of scripture an opinion of somebody, that preacher is off. It's like fresh milk that has not been put in the fridge for 10 days.
[3:45] It's off. Don't drink that milk. You'll be sick. Don't drink. It's off. Any preacher who tells you that, let's say, what I just read, Paul said that in Christ dwells the fullness of God.
[3:59] And the preacher said, no, but that's the opinion of Paul. What Christ said in Matthew is more important than what Paul said in Colossians. That is off. Because the second Timothy chapter 3, verse 16, all scripture, all scripture is given by God.
[4:17] But God used human beings. That's why Jesus never had to write any book. Jesus never had to write any book, because he's the word. When you know him, you know the word.
[4:27] When you see him, he said, if you have seen me, you have seen the father. He's the word. He didn't have to write a book. But in theological terms, when we say somebody is an apostle, not in the body of the apostle, please. In theological terms, when we say someone is an apostle, you are talking about someone who has been given the powers of Christ, the authority of heaven to speak.
[4:47] And when they speak, it carries the same weight as though Christ has spoken. That's why we have the 12 apostles. They were serious guys. So, anything written in scripture or said by an apostle, it is like Christ has said it.
[5:03] So, if Paul said, marriage is honorable, don't say Jesus didn't say that. So, it's different from what Jesus said. But any preacher, if someone who does, not a preacher, who is some funny theologian says it, you can understand.
[5:16] But any preacher who says that, it's actually off. The preacher might not be bad. He might not be ill intentioned, but he's actually off. Any preacher who says anything different from scripture or downgrades anything written in scripture, everything written in scripture is the word of God.
[5:38] It's God's word. That is God's word. As long as it's in scripture, it's the word of God. Even if Satan said it in the scripture, it's still the word of God. It is the word of God.
[5:50] Not the words of God, but that's what the scripture said. And the scripture is true. That's why it's called the word of truth. So, whatever Paul said or whatever was written by Paul, as long as it's in scripture, because he wrote other things that did not make it to scripture, because those were not scriptures.
[6:16] It might be the opinions of Paul, which might be very healthy, because this man was full of God. However, like the letter he wrote to those at Laodicea, he said, I've written a letter.
[6:27] Make sure that when you receive this letter, read it and send it. Let those at Laodicea also read it. And read the letter. I've also read it to those at Laodicea, Colossians chapter 4 and 16. Now, when this epistle, talking about Colossians, when this epistle is read amongst you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans.
[6:48] Not just that, and that you likewise read the epistle. So, where's the epistle? To the Laodiceans. We don't have Laodiceans chapter 1. Laodiceans chapter 2. There's no way in scripture here.
[7:01] Why? Because that epistle was written by Paul, anointed Paul, but it's not scripture. It's not the word of God. It is a book by Paul.
[7:12] Paul wrote many other books. In fact, there was a third letter he wrote to the church of Corinthians. But we don't have third Corinthians. Why? Because it is not scripture. It is not scripture.
[7:23] What is scripture is here. Anything outside of this, including the so-called gospel according to Thomas. Throw it away.
[7:34] You don't need it for your Christian growth. It is not meat for your spiritual edification. Anything that is not in scripture is not meat. It's not nourishment. It said, man must not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
[7:50] So we live by it. The word of God is food for our soul. It's food. It said that by this time, when you should be receiving the meat, you still need milk. And he was making, Hebrews chapter 12, he was making references to the word of God.
[8:04] First Corinthians chapter 3 said, I could not feed you with meat. I only fed you with milk. Now, when we come to church, our job as pastors is to feed people. But if you don't stay with scripture and all your preaching is the weight of your preaching is relying on philosophies, human ideas, human opinions, signs, falsely so-called, or good traditions, you are making a mistake.
[8:31] It doesn't nourish anybody. It doesn't feed anybody. You are almost like Jezebel in the church of Titeria. Because Jezebel was also teaching.
[8:42] And he was teaching behind the puppets in church. In the church of Titeria, Revelation chapter 2, verse 20 and 21, the Nicolaitans were also teaching.
