WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.899 Welcome to Ontario Community Church, 00:00:02.899 --> 00:00:04.799 where we're dedicated to encouraging, 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:07.799 equipping, and engaging lives for Christ. 00:00:07.799 --> 00:00:09.320 Located in Ontario, 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:11.279 Oregon, Pastor Patrick Daly 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:13.800 preaches insightful sermons from the Word of God, 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:16.760 offering practical applications for modern living. 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:19.640 We're delighted to share this sermon with you. 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:21.640 Well, good morning, everyone. 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:24.440 It is great to be with you this morning and 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:27.240 happy Mother's Day to all of our mothers here. 00:00:27.240 --> 00:00:29.560 Let's give them a round of applause just for 00:00:29.559 --> 00:00:32.519 all the things people. 00:00:32.519 --> 00:00:37.679 You know, mothers are just so important in the eyes of God. 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:43.000 I just think of how precious life is and how God has 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:49.799 placed the responsibility of caring for children in the role of a mother. 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:51.799 It's just a wonderful thing. 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:55.480 So we thank you, mothers, for all that you've done. 00:00:55.479 --> 00:01:03.799 And so this morning, we are continuing our biblical exposition of the Book of Colossians. 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:08.439 Today, we are beginning on Chapter 2 of the Book of Colossians. 00:01:08.439 --> 00:01:13.079 Feel free to, if you have a Bible or a mobile device and you'd like to follow along, 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:14.560 you are welcome to do so. 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:18.319 And also make sure all of you have a note sheet, 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:23.840 which will, there's many reference verses that will be going on from this sermon. 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:28.280 We've now arrived at the section where over the next couple weeks, 00:01:28.280 --> 00:01:34.400 we will be learning about the false teachings that were real in the early church, 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:36.960 specifically the Colossian church. 00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:39.200 You know, the church at Colossae, 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:48.240 it was a smaller, rural church that was faithful to God and had exhibited the love of Christ to others. 00:01:48.240 --> 00:01:50.600 That's something to be commended for, right? 00:01:50.599 --> 00:01:57.079 The apostle Paul was applauding them and being thankful for the fact that this church was faithful to God 00:01:57.079 --> 00:02:00.079 and shared in that love of Christ. 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:04.759 The apostle Paul was so pleased that he prayed for them to continue on their path 00:02:04.759 --> 00:02:09.560 and to increase in the knowledge and wisdom of the things of God, right? 00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:12.079 Understanding of God and His Word. 00:02:12.079 --> 00:02:19.079 And we can find direct connections that existed with the Colossian church and with the church today. 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:22.840 Just as there have been many good things that happened at this church, 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:26.480 there are things that we need to be mindful of. 00:02:26.480 --> 00:02:28.680 What was going on? What was the warning? 00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:33.960 What was the concern that the apostle had for the church at Colossae? 00:02:33.960 --> 00:02:40.560 And it's much like how we in the church today, hundreds, thousands of years later, 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:43.720 we face issues, we face controversies, 00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:50.800 we face cultural shifts that we must respond to in a manner that is rooted in biblical truth, 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:53.919 but also deals in the love of Christ. 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:58.439 Before we go any further, I'd like for us to go ahead and pray. Let's pray together. 00:02:58.439 --> 00:03:07.120 Gracious Father, we thank you for bringing us here today as we sung many songs of praise and worship to Your Holy Name. 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:12.840 We pray that we may learn the concerns that the apostle had for the church at Colossae. 00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:17.879 And may we be better equipped to discern the difference between right and wrong, 00:03:17.879 --> 00:03:21.240 between good and evil and truth and lies. 00:03:21.240 --> 00:03:25.640 Just as the church was warned and responded to changes in their culture, 00:03:25.640 --> 00:03:32.759 may we as the church today be aware and respond to cultural changes that happen in the community, 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:35.159 in our country, or in society. 00:03:35.159 --> 00:03:40.280 May we remain grounded and anchored in Christ, in the truth of Scripture. 00:03:40.280 --> 00:03:42.879 And may we deal with everything in love. 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:50.920 Help us to live and love like You, and help us to increase in the knowledge and understanding of who You are. 00:03:50.920 --> 00:03:57.319 It is in the name of Jesus Christ, the name that is above all names, the majestic King, 00:03:57.319 --> 00:04:03.039 the One who is preeminent of all that we pray. And we all say together, amen. 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:11.199 You know, the Colossian Church, this is a photo that I found of the ancient town, the rural town of Colossae. 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:17.199 And you'll notice here, there's not, I know it's one photo, right? It's not a 360 viewing. 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:19.519 But there's not a lot of buildings there. 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:23.759 It's a small rural area, right, that is happening here. 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:28.199 It's a small church that was faithful to God and exhibited the love of Christ. 