Opening illustration: I wonder what Christ or even the apostle Paul would say if they were to visit our churches today. What a beehive of activity! Committees, programs, entertainment without end. But worship is often downplayed, services are cut back, prayer meetings are eliminated. Some call these improvements, but are they really changes for the better?
There’s a story about a woman who became seriously ill and was taken to the hospital. In the evening her husband asked how she was doing, and he was told that she was improving. For several days her doctor gave the same report. Then one day she unexpectedly died. When the man saw the doctor, he asked, “Well, what did she die of—improvements?”
I know of a church that died of “improvements.” The first was to hire a minister with unbiblical ideas. Then the prayer meeting was changed into a literary debating society. Finally, the minister stopped praying from the pulpit. The church is now dead. I suggest that someone put a tombstone in front of it with these words: “Died of Improvements.”
There’s always room for the right kind of improvements in our churches. But let’s make sure they are guided by the life-changing principles of God’s Word, not the deadening philosophies of this world. (Illustration by M.R. De Haan, Our Daily Bread)
Let us turn to Colossians 2 and see what Paul lays down for the faithful church of Christ …
Introduction: Paul is going through a struggle for these Christians whom he has never seen but has loved. He associates the Laodicaeans with the Colossians, and speaks of all those who had never seen his face. He is thinking of that group of three towns in the Lycus valley, Laodicaea, Hierapolis, and Colosse stood close together. Laodicaea and Hierapolis stood in full view of each other on either side of the valley, with the river lycus flowing between them, six miles apart; and Colosse was 12 miles further up the river. In fact Laodicaea was a wealthy center for trade and commerce, but later Christ would criticize the believers there for their lukewarm commitment (Revelation 3:14-21). The fact that Paul wanted this letter to be passed on to the Laodicaean church indicates that false teaching may have spread there as well. It is the group of Christians in that area of three towns of which Paul is thinking, and which is picturing in his mind. Paul is calling and challenging these Churches to be faithful to God.
What are the marks of the faithful church?
1. The love factor (vs. 1-2)
Paul prayed that these Christians might be joined together, knit together, and kept together. Solitary Christians are apt to be weak Christians, for in this sphere as in all others "union is strength." If Christian people are not truly knit together, the cause of Christ may suffer, for through the severances caused by division the enemy can keep thrusting his darts which must be parried alone. That is why the apostle elsewhere urges believers earnestly to strive "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). One of the greatest powers that Satan wields today is due to disunion among the genuine people of God. It is true alike of the Christian home, congregation, and denomination that this wedge of discord can become one of the enemy's most powerful weapons. On the other hand, where the brethren are able to "dwell together in unity," there the Lord commands His blessing (Psalm 133:3).
This unity, however, is only possible "in love." It is the love of God to us that unites us to Him and it will be the love of God in us that unites us to our brethren. Indeed, there is no power like love to bind Christians together. We may not see eye to eye on all aspects of the truth we hold; we may not all use the same methods of worship and service; but if we love one another God dwells in us and among us, and He can add His own seal of blessing to the work done for Him. Let every evangelical Christian be fully assured that, in so far as he is striving, praying, and laboring for the union of God's people in love, he will be doing one of the most influential and blessed pieces of work for his Master and, at the same time, one of the greatest possible pieces of disservice to the kingdom of Satan. Contrariwise, the Christian man or Christian church practicing separateness and exclusiveness because of non-essential differences of opinion or policy is one of the best allies of Satan and one of his most effective workers.
Illustration: Often there is a story told about the six young men that were to run a hundred-yard dash. They lined up, waited for the starting gun and then they were off running. About halfway down the track, the young man in front stumbled and fell. Almost immediately, the other five men stopped and helped him up. When they had dusted him off and decided that he was all right, they then decided to finish the race. None of the judges could tell who won the blue ribbon for none of them could see through their tears of joy. No one in the stands that day would ever forget this incident or how proud they were for each of the persons that participated in these Special Olympics. Yes, these young men who cared more about their fallen friend than winning a race, were people that some have the nerve to call retarded. Maybe they understand things better than we do. They give us a parable of what God wants from the church.
2. Courageous heart (v. 2)
What poor, blind fools are we by nature! How insufficient is all our earthly wisdom and all our natural knowledge, to guide us into the truth! When the soul really is under divine teaching, how ignorant it feels as to every single thing it desires to know! What clouds of darkness perpetually hang over the mind! What a veil of ignorance seems continually spread over the heart! The simplest truths of God's word seem hidden in the deepest obscurity, and the soul can neither see the truth, nor see nor feel its personal interest in it.
