True Value

Colossians chapter 2 verses 16 through 23 and I want to preach to this morning a sermon that I've been titled True Value. True Value It was my first car. a 99 Nissan Altima Right, but here's the thing about that. I love that car primarily because Mom and Dad paid for it. Can't complain for your car when it's paid for and I was determined to drop this car until the wheels fell off because I didn't want to have to make a car payment anybody doing that maybe so you know that now right? I drove that car through High School. It made it through college. I've shared this with you my friends and your love endures here. Y'all know I'm a big Batman fan at the time. The Batman movies were out in the Batmobile was called the tumbler. We effectively called my car the Crumpler and we drove it everywhere. It made it all the way through college until 3 years ago.

3 years ago, I was sitting at a stoplight in Baytown. It became an El Camino.

MediLodge, my wife's laughing because she saw it the back here that car got crushed and made a bed. I really could have kept driving it around.

The insurance assessor. I never forget when he stepped out of his vehicle to assess my car. No lie. This is what he did. He open the door and goes Its totaled.

That's all that happened. So, of course, I was out car shopping then and for those who know me, well, if you're a visitor, you don't know me I am mechanically in that. Bad, we don't have time to re go through those stories and my dad who is a very wise man picked up the phone and call me and says you're Josh when you go run to these car shop these car lot to deal with the salesman. He told me this you need to ask for the Carfax. As some of you don't know what a Carfax is but it's a print out about the history of a vehicle. Okay, because of vehicle can look good from the outside, but you don't know what it's been through. It can be so disastrous accidents. It may get you a few miles down the road, but it'll never start back up once you get it home. And for those who know my mechanical ability. I was a good stuff at your sis Bay susceptible to this type kind of sham and I'll never will forget to Dad called me and says make sure they'll print it out a good car lot a good salesman will least do that for you and I went to this local car lot and I fell in love with this car as I can I test drive it and they gave me the keys and I drove around a couple blocks. I came back jumped out of the car. And of course, you know what I asked for. Carfax and the salesman said this as soon as you buy it, I'll give it to you.

So I bought mom Shake I won't no way. I want the way and sure enough the car that I'm in. Now the guy gave it to me right off the bat. He had nothing to hide the car was good. And here's what we find many time does Ashley ladies and gentlemen, I hate to say this, but when it comes to religious teaching of any kind in any church any Claim about God there's a lot of things that from the outside and from the surface look really good and look really appealing. They look back to suit us. It's our style that fits our needs and that it looks like they may even make it down the road when it comes to spirituality. But a real good Waze deserting Christian will ask for the Carfax beside. What's the history? What's beneath the hood watch really running. This thing doesn't really have the power to get me where I'm going. Does it really have what it takes to change made as brother. Tommy just said you get the old man out and the new man in place. Does it really have that ability? And here's what we find here in Colossians chapter 2. The Apostle Paul is having to deal with what's been dubbed. ER called the colossian heresy. We mention it last week for those who were here. It was a philosophy with empty deceit. It was this religious teaching that made a lot of promises and claims about helping people Advance up the spiritual ladder, but it couldn't actually get you onto the first run. And it the Army if I had to explain it to you, give me a little bit of background about what this Colossians heresy is. It was a mixture of an early form of gnosticism. Some of you will remember this gnostics. The material world was bad and the spiritual world was good. And so ultimately God was good. But everything that was bodily and fleshly was bad and you needed to worship up the spiritual ladder to the supernatural beings or Angelic powers in order to ultimately reach God. And this was this heresy was also mixed with some kind of Jewish legalism that if you if you followed Old Testament Traditions, that could really help sexual part as a person of God. And what Paul wants ticker to he's been teaching us that everything we need remember this from last week. Everything we need for a relationship of God is in Christ. We don't need to worship up through these Angelic beings in order to reach God. We don't have to follow these religious traditions and rituals in order to be considered a person of God. We just need Christ by faith. We've identified with Christ. We've been welcomed into the family of God that we are dead to sin that the law and the debt that every person owes to God for trespassing his log. It's been paid nailed to the cross can never convictus anymore and and thought Jesus as we son this morning about the cross on the crosswalk. He seemingly was humiliated in disgrace. He was disarming stripping down every Angelic power every Authority so that when Christ rose from the dead he alone is Lord of everything.