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:34.159 And when we look at this photo, we think for a moment, there's not a lot of other buildings there, right? 00:04:34.159 --> 00:04:38.759 Just when you think of ancient Rome, right? Or you think of a lot of the ancient cities that existed. 00:04:38.759 --> 00:04:44.519 There's tons and tons of buildings. When you look at ancient Colossae, there's not a lot there. 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:52.800 In fact, if you go into its modern-day Turkey, you'll find that there's just some ruins. 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:58.960 And there's actually a sign there that's saying, here is the ancient town, right, the rural town of Colossae. 00:04:58.960 --> 00:05:05.280 And it was just, here's what's left of it. There's not a lot of, you know, how you have a monument. 00:05:05.280 --> 00:05:10.800 And there's a lot of commemoration, right? A lot of history that's there. There's just not a lot there. 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:13.840 And it's very unfortunate that that happens. 00:05:13.840 --> 00:05:21.480 You know, when we're thinking about this ancient ruins, we have to think about what happened in the Word of God. 00:05:21.480 --> 00:05:31.240 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. 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:40.319 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. 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:46.480 And we now come to the part where Paul expresses his concerns and the warnings to the church. 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:51.360 And I have titled this sermon, Let No One Deceive You. 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:57.680 You'll find in Scripture, in your ESVP bibles, it's saying, let no one delude you. 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:02.840 But another way of looking at it is let no one deceive you. Let no one derail you. 00:06:02.840 --> 00:06:10.319 Let no one change your mind about the things of God instead remain rooted. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:17.720 And we will discover today that just as the apostle Paul wanted the church, the Colossian church, to respond appropriately, 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:29.960 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, 00:06:29.960 --> 00:06:33.360 things that happen worldwide or even in this country. 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:43.320 We need to respond to culture being rooted in the truth of God and His Word and also deal in a matter of love. 00:06:43.319 --> 00:06:49.959 No matter what changes occur in any of these areas, we must remain in Christ. 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:53.360 We must. We've got to stay rooted in truth. 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:57.240 So let's go to that first verse. It's verse one here. 00:06:57.240 --> 00:07:08.279 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. 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:16.679 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. 00:07:16.679 --> 00:07:19.079 I want to give you this visual here. 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:26.439 The distance between Colossae and Laodicea is a, I mean, it depends on what path you take here. 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:34.119 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. 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:40.360 And if you want to think of driving there, it's about 20 to 30 minutes depending on which route you take. 00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:46.280 And so it's not all of that to say it's in with within close proximity of each other. 00:07:46.280 --> 00:07:52.680 And the apostle Paul, he never visited any of these churches, but just think about how close they are. 00:07:52.680 --> 00:07:57.319 And I want to go to this next slide. It's the bigger map here. Look how close they are. 00:07:57.319 --> 00:08:02.280 Right. You have modern day Turkey, right? You have Greece up there. You have Syria, right? 00:08:02.279 --> 00:08:05.159 On a map, they're pretty close together, right? 00:08:05.159 --> 00:08:12.599 And so Paul is, he's never visited these two churches, but he's writing to Colossians, to the Colossians, 00:08:12.599 --> 00:08:19.479 and also that the letter will be passed on to Laodicea, right? 00:08:19.479 --> 00:08:23.559 The Colossians were instructed to read this letter and pass it on to Laodicea. 00:08:23.559 --> 00:08:28.679 You find this in Colossians chapter four, verse 16, but we'll go into that later. 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:34.200 There was a letter that exists, and this is a fun fact. There was a letter to the Laodicean church 00:08:34.200 --> 00:08:38.440 that we don't have trace of. And unfortunately, I don't know what happened to that. 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:46.279 But if you look on this picture here, it kind of makes more sense of more of a city-like building 00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:51.639 that existed back then, instead of just one, maybe a couple building structures. 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:57.320 Here you have the, those old school roads, right? Those rock roads and lots of different things, 00:08:57.320 --> 00:09:05.480 and tourists that constantly go there to Laodicea. And so perhaps, perhaps the Apostle Paul 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:12.360 sent some problems with the Laodicean church early on when he was writing to the Colossians. 00:09:12.360 --> 00:09:18.600 In fact, we see Laodicea mentioned in the book of Revelation as what kind of church? 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:22.520 For those of you who are really, really good at knowing your scripture. 00:09:22.520 --> 00:09:23.480 Lukewarm. 00:09:23.480 --> 00:09:29.639 Lukewarm church, exactly, right? So perhaps Paul had a feeling of what was going to happen 00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:35.800 later on in Revelation. In any case, the Apostle Paul had a love for these two churches, 00:09:35.800 --> 00:09:40.120 even though he never visited them. Let's go to that next slide here. 00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:46.840 So then it goes on, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:52.279 to reach all of the full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, 00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:58.759 which is Christ. So Paul's desire is that these churches will be encouraged and they will be 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:05.159 knit together in love. It is through this love and encouragement that they will attain the riches 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:09.559 of the assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery. Do you want to 00:10:09.559 --> 00:10:15.240 understand better the things of God? Think about that. That's an encouragement that happened 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:22.919 to the Colossians, but can also be applicable today. Our hearts should be encouraged, right? 