08 09 col 2 8-15 complete in christ final

Col 2:8-15

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE COLOSSIANS

General Outline of Colossians

I. Chp 1 : DOCTRINE

Christ's Supremacy & Sufficiency DECLARED

II. Chp 2 : DANGER

Christ's Supremacy & Sufficiency DEFENDED

III. Chps 3-4 : DUTY

Christ's Supremacy & Sufficiency DISPLAYED

Colossians

Chp 1 : DOCTRINE

CHRIST'S SUPREMACY & SUFFICIENCY DECLARED

Sermon 1. 1:1-8 Lessons in Discipleship 1

1st : FAITH in Christ2nd : LOVE for the brethren3rd : HOPE in heaven

Sermon 2. 1:9-14 Lessons in Discipleship IIImportance of Prayer Building Deep in Christ Sub-Structure Structure Superstructure

Sermon 3 Col 1:15-23 The SUPREMACY & SUFFICIENCY of CHRIST

1. v15-17 The Supremacy of Christ in CREATION

2. v18-20 The Sufficiency of Christ in Re-CREATION

Conclusion :

v21 Our Past Alienation

v22 Our Present Reconciliation

v23 Our Future Glorification

Sermon 4

Col 1:24-29 Blueprint for Discipleship

1. Know WHY … the mystery … ‘Christ in you, the Hope of Glory’

2. Know HOW … in loving communities…

3. Know WHAT … cost to consider …

4. Know WHO … as a servant …

Conclusion :

MAKING DISCIPLE

LOVING COMMUNITY.

Sermon 5Col 2:1-7 Rooted & Built Up In Christ

1. Looking Within : ENCOURAGED IN HEART

2. Looking Around : UNITED IN LOVE

3. Looking Above : FAITH IN CHRIST

4. Looking Below : ROOTED & BUILT UP IN CHRIST

Col 2:8-15

Sermon 6

Complete in Christ (Col 2:8-15)Colossians 2:8v8 See to it that no one takes you captive through

hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Message : Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ

Complete in Christ (Col 2:8-15)

1. BE AWARESee to it that no one takes you captive …

to kidnap…to enslave…


1. BE AWAREV8 taking you captive through hollow and deceptive PHILOSOPHY, …Philosophy …. ‘philo’ (love) & ‘sophia’ (wisdom)Pursuit of wisdom …Love of knowledge …

Way of thinking …questioning…

Philosophy is good …


1. BE AWAREV8 taking you captive through HOLLOW AND

DECEPTIVE philosophy, … False teachers & teaching …Mixture of …Early Gnosticism…‘special’ KNOWLEDGE‘matter’ is evil, ‘spirit’ is goodattaining ‘pleroma’ – ‘FULLNESS’

Judaism ….Circumcision …Special days …

Complete in Christ (Col 2:8-15)1. BE AWAREv8 See to it that no one takes you captive through

hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition Nothing wrong with TRADITIONS Good Traditions …Eg Cultural …

Religious …

TRADITION: a belief or behavior passed down within a group/society with symbolic meaning or

special significance with origins in the past


hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition Nothing wrong with TRADITIONS Good Traditions …Eg Cultural …

Religious …But the Gnostics claim … CHRIST plus+


hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles / elemental spiritual forces / rudiments of this world …

Meaning : ‘one in a row or series’, ‘the ABCs’‘in alignment / influence by the stars’

Eg astrology…zodiac signs… horoscopes …

Gnostics ‘solution’ ….


hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles / elemental spiritual forces / rudiments of this world …

Meaning : ‘one in a row or series’, ‘the ABCs’‘in alignment / influence by the stars’

Eg astrology…zodiac signs… horoscopes …

Gnostics ‘solution’ ….


1. BE AWAREv8 See to it that no one takes you captive

through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world …rather than on Christ.

Complete in Christ (Col 2:8-15)Colossians 2:9-129 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in

bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is

the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting

off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,

12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

2. BE COMPLETE


2. BE COMPLETEV9 For IN CHRIST ALL THE FULLNESS OF THE DEITY

lives in BODILY FORM,…NLT : For IN CHRIST lives ALL the FULLNESS OF GOD

in a HUMAN BODY.Response to the Gnostics …IN CHRIST …ALL GOD’s FULLNESS …Ref Col 1:15-20

HUMAN / BODILY form …


2. BE COMPLETEV10 and YOU have been GIVEN FULLNESS IN

CHRIST, …NASV : and in Him YOU have BEEN MADE

COMPLETE, …So in Christ …You …Given / Made …COMPLETE

Fullness, Sufficient, Enough …

WE ARE now COMPLETE IN CHRIST

Complete in Christ (Col 2:8-15)2. BE COMPLETEWe are COMPLETE IN CHRIST because …V10 (Christ) who is the head over every power and

authority. Col 1:19 For God was pleased to have all His

fullness dwell in Him (Christ), Matt 28:18 "All authority in heaven and on earth

has been given to me….”CHRIST IS COMPLETE / SUFFICIENT …CHRIST is SUPREME …

SUFFICIENCY & SUPREMACY of CHRIST

Complete in Christ (Col 2:8-15)2. BE COMPLETE11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting

off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,

12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Because CHRIST is COMPLETE …I am made COMPLETE in CHRIST … thru…Spiritual circumcisionIdentification Baptism

Complete in Christ (Col 2:8-15)2. BE COMPLETEI am made COMPLETE in CHRIST …Through ….a. “Circumcision”Rite of circumcision

Gen 17:10-11Not physical but ….

