THE FOCUS OF A TRUE FAITH—Colossians 2:16-23
Proposition: The focus of a true faith is centered in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Objective: My purpose is to challenge God’s people to put all their focus on Jesus Christ and to turn aside to other false teachings.
INTRODUCTION:
Here’s a list of laws that are still on the books that relate to churches:
Young girls are never allowed to walk a tightrope in Wheeler, MS, unless it’s in a church.
In Blackwater, Kentucky, tickling a woman under her chin with a feather duster while she’s in church service carries a penalty of $10.00 and one day in jail.
No one can eat unshelled, roasted peanuts while attending church in Idanha, OR.
In Honey Creek, IA,, no one is permitted to carry a slingshot to church except a policeman.
No citizen in Leecreek, AR, is allowed to attend church in any red-colored garment.
Swinging a yo-yo in church or anywhere in public on the Sabbath is prohibited in Studley, VA.
Turtle races are not permitted within 100 yards of a local church at any time in Slaughter, LA.
There’s got to be a story behind some of those rules.
Paul says, “Christ is the supreme Savior. He is the sole-mediator of His people. And because He is supreme—because He is the supreme Savior—He is everything you need spiritually. So don’t look anywhere else but Him.” So in the Col. 1, Paul focuses on Christ. In this chapter, Paul begins to warn Christians against types of teaching like legalism (the Law), Gnosticism and asceticism which contradict the sufficiency of Christ as our sole-mediator. For instance, in v. 4, we learned that Paul told us not to be deluded by persuasive arguments. And then in v. 8, we learned that he tells us not to be taken captive by false teaching, false philosophy & speculations. Paul is concerned that the Colossians not adopt such teachings that contradict the Gospel. In v. 18, he warns them against false worship—in fact, against the worship of angels. And then in v. 20, he warns them against asceticism, which is the practice of self-denial as a means of religious discipline. Our focus must be on Jesus Christ rather than false teachings.
I. FOCUS ON CHRIST RATHER THAN EXTERNAL RITUALISM: “Don’t Let Anyone Condemn You” (vvs. 16-17) “Let no one judge you…which are a shadow of things to come”— What he’s talking about here is external religion. What he’s talking here about is ceremony, ritual. Ritual, did they bow down? Did they go through whatever ritual they needed to go through? Did they have fastings? Did they go through ceremonial washings? Did they participate in rites and duties and behaviors that are intended somehow mechanically to convey some kind of divine connection? Paul says, “Don’t get led astray by that. Don’t think for a minute that some external activity in which you participate is necessary.”
1. Rituals that are meaningless (v. 16) “Let no one judge you in food or in drink…”-- Apparently these Colossian teachers, these new teachers in Colossae, were teaching two things. They were saying, on the one hand, that these Gentile Christians had to obey the OT ritual, ceremonial law with regard to festivals, feast days, new moons, and the seventh-day Sabbath. Though they were Christians, they were not only to gather on the Lord’s Day, but they were to observe the Sabbath & the festivals & the feasts & the new moons. Furthermore, they were giving instruction about food and drink. The Jews were even saying that, “Well, God’s not going to accept you unless you’ve been circumcised.” He says, “All that God gave you had a place of protecting, preserving you and depicting the reality to come but the reality is here, Christ is here, set the shadow aside, the substance is here, you don’t need the ritual.” The problem was that people were performing these rituals mechanically, simply going through the motions. That, Paul says, can destroy the true vitality of faith.
2. The reality that is meaningful (v. 17) “which are a shadow of things to come”-- A “shadow” is only an image cast by an object which represents its form. Once one finds Christ, he no longer needs to follow the old shadow. The people who lived under those rules were content to live in the shadow side of religion where fear lurks and inhibitions abound. Paul says, "Get out of the shadow, the reality is here." Paul says, "Look, spirituality is not a matter of external ritual, but a matter of an internal relationship with Jesus Christ. Don’t let anybody intimidate you based on what you do or don’t do in order to determine if you are spiritual or not." If you still place primary value on a shadow after the reality has come you destroy your participation in the value of that reality. Now the reality, here, is Jesus! He is the center of all life and the source of excitement in a Christian’s experience. He is the One who accompanies us through life, to comfort in times of need and strengthen when we are being tempted. He is a place of refuge to run to when we are troubled or uncertain about life. To lose him is to lose all source of excitement and vitality in life. That is the danger in observing shadows. That is why this paragraph begins with the word "therefore." The previous section pointed out all that Christ is to us now. Thus Paul is saying, "Having him, therefore, do not let anyone spoil you by involving you in a mechanical performance that will cancel out the reality." Remember that: It’s Christ...it’s Christ and only Christ.