00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:29.159 Knit together in love in order to reach more of an understanding of the things of God and 00:10:29.159 --> 00:10:34.440 the things of God's word. And the main idea here at Piggy Backs off of the concept of 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:40.360 speaking the truth in love. Do you encourage your brother and sister in Christ to read their Bible, 00:10:40.360 --> 00:10:45.800 to study the word of God? Right? It's an encouragement for us and for the Colossians to 00:10:45.800 --> 00:10:52.519 grow in every way to reach a better understanding of who God is. This knowledge includes knowing 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:57.960 the hope through God's grace that is being established as the foundation so that we can 00:10:57.960 --> 00:11:04.200 perform every good work and word. It's a great reminder here. We are saved by grace through faith 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:10.520 and we begin. We have that transformation, right? We're justified. There's still encouragement to 00:11:10.520 --> 00:11:17.240 grow in Christ though, to become more mature in your faith and through growing and becoming mature, 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:24.280 being motivated to do good in the name of Christ. Let's now go to verse three, which says here, 00:11:25.160 --> 00:11:33.160 in whom all are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and what? Knowledge. That's that next one. 00:11:33.159 --> 00:11:39.159 That's all right. We see that in Christ all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:45.159 Just as salvation, there it is, treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Salvation has been revealed 00:11:45.159 --> 00:11:53.639 to all of us and we as Christians nowadays are privileged to know, to know more about Christ, 00:11:53.639 --> 00:12:00.759 that Christ has been revealed in his word. It's an encouragement for us to read and study the word 00:12:00.759 --> 00:12:07.080 of God, to be a part of the local body, to be a part of the church where we can bear one another's 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:12.279 burdens, right? Where we can celebrate together just like how we're celebrating Mother's Day 00:12:12.279 --> 00:12:19.159 together, right? As the body of Christ and to grow together. Isn't it encouraging when you see 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:25.000 someone make a decision for Christ? Isn't it encouraging when you see someone get baptized? 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:32.039 Isn't it encouraging when you finally see someone finally get it and they begin to understand things? 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:37.080 They're like, hey, wait a minute. That's very interesting that in the end of, here's a fun fact, 00:12:37.080 --> 00:12:45.320 the end of Daniel, there's mention of putting the knowledge in a scroll and that scroll doesn't 00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:50.600 get revealed until revelation. So there's still things that are hidden in God's word that are 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:57.639 yet to be revealed. That's wild. But it's wonderful to see how we can grow together, right? It's an 00:12:57.639 --> 00:13:04.279 encouragement for you to grow in Christ, but to be a part of the local assembly. Let's go to 00:13:04.279 --> 00:13:10.680 verse four here, right? This is where the apostle Paul says, I say this in order that no one may 00:13:10.680 --> 00:13:17.879 delude you with what kind of arguments? Plausible arguments, right? The apostle Paul is warning the 00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:25.879 Colossian church not to let anyone delude them, right? This deluding is nothing more than deception. 00:13:26.439 --> 00:13:32.519 The plausible arguments are made with persuasive language or words that can entice people. How 00:13:32.519 --> 00:13:39.720 many of you have heard someone speak in it? It just sounds so good. It feels so good. You're 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:44.919 maybe like a car, I mean, I don't mean a bad car salesman here, but maybe a car salesman, right? 00:13:44.919 --> 00:13:51.399 Where he's like, oh, look at the shiny car. And doesn't it feel so good to drive in that vehicle? 00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:59.000 The smell of new leather, right? That new car smell? All of those things. It's like enticing you, 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:05.240 right? It just kind of feels good. And then sometimes we end up buying something and do we 00:14:05.240 --> 00:14:10.039 regret it sometimes, right? I'm sure you don't have to raise your hand here, but I'm sure that's 00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:15.879 happened to us before. We bought the nice shiny thing and regretted it later, right? Well, that's 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:21.639 very similar to this idea of being deluded, right? Or being deceived. It's like, well, yeah, it was 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:28.519 a nice shiny thing, but what about this? So these plausible arguments, it's persuasive language or 00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:35.559 words that can entice people. It can captivate people. It can capture people. And that's why 00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:42.839 I decided to name this sermon, Let No One Deceive You, right? Because the apostle Paul was warning 00:14:42.839 --> 00:14:48.359 the church at Colossae not to be deluded, right? That's a warning that is explicitly for the 00:14:48.359 --> 00:14:54.679 Colossian church. Can we apply that today, though? Can we think for a moment? People don't make those 00:14:54.679 --> 00:14:59.959 kind of arguments today. That was back in the ancient times. Well, just wait a minute here. 00:14:59.960 --> 00:15:06.360 There is deception that exists in today's world. There are movements that exist that try to entice 00:15:06.360 --> 00:15:12.360 people to things that are more complicated than the Word of God. We should stand firm on the Word 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:20.120 of God by reading