Now, when a man is here, he does not go to the Lord with lying lips and a mocking tongue, and ask him to give him wisdom, merely because he has heard that other persons have asked it of God, or because he reads in the Bible that Christ is made of God "wisdom" to his people; but he goes as a poor, blind fool, as one completely ignorant, as one totally unable to understand a single spiritual truth of himself, as one thoroughly helpless to get into the marrow of vital godliness, into the mysteries of true religion, or into the very heart of Christ. For it is not a few doctrines received into the head, nor a sound creed, that can satisfy a soul convinced of its ignorance. No; nothing can satisfy him, but to have that divine illumination, whereby he "sees light in God's light;" that spiritual wisdom communicated, whereby he feels himself "made wise unto salvation;" that unctuous light shed abroad in the heart, which is the only key to gospel truth, and is its own blessed evidence, that he knows the truth by a divine application of it to his soul.
3. Power to resist seductive teaching (vs. 3-4, 8)
The problem that Paul was combating in the Colossian church was similar to Gnostism – heresy (teaching contrary to biblical doctrine). Gnostism became fashionable in the second century. Even in Paul’s day, these ideas sounded attractive to many, and exposure to such teachings could easily seduce a church that did not know Christian doctrine well. Similar teachings still pose significant problems for many in the church today. We combat heresy by becoming thoroughly acquainted with God’s Word through personal study and sound Biblical teaching. (Give example of the Catholic Church traditions.)
It was not merely about wisdom and knowledge as scripture nowhere condemns the acquisition of knowledge. It is the wisdom of this world, not its knowledge that is foolishness with God. Philosophy is but worldly wisdom. It is the effort of the human mind to solve the mystery of the universe. It is not an exact science, for the philosophers have never been able to come to any satisfactory conclusion as to either the "why" or the "wherefore" of things. "The Greeks seek after wisdom," we are told; and it was they who led the way for all future generations in philosophical theorizing. Before a divine revelation came it was quite natural and proper that man should seek by wisdom to solve the riddles that nature was constantly propounding, but now that God has spoken this is no longer necessary, and it may become grave infidelity.
Plato yearned for a divine Word - "logos" - which would come with authority and make everything plain. That Word is Christ of whom John writes, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And again, "The Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us, and we beheld His glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." The Word is no longer hidden. We do not need to search for it.
The word “spoil” now commonly means, to corrupt, to cause to decay and perish, as fruit is spoiled by keeping too long, or paper by wetting, or hay by a long rain, or crops by mildew. But the Greek word used here means to spoil in the sense of plunder, rob, as when plunder is taken in war. The meaning is, “Take heed lest anyone plunder or rob you of your faith and hope by philosophy.” These false teachers would strip them of their faith and hope, as an invading army would rob a country of all that was valuable.
The Greek philosophy prevailed much in the regions around Colossae, and perhaps also the oriental or Gnostic philosophy. They were exposed to the influences of these plausible systems. They consisted much of speculations respecting the nature of the divine existence; and the danger of the Colossians was, that they would rely rather on the deductions of that specious reasoning, than on what they had been taught by their Christian teachers.
There appear to have been two sources of danger to which the Christians at Colosse were exposed, and to which the apostle in these cautions alludes, though he is not careful to distinguish them. The one was that arising from the Grecian philosophy; the other, from Jewish opinions. The latter is that to which he refers here. The Jews depended much on tradition (see the notes at Matthew 15:2); and many of those traditions would have tended much to corrupt the gospel of Christ.
We must be aware that philosophy and erroneous religious tradition are contrary to Christ. Do not be deceived. We must heed to Paul’s warning against listening to people who pander to the flesh, rather than edifying in the truth. This also came about when people wanted to try out (munch here and there) other church doctrines which apparently had no foundations attached to Christ or His Word.
Illustration: Football is a big deal in our local high school. And with the increase in the dedication to football has come a greater focus on weight training. When you see the difference that this weight training makes, it becomes easier to understand why some young people begin messing around with anabolic steroids. Imagine being told that this little pill would make you stronger and more intimidating yet.
But there is a problem. Doctors have discovered that these steroids can have a rebound effect. The same pill that at first made you stronger will eat away the body you thought you were developing. You consume them, and they consume you. Not just for a few years, but for life. If you give in to the salesman who is peddling muscles in a bottle it could kill you.
