Colossians: Jesus our Supreme Authority 02
October 31, 2021

Colossians: Jesus our Supreme Authority

Chapter 2:1-15 (NLT)

Colossians: Jesus our Supreme Authority 02 | Mick Veach | lead pastor | first aired on 10.31.2021

I. Introduction

A. Read Scripture

2 I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. 2 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. 3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

4 I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. 5 For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. —Chapter 2:1-15

B. Review chapter 1—Jesus is our supreme authority because:

  1. He is the image of God
  2. He is the connector of all things
  3. He is the path of reconciliation

C. The theme of this letter

  1. Stand against false teaching
  2. Know Jesus intimately and his role in your life

D. The first century culture is not much different than today’s culture

  1. Universalism is the desired teaching
  2. Spiritism is accepted and encouraged
  3. Exterior requirements demanded, it is always changing
  4. Truth is a moving target—today there is no absolute truth
  5. Limited acceptance of Jesus and his teaching

E. We get a glimpse into the heart of Paul here in this chapter

  1. V. 1 — He agonized for the believers the Colossians and the Laodiceans.

    a. He had not even met them before
    b. He truly loved and cared for them
    c. We can do the same for the unreached peoples today in the world

  2. He was a defender of the faith—he stood boldly against all forms of false teaching

  3. He was about pleasing Jesus above all else, not people
  4. He led out of the overflow of Jesus

F. Let’s dive into chapter two. He gives the church 3 action points

II. Three Action Points for the Church

A. A Call to be

Reveal Answer
— v. 2-7

  1. Paul is calling us to be faithful to our Lord and explains what that looks like.

    a. Remember that faith is what we believe and faithfulness is living out what we believe
    b. Too many stop short of living faithful lives and are content with faith in Jesus.
    c. The result of unfaithfulness is chaos and frustration and pain

  2. V.2 - Faithfulness is seen by being a courageous church

    a. A courageous church stands encouraged
    b. What are the things that we need to be courageous about?

    1. Our relationship with Jesus
    2. Our relationship with others

  3. V. 2 — Faithfulness is seen when we are knit together in love

    a. We live in a day where the love of most has grown cold—Matthew 24
    b. This is only accessible from the agape love of Jesus

  4. V. 3 — Faithfulness is seen by practicing wisdom

    • God’s plan is made known to the faithful and it is no longer a mystery

  5. V.4 — Faithfulness is seen by avoiding seductive teaching

    • Progressive teaching of today is every where

  6. V. 7 — Faithfulness is seen by allowing our roots to go deep in Jesus

    • A continual hunger and desire to see, know and experience Jesus

  7. The world is waiting for a church to rise up who knows what they believe and begins to be faithful to those beliefs regardless of the cost.

Key Point — Jesus is calling us to be faithful in all areas of our life

B. A Call to

Reveal Answer
of Additional Teachings — v. 8-12

  1. There were folks in the Colossian church that did not believe that Jesus was sufficient so they kept adding to the teaching

  2. Example of today’s addition

    a. Those who deconstruct their faith and then add that we should love others, be kind, compassionate, listen and love others.
    b. The problem is that this came from Jesus whom they just threw away.

  3. V. 8 — They were adding worldly philosophy, and astrology

    a. “elements of this world’ alludes to astrology
    b. The bible denounces astrology

    1. Dt. 18:10-14
    2. Lev. 20:6
    3. Is. 47:13-15
    4. Micah 5:12
    5. James 3:15
    6. 2 Cor. 10:5

  4. V. 11 — They were adding circumcision to their teaching

    a. Paul stands against this—it is a spiritual circumcision that cuts away the sinful nature
    b. We have added unbiblical extras to believers also

    • Legalism in the modern church has been difficult to unravel

  5. V. 16; 20-23 — They were adding rules and regulations

    a. The motive behind this is power
    b. They demanded celebrations for certain holy days
    c. What you could or could not eat

  6. It was a teaching that mixed Judaism and Gnosticism

  7. V. 12 — Baptism freed you from all these past teachings or new demands

    a. Paul understood baptism as

    1. Adult baptism
    2. Instructed baptism
    3. Total immersion

b. Someone baptized must understand that their old life remains dead and gone forever. He was a new man risen to new life

c. Christ was and is sufficient


  1. Question—Is Christ sufficient for you today?

    • Do you add things to him and his teaching?

Key Point — Jesus and his teaching are Sufficient.

C. A Call to

Reveal Answer
Forgiveness — V. 13-23

  1. Forgiveness brings life to all those who seek it in Jesus
  2. Paul gives us a description of what forgiveness looks like

a. V. 13 — we move from death to life—dead in our sins and then made alive in Jesus
b. V. 14 — canceled the record of charges against us—nailed it to the cross

  • Jesus’ signature made it personal and final

c. V. 15; 20—Evil lost its authority and power over us

  1. We have victory
  2. We must begin to live with this victory
  3. Stand against strongholds and hurts of our past
  4. Replace lies with truth

d. V. 16-17 — Condemnation lost its authority over us

  1. Romans 8:1-2 — there is no longer any condemnation for those in Christ
  2. Know the difference between conviction and condemnation

Key Point — Forgiveness is the foundation that enables us to experience the freedom and intimacy of Jesus

III. Call to Action:

1. Surrender your daily life to Jesus and experience the Power of the Spirit
2. Feed yourself with biblical truth daily
3. Accept and practice his forgiveness your life

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