Message summary: Let us make sure we don't have warning fatigue but remain vigilant and sensitized so that no one deceives us. Jesus said, “Watch out that no one deceives you" (Matthew 24:4).

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"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ" (Colossians 2:8).

Yesterday we visited White Oak, a company that makes retail displays. It's a busy place with all kinds of activity such as saws, CNC machines and forklifts darting about moving pallets of material. Amongst the steady noise there are warning signals such as the "beep beep" of a forklift backing up (listen here).

Alarm fatigue is a term used to describe what can happen when we are overloaded with alarms. It happens in many contexts in life, for instance a warning light may activate on your dashboard display. I recently had one on each vehicle, a check brake light and a check engine light. Actually, my brakes seem to work fine and I didn't sense any trouble with my engine but I would be very unwise to ignore them!

In a medical context alarm fatigue occurs when clinicians experience high exposure to medical device alarms, causing alarm desensitization and leading to missed alarms or delayed response. As the frequency of alarms used in healthcare rises, alarm fatigue has been increasingly recognized as an important patient safety issue. If you've been a patient or visited a hospital in recent years you can see how this might happen.

But of course in these messages our focus is on the Bible and there are many warnings in the pages of sacred Scripture. Jesus gave many warnings such as, "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" (Luke 12:5). In Colossians 1:28 Paul writes, "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ".

Today let us consider a warning in Colossians 2:8, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ". We may see this as merely words to a group of young believers in Colossae 2,000 years ago, but it's a timeless warning to all who follow Christ in any generation.

It's always been the enemy's arsenal to sneak up on his unsuspecting victims, take them captive and enslave them to that which is contrary to Christ's teachings. Essentially that strategy began in the Garden and has continued ever since. The means of enslavement comes in many forms. We may think of those held captive by drugs, alcohol, immorality, thievery, and so many other vices.

But here in Colossians Paul is specific. The danger is "hollow and deceptive philosophy". Philosophy means the love of wisdom, and we should all seek wisdom from God. Proverbs 29:3 states, "He who loves wisdom makes his father glad".

But in today's text "philosophy" is used by Paul in the sense of vain speculations. There's plenty of that going on and Christians can succumb to it as well. The deceptions of these vain speculations "depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ".

A key word here is human traditions, also translated human teachings. I believe the International Children's Bible catches the simple meaning: "Be sure that no one leads you away with false ideas and words that mean nothing. Those ideas come from men. They are the worthless ideas of this world. They are not from Christ" (Colossians 2:8 ICB).

We have this warning. Let us make sure we don't have warning fatigue but remain vigilant and sensitized that no one deceives us. Jesus said, “Watch out that no one deceives you" (Matthew 24:4).

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13.

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber