Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible ® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.
www.Lockman.org
COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 2
KJV
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1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,
Col 2,1-10
(138i) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >>
Exhorting the people to work together
Col 2,1-4
(79l)
Thy kingdom come >> Know the word as a sword in
spiritual warfare >> To defend yourself from
religion – Paul says these things that no one would
delude them with persuasive argument. He doesn’t want God's people to be
deceived, for there are those out there who want to deceive us by preaching a
different gospel other than the one Paul preached. Each one of them has his
own rendition of the truth, but are all after one thing – money. They may be
motivated by narcissistic tendencies and fame, but if it didn’t pay they
wouldn’t be doing it, even if it bolstered their gigantic egos.
(80e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Know the word to learn the ways of God >>
Leading to Jesus
–
“Assurance” is very important; its synonym is Confidence. It is
important to know the word, but it is more important to be confident in our
knowledge of Him. We can know the Scriptures; we can even memorize them and
recite them yet without being confident in them. Confidence in the
Scriptures is knowing our hope will one day materialize. The reason we need
confidence is that we are living in a natural world, whereas God is speaking
to us about a spiritual realm, and the two of them cannot be more opposite
from each other. We see no indication of God in this world from day to day; He
seems to be absent from His creation, and He commands us to live and walk by
faith in Him. He wants us to know for sure that everything He said was true
and has its fulfillment. We struggle and run into hard times; we must be
confident in our faith when our circumstances deny the love of Christ. All
creation testifies to the glory of God, yet the world gives no evidence of
Him. Wickedness happens and evil prevails; people speak to us about their
philosophies that mock and ridicule God, being their reasons they don’t
believe in Him. This makes us feel uneasy about our faith, and we need to be
confident during those times. We have to know that what we believe is true and
that the evidence is stacked on our side and against them. We call the
universe as proof of God’s existence, but their world calls the creation as
inadmissible evidence.
(83c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Results of prayer >> Prayer unites the body
(89g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom
is the key that unlocks the mysteries of God – Through Christ we have access to all the
wisdom of Solomon and of the old and new covenants. The boundless wisdom of Christ is the summation of
all things. It is up to us how much of Him we want to drink into ourselves in our
dedication to the truth. This
passage encapsulates everything Paul said throughout his epistles, framing his
vision as a whole for the body of Christ, as he reiterated in so many ways,
“Let all things be done for edification” (1Cor 14-26). He wanted the
people of God to always be together improving each other.
(108hb)
Thy kingdom come >> Faith
>> Revelation of Jesus Christ >> Spiritual revelation
>> Revelation of His love
(122e)
Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >>
Confidence in yourself as you die to sin >>
Confident in your salvation – In the process of knitting our hearts
together in love He wants us to attain to all the wealth that comes from the
full assurance of understanding. He wants us to be confident in our salvation.
If we search for assurance, our quest will result in the true knowledge of
God’s mystery, which is Christ Himself. As we pursue these things, we will
become doctrinally and theologically sound in the faith. People often lack
assurance of their salvation, yet many never do anything about it. They might
go to church, but they're not students of God’s word or disciples of prayer.
However, once we add obedience, these things define us as Christians,
and if we diligently walk in them, our assurance will be complete. We know there is false knowledge; for this reason
there are many religions and denominations in the world. Nearly every
denomination has a piece of the truth, but they also participate in falsehood,
otherwise they would not have distinguished themselves from Christianity and
preferred instead to be recognized as Lutherans or Methodists or
Episcopalians, etc. There is no denomination that is right, and there are few
that are absolutely wrong. If you are seeking the truth, you must look to God
and to the Scriptures and to those you trust to tell you the truth. If you
seek the truth, you will find it, but the one who halfheartedly searches for
God will find a rendition of god. For the
God of heaven we must diligently apply our whole hearts before we can be
confident in our salvation, because we know this is what He requires of us,
and if we don’t give it to Him, we will always be skeptical, not of God, but
of our own faith.
(249g) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >>
True perception of wealth >> The infinite and
eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of
wealth >> Our hope in this life
-- These verses go with verses 8-10
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Col 2,1-3
(109f) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> Revelation of God >> Revelation of God's word is true knowledge
–
Most Christians in America have a Bible but are mostly unwilling to read it,
and some even complain that knowing the Bible is not all that important; then
there are Christians in other countries who don’t have a Bible, and if they
had one, they would be reading it. Their opportunities to learn about God are
limited, yet their hearts are often more willing than most Christians in the
states. The knowledge of God is invaluable, according to Solomon who said it
better than anyone, “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who
gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and
her gain better than fine gold” (Proverbs 3-13,14). Peter used the term
“true knowledge” in 2Pet 1-3, which is highly significant because there is
some knowledge about God that isn’t true, suggesting that true knowledge
comes from the Spirit. Every word in the Bible is true; we can read it and
memorize it, but the true knowledge of God is that which God imparts through
His Spirit, so we can understand His word on a spiritual level instead of just
cognitively agreeing with it. The definition of “true knowledge” is having
come to an understanding of the truth through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
(129f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
love perfects unity >> Love is the mortar
between the blocks – Paul is talking about unity when he conveys
his desire for the hearts of God’s children to be knit together in love. He
struggled with the Church’s disunity. If it bothered Paul, think how it must
bother God that His people refuse to walk in one accord. People socialize in
church and call it unity. When you look at the Bible’s version of unity, it
goes far deeper than our church functions.
Col 2-1,2
(74h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Heart is central value system >> The heart is
what drives man’s desire
(139b) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >>
Encouragement >> The adversity of our brothers
encourages us
(188d) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Suffering >>
Growing pains >> Growing inwardly
(247d) Priorities
>>
God’s priorities >> God’s interests >>
Concern >> Caring about the body of Christ
Col 2-1
(70d)
Spirit grieves over the flesh –
Paul said that he struggles over those who have not personally seen his face;
that would also include us in the 21st century. He spoke about suffering in
the first chapter, and now he is picking up the subject again, only this time
it has nothing to do with preaching the gospel but in regard to the Church
that resulted from his preaching. To the degree that the Church did not grow
but was disobedient to the will of God was the degree of Paul’s struggle.
That is, the immaturity of the Church caused him tremendous inner pain, and
Paul was a spokesman for Christ. Paul acted as the Lord’s proxy; he was a
representative of Christ to the Church, so we could say that to the degree
Paul struggled under the Church, Christ sufferers too. Christ suffers from our
disobedience; it pains Him when He sees us sinning and refusing to repent and
refusing to pursue our calling that He has prepared for us, and He reflects
His suffering on us in the form of conviction. The conviction of the Holy
Spirit is the same as grieving the Holy Spirit, God showing us how He feels
when we sin. Most people in the Church live under a heavy conviction, and they
think that it is all because of the sins they commit, but they are unaware of
the righteousness they omit that is the cause of their sin, and this grieves
the Holy Spirit. If we didn’t omit righteousness, we wouldn’t sin as much;
instead we would be busy doing God’s will. “Idle hands are the devil’s
workshop,” according to the true proverb. Paul said, “Whatever is not from
faith is sin” (Rom 14-23), meaning that we are supposed to do everything
from faith. This is the acid test of our works; if we cannot do them in faith,
then we shouldn't do them at all.
(148d) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >>
Natural advantage as an evangelist regarding the flesh
(236a) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
All things are for your sake >> We are fighting
for you >> Our suffering is for your sake
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2-4 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.
Col 2,2-4
(231e) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery
of godliness >> Revelation of Jesus is the
mystery of the kingdom >> Jesus is the mystery
of the kingdom –
Paul said that God’s mystery is Christ, yet we don’t hear anything about a
mystery shrouding the person of Jesus; instead, we hear His gospel in a
straightforward manner with no misunderstandings, so what is this mystery? Our
beliefs must transcend our own human ability to believe and rise to a
level of faith that God has given us through His Spirit. The more confidence we have, the more Jesus comes into focus in our
hearts, the more He becomes a reality in our lives. Knitting our hearts
together through edification pertains to unity, and once we get to this point,
we will have come to a place in our hearts where His wisdom lays before us
like a great vista on a mountaintop. It is all laid before us at a glance and
everything we can see we can have. God promised Abraham the land under his
feet, saying, “I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the
land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting
possession; and I will be their God” (Genesis 17-8), but in the New
Testament He promises that we don’t need to physically go there; if we can
just see it with our eyes, we can have it, referring to visions and the
ability to see into the Spirit. In Eph 1-18,19 it says, “I pray that the
eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope
of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who
believe.” We walk up an arduous trail to a high mountain pass until
we reach the vista, and then everything we see becomes our inheritance.
