08 Spiritual Kidnapping Colossians 2:8

Spiritual Kidnapping Colossians 2:8

Adapted from a Jeffery Anselmi sermonhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?

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Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., twenty-month-old son of the

famous aviator and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was kidnapped about 9:00 p.m., on March 1, 1932, from the nursery on the second floor

of the Lindbergh home near Hopewell, New Jersey.

The child’s absence was discovered by

the child’s nurse, Betty Gow, and

reported to his parents who were home,

at approximately 10:00 p.m.

A search of the premises was immediately made and a ransom note demanding $50,000 was found on the

nursery window.

I cannot imagine the horror a family faces when a loved one

is kidnapped.I Googled kidnapped statistics

& found every 40 seconds in the United States, a child is

reported missing or abducted.

That translates to over 2,000 children per day (under 18 years

of age) or 800,000 per year.This is a parent’s worst

nightmare.

In 2013 Mexico led the pack in reported kidnappings. It has become a booming business for some folks.

With this knowledge, a person would want to do all they can to

protect themselves and their families from being kidnapped or

abducted.

There is such a thing as Kidnap and Ransom (K&R) insurance

that companies can purchase to cover their workers in case of a

kidnapping.

The insurance company will pay a ransom to get you back.

How many of you would do all you could to protect you and your

family from being kidnapped?

As we look at Colossians 2:8, we see that the Apostle Paul was

worried about Christians being spiritually kidnapped.

What are you doing to protect yourself from being spiritually

kidnapped?

Today we are going to look at a passage that is trying to warn us of the potential we all can face of

being spiritually kidnapped.

Colossians 2:8 ESV 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.

Christians Can Be Spiritually Kidnapped.

Here is some news for us to digest!

It is so easy to be going about your business

only to realize that one day you have been

taken captive spiritually.

Paul has been speaking on the subject of

making sure your walk is solid now he

speaks of the danger of being taken captive.

In verse 8 he starts out by saying that we are

to see to it that no one takes you captive.

The implication here is that we have to do

something to make sure we are not taken

captive.

We are responsible for what happens to us

spiritually.

The word translated “captive” was used of taking captives of war and leading them away as

plunder.

It has the idea of being kidnapped, the idea of being

taken against ones will.

The bible tells us in Romans 8 that nothing can separate us

from the love of God.

Romans 8:35 ESV Who shall separate

us from the love of Christ? Shall

tribulation, or distress, or persecution,

or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or

sword? 36 As it is written, "For your

sake we are being killed all the day

long; we are regarded as sheep to be

slaughtered."(Psalm 44:2)

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death

nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor

anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in

Christ Jesus our Lord.

The passage we are looking at though warns us to not allow ourselves to be

taken captive.

We see in Galatians 1 where Paul was

worried about the Christians in Galatia

going back to the old ways or falling

prey to those who would come in and try

to take them away from the faith.

Galatians 5:1 ESV For freedom Christ has set us free; stand

firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of

slavery.

The words used by Paul in the original text

indicate that the danger he is speaking of is

a real and present danger, not some

hypothetical or imagined danger.

We cannot live our lives thinking that

nothing can happen to us.

If we are not prepared, we can get into

trouble spiritually very quickly!

1 Peter 5:8 ESV Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion,

seeking someone to devour.

This passage gives us a similar warning, be ready, be prepared, be alert. If you are not careful to guard your faith,

you could find yourself taken captive.

We must take the time to make sure that our faith is on solid ground.

Now let us look at:

How A Spiritual Kidnapping Can Happen

If we are serving such a powerful God, then how can we be spiritually kidnapped from

Him?

Verse 8 gives us two ways.

Colossians 2:8 ESV 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.

Through Falling PreyTo Bad Philosophy

Paul is not condemning philosophy, Paul himself was a philosopher.

The word “philosophy” means “a lover of wisdom.”

Usually this is a good thing, but the context of the passage denotes that in this usage, it

is not good.This is the only place in the New Testament

this word is used.