The everything we need for God is in Christ, but now Paul's going to get to the Practical area. We know that Jesus defeat this heresy. But what are we supposed to do when people come up to us insisting that we need to do a little something more in order to really be changed and and in order to really develop a full relationship with God Paul's going to handle that too and he's pretty thorough. Look at what it says in Colossians chapter 2 Verses 16 through 23. He says therefore. He's least he's in reference to because of Christ's Victory through his death and Resurrection. Remember where we're a part of that we participated in that by faith. Therefore don't let anyone judge you in regard to a food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of what was to come the substance is the Messiah. Let no one disqualify you insisting on ascetic practices and the worship of angels claiming access to a Visionary round and inflated without caused by his spiritual mom and he doesn't hold on to the Head from whom the whole body nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons develop. What is this with growth from God? Verse 20 if you have died with the Messiah to the elemental forces of this world. Why do you live as if you still belong to the world? Why do you submit to regulations don't handle don't taste don't touch these regulations refer to what is destroyed by being used up. They are commands and doctrines of men. Although they have a reputation of wisdom by promoting ascetic practices humility and severe treatment of the body. They are of not any value in curbing selfish Indulgence. Here's the simple truth that I want you to remember to write down and take with you this morning. Only Christ has True Value to change us. Only Christ has True Value to change us. And the question we want to answer is this what difference does that make? If Christ alone has the power in the value to change S. What does that mean for you? And I today and how we live our lives Sunday through Saturday. The real first difference is made. It makes his business write this down religious rules have no value to change us. Religious rules have no value to change us. Look at verse 16 again that says this therefore don't let anyone judge and here's what was happening these false teachers or these members of the colossian church that were buying into this philosophy and false teaching beginning to judge other people and say you if you don't practice these things you really are not a part of the family of God, they were excluding others because they were not carrying out the religious rules that they liked and that is what Paul says Paul says don't let anyone judge you the info sis here is on the colossian Christian response church. Can I preach to little bit? We have not been able to best far to read out a judgmental spirit and all the churches and still provides churches today. There will always be somebody in the church that wants to judge you or condemn you or exclude you from the family of God because you don't line up with how they see things notice want Paul saying here. Don't let them judge. You don't you feel bad for just trusting in Christ alone is sufficient his enough for everything you need for God so want you don't follow the rules and regulations. It's okay. Richard and will do this and I'll talk about this a little bit more. But we as Christians we are bad to take good practices and Elevate them to the gospel. A way a person really knows God Is by doing these kinds of things and here's what I want to let you know if someone if you know Jesus if you repent of your sins and trust in Jesus as your savior that is enough and don't let any person in any church ever make you feel inferior or excluded from the family of God cuz you don't see things the way they see them. You understand me? No notice the two respects the two concerns that Paul highlights here in the areas. They were not to judge noticed. These are not first-year things. These are second-tier things. First of all relates to diet. It says in food and drink in meat and drink now here is probably what he is. He has it reference in the Old Testament. The Israelites. The Jews were God's chosen people and one of the ways that he made them distinct the one of the ways he separated them from the rest of the nation's is not only did he give them unique be logical beliefs about who he was but listen to this. He also gave them a particular culture a particular diet a person who followed this diet was a part of God's family and a person who didn't follow this. They were Gentiles and they were pagans. I noticed that the diets prescribed in the Old Testament. One of the chief reasons why they were prescribed is it helped identify who the people of God are? Okay. No, not you not only talks about the concern about the diet as to what they eat and drink but it also includes special days festivals new Moon's Savage. Explain what those are along with giving them a special diet. God gave the people of Israel a special calendar and it also helped identify them as the people of God one of the March up who a person of God was in the Old Testament was that they kept the Sabbath rest, they would rest from their work and they would worship Yahweh and they would have all these other festivals that would help commemorate God's faithfulness his protection his provision the rescue from Egypt to please go ahead and noticed where these festivals and diets. Evil in in in the in and of themselves are by their nature. No, but notice what Paul points out to watch that people shouldn't judge you based on whether they were kept or not notice what it goes on to say there and verse 17. This is important. They are a shadow of what was to come the substance is the Messiah the let me explain what's happening. So here you have this rigorous diet and the special calendar that the Jews of the Old Testament followed that help identify them as the people of God and the assumption is this if the colossian Christians are now part of God's family, they need to follow that diet and calendar to but pull those but you're missing something here, since you need to realize his base particular things about the Old Testament that made