Colossians 2. New Identity, Deep Roots – Part 6
February 10, 2019
Colossians 1 – New Identity, Deep Roots – Part 6
What would you do with $425 million? I realize that’s a very specific amount-but what’s the first thing you would go out and buy with that kind of money? Turn to the person next to you and answer that question. What did you come up with? Vacation home? A new boat? I’ll be honest, I would start off with a new pair of socks everyday. There’s something great about that-the feel of a brand new, unused sock when you put it on-makes the whole day better! But the reason I bring this up is back on January 2nd of this year Monica and I both got text messages from family and friends asking if we’d won the Mega Millions lottery because the winning ticket was purchased on Long Island. It was actually bought at Brookville Auto Service Center in Glen Head and the winning amount was $425 million. But what I love about the text messages was like what if it would have been true-Oh yeah-we did win $425 million-totally forgot to mention that-thanks for asking-just slipped my mind. Should be a good start to 2019 for us-how are you? Obviously if you win $425 million you’re letting everybody know! Of course you have to play the lottery to win the lottery-which Monica and I don’t. Although someone did give me a lottery ticket for my birthday this past year and I won $6! So I’m looking forward to cashing that in and going to Starbucks to spend it and drink my winning cup of coffee! But $425 million was the 8th largest jackpot in US history and the article said the odds of winning are 300,000,000 to 1. But maybe that 1 could have been you. Yet riches are always that elusive dream. It’s easy to think-everything will be better in my life, no more bills to pay, or financial problems to worry about, I can get everything I want, make my family happy, everybody will love me-it’ll be great. But statistics show that more often than not lottery winners don’t end up happier but instead more miserable than before-whether bankrupt, divorced, sued, lonely, or even dead. In fact, the article concluded by saying-Be careful what you wish for because the lottery is a two-edged sword. Riches might not bring all you hope they’ll bring. And that’s an interesting insight because I think many of us say-I’ll take the riches and determine that for myself! But the reason I bring up riches this morning is because it’s the very idea that Paul is laboring to communicate in Colossians 2.
Open up your Bibles and turn there this morning. We’ve finally made it into Colossians 2-and Paul starts off saying something very similar to the way he ended chapter 1. He says in 2:1-and when he says that it doesn’t mean that Paul is struggling to like them or get along with them. I’m sure we’ve all had the teacher in school who struggled to connect with the class and it felt like a battle. That’s not what Paul means when he says struggling. Look back at 1:29 from last week-then 2:1. So what is Paul’s great struggle? And as an aside, you’ll notice that while this letter was written to the church in Colosse, he’s also mentioned the church in Laodiccea. The idea is that this letter would have been sent onward to there also and read aloud to that congregation. So why is Paul struggling so much for these two churches? He’s struggling, he’s striving, he’s praying so earnestly and laboring so hard to for them to experience what he’s going to say in the next verse-this is the purpose right here-v. 2a. There’s that word-riches. If you have the NIV it says full riches. And certainly from what we said earlier $425 million might sound like full riches-but Paul has something else in mind-listen to how he continues-Col 2:2b. Paul’s overwhelming desire and focus as he writes this letter is for the people of Colosse, and Laodicea, to know the riches-not of money-but of Christ. And to really know it. Not to be foggy about or vaguely aware or slightly introduced, but to have complete understanding and assurance of the riches of Christ. In fact, this is the second time Paul’s used that word in conjunction with Christ-look back at 1:27. So all three of these words are used together very intentionally-the great mystery that we ought to know are the riches which are found in Christ. That’s what it’s all about-a person, Christ. The mystery, meaning the revealed answer you’re looking for, points to Him. As Paul said in v. 28-Him we proclaim. Paul wants the people to know that this thing called Christianity isn’t about rules and regulations, it isn’t about looking good to others or behaving right or doing enough good deeds, it’s not about having the right upbringing or coming from a good background. Paul wants the people to know that this Christianity-thing isn’t about themselves at all, it’s about a relationship with Christ-because in Him we’re filled with all the riches we’ll ever need-v. 2. Paul is boldly saying that all riches we’re after or could ever imagine are found in Christ. This is exactly what he told the people in the church of Ephesus-Eph 3:8. Here Paul is communicating to these Gentile churches in Ephesus, in Colosse and Laodicea saying I’m not here to preach a bunch of dry, dull sermons, I’m talking about something absolutely incredible and life-altering. The unsearchable, unending, bottomless riches of knowing Christ-and that’s available to you now. The mystery’s revealed, the riches can be found!
