In Christ Alone

Good Morning Trinity Baptist Church!

Before we begin this morning I wanted to thank Pastor Eddie for allowing me to address you all. Trinity Baptist has top notch pastors, they and Eddie are allowing me to preach this morning as a blessing to me. Hopefully it will be a blessing for you too.

For those who don’t know me I want to introduce myself real quick. My wife Megan and I are members here at Trinity. You’ve probably seen, or more likely heard, one of our four kids. I entered the seminary just over a year ago and am just about half way through. While I’ve got a while to go, I know I’ll complete it in Christ, and I appreciate the opportunity to preach to you all this morning.

I want to start this morning by recapping what we’ve learned about Christ from Colossians this far in Eddie’s series:

Everything was created by, for, and is sustained by Christ

The fullness of God the father dwells in Jesus

After learning all that the surprise is that just as important as learning that Jesus is the preeminent over all creation, He’s also head of the church.

When we were baptized, we died with Christ to rise with Him.

Our certificate of debt from sin was voided by Jesus, He nailed it to the cross

Paul has taught us a lot about our Lord and savior. But this is where he turns from teaching to commanding. This is the pivot point in Colossians from what you need to know, to what you do with it!

This is where we get to the heart of why Paul wrote the letter. The church of Colossae was under assault. They were besieged by false teachers who were attempting to turn people from the true gospel of reliance on Christ to other worldly methods. This was Paul’s defense, to arm and equip those brothers and sisters there against those that would rob them of their joy and prize.

This is the heart of Colossians. As we head into the fray this morning, let’s pray for guidance.

PRAY

* Guidance to understand what was written

* Willingness to admit when we have walked away from the head

* Blessing to see the eternal

* Ask for transformation

As I said this is the heart of Colossians, so what was the big deal? What were these false teachers saying that got Paul riled up?

I want to be up front, we don’t really know for sure. In fact, all we have is this retort from Paul, but we know that Paul hits the important points. While we aren’t 100% sure, partially due to an earthquake that destroyed the city of Colossae between 61 and 65 A.D., we do know that it was important enough for the Holy Spirit to keep record.

Freedom in Christ (v. 16-18)

Let’s start with Colossians 2:16-18

Colossians 2:16–18 CSB

16 Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is Christ. 18 Let no one condemn you by delighting in ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm. Such people are inflated by empty notions of their unspiritual mind.

Starts with “Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you”

Don’t. They may judge you, don’t carry out the sentence

False teachers were teaching that salvation was dependent on performance for the law

The law was a shadow of Christ

Greek explanation of v18

Let no one condemn, some translations say cheat or disqualify

False teachers were trying to brow beat Christians into following them by saying they were saved or were lesser without visions

Starved themselves to have visions with angels

Worshipped the angels to try and get protection

The religious soup that was Colossae also brought the fears of all those religions

gods of death and war, monsters, elementals (chaotic powers that controlled the weather, disease, and disaster)

False teachers didn’t think Christ was enough

Their fear drove them into a prison. They added to the gospel

You needed to follow the rules and have vision experiences, that’s the only way to be safe

If you didn’t, you weren’t saved and potentially not helping anyone else, remember, these disasters effected everyone

We see these same gospel changes today don’t we?

JWs and Mormons say the gospel is good, but you need to do “all you can” first to be saved, like anyone could measure up

The distance between us and an infinitely holy God is just that, infinite. Do you know what you get when subtract a number from infinity? Infinity…

Nothing you can do or stop doing will ever put you closer to God. It all depends on what Jesus has already done.

We were created by God but sinned, through that death and corruption entered the world. God wasn’t done, He loved us enough to send His only begotten son, preeminent of creation, over all things in this world to live a sinless life and die on the cross. Nailing your certificate of sin debt to the cross… then Jesus raised from the grave conquering death. His actions are what justified you before Almighty God…

Not your attendance on Sundays, New Moon festivals, diet, or how sinless you try to act.

Sure some of those are good things… but it’s not the act it’s the reason. If you are play acting as a “good person”… then maybe you’re in the same boat as those false teachers. Scared of what the world or next life holds, and are trying to fool God into thinking that you’re good.

