COLOSSIANS 2:8-10
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,10 and you have been given fullness in Christ. He is the head over every power and authority.
COLOSSIANS 2:8-10 “HOW HAVE I BEEN GIVEN FULLNESS IN CHRIST”?
Springford Baptist Church: July 31, 2022.
Imagine that you are in a restaurant and you request a glass of water. You of course expect the glass of water to be full when it comes to the table. If you are brought a glass with just a small amount of water in the bottom, you would immediately realize that you had not been given all that you expected.
Today, in our ongoing study in Colossians, we are thanking God that we have been given “fullness in Christ.” Jesus Christ supplies all that we need to be right with God and we do not need to look anywhere else. There is no need to do anything else. We can expect that this fullness makes us complete in Christ and that everything necessary to live our lives to please God is included in that gift of fullness in Christ.
Paul in this letter to the Colossians emphasizes, “and you have been given fullness in Christ. He is the head over every power and authority.” (Colossians 2:10)
When we are given a full glass of water, we can drink all of it and our thirst will be quenched. This gift of the fullness of Christ
will quench our spiritual thirst. In recognizing the significance of receiving all that God intends for us through the fullness of Christ, we can be satisfied.
Imagine again with me that you are in a restaurant and after receiving a full glass of water brought to your table, you drink only a small amount then begin to go table to table and to drink from several other glasses.
What you had been given was for you and was for you to be satisfied by.
Paul writes about these Christians having been given fullness in Christ because he does not want them going and looking elsewhere for spiritual satisfaction.
He maintains, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 1:8)
Paul is challenging the hollow and deceptive heresy that some Colossians had bought into that not only did the need faith in Christ for salvation, but also secret knowledge and the careful following of human made regulations around certain practices such as circumcision, eating and drinking, and observance of religious festivals.
Why do we as human beings so often make things more complicated than they need to be?
We have been given fullness in Christ and this is all we need or will ever need!
Paul boldly states, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” (Colossians 2:9)
This statement that Jesus is fully God is a direct argument against the false teaching that was circulating in Colosse.
Since God dwells fully in Christ and we have been given fullness in Christ, what does this mean for the living of our everyday lives? HOW DOES KNOWING GOD CHANGE OUR LIVES”?
Being given fullness in Christ does mean that we can put off the sinful nature. (vs. 11)
This will not occur through our strength. It will be a gift that Jesus gives us and makes possible for us to utilize.
This is not a matter of us overcoming sin and the temptations that we face in order to be made right with God. Jesus has already accomplished us being made right with God through giving Himself for us.
We can expect that as we drink from the fullness of Who Jesus is that we will be given the power to overcome sin in this world.
Jesus is, “the head over every power and authority” and so if He says something it is so. We can appeal to Him to enable the living of our lives as people set free from sin.
You know how when you are wanting to have a concern resolved in a business setting, you ask to speak to the manager.
You go to the top to get action.
When we are depending on the fullness of Christ to be sufficient for the living of our lives in obedience to God, we have gone to the top.
Practically speaking, “HOW HAVE I BEEN GIVEN THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST”?
Jesus is the Son of God and has direct access to God.
Our gift of the fullness of Christ gives us direct access to God.
We can pray and know that God hears our prayers and has the power to answer our prayers.
Jesus knows the will of God.
When we are looking for direction for each day, the gift of the fullness of Christ means that we can trust and enter into God’s will for us.
Jesus has a complete picture of our individual lives and of the unfolding pattern of our world.
With this gift of the fullness of Christ, we can bring what we do not understand to Him and receive His grace in our places of not understanding.
We can know that no one has an authority or power greater than Christ and His claim on our lives. There is no one or nothing to consider above what God requires of us.
Our desire as Christians is to center in satisfying what God asks of us in every aspect of our lives.
This intentional choice to live our lives to please and satisfy God guarantees that we will live full and satisfying lives and lives
that display the fullness of Christ.
We can pray continually for the accurate knowledge that in Christ is all the fullness of God. We can thank God that we as Christ followers have been given this exquisite gift of fullness in Christ.