SUMMARY
Don’t you wish you could change the world, but feel you’re too small to make an impact? Does it seem like the rising tide of secularism and paganism is threatening to overwhelm the faith? But Christianity has already faced this onslaught before; and won! Resoundingly! The book of Colossians outlines a simple, yet pungent strategy for defeating secularism. it has been done before, and we can do it again. You can change the world!
“I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.”
Never bet against God!
The Colossians were in a situation a lot like our own.
They were in danger of being swallowed up by the culture around them.
State of the Church 1:1-12
They were grounded in faith, hope and love (4-5).
They were a good church in a bad, bad world.
Basis of Victory1:13-20
If we follow Jesus we will be victorious.
#1 Jesus is the Redeemer of the lost. (13)
#2 Jesus is the Invisible God, and ruler over all things. (15)
#3 Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of all things.
#4 Jesus is the Head of the church. (18-20).
Jesus is the basis for victory.
Danger of Regression 1:22-2:7
How easy it is to slip into the old ways.
Our plan for world domination: (23)
#1 Continue in the faith
#2 do not be moved away from the Gospel.
Four Grave Warnings 2:8-23
#1 The first danger is Secularism. (2:8-10)
Human philosophies will deceive you.
#2 The second danger is Religious Legalism. (2:11-17)
We are followers of the New Covenant. The old is just a shadow.
#3 The third danger is New Age Mysticism. (2:18-19).
Paganism worships the creation, not the creator.
#4 The fourth danger is Asceticism, or religious self denial. (2:20-23)
The Battle Plan 3:1-4:6
#1 It starts in the Mind. (3:1)
We must have right thinking to win this battle.
#2 It is about Christian Character and Christian behavior.
Christians behave differently.
Your behavior has a powerful effect on a watching world.
#3. It is about putting your relationships in order.
#4 It is about your personal relationship with God.
This is our battle plan. The Christ of the Cross is the sign under which we conquer. This is the winning formula: Be grounded in the all sufficiency of Christ. Put Jesus first in all things, be rooted and grounded in Him. This is how Christianity won the world, and it is how we will take down the goliath of paganism. Join the resistance and live your life for Christ! The battle for world dominance begins in your heart and your soul!
MESSAGE
Don’t you wish you could change the world, but feel you’re too small to make an impact?
Does it seem like the rising tide of secularism and paganism is threatening to overwhelm the faith? Just in case you didn’t know it, the Christian cloister is under severe attack. Some of us fear that the dam will break, and the pagans will flood in, overwhelming the faith and destroying our little Christian world.
Over the past century Western Civilization has experienced profound social, religious, cultural, and sexual changes; Changes that run counter to deeply-held Christian teaching.
But Christianity has already faced this onslaught before; and won! Resoundingly! The book of Colossians outlines a simple, yet pungent strategy for defeating secularism. It’s so simple, some of us may have passed it off as undoable. But it has been done before, and we can do it again. You can change the world!
Jesus summed up the winning formula with these words: “I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” Never bet against God. Christ always triumphs; Jesus always wins! The solution to the modern problem of Paganism is to get back to the ancient Colossian playbook, which grounds us in the all encompassing, ever relevant, inescapable, all sufficiency of Christ. When raise the cry “Jesus is Lord,” paganism implodes.
Today we begin a new series of messages titled, “Colossians: Reclaiming lost ground.”
Because of the rising tide of human philosophies confronting us today, no New Testament book speaks with more relevancy than does the epistle to the Colossians.
The Colossians were in a situation a lot like our own. Trade flourished there. The ancient city of Colossae was built on a major trade route through the Lycus River Valley in the Roman province of Asia Minor. The Roman Empire was a melting pot for every economic, ethnic and religious group. They were immersed in an environment of pluralism and syncretism where most people simply borrowed from the religious and philosophical ideas of the day and added it to their own.
The Colossian church was in danger of being swallowed up by the culture around them. There as a culture war brewing which threatened to draw the church away from Jesus. That’s why Paul wrote the book. And today we are going to do a quick survey of Colossians to get a bird’s eye view of the plan of god for combating paganism.
State of the Church 1:1-12
The Colossians Church was in relatively good shape. They understood the essentials well. They were grounded in faith, hope and love (4-5). Paul had heard good reports from Epaphras, the pastor of the church (7). Like us, they were a good church in a bad, bad world, and Paul had some serious concerns for them. The first concern was that they might become complacent and quit growing. So Paul left this prayer for them:
We ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord. Colossians 1:9-10
We must ever guard against the danger of complacency. We can’t afford to sit back on our Blessed Assurance while the rest of the world is under the influence of the evil one. We must prepare ourselves to do battle with the forces of darkness. But how do we combat Paganism? Do we picket the world? Do we protest at their abortion clinics and shout down their parades?
