Let No One Deceive You | Colossians 2:1-15

[0:00] Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we're dedicated to encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ. Located in Ontario, Oregon, Pastor Patrick Daly preaches insightful sermons from the Word of God, offering practical applications for modern living.

[0:16] We're delighted to share this sermon with you. Well, good morning, everyone. It is great to be with you this morning and happy Mother's Day to all of our mothers here.

[0:27] Let's give them a round of applause just for all the things people. You know, mothers are just so important in the eyes of God.

[0:37] I just think of how precious life is and how God has placed the responsibility of caring for children in the role of a mother.

[0:49] It's just a wonderful thing. So we thank you, mothers, for all that you've done. And so this morning, we are continuing our biblical exposition of the Book of Colossians.

[1:03] Today, we are beginning on Chapter 2 of the Book of Colossians. Feel free to, if you have a Bible or a mobile device and you'd like to follow along, you are welcome to do so.

[1:14] And also make sure all of you have a note sheet, which will, there's many reference verses that will be going on from this sermon. We've now arrived at the section where over the next couple weeks, we will be learning about the false teachings that were real in the early church, specifically the Colossian church.

[1:36] You know, the church at Colossae, it was a smaller, rural church that was faithful to God and had exhibited the love of Christ to others.

[1:48] That's something to be commended for, right? The apostle Paul was applauding them and being thankful for the fact that this church was faithful to God and shared in that love of Christ.

[2:00] The apostle Paul was so pleased that he prayed for them to continue on their path and to increase in the knowledge and wisdom of the things of God, right? Understanding of God and His Word.

[2:12] And we can find direct connections that existed with the Colossian church and with the church today. Just as there have been many good things that happened at this church, there are things that we need to be mindful of.

[2:26] What was going on? What was the warning? What was the concern that the apostle had for the church at Colossae? And it's much like how we in the church today, hundreds, thousands of years later, we face issues, we face controversies, we face cultural shifts that we must respond to in a manner that is rooted in biblical truth, but also deals in the love of Christ.

[2:53] Before we go any further, I'd like for us to go ahead and pray. Let's pray together. Gracious Father, we thank you for bringing us here today as we sung many songs of praise and worship to Your Holy Name.

[3:07] We pray that we may learn the concerns that the apostle had for the church at Colossae. And may we be better equipped to discern the difference between right and wrong, between good and evil and truth and lies.

[3:21] Just as the church was warned and responded to changes in their culture, may we as the church today be aware and respond to cultural changes that happen in the community, in our country, or in society.

[3:35] May we remain grounded and anchored in Christ, in the truth of Scripture. And may we deal with everything in love. Help us to live and love like You, and help us to increase in the knowledge and understanding of who You are.

[3:50] It is in the name of Jesus Christ, the name that is above all names, the majestic King, the One who is preeminent of all that we pray. And we all say together, amen.

[4:03] You know, the Colossian Church, this is a photo that I found of the ancient town, the rural town of Colossae. And you'll notice here, there's not, I know it's one photo, right? It's not a 360 viewing.

[4:17] But there's not a lot of buildings there. It's a small rural area, right, that is happening here. It's a small church that was faithful to God and exhibited the love of Christ.

[4:28] And when we look at this photo, we think for a moment, there's not a lot of other buildings there, right? Just when you think of ancient Rome, right? Or you think of a lot of the ancient cities that existed.

[4:38] There's tons and tons of buildings. When you look at ancient Colossae, there's not a lot there. In fact, if you go into its modern-day Turkey, you'll find that there's just some ruins.

[4:52] And there's actually a sign there that's saying, here is the ancient town, right, the rural town of Colossae. And it was just, here's what's left of it. There's not a lot of, you know, how you have a monument.

[5:05] And there's a lot of commemoration, right? A lot of history that's there. There's just not a lot there. And it's very unfortunate that that happens. You know, when we're thinking about this ancient ruins, we have to think about what happened in the Word of God.

[5:21] The apostle Paul commended them, right, like I was saying, for their faithfulness to God and reminded them to stay on the path, stay rooted in truth. Paul taught about the mystery, the preeminence, and the majesty of Christ, and also the joy in suffering, which is always a hard one for many of us to hear.

[5:40] And we now come to the part where Paul expresses his concerns and the warnings to the church. And I have titled this sermon, Let No One Deceive You.

