PART 1
There are passages in Scripture where Paul is not merely defending doctrine — he’s saving people from losing the very Jesus who saved them. Colossians 2 is one of those moments. The church in Colossae was young, vibrant, and full of brand-new believers who had just stepped out of paganism and into the radiant freedom of the gospel. And almost immediately, spiritual predators began slithering into the church with a message that sounded spiritual, looked intellectual, felt mystical… but led away from Christ.
That’s why Paul wrote Colossians — to declare the absolute, unmatched, irreplaceable sufficiency of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is not a way; He is the way.
Jesus is not one truth among many; He is the truth by which all others are measured.
Jesus is not a life option; He is the life that makes us alive.
And anything — anything — that puts itself forward as a supplement, addition, or enhancement to Jesus is not innocent spiritual curiosity. It is a maze. A system designed to confuse, mislead, and ultimately rob believers of the simplicity and security of the gospel.
Paul addresses four traps in Colossians 2:
Intellectualism. Ritualism. Mysticism. Legalism.
All four still exist today; they simply wear modern clothing.
Tonight we enter the third: Mysticism — the seductive belief that you can reach God, experience God, or know spiritual truth apart from Jesus Christ and apart from Scripture.
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THE MAZE AND THE MIRAGE
A few years ago a farmer in Wisconsin built a corn maze covering about 400 acres — one of the largest ever built. Using satellite images and digital mapping, he created a sprawling labyrinth of winding paths, dead ends, false turns, and blind corners so complex that lookout towers had to be installed just to rescue lost wanderers.
It’s a perfect picture of the spiritual landscape of our time.
Our culture loves the mystical.
People crave supernatural experiences but reject supernatural truth.
They want spirituality without Scripture.
They long for transcendence but avoid repentance.
They hunger for the invisible while ignoring the Incarnate.
And just like a maze, mysticism feels thrilling at the entrance — until you realize you’re lost, disoriented, and unable to find your way.
That is exactly what was happening in Colossae.
A group of teachers — the early Gnostics — moved into the church offering “higher knowledge,” “deeper spirituality,” and “secret revelations.” They told believers that Jesus was good — very good — but not enough. Christ could bring you part of the way, they said, but there were levels beyond Him, realms above Him, experiences deeper than Him.
It sounded humble.
It sounded spiritual.
But Paul calls it what it truly was: a trap.
> “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and the worship of angels… not holding fast to the Head.”
— Colossians 2:18–19
This is not an ancient problem alone.
It is a modern epidemic.
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THE OLD GNOSTICISM IN NEW CLOTHES
The early Gnostics believed they possessed hidden truth unavailable to ordinary Christians. They saw themselves as an elite spiritual class — insiders who understood mysteries others didn’t.
Today, the same spirit surfaces through:
the New Age movement
“Christianized” mysticism
visions that contradict Scripture
spiritual experiences not tested by the Word
angel-obsession
occult curiosity
channeling, crystals, energy alignment
manifestation and “the universe is listening”
progressive Christianity that replaces revelation with personal experience
Mysticism says:
“Truth is whatever I experience.”
“Authority is whatever I feel.”
“God is whoever I imagine Him to be.”
But Colossians says something very different:
Truth is what God has revealed.
Authority is Jesus Christ.
God is known only in His Son.
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THE SPIRITUALITY OF “MORE”
Gnostics told believers:
“Jesus is wonderful — but there’s more.
More levels, more beings, more revelations, more experiences. Let us lead you through the maze.”
Their “more” came in several forms:
1. False humility
A kind of false lowliness that actually masked deep spiritual pride.
2. Angel obsession
A fascination with heavenly intermediaries that distracted from Christ.
3. Secret knowledge
The lure of hidden truths available only to the initiated.
4. Spiritual pride
The feeling of superiority that accompanies “special revelation.”
Mysticism looks spiritual — but its end is always the same:
A slow loosening of the believer’s grip on Christ.
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PART 2
Paul’s message is simple, powerful, and liberating:
Spiritual life, spiritual growth, and spiritual transformation come from one source alone — Jesus Christ, the Head.
All other spiritual paths promise light but lead into shadow.
All other systems promise depth but end in confusion.
All other voices offer wisdom but cannot give salvation.
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SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION: THE REAL THING
Paul contrasts the counterfeit with the authentic.
Mysticism promises spiritual experience; Jesus gives spiritual life.
Mysticism claims secret knowledge; Jesus reveals God openly.
