Complete in Christ - Colossians 2:8-15

Can anyone make sense of these philosophies? Why should I believe any of them? Do they have the authority to validate their claims. Should I be persuaded by these men and women to believe what they say? Should I be taken captive by their world views?

Today we have so many different religions and people telling us who is Jesus...

The Mormons tell us Christ is satan’s brother, Muhammad says Christ is a great prophet, Jehova Witness’ tell us Jesus is really the Arch Angel Michael, Dan Brown the Author of the Divinci Code says Jesus was just a man who was married and had children, Oprah Winfrey tells us Christ is not the only way to God but there are many ways to God, Ekhart Tolle the spiritual guru tells us Christ came to show us the way to Christ consciences.

It goes on and on and on. Who is right? Who do I believe? Why should I believe one over the other? Should I believe any of them at all? Are you persuaded by these claims that men and women of the world make? I am here to proclaim the Truth to you tonight. I am telling you by the authority of Gods Word that each of these peoples claim come directly from the liar of liars. These are demonic beliefs and ideas and their power comes from satan. We are not to be persuaded by these empty deceptions by these traditions of men. They are false and untrue.

Do you know 2000 years ago there were people teaching the same type of falsehoods about Christ? Do you know that there were teachers who used the name of Jesus but mixed in their own ideas about Him. People were perverting the true nature of Jesus and were trying to take believers captive with these deceptions. But there was a man, a man, who was taught by God himself, who God has used to reveal who Jesus truly is. This man has written a letter from God to us. This man is Paul and just like 2000 years ago there were people in his day and age who were twisting the truth. It is the same as today. The power of darkness continually tries to cause people to stumble in their faith. The power of darkness is trying to pervert the true identity of Christ. The power of darkness is trying to twist the completed work of Christ on the cross. The power of darkness is telling us Jesus is not God.

So lets open our Bibles tonight and see how Paul warns the Colossians against the empty and deceitful teachings of men. Paul is going to give an answer why the Colossian believers should not be persuaded through philosophies, empty deceptions and traditions of men rather than according to Christ. Please open your Bibles to Colossians 2:8-15.

Believer, I want you to take one thing home tonight, it is this: in Him, Jesus Christ you have been made fully complete. You don’t need anything else but Him. In Him You Are Complete!

Colossians 2:8-15 (NASB95)
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

Here we have Paul in verse 8 telling the Colossians do not let the elementary principles of the world take you captive. Do not let these philosophies and empty deceptions persuade you. What are these philosophies Paul is speaking about? Well the word philosophy comes from two greek words phileo and sophia which means the love of wisdom. Men throughout all time have been using their own wisdom to come up with answers to the big questions in life. Why am I here, what is my purpose in life, where am i going when I die, where did all this stuff come from, who is God and so on.

Paul is telling us, their is wisdom from the world to answer these questions or there is wisdom from God. There is philosophies of the world or there is Christ. There are men who want to deceive us into believing all kinds of crazy worldly ideas. These ideas originate from satan himself. He twists and contorts the truth in ways to deceive men. He deceives them for a single reason to destroy their souls. He is the great deceiver who roams on the earth looking for those who he can destroy.

You want to know how satan uses these world philosophies to capture people? His strategy has been the same since the day he was thrown out of heaven. It is the same lie he has been telling over the centuries. It is how Eve was deceived in the Garden by him. He mixes truth with deception.

You want to know one of the big deception he has used over the centuries? What is the one thing that all world religions and cults have in common? They deny who Jesus Christ is. They deny His deity. They deny Jesus is God. He doesn’t tell them Jesus does not exist but he denies the true nature of Christ. Here is where all religions divert from the truth.

This is exactly what Paul is addressing to the Colossians, there are men who are teaching a different Jesus. They are not denying Jesus they are just twisting the truth of who Jesus is.

But who does Paul say Jesus is? What claim does Paul make about Jesus? Please lets read verse 9 again from Colossians. Paul writes. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in the bodily form, For in Christ all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in his human body.

This is one of the strongest statements in the Bible that is used for the Deity of Christ. Paul is making a very clear claim that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. The word Deity is theotetos and it means Christ essence as God. The full deity of Christ is contained in bodily form. He dwells, God dwells in the body of Christ forever. He does not go and come but He continues. We are going to see Him again in his fully glorified body.

You think Jesus is just a good person, you think Jesus is prophet, you think Jesus, is a good teacher, you think anything other than He is God then you are wrong. He is the God man. He is 100% God and He is 100% man. How this works is one of those mysteries about God and what an awesome fact it is. It is comforting to know that God is greater than what I can understand about Him.

We don’t have some new age zealot telling us we can find god by creating thoughts in our mind, we don’t have some spiritual guru who tells us we can find god in ourselves, but we have God Himself who came down to earth in bodily form to teach men about who He is and what He has done for us.

