You Complete Me

You Complete Me
Colossians 2:1-23
December 21, 2025

We are continuing our study of the letter written to the Colossians where Paul is proclaiming the truth to the church  to keep them from falling into heresies. As we’ve seen before, there were many who were trying to draw them away from the truth of the gospel, and Paul was very concerned for them.

Heresies spread so easily. The problem is that it doesn’t just stop with a thought pattern or an idea. It starts to impact and guide the direction of your life.

As we’ve seen before, one of the heresies they had to deal with in that area was Gnosticism. Gnostic means to ‘know’. They proclaimed  praie  that they had knowledge of higher mysteries and wanted to draw people into that, thinking that they would get life and enlightenment through that path.

So, Paul uses this term “mysteries”, saying that he urges them to understand the mystery of God and the Father and of Christ. What is this mystery? He told us what this was in the first chapter.

Colossians 1:27, Christ in You, the hope of glory.

This is such a simple, yet such a profound statement. If we can really grasp what this means and live according to this truth in our daily lives, it will radically transform everything in our lives.

I. Have Full Assurance

• Paul starts of by praying that they will have full assurance and truly understand the finished work of Christ and the position they have in Him by grace; this deep, wonderful mystery of what Christ has done for us.
• The real mystery, the real revelation needed, is to truly grasp that none of it is by some effort from my side that makes me righteous, it is Christ in me; the work Christ does in me.

A. Walk in Christ

• Paul is essentially telling them to stay rooted in the first primary principles that they heard when they got saved.

Col 2:5, Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

• How did you receive Christ? This is the same question he asked the Galatians as well.

Galatians 3:2-3, This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 

• Many think that they receive Christ by faith, but then as soon as they start to study the word, they get overwhelmed by all the things that they ‘need to become and need to do’. It becomes a checklist that they live towards and sometimes they make it, and sometimes they don’t.
• It is an old ploy of the enemy to distract you that you will be so focused on living right, that it becomes a self-development religion.
• We need to walk in Christ in the same way that we received Him. We received salvation by grace and the finished work of Christ. Jesus is the one who transferred us from darkness to light. He is the one that saved us and brought new life in our inner being and made us righteous.
• Walking in the same way means that we live dependent on focusing on Jesus changing us from the inside out.

Illus – It is like when someone brings in a master builder to do a massive construction job. The master builder, while you stand to the side observing, not being involved at all in the process, lays the foundation of this massive building project. He has the plans, he has the knowledge, he has taken ownership of completing this project. Then as soon as the foundation is laid, you step in and start to take over, telling him to stand off to the side and just watch. Even better he can go back to his trailer, and you will call him if you think it’s necessary. Although you have even built a tree house in your life.

Verse 6 – …Firmly rooted, and now being built up in HIM and established in your faith, overflowing in gratitude.       

• We walk and grow in the power of God by the inner working of the Holy Spirit of Christ changing us. We walk in Him and He lives in us.

Ilus – I sometimes wish we could see in the Spiritual realm. Most people still see themselves as going about their lives independently from Christ, like He is a ‘phone a friend’. But the word says that we are in Him, and He is in us. This is difficult for our minds to grasp. You are protected, in the ‘bubble’, like a holy, all powerful ‘forcefield’ , your Spirit secure in Him.  

Illus – It is like the difference between a dial up modem where you pay every minute you are connected, vs free Wi-Fi forever.

• You walk in His grace, you walk in His power, you walk in His purpose and how He leads your life, changing and transforming you for His glory, hour by hour day by day year by year.
• Our part is to keep our focus, not be swayed by the self-development, self-focus, which eventually leads to failure, and self-criticism. Our part is to be strongly established in our faith in JESUS and HIS work in us.

B. Walk with Gratitude

Illus – Let’s go back to the master builder scenario. Imagine this builder is building this wonderful mansion for you. Every time you want to jump in, He says graciously” let me do this”. You feel overwhelmed, wanting to pay him, yet He says, I am doing this graciously. You don’t have to pay me. This is my gift to you. How do you repay that? That stirs a heart of overwhelming gratitude.

• The deepest discomfort people have, is if they don’t have surety of peace with God. I have met people who have great health and much wealth, yet they have no peace; deeply troubled soul, because they know the soul is broken.
• On the contrary, I have met people who have very little, and are even experiencing terminal illness, but they have a deep peace? Why? Because they can say, “It is well with my soul.”

Romans 8:35-36,Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• True life, peace, joy and gratitude come from knowing deep in you innermost being that you are at peace with God. And the most beautiful part of it is that it is available to everyone and it is a free gift.
• It is received by simply believing and thanking God for this underserved unmerited favor; thanking Him knowing that through it all He is busy building for His glory.

II. Keep Living in Freedom

• You can still be taken captive though. You can lose your sense of peace and freedom. How? By allowing it to happen and believing the lie.

Verse 8 – See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

• This problem Paul was warning them about is a very real problem today, a clear and present danger in our time.

Illus – I am amazed how many people have said that they had children who grew up in church or in a Christian home, they go to college for 4 years, and return total atheists, with no moral compass, heading  to a road of destruction.

