Okay, so continuing preaching through Colossians for our visitors.
We're doing this every other Sunday.
So Josh comes and preaches.
And then on the off Sundays, the guys have been going through alternating preaching through Colossians.
So last time it was Zemir, and he preached on Colossians.
Well, he preached on more than this, but Colossians 1.
I'm going to get you.
Colossians 1, verse 24 through 29.
And he went a little bit into two.
And I'm going to do the same to him.
I'm going to go back into his section a little bit.
And the reason is because it kind of overlaps.
So there's this section here where Paul's talking about his ministry to the church.
And I'm going to continue finishing that out into chapter 2 here.
So I'm going to teach on chapter 2, verses 1 through 5.
But before I get into that, I'm going to go back a little bit and just do a little bit of recap to kind of set that context.
There's a reason Zemir taught into two.
It's because it's all one seamless thought.
So I'm just going to remind us a few of the points in the thoughts that Zemir taught on.
So Colossians 1, verse 24 through 29.
I'm just going to read that really quick.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.
And in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body.
That is the church.
Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you.
To make the word of God fully known.
The mystery hidden for ages and generations.
But now revealed to his saints.
To them, to the saints, God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery.
Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
So the verse I want to key in on is verse 26.
The riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
I'm sorry, verse 27.
This is the focus of Paul's ministry.
This is this mystery that he's now been commissioned by God to go and reveal to the saints among the Gentiles.
Not just the Jews, but among the Gentiles.
And I think the operative word there is in.
Christ in you.
Hope of glory.
And I love that.
I think it's very precious.
There's a number of passages throughout the New Testament that speak of Christ in this way.
You know, there's Christ that we look to outside of us as our righteousness, our justification.
But this is speaking of Christ in a different way.
This is speaking of Christ in you.
I'm just going to read a few of those verses.
These are parallel passages, I feel like, to this here.
First one's Galatians 1, 15 through 16.
And I'm going to read it in the King James Version because there's a couple different translations.
They translate a few words differently, and I think this one captures the in.
So, but when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace.
This is Paul speaking again.
It went pleased him to reveal his son in me that I might preach him among the heathen.
Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.
This is giving a little snapshot into his testimony.
He had a revelation.
God revealed Jesus Christ in Paul.
Just kind of a funny way of talking.
You don't really hear that a lot of people's testimonies.
They ask him how they came to the Lord.
God revealed his son in me one day.
You know, that was Paul's testimony.
Galatians 2, 20, a little bit later.
This is one of the capstone gospel verses.
You know, very encompassing.
I have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
In the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
There we have it again.
He's speaking of this exchange that took place.
And now he no longer lives, but Christ lives in him.
But he's not dead.
He's still alive.
So he says, I'm alive still, but I live my life by faith in the Son of God.
But he has a revelation.
He has a sense and understanding revealed by God that Jesus Christ now lives inside of him and is his life.
2 Corinthians 13, 5.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.
Test yourselves.
Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?
Unless indeed you fail to meet the test.
So he says, examine yourself.
He doesn't say, see if there's any sin in there.
He doesn't say, see if there's pockets of unbelief.
All those things are good to examine ourselves about.
But what's he say?
Test yourself about this one preeminent differentiating truth.
Is Jesus Christ in you?
And some other versions say, if not, you're reprobates.
Except this be true, you are a reprobate.
You're not in Christ.
If Christ is not in you, you are not in Christ.
You know?
Longer passage in Romans 8, verse 9 through 11.
You, however, speaking to believers, are not in the flesh, but in the spirit.
If in fact the spirit of God dwells in you.
Anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Note that.
He said, if you don't have the spirit of God, and then if you don't have the spirit of Christ.
Okay?
It's synonymous.
The Holy Spirit is the spirit of Christ.
Okay?
I'm going to keep reading here.
Because he switches it up again.
Then he says, but if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness.
So he goes, the spirit of God, the spirit of Christ, Christ.
Like, wait a minute.
Aren't the Holy Spirit and Jesus different?
Yes.
But in a believer, Christ dwells in our heart through the Holy Spirit.
The spirit was sent to live inside of us and communicate the life of Christ that he would be king inside of us.
And so the scripture uses it interchangeably.
You know?
Christ, I can say, Jesus lives in me.
I can also say, the Holy Spirit lives in me.
And they're both true.
Okay?
And they're together.
Okay.
So, what's the point?
Why am I emphasizing this?