Col 2-2,3
(89a) Wisdom
(Key verse)
(234d) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >>
Seeking the glory of the body of Christ –
Paul was talking about unity, being “knit together in love.” Unity doesn’t
happen over ice-cream socials or potlucks, but occurs on the basis of wisdom and
knowledge that becomes available to us from God as we open our heart to Him and
to each other, making sure that every aspect of our lives is for the purpose of
worshipping God and caring for the saints. Doing these things, God will reveal
Himself. The key word to this is “assurance”, which implies confidence,
and confidence is a synonym for “faith”. As the body of Christ continues to
walk in this way, our assurance will increase, but Paul couldn’t directly tell
us about these things, for we must experience them for ourselves. We apply our
knowledge to our faith toward God and our love for one another, and He gives the
increase, transforming our human knowledge into true knowledge of the
Spirit, causing a snowball effect of faithfulness and obedience. These things
feed on each other, strengthening us to climb the ladder of spiritual maturity
into the mysteries of Christ.
Col 2-2
(34f) Gift of God
>>
Believer owns everything >> True knowledge
belongs to us –
Our confidence grows in the word of God as it transforms from mere words on a
page to true knowledge that God imparts in us by the Spirit. We need to
remember that God performed many miracles through Paul in his ministry of
evangelism, yet Paul never digressed telling us what God wants to do in the
natural realm; instead, he stayed with what God wants to do for us in the
Spirit. He wasn’t interested in what God could do for him in the natural
realm, but was content with the spiritual ministry of Christ in his life. Any
mechanism God would imbue in the natural realm couldn’t hold a candle to the
ministry of Christ in his spirit. Everyone is looking for a manifestation of
Christ, but any true believer in Jesus would not be impressed more than the
things that God is doing in his spirit, because that is the center of his
life. Even in heaven the work of God in the inner man will remain the most
expedient of all. When the entire natural realm is transformed into God’s
presence, these things will not mean much compared to the work that God is
doing in our spirit, the things that God is creating in us even now.
Col 2-4
(7f) Responsibility
>>
Protecting the gospel >> Defending the truth –
This verse goes with verse 8. The
purpose of all this is so no one can talk us from our faith; no one can
present a different gospel from what we already believe. Once we attain the
true knowledge of God through the Spirit, nobody can lie to us, because we
know the truth from God, and nobody can tell us anything beyond what the
Spirit of God has said, because nobody is more persuasive than Him. There are
some persuasive people, and they will try to lie to us, and they will attempt
to talk us into their viewpoints in order to place us in bondage for the
purpose of exploiting us, but the person who knows the truth from God will not
listen to anything he says, because we have already been persuaded by the
Spirit of Truth. There is no greater influence in our lives than the Spirit of
God who dwells in us. Paul’s goal for the Colossians and for all the
churches was to come to an understanding of God to the point that they could
not be deceived, as he said in Eph 4,11-14.
(84a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Be on the alert >> Remain on duty >>
Stay awake
(182i) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >>
Being deceptive with people >> Distorted
perception of others -- This verse goes with verse 8
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5-7 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.
6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
Col 2,5-7
(92k) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way connects you to God >> It
solidifies your relationship with Him
(97i) Rooted
Deeply (Key verse)
(97j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >>
Standing firm in the faith >> Immovable –
The demonstration of the legitimacy of our faith is best described as being,
“firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith.”
Paul is not just talking about building up our minds in the realm of theology
but about rooting our behavior in a lifestyle of godliness. If we spend our
whole lives establishing our minds in the Scriptures but never establishing our
behavior in the will of God, we’ve wasted our time. One of the evidences of
investing our flesh in the Kingdom of God is the overflowing of gratitude.
Grateful people are born of God. Being thankful is not actually listed as one of
the fruits of the Spirit but is an attribute of godliness. Gratitude
certifies that being rooted and grounded in the faith is in progress. Gratitude is a lifelong process, a natural offshoot of our relationship with Christ.
(105k) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Led by the Spirit to the truth >>
Spirit will lead you to Christ –
This statement is very similar to the statement he made to the Galatians, “If
we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Gal 5-25). Generally,
we are gung-ho about living by the Spirit, but we are not so crazy about walking
by the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit has replaced obeying the law, so if we
refuse to walk by the Spirit, it is tantamount to rejecting the Law of Moses,
except that the consequences are more severe according to Heb 12-25. If we are
Christians, then we should pattern our lives after the one who saved us. If we
have entered into so great a salvation, then we should live by it. If we have
invested our hearts into the Kingdom of God, then we should invest our flesh
too. If our salvation does not manifest in the natural realm, then God is
unwilling to acknowledge our faith. James said, “You believe that God is one.
You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” This kind of faith does
not save us. Knowing that God is judge of all the earth does not protect us from
His judgment. A saving knowledge of Jesus
Christ absolutely must manifest in the natural realm before it becomes real,
otherwise our faith is illegitimate.
(139g) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> We build the
temple through Christ
Col 2-5
(6i) Responsibility
>> Spiritual >>
Ministering to people by being in the Spirit –
When Paul talks about being absent in the body but present in spirit, it is
highly unlikely that he meant this literally. His spirit did not wander the earth seeing how
the churches are doing. It is more likely that
God told Paul about the churches. God spoke to him about a lot of things, and of
course he gave opportunity for God to often speak to him through prayer. He spent
many hours in prayer and in the Scriptures. God often ministered to Paul by
telling him what the saints were doing and how they were behaving in order
that Paul might pray for them. When Paul came and rebuked them, they must have
wondered how he knew. It would actually be better for the Colossians if he
knew these things on his own rather than God telling him, but of course we
know that God knows everything, yet we tend to leave that in the theoretical
realm, and we don’t think about it quite seriously enough. It was good for
them to have a watchdog like Paul along with the other apostles, in that it
gave them a sense of security that people were watching over them, but to have
people watching over their souls who were not even present must have been a
little spooky. They must have thought they had better mind their manners lest
Paul catch wind of it and expose the things they have done in front of
everybody. This was a deterrent against sin and it was a motivator to ratchet
up their devotion to Christ and make their faithfulness complete and keep
their religiosity at bay.
(69c)
Authority >>
Discernment >> Feeling the body’s infirmities
(125h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Joy >>
Joy is the result of obedience
(240f) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage >>
Natural disadvantage of the flesh >> Limitations
of the flesh
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Col 2-6,7
(95h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >>
Ready to do God’s will
– These are the things we know God will lead us
to do. He is leading us to be firmly rooted
and grounded in the faith as the central goal of Christianity. To the degree
that we are being established in the faith is the degree that we are listening
to the Holy Spirit, because we know that is where He is leading us. Just like
a math problem, we go from what we know to what we don’t know, like finding
ourselves on a map; once we determine where we are, we are no longer lost and
can figure out which way to go. From there God will lead us in His specific
direction that is different for each person, but our foundation is the same.
(247b) Priorities
>>
God’s priorities >> God’s interests >>
God is interested in His people >> God is
interested in our spiritual health
– We need to ask God where He is taking
us.
The first step is uncovering our gift. Whatever comes easiest is your
strength. Therefore, pursue it with all your heart and with one question in
mind, how you can use it to build up the body of Christ. Bathe your gift in
the word of God and prayer, two of the three spiritual tools at our disposal; the third
is obedience. Our goal as Christians is to find God’s will regarding how He
wants us to apply these three attributes to glorify Him, to benefit
ourselves and to encourage the saints. While you’re at it throw in gratitude. To have a thankful
heart is a good substitute for being a grump. A grateful heart says to God
that you already know you will receive whatever it is you are asking from Him.
This is why gratitude is always part of our relationship with God and man.
Gratitude bypasses hope and says, ‘I have already received God’s blessing.’
Col 2-6
(209a)
Salvation >> The salvation of God >>
Personal relationship >> Being married to God >>
We go where He goes – Paul tells us to walk in the same way that we
received Jesus. How did we receive Him; wasn’t it through obedience?
Didn’t we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and obey Him? Didn’t we
promise to do whatever He says for the rest of our natural lives in exchange
for eternal life? Now we are the children of God because we made a life
commitment to the Holy Spirit; this is a solid definition of what it means to be a
Christian. Salvation is just like marriage. The Holy Spirit comes alongside
and requests each person to make this commitment. Those who respond Paul says that in the same way we received Jesus Christ,
so walk in Him. Therefore, salvation is a continuous
process of listening to the Holy Spirit and doing what He says.
(230b) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >>
Partaking >> What we must do to partake of the
kingdom >> Partaking requires our
participation –
This verse correlates with Gal 5-25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also
walk by the Spirit,” for walking denotes participation. We partake of
God’s life by living in the Spirit, and we participate in that realm by
walking in the Spirit. If we do not walk in Him, then neither do we live in
Him. A lot of people are only fooling themselves claiming that we are saved by
grace through faith, not as a result of works lest anyone should boast, so we
are free from all responsibility, as though our works were as filthy rags. Our
works do not save us, but Paul said that if we have received Christ Jesus our
Lord, then we should also walk in Him, according to 1Jn 2-6, “The one who
says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He
walked.”
Col 2-7
(82h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Prayer >> Thankfulness >>
Giving thanks for His mercy
(239c) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Teachers "remind" their students >>
Repeating instructions
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
Col 2,8-23
(117e) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith
>>
Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Let Jesus do the work >>
Let Him work on you
Col 2,8-15
(29j) Gift of God
>>
God is on our side >> God identifies with us >>
He is our advocate
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Col 2,8-10
(66f)
Authority >> Jesus’ authority
>>
His position with the Father >> Jesus has
authority over all things from the Father
– Jesus is head over all rule and authority.