[5:51] You'll find in Scripture, in your ESVP bibles, it's saying, let no one delude you. But another way of looking at it is let no one deceive you. Let no one derail you.

[6:02] Let no one change your mind about the things of God instead remain rooted. And we will discover today that just as the apostle Paul wanted the church, the Colossian church, to respond appropriately, so too should we as the church today, we should respond appropriately to changes in our community, changes in our culture, changes that happen in the church, things that happen worldwide or even in this country.

[6:33] We need to respond to culture being rooted in the truth of God and His Word and also deal in a matter of love. No matter what changes occur in any of these areas, we must remain in Christ.

[6:49] We must. We've got to stay rooted in truth. So let's go to that first verse. It's verse one here. And the apostle Paul says here, I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face.

[7:08] So the apostle Paul, he speak of how he is struggling and praying not only for the church at Colossae, but also for the church at Laodicea. I want to give you this visual here.

[7:19] The distance between Colossae and Laodicea is a, I mean, it depends on what path you take here. I mean, I don't know why you would take a four and a half hour hike, but you take the most direct route, which is about a four mile walk.

[7:34] And if you want to think of driving there, it's about 20 to 30 minutes depending on which route you take. And so it's not all of that to say it's in with within close proximity of each other.

[7:46] And the apostle Paul, he never visited any of these churches, but just think about how close they are. And I want to go to this next slide. It's the bigger map here. Look how close they are.

[7:57] Right. You have modern day Turkey, right? You have Greece up there. You have Syria, right? On a map, they're pretty close together, right? And so Paul is, he's never visited these two churches, but he's writing to Colossians, to the Colossians, and also that the letter will be passed on to Laodicea, right?

[8:19] The Colossians were instructed to read this letter and pass it on to Laodicea. You find this in Colossians chapter four, verse 16, but we'll go into that later. There was a letter that exists, and this is a fun fact. There was a letter to the Laodicean church that we don't have trace of. And unfortunately, I don't know what happened to that.

[8:38] But if you look on this picture here, it kind of makes more sense of more of a city-like building that existed back then, instead of just one, maybe a couple building structures.

[8:51] Here you have the, those old school roads, right? Those rock roads and lots of different things, and tourists that constantly go there to Laodicea. And so perhaps, perhaps the Apostle Paul sent some problems with the Laodicean church early on when he was writing to the Colossians.

[9:12] In fact, we see Laodicea mentioned in the book of Revelation as what kind of church? For those of you who are really, really good at knowing your scripture.

[9:22] Lukewarm. Lukewarm church, exactly, right? So perhaps Paul had a feeling of what was going to happen later on in Revelation. In any case, the Apostle Paul had a love for these two churches, even though he never visited them. Let's go to that next slide here.

[9:42] So then it goes on, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all of the full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ. So Paul's desire is that these churches will be encouraged and they will be knit together in love. It is through this love and encouragement that they will attain the riches of the assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery. Do you want to understand better the things of God? Think about that. That's an encouragement that happened to the Colossians, but can also be applicable today. Our hearts should be encouraged, right?

[10:22] Knit together in love in order to reach more of an understanding of the things of God and the things of God's word. And the main idea here at Piggy Backs off of the concept of speaking the truth in love. Do you encourage your brother and sister in Christ to read their Bible, to study the word of God? Right? It's an encouragement for us and for the Colossians to grow in every way to reach a better understanding of who God is. This knowledge includes knowing the hope through God's grace that is being established as the foundation so that we can perform every good work and word. It's a great reminder here. We are saved by grace through faith and we begin. We have that transformation, right? We're justified. There's still encouragement to grow in Christ though, to become more mature in your faith and through growing and becoming mature, being motivated to do good in the name of Christ. Let's now go to verse three, which says here, in whom all are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and what? Knowledge. That's that next one.

[11:33] That's all right. We see that in Christ all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. Just as salvation, there it is, treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Salvation has been revealed to all of us and we as Christians nowadays are privileged to know, to know more about Christ, that Christ has been revealed in his word. It's an encouragement for us to read and study the word of God, to be a part of the local body, to be a part of the church where we can bear one another's burdens, right? Where we can celebrate together just like how we're celebrating Mother's Day together, right? As the body of Christ and to grow together. Isn't it encouraging when you see someone make a decision for Christ? Isn't it encouraging when you see someone get baptized?

