The Letter to the Colossians; Chapter 2:1-2 (Part B)

The pastors need to be about God's word is more than one man to do needs associate pastors. He needs fellow pastors to help carry the load.

But as Peter taught very clearly. We will not give ourselves to waiting tables. Not that that's not important but it is not important to us in our office so whenever you hear somebody come along claiming to be a Christian.

They may be trying to attack the office of the pastor there attacking Jesus Christ. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Colossians. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, and now here's Pastor Rick as he continues teaching through Colossians chapter 2 with today's edition of cross reference ready so I like where nitpicking them with nothing.

You know, the Gestapo gospel coming along trying to herd them into hell and judgment and shame if someone is in sin caught in sin they send is not a judgment on our end. It's a fact. It's a reality in trying to get out of it by by saying you don't have the right to judge me. I have every right to judge that which is obvious. Otherwise I have no opinion I have no position. I have no conviction. I have no standard and otherwise the word of God is useless and that's what they wanted to be. That's why they try to do these things and so don't be afraid of those now that doesn't mean again we go snooping around trying to find something on someone. As the were private investigators for the church at Laodicea. She will fail this another church.

That's not mentioned here, but as mentioned later in this letter the church at her Opelousas.

They were, according to history. Extra biblical materials and pretty solid Christian community there and in that area. Natural hot springs from which the hot water would flow down channels to Laodicea Laodiceans thought they were going to get some nice hot water, but by the time it reached them. It was lukewarm and Jesus uses that, in his rebuke to them. He says you are neither hot nor cold your lukewarm.

They also had channels coming from the mountains bringing nice cool water to them and by the time it reached them. It was again lukewarm. And so the Lord brings into his rebuke there very surroundings. I want to read again verse one of Colossians 2 for I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea for as many as not have not seen my face before reference numbers look at Colossians 1 verse four with me here it Paul says since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints, polls move. This was now his fight Satan was messing with the minds of the people in this church. Paul said I'll take that fight because he knows Satan messes with the mind. God goes after all of us. The body, the soul and the spirit, the whole being, Satan just needs the head. Once he gets that he's got everything else I get the numbers in a minute. Second Corinthians chapter 4 and there we read in verses three enforces but even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine in them that he is not an image of God created he is the image of God. And so then he continues to preach. Of course, his gospel of Jesus Christ, which is ours.

Also, and so there we see Satan targeting the mind earlier to that church. He said to them taking every thought into To fatigue to the obedience of Jesus Christ and so we have work to do once we are saved, you know everything we do in life is under the curse man has to work in the sweat of his brow was nowhere around that. If you are pastor you better be sweating you better be working to bring people the word of God. It does not come naturally. It comes supernaturally and that supernatural process still involves work and there are many things a pastor has to deflect and say that I can't give up my time for that because the time from the pulpit is the most critical time for the Christians. God is set this up and it is where ministry takes place.

Unlike anywhere else on earth.

And if he gets to behind the veil so to speak in the Shekinah before the presence of the Lord God will minister to him. He doesn't have to always know it. Often he won't know it's going to happen till he steps into the pulpit. Thus, it's been said, the adventure of preaching and he starts to give out the word and stuff to change lives and change opinion just us to go at the junk that the devil has been trying to get to you through the week and hopefully you are stronger you are more prepared and you know there's an in our culture people think pastor should attend anything from you know, opening up bag of chips to the kindergarten graduation of the mundane things that you know if the child is getting married in some of the church nine pastors from that church need to show up and applauded.

That's junk that's not right that pastors need to be about God's word is more than one man can do a needs associate pastors. He needs fellow pastors to help carry the load. But as Peter taught very clearly. We will not give ourselves to waiting tables.

Not that that's not important but it is not important to us in our office so whenever you hear somebody come along claiming to be a Christian. They may be trying to attack the office of the pastor there attacking Jesus Christ. They're not attacking the pastors, the passes will be there baboons good ones. They will come and go.

That's how it's going to be.

But the good ones are men who plow in the sweat of their brow and use Christians who are not pastors need to rejoice in this embrace.

