Centered in Jesus, the All in All, Part 4
Notes
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In this sermon we are picking up in Colossians 2:16-17, which speaks of three types of heresies the Colossians were in danger of being captivated by: the Judaizers, the pagan worship, and self-made rules. These were taking their focus from being centered in Jesus.
We are to hold fast to Jesus, our substance and head.
The first heresy they were challenged with was Judaism. The Judaizers were going around telling Gentiles they had to keep the Mosaic law to be saved. Last week we talked about that being settled in Acts 15.
16 Therefore 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.
17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
These Judaizers were judging the Colossians in regards to not keeping the law of Moses. In Galatians, circumcision was the sticking point; here it is dietary laws, festivals, new moon and sabbath.
You can read about the Jewish dietary laws in Leviticus 11. You can read about the Jewish festivals in Leviticus 23, and the new moon in Leviticus 23:23-24. You can read about the Jewish sabbath in Exodus 31:12-18.
This heresy is still creeping into the church. Certain veins of Messianic Jews struggle with this. This heresy is embraced, in a form, by the Seventh Day Adventists. I have a childhood friend who I grew up with. We went to church together. We did intensive bible studies and he is now a Jewish proselyte. He is no longer centered on Jesus, our substance and head.
How does Paul refer to the Jewish law?
He says that they are but “a shadow of what is to come”. Shadows are not real, but a representation of the real. Hebrews 8:5-6 affirms this:
5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”
Do we want to focus on the shadow or the real thing? Have you ever tried to interact with a shadow? It is elusive. Think of Peter Pan chasing his shadow.
Good news - we do not have to settle for shadows. We have Jesus, who has come in the flesh and is coming again. He is the substance of the law, the very fulfilment of the law, for he said in Matthew 5:17:
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
We must hold fast to Jesus, our substance and head.
Are the Colossians just being tempted to be Jewish proselytes?
No. Colossians 2:18-19 addresses the temptation of pagan worship and their self-made rules.
18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,
19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
The word καταβραβεύω (katabrabeuō) translated in the ESV as “disqualify” has the ideas of robbing of a prize and controlling through condemnation. It is from the root word βραβευω (brabeuō) which means to rule or control.
The idea here is: do not let yourself or anyone steal the prize of Jesus through controlling condemnation or the results of that condemnation, which is shame. Rather we should follow Paul’s advice in Colossians 3:15.
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Who rules in your heart?
Do they rule through grace or condemnation?
Every religion other than Christianity rules through condemnation. We, as Christians, often fall prey to this, but we have been called to Jesus, who rules through grace and peace. Hallelujah!
The means of condemning rule comes from two sources: human works and the worship of angels.
The ESV uses the phrase “insisting on asceticism”, the NIV use the phrase “delights in false humility” to speak to human works or self-made rules.
Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals.
The Greek word is ταπεινοφροσύνη (tapeinophrosynē). Its dictionary definition in the Greek is to have an attitude of humility.
What, then, is Paul getting at? Does he not call us to humility? He does call us to this in Colossians 3:12-13
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
How does humility become a false humility?
In Colossians 2:18 Paul is getting at motive. He used the Greek word θέλω (thelō) which means “will”. The ESV translates it as “insisting”, the NIV as “delights”. It becomes a false humility when the motive, the will, turns from responding to God’s love to earning God’s love.
Are you practicing your faith in response to God’s love or as a way to earn it?
Are you having conversations in your head or with God that go something like this? “God, why are you letting this happen? Look at all that I do for you.” It could also go something like this: “I am so stupid. I messed up again. I am never going to get it right. I do not know how God is going to forgive me. I have really done it this time. If I can’t forgive myself, why would he forgive me?” Then you are struggling with false humility.
We all have moments or even seasons like this. The important thing is we don’t stay there, but look to Jesus’ grace and forgiveness and begin the long journey of receiving that reality, for we are to hold fast to Jesus, our substance and head.
The second temptation that takes us off being centered on Jesus is “worship of angels”.
Now I know you think to yourself, “Why would I worship angles?” For the Colossians, the elemental spirits ruled the world and they had better gain their favor through disciplining / mutilating their bodies and offering sacrifices and celebrating their holidays. We don’t have this worldview because we were raised with a Judeo-Christian heritage.
Historically, the church in Colossae struggled with worshiping Michael the archangel. We see threads of this in the Catholic church in the veneration of angels.
Today, Islam and Hinduism, the two largest religions after Christianity, are based on the worship of spirits or the revelation of an angel. In 600 AD Mohammad had the angel Gabriel reveal the Qur’an to him.
We have a modern form of angel worship which started in Fayette, New York, in 1830. Joseph Smith received a revelation from the angel Moroni written on gold tablets. This would later become known as the book of Mormon. All of the counties in our mountain states that have five percent or less of evangelical Christianity are Mormon.
What are they basing their authority on?
They are basing their authority on two things. First, it is on visions they have seen. Second, it is the reasoning of their proud, fallen minds.
These authority sources are much easier to discern when they are external. It becomes much harder when it is an internal dialog.
I am sure, as I went through the examples of angel worship and how they came about, you were like, “Yep, they’re false and little crazy”. You may have even thought of Galatians 1:8.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
It is fairly easy to discern they are not holding to Jesus, the head. They are either adding to him or taking away from what his is doing. In so doing, they claim to be wise, but have become fools, forsaking their Creator (Romans 1:22-23).
The harder task is to discern the authority of our own beliefs and the vision we have for our lives.
These effect how we process life. Without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives we would not be able to discern these false authorities, or know where our false humility lies, nor what our objects of worship are, whether they be angels or something else.
It is the Spirit of God that will reveal to us our self-made rules that we do in false humility to appease him, rather than respond to his love.
It is by the Spirit that we hold fast to Jesus, the substance and head, from which all life flows to us as individuals within church, which God is growing.
Will you identify with Jesus, the All in All, holding fast to him, the head and substance, by submitting to the work of the Spirit in your life so the Trinity can bring about your growth?
