Putting the Enemies of Christ to Shame.

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. [0:13] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:14] And as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:19] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to Colossians chapter two.

[0:22] We’re going to be starting in verse eight this morning. [0:25] You know, the moment that the vision that you have for your life [0:29] begins to consider the gospel as in some way insufficient [0:33] to either redeem you or to put you on the path of restoration [0:37] to God’s design for your life is the moment that you are entertaining. [0:42] False doctrine.

[0:44] Last week, we looked at Paul’s message to the Colossian Church, [0:47] in which he told them that the mystery revealed in Christ [0:51] and the warning that it entails is one that protects them [0:54] from being diluted by what he called persuasive rhetoric of false teachers. [1:00] The apostle wanted them to be encouraged by the life of Christ [1:04] so that they would live their lives abounding in thanksgiving to Jesus

[1:09] through a disciplined and stable faith in Jesus. [1:13] The same idea is furthered starting in verse eight this morning. [1:16] And these verses really serve as a type of crescendo [1:19] to the subject of the matter that he’s been dealing with, [1:23] where these false teachers bringing in these lies about Christ has been [1:28] that Paul not only seeks to defend the gospel of Jesus Christ,

[1:32] but he wants to help these people in Colossae understand [1:36] that they have a personal responsibility [1:39] to defend against false teachers themselves. [1:41] And then he uses vivid imagery to explain how the supremacy of Jesus [1:46] over absolutely all things guarantees [1:49] the sufficiency of his work on the cross.

[1:53] There’s only one source from which and from whom salvation comes. [1:58] And it is the vicarious work of Jesus Christ on his cross. [2:02] What Jesus accomplished on the cross and what is applied through faith [2:05] is the exclusive source of salvation. [2:09] And there isn’t another one through this text that the apostle seeks to expose. [2:14] The danger that sin has posed is it gives Satan a foothold

[2:18] so that we would join him in his eternal torment under the wrath of God. [2:22] But the lies of Satan and the sin that condemns are no match [2:26] for the triumph of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross [2:29] and through the resurrection, because it’s through his gospel [2:33] that the Supreme Christ does all that is necessary [2:36] to redeem us by offering a fully sufficient sacrifice

[2:40] that brings total salvation to all who believe, [2:44] because not only does Christ alone save, [2:47] but it is Christ alone who triumphs over every single enemy. [2:51] I want to start by reading verse eight and then unpacking it for you. [2:55] The apostle writes and he says, see to it that no one takes you captive [3:00] by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition,

[3:05] according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ. [3:11] And so we see right there that he kind of furthers [3:14] the concept of false teaching that he was defending against last week. [3:18] But he’s setting it up so that he can talk about the superiority of the gospel. [3:24] But in this text, he begins by telling them one vital truth, and that’s number one. [3:30] Protecting yourself from lies requires vigilance.

[3:34] Protecting yourself from lies requires vigilance. [3:38] The church is and always has been under constant threat from false doctrine. [3:43] That is nothing new. [3:45] But when you first encounter it as a follower of Jesus, [3:48] it may seem like something brand new. [3:51] The fact is that it has been a problem for the entire history of the church.

[3:55] And much of the New Testament is in response to different heresies [3:59] that must be exposed. [4:01] The problem that we have is that many in our culture [4:04] and specifically in our contemporary time in church history [4:07] is that many find exposing false teachers distasteful in our era. [4:12] But that doesn’t make it unnecessary.

[4:16] In our age, many Christians find civility to be the ultimate fruit of the spirit. [4:22] And they want to be winsome in all things, never offending anyone. [4:26] But that’s not the posture that the New Testament take takes. [4:29] And it’s certainly not the posture he takes in this book. [4:32] Paul takes an aggressive tone with false teachers of all stripes. [4:36] And speaking against one type of false teacher in Galatia,

[4:39] the apostle Paul states in Galatians 512 that he wishes they would emasculate [4:44] themselves, which refers to removing their manhood. [4:47] One of the heresies that he’s dealing with in Colossians, [4:50] the same heresy he was dealing with in Galatia, and that was that [4:54] Judaizers that we don’t really deal with in our era. [4:57] We’re coming into the church telling them, oh, you believe Christ?

[4:59] That’s great. Now, you Gentile need to be circumcised like us Jews. [5:04] And then your conversion will be made complete. [5:07] And the apostle Paul writing to Galatia about his serious [5:13] fight against them, and he actually says, no, you tell those Judaizers [5:17] to not just stop with circumcision, [5:20] tell them to get a knife and remove the entire thing.

[5:23] And so Paul was not trying to be civil with false teachers. [5:28] In Philippians, chapter three, verse two, Paul actually calls the false [5:31] teachers dogs. He says, look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, [5:36] look out for those who mutilate the flesh. [5:39] I don’t know if you know this, but people don’t typically like it [5:41] when you call them a dog.

