Colossians 2 Let No One Judge You

Colossians 2:16-23

I can remember being very harsh with my judgments regarding certain things. If you cut grass on Sundays, you are going to hell. If you do certain things on Sundays, you are lost. If you don’t have the same view as me on eternal security or some other Bible doctrine… you are most likely lost.

I could have been harsh on other things, but these are what I remember.

Let no one judge you regarding these things… What things?

Food, drink, festivals, New moon or Sabbaths.

What is going on here?

Teachers, false teachers, are coming along and they are mixing things up and messing people up. You have Greek and Jews coming together, and they are bringing their own ideas into Christian teaching. You have Greek philosophy and Jewish legalism.

The mind loves a good stimulation and the flesh loves some good legalism… just do some stuff… just do these actions… just keep these rituals, these diets, these holidays, and so on… and you will be good to go.

We love to have our lists that we check off on and we say, “I am doing good,” or “Yeah, I just need to do better...” And we like that… We don’t like dying to self, and falling on Christ alone and grace alone for our life.

I would rather read and study all the theology from the apostle Paul, than to read Jesus’ telling me to die to myself, and I cannot do anything apart from Him...

And we can all find ourselves swinging back and forth from one end to the other… Grace, grace, grace… I just need to do, do and do...

The teachers are telling these Christians to do, do, and do… and add to Jesus’ work on the Cross for them. Jesus plus, eating and drinking the right things, keeping the right days, and so on...

Is this a big deal? Yes, Verse 17… they are slipping into the shadows. The Book of Galatians, let everyone who preaches a different message be accursed. You are being foolish. You are falling away from grace and are going back to legalism… You are being bewitched.

All of this stuff in the Old Covenant pointed forward to Jesus. Jesus is the reality, the substance. You are trading the substance for a shadow.

The child is in the room and she is holding a picture of her parents and she is kissing the picture, holding and hugging the picture, and telling the picture all about her day...

And we all say, “Oh, how sweet...” Until we realize that her parents are in the room.

There is a problem here.

We are trading the Person in for something else. We are trading the relationship in for something else.

Now: That next part… worshipping angels… yeah, they were doing this and teaching this as well, so therefore, Paul reminds them that Christ is supreme, over all. Hebrews 1 also speaks to this because angels were being worshipped and are being thought of more highly than Jesus.

Angel emphasis can be found at church meetings… asking angels to do stuff on our behalf, instead of the Father or Christ, or the Holy Spirit.

Many Roman Catholics may be found doing this today. JWs believe Jesus to be the archangel, Michael. We are usually not found being tempted here, nor do we see this in our local churches… but the previous things mentioned are found in local churches today.

When we pray… we speak to God… not angels. When we worship… we worship God, not angels.

Let’s go to Food and Drinks First:

These teachers were bringing is dietary laws in with Christian teaching.

“Well I need, you need, to eat the right foods and drink the right drinks to have a relationship with God, to have a right standing with God.”

Well what did Christ do for us then?

“Well, I need, you need, to celebrate these days and worship on Saturdays in order to be in right standing before God.”

Ok, well, what did Christ do for you?

You are still trying to justify yourself. You are still trying to work instead of rest in Christ’s finished work.

Romans 14:17 - For the kingdom of God is mat a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Verse 18 - Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility...

“Let no one sit as an umpire in your life… regarding these things...”

There are those who will judge your soul if you eat or drink things they believe that you shouldn’t drink or eat.

Even today? Yes. Whether on the mission field today or where we are… people will read the Bible and conclude that they should not eat this of that, and others will conclude that they can or drink this or that.

Now: Should we take care of God’s temple? Yes. Should we exercise spiritual disciplines and practice self-control? Absolutely. Should we aim at becoming stumbling blocks for others? Absolutely not.

But is this what makes us spiritual? Is this something to boast about and to puff ourselves up about? No.

“I eat only salad.. I drink only water… I eat only grass fed beef and fish out of the Gulf of America...”

This does not produce an inward spirituality. Christ does.

Drunkenness and gluttony may tell us that we have no self-control, and that we love to please self more than God. This may tell us that we are going to these foods and drinks because that will make us happy and will satisfy our souls… This is wrong, and it reveals our sinful hearts.

But does withholding or drinking a glass of wine make me more spiritual or less spiritual? Does eating fish and salad make me more spiritual? No.