What separates the saved from the lost is whether Christ lives in them.
This is the differentiator.
Paul uses this differentiating term.
And we would do well to reprogram our minds and our hearts and our theology to think the way he thinks about this.
You know?
If it sounds strange to say to someone, does Jesus live in you?
And that be, like, the big difference between someone who's a Christian and someone who's not.
Maybe we need to take a step back and get our minds washed with the New Testament and start thinking this way.
Because it's true.
The only difference between someone who's not a believer and someone who is, is Jesus Christ lives in that person.
You know?
Is there a lot of stuff leading up to that?
Yes.
Did Jesus have to die on the cross to obtain that?
Yes.
But, this is true for every believer.
Jesus lives inside of them.
And it's evident.
You know?
So, to that point, I think it's not unreasonable to think of it like this.
Christianity is a person.
Okay?
It's not just a set of doctrines.
It's a person.
It's Jesus living his life in us through the Holy Spirit.
So, Zemir last week, he hammered on this.
I think it was awesome.
Faith without works is dead.
It's dead.
Now, that gets real sticky theologically if we don't understand this right.
Because there are sects of Christianity that take the verses he taught in James and completely destroy justification by faith alone.
All right?
But it's true.
Faith without works is dead.
It's a dead faith.
It's not a live faith.
Why?
Well, because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
When Jesus comes into somebody, he works.
Jesus says in John 5, 17, he says, my father's working and I'm always working.
Always.
Jesus is always working.
He's doing the same thing.
He's the same.
Hebrews 13, 8 says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
He's got the same personality inside of us that he had when he was on earth.
He's the same Jesus.
Okay?
So, faith receives Jesus.
Okay?
Faith lays hold of the free gift of righteousness, which is Christ, through the gospel.
We receive him.
To all who received him, John chapter 1, he gave the right to become the sons of God.
All right?
So, I receive Jesus through faith.
And then he works.
All right?
And that's the continuity.
Jesus is the connecting link between these two seemingly disparate truths, faith and works.
Okay?
Okay.
This is also what sanctification is.
So, this is, these are synonyms.
These are other ways of talking about sanctification.
You know, justification, a way of thinking of justification is Christ's righteousness imputed to us.
The alien righteousness of Jesus counted to us through faith.
Sanctification is Christ's righteousness imparted to us through the Holy Spirit.
They're both by faith.
Okay?
And they go together.
You can't divorce them.
I love Hebrews 10.
It talks about, it's one of the best chapters on sanctification.
It talks about the sanctifying work of Jesus on the cross.
And so much of it is spoken of as this finished past tense work that Jesus accomplished on the cross forever.
By one offering, he perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
It's awesome.
Okay?
Well, these two things, justification and sanctification, they're both unified in the person of Jesus.
And when we receive Jesus, we get both.
Okay?
So, anyway, the point being, Jesus lives the life that we can't.
Jesus says that the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak.
The words I speak to you are spirit and life.
The flesh profits nothing.
Jesus is the worker.
He's the chosen, anointed worker that God has given to do the works that are pleasing to God.
We can't do works that are pleasing to God, but his son does.
And he doesn't just do the works outside here, which he did.
He does the works in us.
And we should not separate them.
And this is part of the mystery that Paul is explaining to the Colossians.
You know, and you look, as you zoom out the whole theme of Colossians here,
he's wanting to set them on a better foundation.
Because they're getting other gospel messages that are built with seemingly really good truths.
And he's wanting to set them on this firm foundation here.
So anyway, I think this is important context.
Christ in you.
This is the point.
Christ in you.
The hope of glory.
This experience of Jesus Christ living inside of us and doing the Christian life through faith in a real living way.
This is the foundation.
This is the mystery that he has been commissioned to share with the Gentiles and unpack.
And he's going to do a little bit more unpacking as we go into chapter 2.
So a little bit of recap.
So continue on into chapter 2.
It's the actual section that I have.
I'm just going to read the section.
I'm going to back up and kind of go through it verse by verse here.
Chapter 2.
Starting in verse 1.
Okay.
I'm going to take verses 1 and 2.
And start with that a little bit.
Unpack that a little bit.
It says,
I think it's good to think of ourselves with this.
He's writing to a church.
Okay.
So we're a church.
And put ourselves into the audience of this letter.
It's probably a small church.
You know.
It's not very big.
Pretty new.
He is struggling in prayer.
You know.
In writing this letter.
