Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Title:

Main Idea:

Godliness Doesn’t Come Through What You Do! (vs.

16-17)

Godliness Does Come Through Christ (vs.

19)

Introduction

#Badadvice - a young man name Lee - The left blinker went out on my car when I was 16.

My dad told me to “only turn right.”

If only I would have read the Bible, especially Paul’s letter to the Colossians!

Paul makes this point abundantly clear and if you have been with us through this journey, you will recognize this theme permeates this letter!

You can’t add anything to the Gospel to save you or grow you in Godliness.

And the latter part of this statement is what we will focus on this morning from the text...

#Badadvice - Kayla was told - I was told once to use hairspray so my make-up would stay.

Turns out it makes your face sticky…and a little crunchy.

#Badadvice - Hunter admitted - While cooking steaks, I asked my dad if the top of the BBQ was hot.

He said, “Try it out” Not thinking, I was actually that dumb.

What is the Biblical Solution?

The church at Colossae was getting some bad advice and some of them were starting to listen!

That’s why Epaphras sought Paul’s advice on how to handle this situation!

And so Paul wrote a very clear answer to the problem and this leads to the main Idea for our text this morning...

What do the hearers need to know?

Main Textual Idea:

Main Idea: Don’t Listen to “No One”! Listen Only to Christ!

Before we get too far into this, I do want to explain something to you.

I’m not losing it in the grammar department!

I know from the main idea, it may seem as if I am, but when I say, “Don’t listen to “No One”!

“No One” are the false teachers that the church at Colossae are contending with.

We see Paul referencing them in verse 16...

“Therefore let “NO ONE” pass judgment on you...”

And again in verse 18...

“Let “NO ONE” disqualify you...”

Paul’s goal?

Don’t listen to NO ONE (the false teachers promoting the heresy in Colossae)

Interrogative: What are theses teachers saying that is so bad?

Well, this this passage Paul gives two characteristics they should be careful!

Be careful not to listen to the judgmental or the Sensual.

Yes, you have to do things in order to grow in Godliness.

R. Kent Hughes wrote a wonderful book called “Disciplines of a Godly Man.”

I highly recommend it to you.

His wife did a follow up book called, “Disciplines of a Godly Woman.”

Again, a great resource for you.

Both books extol the necessity for you and I who name Christ as savior to “work out our individual salvation in fear and trembling ().

But this is NOT what Paul is dealing with in .

No, He is dealing with something far more insidious.

He’s dealing with a heresy that blatantly misconstrues the gospel.

Because it is in Christ that you have spiritual fullness, Paul is saying, do not let anyone impose upon you a program of spiritual development that does not have Christ at its heart.

Let’s take a look at the first...

Transition:

Body (Satisfaction)

1. Don’t Listen to the Judgmental! (vs.

16-17)

Lead in…Another way to think of this is that there is no way you can become Godly on your own.

The false teachers were trying to get the Colossian Christians to add things to the simple and glorious message of the gospel.

They needed to be stopped.

Paul makes it very clear to not listen to them...

Text -

Don’t you just love it when someone looks down their nose at you and judges you for something?

It’s infuriating!

But, it can also be quite intimidating.

Especially if feel inferior to the one passing judgment.

I remember when I was first saved and I came into contact with some “legalist” types.

I wasn’t wearing the right clothing or something and I got the “holier than thou, STINK EYE!”

Well, I can imagine that the False teachers were doing a lot of “STINK EYEing” because they saw these newish believers forsaking the long established traditions and they were appalled to say the least!

Look again at the text...

16

Paul is clear!

“Do not listen to their overzealous, misguided, inappropriate, holier than thou, judgment!

Do not let them pass judgement on you.

There is only one judge that you need be concerned about.

God Himself.

James warns his readers of the same thing...

Jame

Indeed, who are you to judge or condemn anyone?

And to be clear, the false teachers were not merely criticizing the Colossian christIan, no!

What they were doing was “pronouncing God’s judgment on them.”

(PNTC)

Paul lists two sets of issues in particular, where the false teachers were “passing judgment.”

Let’s take a look at each...

The first set?

Food and Drink -

11 45-47

leviticus 11

The second set?

A Festival - The annual religious celebrations of the Jewish calendar (Passover, Pentecost or Tabernacles)

Levi

A New Moon - the monthly sacrifice offered on the first day of each month.

Numbers

A Sabbath - The weekly celebration of the 7th day.

A picture of God’s rest from creation.

(; Rom 14:5,6)

Lev 23

According to Paul in verse 17, these activities served their purpose by being “a shadow of the things to come” meaning these activities prescribed in the Old Testament law (dietary regulations, festivals, sacrifices) were incomplete pictures of the glorious painting of Christ!

You can tell that Paul is mystified that the Colossians would be tempted to go backward and follow the law that’s entire purpose was to point to Christ!

I love how the NLT translates these two verses...

The writer of Hebrews uses the same language of Paul...

Mark Maynell said it so well...

“Shadows have many features.

They can intrigue and keep children entertained for ages, when someone makes animal silhouettes on the wall using a lamp and contorted hand movements.

They can cause alarm and fear, such as in horror movies when a bad guys presence looms larger than life.

But when it comes to relationships, we rarely think twice: a friend’s shadow is far less significant than the person herself.

If she is in conversation with you, it would be very odd to keep replying to her silhouette on the ground.”

(Colossians and Philemon for You, pg.

104-105)

Shadows are great, but they are not the real thing.