A few excerpts from Pastor Bob’s personal notes on the second chapter of Colossians:

Click here to download Pastor Bob’s notes on Colossians 2. Come back each week to get his updated personal notes for the next Sunday’s teaching.

2:1 “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf, and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,”
When the work of God moves forward it does so because this work moves forward, very often in the heart of just one person. That person becomes so concerned about that which remains undone in some part of God’s work that they ‘struggle greatly.” This is the first work of God’s Spirit in bringing about change in the spiritual climate somewhere. When we are willing to bear a burden for the eternal good of others we are beginning to hear the voice of God and an empowering to act in His behalf will soon follow.

2:8 “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.”
In the original language this verse is quite pre-emptive and directive. “Beware so that not any man shall be taking you as spoil . . .” This is graphic language. The Colossians were to be on guard because this was a very clear and present danger. Individuals were capturing and leading away the unsuspecting through philosophy and empty deception. In the great quagmire of religious thought people are the casualties and are viewed by the unscrupulous as the prize…

2:15 “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
…The mission of God in becoming a man, living and dying in behalf of humanity brought about these two important things. Through Jesus, God disarmed the enemy and He triumphed over the enemy. There is no power or authority except what God ordains and allows to function (Rom 13:1-2). There is no threat to what God has planned to do and that includes what he plans to do for those who have believed in Him (Rom 8:31-39; 1 Cor 2:6-10).

2:17 “things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” …The object itself is of so much greater importance. It dismisses the testimony of the
shadow or causes us to interpret the shadow differently. When we have the reality, in this case the person of Christ (literally in Paul’s words, “the body is that of Christ”), why would we consider the shadow sacred. Why would we spend time and energy pondering what we can learn from it. Embrace and ponder the reality!

2:23 “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.”
Pseudo-piety has three elements, all of which appear noble and sincere to us. First, they consist of “self-made religion.” This is the NASB rendering of a compound word used only here that could be rendered “will worship.” It likely refers to the exercise of extreme levels of self-discipline, grinding out routine to distinguish oneself in some way. It is belief and reliance on the human will, the belief that moral weakness is essentially an issue of self-discipline which can and must be eliminated through sheer will power.