Reading
Introduction
Live shows have expensive tickets at the front. But the front rows are commonly picked. 100 monopoly money vs Real R100. Counterfeit money and how to identify.
TWO STEPS:
STEP 1 – Know the real thing, such as money, really well.
STEP 2 – 1.Touch, 2.Tilt, 3.Look at, 4.Look through it – four steps to identify counterfeit notes. In Chapter 1 the focus is on knowing and identifying the Real thing –
Chapter 1“ 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” - CV
Step 1 -First we must be sure of what the reality is about Christ and what he has completed on the cross and offers to us as a free gift. Last two weeks we dealt with that. We now move on to compare it to the fakes being presented – applying Step 2 while refuting some counterfeit thinking.
Touch Christ – reality is evidence based, Tilt (reflect or meditate on him), Look at (know him through the Bible) Look through (Be in Christ).
BRIDGE
Paul moves forward and states the practical reason for his proposition in V3,4&5 –
V3“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. (Looking forward to V6)
• Juxtaposing the “complete understanding” with the “deceived by fine sounding arguments”. This expression often related to philosophical debate that was convincing in its rationale as laid out by people with persuasive oratory skills. GUARD YOUR HEARTS
AND MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS Phil 4:7 – sourced from “peace of God in Christ” founded on the riches of complete understanding.
• ASIDE: Its important at this stage to remind ourselves that the Christian faith is based on reliable evidence and we should not let people insinuate that our believing is in some way mystical based on a hollow unreasonable faith. You recall that John wrote his eye witness account of Jesus and the things he saw Jesus do so “that you may believe“ Jn 20v31,31 and 21v24. He presented the facts of what he was witness to – along with numerous others – (choosing of the replacement Apostle required someone who had been a witness to Jesus’ life).
Paul wants to ensure that the Christians take hold of the reality of Jesus, hence Col 2 v 6 – 7 - Live and Walk in Christ
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
So we move along and we will see Paul presenting the Real and the fake side by side. • 2v4 – Be aware of the method of how they will try to deceive you.
• V8 - Now be aware of the content of these deceptions
•8 See to it that no one takes you captive through (1) hollow and (2) deceptive philosophy, which (3) depends on human tradition and (4) the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ. (TITLE OF THE MESSAGE)
• 2 Cor 10: -4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
A. Col 2 v 8-10 – Gnosticism (Superior Knowledge)- Error – Rather - Deity in Christ
Deceptive philosophy including that it was an evil creator that created the material world (not the God of the Bible as per Genesis) and that salvation came by acquiring special knowledge (gnosis) of one’s own spiritual identity and that Christ was spiritual divine being that came to impart this knowledge to liberate us from this evil material world.
V 9 – In him all the fullness of the Godhead lives in bodily (physical) form. - THAT PHILOSOPHY IS JUST WRONG – How can Christ encompass deity in physical form and yet physical things be evil and created? - COUNTERFEIT (Show Monopoly 100)
V10 – ‘in him you have been made complete (incl understanding V3) and he is the Head over all rule and authority” (including material things). He is not pointing or giving you knowledge toward salvation, he is salvation. In fact he is not some spiritual being he is THE DEITY. => TOUCH the REAL one (SHOW R100) , Take hold of him. Like Thomas, reach out and know that bodily had indwelt in him the fullness of the Godhead and physically he sacrificed himself on the cross. YES, THAT’S REAL!!
No further or other superior wisdom or knowledge can displace that truth.
B. Col 2 v 11 – 17 – Legalism (Works) – Error – Rather Reality in Christ
• Do not be drawn in by Human traditions and their supposed criticality to your salvation.
• The deception that believers had to do certain things and adhere to certain days to be found acceptable to God – including circumcision, eat and certain foods, observe certain festivals and holy days.
• THAT PHILOSOPHY IS WRONG (Show monopoly 100) =>
• V11 – IN HIM your have been circumcised (set aside for him) not in a physical sense but in the heart the sinful nature is set aside – DONE BY CHRIST.
• Buried with him in baptism and raised with him through the faith in the power of God who raised him.
• You were DEAD when working on your own trying to do all those rules of the Law and relying on those things – THE SELF- BUT -
• V14 - he forgave us => cancelled the written code (certificate of debt), taken it out of the way – that WHICH WAS HOSTILE/CONDEMNED us – He nailed it to the cross – ie IT IS PAID FOR – by the risen Christ
• V15 – disarmed, nullified the (any) rulers and authorities (2 Cor 10:4) who had a claim on us – he made a spectacle – visible action – and by the cross triumphed over them – he showed them up.