Illus: Larry Chell: “In the Philippines I heard a local pastor use the following parable to illustrate Christ’s offer of rest and the response of people who won’t trust Him completely: The driver of a caribou wagon was on his way to market when he overtook an old man carrying a heavy load. Taking compassion on him, the driver invited the old man to ride in the wagon. Gratefully the old man accepted. After a few minutes, the driver turned to see how the man was doing. To his surprise, he found him still straining under the heavy weight, for he had not taken the burden off his shoulders.
II. FOCUS ON CHRIST RATHER THAN EMPTY RELIGION : Don’t Let Anyone Cheat You (vvs. 18-19) “Let no one cheat you of your reward”-- These people say, "I am sorry about you. I have seen things beyond what you have seen. I have comprehended things and know the secrets not known to ordinary man. I take my stand there." That is very intimidating. They make you feel like a second-class Christian. I have never seen anything.
1. The disqualification (v. 18a) “Let no one cheat
you of your reward”- Notice the stern warning that is given here. Paul says, "don’t let these people "disqualify you for the prize." The word for disqualify carries the idea of an umpire who is calling you out because you have not obeyed the rules. This is a very serious danger so it’s important we understand what we are dealing with.
2. The description (v. 18b) “Taking delight in false
humility and worship of angels”-- Those are elements of false teaching in this context. In Colossae there was an teaching called Gnosticism," meaning knowledge which held that there is a hierarchy of angels between all human beings and God which must be placated and acknowledged, and that one’s knowledge, which began in virtual ignorance, increased with such contact until at last one entered into the fullness of understanding of the Oneness of all things. Note that Paul says: they have a false humility. They present themselves as humble and holy but in reality are filled with themselves and feel a sense of spiritual pride and superiority over other Christians; they worship angels. Their focus is often on other spiritual beings other than Christ. They have seen visions. These people are eager to tell you the "latest word from the Lord." They are "puffed up with idle notions". They draw false conclusions. They come up with all kinds of aberrant teaching that promises to lead a person TO God but is really leading them AWAY from Him.
That ancient heresy appears widely today under the name of the New Age Movement. At the heart of it is this claim to seek the true Oneness of things. We are told that we are all part of the universe of created matter, and that we are united in Oneness with God. The claim is that this is the way to escape from being centered in oneself, and so move into the fullness of know-ledge of the universe.
3. The detachment (v. 19a) “and not holding fast to the Head”— The fundamental problem with the false teachers was that they were not connected to Christ, the Head of the body of believers. If they had been joined to him, they could not have taught false doctrine or lived immorally. Anyone who teaches about God without being connected to him by faith should not be trusted. This means acknowledging Jesus Christ as the only Savior of mankind, and the only Head or chief of the Christian Church, on whom every member of it depends, and from whom each derives both light and life. The Lord Jesus is here spoken of as the Head of the Body. An empty religion living without the consciousness that Christ is Head, not drawing the supply of all our needs from His exhaustless resources, & not doing all for His glory. It means looking to the Lord in glory for sustenance & direction, & keeping in touch with Him. This is further explained in the expression that follows: from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. The various parts of the human body are connected by joints and ligaments. The body in turn is joined to the head. Holding fast to the Head emphasizes the necessity for a moment-by-moment dependence on the Lord. Yesterday’s help will not do for today. We can’t grind grain with the water that has passed over the dam. It should also be added here that where Christians do hold to the Head, the result will be spontaneous action which will coordinate with other members of the Body.
4. The development (v. 19b) “grows with the increase that is from God”-- This means acknowledging Jesus Christ as the only Savior of mankind, and the only Head or chief of His church. An empty religion means to live without the consciousness that Christ is Head, not drawing the supply of all our needs from His exhaustless resources, and not doing all for His glory. This is further explained in the expression that follows: from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. The various parts of the human body are connected by joints and ligaments. The body looks to the Head for guidance and direction. Holding fast to the Head emphasizes the necessity for a moment-by-moment dependence on the Lord. Yesterday’s help will not do for today. We can’t grind grain with the water that has passed over the dam. It should also be added here that where Christians do hold to the Head, the result will be spontaneous action which will coordinate with other members of the Body. Christians must not allow themselves to be defrauded by false humility and worship. If you want to grow up and mature as a man or woman then follow the process which God Himself has outlined in His Word. "Follow me," says Jesus. That is the way to true maturity.
