Jesus First- Week 4: “Jesus First Over All Wisdom”

Oct 04, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Pineapple Ruins the Pizza

The world offers endless spiritual toppings promising fulfillment – success, approval, control. But adding anything to Jesus contaminates the purity of His sufficiency like pineapple corrupts a perfect pizza. True satisfaction comes not through endless customization but through embracing Christ’s finished work. Competing voices create chaos, but anchoring to His word brings clarity. The cross cancels every debt; no extra ingredients are needed. [30:13]

“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.”
(Colossians 2:8–9, ESV)

Reflection: What “topping” have you been adding to Jesus this week? How might settling for His simplicity free you from spiritual clutter?

Day 2: Shaking the Etch-A-Sketch of Shame

Some keep scrubbing at their failures, unaware Jesus already erased the debt. Like an etch-a-sketch shaken clean, the cross cancels every sin’s mark. No installment plan exists for what Christ paid in full. Striving to repay grace insults its gift. True freedom comes not from self-punishment but resting in His “tetelestai” – the final receipt stamped “paid.” [47:31]

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses… God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”
(Colossians 2:13–14, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you still making payments on a canceled debt? What would it look like to stop calculating and start celebrating?

Day 3: Shadows Can’t Replace the Sun

Rules about food, festivals, and sabbaths were mere shadows pointing to Christ’s light. Fixating on religious checklists distracts from His substance. Like staring at a loved one’s shadow instead of embracing them, rule-keeping substitutes ritual for relationship. Jesus fulfills every requirement – no add-ons needed. True worship gazes at the Son, not the silhouette. [52:24]

“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.”
(Colossians 2:16–17, ESV)

Reflection: What spiritual shadow have you mistaken for reality? How might focusing on Christ’s face clarify your worship today?

Day 4: First-Class Tickets to Nowhere

Spiritual achievements breed smugness – longer prayers, deeper knowledge, dramatic experiences. But boarding the “elite Christian” flight only inflates ego. True maturity clings to Christ the Head, not personal résumés. The body grows through His nourishment, not self-made discipline. Any status beyond “in Christ” is economy-class pretending. [55:37]

“Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels… not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”
(Colossians 2:18–19, ESV)

Reflection: Where does spiritual pride masquerade as maturity in your life? How might holding looser to achievements tighten your grip on Jesus?

Day 5: Relapse Into Dead Religion

Old habits die hard. Like ex-smokers reaching for phantom cigarettes, believers often revert to self-salvation schemes. Rules about “do not touch” feel safer than raw trust. But resurrected life requires abandoning grave clothes. The cross rendered self-reliance obsolete – why dig up what grace buried? [01:01:03]

“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… according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom… but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”
(Colossians 2:20–23, ESV)

Reflection: What buried habit have you been exhuming? How might leaving it in the tomb deepen your dependence on Christ’s resurrection power?

Sermon Summary

Paul roots the church in the way it first received Christ Jesus the Lord: by walking in him, being rooted in him, built up in him, established in faith, and overflowing with thanksgiving. Jesus is not the first ingredient in a bigger spiritual recipe. Jesus plus nothing is everything.

The Colossian heresy offered Jesus plus something else: rituals, secret knowledge, spiritual experiences, self denial, and religious requirements. Competing voices still do the same thing through culture, social media, self help, family expectations, and religious pressure. Jesus alone brings clarity because the fullness of deity dwells bodily in him, and believers have been filled in him. Jesus plus competing voices equals confusion.

God’s work in Christ has accomplished what human effort never could. Paul connects believers to Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, showing that right standing with God is not earned through religious performance. The record of debt stood against sinful people with real legal demands, but Christ canceled that IOU and nailed it to the cross. The cross did not put believers on a payment plan. The cross declared the debt paid in full and publicly defeated every spiritual ruler and authority. Jesus plus best efforts equals failure when those efforts try to earn what Christ has already finished.