He’s head over all mankind, head over all the world, even over Satan. He
rules over all creation, though there are times when it seems He doesn’t. He
allows things to happen, choosing to remain silent, and the abuse continues,
one man upon another. How is it that Jesus Christ is head of all rule and
authority when He allows such atrocities to continue? He has His reasons.
First, God respects the right he gave us to exercise our own will apparently
more than we respect our own sovereign will. We think God should come and fix
all the problems that we have caused. Second, our problems lead us to trust in
Him all the more to help us out of our problems, so He is the beneficiary of
our problems in that God is glorified by our faith in Him. The more problems
we have, the more faith we exhibit, the more He is glorified. For Him to come
and fix everything would work to His disadvantage. Since God is head over all
rule and authority, he will decide what He wants to do, and He decides to let
things fall as they may. He decides to let man do what He wants. He’s not
about to repent from giving us a will; to do that would decrease our humanity,
and not only does He know that, but we would know it too, and we would rail
against God all the more if He came down here and tried to fix anything. We
would scream and holler that He is violating our will. So, He leaves us alone,
because it is really the only thing He can do, being the lesser evil we
attribute to Him that He does nothing. Faith is the great equalizer. Those who
have easy lives will have their reward in full, but those who have to struggle
in faith will be eternally rewarded in heaven. So, it all works out one way or
the other, nullifying the need for Him to come down here to fix anything.
(163b) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Being slaves of men >>
Prison
(164g) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> The world system >>
Satan’s system of authority >> His elementary
principles of the world -- These verses go with verses 20-23. There is no such thing as a complicated
deception. If Paul called it the elementary principles of the world and you
get fooled into believing a lie about God, then it’s your own fault. None of
these schemes that people use are very technical, yet they work very well,
based on the evidence that people have been using Jesus to deceive the masses
since He shed His blood for the sake of the truth.
(180b) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >>
Wolves lead people into a cult >> Wolves bypass
the cross
(212d) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> He is the creator >>
Evolution (Defaming God) >> The philosophy of
evolution
(249g) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >>
True perception of wealth >> The infinite and
eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of
wealth >> Our hope in this life
-- These verses go with verses 1-4. If a
person wants to pastor a church, he must first go to Seminary School and get a
four-year degree in theology (philosophy about God), the very thing that Paul
warned us would lead to empty deception. This is not how the Church started.
Peter didn’t have a degree in theology or was educated at all, nor did any
of Jesus’ disciples. In fact, Jesus made sure of it, because He didn’t
want people thinking we needed an education in order to be a leader of His
Church, but in today’s apostasy we now say that they must have a degree in
theology before we can pastor a church. This just adds to the deadness of
religion. So, what is the opposite of these things? Paul continued saying,
“In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have
been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.” Jesus
should be head of His Church and not some guru. That doesn’t mean we
shouldn’t have shepherds in our churches, but the way things are
established, pastors are about the only people who can minister the word of
God in the Church, and this is the problem that Paul was addressing. If Jesus
is head of the Church, then people are the members of His body and therefore
should be working in the body to fulfill their ministries, helping to promote
the Kingdom of God in the world. Instead, people come to church, find their
seats, stand up on cue, sing songs, give their money, hear a sermon and go
home, and they have no ministry in this, except to be counted. They count the
numbers on the dollar bills and they count the heads of the people in
attendance; religion’s significance is reduced to mere numbers. The pastor
says that the Church is nothing without the people, yet he is willing to
sacrifice their ministries in order to protect his own; religion’s objective
is to preserve its own existence. When we put it into words, the condition of
Christianity is stark.
(253a) Trinity
>>
Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is
equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the
external qualities of the Father >> Son has
equal authority with the Father – This is Paul’s explanation regarding why
you shouldn’t be deceived, similar to what Jesus said regarding the end
times when He said in Matt 24-26,27, “So if anyone tells you, `There he is,
out in the desert,' do not go out; or, `Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do
not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in
the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” His point was that when
His moment comes it will be perfectly obvious to all, and my point is, if you
don't believe that Jesus is the fullness of deity dwelling in a physical human
body, then I say Jesus is so big that if you miss Him, it is your own fault,
because the truth is obvious after Paul makes such a clear statement about His
identity with the Father. Jesus didn’t possess a mere portion of God’s
deity; He was the exact representation of the Father (Heb 1-3), and this is
what outlines the parameters of the truth. Jesus is like the universe, if you
settle on anything less than the infinite you will not understand galaxies.
People have believed the earth was incased in a tent and that the stars were
holes in the canvas. If you believe Jesus is less than God, you might as well
believe you live under a tarp.
Col 2-8
(5c)
Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause
>>
Disciples finish the course –
This verse goes with verse 16. Verses 8,16 and 18 are a progression of
distractions that people will try to pull on those of us who believe. Verse 8
addresses a philosophy that tries to do away with God's existence. The
pseudo-philosophy of evolution is basically a religion that strives to explain
the universe as it were absent of a creator. The bottom line when it comes to the truth of the
gospel is this, God is the creator of the universe. No one can take that away
from us. Only a fool would question God’s existence. Most people will not go
so far as to question God’s existence, because they know it is useless.
Instead, they will try to talk us out of the gospel of God’s grace in Christ
Jesus, calling it a fairytale, complaining that God cannot love us based on
all the evil that is in the world. The fact is, God exists, and by that it is
irrelevant if Jesus is a fairytale, because God isn’t, and if we think so
highly of God as to believe that He would send His only Son to save us from
our sins, then God would respect us just for that. The truth is, nobody has a
point against the gospel of Christ and nobody has an argument against God, and
Jesus Christ is so well documented in the Old Testament that it is virtually
impossible for the gospel of Christ to be false. Had the writers of God’s
word made up the story of the Bible, the Jewish people of Israel, why would
they have put themselves in such a negative light? Nobody would have done
that. If a person or a people determined to make up a lie of this caliber,
they would be psychopaths, and all psychopaths are narcissistic, and all
narcissists try to portray themselves in the best possible light. Therefore,
it is impossible for Israel to have made up the story of the Bible; hence, the
gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and we who believe in Him have nothing to
fear. No one’s petty distractions should ever bother us.
(7f) Responsibility
>>
Protecting the gospel >> Defending the truth – This verse goes with
verse 16
(161k) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Satan’s attitude
determines our direction >> Carried Away >>
Carried away by religion -- This verse goes with verses 20-23. We
are not to put our light under a basket but on the table for all to see, but
the very expression of our faith becomes our religion, so it seems we have no
choice but to have a religion. Some would say that the one true religion is
Christianity, but the Bible doesn’t teach that our faith has anything to do
with religion; in fact, Paul sternly warned us about this. James said, “Pure
and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit
orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the
world” (Jm 1-27). The word “religion” was used only five times in the
New Testament (NASB), and Jm 1-27 was the only instance it was used in a
positive context, showing what little emphasis religion has in the
Bible, yet people equate religion with Christianity. How is the Church
supposed to avoid religion? The biblical definition of a church refers to
God’s people, but man’s definition of church refers to the building and to
the procedures and liturgy performed in the Sunday service. Paul warned us not
to allow our faith to become religious. Two words are synonymous with religion:
“philosophy” and “empty deception”. Some people would say that the
definition of Theology is defined as “properly interpreting the
Bible”, but its literal definition is “philosophy about God”. We don't
want to be philosophers, so we call it theology instead, yet we are
just philosophizing about God, and Paul said that such things end in empty
deception. This means that the less we interpret the Bible, the better. In
fact, the Bible requires little interpretation; it speaks for itself to those
who know God, but to those who refuse to know God it doesn’t speak to them.
(162i) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Being slaves of men >>
Bad company >> Bad company will entangle you in
their bondage – Whenever someone makes up a lie about God,
they always make it less than the truth. They may promise you big things,
worldly things usually involving money, things they want from you. For
example, they may promise you prosperity, when in fact they just want you to
tithe more so they can become wealthy through you. Even if you don’t
prosper, you should give as though you were wealthy as a way of paying it
forward. They would say to you, ‘Give me your money because you should be
prospering according to my gospel, and if you’re not, then it’s not my
fault and I should not be penalized for your disobedience.’ This is just
cruel theology. Whenever a ministry sets its sites on money as a prime
motivator, regardless of the cause, by design it always aims lower than the
truth and hurts people in the process. Contrary to popular belief, God’s
main interest in your life is not how much money you have, though it might be
the main interest of cult leaders. God’s interests are in spiritual things,
which pertain to faith and love. No cult leader has ever tried to fool people
focusing on these things.
(167i)
Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil (Conspiracy) >>
Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world)
>> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It
rejects God -- This verse goes with verses 16-23
(178d) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >>
Presuming the facts about the circumstances >>
Philosophy
(182i) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >>
Being deceptive with people >> Distorted
perception of others -- This verse goes with verse 4
KJV
NAS
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9&10 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
Col 2,9-15
(135m) Temple
>>
Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of
Christ >> Similarity in the body >>
The things we have in common >> Common salvation
– All the children of God have the Holy Spirit
in common as it says in Eph 4-5, and also in 1Cor 6-17, “The one who joins
Himself to the Lord is one Spirit with Him.”