[12:25] Isn't it encouraging when you finally see someone finally get it and they begin to understand things? They're like, hey, wait a minute. That's very interesting that in the end of, here's a fun fact, the end of Daniel, there's mention of putting the knowledge in a scroll and that scroll doesn't get revealed until revelation. So there's still things that are hidden in God's word that are yet to be revealed. That's wild. But it's wonderful to see how we can grow together, right? It's an encouragement for you to grow in Christ, but to be a part of the local assembly. Let's go to verse four here, right? This is where the apostle Paul says, I say this in order that no one may delude you with what kind of arguments? Plausible arguments, right? The apostle Paul is warning the Colossian church not to let anyone delude them, right? This deluding is nothing more than deception.

[13:26] The plausible arguments are made with persuasive language or words that can entice people. How many of you have heard someone speak in it? It just sounds so good. It feels so good. You're maybe like a car, I mean, I don't mean a bad car salesman here, but maybe a car salesman, right?

[13:44] Where he's like, oh, look at the shiny car. And doesn't it feel so good to drive in that vehicle? The smell of new leather, right? That new car smell? All of those things. It's like enticing you, right? It just kind of feels good. And then sometimes we end up buying something and do we regret it sometimes, right? I'm sure you don't have to raise your hand here, but I'm sure that's happened to us before. We bought the nice shiny thing and regretted it later, right? Well, that's very similar to this idea of being deluded, right? Or being deceived. It's like, well, yeah, it was a nice shiny thing, but what about this? So these plausible arguments, it's persuasive language or words that can entice people. It can captivate people. It can capture people. And that's why I decided to name this sermon, Let No One Deceive You, right? Because the apostle Paul was warning the church at Colossae not to be deluded, right? That's a warning that is explicitly for the

[14:48] Colossian church. Can we apply that today, though? Can we think for a moment? People don't make those kind of arguments today. That was back in the ancient times. Well, just wait a minute here.

[14:59] There is deception that exists in today's world. There are movements that exist that try to entice people to things that are more complicated than the Word of God. We should stand firm on the Word of God by reading and studying Scripture and to not be deceived by persuasive arguments of things that are contrary to Scripture, things that are more complicated than the Word of God. This warning has been said not only here in Colossians, but it's also found elsewhere in Scripture. I'm going to grab my water real quick. You find that elsewhere in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 6 and 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 3. Similar words, right? The deception. There's empty words, right? When you hear that word, empty words, I don't like that. Empty promises as it were, right? Is that the truth then if there's empty promises? We want promises to be fulfilled. So let's go to verse 5. Here we have the Apostle Paul saying, for though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see good, to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. What an encouragement, right? The Colossian church has been faithful to God and exhibited the love of Christ. And Paul is excited to see that this church, he has faith that this church will respond appropriately, right?

[16:32] Having things in good order, responding appropriately, right? And being firm in the faith. Ladies and gentlemen, this is no different than having Christ as the firm foundation for our lives and the foundation for this very church. It's a great reminder and encouragement that no matter, again, no matter what cultural changes are happening, because it gets kind of scary, yeah?

[16:56] It gets kind of scary seeing all the changes that are happening. Little changes here and there, and you're like, wait, that didn't sound right? And then drastic changes happening, right? You're like, whoa, how did so much change happen in a couple of years, right? I mean, let's think about that. But no matter what happens, no matter what changes happen in our lives or in our culture, the community, the country, technological advancements, new social movements that may arise, we stay rooted in the Word of God. We stay rooted in Jesus Christ as the firm foundation who is the way, the truth, and the life period. It is in being rooted that we deal with others with the love of Christ. It is a great balance to stand firm in truth and to deal with others in love. I can tell you from my own experience, I have known Christians who only focus on the truth of God's Word, and they don't have the love of Christ. And what happens is bitterness at times. Now, granted, we all get frustrated and sometimes we get outright angry. But there comes a point where what happens when you don't have the love of Christ, right? You may have your theology, right?

[18:08] You may have a good, accurate biblical understanding. But where is the love? And then you have the other side where you have some people, all they are is focusing on the love of Christ. Well, where's the truth of God's Word, right? Where is that? It's a fine balance that exists, and it's a challenge for us. I can tell you, some of us lean more towards one and others lean more towards the other.