So what exactly does that mean? What are these riches? Because let’s be honest, this isn’t talking about a big pile of cash or a new boat. As we all know the word riches can be defined as a large amount of financial possessions-but it can also be defined as an abundant supply. And that’s what Paul is talking about here when he speaks of the riches in Christ-an abundant supply of all that we need in Christ. If you look back at Col 2 he spells it out quite clearly-v. 2-3. Isn’t that such a great word-treasures! As a little kid I loved pirates-I remember having several pirate themed birthday parties-and when we took a family vacation to DisneyWorld my favorite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean and I bought a pirate hat and a pirate sword and some old looking pirate maps-because what’s the whole point of being a pirate? What are pirates after? Treasure-whether it’s treasure on a ship they want to plunder or buried treasure they want to find on shore where obviously X marks the spot. Maps should have been a bit more cryptic so that it wasn’t so obvious to the pirates that the treasure is where the X is! Who was making these maps? Let’s put a big X on this map-no one will figure out what that means-our treasure will stay hidden! But this verse is telling us that X does mark the spot-because the place where the real treasure is found is Christ. That He’s the treasure chest we’re opening and peering into to see what’s inside. Or if you remember that 80’s movie The Goonies where they finally come to the big room in the cave with the pirate ship and all the treasure glittering and sparkling-that’s Christ. He Himself is the treasure that we’re seeking. And what’s so great about this verse is how it contains that extremely important word, all. If you mark in your Bibles underline that word. It’s ironic, all is such a little word yet it means something so big and all-encompassing. We’ve come across it multiple times already in Col 1:11; 16-17; 19. And if that’s who Christ is-the One who’s made all things and in whom the all the fullness of God dwells-then in Him is where we find all the wisdom we could ever need. In Him we discover all the knowledge worth having, all that we could ever need to know or desire to know is found in Christ. All the insight; all the joy, all the hope and peace, all the treasures you’ll ever need are found in Christ. That’s Pt1:All that we’ll ever need we have in Christ.
That’s the essence of what Paul is saying, that’s the great truth he’s driving home. You don’t have to look any further or search any longer or try any harder, all the answers you’re seeking are found in Christ. And we only have to start glancing at a few verses to see all the richness of the spiritual blessings we have in Him-Rom 5:1,8:1; 1 Cor 15:22; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:32; Eph 1:3; Phil 4:19. How all-encompassing is that! What did Christ leave out? All your needs, all hope, all wisdom, all knowledge-because what greater wisdom or knowledge could you have than knowing of the forgiveness, reconciliation, salvation, and eternal life in Christ? There’s nothing more important or essential than that. Speaking of buried treasure, here’s some colorized pictures from King Tut’s tomb that was unearthed in 1922 King Tut pics. The Egyptians buried him with all this treasure so that in the afterlife he could use all this stuff. There’s chariots, throwing sticks, pottery, a fan, a royal headrest, even boardgames in there for King Tut to use. The problem is that we know you can’t take any of that stuff with you into the afterlife. None of that treasure does him any good. After he’s dead, King Tut can’t do anything with it-so all it did was sit and collect dust over thousands of years until archeologists discovered it. A classic example of buried treasure that just sits there. And isn’t that what we do too? Maybe not bury ourselves with lots of treasure-but we collect it over the years, set our hearts on it, long for earthly treasure or amassing earthly knowledge. You can be an expert in everything from the stock market to science to agriculture to politics to architecture-but all that knowledge stops at the grave. All the treasure we collect in our lives just grows dusty and old after we’re gone. It goes no further than right here. The treasure is useless after death-but knowing Christ and all His wisdom and riches lasts forever. The knowledge of Christ has eternal, never-ending ramifications. There’s nothing that you need that He’s forgotten, there’s nothing He hasn’t covered. Everything is taken care of-from forgiveness to salvation to His daily grace and mercy to the hope and promised of eternal life with Him. Back to Pt1.
Do you believe that? Do you believe what this verse is saying? Over and over in Colossians we’ve asked that question because there’s been so many of these unbelievable, earth-shaking verses we’re called to believe-and this one is no exception-in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I like what one author says, Treasure, 14. Isn’t that so true? What keeps you from resting in Christ as the one who’s supremely valuable? I ask myself that question because, if I’m honest, much of my life is spent trying to look elsewhere than to Christ for my treasure. Or I’m trying to look for wisdom from other people, knowledge from other places. I’m trying to find my treasures in other things, to have my needs met by other means-and Colossians is telling me don’t. Stop looking elsewhere, stop searching for other things, stop being filled with anxiety or worry and instead be fully satisfied in the riches of Christ. What would your life look like if you actually believed this verse in the depth of your soul? Sure it’s easy to say you believe it-but how would your life be different if you truly believed that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge? How would your attitude and outlook be changed if you truly understood that in Christ you have everything you’ll ever need? You could you stop being filled with frustration and discouragement when this world lets you down because it always will. You could stop putting the burden on other people to meet your needs because you know they weren’t supposed to anyway. You could stop trying to make this earthly life your perfect paradise because you know that in Christ there’s so much more in store for you. You could you stop being consumed with discontentment because you know that all your needs are perfectly satisfied by the riches of Christ. Just as Paul was instructing the church in Colosse to understand that-so we as a church today need to understand that-v. 2-3-that our hearts…-and then listen to v. 4.
