Lesson 17: Let No Man Judge You

Lesson 17: Let No Man Judge You

Colossians 2:16-23

This is an unusual title for a sermon or a lesson in the Word of God. We usually preach and teach that you should not judge others. That is what we are guilty of. You don’t usually have to remind people of our generation to not allow other people to judge them because they rarely do.

We don’t allow other people to tell us what is right or wrong usually. We don’t want to allow them to judge our sin - human nature (the carnal nature) does now want anyone judging them ever though. The carnal nature takes every admonition as a personal attack.

Yet the Bible does tell us her not to let anyone judge us. Let’s look and see what the Lord meant by this in its context and what it means for us today as well as we look at:

Lesson 17:Let No Man Judge You - Let’s pray!

An often repeated phrase in our generation is this: “Don’t you Judge Me!” It is usually a phrase that someone uses when they are in the wrong or no their actions are sinful or inappropriate in some way or that they have given into some vice or some bad habit and when their friends or companion looks on them with interest, care or perceived judgment they cry out - “DON’T YOU JUDGE ME!”

While we may do that at times in our lives, that is not what the Bible is talking about.

God is no referring here to you and your sin and demanding that no one judge you, but rather He is challenging us with something else and really the antithesis of our sin - that is our Freedom to Worship Christ.

I. The “THEREFORE”

When we see the therefore it the Bible we always need to keep in mind what it is referring to. It is connecting us directly with the passage that has just been presented. There is an issue that has been discussed and now God tells us because of that, I am telling you this. Sometimes it is an application, sometimes it is a doctrine, other times it is rebuke or a warning concerning something.

In this passage, it is the latter. Therefore, because of these things, God is warning us to watch out for somethings in our lives as Believers and in our church life.

He taught us you’d better

II. The meaning of “Let No Man Judge You”

Context is key in all Bible doctrine and interpretation of said doctrine. If we are going to apply principles in the Word of God to our lives today, context of what is written about is very important.

There are three things that Paul exhorted the Colossians not to allow anyone to judge them about.

A. Three categories mentioned

1. Not refusing certain meats and drinks

2. Observance of Holy days

3. Observance of Seasons

B. The application for the Believer today

I think there is principle to apply here. No matter what it is that we do or do not do; what we allow or do not allow must be pass the test of a few simple rules.

1. What I allow should not be an carnal in nature

Galatians 5:13 AV

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

2. Don’t allow if it will discourage a brother

Romans 14:21 AV

It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

1 Corinthians 8:13 AV

Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

3. Don’t do it in doubt

Romans 14:23 AV

And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

III. Let No Man Rob you of a Reward

The favorite prospect of any cult is an ignorant or backslidden Christian.

A. Men that are Puffed Up

Proud, boasting, charismatic, charlatans, they want to rob you of your reward.

Cults use all or a combination of five tactics to lure you away:

1. Intellectualism

They appeal to those who deem themselves to be gifted or the upper crust of society, perhaps as Brits like to say “Posh.” Either way, they appeal to the elite.

One that was more well known at the turn of the 20th Century but still has remnants today was Theosophy.

Another that is more well known today are The Church of Scientology

2. Ritualism

Mormonism, Catholcism

3. Legalism

Jehovah Witness, United Pentecostal Church, Catholicism

4. Mysticism

There are multitude of branches of charlatan who claim Christianity including the Word of Faith movement could be classified here.

5. Asceticism

Different Eastern Orthodox and Catholic groups especially and many lesser know freak cults would be known for this.

This is passage is dealing with mysticism primarily, but also some asceticism in the voluntary submission.

B. Voluntary Humility

It took me a while to come to grips what the Lord meant by this “voluntary humility” because we are supposed to be humble. It is really quite simple, do not humble yourself before anything in worship but the God of heaven. Along with the His Son Jesus Christ to be completely submissive to them.

No angel in the Bible ever required or accepted worship save, the pre-incarnate Christ. So you should not humble yourself to any of this ordinances or false entities either.

C. Worshipping angels

Beware of those that have made statements like this:

An angel came and spoke to me.

I recieved a vision from Christ Himself.

God gave me this special revelation.

All cults started from such words. Don’t let anyone rob you of your reward, because a saved person who is ignorant can be beguiled concerning truth by these statements.

While being saved, they can follow a false doctrine, false leaders, and ultimately a false religion and though backslidden and having been led astray, they can still be saved. But they loose their reward by doing such.

D. Not holding to the Head

Anytime I submit to any being; any false leader or deity in anyway, then I am not holding to the head which is Jesus Christ.

No man; no pastor; no priest; and no bishop or pope has the headship of the church or the Believer’s life. It belongs to Christ alone.

There are a multitude of verses in the Word of God that teach this clearly. I’ll give you three passaes:

Colossians 1:18 AV

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Ephesians 1:20–22 (AV)

Which he wrought in Christ...Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named...And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

The other one I’ll refer yo to is the passage Romans 12:3-5 where it talks about were all members of the body in Christ Jesus.

He alone is the Head of all. He alone is to be submitted to. He alone is our God and is to be worshipped and honored and glorified.

IV. Being Dead in Christ

A. Dead to the world

v.20 When we are with Christ, that is what we are supposed to be, dead to the world, to sin, to the rudiments of the world.

B. Dead to its ordinances

The Law was full of many things that were part of the ceremonial and civil law that involved, as God’s Word says here: touch not, taste, not, and handle not. Be here; present this offering; perform this circumcision. These things are not required for our redemption nor are they part of service of the Christian - even our ordinances in the church, they are good and part of God’s plan but there is no obligation to do it to be saved.

C. Dead to to the satisfying of the flesh

We are no longer to live for satisfying the cravings of our carnal flesh.

We must learn and practice saying no to the flesh because of this.

Now, we go to this in our minds: Pastor, how can I live if I’m not satisfying my flesh? Are you saying I can’t eat (or eat that which is really good). Can I not have fun and do things that are not sinful but they are things that I enjoy?

Of course not. We must understand that what is carnal and what is spiritual. We must recognize what is temporal and what is eternal. We need to consider what is vain and what has real value to my soul.

As a Believer I do not want to live my life just to make me happy. I want to make sure that whatever I do there is good reason and value in it and make sure it is not just about me.

I want to be dead in Christ, I want to make sure He is the head of my life, my family and my church.

We don’t have anything if we don’t have our church. And we don’t have a church if Jesus is not the head.

Lesson 17: Let No Man Judge You

Colossians 2:16-23