Rooted in Biblical Christianity

"Rooted in Biblical Christianity" Colossians 2:16-23 February 27, 2022 Ryan Fregoso Good morning! We will be in Colossians 2, verses 16-23 this morning. This week, I came across a modern-day proverb called "The Path." I'll do my best to summarize it. A man was walking down an unfamiliar path. Along the way, he entered and became stuck in a bed of quicksand. Slowly he began to sink. Gratefully another traveler came along, and the man called out for help. It was the Chinese philosopher Confucius. Confucius told him in response to his plea, "that should be evidence that men should stay out of such places." He continued along his journey. Then, Buddha came along! The man cried for help, and Buddha's reply was simply "kill the desire to live which you have and you will be alright" then he too continued along his journey. So, as the man continued to sink, Mohammed walked by, and as the man cried for help again! Mohammed replied, "I can do nothing, it is the will of Allah," and he too continued along. Finally, the man sank to his shoulders and only his arm and head were still visible, but one more traveler came by. This time it was Jesus, and when the man cried out, Jesus reached down and pulled him out, and He walked with the man to his destination. This story helps us to see that when we rely solely on our processes and procedures and principles in our faith, we are left sinking, but when we rely on Jesus, we can continue walking. In our passage this morning, we are going to see Paul's warning against these false teachers that continue to add to the finished work of Jesus. In doing so, they are at jeopardy of losing sight of their Savior. Join me as we read Colossians 2:16-23: 16 THEREFORE LET NO ONE PASS JUDGMENT ON YOU IN QUESTIONS OF FOOD AND DRINK, OR WITH REGARD TO A FESTIVAL OR A NEW MOON OR A SABBATH. 17 THESE ARE A SHADOW OF THE THINGS TO COME, BUT THE SUBSTANCE BELONGS TO CHRIST. 18 LET NO ONE DISQUALIFY YOU, INSISTING ON ASCETICISM AND WORSHIP OF ANGELS, GOING ON IN DETAIL ABOUT VISIONS, PUFFED UP WITHOUT REASON BY HIS SENSUOUS MIND, 19 AND NOT HOLDING FAST TO THE HEAD, FROM WHOM THE WHOLE BODY, NOURISHED AND KNIT TOGETHER THROUGH ITS JOINTS AND LIGAMENTS, GROWS WITH A GROWTH THAT IS FROM GOD. 20 IF WITH CHRIST YOU DIED TO THE ELEMENTAL SPIRITS OF THE WORLD, WHY, AS IF YOU WERE STILL ALIVE IN THE WORLD, DO YOU SUBMIT TO REGULATIONS- 21 "DO NOT HANDLE, DO NOT TASTE, DO NOT TOUCH" 22 (REFERRING TO THINGS THAT ALL PERISH AS THEY ARE USED)-ACCORDING TO HUMAN PRECEPTS AND TEACHINGS? 23 THESE HAVE INDEED AN APPEARANCE OF WISDOM IN PROMOTING SELF-MADE RELIGION AND ASCETICISM AND SEVERITY TO THE BODY, BUT THEY ARE OF NO VALUE IN STOPPING THE INDULGENCE OF THE FLESH. Here is our main idea that I want to talk through this morning: We are rooted in Christ when we don't add to Jesus. You may recall the mathematical equation I quoted last week: Christ plus nothing, equals everything. WHY JESUS PLUS NOTHING? 1. Biblical Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. (16) a. The dictionary definition of religion is "a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes" b. That's really what we saw in that story a few moments ago, isn't it? c. In verse 16, we see that these false teachers and other influences were not only adding to the faith that the Colossians had, but they were also using the Law to do so. d. They were putting emphasis on keeping the dietary restrictions and the Sabbath's and the ceremonial feasts, instead of relying on the finished work of Christ. e. Not only this, but the phrase "PASS JUDGMENT" here denotes someone acting as a judge over others. f. This is to say that they were the final authority on how you practice your faith. g. Now, the Scriptures do tell us that we ought to judge one another - as Christians - but, only when it comes to sin. Not, on what someone wears, or eats, or drinks, or if they "observe the Sabbath" or a ceremonial "feast." h. We do this in the Church today too. i. How about those churches that will only accept a specific English version of the Bible? ii. Or those churches that have an unwritten rule that men are to wear a suit and tie? iii. Even those super Christians who don't dance or smoke or drink alcohol and judge those who do. i. We're no different than some of these that Paul is warning about. Next, in verse 17, we see that .... 