[5:44] The problem that we face in our contemporary church [5:46] and the problem that many believers struggle with [5:50] in society at large is that we are quicker to complain [5:54] about someone’s tone when they are pointing out heresy. [5:58] Then you have a problem with actual heresy itself. [6:02] And that issue, what you’re dealing with is that you’re not

[6:05] winsome, you’re not being strategic, you’re not giving Jesus [6:09] the public relations he’s always dreamed of. [6:12] No, you’re a coward. [6:13] And the problem with the contemporary church is that we are overrun [6:16] with cowardice because we are more worried about being liked [6:19] than we are being truthful.

[6:22] The apostle Paul and all of the New Testament actually takes [6:25] the opposite posture. [6:27] The very first three words in verse eight, he begins with see to it. [6:33] And this is actually one term in the original language. [6:35] And it literally means to be on the lookout with vigilance. [6:40] He’s telling the Colossian Church, it’s not just Paul

[6:44] that has a responsibility where false teaching is concerned. [6:47] It’s not just the pastors, it’s every Christian. [6:50] Every Christian has a call by God to protect [6:53] the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. [6:57] And he says, be vigilant on your looking out for heresy. [7:02] This is about being defensive while also being proactive

[7:06] in exposing false teaching exactly where it stands. [7:11] Obedience to what Paul is talking about here requires people [7:15] actually take a stand against false teaching that does require [7:19] an uncommon vigilance. [7:22] It does require an uncommon endurance. [7:25] And this is no easy task.

[7:27] This is a difficult calling that God has given you because it’s hard [7:31] to stand against any growing tide in culture. [7:35] It’s hard to stand against any growing tide inside of the church, [7:40] even if you know that it is a lie and it goes further than just being [7:44] something we label a lie. [7:45] A destructive heresy is the way the apostle Paul would put it.

[7:50] He begins by talking about what is the overarching element [7:54] that false teaching was coming from at that time. [7:56] He uses the term philosophy. [7:58] That term literally means the love of wisdom. [8:02] In our context, we look at philosophy as just an academic discipline. [8:06] But the way the apostle Paul is talking about it, it transcends

[8:09] academic discipline and goes to the very root of the way that people [8:13] saw the world around them as a source from which truth can come [8:18] and does come, but it is also a source from which lies [8:21] can be derived and added to the gospel. [8:25] It is much easier to be taken captive than you think. [8:29] That’s why he says, see to it in verse eight that no one takes you captive.

[8:35] It’s actually a pirate metaphor in that age, and it’s also [8:39] a metaphor that’s used to describe the the spoils of war, [8:44] something that is taken by force. [8:47] And see, apostle Paul is very much saying the false teachers [8:51] are going to be aggressively seeking to take hold of your worldview. [8:57] They’re going to aggressively seek to take you as their hostage.

[9:02] And you must meet their aggression against you [9:06] with similar aggression against them. [9:10] Because just like a pirate or an invading army would take the spoils of war, [9:15] what the apostle Paul is saying is you are the spoils of war [9:18] that false teachers want to take. [9:21] False doctrine can very much imprison you, and it does imprison many people.

[9:27] And you then become a prisoner of the spiritual war happening [9:31] all around us all of the time, [9:34] that oftentimes because of our lack of vigilance, we just neglected. [9:38] We act as though everything is going to be OK. [9:40] I would never believe a lie. [9:42] Who wants to understand think that they could believe a lie?

[9:46] And yet over and over, [9:49] people will come into this church looking for a church home [9:52] and they will begin to talk to me about what they believe about the gospel. [9:56] And it will be heresy after heresy after heresy after heresy. [10:00] And rarely does a person thank me when I expose the lies that they believe. [10:06] And I say, actually, we don’t teach that here at all.

[10:11] And sometimes I’ll use coarse language and say, [10:14] we preach the real gospel here, not that load.

[10:19] Sometimes people are thankful, they’re converted to real faith in Christ, [10:22] and sometimes they leave. [10:25] And I’ve won in both instances. [10:28] When a wolf is heading into the chicken house, [10:31] you don’t ask the wolf about its feelings. [10:34] You don’t ask the wolf if it feels good about killing chickens.

[10:37] You don’t ask the wolf if they would just leave and be civil about the situation. [10:42] No, you take a 12 gauge out there, you shoot the wolf. [10:45] When it comes to heresy, we want them to leave. [10:50] We do not entertain false doctrine. [10:53] We do not pretend that it’s OK and that their love language is just different than ours. [10:58] No, we expose lies, we expose heretics and we shoot wolves around here.

[11:03] And so if you are ever thinking about trying to infiltrate a community group [11:07] in this church with any type of false teaching, because that’s how it goes. [11:11] Rarely does a good wolf come to me first. [11:15] They know what I’m going to do. [11:17] No, they’ll try to infiltrate your discipleship group. [11:20] They’ll try to get you to read false doctrine, like something from Jesus Calling,

[11:25] which is still one of the best sellers. [11:27] I don’t know how that that book is full of nothing but lies about scripture [11:31] telling you that the Bible isn’t sufficient for you. [11:34] Anything that tells you the scripture isn’t sufficient is 100 percent from Satan himself. [11:39] We have people like using new age [11:42] mantras from books like The Secret to tell you that you can somehow

[11:46] materialize your thoughts if you’re just positive enough. [11:48] None of this is the gospel. [11:51] All of this is damnable heresy. [11:54] And they won’t come after me. [11:55] They will seek you out in a discipleship group. [11:58] They will seek you out in some type of women’s Bible study.

