If you have your Bibles you want to follow along today, we're back in Colossians, the second chapter. We spoke on the fourth through the seventh verses last week, and as God worked on that message in my heart, I of course was looking ahead at the verses that were to follow, The Lord has continued to have these thoughts on my mind and my heart that come from this book and this chapter particularly. As I began to try to determine exactly where and what God would have us to consider today, I thought, well, we'll probably cover 8 through 15 today, initially. And as I began to study and pray, I thought, well, maybe 8 through 12. And as I continued to pray and prepare, think, and work through the scripture, I figured well maybe we'll just spend time in verse 8 today. I believe that is where we're going to get to today. We will read 8 through 12 and we'll probably make mention of some of these other verses but our thought has been quite squarely placed in this 8th verse of Colossians chapter 2. Paul now coming to a place of a number of warnings. Remember last week, last these last few scriptures he talked about the danger of delusion in the Christian life and how it's so easy to fall for what were called plausible arguments and that thought has remained with me through the week. Especially the thought that God gave about we want these plausible arguments to be true because it eases our way in life in maybe a way that is not pleasing to the Lord We want them to be true, but Paul is giving a number of warnings, and he's telling these Colossian people to beware, to be mindful. You remember, I think, the very first message that we gave on this book. We talked about being swept away by false doctrine. Now, it was like a tidal wave that was coming in, a tsunami that was coming in. among this church when Paul wrote to her, and the dangers that were all around them. And we don't like to think that way. We like to feel secure. We like to feel protected. And certainly the child of God is always protected. It's always secure in the hands of God. And yet we cannot ignore the fact that Paul, at the instruction of the Spirit of God, warned the Colossian Church of a number of things. Again, he told them last time in these last few verses leading up to this, is beware the danger of being deluded. Delusion in the Christian life. I'm afraid it's rampant today in many places, it seems. But we are concerned primarily with us, with our own hearts. But the warnings are not finished. They're continuing here today. In verse 8 we have another warning and it's talking about being taken captive and we'll explain what we mean by that throughout our time together today. It used to be and it still no doubt is the case when a conquering king had victory over another nation. another kingdom, one of the things that they often did was they took spoils of war. They took the things from the enemy that that enemy valued greatly and looked at as their protection and their strength. And the conquering king would take those things and flaunt them in front of the people that he had just conquered. The enemies of God's people in the Old Testament would do that. They would go into the temporal and the tabernacle or the temple particularly, and they would take things from the temple and they would claim ownership over them and by doing so they would claim ownership over the people. Remember how Nebuchadnezzar did that and how Belshazzar took the things that were in the temple and threw a party and was drinking from the things that were found in the temple and just flaunting and taking the spoils of war as they are called. And Paul is warning these people about the danger of becoming spoils of war. They themselves. And I wonder as we begin to set out together and look at this verse, how many of God's people through the years have become spoils of war for the enemy? Have they themselves become spoils of war? Things that were taken captive and who today is at risk of becoming such a thing, a spoil of war? I would say absolutely every one of us. All of us are in some ways in danger today of being taken captive by the things of the enemy, by the things of this world. And Paul is trying to warn them. In our title today, it would very simply be taken captive. Colossians 2 will read verses 8 through 12. Paul says, Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power, in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands. and putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." Again, our thoughts are going to be almost entirely in verse 8, and in fact, the very first half of verse 8, where it says, Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit. This word in the English that's used in the King James, spoil. The Greek word is sulageo, and it is only found this one time in the entire book of the Bible. In all the Bible, it's found only here, just this one time. The word spoil. As it was translated in the King James is a word that I think others at different times would have understood this idea of captivity. The spoils of war is what it's referring to, but the original word literally means to kidnap, to take someone captive in a war. In the ESV, that's how it reads. It says, see to it in the ESV that no one takes you captive. And it says to beware of this. And it's it's that type of word that I so often point out. It's the verb that is in the present active imperative sense. And so this word beware is a direct command from God to you and to me to beware that you be not taken captive. through philosophy, vain