Sermon Tone Analysis

Fire ants have virtually taken over the southern United States since they were accidentally transported here a few decades ago.

They are amazingly adaptable, fiercely aggressive, and multiply seemingly overnight.

Worst of all, insecticide sprays generally can’t destroy the mound’s inhabitants.

Like a mighty army they have marched in, impervious to brute force.

Scientists have now found a rather crafty way to wipe out whole colonies.

Pellets of the ants’ favorite food are tainted with a special tasteless, odorless poison and sprinkled around the mound.

The worker ants immediately begin gathering up the tainted treasure and take it down into the heart of the colony.

Then they unwittingly feed the poisoned pellets to their queen, slowly killing her!

When the queen dies, no more workers are produced, and so in a couple of weeks the entire colony starves to death.

How ironic!

Food that looked so good caused their starvation.

That is how it is with false doctrine.

Those who lack discernment import it into the heart of the church, thinking it is harmless and in fact quite good.

If any wise “ant” smells the poison and protests, he is ridiculed!

And in the end the next generation starves to death spiritually.

Starved To Death

Starved To Death

Fire ants have virtually taken over the southern United States since they were accidentally transported here a few decades ago.

They are amazingly adaptable, fiercely aggressive, and multiply seemingly overnight.

Worst of all, insecticide sprays generally can’t destroy the mound’s inhabitants.

Like a mighty army they have marched in, impervious to brute force.

Scientists have now found a rather crafty way to wipe out whole colonies.

Pellets of the ants’ favorite food are tainted with a special tasteless, odorless poison and sprinkled around the mound.

The worker ants immediately begin gathering up the tainted treasure and take it down into the heart of the colony.

Then they unwittingly feed the poisoned pellets to their queen, slowly killing her!

When the queen dies, no more workers are produced, and so in a couple of weeks the entire colony starves to death.

How ironic!

Food that looked so good caused their starvation.

That is how it is with false doctrine.

Those who lack discernment import it into the heart of the church, thinking it is harmless and in fact quite good.

If any wise “ant” smells the poison and protests, he is ridiculed!

And in the end the next generation starves to death spiritually.

As we continue our study through the book of Colossians…turn to … this is what we need to consider...

Call For Discernment

Col 2

Col 2:18

Col

four times in this chapter Paul appeals to them for a high level of discernment that is focused on the sufficiency of Christ…we can’t get lazy with our faith...

Paul’s Formula For Greater Discernment

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

Find Your Completeness In Him.

()

Find Your Completeness In Him. (

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

()

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

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Deal with this today!

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

So as we examine this text we will unpack the warning of Paul to the Colossian believers...

Don’t Be Intimidated By Man’s View of Spirituality

Don’t Be Intimidated By Man’s View of Spirituality

With the overabundance of technology today, believer and unbeliever alike has access to many resources and individuals with regards to matters that fill the spiritual realm...

Some of them are good and some of them are not…and unless you have trained yourself to recognize the truth, you can easily be duped into thinking what they claim is the way it is and ought to be...

The sufficiency of Christ is being attacked on every side, either with open denials, or by implicitly communicating a need for something more.

The church today has been infiltrated by a dangerous philosophy labeled psychology that is sadly viewed as a supplement to God’s Word…that somehow your problem is bigger than what God can help you handle or speaks to in His Word and that you need man’s wisdom to overcome it...

Equally dangerous is the view that the Word of God is not complete enough and we need God to give us visions, revelations or to speak to us in ways that are different than His Word…that you can’t communicate to God until you’ve had some mystical experience…that you need something more than what God has already revealed in the Bible...

On the same plane of danger is the view that the path to righteousness and holiness is paved with poverty or deprivation…that you can’t be holy while possessing modern conveniences or until you live like a hermit...

All of these and many more find their origin in MAN, not Christ…we need to grow in our ability to know the truth, to discern these false claims and reject them as such…in some way, they all claim that Jesus and His word is not enough, that you need more…instead of relying on the concrete, objective data and principles of His Word, our spiritual life exists in the ever changing, subjective realm of what makes me feel good, or puffs me up...