(136g) Temple
>>
Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of
Christ >> Jesus’ spiritual body –
Paul is talking about the law, which was hostile to us. The consequences of
breaking the law followed us into death, but not the promises of keeping it.
This is primarily why a new covenant was made through the blood of Christ. The
old covenant law was given to Israel for the purpose of this life only, but
the covenant of Abraham was eternal. Abraham was actually the beginning of the
new covenant that we now believe through Christ. Jesus fulfilled the covenant
that Abraham started, who walked with God, and it was reckoned to him as
righteousness, so that now in the new covenant what was added was the Spirit
of faith. Our lives have been dedicated to fulfilling His plan and purpose.
This is the faith of Abraham. He no doubt had plans of his own before God
called him; he was already married; all of his family was there, and he was
going to make a life for himself among his people. Then everything changed and
Abraham started on a new journey to fulfill God’s purpose instead of his
own. He instinctively knew that God’s plan would prove better than his own,
especially since Sarah’s womb was barren. One of the benefits of obeying the
voice of God was Isaac, whom he would not have had, had he ignored God.
Abraham was more interested in integrating into God’s plan than he was in
fulfilling his own; this is faith, and it should be the attitude of every
Christian.
Col 2,9-12
(34a) Gift of God
>>
God’s generosity >> Believer owns everything >>
Jesus belongs to us
(70j) Authority
>>
Believer’s authority >> We have been given
authority over all creation
>> We are the children of God >> We
have the divine nature
Col 2-9,10
(61b) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> Complete—You are a
whole member of the body / You have a part in the deity of Christ –
We understand that Jesus is God in human flesh and that He is the fullness of
deity in bodily form; who then is the “Body of Christ” (1Cor 10-16,17)? It
refers to the Church. Collectively, we represent Jesus physically present on
the earth, and as individuals we are members of His body. In eternity we will
represent Christ to His creation, and since He is the fullness of deity, we
collectively represent His deity in bodily form. We will never become deity,
but we represent His deity as the image in a mirror represents the man. No
matter how great we think of heaven, it will be far greater. That is more than
what He has given to the angels. The Bible says that they are messengers and
that they carry out commands; they perform duties and minister to the saints,
but in no way does the Bible say that angels represent the deity of Christ.
Our minds are not capable of comprehending just what God has given us. When He
said, “Let Us make man in Our image” (Genesis 1-26), the image in a mirror
is not the person himself but represents the person. We were made in the image
of God; we represent Him in this life, only not His deity but His word. Our
ministry in this life is to spread the word of God and evangelize the world
and bring into the Kingdom of Heaven as many souls as possible, but a day is
coming when this temporal creation has run its course that God will do away
with the universe and create a new heaven and a new earth. Then God will make
us collectively representatives of His deity as the body of Christ.
Col 2-9
(253eb) Trinity >>
Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is
equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the
internal qualities of the Father >> Jesus is the Son of God >> Authority
of the Son of God –
How do the cults get over this statement, “all the fullness of deity dwells in
bodily form”? When they try to deny that Jesus is God in human flesh, they
redefine “deity” to mean something else, but when they talk about their god,
they reinstate the significance of deity to mean the eternal God who created the
universe. They treat the truth as though it were a virus, mutating it as needed
to avoid being trapped in a debate.
Col 2,10-13
(228j) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God
working in you >> God works in the garden of
your heart – The word complete is an interesting one. We
have heard it said that man consists of body, soul and spirit, but that is
true only of Christians. It is not true for those who do not have the Spirit
of God dwelling in them. Man obviously has a body and suspects he has a soul, but if he
also had a spirit apart from the Spirit of God, how would he keep them separate?
Which one is which? Isn’t the soul spiritual? Man has a body and a soul, and then
a
Spirit on the day he is born-again. God mixes with our spirit becoming one with His
children, yet two separate entities. The end result is a new creation. When He
mixes Himself with another person, another creation is generated.
Col 2-10
(44e) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Transformed >>
Complete >>
Completed by God – The uniqueness of the human soul depends on
its underlying physical DNA and the inimitable manner in which one strand
wraps around the other. So,
who’s to say when the Spirit of God wraps around our soul to form a new
creation, a similar process of conception is not at work? The DNA combines
with itself in a myriad possibilities, suggesting that God binds
Himself to His children in a way that is totally unique to each person.
Rev 2:17 says, “To him who overcomes, I will give him… a white stone with
a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” When we have
the Spirit of God dwelling in us, this is the whole concept of being complete.
This consequently means that unbelievers are incomplete; the whole world is
incomplete. Each person has a body and a soul, but the unbeliever is lacking the better third of themselves, the
Spirit of God, the key to their
humanity. It is ironic that God provides for us last of all the most important
part of our humanity, questioning one of many mysterious attributes of God
– just how human is He? If we were created in His image, it only makes sense
that He is largely human. Therefore, without God dwelling in us it is hard to
say just how human are we? Without God it appears that people are
merely animals with a soul, but when the Holy Spirit comes and provides His
missing piece and completes us, this is when we become truly human.
(78h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Renewing your mind by the word of God >> Be of
one mind, his mind -- This verse goes with verse 19
(137a) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the
foundation >> Jesus is head of the Church -- This verse goes with verses 18&19
KJV
NAS
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11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
Col 2,11-15
(31k) Gift of God
>>
Gift of His grace >> Grace is the work of God –
God promises to help us resolve sin in our lives as we work with Him as 2Cor
6-1 says, “And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive
the grace of God in vain.” The essence of the word “grace” means God
working in you, a beautiful truth, but there is also an aspect working
with God to instill His grace in our lives. Why then doesn’t God work His
grace in every person? We know that most people in the world don’t believe
in God; He only works in those who believe in Him, His children, and the rest
He calls to faith and repentance, for He cannot give us what we don’t want.
He wants us to exercise our will to obtain His heavenly possessions, requiring
us to work with Him, having a common cause and being in agreement, yet grace
is considered the work of God. What He calls us to do in receiving His grace
acts as little more than our acceptance of His gifts as He personally instills
His grace in us.
Col 2,11-13
(190i) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Circumcision >>
Circumcision is a sign of obedience >> Obedience
by the Spirit makes circumcision obsolete – Some of our worst addictions can only be
removed through a vision of freedom, so if we find we
are having a hard time overcoming our temptations, it is a sign we lack vision. That is not entirely our fault, because sometimes the Church doesn’t have a vision big enough to give us reason to seek freedom. How are
we supposed to have a vision if the Church doesn’t have one? Are we expected
to have a vision of serving God all by ourselves? People would call us Lone
Rangers and want-to-be cult leaders. The Church needs a vision of obedience,
knowing that the rewards are far greater than our sacrifices. Having a vision of obedience makes the Christian walk so much
easier; in fact, it makes the Christian walk possible. Without vision (faith) it is
impossible (Heb 11-6).
If you have faith, then tell me your vision.
Col 2-11,12
(38e) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection
anointing
(103f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Purifying process >> Spirit like water >> Spirit cleanses you from the desire to sin
–
This may be the most concise passage in the Bible about the gift of
repentance: He empowers us to resist temptation. Of course in this life there will always be temptation, so God
distances us from them, weakening their charms, so we can more
readily resist them. They are still in walking distance; we can always revisit
them, but to move in their direction would strengthen them. We
would be wise to stay away and walk in our freedom instead. The circumcision
of Christ made without hands means it is a divine act of God. The doctor
performs circumcision on the eight-day old male child; it is associated with a
little pain that quickly subsides, but to the adult male or female, Christ
Himself spiritually performs the circumcision to the heart. Circumcision
pertains to the removal of the flesh surrounding the penis, represented by the
foreskin that is removed and disposed, suggesting that within the Christian
there occurs a change of heart, and along with that a supernatural ability to
overcome sin. In other words, circumcision and subsequent baptism represent a
divine act of God cleansing us from the desire to sin and endowing us with an
ability to conquer our temptations. However, if we keep falling
to our temptations without even putting up a fight, God will think we really
don’t value our freedom in Christ; then He might not help us, and we will
have to fight them by our human resolve when it is not even in our heart to do
so.
(113k) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
The anointing >> Resurrection power
(134h) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Body of sin >>
Dying to the sinful nature
(228i) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God
working in you >> God works in the new creation –
According to this passage regarding the symbolism of circumcision and baptism,
they pertain to the removal of sin, for being raised with Him is a work
performed without hands, and Jesus is the Great High Priest who meets us in
the water and leads us under the surface where death occurs. He holds us there
long enough for us to realize what this means, and then leads us back to the
surface that we might breathe the air of a new life that is freed from sin;
however, in this life we will struggle with sin to the day of our natural
death. These symbols represent God’s power to help us live victoriously over
sin. There are two aspects of God’s grace: the overcoming of temptation and
the forgiveness of sin when we fall. These two are the work of God, and our
only job is to work with Him. Before we sin we try to make sure it doesn’t
happen in the first place, but we are fallible creatures; we do things that
are against our own will and conscience. When we sin we go to Him and repent,
and He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness (1Jn 1-9).