Religious rules become frustrating when shadows are treated as the substance. The Old Testament law pointed forward to Christ, but Christ is the reality those shadows were always reaching toward. Jesus does not make God’s commands bad or meaningless, but Jesus fulfills every requirement that people try to use as a checklist for acceptance. Jesus plus religious rules equals frustration because no extra rule can make Jesus more sufficient.

Spiritual status also pulls hearts away from Christ. Asceticism, visions, angel worship, long prayers, Bible reading, church experience, and outward appearances can become terrible saviors when they turn into evidence of spiritual superiority. Christ is the Head, and the body only grows by holding fast to him. Jesus plus spiritual status equals arrogance.

Self reliance keeps drawing people back into an old system of shame, approval seeking, fear, control, and identity labels. Christ has already brought believers out of that system through his death and resurrection. The question remains: what is on the other side of the plus sign? Jesus cannot be made more full, paid for cannot be made more paid, and finished cannot be made more finished. Jesus is enough.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus plus nothing is everything Christ does not need help completing salvation, securing acceptance, or making a person whole. Every attempt to add achievement, approval, control, or status turns the eyes away from the One who is already sufficient. Faith rests in what Jesus has done rather than anxiously trying to improve on it. [36:20]
2. The cross canceled the whole debt God does not ask forgiven people to keep making payments on a bill Christ paid in full. Shame can feel spiritual, but it denies the finality of Christ’s sacrifice when it becomes an attempt to earn favor again. The cross removes the record of debt and silences the enemy’s accusation. [47:31]
3. Shadows cannot replace the substance Religious practices can point toward Christ, but they cannot take Christ’s place. Rules, traditions, and outward markers become crushing when they are treated as requirements for belonging to God. Christ is the reality that every faithful shadow was meant to reveal. [53:02]
4. Spiritual pride loses hold of Christ Good practices become dangerous when they become proof of being better than somebody else. Bible reading, prayer, service, and spiritual experiences are gifts, but they are terrible saviors. Humility holds fast to Jesus as the Head instead of building a higher spiritual status. [58:08]
5. Old labels do not define believers Shame, fear, control, failure, addiction, insecurity, and rejection all belong to the old system. Union with Christ gives a deeper and truer identity than any label that the past, other people, or personal weakness tries to assign. Christ calls his people to trust him beyond the curve in the road.

## [63:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:59] - Jesus First Over All Wisdom
[30:13] - When One Extra Ingredient Ruins It
[32:11] - The Danger of Adding to Jesus
[35:32] - Jesus Plus Nothing Is Everything
[38:19] - Competing Voices Bring Confusion
[41:30] - United With Christ in Death and Resurrection
[45:13] - The Debt Nailed to the Cross
[51:10] - Shadows and the Substance of Christ
[55:37] - Spiritual Status and Arrogance
[60:27] - Self Reliance Leads to Defeat
[64:29] - What Is on the Other Side?
[65:53] - Leaving Additions at the Altar

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Colossians 2:6-23
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 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. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. 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. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. 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.” [30:13]

Colossians 2:14
“by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” [47:31]

Colossians 2:17
“These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” [53:02]

Observation questions

In Colossians 2:6–7, what words and pictures does Paul use to describe how believers are to continue in Christ?
What kinds of teachings and practices does Paul warn could take believers captive or lead them away from Christ in Colossians 2:8, 16, and 18? [37:53]
According to Colossians 2:11–15, what actions are credited to God and Christ rather than to human effort? [45:05]
In Colossians 2:17–19, what contrast does Paul make between shadows and reality, and between spiritual practices and holding fast to the Head? [55:37]