[18:31] But it's this balancing of grace and truth, and it helps us to respond to changing cultures, being the salt of the earth, exhibiting the light and love of Christ to our friends, to our families, and to our communities. Verse 6 here, the apostle Paul says, therefore, this is an encouragement, it's a challenge, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so what? Sit, walk in him. Paul is saying that as the Colossians have received Jesus Christ, this church that is faithful to God and is sharing in the love of Christ, Paul is saying, look, I know you guys are going to respond accordingly here. You are going to respond in an orderly manner, and you're going to stay firm in the Word of God, right? And because of this, as you have received Christ, you walk in him. Does that mean that you just sit down and you do nothing? Does that mean that you're like Jonah who ran from God? No, you walk in Christ. It's a direct connection that we can apply to our own lives. Look, we are called to believe in the Lord, right? To receive salvation, believe in the Lord and be saved and be on a path of spiritual growth and maturity. In all of this, we are to live out our faith through action. That is why you see in Scripture, faith without deeds is dead.

[19:54] That's a very difficult one. Well, you either have an active faith or you have a dead faith. It's still faith, but are you living out that faith? We are saved by grace through faith so that we can grow and do good in the name of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul encourages the Colossians and even us today to walk in him. Let's go to verse seven, right? Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith just as you were taught abounding in Thanksgiving, right? Walk in Christ, have that foundation in him, right? And being built up in him. There is action that we must do, right?

[20:35] God gives us the tools and the resources to build our house upon that foundation, so to speak. If you have not made a decision for Christ in your life, let this be a call for you to believe in the Lord and be saved. If you have Christ as the solid rock, I got it. I got the foundation in Christ, then go ahead and build upon that foundation. Again, God will give you the tools and the resources to be rooted and built up in him, right? Established in the faith as you were taught, because the Colossians here, they were taught these things and I hope and I pray that we can be like the Colossian church, amen? We can be a church that, yeah, so what, we're in a small town. We're not in Las Vegas or Chicago or New York City or any of those big city towns. Here is a town, a church that's in a small rural area that knew how to respond to changing culture. What an encouragement for us in our own context, just like how we are in the city of Ontario, which means in Japanese, the place where God's abundance overflows. What an encouragement for us here at Ontario.

[21:57] Abounding in Thanksgiving, right? It is in Christ who will transform your life and you can build your life in such a way with Christ, remarkable things will happen in your life. Be thankful for the salvation that you have. Be thankful for how God has worked in and through your life and be thankful that God sent his son, that whosoever believes shall not perish but have eternal life.

[22:26] I'm thankful for that and I'm thankful for the fact that it's not about this checklist, right? Right. How many of us like checklists or have a checklist at home, right? It's on the refrigerator, right? Or it's by a door and your day's not done until you're finished with that checklist and God forbid, your brother or sister calls you, your cousin calls you, or the car breaks down.

[22:57] I couldn't get to my checklist, right? That's how we think in the context of this world. But when we think of the context of God, it is something that is beyond our understanding that God's grace is so abundant. It's inexhaustible. You can't outdo God's grace. Let's go to verse eight. And this is the bulk of it here. See to it that no one takes you captive by what? Philosophy and what?

[23:27] Empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. This is where the apostle Paul is saying that you see to it.

[23:39] You consciously make that decision to make sure that you are not taken captive by philosophy or empty deceit. It's a call for believers not only in the Colossian church, but for us today, that we have a responsibility as Christians to remain rooted in Christ, not to be led away or seduced or carried off by something that is contrary to the teachings of Christ, that is contrary to the word of God. So what is it they were not to be captive by? Philosophy and empty deceit. Now, this is very interesting because philosophy means the love of wisdom, right? But wait a minute.

[24:17] Didn't it just say that the apostle Paul wanted the Colossians to grow and increase in knowledge and understanding of God? So what about philosophy here? I'm confused here. The whole premise and the point of this is things that are contrary to the things of God. You can grow and increase in the knowledge and understanding and the wisdom of God, but here we are talking about the philosophy or the things of this world that are contrary to God and his plan and his way and his word.

