The Word of Truth.

Steve Gentry

[0:09] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. [0:10] Welcome to Village Church. [0:11] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve, one of the pastors here at Village [0:14] Church. [0:14] And as always, I’m thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:18] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to Colossians chapter one.

[0:21] We’re going to be starting in verse one today. [0:24] I’m very excited to start the book of Colossians with you today. [0:27] Colossians is a book that is steeped in the gospel of Jesus Christ in it and [0:33] throughout its pages. [0:34] Paul writes to a church that is in a culture that is predominantly Gentile, but still [0:39] has a large community of Jews that had settled there.

[0:42] And so the church is filled with people from different backgrounds, with differing cultures [0:46] and different philosophies. [0:48] But they also were surrounded by that reality to where there were pressures for these believers [0:53] to kind of equivocate on the gospel, to introduce false doctrine, accept false teaching in their [0:59] lives and also deal with the reality of being a Christian and a non-Christian culture every [1:04] day of their lives.

[1:05] And so because of that, Paul sent them this letter to defend the purity of the gospel, [1:10] as well as to help them know what it is that they were going to be engaging the surrounding [1:15] culture with and for. [1:17] You know, one of the difficulties of discipleship is that there’s a necessity for you to [1:22] grow in what you believe, but also seek to apply it to every day of your life. [1:28] But it also brings the extra responsibility that every believer has to spread the good

[1:33] news of Jesus Christ to the people in the culture around you. [1:37] And in doing that, you will inevitably, inevitably, if I can speak, inevitably be encountering [1:44] false doctrines in the culture where you’re going to have to defend your faith against [1:48] people that believe lies that have been taught to them sometimes from childhood. [1:53] And so Paul sets the tone in the entire book, really with the first eight verses of the [1:58] text.

[1:59] And in it, he focuses on celebrating God’s work in their lives through the gospel, but [2:04] also focuses on the potential pitfalls that they’re going to have in their discipleship, [2:09] but also the potential that they will have if they stay faithful to the gospel as delivered [2:15] through Jesus Christ and the teachings of the apostles. [2:17] And so there’s pressure in this church to mix with pagan philosophies and also pressure [2:23] to kind of introduce aspects of the Mosaic law from the Jews that were surrounding them

[2:28] as well. [2:29] And they were trying to tell the Christians, you have Jesus, that’s great, but you also [2:33] need to be circumcised. [2:34] You also need to practice the Jewish festivals. [2:37] You also need to practice the Sabbath. [2:39] You also need to seek after the ceremonial aspects of the law in your lives.

[2:45] And so what I hope you see throughout the chapters of this book is that Paul instructs [2:49] them with authority, but also urges them to keep pressing forward to grow in their faith [2:56] and reject false doctrine. [2:59] And so I want to begin reading in just the first two verses. [3:02] Verse one says Paul, that’s who wrote it. [3:06] Enough of that.

[3:07] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints [3:14] and faithful brothers in the church at Colossae, grace to you and peace from God our Father. [3:20] Now immediately what I hope you see is that Paul begins this letter, much like he begins [3:25] every letter with an introduction of himself, but included in that introduction, as well [3:30] as in other letters that Paul wrote to New Testament churches, is the phrase that he [3:35] is an apostle of Christ Jesus, but also that he is an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will

[3:41] of God. [3:42] And what really he’s focusing on here and what he’s going to deliver to them is, number [3:46] one, this morning, that scripture is delivered in unparalleled authority. [3:51] Scripture is delivered with unparalleled authority. [3:54] When Paul speaks of the authority by which he gives that, he’s not just telling them [3:58] he’s an apostle so that he can give them a resume so they will know who he is.

[4:02] No, rather, he’s telling them of his apostleship. [4:05] He’s also telling them the source of his apostleship so that they will understand the authority [4:10] by which he’s going to deliver the words of this letter to them. [4:14] He wants them to know that the source of the message is not him. [4:19] The ultimate source of this message is God himself. [4:22] This is not an unimportant thing.

[4:25] His apostleship is vital. [4:28] I hope that you understand that this is not an office that exists in our era because [4:32] it required both a personal encounter with the risen Jesus, as well as a direct appointment [4:38] from Christ to this office of authority. [4:41] That is what Paul means when he states that he is an apostle by the will of God. [4:46] And so if you meet anybody in our era that introduces themselves as an apostle, immediately

[4:52] you know that’s a false teacher. [4:54] Immediately you know that is someone that is not going to teach the truth of scripture, [4:58] but rather is going to teach you a host of lies because the office of apostles simply [5:03] does not exist in our era because we cannot have the qualifications that people like Paul [5:08] and the other apostles had. [5:11] And so reject the teaching of anyone that identifies themselves as an apostle.