[8:52] Revelation chapter 2, verse 15, and Balaam's teachings in chapter 2, verse 14. There are different various types of teaching, but those teachings never fed. Those teachings don't feed.
[9:05] The teachings that feed is not the teaching that has good opinions and good reasoning. Good reasoning is not feeding. The teaching that feeds is the teaching that directs us straight into God's word and the wholesome words of God, the healthy words of God, and the teaching that feeds, the teaching that allows God to speak.
[9:23] God has been muted if you are not quoting from the scriptures and explaining what the text is saying. So, Paul wrote to the Colossians back to, on track, because, and as I was saying, if you're a Christian, every book in the Bible is necessary.
[9:38] However, to have a proper appreciation of this Christ, because Christianity is Christ. Colossians 1, 27. It says, Christ in you, the hope of glory.
[9:51] Colossians 2, 2. Colossians 2, 6. This whole thing is pointing that is about Christ. Colossians 3, 4. It says, when Christ, who is our life?
[10:02] This thing is about Christ. Colossians 2, 16. Colossians 3, 11. It's all pointing, 3, 11. It says, Christ is all. I like that one. It says that Christ is all.
[10:13] Christ is all. There's no woman, there's no man, there's no educator, there's no uneducated, there's no black, there's no white, there's no, it said, Christ is all. So, then anything that falls short of Christ is not church.
[10:27] It's not church. In the church, Christ is all. And so, but that means that it is necessary to grow in your Christian work. Spiritual growth is not necessarily based on behavior first.
[10:43] Now you are so well behaved, so you think you are spiritually mature. No. No. You are just well behaved. That's what you are. But it doesn't mean spiritual maturity.
[10:56] Spiritual maturity is when you are beginning to, in Colossians 2, verse 2, it says that, I strive, I go to the Maya, I strive, I'm striving, I'm striving, I strive, verse 1 says, I strive, verse 2 says that, that your heart be comforted unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding.
[11:14] You're talking about material, understanding and the acknowledgement of the mystery of God. And the English and the version, I prefer the way, the mystery of God, which is Christ. As we grow, we grow in our knowledge of Christ.
[11:27] We grow in our understanding of Christ. We grow in our appreciation of who Christ is and what he has done. The more you are growing spiritually, the more you actually respect the doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of justification, the doctrine of reconciliation, the doctrine of forgiveness.
[11:43] The more, in fact, I realize that the more you are growing in Christ, the more you find those things more appealing. You never outgrow the fact that your sins have been forgiven.
[11:53] Come on. Come on. You never outgrow that. You, when you begin to marginalize teachings, that centers around redemption, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, propitiation.
[12:13] When you begin to find those boring, you are actually off spiritually. Anyone, I put it to you, listen to me, please, from my heart, genuinely, anyone who is genuinely born again, you find the teachings about redemption very intricate.
[12:30] You'll never be able to get over it. You can listen to it today, morning, afternoon, evening, tomorrow, morning, afternoon, evening, next week, morning, you can keep, stay there, and it never gets boring.
[12:43] The more you are listening to it, the more you are getting into Christ. The more you are listening to it, the more you are getting excited in Christ. The more you are listening to it, the more your zeal for the Lord is growing. The more you are listening to it, the more you want to take on the enemy.
[12:54] The more you are listening to, the more you appreciate God. The more you are listening to, the better your doxology. These things, we cannot go there.
[13:10] If you have been listening to a preacher for a while, six months, and you don't hear a cross, you don't hear the blood, you don't hear justification, I mean, some of these basics, you don't hear it.
[13:25] And all you hear is, breakthrough! Please, run for your dear life. He is making you an unbeliever, I'm telling you.
[13:38] Christ is all! Let's all say that together. Christ is all! That's the definition of the church. The definition of the church is Christ in you, Christ in me, Christ in him, Christ in her.
[13:53] That is the definition of the church. Anything that falls short of this is not church. Christ is all and in all.
[14:04] So, back to what I was saying. I'm getting very excited about this, my Jesus thing. Back to what I was saying. There are certain books in the Bible that are so important.