Matthew 11:19 - The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and winebibber (drunkard), a friend of tax collectors and sinners! But wisdom is justified by her children.”

What is this wisdom producing? What is your judgement? Is it a good judgement?

Jesus ate with gladness and drank with gladness… He supported a wedding (John 2) that was celebrating with food and wine...

But we can’t...? Are you more holy than Jesus?

To be clear, Jesus did not get drunk and He was not a glutton. This is sin and Jesus was not a sinner. Ephesians 5:18 - Getting drunk is debauchery… We are not to do this.

Proverbs 20:1 - Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

Proverbs 23:20 - Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters...

Philippians 3:19 - There are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly...

1 Peter 4:3 - The will and the ways of the Gentiles is drunkeness and drinking parties...

1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whether we eat of drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.

That is the question we are asking: “Am I glorifying God with what I am doing?”

Romans 14:21 - Do not eat or drink, or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.

Romans 14:13- Do not pass judgement on one another (if your brother eats or drinks) but do not put a stumbling block or hindrance in their way.

Acts 10:15 - Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.

Jesus died and fulfilled the Old Testament law (Gal. 3; Ephesians 2:15).

But not everyone has that maturity or Biblical conviction.

So we love people where they are, not being harsh with our judgements and not rubbing our freedom in their faces… If eating a steak is sin… I will not eat one in front of them. If having a glass of wine is sin to them, do not drink your wine around them.

Always practice self control and control your appetites… Do not allow your appetites to control you.

Food and drink is not your god.

Christians are concerned with honoring and pleasing Christ. We are concerned with the heart, the soul, with spiritual growth. Food and rink does not master us, Jesus does.

We are not under law, we are under Christ.

Eating and drinking does not make us clean or unclean… Christ does.

All that we need has been accomplished by Christ on the Cross. The circumcision that is mentioned in verse 11 is not a cutting made with hands, on private body parts. This is something that Christ does to our hearts. This is a spiritual circumcision that sets us apart as God’s chosen people.

This is a work of God that not only removes a speck of flesh, but puts off the whole garment of sinful flesh.

Union with Christ does this. His spiritual baptism does this.

Not food… or drinks… or keeping certain days.

Next: Keeping Certain Days

“Ryan, why don’t you worship on Saturdays?”

I do. I worship on every day that ends in the letter “y.”

“Yeah, well you know what I mean… corporate worship and resting on the 7thday, Saturday...”

I am not a Sabbatarian. I am not bound under law.

“Let know one judge you regarding festivals, new moons or Sabbaths...”

Christ fulfills all things. All of these pointed to Him. He is the final sacrifice, so there is no need for new moon sacrifices each month… And Sabbath, the day of rest points to Christ as well.

Hebrews 4:9–10 “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”

There is a day or a “today” of rest given to those who will not harden their hearts but who will believe the gospel.

This is the rest that we need, the rest from our works and our resting in Christ alone for our salvation.

Matthew 11:28 - Come to ME all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

On the first day of the week there was light. On the first day of the week, Jesus was resurrected. Jesus is our light and our salvation, our rest, and our peace.

Should Christians meet on Sundays?

Acts 20:7 - On the first day of the week (Sunday)… the disciples came together...

1 Corinthians 16:2 - On the first day of week, set aside money and take up a collection.

The early church was meeting on the first day of the week, and this was known as the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10).

We can meet on any days of the week and at any times… We have liberty in Christ to do this. But it seems that the New Testament day for disciples of Jesus to gather, if there was a day for corporate worship, it should be on Sundays.

But what do we do when someone says, “Well, I believe that we should worship on Saturdays...” We want to be sure that they are not being legalistic about this, believing that they are saved by them keeping a certain day...

But if their conscience is bound by looking at Scripture and they believe that they are pleasing God when they do this… they have freedom to do this...

We will not condemn them to hell over this...

Read this together:

Romans 14:5–6 “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.”

There are some things that are black and white, and crystal clear...

There are some things that are not.

There are some things that have been passed down from traditions and teachings of men and not God...

1 Cor. 4:4 - For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes...

We are not the final judges...

Romans 14:5 - Let each person be fully convinced in his own mind.

Romans 14:23 - Whatever we do, we do it from faith; whatever is not of faith is sin.