Or maybe you like rules and want to sue God for your entrance to heaven by coming with your log books of good deeds.

All that misses the point, all that misses Jesus.

That life will leave you drained and withered. Forcing yourself to follow the form of Jesus without getting the growth you need.

Growth in Christ (v. 19)

If you want to grow, if you want to be nourished, Paul tells us how.

Colossians 2:19 CSB

19 They don’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with growth from God.

How do you feel that fullness of Jesus instead of the deceptive and hollow form of religion? How do you grow?

Two things:

Hold on to the head (the false teachers weren’t). This is active! This is a choice.

Choose Jesus. Everyday everywhere. Choose Jesus, hold on to the head.

Don’t have a “church” you and a world you, hold on to the head everywhere, that’s what Paul is saying here.

The second is passive, be connected to the body.

Christianity is not a solo sport, we weren’t made to do it alone we can’t do it alone.

Take a flower for instance. When we pick it, it slowly withers and dies. We put it in water, add plant food, and it acts like a flower for a while longer. It never grows you know, it’ll never become more of a flower than it was in the ground. We can fill it with chemicals to preserve it, but we all know what happens. It dies. So do we when we aren’t connected.

This doesn’t just mean be a part of the “universal body of Christ”. Paul is writing to the church at Colossae, a local body under siege by false teachers. You need to be connected.

Key verb, “be”. Be connected.

When did you last feel full in Christ?

I was lucky enough to help out at the women’s conference. It was good, but I was busy doing the tech work and fighting dying batteries. However, setting up and tearing down for the conference I felt full. I laughed and joked around with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I was nourished by the words said during those times even though I was tired and had homework.

I felt just recently at a men’s Bible study. I laughed until my cheeks hurt with brothers in Christ.

I was and am connected. I am fully me with the body of Christ, and that is how we are nourished.

When the nourishment comes, that’s when the growth happens.

Christ is sufficient, He brings fullness to life that is dazzling. It adds depth to the interactions we have every day with everyone. It’s amazing.

Remember, Christ is above all things, and created all things, and sustains all things. He can sustain you too.

That doesn’t mean your situation gets better here in life, but it means that the burden can be shared amongst the body.

That doesn’t mean you wont feel pain, or get sick, have cancer, or have terrible things befall you, remember, the rain falls on the wicked and the just

It does mean that Christ is enough. Trust His wisdom there, He is enough and will provide you with what you need so you can be with Him in eternity.

The false teachers and religions get this part wrong. They think you have to do to be accepted and loved and saved by Christ. They’re missing the point.

First comes being saved and recognizing that you are sinner. Then comes the connection to the body, the nourishing love of Jesus and choosing to hold on to Him.

Then comes the works. Your heart begins to break for the lost. You look at the poor and tear up, and need to feed them, to help them find Jesus. You see the naked and need to clothe them.

The actions come as a reflection of the love, of the growth.

And as you are connected and grow, somethings awesome happens. But why am I telling you all?

We’re here aren’t we? We’re connected aren’t we?

Transformation in Christ

Lets pick up in Colossians 2 verses 20 through 23:

Colossians 2:20–23 CSB

20 If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: 21 “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? 22 All these regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines. 23 Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.

Being connected to others is hard. Trusting in Christ which you cannot see and often cannot feel is difficult, much less holding on to Him. It’s possible, but it takes effort sometimes.

False religions form because its easier to follow rules or even to hurt yourself to “experience” the “transcendant”

It’s formulaic, it’s step by step, it’s easy.

Let alone the fact that it’s hard to give God credit at work when someone is impressed… we say thank you instead of “Not me, but Christ in me”. It’s hard to pray for a lost friend when they tell you something awful happened. It’s harder still to thank God for something good that happened in someone’s life you believes in a different religion.

It’s hard to handle the elements of this world.

We all still deal with disaster, weather, sickness, and death. But while we don’t believe in elementals or gods of death and war, our social standing has become the new powers and principalities hasn’t it?

Our comfort, our money, our free time.

Love of Jesus doesn’t buy that new boat or get your kid into college does it?

It’s hard, dying to this world… it needs to happen every day. This world is in front of our faces constantly, and it beckons us to the here and now and to forget about our eternal home with Christ.

But if we’ve died to the elements of this world…. why do we act like we still belong to them?

Sure, not here in church right? Right? We wouldn’t put on a mask here and act would we?

For years in my life I danced for God. I did what I wanted, and my Bible grew dusty. I lived how I wanted to live, and I would pray maybe once a day. Heck… many days my prayer would be “I pray the standard prayer I usually do God… Amen.” Doesn’t sound like holding on to the head. I didn’t go to church either… It was an empty and hollow time in my life… it hurt many people.

I made my own religion, it checked the boxes for God so He wouldn’t be mad right? After all I was baptized saved wasn’t I?

Bring a prodigal son as many of us are, God rescued me, but I chased the form of religion. It seemed wise right? Pray once a day, don’t lie cheat or steal? Be a good person?

But it wasn’t useful for transformation, my sin still ran rampant, most of all in my heart.

During WWII the US military built airbases all across the Melanesian Islands (Solomon Islands, Papua, Fiji)

These were used as a logistics lifeline to support the Pacific theater

The indigenous people on these islands saw manufactured goods like they had never seen before

Canned meats and fruits they had never tasted

Sweet chocolate and candies

Medicine that healed the sick

Vehicles to move heavy loads

Flying machines and boats that carried tons of cargo

Must have been wondrous

The indigenous people didn’t understand how this was possible, but the observed the American servicemen closely

They saw them go on patrols around the airbase

They saw them sit in the control tower and talk into radios

They saw mechanics in hangers with tools

They saw them do paperwork… yes… paperwork.

Then all the war stopped. The US Department of War took down all the buildings, tore up the runways, and packed everything up and returned the land to the indigenous people.

Think about that for a moment. For years these people came with wondrous items that transformed your life, then it was gone… what would you do?

You’d want wouldn’t you? Maybe you’d be scared what life would be like without those things?

We discovered decades later what impact we had on those small islands.

The people rebuilt those airbases.

Bamboo control towers with bamboo radio microphones

Bamboo hangers filled with bamboo tools

Bamboo rifles and cloth uniforms on fake soldiers going on patrol

Dirt runways lined

American looking flags flying high

In every way they created an airbase… they had it all, they even did paperwork…

Yet, they lacked the real radios and airplane parts, they lacked the radar and real rifles, they lacked what really mattered in an airbase… but they still hoped the planes carrying those goods and cargo would come…

None ever did…

This morning, have you traded your transformation for theatrics?

Maybe you’ve traded in your growth for going?

Maybe you’ve traded being for bamboo?

The form of religion is not important, Paul desperately was telling the Colossians that all those empty form looked good, it seemed wise, but it was powerless to do anything… It was a bamboo control tower hoping a plane would land…

How are you feeling this morning? Nourished and growing… or a bit wooden?

Invitation

With our heads bowed and eyes closed I want to us to think about our lives. Don’t let others judge you, but search yourself. What areas of your life have you made a bamboo religion out of? Where it’s Jesus plus your money or strength or family? Maybe a part where it’s no Jesus at all… What parts haven’t you trusted Him with and keep Him at arms length? What parts do you need nourishment?

Today, this week, some time in the future ask Jesus what those areas are. We all have those areas, ask Him, spend time with Him and seek to be connected to Him in every part of your life. If it’s hard, you aren’t alone, that’s what the body is for.

Ask, receive, be connected… be transformed.

In a moment we’ll worship one more time, and I’ll be here if you need prayer. Prayer for whatever you need come and I or a counselor will pray with you.

But if you’re here this morning, and you have been practicing religion and don’t really know Jesus or if you’re here because life has gotten you to the end of your rope, I want to encourage you to come. Jesus may not solve your problem the way you want, and your situation in the here and now may not change, but I can guarantee you that if you trust in Jesus, your eternal situation will get infinitely better.

Please, come.

Let’s Pray