deceit, tradition of men, and these things that we'll talk about in a little bit. But the idea, again, is to take heed, to see to it, to take an active role in making sure that you are not taken captive by the traditions of men, the philosophy of the world, all of these other things. You and I today are indeed at risk of becoming a captive to these things. I wonder again how many Christians through the years have been taken captive just like this. I wonder if these Colossian people at some point in history went on down and at one point became captive to the very things they're being warned about here. I wonder how many other people through time that preachers and prophets and people of God have been who had been warning others about not being taken captive, who ended up indeed being taken captive because they did not act out, they did not fulfill the tense of this verb, to do something about it, and to be prepared, to take heed, to see to it, to beware, whatever word you want to use, this idea that we do something to prepare our hearts so that we not be taken captive by the things of the world. So many of us, though, so easily are. Now, it is absolutely true. And we know this to be the case. It is absolutely true that if we are going to hold fast to the Christian faith in this ever-increasing unchristian culture, God is going to have to be the one to give us the strength and the discernment and the wisdom to do that. How many decisions are we making today? How many things are we hearing in the news today? that is so contrary to the Word of God that we begin to say, God, how can we stand against such things? The idea that men and women are not even different anymore, that God has not created them that way. And that's the popular thing in the news and all of the concern today in the Christian realm. And it ought to be concerning. And we are dealing with things that I don't know that as children we ever would have imagined that we would be dealing with. But we are. I think maybe the same thing was going on in the Colossian church. They were dealing with ideas and philosophies and empty, deceitful things that maybe they never in a million years would have imagined that they'd be facing. And we realize again that if God is not the one watching over us, giving us wisdom and discernment, we will not stand. We know this to be true. Anytime Anytime God's people have attempted to confront the adversary, our enemy, God's enemy, anytime we have tried to confront Him on our own and in our own strength, we have always lost and we always will. The enemy is far too strong for us on our own. We know this to be true. It will be true in every case we will lose if God is not the one that we are fighting for. King Asa knew this in 2 Chronicles. I want to read a few verses. Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah in 2 Chronicles chapter 14, armed with large shields and spears and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor. We're going to go on and read the additional verses later, but I want you to set the scene in your mind. Here is King Asa, the kingdom of Judah. You know the division of the country that the people of Israel have happened already, that ten northern tribes in Israel and two tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the south. And King Asa goes out with this army of 580,000 men of valor. And we look at that and we think, what strength, what power, what ability. What nation could possibly stand in the way of these people that had gathered here for this warfare? But we continue to read their enemy was Zira the Ethiopian. And it says Zira the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots. came as far as Mirashah, and Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of the battle in the valley of Zephathah at Mirashah. And Asa cried to the Lord his God. He had 580,000 men with him, men of valor, with shield, spear, and bow in hand, ready to fight and face this army that outnumbered them nearly two to one. King Asa put his strength and his confidence in himself, in his ability to lead this army, in his ability of his men to overcome the enemy. He did not. Asa cried to the Lord his God, O Lord, there is none like you to help between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord, our God, for we rely on you and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God. Let not man prevail against you. King Asa knew where his strength was going to come from. It was God, not these 580,000 man strong army that he was commanding that day. He knew that. Hezekiah knew that. David knew that. Solomon knew that. All these kings who respected the fact that God is exactly who he said he is respected that. And this would be true for the Colossian church as well. They knew that God was going to have to watch over them, provide for them, as the psalmist says, except the Lord watched the city, they wake in vain. The watchman wakes, but in vain. This was going to be true for the Colossian church, and yet, Paul here speaks of something that he calls these people to do. Beware. Take heed. See to it that no one takes you captive. Paul speaks of a work and an effort that they themselves must undergo. They were likely to be actively on guard against the danger of becoming a captive to the philosophies of men and the empty deceit that was all around them. He was telling them to be on your guard. Be ready, beware, see to it, take heed. Again, a verb, active, present, imperative verb in the Greek. This is something we are supposed to do. This army that