• This is one example of what happens when thoughts are taken captive by philosophies that is not aligned with Christ. Wrong philosophies can sneak into your faith walk too.
• Paul calls it empty deceptions. It seems like there is truth to it, it seems like it is a noble cause, but in the end, it is without eternal substance.
• I like the phrase ‘elementary principles of the world.’ It means simple, basic, rudimentary. The principles that the world makes out to be so high, lofty, and clever, is foolish and incomparable to the wisdom and depths of God. You can see how easily people nowadays lose their minds over the simplest things.
• Elementary also refers to earthly, like the table of elements. Many times, the things people keep them busy with are earthly, elemental things, like dedicating their lives to save some little bug in some pond in the rain Forrest, thinking it will give them purpose and a legacy, and by it they are trying to solve a spiritual problem. You cannot solve a spiritual problem with an earthly solution.
• No matter how many charity balls you host to save the lost dogs.
• No matter how many rallies you attend for your favorite pet peeve.
• No matter how many old ladies’ grass you cut, or how many soup kitchens you work in, or how many people you visit in hospital, it cannot address the spiritual problem.
• Helping and serving people is wonderful and part of our Christian walk, but it cannot give you righteousness and peace with God. Only Christ can.

A. You have been Made Complete

Verse 10 – In Him you have been made complete.

• I did a deep study on the word complete and you know what it means? It means: complete!
• There is this well know phrase where Tom Cruise in the movie tells his girlfriend: You complete me!
• In the end, there is only one who can truly complete you.
• How does this Happen?

B. The flesh has been circumcised 

• The flesh is circumcised when the heart is circumcised by Christ. Not something done in the flesh, but it is a spiritual circumcision.
• Just like when there is cancerous growth, before healing can come, the malignant part must first be cut away. Sin is like that malignant growth that wants to take over and overwhelm our lives.
• Christ cuts it out, frees us from the spiritual hold it had on our spirits, and sets us free from the power of sin and death.
• Sin loses its rule, control, and authority in your life. You are no longer its slave, having to bid on its every call.

C. Your debt has been cancelled

• Verse 14- When someone was crucified, their certificate of debt was nailed to the cross with them.

Illus – The charge against Christ was that He claimed to be the King of the Jews, the Son of God.

• In the same way, in the spiritual realm, there is a certificate of debt against every person, and it is empowered by the law. Christ took that guilt and nailed it to the cross. He paid the price for it so you can go free.
• Then He disarmed the rulers and authorities in the spiritual realm and made a public spectacle of them.

Illus – We see in the olden times that when a king overcame his enemies, they would bind them up, and make a train behind the conquering captain or king, and they would walk behind him as they make a public display of the fact that they have been conquered, and stripped of their power.

• This is what Christ did to Satan and all his demonic forces. They were stripped of their authority, and the greatest weapon they have against you is condemnation.
• By the way, Satan is not Christ’s equal. He is a created being. He has no authority against the name of Jesus.
• As soon as Christ paid for our sin, they were totally disarmed, because they have no weapon to use against you, no guilt to throw your way, no legal footing to stand on. There is no weapon formed against you that can prosper.
• Christ made you complete before God. Nothing can be added.
• But in your daily walk here on earth, your mind still needs to be renewed so you can start walking in the revelation of freedom, coming in agreement with what God says about you and your spiritual identity.

D. Walk in Freedom 

• Paul tells them, let no one stand in judgement over you in what you eat or don’t eat, judgement over not keeping holy days or festivals. Everything that was set up in the law was a mere shadow of Christ, pointing to Him.
• Sunday is not a holy day. We can go to church on any day. We are in the eternal Sabbath rest of Christ as the Hebrew writer says. The Sabbath was a foreshadowing of our eternal rest in Christ.

Verse 20-21,  If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 

• There are those who want to lead people into works of only eating certain things, or doing certain rituals, forcing them to fast so they can become holier.
• If you want to fast, it is great, but not if you think it will make you more righteous, more holy, more deserving of favor, etc.

Verse 23 – These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

• Righteousness has nothing to do with actions, though my faith will produce actions.
• Because I believe in Christ, I want to know Him more, so I read my bible. Because I believe in Christ, I want to know His will and communicate with Him, so I pray, but it doesn’t make me righteous.
• It is important to keep this distinction. Because we can easily fall into the trap of equating our righteousness with our works. When we do that, we put ourselves in a position of judging others, because it makes me a little better than them. It is a dangerous place to be, and God’ doesn’t want us there.

E. He completes you

• This is something you can only say to one person in the universe: Jesus. He is the one that restored every part that was missing referring to your righteousness. Not only that, even the pieces of you that you thought were fine have been redeemed to the fullness of glory which is in Christ.

Illus – I am blessed, I am called, I am healed, I am whole…

• You might not feel like it, but it has nothing to do with feelings. It is a truth taken hold of by faith.
• How many times have you failed, and then promised God that you will do better. How many times have you tried to please God by promising Him that you will live more righteous, read the bible more, pray more, serve more. How many times have you failed?
• Good things, but if done from the perspective of trying to be righteous, it is dead works .
• If it flows FROM the revelation that you ARE already COMPLETE in Him, it has a whole different meaning.
• Now I spend time in the word so I can unearth the treasure, understanding what completeness entails to take hold of it.
• Again… Christ in me, the hope of glory!
• What an amazing verse! Nothing needs to ever be added to you to be good enough before God. The righteousness project is complete. It is finished!!!