[12:01] You know, in the New Testament, the apostle Paul puts more aggressive [12:04] language in protecting women from false doctrine than he is men, [12:08] because he understands that the thought processes are different. [12:12] No disrespect, but I can convince a man two plus two equals four really quick. [12:16] A woman has to think about how she feels about the situation.

[12:21] I say that in love.

[12:27] It’s good because when my kids are hurt, two plus two equals four [12:30] is not comforting at all.

[12:33] But the fact is that in Acts, Chapter 20, the apostle [12:37] looks at the church at Ephesus and he says, pay careful attention [12:39] to yourselves and to the flock, speaking to pastors. [12:42] He says, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [12:45] to care for the Church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. [12:50] I know that after my departure, fierce wolves

[12:54] will come in among you, not sparing the flock. [12:58] And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things. [13:02] He’s saying it’s going to get a foothold in the lives [13:06] of the people of the church to draw away the disciples after them. [13:10] Every single one of you [13:15] can be taken captive by false teaching.

[13:19] I am not immune. [13:22] The enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, [13:25] seeking whom he may devour, and he forms these fierce wolves. [13:30] And Jesus says, they’ll put on sheep’s clothing. [13:33] They will look innocent. [13:34] They will tell you, you are the Christian they’ve always been looking for

[13:38] because you’re a little brighter than the other one. [13:40] And then they will slowly insert false doctrine [13:43] and they will woo some disciples to believing their lies. [13:50] He says, be on the lookout for fierce wolves, [13:53] not so that we can help them, [13:55] not so we can get them out of here.

[13:58] False teachers.

[14:01] Our predators, they’re not to be reasoned with. [14:04] It’s not enough for them that they concoct and believe lies. [14:09] They are not satisfied until they take you captive. [14:13] And if you refuse to be taken captive, [14:16] then they will say you are somehow the bad guy. [14:20] And that’s when the issue of tone comes into play.

[14:25] That is why Paul warns them to be careful. [14:28] We must be vigilant to keep the gospel message [14:32] pure from all of the additives, from all of the subtractions [14:37] that some would make to dilute you away from it [14:42] or to cultivate a false religion out of it. [14:46] And it is difficult in our time because they invade the church

[14:50] with a different gospel and then label you as unkind for exposing it. [14:58] The modern evangelists of our age are not the Judaizers. [15:01] Note that I do not spend a lot of time warning all of you gentiles. [15:08] Better be careful. [15:09] They’re going to try to get you to be circumcised so that you’re really saved. [15:13] It’s been exposed.

[15:15] No one’s being drawn away with that. [15:17] And if you are, don’t. [15:20] That knife’s not going to help. [15:22] But in our age, the modern day Judaizers, [15:26] the modern day Greek philosophers are the sexual cultists of homosexuality [15:31] and transgenderism.

[15:33] Satan has turned them into wolves [15:36] that want the flesh of your children so that they can seek to control the future. [15:42] This is about sexual sin being turned into an ideology [15:46] that seeks to proselytize as many as possible to its cause. [15:51] And it is now a dangerous philosophy. [15:55] It is less about sexual attraction and more about forming a sexual religion.

[16:01] In which they want to take all of us captive. [16:04] And the way they are beginning, even in churches that are orthodox, [16:08] even in churches that are as conservative as our own, [16:11] is that they will tell you, you cannot be an effective evangelist for them [16:16] while also exposing their lies. [16:18] They will try to convince you that it is unkind to expose sin

[16:22] exactly where it stands. [16:24] Well, my question to them is always on what day of discipleship [16:28] do I have to tell them to stop being homosexuals? [16:31] And what day of discipleship do I tell them [16:34] that it is a sin against the body to try to reassign your gender through surgery? [16:39] At what point in discipleship do we tell them?

[16:41] And I’ll tell you, I’m just an honest and blunt guy. [16:44] My spiritual gift is just telling people the truth. [16:46] I tell them before they even come to Christ. [16:48] You want to come to Christ? No more of that.

[16:52] Because they need to know the truth. [16:55] It is not a detraction from the gospel to tell them truth. [16:59] It is the truth of the gospel to tell them the truth, [17:03] just like I needed to be redeemed from my sin. [17:07] All sexual deviants need to be redeemed from their sin. [17:11] But they will come in and they will say,

[17:12] you better keep that a secret or the world won’t accept Christ. [17:16] And I say, well, they’re not accepting Christ already. [17:19] I’m going to help them.