(229a) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom
grows by itself >> Growing In Numbers
Corresponds With Spiritual Growth >> Kingdom
slowly spreads and overtakes darkness
Col 2-11
(118l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Law of the spirit >> Spirit delivers you from the
desire to sin – Paul says that, though we still live in the
body, we should stay separate from our sinful flesh; that is, we should not
allow our sin nature to dictate how we should live, and circumcision symbolizes
this. The procedure of circumcision is usually
performed on infants, on the eighth day of the child’s life when blood
coagulation is at its peak. Its purpose is to remove the unneeded flesh that
surrounds the penis. Since it is performed mainly on infants, the procedure
performs no spiritual function other than the illustration it provides. This
removal of foreskin in fact illustrates the removal of sinful works of the
flesh, and notice that the ceremony involves the penis, suggesting that most if
not all sin revolves around this one sex organ. God does not commanding us to remove our own foreskins, but
someone else does this for us, the doctor performing the procedure, but in this
case God is the doctor. The procedure is done on infants, suggesting that many of our addictions are
resolved on the day of our conversion. For example, I quit smoking the day I got
saved and was never tempted again to smoke. God automatically delivers us from
many of our addictions and requires us to maintain the freedom of Christ.
Later, if we decide to pick up our old habits, we should not expect God to fix us like
He did when we first got saved. God cannot re-circumcise us; that was a onetime
event. If we want to be free from our old habits, we will have to work with
God in a maturing process to receive His grace based on our relationship with
Him. That doesn’t mean we are on our own. We have the tools set before us. We
have the word of God and prayer and the Holy Spirit to help us incorporate
obedience, and to separate ourselves from our nasty habits.
(140e)
Temple >> Temple made without hands >>
Hiding place >> The entrance exam
(190d)
Circumcision (Key verse)
– The message of circumcision is a refusal to worship the idol of pleasure.
Remember what Jesus said in Mat 5-30, "If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell."
The same can be said for the penis, and ceremony of circumcision makes that
point. Both Circumcision and Baptism are symbols that represent putting away the sinful ways of
the flesh that we practiced prior to our spiritual enlightenment. Notice that in Circumcision, after
we have finished the procedure of removing the foreskin, which represents removing the
sinful deeds of the flesh from our
old way of life, the ceremony is over, but in Baptism, after being immersed in water, which represents death to the
sinful nature, we return from the dead in newness of life, being made in the image of God. This difference
from Circumcision signifies the new covenant's advantage over the old.
(240g) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering
the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage >>
Natural disadvantage of the flesh >> The sinful
flesh
KJV
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12&13 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
Col 2,12-15
(205i) Salvation
>>
Salvation is based on God’s promises >> Faith
versus works >> The faith of God versus the
faith of men >> Faith is the work of God –
Most people believe in God, but most people are not going to heaven, according
to Jesus own words, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and
the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter
through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life,
and there are few who find it” (Mat 7-13,14). Many people believe a lot of
strange things about God, but their beliefs don’t get them any closer to God
than the person who thinks he should sacrifice his children to a deity. In
contrast, God imparts His faith in us, which is equivalent to the Holy Spirit,
who leads us into all the truth. The concept of faith is the very basis of
Christianity. It is something that the vast majority of people in the Church
don’t understand, and for that reason it is questionable just how many
people in the Church are actually saved. If they don't understand the concept
of faith, how could they be saved? Most people define faith as believing a set
of doctrines, but that refers to believing; we are talking about
“faith”. Most people equate believing with faith; they think it is the
same, but it’s not. Webster’s Dictionary might equate them as synonyms,
but Webster’s Dictionary is not trying to interpret Scripture. When we look
carefully at the Scriptures, usually whenever the Bible talks about believing,
we can replace it with the word “obedience”. So in that sense, people who
believe in God obey Him. Faith is something different; it is a substance,
according to Heb 11-1 (KJV). God gives us faith when we believe in Him;
therefore, it is a heavenly substance, which is quite different from believing.
Our beliefs are based on human will, whereas faith is from God and
always believes the truth. The reason belief and “faith” are
synonymous is that we use our human will to believe in God, which communicates
to Him that we desire a lifelong commitment. Then He imparts His faith into
us, which is our salvation.
Col 2-12,13
(191ba)
Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man
>> Baptism >> Baptism symbolizes death, burial and resurrection
>> Baptism is a sign of faith –
Paul talks about baptism as though he
switched subjects, but he didn’t. Circumcision is a sign of deliverance from
sexual sins, while baptism is a sign of deliverance from sin in general. In
the same way that tossing a small piece of flesh in the bucket cut from the
penis is indicative to freedom, so baptism also refers to freedom in the
removal of the flesh, only in this case the whole body dies. Baptism
illustrates that we have been buried with Him, “in which [we] were also
raised up with Him through faith in the working of God who raised Christ from
the dead.” When a person is baptized, it symbolizes drowning. Our flesh has
died, referring to our sinful nature, which has lost its power over us, as in
the day we go to heaven, leaving our body behind. The ceremony of baptism
symbolizes the Holy Spirit’s ability to override our temptations and fleshly
compulsions such as anger and fear, and the whole spectrum of emotions that we
find so difficult to contain. Baptism symbolizes our sin nature no longer
being master over us, because it died, so when the preacher pulls us from the
water, we are raised in newness of life. We rise from the water obviously
still alive in our bodies, but the sin nature no longer has power over us as a
result of
the Spirit that God has given us. We are free to serve the Lord without
hindrance. A
person who believes that he has come to know God will be baptized. It is his
belief in baptism that drives him to sacrifice his flesh by submerging under
the water, drowning, so when he returns to the surface, God has raised him to
newness of life. Although these things are symbolic, yet they will have their
fulfillment at the First Resurrection when God raises the faithful and true
from the dead to a new life in eternity, giving them a new body.
Col 2,13-15
(25k)
Sin >> Consequences of sin
>>
Dead in sin >> The human condition without
Christ
(45e)
Judgment >> God’s Judgment
>>
On believer’s sin >> Through His Son >>
On the cross
(52b)
Judgment >> Judging Church with world
>>
Law judges sin >> Law is hostile against us –
The Father nailed the Law of Moses to the cross with Christ so that it can no
longer condemn us. He called it a certificate of debt in the same way that we
would be in debt to a lender. We are not in debt to a lender after we are no
longer able to pay but the moment we sign on the dotted line. The day we can
no longer pay is the day when the lender takes everything from us, kicks us to
the curb and leaves us penniless. The law works the same way; it is cold and
ruthless, representing death. The law is our enemy, though the world considers
it an advocate, not understanding the ways of God, they use it to justify
themselves, but any attempt to do so ends in condemnation. The law does not
address our righteousness but our unrighteousness in that it promises no
reward for keeping its ordinances, only consequences for breaking them. In
terms of righteousness, the only thing that matters to God is whether we
receive the blood sacrifice of Jesus’ body on the cross for the propitiation
of our sins and make Him our savior and Lord. Nailing the law to the cross is
the equivalent to nailing our sins to the cross, for when He removed the
document that accuses us, He also removed the sin that condemns us.
Col 2-13
(120f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Forgiveness >>
Forgiveness is an act of mercy >> God passes
over our sins
(209a)
Salvation >> The salvation of God >>
Personal relationship >> Being married to God >>
We go where He goes – Paul is describing of the salvation
experience. God saved us when we were spiritually dead in our transgressions,
dead referring to the Holy Spirit being absent from our lives. While our flesh
was still alive in sin, He made us alive in the Spirit by forgiving all our
transgressions and taking up residence in our hearts, which meant that
practicing sin in our flesh must die. He didn’t ask us to do something
before He would save us. Instead, He saved us under our promise that we would
repent. That is a marriage agreement; we take our vows when we get married;
the vow says I promise to love you and take care of you and nurture you. These
are all the things that God does for us, and our part of the marriage vow says
we will always do what He says, which completes His nurturing hand when we
repent of our addictions and practicing sin. It would be difficult if not
impossible to see God’s nurturing hand if we continued in our hedonistic
ways. The Holy Spirit now dwells in us and the marriage vow promises we will
not drag Him through the mud by our sin. We make a promise to God that lasts
throughout our lives; it is not a one-day or a one-month or a one-year trial
run to see if we want the Christian life, but a life-long commitment. As
children of God we make a promise that we will do everything in our power to
make His enduring presence in our hearts as comfortable and pleasant as
possible.