had come of the Ethiopians, this million man army against the kingdom of Judah, who had nearly half of what their enemy had, comes out and stands there and they cry out to God. King Asa knew that it was going to be God who would deliver the day and yet, 580,000 men came to stand shoulder to shoulder with their king to stand against this enemy of God's people. There is this truth to the fact that God is the one who is going to see us through these difficult times that we live in. And I believe that He is. I do not want to be a defeatist. I do not want to be someone who thinks that the end is near. Men have always said that. God knows when that time is at hand. And I will tell you today that the darker that it gets, the more brightly we can shine the truth. So today we are against what may appear to be an enemy twice as strong as we are, and so we are to cry out to God to give us and deliver the day, to give to us this this victory that we long for, to see God's people restored to the strength and the power that they once had, perhaps, and they can have again. If they'll just not be taken captive. to the empty philosophy of man. So God is the one that's going to deliver the day, and yet we are given a command. And again, this is a command of God. Beware. This is something you are to do now. These men that stood with King Asa were ready to die to protect their families and to protect the honor of the name of Jehovah. If that's what it took, if that's what it was going to require of them, they were ready to do it. They were taking heed. The Colossians were facing a very similar danger. And yet, in their instance, and in your instance and mine, they had one thing that might be seen as a little bit of a disadvantage to King Asa and those 580,000 soldiers. King Asa and those 580,000 soldiers could look across the field and see their enemy. They could see that million. Can you imagine, by the way, the sound alone of a million men marching against your homes. The dust that would be rising would be a cloud, no doubt that could be seen miles and miles away. The fear that might settle in your heart as you first wake up and as you begin to march with your brethren and you see 580,000 strong, this army of God's people, and you begin to feel confident. But then you look out and you see your enemy and he far outnumbers you. 2 to 1 He outnumbers you and we look out in the world today and we see an enemy that seemingly far outnumbers us. But it's never been the strength of man, it's always been the strength of God. And He likes to use weakness in the eyes of men to show Himself strong. But they had an advantage, they could look across that field and they had no doubt who their enemy was, you and I today. One of the greatest challenges that we have, one of the greatest dangers that surrounds us is that we fight a warfare that unless we are looking spiritually, we don't even see. We don't even see it. The true battles that we face are spiritual battles. They're not physical. Ephesians 6.12, we wrestle not against flesh and blood. but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places? 2 Corinthians, Paul says, for the weapons of our warfare, they're not carnal. They're not of this world. They're not this flesh. They're not swords and bows and shields and guns and tanks and airplanes. These are not our weapons. Our weapons are spiritual weapons because our warfare is a spiritual warfare. And somehow because of that, we don't see it. Because we're not spiritually minded people like we need to be. We look out into the world and we see carnal things. We see the physical things, the natural things. We see things that may in there on the surface seem harmless, but deep down spiritually, they are things that will take us captive if we're not on guard. Captivate our hearts, our minds in things that don't matter. Empty philosophy of men. We don't see it. We don't see the fact that our weapons are spiritual, that our warfare is spiritual. One of the greatest concerns that we as believers ought to have today is the apparent deafness, blindness, and indifference. The spiritual warfare that we are supposed to be waging right now. How different do you think you'd live your life if God opened your eyes to be able to see the spiritual realities for 10 seconds? You see the demons that we know are real. We've been studying about them in the New Testament. Jesus ran into them. I believe they're real today. If we could see them and their absolute obsession. with taking captive God's people and taking captive those who will never become His because of the emptiness of this world. If we could see that for 10 seconds, if you could see into the depths of hell right now for 10 seconds, you and I would be on our knees before God, begging Him to make us able to see this warfare. But there's deafness, there's blindness to this spiritual truth, there's indifference to the spiritual battles that we are facing today. Many professing Christians seem to be completely unaware of the battles that they are losing on a daily basis. The evidence of losing of those lost battles could not be more clear if you'd look, but we just simply don't look with a spiritual eye. For so many, they barely seem to notice that God is in fact a very small part of their everyday life. They don't notice it. They're blind and they're deaf to the spiritual battle that they're losing and they're being taken captive. Because God's not a part of their daily life. Not really. Not really. If God is a small part of your day, you can be sure that