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Col. 2:6-14
Check Yourself
This book, Colossians, was written while Paul was in a Roman prison. The church that had been planted had been infiltrated with false teachings and all kinds of worldly philosophies and religions.
It had even gotten to the point where many were denying the Deity and power of Christ as God and Savior.
Well, when we look around today, we see many of the same type of ideologies. We see people who, rather than look to Christ for answers, they push man-made approaches to life’s problems that totally disregard God.
Let’s look at some modern-day philosophies/practices. All of these are not bad entities. These can be wonderful ways to practice our faith and live out our belief in Christ, but the problem comes in when we try to practice these things APART FROM GOD, because when we leave God out of the equation, then we are practicing a false religion and as Christians, then we are no better than pagans that depend on their idols to do for them what they cannot do.
1. Legislation
2. Pay it Forward
3. Gratitude
4. Meditation
5. Time Management
A. The 12 Week Year
B. The 4-Hour Work Week
6. Managing and Communicating w/People
But these things alone, cannot accomplish for us, what we need. As the song says that we just heard, Lord I tried it on my own
Put faith in me
But the truth came to be
Lord I need you! Lord I need You!
So Paul in his letter to the Colossians gives them some practical advice that I want to share with you today. Things that we need to remember and to practice in our own lives so that we don’t fall prey to the world’s empty strategies that might work for a while, but then live us stranded in days to come.
So, check yourself and make sure you are living out the right belief system.
1. Know that the saved life means:
A. Rooted and built up in Christ
B. Strengthened in the faith—practicing having faith in the things that the Holy Spirit is guiding you to say and do—no matter how non-sensical it may seem at the time.
When David went to fight Goliath with a sling shot and 5 stones, it did not make sense, but his obedience got him the victory.
C. Overflowing thankfulness as Paul says at the end of v. 7
2. Don’t be taken captive by these things:
A. Hollow and deceptive philosophies like those who live their lives by following the stars and astrology and such things
B. Human tradition and worldly specific forces—The Church is one of the main culprits of this—Jesus is the same, yesterday, today, and forever, but He is a progressive God—so updating the way we do church, the way we give, the way we display our faith to others is not wrong. Keeping traditions will not save us.
3. We must remember:
A. Christ is the head of all of us. We didn’t create ourselves and we can’t save ourselves.
B. He made us alive because we were in essence dead in our sins and trespasses
C. He nailed all our legal obligations and indebtedness—all our sin to the cross and canceled.
So now we are free to live our lives to the fullest –allowing Him to live through us—realizing and knowing that He knows what’s best for us and truly loves us.
So today—Again I say Check Yourself before you Wreck Yourself.
We need God. We cannot do this alone. But with Him—all things are possible.
God Bless You.
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