[5:16] This is also not a position that any of the apostles lobbied for, nor did they apply [5:22] for this position as if it was a job that they could seek. [5:25] And in the book of 1 Timothy, Paul actually introduces himself in a subject matter by [5:30] saying that his apostleship is by the command of Jesus. [5:35] Why does that matter? [5:36] Once we get into the sections of the book where Paul is actually fighting the specific

[5:42] the specific false doctrines that he covers in this book, we must remember that he is [5:47] not giving them his opinion about these matters, that Paul is not giving them an option that [5:54] the church can then gather and vote on to see whose teaching they’re actually going [5:58] to follow. [5:59] Paul is not looking at them and saying this is a good option among many about how you [6:04] are to view the truth of Jesus Christ.

[6:06] No, Paul introduces himself as an apostle by the will of God to let them know that [6:11] what I say in this book is from God. [6:14] And if you differ on what I teach in this book, not only are you wrong, but you are [6:19] believing and propagating lies and you are rebelling against the God from whom this message [6:25] is coming from. [6:27] And so Paul is being very aggressive in the way that he is dealing with a false teaching

[6:31] of that day. [6:32] And he is telling them that if they reject the words that he’s sending in this letter [6:36] to the church at Colossae, then they find themselves in opposition to God. [6:41] And that is obviously sin. [6:44] Anything contrary to what the apostle writes in this book is simply false. [6:49] He introduces himself this way to wield the authority and it is the very authority of

[6:56] God’s word. [6:58] That is what we have in scripture. [7:00] We don’t have options for our belief. [7:03] We don’t have things that are good for our religious lives. [7:07] We don’t have little nuggets of inspiration for our souls so that we can be more spiritual. [7:12] Now, when we look at the 66 books of the Bible, we have objective truth.

[7:19] We have absolute authority for our lives. [7:22] We have the sufficient word from God by which we can test every doctrine that exists in [7:29] this world. [7:29] And if it is found to not line up with scripture, it is simply false. [7:36] It is against God. [7:38] The source of the Bible is God.

[7:41] In 1 Peter 2, excuse me, 1 20, the apostle Peter puts it this way. [7:45] He says, knowing this, first of all, no prophecy of scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. [7:52] So this isn’t just a speech that Paul wrote and he’s delivering to them and saying, hey, [7:57] since I’m in charge, hey, since I have influence, hey, since I have more experience in Christianity [8:06] than you have, hey, since I’ve made more disciples than you’ve made, all of that may have been [8:12] true.

[8:13] But none of it has anything to do with why the words of the book of Colossians are true [8:18] or why the words of any New Testament book are true or why the words of any Old Testament [8:23] book are true. [8:24] Paul is leveraging his position to tell them this is from the very inspiration of God. [8:32] This carries the authority of God’s word. [8:35] This is what you need.

[8:37] This is sufficient. [8:38] This is not my interpretation of what God says. [8:42] This is what God says. [8:44] And that is why when you come to God’s word, your opinions ultimately don’t matter. [8:50] That is why when you come to God’s word, your emotions don’t come into play. [8:55] That is why when you come to God’s word, your opinions, your personality, your emotions,

[8:59] your feelings, your mental well-being, your IQ level, how smart you think you are, how [9:05] dumb you think you are, how proficient you think you are, or how lacking you think you [9:10] are, how much authority you think you have with people or the lack of authority you assume [9:14] you have with people. [9:15] None of that factors into the word of God. [9:17] All the factors into the word of God is that it is the authority of God in our lives.

[9:24] And anywhere where I do not measure up to the word of God, I must change. [9:34] So if my opinion does not match this book, my opinion needs to change.

[9:42] The more important factor for our context, if my emotions do not line up with Scripture, [9:52] my emotions must change. [9:55] I was in a discipleship relationship many, many years ago and I was speaking to a young [10:00] man and he told me it’s impossible for my personality to change, for me to become the [10:05] man that God wants me to have. [10:06] And I looked at him and I said, that would be devastating if it were true.

[10:12] But so many of you think that your emotions can’t change, your personality can’t change, [10:18] your feelings can’t change. [10:20] Friends, when you came to faith in Jesus Christ, you received the power of the Holy Spirit, [10:24] you have no idea of the potential of change that you have. [10:28] If God says it in his word, that literally means not only can you change, but you must. [10:37] You must turn from your sin.

[10:40] You must align with the word of God or you are not being faithful to it. [10:46] You are not giving it authority. [10:48] The false teaching that is threatening this church is actually from the background of [10:52] both the Greeks and the Jews that were in this church. [10:55] The Greeks loved philosophy and because of that, they thought that the gospel was too [11:00] simple.

