Freed Up, So That... | Colossians 2 | A Sermon on Growth

Paul warns the Colossians that things can sound right and still take people captive. Human tradition, spiritual vibes, and impressive-looking practices cannot become the standard. God’s Word is the standard. The Colossian error treated faith like a refrigerator cleanout meal, adding Jesus to a pile of other spiritual stuff. Paul answers with Christ and Christ alone.

Christ contains the entire fullness of God’s nature bodily. Christ has already filled every believer, not halfway or 99 percent, but all the way to the top. Paul stacks up what Christ has done: He has made dead people alive, forgiven all trespasses, erased the certificate of debt, and nailed it to the cross. Christ has also disarmed the rulers and authorities. The cross looked like Satan’s victory for three days, but the resurrection became the ultimate uno reverse card. Christ triumphed over every spiritual power that stood against Him.

Paul then says, therefore, do not let anyone judge believers over food, drink, festivals, new moons, or Sabbath days. Those Old Testament practices were good shadows, but Christ is the substance. The shadow was never the final thing. The smell of a good meal prepares someone for food, but the smell is not the meal. Christ fulfills what those things pictured.

Paul also warns against people who condemn others through severe self-discipline, false humility, worship of angels, or claims of access to some visionary realm. Hyper-strictness and hyper-spirituality are ditches on opposite sides of the road. Both can look impressive, but both can be inflated by empty notions. Christ is the Head, and the whole body receives nourishment and growth from Him alone.

Fake flowers can look beautiful in spring, summer, and even snow, but they never grow. Self-made religion can have a reputation for wisdom, yet it has no value in curbing indulgence. Spiritual maturity is not making life excessively difficult to prove devotion. Biblical self-discipline brings desires under the control of Christ.

Christ calls believers to test methods, tools, and convictions by Scripture. Personal convictions can be wise, but personal convictions cannot be elevated to God’s Word for everyone else. Christ has already filled His people to the brim. Every attempt to add something necessary to Christ actually subtracts from confidence in His finished work. Jesus is enough.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Christ already fills His people completely. Christ does not leave believers spiritually half-full, waiting for extra practices to complete them. His forgiveness, victory, and life are already given through faith. The desire to add something necessary to Jesus often reveals that His fullness has been forgotten. [04:49]
• 2. Shadows point forward to Christ. God gave Old Testament feasts, food laws, and Sabbaths as good pictures that prepared people for Jesus. Those practices should not become a weapon for judging believers, because Christ is the substance they anticipated. The shadow matters because of the Person casting it. [10:51]
• 3. Impressive religion can still be empty. Severe discipline and dramatic spiritual claims can look like maturity while being rooted in pride. External intensity does not guarantee inward transformation. Christ alone nourishes the body and produces real growth from God. [15:50]
• 4. Personal convictions are not universal commands. A personal boundary may protect someone from sin and serve a real purpose in that person’s life. That boundary becomes dangerous when it is raised to the level of Scripture and imposed on others. God’s Word alone carries that authority. [24:24]
• 5. Jesus is enough for real growth. Methods for prayer, Bible reading, and discipline can be useful tools, but tools are not the source of life. Christ calls believers to ask whether a practice helps them grow in Him or merely makes them feel spiritual. His finished work frees people from trying to impress God.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:51] - Truly Filled and Growing Spiritually
• [01:15] - The Warning Against Empty Deceit
• [03:28] - Christ Alone, Not Jesus Plus
• [04:30] - Filled by the Fullness of Christ
• [05:31] - Made Alive and Forgiven
• [07:27] - Christ’s Triumph Over Darkness
• [09:52] - Shadows and the Substance
• [13:05] - Hyper-Strictness and Hyper-Spirituality
• [16:30] - Real Growth Comes From Christ
• [20:10] - Self-Made Religion Cannot Change the Heart
• [22:59] - Do Not Confuse Spiritual Looking With Biblical
• [24:24] - Personal Convictions and God’s Word
• [25:35] - Scripture Defines Spiritual Maturity
• [28:17] - Resting in Christ’s Fullness
• [31:23] - Jesus Is Enough

Bible Reading

Colossians 2:8-10
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” [01:15]

Colossians 2:16-17
“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” [09:56]

Colossians 2:20-23
“If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 'Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch' (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” [20:10]

Observation questions

1. In Colossians 2:8-10, what sources of teaching does Paul warn can take believers captive, and what does he say about Christ and those who belong to Him? [04:26]
2. What kinds of practices or observances does Paul say should not become grounds for judging believers in Colossians 2:16-17? [09:56]
3. According to Colossians 2:16-17, how are the Old Testament practices described, and who is identified as their substance? [10:51]
4. In Colossians 2:20-23, what examples of regulations does Paul list, and what does he conclude about self-made religion and severe treatment of the body? [20:10]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul says believers have been filled by Christ. How does this truth confront the idea that a person needs Jesus plus extra rules, experiences, or spiritual achievements in order to be complete? [28:13]
2. Why would good Old Testament practices become harmful if people used them to judge others after Christ had fulfilled what they pointed toward? [11:03]
3. Paul warns about both severe self-discipline and dramatic spiritual claims. Why can these opposite-looking approaches both become prideful substitutes for depending on Christ? [14:48]
4. Colossians 2:23 says that impressive religious practices cannot curb sinful indulgence. What does this reveal about the difference between looking spiritual and experiencing real heart change? [21:18]

Application questions

1. Where are you most tempted to believe “Jesus plus something else” will make you more acceptable to God—better habits, stricter rules, a certain experience, or the approval of others? What would it look like to rest in Christ’s finished work instead? [31:41]
2. Think about a spiritual practice you value, such as Bible reading, prayer, fasting, or a personal boundary. How can that practice remain a helpful tool rather than becoming a measure of your worth or a standard you impose on everyone else? [25:35]
3. Have you ever felt judged because you did not share someone else’s personal conviction? How can you honor Scripture, respect wise convictions, and still resist treating human standards as God’s commands? [24:24]
4. Is there a practice, routine, or spiritual “look” that may make you feel mature without actually helping you grow in Christ? What honest question can you ask to test whether it is producing real growth? [27:37]
5. In what area of life do you need to bring your desires under Christ’s control rather than trying to impress God through making life unnecessarily difficult? [27:00]
6. When fear, guilt, or spiritual pressure rises, how does Christ’s victory over sin, debt, and the powers of darkness give you confidence to obey Him without trying to earn His favor? [09:10]