Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Good morning and welcome to Dishman Baptist Church - we are blessed and thankful that you have chosen to join us here this morning.

We’ve been in the book of Colossians for the last 13 weeks and we’re just now, this morning, reaching the midpoint of this great book.

The church of Colossae was under attack from aberrant teachings that were concerning enough to cause Epaphras to travel 1200 miles to Rome to ask Paul to write a letter addressing the situation that was arising there.

There is little that we know about the specific issues that were being raised to attack the church there but from examining this letter we can draw a few conclusions.

The first is that the attacks were Christological in nature - meaning that the false teachers were attacking and attempting to dismantle the teachings about Christ, that He was both truly God and truly man.

So Paul has been patiently but pointedly teaching on the person and accomplished work of Christ.

The most beautiful and comprehensive section of this is in Colossians 1:15-20 where Paul writes

Paul closes that opening section by saying that it is his desire - and the desire of every minister who is a true under-shepherd of Jesus Christ - to present everyone under his charge and teaching mature in Christ.

Pursuant to this desire Paul begins to deconstruct the philosophies and arguments of the teachers in Colossae, warning the Colossian believers that they should not be deceived by their clever sounding arguments or taken captive by their philosophies or empty deceits that were based on human tradition or the world.

Paul reminds the Colossian believers that they have received Christ Jesus as Lord, and because of this that they were baptized with Him in His death, that they were raised with Him at His resurrection as new creations and have been made alive with Him.

Having dismantled the assaults on the doctrine of Christ, Paul is moving on in his teaching to the Colossians and has been giving us the best picture of what the false teachings were that had driven Epaphras to leave his church and to seek out Paul.

Last week we looked at the dangers of legalism - forcing someone to submit to an external adherence to observable requirements rather than internal transformation.

This week Paul is going to demonstrate for us the folly of another form of “ism” ideology that we can fall in to - in fact this form is probably the most prevalent ideological error that our churches experience today.

It is the ideology of mysticism.

Around ten years ago a book trilogy by man named Philip Rieff was published entitles Sacred Order/Social Order.

Rieff was a sociologist and cultural critic who was a big fan of Sigmund Freud.

The important part of this explanation is that this trilogy explains very well the cultural climate that we live in - and also will help us in understanding what Paul is describing in our passage this morning and how it is impacting our church and our culture today.

Rieff’s premise was that just as there are first, second and third world economic structures, there is also a progression of culture from first through third world.

First World cultures are characterized by a variety of myths that ground and justify their cultures through something that transcends the immediate present.

A key component to these beliefs are the role of fate in the life of the individual.

Second World cultures are characterized not by a belief in fate but by faith.

The great examples would be Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, where cultural codes are rooted in the belief in a specific divine and sovereign being who stands over and above creation, and to whom all creatures are ultimately accountable.

Both the first and second world cultures are similar in that their social order is governed by a higher sacred order.

Third Worlds are characterized by their repudiation of any sacred order.

There is nothing in a Third World beyond this world by which culture can be justified.

There is a slight departure in this explanation with our passage this morning - the people who were plaguing the church of Colossae would claim that they were coming from a spiritual point of view but where their view aligns with the ideals of a third world culture is that their basis of authority is their own personal experiences rather than the standard that governs the true Christian culture and church.

The basic understanding that we need to have walking into our passage for this morning is that we live in a day and age where it is the thoughts and feelings of the individual that determine individual truth and the concept of universal absolutes or truths is viewed with scorn and contempt.

We can observe this from outside the church through the condescending tones of politicians, scientists and society saying things like “oh you silly Christians of course it’s not a baby until after it’s born so it’s okay to kill it” or “obviously we can choose whatever gender we want to be” and then the timeless favorite “surely you must recognize that evolution and global warming are true and that the earth is 25, I mean 35, I mean 135 billion years old”.

The real trouble is that this has now begun to infect the inside of the church as well - and it is starting to distract the church from our mission.

The Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation sometime in the early 90’s AD within 60 years of Christ’s crucifixion.

He starts off by recounting letters to seven churches from Christ.

Five out of the seven churches he addresses were being distracted from their primary mission and I would say that the percentage today may be much higher.

We need to stand against that here at Dishman and so Paul gives us that opportunity today - to look at how to avoid being distracted in our faith.

Please open your Bibles with me to Colossians 2 and we’ll read verses 16-23 again.

We’re going to focus in on Colossians 2:18-19 this week and then finish up this section next week.

Don’t Get Distracted

Colossians 2:18a; Colossians 1:23; John 6:37; John 6:40; John 17:24; Colossians 1:28; Matthew 6:1-6; Proverbs 16:18; Proverbs 29:23; Revelation 22:8-9

Paul continues this discussion with a phrase that, in the CSB, is translated as condemns and sounds very similar to the same thought that he was expressing previously when he said “don’t let anyone judge you”.

But the sentiment that he is driving at here is slightly different than how it may initially appear.

The Greek word here is katabrabeuo - and there will be a test later on the pronunciation of that word - katabrabeuo.

This is the only place in the entire New Testament that this word is used.

The NASB translates this word as defrauding and the ESV translates it as disqualify.

It carries the sense of an umpire who is observing a play and makes the wrong call or decides against what a player is doing.

It is important to recognize that Paul is not saying that we can be disqualified from salvation or that another person can nullify our confession of faith.

Paul makes it clear in his other writings in Romans 8 that we cannot lose our salvation - and here in Colossians 1:23 Paul says

That if is a conditional statement of fact - it is not the proposition that you can lose your faith or that you may not in fact remain steadfast and grounded but in effect “since you will remain grounded and steadfast in the faith”.

