How the Gospel Keeps Us from Being Deceived
The Gospel Changes Everything – Week 8
Colossians 2:1-5
Pastor Troy Dobbs
Grace Church Eden Prairie
January 15, 2017
You know the job of every parent is
NOT ONLY
to point our kids to Jesus but
it’s also to help them mature as human
beings.
I’d say most parents feel an
overwhelming sense of responsibility
in helping their kids mature into
Christian adults.
And I’m right in the throes of it:
 I have one daughter who is a
Freshman in college.
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 One daughter who is a Senior in
High School.
 And a son who is a Freshman in
High School.
Last week though – I experienced (I
think) a ray of hope with my High School
Senior daughter – Marlee.
She got home from her job as a nanny
and said,
“Dad – I think I know what I want to
do with my life: I want to be a budget
analyst!”
I said: I’m not sure exactly what that
is but it sounds great.”
She then said,
2
“Dad – do you know something that
stresses me out / something I think
about at least once a day?
I’m thinking
 Your hair
 Your makeup
 Your friends
 Your clothes
 Your school work
 Your college choices.
And she says, “The National Debt.”
I will admit (after I stopped laughing so
hard) I didn’t even realize she knew
about the National Debt of the U.S.
Government!
3
Now I don’t know if that’s a sign of
maturity or not – but it was funny.
Much in the same way parents take
seriously the growth and maturity of
their children – it’s apparent the Apostle
Paul felt the same about the Christians
in Colossae.
He was thoroughly burdened that they’d
become fully devoted followers of Jesus!
Their maturity was His priority!
4
Listen to this:
◄ READ TEXT ►
Colossians 2:1-5
For I want you to know how great
a struggle I have for you and for those at
Laodicea and for all who have not seen
me face to face, 2 that their hearts may
be encouraged, being knit together in
love, to reach all the riches of full
assurance of understanding and the
knowledge of God's mystery, which is
Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4
I say this in order that no one may
delude you with plausible arguments.
5
5
For though I am absent in body, yet I
am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see
your good order and the firmness of your
faith in Christ.i
TWO THOUGHTS:
1.
Acts 28:16 tells us why Paul
hadn’t met them personally.
Acts 28:16
16
And when we came into Rome, Paul
was allowed to stay by himself, with the
soldier who guarded him.ii
Paul was on house arrest! (This was his
first Roman imprisonment).
6
2.
The word Paul uses for struggle
is the word "agon" - it gives us
our word agony.
Paul basically says I’m agonizing over
you and those at Laodicea (a
neighboring town) and all those I’ve yet
to meet face to face.
He agonized (in prayer) over the
maturity of the new believers there!
He was burdened for them to grow up
in Christ.
Remember, His goal was to present
them mature in Christ. (Col 1:28)
And so, Paul here specifies (for us)
what Christian maturity looks like:
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◄ OUTLINES ►
First he says:
1) Mature Christians encourage
people through difficult times.iii
Paul says, "My purpose is that their
hearts may be encouraged!”iv (v2)
Think about this a moment:
While Paul is on house arrest (chained
to a guard) his goal is to encourage
others.
You’d think someone going through
what Paul was going through would
need a little encouragement himself.
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Now the word Paul uses for
"encouraged" means:
 to comfort
 to exhort
 to enable someone
 to meet a difficult situation with
confidence and strength.
 to put courage in someone’s heart
Amazingly, Paul was mature enough to
contend with his own suffering while
also encouraging others around Him
to stay strong in the faith!
(Let me give you an example – SANDY’S
CARD)
And so as people face:
 physical
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 relational
 professional
 financial
 and spiritual struggles.
Mature Christians are inwardly secure in
Christ so they can be outwardly focused
in encouraging others!v
Mature Christians know how to use
encouragement to help people
become mature!
They give courage to others!
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Secondly, Paul says:
2) Mature Christians love well.vi
(v2a) “That their hearts may be
encouraged, BEING KNIT TOGETHER IN LOVE.”
Even a casual reading of Scripture will
quickly convince you that one of the
hallmarks of genuine Christianity is
loving people!
Now we all know it’s easy to love people
who:
 Love us first
 Think like us
 Look like us
 Believe like us
 Vote like us.