[14:16] Colossians, Hebrews, Romans. Romans is very heavy in our salvation, matters of salvation. But, when you come to Colossians, it helps to appreciate this Jesus thing.
[14:34] The Christ revealed in Colossians is way above any Christ a Quran can attempt. You can't go there.
[14:45] Because it's very complicated matter today. The Christ revealed in Hebrews is a very complicated Christ. It's not just a basic Mary's son.
[14:58] It's fast. The Christ revealed in Colossians is God. That's right. He's God. in Him dwells. This is complicated. Very complicated for a normal human understanding to encapsulate it.
[15:13] That in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead. How can you explain that scientifically? That the Godhead, the entire God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
[15:29] Don't forget Trinitatis. Adestra and Ephesians. The operations of the Trinity on earth is not divisible. They all work together. So when you see the Father working, the Son is working.
[15:42] When you see the Father working, the Spirit is working. When you see the Spirit is working. Like when we come to church, the Spirit is working. But the Father is working. The Son is working. And it says that the Christ, when you saw Christ working, He's not only, when He said to Philip, that if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father, John chapter 14.
[16:01] He's not just saying only Father, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father, you have seen the Spirit. Because in Him dwelleth the fullness, the entirety of the...
[16:13] That begins to be a problem for the Quranic version of the Jesus they are trying to be. That's it. And Hebrews, He's better than the traditions of Moses.
[16:24] He's better than the angels. He's better than the priests. He's better than even the sacrifices God commanded bring to me. Hebrews says that Jesus is better. All those sacrifices, all the priests, Moses, the angels, they find their meaning in this Christ.
[16:40] He's the Son of God. He's God. He's man. He's man at the same time and He's God at the same time. He's the Son of Man. He's the Son of God. He's the mediator of the New Covenant. He is the executor of the New Testament.
[16:53] His blood delivers us. In Hebrews, He's presented as the captain of our salvation. He's presented as the forerunner. Hey, what are you talking about? In Hebrews, this Jesus, He's the shepherd of the sheep.
[17:06] This Jesus, He's seated at the right hand of the Father. This Jesus, after He has paid for the transgressions, He has paid for iniquities, He ascended and sat. Which book can explain that kind of Jesus?
[17:19] So, a Christian can't afford not to know that Jesus predicted or depicted in Hebrews. Because the Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is just a historic Jesus.
[17:35] Which is authentic. He's historic Jesus. But if you want to really understand and decipher who this historic Jesus is, go to Colossians, go to Hebrews.
[17:45] You will see, Hebrews will be telling you He's God who descended. Colossians says that He's the firstborn of all creation.
[17:58] Colossians 1 says that He's the expression, the image, Greek word, imago, the imago of the God who cannot be seen. Chai.
[18:12] Magadashaka. Jesus. That's the kind of Jesus we come to church not because we need money. We come to church not because we are bored at home.
[18:23] Some of you, the kind of movies you have at home, it can take you for three years without getting bored at all. Not Hollywood, yeah. Not Hollywood. So we come to church not because we are bored, even though socially speaking, we get some benefits from, in that sense.
[18:43] Not because we are bored. The primary and number one reason for coming to church that I might know Him. Oh, Jesus. That I might know.
[18:54] But I can't stay at home and know Him by myself. I need other believers so I can know Him with the believers. So that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering being made conformable to His death.
[19:10] Hallelujah! Guys, I feel like preaching this morning. The subject of Christ is the subject. Hallelujah! The subject of Christ, the topic of Christ, is the topic of all topics.
[19:28] Christ! Hallelujah! Bible says, Paul says, we preach Christ crucified. And he said, there's a problem with that. To the Jews, it's a stumbling block.
[19:40] To the Greeks, it's foolishness. But that's what we preach. Keep saying stumbling block. Keep saying foolishness. But we won't stop preaching it. If we are preaching Christ in order to, in the church, in order to attract the world, we'll be making a mistake.
[19:57] We preach Christ to feed the church. And when the church is saturated with Christ, the society will be filled with the doctrine of Christ. Ah, ah, ah.