Mysticism requires wandering in the dark; Jesus is the Light.
Paul shifts the metaphor to the body.
Christ is the Head.
We are the body.
Every part of our spiritual life flows from Him.
1. Spiritual life comes only from connection to the Head
You do not grow by climbing mystical ladders.
You grow by clinging to Christ.
Disconnect a body from its head — the body dies.
Disconnect a believer from Jesus — the spiritual life collapses.
2. Spiritual nourishment flows from Christ, not mystical experience
Paul describes the body as being held together “by joints and ligaments.”
Meaning: God’s appointed means of nourishment — Scripture, prayer, worship, fellowship, obedience.
Mysticism bypasses all of these.
It creates a direct line between the self and an undefined spiritual world.
It promises depth but produces confusion.
3. Spiritual growth is gradual, continual, grounded in truth
Mysticism offers sudden enlightenment.
Christ offers steady transformation.
God grows us slowly so He can grow us deeply.
It is impossible to microwave holiness.
It must be slow-cooked by grace.
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THE SEDUCTION OF THE SPECTACULAR
Let’s be honest: mystical experiences feel exciting.
They feel transcendent.
They feel powerful.
But Scripture warns:
> “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
Mysticism loves the spectacular.
Christianity loves the Savior.
Mysticism loves the emotional rush.
Christianity loves obedience.
Mysticism loves visions.
Christianity loves Scripture.
One gives you chills.
The Other gives you life.
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THE BIBLE: THE TRUTH THAT GROUNDS EXPERIENCE
Paul is not anti-experience — far from it.
He believes in heart-warming encounters with God.
Remember the disciples on the Emmaus road?
> “…did not our hearts burn within us… while He opened to us the Scriptures?”
— Luke 24:32
The heart burns when the Word opens.
Emotion follows revelation — not the other way around.
Experiences must be tested by truth.
Feelings must be anchored in Scripture.
Mysticism anchors nothing.
It floats.
Drifts.
Makes the soul unstable.
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PART 3
Spiritual counterfeits do not need to be ugly to be dangerous.
In fact, the most seductive ones feel uplifting, enlightened, even holy.
But the end is always the same: separation from the sufficiency of Christ.
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THE SLOW BEAUTY OF REAL SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Paul says the body “grows with the growth that is from God.”
Real growth is slow, deliberate, and truth-driven.
Mysticism offers fireworks.
Christ offers fruit.
And one burns out while the other remains.
WHY MYSTICISM FEELS SPIRITUAL BUT ISN’T
Mysticism feels spiritual because it deals in emotion.
But Christianity is spiritual because it deals in truth.
Mysticism is self-referential.
Christianity is Christ-centered.
Mysticism starts with the self.
Christianity starts with the Savior.
Mysticism gives mirrors.
Christianity gives crosses.
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THE TRUE SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
Christianity is full of experience — forgiveness, peace, conviction, joy, comfort, worship.
But every genuine experience of God does four things:
1. Drives you to Scripture
2. Magnifies Christ
3. Deepens obedience
4. Strengthens love for God and people
Mysticism produces none of these.
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THE DANGER OF SPIRITUAL CAPTIVITY
Paul warns: “Let no one cheat you of your reward.”
Mysticism steals joy, clarity, focus, peace.
You can be saved and confused.
Saved and misled.
Saved and wandering the maze instead of walking with the Savior.
This is why Paul fights so hard.
He is guarding the joy and simplicity of the gospel.
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THE POWER OF HOLDING FAST TO JESUS
The remedy is simple:
Hold fast to the Head.
Hold fast when culture pulls.
Hold fast when experience entices.
Hold fast when visions attract.
Hold fast when emotions drift.
Jesus is not an entry point — He is the entire path.
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THE MAZE AND THE DOG AT THE BRIDGE
A dog crossed a bridge carrying a bone.
Seeing his reflection, he believed another dog carried a bigger bone.
He dropped his own to grasp the illusion — and lost both.
Mysticism does this every time.
It drops the real to chase the imaginary.
It trades the certainty of Christ for the illusion of depth.
It loses everything for nothing.
Christ is reality.
Mysticism is reflection.
Hold fast to Christ.
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CONCLUSION
Everything God wants you to know, become, experience, enjoy, or understand is found in Christ.
Not beyond Him.
Not behind Him.
Not above Him.
Not beneath Him.
In Him.
Hold fast to the Head — and the maze disappears.