you've been taken captive by the foolish, empty, vain philosophy of the world. Christians that have been taken captive, they don't notice when an entire day goes by and they've not opened the Word of God in moments of quiet contemplation and prayerful thoughtfulness. They don't notice it. the spiritual warfare is being waged. They don't notice when years have passed with little or no spiritual growth and wisdom and experience or an increase in their love for God and His Word. They don't notice. The spiritual battles are being waged. And if you could hear the spiritual clamor, if you could hear the spiritual clashing of swords, it would wake you out of your sleep. But one of the biggest tools that Satan uses is he lulls us to a false sense of security so that he can then take us captive with the things of the world. He does it again and again and again. Satan's tools are not many. His weapons are not very many, but they are sharp. with use and preparation. He does not confront us with new things very often. In my opinion, it's the same old things, but far too often we don't even see when our thoughts, our way of our very way of thinking. Is formed by the world and the philosophy of men rather than the word of God and his word and who he is, not only are they not seeing to it, taking heed, as we've been called today. Not only is that not happening, and being prepared so as not to be taken captive, they don't even understand that they have an enemy who is actively working to do so. As a result, they've likely already been taken captive. They just don't realize it. Have you ever woken up spiritually one day and said, I'm a distance from God and I didn't even realize when it started to happen, but here I am. And the enemy has once again led me down this path. Once again, I have fallen to the same traps, the same things, and I have been made a captive of this world. I'm captivated by the things of this life, and I seldom, if ever, think about the things of the life that is to come. And I beg you to just stop and think about that for a minute. I am captivated by time, the things that live in time, and I am I am negligent of and I am unconcerned with the time that will never end. I'm captivated by these things in life that are just silly, trivial things in comparison to eternity, in comparison to the throne of God, in comparison to heaven and the place that God has made for all who will come and believe in Him. But I'm captivated by these silly things of this life. It is so clear that we are a fallen creation because that just doesn't make any sense. Men will reject God so they can live their life of 80 years the way they want to and completely neglect the reality that they are stepping into an eternity that will never end. And 80 years is not a molecule. next to the entire creation in the amount of time and thought and reality of what that is. But we live this life captivated and we're then captive. We don't even realize it sometimes. Then this doesn't end there. Sometimes it doesn't end there. I'm thankful that God sometimes comes and He wakes us up and He allows maybe some problems. He allows something adversarial to enter our lives, to wake us up. But sometimes that doesn't come. And then, you know what happens when you're a captive long enough? You know what happens when you're a captive and you've been a captive all your life? You don't know anything else other than captivity. You don't know what freedom is. You don't know what spiritual freedom is. And you live your life as a spiritual captive. And over time, they grow accustomed to that life. Begin to think that such a life is normal. That living the life of a real committed Christian is something you read about, not something you live. Something you study about, not something you are. And you just are so accustomed to being a captive. And then you begin to think in other ways that Christian life is nothing more than going to church on most Sundays and being nice to people. And then at some point you, you feel at home being a captive. There's a story written in a California newspaper. I came across this. This lion got out of its cage at a carnival and people started running. Women started screaming, grabbing their children. And you'd think that that lion would bolt for its freedom, right? And just charge away from its captivity. Do you know what that lion did? Walked right back into its cage. Christians that have been captive long enough will walk right back into that captivity because it's comfortable. It's predictable and we get a false sense of security. in this world. And we all the while are captives. Captives. Don't even know it. You know what the Romans used to do? The Roman army? It's been said that they would take a dead body and they would tie one of their captives to that dead body. so that they would destroy not only the dead, the person that they had killed, but that person that is alive after a while, just being next to that dead body long enough, they themselves might as well have been dead. Satan takes us captive by attaching us to this world, which is dead. and we get used to it and it slowly drains our spiritual life. If this describes you, then I'm asking you and me and all of us to wake up. You've been taken captive by the enemy of your soul and the enemy of your God. Cry out to God for him to remove the spiritual chains that are binding you right now more tightly than any physical chains ever could. Man can put physical bonds on you, but man cannot tie you spiritually. Men have been taken, and women, and