Rank: Elder Joined: 7/11/2012 Posts: 5,222
|
Mukiri wrote:Mukiri wrote:Colossians 2:8-23
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Therefore do not let anyone judge yo by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival,a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize.
Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. There are a few things that stood out for me in today's sermon based on Colossians 2:8-23 herein above. 1. Challenges: Often times when we are faced with challenges, issues, problems etc We ask ourselves 'Why?' And often times the answers we come up touch on rudimentary/elementary principles eg As a child abc happened, so and so has done this, the devil this and that etc The effect of this is the return of old symptoms, another effect is being weighed down. It doesn't allow them to grow deeper in God because they keep struggling from whence they came from.. Our story teller Pastor went ahead to tell us a story about his mother. She's a jolly good lady who loves the Lord and is good to people. She lives in the village, where witchcraft is commonplace. Occult paraphernalia are known. So one day, she wakes up to find a basket with eggs inside, outside her door! Witchcraft!!! What does she do? She takes the eggs, gives thanks to the Lord for breakfast, makes an omelet and eats it  Majority of the people there would have been shaken, trembled. But her knowledge in who she was in Christ Jesus, knowledge of being a child of God was sufficient enough. The fight is over! God has won! It is 'nobodys' time to eat! And what's more, He has made a public spectacle of it(Just like runners do after winning, where they get a flag and run an extra lap) That knowledge is enough to overcome any circumstance you might be going through. Our Pastor went ahead to tell us another story of Smith Wigglesworth, a British apostle. On one occasion Wigglesworth awoke during the night aware of a satanic presence. Looking across the room, he saw the Devil himself standing there. Wigglesworth said to Satan, ‘Oh, it’s only you.’ Then he turned over and went back to sleep. 2. Danger of asking 'Why?' Seeking answers to circumstances, answers that seem beyond the norm might make one turn to shadows. The rudimentary elements mentioned earlier. The reality however, is Jesus Christ! Our dear Pastor told us another story. He flies economy. So this time he and his son had taken a trip. As is usual when boarding a plane, they presented their boarding pass. The stewards checks her manifesto... lakini wapi!  She then asks about the Odede's. They had been upgraded to Business class Yenyewe I have never flown Business class. He made it sound wonderful. The seats that can become a 'small private room', chairs that can stretch into beds, a menu fit for a prince Upon landing he asked his son what he'd eaten. 'Dad, in time like this, you don't eat the ordinary! He'd ordered for sea food ' The point here is that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They had not paid for that service. It had been given to them!!!! And such is our Salvation in Christ Jesus. We have not paid for it! I don't know if we even deserve it! But it has been freely given given to us!! Enjoy the victory. Don't let anything or anyone hold you back.
|