Colossians Chapter 2 Part 1

Shalom and welcome to via hafte yes Ryan a Hebrew phrase which means you shall love Israel we hope you'll stay with us for the next 30 minutes as our teacher dr. Baruch shares his expose Ettore teaching from the Bible dr. Baruch is the senior lecturer at the Zahra Avraham Institute based in Israel although all courses are taught in Hebrew at the Institute dr. Baruch is pleased to share this weekly address in English to find out more about our work in Israel please visit us on the web at love Israel you are G that's one word love Israel dot o-r-g now here's baroque with today's lesson love is very powerful and when one receives the love of God that love is going to go through you and be aimed at other individuals see God loves you and he's blessed you with eternal life if you've received that gospel and because you are recipient of God's love that love is going to desire to be shared with others that's why when Messiah was asked what is the greatest commandment he says love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength What did he say after that and the second one is like it meaning it's related to it love your neighbor as yourself so I become a recipient of God's love the evidence of that it manifests itself that reality by me loving others and when we come into Colossians chapter 2 we're going to see that Paul is wanting to manifest to this congregation the love that he has for them so with that said take out your Bible open it up to the Epistle to the Colossians and chapter 2 now Paul begins in kind of a unique way and it's only when we rightly understand what he is revealing than this this whole chapter falls into place we have a right right framework to understand it he begins by saying I want to make known to you so Paul wants to reveal something to this congregation and what is that he wants them to know how great is his struggle Paul has been what did we talk about last week the last verse of chapter one has to do with Paul being a laborer him striving that is a word of effort it's a word of commitment it's a word of of behavior sacrificing he says I'm a laborer that's why I become a minister of the gospel and he says here I want to make known to you how great he wants to know how great my struggle I have concerting you or for you and for the Laodiceans now I mention a couple weeks ago that this this congregation at Colossae it is very close to Laodicea so Paul here this epistle that he's writing will see this in chapter 4 I'd once more he wants this epistle to not only be shared with the Colossians but also the Laodiceans and both of these congregations were very special to him unfortunately the congregation Laodicea they they didn't take hold as they should of this message look again he says for I want that you should know how great of struggle I have concerning you and for the Laodiceans as many who has not seen my my face in the flesh now what does he mean here well business I was talking to someone in the airport not too long ago and he was sharing with me that that he travels much of what he does he said you know we could do it probably via Skype and these meetings through the internet but he said sometimes it's being faced face personally that brings about a change in a relationship now he's just talking about a business relationship but that is the same thing notice that that God he could have revealed things to Moses but he called Moses up and spoke to him the scripture says face-to-face I believe that had a great impact on on Moses same thing Paul is saying you know I am suffering I am in a conflict on account of you now Paul is joyful in doing that but he wants them to see firsthand his face and the love that he has for them so he writes I struck I want to get what he's saying is I want to get back to this congregation that they can see me face to face in the flesh and order that what's his motivation for doing so look at verse 2 in order that their hearts would be encouraged now what's an encouraged heart well remember heart it has to do with a mindset as the scripture says as a man thinks in his heart so he wants to encourage them to think properly and when he sees and hears what he's saying when they see firsthand my love for them they're going to be changed how they are going to begin to love others because it's that love this commitment love is a giving love is a sacrificial word love manifests itself by commitment and he's saying when they see my commitment for them they're going to be committed for others so he says in order that their hearts might be encouraged and knit together how in love this is what he wants to to share with them the love that he has for them so let me ask you a question are there individuals that you love that you are men to that you are sharing biblical truth with one of the things you can do is something so simple invite people to just study what we're studying right now see it's just not on television but you can go to our website and numerous other internet platforms and you can invite someone to study Colossians with us right now that they might hear what the scripture is saying that they might understand wow this friend of mine has invited me because they love me and they have a spiritual concern for me and they want to see the things of God being received by me this is what ministry is and Paul says look again at the text still in verse 2 and ordered that their hearts might be encouraged and knit together come together in love and in all the richness of thee and this next word is assurance now this is such an important term want to spend a few minutes Paul speaks about frequently this concept of assurance what does that mean it means that you can know something with certainty and what is he talking about well the message is what he finished chapter one with and that is being presented before God blameless perfect complete in order that you might be received by him and he is confident about that he has those what the scripture says in all the richness that can be translated abundance the abundance of assurance of the understanding in the knowledge of this mystery of God what's this mystery of God it all concerns Messiah a suffering Messiah that would go to the cross in order to redeem his people and through this mystery of God we also have a better knowledge of the Father and of Messiah himself this mr. mystery it relates to knowing God knowing the work of God the redemptive work of God look now to verse verse three he speaks about and all the richness excuse me verse verse three and in all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that has been what hidden now