Walk in Christ - Part II

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Reinforce fall ministries - Engage and grow

Remind Colossians 2 is one thought - Last week was part I (If you missed…)

This week is part II

As we open our Bibles to Colossians 2, throughout the past centuries, theologians wrote about the idea of a Half-Learned Christ

Knowing only part of Jesus, and so missing the whole of who he is.

And the reason they wrote about this was because they knew that there was a danger to being taught only some things about Christ rather than being taught all that the Bible teaches about him.

When you only know part of him, you will fill in the gaps of your understanding with other ideas.

Scottish pastor and theologian Sinclair Ferguson, referring to this idea, so helpfully summarizes this idea when he says

“The problem of a half–learned Christ is that it makes you gullible; it makes you open to all kinds of religious teaching that sounds right, but is actually erroneous and deeply sinister.”

We have to start this morning acknowledging that we are all in danger of error and that the only protection from error is a knowledge of the truth.

And this chapter in Colossians is a correction to errors that had crept in to the church in Colossae.

And it will be a correction to any errors that have crept into our thinking as well.

Now by way of reminder, chapter 2 is one long thought, and it starts with Paul giving the command in v. 6-7 to walk in Christ in the way that they received him.

And chapter 1 made clear that the way that they receive him was as supreme, he is God over all, and as sufficient, his work and his word are sufficient for us to live the lives that he is calling us to.

So, Paul is saying because Jesus is supreme and sufficient, live like it

Last week we looked at the first part of what it means to walk in Christ, to live as though he is supreme and sufficient, and we saw that there will be distortions to the truth…

…to walk in Christ means that I reject those distortions and embrace the truth of who Jesus is as a correction to those distortions

In v. 8-15, Paul is addressing ideas. He calls them empty and deceitful philosophies that are according to human tradition and according to spiritual deception.

But he does not just stop there, as if confronting bad ideas all that has to be done.

Ideas have consequences and bad ideas have victims

Those empty and deceitful philosophies are lived out and impact your life

Paul is now going to move to how the distorted ideas are working themselves out in the church and he will use a full understanding of Christ to confront and correct these distorted practices

So that is all in the background of our passage this morning and with all of that now brought to the foreground, let’s give God’s word our full attention.

[PASSAGE - Col. 2:16-23]

Big Idea [Same as last week]: Jesus is enough

His words and his work are completely sufficient for all of the Christian life.

But when we allow other beliefs, other teachings, other ideas to be added to the Gospel, we will then start to add other requirements to the Gospel

It is not just that people add beliefs to the Gospel

Those beliefs also carry with them added practices, rules, requirements.

But when you receive Jesus as supreme and sufficient, as Lord of your life whose word is sufficient, then you do not have to add anything to him or to the Christian life for it to be lived in Christ.

So the question before us this morning, how can I know if I am walking in Christ (according to what Paul says in 2:6-7) or if I am walking according to the empty and deceitful philosophies of the day?

What will be the markers of my life that will affirm that I am walking in Christ, that he is enough, as supreme and sufficient, and not walking according to other ideas that then lead to adding to the Gospel message.

3 of them - 3 markers that I am walking in Christ and that he is enough.

I know I am walking in Christ when…

And may these three markers be evident in our midst as a church family this week.

So first, I know I am walking in Christ when…

My righteousness comes from him (16-17)

Paul starts in v. 16 - Therefore, since Jesus is supreme and sufficient, because Jesus is enough…

- “let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.”

To understand what Paul is getting out here, we need to do some quick history.

God sent the people of Israel apart to be his chosen people in the Old Testament. They were to be distinct from all of the other nations, and in being distinct, they would then be pointing the other nations to the one true God.

Makes sense - If you are like everyone else, then your God must not be any different from anyone else’s

And so God gave the people of Israel commands that they were to live by that would establish them as being distinct from all the other nations

Some of these laws were moral - Pertaining to their conduct. You shall not murder. You shall not steal.

Others of the laws were ceremonial - They were required for the people to be able to have access to the temple for worship.

If you did not follow the ceremonial laws, you were unclean and could not enter the temple where God’s presence was.

These ceremonial laws included dietary laws (Leviticus 11)

There were foods that were considered unclean, and if you ate them, you would be unclean. This was not to say that they were animals that were bad, but there were animals whose way of living was filthy, and so by not eating of those foods, the people of Israel displayed the importance of cleanliness and purity.