[24:51] It's the one time in Scripture where we find philosophy in our Bibles. It's kind of a weird one, right? It's a weird word to show up in there. Empty deceit then means emptiness. Empty deceit, come on, deception here, right? Promises that cannot be filled, just blatant lies, right? Have you ever been swindled before? You were promised something, right? What is that? The bait and switch, right? You were promised something and it didn't happen. That's what we're talking about with empty deceit or counterfeits even. How many of you have ever had a fake dollar bill or a fake coin before anybody? Okay, so when you see it and you feel it, you know it's not the real thing, right? Or at least maybe not at first. But it takes looking, knowing what the real thing looks like feels like. Don't taste dollar bills. But you recognize it and you can tell the difference between something that's counterfeit, right? And that's why we are encouraged as Christians to grow in the Word of God in our understanding of the things of God. Because we can tell the difference between a counterfeit, something that's fake and phony. I don't want your fake money, okay? Right? When you're going to the grocery store and you're getting changed, you don't want fake money. When you go to the bank, do you want $100 in monopoly money or do you want the real thing?

[26:22] And this is no difference than when you're thinking about the Word of God, right? We want the real thing that comes from God. It's, it's, this is, all of this to say is there is a difference between having the fullness of knowledge and wisdom that come from God and the philosophy and the empty deceit that come from the world. This is why it's so important for us to be faithful to God and to his word and to increase in the knowledge of him. As we grow in faith, we can tell the difference between what the world offers and what Christ offers. I think of that song, What the world needs now is love, right? And it's a good song. But you know, the kind of love that this world needs is the love of Christ, the transformation that comes from him. The only thing that song doesn't say is what kind of love are you talking about, right? It sounds good. It's a very good song to listen to. I enjoy listening to it. But it really, what kind of love are you talking about? Well, I want the real love that comes from God. I want the real truth that comes from Scripture. Christianity in itself is simplistic. It is man who makes things more complicated.

[27:42] When we place our trust in man, how often do we get disappointed? It's just like when young people, they have their celebrities that they follow or their influencers that they listen to, right?

[27:54] What happens when they have a moral failing? What happens when a controversy happens, right? How many of us have been failed by someone before talking a human being here, right? We make mistakes.

[28:07] God on the other hand, does not. And so consider this. That is why you trust in God, because God will not fail you. God will not abandon or forsake you. And so in the context of Colossians, Paul is talking about not being captive according to human traditions or elemental spirits or some translations call it the elementary teachings of the world. All this means is to not focus on rituals or religion. Instead, focus on having a relationship with Christ.

[28:47] It also means, right? And it says it right in the verse. Don't be captive by worldly philosophy, right? The lies and deception of the world according to human tradition, right?

[29:00] Sometimes we see that there are traditions that exist in our culture and that's fine. It's when it becomes, when your tradition goes over the Lord, right? You can go over the top with things, just like how I may love a car. I can love my car too much. It becomes a possession and then it becomes an idol, right? Don't let that happen. And so here, human tradition, religion, according to the elementary spirits of the world, it's the focusing on the things of this world. Instead, we are to focus on the things of God, the things that are higher, right? Focus on Jesus Christ and His Word. It is God who is the creator of the heavens and the earth. And I would much rather put my trust and my faith in something that doesn't fail, something that doesn't rust, something that is everlasting and eternal. Don't be deceived by the things of this world, remain rooted in Christ. Let's go to verse nine. For in Him in Christ, the fullness of deity dwells bodily. Instead of being captive, right? Being captured or swayed by the things of this world, right? By anything that's human tradition or the elementary spirits is an interesting one. It's like when you're focusing on spirituality like ghosts and those kind of things. Some translations say elementary teachings, which is just focusing on that which is created and not the creator.

[30:32] And so in Christ, the fullness of deity dwells bodily here, right? By believing in Christ, you're set free from the world's way. And it is in Christ, right? It's the triune God that exists within us. Much like how we are a new creation, we are made, we have new life in Him. We're no longer separated by sin, but rather we are connected to Christ, reconnected to Christ. Does that mean you'll never sin? Well, no, we're still imperfect and we're still here in this fallen world. We are going to sin. But it's knowing that we intentionally focus on sinning less, right?

[31:16] I've heard this said by some pastors before. As a Christian, you're called to sin less. It doesn't mean you're sinless, right? There's a difference between the two, a nice play on words.

