Last week, Paul commanded the believers in Colossae “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” I hope this week you have been living in the freedom of Christ and not in the captivity of man and of the world. Yesterday, I had an unusual day. A few things happened in the middle of the day that should not have gotten to me, but they did. And for the next few hours, I was on edge and felt like I could just explode. I just wasn’t being the normal ‘Matt’ that I am used to. I was in the captivity of it being all about Matt! Thankfully, in God’s grace, the edginess has gone and this morning I just have been concentrating on Christ, thanking Christ for what He has done for me, and just enjoying spending time with Him.
Back to the text. Why can we put all our trust in Christ rather than worldly philosophy and the things taught in the world? Let’s look at Colossians 2:9-15 for some more answers:
“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
I want us to look at two more reasons that Paul gives us that we can trust Christ over all things:
1) Jesus Christ is God – for in Him (Christ) all the fullness of Deity dwells (present tense – meaning ongoing) in bodily form. If Jesus Christ is God, an in Him is found all wisdom and knowledge, why do we need anything else? So, I want you to look at your life and ask yourself an honest question: “What position does Christ hold in your life?” Who controls you – the traditions of men, the elementary principles of the world, or does the Spirit of Christ inside of you? You know, I had another half of page written after this, but we will save that for next week. I want you (and me too) just to think about that question – What position does Christ hold in your life? The answer will determine if you are living in captivity or freedom. Yesterday, I was in captivity. Today, I gave Jesus the throne of my heart back! You will have to come back next week for reason #2 from this text; why we can trust Christ over all things. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!