Don’t be persuaded by these false claims about Jesus. Jesus is God and In Him You Are Complete!

This is the first argument that Paul makes against the false teachings of his day. He is telling the Colossians and us as well that Christ is, was, and will ever be God. You don’t need the philosophies of men you just need Christ. He is God. It is the plain and simple fact that Jesus Christ is God.

You may be thinking in your mind. I get it. I get that Paul and the Bible clearly state that Jesus Christ is God. But why should I even believe Paul? Why should I take his opinion over lets say a Mormon who claims Jesus is just a man who earned His way to godhood?

I believe that is a great question to ask. I want to know the truth I don’t want just someone’s opinion about who Jesus is, I want to know that I am not mistaken about this fact. Everything is riding on this question, our eternity rests on the claim that Jesus is God.

So why should I believe Paul about His claim?

Of course we have the Bible which states it, we have all the miracles that Christ did, we have the greatest miracle His resurrection but why should I believe Paul. What does he bring to the table that helps us understand his claim is truth. Why should I be convinced what he says is true rather than lets say Oprah Winfrey?

What are the facts that we know about Paul. First before Paul became a Christian he was a Pharisee. He was a zealot for the law. His whole life was wrapped around Judaism and the keeping of the law. He was such a zealot that when he heard about Christians who said they no longer needed the Law or Judiasm he was infuriated. So what did he do? He became one of the chief persecutors of the Christians. We see him in Acts at the stoning of Steven. He gave approval of the very first martyr for Christ when they stoned Steven. He was a killer of Christians. He hated the Christians and wanted to destroy christianity.

But something happened to Paul. What happened on the Damascus road is an incredible event. We know after this experience he was a changed man. No longer a zealot for Judaism, but he became a zealot for Christ. What caused this instantaneous change of heart? It had to be something incredible.

Have you heard the story of Carrie Lightner? It was just another beautiful day in Fair Oaks CA. It was early afternoon and Cari dressed in her orange and white softball uniform started a short walk to the neighborhood church. Cari and her friend were in fits of laughter as they made their way down the sidewalk anticipating an afternoon of fun. But Cari never made it the church carnival and it forever changed a family and a nation. On that quiet suburb street Cari and her friend were crossing the street to the carnival when a 47 year old man who had been on a 3 day drinking binge climbed into his car drunk. Barreling down the residential street the drunk driver swerved and hit Cari throwing her 125 ft and killing her. For the Lightner family life changed that day.

The day after Cari’s funeral the circumstances of her death became know. She was killed by a drunk driver who had already been arrested multiple times for drunk driving. It was the day a mother got MADD. Cari’s mom Candace found out that the man who had killed her daughter was probably going to be put on probation and that was it. Propelled by the grit and determination to stop drunk driving, MADD got to work. On October 1 1980 Candice on the footsteps of Capitol Hill announced her plans to change the laws and penalties for drunk driving and became a force to be reckoned with. For 29 years Mothers Against Drunk Driving have been fighting to change the laws and increase the penalties for drunk drivers. A dramatic event changed Candace’s life forever.

Paul on the way to Damascas to imprison more Christians had a dramatic life altering change. He met the true and living God on that road. That day he was killed. Not physically but he died to himself that day. He became a follower of Christ no longer a persecutor of Christ.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

What do we see Paul doing shortly after meeting Jesus? Acts 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

Can someone explain this radical change? Not only was Paul willing to proclaim the Gospel, but he was willing to suffer for it. We know he was beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, and ultimately killed for his faith in Jesus Christ. He was an eye witness of Jesus Christ who met him on that Damascus road. Everyone he knew as well had seen the risen Lord.

If Paul had not met Jesus on that road that day then what other reasonable response would there be for his life altering change? One day you are killing Christians and the next day you become one? People could make up some lame reasons why this is not true but the plain answer would be He met God that day and it changed his life. He was willing to die for the truth. This is just one of the many reasons why I believe Paul is telling the truth about Jesus’ deity.

Paul tells us not to be taken captive by these empty philosophies because Christ is God and He has done what for you?

Verse 10 tells us: 10 and in Him you have been made complete,

I can just hear him saying You don’t need any of these false teaching you don’t need anything else because Christ is God and in Him you have been made complete. You have everything you need in Christ. He is all you need. In Him is everything why would you possibly look to anyone else to take you captive? By their silly philosophies, some man made ideas? You are followers of Christ you have everything you need!!! You are complete in Christ!

He has made you whole. This is his point he is making you are whole. You don’t need human philosophy, you don’t need empty deceptions, you don’t need any spiritual guru, you don’t need anything when your receive Christ and His Salvation. You are whole. There is absolutely nothing missing you are full! What a declaration!