[11:01] If you ever talk to people who love philosophy, everything is too simple. [11:06] They overcomplicate everything for you. [11:10] And so the Greeks looked at it and said, oh, no, the gospel is too simple. [11:13] So they were tempted towards a belief that since God is good and if God is separate from [11:18] this world, then the physical world must necessarily be bad. [11:22] So anything material is bad.

[11:25] Since material is bad and Jesus was a human being, well, then he couldn’t have been God. [11:31] But then they also thought the contradictory statement to that, that since Jesus was divine, [11:37] he also couldn’t be a human being since being a human is evil. [11:40] Therefore, the result was that Jesus simply couldn’t have been the Savior. [11:44] And so we’re looking to change the Christian message to match Greek philosophy. [11:49] The other false teaching was from the Jewish element in the church, as I mentioned,

[11:53] and they thought you must be circumcised in order to really have the righteousness of [11:58] Christ. [11:58] And so they were looking at all of the Gentile men who were in the church at Colossae and [12:03] saying, oh, you believe in Jesus? [12:05] Fantastic. [12:06] I’ve got a knife.

[12:07] Let’s make this thing official. [12:09] All right. [12:09] That’s bad news. [12:11] All right. [12:12] I wouldn’t join that church. [12:13] I’m just saying.

[12:14] I’m just saying. [12:16] All right. [12:17] But they also wanted them to follow the dietary laws. [12:20] They also wanted them to follow Holy Days such as the Sabbath, such as festivals, [12:24] such as the new moon in order for them to be able to say they were truly saved. [12:30] And so what the apostle Paul is doing is he’s telling the Colossians,

[12:33] you must defend the gospel against both of these assaults on the gospel. [12:38] He’s giving them the very truth of God because he’s an apostle by the will of God. [12:43] And anything that would lead them in another direction is a lie and is to be arrested, [12:48] excuse me, rejected. [12:50] What’s missing from so many in our era is the understanding [12:55] that scripture is not a truth.

[12:57] So many of us treat it as though it is a truth. [13:01] No, friends, don’t reduce it to that. [13:03] Scripture is the truth. [13:05] It’s not just true for you. [13:08] Scripture is true for everyone, whether they believe it or not. [13:11] It is binding.

[13:12] It has full authority to instruct us on everything. [13:15] And so when we choose to mix any other teaching with it [13:19] or choose something other than how scripture leads us, [13:22] then we are in fact in rebellion against God.

[13:27] Look at verse three. [13:29] He says, We always thank God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, [13:34] when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [13:39] and of the love that you have for all the saints. [13:44] He tells us two very important things in those two verses that you may just pass over very quickly [13:50] and say, Oh, that’s a really nice introduction.

[13:52] Let’s move on to the good stuff. [13:53] No, he’s giving you the good stuff right here. [13:55] Number two, this morning, understand what he’s saying is salvation is a gift of God [13:59] that demands a response of faith. [14:01] Where do we get that? [14:03] Never forget that salvation is a gift of God.

[14:06] Why is it important that in so many of Paul’s letters, he begins by thanking God? [14:13] Note that he doesn’t begin the book by looking at the Colossian church and saying, [14:18] I am thankful for you. [14:20] That’s not how he begins it. [14:21] He says, I’m thanking God for you. [14:25] He’s not looking at them and saying, man, you’re doing some great stuff.

[14:28] You’re reaching so many people. [14:29] You’re making so many disciples. [14:31] You guys are doing so well in your obedience to everything [14:34] that the apostles have taught you to do. [14:37] No, the apostle begins by thanking God because everything that is true about them [14:43] at that point, everything that they have as a church together is rooted in God

[14:48] and is not rooted to themselves. [14:52] In this verse, the apostle looks and he says, this is about the work of God for you. [14:57] This is none about what you have to offer God. [15:02] One of the overarching themes of the book that I hope that you see over the few chapters of it [15:07] is that Jesus is enough. [15:10] This is about the sufficiency of Christ, which is rooted in his lordship.

[15:16] And if he’s going to be the savior, he must be the Lord. [15:19] But since he is the Lord, he can be the savior. [15:22] What he has done is enough. [15:24] And so verses three and four contain the message of salvation. [15:27] It’s the very crux of the entire book as a whole. [15:30] He thinks God, but then note what he adds.

[15:34] Who is God? [15:35] He thinks God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. [15:40] And he says, I make mention of this when I’m praying for you. [15:44] Note that everything that he says in that short phrase [15:48] returns to God and never goes away from God. [15:52] He says, I thank God for you when I pray to God for you.

