Title: The Need of Steadfast Faith in Christ
Bible Book: Colossians 2 : 4-8
Author: William R. Shively
Subject: Faith; Faithfulness
Objective:
INTRODUCTION
Colossians 2:4-8
Everyone has a worldview. The things we are taught help formulate our worldview. The world system seeks to indoctrinate us through art, music, education, entertainment, etc. As Christians, we need to have a biblical worldview. A biblical worldview sees the world through the truth of God’s Word. George Barna reports that currently fewer than 10% of born-again Christians hold to a biblical worldview. The public school system promotes a worldview contrary to God. Every movie or song reflects someone else’s worldview. They tell us what to believe and how to live. Someone has said, “When public schools rid themselves of biblical morality they lost their map through the moral minefield.” Abraham Lincoln said: “The philosophy of the classroom in this generation becomes the philosophy of the government in the next.” This holds true to religious teachings. We are witnessing the aftermath of our effort to remove the true God from our midst and replace it with vain deceit of fallen man.
“In our era of profound prosperity, never has childhood been so filled with trauma and unhappiness. Until the 1950’s, deaths of young people were due to polio, tuberculosis, or other diseases. Now, with these diseases all but eradicated, children die from stress-related causes. Five thousand a year take their own lives and 10,000 die from accidents caused by substance abuse. Two million young people are alcoholics. A child’s existence is so filled with stress that there are 3.4 million significantly depressed children, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Half a million children and teens are taking antidepressants.”
I. WARNING TO THE CHRISTIAN
A. PERSUASIVENESS OF FALSE TEACHERS. (v. 4)
1. Beguile. “to deceive by false reasoning, to lead astray”
2. Enticing. “subtle and persuasive argument that sounds right”
Steve Muller, president of Johns Hopkins University said, “Universities are turning out highly skilled barbarians because we don’t provide a frame of values to young people who are more and more searching for it.”
Michael Novak in his summation of current history, concluded, “In the 20th century, prisons and torture chambers have often been better places to encounter God than universities.”
Philosopher Ed Mill: “The existence of evil is the most notorious evidence against God.”
B. PHILOSOPHY OF FALSE TEACHERS. (v. 8)
1. Definition of philosophy. “means the love of wisdom.”
2. Danger of philosophers. (v. 8a)
a. Beware. “keep a watchful eye, be on your guard”
b. Spoil. “to take captive, to kidnap”
c. Vain deceit. “empty, devoid of truth, teachings void of biblical truth”
Oxford scientist Richard Dawkins: “There is at the bottom of it all, no good, no evil, no purpose, nothing but blind pitiless indifference.”
Paul Kurtz: The Humanist Manifesto 2000: “As humanists, we urge today, as in the past, that humans not look beyond themselves for salvation. We alone are responsible for our own destiny and the best we can do is muster our intelligence, courage, and compassion to realize our highest aspirations.”
3. Description of philosophies.
a. Tradition of men. “handing down of theories and opinions of men”
b. Rudiments of the world. “elementary principles”
c. Teaching is not after Christ. “contrary to the teaching of Christ”
Phillips’ translation of this verse is helpful: “Be careful that nobody spoils your faith through intellectualism or high sounding nonsense. Such stuff is at best founded on men’s ideas of the nature of the world, and disregards Christ!”
Ted Turner: “You will do a lot better at saving yourself than praying to somebody to save you. I think the savior is right here. With our current technology, we can save ourselves.”
John MacArthur: “To abandon biblical truth for empty philosophy is like returning to kindergarten after earning a doctorate.”
II. WALK OF THE CHRISTIAN
A. GROUNDED IN CHRIST.
1. Steadfastness of faith in Christ. (v. 5)
2. Scriptural foundation in Christ. (v. 6, Christ Jesus the Lord, Col. 3:16)
3. Sufficiency of Christ. (1:27-28; 2:9-10)
“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory; Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” (1:27-28)
B. GROWING IN CHRIST.
a. Rooted in Christ. (v. 7; John 15:1-8)
b. Built up in Christ. (v. 7; Luke 6:47-49)
C. GRATITUDE TO CHRIST. “abounding therein with thanksgiving”
LESSONS FOR LIFE:
1. All teachings must be filtered through the truth of God’s World. (Col. 3:16-17; John 17:17)
2. Children need to be taught the Word of God so they can develop a biblical worldview.
3. College students must not be enticed by professors who undermine biblical truth.
4. We all must grow in Christ. We must seek Him fervently, believe in Him firmly, and live for Him faithfully.
5. Education is important, but a steadfast faith in Christ is essential.
6. A worldview without Jesus is empty and worthless. Jesus is our wisdom, our life, and our hope. (Col. 1:27)
The Beatles, John, Paul, George, and Ringo were all smiles on the poster from the ‘60s. Forty years later, photos of today’s rock groups (even the Christian groups) show faces of anger and discontent, even hatred. They reflect a culture that is no longer happy, that no longer wants to hold your hand but would rather blow you away.
William Brown is the president of the Christian college of Cedarville University. “He tells of an informal chat with a group of Russian teachers while He was in Moscow. He had noted that everyone seemed to know I was American, even when he walked down the street.
“I asked, ‘How is it that people know I am not Russian?’ I knew it wasn’t my clothes. When I walked around town I wore jeans and a Chicago Bulls jersey, just like half of the Muscovites I saw.
‘Is it the way I walk?’
The teachers laughed. ‘No, it’s not the way you walk.’
‘Well what is it?’ I playfully demanded. They talked among themselves for quite some time. Then they became very somber. One of them spoke up.
‘It is your face,’ she said through the translator.
‘My face? What is so different about my face?’
They talked among themselves, nodding slowly. The teacher looked at me for a moment and then said softly, ‘You have hope.’”
Someone said: “Faith and love find their truest expression only in the biblical reality of hope. Faith makes all things possible; love makes all things easy; but hope gives all things meaning.”