and studying Scripture and to not be deceived by persuasive arguments of things 00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:26.120 that are contrary to Scripture, things that are more complicated than the Word of God. This warning 00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:31.879 has been said not only here in Colossians, but it's also found elsewhere in Scripture. I'm going to 00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:43.879 grab my water real quick. You find that elsewhere in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 6 and 2 Thessalonians 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:50.759 chapter 2 verse 3. Similar words, right? The deception. There's empty words, right? When you hear 00:15:50.759 --> 00:15:58.600 that word, empty words, I don't like that. Empty promises as it were, right? Is that the truth then 00:15:58.600 --> 00:16:07.000 if there's empty promises? We want promises to be fulfilled. So let's go to verse 5. Here we have 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:13.240 the Apostle Paul saying, for though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing 00:16:13.879 --> 00:16:19.960 to see good, to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. What an encouragement, 00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:25.720 right? The Colossian church has been faithful to God and exhibited the love of Christ. And Paul is 00:16:25.720 --> 00:16:31.720 excited to see that this church, he has faith that this church will respond appropriately, right? 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:39.000 Having things in good order, responding appropriately, right? And being firm in the faith. 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:44.840 Ladies and gentlemen, this is no different than having Christ as the firm foundation for our lives 00:16:44.840 --> 00:16:51.080 and the foundation for this very church. It's a great reminder and encouragement that no matter, 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:55.800 again, no matter what cultural changes are happening, because it gets kind of scary, yeah? 00:16:56.519 --> 00:17:00.440 It gets kind of scary seeing all the changes that are happening. Little changes here and there, 00:17:00.440 --> 00:17:04.279 and you're like, wait, that didn't sound right? And then drastic changes happening, right? You're 00:17:04.279 --> 00:17:11.640 like, whoa, how did so much change happen in a couple of years, right? I mean, let's think about 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:16.920 that. But no matter what happens, no matter what changes happen in our lives or in our culture, 00:17:16.920 --> 00:17:22.440 the community, the country, technological advancements, new social movements that may arise, 00:17:22.440 --> 00:17:28.520 we stay rooted in the Word of God. We stay rooted in Jesus Christ as the firm foundation who is the 00:17:28.520 --> 00:17:35.800 way, the truth, and the life period. It is in being rooted that we deal with others with the love of 00:17:35.799 --> 00:17:43.720 Christ. It is a great balance to stand firm in truth and to deal with others in love. I can 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:49.319 tell you from my own experience, I have known Christians who only focus on the truth of God's 00:17:49.319 --> 00:17:57.399 Word, and they don't have the love of Christ. And what happens is bitterness at times. Now, 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:02.919 granted, we all get frustrated and sometimes we get outright angry. But there comes a point where 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:08.759 what happens when you don't have the love of Christ, right? You may have your theology, right? 00:18:08.759 --> 00:18:14.680 You may have a good, accurate biblical understanding. But where is the love? And then you have the other 00:18:14.680 --> 00:18:19.960 side where you have some people, all they are is focusing on the love of Christ. Well, where's the 00:18:19.960 --> 00:18:25.800 truth of God's Word, right? Where is that? It's a fine balance that exists, and it's a challenge for 00:18:25.800 --> 00:18:31.640 us. I can tell you, some of us lean more towards one and others lean more towards the other. 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:37.640 But it's this balancing of grace and truth, and it helps us to respond to changing cultures, 00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:43.640 being the salt of the earth, exhibiting the light and love of Christ to our friends, to our 00:18:43.640 --> 00:18:50.600 families, and to our communities. Verse 6 here, the apostle Paul says, therefore, this is an 00:18:50.600 --> 00:18:57.240 encouragement, it's a challenge, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so what? Sit, walk 00:18:57.240 --> 00:19:03.240 in him. Paul is saying that as the Colossians have received Jesus Christ, this church that is 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:08.279 faithful to God and is sharing in the love of Christ, Paul is saying, look, I know you guys are 00:19:08.279 --> 00:19:14.039 going to respond accordingly here. You are going to respond in an orderly manner, and you're going 00:19:14.039 --> 00:19:19.960 to stay firm in the Word of God, right? And because of this, as you have received Christ, you walk 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:25.640 in him. Does that mean that you just sit down and you do nothing? Does that mean that you're like 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:33.320 Jonah who ran from God? No, you walk in Christ. It's a direct connection that we can apply to 00:19:33.320 --> 00:19:40.520 our own lives. Look, we are called to believe in the Lord, right? To receive salvation, believe in 00:19:40.520 --> 00:19:47.880 the Lord and be saved and be on a path of spiritual growth and maturity. In all of this, we are to 00:19:47.880 --> 00:19:54.920 live out our faith through action. That is why you see in Scripture, faith without deeds is dead. 00:19:54.920 --> 00:20:00.920 That's a very difficult one. Well, you either have an active faith or you have a dead faith. It's still 00:20:00.920 --> 00:20:09.320 faith, but are you living out that faith? We are saved by grace through faith so that we can grow 00:20:09.320 --> 00:20:15.320 and do good in the name of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul encourages the Colossians and even us 00:20:15.320 --> 00:20:20.840 today to walk in him. Let's go to verse seven, right? Rooted and built up in him and established 00:20:20.839 --> 00:20:27.879 in the faith just as you were taught abounding in Thanksgiving, right? Walk in Christ, have that 00:20:27.879 --> 00:20:34.679 foundation in him, right? And being built up in him. There is action that we must do, right? 