A War on Truth

In the Old Testament, they did not understand the mystery of Christ.  It was not revealed to them, but it is revealed to us now.

In Genesis, God had a plan and it was that He created man in His own image.  Man could have perfect fellowship with God and could walk with God, talk with God, interact with God and live forever.  

Satan's plan/work is to get man to rebel against God's plan.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Well, good morning again, everyone. We're going to be in the book of Colossians, Colossians chapter two this morning. Lately I've been thinking about all kinds of different examples and scenarios and things like that. And this isn't necessarily directly connected to the sermon, but you know, if there's if you know of uh two Green Bay Packer fans that are just diehard Packer fans that love watching a football game together, and they plan on uh playoff game coming up and they plan on uh watching it, but the schedule doesn't work out, so they can't watch it live. They're gonna record it and then come together and watch it, and and you know, they agree we're not gonna listen to the score, we're not gonna, we're just gonna watch it later on, and they get together, and uh the one is on their way and they accidentally hear it on the radio what the score is. And they know that the Packers win the game, and it's it's a real nail biter, you know, and so they get get they get together and the one doesn't let the other one know, and he just says, I think they're gonna win, and the score's lopsided and they're losing, and the one is just you know on the edge of their feet seat thinking, oh, the season's over, the playoffs are done, and they're gonna lose, and the other one's just kind of relaxed. Because they know the score. That's how it is, I think, when you understand the word of God and you know what happens in the end. No matter how it looks today, no matter what things are going on right now, we know what's gonna take place. We know that God will come for his church. We know that God is going to return to rule and to reign. We know these things because the word of God tells us. So even though we might be have a lot of things going on and the world is in a mess, we know the end. And that can give us a real uh confidence and get rid of anxiety in our life. But Colossians chapter 2, the sermon today is going to be what I'm going to call a war on truth. I believe that there has been a war on truth all the way from the beginning, going back to the garden, and that's what we're going to get into. But before I do, uh let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, thank you that we can come together freely in this nation and worship you and get into your word, sing praises to you, that we can make our request known to you without threat of persecution. So thank you for that. Uh, Lord, I do ask that you would be using me this morning to communicate clearly your message and for all of us to understand each and every day that we are complete in you, that we lack nothing, that we can simply trust you because you have done everything for us that is needed. Uh Lord, I do ask that we'd have attentive minds and hearts to check out the things presented this morning that make sure that they are so to be the good bereans you've called us to be. Lord, that we would be trusting, relying on you each and every day, just as we received you, that we would walk with you in the same manner. So, Father, I do ask your blessing on this time in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, it seems like it's been a while because we had our Palm Sunday, or what I like to call Lamb Selection Day, and then we had our Resurrection Sunday. So it's been a little bit since we've been into uh Colossians and going through all that we have in Christ and what that difference that should make in our lives, and so on. Uh so just as a reminder, I'll start in chapter two, but I'll just hit on a few things uh and then get to verse four. It says, For I would that you would know the great conflict, this concern that Paul had for them. He was in agony, wanting them to know, and then that Laodicea, for as many as not seen my face in the flesh, Paul was in prison at the time, he wasn't there, he couldn't visit there, that their hearts may be comforted, being knit together in love unto all riches of the fullness of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God. So all of what he's getting at here centers on this thing he calls the mystery of God. And if you have understanding, if you have knowledge of that, he's going to go on to say, uh, all of these other things won't matter. That you have everything. Because if we back up a little bit, chapter 1, verse 27, he tells us what that mystery. Remember, a mystery is something that was hidden but is now revealed. Okay, it was hidden, but now is revealed. So in the Old Testament, they didn't have an understanding of this. It was hidden, but now it's revealed. Verse 27 of chapter 1 says, to whom God would have made known what is the riches of the glory, of the mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. So what is being revealed now, remember in Ephesians, Paul went in depth to say, My job as a minister of Christ is to go and teach people the mystery of God. That mystery that we are in Christ, and Christ is in us that was not revealed before through the Old Testament, but now is being made known. So he says, I want you to understand the riches that we have. He's not talking about material goods, he's talking about spiritual blessings that we have in Christ. To have that full assurance of understanding, to know that this is true. To the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. They're lacking nothing. Now, we can back all the way up into the very, very beginning in Genesis. And remember, uh God had a plan, and it was this He created man in his own image, and man could have perfect fellowship with God, could walk with God, talk with God, interact with God, and live forever. That was God's plan. Well, what was Satan's plan? To get man to rebel against God's plan. Really that simple. Satan's work is to get man to rebel against God's plan. Now, God provided everything that man