Before the Lord.
Asking him that their hearts may be encouraged.
Being knit together in love.
To reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding.
And the knowledge of God's mystery.
Which is Christ.
Like the things that really jump out here.
He's kind of working through the order of this burden he has.
Encouraged hearts.
Being individually and corporately encouraged in the gospel.
Being knit together in love.
Okay.
I think of knitting.
My mom.
Did she knit or crochet?
Okay.
I thought it was knitting.
I always think it was knitting.
I get knitting and crochet mixed up.
Anyway.
She crocheted me.
This huge sweater.
And it got shrunken.
Somehow.
It barely fits.
But I love it.
She passed away.
And it's a sweet thing that she made me spend a lot of time.
It takes a lot of time though.
You got this piece of yarn.
And these are being knit together.
You know.
Over and under and around.
And crocheted.
Crocheted.
Knitting.
I'm going to call it knitting.
It's slow.
You know.
These strands.
They interweave.
And this.
For us.
This is.
This is the.
The imagery he's casting.
You know.
A garment.
Something that's knit.
Something that's.
That's woven together.
In love.
And the thought I had is.
It just takes time.
And my mom just worked on that forever.
And it was like.
Everyone who knits.
It's just like.
When is that.
Think.
Crochets.
Thank you.
Everyone who crochets.
Or knits.
Whatever.
It's just like.
That takes forever.
Like.
Modern manufacturing of textiles.
Is amazing.
Because it can just knock that stuff out.
Well.
Back then.
It's just.
It just takes forever.
And there's so much love.
That goes into it.
And just kind of had this imagery.
Of like.
He says.
Knit together in love.
Encouraged hearts.
Knit together in love.
And just the thought.
That I had.
Is this interweaving work.
It's predicated on love.
You know.
Love does not seek its own way.
You seek your own way.
You're like a strand out here.
And you're like.
Come on guys.
Come.
Wind around me.
You know.
Well.
That's not how love works.
Love thinks of another.
Gets in their shoes.
Understands their life.
Like.
What's your life like?
You know.
What are the things that.
Stress you out.
Monday through Friday.
You know.
And then the Holy Spirit.
Interweaves us.
With them.
You know.
And just the church.
Is just such a spread.
A lot of different gifts.
Single people.
Married people.
You know.
Married people.
Without little children.
Married people.
With little children.
You know.
There's just.
There's just such a range here.
You can go off.
Just kind of doing your own thing.
Kind of touching points.
Hangouts.
But we're not really.
Letting the Lord do this work.
Interweaving.
We're kind of just setting aside.
My own.
Life.
And I'm understanding.
Your life.
And.
I'm terrible at this.
You know.
I would rather just go sit.
And do my own thing.
You know.
But I need to repent.
I need.
The Lord.
To do this work.
And then assurance.
It says.
What is this.
This goal.
Their hearts may be encouraged.
Be knit together in love.
To reach.
All the riches.
Of full assurance.
Of understanding.
And the knowledge of God's mystery.
Which is Christ.
I love this verse.
In 1 Timothy 3.16.
It's one of these like.
Big.
Macro.
Kind of verses.
Paul says.
Great indeed.
We confess.
Is the mystery.
Of godliness.
He.
See this.
This connection here.
The knowledge of God's mystery.
Which is Christ.
You know.
This Colossians passage.
And he says.
In Timothy.
He says.
He.
The mystery of godliness.
Was manifested in the flesh.
It's Jesus.
He.
Was manifested in the flesh.
Vindicated by the spirit.
Seen by angels.
Proclaimed among the nations.
Believed on the world.
Taken up in glory.
Jesus is the mystery.
What's the point.
Of this garment.
Interwoven.
Encouraged in love.
It's something way bigger than us.
It's so that.
We would reach.
These riches.
Of full assurance.
Of understanding.
The knowledge of God's mystery.
Which is Christ.
It's not about us.
You know.
There's something the lord has.
That's way bigger in mind.
Than just this little church.
With like.
You know.
People liking each other.
You know.
So what's the point.
Is we can't bypass this stuff.
It's foundational.
To a healthy church.
I just had a few thoughts.
About these different things.
Like what if we were to take them.
Each in its own.
You know.
Thing.
Like knitting.
You're like.
Just taking knitting a garment.
Is like the macro.
You know.
Illustration here.
If we try to knit.
Without being personally.
Encouraged in the gospel.
Like if I'm not encouraged.