[15:57] Not only did the gospel begin their journey, [16:01] but it was only God’s strength that was going to persevere them on the journey. [16:05] Why do we thank God? [16:07] I’ll tell you why. [16:08] Because that is a worldview question. [16:11] The only reason for which you would thank God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

[16:16] is if salvation is from his hand and you didn’t do it. [16:19] The gospel is not built on the activity of man. [16:23] It is sourced from the hand of God and the plan of salvation [16:29] through the life, death, resurrection of Jesus Christ [16:33] in order to redeem sinners and reconcile them in relationship with God [16:38] is 100% dependent on him.

[16:42] If you’ll remember when we finished the book of Joshua, [16:45] a huge focus of the last two chapters of the book of Joshua [16:48] was him looking at the nation and saying, [16:50] hey, you can’t hold up your end of the bargain. [16:53] If this covenant is half God and half you, you’re all sunk. [16:58] This covenant can only depend on God because if it depends on you at all,

[17:03] you will sin, you will blow it. [17:07] Seems to be what the apostle Paul is telling us too. [17:09] We thank God because it’s all of God. [17:12] It’s 100% dependent on his hand. [17:15] It’s 0% dependent on the activity of man. [17:18] It is a one sided deal in which God does all the work

[17:23] and Christians get all of the benefits. [17:27] That is why he doesn’t begin thanking them [17:30] since they’ve measured up to God’s standard. [17:32] They hadn’t. [17:34] Everyone that believes the gospel knows that we have not measured up. [17:38] We the only thing that I bring into the equation is the need for salvation.

[17:43] The only thing that you bring into the equation is that you haven’t measured up, [17:46] which makes you dependent on God to begin with. [17:49] We bring the negative, God brings the positive, [17:51] and he gets rid of the negative all together. [17:55] So where does this Thanksgiving naturally go for the Colossian church? [17:59] Has to go to God.

[18:01] In Ephesians chapter two, I think he’s a little more theological and specific. [18:06] He says, for by grace, you have been saved through faith. [18:09] This is not of your own doing. [18:11] It’s the gift of God. [18:13] This is not a result of works. [18:14] Why?

[18:15] Because God doesn’t want you boasting about it. [18:18] God wants all the glory. [18:19] He deserves all of the glory. [18:21] He’s the only one that measures up.

[18:24] Yet it does bring an obligation, doesn’t it? [18:27] That’s the second thing that he talks about there, [18:29] because he begins by thanking God. [18:31] But then note that in verse four, he says, [18:34] since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, [18:38] as it is, it is you that has had faith.

[18:41] That is the obligation of the gospel on us. [18:43] It is faith. [18:45] God redeems us. [18:46] He’s the active participant. [18:49] And at that moment, you are regenerated. [18:52] That is what it means in Ephesians 2 10, which is the one that we often overlook,

[18:56] which is right after Ephesians 2 9. [18:59] So what it means when he says for we are his workmanship [19:02] created in Christ Jesus for good works, [19:06] which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. [19:10] That’s what it means to be created in Christ. [19:12] It’s what we mean by born again.

[19:13] This is the moment in which faith is even possible. [19:18] I want you to note that the term that he uses in Colossians 1 there for faith [19:21] is actually it has a root term in it that literally means obey. [19:27] The work of salvation, understand this, [19:30] is completely done, accomplished by God. [19:35] So all of your Thanksgiving must be in him.

[19:38] It must go to him. [19:39] The outcome of that salvation, [19:41] by definition of the terms used here, is a new life of faith [19:47] that points your obedience toward the work that God has done for you. [19:51] And so the full meaning of faith, it realigns your life [19:56] to confidently trust in the work that God has done for you.

[20:01] And then you live out that trust in your everyday life. [20:07] How do we know that? [20:08] Because of the next line. [20:10] The next line gives a unique obligation to love other Christians. [20:16] They’re created in Christ Jesus at the moment of their redemption by God. [20:21] That changes them for them to walk into works that God prepared beforehand

[20:26] for them to walk into. [20:28] Ephesians chapter two says, but then at the end of verse four, he says, [20:32] I’ve heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints. [20:39] What is the obligation that the apostle lays at their feet? [20:43] It’s twofold. [20:45] First, believe the gospel of Jesus.

[20:47] That’s why it’s good news is to be believed. [20:50] That is ultimately how this obedience starts. [20:53] It creates a confident trust, but then it obviously changes their lives [20:58] because Paul immediately talks about a realignment of their commitments. [21:04] And the realignment of their commitments here [21:06] is specifically the love that they have for all the saints.