[31:28] And so this verse speaks of the fullness of deity, the fullness of Christ, right? Just like how it said in Scripture that the Holy Spirit dwells within us. We find that in Scripture, Christ dwells within us, the word of Christ dwells within us. Let's go to verse 10. And you have been filled in Him in Christ, who is the head and rule of all authority. The Apostle Paul is going on, how we've been filled with God within us, like I said, much like how the Holy Spirit dwells within us. It's speaking about how it is Christ who is the ruler of our lives, much like how Christ is the head of the body of the church, right? Do you see how all of that's connected?

[32:07] Jesus is a much greater king, and quite honestly, he's a greater king than any politician or any ruler on earth that I can think of. Can you name one? Please don't. Never mind, never mind, I forget that. But anyways, Jesus Christ reigns supreme, and he's greater than any politician that we can find or elect here on this earth. And in verse 11, now this is an interesting note, in, in, in, in Christ, also you were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. That gets very confusing, right?

[32:45] It's discussing circumcision as a representation, the removal of sins power, okay? This concept, again, might seem bizarre to us today, but when we're thinking of the context of the church at Colossae, right? Christianity being new, and a lot of Jewish converts, it's speaking to that, right? Jews who became Christians as circumcision was a, it was a sign of cleanliness. Let's go to verse 12 here. Having being buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power working of God, who raised him from the dead. And so, just as in believing in the Lord, right, it means that we go from the old self to the new self, there is mention here about baptism. And that baptism, according to Romans chapter 6, verse 4, it's a representation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

[33:46] The apostle Paul describes how there is a process, right? I want you to think of baptism, and it's a very interesting analogy, right? You're standing there before you're submerged, right? So there's the death. Then you are submerged in the water, right? Which represents the burial. And then when you come back out, it's a representation of what? Resurrection. Isn't that kind of cool? It's just really a radical thing. I love how things in Scripture are very connected. And so let's go into verse 13. I know I'm a little pressed on time here. And you, who were dead in your trust passes and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us for all of our trust passes. And there's a parallel that we see not only in faith and in baptism, but it's mentioned here that the Colossians, all of this is mentioned so that the Colossians can understand circumcision was viewed upon as unclean or dirty, right? And circumcision is viewed as no longer being separated, right? That they were dead in their sin, right? Are we not dead in our sin before we know the Lord, right? So God made alive together with him, having forgiveness, forgiven us all of our trust passes. And that's why we are called to believe in Jesus Christ.

[35:14] Let's go to verse 14. By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands, this he set aside, nailing to the cross. Do you realize when Christ said it is finished?

[35:27] The record of debt that stood against us, right? It was nailed to the cross. It's such a wild and incredible way of looking at it. Our sins being nailed to the cross, right? The record of debt, just think of when you purchase anything, right? You have your receipt, so to speak. Well, we can't pay the debt of sin, but Christ can. And it's like as it were putting the invoice on the cross, it's paid in full. It's done. Our sins are forgiven by believing in him. You want to know the worst thing that you can do is to reject the Lord, unbelief, not believing in the Lord. But the greatest thing that you can do for yourself here on the earth and secure in your future is by placing your trust, by placing faith and believing in Jesus Christ and recognizing that Christ lived. He died and on the third day he rose again, atoning for our sins, fulfilling the many prophecies and promises that were set forth in scripture. I think it's in, I don't remember off the top of my head, but it's in numbers. I'll bring it up one of these days. I think it's in Deuteronomy or numbers. There's mention that says, it's a verse that says, God does not lie, nor does the Son of Man. And when I read that, I was like, wait just a minute. I see what you did there, God, right? You're mentioning how Christ doesn't lie. It's just a little reference, just kind of tucked away in there.

[37:13] Very interesting how that happens, right? Believe in the Lord and recognize that Christ is the fulfillment of prophecy and that salvation is available for all who believe in the language of our debt being set aside, being nailed to the cross. It demonstrates the power of the forgiveness of Jesus Christ for our lives. This finally leads us to verse 15, that Christ triumphs over the rulers. He disarmed the what? The rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. Those that think that they have power over Christ are incorrect. There's a lot of rulers that have come and gone who have believed that they have power over the Lord. You can't silence the Lord. You can't silence who God is. You can't silence the word of God. And just to think that it is truly Christ who has the final word and the final say when it matters of this world. Not only does this refer to physical rulers, but it also speaks of the spiritual.