00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:42.199 God gives us the tools and the resources to build our house upon that foundation, so to speak. 00:20:42.199 --> 00:20:49.639 If you have not made a decision for Christ in your life, let this be a call for you to believe in 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:56.680 the Lord and be saved. If you have Christ as the solid rock, I got it. I got the foundation in Christ, 00:20:56.680 --> 00:21:04.360 then go ahead and build upon that foundation. Again, God will give you the tools and the resources to 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:11.320 be rooted and built up in him, right? Established in the faith as you were taught, because the 00:21:11.320 --> 00:21:16.440 Colossians here, they were taught these things and I hope and I pray that we can be like the 00:21:16.440 --> 00:21:23.480 Colossian church, amen? We can be a church that, yeah, so what, we're in a small town. We're not in 00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:32.440 Las Vegas or Chicago or New York City or any of those big city towns. Here is a town, a church 00:21:32.440 --> 00:21:38.600 that's in a small rural area that knew how to respond to changing culture. What an encouragement 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:47.480 for us in our own context, just like how we are in the city of Ontario, which means in Japanese, 00:21:47.480 --> 00:21:55.079 the place where God's abundance overflows. What an encouragement for us here at Ontario. 00:21:57.959 --> 00:22:04.919 Abounding in Thanksgiving, right? It is in Christ who will transform your life and you can build 00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:12.519 your life in such a way with Christ, remarkable things will happen in your life. Be thankful 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:18.840 for the salvation that you have. Be thankful for how God has worked in and through your life and 00:22:18.840 --> 00:22:26.600 be thankful that God sent his son, that whosoever believes shall not perish but have eternal life. 00:22:26.600 --> 00:22:33.960 I'm thankful for that and I'm thankful for the fact that it's not about this checklist, right? 00:22:33.960 --> 00:22:39.640 Right. How many of us like checklists or have a checklist at home, right? It's on the refrigerator, 00:22:39.640 --> 00:22:47.480 right? Or it's by a door and your day's not done until you're finished with that checklist and 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:56.360 God forbid, your brother or sister calls you, your cousin calls you, or the car breaks down. 00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:03.319 I couldn't get to my checklist, right? That's how we think in the context of this world. But when 00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:10.039 we think of the context of God, it is something that is beyond our understanding that God's grace 00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:18.679 is so abundant. It's inexhaustible. You can't outdo God's grace. Let's go to verse eight. And this 00:23:18.679 --> 00:23:26.839 is the bulk of it here. See to it that no one takes you captive by what? Philosophy and what? 00:23:27.639 --> 00:23:33.079 Empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, 00:23:33.079 --> 00:23:38.839 and not according to Christ. This is where the apostle Paul is saying that you see to it. 00:23:39.639 --> 00:23:45.879 You consciously make that decision to make sure that you are not taken captive by philosophy or 00:23:45.879 --> 00:23:51.879 empty deceit. It's a call for believers not only in the Colossian church, but for us today, 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:59.159 that we have a responsibility as Christians to remain rooted in Christ, not to be led away or 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:05.000 seduced or carried off by something that is contrary to the teachings of Christ, that is contrary to 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:10.920 the word of God. So what is it they were not to be captive by? Philosophy and empty deceit. Now, 00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:17.240 this is very interesting because philosophy means the love of wisdom, right? But wait a minute. 00:24:17.800 --> 00:24:23.000 Didn't it just say that the apostle Paul wanted the Colossians to grow and increase in knowledge 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:29.880 and understanding of God? So what about philosophy here? I'm confused here. The whole premise and 00:24:29.880 --> 00:24:37.559 the point of this is things that are contrary to the things of God. You can grow and increase in 00:24:37.559 --> 00:24:44.200 the knowledge and understanding and the wisdom of God, but here we are talking about the philosophy 00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:51.720 or the things of this world that are contrary to God and his plan and his way and his word. 00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:57.720 It's the one time in Scripture where we find philosophy in our Bibles. It's kind of a weird 00:24:57.720 --> 00:25:07.000 one, right? It's a weird word to show up in there. Empty deceit then means emptiness. Empty deceit, 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:13.000 come on, deception here, right? Promises that cannot be filled, just blatant lies, right? Have 00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:18.680 you ever been swindled before? You were promised something, right? What is that? The bait and 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:24.120 switch, right? You were promised something and it didn't happen. That's what we're talking about 00:25:24.120 --> 00:25:31.640 with empty deceit or counterfeits even. How many of you have ever had a fake dollar bill or a fake 00:25:31.640 --> 00:25:39.000 coin before anybody? Okay, so when you see it and you feel it, you know it's not the real thing, 00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:45.960 right? Or at least maybe not at first. But it takes looking, knowing what the real thing looks 00:25:45.960 --> 00:25:54.759 like feels like. Don't taste dollar bills. But you recognize it and you can tell the difference 00:25:54.759 --> 00:26:01.079 between something that's counterfeit, right? And that's why we are encouraged as Christians to 00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:07.240 grow in the Word of God in our understanding of the things of God. Because we can tell the 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:11.799 difference between a counterfeit, something that's fake and phony. I don't want your fake money, 00:26:11.799 --> 00:26:16.119 okay? Right? When you're going to the grocery store and you're getting changed, you don't want 00:26:16.119 --> 00:26:21.799 fake money. When you go to the bank, do you want $100 in monopoly money or do you want the real thing? 