needed. He had a perfect garden, he had a perfect wife, he could have lived forever. He lacked nothing. All he had to do is trust what God said. But instead, you know how that went, right? In fact, we could turn quickly to Genesis chapter 3 and take a look at the deception of Satan because we're going to be talking about the war on truth in enticing words, in vain deceit, and things of that nature. And this is the first example of enticing words. And I would like to define enticing words as this words that make sense, they're logical, they appeal to our flesh, but they are not biblical. So remember in Genesis chapter 3, where the serpent goes to the woman, he says, Has God said that you may you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? In other words, God is restrictive. God is holding things back from you. You can't do anything if you follow him. And she answered and said, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but the fruit which is in the middle of the garden, God said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it lest you die. And the serpent said, You won't surely die. You can sin and there's no consequences. You can sin and there's no death. There doesn't have to be a payment. You can do what you want and nothing will happen. This is his lies. This is these are his enticing words. Now they might sound good. Well, wouldn't it be good to be like God? Wouldn't it be good to have that? Wouldn't that be an improvement to be more like God? Is there something I can do to be like God? That's the logical, reasonable thinking. And the serpent said, You shall not surely die, for God does know the day you eat of it, your eyes will be open, you shall be as God's knowing good and evil. He takes something that God says is bad, and he makes it look like it's something good. And so that was his enticing words. And man rebelled against God's plan. Well then, God sent Jesus to live a perfect life. God's plan was him to come and be born of a virgin, live that perfect life, die on a cross and pay for our sins. That is God's plan. And he fulfilled it. He did everything needed so that we could be saved, so our sins could be forgiven, so that we could have a relationship with God the Father once again. He did everything. Well, what was Satan's plan? To get man to rebel against God's plan. And then you have the role of the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost. And on the day of Pentecost, God sent him to indwell all believers. What is the role of God's Spirit, of the Holy Ghost? To convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, to empower the believers, to guide us into all truth, to make God's word come alive and understand it? What is Satan's plan? To get man to rebel against God's plan. It really is that simple. So with that laid out, I want you to go back to Colossians chapter 2. And look at Paul's warning here to the church. Chapter 2, verse 4 says, And this I say, lest any man should beguile you, deceive you, trick you with enticing words. This is nothing new. He's just letting warning the church that look, there will be people that come along and use enticing words. It may sound good, it may make some logical sense, but it's not rooted in truth. I can give you an example of this. We today we speak of disinformation, misinformation, and just to define that for you disinformation is information when the person gives it is trying to deceive you. They know full well it's not true, they're deceiving you. Misinformation can be the same information, but the person actually believes it. And so it's more of a mistake rather than a deception. Okay? We can demonstrate that. Let's go to John chapter 12, the Gospel of John chapter 12. This would be an example of disinformation, trying to deceive. John chapter 12, verse 1 says, Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, that is important to acknowledge, this is six days before the Passover, he comes to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which he had been dead, whom he raised up from the dead. And there they made a supper when Martha served. Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then Mary took a pound of ointment of spiked nard, very costly, anointed the feet of Jesus. And notice the feet are getting anointed, wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor? Now, on the surface, that seems very logical and reasonable. Why such a waste? Why would you take all of that to anoint his feet? I mean, couldn't you just use a little bit and then look at all what we would have? We could sell that, we could we could do good things for other people. Isn't this wouldn't that be great? Wouldn't we wouldn't we look good? Wouldn't we be more righteous if we did that? And of course, verse 6 says, He said not that he cared for the poor, he didn't care about the poor. But because he was a thief and had the bag, the the the the money bag, the purse, and bear that was put therein. And then Jesus said, Let her alone. Against the day of my burial hath he has she kept this. For the poor always you have with you, but me you have not. Jesus said, There's there's something more important going on here. She's doing this to show I'm going to be put to death for my burial. Of course, Judas didn't care about that. Well, let's uh let's go to Matthew chapter 26. The disinformation had been put out. Now let's take a look at Matthew 26, verse 1. It came to pass when Jesus had finished all of these sayings, he said to his disciples, You know that after two days is the feast of the Passover. So this is, you know, a few, four days later. Uh two days is the Passover, the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified. So now he's revealing them to them. Not only is he going to die, but how he's going to die. He's going to be nailed to a cross, he's going to be crucified. Then assembled the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people to the palace of the high priest who was called Caiaphas, and they consulted that they may take Jesus by subtlety and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. Now when Jesus was in Bethany of the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box full of precious ointment, and poured it on his head as he sat to eat. So this is a different occasion. This is days later, and it's an alabaster box, and it's she's anointing his head, not his feet. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor. Notice what they're doing. They heard Judas, the deceiver, uh, say that. Now, a few days later, they're repeating it. Even though Judas was rebuked by Jesus, says, No, I'm going to die. This is a good thing that she's doing. This is to show I'm going to be buried, and so on. And now they're seeing the same thing, and they're repeating it. So now it becomes misinformation. They think it's true. Why? Well, it's logical, it's reasonable, that makes sense. You know, why waste it all? But look what Jesus says. Verse 10, when Jesus understood it, he said to them, Why trouble ye the woman? For she has wrought a good thing upon me, good work upon me, for you have the poor always with you, but you have not always me. She's poured this oyman on my body, she did it for my burial. Same response. God doesn't change. So, misinformation, disinformation, enticing words. And what did Judas accomplish when he introduced that? To draw people's attention away from Christ, away from what he would do, away from what he's done, and onto some humanistic thing. That's what those enticing words accomplished. So go back to Colossians chapter 2. Paul's warning the church, the believers. He says, This I say, lest any man should beguile you, trick you, deceive you with enticing words. And what is he saying? He says, You got to know what and have full assurance that you are in Christ, and Christ is in you, that you have everything you need to live. It's no different than what God did in the very garden. I've provided everything you need. Just walk with me, just trust me. No different than when he sent Christ to die and pay for our sins. He says, I've accomplished everything for your salvation. You can have a restored relationship with me. I've done everything. You simply trust me. And now we are complete in Christ. Christ is in us. You have been placed in the Christ. We're given the Holy Spirit. We're sealed. We have all things that pertain to life and godliness. These things are true. You have to be rooted, established in them, and rely on Him. And don't let anyone take you away from that. Don't let that same lie that Satan gave in the garden when he says, there's something you can do to be like God. There isn't. You simply rely on Him. He's done everything. Do not be pulled away from Christ to do something. Paul goes on to say, For though I be absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order and your steadfastness of your faith in Christ. So Paul has heard and he knows that these believers trusted in Christ and they're with him. So he says, As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. He says, just like you received him, that's how you walk with him. Well, how did you receive him? You realize that you are a helpless sinner, that there's nothing you can do to restore that relationship with God the Father, that your sin has separated you, and that you can't make it up. There's no ritual you can go through, there's no amount of works that you can do, there's nothing. He did the work, he did everything. And when you understand that, then you rely on what He did. That's how you received Christ. You recognize your need. You know exactly what God provided. He did everything for you, and you simply take those truths by faith. You rely on what he did for you. That's how you received him. So how do you walk with him? The exact same way. I recognize my need. Have you ever looked at the list of the fruit of the spirit? Love, joy, peace, long suffering, patience, kindness, all those things. And you go, I don't think I can do that. You can't. It's not the fruit of the Christian trying their best, it's the fruit of the spirit. In other words, when I recognize I am what I am so far beyond trying to attain that, that there's no way I can do that. I recognize my need for him, and then I realize he has done everything for me on my behalf. I need to trust him. He's given us the Holy Ghost, he's given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. He's blessed us with all spiritual blessings. It's all done. He's done everything we need. We take that by faith. I recognize my need, I understand what he's done for me, I rely on him for that. As you received Christ Jesus, so walk in him. So can you imagine someone comes up to you and says, Hey, uh, I know you go to church, I know you're you're a Christian, I know you you have this assurance of your salvation, uh, all of these things that I want, and I've been really trying hard to be to become a Christian. I'm trying hard to be saved. What's the problem? They're trying. They're trying to do something instead of relying on what God has done for them. They're trying. And the last thing you would want to say is, well, brother, you just need to pray more. Well, you just need to read your Bible more. Well, maybe when you're really struggling, maybe you can just sing a hymn to yourself or something like that. You know, find a good spiritual song and just say that over and over again. Or memorize the Bible. I hope that none of us would say anything like that. That we would point them to what Christ has done on the cross on their behalf. That you have to stop trying to be saved and start. Trusting in what God did for you. It's not about your work, it's about his work. See, because enticing words draws you away from Christ and on to something else. In fact, Paul addressed that in the book of Galatians. We can turn there. While you're turning there, so as you received him, recognizing your need, understanding what he did, relying on that, so walk ye in him. How about if someone says, you know, I believe Christ died for my sins, I'm fully trusting in what he did, but to live this Christian life, I just can't do it. I've been struggling with this sin. I just can't have victory over it. I've been working on it, I've been trying things. What do you suggest I do? Same advice. Stop trying and start trusting in what God's already done for you. Some people say, well, maybe uh maybe you need to go uh get uh baptized with the Holy Ghost. Maybe you need