[17:22] Friends, we must tell them the truth of the situation. [17:26] I need you to understand that it is not enough for you to say, [17:30] well, I’m good. I know the truth. [17:33] They’re not just after you. [17:34] They are after the weak ones of the flock. [17:37] They are after the innocent ones of the flock.

[17:39] They are after our children. [17:41] You must be vigilant to say, who is teaching my child? [17:45] And what are they teaching my child? [17:48] And if you say, I don’t have time, I say, well, you better make it. [17:53] They’re not asked again. [17:54] They’re not after me.

[17:57] They’re after my children. [17:59] And I’ll die on the line before they get them.

[18:03] Friends, we must understand that irrevocable damage [18:07] is being done to the youth and our society by these cultists. [18:12] No amount of discipleship that I can offer [18:16] after someone comes to faith in Christ can undo gender reassignment surgery. [18:21] That is a for life physical change. [18:26] And we will face the ramifications of our refusal

[18:30] to stand against the growing tide of degeneracy in our culture. [18:34] When they begin to come to faith in Christ, they say, [18:37] I wish someone had warned me. [18:39] Look at what I’ve done to myself. [18:43] I can only give them the hope of eternity. [18:45] They can never undo the physical damage, friends.

[18:48] Friends, we’re getting to a place in society [18:51] where we cannot even trust medical professionals [18:54] because they see dollar signs in these surgeries and in these medicines.

[19:00] Friends, if no one else is going to do it, the Church of Jesus Christ [19:04] must be vigilant about our faith. [19:06] This is the cult in our society right now. [19:10] Many, I will warn you, many have and will compromise. [19:16] Your friends, your family, your co-workers will compromise. [19:21] They will be taken captive.

[19:23] Let that not be the obituary on the sign of village church. [19:28] Rather, let us make disciples who make disciples [19:32] that withstand the enemy on the day of visitation when it comes to our path. [19:39] May we have backbones for the gospel. [19:42] And that is where Paul transitions the letter to the cult. [19:45] And that is the crescendo of why he takes such a bold stand.

[19:50] Because number two, this morning, Christ alone can save anyone from sin. [19:55] Christ alone can save anyone from sin. [19:58] Look at what he says in verse nine. [20:01] He says, for in Christ, the wholeness of deity dwells bodily, [20:07] and you have been filled with him who is the head of all rule and authority. [20:11] In him also, you were circumcised with a circumcision

[20:15] made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh [20:19] by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, [20:23] in which you were also raised with him through faith [20:27] and the powerful working of God who raised him from the dead. [20:33] He says a lot in a short amount of time in those three verses. [20:39] The first thing that he points out is the deity of Jesus Christ.

[20:44] He makes a very good point that so many of us just kind of ignore. [20:48] And the ramifications are huge. [20:51] He says Christ is God and Christ must be God. [20:56] Why is that such a big deal? [20:58] And between verses nine and 12, he really gives us two reasons. [21:02] First reason is because Jesus is God, and that’s a big deal.

[21:07] No, the verse nine is a big claim. [21:10] He literally says in Christ, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. [21:17] That’s a definition about what, [21:19] theologically speaking, is called the hypostatic union. [21:22] This is about the incarnation of God, the son.

[21:28] Jesus isn’t part man and part God. [21:33] Jesus is not a demigod. [21:36] Jesus is not simply anointed by God, [21:41] nor is Jesus simply a descendant of a race of gods. [21:47] Jesus is not a wise sage. [21:50] Jesus cannot be reduced to a good rabbi.

[21:54] Jesus is not just an elevated consciousness of man. [21:59] This statement describes the incarnate deity of Jesus. [22:03] Jesus is both fully God and fully human. [22:09] The term bodily that is used is also important. [22:13] Jesus and Jesus alone could represent us as humans [22:18] by being fully human.

[22:20] He was our substitute. [22:22] And in order to be our substitute, he had to be a real human being. [22:27] But also understand that he also at the same time as being our substitute, [22:31] had to be the judge over humanity and for sin. [22:36] And a human being couldn’t do that. [22:37] So what does he need to do that?

[22:39] He had to be fully God. [22:42] Friends, Jesus and Jesus alone is God in human form. [22:48] And it is vital for us to understand because that is also exactly [22:52] what the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons that come to talk to you [22:55] will try to rip away from Jesus Christ. [22:58] Oh, he’s not really the eternal God.

[23:00] He’s a child of God through a great miracle, but he’s not eternal. [23:06] Soon as I begin to talk to the cultists, I immediately begin to talk [23:09] about the eternality of Jesus Christ, that he is co equal with the father. [23:13] He is co equal with the spirit. [23:16] Cultists will always downplay the deity of Christ [23:20] to make him less than the eternal God.