So what is this definition of being complete. Paul is going to tell us in the next couple of verses. It is so powerful it is so amazing what Christ has done to complete us.

We have complete salvation in Him.
We have complete forgiveness in Him.
We have complete victory in Him.

Do you see a pattern how we have been completed. It is not through any other mechanism then through Him, Christ our Lord.

Look in verse 9 in Him, verse 10, in Him, Verse 11 in Him, Verse 12 with Him two times, verse 13 with Him, verse 14 both have the phrase He Has. Who has made us complete? Why should I never look to anything but Christ. Because in Him I have been made complete.

Verse 11 and 12 we see our salvation complete in Who? In Him.

In Him You Are Complete!

11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

In the Old Testament the act of circumcision was pictured as the removal of sin. Cutting away the sinful flesh.

Paul was telling the Colossians you don’t have to be physically circumcised in the flesh but you have already been circumcised by a spiritual operation and. The idea Paul is communicating to us is we have been circumcised of our sins by what Christ did on the cross.

Why is Paul bringing up circumcision? He is telling the Colossians this, there are people who are telling you if you want to be a follower of God you must be circumcised. It is something you must do earn the approval of God. Paul is telling them don’t listen to this empty tradition. It is only through Christ that your sin is removed. Paul in Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything...

We can’t physically cut away our sinful nature it was only in Him that are sinful nature was cut away.

Verse 12 In who? In Him we were buried with Him in baptism. We are also raised with Him through faith by the working of God who raised Him from the Dead. We are in his burial we are in His resurrection and it is all done by God. Our old life has been buried and we are now alive in Christ.

We can summarize salvation in Christ in these two verses. You believers you have no need of external circumcision. You have already received the true circumcision of the heart and you live. Your sinful nature has been cut away. You have been made complete by Faith in Christ. When he was buried your wicked selves were buried with him. When he was resurrected as new creature you were resurrected with him. All by the power of God when you believed. it is done. It is complete. You have complete salvation and you need nothing else.

Someone may say yes you need belief but what about keeping the law. No, well don’t you have to do this or that? No it was finished on the cross. Complete Salvation, is it not awesome!

Verses 13 and 14 explain how we have complete forgiveness in Who? In Him.

In Him You Are Complete!

13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Those two verses are absolutely incredible. The depth and majesty of them are so awe inspiring. Here Paul tells us we have complete forgiveness. Any one in this room needs forgiveness? Let me raise both my hands because this is why I need a savior. I need forgiveness for my sins. I know I was in bad shape and we actually all were in bad shape. We were dead in our transgressions.

What does it look like when I am dead in my sins? It would be like me laying at the bottom of a pool, drowned and dead. Is there any possible way I can save myself? Is there anyway if I am dead laying at the bottom of the pool that I can make myself alive? Can I reach up to grab the life preserver? No I am dead! Oh wretched man who can save me? I have no ability to respond to anything.

Next thing you know I was pulled up from the bottom of the pool and made alive. How? He, Jesus Christ, made us alive. He breathed life into this sinful dead body and made me alive by forgiving us of our sins!

In our former lives we were controlled and dominated by sin, completely powerless to break the chains of sin, powerless to discover the truth of God without hope, without God and we were dead. But He made us alive in Him.

How did He make us alive? When we received Him by faith. It is when Christ becomes the Lord of our lives when we turn from our ways and put our faith in trust in Him. When that is accomplished in our lives what does He promise us in verse 13? He forgives All of our sins? How many? a couple hundred? No he forgives us of all of our sins!

In verse 14 what did He do with our sins? He cancelled the debt I owed God and and He nailed it on the cross taking it away from me. Can you see what He has done for you and me. We owed Him an I.O.U. that we cannot pay but he nailed it on the cross and paid that I.O.U.

We each have sinned against God, all I have to do is look at the 10 commandments which Paul calls the school master. When I go through each of them and as you go through each of them we see how we have fallen short of God’s perfect standard. How many lies have you told? Have you always put God above everything? Have you always honored your parents? Have you ever stole anything in your life? We know we have broken His commandments. We have broken His laws and there is a debt we owe. But He, Jesus Christ has nailed it to the cross and paid our debt through his sacrifice. Incredible.

In Him You Are Complete! Why on earth would we ever look at mans philosophies verses Christ. It is foolishness if we are ever taken captive by their empty deceptions.

Last verse 15 proclaims the Victory over satan and the principalities of this world. Where was it that Jesus bruised the head of satan, at the cross. Where was it that he broke his power, at the cross? Where was it that he took away the power of death, at the cross?

Death and Sin were conquered at the cross. He has triumphed over them, through Him, Jesus Christ. In Him You Are Complete!