Apostle Paul warns the people of Colosse that those who sell bottled doctrine may sound good and look harmless … but in fact they are peddling spiritual death. That is exactly what seductive teaching and worldly wisdom and knowledge does … the biggest example is our own country. Today we are facing and experiencing the spiritual demise of the soul of our nation even after having fearlessly evangelized the world for decades and followed the Word of God faithfully … the new heresy doctrine of “make me happy and become prosperous” ravages our churches and our country in a subtle way.
4. Possess a soldier’s discipline (vs. 5-6)
These are military terms. They picture a disciplined military unit. We can picture a parade ground with soldiers marching in formation. The message is clear: this group has become a disciplined group of soldiers. In the battle, the group is organized, everyone does their job, and they remain solid in the face of opposition. This is a result of careful, rigorous and constant training. Paul sees the Colossians like this. They have arrived at a measure of maturity because of their attention to godly discipline and training.
Sometimes it is helpful to understand a concept by stating things in opposites. The opposite of being orderly and firm in our faith would be to be haphazard, undependable, impulsive and flabby. Which terms best describe your Christian walk: disciplined or haphazard; firm or flabby?
Think about this … if you are in the US Military, can you join a military of another country or organization? Not until someone wanted to defect and betray the US nation. So what is going on in the church today? Where is the loyalty and faithfulness of the body of Christ?
Illustration: The best illustration I can think of is exercise. If you want to be in your best physical condition; if you want to be firm and not flabby, you must be disciplined in your life. It means regular exercise, eating right, practicing good habits. I have found that if I do exercises to strengthen my body I feel much better and enjoy life more fully. However, when I start feeling better I have a tendency to slack off of the exercising. Guess what happens. I begin to hurt again. If you want a trim waistline you can do hundreds of sit-ups a day and watch your diet carefully. You will see results. However, if you go back to sitting around and eating poorly the flab will return.
Do you see that this is similar to our spiritual walk? We may be very intense for a period of time and feel the wonderful sense of the Lord's presence. Then we coast. Our spiritual life begins to dry up. Some people conclude that it wasn't real to begin with. Others go back to work. The mature believer avoids the periods of coasting and drifting by being disciplined in their Christian life.
5. Holds to the faith and abounds in gratitude (v. 7-8)
In addition to being characterized by unbelief, the Israelites were also characterized by self-will. Concerning the Israelites, the psalmist said, "They quickly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but craved intensely in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. So He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them" (Psalm 106:13-15, NASB).
The King James Version translates this last verse: "He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul" (v. 15). This reveals that God sometimes permits what is not in His direct will. It also reveals that the individual loses out spiritually.
What a paradox! The Israelites were to walk by faith, but they wanted to send spies into the land (see Deuteronomy 1:19-23). What does faith want with spies? Apparently they were more concerned about walking by sight than by faith. Many believers today find it extremely difficult to take God at His word. Instead of walking by faith, they want proofs about the future beyond what God has said and the power He has demonstrated. They are just like the Israelites who wanted to send spies into the land so they would know what it was like and how strong it was. Then they would choose whether or not to go in.
Every believer should remember 2 Corinthians 5:7: "(For we walk by faith, not by sight.)"
Isaac probably knew that he was the sacrifice. He could have resisted because he was no longer a child; he was probably between 17 and 25 years of age. Here the Word of God introduces us to the submissive trait that seems to have been the strong factor in Isaac's life. He was characterized more by submissiveness than by aggressiveness.
Abraham was the one with an aggressive faith, but Isaac had a submissive faith - willing to be what God wanted him to be. Even when he was offered as a sacrifice, Isaac submitted himself to his father because God had so willed it. Isaac's submission was a picture of Christ's submission to the Father. Jesus Christ was the sacrifice for the sins of the world so that the holy standards of the Heavenly Father might be satisfied.
Concerning Christ, 1 John 2:2 tells us that "he is the propitiation [satisfaction] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." Jesus was submissive to the Heavenly Father's will. The purpose of the Father and the Son was one. God the Father willed the sacrifice to be made, and the Son willed to be the sacrifice.
Expressing overflowing thanks to God that you have been made acquainted with truths so precious and glorious. If there is anything for which we ought to be thankful, it is for the knowledge of the great truths respecting our Lord and Savior.
Application: With what God has entrusted to us, are we faithful not only as individuals but as a church toward God. Are we willing to faithfully pursue Him and walk with Him no matter what! God put the church in the world; Satan tries to put the world in the church. Be faithful!