Lev 26:41, Deut 30:6, Jer 4:4Paul also … Rom 2:29, Phil 3:3SPIRITUAL CIRCUMCISION OF

THE HEARTNot the ACT …

but the CHANGE WITHIN

Uncircumcised Lips Exo 6:12

Complete in Christ (Col 2:8-15)2. BE COMPLETEI am made COMPLETE in CHRIST …

Through ….

b. “Baptism”does not save …

not the amount of water …Death –> Burial –> Resurrection …. Rom 6:4-5‘IDENTIFICATIONAL’ BAPTISM

Not the ACT but the CHANGE WITHIN

Complete in Christ (Col 2:8-15)Colossians 2:13-1513 When you were dead in your sins and in the

uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Complete in Christ (Col 2:8-15)v13 When you were dead in your sins and in the

uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.

Ref Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us….

3. Be AliveStarts with God …God made you ALIVE with Christ …


3. Be AliveTo Be Alive With Christ….we must have …Sins forgiven…Debts canceled …

we must know…Enemies

disarmed… Victorious…

thru the Cross…

13 He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the

written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.



3. Be AliveTo Be Alive With Christ….we must have …Sins forgiven…Debts canceled …

we must know…Enemies

disarmed… Victorious…

thru the Cross…

13 He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the

written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.



1. BE AWARE

2. BE COMPLETE

3. BE ALIVE

but in practice …..

Worldview?Defn:the framework from which we view reality

and make sense of life and the world. a particular philosophy of life or a ‘theory’ of

the world, used for living in the world.

whether conscious or subconscious, every person has

some type of worldview….

it’s a combination of all you believe to be true,

& what you believe… becomes the driving force

behind every emotion, decision and action….

your worldview shapes who you are …

… shaped & firmly in place by the age of 13…

8 QUESTIONS – Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ ?1. Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of

the universe, and does He still rule it today ? (Y or N)

2. Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings ? (Y or N)

3. Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life ? (Y or N)

4. Is Satan real ? (Y or N)

5. Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned ?

(Y or N)

6. Does a Christian have a responsibility to

share his/her faith in Christ with other people ?

(Y or N)

7. Do absolute moral truths exist ? (Y or N)

8. Is absolute truth defined by the Bible ? (Y or N)

8 QUESTIONS – Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ ?1. Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of

the universe, and does He still rule it today ? (Y or N)

2. Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings ? (Y or N)

3. Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life ? (Y or N)

4. Is Satan real ? (Y or N)

5. Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned ?

(Y or N)

6. Does a Christian have a responsibility to

share his/her faith in Christ with other people ?

(Y or N)

7. Do absolute moral truths exist ? (Y or N)

8. Is absolute truth defined by the Bible ? (Y or N)

8 QUESTIONS – Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ ?

“Battle of the WORLDVIEWS”BIBLICAL / CHRISTIAN

• Reference : BIBLEAll about GodHis Plan/Purpose/

Pleasure• There are

ABSOLUTES• There’s a JUDGEMENT

Heb 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…

WORLD’S / MAN’S • Reference : MANAll about ManMan’s Plan, Purpose &

Pleasure• There are NO ABSOLUTES• What JUDGEMENT ???1 Cor 3:19 For the wisdom

of this world is foolishness before God….

Rom 1:22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools …

Fact or Fiction !!? “Faction” …. 80 million copies… 44 languages…USA Statistics: Read by 45 million people

(20%)… 24% helpful to spiritual

growth & understanding 5% (2 million) changed

their beliefs or religious perspective ….

Creates doubts …BEWARE of HOLLOW &

DECEPTIVE PHILOSOPHY …

Questions …Q: How many of you have seen at

least ONE of this sitcoms ?Q: How many of you are regularly

following at least ONE of this sitcom series ?

Q: What’s common about all these sitcom series ?









1 Jn. 4:1 (Message Bible)

“My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear (and read and see…).

Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you.

Not everyone who talks about God comes from God.”

Quote:“The message of this letter is greatly needed today. I hear too many voices telling me that I need something more than Jesus Christ – some exciting experience, some new doctrine, some addition to my Christian experience.

But Paul affirms that what I need is appropriation of what I already have in Christ….

‘AND YE ARE COMPLETE IN HIM.’

Warren Wiersbe

Conclusion / Application

Be Aware of ‘christ +’ …Be Complete in Christ …Be Alive with Christ …Best response is to …Be In Christ …

Relationship …Understanding … Biblical Worldview

Experience / Communion …Be In His Word … the bible …Be In His Community … the church …