KJV
NAS
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14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Col 2,14-23
(119a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Law of the spirit >> Freedom from the law – God wants us free! He doesn’t want us
falling under bondage to only certain foods or to various festivals, or to observing new moons. Paul is saying we are free in every
respect; we are not obligated to any of these. The only obligation we
have is to listen to the Holy Spirit and do what He says. We are not even
obligated to the laws of the land or even the government. For instance, the
Holy Spirit will tell you to pay your taxes, and if you don’t, the penalties
and jail sentences the government will impose on you will hardly compare to the consequences
of resisting the Holy Spirit. There are laws against prostitution, murder and
fraud, but the Holy Spirit will never lead you to do those things, so who
needs the law? There is no point in observing the laws or God,
because the law has been written in our hearts (Heb 8,7-13). Neither the laws
of God or of men were designed to lead us to God’s specific purpose and
calling, whereas the Holy Spirit will do that. In the salvation experience God “canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us,” referring to
the law “which was hostile to us.” He symbolically nailed both our sin and
the law to the cross, being essentially the same. Although the law
is good, righteous and perfect, yet it has the effect of increasing the
offense of our transgressions in that through the law we know our sin to be
evil in the eyes of God. Although it was given to regulate our flesh, the law
did little more than accentuate our sin, so if we know what displeases the
Lord and we do it anyway, it makes our sin all the more sinful (Romans
chapter seven). The law was never given to deliver us from sin, but as a measuring stick to confirm our conscience so there would be no
question, showing us just how utterly sinful we are. The law is very effective
in what it was designed to do in that nobody questions sin to be sinful
because of the law. However, people throughout the generations have treated
the law as though it were supposed to deliver them from sin, just the opposite
of its intent. Jesus came to deliver us, not from the law, but from sin and
the consequence of sin which is death, that the law maximized against us. Now
that there is a mechanism for forgiveness in the cross, there is no sin, thus
no need for law.
Col 2-14,15
(9a)
Responsibility >> Prevent being blamed for
something you did not do >> Prevent accusations
–
God used the cross to disarm the rulers and authorities, which is in
reference to Satan and his hoard of demons, suggesting that demonic forces
use the law to accuse us of sin. Satan, dubbed the accuser of the brethren,
uses the law as a weapon against mankind more than its intended purpose as a
gauge to determine the quality of human behavior. If that is what He does to
Christians, then what does he do to the world? He utterly ravages people!
Consider all the wars that have taken millions of lives over the centuries;
what was the devil’s involvement? The motivating factor in almost every
war is either a sense of guilt or its opposite, revenge. When men try to
back out of doing wickedness, the devil is there to incite their hearts
against one another. Demonic forces have been at the heart of all the
oppression of wickedness that is the history of mankind since time began.
When God gave the law to Moses, it was like putting a loaded gun in the hand
of Satan. The first thing he did was point it at us and pulled the trigger,
and we have no one to blame but ourselves, because we transgressed the law.
When we sin, the devil uses the law in his accusations against us as proof
that what he thinks of us is true, making us look worse than him, and we
cannot defend ourselves because he is right in that we have committed sin,
and when the devil is right, we are in big trouble, because we know that the
devil is inherently wrong about everything.
(37a) Judgment
>>
The cross >> God judged the sin of the world
through Christ
(38f) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death >> God judged the world,
the flesh and the devil –
The cross only benefits those who believe, even though Jesus suffered for
everyone. This is the reason Jesus can judge the world, because He suffered
for the sins of all. Once we receive Jesus as our Lord and savior, having
nailed the document of our condemnation to His cross, He then turned to
Satan and destroyed his power over us by taking possession of the keys of
death and hell (Rev 1-18). Jesus triumphed over Satan on through the cross,
not the resurrection, which stands as a manifestation of His victory over
sin. Everything was accomplished on the cross; His willingness to suffer for
us demonstrated His Father’s love for mankind. Satan was at a complete
loss as what to do with Jesus, knowing that the only way to destroy Him was
to successfully tempt Him to sin. After he failed to do this, all he knew
was to kill Him, and so Satan was at the very center of Jesus going to the
cross; he incited those against Him who would become His murderers, which
was God’s plan from the beginning. God not only judged the sin of man on
the cross so we could be free, He also sealed Satan’s fate as a
constituent of eternal hellfire. His resurrection was the fulfillment of His
victory over death. Without the resurrection the cross would be meaningless.
The resurrection was a natural reaction to His death, since He was without
sin as the Son of God. It was impossible, it says in Act 2-24, for death to
hold Him in the grave. Satan was by no means sure that killing Jesus was
going to fulfill his purpose, but he had no idea to what extent it would
destroy him. It will haunt him for the rest of all eternity. The cross of
Christ not only demonstrated the level of wickedness of man, it also
demonstrated the wickedness of Satan, so God judged both man and demon on
the cross, showing that there isn’t much difference between them.
(39i) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death >> Jesus defeated Satan’s
authority
>> Jesus defeated Satan on the cross
– Satan uses the law more than God ever did, as
it says is verse 15, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he
made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” He
disarmed the devil by taking away the law, which held the keys of death and Hades.
It is not a coincidence that it talks about Satan in the same breath as the
law in that guilt is one of the tricks of the devil, and he used the law to
imprison people in their shame. The power of the cross is that instead of
having a measuring stick to gauge sin, God now has a tool by which He can
forgive sin, and in that forgiveness sin is eliminated, problem solved. The
cross is not only God’s means of forgiving our sin, but He also used it to
destroy Satan. When Jesus died, He died without sin, and since death came
into the world through sin, He violated the law of sin, which requires death
to be the consequence of sin (Rom 8,1-4). Therefore, Jesus’ sinless life
delivered us from the power of death for all those who believe in Him for
the forgiveness of sin. This victory over sin and death will be realized at
various stages of our salvation, culminating at the invitation to spend
eternity in heaven with God.
(41b) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >>
Jesus is without sin >> He fulfilled the law
(119l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Curse of God is
broken >> Curse of the law is broken
Col 2-14
(44a)
Complete
(Key verse)
KJV
NAS
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15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
Col 2-15
(37b) Judgment >>
The cross >> Father slays His son –
When did Satan fall from heaven? Nobody really knows. It could have been
millions of years or it could be only thousands. In many respects, Lucifer was
like a brother to Jesus, and so we could almost say that they were like Cain
and Abel; one became jealous and slew his brother. When the Father had disarmed the rulers and
authorities (Satan and his minions), He made a public display of them having
triumphed over them through Christ. Note that it was the Father who gained
these victories on the cross against Satan. The war was between Satan and
Christ, but the Father intervened and overcame the devil for Jesus’ sake and
for the sake of those who would inherit eternal life. It was Satan who incited
the people to crucify Jesus. Had Satan not agitated the crowds, His execution
most likely would not have happened. Yes, man was involved and was ultimately
responsible for crucifying the Son of God. Satan does not take responsibility
for the things man does, but God does hold Satan accountable for the things he
does, and since Satan played a vital role in crucifying Christ by coercing man
to do it, He was therefore involved and was fiercely judged for it.
Through Christ the Father stripped him of all his authority, consisting of the
keys of death and hell (Rev 1-18).
(39h) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death >> Victory >>
Jesus never fails
(46j) Judgment
>>
Spiritual warfare >> Demons are subject to
Christ –
When Lucifer fell from heaven, rebellion was initially the crime he committed,
but the cross demonstrated what that rebellion represented. The crucifixion of
Christ was Satan's trial, which proved His intensions on
the day of his fall from heaven when he made an attempt on God’s throne. The
sentence is yet coming on the last day, after the Millennium; it says in Rev
20-10, “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and
brimstone.” Satan's hand in the crucifixion of Christ proved beyond the
shadow of a doubt that he was not innocent of the desire to be like God, which
was the desire to be like man, who is made in the image of God. After
Satan’s fall from heaven, God made man to sit on His throne next to His Son.
Lucifer literally took action against God’s
throne before God evicted him from heaven (Rev 12,7-11). God caught Him red
handed and ousted him from the celestial realm, divesting him of all his
glory, and threw him to the earth, which would become his prison until his
court hearing (the cross) and sentence was passed against him in Rev 20-10.
Satan has the entire earth as his playground, but it is a dungeon to him
compared to his previous glory of owning the entire universe. If we knew from what height
he fell, we would understand why a tiny dot in the vastness of space feels
like prison to him. God divested Satan of all his glory on the day of his
fall, and now at the cross, on the day of his court hearing, God disarmed him,
taking away his weaponry, which was power over death and hell (Rev 1-18).
(48d) Judgment
>> God judges the world
>>
Satan is under God’s eternal judgment –
Jesus addressed His entire creation when He died on the cross, transcending
human sin and addressing also the sin of angels. Truth be known, there is a
contest between God and the devil, a sort of private war, and we are stuck
in the middle of it. It is too late for
Satan and his minions to be redeemed, because they sinned in the presence of
God, though God still wants to make a statement to him and about him
that sin doesn’t pay. Part of God’s motive is an object lesson for us, but
the other reason is to teach Satan a lesson. We might think God would not care
what Satan thinks about Him, but He does care, for the express reason that He
is God and has an interest in subjecting all aspects of his creation to Himself. It is not
enough to grind Satan under His thumb by His immense power; He also wants to
subdue Him by His authority, and His authority is in His truth, and His truth
is in His righteousness. He wants to prove to Satan that righteousness
triumphs over evil in order to subject Satan and the demons to His
righteousness.