11
Yet Gerald Sittser writes:
Diversity strengthens a church ONLY
if mutual love first unites it.
Without such love, diversity will
divide and destroy the church every
time conflict erupts. . .
This unity of love will protect us from
becoming prisoners to ourselves--to
our pet doctrines, rituals, causes,
programs, movements or methods.
It will also keep us from using the
faults, errors and excesses of other
believers to excuse our own.vii
12
Love within a church is a magnetic
force! Troy Dobbsth creates and
enables diversity.viii
Obviously –
People are longing to find a place where
they are simply loved for who they are.
To that end –
I made a list of what genuine love in the
body of Christ looks like:
It means:
 We spotlight “gifts and abilities”
rather than “faults and failures.”
 We celebrate the triumphs of
others without feeling
resentment or jealousy.
13
 We rally around each other in times
of sadness and loss.
 We allow people to have "bad
days".
 We are quick to forgive.
 We love people who look
differently / think differently.
 We act in kindness toward each
other.
 We defend each other even if we
disagree with each other.
 We believe the best in each other /
look for the best in others.
Bottom line:
Mature Christians know how to love
people… all kinds of people.
So evaluate yourself:
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Do you love anyone who is difficult or
different from you?
If not, why not?
Thirdly, Paul says:
3) Mature Christians are growing in
knowledge and understanding.ix
2
being knit together in love, TO REACH ALL
THE RICHES OF FULL ASSURANCE OF
UNDERSTANDING AND THE KNOWLEDGE
OF
3
GOD'S MYSTERY, WHICH IS CHRIST
in whom are hidden all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge.x
In other words, a mature Christian is
continually expanding in their knowledge
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and understanding of the person of
Jesus Christ.
Now the words "knowledge" and
"understanding" denote more than an
increase in factual information.
They speak more to application and
obedience!
Literally Paul says we should be seeking
a deeper knowledge of Christ through
His Word!
There is no wiser spiritual path, (as a lot
of the Colossian believers were being
told).
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Paul says:
In Christ – are hidden all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge.
So the key to your growth in wisdom
and knowledge is knowing Jesus!
Sadly, what happens to a large number
of Christians is this:
 They trust Christ.
 They get involved in the church.
 They learn the lingo.
 They learn how to fit in.
 They make it to the "mainstream".
 They talk like a believer.
 They act like a believer.
 They are respected and admired.
 They know enough to fit it.
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So once they fit in, they sit down!
They are content (not the good kind) of
contentment, either.
And then the passion begins to wane!
And that is when you are most primed
for defeat.
The story is told that Socrates (Plato's
mentor) had a student who came to him
while he was kneeling by a stream.
The student asked Socrates, "What is
truth?"
Without hesitation, Socrates grabbed
the boy, held him under water until the
boy began to struggle, pulled him up,
and answered, "When you want
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knowledge the way you just wanted
air, then you shall have it."
I wonder: do any of us have that kind of
urgency and desperation to know and
grow in our understanding of Christ?xi
Or are we satisfied with where we are?
Let me give you 6 benefits of increasing
in your knowledge of Christ:xii
1. Knowledge gives substance to
faith. xiii
Those who do not know the truth
are forced to rely on emotion,
feelings, or someone else's
opinion, a book, a tradition or
some other empty humanistic
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hope.
2. Knowledge stabilizes us during
times of testing.xiv
When we know God's promises we
have something to hold on to in the
times of struggle.
3. Knowledge enables us to handle
the Bible accurately.xv
The more we know the Bible, the
more accurately we are able to
interpret it. We get better and
better at letting the Bible from our
values, rather than using the
Bible to validate our opinions.
4. Knowledge equips us to detect
and confront error.xvi
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You have to know the truth before
you can detect error.
5. Knowledge makes us confident
in our daily walk.xvii
The better we know the Word and
the more fully we understand the
salvation God offers, the more
confident we are of our position in
Christ.
6. Knowledge filters out our fears
and superstitions.xviii
God's Word silences false and
destructive voices.
Moreover – remember:
Paul warned Timothy in the last days,
the unsaved will be "always learning
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but never able to arrive at a
knowledge of the truth.”
2 Timothy 3:7xix
Obviously, we live in a world where
information is readily available.
However, the goal of the Christian life is
not knowing the FACTS of Christianity.