[23:24] But he is in that sense, if he’s less than the eternal God, [23:28] he is made impotent to save us completely from our sin [23:33] because it is God and God alone that can save us from sin, [23:37] because it is God and God alone against whom all sin is committed. [23:43] The scriptures echo this truth about Jesus resoundingly. [23:48] No one else shares God’s throne and rules over all creation,

[23:53] but Jesus and Jesus alone. [23:55] Therefore, no one else has the authority to judge sin [23:59] and deal with it in ultimate finality the way that Jesus does. [24:04] Only God, the son, can do that for us. [24:09] First Corinthians, one eighteen puts it plainly, [24:11] but the notion of God becoming man is foolishness

[24:16] to those who are perishing. [24:19] But it is the power of salvation for all who believe. [24:25] Why? Because Jesus is God. [24:29] So many who are dead in their sin and they have done this, [24:32] they will always do this. [24:34] They will look to a follower of Jesus Christ and be like,

[24:37] you really believe God became a human being? [24:40] That’s impossible. [24:42] To which the only response is, yeah, that’s why it’s called a miracle.

[24:48] As all that’s foolishness. [24:50] That’s how you know that person is blinded in their sin. [24:55] I always love to expose their foolishness [24:59] by talking to them about how terrible it must be to walk through life [25:03] completely hopeless in your son. [25:06] Anytime I talk to an atheist about the existence of God,

[25:09] I rarely begin with any type of academic treatise. [25:11] I just meet them where they are, and they’ll tell me all about [25:14] the terrible things that sin has caused, the terrible things [25:17] that evil has produced in society, how awful pain is in this world. [25:22] And I’ll just meet them right there and I’ll say, oh, man, I understand. [25:24] I understand how you feel being pain, terrible, evil, awful sin.

[25:29] The worst thing ever. [25:30] But help me understand how not having a God who controls it all [25:34] makes it any better.

[25:37] Because if there is no God, then we are just on a ball [25:40] circling in space, and it’s all phony. [25:44] It’s all hopeless. [25:45] Every single one of us is going to just be damned forever. [25:49] But if there is a God, then we have a definition of hope. [25:53] And they will begin with a presupposition.

[25:56] Well, the miraculous is impossible. [25:59] And I will say, right, it has to look impossible, [26:01] or it wouldn’t be the miraculous.

[26:05] Atheists have zero convincing arguments. [26:09] All that they have is blindness and a complete lack of power over sin. [26:15] Follower of Jesus never cower against those that would call you foolish, [26:20] because Paul told us, of course, they think it’s foolish. [26:22] They’re damned. [26:25] But you have something that they need.

[26:27] You have the power of salvation in your life. [26:32] There is simply no hope and only condemnation offered [26:37] in eternal death for those apart from Jesus Christ, [26:41] because Jesus has accomplished what no human being ever can. [26:46] But every human being is trying to attain. [26:50] And that is salvation.

[26:53] The text gives a practical picture of what Jesus has done for us [26:57] by using the word picture that’s uncomfortable, the word picture of circumcision. [27:02] Why is he using this word picture? [27:04] Well, because one of the heresies from the false teachers, as I said, [27:06] was about the issue of circumcision. [27:09] They wanted the Gentiles to be circumcised in order for them to really be saved.

[27:14] The problem with that, though, is that apart from the grace of God, [27:19] circumcision was a judgment of wrath against them. [27:24] In Romans, chapter two, starting in verse 25, the apostle Paul is clear. [27:29] He says, for circumcision is indeed of value if you obey the law. [27:35] But if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. [27:40] So if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law,

[27:44] will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? [27:47] Then he who is physically uncircumcised, but keeps the law, [27:51] will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision, but break the law. [27:56] For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, [28:01] nor is circumcision outward and physical. [28:04] But a Jew is one inwardly.

[28:07] And circumcision is a matter of the heart by the spirit, not the letter of the law. [28:12] His praise is not from man, but from God. [28:16] Now, what is he saying there? [28:18] He’s saying what the Old Testament echoed all the time. [28:22] Circumcision was never the path of salvation, [28:26] neither was being a Jew the path of salvation.

[28:30] And Deuteronomy, he literally says, Moses writes, he says, [28:33] your circumcision must become the circumcision of the heart. [28:38] Circumcision as baptism is an outward sign [28:42] of a work that God is doing in the heart through faith. [28:46] So it is not the physical activity on the member that brings about salvation, [28:52] but rather it was to speak of a faith that they had on the internal.

[28:57] And what the apostle Paul is saying to the New Testament Jews, as he’s saying, [29:02] if you think your circumcision is going to bring you salvation, [29:05] have you kept the entire law? [29:09] Everything in it to which an honest man has to say no. [29:15] But if you’re cool in your sin, you can lie and say yes. [29:18] But now, if you’re honest, no, you’re not perfect.

[29:21] Now, no one has obeyed the law in its entirety. [29:25] And Moses and excuse me, Paul writes, and he says, the moment you send, [29:28] your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. [29:30] Your circumcision is made pointless. [29:32] So what needs to be done? [29:34] The circumcision of the heart.

[29:36] And who does that? [29:38] Look back in Colossians two in verse 10, he says, [29:43] and you have been filled with him, filled with who Christ, who is any [29:47] and he always brings us back to the supremacy, the authority. [29:51] He says, who is the head of all rule and authority in him? [29:56] Also, you were circumcised with what?