We deal with two opposing forces in our lives. On the one side is the truth of what Colossians is saying all the wisdom of the riches of Christ; but the other side is the wisdom of the world that constantly bombards us. And those two things don’t fit together very well. The wisdom of the world runs counter to the wisdom of Christ. The ancient Egyptians said get buried with your treasure so you can enjoy it in the afterlife. The world today says-find your treasure now, get all you can, you only live once, if it feels good do it, don’t deny your heart, follow your dreams, do what makes you happy. The wisdom of the world says that only you can make yourself happy. And we hear it all the time from the books we read to the television shows we watch to the people we talk to and interact with. The wisdom of the world is all about man, it’s about self-if you desire it, you should have it; if you can dream it, you can do it. Now there’s nothing wrong with having high aspirations-but where the wisdom of the world falls short is trusting in the power and ability of man. And you only have to look at yourself and the people you know to remember how prone to failure and mistakes mankind is. Wisdom sourced in yourself will never work no matter how much you might hope or try. How many times have you let yourself down or let others down? How many times have you wished you wouldn’t have listened to yourself or followed your own desires-that have now gotten you into trouble? Wisdom in man isn’t the answer, which is why the wisdom of the gospel looks beyond man to someone else, to the wisdom and person of Christ. Look at 1 Cor 2:1-2; 5. What a great statement!
But here’s the rub-the world doesn’t want to look to Christ. Sure the world might talk about God and how God watches over us and helps us-but when we start to speak about Christ, about Jesus, the world wants very little to do with Him. And that’s because Jesus is the Savior-and if you need a Savior it means you need saving and if you need saving it means you’ve made mistakes and messed up, and that means you’re a fallen sinner-and to admit that fact takes humility and surrender-and the world wants nothing to do with humility and surrender, so the world finds Jesus rather offensive. The person of Jesus shatters our pride and highlights our total inability to fix and save ourselves. The world says-You don’t need Jesus. He’s some ancient, robe-wearing bearded guy from a long time ago. How’s he going to help you? Believe in something you can see and touch. Jesus is just a crutch for the weak; someone to make simple-minded people feel better. But we’re smarter and more educated. Which is exactly how the false teachers at Colosse thought of themselves in their smooth sounding arguments-v. 4. The false teachers claimed to possess a secret wisdom and transcendent knowledge only available to the spiritual elite. They were basically denying the humanity of Jesus and saying that He was some sort of spiritual being, not actual flesh and blood, therefore He couldn’t be the Savior. In their wisdom salvation required believing in some higher, more educated, special knowledge. They were steering people away from faith in Jesus into some other direction entirely-and Paul was saying Don’t believe them. Their words, their wisdom may make some points that sound valid or good, you may be tempted to buy into their thinking and fall for it-but don’t. Stand confident in the wisdom of Christ and look no further than Him. This is why Paul is being so straightforward and clear in v. 3. Everything you need for salvation, for strength in this life and hope for what’s to come is found in Christ-v. 4. He was telling them to fix their eyes, to center their thoughts, on Jesus.
And that’s exactly what this verse is telling us today too. Even though we aren’t listening to the false teachers of Colosse, there’s a lot of false wisdom in the word that sounds good, it sounds plausible-follow your heart and you can’t go wrong. And we think-Yeah, maybe that’s true. Maybe that is the answer I’m seeking-just let me heart lead me. But this verse is telling us not to be deceived or deluded by it-because we know that Christ is the only true wisdom we need, the only one we’re called to follow. Look ahead at v. 8. We’ve all heard the phrase-people are saying-or they say. And the world-they-says a lot-try your best, do what feels right, follow your heart-but that’s human tradition and not according to Christ.
So Pt 2:We don’t need to be swayed at all by what the world says. You don’t. People might argue with you, they may try to convince you that this whole Christianity thing is wrong, it’s just a myth, you’re mistaken or foolishly being led by blind faith. You may have family members who ridicule your beliefs, who make fun of you or think you’re naïve or simple-minded or crazy for following Jesus. That the world is advanced in it’s thinking and moved on and you should too. But you don’t need to be deluded or swayed by what they say, you don’t need to feel ashamed of Christ or try to hide your beliefs. This passage is telling you to have confidence, to rest securely in the riches of Christ, because that’s the hidden wisdom of God that’s now been revealed. Christ is the answer that everyone’s been looking for-so you don’t have to search high and low anymore. The world is always looking, always searching for the next answer, the newest philosophy or idea or trend, always trying to explain Jesus and the gospel away. But I love how CS Lewis addressed the issue of the world’s wisdom in his book The Abolition of Man-You cannot go on ‘explaining away’ forever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on ‘seeing through’ things forever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. And of course what he’s referring to is Christ-and that all roads and all reality points to Him. Back to 1:17, 18b. You don’t have to keep looking, explaining, wondering or searching-because your search ends with Him, the One who is preeminent in the universe. Don’t let the world’s wisdom take you down a rabbit trail, for that’s exactly what it is, a bottomless rabbit trail. Instead you can stand firm on the truth of Christ-which is how Paul encourages us-v. 5.