the Jewish people distinctive actually vaguely resemble resemble. The Messiah is coming Christ. Was there a shadow not the substance think of it this way think of it this way. When a shadow is cast some of you might be able to see it up here. You can look at it and say boy he's been eating right? Listen to the dollar bill or an outline and what what I might be like if you were to meet me by looking at my shadow, but can't give you the details know it can't give you the sub to take can't give you the body. You can only really know Josh doing encounter with him. Not with his shadow. So catch what Paul is saying he says once you understand the substance, once you got the detailed expression the person himself Jesus Christ. Why do you want to follow a shadow? Why do you want to follow something inferior? We now have the real thing. We now have something a True Value it it had its place in Tom's to help us understand who got his but now God has come down in the flesh. We have him right here before us. Let's follow Jesus. Think of it this way here is a $20 bill, right? If I got me. Can you see it? Don't let me rip it up to the light and I kind of can get one here. It's casting a shadow over end of this area. But I'm telling you none of us are dumb enough. And unless you want to try your preacher put it up to you. When you go out to eat this afternoon, or you go to the grocery store the gas station. I highly doubt that if you raised up a $20 bill to pay for your meal pay for your gas and it cost the shadow of the cashier. The cashier would accept it. But if we could pay for shadow with set with shadows of things, we be casting Shadows everywhere. What that shadow can't give you an idea of what this may look like, right and they say it's then it's rectangular. They can give you some idea of the dimensions. But here's the problem with that shadow. It doesn't have value. Right. It doesn't have the power to make the transaction. And here's what he's trying to tell those colossian Christians. Hey, hey those were not wrong. They were not bad in your themselves. But now the true thing shown up and it has the value and it has the power to change our lives that's inferior. Now, let's all the boat ourselves to this. Let's all devote ourselves to the substance. Who is Christ Carmel Baptist Church, but maybe I don't know but I don't think any of you were concerned about whether you're eating a kosher meal or not or whether you're going to celebrate the Jewish New Year, that's about to happen. But here's some things that I do want you to think about there are some things that are Christian subculture that appear valuable. They have a shadowy kind of existence. What they do, they are not necessary for growth that comes in Christ and I want to tell you this as gently as I can but it might be quite offensive to some of you. Okay, some of us some of us don't let me deal with this we talked about the sinner's prayer. All right. I am not intrinsically opposed to the sinner's prayer what I mean by sinner's prayer for those who don't know you're busy with this today generally at the end of our worship service. I will lead you in a prayer that if you've never repented of your sins and trust in Jesus as your savior, I want to lead you in a prayer for that could be the confession of your heart. However, here's some of the things that we have done wrong to people and failing to explain what we mean by the sinner's prayer is that if you really don't believe that Jesus is the son of God that he came to this earth lived a sinless life. On the cross for your sins and Rose from the grave in Victory and you're really not ready to Turn your back on your sin and give your life to Christ. No matter how many times you practice and say that sinner prayer. You are not saved you get that. It's a nice cultural expression. There's nothing wrong with it. But what matters is the heart behind it? Is it expressing what we really believe on the inside to just say it has no power to change us another rule we kind of makeup in there and then send it or not, but they're not bad or evil things in another room self if we misunderstand them and we miss apply. I'm bout to go there so many misconceptions about baptism baptism is a symbol and a proclamation to the church into the world that we are benify and stand with Jesus by faith. We've been buried and dead to sin and we are by faith raised to walk in the newness of life, right but but baptism follows our repentance and faith in Jesus it comes out. Surely there's some people that think this if I could just be baptized if Joshua just baptize me then I'll be safe. No, you won't if you haven't believe in your heart unto salvation before you got in there. It won't make it happen when you get done. Okay, now some of us will agree on that. I got a lot of head and I just get a little closer. How about the issue of drinking alcohol? Here's the whole point of this. I'm going to tell you as a Christian and as a pastor teaching the word of God, you're never going to look and find in the scriptures dial shall not drink. It's not what the scripture say about the scriptures prohibit is drunkenness. It's being intoxicated but we've lost control and we are no longer being controlled by the spirit of God, but here's what's where's what's troubling for me. Is there some people who think we take that stand because somehow Hobson it's completely never drink a drop makes you better than somebody else. That's legalism at its finest. Okay, that's not what the scriptures teach you may have never taken a job. But guess what that doesn't make you any Holier or any less sinful. Please understand that the reason we take the stance of abstinence in our church. If you become a member we're going to ask you to a friend that but the reason we do it it's because of a love ethic not a Holiness ethic. It's saying disk. We love those who are unbelievers who might it might be a stumbling block to them and coming to Faith and wheel Who struggle with those it's a wafer going out of love, but please don't think that just because you've never drinking a drop somehow you're closer to God than the next guy. Let me get one more it gets awfully quiet when I get to these.