even young people to their deaths, crying out unto God their salvation in joy, ready to meet Him, ready to sacrifice their life. Nothing that man can do can chain you. Nothing that man can do can captivate you, like, unless you allow that to happen spiritually. Paul knew all of these dangers and at the direction of the Spirit of God, he writes to the Colossians and he says, Take heed, beware, see to it that no one takes you captive. Open your eyes to this danger. See to it that this does not happen to you. One of the things that can be easily lost in translation from English to Greek, and it's frequent. If you're not carefully studying the word and using the tools that God has given to us, you don't have to be a Greek scholar anymore to know these things. But one of the things that's easily lost in translation from Greek to English is our Bibles, is whether the nouns that are there are singular or plural. And I don't want to go into a language lesson, but I want to tell you this and why I brought it out. When Paul wrote to the Colossians that they were to beware of being taken captive, he was speaking to the entire church as a whole. While the thoughts He expresses are true for the individual, it bears our noting that the you in verse 8, beware lest any man take you captive. That you is plural. He's writing to the church as a whole. He is saying, beware lest any man take all of you captive. In the slang and southern way, y'all, lest he takes all of you. Satan wants to take entire churches captive. While the thoughts, again, he expresses are useful and needful, and we can apply these things to our individual life. There's a greater thing at risk here. It's the church itself. Satan would love to take it captive. Paul again then is saying, take heed, lest any man take all of you captive. You see, the enemy wants to carry away the entire church. He wants to take captive entire churches. Now, based upon our study recently, I believe Satan knows his end. I believe he knows he's lost. I believe he does. I think that's clear by the way that demons, and when they encountered Christ, how they reacted to him, I think it is fairly certain that they know their end. Yet while they know their end, that does not rob them of their motivation to carry as many spiritual captives as they possibly can. In fact, it probably makes it burn brighter. You have an enemy. I know we all want to live life without enemies, but I'm telling you today, you have one. His very name means adversary, Satan, Lucifer, the one who is the father of lies, he is your enemy. And if you don't recognize him as an enemy, he'll take you captive because you'll let him too close. You'll allow him to be too close in your life. If God were to open our eyes again to behold the number of churches who have been collectively taken captive, I believe it would shock us, terrify us, And I hope take us to our knees, begging God as Asa did, God deliver us this day. Because that army that's across the field from us is too great for us. As we look in our world today, the government that we're under is not godly. It's not even approaching godly. It no longer desires to be godly. Almost every public institution in this country no longer is Christian minded at its source. It just isn't. Satan is the enemy and we know that he's the enemy and he loves to lull us to sleep and he loves to do this and he'd do it to the entire church if he could. To be able to see the demons as they carry away their captives, our friends, our family members. churches. It ought to devastate us. It ought to sober us. But too much of the time we ourselves are captives and don't notice the difference because of our perspective. Let me ask what price would be too high to pay to come to the aid of one who has been taken captive to pray every day that God would deliver them to pray God help me if there is a shield a spear a bow for me to carry on their behalf to come to their aid because they're being taken captive, then God, help me to see it rightly, discern it correctly, and stand in the gap for my brother, my sister, my fellow church member, my fellow believer, whoever that it may be, they are at risk of being taken captive. And when I see a brother or a sister come to my aid, may I recognize they see something that I don't. We are far too quick to be defensive when a brother or sister is simply trying To help. Coming to our aid, we are far too quickly offended and defensive about these things when the one coming to us is simply trying to keep us from being taken captive by the foolishness of this world. Fathers. This is for you. young men that are here, you're one day going to be fathers. This is for you. Your family needs you to be a mighty man of valor, taking heed that no one takes your family captive to silly things. And it's going to be hard work, constant vigilance. Fathers, this is what God has called you to do. And I know there's none here today, but pastors, this is for you, too. The church needs you. And this is what you need to hold me to. The church needs you to be on guard against someone or some idea taking the church captive. They don't need you to be clever. They don't need you to be entertaining. They don't need you to be good looking. They don't need you to be popular. They don't need you to be climbing any religious ladders in society. They need you to be on guard. We need you to watch over them and stand as a watch against the enemy's plan to take them captive. And that will sometimes, dads and pastors and moms and anyone in a position of influence