this is important because he speaks about in verse three that there are treasures this word is in the plural so God has treasures of wisdom of understanding we need to have these treasures we need to know these things and the problem is they are hidden now the question is why would God do that why would he conceal hide this wisdom and this understanding well it's reserved it's reserved for believers only so look again verse three in which the Treasuries of all wisdom and knowledge has been hidden but this I say in order that that no one should delude you or do what or basically they lose you in enticing words now what we're talking about here is there is a battle Paul loves his congregation he wants to have have them receive assurance through the knowledge of the truth and through understanding it better coming to a appreciation for who is Messiah what he's done who is God what is his plans and purposes so all of this Paul is sharing and he says realize until you are a believer these things are hidden from you but I ste to that you need to be cautious because don't let anyone delude you deceit you in enticing words for I say this and those what he says this is true whether I am absent from you in the flesh when I am he says but I am in the spirit with you so he wanted to realize that he's praying for them and even though he's in prison and can't be there badly spiritually he's there he's wanting to minister to them to grow them to impart to them biblical truth and the motivation for all of this very simply is his love his love for them that they become recipients of that which is hidden to the world it's reserved for what his congregation the congregation of the redeemed he says absent in the flesh but in the spirit I am with you rejoicing and looking at you or beholding the order the order that you have in stability because of your faith in Messiah so he speaks to them saying I'm looking at you and he says I see and this is important he says I see stability now he's going to talk in this next verse and we're going and the point of this this lesson is on a walking remember we talked about several weeks ago that the word walking in Hebrew it's ha Lee ha it comes from the word holla ha which is law in the sense of observance behavior lifestyle how someone walks and what Paul is saying is this I am struggling for you I am praying for you I want you to have access to this information that is hidden why and order that you can have a proper walk why am I saying this thing about behavior and such well notice the end of verse 5 it's about stability through the faith your faith in Messiah Yeshua and then he tells him a very important verse look at verse 6 therefore what is there for me therefore because of your faith in Messiah Shu as an outcome of that he says as you have received Messiah Shu the Lord in him there's that term in him walk so he's encouraging them as you've received how did they received in faith and that faith continues on and this faith produces a faithful observance and observance to the things of God so he's admonishing them this is not something that you just learn accept and wait until you die to become the benefit of know this faith and what he's telling this congregation is that it impacts your lifestyle how you walk how you live how you behave verse 6 again therefore as you receive Messiah schewe the Lord don't miss that over and over Paul chooses very carefully where he puts into the texts inspired obviously by the Holy Spirit this word Lord he wants them to have a lifestyle that reflects not just faith in Messiah Yeshua as Savior but faith in him as the Lord of their life so let me ask you see we need to make always the scripture very personal is indeed your lifestyle reflecting that you have accepted you're sure not just his forgiveness not just saying thank you for dying on that cross for me that I might go to heaven when I die are you also aware of the fact that he today is the Lord of your life and because he is Lord he has expectations for you you have spiritual obligation that impacts every aspect the physical aspects of your life that is what you do with all your resources your your time your finances your emotions everything they all all belong to him that's what he's trying to to convey to the Colossians that's why looking back at verse one he says I want to see you face to face I want you to see firsthand in the flesh my love for you in order that you might follow that example look now if you would to to verse 7 he speaks here verse 7 being rooted say if we're all walk is going to be pleasing demonstrating the lordship of Messiah we need to be rooted and built up in him how many times have we come across this statement in him in Messiah in Christ over and over and it all speaks about us functioning in light of this covenant 'el relationship we have with him and it's that personal intimate relationship with the Living God that produces change in your life gives you this perspective so look verse verse 7 once more being rooted now it's not you taking root but it's you being rooted it's an outcome and notice how the scripture is unfolding it's when I walk understanding him being the lord of my life that is going to cost me it's in the passive here to be rooted it doesn't happen naturally it happens as an outcome of your obedient lifestyle it puts roots roots deep roots into truth so that you be rooted and being built up in him and also we see here that that might rule or govern what does in faith just as you have been taught abounding in it in this faith in thanks giving so these things and he uses this word if we go back up to the end of verse seven it says also having been been ruled over now it's a word for being established but but it's also translated elsewhere it's a word for being qualified but not a qualification to enter into the kingdom of God but it's being qualified demonstrating now you belonging to him by conduct not by just some declarative you are my son but rather you demonstrating that so him ruling over you in faith just as you've been taught and abounding in it in this faith with what thanks giving now he uses the term Thanksgiving frequently and one of the things we need to see is this we need to be thankful for two things this is what so far in Colossians using this term Thanksgiving Paul has alluded to first is a Thanksgiving for salvation that is that our name is written in the books of life that we have assurance that we'll be in the kingdom of God that's one thing to be thankful for the second one is that God is working in your life that he is causing you to take root root in the faith that you are being built