Satisfied (Colossians 2:6-10)
August 2, 2020
How do we feel full in Christ? Last week, Jesus revealed to us what will happen when he removes the evil out of our lives, and we do nothing with it. The empty body will eventually be taken over by more evil than ever before. I want us to consider the implications of this. We need to understand the difference between being empty and full. I don't want to feel empty, and I don't want anyone here to be empty. But this is a pursuit mankind has always dealt with.
Ecclesiastes 1:16--2:11 (ESV) --- 16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. 18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. 1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine---my heart still guiding me with wisdom---and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 7:25--29 (ESV) --- 25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things--- 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
Isaiah 55:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
I love these texts. God points out that we work hard, not smart. We put in a lot of effort to feel full, but all of our efforts will never satisfy us. Solomon has every resource at his disposal, but it was of no use. If you feel empty, or have ever felt empty since becoming a Christian, hear these words, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live." God is not offering to remove our sins and leave us empty. He does not want a church like a fig tree that looks great but bears no fruit. He wants us to be filled and to grow mature in Christ. Maybe some of us are empty because we are laboring for that which will never satisfy. How do we find the rich food and grow? I have met men and women who have been going to church for forty years, and they have no clue what it means to be empty or full. They assume that their emptiness is the way it's supposed to be. Maybe that's you. Or perhaps you have grown, but you sometimes feel empty. How can we find this rich food and feel full?
Spiritual Nourishment
Paul talks about our need to be filled in his letters. Today I would like for us to look at a few verses in Colossians. Paul's whole point in writing Colossians is to inform a new group of Christians about how to grow mature in Christ. His whole purpose in ministry is to present everyone mature in Christ (1:28-29). How will he explain spiritual growth? Let's see.
What Does Growth In Christ Look Like? (2:6-7)
Colossians 2:6--7 (ESV) --- 6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Here Paul gives instructions to the Colossians. He tells them to walk in Christ just as they received him. Does that make sense? Maybe to some, that doesn't seem right. They would say, "Aren't we supposed to grow beyond what we originally received in Christ? Aren't we supposed to move past the starting point of receiving Christ?" Yes and no. As younger Christians, Paul wants them to focus on the basics of their salvation before moving on.
How did they receive Christ? Did they receive Christ by being really smart and listening to what they were taught in grade school? Did they receive Christ by being really good and doing all the right things? No. Everyone who received Christ learned about the gospel, believed that they needed God's grace, and submitted to his will to find forgiveness. If you are a Christian, you submitted your whole life to the Lord because you believed in his promises.
Notice what he says in verse 7, this truth that we once believed needs to take root. Our growth does not take us away from the truth we first believed. It stays focused on that truth and grows deeper. Our first growth has to happen underneath the surface, just like a seed on good soil. The fruit that will come from walking in the same things we were initially taught will be "abounding in thanksgiving." God wants us to see his grace toward us and feel overwhelmingly thankful.
Paul tells us that we should walk in God's grace and forgiveness every day. Doesn't that make sense? All of the suffering of Jesus on the cross brought us to the point of humility. We need that sacrifice to become deeply rooted in who we are. If we aren't careful, we will tend to become proud and stubborn again!
How Do We Grow Deeper?
That is why he follows this instruction with a warning and an encouragement.
Colossians 2:8--9 (ESV) --- 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
Warning: Stop Seeking Shortcuts
Notice how verse 8 describes our attempt to grow broad instead of deep. He speaks of philosophy as being empty deceit. Then, he joins that to human traditions and elemental spirits of the world. What does all of this mean or represent? Paul is telling us the Colossians that men will take them captive by philosophy and empty deceit. They will try to pull the Colossians away from Christ.
Have you ever seen a preacher who was able to tell you all kinds of doctrine, but his life showed that he was empty? Imagine going to school to learn the Bible, but they spend all of their time teaching you what all of the different denominations of men believe about God and the Bible. The teachings of men will leave us empty and deceived.
What does this mean for us? What a warning this is for us against blindly following men. Beware of me (or anyone else) teaching that forgiveness is based on anything but humble submission to Christ. The lies of men can take us away into captivity. Listening to and evaluating men's philosophies may help us evaluate our own opinions and see where we are making mistakes. But we must refuse any teaching that is not according to Christ. If I stop studying the Bible and blindly accept the words of men that sound good to me, I will be full of empty deceit.
Encouragement: Learn About God
Notice the comparison between philosophy, human tradition, the elemental spirits of the world, and Jesus. Paul says that Jesus shows us the "whole fullness of diety." In Jesus, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. This means that Jesus gives us a full understanding of God. The man-made things are empty, but Christ is rich. Do we see this critical characteristic? In the revelation of Christ, we have all that we need.
Don't we see this as we study the gospel of Matthew together? My soul feels nourished after studying the life of Jesus. To prepare for sermons, I spend hours reading commentaries and listening to other people's sermons on a text. I have found that men's words and thoughts are all over the place. Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful if you are getting a lot out of my sermons, but my words are nothing compared to Christ's. I often feel torn to pieces as I walk away from my weekly study. Do you experience that? You might think, "That sounds painful. Why would I want that?" Can't I just go to church once a week and pay you to do that? You can, but we all need to be torn apart to be healed. We need to see our sins so that we can find the solution. Jesus is the solution. The more I realize how bad I am, the more I turn back to Christ for forgiveness and find it. My soul feels satisfied by remembering who God is and how far short I fall from him. That probably sounds crazy. It's not a good thing to be different than God, but the last section we are going to look at helps us understand why my soul feels satisfied.
You Have Been Filled In Christ
The last verses we are going to look at tells us why it is okay for us to admit that we still fail. Some of you may be blown away to hear a brother say, "I still struggle with this sin." We don't typically admit our failures. We point out the flaws in others, and that makes us feel better. But listen to what Paul says next. This is fantastic.
Colossians 2:10 (ESV) --- 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
Do you see what Paul is saying? He says, "You have been filled in him." We started out wondering how we can feel full, and I told you that this text explains that to us. He does not say, "You will be filled in him if you do x, y, and z." He says, "You have been filled in him." Paul is telling us something amazing about feeling full. We feel full when we understand that we are worse than we ever thought we could be, and God is more gracious than we ever thought he could be. When we truly look at the cross of Christ, we see what God has done to fill our hearts with love. Paul's words in verse 10 say so. We don't need philosophies, traditions, or elemental spirits. Christ fills us. Why do we need to stay focused on the truth we heard at first? That sounds boring? We need to focus on this because it still holds true. Christ's sacrifice is still in heaven paying for our sins.
Conclusion
Do you want to feel satisfied? Have you received Christ? He died on the cross to take away your sins and fill you with the satisfaction of being in a relationship with the one true God of the universe. If you have received Christ, so walk in him. We need to be rooted and built up in Christ to become established in our faith and find satisfaction in our souls. Then our lives will abound in thanksgiving, as we enjoy that relationship and pursue God's glory.