[29:59] Because many of those Gentiles will be like, [30:01] I’m pretty sure I would have PTSD if I remember that day. [30:04] I don’t remember being circumcised. [30:06] No, he says a circumcision made without hands [30:12] by putting off the body of flesh [30:15] by what Paul is talking about, a Romans to the circumcision of the heart.

[30:21] What Paul is saying is there is nothing that you can do [30:26] with your own hands that will ever help you attain salvation. [30:33] The only one that can save you is Jesus Christ. [30:38] You must trust in Jesus and Jesus alone. [30:42] That is what it means to put off the body of flesh. [30:46] Human hands can’t do that.

[30:49] Only God himself can offer that type of judgment [30:53] and redemption and one fell swoop. [30:57] Jesus sacrificed his body so that we could be redeemed [31:02] from the body of sin that we possess. [31:05] And he could offer the very righteousness of God in exchange for our sin. [31:11] That is what circumcision of the heart provides.

[31:15] Only Jesus can save. [31:18] That is why Paul states in Philippians 3, 3, [31:21] that those who are in Christ are the real circumcision, [31:25] for we are the circumcision who worshiped [31:28] by the spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus. [31:31] And note this, put no confidence in the flesh.

[31:37] Why don’t we put confidence in the flesh? [31:39] Because it is the flesh that kills. [31:42] There’s nothing I can do with my hands to save me. [31:45] And here’s the bad news, you’re in the same boat I am. [31:48] There’s nothing you can do to save yourself. [31:51] You can go through every religious ritual of every religion that exists,

[31:56] every religion that has ever existed, [31:58] and you will be just as lost as you were when you started. [32:04] The only thing that can save is the sufficient work [32:09] from the supreme Christ Jesus, our Lord on the cross. [32:14] Those who believe in what he has done and put their faith in him [32:18] have put off the body of flesh and have been circumcised to the heart.

[32:23] It is Christ and Christ alone who saved. [32:25] And that is the truth for every human being [32:30] that has ever lived, will ever live in any country that they live. [32:35] It is only Christ and Christ alone who saves. [32:41] Therefore, Christian, we put no confidence in the flesh. [32:47] We put our confidence in what Jesus has already accomplished for us.

[32:55] That leads to what is the climax, I believe, [33:00] the hinge upon which the book of Colossians is on. [33:05] One of my favorite sections of scripture, Colossians two, 13 through 15. [33:10] I want to read it for you. [33:12] He says, and you, I love the way Paul, [33:14] it’s almost like a literary device that Paul uses throughout the book.

[33:17] Every time he says you buckle up because he’s about to give you bad news. [33:23] I don’t play a single positive part in the entire book of Colossians. [33:28] Anytime he gets to me, Paul says, I got bad news. [33:31] And you, here’s the bad part. [33:34] He says, and you.

[33:37] Who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, [33:43] God made alive together with him, having forgiven us [33:47] all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt [33:51] that stood against us with its legal demands. [33:55] This he set it aside, nailing it to the cross. [33:59] He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame

[34:04] by triumphing over them in him. [34:09] Note, though, that he says something very important at the end of verse 12 [34:14] that really sets us up for this. [34:17] Christ did not just die on the cross. [34:21] What did he do? [34:22] He says at the end of verse 12, who raised him from the dead?

[34:30] The resurrection is what seals [34:34] the reality of the gospel, because it is only Jesus [34:39] who has ever risen from the dead under his own power as God [34:44] and did not then subsequently die again. [34:49] I’ve heard some critics say, oh, the Bible has a bunch of resurrections in it. [34:52] There’s resurrections in the Old Testament.

[34:54] Elisha raises a child from the dead. [34:56] Somebody falls in the bones of Elisha, rises from the dead. [34:58] Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead and child from the dead. [35:01] There’s things that happen in the Book of Acts as well. [35:03] But here’s the difference. [35:05] Those people that saw the miracle of resurrection.

[35:10] Unfortunately, they had to die again. [35:13] And that’s got to be the bad part, because I’ve never died. [35:18] But I hear it’s not something you want. [35:20] I hear it’s something that you wouldn’t like if you went through it. All right. [35:24] And imagine the day it set in on Lazarus. [35:28] I got to do that again, huh?

[35:31] You know, at some point after the whole thing where he’s like, [35:34] oh, my goodness, Jesus, I was dead for a couple of days and I’m not dead anymore. [35:37] I’m going to go hang out with my sisters. [35:38] I’m going to live a life. [35:39] There came a time where he started to slow down, got a little sick, [35:44] and he was like, not again.