Not deluded or deceived or swayed or weighing different options, but firm in Christ. I love that word-firm-meaning solid, steady, not subject to change, steadfast and ongoing. When he says-your good order and firm faith-Paul is using military language describing soldiers in a solid rank drawn up for battle together. That’s the kind of faith we’re called to have. Not bouncing between various ideas or caving in when the world comes up with some new philosophy-but firm in Christ. Paul is rejoicing that the Colossians were firm in their faith, but how about you and me? Would you call your faith firm? Is it steady and constant-or does it shift a lot? Is it up and down, more often dictated by your mood and emotions? Are you easily swayed by what the world tells you? I think a lot of us have rollercoaster faith-do you feel like that-up and down? But God’s Word is telling us to have railroad track faith-steady and smooth.
And here’s why-rollercoaster faith happens when we base our Christian lives upon ourselves-as we often do. If we’re doing good, if we’ve had enough devotions, and not done anything too bad or made too many mistakes we’re on a spiritual high and feeling good. But the moment we stumble or sin or start struggling or neglect to do our devotions-then doubts overtake us, fear and anxiety threaten to undo us and we’re in a spiritual low, sort of a Christian funk where we might even start questioning our faith. I’m sure we’ve all been there-and the problem with rollercoaster faith is that we’re putting our faith in our efforts, our performance, we’re putting our faith in how good of a Christian we can be. And that sure sounds a lot like the world’s wisdom-trusting in the power and ability of man. So Pt3:Our faith is not in how good of a Christian we are, but in how great of Savior Christ is. That is a massive difference-the difference between roller coaster faith that based on ourselves and always up and down-versus railroad track faith that is steady and smooth because it’s based on Christ. But that’s the mistake we make all the time. We can so easily let the world’s wisdom creep back into our thinking where we put all the burden of our Christian lives upon ourselves, upon our shoulders, we try to earn God’s favor-because the world says-You get what you deserve. You scratch my back I’ll scratch yours-meaning-You better be doing your part and then God will do His, but if you don’t hold up your end of the deal, don’t expect God to hold up His end. And the moment we stumble and drop the ball, which inevitably happens, we feel like miserable failed Christians. Have you been there before? We put our faith in ourselves and our performance because that’s the thinking that’s all around us-and we constantly buy into it and live that way. But that’s not what the gospel says-v. 4-5. He is where your faith is centered. He’s the one who accomplished it all-for He was the one who led a perfectly sinless life, not you. He was the one who perfectly obeyed God by going to the Cross, not you. He was the one who suffered and died for your sins, not you. And He has secured your forgiveness and salvation through His resurrection, you didn’t earn it. You have peace with God and eternal life, not because of you or your performance, but because of Him. Faith means you’re looking above and beyond yourself-you’re looking to Christ who can save you-Pt3.
I don’t know about you but last Sunday I had no doubt that the Patriots were going to win the Super Bowl. Even when it was this miserable 3-3 tied game, I knew the Rams didn’t stand a chance and the Patriots would win. I had complete faith in the Patriots-why? Because of Belichick, Brady, Gronkowski and Julian Edelman who has an awesome beard. These guys have been there, they know what they’re doing, they know how to win, the best in the NFL. Who did the Rams have-some guys named Goff and Gurley. I had firm faith in the Patriots to win the Super Bowl because that’s what they do. But even with a dynasty like that-losing is a possibility. My faith in them can be firm-but it can’t be 100% firm. With Christ-my faith in Him can be 100% firm-because even though the Patriots could fail to win the Superbowl (as unlikely as that might be) Christ will never fail to save those who come to Him in faith. Your faith in Christ can be absolutely firm, solid as granite, hard as a rock-because He is the Rock upon which we stand. He is the One who has accomplished what we never could-and gave up His life so that we could experience Him as the supreme treasure our hearts are searching for. This morning, I encourage you to stop evaluating or measuring your faith based on you. Stop listening to the arguments of the world that say it’s all on your shoulders, all about your performance and if you’re being a good Christian. Silence that thinking-and rejoice in the fact that it’s all about how great Christ is and what He’s already done for us at the Cross. Might Paul’s prayer for the church in Colosse be true for us here at Dix Hills Church-v. 2-3.
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