Notice the word “Therefore”…in light of what he had been saying with respect to persuasive speech, worldly philosophies, etc…in light of having everything you need in Christ…this then is the conclusion of the matter...

v. 16...Let no one judge you/act as judge…translates a word meaning to pass judgment…v.18…defraud/cheat/beguile/disqualify…has the idea of condemnation…to act as an umpire in a contest and rule against you…to declare you unworthy of the reward

The point Paul is going to make in this text is that anyone who tells you that you need something more than your all sufficient Savior for your salvation, as well as your sanctification, is to be rejected.

Don’t let them intimidate you!

The point Paul is going to make in this text is that anyone who tells you that you need something more than your all sufficient Savior for your salvation, as well as your sanctification, is to be rejected.

Don’t let them intimidate you!

Three views to reject…

...these aren’t the only views to reject but they can serve as models for all the others as well…many, if not all, man-made religions will fall into similar definitions of what Paul lays out for us here...

Reject the Legalist’s View (16-17)

Legalism Defined — Outward Conformity To Man-Made Rules

Legalism is a religion that centers on human works instead of Christ…the thrust of the legalistic message is a conformity to man-made rules instead of Christ.

perhaps it is observing a particular holy day or   eating or not eating a certain thing, having a certain length of hair, wearing a certain thing

some of the false teachers had adopted all sorts of legalistic rules about what Christians were supposed to eat, and drink,and what they were supposed to do on certain days

some of the false teachers had adopted all sorts of legalistic rules about what Christians were supposed to eat, and drink,and what they were supposed to do on certain days...

they have no biblical justification for what they are saying at all--yet they are legalistically seeking to impose that standard on you as a test of your spirituality, or perhaps your salvation...

some of the false teachers had adopted all sorts of legalistic rules about what Christians were supposed to eat, and drink,and what they were supposed to do on certain days

rules about what Christians were supposed to eat, and drink,

and what they were supposed to do on certain days

Just so we are clear, every individual has a right to decide what he or she is going to eat, drink, wear, do on certain days, etc.

eat, drink, wear, do on certain days, etc.

but it becomes wrong when that person tries to impose that on others as a test of salvation or spirituality.

that

on others as a test of salvation or spirituality.

that’s legalism--and Paul was constantly fighting those who wanted to add rules and laws to go along with faith in Christ.

wanted to add rules and laws to go along with faith in

We see this today as someone coming to you and telling you that you're not really spiritual (or perhaps you're not even saved) if you don't keep one of their man-made standards...

Christ.

perhaps it is observing a particular holy day or eating or not eating a certain thing, having a certain length of hair, dressing a certain way...

they have no biblical justification for what they are saying at all--yet they are legalistically seeking to impose that standard on you as a test of your spirituality, or perhaps your salvation...

now we need to be quick to say that an equally dangerous heresy is antinomianism (no law)...where there is no place for obedience to the Scriptures, or adherence to biblical standards.

heresy is antinomianism (no law)

where there is to place for obedience to the Scriptures, biblical standards.

biblical standards.

Let’s be clear here as well...there is nothing wrong with a family or a church -- having some “rules of the house”...where we would say that we've decided it's best for us to live in this particular way as long as we're part of this family, or of this church…without “rules of the house” there would turmoil and chaos…it's important, though, that we make a clear distinction between "rules of the house" and clear objective biblical standards.

or a church -- having some rules of the house

- where we would say that we've decided it's best for us to

live in this particular way as long as we're part of this

family, or of this church.

it's important, though, that we make a clear distinction between "rules of the house" and clear objective biblical standards.

between "rules of the house" and clear objective biblical

standards.

the overall point is--that the false teachers had set up a system of rules and in so doing, they had undermined the pre-eminence of Christ.

rules and in so doing, they had undermined the pre-eminence of Christ.

salvation comes through trusting Him, not through adhering to man