These laws were establishing an expectation and a valuing of purity in the lives of God’s people.

The ceremonial laws also included observances in their calendar.

Festival, new moon, Sabbath (Leviticus 23; Num. 28; Ex. 20)

They were to remember events through feasts and offer sacrifices on important dates. They were to not work on the Sabbath.

All of it was to remember what God had done for them and said to them.

And this phrase, “festival, new moon, or Sabbath” - When the three terms appear together in the OT, it is referring to the whole of the Hebrew religious calendar

Paul is using this combination of terms, food and drink, and festival, new moon, and Sabbath to summarize the entire OT ceremonial law.

Why would he do this?

In Colossae, there was a group claiming that to be able to rightly come into God’s presence, you still had to follow the OT ceremonial law.

He confronts this by saying, v. 17

What does this mean?

The word here translated substance is actually the Gk. word for “Body”

[Illustration]

Imagine if you will that you think you are alone, but then around the corner you see a shadow start to move in front of you

What is happening? A person is coming toward you. There is a person whose body that shadow belongs to.

The actual body of the person comes after the shadow and helps make sense out of why the shadow is the way that it is

Paul is saying, “All of those ceremonial laws were pointing to Jesus and all that he would do and accomplish

Paul says in Romans that Jesus is the “end of the law”

The OT ceremonial law pointed to Christ - It is not to be added to Christ.

Form vs. Function

[Application] If I don’t understand this distinction, I will ultimately make my faith in to a transactional faith

Sin/Favor

Hebrews 4:14–16 “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

When we are in Christ, walking in him, we do not go to a temple to be in God’s presence, but we are the temple, with the presence of God within us - Made clean by his righteousness

And so our righteousness comes from him, not from our works.

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you, not even yourself.

[SUMMARY] So first, i know I am walking in Christ when my righteousness comes from him

next, I know I am walking in Christ when…

My growth flows from him (18-19)

False teaching was common in the early church and it is just as common today (and thanks to the internet, it is much easier to find)

All false teachers promise growth and life change, but only Christ can deliver true Gospel growth and life change

Let’s define false teaching

Anything that misrepresents Christ

Anything the misrepresents the Gospel

Now, we do not know the exact content of what these teachers were claiming, but it does seem like Paul in general addresses the content of the teaching in v. 18, and it all in some way misrepresents Christ or the Gospel.

He starts by saying "let no one disqualify you"

This word is what you would use for a runner in a race who has an opportunity to win a medal but because of the way that he goes about running, he is no longer able able to win

The problem with false teaching is that if you embrace it as opposed to the truth of the gospel, you actually miss out on the benefits of communion with Christ because it is not Christ who is being taught.

And the heart of these false teachings that were happening in this church is the same heart of so many false teachings that happen today:

Asceticism - Self-humiliation - Proving your righteousness

Putting yourself through agony and hardship, thinking it is adding to your righteousness

This adds works to the Gospel - You own infliction of hardship on your life

This might sound foreign to you, but if you have ever heard someone say that you have to live in poverty to be a Christian, then you’ve heard this idea.

Worship of Angels - Elevation of created things to the level of worship and devotion

Now we may not be worshiping angels today, but any claim that to be a true Christian today means you will [Fill in the blank] and whatever goes in that blank is a created thing, or another person, you are hearing the same false teaching that was happening here.

Using created things to feel closer to God is another form of this

Remember, it is Christ who is supreme and sufficient, so we should not elevate anything to his level, but instead everything comes under his reign.

Visions - Claiming to be a source of revelation - Have to listen to them

Because Christ is supreme and sufficient, we do not need to look elsewhere for validation of the truth.

False teachers will claim to have received new information from God, often through the form of visions, but also claiming to have heard God speak to them. We must reject this whole sale.

And all of these elements of false teaching promise growth, but actually don’t produce anything of value.

But notice he says, “insisting” - False teachers will always have some sense of urgency to the things they are adding to the Gospel

pride - Disconnected from the head

On the contrary, Growth flows from Christ

Colossians 2:19 “from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”

He is supreme and sufficient

You need to read his word - You need to know what he says

You need to submit to his commands - You need to follow the conviction of his spirit within you.