[20:09] Now, my mission, my agenda, my assignment, as long as I'm alive, whichever area I have access to, I will raise a group of people who will radically feel wherever they find themselves with the doctrine of Christ.
[20:27] That's, that's my life ambition. Yes, Lord. He said, him, we preach. I like that, Colossians chapter 1, verse 10, 9. Him, we preach. Him, we declare.
[20:38] Him, we preach. Christ, we preach. Someone say, Christ, we preach. Christ, we preach. So, the text we just read, let me go back before I get carried away because we have to follow this thing before we keep going without finishing.
[20:52] The text we just read, Paul said that, I strive that your hearts will be nourished, or I'm striving that your hearts will be encouraged, that you'll be filled with the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement so you can acknowledge the mystery of God which is Christ according to the other translations.
[21:15] In whom, in Christ, I hid, oh my goodness, thank you Jesus, in Christ, I hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All the, not some of it, all of it, it's hidden, it's hid, but it's been hidden.
[21:28] So, people will not realize that's where the thing is. All the treasure. This is all wisdom, we said the treasure of wisdom and knowledge. They are hid in Christ.
[21:40] So, that means that if I have Christ, I can't be going around. If I have Christ, I can't be saying, tell me, somebody tell me something else, something else better. There's nothing else better anyway if you are in Christ. Verse 4, and this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
[21:57] That's the problem. Beguile, deceive, pull the wool over your eyes. The words are nice. They're very enticing. You feel like, ah, I think I like this one.
[22:08] I like this one. If you are not careful and you engage just your mind, you can easily be swayed. Spirituality, you don't engage just your mind.
[22:19] That's why if it's just the mind, professors will be bishops. You know, I mean, it's good to engage your mind, but spirituality is not fundamentally the mind.
[22:31] please don't think it's also sidesteps the mind because Bible says that be efficient chapter 423 or so. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
[22:45] Yeah. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. So, your mind is also a necessary aspect. That's why it says that be ready to give anybody a reason. Reasoning is not feelings.
[22:57] Reasoning is mental. So, be ready to give a reason. In other words, this your walk with God must, you must be able to explain it. Go gently and intelligently. It's just a feeling, isn't it?
[23:09] I just feel, I feel given, isn't it? Please, no. Let's grow above that and have a reason for the reason why you are doing what you are doing. Bible says that the only reason why Asia was able to be heavily impacted in the days of Paul in Acts chapter 19 from verse 7, 8, 9, 10, Bible talks about when people were, they spoke against the church.
[23:30] People always speak against church. So, don't be worried when you hear people speaking against church and preachers. Even Jesus, his own brothers didn't believe in him. And the people said Jesus had a devil. And it was religious leaders who said he had a demon.
[23:44] So, ask for that one. But, they spoke evil of the way. So, Paul withdrew the disciples to one school of Tyranium. And reasoning, they were not just there and falling under the anointing.
[23:56] That's important, please. Yeah, it's important because sometimes you need to fall under the anointing for the Holy Ghost to take some things out of you.
[24:08] But if you get up and you haven't been taught the reasons, like, what falling under the anointing can do for you? So, I mean, there must be reason.
[24:20] Bible said he took them aside and reasoned with them. any Christianity that has not got a dimension of reasoning will not last.
[24:34] It's not, a revival will not go past a generation if we don't put reason inside it. This is dangerous. You are not growing spiritually.
[24:47] It doesn't matter how long you can fast. Spirituality is not longevity, necessarily longevity in prayer. Because it's easier to pray, especially when you have problems.
[25:02] Prayer comes naturally when you have problems, right? But, when you have been taught the ways of God, you understand the ways of God, you will not wait for problems to pray.
[25:17] Then your prayer begins to take a different dimension. You don't pray to change things, you pray to change you. And the people who have turned the world upside down, Acts chapter 17, verse 6, have come here.
[25:31] It's a personality. When you are moving, Bible says, Paul went there and he was provoking the spirit because the intensity was given to idolatry. If you are not spiritually sound and you are just based on feeling, you will make a shipwreck of faith very easily.
