We tend to complicate things! Do you ever notice that? I mean life is complicated enough without our “improving!” My refrigerator has a 9” LCD screen on it! You know what that has turned out to be? Useless! My wife’s truck has forty thousand buttons and features on it and guess what that’s turned out to be? More for me to fix! UGH! Toothbrushes…I mean come on! Remember that Oral B commercial 20 years ago…that one was fine, now they have the soft, medium, hard…the pulsating brush, the spinbrush, the one that plays music, the gas powered one! HA. I even saw this when looking at all of the different types of toothbrushes…the Plak Smacker! HA! Takes me 5 minutes just to decide when I need a new one and most the time the one I get…guess what…I don’t like…WHY? Because man, I should have gotten…you guessed it…the other one!

We’ve over complicated so very much! If there was just one tooth brush option then I’d always have the best right!? But, ‘Merica! My over complicated money wasting ridiculous frustrating life-sucking battle is razors! I have to take out a second mortgage just to replace mine, right? And so I’m always looking for the bargain. And it never fails, I get a new type of razor about every quarter because I can never remember where I got my last one and I start wasting money going through them until one works. And my test is my ridge on the top of my head. Only one razor out there seems to get that ridge…and so it seems I search for it all over again every quarter.

Isn’t that just like you? That’s just like me. Hear the truth, learn the truth, act in truth…and then some way on down the line…it’s like what on earth is this? Why am I such a mess!? Don’t I know better…You see we have capitalistic hearts. Another word for that, capitalistic…selfish ambition…another word for that…sinful. Hearts and minds and a culture and a fallen nature that’s never quite happy and so, we seek to improve and upgrade and that is wonderful but here’s the thing…not all of the time…the problem with that is when improvement isn’t needed…what happens…well, it’s complicated.

This is exactly what Paul is dealing with in these churches! Collossae, you used to be the bomb, or as they would say in Chin’s day, the Cat’s Meow! Best product around. Folks would come from all over but difficulty and trying times have come and frustration and discouragement has set in. And so they turn to a bit of retail therapy only they’re not shopping for shirts, they’re shopping for meaning…when meaning is there…no need for improvement! And Laodiciea, right down the road, Heiropolous, right down the road…they’ve gotten rich and wealthy on their hot and lukewarm water and now they’re looking to upgrade…to keep moving forward…and Paul says, that’s great, but there ain’t no upgrade to the gospel!

Be careful. Be aware. Be watchful. Be on guard! Man, be on the attack standing against those who take away and even yourself if you take the simplicity of Jesus Christ and Him crucified! He is enough. The gospel of grace is enough. Press in there…don’t complicate things because that is what was happening. Folks were bringing in new ideas and revelations and the people were being led astray...putting upgrades on their cars like air shocks…what an absolute waste of good engineering talent and money! I have had nothing but trouble with those things in every car that I’ve had that had them…but we do that too man…we move on, we take a step away from living for the simplicity of knowing God and all sorts of confusion and trouble sets in!! Paul knows that with unneeded upgrades, only trouble comes…he is an expert on that…