Interpretation questions

Paul says that the fullness of deity dwells bodily in Christ and that believers have been filled in him. How does this explain why adding another source of spiritual acceptance leads to confusion? [40:09]
Paul describes believers as united with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. How does that union change the way a person understands religious effort, obedience, and acceptance before God? [44:38]
What does it mean that the record of debt was canceled and nailed to the cross rather than placed on a payment plan? How might this speak to someone who keeps trying to punish himself or herself for past sin? [47:19]
Paul does not say that spiritual disciplines are bad, yet he warns against practices that produce pride and disconnect people from Christ. What makes the difference between a helpful spiritual practice and a “terrible savior”? [58:08]

Application questions

What is most often placed on the other side of the “plus sign” in the struggle to feel accepted, secure, significant, or whole—approval, success, control, spiritual performance, money, or something else? What would it look like to name that honestly before Christ? [01:04:37]
Are there particular voices—social media, family expectations, cultural messages, self-help advice, or religious pressure—that regularly compete with Christ’s voice? What practical boundary or habit could help put Christ’s truth first this week? [38:19]
When guilt or shame rises after sin or failure, what does the usual response tend to be: hiding, self-punishment, trying harder, or returning to Christ? How can the truth that the debt is paid in full reshape that response? [47:58]
Is there a good practice—Bible reading, prayer, serving, church attendance, fasting, or avoiding certain things—that can quietly become evidence of being more spiritual than others? What would humility and “holding fast to the Head” look like in that area? [57:50]
Which old label feels especially powerful right now: failure, insecure, unwanted, angry, addict, divorced, not good enough, or another label? How does being “in Christ” speak a deeper identity than that label? [01:03:33]
Where is self-reliance currently strongest—finances, relationships, future plans, habits, reputation, or control of outcomes? What is one specific way to trust Christ beyond what can presently be seen or controlled? [01:02:40]

Sermon Clips

43s

#JesusFirst

“He is the standard. So for believers, the question that we have to ask ourselves is not does this sound right, not does this feel right, but is this according to Christ? Does this line up with what Jesus says? Friends, we will find no greater wisdom for us than in the one with whom the fullness of deity dwells, and he is Jesus. And so when we live Jesus first, we replace that confusion, and we get clarity. Again, we keep trying to add to Jesus. Jesus plus anything equals nothing, but Jesus plus nothing is everything.”

36s

#JesusOverEffort

“Through the work of Christ, we participate with Jesus in his death, his burial, and his resurrection, and it is the work of god. It is done by faith. It is not anything that we can do. And yet so much of the time, what happens? We feel like we need to do something to try to add on to what Jesus has already accomplished for us on the cross, that our efforts could somehow have some sort of effect on that. And that leads us to our next formula that doesn't work, that Jesus plus my best efforts equals failure.”

40s

#MoreOfJesus

“And we never need to forget it. It's not our work. It's his. But here's the truth. It's possible to become so fascinated with spiritual things that we get disconnected from Jesus, that we are no longer, as Paul says here, holding fast to the head. So what does Jesus centered spirituality really look like? More of him, less of me. And me not adding anything to him. Why? Because if I try to add anything, it's gonna give me nothing. But Jesus plus nothing is everything.”

36s

#JesusIsEnough

“He's simply saying we don't need to add extra religious requirements in order to make Jesus more sufficient. He's saying that all of the Old Testament law, every single bit of it points to Christ. It has always been about him. It is always about him, and it always will be about Why? Because Jesus plus nothing is everything. If you try to add to Jesus, you're just gonna end up with nothing, but Jesus plus nothing is everything.”

30s

#ChooseJesus

“To say that you can actually be taken captive by these different things is going to result in a life that is confused. Why? Because these competing voices will end up trying to drown the voice of Jesus out in our lives. And that leads us to our first equation that does not work. It's this, that Jesus plus competing voices equals confusion. Jesus plus competing voices equals confusion.”

37s

#TrustGod

“And I think if we were being honest, we would say the reason that we so often tend to run back to the old system is it's because it's what we know, because it's familiar, because it's comfortable for us. See, following Jesus, that can be scary at times. That can be uncomfortable at times. And sometimes I think that we have trouble placing that complete trust in god to not run back to what we know. And this is gonna lead us to our last equation that does not work today, that Jesus plus self reliance equals defeat.”

