Are you dead? Col. 2:20-23

Introduction

How often do we find ourselves turning back to whats comfortable for us? As humans we do not like to get out of our comfort zones, in fact I would say most of us don’t even like to think about getting out of our comfort zones. We like to sit in the same seat, park in the same spot, eat at the same places and often do this for many years.

Christianity isn’t comfortable. In fact most of the time if you get comfortable in the Christian life, God will send something your way to get you uncomfortable.

Here in Colossians 2:20-23 Paul is going to remind the church here to not go back where they are comfortable, but to die with Christ so they can live with him.

Imagine with me for a moment a master pianist sitting at a piano with their fingers gliding freely across the keys making a beautiful melody. As the pianist continues two men come up and place heavy chains on the wrist of the pianist and suddenly the beautiful flowing melody turns into a terrible noise that no one enjoys.

In this illustration Christianity is the pianist without the chains and Judaism is the pianist with the chains.

There are two categories of people in this world.

There are those who live a black and white life. These people want you to tell them all the do’s and don’ts. I am this type of person. I like rules because they bring order.

There are those who live in the grey. These people read the do’s and don’ts and find a way to get around it. They don’t like rules.

Judaism was black and white with the law, full of do’s and don’ts and often the Jewish people who got saved would be inclined to go back to the law. Christianity is not all about rules. Christianity is very simple. Christianity is Christ.

Dead with Christ

the first word in verse 20 is wherefore. It is taking in to account all of the things Paul had been teaching up to this point.

Watch out for those who try to entice you with their words.

beware of those who worship knowledge more than the one who gives knowledge (vain philosophy)

Beware of those who will deceive you or distract you with the traditions of men and the simple things of the world.

Watch out for those who are faking their worship and humility.

Then he goes on to say if ye be dead with christ

The word if here means since

Paul here is reminding them when they got saved they became dead to our past when we died with Christ and in the beginning of chapter 3 we are also alive with Christ as we arose with him as well.

We are dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the world.

Rudiments - the basic aspects

World - the earth.

Then Paul asks the question that we all have to asks ourselves sometimes.

Why are you living as though you’re living in the world.

1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Why do we live the way the world wants us to?

The flesh.

Every person deals with the battle of the flesh, the problem is often times we try to fight the flesh with flesh. The problem is we can’t fight the flesh with the flesh. It doesn’t work. In the book of Romans Paul gives us the answer to fighting the flesh. It’s the cross

Rom. 6:6-7 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.”

John Phillips said this “Christianity is not a matter of our keeping of kindergarten rules. It is a matter of being indwelt by the living Christ who, having given his life for us, now gives His life to us.”

He then asks another question

Are you subject to the ordinances?

Paul couldn’t believe that the church at Colosse would allow people to come into their church and bind them with all kinds of legalistic rules.

Legalism is a trigger word these days and some use it as a synonym for standards. Legalism has nothing to do with standards unless those standards are used to gain you salvation. Legalism by definition is adding anything to salvation. An example of this would be to say that Baptism is a requirement to get to heaven.

the word subject here means to impose dogmas (a settled opinion) on someone.

I’m thankful today that we are no longer subject to any rules that man may impose, but that we are only subject to standards Christ has given us.

The thing with the worlds standards is we can never live up, with Christs’ standards we can because its not us but Christ living in us.

The rules imposed on them

touch not - beware of ceremonial defilement

taste not - beware of forbidden foods

handle not - beware of getting a feel of what is forbidden

When we think about the law it spelled out everything for them. It talked about personal hygeine, it listed the animals they could and couldn’t eat, it gave them the rules for the type of clothing they could wear, and it gave them rules for pretty much everything they would encounter.

Paul cries out the touch not, taste not, handle not and then just stops. There was no end to this besides Jesus.

Think about Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”

Paul isn’t telling them they are to sin, but rather he is free from sin. We were once dead in sin and now we are dead to sin.

Paul then told them the manmade rules perish with the using.

How can someone secure eternal salvation by way of perishable things like food for example. The answer is its impossible.

How can you be dead with Christ but still be attached to the commandments (do’s and don’ts) of man? You can’t!

How can you be dead with Christ but still be attached to the doctrines of man? You can’t!

note: Notice when the Bible talks about doctrine there is always a distinguisher between the doctrine given by God and the doctrine given by man. When the doctrine comes from God its singular, but when it comes from man it is plural. The reason there are hundreds of religions in the world are because man is always coming up with more doctrine.

Acts 2:42 “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

1 Tim 4:6 “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.”

1 Tim 4:13 “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”

1 Tim 4:16 “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

Fake Worship

will worship is self imposed worship. Real worship isn’t self imposed but rather imposed by the Holy Spirit. Many worship services today are orchestrated through emotions. Paul was dealing with the same thing.

Worship orchestrated by man will always feed the flesh, but worship orchestrated through the Holy spirit will always feed the spirit.

Phillips said this “Intellectualism, Mysticism, ritualism, legalism and asceticism are all inadequate. All such things end up ministering to human pride.”

Made made worship doesn’t please God it only pleases the flesh. God centered worship helps our spirit.

Conclusion

Are you choosing rules over a relationship?

Is your worship man centered or God centered?