This does not diminish the role of preaching in the local church, it actually ramps up the necessity of biblical preaching in the local church.

Preaching in the church must rightly divide the word of truth

This is why James says not many should presume to be teachers for you will encourage stricter judgment.

It is my responsibility as the preaching pastor in this church to tell you what God's word says: No more and no less.

Because he has given us everything we need for life and godliness - Himself.

And any teacher of the word must point faithfully to Christ because true growth flows from him.

This is why it is so important to ask questions about any teaching that is claiming to be from God

Who is this teaching ultimately about?

What is this teaching requiring of me?

False teachers will make sure that they are elevated and they will also ask you to do things that ultimately benefit them.

True teachers will make sure that Christ is elevated and they will call you to do only that which makes much of Christ in your life.

So the first two markers are that my righteousness comes from him, I don’t hope in my own works, and my growth flows from him, I remain connected to him as Supreme and sufficient.

Finally, the third marker that I am walking in Christ… I know I am walking in Christ when…

My desires are shaped by him (20-23)

Remember last week we talked about the me-shaped worldview of (1) you do you, (2) you can be like God and determine your own identity, and (3) God is withholding things from you and you need more of what you want

That is the me-shaped worldview - It is all up to me

v. 20 - But when you followed Jesus by faith, your old self died, it was cut off, buried

But when you listen to human-centered, empty and deceitful philosophies and follow the rules that they tack on to the Gospel, you live like your old self

Not only that, but that way of living is not walking in Christ, but is walking according to legalism

v. 21-22 - Legalism is the result of a human-centered Gospel

If it is all about me, then it is up to me to change my behavior

Legalism is the attitude that if I follow the right steps, my life will look right - But the question is: To who?

v. 22 - Not to God, God cares about the heart. It is people we are actually trying to please when we only care about the rules and following the rules.

Paul is essentially saying, if you are in Christ, then depend on Christ. It is an oxymoron to embrace a bunch of rules and regulations for your life and claim at the same time that you've been crucified with Christ.

Why? Because I can create all kinds of rules so that I look righteous all the while being filled with every vile desire imaginable.

But if the spirit of God dwells in me through faith in Christ Jesus, then that means that my desire should be changing. It is not just a matter of enforcing regulations on myself, but should instead be that I pursue a change of heart.

And notice how Paul refers to this? v. 23

Self-made religion - It looks wise because to the onlooker we appear to be setting the necessary parameters in place to live a righteous life. But look what Paul says…

v. 23b - Of no value

Regulations will never be sufficient for the Christian life

Why? Because I can follow a bunch of rules and know nothing about what it means to be crucified with Christ

I can do all of the right things and avoid all of the wrong things and know nothing about having my heart changed.

Friends, what sin patterns are present in your life? What rules and regulations have you put in place to avoid them? How has that worked out for you?

I bet it hasn’t worked

I bet it works for a season, but when the focus is the self-made rules, the focus is off of Christ.

Do you want to be free from the sin patterns of your life? Do you want to know victory in those places of addiction?

Stop making it about regulations - Make it about Christ!

Let God work in your heart to change your desires so that you love what he loves and hate what he hates.

Stop counting how many days it has been since you had your last drink or went to that website or talked to that person.

Start seeing the knowledge of Jesus as the only hope for your soul.

Start seeing time in his word as essential for your health

Start seeing time in prayer as being as important as breathing

Start seeing intentional time with his people as an essential part of your very being, because we are not individuals, but a body made of many parts.

As you pursue Jesus, as you delight yourself in him, he will change your heart to look more like his.

But if the heart does not change, no amount of rules or regulations will keep a person from pursuing the sin they desire.

You don’t need more rules - You need to love Jesus more than the sin {Unpack]

What all of us need is for our desires to be changed and shaped by him. That is the only way that our lives will change - When our desires change.

Because you do what you do because you want what you want.

If we want Christ more than anything, we will walk in Christ through anything.

[Closing]

Paul has given us a clear view of Jesus in these past 2 chapters and God’s word commands us to walk in christ as we received him

He is supreme and sufficient

He needs nothing added to him

We need to receive that truth, knowing

Our righteousness comes from him

Our growth flows from him

And our desires are shaped by him

And when those things happen, we will know that we are walking in him.