The goal is to know the Savior of
Christianity!xx
So, are you still moving forward in your
faith?
Are you staying fresh in the faith?
Or are you beginning to stagnate?
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Fourthly, Paul says:
4) Mature Christians aren’t easily
deceived!xxi
4
I say this in order that no one may
delude you with plausible arguments.
1 Timothy 4:1-2
Now the Spirit expressly says that in
later times some will depart from the
faith by devoting themselves to deceitful
spirits and teachings of
demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars
whose consciences are seared.xxii
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2 Timothy 4:3-4
3
For the time is coming when people
will not endure sound[a] teaching, but
having itching ears they will accumulate
for themselves teachers to suit their own
passions, 4 and will turn away from
listening to the truth and wander off into
myths.xxiii
SO:
Let me share some principles to keep
you from being deceived!
1. Not everyone who sounds like an
expert is an expert.
2. Don’t confuse sincerity with reality.
A lot of sincere people are
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sincerely messed up.
3. Something that sounds good is not
necessarily something that IS
good.
Most deception comes in brightly
colored packages. We must see
beyond the polished words and slick
presentation.
4. Most Deception minimizes or
seeks to eliminate any talk of sin
and responsibility and
accountability.
5. Deceivers will diminish the
character and person of Christ.
They may talk about how much they
love Jesus, but if you ask them to
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describe Jesus you will get a different
picture.
6. Deceivers will draw deep meaning
from obscure passages of the
Bible in order to be thought of as
intelligent!
So if it is not taught clearly
throughout Scripture . . . beware!
7. Deceivers seldom have a lifestyle
that matches their profession.
Bottom line:
Paul has told us all knowledge /
wisdom is stored up in Christ.
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So a plausible argument that
diminishes / excludes Jesus is
deception.
And so Paul here literally says: don’t
get duped by “fast talkers” or
someone with a “smooth line.”
Maintain your convictions about
Christ!
Ultimately – one implicit way we can
know we are growing in maturity is
when we really want to see others
become mature in Christ.
I’m convinced God wants to take
more seriously other Christians who
aren’t yet taking Christianity seriously.
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So let’s grow up and help present
everyone as MATURE in CHRIST
JESUS!
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SCREEN SLIDES:
i
Colossians 2:1-5
Acts 28:16
iii
1) Mature Christians encourage people through
difficult times. - OUTLINE
iv
"My purpose is that their hearts may be
encouraged!”
v
Mature Christians are inwardly secure in Christ
so they can be outwardly focused in encouraging
others!
vi
2) Mature Christian love well. - OUTLINE
vii
Diversity strengthens a church ONLY if mutual
love first unites it.
Without such love, diversity will divide and
destroy the church every time conflict erupts. . .
This unity of love will protect us from becoming
prisoners to ourselves--to our pet doctrines, rituals,
causes, programs, movements or methods.
It will also keep us from using the faults, errors
and excesses of other believers to excuse our own.
– Gerald Sittser
viii
Love within a church is a magnetic force!
Love both creates and enables diversity.
ix
3) Mature Christians are growing in knowledge
and understanding. - OUTLINE
x
2 being knit together in love, TO REACH ALL
THE RICHES OF FULL ASSURANCE OF
UNDERSTANDING AND THE KNOWLEDGE
OF GOD'S MYSTERY, WHICH IS CHRIST
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge
ii
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xi
I wonder: do any of us have that kind of urgency
and desperation to know and grow in our
understanding of Christ?
xii
Six benefits of increasing in your knowledge of
Christ
xiii
1. Knowledge gives substance to faith.
xiv
2. Knowledge stabilizes us during times of
testing.
xv
3. Knowledge enables us to handle the Bible
accurately.
xvi
4. Knowledge equips us to detect and confront
error.
xvii
5. Knowledge makes us confident in our daily
walk.
xviii
6. Knowledge filters out our fears and
superstitions.
xix
2 Timothy 3:7
xx
the goal of the Christian life is not knowing the FACTS of
Christianity.
The goal is to know the Savior of Christianity!
4) Mature Christians aren’t easily deceived! OUTLINE
xxii
1 Timothy 4:1-2
xxiii
2 Timothy 4:3-4
xxi
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