over another person in this Christian walk, it will sometimes, and I believe at some point it will, put you in a position of being unliked, unwelcome, unpopular. But remember to whom you are accountable. and take heed for them if they're not taking heed for themselves. And as much as you can, pray, encourage, exhort, but it's going to place you sometimes in a place of being unpopular. This was the case for so many of the prophets. In truth, the kingdom of Israel was destroyed. I'm sure I've had this thought before, but it never came quite this clear until I was preparing for this today. In truth, the kingdom of Israel was destroyed long before the Assyrians came. Long before they arrived, the kingdom of Israel was destroyed. In truth, the kingdom of Judah was exiled long before Nebuchadnezzar and Nebuchadnezzar, his father, arrived long before that. God warned them again and again. through the prophets he sent among them, yet they did not hear, they did not heed, they did not do what Paul is exhorting the Colossians to do, take heed, lest someone take you captive. If we were truly in a war today and our enemy was no more than a few miles away, we would, every one of us, be on our guard. Every one of us would be, and that just makes sense. I'm telling you today, there is an enemy, you need to be on your guard. I know that's not comfortable, I know that's not the way we want to live our life, but the danger is too great. So even though it's not popular, even though it won't garner you or me dinner invitations, God has called us to warn people of this truth. When all the world just wants to hear And so many preachers today are just saying, peace, peace. There is no peace. I think, I'm certain, God wants this read today, and it's lengthy. But I want you to listen to what Jeremiah chapter 6, we're going to begin in verse 8, and just listen to what God provided the kingdom of Judah, what God provided Israel, Actually, this was to the kingdom of Israel, more so than Judah, but Jeremiah warning them. And here's the warning for us today. Jeremiah, chapter six, I believe. As we turn there in verse eight, be warned. Oh, Jerusalem. Lest I turn from you in disgust, lest I make you a desolation, an uninhabited land. Thus says the Lord of hosts, they shall glean thoroughly as a vine the remnant of Israel, like a great gatherer, pass your hand over again over its branches. To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn, they take no pleasure in it. Is this sounding familiar? Therefore, I am full of the wrath of the Lord. I am weary of holding it in. Pour it out upon the children in the street and upon the gatherings of young men. Also, both husband and wife shall be taken, the elderly and the very aged. Their houses shall be turned over to others, their fields and wives together. For I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land, declares the Lord. For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain. And from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed. They did not know how to blush. Therefore shall they shall fall among those who fall at the time that I will punish them and they shall be overthrown, says the Lord. Thus says the Lord, stand by the roads and look and ask for the ancient paths where the good way is and walk in it and find rest for your souls. But they said we will not walk in it. I set watchmen over you saying, pay attention to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, we will not pay attention. Therefore, hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, what will happen to them. Hear, O earth! Behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people, the fruit of their devices, because they have not paid attention to My words, and for My law they have rejected it, and as for My law they have rejected it. What use to Me is frankincense that comes from Sheba, or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable. nor your sacrifices pleasing to me. Therefore, thus says the Lord, behold, I will lay before this people stumbling blocks against which they shall stumble. Fathers and sons together, neighbor and friend shall perish. Thus says the Lord, Behold, a people is coming from the north country. A great nation is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth. Speaking, of course, of Assyria. They lay hold on Bo and Javelin. They are cruel and have no mercy. And by the way, the Assyrians are known as one of the most cruel nations ever to dominate the land. And God warned them that that's exactly how these people would be. The sound of them is like the roaring sea. They ride on horses, set in array as a man for battle against you. Oh, daughter of Zion, we have heard the report of it. Our hands fall helpless. Anguish has taken hold of us. Pain as a woman in labor. Go not out into the field nor walk on the road for the enemy is the sword. Terror is on every side. Oh, daughter of my people, put on sackcloth, roll in ashes, make mourning as for an only son, most bitter Lamentation for suddenly the destroyer will come upon you. This is the end of a people who allowed themselves to be taken captive by the things of this life and ignored God. Here, O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth. Roll in ashes, repent and return to me. Be on your guard. Take heed. All we've covered today is that idea of taking heed. Let me just quickly finish. Take heed against what? Hopefully we've stirred some thoughts. of the importance that we need to take heed. We need to beware. We need to see to it that