Sermon Tone Analysis

Empty Tradition

I won’t ask for a show of hands because some of you are probably too embarrassed to acknowledge it, but Cleveland Browns fans are perhaps some of the most loyal fans in all of sports…Browns fans view Sunday as the main event of the week and arrive early to Cleveland Stadium for tailgate parties and talk Browns incessantly until game time when they filled the stadium to root on the Brownies…that all changed in 1996 when owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore and changed their name to the Ravens…Browns fans were devastated but that didn’t stop them from doing what they had done for years…on opening day, September 1, 1996, they did what they always did for the last 46 years…they wore their Browns jerseys, waved their Browns flags, held tailgate parties at the stadium and chanted “Let’s Go Brownies”…then shortly before game time, they marched to the stadium gates but they stadium was quiet and empty…

Until 1996 the Cleveland Browns football team had some of the most loyal fans in all of sports.

For them Sunday was the main event of the week.

Early on Sunday morning they came to Cleveland Stadium to enjoy tailgate parties and talk about their beloved Browns, and then in the afternoon they filed to the stadium to cheer and holler.

But all that changed in 1996.

Owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore and changed its name to the Ravens, crushing the hearts of Cleveland fans.

Surprisingly, that didn’t stop these fans from doing what they had done for years.

On opening day, September 1, 1996, some fans showed up at Cleveland Stadium just as they had done for the last forty-six years and held tailgate parties.

They wore Browns jerseys, waved Browns flags, and chanted, “Let’s go, Brownies.”

Then shortly before 1 P.M. they refilled their cups and marched to the stadium gates.

But the stadium was quiet and empty.

Traditions die hard, especially religious ones.

An empty tradition is an end in itself, a habit without meaning.

It is cheering fans without a team or a game, for God is gone

their tradition had become empty, a habit without meaning…for many a Browns fan, Sunday was a day to find release from the pressures of life and for at least one afternoon to identify with a gridiron hero and find fulfillment in celebrating victory…

According to Lisbeth Levine in the Chicago Tribune, for several years TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey carried on a running public battle against excess pounds that many people can identify with.

Having tipped the scales as high as 237 pounds, she tried one diet after another.

The weight would come off but then later come right back on.

Then in 1993 Oprah found a new personal trainer named Bob Greene.

Greene gave Oprah a ten-step program that included guidelines such as (1) exercise aerobically five to seven days a week, preferably in the morning; (2) exercise at an intensity level of 7 or 8 on a scale of 1 to 10; and (3) work out for twenty to sixty minutes each session.

But Greene’s ten steps were not the most important bit of coaching he gave Oprah.

He turned the tide for Oprah by helping her understand why she wanted to eat so much.

In People magazine Oprah said, “For me, food was comfort, pleasure, love, a friend, everything.

I consciously work every day at not letting food be a substitute for my emotions.”

When we’re sad, lonely, feeling empty, eating is one way we can try to fill the void.

Similar to the substitution of excess food for love, we often use things in this world to try to satisfy our true need for God.

God designed us to live in relationship with him.

Therefore we will feel empty until we love him and walk with him.

To substitute things like sex, money, success, and family is to fight a losing battle.

Browns fans are still coming up empty but they hold out hope that this year will be the year!

Much like Browns fans, we often find ourselves searching for something to cheer about, some way to be identified with something worth celebrating only to become disillusioned with what we find…when we go after what the world says is worthy of our efforts we come up empty every time!

Are you here this morning and finding yourself empty?

Are there things you are pursuing that just don’t seem to bring you satisfaction?

Where are you turning for answers to life?

With those thoughts in mind, let’s turn to …as we continue our journey through Colossians to Finding Our Sufficiency In Christ.

As you are turning there, by way of introduction I’d like us to take some time...

Breaking Down Paul’s Argument in Colossians

Breaking Down Paul’s Argument

Breaking Down Paul’s Argument in Colossians

We know from that Paul’s heart for this church and her sister churches was that Jesus would have first place in everything...he was so concerned about this for them that he prayed very specifically...

he also was concerned enough about them to pray a very specific prayer for them.

He heard of their faith —

He was thankful for their love for one another because they knew of

the glory that awaited them —

He was also thankful for their love in the Spirit —

But he also was concerned enough about them to pray a very specific prayer for them.