We're cynical.
Lifeless actors.
We're just going through the motions.
You know.
It's like.
Yeah.
I know that's true.
But.
Ethical.
If we try to knit.
Without love.
We'll selfishly.
Expect people.
To be like us.
We'll expect them.
To just like what we like.
Do what we want to do.
And we'll be disappointed.
When they don't open up to us.
Okay.
I love that verse.
In 1 Corinthians 13.
Like.
The love chapter.
Love does not seek its own.
And.
Julie and I were talking about this.
It's the.
It's the foundational.
Attribute of love.
It does not seek its own.
It's.
Because it's thinking about someone else.
It's not just an aesthetic.
You know.
There are people.
Who have tried to obey this.
By asceticism.
Pulling themselves out.
Cutting things off.
I've tried to do this.
It just doesn't work.
Because you just love yourself.
Jesus.
Combats it.
By putting us to death.
And giving us a different love.
You know.
A love for him.
And a love for people.
We got to exercise it.
So we try to do this knitting.
We don't have.
Cocheting.
Without love.
We're going to be demanding.
That other people come.
To us.
On our terms.
And do what we want to do.
You know.
We're going to having all these ideas.
Like.
Hey.
Why don't you come.
Do my favorite thing.
You know.
And I.
I think about this.
Growing up.
I have consistently loved.
Basically the same things.
Since I was a little boy.
I like knives.
I like guns.
And as I've gotten older.
You know.
I like beer.
I like whiskey.
I like barbecue.
You know.
Cigars.
Like.
These are just my favorite things.
Shooting pool.
You know.
And so I could do like.
Nothing but those things forever.
And just invite people into doing those things.
Well.
A lot of.
What's.
What works out good for me.
Is a lot of other guys like that stuff too.
But.
Not everybody does.
You know.
And I.
I.
I have memories of.
Getting people birthday presents.
And I don't know what to get them.
So I just look up a knife.
And I give them a knife.
And they're like.
Thank you.
What you're communicating is.
I don't really know you.
I like this.
And I like me.
So I got this for you.
You know.
And.
And you got them a present.
So they kind of are like.
You know.
It's almost like.
It'd be better if you just didn't even give them a present.
You know.
Because.
You're getting them.
Something you like.
And that's not.
You know.
There's love there.
It's just.
But we need to go on from being children.
We need to be mature.
And.
And maturity is.
Being like Jesus.
He comes into our life.
He understands.
I think.
Judy.
Your dad's really good at this.
You know.
Just.
Thinking about people.
He's.
They've really.
Encouraged this in your family.
Just.
You two.
There's two of you here.
Yeah.
Just this.
Thinking about people.
You know.
Understanding what they like.
And then doing those things.
And this is a fruit of the spirit.
We can try to do that in the flesh.
And it's fake.
But there's a genuineness that comes.
Through the Holy Spirit.
So.
Anyway.
Spending more time on that than I meant to.
But I think it's important.
And then.
If we try to knit.
If we try to do this knitting without a higher purpose.
Christ.
It's just humanism.
Okay.
It's just humanism.
The point of all this is that we would know this mystery.
Christ.
And our practical mind wants something a little bit more like.
Ah.
Give me some practicals.
Like what's that look like?
It's enough.
It is a mystery.
And the spirit wants to unfold it to us.
So.
Anyway.
This knitting.
Like.
Crocheting.
Okay.
That's last time.
Thank you.
Be encouraged in the gospel.
Come into each other's lives.
Understand each other.
And encourage each other in the same.
This is this healthy knitting that he's casting a vision for.
Moving on to verse three.
Speaking of this mystery.
He continues.
In whom Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
God has hidden wisdom and knowledge in his son.
You see the scope.
He says all of it.
He's hidden all wisdom and knowledge in his son.
I'm just going to read a few verses.
You don't need to turn here because I'm just going to kind of go through them pretty quick.
Hebrews 1 verses 1 through 2 says long ago at many times in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets.
Old Testament.
Right.
But as in these last days.
He has spoken to us by his son.
Whom he appointed the heir of all things.
And through whom also he created the world.
So you see this.
God has chosen a means to speak to us now.
It's Jesus.
Back then.
Lots of different means.
Now.
One.
Colossians 1.17.
And he is before all things.
And in him all things hold together.
John 1.1.
And then skipping to verse 14 through 18.
I'm just going to do it all in a chunk.
In the beginning was the word.