Christ repeatedly said that the one who had come to Him would never be cast out

And in His high priestly prayer Christ would pray on our behalf

So since the ones who have placed their faith in Christ, both among the congregation of the Colossians and those of us today, can never lose their faith in what sense does Paul say that we can be disqualified by these teachers who placed themselves into the role of spiritual referees and seek to disqualify both those in Colossae and us today for not abiding by their rules?

In order to get a good sense of what Paul is saying here we need to quickly look at another passage where he talks about disqualification.

If you have your Bibles, keep your finger in Colossians 2 and turn over to 1 Corinthians 9 - we read this passage for our Scripture reading today.

Paul finishes off this passage saying that his desire is to avoid disqualification - but disqualification from what?

If we look quickly back through the passage he starts off saying that he is constrained, he is compelled to preach the Gospel.

That if he doesn’t preach the Gospel then woe to him.

He then says that he is free from all - meaning both individuals and with respect to the law - but that he willingly forgoes his freedom so that he can preach to all.

That’s what the whole section about becoming like a Jew, like those under the law, those who aren’t under the law and those who are weak is all about - giving up his freedoms so that his actions are not an impediment to his ability to preach the Gospel to all.

Then he explains it all with the illustration of being a runner in a race - and the prize that he speaks of isn’t salvation but within the context of this passage it is being effective in ministry and preaching the Gospel.

Now turn back over to Colossians with me.

Paul has been making the case that we are with Christ - that we are identified with Him, that we have been saved by Him and just before he begins this entire strain of his argument against the false teachings being presented he identifies his goal as a pastor - look at the end of chapter 1

And then here in our verses today he says let no one condemn you - or as the ESV put it “Let no one disqualify you”.

What Paul is trying to tell us is “don’t get distracted from your main goal or purpose” - stay on task and don’t be distracted by all these other practices that these “super-spiritual people” tell you need to be done in order to further your own Christianity.

I think of the story The Pilgrim’s Progress - at least the Adventures In Odyssey version - where just after Christian has lost his burden at the foot of the cross and is continuing on his journey towards the Celestial City he runs into a woman who seems to have been eagerly awaiting his arrival as they must work together to make trinkets and baubles to present to the King.

So Christian sits down to work with her until it becomes clear that she is never going to be satisfied with having made enough trinkets and he realizes that this is simply a distraction that has bogged him down and is preventing him from continuing on his journey toward the City.

That is the same thing that these distractions can do to us - some of them and some of them are completely blasphemous.

Paul gives us three examples that were being foisted upon the Colossian church - asceticism or super-humility, the worship of angels and seeing visions.

Paul says that these men were delighting in ascetic practices - meaning that they were highlighting for the entire congregation to see how humble they were - much like Uriah Heep the despicable character of Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield who said “I am well aware that I am the humblest person going.”

Even when they were trying to undermine His identity, these men should have listened to Christ’s teaching.

Charles Spurgeon demonstrated the truth of humility when he said “In a company where certain people were displaying their spiritual attainments, it was noticed that one devout person remained silent, and a talkative man turned to him and asked, “Have you no sanctification?”

He replied, “I never had any to boast of, and I hope I never shall have.”

The more high in grace, the more low in self-esteem.

What was meant to demonstrate humility actually became a demonstration of false humility of the worst sort - pride.

These men would have been wise to heed the words of the Proverbs

or

The next area of error that the false teachers were trying to coerce the Colossians into was worship of angels.

This is blasphemous toward God and has never been a part of true worship.

In fact throughout Scripture angels - those who were holy angels and not fallen - repeatedly refuse worship.

Angels are ministering spirits that worship and serve God - only doing what they’ve been told to do to fulfill His purposes.

So for these teachers to engage in worship of angels was the epitome of heresy.

Unfortunately - like heresies have a tendency to do - this one took root and it would plague the region around Colossae until the mid-8th century.

The commentator William Hendriksen notes that a church council was held in nearby Laodicea in 363 that made a declaration saying “it is It is not right for Christians to abandon the church of God and go away to invoke angels”.

There is evidence that this practice continued with worship of Michael the archangel being evident until the mid-700’s even crediting miraculous healings to that angel.

In addition to self-elevation through false humility and the worship of angels, these false teachers were claiming authority and superiority over the Colossian believers because of visions they had seen.

Some of these may have involved angels or trips to Heaven itself.

In recent years there has been a resurgence of those who claim visions in the church.

In fact, one of the false teachers involved in the New Apostolic Reformation movement Todd Bentley claims to have seen and angel in his hotel bathroom.

“I’m in my hotel and in my bathroom and it’s the middle of the night.

And I turn my light on, and there’s a man in there.

I look at this man without a shirt on, and I think he must’ve gone in the wrong room…Then I noticed he’s wearing really funny, like, white yoga pants; like really tight, ballet-type pants and Aladin-like golden slippers and I realize, this isn’t a man.

This is an angel.”

Then in the course of his story - which I wont recount for you he changes the sex of the angel from male to female and then back again.

This is so unlike any account of angelic appearances in Scripture where Daniel, John and others write that they fell down like dead men at the sight of angels.

Yet the point of these is to convince believers that they have access to a higher level of spirituality and therefore their teaching has Heaven’s stamp of approval and should be followed.

None of these demonstrate a form of super-spirituality - instead what they reveal is the unspiritual nature of the individual’s mind.

In fact what usually happens in cases like these is that we become puffed up - the word Paul uses here is inflated - and self-assured relying on our own efforts, knowledge and experiences to bring us closer to God instead of relying on our Head Jesus Christ to accomplish this for us.

Maintain Your Focus

Colossians 2:19; Hebrews 6:18; John 6:68-69

Paul moves on to say that he - meaning the false teacher or teachers whether this points to one specific person is unclear - doesn’t hold on to the Head.

The verb here for hold on to is krateo and it means to seize.

It is the same word used in Hebrews 6:18