2. The Law points us to Jesus. (17) a. This idea of a shadow speaks to a picture of Christ (this Greek word is where we get the word "photograph" from. It is an outline. A sketch. Something that we see but can look forward to the real thing. Like the pictures I shared with the kids this morning. b. Allow me to point you to the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:17: DO NOT THINK THAT I HAVE COME TO ABOLISH THE LAW OR THE PROPHETS; I HAVE NOT COME TO ABOLISH THEM BUT TO FULFILL THEM. i. Jesus fulfilled the Law, so as we saw last week, it is complete. No need to dwell on them. c. The phrasing of verse 17 is a bit difficult to translate. At least for me, the phrasing is hard to understand at first. But, what we see is that it points to the idea that a shadow has no substance, and that the substance is only found in the body of Christ. i. So, Paul is contrasting the idea of a shadow (or picture) and a real Person, in Christ. d. The NLT does a good job of paraphrasing this: FOR THESE RULES ARE ONLY SHADOWS OF THE REALITY YET TO COME. AND CHRIST HIMSELF IS THAT REALITY. e. So, if these rules were merely a picture of Jesus, again there is no need to live there, let alone be judged for them. f. Next, verse 18 points us to the fact that ... 3. Following Jesus requires faith and works, not faith plus works. (18) a. Paul is warning against those who teach that you must do something to earn your salvation. b. The Bible is very clear. Faith is a gift from God, by the grace of God. We cannot - because we are unable - to do anything to earn our salvation. c. Paul is warning the church to not let anyone deny your salvation if you aren't practicing asceticism (a false humility, and in some cases a self-harm or imposing self-deprivation to be "more holy"), or the worship of angels because of their extensive visions, which only leads to a prideful attitude. d. Paul, drawing back on the section that we covered last week, affirms that this salvation is already final, no one can take that from you. i. That's what that term "DISQUALIFY" is addressing here. The term is used when an umpire or official strips you from your prize. e. Again, this is unfortunately not exclusive to just the Colossian church. f. Think about churches who teach that you are not saved if you are not a member of their religious affiliation or church. Or churches who teach that you can lose your salvation. Or churches who teach that you must do something to earn your salvation. g. The Bible is clear, that no one is saved by their works, but saved through faith in Christ, which is a gift from God. No one can take that from us. Praise God for that! Amen? h. Paul further affirms this by reminding us that ... 4. Jesus is the Head. (19) a. This verse is another reminder of others Pauline passages of Jesus as Head and the Church as His body. b. But, Paul is clearly stating here that these false teachers are not holding on to Christ as Head, even though it is Christ that allows the body to function. c. You see, Paul is warning the church here that no one has the right to promote ordinances and ceremonies aside from Christ alone, as He is the Head. i. One commentator added that Christ has ordained some ordinances (baptism and the Lord's Supper), and that is enough. Not because we say it is enough, but because Christ has already said it. d. We see this a lot in the world, don't we? In my last three roles as a Human Resource professional, I took over the seat of a long tenured HR professional. In each of those roles, I spent much of my time retraining managers and other leaders on processes and procedures and policies that were implemented unnecessarily. i. As you know, it is hard enough to train someone, but sometimes harder to re-train someone. ii. Paul, I believe, is trying to get ahead of these false teachers before the church became untrainable. e. They, in a way, have replaced Jesus, with their legalism, their mysticism, and their asceticism. f. This is a dangerous, dangerous place for a Christian to be. This is when a Christian decides that Christ is not enough and they go and pursue more. g. Piggy backing on this, Paul addresses the following in the next section: 5. Worldly wisdom is inferior to God's wisdom. (20-23) a. Verse 20 again draws our attention back to last week's sermon (if you missed it, it's online in both video and audio forms), where we spoke about Christ's finished work. How He made us alive in Him. b. Another commentator spoke these words: "why do you allow them to influence you, as though you were living and acting under those worldly principles?" c. In verse 21, Paul seems to be addressing some of the specific instructions that these false teachers were imposing on the church. "DO NOT HANDLE. DO NOT TASTE. DO NOT TOUCH." i. Recall, just a couple of weeks ago, we spoke about the importance of Christian maturity. ii. Maybe it's just me, but these commands remind me of when my oldest daughter Elizabeth was a toddler. 