It is to your benefit. It's like a wife who has a husband who is a man is to her benefit, and a husband who has a wife who was a woman and the lady it is to his benefit. As we have the honor of manhood. The virtue of womanhood never get tired of honoring those things because they are noble. They are good and the world hates it because they are drunk under the influence of Satan. You know it, you know that live like you know it was going to say walk like you mean it walk like you understand what your faith when you sit in a room in a board meeting whatever kind of customer or client. If that person is not say you are to be the honorable person in that room. You are to be above in that sense that you have the gospel in any opportunity God gives you to share it you going to share. That's why many of us Christians we to struggle with hardship. Satan targets us what to shut us up. He doesn't want us to sit across from someone and say look at life is hard for me to, I don't like a lot of things are going here, but I know this I'm getting to the next place, either with me or you're not grossly going to get well. I said I'd come back to numbers to make an illustration of a point I wanted to make to you in Numbers 11 verse four. This is about the mixed multitude court in the congregation at policy what Paul was saying, I'm going to unmixed. This I'm gonna write this letter and by the time I'm done. There will be those in that church who will make a decision for truth in the gospel and they won't be mixed up in and here it says Moses know Numbers about Moses dealing with all these problems with people who would see a miracle one day. Question God the next day. Sounds like us. Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense cravings, so the children of Israel also wept again and said, who will give us meat to eat. We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt cucumbers, the melons, the leaks, the onions and the garlic. But now our whole being is dried up as nothing at all except manner before our eyes so they are bad mouthing the provisions of God didn't matter that the newborn boys are being slain in Egypt. All they could remember was what the flashlight they lost sight of the reality versus 10, 11, Moses says, then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent, and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused. Moses also was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, why have you afflicted your servant. Why have I not found favor in your sight that you have laid the burden of all these people on me less ministry ministry is a burden. The ushers have to put up with things that they don't want to put up with the children's workers have to put up with things they don't want to put up with you due to you find yourself so we go to the supermarket where you find yourself. You gotta put up with things you don't want to. How do I do it in such a way that I bring glory to Christ. Most us internally because once you let your buttons get pushed probably not going to be as responsive to the Lord's tugging on the bridle on the reins.

I know for me that's the case, once I start letting myself get into a zone is gotta pull harder now I gotta make God work follow that illustration or I will have spent a lot of time with verse one and I, like, to be honest with you because I you know it's God's word so much to say and I hope I'm not being presumptuous, as we guard against Satan opening up a kiosk in our home or in churches that are around us, sometimes asked the Lord to say Lord you know I feel better isolated from pastors from churches that have allowed the satanic kiosk in their ministry, and I struggle with this because what should I be more interested in being an influence or should I be isolated. I don't have that answer. It will only come from God and even if I get the answer. I won't know what to do it until he opens the door for what I do know this God most often prepares our hearts. Sometimes it's on the job training but often it's before he's about to do something he begins to stir in us to turn the lights on so that whichever direction he goes we are enlightened. We understand what our role is and were no longer caught between two places. Confusion is is diminished greatly in verse two Paul says that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God. Both the father and of Christ. Well, we cannot say that the last part of that verse. We cannot say both of the knowledge of the father and of Rick or Joe or Mary or whatever name you want put their knowledge of Jesus Christ is with the father as equal, and these things are not by mistake, but how do we encourage looking at the top of the verse that their hearts may be encouraged to encourage us to build up how do you build up another person who has so much debris in their life by choice that just know where to set the footings is nowhere to build. This was Nehemiah's problem. He could not rebuild because it was just too much junk and the people had become content with that. And it wasn't easy for him to get that stuff out of the way. That's how it is in the lives of many people who are Christians.

They hands off my junk. You know there's a reality show. I think I've never watched about a source heard enough about it to know quarters. You know people just horrid things with her Christians in horrid things the wrong things and you try don't you guy can encourage you got too much filled in your life. I mean if you're living in sin you're not married and you living with someone in this sinful relationship. What I can build you up, except to say depart from the sin you know the world. Satan has enough ammunition against the sanctity of marriage for Christians to help him to trivialize it to dismiss it in the interest of their own urges people.

It's amazing how many people I want the gospel.

I want to be taught the Bible. I just don't want to live any of it or pick and choose what I want to live that's bad stuff that is very powerful poison that we must guard against the Gnostics, what was the more knowledge the word Gnostic means in the Greek word to know and what was the Lord that brought Eve down knowledge.

God knows in the day that you eat of the trees you will know and that is something that Satan is still using on all of us. I want you to learn these Bible things just doing don't let Christ fashion you into his image just amassed the information show that you are better Bible teacher so that you have a better understanding of the mystical things of the faith, just promote yourself and the next thing you know your God. There are many like this we seen them come and go, they show up here is my resume.

I'm actually pretty sharp at these things and you need to know it needed these people that have been coming here for these it really need start understanding who I am, of course, no one would do that will most wooden but there are those who pulled his little Absalom make moves I'm a better king than David my father I could do it better than him in the Bible says.

With these words, he stole the people's hearts to himself. So here he writes in verse two that their hearts may be encouraged and again footnote we can encourage those who reject the standards of Christ there is no encouragement for you except to repent and if you cannot get that that is a dealbreaker to pretend and have this false treaty with you. Well, we have come to an understanding that your life is a mess and there's nothing anybody can do because you refuse to have them do anything so I just pretend that it's not there and this is treaty that we have and when we don't do that not only are we lambasted or castigated or insulted by the person who is doing the wrong but the people who have come to be that advocates I met advocate for the reject are of Jesus Christ. You want that you go have but that's not for me and so that your hearts may be encouraged, knit together in love, and what part of knit together does not mean together. What part of knit together means isolated, yet we have a second wave of Christians who don't believe in the assembly. The mystical body of Christ.