And the word was with God.
And the word was God.
And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.
And we have seen his glory.
Glory is the only son from the father.
Full of grace and truth.
For from his fullness we've all received grace upon grace.
For the law was given through Moses.
That was one of the old ones.
Right.
That was one of the prophets.
God spoke to in many different ways.
Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Has in these last days spoken to us through his son.
No one has ever seen God.
The only God who's at the father's side.
He has made him known.
And then in John 5.
Verse 37 through 40.
This is Jesus speaking to the Jews.
And the father who sent me has himself borne witness about me.
His voice you have never heard.
These are the Jews.
These are God's chosen people.
Okay.
To this point in time.
There's only one people group.
Who God has spoken to.
What's Jesus say?
His voice you have never heard.
His form you have never seen.
And you do not have his word abiding in you.
Because you.
For you do not believe in the one whom he sent.
Whom he has sent.
You search the scriptures because you think.
That in them you have eternal life.
And it is they that bear witness about me.
Yet you refuse to come to me.
That you may have life.
They thought God spoke to them.
They thought they had the whole kit and caboodle right there.
They got all the wisdom.
They got the knowledge.
God spoke.
Right?
It's there.
And he spoke to us.
And he says no.
No.
They speak of me.
And there's something in you.
That's refusing to come to me.
That you might have life.
You want to get it direct.
God's not going to give you direct.
He put it all on me.
And you won't come to me.
1 Corinthians 1 verse 30 through 31.
And because of him.
Father.
You.
Christians.
Okay.
You are in Christ Jesus.
Who became to us.
Wisdom from God.
Righteousness and sanctification.
Redemption.
So that as it is written.
Let the one who boasts.
Boasts in the Lord.
God did a work in Jesus.
That is.
Fundamentally new.
A different way of communicating.
Where Jesus is now our wisdom.
Okay.
Before I could say.
I have amassed wisdom.
Through careful study of the word.
And now I can dispense it.
He set that aside.
He's like.
No.
I'm giving you my son.
He's your wisdom.
I put it all in him.
So.
Tweed.
Would then say how.
Like.
You know.
How does he.
Make this.
Like.
How does this work out?
How can I.
It's just weird.
Has it all in Jesus.
And then.
But Jesus is up in heaven.
So.
You know.
What do I do?
It brings us to the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Is to take what is Christ.
And to declare it to us.
John 16.
Verses 12 through 15.
Jesus is speaking to them.
His disciples.
And he says.
I still have many things to say to you.
But you cannot bear them now.
When the spirit of truth comes.
He will guide you into all the truth.
For he will not speak on his own authority.
But whatever he hears.
He will speak.
And he will declare to you the things that are to come.
He will glorify me.
For he will take.
What is mine.
And declare it to you.
All that the father has is mine.
He's laying claim to all of it.
Therefore.
I said that he will take what is mine.
And declare it to you.
So.
The Holy Spirit.
Mediates.
This.
Wisdom and knowledge.
Everything that's in Christ.
To the believer.
In Luke 24.
Verse 27.
I love this passage.
Because I think this.
This is a great example.
Of what.
A Christian can experience.
In the beginning.
This is when Jesus is walking with the two disciples.
On the road to Emmaus.
After he was resurrected.
Says.
Beginning with Moses.
And all the prophets.
He interpreted to them.
In all the scriptures.
The things concerning himself.
And then they said to each other.
Did not our hearts burn within us.
While he talked to us on the road.
While he opened to us.
The scriptures.
This is the inheritance of every Christian.
Okay.
So just like when Jesus was on earth.
And the disciples.
Had a question.
And Jesus would answer them.
Now.
Through the Holy Spirit.
And in a way that's significantly more intimate.
And living.
And real.
And unfolded.
The Holy Spirit.
Opens up.
The mind of Christ towards us.
It explains the things in the scriptures concerning him.
But we're interacting with a person.
We're not interacting separate from a person with just the letters.
We have a mediator.
With the Bible.
It's the Spirit.
And Jesus.
So.
I guess.
Some points in this.
One is that there is a human lust.
To know God's wisdom and mysteries.
Apart from the mediating work.
Of Christ.
We want it.
Pharisees wanted it.
Jews wanted it.
We got the same flesh.
We're born again.
But we have the same.
Tendency.
And God.
Has given us Christ.
To be the source of all wisdom and knowledge.
We've been given the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of Christ.
To open the scriptures to us.
And speak to us.