[25:45] You will make a shipwreck. Jezebel will end up teaching you. Yeah. So, there's no future for a church that is not given to sound doctrine. There is no future.
[25:58] That church will not go past the current generation. Can I say that again? Oh, you heard it. No church can go past a generation of the feelers.
[26:13] Because others will come and this feeling is not what they want. So, they will ship out. You can't transfer feelings. Like, the feelings of like my encounters then now it's done become your personal encounter.
[26:27] No. My encounter can be your personal encounter. So, Colossians was necessary to help the people not to be distracted from Christ.
[26:38] Because syncretism was coming in. Gnosticism was coming in. And philosophy and then today you see the tradition of man was being superimposed over the knowledge of Christ.
[26:53] So, Paul had to write this strong letter. Let's cut to the chase. Who is this Christ? And if you are in Christ you don't need other things. That's what this Colossians subject is helping us to tackle.
[27:06] So, now it says that verse 6 it says that as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him. I tackled this in the last teaching. Walk in Christ.
[27:18] Rooted and built up. These are two words that shouldn't be used together for one object because a tree is rooted. You don't build a tree. A house you don't root a house.
[27:29] You build a house. But it says we are both like trees and like house. Trees are roots. Christ is their soil. And we are rooted.
[27:40] Rooted and built up in him. We are rooted in Christ. He's our soil. And whatever is going well in your Christian life which didn't come from Christ is not Christianity.
[27:54] So, if we are planted in Christ that means our nourishment is coming from where? Christ. I know there are issues in life. You know, sometimes there will be a lot on your mind.
[28:07] This will be on your mind. This will be on your mind. This will be on your mind. That is why we should mature so much that in spite of the challenges of life, the difficulties of life, the all kinds of things life throws at us, we will keep the main thing the main thing.
[28:22] In our spiritual work, sometimes, let's say, I might not be happy with you because you have done something. I might not get on with you. But you know what? That might not be necessary when you look at the bigger picture.
[28:35] That might, I don't get on with you, but bigger picture. I better get on with you because of the bigger picture. It's like marriage. If you pick on every petty thing in your marriage, every little thing, I don't like the way he snows.
[28:50] I don't like the way she snows. I don't like the way he snows. It's hairy. The bigger picture is we are building a family and we are there for one another.
[29:03] So there's a bigger picture. So in church, if the bigger picture is Christ, it helps you to be able to put some trivial issues aside and to focus on what this whole thing is about.
[29:17] But if you have not been taught and you don't know what this whole thing is about, then other things of insignificance, so long as Christ is concerned, begins to take precedence in your life and govern your decision making.
[29:31] That is why we need to really push this Christ, push this Christ subject, push it and push it so we all are on the same page. Christ is the subject.
[29:42] So he says that as you have received Christ, be rooted in him, built up. In Ephesians chapter 2 verse 20, 22 talks about how we are, I like that scripture so much.
[29:54] He said, that's talking about the church and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone. Look at verse 21.
[30:06] In whom all the buildings fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple. So actually, it's a building and a building that is growing.
[30:16] That's why it needs rooting. Buildings don't grow. It's trees that grow. But we are a combination of the characteristics of a building and the characteristics of a tree. So we need to be rooted and we need to be grounded.
[30:30] So he said, being rooted in him and grounded in him, the analogy of a tree and analogy of a building, architectural analogy and a botanical analogy, both of them, we.
[30:42] So then in our Christian life, we should be built up in him, established in the faith as ye have been taught. See how teachings are important? Yeah. Your faith can't grow without teachings as you have been taught.
[30:58] Abounding therein, therein, in the teaching, what you've been taught. Abounding it with thanksgiving. We always have to be grateful to God for what we have been afforded to know.
[31:10] We always have to be because if somebody knew what you know, their lives will be better off. Hallelujah. I'm always grateful to God for the things he has given me the grace to know.
[31:23] and the kind of teachers he has given me the privilege to also be exposed to. Then he goes in the verse 8 that beware. Someone say beware. Beware.