They think that isolation well you know I do my own. Where have own family.

The role your kids going love that Esther is really what Christ had in mind but you know that if he had that money would've said that he doesn't even hint at it physically wrong for anybody to write that in between the lines and yet Christians will follow it all. I've noticed how shiny you can make your shoes.

What else can you teach me. It's just ridiculous. So if there is someone who is say I'm a Christian, but I really don't see a need for the church than you are saying to Jesus Christ that he is wrong. You're right, it says, being knit together. You know what that means to strive to take part. A garment's look at the destruction that you cause when you do such a thing. We guard our clothing from moths so they don't do this, but do that as the body of Christ guarded by the body of Christ or do we help them along know again you have to always add this yes if there are no churches, but the minute you say that those who are up to no good will and grace that walk away without a nothing else and then they said they remain unchanged, being knit together in love is the universal body is both. It's the local assembly and is the universal body is the body of Christ. If there were no such thing. There would be no letter to the Corinthians to the Romans to the Colossians. The Thessalonians. These are local assemblies to those who are out there as you deal with this ended the end of guilty sometimes will I get off and go they would change and get right and be powerful. They will stay and simmer and look to go off at a later date. MA converts to this nonsense and then you deal with that. Another group comes in and the process starts again by the sweat of your brow by the sweat of your brow you will be a Christian and if you think it's a cakewalk. Not being a Christian. Go back at what cakewalk is.

Anyway, good one walk on a cake. So if you just think it's this. Whatever you think it's smooth seas to delusional is no such place.

Life is fraught with conflict and that's why pulses I want you to know what great conflict I think sometimes you know if I retire as a pastor what what I do I have to go to church but I do there to serve what it is serving US sinners on doing that already.

Why retire skip that step.

Just keep going and so, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding. A lot of Christians don't want the full assurance of understanding they want to stop at a certain point GOT enough time anymore because then you might challenge me and I don't want to be challenged because that hurts. That means that I've got to spend some energy and I want the full assurance I want all the riches I want the knowledge of the mystery of God as it says in this verse, being knit together in love, attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God.

Both the father and of Christ is nothing wrong with anything in that verse I want to assurance.

Many Christians don't have assurance how do you get it by faith.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the proof of things not seen. In other words, God has so fashioned man that he can see proofs with and without his eyes. There's more to me than my eyeballs.

I don't want to lose my hearing. I don't want to lose my sense of smell. I don't want to lose any of my senses.

God says you have more when you are in Christ.

You can sense more things than you can.

When you're out of Christ.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, no matter how far the fulfillment away. It is the substance I've got it. I can touch it.

Maybe not physically but spiritually I have got this and I'm not giving it up, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I am not giving it up one day David walked into that valley and didn't come out on the side that he went in. He came out in the glorious side listen. Death is not an end of my being. It's a change of conditions.

It's a climate change is like that. I'm still ball that happens you went anyway. Let me what you do when you first get into heaven. Some of you last remember getting my really change okay. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. No matter what tries to undo what you have seen cats that Christian Satan is constantly trying to get you to question what you have already answered.

Imagine taking a test like that. I just answered this, you start getting a little irritated wasting my time that when Satan does same question again you really believe Jesus Christ I just answered all the new start. Give him a little confused so I just want to close with Psalm 91. Listen to this. The begins with he who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty, and then he says he shall cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you shall take refuge, his truth shall be your shield and your smaller shield and they think is best. Big when you get it with the small now, here it comes. You shall not be afraid of the Terra by night say I'm going to protect you from the terror. As far as it may be getting to you, but you shall not be afraid, nor of the arrow that flies by day, things that come at me that I didn't see coming till it was almost too late nor the pestilence that walks in darkness, who can see that I'm a night next time I go for a prescription. I want microscope lenses. I can see germs that would be funny with. Anyway, this would be bringing else, nor of the destruction that lays wasted noon day why why is that because the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

This is what developing the explored Christian life in the word of God is to give us, though I walk to the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, why not because it can't hurt me, but because you are with me. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: how nothing will take that that is worth living for. That is the substance of things we're so glad you tuned in today to learn from the New Testament letter of Colossians on cross reference rate cross reference radio is the daily radio ministry pastor Rick Gaston Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia.

We are on to be able to share God's word with each time too if you'd like more information about this ministry you will want to listen to additional teachings from Pastor Rick please visit our website cross reference radio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to misappropriate just search for cross reference radio iTunes and Google play music or your favorite podcast. We hope you tune in again next time. Join us as we continue our study through the life right here on cross reference radio