00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:28.039 And this is no difference than when you're thinking about the Word of God, right? We want the real 00:26:28.039 --> 00:26:35.960 thing that comes from God. It's, it's, this is, all of this to say is there is a difference 00:26:35.960 --> 00:26:41.559 between having the fullness of knowledge and wisdom that come from God and the philosophy 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:47.799 and the empty deceit that come from the world. This is why it's so important for us to be faithful 00:26:47.799 --> 00:26:53.799 to God and to his word and to increase in the knowledge of him. As we grow in faith, we can 00:26:53.799 --> 00:27:01.240 tell the difference between what the world offers and what Christ offers. I think of that song, 00:27:02.519 --> 00:27:09.399 What the world needs now is love, right? And it's a good song. But you know, the kind of love that 00:27:09.400 --> 00:27:14.840 this world needs is the love of Christ, the transformation that comes from him. The only 00:27:14.840 --> 00:27:20.360 thing that song doesn't say is what kind of love are you talking about, right? It sounds good. It's 00:27:20.360 --> 00:27:26.519 a very good song to listen to. I enjoy listening to it. But it really, what kind of love are you 00:27:26.519 --> 00:27:31.640 talking about? Well, I want the real love that comes from God. I want the real truth that comes 00:27:31.640 --> 00:27:40.759 from Scripture. Christianity in itself is simplistic. It is man who makes things more complicated. 00:27:42.040 --> 00:27:48.759 When we place our trust in man, how often do we get disappointed? It's just like when young people, 00:27:49.480 --> 00:27:54.040 they have their celebrities that they follow or their influencers that they listen to, right? 00:27:54.040 --> 00:28:00.440 What happens when they have a moral failing? What happens when a controversy happens, right? 00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:07.000 How many of us have been failed by someone before talking a human being here, right? We make mistakes. 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:15.640 God on the other hand, does not. And so consider this. That is why you trust in God, because God 00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:23.400 will not fail you. God will not abandon or forsake you. And so in the context of Colossians, Paul 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:29.240 is talking about not being captive according to human traditions or elemental spirits or 00:28:29.240 --> 00:28:38.440 some translations call it the elementary teachings of the world. All this means is to not focus on 00:28:38.440 --> 00:28:44.680 rituals or religion. Instead, focus on having a relationship with Christ. 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:53.559 It also means, right? And it says it right in the verse. Don't be captive by 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:59.720 worldly philosophy, right? The lies and deception of the world according to human tradition, right? 00:29:00.839 --> 00:29:05.879 Sometimes we see that there are traditions that exist in our culture and that's fine. It's when it 00:29:05.879 --> 00:29:11.720 becomes, when your tradition goes over the Lord, right? You can go over the top with things, 00:29:12.359 --> 00:29:18.359 just like how I may love a car. I can love my car too much. It becomes a possession and then it 00:29:18.359 --> 00:29:26.439 becomes an idol, right? Don't let that happen. And so here, human tradition, religion, according to 00:29:26.439 --> 00:29:33.959 the elementary spirits of the world, it's the focusing on the things of this world. Instead, 00:29:33.959 --> 00:29:40.039 we are to focus on the things of God, the things that are higher, right? Focus on Jesus Christ 00:29:40.039 --> 00:29:45.879 and His Word. It is God who is the creator of the heavens and the earth. And I would much rather 00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:52.040 put my trust and my faith in something that doesn't fail, something that doesn't rust, 00:29:52.040 --> 00:29:57.240 something that is everlasting and eternal. Don't be deceived by the things of this world, 00:29:57.240 --> 00:30:03.320 remain rooted in Christ. Let's go to verse nine. For in Him in Christ, the fullness of deity dwells 00:30:03.320 --> 00:30:09.880 bodily. Instead of being captive, right? Being captured or swayed by the things of this world, 00:30:09.880 --> 00:30:17.400 right? By anything that's human tradition or the elementary spirits is an interesting one. It's 00:30:17.400 --> 00:30:24.680 like when you're focusing on spirituality like ghosts and those kind of things. Some translations 00:30:24.680 --> 00:30:32.200 say elementary teachings, which is just focusing on that which is created and not the creator. 00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:39.559 And so in Christ, the fullness of deity dwells bodily here, right? By believing in Christ, 00:30:39.559 --> 00:30:46.440 you're set free from the world's way. And it is in Christ, right? It's the triune God that exists 00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:55.640 within us. Much like how we are a new creation, we are made, we have new life in Him. We're no 00:30:55.640 --> 00:31:02.440 longer separated by sin, but rather we are connected to Christ, reconnected to Christ. Does 00:31:02.440 --> 00:31:07.720 that mean you'll never sin? Well, no, we're still imperfect and we're still here in this fallen 00:31:07.720 --> 00:31:16.360 world. We are going to sin. But it's knowing that we intentionally focus on sinning less, right? 00:31:16.360 --> 00:31:22.520 I've heard this said by some pastors before. As a Christian, you're called to sin less. It doesn't 00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:27.000 mean you're sinless, right? There's a difference between the two, a nice play on words. 00:31:28.200 --> 00:31:33.160 And so this verse speaks of the fullness of deity, the fullness of Christ, right? Just like how it 00:31:33.160 --> 00:31:40.279 said in Scripture that the Holy Spirit dwells within us. We find that in Scripture, Christ 00:31:40.279 --> 00:31:46.599 dwells within us, the word of Christ dwells within us. Let's go to verse 10. And you have been filled 00:31:46.599 --> 00:31:51.799 in Him in Christ, who is the head and rule of all authority. The Apostle Paul is going on, 00:31:51.799 --> 00:31:56.440 how we've been filled with God within us, like I said, much like how the Holy Spirit dwells 00:31:56.440 --> 00:32:03.159 within us. It's speaking about how it is Christ who is the ruler of our lives, much like how 00:32:03.159 --> 00:32:06.919 Christ is the head of the body of the church, right? Do you see how all of that's connected? 