Christ Is #1 - So Live Like It.

Christ is Number One – So Live Like It! Colossians 2:6-15

Two Sunday’s ago, I preached a sermon from Colossians 1 entitled, “Five Wonderful Truths About Christian Living.”

Those five wonderful truths are:

• We have been called to a holy calling.

• We have been called to walk a faithful walk.

• God has made us a family.

• As long as we remain in Christ we win!

• Our mission begins at home!

In Colossians 1, the Apostle Paul makes it clear to the Church that Jesus Christ is Lord!

• He also makes it very clear that it’s not enough to receive Him as our Savior, but we also must walk daily with Him, obeying Him as Lord.

• My Bible has notes in it about each book of the Bible: In Colossians it has the question: What’s the point of Colossians? Christ is Number One – so live like it.

• Our passage from Colossians 2:6-15 continues that teaching – so let’s look at it this morning.

I). I love those first two verses: (read vv. 6-7)

A). I really believe that the very first line is an import one for us to consider: “And now, just as you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord…”

• I think we need to stop right here and take a close look at ourselves.

• Many of us – when we were saved – accepted Christ as our Savior…but now many of us this morning has gone on to accept Him as our Lord?

B). There’s a big difference:

• A Savior is a person who saves someone else from danger! And we can all agree that that is exactly what Jesus has done – He has saved us from danger – He has delivered us from death and an eternity in Hell – and that’s why many of us got ‘saved’ to begin with – because we realized the danger we were in!

• A Lord is someone who has power and authority over you; he is your master & ruler. You submit to Him and obey Him in every aspect of your life.

• So, Jesus as Savior is what He has done FOR you – Jesus as Lord is who He is TO you. So which Jesus is He??? We have to get by this very first part to continue on with what Paul is teaching us here.

C). Now we can go on: If we accept Jesus as Lord here’s what we do:

• We must continue to follow Him – to walk with Him and obey Him

• We need to let our roots grow down into Him, and let our lives be built on Him.

• Results: A strong faith and an overflowing thankfulness to God.

II). Now let’s look at the warning of verse 8 (read)

A). I love the use of the word ‘capture’ here.

• When we accepted Christ as Savior & Lord, we were set free from several things: The bondage of sin, the sting of death and the clutches of Hell.

• Now, the Bible warns us of the dangers of being “Captured” again.

B). This potential capturing comes from two different sources:

• “Empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking” and “the spiritual powers of this world.”

III). So, what is philosophy?

A). Philosophy is the “study of wisdom”

• On a more practical note: it is the study of general and fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.

• Such questions include:

o Is it possible to know anything and to prove it?

o What is most real?

o Is there a best way to live?

o Is it better to be just or unjust (if you can get away with it)?

o Do humans have free will?

B). So, what’s the problem with philosophy?

• The problems is – where do we get our philosophies from?

• Where are we looking to find the answers to those questions?

• There’s nothing wrong with studying wisdom – but whose wisdom are we studying???

• Look at the Scripture again: we get captured by sin and this world again, when we seek after the “empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking.”

C). We don’t need the world’s philosophies – we don’t need man’s philosophies!

• We have a better philosophy – we have a better wisdom.

• We have the wisdom that comes from God Himself! What more could we possibly need???

D). Have you ever considered the way the Bible is written: Do you know its’ divisions? Not the Old and New Testament divisions, but the division of the entire Bible itself?

• There are seven divisions of the Bible:

o The Law of God (Pentateuch)