up and that faith is ruling your life from a behavior standpoint this you should be thankful why because it's this aspect that brings about the promises of God his eternal promises that you will become a recipient of in the kingdom of God look now to verse 8 he says here and it's a word for watching it's a word of warning he says watch out do not let anyone take you captive now some Bible say beguile you meaning deceive you but if we look at this word properly it's a word for taking someone captive meaning having ownership command over someone and we don't want that to happen and be very much aware of a very very intrinsically important fact and that is he's talking to believers here's what I want you to realize there are people they will be in the kingdom of God they're saved but their lifestyle doesn't reflect the lordship of Messiah no their behavior shows that they have been taken captive from a fleshly standpoint and that they are still in bondage to the things of this world rather than taking hold of the things that belong to the kingdom so he says watch out that no one should take you captive by what through philosophy and an empty deceit now what are these philosophies and empty deceit notice what he says according to the traditions of man and according to the elementary principles of the world now this is what happens I see it all the time and that is people they stand up with this book in their hands and instead of giving you biblical truth they are focusing on emphasizing the principles of this world they're giving you not spiritual revelation they're giving you philosophy they're teaching not the Word of God the authority of the instructions of God the laws of God the commandments of God what are they doing they're giving you the traditions of man and they are so excited by the fact that people are turning out by the thousand I don't see Messiah being so concerned you know a scripture that that I read constant is John chapter six and that's where Messiah he gave a hard teaching about his death you know what's about it's about sacrifice and because he was dealing with sacrifice and that people had to receive his sacrifice you know what happened he began to talk about the body his body his flesh his blood being poured out unless someone receives it unless they understand their utter dependence upon him they are not fit for the kingdom of God you know what happened people began to leave him by droves oh when he was feeding he could get a crowd of 5,000 when he was speaking doing miracles healing multitudes of people would come but when he talked about why primarily he came in this world to give his body because God judges sin and that he was the offering the one and only sufficient eternal sacrifice for sin people they weren't interested in that they didn't understand it they didn't think they were that bad and they began to leave him in droves was he panicked no did he care no he even said to the disciples you're not going away to I mean he wasn't holding on to them why because truth is truth and that's what Paul is revealing here he says look again at verse eight let no one take you captive by philosophy that is that which seems so logical seems so reasonable to man it's rational but it's empty deceit and it's according not to the commandments of God but it's according to the traditions of men and the elementary principles of this world and notice what he says at the end of verse eight and not according to Messiah I realized something when he speaks of Messiah he's referring to and we've come across this word a few times this word mystery now what is he talking about why would Messiah be a mystery and the answer is this it's not just the concept of Messiah but here's what was a mystery a suffering Messiah one that had to lay down his life give his life shed his blood died for your sin and my sin people don't want to deal with sin they don't want to hear how bad they are they don't want to fall under conviction based upon their sinfulness this is not not pleasant to people it's not not joyful to people they think and therefore all too often people want to put it aside but what Paul says here make no mistake about it this is emphatic he's emphasizing this look at the end of verse 8 he says they clung on to philosophy they clung on to the elements of this world they clung on to the traditions of man and not according to Messiah what about Messiah this suffering servant in other words they weren't really interested in the crust let me ask a question when was last time you heard a message about the cross in light not just that he died for our sin but understanding that the cross this is where God poured out judgment and wrath and it tells us that our God is a God of judgment see it's only when we encountered that truth a judging God a wrathful God that that's going to get my attention it's going to cause me to say well am I gonna be a recipient of his judgment what what hope do I have and let me tell you there's only one possible hope and what is that the cross him dying and him shedding his blood for your sin and my sin that is the only hope in the world and that's why Paul says that emphasized the cross and that's why these people they're turning away from that message and the message of the cross it's not just about his cross but what does Messiah say he says take up your cross and follow me it's also me learning to die to myself that's not possible or popular excuse me that's not popular today but this is why people are and it's rampant today they are taking the message of the cross dying to self living a sacrificial life being committed to the truth of God they're putting that aside and embracing vain empty deceiving philosophy walking in the traditions of man rather than in the truth of God let me close with this our faith is serious our faith is a faith of denial of self it's not going to be popular but it is life-changing well once more I'll close with that until next week and we continue on in in Colossians chapter 2 well we hope you will benefit from today's message and share it with others please plan to join us each week at this time and on this channel for our broadcast of love Israel org again to find out more about us please visit our website love Israel dot o-r-g there you will find articles in numerous other lectures by Beru these teachings are in video form may download them or watch them in streaming video until next week may the lord bless you in our Messiah Yeshua that is Jesus as you walk with Him Shalom from Israel [Music]

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Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 03 2019