The Exclusive Christ

Will grab your Bibles go to Colossians chapter 2 were going to be brief this evening. Just like I said, but I want us to look at two faults on these two scriptures actually one Scripture, but will read to Colossians chapter 2. Look at verses eight and nine Colossians 2 verses eight and I let's talk about the exclusive Christ, the exclusive Christ. I want you to in this brief few moments to really lash your sales only and holy to Jesus Christ. Plus nothing lasts yourself to Christ by faith plus nothing else because he is the exclusive provision of God for us.

Colossians 28 see to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ, for in him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. First of all, let's by introduction. Look at verse four. For just a second or he says in verse four. I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument not delude you has the idea of cheating you out with false reasoning cheating you of the prize by false reasoning, so there were those who would come into these churches, Paul would get the church started he continued on his missionary journeys he no longer get to the next town or two and he began to receive reports that the church is already beginning to entertain some other teaching. Now these guys were slick. They were sharp they knew what to do.

They would talk a lot like Paul, it would sound a lot like Paul's doctrine within the habitable twist on the total spent on it so that at the end of it all.

It wasn't exclusively trusting Christ. It was Christ plus something else.

And Paul calls these there diluting you there cheating you there robbing you are taking advantage of you either use it with these false reasonings.

Now he uses two different categories to sort of discuss these false reasoning and I'll admit that though he seems to mention two.

They are overlapping and intermingled.

But I want to talk to them in two ways. But Tom, let me first of all emphasize the fact that this in the original Greek is in the imperative mood where he says the first part of verse eight see to it that no one takes you captive. This is the command of God for all you dads out there. The head of household you are responsible to see to it that your wife and your children and those under your authority are not diluted are not taken captive are not led astray by false reasoning. Things that sound right but they're not right.

Things that sound logical. But they're not true in all Satan is suddenly doing this all of the world today. Matter fact I don't know how but I get on this theme. Sometimes it is show me service after service after service at the service of some of the largest so-called church pastors in America today and I listen to them to try to grasp not just what you say first of all, there's barely a thumb on a film whatever it is we use when you so plan a thimble. I'm sorry on jetlagged bad a thimble.

There's not a thimble full of Scripture in their message and there's all this mumbo-jumbo stuff about you doing better in God, your Victor novelist, I think you know what that is. That is false reasoning not struggle with coming out and just labeling all these guys. Classic false teachers, but getting closer to doing it. Their approach is like a false teacher in so many ways are you dads are you sharp enough spiritually. Are you distorted smoke pot and say it's a good idea to be alert. Paul says say till it say to and don't let it happen. Don't let them come with these false reasonings now let me first subpoint are first made to what I should say is, he excludes man-made philosophy. They come in with man-made teachings and in our world today. A lot of it has to do with Freud and Skinner worldly psychology and they weave all the psychological stuff and then knelt beside some scripture around it and what they've actually done is added to God's wisdom with man's wisdom, he says in verse eight see to it that no one takes you captive the idea of a captive. Here is a plunder tries to carry away the sheet and those he cannot carry weight. He scatters them so that there not effective for the Lord. So in behind these philosophies. These false teachers will mix with Christianity is the notion to hurt the church and that's always driven at its source by Satan himself. Satan loves to scatter the sheet. Satan loves to lead astray.

Satan loves to mess up what God's trying to build together so he said: thank you Don't let the plunder come in and carry you away with these philosophies.

Most likely, now in Paul's not mine. He's thinking about Gnosticism, which became popular in the first century where this group of Christian teachers would go around and say, well, Jesus is true and you gotta believe in Jesus but we are superior, elitist, and we have special God-given spiritual insight you can really know how to serve God and really know how to be say. So they mixed up there worldly philosophers that exalted themselves and actually that's what were seeing a lot of today were seeing very talented, very clever communicators who are basically getting people depend upon them, not upon the truth of the word and the crisis revealed in the word, it does me no joy to think that your attached to me. I want you to know are you tax to the Christ. This book reveals because I may be gone tomorrow.

Don't plan on it, but I may be gone tomorrow.

