When Christ walked the face of the earth He had enemies.  After His resurrection to Heaven the enemies of the Cross continued and even persist to this very day..  In the New Testament the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Colossae whose members had to combat those enemies who promulgated the heretical view that Christ and Christians needed more than what the gospel provided.  
Stressing the preeminence of our Lord, Christ as the mystery of God and in our lesson today His total completeness as our Lord and Savior, Paul strongly argued against that notion that even persists in the minds of many men today. Thus, the inspired words are just as relevant in 2007.  Colossians 2: 8-15 is our text.

1) The World Loves Human Wisdom - vs 8
     a.  Be careful - 1 Corinthians 1: 20-25
     b.  We can be enslaved to it- but Christians become enslaved willingly to Christ
     c.   A Christian with Hoilness and Godly sincereity loves God's Word as opposed to..2 Corinthians 1:12
     d.  Vanity is easy to fall into..Romans 1: 20-23
     e.  Man emphasized, God de-emphasized  Mk 7: 7-13
      f.  Galatians 1: 11-12 - Paul received God's Word

2)  Complete In Christ - vs 9
      a.  Complete fulness in Christ - Col. 1: 19 - complete summing up in Him 
      b.  Hebrews 1: 1-5 - excellent passage on the fulness of our Savior
      c.  John 1:14 - the glory as the only begotten of the Father
      d.  Hebrews 1: 1-5; 8-10 - the Father's Radiance, exact representation of His glory, scepter is in His
           right hand
     
3)  Works All Things After The Counsel Of His Will - Completeness Exemplified
      a.  Ephesians 1: 9-11    
           1.  Work - John 17:4
           2.  Glory - John17:5;  Acts 3: 13-14
           3.  Mission of Redemption - Luke 19:10; 1 Timothy 2: 3-5
           4.  Conquest over Satan - Matthew 12: 29; Luke 11 21-22; Col 2: 15
           5.  Authority - Matthew 28: 18; Ephesians 1: 22
           6.  Name - Phil 2: 9-11; Rev 19:16
           7.  Revelation - John16: 12-13; 2 Peter 1: 3-4
           8.  Church - Eph 1: 22-23
           9.  Kingdom - Col 1: 12-13; Hebrews 12: 28; Rev 12:10
          10. Throne - Rev 3: 21;  Heb 1: 8-9

4)  Fullness(Completeness) Of The Christian In Christ
      a.  vs 11-15 - If it had not been for Christ all that was lost in Adam would have doomed us
           to eternal destruction!
           1.  Sins blotted out: forgiven - Jer 31: 34; Hebrew 8:12; Acts 3: 19
           2.  Buried in baptism - Romans 6: 1-9; Galatians 3: 26-27
           3.  Were Dead-Now Alive - 2 Corinthians 5: 16-17; Eph 2: 1-5
       b.  More things to make us complete - 
           1.  Circumcision is spiritual - Eph 2: 11; Romans 2: 28-29; Phil 3:3
           2.  No more ordinances - Eph 2: 14; Heb 10: 9-10
           3.  Forces controlled by Satan despoiled - John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Heb 2: 14-15; 1 John 3:8
                Rev 1: 17-18