1. "Put that down Elizabeth" "Don't put that in your mouth, Elizabeth" 2. I can remember telling her one day, "Elizabeth, get that pancake off of your head!" d. These "do nots" are indicative of a legalistic approach to faith. Another commentator noted that Christianity, at its core, is a religion of positive action, not negative. i. I'm sure you've heard it spoken before, our faith is not "do not" it's a "get to." e. This idea that Paul speaks of here of HUMAN PRECEPTS AND TEACHINGS refer to man-made commandments and doctrines. They lead to the appearance of wisdom but are ultimately without value. f. They become a self-made religion feeding into the desires of the flesh. g. That is what happens when we take our eyes off of Jesus, we tend to look elsewhere. Paul has clearly outlined in this passage what we identified as our main idea for the passage today: We are rooted in Christ when we don't add to Jesus. So, the obvious next question, is ... HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN IN OUR LIVES? 1. Build my life on the Scriptures, rather than trying to make the Scriptures fit my life. a. Unfortunately, as we rely more and more on our own wisdom, or the wisdom of others, we begin to look outside the scriptures or twist the scriptures to fit the narratives of man or institutions. b. We cannot stress enough the necessity in the life of Christians to be built around the Scriptures and fellowship. c. I love the example of the early church. d. Acts 2:42 reminds us: AND THEY DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO THE APOSTLES' TEACHING AND THE FELLOWSHIP, TO THE BREAKING OF BREAD AND THE PRAYERS. e. Or what about the strong warning in Galatians 1:8: BUT EVEN IF WE OR AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN SHOULD PREACH TO YOU A GOSPEL CONTRARY TO THE ONE WE PREACHED TO YOU, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. f. This is to remind us that we are to rely on the inspired Scriptures to form our worldview. i. This includes things that are difficult to understand or things that our flesh may not fully agree on. ii. Yet, we are to stand firm to what the Scriptures teach, so that one may not lead us astray. 2. Instead of judging each other with man-made rules, build up each other in Christ. a. I've told this story before, but when I first became a Christian, part of the reason I was willing to listen was because the people I initially encountered did not judge me. At the time, I was fresh out of my thug inspired days, so my wardrobe and demeanor were unchanged at that point. I was standoffish, and was uninviting, but no one batted an eye. b. When I came here to Thornydale Family Church, no one judged me for my appearance, tattoos and all. i. I do however, get judged for my sports teams, and for burning bacon one time (gentlemen, one time!), but never for how I looked. ii. This is important because stereotypes of what Christians should wear and what they should look like are primarily man-made rules. There is nothing in the Bible that tells me that I need to wear a suit and tie, or that I can't wear jeans, shorts or flipflops to church. 1. Decisions on those areas are personal, not corporate. iii. When we begin to judge others for these types of things, we are taking the attention off Christ, and on onto the institution or our own desires. Church, my friends, isn't about you and me, it is and always been and always will be about Christ. iv. The writer of Hebrews wrote these familiar words: AND LET US CONSIDER HOW TO STIR UP ONE ANOTHER TO LOVE AND GOOD WORKS, NOT NEGLECTING TO MEET TOGETHER, AS IS THE HABIT OF SOME, BUT ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER, AND ALL THE MORE AS YOU SEE THE DAY DRAWING NEAR. (Hebrews 10:24-25) v. We ought to be together. Encouraging one another. Not judging one another because of tradition or church specific rules. vi. It is in those moments we are adding to Christ's initial intent for the Church. As I wrote this sermon this week, I realized that even what was spoken and warned about may appear to be judgmental in some of the examples given. That is not the intent, the intention is to turn on the light switch, to bring real life examples of what this looks like in our churches today. No one should feel disqualified. No one should be judged. When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well in John 4, He spoke these words: BUT THE HOUR IS COMING, AND IS NOW HERE, WHEN THE TRUE WORSHIPERS WILL WORSHIP THE FATHER IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH, FOR THE FATHER IS SEEKING SUCH PEOPLE TO WORSHIP HIM. GOD IS SPIRIT, AND THOSE WHO WORSHIP HIM MUST WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH. (John 4:23-24) Spirit and truth. Not food and drink. Not festivals. Not your attire. Not your past. Spirit and truth. Family. Let us worship the Father in spirit and truth. This is Biblical Christianity. Let's Pray. 2