Historian Adolf Schlatter noted

“everything that had to do with theories

about God and the world and the meaning

of human life was called ‘philosophy’ at

that time, not only in pagan schools, but

also in the Jewish schools of the Greek

cities” (The Church in the New Testament Period

[reprint, London: SPCK, 1955], pp. 150-54).

(MacArthur’s Commentary)

We develop our worldview based on our

philosophy concerning God.

Many people will not give their lives to Jesus

because they have a warped philosophy

concerning God.

They do not want to live for Him, yet they want to

blame Him for everything that goes bad in their

lives, from losing jobs to loved ones dying.

Some believers fall from God because God does

not fit in their box.

By the way, death is a part of life, if you have been

born, you will die.

Hebrews 9:27 ESV And just as it is appointed for

man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

If you fall prey to bad philosophy concerning God,

you can be carried away like a prize of war.

The 2nd way we can be spiritually kidnapped is:

Through Falling PreyTo Empty Deception

This phrase describes the philosophy, it is

empty deception.

“Deception” means “a deceit, fraud, or

trick.”

The philosophy of the Colossian false

teachers was not what it appeared to be.

It sounded good and seduced the minds of those deceived by it, but

it was a weak illusion.

There is no value in such speculative human philosophy, no matter how deeply and profoundly

religious it sounds.

We fall for a lot of empty deception in life, like the one that says that

life is about being happy.

Life is about serving God and along the way, happiness will be

achieved.

But if you think life is about being happy, then it will affect

how you do things in your life as well as what you seek from life.

Too many of us avoid things we need to deal with because we will

not be happy doing it.

Why Spiritual KidnappingIs Such A Threat

Let us consider three reasons spiritual kidnapping is such a

threat.

Colossians 2:8 ESV 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.

Man’s Traditions Do Not Equal Spiritual Truth.

The philosophy that is empty and deceptive is

dangerous because it is according to human

tradition… and not according to Christ.

The traditions spoken of by Paul were most

likely the pagan traditions of the day or the

man-made additions the Jews added to the

Law of Moses.

Just because people have believed

something and handed it down through the

years does not make it true.

Tradition usually serves merely to

perpetuate error.

Human traditions no matter how good and

sacred do not equal spiritual truth.

A study of the history of philosophy serves to illustrate that point.

Most philosophers have built on the work of previous philosophers, either to refine their

system, or to refute it.

Francis Schaeffer remarked, “One man would draw a circle and say, ‘You can live

within this circle.’

The next man would cross it out and would draw a different circle.The next man would come along and, crossing out the previous

circle, draw his own…”(The God Who Is There [Downers Grove,

Ill.: InterVarsity, 1973], p. 17).

THE CYCLE WOULDNEVER STOP.

Any philosophy that is derived from the mind of man instead of

the mind of God is going to lead to trouble, it will have holes and

inconsistencies in it.

Earthly PhilosophyHas Earthly Roots.

The passage speaks of how this

philosophy is according to the elemental

spirits of the world.

There is nothing new to the false teachings

that happened in Paul’s day and there is

nothing new in the false teachings of today!

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them

because they are spiritually discerned.

The ways of God do not make sense to a

person who is not in tune with God. It is

easy for the world to come up with earthly

solutions to the problems they face in life.

It is so easy to just do whatever you think

is right, but that will not benefit you in the

long run.

Real Truth Is Only FoundIn God.

…according to Christ

Real truth is found only in God and His word.

God is the standard of truth, and the standard of right and wrong.

Galatians 1:6 ESV I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting

him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a

different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some

who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we

preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you

received, let him be accursed.

Conclusion

No man-made religion can lead to the

truth, for truth can be found only in Christ.

Colossians 2:2c-3 ESV the knowledge of

God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom

are hidden all the treasures of wisdom

and knowledge.

No one can come to God except through

Christ.

John 14:6 ESV Jesus said to him, "I am the

way, and the truth, and the life. No one

comes to the Father except through me.

True philosophy will focus on Jesus Christ

—it will not put Christ in any lower position,

nor will it focus on human endeavor. (LAB)

The way we can protect ourselves from being spiritually kidnapped is by being

close to Jesus.

2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion

raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey

Christ,

What are you doing to protect yourself from being spiritually

kidnapped?