Arguments that sound reasonable - Colossians 2 & Ephesians 2 [The Bride of Christ]

This is a place where we talk about the bible. Jason Ryan Smurzynski looks into the Word of the Lord and just like you, desires to know what is actually going on. The Holy Spirit will open your ears to hear the truth and your minds to understand scripture. Together we will explore portions of the Bible that you don't normally hear at Sunday service at church. The veil will be lifted and the mystery of Jesus Christ will be explained.
Your invited to be The Bride of Christ.

Check out my YouTube channel 

https://youtube.com/@darkdeserthighway?si=aWH__iPQF2Reqf6d

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:18

What's up, guys? Dark Desert Highway here for another Bible study. I've been away for a little bit. I've made business cards and stickers to advertise the YouTube channel. So that was taking up my time. If you happen to be here because you received one of my business cards or you saw my sticker and you scanned the QR code, welcome to our Bible study. This channel is a channel dedicated to just talking about the Bible. And today we're going to turn to Colossians chapter two, and we're going to start in verse 2. I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery Christ. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable. For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ. Okay, so there is something to know about the Lord. There is knowledge to be had. And so we should be seeking for the revelation of God's word in our life. But here's the thing the enemy has come and has attempted to make almost like copies of the truth and to change it in certain ways so that it sounds like truth, but there are extra articles of information that were not part of the original reviewed and recorded words that were given by the Holy Spirit to these men that gave us the books that we now have, the canon of the Bible. So it's there has been this mystery surrounding Christ. There was a veil over our hearts and our minds that kept us from understanding the spirituality, the spiritual truths that were hidden in the Word of God, so that we might be seeing but never see and hearing, but never actually hearing. So there has been a veil that has covered the truth of the word, but it is taken away in the revelation, or in it is taken away in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The veil is taken away, and there is something to be learned about God, but the misinformation that has creeped into um different books and people who speak as if they have the truth, but have added extra articles to confuse the truth, is there. See, this is what happened. The devil could not get rid of God's word, he couldn't he couldn't eliminate it. There have been many times throughout history that the enemy has sought to get rid of the word of God in its entire you know, like the Nazi Party when they went burning Bibles. Um their attempts have been made to get rid of the word of God, but it has never happened, and it's never going to happen. God's word is going to stand forever. So if you were the enemy, what would you do if you couldn't get rid of the truth? You would make copies of the truth and you would change the information so that it sounded like truth but advertised falsehood. And you might believe an alternate version of the truth, and that is what is going on here. I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery, Christ. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So for somebody who's just coming into the knowledge of Christ, let's say that they have accepted the Lord and they have done what Romans 10, 9, and 10 say to do. They have confessed with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in their heart that God raised them from the dead. And we begin a relationship, we're baptized by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit reveals God's truth to us. And the truth is that Jesus Christ came, died for our sins, and rose again on the third day, bearing the penalty of our sins through his sacrifice. He was the perfect lamb of God without blemish. All of the old sacrifices of the Old Testament, the slaughtering of animals and the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins, those were repeated efforts to continue to cover our sin in blood so that we have forgiveness before God, but it wasn't, it was just a shadow of things to come. It was an archetype, it was a type of sacrifice that led to the real sacrifice. It was an performative gesture in practice, but it pointed to something greater that had to happen, and it was a perfect sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf, and we have an opportunity to grow up in the knowledge of Christ with the information that we've been provided, but we must be careful because the enemy has come in with duplicates, with copies of the truth, and that's why it's important that you get into your word, because we have what God has given us, but we're easily led away by arguments that sound reasonable, right here in verse 4. I am saying this that so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable. Okay. So how do we know? How are we able to identify a false teaching? It's through our relationship with the word. The more time that we invest into knowing what God has already spoken for us, the more likely we are to be able to identify falsehood when it is being spoken to us. So if you're recognizing part of what somebody is saying in truth, you will have something to compare it with so that you know what words stand in truth and which ones are false words. Um, and we we protect ourselves by building a relationship with the word of God. We can see when something's crooked, we can see when it doesn't line up, it doesn't match up. I know somebody who is in a false religion right now, and the false religion, uh, it's a cult, um, the false religion has its theology, and the theology very closely mirrors the truth of the word of God. The only thing it does not mirror is the center of worship, which is a man and not God. So what they've done is they found somebody in history and they have um promoted him to a godlike status in their own minds, and they make worship to him. Um but I have listened to their theology, and um I have been able to determine by listening to them that what they are practicing is worship of a false god. Now, how am I able to say that? Because they say that um this man uh whose name I'll leave out of this Bible study, this man who lived