Colossians 2:6-23 NASB
6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

● As Jesus brings you new life, so begins sanctification not stagnation.

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8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

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● Christ-centered wisdom vs. Human-centered wisdom

9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

● We are complete and connected in Christ through:
○ A consecration of the heart.
○ Baptism.

13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

● When the work of our flesh brought death, the work of Jesus’ blood brought life and life abundantly.

● Jesus’ last words, “It is finished.” (Tetelestai - paid in full)

16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. [18-22] 23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

● God’s people are no longer bound to legalism, mysticism, or asceticism.

● To require and exalt these things is to lose the beautiful substance of what this faith stands for.

How can the sheep know the shepherd from the wolf?

1)To follow the shepherd’s ways means to understand the wolf’s tactics.

● Philosophy - “Knowledge” without God.
○ All faiths and beliefs are equal and valid.

● Legalism - Following unwritten rules without reason.
○ You're not a Christian if you miss church once.
○ Jewish Talmud

● Mysticism - The attempt to experience God apart from Biblical truth
○ Crystals, false visions, witchcraft.

● Asceticism - Putting your faith in practices over Jesus Himself.
○ Punishing yourself in an attempt to get closer to God.

2)To follow the shepherd’s ways means to be rooted in the shepherd. (v. 6-7)

● Do you know HIS voice? - Prayer, Find time to talk with Jesus this week.


● Do you know HIS word? - Scripture, Follow GateWay’s reading guide on our website (gatewayvisalia.com).


● Do you know HIS ways? - Action, Are you doing what God’s word says you ought to do?

When we are rooted in Christ we know His voice
and know when He is and isn’t speaking.

TRANSCENDENT SERIES
May 23rd & 26th, 2024
Nathaniel Serrato

Prayer Requests:


Group Discussion: Take 10-15 minutes to share how you have seen God’s goodness in your life lately and how God has been using you. Please take a bit of time to really think through your answer before you share.

God has set the foundation for us, being Christ Jesus. He alone is the rock upon which we are called to stand and be built upon. Let’s take some time to be brutally honest with ourselves and each other. Are you firmly set on the stone of Christ? If so, praise God! Or do you feel like you’ve taken one foot off your foundation and feel far from God? If so, thank you for being honest. Why do you feel that way? How might you begin turning back to God?

What are some things you practice in this faith (prayer, worship, fasting, etc.)? Who taught you to practice these things? Does the way you practice these things have any basis in scripture or have you made a path on your own to do things a certain way? Again, if so praise God! If not, how might you come back to the heart of the matter and the ways of Jesus?

With the warning of false teachings coming up time and time again in scripture, how might the Church look today if we let those teachings take over? What are some examples of false teachings that are prevalent in the greater church today? How might we protect our local church from these things?

Prayer requests: Take time to share something you can praise God for and something you might need some prayer for. Once everyone has shared, take some time to pray for one another.