According to our need.
In Christ's timely shepherding.
Jesus says.
My sheep know my voice.
And another they won't listen to.
It's the inheritance of every Christian.
To know personally and intimately.
The voice of Jesus through the Spirit.
So.
When we're having our Bible time.
We're not just checking the box.
And having some dead thing.
Like where he's actually.
Shepherding us directly.
Through.
The Word of God.
Through the Spirit.
And this isn't.
This isn't negating.
Sola scripture.
This is not saying.
Oh now we're like.
I think.
There's been different sects over time.
Like the.
The Quakers.
That would go so extreme on this.
It's just like.
Well the Word of God is dead.
And the living Word is what you hear.
Through the Spirit.
This isn't like that.
This is.
It's kind of both.
You know.
It's.
It's 2 Corinthians 3.
Talking about.
This ministry we've been given.
This not of the letter.
But the Spirit.
The letter kills.
But the Spirit gives life.
It's the Holy Spirit.
Coming.
Living inside of us.
Making.
A home for Jesus to live.
And unpack the scriptures.
And be.
Our present.
Personal shepherd.
And God's jealous for this.
You know.
And Paul's jealous for the people.
He's hearing.
That they would have a relationship with Jesus.
It's like this.
And I did think of.
So.
The difference between an adult.
And a child.
Like our children.
Julie calls it the little bird syndrome.
They.
Ask tons of questions.
And it's a hallmark of being children.
Is they come to us.
With their questions.
And it's awesome.
That shows like it's a healthy relationship.
They weren't coming to us with questions.
There would be something wrong.
Well.
We love.
We love your guys questions.
Sometimes they can be overwhelming.
We have to say stop.
You have to wait.
But.
It's what kids do.
Okay.
So Jesus says in Matthew 18.3.
He says.
If we don't become converted.
And become like little children.
We can't.
We can't enter the kingdom of heaven.
Well.
I've been thinking about like the difference between an adult and a child.
A child.
Just go.
They don't know something.
They just go ask mom and dad.
An adult.
Goes and figures it out by themselves.
I can do it.
You know.
I don't need mom and dad.
I can do it myself.
And that's great for like practical things in life.
We want our children to grow up and become mature and become autonomous.
But spiritually.
It never changes.
Like it's the opposite.
We need to go from being.
I can figure this out myself.
To.
I can't figure this out at all.
I need Jesus to tell me.
You know.
And to know.
That I have Jesus.
To tell me.
Through the Holy Spirit.
Here.
And if I don't.
I need to become a Christian.
You know.
Or.
If I am.
And I've lost sight of that.
Today.
I need to repent.
And just say.
Lord Jesus.
I want what I had.
At the beginning.
I remember what it was like.
To all of a sudden.
Go from having this dead.
Obligation based.
Quiet time.
And all of a sudden.
The word was coming alive to me.
I remember what that was like.
It was like.
You knew exactly what I was thinking.
Going through.
And you were speaking right to my heart.
You know.
And when brothers and sisters were talking to me.
It would just be like.
Wow.
Did you read my mail?
Like.
Well it's just the Lord.
Both through the ministry of the word.
And the ministry of the brothers and sisters.
It's what Jesus in us does.
And we just have him.
To go to.
So I guess that's a question for all of us.
Is it.
Have.
Have we moved away from this childlike dependency on Jesus?
You know.
Have we grown up.
In ways that we should not grow up.
And we realize that.
A good relationship with Jesus.
Is one where it's just like.
You're going to with all the questions all the time.
You know.
So moving on.
To verse four.
Paul starts to hone in on why he's saying this.
He says.
I say this.
In order that no one may delude you.
With plausible arguments.
I'm going to read a few other translations on this.
Colossians 2.4.
In the NIV says.
I say this so no one may deceive you.
By fine sounding arguments.
In the New King James it says.
Lest anyone should deceive you.
With persuasive words.
In the KJV says.
Beguile you.
With enticing words.
So you have this kind of this imagery of.
Being deceived.
Or tricked.
Or like a spell thrown over you.
With persuasion.
With something that sounds really reasonable.
And good.
Like good.
You know.
And Paul sees.
How dangerous this is.
And the reason he's setting this foundation of.
Hey.
Christ in you.
He's a person.
All of the wisdom and knowledge is in a person.
Who now lives inside of you.
Put your hope in that.
Like stand on that.
The reason he's saying this.
Because.
I don't want you to be deceived.