died, and went to heaven, and he is um what they would call their God. So, and they're actively preaching this. They're actively preaching this. It's not Jesus that they're preaching, um, it's another Jesus. It is so close to the word that it would be difficult to distinguish who they were speaking about unless you listen long enough to identify the the oddities of their testimony. So it's good to listen. You can't you can't trust the information from everyone. And this is what the author is saying here in verse four. I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable. People will take a position, um, they will even take on an authority and say that this is so. I've heard, and so I believe that this is the way it is. But by your relationship with the word of God, you can say that's not true. That's it, sounds like it, it's really close to it, but there's just something that's a little bit off. And you need to protect yourself from this type of information so that you're not led away by arguments that sound reasonable. Let's keep continuing in verse 5. For I may be absent, absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ. So we have to test the spirits and see by observing the information that's coming towards us and comparing it to the Word of God, we're able to put it in its place. Is this what I know to be true about God, or is this a false teaching? Um, and for the new Christians, it's good that you pair up with somebody, um a seasoned, mature um person who you can talk to about spiritual things, so that they can help you and make sure that you grow up with the correct information. Um because your relationship with the word might not be as established as their relationship, they could be doing it for 10, 15 years, and um, you know, you just started in this relationship, so it it's a really good idea to um make yourself a part of a church that is in good standing uh with their theology so that you are safe to take these little steps uh in faith without falling over. It's it's the the Bible likens it to newborn um Christians, like they are babes in the Word, who are fed with spiritual milk, so that they grow up. And, you know, throughout a child's life, they need to be led into the right places, and they need to be kept from the wrong places so that their lives aren't damaged. And I take the word of the Lord seriously, he says, For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ. So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, being rooted, and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught and overflowing with gratitude. So we are supposed to be rooted, and the only way that we can have such a firm foundation is if we carefully um if if we carefully stay close to those who have had a relationship with the Lord, he's speaking to many people. Um, he's speaking to the church, and he's saying, just as you have received Christ as Lord, continue to walk in him, being rooted. So the foundational principles that Jesus is Lord need to be in your life, you will be rooted in him and built up and established in the faith. Listen to how sure the placement is, like a foundation upon which you can build your house, the root of a great tree that is strong through the weather, that whatever comes against it, it's standing in the field, and whatever comes against it be the wind or the rain, which washes away the dirt that holds the roots in place, you need to be deeply rooted in order to survive these types of situations. Um your faith needs to be in Christ Jesus as Lord, um, and we must continue to walk in him. So this is a very interactive part of the Word of God. The only way that we can be rooted is if we are sure to study and understand the spiritual principles that we're building our house upon. That we are laying down the foundation of our life, and we are literally building our life upon Jesus, the stability of the rock, the cornerstone of the temple. We are being built up in Him and established in the faith as we were taught. So in order to be taught, we need to be in a position of a we need to be in front of a teacher. Now, our teacher is Christ, but he has ordered the church in such a way that those who are strongly rooted in Christ may lead others who are trying to understand their faith and what happened. Because it could happen, it could take you by surprise how quickly God honors his word in that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you're saved. Salvation, the Holy Spirit, all these things become unlocked for you, and they become part of your life, and it comes like like um something it comes, and you might not understand it fully. So we need to be in a position to where we have people over us that are mature in the truth. Let's keep going. Eight, be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world rather than Christ. For the entire fullness of God's nature dwells bodily in Christ, and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. So be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ. So it's important to know that you can be taken captive by other testimonies. You know, you could have somebody say, Hey, I've had an experience of the Lord, and you go, Okay, well then tell me about it, and you listen. them to what they have experienced you gotta you gotta put yourself in a position to where you're listening to what people are saying and you're going to be able to identify the truth from from uh a false teaching and so if you're a brand new christian make sure that you put yourself in a position where you can be taught the the right things by finding a church who is established in reading the word of God because that's what you need to become familiar with is the word of God and the surety um listen to this rooted and built up established in the faith just as you were taught so as we take the teaching that's been given to us and we start placing it in our lives the language that's being used is secure it's fastened in its place it's rooted you are able to build up upon the foundation of the word of the Lord and this will establish you in the faith okay let's go on to our next scripture which will be Ephesians two we were just in Colossians and we're gonna read and you were dead Ephesians two verse one in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of the world according to the ruler of the power of the air the spirit now working in the disobedient okay we were dead past tense so and we were dead in our trespasses and sins in which you previously walked past tense