III. A TRUE FAITH IS FOCUSED ON CHRIST RATHER THAN ENDLESS RULES & REGULATIONS: Don’t Let Anyone Control You (vvs. 20-23) “Do not let anyone subject you to regulations”- There are the ascetics who say, "You can’t own that car, live in that house, and wear that coat and still be a Christian." They say that poverty, self-denial, self- abasement is Christianity. So we can be intimidated by the same thing that the Colossians were being intimidated by. But don’t ever be intimidated unless there is a reason for it, and the only valid reason is that they are bringing up something that is biblical. If the intimidation isn’t based on the Word, then just continue what you are doing and don’t listen to them. The Apostle Paul says, "Don’t let them intimidate you. Christ is all you need." That’s what the Word of God says! He is all; He is sufficient.
1. The surrender (v. 20a) “If you died with Christ… why…do you subject yourselves to regulations”—These rules focus on personal denial. They were telling people not to handle, taste, and touch in order to curb in their appetites. The thing is, this sounds really good on the surface. Certainly we are called to "deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him." We need some discipline in our lives. But these men were after something different. They were telling these people that these disciplines were necessary for fellowship with God. They urged a rigorous introspection.
Illus: According to the church father Athanasius, Anthony, the founder of Christian monasticism, never changed his vest or washed his feet. He was outdone, however, by Simeon Stylites, who spent the last thirty-six years of his life atop a fifty-foot pillar. Simeon mistakenly thought the path to spirituality lay in exposing his body to the elements and withdrawing from the world.
2. The self-denial (v. 21) “Do not touch…taste...handle”-- In other words, no more oil, no more wine, no more meat, no contact with a stranger, no touching of a religious inferior. Those things aren’t spiritual. A simple diet and simple clothing were necessary for spirituality. The redeemed are set free from self- styled, man-made rules designed to make you holy. The world says, “If you want to be really holy, give up everything, deprive yourself, and go live in total abstinence.” If you do that, you are simply modeling yourself after the system of religion in the world. That is a religion of don’t.
3. The significance (v. 22) “which all concern things which perish with the using”— Spirituality isn’t Christ plus poverty, Christ plus never taking a bath, Christ plus going to live in a monastery--it isn’t Christ plus anything. All of those things are going to perish. They are just the commandments and teachings of men--just human religion.
4. The self-satisfaction (v. 23) “These things…are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh”-- The Christian attitude is that we have died to the flesh with all its passions and lusts, and from now on we live to the glory of God. We do this, not out of fear of punishment, but rather out of love to the One who gave Himself for us. A. T. Robertson put it well: “It is love that makes us really free to do right. Love makes the choice easy. Love makes the face of duty beautiful. Love makes it sweet to keep up with Christ. Love makes the service of goodness freedom.” Paul isn’t saying all rules are bad. But keeping laws or rules will not earn salvation. The Good News is that God reaches down to human beings, and He asks for our response. Man-made religions focus on human effort; Christianity focuses on Christ’s work. Believers must put aside sinful desires, but doing so is the by-product of our new life in Christ, not the reason for our new life. Our salvation does not depend on our own discipline & rule keeping but on the power of Christ’s death & resurrection.
CONCLUSION: In closing, let us remember that:
Paul said, "If you have Christ, you have everything." If you have His Word, you have all you need; if you have His Spirit, you have all you need.
1. Focus on Christ (vvs. 16-17). He is the real thing.
2. Flee fanatics (vvs. 18-19). Steer clear of any one that takes your focus off of Christ.
3. Find your freedom (vvs. 20-23). One finds freedom in trust
ing Christ for He said, “Therefore if the Son makes you free; you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36). Let us look to Jesus and Jesus alone.
Illus: One evening the great Conductor Arturo Toscanini conducted Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with a brilliant performance. At the end of it, the audience went absolutely wild. They clapped, whistled, & stomped their feet, caught up in the greatness of the performance. As Toscanini stood there, he bowed & bowed, & bowed, then acknowledged his orchestra. When the ovation finally began to subside, Toscanini turned to his musicians. He was almost out of control as he whispered, "Gentleman! Gentleman!" The orchestra leaned forward to listen. Was he angry? They could not tell. In a fiercely enunciated whisper, Toscanini said, "Gentlemen, I am nothing!" This was an extraordinary admission since Toscanini was blessed with an enormous ego. He added, "Gentlemen, you are nothing." They had heard that same message before in rehearsal. "But Beethoven, " said Toscanini in adoration, "is everything, everything, everything!" This is the response of the believer once they fully understand & appreciate the greatness of the work of our Savior. When we truly believe & repent of our sins & realize all that Christ has done for us, no matter what the crowd says, no matter how many people applaud our greatness; we must say, "I am nothing . . .but He is everything, everything, everything."
O come, let us adore Him! O come, let us adore Him!
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord.
E-mail: grsteffy@yahoo.com weekly MY SERMON NUGGETS