There's a lot of fine sounding arguments.
And if you.
Are adult.
Quote unquote.
Quote.
In your relationship with God.
Where you feel like you can go figure it out.
You're sunk.
Okay.
You already.
Put your confidence in.
I can figure this out myself.
You know.
The devil's way smarter than you.
Okay.
If you're leaning on your own understanding.
He's going to snake you.
He's going to get you.
That's what Paul's saying.
He wants you to put.
On a different foundation of confidence.
So.
A few other parallel passages on this.
Second Corinthians 11.
Verses 1 through 3.
I'm going to read it in the New King James.
Oh that you would bear with me.
In a little folly.
And indeed you do bear with me.
For I am jealous for you.
With godly jealousy.
For I betrothed you to one husband.
That I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
But I fear lest somehow.
As the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness.
So your minds may be corrupted.
From the simplicity that is in Christ.
And the ESV says.
Your thoughts will be led astray.
From a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
I'm not sure exactly what is the right rendering.
But I think they're both really precious.
The simplicity is like what we've been talking about.
God took all of his wisdom and knowledge.
Which is a lot.
I mean just read every unqualified command in the New Testament.
It's like 800 something.
Brian has a list.
It's huge.
All of that and put it in a person.
It's dramatically simplifying.
You know.
Rather than going to have to figure it all out myself.
And find every little command.
I just go ask Jesus.
You know.
And there's a way.
You know.
Again I'm not saying you don't go to the Bible.
There's a way to come to the Bible that's like that.
You know.
Where I'm coming through Jesus.
But.
He knows that our minds.
If our minds.
If we are exercised in putting our confidence.
Not in Jesus.
But our own learning.
Our minds can be led astray by Satan.
From the simplicity that's in Christ.
And then the other rendering.
Which is a pure and sincere devotion to Christ.
It's a heart thing.
You know.
My mind is the axis.
He goes at our heads.
And gets to our hearts.
You know.
His goal is to lead our heart astray from Jesus.
And he's got a burden for it.
So.
A few verses.
Jesus has some warnings.
Matthew 24.
Verses 4 through 5.
Jesus answered them saying.
See that no one leads you astray.
For many will come in my name.
Saying I am the Christ.
And they will lead many astray.
And then a little bit later on.
Verses 23 and 24.
He says.
Then if anyone says to you.
Look.
Here's the Christ.
Or there he is.
Do not believe it.
For false Christs and false prophets.
Will arise and perform great signs and wonders.
So as to lead astray if possible.
Even the elect.
So.
This is serious.
You know.
Like this is the.
Let him who thinks he stands.
Take heed lest he fall.
Do we have confidence in Jesus as keeping power?
Amen.
All the way to the end.
But it's Jesus as the one who's warning.
Those who he said in another passage.
I haven't lost one of them.
No one can snatch him out of my hand.
And he turns around and warns him and said.
Hey.
See that no one leads you astray.
And lest you think.
Oh.
You mean everyone except the elect.
He says.
If possible.
Even the elect.
It's just.
It's serious.
This is a means of God's keeping us.
Okay.
Is to take this stuff seriously.
So a few points here.
Satan's bowels for our mind.
We already talked about that.
What is interesting is that Satan got Eve with a strategy.
Look what he says in that second Corinthians verse.
He says.
As the serpent deceived Eve.
By his corruptiveness.
Okay.
This is how he got Eve.
The very first sin.
He got through with her mind.
And I think back to the adult child analogy.
If we are adultish in our Christianity.
We are so vulnerable.
To Satan leading us astray.
In our thoughts.
But if we are like a child.
And we are just going to Jesus.
We are safe.
You know.
Someone comes and tries to persuade one of my kids about something.
Like I don't know.
Let's go ask my dad.
They come and ask me.
I'm like no.
No.
But if they feel like.
I don't need to ask dad anymore.
I got this.
We are vulnerable.
So be.
You know.
Be on your guard.
I wanted to go into this.
I think I shouldn't.
In interest of time though.
I wanted to go into a little bit more about.
Eve.
And the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
We'll talk about that later.
We can talk about it afterwards if we want to.
I think it's really awesome.
I think it's amazing analogies in there.
But suffice to say.
God made a tree of life.
And a tree of knowledge of good and evil.
He says don't eat that one.
And I believe why.
Is because he never intended us to have the tree.
Of the knowledge of good and evil.
Apart from himself.