[21:11] He’s using that as an identifier for gospel fruit in their lives [21:17] of what has changed in them is now they have a unique obligation to love other Christians. [21:25] This is a peculiar love that is not simply given to everyone. [21:29] Note, he qualifies it. [21:31] He says this is specifically towards the saints. [21:34] So they believe the gospel and it forms a community around the gospel

[21:40] where they build a peculiar love that specifically can only go [21:46] to other Christians and be received from other Christians. [21:51] This is a foundation for the work ahead in the book of Colossians to note [21:57] Paul is really starting this way by showing them the foundation [22:01] of what it is that he’s going to call them to protect later in the book. [22:07] This is about faith and just how that faith functions in community

[22:12] and how it is formed in the church so that he can then move on later in the book to say [22:17] that is the peculiar love that you have to protect from false doctrine. [22:24] You cannot mix anything in with it, but then continue reading in verse five. [22:31] He talks about the love that you have for all of the saints. [22:34] And then he says, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven of this, [22:40] you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you as indeed

[22:46] in the whole world is bearing fruit and increasing as it also does among you. [22:52] Since the day you heard it and understood the grace of truth. [22:57] I know that he talks about truth and he kind of centers on that defining truth of what they are. [23:04] And what he’s saying really is number three this morning. [23:06] The gospel is the standard of truth. [23:09] The gospel is the standard of truth.

[23:12] The gospel is the anchor of truth on which they are going to build their very lives. [23:20] So he goes to the love that they have for the church, [23:23] but then know what that love is built on. [23:24] It’s not some single solitary thing that you can create an island of and say, [23:29] we’re all about love. [23:29] No, he continues that thread of logic and he says,

[23:32] you love all of the saints because of the hope that you have. [23:37] And that hope is not disconnected from objective reality. [23:41] He says, because of the hope laid up for you, where in heaven? [23:46] That’s a peculiar type of hope, just like it’s a peculiar type of love. [23:50] It’s a hope that can only be had by Christians. [23:54] That hope is the basis for the entire Christian worldview.

[23:59] This hope is not a fairy tale. [24:01] How do we know that? [24:03] Because the apostle says specifically the hope of heaven that you have [24:07] is connected to the word of truth. [24:12] The gospel there in verse five. [24:15] Friends, our hope is not some mystical pie in the sky thing that we don’t have any basis to believe.

[24:22] No, the apostle Paul anchors it down and he anchors it deep. [24:26] And he says the love, the hope, the faith, the Thanksgiving, [24:31] all of it is anchored to what he calls the word of truth. [24:36] And then he wants to be even more specific. [24:38] He says that word of truth, you know what it is? [24:41] The gospel.

[24:43] Everything about the salvation in Jesus Christ is what you are building your life on. [24:48] That is the core of the entire book of Colossians. [24:52] As if you want to know the hinge upon which Colossians swings. [24:56] It’s the word of truth, the gospel. [24:58] He is building a case that they need to build their entire lives on that source of truth. [25:05] The gospel then is the fundamental hope of every Christian that transforms living

[25:12] because it is the lens through which the entire world is seen. [25:17] There’s nothing that the gospel does not affect. [25:21] Changes the way that I view myself. [25:24] Changes the way that I view others. [25:27] Changes the way that I view the church. [25:29] Changes the way that I view God.

[25:32] It changes the way that I interact with everyone. [25:36] Changes the way I view children. [25:37] Changes the way I view my marriage. [25:39] It changes everything about life, but only if it’s the pure gospel. [25:48] No, Paul is not simply randomly saying Christian words for feeling. [25:55] Sometimes we do that.

[25:57] Faith, hope, and love. [25:59] But then you’re hoping nobody asks you exactly what they are. [26:03] So as we just throw words out and we’re like, peace, hope, faith, love, thanksgiving. [26:09] But what the apostle Paul is doing is something deeper than just saying these words. [26:13] The apostle is actually trying to build a foundation upon which all of them mean anything. [26:18] And he’s saying that disconnected from that foundation, if you take one of the chains off,

[26:23] Thanksgiving isn’t going to make sense without the gospel. [26:26] Hope isn’t going to make sense without the gospel. [26:28] Faith certainly would make no sense without the gospel. [26:30] The love that you have for other people isn’t going to make sense without the gospel. [26:34] You’re not going to have any hope if you disconnect it from the word of truth. [26:40] That is the qualification upon which it all rests.

[26:44] In Ephesians chapter one, the apostle uses the same verbiage that he uses here in Colossians one. [26:51] He says in Jesus, in him, you also, when you heard here it is the word of truth, [26:57] the gospel of your salvation and believed in him were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. [27:04] Now, Ephesians, especially Ephesians one has a particularly more theological scope than what [27:09] his introduction here in Colossians chapter one is. [27:13] And there he spells it out and connects the dots that you might miss here if you aren’t paying

[27:18] attention to what he says. He’s saying first, the gospel is from Christ. [27:24] It is news that is heard because God accomplished it for all of us on the cross. [27:29] It is the truthful good news of our salvation that we believe in faith. [27:35] And then finally, he says, God seals it and he seals us in it through the power [27:42] of the Holy Spirit. When you make those connections, especially when you add that [27:48] sealing aspect from the end there of verse 13, you form a worldview that is closed off.