00:32:07.879 --> 00:32:14.359 Jesus is a much greater king, and quite honestly, he's a greater king than any politician or any 00:32:14.359 --> 00:32:21.879 ruler on earth that I can think of. Can you name one? Please don't. Never mind, never mind, 00:32:21.879 --> 00:32:27.159 I forget that. But anyways, Jesus Christ reigns supreme, and he's greater than any politician 00:32:27.159 --> 00:32:33.159 that we can find or elect here on this earth. And in verse 11, now this is an interesting 00:32:33.159 --> 00:32:39.559 note, in, in, in, in Christ, also you were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by 00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:45.079 putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. That gets very confusing, right? 00:32:45.079 --> 00:32:54.119 It's discussing circumcision as a representation, the removal of sins power, okay? This concept, 00:32:54.119 --> 00:32:58.200 again, might seem bizarre to us today, but when we're thinking of the context of 00:32:58.200 --> 00:33:04.440 the church at Colossae, right? Christianity being new, and a lot of Jewish converts, 00:33:04.440 --> 00:33:11.799 it's speaking to that, right? Jews who became Christians as circumcision was a, 00:33:12.600 --> 00:33:20.440 it was a sign of cleanliness. Let's go to verse 12 here. Having being buried with him in baptism, 00:33:21.080 --> 00:33:26.680 in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power working of God, who raised him 00:33:26.680 --> 00:33:32.759 from the dead. And so, just as in believing in the Lord, right, it means that we go from the old 00:33:32.759 --> 00:33:39.160 self to the new self, there is mention here about baptism. And that baptism, according to Romans 00:33:39.160 --> 00:33:46.599 chapter 6, verse 4, it's a representation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. 00:33:46.599 --> 00:33:53.000 The apostle Paul describes how there is a process, right? I want you to think of baptism, and it's a 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:58.440 very interesting analogy, right? You're standing there before you're submerged, right? So there's the 00:33:58.440 --> 00:34:04.840 death. Then you are submerged in the water, right? Which represents the burial. And then when you 00:34:04.840 --> 00:34:12.840 come back out, it's a representation of what? Resurrection. Isn't that kind of cool? It's just 00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:19.079 really a radical thing. I love how things in Scripture are very connected. And so let's go 00:34:19.079 --> 00:34:25.720 into verse 13. I know I'm a little pressed on time here. And you, who were dead in your trust 00:34:25.719 --> 00:34:32.359 passes and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us 00:34:32.359 --> 00:34:40.519 for all of our trust passes. And there's a parallel that we see not only in faith and in baptism, 00:34:40.519 --> 00:34:46.359 but it's mentioned here that the Colossians, all of this is mentioned so that the Colossians can 00:34:46.359 --> 00:34:54.279 understand circumcision was viewed upon as unclean or dirty, right? And circumcision is viewed as 00:34:54.280 --> 00:35:01.320 no longer being separated, right? That they were dead in their sin, right? Are we not dead in our 00:35:01.320 --> 00:35:07.400 sin before we know the Lord, right? So God made alive together with him, having forgiveness, 00:35:08.920 --> 00:35:14.040 forgiven us all of our trust passes. And that's why we are called to believe in Jesus Christ. 00:35:14.040 --> 00:35:19.800 Let's go to verse 14. By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:27.320 demands, this he set aside, nailing to the cross. Do you realize when Christ said it is finished? 00:35:27.320 --> 00:35:34.200 The record of debt that stood against us, right? It was nailed to the cross. It's such a wild and 00:35:34.200 --> 00:35:40.840 incredible way of looking at it. Our sins being nailed to the cross, right? The record of debt, 00:35:41.480 --> 00:35:48.840 just think of when you purchase anything, right? You have your receipt, so to speak. Well, we can't 00:35:48.840 --> 00:35:58.360 pay the debt of sin, but Christ can. And it's like as it were putting the invoice on the cross, 00:35:58.360 --> 00:36:07.079 it's paid in full. It's done. Our sins are forgiven by believing in him. You want to know the worst 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:16.840 thing that you can do is to reject the Lord, unbelief, not believing in the Lord. But the greatest 00:36:16.840 --> 00:36:24.360 thing that you can do for yourself here on the earth and secure in your future is by placing your 00:36:24.360 --> 00:36:32.120 trust, by placing faith and believing in Jesus Christ and recognizing that Christ lived. He died 00:36:32.120 --> 00:36:39.160 and on the third day he rose again, atoning for our sins, fulfilling the many prophecies and promises 00:36:39.160 --> 00:36:46.280 that were set forth in scripture. I think it's in, I don't remember off the top of my head, but it's 00:36:46.280 --> 00:36:54.040 in numbers. I'll bring it up one of these days. I think it's in Deuteronomy or numbers. There's 00:36:54.040 --> 00:37:02.760 mention that says, it's a verse that says, God does not lie, nor does the Son of Man. And when I 00:37:02.760 --> 00:37:08.840 read that, I was like, wait just a minute. I see what you did there, God, right? You're mentioning 00:37:08.840 --> 00:37:13.640 how Christ doesn't lie. It's just a little reference, just kind of tucked away in there. 00:37:13.639 --> 00:37:21.319 Very interesting how that happens, right? Believe in the Lord and recognize that Christ is the 00:37:21.319 --> 00:37:26.920 fulfillment of prophecy and that salvation is available for all who believe in the language 00:37:26.920 --> 00:37:32.920 of our debt being set aside, being nailed to the cross. It demonstrates the power of the forgiveness 00:37:32.920 --> 00:37:39.719 of Jesus Christ for our lives. This finally leads us to verse 15, that Christ triumphs over the 00:37:39.719 --> 00:37:48.199 rulers. He disarmed the what? The rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing 00:37:48.199 --> 00:37:56.759 over them in him. Those that think that they have power over Christ are incorrect. There's a lot of 00:37:56.759 --> 00:38:01.559 rulers that have come and gone who have believed that they have power over the Lord. You can't 00:38:01.559 --> 00:38:11.239 silence the Lord. You can't silence who God is. You can't silence the word of God. And just to 00:38:11.239 --> 00:38:20.279 think that it is truly Christ who has the final word and the final say when it matters of this 00:38:20.279 --> 00:38:26.519 world. Not only does this refer to physical rulers, but it also speaks of the spiritual. 