[38:26] And one can conclude that this verse specifically speaks how Christ will put to shame and disarm the powers of evil, right? Spiritual evil, rulers on the earth and that it is our God who is supreme over all rulers and authorities. How wonderful is that? And when we are made a new creation, we have a new identity in Christ, we must remember that Christ is our King. And like I mentioned before, he's much better than any politician you can vote for. I'm really sorry, you guys, in advance.

[39:04] Okay. Let this message be called for you to be firmly rooted in Jesus Christ and to not get distracted by the things of this world, not to be derailed by the things of this world. Let the word of God remain pure and let us recognize that Jesus Christ is all that we need. We don't need to add a list of rules. It's about believing in Jesus Christ and that salvation comes through him, period. Many of you have seen that formula before, Jesus plus nothing, right? Because there's nothing more that you need to add to it. It's about having your faith in him. Jesus is all that we need.

[39:46] Believe in him and you are saved, period. The end, the thief on the cross, right? Jesus, remember me. Three words. Three words.

[40:02] What did Christ say? Truly, you will be with me in paradise. Now, I'm not going to call Jesus a liar here, but I am convinced that that man was saved. The thief was saved. And because of this look, come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Come to believe in him for salvation is free for all who believe.

[40:31] Grow in the faith. Open your Bible. Read it from cover to cover. I know there's a lot of radical things like what are the Nephilim, right? There's a lot of things in there and you go to Revelation and you're like, oh my gosh, what's going on with all these scrolls and trumpets and all these parallels and whatnot. We're always going to continue to learn the things of God and the things from his word, period. Like just recently in my own faith journey, finding the connections with how many of you have seen The Prince of Egypt? Remember that movie, the cartoon, right? Looking at a lot of the signs and wonders that happened, right? Because to convince the pharaoh to let God's people go, so many of those are not 100% identical, but they're very similar to the signs and wonders that happen in Revelation. And it's like, I looked at the connections there. I'm like, how interesting seeing when, so when next time you watch that, you think not only did that happen here with Moses and the pharaoh, but a lot of those are going to happen in Revelation. I'm like, isn't that wild? I mean, some of us may already know that, but it's wild to see that way back in the Old Testament, it's there and that's going to happen again. Again, not all of them, but most of them are going to happen again.

[41:54] So that's pretty incredible. But as you grow in faith, right? Come to know the Lord, grow in faith and learn the difference between right and wrong, the ability to discern truth from lies, wisdom and knowledge, the difference between godly wisdom and godly knowledge versus the world's wisdom and knowledge. There's a huge difference between the two. And in doing all of this, let God mold you into the men and the women that you are meant to be. There is such potential and purpose and a plan that God has for you. You will become a greater man or woman in the faith by letting God mold you and lead you and guide you. So as the title of this message says, let no one deceive you. We stay rooted in Jesus Christ and his word. Let's pray together.

[42:52] Gracious Father, we thank you for giving us the time and the opportunity to go through your word. As we close this message, may we take this message to heart. Let's take it to heart.

[43:06] May we hold on to the truth that comes from you. And Father, I pray that we may not be deceived or swayed by the schemes of the devil or the evil one or anyone who has evil intent.

[43:22] May we recognize that we are saved by grace through faith and it's something that is so simple. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. For those of us who don't know you, work in their heart to come to know you. May they have that knowledge. And for those of us who do believe in you, may we build our lives in you on that solid foundation. May we become more like you. And for some of us, maybe there's a call for us to act and to do good in the name of Jesus Christ. May we become that beacon of hope. May we be encouraged by the church at Colossae and not Laodicea. May we be faithful to you, faithful to your word and exhibit the love of Jesus Christ to others. Give us the ability to discern right from wrong and protect us once again from being swayed by the devil or the changing culture of this world in which we live in. May we follow you.

[44:25] May we remain firmly rooted in you. It is in Jesus name, the name that is above all names that we pray and we all say together, amen. Thank you for tuning in to the Ontario Community Church sermon podcast. For more about our church and how you can get involved or support our mission, please visit ontariocommunitychurch.org. May God's blessings be with you.