[27:55] In other words, it’s sealed by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if you add anything to it, [28:01] it’s going to pervert it. If you take anything away from it, it will reduce it, [28:10] still perverting it and making it ineffective. You’ve been sealed in this great gospel truth [28:16] that God has delivered and you have believed. And therefore it is perfect. It is holy. It is [28:24] It is the pure gospel that you must anchor your life to and refuse to accept anyone that seeks [28:33] to add to it or seeks to take away from it. It is perfect just the way it is. And if you seek

[28:40] to change any part of it, you will ruin the entire thing. But we are so tempted to believe [28:50] that it’s not sufficient. Because we don’t feel sometimes like it’s sufficient. [28:56] We don’t feel like it has done enough work. We don’t feel like we have enough potential [29:04] through faith. Our first year of marriage was interesting. Yours probably was too. You just [29:11] won’t admit it. And I was still trying to prove to my wife what I always knew. And that is that I’m [29:19] the best husband ever. I mean, I knew it. I was just trying to prove it. And so sometimes I would

[29:25] put my chef’s hat on and make her dinner. And sometimes she was thankful for it. [29:31] But all of my recipes involve stove top stuffing. I can’t explain why, [29:37] but somehow that box made its way into everything I made our first year of marriage. But [29:48] I’m going to spice it up. And sometimes I would put a little meat in, put some spices in, put a [29:55] little bit of this in, a little of that in. And the result, oh my goodness, it was great dinner. [29:59] It was delicious. But I remember one particular occasion where I went a little crazy.

[30:09] And she put a little in her mouth and then it went back on the plate.

[30:15] And she said, let’s order takeout.

[30:19] Now, I don’t know if subconsciously that was my angle all along, because I’m gonna tell you, [30:23] I didn’t get this big by not eating takeout.

[30:28] I cried myself to sleep for a week. No, just kidding. I’m a man. So I literally just [30:33] called and I forgot about it the next day. But I ruined what could have been a good dinner, [30:39] because I thought in my opinion, I could add a little something to it and make it taste any [30:44] better. And my Food Network show was canceled immediately. But I think sometimes when we get [30:52] accustomed to the truth of the gospel, sometimes when we settle into the reality and the emotional [30:58] high of being a Christian fades and we get kind of accustomed to the community and the life of the

[31:04] church and we start thinking about the gospel of Jesus Christ and we start looking at the world [31:09] around us and all of the different influences that we allow to speak into our lives. I think [31:15] for every one of us, there are moments where we are tempted to believe the gospel would be just a [31:20] little bit better if it did this for me. The gospel would be a little bit easier if I didn’t [31:29] have to change this part of my life for it or if I didn’t have to change this opinion or if I didn’t [31:34] have to repent of this sin. And when we do that, we are adding to the recipe that God has already

[31:42] perfected. And I’m telling you, the outcome of it will never be good. The outcome of it is always [31:49] a lesser gospel or the great danger is the outcome of it will not be the gospel at all. [31:58] The fact that the gospel is a closed system that we don’t add to nor do we take away from [32:05] is good news because it means that God has made it righteous. God has made it holy. God has anchored [32:15] it to truth and we simply bring faith to the equation to believe that what God has done [32:24] through Christ is already sufficient. Because the love that the apostle was talking about

[32:32] earlier only emerges from the truth. That’s why I believe Paul’s use of love in verse four [32:40] is connected to what he’s saying about the word of truth, the gospel in verse five, [32:44] because love only emerges from the truth. Friend, you cannot disconnect love from the foundation of [32:52] truth and maintain its beauty, nor can you maintain its impact. You cannot redefine love [32:58] to fit the culture around you. You cannot redefine it apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ and hope [33:05] to love anybody at all because the fact of the Christian worldview tells us that the only reason

[33:09] we know what love is at all is because of what Jesus has done on the cross. It’s superior to any [33:15] other definition. And without Christ on the cross, you cannot hope to fully give anyone [33:22] ultimate love in this life. According to Paul in first Corinthians 15, which is a chapter [33:30] filled with unraveling why the resurrection of Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation. [33:36] He even writes, he says, if the resurrection is a lie in verses three through four, he says, [33:41] we lost the whole thing because he states that the death and resurrection of Jesus

