Colossians 2:16-23

Ending Legalism

Ending Legalism is the beginning of freedom in Christ!

Colossians 2:16–23 “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. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 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, 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. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”

The start of this text says it all: “Let no one therefore” or “Therefore let no one pass judgement on you in questions of food and drink...”

Literally the Apostle Paul is saying because of Christ Jesus triumphing over them do not allow what others say about you to cause you to feel condemned!

Who is going to condemn you?

In Colossians 2:15 “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

It’s the rulers and authorities that Christ has been victorious over!

The Greek says apxas - that can mean principalities and powers of this world! In all the major religions of the world there is a belief that their is a “god” of this world and a “God” over all!

And the word exousia - means force, magistrate, or superhuman power that can take control!

This spiritual force likes to exercise it’s influence on the will of mankind.

Who do you think this could be?

Satan has done this from the beginning! He is a lier, and the father of lies!

But the text does not name Satan! Rather Paul seems to indicate a plurality of authorities!

Could this be human in origin?

Luke 10:18 “And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

John 12:31 “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.”

1 Peter 3:22 “who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”

At very least the Old Testament seemed to either teach that the world is truly divided up by these demonic unseen forces, or that the nations of the world believed they were divided up!

Examples like Deuteronomy 32:8–9 “When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.”

Or Deuteronomy 4:19–20 “And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day.”

Or Even Genesis 11:1–9 “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.…”

Or even Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

I believe we not only fight against Satan, but against fallen angels and rulers of the darkness of this age! These are the ones that Christ won the victory over! He place them in open shame by triumphing over them in Christ Jesus our Lord!

A. Because of that victory over rulers, powers, and dark forces don’t let anyone devalue you through the food you eat or don’t eat and with questions over your drinking habits.

What is Paul making references toward in the term eating and drinking?

Specifically he was referring to being a Jew, coming out from the Jewish dietary laws!

Now coming to faith in Jesus Christ.

The key purpose in not observing these things seems to be that the people that were a mixture of Jewish and Gentile (Greek) seems to be that this new group of believers were adding something old with something new!

The Old was the observance of these past sacred times! Those who in the passed observed them was to obey the gods through elemental spirits or gods of this age!

Paul was clear, whether you are Jew or Greek we are all one in Christ!

Or as Paul said in Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Our culture and our understanding of that culture may apply, but remember we are to do our best to understand the passed, to bring out the full meaning in this text!

Holiday - a feast yearly. 1 Chronicles 23:31 “and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly before the Lord.”

New Moon - this would be a monthly basis! Galatians 4:10 “You observe days and months and seasons and years!”

c. Sabbath - This would be a weekly basis! Leviticus 23:38–39 “besides the Lord’s Sabbaths and besides your gifts and besides all your vow offerings and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord. “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.”

The Sabbath day was meant to be a special day unto the Lord for the people of God! In other words the Sabbath day was meant to be a day of rest for the people of God! Designed to help reset the body and give relief to the toil of work. We all need rest!

A. Jesus Christ is our rest! Hebrews 4:9 “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,”

Why is Christ our rest?

B. Because He fulfilled what we could not! gospel of Jesus Christ fulfills all the law! Romans 10:1–4 “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

Not only fulfills the law, but brings the law of God out through our hearts!

Romans 13:8–10 “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

These things are just the shadow of the things to come! Meaning these were just examples, or helpful teaching moments for all sinners to note, “without Him I can do nothing!”

With Christ we have the eternal hope! Ephesians 2:7 “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 23:1–5 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

The shadow always pointed believers to the reality the Great Shepherd has me covered!

The reality of eternal things is the substance! We belong to Christ!

Hebrews 8:5 “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.””

Hebrews 10:1 “For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.”

So please do not let anyone beguile you! Do not let anyone defraud you of the your prize! Much like a paid off official whose soul goal is to umpire in favor of the opposing side! Jesus is the proper judge! Not man!

This tricking in false teaching would defraud the true believers of their freedom in Christ, and draw them away from Christ the righteous judge!

2 Timothy 4:8 “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

1 Peter 5:4 “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

The wrong or tricking point, would then be worshipping angels, people (Mary), dead saints, in “will worship,” special dates, and special times or seasons!

This would defraud the believer of their rights to glory in Christ!

How would this look in religious circles? By not allowing you to worship the risen Lord! Pretending that you must worship angels, or people, or even pray to them… as apposed to praying to the Lord directly.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

In truth then we walk by faith and not by sight!

Yet, we must be grounded! Grounded in the word of God, and not demoniacal teaching!

The end result will be as 1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,”

How do we know it is the doctrine of demons and not of Christ?

Consider the end result of their teaching!

Is it puffed up - or lead to false sense of humility!

Does it lead to a fleshly mind? Philippians 3:19 “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”

Does it lead one away from Jesus Christ as the source of help and hope? Ephesians 4:16 “from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

Connection to the body produces:

Healthy members Ephesians 4:16 “Every joint with which it is equipped.”

Healthy bands (connections) Colossians 2:2 “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,” Colossians 3:14 “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Ephesians 4:3 “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Healthy nourishment - food! Thus receiving ministration!

The product is we are knit together under one cause. The cause of Christ! 1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

The only thing that has value against the “indulgences of the flesh” is Jesus Christ. The one that circumcises the flesh, baptises you in the spirit, and will one day raise you just as He was raised from the dead!