Don't Be Plundered

CEFC. JC Hicks. 2008-12-28.

"don't be plundered"

Colossians 2:6-10

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.

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, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

'plundered' or 'taken captive' - v8
- to be taken away as prisoner

How do we keep from being plundered?
1. Continue as we began
- v6-7
- rooted/built up in jesus, be established in faith, abound in thanksgiving
-- our lives must revolve around jesus like the earth revolves around the sun
-- trust and base ourselves in the faith we've been taught
-- be thankful constantly!
- "walk" how I live
-- often I trust myself for my life thinking that I know better (but ill trust him for what I can't see)
2. Beware of the philosophy of men
- v8
- traditions of men/elementary spirits of the world
-- pagan beliefs/science
--- using man based resources to discover a god based creation
3. Remember who we serve
-v9-10
- jesus is not a wise teacher
-- all the fullness of god dwells in his bodily form
-- and now we've been filled by christ who has all the fullness of god

Don't be plundered doesn't mean watch out that our possessions are stolen
- don't let yourself be plundered or carried off
-- cannot become unsaved
-- satan tries to carry off our peace and assurance in christ

How do I keep from being plundered?
1. Recall what I felt when I came to jesus
2. Find ways to be rooted in jesus
3. Remember who I serve

Why Does God Test Me?

Carlisle Evangelical Free Church. Pastor Shad Baker.

Genesis 22:1-19
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.

connection between Isaac and Christ
v2 Hebrew = "Please take your son..."
Abraham actually intended on killing his son

God is testing Abraham
- Will he test me? Yes
- testing to see if he'll give up what is most valuable. Will I?
- Is my faith in God or is blessings?
- Test = will I obey (physically not hypothetically)?

Why does God test?
- not because he doesn't know how I'll respond
-- he knows all so it's not for God's benefit but mine
- to make us grow
--helps us identify where we are in our faith; do I flinch or stand firm?
- Test is from God; he wants us to obey
- Temptation is from Satan; he wants to trap us in sin

What if I don't pass the test?
- look at Abraham's early life; he failed many times but God never removed his promises
--God made the promise with the knowledge that we would fail so our failing is not new info and doesn't nullify God's promises
- we may not have perfect faith but God is perfectly faithful
--we learn about ourselves and God
--the more we risk the more God will catch us and the more trust we will have in God
--gives us belief in/truly yielding to God
---in the future when we are told to go, we go without a second thought (because we know God will be there)

How do I take/pass the test?
- full faith in Christ
--God can raise someone from the dead
---that power can be ours through Christ only
- relying on my strength will result in failure
--but not Christ's
-recognize the test and rely on Christ

God's Temptation

This post is more to inspire discussion than to expound on any particular subject myself...

On page 93 in his book, Hopkins writes, "God had sent him [Jacob] trials..." This got me thinking as I recently read through the book of James during January and I had a conversation with a friend about God's actions in I Samuel towards Saul. Here are the passages in question:

I Samuel 16:14 - "Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him."
James 1:13 - "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one."

So I really don't enjoy proof-texting but for the sake of brevity that's what you get. You can go to the ESV's website (http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/) and look up the surrounding passages to get a better feel for the text, which I suggest you do. Regardless, we seem to have several opposing view points. First, God sends a "harmful spirit" to torment Saul. While it doesn't say the spirit tempted Saul, I can only imagine that it did in some way. Second, Hopkins states that Jacob was sent trials from God. Third, we have James telling us God tempts no one.

Is this a simple case of trying to create a disparity when none exists? If so, how the heck are we to make sense of a loving, good, perfect, and just God that sends a harmful spirit? Expound at length.