[33:45] are of what he calls first important. And that is what everything else is built upon. [33:53] And so when Paul writes that all of this is the word of truth, he is pointing to the necessity [34:00] that we have to protect the integrity of the objective reality that is the gospel of Jesus [34:09] Christ and what it forms. And so just like scripture is not a truth, friends, the gospel [34:17] is not a truth. The gospel is the truth. But here’s where it goes deeper. The gospel is the [34:27] standard of truth. The gospel is the lens through which you must know what life is about to begin

[34:38] with and without the gospel. You can’t have it. Friends, if you allow error and false doctrine [34:46] to change the gospel, you’ve lost the very lens through which we can even know what truth is, [34:54] because if you don’t have the gospel, you don’t have God. And if you don’t have God, you cannot [35:01] know truth, not in any ultimate sense of what truth means. This is so relevant to our times, [35:10] especially over the last few years. So many have sought to reshape how we view and how we apply [35:16] the gospel to our lives. And they’ve introduced competing philosophies and false doctrine even

[35:24] into the life of the church. You may look at the book of Colossians and think it’s going to be an [35:31] easy time because you’re like, well, I don’t even know anything about Greek philosophy, [35:35] so I’m not going to be tempted to alter the gospel with Greek philosophy at all. [35:40] You may look at what the Judaizers tried to do with circumcision here like that when I was a [35:45] baby. You’re like, I don’t even know what Sabbath really is. Wasn’t that Sunday? Maybe it’s Saturday. [35:51] I don’t know. You might even say I don’t pay attention to the lunar calendar. So how can I

[35:59] the matter is those are the gods that they dealt with, but we must seek to say what false gods, [36:07] what false doctrines are we dealing with? When I think about Greek philosophy, I think of the [36:13] modern pagan philosophies like postmodernism that wants us to deconstruct our faith, to doubt even [36:21] objectivity in the foundation of the gospel and preach redemption that is only possible by bringing [36:27] down the systems of power that are called the hegemony and raising up the oppressed peoples [36:33] against the power dynamics of my perceived whiteness. They say, Steve, if you want

[36:40] righteousness, you must divest of your whiteness. Friends, that’s a false gospel. [36:49] There are many that are even like the modern Judaizers. Sure, they’re not telling you you [36:55] have to be circumcised to attain righteousness, but they are telling you that you can only [37:00] attain righteousness if you by chance become an ally to the marginalized LGBTQ plus community [37:08] who want to groom your children. And if you are righteous, you won’t just accept perversion in [37:14] the culture. You will applaud it. And that is the only way by which you can attain righteousness in

[37:21] this world. Friends, if you think false doctrine can’t pervert the gospel inside of the church, [37:28] you haven’t been paying attention to what’s been happening to some trustworthy people who impacted [37:34] our faith a decade ago, but have very slowly become false teachers. The problem with some of us [37:42] is that we only have a definition of false doctrine that involves the prosperity gospel. [37:48] Yes, friends, the prosperity gospel is abominable. It’s the doctrine of demons. [37:54] But it is not the only false doctrine that we deal with. The rest are simply more subtle

[38:02] and have groomed us into a place where we’re numb to them. [38:07] You cannot love the saints like verse four says, without fighting for the truth. [38:16] It’s required. But also understand, we get a bonus round this week. [38:21] I tried so hard to do it in three points, just didn’t work out.

[38:27] The gospel is not just the standard of truth. Number four, the gospel is the primary issue of life.

[38:35] It defines what we live for. Not only must be here, but the apostle speaks and he gives a vision [38:43] that it goes out through my hands, it goes out through my feet, it goes out through my mouth. [38:47] It affects the whole world around me as much as it affects the life that God is forming inside of [38:53] me. Look back at verse six. He says this gospel, which has come to you as indeed in the whole world [38:59] is bearing fruit as it is increasing, as it also does among you since the day you heard it and [39:05] understood the grace of God here. It is again in truth, just as you learned it from a path for us,

[39:11] our beloved fellow servant, he is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf [39:17] and has made it known to us, here it is again, love in the spirit. I love the vocabulary of [39:25] these first eight verses. It is the gospel that brings increase in life. And nothing else brings [39:33] increase quite like the gospel. And he really focuses just on two areas where he wants you to [39:39] understand where the increase must happen for the gospel to be bearing fruit. So you can actually [39:45] say, what is the gospel doing in my life? What is the gospel doing in this world? He anchors them

[39:50] to the truth of the gospel, but then points them to two places and you can see them, I hope very [39:54] clearly. He points them to the inward work of the gospel and to the outward work of the gospel. [40:01] That inward work though must be focused on no matter how difficult the changes you must make [40:07] in your life are to measure the impact of the gospel. And so the question must be asked, [40:12] has the gospel formed faith in you? Are you confidently trusting Jesus Christ to the very core [40:20] of who you are? And has there been any real life change? Don’t just look for the external behavior

[40:28] of your life, friends. I will tell you the most important measure that you can have [40:33] really of the inward change of the gospel is how’s the gospel affecting your emotions?