to go seek that second blessing. Well, uh maybe you just need to really focus on following God and just read your Bible more. See, all of these other things are enticing words. They may sound good. You just need to pray more, brother. Uh just pray. Well, who are you praying to? To God. It's not just a prayer, it's who it's about. Well, you need to read your Bible. What's the Bible about? It points you to Christ. What's the Holy Ghost do? It points you to God. Those can be enticing words. Uh Galatians chapter 1. I'll start at verse 3, Galatians 1, 3. Grace be unto you in peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God our Father. So God's plan, uh, Jesus, you go live that perfect life, you die for the sins of the world, so you not only pay for the penalty of sin, but you free them from the power of sin, uh, this present evil world, to whom God be glory forever. In other words, God has done everything that's needed to be done for you. And in verse 5, he says, I marvel that you are so removed from him. Not from a message, not from a set of teachings, but from him, a person that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel, which is not another. But there would be some here that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. So again, this would be enticing words coming in and twisting, turning that gospel to get your attention away from Christ and onto something else. Verse 8, he says, But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached, let him be accursed. So he says, It doesn't matter where it comes from, an angel or from us or from anyone, if it's different than the word, let him be accursed. As we say before, so say now I again that if any man preach any gospel, any other gospel unto you, than that you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men or God? So he he he cuts the true gospel and the false gospels into two things, two categories. One, uh seek to persuade men, two, seek to persuade God. Now, we know from other passages like 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 11, he says, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Paul is saying, we try to convince men, you're wrong. We're sinners, we're helpless, there's nothing we can do. This is what God has done. We persuade men to trust in what Christ has done for them. All the other gospels, false gospels, all the other fake religions, false ones, try to persuade God. God, we're okay. God, you should accept us because look at the good that we've done. You're trying to persuade God. So Paul divides that into two things. We persuade men. We do not persuade God. He says, or yet, do I seek to please men? Should I not, I should not be the servant of God. In other words, if you come alongside someone, boy, you're doing a really good job. I'm sure God's pleased with you. He's going to accept you because, boy, you've read the Bible and you fast and you pray and you do all of these things. Being a pleaser of men. Message that they would like instead of the message of the Word of God. So the Galatians, they had a real problem and concern, Paul did for them, because they were going to get led away from the one who called them, from Christ. Let's go back into Colossians. So Paul tells him, as you receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. You understood your need. You realize he did everything on your behalf. You simply took those by faith. So you walk in him the same way. You don't worry about, oh, there's this sin that I've been working on. No, stop working on it and realize Christ set you free from it. You're dead to sin, you're alive to Christ. You've died, you've been placed into Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. That's what it means to be placed into Christ. Christ is in you, God's Spirit is in you. You rely on him and he manifests his life in and through you. You walk with him the same way you received him by faith. Realizing I can't do it, I can't live up to that, I can't fight sin. I can't have victory. Only God can and he gives it to you. And then he says this: rooted and built up in him, Colossians 2, 7. Rooted. That is the source of nutrients in a plant, right? The roots. They go out and they feed off of the soil and the water and so on. That is our source, our strength. Rooted in him, not in anything else, but in Christ. Built up our growth is in him. Everything that we need is in him and him in us. This is the mystery, what was hidden before, but is now revealed. This is something for the church. The Old Testament saints did not have this. You wouldn't hear of Abraham saying, Boy, I am placed in Messiah, and Messiah is in me. David would say, God, please don't take your Holy Spirit from me. David couldn't say, Oh, I'm indwelt and I'm sealed with the Holy Ghost. I've been an adopted son, the son placed. He couldn't claim those promises they were to him. This is something that is now revealed. So he says, You are rooted, you're built up in him, established in the faith, these sets of this revelation that Paul's giving to him, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. When we start to understand that Christ paid for my sins and we get saved, our reaction is thanksgiving. I can't believe that God would do that for me. That he would become a man and be tortured and be put to death so that I can be forgiven of my sins. And then when we understand that that's not all, but he has placed me in him that I don't have to serve sin, I can walk in newness of life. He's given me the Holy Ghost. I have all these precious promises. I'm thankful. And then the warning in verse 8: beware, beware lest any man spoil you. Through philosophy, the love of wisdom, vain deceit, after the tradition or ordinances of men and the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. There will be all kinds of enticing words. There's going to be all kinds of philosophy, all kinds of vain deceit, all kinds of tradition, all of these things that take your focus away from Christ. You see, that's Satan's plan is to get you to rebel against God's plan. So God's plan is to have this thing that we call the church. The believers, not the building or anything like that. And during the time of the church, he said, I'm going to