Sermon Central
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Get Closer To God- What To Avoid Series
Contributed by Shawn Drake on Jul 29, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: This is the 160th sermon in the series Action". This is the 6th sermon from Colossians.
Series: Action [#160]
GET CLOSER TO GOD- WHAT TO AVOID
Introduction:
After telling the Colossians about their freedom from sin, Paul warns them to not go back. They had been bound by traditions and sin; but now they were set free in Christ. Paul shows us what to avoid so that our relationship with God can continue to grow stronger and stronger.
Avoid…
1. Legalism.
Paul tells us to not let people judge us based on our diet or days that we go to Worship Services. All of these rules are just a shadow of things to come. They are not the real thing- The real thing is only found in Jesus.
Legalism looks at self. Did I do enough? Did I do more than you? It is not about what you do; but what Jesus has done. You are complete in Christ. Legalism focuses on the faults of others. Legalism is contagious- It spreads like a virus. Legalism makes you narrow minded and divisive. It makes everything about you. Legalism produces a shallow faith that is obsessed with things that do not matter.
Avoid…
2. Mysticism.
The Colossian Christians were not to let these false teachers steal their joy by imposing external rules on their faith. They were also to be on their guard for those who would want to disqualify them from the prize. The false teachers were doing things like praying to angels for protection, or a successful business, or to destroy their enemies. They were encouraged to worship angels. This is why we do not pray to Mary or pray to certain saints- All Christians are Saints. We are to worship only Jesus.
This was really about mysticism. Mysticism is the belief that direct knowledge of God and spiritual truth can be attained through performing certain rituals. Mysticism is the belief that a person can have an immediate experience with the spiritual world, completely apart from the Word of God or the Holy Spirit. These false teachers were telling the Colossian Christians that they needed to have the same visions and experiences about these angels that they had in order to be a mature Christian.
These false teachers had lost connection with the head of the Body of Christ. When the Body of Christ stays focused on Christ, the Church grows in its love for each other and the community around it. False teachers have always tried to make spiritual things about feelings and emotions. If you never have another spiritual feeling in your life, would it be enough that Jesus died for you?
Avoid…
3. Asceticism.
Paul brings it all back to being in Christ- Since you died with Christ and died to the World; why would you put yourself under the World’s rules? The false teachers believed that the body was bad, and the soul was good so 1 way you could get closer to God was by punishing the body. If the body was bad, then why did God choose to send His Son in the form of a man? The Gnostics believed that Jesus didn’t have a real human body- He was more like a ghost.
This is asceticism. Asceticism is the practice of strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline. This might have had an appearance of wisdom with self-imposed worship, false humility, and the harsh treatment of the body; but in the end, it had no ability to change a person’s heart. It was all external.
Conclusion:
The bottom line is, “Are you a born again Christian or do you just know how to play Church?