All sincerely believe some of you think I'm trying to say this with gentleness and respect. The preachers car is the channel through which the Holy Spirit flows into the service.

I got a gap. Tommy knows what I'm talkin about.

There is nothing wrong with dressing our best I get that idea. But there's bits bad though, when we begin to exclude people right K exclude. We judge people.

Will judge pastors, but he wasn't preaching because of how he dress.

You know, what's so interesting when you look in the New Testament the two principles that really inform dresses this men and women am I bringing more attention to myself? Write about come in and become a distraction so that people cannot focus on Christ and listen to this. We were not somebody who talked about dressing your best. There's nothing wrong with that. But please consider this sometimes we dress our best to show up our status or wealth and it makes other Christians feel inferior. That's excluded as well. We sometimes take maybe a good Rule and we make it gospel potato. There's only one gospel, it's Jesus. I don't care what you wearing here. Let me tell you right now. I'll consider when you come in here in shorts and a t-shirt you find Jesus at the wind today. Ladies and gentlemen. Bright, what do we do we take rules and regulations not necessarily inherently evil things that will begin to judge and exclude people on the basis of them. And here's the thing you call ladies and gentlemen want you wear what you dress, but you may or may not eat what days you celebrate? They don't have any value to actually change who you are on the inside. You can look all pretty and you will still bust Hill watch flap open.

religious rules Don't have the value to change us.

Think of this only Christ has True Value to change it. What difference does it make first religious rules have no value to change us and second religious worship. Has no value to changes religious worship has no value to change his look at what it says in verse 18 and 19. He's kind of been playing off. He just paid off these false teachers are members of the colossian church being judges. Now. Look what it says here. It says let no one disqualify here. He's now a given this idea that there umpires And what is umpires do he calls people safe or out? And obviously she says there's some people that sit up in the church and they want to say because you don't worship like me you're out is it don't let them call you out. Don't let them exclude you because you don't go along with what they think ought to be done. No wonder they insisting on doing it says ascetic practices and the worship of angels. They they want to Derbyshire their preference and worship is to do these two things ascetic practices in the Greek. The word is just humility. But in Jewish writings that has this connotation of The Souls of friction, which means severe fasting the obvious if you really want to have a full relationship of gods and have him change your life. You need to fast severely. I didn't notice when it's comboed with with the worship of angels this construction grammatical construction means three things are one admit. They actually worship Angels Angels were the object of their worship. If you really fast it and you really worship angels that would get you into a whole new realm with God or it could mean this worship with the angel you could fast and become holy or Godly to the point that your kind of worship is like the Angels. Could you imagine offering this a traditional worship service at contemporary worship service a reminder worship service with we're better than the rest of them. Ortman they were so preoccupied with talking about angels that in effect in effect. They were analyzing Angel worship about the worship of God. So they were thinking if I can really severely discipline my body through fasting and worship in some type of angelic way. This would really help me grow in my relationship with God. Look at what Paul says what you're really doing you ready for this. Look at what it says here in verse 18 It says they claim access to a Visionary realm and inflated without calls by his unspiritual mom and he says they're claiming entrance kind of into the Heavenly throne room. He says so what you do is they think they're being lifted off of their feet and their ascending with the angels to worship. God hears what Paul says they've never left the ground.

Let us they've been worshipping in their unspiritual mod some of your translations may say this the mind of The Flash but this is creepy. They thought they were doing something extremely spiritual and I'm fat. What was it ultimately gratify their physical appetites? Some commentators think what was happening was this and I kind of get it is they were so starving their selves they became delusional. No, I'm good. That hungry right now. I'm about start to see things.

Ninja Turtle just so hungry and the sad part of this is that they think they can get they got into a new area when I'm fat. He says all that it's done. It's made you more egotistical and delusional. And I know it is possible to Worship in a way that it would only make ourselves feel better, but we never did anything about boasting Christ.

