BYCANAAN FEBRUARY 7, 2023

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. ⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:8-15)

Verse 8 tells us to “be careful” of the philosophy of deception. Beware of the knowledge-centered & anthropocentrist Greek philosophy, wrote the Apostle Paul. True knowledge, true wisdom is in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:3). In modern times, it would be secular humanism. We have to pay close attention to them. It is an idea that is constantly being circulated through the mainstream media of the world. This was the very first thing that happened to Adam and Eve. The Satan appeared to them and they ate the fruit of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” which God commanded them not to eat. Rather than relying on God’s judgment (knowledge that comes from God), they chose to follow their own judgment and decide for themselves what is good and what is evil. The most fascinating thing about it is that you too can be like God. Adam and Eve were captivated by this charm and sinned. This is still true today. The world is full of messages that say, “You too can be like God.” These teachings are not the message of the Bible, the message of God. It ” is not of Christ ” (v. 8). True knowledge and wisdom are in Jesus Christ (2:3)

The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us ” victory over sin .” Originally, we are being blamed by the “debt,” but what did the Lord Jesus do? He nullified it (verse 14a). In a nutshell, a debenture is a debt. The debt of sin accumulates and cannot be repaid. This is what a human being is like. We can never return it ourself. Debt (sin) has swelled so much. Jesus paid all of our debts for us. And he had the deed (sin) nailed to the cross (v. 14b). This means that the deed that has been paid has been processed with a hole punched in it. Already paid off. Paid in full. Spiritually dead, made alive in Christ. All sins were forgiven (verse 13).

Jesus Christ has triumphed over sin. That’s not all. The other is ” victory over death “. Through the resurrection, death has been defeated. We are given life by faith in the Lord Jesus. Life that overcomes death, eternal life is given.

Jesus Christ is the head of all rule and authority (verse 10). The Lord Jesus is in control and is ” victorious even over the Satan .” He disarmed his opponents, made them public, and took them captives in a triumphal procession (v. 15). Jesus took the weapons of his defeated enemies and took the Satan and demons captive and marched them in their triumphal procession.

Jesus Christ is victorious. He is the victor over sin, the victor over death, and the victor over the Satan.

We too can be victorious in Jesus Christ. What is the Church? The church is “the body of Christ”. The head is Jesus Christ and the body is the church (we Christians). Christ and the church are one. The church follows the commands and instructions of the Lord Jesus. It is especially important to follow the Great Commission , ” Go out into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature ” (Mark 16:15).

And the church is ” the army of Christ .” People are never the enemy. There are demons working behind the scenes. We must be careful with Christian heresy, fighting heresy is a spiritual battle. This is a battle between truth and lies. It’s a battle between God and the Satan. Jesus Christ is truth. The Lord Jesus said ” I am the way, the truth, and the life ” (John 14:6) .

Right now, even at this very moment, there is a spiritual battle going on in the unseen world. Satan is working, of course God is at work. All we need to stand up to the devil’s schemes is the “Armor of God.” No one goes into battle empty-handed. We too need the armor of God. Let’s take a look at the armor that God has provided for victory over the Satan.

In Ephesians 6:12-18 Bible says ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.¹⁸  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 

There are 7 weapons here.

① Belt of Truth　

This is a preparation for battle. Tighten up. Even in judo, when we tighten the belt, we will feel tense. Don’t let peace fool us, remember that we are in the middle of a battle right now.

The Satan is the father of lies. Also, the world is full of lies. There are heretical teachings, secular humanism, and all kinds of false messages. Through television, through the Internet. They are trying to make us doubt the Word of God. “Did God really say so?” (Genesis 3:1). That’s how the Satan succeeded in leading Adam and Eve to lie. Therefore, it is important to remain in Jesus Christ who is the truth.

②Breastplate of Justice

It is to protect the heart. Keep watch over your heart as much as you can (Proverbs 4:23). It is important to remember that we are justified in Jesus Christ. The Satan accuses us of sin. But it is to keep our self-image from being low through protecting our heart. People around us may say various things and attack us to break our heart. But it’s all about protecting our heart. Let’s rely on justice (righteousness) in Jesus Christ.

③Put on the shoes of the gospel (preparation for the gospel of peace)

The gospel brings peace. But the enemy causes conflict. The method is always the same. You claim that the other person is wrong and only you are right. We must remember that the Satan is behind it. It is similar to when we are wary of heresy. Some Christians like to label others heretical because they disagree with their doctrine. In the same way, strife arises by blaming those who are only correct in their own opinion and do not follow their own opinion. Where does it come from? It comes from being proud and judging others. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. We were once ruled by the Satan, but now, through Jesus, we are reconciled to God and made messengers of reconciliation. Our feet crush the Satan’s head. The God of peace will swiftly crush Satan under your feet (Romans 16:20).

④ Great Shield of Faith

The spirit of unbelief is at work. Fire arrows of various kinds fly towards us. Bad words, unbelieving words, negative words fly. Faith is what matters here. Let’s believe that the solution will be given by trusting God no matter what.

⑤Helmet of Salvation

Satan will accuse us. “You are not enough, you have these problems.” Do not give in to such accusations and lose the confidence and joy of salvation. We are protected by the helmet of salvation, remembering the fact that salvation on the cross is complete.

⑥Sword given by the Spirit (Word of God)

Being sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit is very important in these last days. Don’t be insensitive, negative, hard-headed. Until now, it was a defensive weapon, but the sword is an offensive weapon. When Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan, he declared, “This is what the Bible says.” It is to receive the Word of God every day. Through the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome Satan.

⑦Prayer 

After receiving the Word of God, the next step is to pray. Prayer connects heaven and earth. Being able to pray to an omniscient and omnipotent God is an amazing privilege given to Christians. Let us use the weapon of prayer.

We have already defeated Satan through Jesus Christ. This does not change. However, it is also true that there are battles every day. Satan works with trickery through a variety of methods. God has provided “God’s armor” so that we can win, so let’s use the seven armors listed above to win against Satan.

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