[31:34] Tell someone, beware. Beware. It's very important. Beware. In your Christian life, you have to be on guard. On guard? Against the devil? Yes.
[31:45] The devil, you have to be alert. But there's something that you also have to be aware. He said beware lest any man spoil you. They will spoil you.
[31:56] How can someone spoil you? They've messed your entire spiritual paradigm up. They've messed you up. That's why you have been talking about an angel came to me and he said I should go and do outreach.
[32:09] God told me he has given me a special angel every day he comes to sit near me and guides me. Where is this coming from? Where is this going? See, you are being spoiled. Something is messing up your spiritual paradigm because the things you have started embracing is going to lead you off.
[32:30] Very soon, you will go off like a fresh milk that has not been put in the fridge for 20 days. Now you become like yogurt. Is it Greek style?
[32:44] Greek style. Greek style. Greek style. Greek style. You are better off waiting for a sound word. Wait for a sound word. Because you may end up in hospital and you know A&E takes a lot of time nowadays.
[33:01] So he said be careful. Beware! Let's also say beware. Beware! Let any man spoil you. What are they going to use to spoil you?
[33:14] What is wrong with philosophy? It's not wrong as it appears. But if you are not philosophy is a way of thinking. It's a way of thinking.
[33:27] It can spoil your spiritual health. It can pollute. It can undermine. It can downgrade your walk with Christ.
[33:38] You were doing so well you started reading some things. Yeah. So please that fact that you've been in church a long time please don't bully us with how long you've been in church. Tell us about how much you are deep in Christ.
[33:51] Tell us about how much you are rooted in Christ. Been in church 20 years doesn't mean anything. When it comes to Christ-centeredness you can be in church and be born in church and yet you are very far from church.
[34:02] because so long as you're concerned church was just like a community. Just a social thing you were engaged in. But it wasn't like Christ. Christ, the church never penetrated deep into your heart to arrest your heart.
[34:17] You backslided because church never got the chance to arrest your heart. Those of us who have met Jesus and lived by Jesus we fear. See that's why this Christ in it if you don't find Christ you'll be found wanting.
[34:30] And I don't know why they also like taking the Bible and trying to use the Bible to justify their stance against the Bible. Because they haven't read it. Someone say the Bible contradicts itself.
[34:44] Really? Really? You are so smart. You are so smart. What are your achievements in life? You don't even know your wife.
[34:55] And you are telling me you know the Bible? You know? You know? You know? You know? You know? You know? You know? You know? You know? You know? You know? You know? You know? You have an exaggerated have you read it from cover?
[35:07] Did someone tell you or you found it yourself? Please keep it. Did someone tell you or you did a thorough research page by page and you found it yourself? If you didn't do that research personally and someone told you you have been deceived.
[35:19] He said beware lest someone who spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit. Vain. It's empty. First Timothy chapter 6 verse 20. It says empty ways.
[35:32] First Timothy chapter 6 verse 20. Look at what it says. Oh Timothy keep that which is committed to thy trust avoid profane and vain blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. It's very nice they are speaking but it's vain.
[35:44] It's empty. It's void of the life of God. Void of the life of Christ. And that's what you are feeding on. I feel sorry for you. A matured man like you.
[35:55] A matured 35 year old man like you. Every day all you you've been eating is milk. Drummond is a problem.
[36:13] But did you see what Paul is saying? He said beware. Beware. Beware. Let anyone who spoils another human being is spoiling you.
[36:26] With philosophy and vain deceit. After that tradition is not necessarily bad.
[36:39] Tradition is not necessarily bad but it doesn't mean it is God. Tradition stems out from culture. Tradition is based on culture.
[36:51] So if you are not careful someone who spoil you with tradition that didn't come from Christ. It says that watch this it says that I think can you do me a favor can we all read here from the screen?
[37:01] Prepare. the same for you through the gospel and after the tradition of man after the rudiments of the world and of Christ.
[37:13] Do you see that? It's not after Christ. What they are saying this thing is not after Christ. So that's where the judgment starts from. Is this thing the guy is saying is this thing after Christ?