(143e) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >>
The public >> Jesus ministered publicly –
Jesus ministered for 3½ years, and when His ministry had ended, He gave up
His life to fulfill His ministry, and the cross was another aspect of His
public ministry. He was publicly crucified, not in a corner, not at night or
in secret, but in broad daylight in the sight of all, and that is exactly how
He ministered the gospel. Nothing had changed, for as He ministered the gospel
so he offered His life a ransom for many. He freely gave up His life for the
sake of those who would believe in Him for eternal life. What is more, the
Father did the very thing to the devil. That is, as Jesus created a way for
man to be saved, so He destroyed the power of Satan. Prior to the cross, Jesus
cast out demons, and He verbally gave authority to his disciples to do the
same, like a signed document authenticating their power,
but after Jesus shed His blood on the cross, that authority was deposited in their spirits. It is now written on the tablets of our hearts by the finger
of the indwelling Holy Spirit our authoring over all the power of the
enemy, after Jesus defeated Satan on the cross.
KJV
NAS
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16&17 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day- 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
Col 2,16-23
(157h) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being
hell-bound >> Deceiving and being deceived >>
Being deceived
(162f) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> A slave to unbelief >>
Bondage to believing a lie
(167i)
Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil (Conspiracy) >>
Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world)
>> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It
rejects God -- These verses go with verse 8
(173h)
Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >>
Unholy sacrifice >> Offering sacrifice without
God’s approval >> Sacrifice against the way of
God – Paul addresses the mentality of cults. People
judge us based on what we eat and drink, whether we attend a festival or go to
church, whether we celebrate a new moon (which some call witchcraft) or a
Sabbath day. Paul says that the substance belongs to Christ, meaning He alone
has power over temptation, but all these other things are irrelevant. We
should not submit to their tyranny and guilt when they try to impose their
masochistic ways on us. People will try to steal our reward of faithfulness.
After we have walked for miles in the freedom of Christ they will try to
snatch the reward from us, attempting to place us in bondage to their
religion. The things that some people must endure in life require a tremendous
amount of faith. They have no need for a religion with its customs and
traditions that offer various forms of self-abasement and other forms of
self-destructive behavior, as though there is not already enough pain and
suffering in the world without looking for it. Their self-loathing eventually
mutates into doctrines and religions, based around the idea that the more they
hurt themselves the more spiritual they are, yet none of these things have any
power to overcome temptation. It may temporarily distract them, perhaps in
search of a sense of euphoria because it feels so good when they quit, yet the
only result of their self-brutalization is more bondage.
(177d) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >>
Doctrines of the precepts of men – Paul asks us why we submit to decrees,
“such as ‘do not handle, do not taste, do not touch,’” as though these
things could cleanse us? To abstain from these things has no power to cleanse
from unrighteousness, as Jesus put it, “teaching as doctrine the precepts of
men” (Mat 15-9). We have no obligation to observe their teachings and
traditions. Our obligation is completely toward the things of Christ: the word
of God and prayer, the obedience of faith and unity of the body of Christ for
the establishment of edification within the Church. On the one hand, the Holy
Spirit will lead us away from sin, and He will do it by way of power; on the
other hand, man’s wisdom cannot rise above “self-abasement and sever
treatment of the body, [and is] of no value against fleshly indulgence.” If
you don’t see God involved in the direction that other people are leading
you, then go with the Holy Spirit and walk away from them, because they are
trying to put you in bondage to their religion, so they can boast in your
flesh. It gives them confidence when you believe what they believe. For them
it’s a win/win situation, but for you it’s lose/lose. You strengthen their
confidence in their false teachings, while you fall prey to their bondage. To
practice a religion in a cult never produced any positive fruit. The only
potential good is lesson learned not to do it again.
(179k) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >>
Wolves lead people into a cult >> Leading people
through ignorance
(202b) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Running from God >> Running to your sinful
nature >> Run from God by running to the world
Col 2,16-19
(1h)
Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> False burden >>
Serving God
in ignorance >> Not knowing His will –
One
of the many reasons for knowing the word of God is to avoid falling into the
trap of those who would set them for us whether they do it intentionally or
not. Those who are in bondage cannot help but lead you into their own
bondage, since it is all they know. The knowledge of the word of God will
lead you to people who share the same thoughts and feelings toward God, and
has the concurrent affect of repelling others who would pull down your
faith.
(18d) Sin
>>
False Judgment lacks evidence >> Undefined
charges –
There are lots of people who think they know
what’s best for you, but they don’t. Those who tell us to do things
contrary to the direction of the Holy Spirit would defraud you of God’s
purpose and calling in your life. Trying to make people happy is not worth
it, because there is no hope and there are no promises to doing the will of
man. There are only two who know what is best for you: God and you. Tell
someone the will of God for your life and most likely the person would find
fault it, things you have heard God speak to your heart as how you should
invest your life in the Kingdom of God. If they find fault with God’s
will, what kind of advice do they have?
(154j) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Witness of the
believer >> Conscience >>
Having a good conscience >> God is my conscience – Let no one act as your conscience, for you
have one conscience and Christ is head of it. There are things that some
people think you should do, and they will try to make you feel guilty for
not doing what they say, or perhaps God will call you to do something that
others think you shouldn’t do, and they will try to make you feel stupid
as you fulfill your purpose and calling from God (remember Noah). Paul said,
“the substance belongs to Christ,” but the world has no substance.
Therefore, to the degree that you allow people to be your conscience
determines how much you have let go of your conscience in the Holy Spirit
and are being led by man, who has no power or ability to lead anyone in
right and positive ways, such as these extra curricular activities that Paul
enumerates confirm. People who try to tell you how to live have no
substance, and if you listen to them, neither will you. If you continue in
the direction of the Holy Spirit, He will impart the spiritual substance of
truth in the anointing to help you understand His will and to help others
find faith in Jesus. God is the only one who knows His will for you, and for
that reason Paul refused to let anyone but God be his conscience.
Col 2,16-18
(17g) Sin
>>
Judging in the flesh >> Evaluating
circumstances with a carnal mind
Col 2-16,17
(110l) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Spirit and the word >> Spiritual substance and
truth >> Spiritual substance follows the truth
(124l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of
God’s faith
Col 2-16
(5c)
Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause
>>
Disciples finish the course –
This verse goes with verse 18. There are people who use language against the
knowledge of God that is meant to be discouraging, but these people have no
power over those who refuse to move away from the hope of the gospel. There
are circumstances that are themselves discouraging, but those who are deeply
rooted in the word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer over
many years do not flounder, because they know whom they have believed. Once we
pass the test in verse 6 and call the atheist a fool, the next test depicts
people who would act as our judge in relation to our faith, the way we conduct
ourselves, who would tell us that there are certain things that are not
allowed, referring to legalism. According to this tactic of distraction there
are certain things we cannot do, certain foods we cannot eat, certain
festivities we should not celebrate, etc.
(7f) Responsibility
>>
Protecting the gospel >> Defending the truth – This verse goes with
verse 18.
KJV
NAS
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18&19 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
Col 2-18,19
(25i) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Thief >>
Someone stealing from you –
We stand to lose the experience of going and growing with God by listening to
fraudulent people. There is a counterfeit spiritual material that people
without substance offer, and these liars want to silence the true believers,
because we are an affliction to their conscience. Instead of repenting of
their sins and modeling after those who are faithful in Jesus, they seek to
persuade us to side with them and give up the faith and truth we possess from
God. These people who would deceive us delight in the lowest form of behavior
as a basement is the lowest room of any house, and these people live there and
want us to join them in their darkness and musty air. They worship angels in
the absence of sunlight instead of God, referring to demons. They try to
convince us to worship their idols, which is strictly forbidden in both the
old and New Testaments. Their so-called angels give them visions, and because
the people are fleshly-minded they inflate their visions, contributing to
their own guilt, so that their sin is not just receiving a wrong vision from a
foreign spirit, but expanding it by their wild imaginations. They do all these
things for the simple reason that they don’t want to repent of their sin and
unbelief.
(108d) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith is the balance between freedom
and law
(131ja) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Many members but one body >> Many people but one person
(137a)
Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the
foundation >> Jesus is head of the Church -- These verses go with verse 10
(140g) Temple
>>
Temple made without hands >> Christ builds the
temple from the bricks of the Church
(196c) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >>
Worshipping angels – Some people claim to have seen visions of angels, and
now they assume to be authorities on the subject and want you to follow them.
They want you to help them believe in their own ideas, and in the end when
they get tired, they will give up their visions and leave you in the lurch and
go on to something else, meanwhile you have wasted your life. This has
happened countless times throughout church history. Paul says we are by no means obligated
to them in that these very people fail to hold Jesus in their hearts, but
cling to their visions instead, trying to put us in bondage to their religion. Paul instructs us to hold
on to Jesus, “from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by
the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.” It is
better just to stay with Jesus.
