COLOSSIANS 2:8-23 NASB

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. 9 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; 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; 12 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, 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. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. 16 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. 18 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. 20 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.

The apostle Paul declared that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ (Col. 2:3). Peter declared that everything pertaining to life and godliness is found in Christ (2 Pet. 1:3).  The testimony of the apostles is clear: LOOK TO CHRIST ALONE FOR SALVATION!

Does everyone agree with their testimony? No. From the earliest days of Christianity there have been individuals and groups, even those who claim to follow Jesus, who doubted the all-sufficiency of Jesus. They have even promoted philosophies and practices that try to convince true believers to doubt that Jesus is enough to reconcile sinners to God. 

The Colossian church was being threatened by such philosphies and practices. When Paul wrote his letter to them, he warned them to beware of four dangers.

1. Beware of those who claim to have knowledge and wisdom that is higher than Christ alone: 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)

2. Beware of those who claim that submission to external rules and regulations is necessary to be truly acceptable to God: 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-- things which are a [mere] shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. (Col. 2:16-17)

3. Beware of those who claim to recieve phenomenal spiritual experiences, such as visions of angels or heaven: 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, 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)

4. Beware of those who claim that salvation is achieved through harsh self-denial: 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, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" (which all [refer] [to] things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? 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)

It should not surprise us that these philosohies and practices are still threatening true believers. You may have encountred a philosophy that claims that all people will be welcomed to heaven, even if they never trusted Jesus as savior. You may have felt pressured by so-called "elite Christians" to submit to their traditions and preferences in order to be considered a "real" believer. You may have read a book of someone who claimed to visit heaven or heard about visions of angels and thought to yourself, "I must not be doing something right; God never speaks in ways like that to me." You may have even tried a very restrictive diet, hoping to achieve a deeper closeness with God, because it was promoted by a very influencial pastor. Philosophies and practices like these will always leave you empty. 

Paul was concerned that some of the Colossian believers were in danger of doubting Christ, so he provided them with a wonderful description of Jesus. This description should encourage us to trust that Jesus is all we need.

Description #1: Jesus is truly divine and has all wisdom and power: For 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. (Col. 2:9-10)

Description #2: Jesus gives you new life by cutting away your sin-dominated "body of flesh" and raisining you from the dead: 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; 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 (Col. 11-12)

Description #3: Jesus erased your sin debt by paying it in full on the cross: 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, 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. 2:13-14)

Description #4: Jesus has defeated your #1 enemy, Satan: When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (Col. 2:15)

When you encounter philosophies and practices that threaten your faith in Jesus, meditate on this portrait of Jesus and you will see that He is all you need!

HOW CAN YOU USE THIS SERMON REVIEW?
1. Parents, gather your family together for an evening devotion and study these descriptions of Jesus.
2. Meditate on one description of Jesus each morning and thank God for sending His Son to save you. 
3. Make time to visist with someone who doesn't know Jesus. Share these four descriptions with them.