31s

#VictoryAtTheCross

“And what Paul says here is the cross has done that to our spiritual enemy. Church, can I tell you something? You have a real spiritual enemy who wants to still kill and destroy every single thing that you have. And I don't know if you've ever felt spiritual attack before. I don't know if you've ever felt the enemy come against you, but here's a quick little spiritual warfare tip. The next time you feel that spiritual attack, you look at the enemy and you say, hey. You lost. At the cross, you lost.”

43s

#JesusOurSavior

“It is so easy for us to fall into this trap. We think, oh, I read my bible more than that person does, or I pray better and longer than that person does, or I've been in church longer. I dress better when I'm in church than that person does. And hear me. Like, those are not bad things. We want you to pray. We want you to read your bible. We want you to come to church. Those are good things, wonderful things, but they're terrible saviors. They are terrible saviors. And the moment that we put our trust in anything other than Jesus, the moment we put our trust in our accomplishments rather than the accomplishment of Jesus on the cross,”

40s

#TrustJesus

“We can do that in our spiritual walk. What does it look like? Well, we say that Jesus is enough but... Enough, but we still feel like we need the approval of others. Or or we say that we trust Jesus, but we still want control of our lives. Are we say that we can believe that the cross has done everything that we need to be in right relationship with god, and yet we still keep spending so much effort, spending our wills, trying to prove that we can accomplish something that we never will be able to accomplish. Now understand something. I am raising a hand here. I am not pointing a finger. This is true of me.”

34s

#FaithOverFear

“There are times I just feel like, man, I am spinning my wheels. Like, I can't get any traction. And sometimes that's just life. We live in a fallen world, but the problem comes in when that carries over into my relationship with Jesus. And it's not because Jesus went anywhere. No. No. It's because I've moved. Typically, because I've tried to run back to this old way of doing things like Paul talks about. I'm trying to rely on myself, and that's usually because I have a trust problem.”

45s

#ChristIsTheSubstance

“Now, again, let me be clear here. We're not talking about sin. Sin is real. Scripture talks about it, and we are to stay away from sin. What Paul is talking about here is extra religious rules typically in the form of preferences that people try to add to other folks. Specifically, here, Paul is talking about the Old Testament Mosaic law, and he's talking about how this was getting added as some kind of checklist to the Colossians faith in Christ. And notice what it says in verse 17. It says that they are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance or the reality belongs to Jesus. So what is a shadow? A shadow is something that points towards something else.”

40s

#SpiritualDiscernment

“Now in verse 18, Paul mentions asceticism. That's like denying your body things. He mentions angels. He mentions visions. And his point is not that the spiritual realm isn't real. It absolutely is. If you wanna learn more about that, we're gonna talk about it on the podcast this week. His concern instead is that people are using these spiritual experiences and practices as evidence that they're on some kind of higher level than other believers, that they've got some sort of special access to god. And the truth is that it is so easy for us to fall into this trap.”

34s

#AliveInChrist

“He is saying that when we trust in Jesus, something has happened, that believers have died to the old way of doing things. If you are a follower of Jesus, you've died to this old system. You are alive now in Christ in this new system. But then he lists all of these things that we keep running back to, these regulations, human precepts, teaching, self made religions with an appearance of wisdom. And Paul's asking, he's saying, why do you keep submitting to this old system as if you belonged to it?”

31s

#RightWithGod

“Now let's be clear. We're not talking about obedience here. We are called to obedience to Christ. And when it comes to discipleship, our efforts do have a part to play in our discipleship. But when it comes to our right standing with God, it is fully the work of Jesus. And what Paul is referring to here is trying to accomplish through our own efforts what could only be accomplished by Christ, namely right relationship with God. He keeps writing.”

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