[37:24] Is this revealing Christ? Is this is this that is a consistent with the work of Christ on the cross and his ministry in heaven at the moment? Is this consistent with the Christ we know in Colossians?
[37:38] Is this consistent with the Christ we know in Hebrews? It says that so it said they can spoil you with philosophy. Philosophy is usually good. It can be good.
[37:49] It is not bad. These are not bad things so philosophy is not bad. Okay. And then tradition of man. Not a tradition. The Greek word is paradoxes.
[37:59] paradoxes. It's not bad. Paradoxes. Tradition. Jesus said you made the word of God of none effect because of your tradition.
[38:13] In Matthew chapter 15 verse 2 Matthew chapter 15 verse 2 Jesus told them that they came to Jesus why does your disciples this is a very interesting text.
[38:24] Watch this. The people the Pharisees say that your disciples transgressed. What are they transgressing? The tradition of the elders. The tradition of the elders.
[38:39] Jesus also said that you also transgressed the commandment of God by your traditions. Look at verse 3. Look at verse 3. God but he answered and said why do you also transgress the commandment of God?
[38:55] You say we transgress human tradition. I'm telling you you also transgress God's commandments. It's that God has given a commandment that's how it should be. But you are transgressing it based on tradition of men.
[39:08] That's Jesus. Paul said in Galatians chapter 1 verse 14. Galatians chapter 1. He was doing well in the tradition of his fathers. He said I profited in the Jewish religion above many of my equals in my own nation.
[39:23] Being more exceedingly zealous of the tradition of my fathers. That's his former state until he met Christ. Tradition the way things are done.
[39:34] Tradition this is how we do things. This is socially acceptable. This is politically correct. Some of it makes sense. So you have to be careful.
[39:45] what others might be saying might be reasonable. Might be genuine. But be careful. It doesn't become your reason for patience of Christ.
[39:58] Be careful it doesn't distract you from Christ. It can distract you and then suddenly you realize that you are just full of traditions. You are full of philosophy. What bothers me is when preachers become philosophers and behind the pulpit there's nothing Christ or it's just philosophy and quoting from Aristotle, quoting from Plato, quoting from all kinds of philosophy.
[40:21] That's not bad in itself. But for goodness sake the pulpit is not for philosophy. The pulpit is for the delivery of Christ. The pulpit is for the teaching of Christ. The pulpit is for the revelation of Christ.
[40:33] Shouts Jesus. Jesus. He said, if I be lifted up, I will draw to my side.
[40:51] I'll draw to my side. That makes sense when Paul says, him we preach. Nothing else. Him we preach. Nothing else. Just in case one day a preacher says something that you really didn't find nice.
[41:06] Don't be distracted. First of all, think about the focus of his message. If it's Christ-centered, then you know what? The other things doesn't. Please don't judge the quality of a pastor by his suit.
[41:21] It is the most useless thing you can use to judge a pastor. Don't judge the quality of a pastor by his phonetics. Don't judge by his intellectualism. Greek West and Hebrew West and Latin West.
[41:35] Those things really don't judge the quality. Judge by how much Christ is feeding you with. How much Christ is feeding you with. How much Christ is feeding you with. Then you can say that a Christian is talking.
[41:48] If your interest in Christ is minimal, I think you are concerned. I fear. I fear. I fear that Matthew chapter 7 verse 22 might happen to you. I fear.
[42:00] I fear. Because Paul said, I fear. 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 2. That as the serpent beguiled Eve. Church, I fear that you will be begun from the simplicity of Christ.
[42:14] He said, I fear. I fear. Let's ask by enemies. As the serpent beguiled Eve, first Adam's wife, through subtleties, cunningness, so your minds will be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
[42:31] Be careful. Lest someone will beguile you from the simplicity that is in Christ. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. That's what happened to Eve in the garden. Yes.
[42:41] Yes. The devil came with a reasonable approach. Reasonable suggestions. It made sense. It sounded philosophically astute.
[42:53] It was logical. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. One day I thought about it but I thought maybe I'm Minkana so I left it. Yes. Yes. Now that the devil is talking like yes.