That’s not the New Testament way. The answer is found in verse 23:
Basis of Victory1:13-20
Continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and do not be moved away from the hope of the gospel. Colossians 1:23
Did you hear that? Our plan for world domination is this: #1 Continue in the faith, and #2 do not be moved away from the Gospel! It may seem like that’s not enough, but it is more than we need, and it is based on the assurance that Christ reigns Supreme. Our triumph is based on His triumph.
The book of Colossians lays out four things about the absolute supremacy of Christ that makes it clear, that if we follow Jesus we too will be victorious.
#1 Jesus is the Redeemer of the lost. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of His dear Son,” (13) God’s power is demonstrated in salvation! If Jesus can save us, he can change the world.
#2 Jesus is the Invisible God. That’s what verse 15 says. And because He is the exact image of the Father, he is ruler over all things.
#3 Jesus is the creator of all things. Listen, Jesus made everything according to verses 16-17. And he holds all things together. Nothing is too hard for God.
#4 Jesus is the Head of the church. (18-20). Redeemer, All Mighty, Creator and Lord; and because he is all these things, he has the power to change the world and He will.
The reason we have the victory is because of the person and work of Jesus. He is the basis for victory. He is our supreme commander. As long as you trust in Jesus, and follow him loyally, you too can change the world. But there is danger in the church, and danger in the world.
Danger of Regression
How easy it is to slip into the old ways, where we think that politics is the answer, or education is the answer, or science is the answer. There is but one answer, and it is Jesus.
Continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and do not be moved away from the hope of the gospel. Colossians 1:23
Paul is worried that the world and its competing philosophies may deceive us. So after warning us about regression, Paul details four clear and present dangers, that threaten to defeat and deceive and demoralize us.
Four Grave Warnings 2:8-23
#1 The first is Secularism.
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8
Beware of the Philosophies of men. (2:8-10) You will find these philosophies in our schools, in our politics, in our news media, in our science and in our entertainment. We listen to experts who claim to be objective, but they are pagans. They have denied the all sufficiency and pre-eminence of Christ. We must beware lest their opinions deceive us.
#2 The second is Religious Legalism. (2:11-17) These are religious leaders who are attempting to get us to obey the Sabbath, and follow Old Testament rules and regulations. They will try to convince you that if you don’t obey the Law, God will judge you. But we are distinctly New Testament Christians. We are followers of the New Covenant. The old is just a shadow of what we have in Christ.
#3 The third is New Age Mysticism. (2:18-19). Today there is a revival of Paganism in our world. A new spirituality is taking over America. Ancient nature religions, long thought dead by many, are reemerging across Western nations. They worship angels, gods, plants and above all, they worship themselves.
#4 The fourth is Asceticism, or religious denial. (2:20-23) This is the do not taste, do not touch, do not handle religion. It is the religion of vegetarians, vegans and other purists.
These are four of the attacks that threaten to capsize the Christian battleship, but we’ve beat them back before, and we can use the Colossian plan to do it again.
The Battle Plan 3:1-4:6
There are four steps to this battle plan. When implemented it has the power to change our world.
#1 It starts in the Mind.
If you were raised with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:1
We have to have right thinking to win this battle.
#2 It is about Christian Character and Christian behavior.
Christians behave differently. We have put off the old man, or the old life, and we have put on the new man or the new life. This is about what we do and what we don’t do. Your behavior has a powerful effect on a watching world.
#3. It is about putting your relationships in order.
In a world that is rife with divorce, broken relationships, bad behavior at work, at school, and at play, Christian behavior stands out as a healing light that mends the people around us. It is surprising how Christian families can have such an impact on the world around them, but that is where the rubber meets the road.
#4 It is about our personal relationship with God.
4:2 tells us, Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving, and the book ends on this note in 4:5-6: Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
That’s the Christian call to action. This is our battle plan. The Cross is the sign under which we conquer. This is the wining formula. Be grounded in the all sufficiency of Christ. Put Christ over all things in you, delight in Jesus, be rooted and grounded in Him. This is how Christianity won the world, and it is how we will take down the goliath of paganism. Join the resistance and live your life for Christ! The battle for world dominance begins in your heart and your soul!
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