Notice the remedy for this part as you meet a how you really grow up how you really develop a relationship with God. Look at what it says in verse 19. He's talking about these false teachers who think through their severe discipline and descend Jellick worship. They really entered into this Visionary around he says let me settle the issue verse 19. He doesn't hold on to the Head from which the whole body nerve wrist and held together by its ligaments and tendons develops with growth from God. If you've done any type of surveying Colossians shofar anytime, there's been a reference to the head of the body. It is in reference to whom Jesus Christ. He says, here's ultimately fundamentally their problem. They've done this religion religious worship without connection to who Jesus TR worship isn't directed toward ourselves. It's not directed towards some other Supernatural be our worship in our connection happens to Jesus. And only when we worship Jesus can we expect the growth that comes from God? And noticed that this is what so important and I want to notice if we do it together as a body. A lot of people say this. I don't need the church in order to grow. You're a liar. The grace that comes from God comes in connection to one another and we all are connected to Christ. If you want to grow spiritually you better have a relationship with Christ, but I'm at a church and this happens among Millennials. They like Tyrell on the church, and I found it so crazy. They think I can go out on my own and be spiritual but it's not growth from God the growth that comes from God is relationship with Christ and a relationship with the Saints here at the church. I need your help to grow and you need my help to grow.

Don't you think about this body of Christ being the head from which the body grows? I never will forget some of you can see the picture in your Bible at my portable. Scotland had a enormous head K when she was born and I never forget when we went to our first couple of checkups. I know I mean, I'm Adam if you like are you going to ask?

And one of us finally broke down was it me or you I don't know. We were like Hey doctor. Can we ask you a question? Is it okay for him to be that big information don't know like Scotty was like on the 50 to 75 percentile in weight and length in her head. No, I was like in the 98th percentile enormous head on this, baby. And I never will forget what the doctor said and as soon as she said it all man. Y'all can you ever have for those who teach Sushi said that my mom went racing the colossian? I didn't know I'll be preaching in the year, but she said this she said it's normal because the body grows up into the head. Oh. And here's what I learned. Imma give me some some stats on this cuz this is just too good. It says this that the brain of a baby reaches half of its adult size by 9 months. And nearly three-quarters of its development happens by 2 years of age. She the reason the brain has to develop faster than everything else is because it's getting ready for the growth of the body. It's already learning language so that it can know how to move those lips and tongue. It's already learning coordination. So when those legs get big enough, I'm going to get you running. Play some Jam you don't understand this when you've severed yourself in Christ in from the body. You don't have any means to grin. But here's what scares me. Here's the application. I want you to take away from this passage again. I don't think anybody in here is suffering from severe discipline that fasting or somebody says Josh. I've been worshiping angels and it's great. What we do do and this is scary. We can autolyzed the worship experience itself. I have you ever done this and I'm guilty of this me. I got some head nod back there when we come in and we say boy, that's a good worship service and we feel really gratified by it. And here's what you need to learn the way we measure a worship service is not miss. I hope you enjoy it and you celebrate and you cry and you shall I want all those things but catch this the measure of genuine worship is not our subjective feeling the measures this did we exalt Christ Do we make much of Christ? I don't care what tradition or style who used to do it. I don't let me ask you this do when we walked out of here today gone. We made much of Jesus. And yes, it includes our heart our mind our soul in strength, but I think there are many people who won't worship without Christ. They just want the feelings of worship. They would have done their way the way they prefer the way they Delight in everything because they've been made to feel good some house that's gotten them closer to God. I worship service that doesn't tell you about Christ. It doesn't want you to pursue Jesus Christ, no matter how good it made you feel is not biblical worship.

We measure our worship due to its connection to the head because only with its connection to the head. Can we grow?