Colossians 2 Verses 1 – 3

• I love his heart because I feel him. Not just understand him but I feel him. How many folks has he watched, witnessed to, lead, taught, discipled that had fallen into horrible circumstance because of their falling away from faith? I bet many. I didn’t say falling away from salvation…you can be saved as saved can be and walk right out of living in such a way to honor the cross of Christ and in that moment, day, week, month, year, you have fallen from faith…some call it stubling, back sliding but call it like it is…who you are and what you’re doing is something other than faithful.   And the outcome is always busted upgrades, needed repairs and sometimes you just total it all…very tragic…
• And so Paul says he has a great conflict…, “Agon,” in the Greek, where we get our word, “agony.” And his desire is that one would reverse, reset and repent and begin to encourage the others towards truth! I love this! This is true riches. This is to be truly rich and famous in the courts of the king…to be rich and full in your own heart of hearts man…to encourage others. Take someone by the hand and walk them right into courage…that’s Paul’s plea…because that is exactly what Jesus did for him.
• I have a sneaking suspicion that Saul hated Saul. When he was a Pharisee of Pharisees. A tyrant. A murderer. A hunter of men. I mean how many nights did he sit alone staring at the dirt and ask himself, “what have I become? I’m a monster.” He knew the scriptures. He knew who God was! You can’t mess with the Word of God and not be affected by the Holy Spirit. I bet he was trapped in a way. Why else would he say that he is a Pharisee of Pharisees in Philippians 3? And when Christ knocked him off that donkey, He gave him the courage to stand up to those long-robes and to break away…
• Paul says this is the key to riches and fullness of assurance of the understanding of the mystery of God! To encourage one another towards godliness! There were those who had crept into the region talking about new mysteries of God. Especially the Gnostics and the Ascetics. Claiming that these mysteries of God only could be found out by joining their club or listening to what they had to say or doing it their way…sound familiar? And so Paul says here, the full assurance of the understanding of the mystery of God is available to everyone, everywhere, right now! And here is how to get there. So very simple! Love God, and love eachother! Why?
• Simple! Having a heart to give preference to others, to encourage others, to serve others, to pray for others, for others…will inevitably lead you to a soft heart full of humility and love…and FULL assurance of understanding! Why so important? Because folks were in situations where they weren’t too crystal clear on what to do…ever been there? And there were those who were feeding them “new revelation and mystery,” contrary to the simplicity of waiting on the Lord…and they were falling.

Colossians Chapter 2 Verses 4 – 7

• Key point here. There is something that I love about the church because it drives the world crazy! Think about it. We are the only people in the world who get together regularly to acknowledge that we’re a bunch of broken sinners – all the while feeling wonderful and thankful about it because we recognize that we have a Savior and that we are saved by grace and loved by the King of kings!
• Every other group tries to convince itself how wonderful its members are and they leave and live feeling miserable about themselves and thus strive to be better. Don’t get sucked into pseudo sophistication and pointless piety Paul says…keep it simple and be as you OUGHT to be! A heart to flooded with gratititude! (great attitude) If you do, endless fuel to encourage others. Endless fuel to pray, to study, to serve, to put feet to faith…this is how to abound!

Colossians Chapter 2 Verse 8

• We skipped a verse earlier and I did that on purpose. Back in verse 3 we are taught that ALL the treasure of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. So how are we to know what’s going on in our hearts, in our minds, in our emotions? Study study study. Study the mind, study the heart, study emotions…so that we can really understand why someone is saying something or acting a certain way. Understand their background and their culture and their cause and then you’ll be able to help! That’s not correct people. That is philosophy, psychology, tradition and basic principles of the world.

• If you want to know the truth, seek to know the Lord. Again, overcomplicated. How simple a thought it is to consider that you can know all and everything about a thing by spending time with its Creator…I mean duh! But folks make sense don’t they? Persuasive arguments and good points and really are sincere in believing themselves and suck you right in…Paul says, don’t let it happen. Resolve and control your own heart…the key to it all. Jesus alone. Superior…so why on earth would you play with the inferior?

Colossians Chapter 2 Verses 9 – 10

• A man who had amassed great wealth became estranged from his son. When he died unexpectantly his will was opened. “Because my son does not appreciate what I’ve done, I leave all of my worldly possessions to my loving dog, Fifi. However,” the will continued, “because I am a man of grace, I leave to my son one of my possessions of his choosing.”

• “Sorry,” said the testator to the son. “You can only take one of your dad’s possessions. Which will it be?” “I take Fifi,” said the son! HA! It’s just like that though! In Christ dells all of the fullness of God and God is the Lord or all, King of all, Alpha of all, Omega of all!!!! And when we get that and stop complicating everything then everything begins to straighten out...

• One of my least favorite things to do is untangle wires…well my life can get like that really quickly if I lose sight of the simplicity of salvation…that I am complete…totally and surpassingly eternally sophisticated and superior when I am just walking with Jesus, man! Nothing to add, nothing to lose…complete and the best part…complete right now > just as you are!
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