previously walked according to the ways of the world we too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts and we were by nature children of wrath as the others were also but God but God who is rich in mercy because of his great love that he had for us made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace sorry my truck is really rocking back and forth you are saved by grace He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might be able to display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith and this is not from yourselves it is God's gift not from works so no one can boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. So we were dead in our previously in our which we previously walked according to the ways of the world we previously lived among them in our fleshly desires carrying out inclinations of our flesh and thoughts and we were by nature under wrath as the others were also so because he's speaking of this in a past tense it's not only he's not only talking about us positionally positionally we were dead in our trespass we were children of wrath because the wrath is going to come it's going to come from the Lord against sin um because it will be dealt with there is a day that's going to come that sin will be dealt with and done away with so that it is no more a uh a state um of living we will not be living in sin we will be freed from sin uh he has taken away the consequence of it through his death burial and resurrection uh for those who are made alive in Christ he has worked a work um where he has paid for our sins he became the substitutionary recipient of our punishment he was punished for us so that the record of what I had done against God was taken away from before the Lord and justice was served because God is a God of justice and it needed to be that sin was punished it it it needs to be that sin is punished and without the Lord I would bear the punishment of my sin but he has substituted the death of his son the sacrifice of the perfect unspotted lamb that he it was a substitutionary um he he took the fall he took the fall for me he took the hit according to a pastor that I listened to the other day he took the hit for us and we no longer live in those ways so not only is it a positional a spiritual work that has been done that has allowed me to be a son of the Lord and and have a future hope a place um that I may um right here in verse six he also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus so we are raised up and seated a place has been made for us in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages this is not over this is the beginning of a very very long saga of life our life is hidden in Christ and he has positionally put us in heaven and given us a place to occupy as sons of the Lord we were by nature children of wrath we were dead we did walk according to the ways of the world but now there's a suggestive action that's being put on us that's saying look you used to be dead in your trespasses and sins so what are you now you're free you're free from your trespasses and sins which you previously walked in according to the ways of the world so this freedom with this freedom there is a responsibility that must be attended to in our lives where we actually don't sin where we keep ourselves from sin. Not that we would use our freedom to sin but that through our freedom and the strength of the Lord we would keep ourselves from sin. So that's the two ways positionally we're seated in the heavens and there is a responsibility that is being transferred to us to keep ourselves from sin so that we are no longer the people we used to be without the life of Christ he also raised them up and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages this isn't done in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus for you are saved by grace through faith and this is not from yourselves it is a gift not from works so that no one can boast so it's really important to understand that our salvation was a free gift. Our relationship with him is something that we need to work on so it's not our work that has set us free it's not our work it is it is his grace through our faith um which is not something like a work uh but there is a relationship to be had so our salvation was a free gift but if I'm in a relationship with you and I keep doing the thing that you hate how good is our relationship going to be if you come to me and you tell me look I don't like it when you do this as a matter of fact it hurts me and it it's so hurtful to me that it's it's hurting our relationship between you and me and it's causing me to be distant from you because I can't stand in your presence when you do this thing. So I'm letting you know about it right now that this thing is damaging our relationship. And if you want to continue in your friendship with me if you want to grow up in a relationship with me to stop doing that because it's the thing that I hate so our relationship is with the Lord that it's not my works that saved me but because I am saved through grace I now have a relationship with the Lord and he has some things that he doesn't like he doesn't like injustice he hates a lying tongue Proverbs talks about this he he there are things that are abominable to him there are abominations in his eyes so I'm not gonna if I'm gonna be working on my relationship with the Lord I'm gonna make sure that I'm not doing those things that he has told me that he hates and once again I go back to my relationship with the word of the Lord in order for me to understand because he has made mention of the things that he does not want for his children does not want in their lives he has very specifically commanded us to do this and that that this and that is not the way of the Lord his ways are justice his ways are righteous he is true be holy be holy because I am holy that's what the Lord says be holy so though our relationship with him was a salvation through his grace through faith it's not from ourselves it is God's gift not from works that so no one can boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared ahead of time for us to do so there's something to do we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works so there's work there's stuff to do there's stuff that I can work on and God has prepared this for me ahead of time for us to do so this is not an idle relationship this is not um hey I'm saved that's awesome thank you for the salvation I'm just gonna go back to what I was doing that