Only Christ has True Value to change it. So what difference does it make first religious rules have no value to change S and 2nd religious rules has no value to a religious worship has no value to change us and 3rd. Religious devotion has no value to changes religious devotion notice what it says in verses 20 through 21, and this is actually what Tommy sung about. If you died with the Messiah to the elemental forces of this world while you live as if you still belong to the world, why do you submit to regulations don't handle don't taste don't touch and here's the whole idea. He's in reference to what we spoke about in last week's sermon. Remember I've used those two cups some of you remember and I place that one cup and some of that larger cup and what I was trying to say is Bob faith when we have a relationship with Christ, we've identified ourselves spiritually with him so that when Jesus died in the cross in effect who also. To send we did very good. Here's the whole idea. This Elemental forces commentators debate that is probably supernatural beings or Angelic powers that kind of control the order of the cosmos and a lot of these old ancient religions is this if you can worship these Elemental forces who govern the universe that surely they could exhibit some control over your life. So if you could appease them don't handle don't taste don't touch watch you eat. What you doing at this will ultimately Garner the favor of these Elemental forces, right? And here's what pause try to number one. If you have a relationship with Jesus than the only Authority that is left to dictate or control your life or the universe is who Jesus Christ is triumph over all the elemental forces and the powers in supernatural beings. So he says if your submitted to Christ don't submit yourself to anything else the other idea. He says, he's 22 all these regulations do not handle do not touch. Do not taste all those all these regulations refer to what is destroyed by being used up their commands and doctrines of men. He says notice what these rules do the rule regulates what happens to the body, right? But as soon as you eat it, what do you do with it passes out? Write this is so you mean to tell me something that your body may use and pass out has any effect in changing your heart. Isn't that doesn't make any sense? You mean to tell me that what you put or don't put off make it make a change your heart and that's not all through the way that's going to curb this that's going to deal with our sinful nature. One of those things where he says he tells you where they come from their doctrines of men. They're not inspired by God's revelation. Is there a sparked by religious people who think they know better, but they don't have the power or the value to really change us. And so he ends with this synopsis. He says, they're verse 23 all those bees have a reputation of wisdom by promoting ascetic practices humility severe treatment of the body noticed the the the reason the summation the conclusion mayor of not of any value. In curbing selfish Indulgence now. This part are found in completely ironic, but he saying this he says believer or not being severely like treating yourself severely tough can in fat actually make you more prideful than when you were less disciplined. Okay, by being severe to yourself can actually make you boast in yourself. He should have this is a rip-off. That sounds good, but ultimately rips you all.

Can I give you some things I think sound good? Better Christian rip off and this is going to offend some I submit with gentleness and respect and I hope you'll grow from this listen to this. We think about rules and regulations and religious devotion many people did think this that just faithfulness to church has the ability to change is it does not listen to me. You can be sitting in here this morning. You got up early rest your best came in here, you're enduring everything and walked out. But if you do not hear about Jesus trust in Jesus, obey Jesus your religious devotion in the area of being faithful to church has done you no good and that you're actually susceptible to being prideful about yourself because look at me we got up and we went to church And I have people do that. The reason you're smiling is cuz we do that. You're that old song. I just want to park on a lot read your Bible pray everyday and you'll grow grow grow. No, no, no.

The Pharisees know the Bible way better than us and killed Christ. Prayer for the sake of prayer to check it off the list. So to speak does not necessarily mean you've exhibited dependent upon Christ. You're saying Josh don't come to church. Don't read your Bible. Pray. You're not hearing what I said. The spiritual disciplines the spiritual devotions are means to an end. They are not end and then in and of themselves, we don't go to church so we can check it out if we don't read our devotion so we can check it out so we don't cry so we can check it off. We do this we go to Christ we go to church to know more about Christ and to be with his people. When do our Bible study walk to discover the riches of the wisdom of Christ to learn about them and a bam and emulate him in our life, we pray the show or utter dependence upon Christ. Would you take spiritual disciplines and disconnected disconnected from Christ. They will do you more harm than good because of pop up your products and I do not have the power of Bob himself to curb your selfishness. Only Christ can conquer our selfishness. Only Christ can conquer our sinful nature. I'm not saying don't do then I'm saying examine. What are you doing them? What is your religious devotion consist of is it just to be done in and of itself or is it in connection to Christ? I want to conclude with this and I know it's been a long day. But please listen to this church for just a moment. Can I show you who Christ is to you? Can I can we just worshiping and praising him for just a moment? It's all right. If you get a little happy listen to this Christ is our diet. He is the bread of life the milk and the meat of God's word. He is the living water and the one of the new joyous relationship with God Christ is our days. He is our Passover. He is the first fruits of the dead he is our Jubilee. He is our day of atonement. He is our celebration of shelter. He is our new season. He is our Sabbath rest Christ is our souls Affliction. He bore our sins in his body on the tree Christ is our entrance. We come boldly to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find Grace to help us in our time of need Christ is our vision. He is Seated on the throne high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled. The temple Christ is our wisdom. All the knowledge of God is hidden in him Christ is our death we have done to send in him. Christ is our Resurrection. We have been raised to walk in the newness of life in him. Only Christ has True Value to change.