[43:04] Yes. Serpent. Where have you been all along? Yes. You should have come in here serpent. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And you are being yanked away from Christ.
[43:15] Yes. He said, lest you be, put it again, lest the serpent beguiled if. That's the strong scripture. Yes. Yes. That's the strong scripture. By any means. He said, I fear.
[43:27] That's Paul to the church. I'm concerned. That's why he said, beware. I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled if through the hisertility so your mind should be corrupted from away from the simplicity that is in Christ.
[43:45] So I fear the simplicity in Christ. Beware. So Paul said, beware. Lest any man spoil you through philosophy, through vain deceit.
[43:57] And these philosophies and vain deceit, they are after. So the platform of it is the traditions of men. And not only the traditions of men, but after the rudiments of this world.
[44:09] Rudiments, I'm translation, English standard version or New American standard version, the elementary thing, the elements. It's elements of this world. Elemental.
[44:20] It's very elemental. So basic. Some of the things are so basic. If you are not careful, what people are telling you is just on the back of things that are so basic, ABC, but it's distracting you away from important things.
[44:34] you can't be. None of us, none of us is about being distracted. Nobody. Nobody.
[44:44] As long as you have a mind that works. Because the appeal is in the mind. It makes an appeal and gives you an alternative of what has not crossed your mind. But when you have the Christ-centered doctrine in your mind, it doesn't matter what they are throwing at you, what they throw at you, you might not be able to answer everything.
[45:04] Listen, there are too many questions in the Bible I don't understand. Please, not only in the Bible, even in the sea. In our government. In your career.
[45:16] Or maybe even in your health. So life is just like that. But the beauty of being in Christ and growing progressively, it begins to get unfold day after day as you walk with Christ and as you listen to sound teachings.
[45:34] It begins to get unfolded. When we all came in, there were things we never understood. There were things we never understood. Like when someone slaps you on the right and I don't want to do that. One is enough.
[45:50] Either one is enough but two. Hallelujah. Let any man spoil you through philosophy, vain deceit after the tradition.
[46:04] That's so important. He said, you may know the word of God through the tradition. He said, I profited. Paul said, me, I am a Pharisee and a son of a Pharisee. That's his credential.
[46:14] Very serious. Acts chapter 23 verse 6. I was a Pharisee and a son of a Pharisee. And Jesus was telling them when Jesus quoted this scripture in Matthew chapter 15 from verse 2 to 6.
[46:25] Look at verse 6. Matthew chapter 15 verse 6. I like the verse 6. It says that for none of his father or his mother he shall be free. Thus, ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
[46:39] He wasn't even talking about basic things God has commanded. Oh no, your mother and father. That thing is a very key thing in the scripture. Exodus chapter 20 verse 12. Deuteronomy chapter 5 verse 16. After this, even in Leviticus.
[46:51] But in Matthew chapter is repeated in Matthew chapter 15 we just read it verse 4. Matthew chapter 19 verse 19. In Mark chapter 7 verse 10. Mark chapter 10 verse 19. Luke chapter 18 verse 20.
[47:01] Ephesians chapter 6 verse 2 and 3. It's all repeated there. Oh no, your mother. Oh no, your father. Oh no, your mother. Oh no, your father. Oh no, your mother. Oh no, your father. Oh no, your mother. And then by the human tradition they say that oh if you you're supposed to honor your father by what you're going to honor your father you use it to sow a seed for the church.
[47:19] The church that's okay. God understands. It says by the tradition of men you may know the commandments of God. So sometimes you can be well meaning but you're actually using tradition to not neutralize and nullify the word of God.
[47:34] that's what we shouldn't be and the only thing that can keep us safe is one, when we are exposed to sound teaching and then two, when we are alert you are aware you know, you watch out.
[47:47] Watch out for anything that does not sound Christ. Shine away from it. Avoid it. Avoid anything that does not sound Christ. Did you receive something?
[47:59] Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry. You're welcome to connect with David Entry on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also find more spirit-filled messages from Karis Church on YouTube and all relevant streaming platforms.
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