He put the knowledge of good and evil.
In him.
And he requires.
That to get that.
We need him.
And to say.
I can have that apart from him.
Is exactly what the devil wants.
A divorced.
Life.
Where we.
Hold a Christianity in our head.
But not in.
Total dependence on the one.
Who all mysteries.
Feed up in.
You know.
And that's what the devil is trying to lead us astray in.
And.
Give us a little bit here.
So.
God has simplified things.
By putting all his wisdom and knowledge.
In the person of Jesus Christ.
If we have him.
We have everything.
If we don't have him.
We have nothing.
And this is.
You know.
This is the burden he has for them.
This is how he wants them to avoid deception.
Is to be rock solid on this.
Be convinced on this.
To have theological.
And experiential grounding.
In this truth.
To not have it just be a head thing.
But something that they've really worked out.
And experienced together.
Coming to full assurance in.
And it's as a safeguard.
At the end.
He's.
He's encouraged by what the.
How they currently are.
In verse five.
He says.
Though I'm absent in body.
Yet I'm with you in spirit.
Rejoicing to see your good order.
And the firmness of your faith in Christ.
And.
I think of us.
And I think this is true.
In the same way.
I look around.
It's just like.
Man.
This is really sweet.
There's order.
There's genuineness.
And firmness.
In our faith in Christ.
But in the same way.
We need to grow up in it.
You know.
There's a lot of ways.
Where we're just kind of.
A bunch of different.
Individual threads.
That need to be woven together.
There's a yes.
I believe this.
But I need to believe it.
Believe it.
You know.
There's some believe it.
Believe it.
That I think the Lord.
Really wants to work in us.
Where we are.
We have full assurance.
Of these things.
A continual rejoicing.
And confidence in it.
Um.
So.
That's the end.
I'm going to just.
Recap a few of the points here.
Then we'll be done.
One is God's mystery is a person.
It's a person.
It's Jesus Christ.
Two is God has hidden.
All wisdom and knowledge.
In Jesus.
Three is that.
Jesus lives in Christians.
Through the Holy Spirit.
And is our direct source.
Of this wisdom and knowledge.
Okay.
We're children.
He's the adult.
We go to Jesus.
For our questions.
You know.
And he's happy to answer them.
He loves it.
God desires that we as a church.
Be encouraged.
Knit together in love.
To reach an assurance.
And understanding of this truth.
Together.
And this is a safeguard against deception.
Like we always talked.
Like we were talking about at the end there.
And Paul wants us to test ourselves.
He says.
Hey.
Test yourself.
Is Christ in you?
Unless you fail to pass the test.
We should test ourselves with this.
There's a lot of stuff.
That is actually unhelpful.
To test ourselves about.
There's a bunch of like.
Almost.
Like.
Like penance level.
Navel gazing about sin.
That is not helpful.
To test yourself about.
And that's not what he's talking about.
What he's talking about.
Testing yourself in is.
Is Jesus in you?
And.
Maybe that.
Maybe you had a sense of that at a time.
And that sense is kind of.
Frittered away.
You know.
And.
Today he wants to restore.
I'm just totally convinced that.
Jesus Christ is the same.
Yesterday and today and forever.
He always lives.
To intercede for us.
Before the throne of God.
This is the relationship that he.
Died for.
To obtain for us.
The.
Ephesian church in Revelation.
Was commended for so much.
They're.
What we would look as.
Probably.
A role model church.
A church that we're listening to all their podcasts.
And be like.
This is.
Like.
We are just not even close to that.
But someday.
Lord willing.
Crick don't rise.
We'll be like them.
Jesus says.
I'm going to take your lampstand away.
Because you left your first love.
You left this.
All right.
You got it now.
Cool.
I'm going to yank it away.
So.
I.
As we're starting this church.
This is what we need to be at.
We need to boast in this.
This is just.
If Jesus isn't here with us.
Who cares.
All right.
If I don't.
Not like a little child.
Who just depends on Jesus.
And that Christ is my life.
And he lives in me.
And.
My Christian life.
I have a real sense of.
Being able to be outsourced.
Onto.
The life.
And power.
Of another.
Who lives in me.
I'm.
Just a.
Hypocrite.
I'm a faker.
You know.
And.
The Lord doesn't want that.
You know.
He wants his church on better foundation.
The foundation is his son.
The superstructure is his son.
You know.
The whole thing is him.
And.
Yeah.
So.
And.
Here we go.