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Sabbath School 1st Quarter 2026: Uniting Heaven and Earth: Christ in Philippians and Colossians

Mark Finley

01 Persecuted but Not Forsaken

02 Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer

03 Life and Death

04 Unity Through Humility

05 Shining as Lights in the Night

06 Confidence Only in Christ

08 The Preeminence of Christ

09 Reconciliation and Hope

10 Complete in Christ

11 Living With Christ

12 Living With Each Other

These lessons are really speeding by, aren't they?

Fascinating lessons, deep spiritual insights that apply to our church today.

Lesson number 10's title is Complete in Christ.

And it really answers some of the questions that people are asking today as we share God's love with them, and particularly as we share the truth about God's law on the Sabbath.

So we're gonna delve into those in our lesson today, but let's pray first.

Father in heaven, thank you so much that there is clarity in your Word.

As we study it, you have not given us your Word to confuse us, but you've given us your Word to enable us to understand more clearly divine truth.

So guide us today, give us new insights as we study in Christ's name, amen.

You know, 1 of the questions that I am asked as I hold evangelistic meetings all over the world and present the truth about Jesus, the second coming of Christ, and the law of God, the Sabbath.

As I present the Sabbath, people often ask me, well, Pastor Mark, what about that passage in the book of Colossians?

Sometimes they don't know where it is, but they'll say, doesn't the Bible say, let nobody judge you regarding the Sabbath?

We're gonna look at that passage and try to help us fully understand it as we go through Colossians chapter 2 today, but let's lead up to the passage so we understand it more clearly.

We're gonna jump right into Sunday's lesson titled The Wisdom and Knowledge of God.

You know, Job asks this penetrating question in Job 28 verse 12.

But really, that question is answered in the book of Colossians, as we'll see.

So we're gonna go to Colossians chapter 2, and we're gonna be looking there at verses 1 to 7.

Follow along if you have your Bible, and I'll go over it pretty much phrase by phrase to help us understand it.

For I want you to know what great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh." So Paul had not visited Colossae.

He had heard about them from Ephraphus and he had not visited Laodicea.

But these were 2 of 3 churches in the area.

You have Colossia, Hierapolis, and Laodicea that are all linked together as 3 thriving Christian churches.

But at the church at Colossia, there were those who were bringing in heresy.

That happens today as well, bringing in the philosophy of the teachings of men rather than the teachings of God.

He says, I want you to know what great conflict I have for you.

This was a conflict in his own soul for them because he saw that heresy was coming into the church and he was concerned.

He says that their hearts may be encouraged being knit together in love, attaining to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Where is wisdom to be found?

The treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ.

And remember what Jesus says about knowledge.

In John 17, verse 17, Jesus says, sanctify them through thy word, thy word is truth." God's Word contains the wisdom and knowledge of the ages.

As we study God's Word, we are deeply moved to understand more clearly Bible truth.

And so here under the note of our lesson it says in that Sunday's lesson, the note Paul answers in Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

If we have Christ, we have everything, even the full assurance of understanding, the purpose of life.

Through him, the mystery of God, which embraces the entire plan of salvation, has been revealed.

So through Jesus, we have a revelation of Christ, of Christ's plan for us.

Now the question is, what would we know about Jesus if we didn't have the Bible?

What would we know about truth if we didn't have the Bible?

So that's why Jesus said, "'Sanctify them through thy word, thy word is truth.

Because in the Bible we have found a revelation of Christ and in Christ we have a revelation of the wisdom of the ages and the knowledge of eternity.

We continue reading in Colossians chapter 2 after verse 3 in which it says, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Verse 4, now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.

So merely because a person has persuasive words, merely because they are fast-talking, seeming to convince persuasively, doesn't mean they have the truth.

Jesus says in John 8 verse 32, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall do what?

So here, the truth frees us from delusion.

Verse 5, for though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order in steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

Now sometimes there's a tendency as it says in our lesson here to consider church order and organization as merely an ecclesiastical institution with no theological significance.

But Paul describes proper decorum throughout the New Testament.

He talks about the organization of the church, deacons, elders, he talks about pastors, he talks about church order.

In the book of Acts, when there's a conflict in Acts 15, they refer to the Jerusalem Council, so there's a higher organizational body.

All through the New Testament, you do have church order.

But we go on and read, verse 6, as you therefore have received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk in him." Now Paul is talking to the church at Colossae.

And Paul says, as you receive the Lord Jesus, walk in him.

If you're a Jew and you receive Christ as a Jew, and you want to continue keeping the feasts and see Christ in the feasts, fine, do that.

If you're a Gentile and you receive Christ, that's totally unnecessary.

This 1 text answers many questions today about people who are saying that we must keep the feasts.

Here Paul says in verse 6, as you have received Christ Jesus so walk in him.

If you receive Christ as a Jew and you want to keep the feasts and see Christ in them, walk in it.

But if you're a Gentile, that's totally unnecessary.

As you receive Christ as a Gentile, walk in that Christ that you've received.

Now certainly there can be some benefit in commemorating the various feasts and there can be some benefit in recognizing their spiritual significance but certainly not as a spiritual obligation, not as a mandate from God for modern day Christians.

Because Christ has already given us ordinances.

He's given us the ordinance of communion.

And so as you receive Christ, so walk in him.

And then verse 7, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, as you have been taught abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Paul talks about the steadfastness of faith, of not giving up, not surrendering your faith.

As you look through the New Testament, Paul's great goal in his epistles is to have church members, new Christians, believers, that are not surface Christians, but they're rooted, they're grounded, he used that word rooted in the faith, grounded in the faith, steadfast in the faith, holding firmly that which you have received.

The great goal of the gospel is to unite us with Christ.

And as we continue to study his word, we continue to draw closer to him and we become rooted and grounded in Christ.

It talks about being rooted, grounded, growing in Christ.

As you brethren have received Christ Jesus, walk in Him.

We receive salvation by receiving a person, not just a body of teachings.

But receiving Jesus also includes accepting all His teachings as given through the apostles and prophets.

You see, the living Word, Jesus, cannot be separated from the written word.

What do you mean when you say you accept Jesus?

Do you mean you accept him as a historical figure?

Or do you accept him as the divine son of God.

Can you say I accept Jesus and not accept his teachings?

If I ask you, do you accept the communist leader Lenin, what would you say?

Did I accept that he ruled the former Soviet Union, he ruled Russia for a while?

Series

Sabbath School 1st Quarter 2026: Uniting Heaven and Earth: Christ in Philippians and Colossians

10 Complete in Christ

Transcript

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