Col 2 :19 NIV He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
Chapter 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. 6Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits(Or elementary principles; also verse 20) of the world, and not according to Christ. 9For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15He disarmed the rulers and authorities(Probably demonic rulers and authorities) and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.(Or in it (that is, the cross)) 16Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,(Or about the things he has seen) puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. 20If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations - 21"Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" 22( referring to things that all perish as they are used) - according to human precepts and teachings? 23These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Hold onto the head....
Chapter 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love,
We want you to know that we love you and are knitted together with you. We struggle for you in prayer and we love you. We are knit together!
to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
In Christ are hidden all the treasures.
Being in Christ brings great assurance.
In Christ is hidden all mystery.
We have such an incredible inheritance in Christ. Great treasures, more than we will ever know or understand. Great mysteries, an ever unfolding journey of golry. There is an ever unfolding increasing glory over us. We have all the fullness, and God is showing us what it is and what it looks like. When we finally see it in its fullness, heaven will be here.
There are treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Treasures.
Here is wisdom. The greatest wisdom a person can ever have!...here it is, are you ready for it, it's very complicated. Wisdom is to believe in Christ. To have knowledge of Christ, and his life, death and resurrection is wisdom. It's the greatest knowledge!
1Cor 1:30
27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29so that no human being(Greek no flesh) might boast in the presence of God. 30He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
We do not boast in ourselves. No flesh, no human can boast before His presence. It's all about Him. He is our righteousness, he is our wisdom. He is the source of our sanctification and our redemption. Believing this is the crowning jewel of wisdom.
To understand that Jesus died for us, unlocks the treasures. To know Christ, the mystery. The great mystery that God would become flesh, the one whose name is "I am" the one who is "holy holy". Becoming flesh, and dying in my place, this mystery. How would this act put me in a treasured place of assurance before the father? How is that possible, its a mystery. Foolishness in the eyes of the unsaved and the religious.
How wonderfully this mystery unfolds, treasure upon treasure.
This mystery, that a man could die, so that I would not.
This mystery, that he would be wounded, whipped and srtiped, so that I could be healed.
This mystery that he would receive the very wrath of God so that I would not.
This mystery that he would for a moment be guilty, filthy and rejected by God, so that I would be innocent, cleansed and accecpted by God.
This mystery that God made him who had no sin to become sin, so that I might become the righteousness of God.
This mystery that by His humiliation of the powers and principalities, I would have authority over all the work of satan.
The mystery is that by simply believing is Jesus, we will spend all eternity enjoying the glory, wonder and splendour of the king of glory, the light of lights and the lover of my soul, the author of love, love Himself.
In the mystery of Christ on the cross, is hidden all treasures and all wisdom.
Wisdom is to believe in Jesus. When we believe in Him, all this becomes ours.
4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.
Do not let anyone delude you. Hold onto Christ! Be wise! Wisdom is to believe in Jesus.
5For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
Stay firm in the faith. Hold onto Jesus, continue to believe in Jesus.
6Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
We are to continue in Christ the same way we started with Christ.
How did we receive Christ? Was it not by simple faith. We came to Him as we were, and believed that he would receive, forgive accecpt and cleanse us.
Now continue in Him, with wisdom, wisdom is believeing in His goodness. Continue to come to Him always with simple faith. Believing he will acccpt you, wash you, forgive you.
Be rooted and build up in him, established in the faith.
Let your root be in the mystery, this is what builds you up!
Don't move away from faith. As you received him, continue. In faith. Simple faith. Become established in faith. We believe in Him and His performance on our behalf.
This always causes an abounding of thanks giving.
8See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits(Or elementary principles; also verse 20) of the world, and not according to Christ.
Christ has His own way. Its not the way of clever philosophy. Its not empty deceit. Its not according to human tradition, not the elementary teaching of the world, but according to Christ.
Hold onto Christ and do not be distracted by anything that says add to the cross, add to Jesus.
9For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
God wants us to know that all the fullness of deity, all the fullness of God dwells in Christ. Thats great, but here is the point. We are in Christ! We have been filled in Him. And he is above all rule and authority.
He is above all, He is the one that decides how things work. He sets the rules. He is in charge of how things operate. He set the divine order. He says how it is. How wisdom is to believe how he says it is!
We hold onto Him, the head. We keep the faith, we believe Him.
11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
In Christ we are new creations. The old has gone and we are made new. We died, and something new was created, of which the head is Christ. He is our head. How did this happen. It was through faith in the powerful working of God. What was our part? We believed in the foolishness of the mystery, that this would happen by simply believing in Christ.
I died and then was raised with and in Him. In His image. With His power with His authority.
13And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
We were dead, and God made us alive.
He forgave us all our trespasses. All of them. Christ who is outside of time, in the past forgace us all our sins. Christ who was salin in the foundations of the earth, 2000 years ago, died to purchase our forgiveness. His forgiveness reaches into the future, past the yeaterday where our sins are forgive, into the now where our sins are forgiven, into the tomorrow where our sins are forgiven. Oh how great the mystery!
Now how did he forgive us our sins?
He cancelled the record of debt that stood against us with it's legal demands. He set it aside and nailed it to the cross.
All our offences to God, all our sin, all our failures
CANCELLED THE RECKORD OF DEBT AGAINST US
SET IT ASIDE
NAILED IT TO THE CROSS
Cancelled
Set aside
Nailed
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities(Probably demonic rulers and authorities) and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.(Or in it (that is, the cross))
There is no longer any legitimate attack, influence or power of the enemy towards us. They are disarmed.
Accusation, disarmend!
Sickness disarmed!
Look here, they are shamed. Before the cross we were ashamed of our sin, not they are shamed!
Rulers and authorites are triumphed over in him, and we are in him.
16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,(Or about the things he has seen) puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,
Let no one pass judgement on you.
Hold onto Christ, hold onto the mystery, hold onto the head, as you began continue, don't loose faith, be established in faith, do not fall for the judgement that would pronounce you disqualified.
Let no one rewrite Christ's rules, and rule. He says were qualified, and he cancelled the record against you, don't let anyone reinstate it. He set it aside; don't let anyone re set it. He nailed it to the cross, don't let anyone take your qualification off the cross.
19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations - 21"Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" 22( referring to things that all perish as they are used) - according to human precepts and teachings? 23These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
As soon as you let go of Jesus, there are those who can disqualify you! Even seemingly very spiritual people.
When you let go of Christ you want to submit to regulations.
When we let go of Jesus, we go back to do not taste...do not handle. Do not touch.
When we loose hold of Jesus we go to man made religion.
These things add no strength to living well. They do not help you overcome in any way. Paul says these things do not have value in strenghting the flesh.
How do we get strength? We believe in the mystery of Christ. We believe by faith in Jesus. We let hem grow us with a growth that is from Him.
What Paul is saying that the way of God is not about regulations, not about right doing, but abouyt right believing.
We are children of faith. We are children of the mystery. We are children of promise, assured.
19and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
Hold fast to Christ.
Hold fast to his work in us. Hold fast to his work for us.
Be nourished by the goodness of Him who loves us.
Grow with a growth that is from God.
So we come to Him with hearts established and rooted in faith. Faith in the head, in Jesus. We trust him.
We are forgiven.
We have rule over evil.
We have qualification for every good thing.
In this environment we are nourished!
In this environment we grow, with a growth that is from God.