Paul wanted them to understand God’s will with all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that they become spiritually mature, in fact not only is he praying for that, he is striving for it……to grow in maturity they needed to stay strong in the fight against false thinking and teaching…they needed discernment...

Paul is fighting for them to be spiritually mature……he is concerned for them and their sister churches…he wants them to stay strong in the fight against false thinking and teaching...

So he begins to lay out a formula for them to aid them in their fight...

He was also concerned that enough of them were beginning to follow the false teachings and it needed addressed...

So he begins to lay out a formula for them to aid them in their fight...

Paul’s concern for them to show discernment was so strong he appeals for it four different times...

, , , …

Let me give you that formula...

Don’t Be Deluded By What Sounds Good! ()

— let no one delude you…that includes you…oftentimes we justify our actions or in-actions by deceiving ourselves with arguments that make sense, but are not in accordance with the whole truth of God’s Word…so we need to be discerning not just of what is said out there, but also what we say to ourselves in our own heart!

Find Your Completeness In Him.

()

Talking about this today...

Don’t Be Intimated By Man’s View of Spirituality.

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Lord willing we will deal with this next week!

Then he is going to show us what that kind of life looks like ()

Then throughout the rest of the letter, he spends time telling them how all this plays out practically ().

The point is, that if the Colossian people were to stand against the false teaching and the emptiness of following something or someone other than Christ, they needed to be discerning and to allow that discernment to impact the way they chose to think and act!

Just as powerful as that message was for their day, it is equally powerful ours…there is a great need among God’s people to know the truth of His completed Word and to allow that completed Word to have an impact on their thinking and behavior…

...far too many believers today choose to live by emotions and what feels good to them or what sounds good to them; instead of living by the principles of God’s Word…

We want to consider the second element of Paul’s formula for finding our sufficiency in Christ…you and I need to develop greater discernment to...

That word “observe” has to do with “obedience, keeping”

Our Mission

We want to lead people to Christ and teach them to think and act biblically.

Our philosophy of ministry is the same as Paul’s in …

Our philosophy of ministry is the same as Paul’s in ...

Our Philosophy of Ministry

Proclaiming Christ to every generation

from the youngest to the oldest we are focused on learning the Word of God and what He expects for us and striving to put that into practice!

We are seeking to do that with wisdom along with warning, for the purpose that we all grow to reflect the character of Christ more fully!

So with all that in mind as you open your Bible today to , we want to consider the second element of Paul’s formula for finding our sufficiency in Christ...

As you open your Bible today to , we want to consider the second element of that formula...

Find Your Completeness In Him

Why should we find our sufficiency, our completeness in Christ alone?

Two reasons...

Man’s Philosophies Are Empty and Deceptive.

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Philosophy is a combination of two Greek words...

Man’s Philosophies Are Empty and Deceptive.

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Phileo…meaning “love”

Sophia…meaning “wisdom”…how knowledge impacts your daily life...

Together, philosophy is “a love for wisdom”…it is the love and pursuit of wisdom…Man’s philosophy is a love for wisdom apart from God...Christianity shows a love for the wisdom of Christ...

Man’s philosophy is a love for wisdom apart from God...

Christianity shows a love for the wisdom of Christ...

all of us, in a sense are philosophers…we view our world through a particular lens…we all interpret and follow a set of philosophical principles regarding the world in which we live…WORLDVIEW… ours is a biblical worldview...

.Everyone has a worldview in which they seek answers to the age old questions of “who am I”, “Why am I here” and “Where am I going?”

Paul wanted them to know some things about following worldly philosophies…first he wanted them to…

Be aware of their danger!

See to it = command meaning they are to constantly be on guard, need to recognize your enemy is near…Paul says, “I want you to be very, very careful here”…be careful in your own mind, be careful in your families, be careful in your church…

This does not mean we are to be paranoid and suspicious of everyone but rather have a constant awareness…don’t get lazy with your faith!

This is a constant theme in the NT

; ; ; ; Peter 3:1

Matt 7

Acts 20:29

Captive = rare word in the NT, has the idea of being carried off as booty, taken as spoils of war or kidnapped…please take note this is not written to unbelievers…

Captive = has the idea of being taken as spoils of war or kidnapped...