• V17 – those physical things were a foreshadow of that to come, but the REAL thing has come and is found in Christ.
• Note again how the Real is found IN CHRIST and the Counterfeit is in the RATHER THAN ON CHRIST.
• SO DON’T BE DECEIVED AND BE DRAWN BACK TO YOUR TRADITIONS AND LEGALISM Paul warns them –
• WE TOO, MUST GUARD AGAINST DRIFTING BACK TO OUR TRADITIONS AND LEGALISM IF THEY MOVE US TO “RATHER THAN ON CHRIST”.
• Doing church is not the end in itself.
• THAT PHILOSOPHY IS WRONG - TILT / CONSIDER THE REAL ONE (R100) –
C. Col 2 v 18 – 19 – Mysticism (Spiritual religiosity) - Error – Rather Headship in Christ Again the warning flag expressions -
V 18 – “defraud you”, “disqualify you” - How? By allowing yourself to be drawn away to a “HOLLOW Philosophy” of mystical and spiritual sounding words and humility. Angels and higher invisible beings and visions that puff and make you feel relevant and maybe important.
• There are those who seek to present themselves as superior in their spirituality experience suggesting they have been initiated into mysteries at a higher spiritual plane obviously giving them an advantage over those uninitiated – and that being the level others should aspire to.
THAT PHILOSOPHY IS WRONG – (show the Monopoly 100) – Inflated without cause by your own fleshly/unspiritual mind.
V19 – The failure is the DIS- connection to the Head who supports and grows as God causes it to grow. Ch1 v 18 “he is the head of the body, the church, the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy”.
When we drift away, disconnect, from the Head ie Christ, the One in whom dwells the fullness of the Godhead, we are as it were letting ourselves loose into the realm of HOLLOW philosophies, in this case – it all being in the head with no reality – RATHER hold onto the REAL ONE (R100) who grows and matures us as we remain connected to the body.
Believers in Christ are already united with (1v15) the firstborn of all creation, who created all things in heaven and on earth and he holds all things together so why “DISQUALIFY” yourself from that by being drawn away through hollow things. (Hole in the head)
ASIDE: Gathering with believers and committing to the community is not optional if we desire to grow and mature in the Lord. It has been put into place to hold us, protect us and grow us towards maturity and contentment in Christ.
D. Col 2 v 20 -23 – Ascetism (Punishing yourself) – Error – Rather Immunity in Christ
V 20 - Again Paul holds up the REAL thing (R100) and shows how worthless another Counterfeit (Monopoly 100) philosophy is.
V21 – Denying physical things to try to show how spiritual we are. History abounds with groups who have replaced the freedom and immunity we have in Christ against having to suffer in denying ourselves as an end in itself. From Monastic orders to self destroying cults, men have deceived themselves that they can enter into heaven through ANY OTHER way than through Christ.
V22 – all these impositions are man made. Even the OT sacrifices and rituals, God abhorred because men made the end in themselves and not the intended means to the end of worshipping him. Their hearts were far from their actions. The motive of the heart is what God sees.
All the physical things will pass away at the end, but right now, Christ has already relegated the importance of such physical actions in that in him and through his death and resurrection, the material things of this world have only value in so far as they are used to Glorify God. V23 - Ascetism draws peoples admiration and even awe at times, but this is all self serving and self deceiving.
In Christ we have died to these basic or elemental spiritual forces ie worldly principles – In Christ, we LOOK THROUGH him to the things of this world, and get a real perspective of physical actions and things in this world – so don’t let it rule your bodies any longer, but only deny YOURSELF in following Christ.
E. Conclusion
The Devil and the world will try to talk a “hole in your head” with deceptive and hollow philosophies, with the intent of taking you captive into anything else RATHER THAN CHRIST.
The REAL ONE -
1 V 15 - “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (R100)
1.Touch, 2.Tilt, 3.Look at, 4.Look through – four steps to identify counterfeit notes.
Touch Christ – Our reality is evidence based, in Christ dwells the Fullness of the Godhead, men touched and witnessed the resurrection, NOT in some deceptive belief that there is some other greater wisdom that we need in order to be saved.
Tilt (reflect or meditate on being in him as the supreme and only Saviour), NOT on a life of empty hope, driven and measured by man-made rules and standards,
Look at (know him and understand Christs’ completed work on the cross, physically dying for us, NOT on trusting mystical and fantastic thoughts about invisible heavenly out-there beings that can bring us to salvation,
Look through (live, walk and see life as through one who is in Christ, NOT one relying on how well he deprives and denies himself physical things to seek to take hold of salvation in that manner.