Colossians 2 Lesson

THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS

Our focus verse for today’s lesson is:

• “Christ is the head over all rule and authority.” – Colossians 2:10.  

What Paul is talking about in this scripture is spiritual authority, not secular authority.

That is an important distinction to make.

Jesus is the one who tells us right from wrong.   He does this through the inspired words of the Bible.  

When He says that something is right, it is right!  

When He tells us something is wrong, it is wrong!  

End of discussion.

JESUS’ AUTHORITY LASTS FOREVER

The authority that Jesus has is forever, unlike secular authority which is temporary.   As we hear the teachings of Jesus, the road to salvation becomes clear.   

Satan understands this, and he does not like it.  

PROTECTING OURSELVES FROM SATAN’S ATTACKS

Satan will try to trick us, lie to us, and tempt us.  

He will try to convince us to follow the world’s values, not God’s.  

To protect ourselves, we need to put on “The full armor of God.”   As discussed in Ephesians 6:10-17, the full armor of God includes:

1. Girding our loins with truth,
2. The breastplate of righteousness,
3. The Gospel of Peace,
4. The shield of faith,
5. The helmet of salvation,
6. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

All of these protect us against the evil forces of the world. 

If we do not protect ourselves, Satan will try to convince us that life is about:

1. The pursuit of money,
2. Making ourselves as comfortable as possible,
3. Pleasing ourselves. 

This goes against everything that the Bible teaches! 

Jesus did not come to be served or to accumulate wealth.   He came to serve others and to glorify His Father. 

That is our role as Christians also. 

• “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” – Mathew 20:28.

There are many instances where the forces of the world will try to compel us to do things that go against the teachings of the Bible.  

When this happens, what do we do?  

If we are wise, we remove ourselves from any potential stumbling blocks and follow Jesus.  

JESUS UNDERSTANDS OUR TEMPTATIONS

Jesus understands the temptations of this world because He experienced them for Himself (Mathew 4:3-10).  

Because of this, Jesus devoted a considerable amount of time to teaching about the dangers of temptation.

Consider the following four verses:

1. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” - Mathew 6:24,
2. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” – Mark 10:25,
3. “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.” - Ecclesiastes 5:10,
4. “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” - 1 John 2:15-17.

It seems like following Jesus and resisting the temptations of this world should be easy, right?  

It is not!

Satan is constantly working behind the scenes to trip us up, and we should not take his advances lightly. 

Peter wrote about this in his first epistle:

• “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8.

CONCLUSION

We all must choose for ourselves who we are going to follow. 

Will we follow the teachings of Jesus, or will we chase after the pleasures of this world and our own selfish ambitions?

As Christians, we need to follow the example of Jesus and understand that our role while on earth is to do two things:

1. Glorify God,
2. Serve others. 

When we focus our talents on these two tasks, God will be well pleased with our efforts and our reward in Heaven will be great! 

We will conclude today’s lesson with the following words spoken by Jesus, the head over all rule and authority:

• “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me.Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Mathew 28:18-20.