can't happen that can't happen in a believer's life because the Holy Spirit convicts us of these things and we are motivated by the Spirit as he reveals Christ's character to us we're motivated to to work on our relationship with the Lord because it's it's um it hurts man and it's like to bring up a pastor's um uh exclamation that um explanation that I heard the other day it's like when you're a kid and you do something wrong and it's dinner time you've done something wrong you you've done something that you know that you shouldn't have done throughout the day and you get around your father at the dinner table and you can't even look him in the eye you can't look him in the eye because you know what you've done is wrong and the only way he's still your father he's still your father but the only way to get back into a right relationship with him is to confess what you have done. Confess what you have done and the relationship will have an opportunity to be repaired so that you can once again have a conversation with your father without the knowledge of your sin interrupting the relationship that you have with him. Let's go on to verse eleven so then remember that at one time you were gentiles in the flesh called the uncircumcised by those called the circumcised so it was the Jews who were calling the Gentiles the uncircumcised the Jews were the ones who were circumcised which is done in the flesh by human hands. So they're talking about the circumcision of the flesh and that of human hands so the physical circumcision that the Gentiles weren't in a practice of doing but the Jews were in a practice of doing it was a sign um it was an outward sign of something that was supposed to be happening on the inside so verse 12 at that time you were without Christ excluded from the citizenship of Israel and foreigners to the covenants of promise without hope and without God in the world but now in Christ Jesus you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ for he is our peace so at the time that we were Gentiles called the uncircumcised at that time we were without Christ we were excluded from the citizenship of Israel because the promises that were made in the Old Testament were for Israel. They were for the Hebrew nation but through God's death burial and resurrection he opened the way so that the heathen that the gentile would also become partakers of the promise is the promises that God had for his people we now have an opportunity to be grafted in to the tree that was once originally the family of Jews the family of Israel the family of the Hebrew nation the promises that were made to that very specific people group were now being offered to everyone who was not part of that group in Christ Jesus he was reconciling the whole world to himself not just one group of people so at that time we were that we were without Christ excluded from the citizenship of Israel and foreigners to the covenant of promise we were without hope and we were without God in the world thirteen but now in Christ Jesus you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ for he is our peace who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility in his flesh he made of no effect the law consisting of commandments and expressed in regulations so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. So he is broken down the dividing wall of hostility between the the recipients of the old covenant promises and the rest of the world. In his flesh he made no effect the law consisting of the commandments and expressions and regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two resulting in peace he did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death so the law was showing us our sin. More importantly it was showing us that we could not have a right relationship with God because we were covenant breakers we were lawbreakers we could not fulfill the law jesus fulfilled the law he was a perfect man he did nothing wrong and through fulfilling the law he it's not that the law isn't there the law is still there showing us that we are sinful people but the the consequences of not following the law the wrath that must be accounted for upon our death was was satisfied by Jesus's death like I said he's the substitutionary sacrifice for us so it's not that the law is not there but the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations he made no effect he made it so that the law's effect on my life in my death was no longer something that was going to come to me. It went to him it went to him and He died because of it. It took his life. But through the power of God, he was resurrected. And he now stands at the right hand of the Father. He has been crowned king, and everything belongs to him. All authority has been given to him through his victory. I am also a slave to him through ownership. I belong to him now. We'll talk about that later. So seventeen, he came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one spirit to the Father, so then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole building being put together grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you are also being built together for God's dwelling in the Spirit. Very listen to the way that the words are spoken here, a structure, a household with foundations. The foundation of the apostles and prophets, the the the found uh which was Jesus, the knowledge of the Lord, um was the foundation that the apostles and prophets were speaking of. They were all talking about Jesus. In the Old Testament, it was the mystery of Christ, but in the New Testament, it was the revelation of Christ, and he was pointed to by John the Baptist, who says, Look, the Lamb who comes to take away the sins of the world. Everything was pointing to Jesus, and he is now the cornerstone. And the cornerstone is that very important piece that after the foundation is laid, a cornerstone is made, so that all the walls, everything else that's built upon that foundation, starts from the cornerstone. It is it is level and it is straight. It is true, so that the building, when it's complete, is true and straight, and it's all in line, it's all fit fitted together. This says right here: being put together, growing into a holy temple in the Lord. In him, you are also being built together for God's dwelling in the Spirit. So if you made it to the end, I'd just like to thank you. Um I just wanted to talk about the word of God. That's what we do here, and so I hope that you have a good day. I'll see you next time.