You have a true life. It is not in your physical possession right now, but Christ promises it soon will be and worth investing any and everything. And my brothers and sisters, when He appears again, the true you will be seen… and the world has never seen anything like it…. Has never seen anything like you in your full glory. This is where we are called to set our minds rather than this world and the flesh that fills it.

As we close out chapter 2, Paul comes against the false teachers in the Colossian church, and reminds us all to stay vigilant to not fall prey to their false, anti-gospel teaching. Anything added to the gospel takes away from the gospel.

Are we free enough? Christ makes his people free and wants us to walk in that freedom. The false teachers were aiming to rob the believers of the freedom that Christ had purchased for them. But the pure gospel sustains and frees the people of God.

Because Christ has brought about the end of the internal rule of our sin nature and the external rule of spiritual authorities of darkness in our lives, we can live fully for him and with him through this life and beyond.

The indwelling Christ is our developed and protected lens by which to know and value all things and the supreme Lord over all.

Paul reminds the Colossians that they were once enemies and aliens of the Father, but Christ has brought them home. And because of that, he is the only source we need for life and freedom.

It is the heart of the Father that each of us be brought to maturity in Christ  through teaching and shepherding so that we might do the same to many other children of God.

Brothers and sisters.. you fully belong to the Father.  You have full rights and privileges of being close to him as your Father.  And you have Christ in you right now… which is your God-given confidence of all the glory you will share with him in the future.

The Apostle Paul was an amazing minister of the gospel. His life and ministry were marked by joyful suffering and deep love for the Church, a pattern he learned from the ultimate gospel minister, Jesus Christ.