Download RRBS 011914 - River Rock Church

River Rock Bible Study
Colossians 2:4
1/19/2014
"Staying with the Simple Gospel"
I. Intro.
A. Go over last week's message.
B. Satan wants to mix the Word of God with man made doctrines. He has done it since the
beginning.
C. Man tends toward philosopy or legalism which complicates our relationship with God. God
has given us a simple gospel that we are saved by and we must stay with in our walk with
God after salvation.
II. Vs. 4- this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.
A. deceive- Gr. paralogizomai- to deceive by false reasoning; mis-calculation
1. People can have persuasive reasoning but if their premise is wrong all their reasoning will
be wrong. ie. Scientists and astro-physists have elaborate explanations for creation but
fail to acknowledge a creator.
2. If you do not start with the premise that Jesus is God and became a man to die for our
sins and rise again then all your reasonings about God and salvation will be off.
3. If any reasoning about salvation does not align itself with the NT then it is false reasoning.
You don't have to be smart to be right. Just believe God's Word and you will be Brilliant
even if people say you are dumb!
B. persuasive words
1. Gr. pithanologia- peitho- persuade; logos- word
2. Most of us are not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so we often let smart sounding people
persuade by their reasoning’s. We don't have to have an IQ of 200 to be spiritually brilliant!
We just need to believe the simple gospel. That makes you BRILLIANT!! Don't let anyone
talk you out of these simple truths.
a. God is a good God all the time.
b. Jesus is God in the flesh
c. We are saved by faith in what Jesus did for us period.
d. We are to relate to God on the basis of His grace by faith.
3. Philosophy promises that the more secrets you learn about God the more access you
have to Him and what He has. This is rife in Christian circles today. Legalism says that the
more good you do the more pull you have with God and the more bad you do you lose
pull with God. This is rife in the Church. Both offer complex equations to your relationship
with God.
3. The simple equations are the most powerful. Ex. E=MC2 is a simple equation but it
governs how the vast universe runs. There is a simple spiritual equation that governs
God's spiritual universe- God's grace through Jesus + mans response of faith= salvation
[deliverance, healing, prosperity, wholeness]
III. Vs. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your
good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
A. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit
1. It is funny to see how commentators just jump over this statement because they do not
know what to do with it!
2. I believe that Paul was given glimpses in his spirit of the condition of Colossae. We have
yet plumbed the depths of prayer as we could.
B. rejoicing to see your order
1. order- Gr. taxis- arranged order
a. There is order in all of creation.
b. There is a proper order in our relationship with God. We arrange ourselves in God's
order by believing in His grace by Jesus finished work. We maintain order with God
the same way.
c. Order with God leads to natural order. There should be order in the church- pastor,
elders, deacons, congregation and mutual submission in love.
C. steadfastness of your faith in Christ
1. Steadfastness- Gr. stereoma
2. You cannot stand strong in faith when you are out of order.
IV. Vs. 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
A. This verse speaks of the proper order we must have towards God. We must walk with Him
the same way we got saved.
B. This verse is my life ministry verse!
C. As you received- Gr. paralambano- to take to, to take with one’s self, to join to one’s self
1. We received Christ by grace through faith. [Eph. 2:8-9]
D. so walk in Him- Gr. peripateo- walk all around
1. The exact same principle that got you saved is the principle you are to walk with God.
2. Receiving Christ by grace through faith put you on the path, now walking on that path is
done by grace through faith.
3. Most Christians ride into God's kingdom on the powerful stallion of grace, but soon after
are deceived by the enemy and the church that they really should stand on their own two
feet to really please God. This is where the myth of the honeymoon period for Christians
came from. Grace is traded for performance and law.
a. Spiritual disciplines are taught to please God, such as reading your bible, prayer, tithing,
church attendance. Spiritual disciplines are fine if they are connectors to God's grace.
If they become works to merit God moving in your life they become deadly and will
suck the life out of your relationship with God.
b. Many get back under the Law and the Ten commandments to gauge their worthiness
for God to move in their life.
4. This lifestyle is quick sand. The more you focus on your own performance and worthiness
for God the more ungodly you become. Satan then says you haven't tried hard enough
and then you try harder and end up worse than ever. The strength of sin is the law and
self effort. God's measure of worthiness for Him to move in our life and bless us is
perfection. Jesus met that standard for us. People and the enemy try to complicate
matters and put the responsibility on us to become worthy for God to bless us and move
in our lives.
5. Grace says done; law says do. You enter salvation based upon done, but the enemy soon
gets you to believe you must do in order to receive. The done of God was accomplished
through what Christ has done and is offered to us by grace. We receive by faith. We got
saved that way; we are to continue on living that way!
V. Vs. 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught,
abounding in it with thanksgiving.
A. rooted in Him- This happens by sowing the Word of Christ in our heart. [James 1:21] When
our entire Christian life is wrapped up in Him then we become rooted in Him and draw from
His life in us to bear fruit.
1. There are three levels we are to experience God's Word- 1] read it 2] study it 3] meditate
on it.
B. built up in Him- This happens by praying especially in the Holy Spirit- [Jude 20]
C. established in the faith- notice not established in the law or performance. Godly
performance will come from faith. The work of faith.
D. as you have been taught- One of our greatest need is to be taught the New Covenant
regularly! We need to be taught about what it means to be in Christ and to walk in Christ.
E. abounding in Thanksgiving- This is one of the true gauges if we have believed, received,
and walk in grace. Religious performance minded people have nothing to be thankful about.
They are sad, unhappy, mad, bitter people. The more you understand the love of God, the
free gift of righteousness, our identity in Christ the more thankful we become.
VI. Vs. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to
the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to
Christ.
A. Beware- We must be on constant vigil that we do not allow ours to be deceived to
complicate the gospel and thus ruin it.
B. cheat you through philosphy - to take away spoil
1. Complicating the simple gospel by philosophy or legalism will allow the enemy to rob from
you peace, joy, prosperity, health, etc.
2. Those that preach Christian philosophy will rob you of your money after you buy their
latest book or CD series on the secrets that unlock success and blessing.
C. tradition of men
1. tradition makes the Word of God of none effect.
2. There is more tradition in our denominations than there is revelation of the Word of God.
D. according to the basic principles of the world
1. The church often borrows principles that the world runs by and incorporates them with the
Word of God.
E. Not according to Christ
1. If you go the local bookstore and look at the self help section and the business/success
section and look through the books, it is hard to find any that mention Jesus, the cross,
the resurrection, or faith. These are empty wells of philosopy and empty deceit.
VII. Vs. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
A. Jesus is the fullness of God. Gnostics taught a span of spirits that came from the true God to
the spirit that made the earth. They taught you needed to unlock secrets of each level to get
in contact with the true God. They called the span of spirits the pleroma or the fullness of the
Godhead.
B. They taught Jesus was just one of the spirits in this fullness. Paul said that Jesus is the
fullness [pleroma] of the Godhead!
C. We don't need to unlock secrets to get in contact with God and to get His attention. We are
in Christ and all God has is given to us freely by our faith in Christ. Jesus is your permanent
and full connection with God and all that He has!
VIII. and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
A. We are complete in Him! We are not lacking anything towards God. We don't need to learn
any secrets or scale any spiritual mountains to relate to God in a positive way!
B. We got saved by grace through faith, now we are to walk in Christ the same way!
IX. Close
A. Communion
B. Worship
C. Pray