Col 2-18
(5c)
Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause
>>
Disciples finish the course –
This verse goes with verses 20-23. If they cannot place us in bondage to legalism as
in verse 16, they will attempt to defraud us by delighting in self-abasement,
in other words masochism. The term self-abasement suggests behaviors
that would be equivalent to locking yourself in a basement or dungeon, in
other words self-induced bondage, as though God would be impressed in a
display of so-called love directed at Him that would abuse our own bodies. To
a sadist worshipper of deities ask him this question: ‘If you love God
so much, then why don’t you just do what He says in His word?’ These people are
not interested in obedience but in determining their own manner of worship. In
other words, they are just as much in rebellion against God as the atheist and
the legalist. Paul also accuses these people of worshipping angels, that is,
idolatry. They would say that worshipping angels is to worship God, but
this is not what the Bible says, exposing their rebellion and self-determinant
manner of worship. Remember, Satan is an angel of God and tempted Jesus to
worship him in the wilderness promising Him the world if He did, but Jesus
retorted, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve
Him only.’” Rom 1-25 also says, “They exchanged the truth of God for a
lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is
blessed forever, Amen.” The worship of angels is just as great an insult as
worshipping yourself. Trying to show God how much you love Him by abusing
yourself is to treat the sacrifice of Jesus Christ with contempt, who was
mercilessly whipped and nailed to a cross for us, so that we can serve God in
freedom.
(7f) Responsibility
>>
Protecting the gospel >> Defending the truth – This verse goes with
verse 4
(15k) Servant >>
Angels >>
Limitations of angels
(117i) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing visions
(160d) Works of the devil >> Satan’s attitude
determines our direction >>
Led by the devil to suppress the word of God >> Suppressing the truth with false doctrine
(181i) Works of the devil >>
The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >>
Self deception >> Imaginary perception of self >>
Pretending to be someone you’re not –
This is the world in a nutshell, not that they commit sin or practice it as a
lifestyle, but they also revel in it. Repentance for people who worship demons
is usually not in the cards for them, because to repent is to redefine their
identity, and they like who the demons have made them. Repentance is their
definition of blasphemy. Many people think it would be evil of God to require
them to repent. Their thought process goes something like this: ‘If I must
repent, it will radically change my behavior and my new behaviors will
radically change my identity, since we are what we do, and that sounds like
God does not like who I am now, which is evil of Him.’ On the contrary, they
don't even know who they are! It is not evil for God to want to convert
sinners. This is how far off-track these people have become to actually
consider God evil because He commands them to repent.
(190d) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Masochism
(Self-made martyr)
>> Self-afflictions that are against the will of God --
This verse goes with verses 20-23
Col 2-19
(78h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Renewing your mind by the word of God >> Be of
one mind, his mind -- This verse goes with verse 10
(229d) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom
grows by itself >> God causes the growth >>
Kingdom grows according to the will of God –
God has a different plan for us instead of listening to liars; He wants us to
listen for the voice of His Holy Spirit and follow His lead throughout our
lives. Paul commanded us to avoid those who would defraud us of our prize.
This prize is the result of our obedience and faithfulness to Christ becoming
a gift and an opportunity to play our part in causing the Church to grow with
a growth which is from God. When we contribute our gift, God works through it,
since the gift itself has come to us from heaven at great cost, being very
valuable and therefore highly necessary for the Church’s growth. God is able
to take our gift that we contribute and convert it into a work of God, just as
it was a work of God in the individual who contributed it. This is the
opposite of listening to deceivers with their message of deception. If we
listen to them, we will do more to tear down the body of Christ than to help
construct it.
(232j) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >>
Embrace (Jesus during the storm) >> God embraces
us
(245a) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm is imposed on the natural realm >>
Literal manifestations >> Literal manifestation
of Jesus Christ >> Manifesting the body of
Christ
KJV
NAS
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20-23 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 21 "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" 22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use )-in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? 23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
Col 2,20-23
(1l)
Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >>
Carrying a false burden >> Taking on
responsibilities that are not yours – This verse is most like Rom
14-14, which essentially states that you should not consider something to be
unclean if it isn’t, because it only adds to your list of things that are
off limits. God’s
word has given us plenty to avoid without adding things to the list
that will not make us better people if we refrain from them.
(5c)
Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause
>>
Disciples finish the course –
These verses go with verse 8. If they cannot talk us out of the existence of
God, nor condemn us for our freedom in Christ, nor place us under bondage to
idolatry or penance, then they will have run
through their short list of devices to place us under bondage, and we who avoid
them will
have escaped their trap.
(161k) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Satan’s
attitude determines our direction >> Carried
Away >> Carried away by religion --
These verses go with verse 8
(164g) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> The world
system >> Satan’s system of authority >>
His elementary principles of the world -- These verses go with verses
8-10
(166c) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the
world >> Man’s wisdom excuses his sinful
nature >> Man’s wisdom wants to earn his
ticket to heaven –
On TV we have seen people from third-world countries performing rituals,
parading down the street whipping their backs bloody. Whoever whipped
himself the hardest and drew the most blood was the winner. Of course
this was part of a religious ceremony, and so there was theology behind what
they were doing, and they also got the prettiest girl in the tribe. In terms
of their religion, they believed that bloodying themselves would bring them
closer to God. There was obviously a matter of physical trauma that the
person experienced, which no doubt put him in an unusual state of mind that
one encounters during times of great distress. Those are the times we call
on God, and we seem to feel His presence a little closer. During an actual
distress God may be there to help, but when we create the distress
artificially and mutilate our own bodies in hope of appealing to God, we do
not impress Him. God would say to them what Jesus said to those who loved
the approval of men, “Truly I say to you, they have their reward in
full” (Mat 6-2). Beyond achieving the approval of men, their reward was to
scar up their bodies and lose a pint of blood, but as for impressing God
they fell short of it.
(170f) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Outward
appearance >> Temporary >>
Whatever is temporary will perish
(171g) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Outward
appearance >> Decorating the outside to
simulate the inside >> Playing the part to be
accepted by God
(173f) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >>
Unholy sacrifice >> Offering sacrifice without
God’s approval >> Sacrifice against the word
of God –
Jesus’ obedience meant far more to His Father than had Jesus come on His
own initiative. Obedience means something to God; it means we have subjected
our will to His authority. That matters to Him, because He is the final
authority of all creation. For us to willingly submit to Him and do His will
is better than giving Him something He doesn’t want. Our greatest gift to
Him is to submit to His sovereignty, and our greatest showing of submission
is to obey His specific will. Most Christians would say we have God’s
favor because we believe in His Son. We believe in His sacrifice on the
cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and by that we have His favor. It
took only a couple moments to get saved, so now what do we do with the rest
of our lives? We talk about being good and kind and bearing the fruit of the
Spirit; this is the general will of God, but there is also His specific will
that Jesus called the narrow way or the trail of good works. It seems people
don’t believe the specific will of God even exists; it is not particularly
preached, and there are few studies in the Scriptures about it.
(174d) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Form of
godliness >> Self righteousness >>
Trying to please God by your own good works –
How many times have we heard people say they wished they knew their calling
from God? It seems the only person who knows his calling is the pastor, and
not all of them should be in the pulpit. To discover our purpose and do it
is the essence of manifesting Christianity in the world. Those who fit the
description of this verse don’t know how to please God, and so they pick
something as it were at random. What exactly is the will of God? Many
Christians stumble through life not knowing their calling, and at the end of
their lives when they meet God, He will tell them what He wanted them to do
and then contrast that with what they did instead. What they did bore some
fruit, but what God wanted them to do would have been far more fruitful and
beneficial to far more people. It would have been a perfect fit for them.
The Christian will say, ‘I asked you to reveal my calling and I never got
an answer.’ What should we do when we get lost in the woods, continue
aimlessly wandering getting more lost? No, the advice is to sit down.
Don’t go anywhere until either someone finds us or until we correctly
figure the direction we should go. Wandering in the woods is no different
from picking up the nearest good work and passing it off as God’s specific
will.
(185a) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Abusing the grace
of God >> Dragging God’s Grace Through The
Mud >> Operating His grace through religion
(190d) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>> Separation from the old man >>
Masochism (Self-made martyr)
>> Self-afflictions that are against the will of God --
These verses go with verse 18
(195b) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Serving two masters >>
You can only serve one at a time
(197c) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >>
Spiritual laziness >> Rebelling against where
God wants you to go >> Refuse to walk in
freedom
KJV
NAS
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Col 2-23
(159e) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >>
Counterfeit godliness >> Counterfeit repentance –
People throughout the ages have come to the misconception that destroying
something valuable to them appeals to God, but He is not impressed with our
self-imposed sacrifices for one crucial reason: we invented the idea on our own;
that is, we did not offer the sacrifice through obedience. Offering sacrifice to
God on our own volition is like giving a birthday present to someone without
knowing what they wanted; the more money we spend, the more we expect them to
like the gift, but money doesn’t guarantee happiness. More people like to give
surprises than those who like to receive them. What we should have done was ask
the person what he wanted for his birthday, so when we get it for him, we are
sure to receive his approval. In the same way, if we ask God what He wants us to
do and do it, we are are sure to receive His approval, as it is written, “To
obey is better than sacrifice” (1Samuel 15-22).
(173e) Unholy Sacrifice
(Key verse)
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