The following is a sermon I preached at Cherrydale Bible Church on October 25, 2015.
Title: Jesus Versus ________
Passage: Colossians 2:4-23
Theme: The Preeminence and Sufficiency of Jesus
- Intro (2:4-7) Colosse Christian Book Store “The Full Life Bookstore”
- Threat: Deception with persuasive (manipulative) words
- Solution: “As you… have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
- Philosophy vs. Christ (2:8-10)
- Then: Philosophy and empty deceit, traditions, basic principles of the world
- Threat: These, when understood apart from God are meant to deceive and cheat (spoil).
- Now: prayer of Jabez
- Jesus: “in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily… He is the head of all principality and power.” … “and you are complete in Him.”
- Legalism (2:11-15)
- Then: Jewish false teachers promote circumcision, requirements of the law
- Threat: implied, thinking that works supplement grace
- Now: circumcision, keeping the law (10 commandments)
- Jesus: “Having disarmed principalities and powers He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (the cross).
- Mysticism vs. Christ (2:16-19)
- Then: food, drink, festivals, Sabbath, false humility, worship of angels
- Threat: They would judge us and cheat us of our reward.
- Now: diets, exercise, keeping Jewish holidays, prayer to angels
- Jesus: He is the “substance” of these shadows
- Asceticism vs. Christ (2:20-23)
- Then: “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle”
- Threat: these regulations have no value in combating the indulgence of the flesh. The indulgence of the flesh must be combated, but not with fleshly/human means.
- Now: meager diet, sleeping on hard surfaces
- Jesus: If you died with Him to the world, don’t let this world distract you.
- Conclusion
With Wills 