Someone will faithfully exegete this text and preaching to you in the power of the spirit just to have the same Christ. You've always had. Don't let them take you captive that uses the word philosophy here through philosophy and into deception. The philosophy is a word that means that which is derived of man that which comes from man's wisdom. The Bible has this statement about there's wisdom which comes down from heaven in us the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The truth of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone and then there's the wisdom that comes up from the earth. It's natural. The Bible says in demonic, it's of man. He says be careful. They come in and they bring in these men foundations are man centered philosophies and when they put it all together there really contradicting sound doctrine.

Then he amplifies the word philosophy says and empty deception. Actually, that defines what philosophy is philosophy is empty deception best definition of ever heard. It's an old statement you heard it before but you know enough of a philosopher is what philosophy is, it's a blind man in a dark room to try and find a black cat that is there just this talking about stuff with no real conclusion to it.

Philosophy is always empty deception because it starts with man and we start with man. You start with the empty starting point what what it thing he saying here so be careful if you're hearing preaching will listen for verses, verse by verse exegesis of the text interpreted in its grammatical and systematic context. Make sure that's the kind of conclusions were coming to my right what I'm doing. Here's a good example what you need. Look for just unpacking what the text says in making application to our lives now. Secondly, not only did this, he excludes man-made philosophy. Jesus is exclusive so he excludes man-made religion amplifies its own out in verse eight insisted to the don't take you captive through philosophy and into deception. Here's the second category intermingles what I want to use it as a separate one. According to the tradition of men, then amplifies that, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ only says according to the traditions of man he means those things that are passed down generation to generation, though. Sincerely, Harold beliefs and practices that are not thoroughly biblical there just traditions of men and as we want to point out than we do regularly hear from this pulpit. A lot of what's happening in contemporary churches in Christianity. That's not sound. Let's be real honest and talk about the sum of grandma and grandpa's traditions weren't all that sound either. There was a lot of traditionalism in some of the old county seat Baptist churches that wasn't very biblical or solid. I think I take it over some of the new stuff but nevertheless too much of it was not thoroughly biblical. It was just a tradition that that's the way my daddy did it and that's why my granddaddy did it and that's what my grandmother believe that's what my great-grandmother believes that's good enough for me that's wrong, you should honor and respect your forefathers, the faith don't ever stop learning where they stopped in us the best way to on. If they're in heaven you know what they're saying. All dear child, don't stop on the ersatz stucco you learn more about Christ and more about truth than I do and you go on for going on every generation to go on for God further than we did course, we do so, and he says be careful there's traditions that men begin to embrace and what happens is one generation few generations ago begin to do a certain practice are certain custom I do next generation picked it up in the next generation picked it up in the next generation picked it up and I believe it's absolutely true biblical practice, when really the first generation to sit.

This is an idea we might try and that's become a solidified tradition.

Be careful. He says see to it that you don't get led astray by the now not only traditions of men. He amplifies that with this phrase in verse eight, the elementary principles of the world. I think this is most certainly pointing to the religious traditions of Judaism. That's the other side of the coin he was battling the Gnostic philosophers they try to mingle in with Christianity, their teachings, and in the Judaizers. The traditional Jewish rituals and legalism.

They try to bring that in and mix that up with Jesus and both are wrong know why. When you called these things that are the outward ceremonies and laws rituals and laws of Judaism while he called in the elementary principles of the world because you can take any average 12-year-old child and sit down until you tell them if you go through these motions you.these eyes across these teeth do these dues don't do those adults God will accept you nothing that makes common sense that sounds logical. That's elementary is just not true. What he means is in the mind of fallen man he loves, works, religion is just elementary to us. This is the way were cut all men are born Armenians, all men are born saying I must do something I must join something I must go through some right some formula some ritual.

There's things I must do it and then I can know God accepts me see if that happened, don't be taken captive by the teaching. Your salvation is by grace alone in by faith alone in Christ alone. I will leave you shipwrecked on Jesus Christ and stranded on omnipotent, nothing nothing nothing else, not a Catholic tradition, not a Methodist tradition, not Episcopalian tradition on a Pentecostal tradition and not a Baptist tradition, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ alone is our doctrine, but everything else be done away with all of it getting everything everything that we look to other than Christ. Paul says see to it. This isn't about things. See to it. Nothing.