[35:47] Oh, boy. [35:49] That was pretty bad the first time. [35:51] Now, now I know what it feels like. [35:53] That makes it even worse. [35:56] But here’s the deal. [35:58] First Corinthians 15 gives us this reality that that which is perishable

[36:01] must put on that which is imperishable. [36:03] And Jesus has already done that. [36:06] Jesus has not and will not ever die again. [36:10] His resurrection is permanent. [36:12] His resurrection is eternal. [36:14] His resurrection is what puts all of his enemies to open shame,

[36:21] because the scripture is clear. [36:22] The greatest enemy that we face is death. [36:26] We face death because of sin. [36:28] And Jesus triumphed over both of them on the cross. [36:33] And the analogy that the apostle Paul uses [36:37] for why the gospel of Jesus Christ is effective

[36:41] is my favorite analogy in all of scripture, [36:44] because Paul explains why it’s a legal gospel. [36:50] Sometimes people around me, the staff will ask me, I’ll have an idea. [36:53] And they’ll be like, is that legal?

[36:56] And be like, probably haven’t been told it’s illegal. [37:00] It’s kind of like yesterday, people were asking, is it legal for us [37:04] to park cars everywhere that we are? [37:05] And I may have told a white lie that the mayor gave us permission. [37:09] But that wasn’t a real lie, because I believed it, [37:13] because Cheshire doesn’t have a mayor.

[37:15] And I just anointed myself as the mayor for the day. [37:18] And my full title was Mayor McChese. [37:21] All right. And then I gave us permission to park cars [37:23] wherever we needed to park cars. [37:25] All right. [37:26] Parking team All-Stars, by the way, that’s in the business.

[37:29] All right. They were. [37:30] Thank you. I take all of your praise.

[37:35] But Jesus on the cross accomplished [37:39] an eternal plan in real time. [37:43] And he notes that the problem that every single one of us face, [37:48] that false teachers can never give you hope over, [37:52] is the fact that you don’t need help. [37:55] Because dead people can’t help themselves.

[37:58] Dead people are just dead. [38:01] There’s nothing you can do for yourself. [38:03] There’s nothing anyone else can do for you. [38:06] And he uses a vital term, the full phrase is, [38:09] you are dead in transgressions, [38:13] an uncircumcision of your flesh.

[38:15] And the second phrase is as important as the first phrase, [38:18] because the second phrase means it’s worse than the first phrase. [38:22] We are both dead and unclean in the eyes of God. [38:27] That means not only am I spiritually dead, [38:31] but God, because of my spiritual death, has completely rejected me [38:37] because of his holiness.

[38:39] He wants nothing to do with sin. [38:42] And I want foolishness to believe that my death can be remedied [38:46] by my own human hands. [38:48] But that is your situation without Jesus Christ. [38:53] He doubles down, then he says, [38:55] Jesus bears supremacy over all creation.

[38:58] He’s already explained that more than that. [39:00] He’s already explained Jesus is supreme. [39:03] He has supremacy over his people, the church. [39:06] Jesus has supremacy over creation. [39:08] Still, he notes earlier in the book that all of creation is maintained [39:12] and empowered by Jesus.

[39:15] Jesus and Jesus alone can do [39:19] what needs to be done to bring about salvation, [39:22] because apart from him, you are dead in your sin [39:26] and then you are rejected by God. [39:29] And so what do you do? [39:31] And the answer is nothing.

[39:35] There’s nothing you can do.

[39:39] But there is something Jesus can do. [39:42] And so you are hopeless in your sin, [39:47] unless Jesus does something about it. [39:51] The phrase he made you alive [39:55] is a statement of Jesus’s action, not yours.

[40:01] You didn’t do that. You can do that. [40:04] How could, though, and this question is begged, how could God take me [40:09] from dead and rejected by him [40:13] to a point where through Jesus, I’ve been forgiven of all of my transgressions. [40:18] That’s the term that is used. [40:19] We tend to reduce transgressions to what has become an arbitrary term.

[40:25] It’s the term sin. [40:27] But I like the term transgression first because we don’t use it. [40:30] So we have to think about what does that term mean? [40:33] It means and it confers the idea [40:35] that someone has placed a limit that has been crossed.

[40:42] God made a limit. [40:44] He set a boundary. [40:46] You crossed it and it has killed you in the spiritual sphere. [40:53] That is the result of your transgressions. [40:56] Your sin is not isolated. [40:58] It is not solitary to you.

[41:00] It was against God’s declaration of what is acceptable. [41:04] And it has literally killed you. [41:07] And you deserve eternal wrath. [41:10] So who needs to do something?

[41:14] Only God can save you now. [41:17] Only God can save you. [41:19] And then Paul gives a legal illustration. [41:21] I love it. [41:23] He says, your sin is not a secret, none of them are. [41:27] There is a record of he calls it debt.

[41:32] And God has it. [41:34] He doesn’t just know that you were born in your sin, [41:37] you were born radically corrupt. [41:39] He knows every sin that you have committed [41:43] against him since you were born. [41:46] He has a record of it all in his omniscience.

[41:50] He remembers my sin. [41:53] I have not kept a secret against him in any part of my life. [41:58] More than that, he says, there are legal demands because of my sin. [42:04] There is something God must do to me. [42:08] And light of my sin. [42:10] There must be justice or injustice will reign.