[40:39] And how is the gospel affecting your thoughts? What’s the inward life? Like where is it that [40:47] you are searching for significance in your life? What is it that makes you feel worthy of life? [40:55] And I will tell you the only thing that hasn’t disappointed me is I am worthy because Jesus [41:00] Christ made me worthy. And it never fades. Never lose sight though that that inward work [41:11] must become outward. It must affect the very actions and activity of your life. The gospel [41:18] is the primary mission of your life as well. You are not the ends of what God wants to do.

[41:26] And so he wants to do work in you and not only does he want to do work in you, he wants to do [41:28] work through you. And he wants to note that he says it’s affecting the whole world. It’s increasing [41:36] in the whole world. Friends, we get so distracted sometimes by other issues. And sometimes we lose [41:43] sight of the core of just what the gospel is. And this is easy to do. By tonight, I guarantee it, [41:51] some new issue has come up in the world. And by tonight, it will be the most important [41:58] issue of my lifetime. And I didn’t even know it existed 15 minutes ago.

[42:05] And so someone’s going to try to convince you today this thing you never even knew about 15 [42:09] minutes ago is going to bring such mass destruction that you must reorient everything about yourself, [42:14] everything about your life, everything about your faith. And if you don’t, are you really [42:17] Christian? Do you even care? And you’re just like, let me catch up. I didn’t even know it existed [42:21] yesterday. That’s what happens when we get our eyes off of the purity of the gospel. And almost [42:28] every instance, they become distractions from the core of what will actually change lives and what

[42:34] will actually make disciples of Jesus. I love how the apostle Paul put it to the church at Corinth. [42:40] And I want you to understand the church at Corinth was a church that had real problems. [42:44] And part of the problem was they took their eyes off of Jesus. In 1st Corinthians 2, 1 through 2, [42:49] Paul says, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with [42:56] lofty speech or opinion, for I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him [43:01] crucified. Now, don’t hear me say that nothing outside of Jesus Christ and Him crucified,

[43:06] that the things outside of that don’t matter because they absolutely do. The scripture is [43:10] much larger than that. But here’s what the apostle Paul is saying. He’s saying I can focus [43:15] on everything else with you. And if I don’t have the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, [43:22] it’s all been for naught. He says that is the necessary aspect of everything that we do. [43:30] And 1st John 5, 4, the apostle John also makes a bold statement. He says, for everyone who has been [43:35] born of God overcomes the world. Think about that. And this is the victory that has overcome the

[43:42] world. Our faith, friends, if God has saved you, then guess what? You have been born again. [43:50] If you have been born again, then here’s the amazing vision of 1st John. You have overcome [43:58] the world. And what did you do? Well, you just trusted Jesus. That’s it. [44:06] That’s the purity of the gospel. That’s what Paul is defending. That is what he is fighting for. [44:13] And don’t worry, this is not some pious reality where all that I worry about is the spiritual [44:19] aspect of the gospel. No, what I mean to tell you is that when you view yourself and others

[44:24] through the lens of the gospel, everything changes the way that I think about myself changes [44:31] the way that I think about you changes the way that I think about my neighborhood changes the [44:35] way that I think about the church changes the way that I think about my local government changes [44:39] the way that I think about the national government changes the way that I think about my country [44:45] changes and the way that I think about the world changes.

[44:51] There is nothing [44:54] that the word of truth, the gospel [44:58] does not impact and change greatly.

[45:04] So the question is, what is distracting you from that?

[45:08] What is tempting you to think that isn’t enough? [45:12] What else do you need to add to that [45:17] for you to have a satisfactory salvation?

[45:21] Paul is inviting the church at Colosse [45:24] to build their lives on the pure truth of the gospel of Jesus. [45:29] Nothing should be added [45:31] and no substitute should be accepted [45:34] because Jesus and Jesus alone is Lord of all. [45:40] A few application points this morning.

[45:43] Filter everything through the authority of scripture. [45:46] If it does not measure up to scripture, it is not true. [45:50] Secondly, obey God by being confident in Jesus. [45:55] That is faith. That is faith. [45:58] Thirdly, measure every philosophy through the gospel. [46:03] Everything. Do not so quickly

[46:07] accept every ideal that comes down the pipe. [46:13] Measure it through the gospel. [46:16] And then finally, order your life to increase gospel fruit [46:20] inside of you, but then also through you [46:24] to the outside of you.