we're not taken captive. Well, what are we to see to specifically? He says, see to it that no one take you captive through philosophy and vain deceit. Speaking, of course, of the philosophy of man. Man's wisdom. Man's understanding. Now, let me tell you this. The wisdom of God. This is important. The wisdom of God is always revealed wisdom. It is not wisdom that comes from inside of you. It is wisdom that comes from God to you. You cannot look in to your empty, dark, lost, sinful heart and find wisdom. Man has never been able to do that and he never will be able to do that because he's a sinner. His own mind, his carnal mind, his carnal heart just works in absolute contradiction to what real wisdom is. And so Paul says, take heed lest somebody take you captive. And he's already talked about plausible arguments. And then he comes and he matures that thought to not being taken captive by the philosophy and empty deceit of man. God's wisdom is revealed wisdom. It's light that comes into darkness. It's life that comes in to death and makes it alive. Man is just not able to apply his reason to the deep questions of life and find the right answer. That's what intellectualism will get you. It'll get you answers that are empty. You'll be swimming in emptiness if what you're looking for is the wisdom of man. You will end in nothingness. That's why so many are so depressed today, looking for answers where none can be found. Don't be taken captive by the philosophy of man, their empty, vain deceit. It goes on, by the tradition of men. Don't be taken captive by the tradition of men. Now, we know that Paul specifically was arguing there and making a note that, look, Judaism is not requirement to walking after Christ. Circumcision is not what being righteous is about abstaining from certain foods is not what makes you righteous. It's only God. And so he is saying, don't be taken captive by the tradition of men. We can so quickly become more connected and more concerned with adhering to our traditions than adhering to the word of God. And I just believe that's true. I think the average person in the pew today may know more about their church's traditions than they know about the word of God. It's probably true for all of us to some degree. Traditions become a command and God's commands are secondary. Don't be taken captive by the traditions of men. Don't be taken captive by the rudiments of the world. What does that mean? Rudiments, the word, if you do enough looking and digging, because it's difficult. There are a number of different possible interpretations here. The one that seems to make the most sense to me is just the basics, the simple things. Don't be taken captive by the simple things of the world. So many live their entire lives, though, concerned with only the basic things of this natural life. And they're taken captive by it. Money, shelter, food. We spoke this last week at this last couple of times in our chapel service at school about Maslow's hierarchy of needs compared to God's understanding of need and their difference. Maslow said you have this pyramid of needs, and then once you meet all of these needs, you're going to become this self-actualized person, the best person you can possibly be. There may be some grains and some sands of truth in what he said here and there, but I'm telling you today that when we obsess over the things of this life and think only about our physical needs, we will never become anything like what God wants us to be. We're going to lose the sense of those needs to forsake all and follow Christ. But money, shelter, food, etc. We are to look far past these things and not be taken captive by being beholden to them. And yet, if we're honest, most of us live our lives spent captive by the rudiments of the world. That's what we encourage young people with. Get good grades so that you can go into a good college and get accepted there. And you're supposed to get a good college and get good grades there. Why? So that you can get a good job. Why? So you can have all the money you need. It's all a lie. It's all a lie. If your point is to simply see to the rudiments of this world. What does it matter if you gain the whole world and you lose your own soul? Paul could have gone on and on and on and identified any number of additional tactics specific of the enemy. He listed these three. Don't be taken captive by the philosophy and vain deceit of men. Don't be taken captive by the traditions of men. Don't be taken captive by the rudiments, the basic things of this world. He could have gone on and on, but he sums it up this way. Not after Christ. He summed all those tactics up in this. If they're not after Christ, then there's something that the enemy is trying to take you captive with. If it's not about Christ, if it's not for Christ, if it's not to honor Christ, if it's not to obey Christ, if something in your life is there and it has nothing to do with being obedient to Christ, I would ask you to check on it. You may be taken captive, not realize it, Because your entire life is to be lived for Christ, all of it, absolutely every last drop of your life is to be spent to honor him. And that includes enjoying time with friends. It includes our jobs. But I'm telling you today, it needs to all honor and reflect him. If it's not after Christ, it's an attempt to take you captive. That's what it is. And Paul says to beware, take heed, see to it that no one take you captive because the enemy wants to and the enemy will if we are not on our guard. Let's have a song.