Nothing competes with pure and simple and whole devotion to Christ crucified and buried and raised again that your hope to come to me and say well I pray this prayer.

I'm glad you prayed the prayer but are you trusting Christ you can pray a prayer a million times and never embrace him by faith.

The flesh loves the new stuff like that. Not saying that's wrong, something that's not the basis of your faith, the basis of your faith is not what you did to.

He is so he says see to it is a pastor that's hard to grasp on audience and that's why you don't like it spurred used to say your flesh would love for me to give you something to do at the end of the sermon so you can feel like you're now brought God. Your flesh would love it. See to it that no one takes you captive, because this stuff is so appealing to the natural man every lit religion known to man is filled with outward ceremonies that cannot bring man to God are bring God to man, but all of the same way since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden man has clambered after some way he could participate in saving himself came comes to God with the work of his hands offered a grain vegetable sacrifice able comes to God with the slain animal porting to the fact that someone on his behalf will die and save him and he cannot provided the bodices able came in faith trusting God's provision came comes with the work of his hand, and God just cannot reject it.

I rejected what happened to came he got mad at her notes. Those who trust work salvation get mad easy but you just me around one for a while talk about the man notice will happen at the judgment bar of God going to God's will save you trusting your works depart from me.

I never knew you know the going to go get mad because I did all of this.

I do not accept this and that. I turned away from this and that I did this work in this working I join this church and the sacraments not I get the ceremonies I was faithful to the rituals I get so much money doesn't depart from me, you and all your blasts of us proud words you would bring before the blood of my son, claiming you have some merit to stand before the righteous dignity of the tribunal to God department are going to be egg it would while the bouncers hails full of weeping and gnashing of teeth. They're angry and will never get off rent the burn with the rage that God rejected their effort and got mad. The legalist have been mad ever since. The point is this. Don't let any philosophy come in until you simple faith in Jesus is not enough. Don't let any religious teaching religious rights Ridge religious ordinances come in and somehow take you captive teaching you that there something other than simple faith in Jesus Christ.

Christ is all you need, because Christ is the only true Savior. He is perfection. Think about it the great Creator became my Savior and all God's fullness. The songwriter said dwell within him that if God came to save you when you go add that Hagel thinks that he can make that better.

You can call Sigmund Freud that the great father psychologist sick and you can ad lib. it to Jesus. I'll run through that wall run back on the other side. My two holes in this building to said don't you ever ever ever ever see him to me that you go add something to Jesus. It is Christ, and Christ alone saves and I might add. He's mighty to save. Hey, here's the perfect one.

He's the only one. All others are EP deception that we going to verse eight he says see to it.

That's the command men, heads of household, you better make sure God ordering you this.

No one takes you captive through philosophy and into deception, according to the tradition of men, the elementary principles of the world. Here's an interesting phrase, rather than according to Christ. Here's what he say any if you take the tiniest molecule of philosophy that it to Jesus lost Jesus you take the tiniest element of religious tradition or work and so you gotta have that in Jesus, you lose Jesus you cannot add him to anything and keep him. The moment you bring something in the room. In addition to him. He walks round out there is no one that he will accommodate our salvation is Christ, and Christ alone. Do not add philosophy to him. Do not add religion.

The Hindu not at work that you do not add ritual to him. Do not do not add ethics to him on morale. It did heal my Freud to Hilmar Skinner to him right now. Christ and Christ alone saves and when we look to Christ, we reject all others, not the labor of my hands can fulfill the law's demands. Could my zeal, no respite, no. Could my tears forever flow all for sin could not atone. Thou must save and bow alone.

Nothing in my hand to bring simply to the cross I cling make income to the for dress helpless look to the for grace by all. I fly to fountain fly file onto the fountain fly wash me, Savior, or I while I draw this fleeting breath when my show close and death when I sort the worlds unknown. See the owned by judgment throne rock of ages Cliff for me. Let me hide myself in the the exclusive Christ this moment. At this time, throw yourself in whole complete dependence on Jesus Christ for your selfish and nothing else is not a good idea, Paul commands, see to it that no one tries to anything