[42:17] God cannot just say, I saw a good buddy. [42:21] I say that to my kids sometimes because I’m a pushover.

[42:26] And I haven’t found justice for their sin. [42:29] I just pretend it didn’t happen.

[42:34] God does not just sweep my sin under the rug. [42:38] God does not just pretend it didn’t happen. [42:40] Because God is just. [42:43] And there is a legal demand, there is a legal decree, the text says. [42:47] And that means that you have the entirety of God’s law [42:51] and its consequences standing against you in the form of a debt

[42:56] that you have no ability to pay off and you have no ability to make right. [43:02] And then in this great climax, he says, this he set aside. [43:09] How?

[43:13] Because he went public with your sin [43:16] in the most grotesque and the most embarrassing way possible. [43:21] He nailed it to the cross.

[43:26] He didn’t pretend it didn’t happen. [43:30] He didn’t sweep it under the rug. [43:33] He took it off of you and put it on to the account of God, [43:37] the son, Jesus Christ, while he suffered and he bled [43:41] and he died on the cross to pay the penalty, [43:45] to meet the legal demand of your sin

[43:51] so that God could look at it and say justice has been done. [43:57] And every moment that Christ suffered on the cross [44:01] was a moment that the legal record of my transgressions [44:07] were placed upon him until the moment that he breathed his last. [44:13] And what did he say? [44:14] It is finished.

[44:18] Debt is paid.

[44:21] What is finished?

[44:24] My record of debt against God.

[44:29] And the text says you have been forgiven, [44:32] understand it is not a cheap forgiveness, [44:34] understand it is a forgiveness that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for. [44:41] And it is also not a forgiveness by which on a bad day, [44:46] God will bring your sin back up against you the way that a wife [44:50] who forgave you a year ago.

[44:58] God isn’t like that. [45:01] When God says the record of debt is gone, it’s gone.

[45:09] So once you’ve come to faith in Christ, who is it? [45:14] That will seek to make you guilty.

[45:18] Verse 15.

[45:23] Jesus disarmed the rulers and authorities [45:27] and put them to open shame. [45:31] By triumphing over them in him. [45:34] So here’s the question. [45:36] The false teachers would have you believe [45:40] more work is necessary for salvation.

[45:45] But when Paul in verse 15 makes a statement about the enemy [45:50] Satan and his legions, [45:53] he is talking about the false teachers [45:56] who would look to you to say your sin still reigns over you. [46:02] Here’s the secret. [46:04] And what he’s saying when he says he disarmed them,

[46:07] he’s using a term that literally means he has made them harmless.

[46:14] And so when the enemy comes to you and says, [46:19] oh, you claim Christ, I know who you really are. [46:23] I know what you’ve really done. [46:27] I know what goes on in your mind.

[46:31] I know your past.

[46:35] What the gospel says is he is harmless. [46:40] More than that, he’s been put to open shame [46:43] because it is not Christ who is impotent. [46:45] It is Satan who is impotent to bring any charge [46:49] against the elect of God. [46:51] How do I know that?

[46:52] In Acts, chapter 26, verse 18, quickly, [46:55] Paul is telling the church that they must go and take the gospel to all people [46:59] so that they may turn from darkness to light, [47:02] from the power of Satan in condemnation to God, [47:08] that they may receive forgiveness of sins [47:11] and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ.

[47:18] Romans eight, starting in verse 37, [47:20] the term conquerors is used to describe our victory in Jesus. [47:25] And he says, can anything separate us from the love of God in Christ? No. [47:30] And all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [47:34] For I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels, [47:39] nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

[47:43] nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation [47:47] will be able to separate us [47:49] from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

[47:56] Therefore, when the accuser comes [48:00] and brings to question the sufficiency of Jesus’s work of forgiveness, [48:05] even if he does it in human form.

[48:09] We respond, nothing can separate us from the love of God [48:15] in Christ Jesus, our Lord. [48:16] His grace is sufficient because his power is ultimate. [48:21] He is the sovereign and supreme ruler over all of creation. [48:27] He is the savior who loves enough to pay for my debt [48:32] with his own body and blood on the cross.

[48:35] So when the false teachers come to collect a wage [48:39] for some incurred debt of soul or society from me, [48:44] there is only one response. [48:47] My debt has been wiped clear through Christ and Christ alone. [48:54] Jesus has triumphed over every ruler [48:59] and every enemy that can ever stand against me.

[49:05] A few application points this morning, be vigilant against false teachers. [49:10] Be vigilant against false teachers. [49:13] Secondly, believe that Jesus is the eternal God because he is. [49:18] Don’t believe the lies. [49:20] Thirdly, trust that what Jesus has accomplished is enough because it is.

[49:28] Live free from the burden of the debt of sin. [49:33] Don’t carry guilt if Jesus has forgiven you. [49:37] And then finally, flaunt the power of God over all of his enemies. [49:44] And when somebody complains about your tone, [49:47] just tell them they’re a spineless coward [49:51] because Jesus is the king over all of creation.

[49:55] And I refuse to act like he’s anything less.