place those believers, anyone who trusts in you in Christ, Christ, you're going to be in them. They're going to have, they're going to be sealed with the Holy Ghost. They're going to have all things that pertain to life and godliness. They're going to be blessed with all spiritual blessings. I'm providing everything that they need. They need to trust me and walk with me. Satan's plan is, oh, we got to get their focus off of God. We got to get them away from relying on what He's done and thinking that they have to do something. It goes all the way back to the garden. You can do something to be like God. Back then it was eat from a tree. Now it's, well, you just need to do this. You just need to experience that. Any of that takes you away from Christ. So he says, Beware. Don't let any man spoil you. Through wisdom, vain deceit, traditions, not after Christ. Verse 9 says, For because in him, in Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. This is another example of what we call the Trinity, the tri-unity, the three in one. In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him. You have everything you need in him, which is the head of all principalities and powers. He is the chief, the head. You're complete in him. You're lacking nothing. And what does Satan want you to do? Rebel against God's plan. One, don't believe that you have everything that you need to live the life he's called you to live. Well, that might be true for others, but no, my life is like this, and I just don't feel that I have all of those things. You may not feel that. Doesn't make it not true. You may not feel that God loved you and sent his son to die for you. That doesn't mean it's not true. Because God said it's true. I'm completed him, I have all things in him. I can live the life he's called me to live. Paul warned the church at uh Corinth. We'll have to turn to uh 2 Corinthians chapter 11 to see this one. 2 Corinthians chapter 11, verse 3 and 4. Paul writes to the church and he says, But I fear. Now that that really got my attention when I read it because the apostle Paul was one that they took out of the city and stoned him and thought he was left him for dead, and when he came to, he's like, I need to go back in that city. And here he says, I fear. I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled, deceived, tricked Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. Well, how did the serpent deceive Eve? God is restrictive. If you follow him, you can't do anything. He's holding something good back from you. There's no consequences for your sin. You can do everything that you want, and nothing's gonna happen. It's no big deal. Just do what you please. Do what you think is right. And so he warns them. He says, You can get deceived from the simplicity. I love that. Because it really is simple. We can't, we failed, we sinned. God can. He did. He lived the perfect life. He died for our sins. He did all the work. We simply rely on what he did. Pretty simplistic message. My daily life is no different. I realize I can't. I can't be the person God's called me to be. Uh in and of myself. I haven't, but what did he do for me? Everything needed for me to live that life. I simply take that by faith. Simplicity. But then he says this in verse 4 for if he if if he come, for if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, so a different Jesus. He's similar, but he's a little different. Another Jesus, whom we have not preached. Or if you receive another spirit, another attitude, philosophy, which you have not received, or another gospel, another message you need to do instead of it's been done, which you have not accepted, you might well bear with them. So Paul is warning another church here, saying, Look, uh, the only thing I fear, the thing that I fear is that you'll be led astray. That someone will come with enticing words and deceive you into doing something, trying something, working at something, instead of relying on what Christ did for you. That you'll be drawn away from the simplicity that's in Christ, to follow another Jesus, have another attitude about yourself, and you start to have another gospel. He warns them. Go back to Colossians. He says in verse 9 and 10, for in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in him. You are lacking nothing. He is ahead. He is over all. God's plan is very simple. He provided everything that we need. He did that in the garden, man rebelled against it, disobeyed, and ate from the tree. Jesus came, lived the perfect life, died on the cross for our sins. God's plan, everyone to believe in Him, payment for sin. Satan's plan, get man to rebel against that. Tell man that that's not sufficient, that you need to do something, that you need to have something done to you, or something else. Anything to get him to rebel against that plan and not rely on Christ. During this time of the church, he's given us his Holy Spirit. He's revealed the mystery that we are in Christ and Christ is in us, that we have everything, that we are complete in him. All we need to do is walk by faith. Satan's plan is to get us to rebel against that and think, no, there must be something I have to go do. It's really that simple. Can you think of a time with the nation of Israel when they walked with God, when they followed God, that any enemy would have any victory over them. I can't. Because God would give them the victory. Same is true in the believers' life. There's no sin that can have victory over us if we're walking with him. And how do we walk with him? We realize our need, we understand he's done everything, and we simply take that by faith. As you received him, so walk ye in him. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your son. Thank you for sending him, living that perfect life, dying for our sins, that we can have a relationship with you, that our sins can be forgiven. Thank you that we are complete in him, that you've given us your Holy Spirit to live in and through us, to manifest the fruit of the Spirit. So, Lord, I do ask that we would be uh relying on you each and every day, moment by moment. Father, thank you again for this opportunity to be here in Jesus' name. Amen. Do you be willing to stand with us for a closing song?