00:38:26.519 --> 00:38:32.840 And one can conclude that this verse specifically speaks how Christ will put to shame and disarm 00:38:32.840 --> 00:38:41.880 the powers of evil, right? Spiritual evil, rulers on the earth and that it is our God who is supreme 00:38:41.880 --> 00:38:50.440 over all rulers and authorities. How wonderful is that? And when we are made a new creation, 00:38:50.440 --> 00:38:59.480 we have a new identity in Christ, we must remember that Christ is our King. And like I mentioned 00:38:59.480 --> 00:39:04.119 before, he's much better than any politician you can vote for. I'm really sorry, you guys, in advance. 00:39:04.599 --> 00:39:14.440 Okay. Let this message be called for you to be firmly rooted in Jesus Christ and to not get 00:39:14.440 --> 00:39:20.679 distracted by the things of this world, not to be derailed by the things of this world. Let the 00:39:20.679 --> 00:39:27.000 word of God remain pure and let us recognize that Jesus Christ is all that we need. We don't need to 00:39:27.000 --> 00:39:33.800 add a list of rules. It's about believing in Jesus Christ and that salvation comes through him, 00:39:33.800 --> 00:39:39.960 period. Many of you have seen that formula before, Jesus plus nothing, right? Because there's nothing 00:39:39.960 --> 00:39:46.519 more that you need to add to it. It's about having your faith in him. Jesus is all that we need. 00:39:46.519 --> 00:39:56.199 Believe in him and you are saved, period. The end, the thief on the cross, right? Jesus, remember me. 00:39:58.760 --> 00:40:02.519 Three words. Three words. 00:40:02.519 --> 00:40:14.840 What did Christ say? Truly, you will be with me in paradise. Now, I'm not going to call Jesus a liar 00:40:14.840 --> 00:40:23.159 here, but I am convinced that that man was saved. The thief was saved. And because of this look, 00:40:23.159 --> 00:40:31.079 come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Come to believe in him for salvation is free for all who believe. 00:40:31.079 --> 00:40:37.000 Grow in the faith. Open your Bible. Read it from cover to cover. I know there's a lot of radical 00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:42.759 things like what are the Nephilim, right? There's a lot of things in there and you go to Revelation 00:40:42.759 --> 00:40:48.359 and you're like, oh my gosh, what's going on with all these scrolls and trumpets and all these parallels 00:40:48.360 --> 00:40:53.079 and whatnot. We're always going to continue to learn the things of God and the things from his 00:40:53.079 --> 00:41:00.120 word, period. Like just recently in my own faith journey, finding the connections with how many 00:41:00.120 --> 00:41:07.320 of you have seen The Prince of Egypt? Remember that movie, the cartoon, right? Looking at a lot of 00:41:07.320 --> 00:41:14.599 the signs and wonders that happened, right? Because to convince the pharaoh to let God's people go, 00:41:14.599 --> 00:41:21.480 so many of those are not 100% identical, but they're very similar to the signs and wonders 00:41:21.480 --> 00:41:28.279 that happen in Revelation. And it's like, I looked at the connections there. I'm like, how interesting 00:41:29.079 --> 00:41:35.079 seeing when, so when next time you watch that, you think not only did that happen here with Moses and 00:41:35.079 --> 00:41:41.480 the pharaoh, but a lot of those are going to happen in Revelation. I'm like, isn't that wild? I mean, 00:41:41.480 --> 00:41:47.960 some of us may already know that, but it's wild to see that way back in the Old Testament, it's there 00:41:48.280 --> 00:41:54.599 and that's going to happen again. Again, not all of them, but most of them are going to happen again. 00:41:54.599 --> 00:42:02.039 So that's pretty incredible. But as you grow in faith, right? Come to know the Lord, grow in faith 00:42:02.039 --> 00:42:08.920 and learn the difference between right and wrong, the ability to discern truth from lies, 00:42:08.920 --> 00:42:14.200 wisdom and knowledge, the difference between godly wisdom and godly knowledge versus the 00:42:14.200 --> 00:42:20.200 world's wisdom and knowledge. There's a huge difference between the two. And in doing all of 00:42:20.200 --> 00:42:27.960 this, let God mold you into the men and the women that you are meant to be. There is such potential 00:42:27.960 --> 00:42:34.920 and purpose and a plan that God has for you. You will become a greater man or woman in the faith 00:42:34.920 --> 00:42:41.800 by letting God mold you and lead you and guide you. So as the title of this message says, 00:42:42.200 --> 00:42:51.559 let no one deceive you. We stay rooted in Jesus Christ and his word. Let's pray together. 00:42:52.440 --> 00:42:57.639 Gracious Father, we thank you for giving us the time and the opportunity to go through your word. 00:42:57.639 --> 00:43:05.879 As we close this message, may we take this message to heart. Let's take it to heart. 00:43:06.920 --> 00:43:15.480 May we hold on to the truth that comes from you. And Father, I pray that we may not be deceived 00:43:15.799 --> 00:43:22.199 or swayed by the schemes of the devil or the evil one or anyone who has evil intent. 00:43:22.199 --> 00:43:27.480 May we recognize that we are saved by grace through faith and it's something that is so simple. 00:43:27.799 --> 00:43:33.639 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. For those of us who don't know you, 00:43:34.519 --> 00:43:40.839 work in their heart to come to know you. May they have that knowledge. And for those of us who 00:43:40.839 --> 00:43:49.079 do believe in you, may we build our lives in you on that solid foundation. May we become more like 00:43:49.079 --> 00:43:56.440 you. And for some of us, maybe there's a call for us to act and to do good in the name of Jesus 00:43:56.440 --> 00:44:03.000 Christ. May we become that beacon of hope. May we be encouraged by the church at Colossae and 00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:10.599 not Laodicea. May we be faithful to you, faithful to your word and exhibit the love of Jesus Christ 00:44:10.599 --> 00:44:17.159 to others. Give us the ability to discern right from wrong and protect us once again from being 00:44:17.159 --> 00:44:24.679 swayed by the devil or the changing culture of this world in which we live in. May we follow you. 00:44:25.480 --> 00:44:31.559 May we remain firmly rooted in you. It is in Jesus name, the name that is above all names 00:44:31.559 --> 00:44:38.599 that we pray and we all say together, amen. Thank you for tuning in to the Ontario Community Church 00:44:38.599 --> 00:44:44.039 sermon podcast. For more about our church and how you can get involved or support our mission, 00:44:44.039 --> 00:44:54.039 please visit ontariocommunitychurch.org. May God's blessings be with you.