SERIES REVIEW
Part 1 — Rooted in the Gospel
- • The roots of our faith as believers are only strong when they are founded in Christ.
- • Rooted in the Gospel — The same message that saves us is the one that continues to sustain and grow us daily.
- • Rooted in the Word — God’s Word anchors us in truth, fills us with wisdom, and keeps us from drifting.
- • Rooted in Relationship — A close walk with God gives us strength, patience, and joy through His power, not our own.
- • Ultimately, your roots determine your fruit—so make sure your life is planted firmly in Christ.
Part 2 — Supremacy of Christ
- • Lord over all creation —Everything in heaven and on earth was created by Him, through Him, and for Him. He holds all things together and rules over all that exists.
- • Lord of the church — As the head of the body, Jesus leads, directs, and sustains His people. The Church must take its direction from Him alone.
- • Lord over redemption — Through His death and resurrection, Jesus reconciled us to God. The fullness of God dwells in Him, and peace was made through His cross.
- • Lord of over your life — He made you, saved you, and sustains you. Therefore, He deserves full authority over every area of your life—don’t let culture redefine who He is.
Part 3 — Christ in You: The Hope of Glory
- • Jesus lives in you — The same power that raised Him from the dead is alive inside of you right now.
- • You’re never alone — Wherever you go, God goes with you. His presence doesn’t leave when life gets hard.
- • He changes you from the inside out — Real transformation happens when you let Jesus work in your heart, not just when you try harder.
- • There’s always hope — No matter what’s going on, Christ in you is the guarantee that your story isn’t over and the best is still ahead.
- • Let Him shine through you — The way you love, forgive, and treat people should show the world that Jesus is alive in you.
PART 4: GUARDED IN CHRIST
Introduction
If someone handed you a fake $100 bill today, would you know it? Most of us wouldn’t. That’s because some counterfeits are very convincing. It looks like the real thing, feels like the real thing, and it almost is the real thing. However, how many of you know that “almost right” is still false.
This is something that experts in the secret service understand when looking for counterfeit money. They are the best at spotting fake money. How? They don’t waste their time studying every fake. Instead, they study the real thing. They learn the genuine bill so well — every detail, every watermark, every line, the feel of the paper, the raised ink, everything — so that when a fake shows up, they can tell when something feels off. They may not spot the problem right away, but they know its not right. Why? Because they know what is true.
It’s the same with our faith. The more we know the real Jesus, the more we know the real gospel, the easier it is to recognize the fake versions the world tries to sell.
That is what Paul is doing in Colossians chapter 2. After reminding his readers that they are rooted in Christ and that He resides on the inside of them (the great mystery revealed), he warns the church to guard that truth. Why? Because false teaching and empty religion were creeping in. Paul saw it coming and he was encouraging them to be aware.
Paul’s message to them was true then, and it is still true today.
“Don’t be pulled away from the reality you already have in Christ.”
As believers, we must stand firm against the three things Paul lists out here in chapter two: deceptive philosophies, empty religion, and man-made rules. It is only through Christ that we find the truth.
- 1. Guard Against Deceptive Philosophy (vv. 8–10)
Colossians 2:8 — “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”
Paul warns that false teachers were using persuasive words and clever ideas that sounded good to pull believers away from the simplicity of the gospel. They mixed truth with error, human wisdom with the Word of God — and it sounded spiritual, but it was hollow. Paul was warning them to unsubscribe from these ideas, as they would lead them away from God.
“Takes you captive” = To kidnap; to carry off as spoil
When we allow ourselves to listen and be seduced by good sounding deception, we will be “carried off as spoil” without us realizing it.
So what are some deceptive philosophies today? - • “Follow your heart” — Culture says the answer is inside of you.
- • Scripture says the heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9)
- • The answer is found in Christ
- • “Find your truth” — Culture says that truth is relative
- • Jesus said “I am the Truth.”
- • Truth is not fluid. Truth is found in the person of Jesus Christ.
- • “Good people go to heaven” — Culture says being good is enough
- • The Bible says that no one is good
- • The only way to eternal life is to be born-again through Christ
- • Ask yourself:
- • What voices am I letting shape my beliefs — Culture or scripture?
- • Do I measure truth by what Christ said or what feels right?
- 2. Guard Against Religion (vv. 16–19)
Colossians 2:16-17 — “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
Paul also warns them against false teachers who were religious rule keepers. Now there is nothing wrong with rules. But there is a problem when it is what we are relying on to save us! That is what these false teachers were doing. Going to church, reading our Bibles, going on missions, praying, these are all “good works” that we are called to do as believers. However, these good works don’t save us. Instead, because we are saved, we do these good works. (Water baptism) - • “I have to earn God’s love” — Performance driven Christianity
- • “If I do enough, then He will love me.”
- • This is opposite of the gospel (it’s about His love for us not)
- • It leaves you on a roller coaster of pride and shame.
- • Truth = God’s love for you never changes (Romans 8:38-39)
- • “If I mess up then God won’t bless me” — Fear driven Christianity
- • This keeps us in constant anxiety about losing favor with God.
- • We find ourself obeying out of fear instead of our love for God.
- • This thinking makes you act like an employee rather than a child.
- • You have been saved by grace — Ephesians 2:8-9
- • While religion says to do more, Jesus says, “it is finished.”
- • Let us be careful not to pray, read our bibles, go to church just to prove something.
- • Instead, let us do so in order to draw closer to God.
- 3. Guard Against Empty Practices
Colossians 2:20-23 — “20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
What are empty practices? Paul here is referring to man-made rules that have no spiritual merit for the believer. However, I believe Paul is getting at deeper concern, and that is spiritual emptiness. That is, people doing religious things without the life and power of Jesus behind them. It is practicing spiritual disciplines but lacking the heart behind it. It is just doing it and going through the motions. We may be doing these things on the outside, but become hollow on the inside.
Key verse — “23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining the flesh…”
Doing so causes our faith to become “old and cold.” We are just going things because we have always done them. We lose the connection to the reason we are doing these “good works” in the first place. Jesus says to “abide” in Him, because without Him we can do nothing. Without our connection to Christ, we lose His transformative power operating in our life.
2 Timothy 3:5 — “Having a form of godliness but denying its power…”
The fact is that, Religious Activity - Spiritual Reality = Powerless Christianity.
TAKEAWAYS
How can we stay guarded in Christ?
- I. Stay in the Word — know the real thing so counterfeits stand out.
- II. Stay in Community — isolation makes deception easier.
- III. Stay Alert — Realize the devil is prowling looking to devour
- IV. Stay Connected to Jesus
