Hold Fast

Intro

Previous warnings

More insight into these false teachers

Therefore still connected

disqualify

Few ideas behind the word

Those in the colosseum who would make judgements

Umpire making calls

Safe or out. Ball or a strike

One who would rob you of the prize

Some Translations

Beguile, Rob you of the prize, defraud you of your prize

Judge/Condemn

These Christians are doing well. They are running the race faithfully

Col 1

“Faith”

“Love”

“bearing fruit”

“increasing”

There is a prize that is coming and some are trying to rob them of that.

When you are “doing well” is when you are most susceptible

If some are threatening to disqualify you, that means you are already qualified

Col 1 He has qualified you

If some are trying to rob you of a prize that means that is already destined for you

What They’re Selling - Mysticism

Asceticism & worship of angels

Asceticism

The word for humility

Context bears out that this is a false humility

Asceticism is self denial - severity to the body

Most translations translate this as asceticism or self abasement

Colossians 2:23 “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.”

These false teachers were showing a false humility in the severity they we’re doing to their bodies

“Don’t handle”

“Don’t taste”

“Don’t touch”

We’ll see in a moment that it talks about visions. Perhaps these false teachers were doing extreme fasting in order to prepare for these visions.

Monk culture

Place for asceticism

We need to be careful though. There is a place for asceticism in the Christian life. There is a place for self denial as a Christian.

Jesus - Deny yourself

Paul

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline (black eye, bring to submission) my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

Colossians 3

Put OFF

Sexual immorality

Impurity

Passion

Evil desire

Anger

wrath

malice

obscene talk

The issue is ultimately that they are doing this disconnected from Christ. They are doing it as a way to further their salvation, to further their right-standing with God.

“Make ourselves more holy by treating our bodies more harshly”

Obedience disconnected from Christ is ultimately useless

Worship of Angels

The next thing these false teachers are selling is worship of angels

These false teachers were offering up worship to angels.

People were going to angels in prayer and worship and asking them to ward off evil

2. Hierarchy of spiritual beings leading up to God and they were working their way up the ladder

corporate world

Makes sense in light of Pauls focus to demonstrate the superiority of Christ over all other spiritual beings

Created them

Colossians 1:16 “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

Reconciled them to himself

Colossians 1:20 “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Head over them

Colossians 2:10 “and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”

Triumphed over them

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

This is exactly what the devil wanted of Jesus to do. Worship him

Matthew 4:8–10 “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ””

Manifestation - work “with” Jesus

Jesus becomes your personal genie granting you all your demands

How They’re Selling It

Going on in detail about visions

See at face value, you may think to yourself, I would never buy this stuff.

Because these spiritual salesmen claim to have something that you don’t have that perhaps you so desperately want.

Spiritual experiences.

These false teachers are goin on in detail about spiritual visions they are having.

Maybe real, maybe lies

“Proof in the pudding”

We live in a world where experiences are the trump card to be pulled.

“Your truth. My truth”

As if your personal experience is the grounding for objective reality

Paul is saying “your personal experiences are not according to Christ”

Christianity doesn’t require you to become gullible

2 Peter 2:1–3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

NOTE: Paul goes to heaven and he cant even utter the things he experienced

Spiritual experimentalism

Current day - Mysticism

Mysticism - Attempt to increase knowledge of and union with God primarily through personal experience rather than Gods Word

That there is more to be discovered through self denial, worship of angels, removing of food & observance of days

Warnings

Beware of teaching/preaching that pushes/grounds authority on these experiences

Preachers claiming visions

Word of faith

Direct revelation from God

Teaching that there is a greater level of salvation through spiritual gifts or supernatural experiences

Tongues

Beware of pursuing spiritual experience

It is a temptation for us to not try to pursue “spiritual” experiences.

Big problem today is not authority of scripture but sufficiency

We can often grow bored with scripture and desire to have “more”

Jesus Calling - Sarah Young 2004

“I began to wonder if I … could receive messages during my times of communing with God. I had been writing in prayer journals for years, but that was one-way communication: I did all the talking. I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more. Increasingly, I wanted to hear what God had to say to me personally on a given day.”

Over 50 million copies sold. Translated into over 30 languages

MAYBE MOVE TO AFTER HEAVEN STORY Scripture is sufficient

2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Beware of “near death” or “out of body” experiences

The boy who came back from heaven - Book turned into movie

6 years old

Car accident

Coma for 2 months

Multiple trips to heaven

Publisher Tyndale House promoted the book as “a supernatural encounter that will give you new insights on Heaven, angels, and hearing the voice of God"

Here’s the problem

It was all a lie

"Please forgive the brevity, but because of my limitations I have to keep this short. I did not die. I did not go to Heaven. I said I went to Heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible. It is only through repentance of your sins and a belief in Jesus as the Son of God, who died for your sins (even though he committed none of his own) so that you can be forgiven may you learn of Heaven outside of what is written in the Bible... not by reading a work of man. I want the whole world to know that the Bible is sufficient. Those who market these materials must be called to repent and hold the Bible as enough. In Christ, Alex Malarkey.”

Beware of the “spiritual experience” of “feelings”

Mountain top Christianity

Christianity is one of suffering, and sorrow, and tribulation, and persecution

Air brushed christianity

testimonials

“How are you” “Blessed”

Perhaps you feel like you are “missing” something

Worship

Prayer

Bible reading

Feelings of first married vs now

Feelings are a byproduct not the goal

Be obedient anyways

Arrogant

Paul says that these false teachers are arrogant

“Puffed up”

Inflated

Because of their mysticism and spiritual experiences, these people have a religious arrogance to them.

They think themselves to be superior, to be better

Look at what I’m doing, listen to what Ive seen

They have placed themselves as the ones who can disqualify

Perhaps we arent false teachers but let us take warning to watch ourselves for arrogance. Watch out for thinking we are better than any because of our spiritual maturity or spiritual knowledge.

“I am what I am because of the grace of God”

They are puffed up because of their sensuous mind

Sensuous - Fleshly/unspiritual

Same word for flesh as 2:11 & 2:13

Mind of the flesh

Important to make the observation that what we think about is vitally important

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

What They’re Missing

Switch from what they are doing to what they arent doing

Ultimately these false teachers, those who have tried to:

Kidnap us through empty & deceptive philosophy

Condemn us in food & drink or festival

Disqualify us with this mysticism and experimentalism

Are doing so because they are not holding to fast to the head

The head is Christ

Colossians 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

The body is the church. It is believers

But why is Paul switching here to the church?

See at its core these false teachers are promoting what they think is growth

That through these philosophies, food, festivals, asceticism, angel worship that growth is to be found.

But they have failed to recognize that it is Christ alone who supplies the growth

Head - Authority & provision

Authority meaning he alone is the sole leader of his church. All doctrine, all truth, all wisdom & direction is found in him alone.

Provision - all life and growth is found in him alone

2 applications

we must be connected to the body

Paul uses the illustration of body in other places to show the connected nature of believers to one another

While the primary thrust of his illustration here is not to discuss our role in the body, it is assumed that the different parts of the body are connected to one another

similar to Eph 4

Ephesians 4:15–16 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 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.”

Regular gathering

Fellowship

One anothers

Discipleship

Service

How well do you know the other members in your local body and how well do they know you?

2. We must be connected to Christ

The way in which the church holds fast to the head is by the members holding fast to the head

You want to keep yourself from being taken captive?

Hold fast to Christ

You want to stop those who mean to condemn you?

Hold fast to Christ

You want to thwart anyone who would try to disqualify you?

Hold fast to Christ

This is what Paul is talking about when he says to Timothy Remember Jesus Christ

insist - delight