19.06.11 AM Sermon Christ and the Christian Experience # 5 - Falling from Christ (Col 2:16-23)
Humanitarian organisations spend millions upon millions trying to address the plight of the refugee throughout the world - Those who have had to leave their home and wander from place to place.
Those whose present home is not their home. Home is where we belong, where we are intended to live.
To be home-less is to live as a wanderer, rest-less, anchor-less.
The Colossians Christians had recently found a home in Jesus Christ, but now they were beginning to wander - they were being invited to move to a different spiritual address.
And the alternatives on offer were by no means and no where near the original and the authentic spirituality that they had found in Christ.
The alternatives that they were being presented by way of false teaching and teachers were based on a lie – that Jesus Christ was not the Way, the Truth, nor the Life. That he was an insufficient Saviour. That they needed something or someone else to bring them what they needed and sought.
However, the apostle Paul sets forth the truth plainly.
The truth that sets people free is to be found in Jesus Christ and him alone.
Any alternative is not really an alternative, or at least not one that comes up to the mark.
In fact, alternative religions, or belief systems, or opinions, will lead you in the opposite direction and cause you to be further from the Truth and more entangled, and in danger than you were before.
It was time for the Colossians to throw off that which hindered and held them back in their freedom and life and to embrace Christ fully once again. It is time for the church to do this also in our day.
Yet elements of the false religion presented to the Colossians seemed attractive, they still do for us today.
So Paul sets about unmasking them, exposing them for what they truly are and where they will eventually lead – to death.
In these verses, Paul describes the character of this false religion, and whilst so doing, he weaves in a critique, showing us why anything other than Christ is not a harmless, interesting substitute, but a fatal error. In the middle of it, he gives us the one vital clue as to how we may counter the snare that is set before us.
1. The character of false religion (v16-23)
The Colossians were adopting a mixture of religious teachings, stemming from a number of sources, which if they stopped to think about it, showed many inconsistencies and contradictions.
But there are five characteristics that I want to firstly highlight.
a. Special diet (v16)
Paul begins by saying, “do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink”.
Of course, the diet for the Jew was an integral part of their faith. You need only read Leviticus 11:1-23 to get a taste of what food was to be considered clean and unclean, and therefore allowed and not allowed.
In the Early church, diet was a source of friction. Some thought that the Jewish dietary laws should still be observed, even by Gentiles, even though the Council of Jerusalem declared that salvation was through the grace of the Lord Jesus alone. (Acts 5:1-35)
As late as Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he was still arguing against those who ordered believers “to abstain from certain food.” (1 Tim 4:3)
Paul reminds us that God created food to be “received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” (1 Tim 4:3-4). In Christ God has declared all food to be clean (Romans 14:20).
In fact, we are not to be so concerned about what goes into our body as we are to what comes out of our body.
Jesus spoke about this : (Mark 7:14-23) “Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’” After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”) He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’”
False religion concentrates upon the outward appearance of holiness, rather than holiness within.
It focuses upon the superfluous, rather than the important. We need to ensure true holiness, real cleanliness is practiced – this can come only by first believing in the Saviour, which then leads on to the change in Behaviour.
b. Rigid Calendar (v16)
Paul writes, “… do not let anyone judge you … with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”
The Jewish people were given opportunities for celebration in the observation of particular festivals and days. God established them as a reminder of His sovereignty and salvation.
However, the Colossians were using their days, festivals and celebrations in a superstitious way, seeking to ward off evil influences that might come from the stars or from angelic beings.
For example, at the time, a couple of popular moon gods were worshiped in Colosse : “Selene” (Luna) and “Men” were thought to offer people protection from evil powers if their special days were carefully observed.
What were intended to release God’s people in worship and celebration, misused led them to idolatry and fear.
As we gather together on Sundays or throughout the Christian year, these are opportunities to reflect upon what God has graciously done for us in Christ. Why do you choose to gather here on a Sunday?
Yet some think that it is by going to church or doing your religious duties that saves you
c. Ritual Humiliations (v18,23)
Paul refers in verse 18 to those false teachers “who delight in false humility”, and he returns to this issue in verse 23 where he talks about them as having “an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body.”
Over the years people have sought to become enlightened, or discover deep spiritual truths through a form of mortification of the flesh – examples such as sleep deprivation, sleeping on a bed of nails, walking across hot coals, wearing hair shirts, plunging oneself in a lake of ice, sweating in a painfully hot sauna or bath, flagellation, and so on.
It seems that some people think that they make themselves more acceptable to God, and can come closer to God, by making themselves uncomfortable.
Fasting, isolation and celibacy have all been considered widely as means by which the body should be controlled so that the soul can flourish.
There was a man named Simeon the Stylite who sat for thirty-six years up a stone column, living a life of great austerity. The height of the pole was gradually increased until it reached sixty feet! Thousands came to hear him preach, considering him a holy man.
Harsh and humiliating practices seem to some to be attractive.
Yet the way to God is a whole lot more gracious and whole lot simpler.
d. Worshipping Angels (v18)
The Colossians had come to point where they were beginning to believe that the angels were in control of the physical world, of its triumphs and its tragedies, and therefore must be looked to for direction and help, or had to be appeased in some way in order to stave off disaster or evil.
Angels were, in effect, taking Christ’s place in the Colossians thinking and religious practices and if they were not actually doing so, then they were coming very close to worshipping them.
Initially it would have been understood that one would seek God’s help and he would dispatch an angel to do his bidding. But it soon became the practice to push God to one side and pray to the angel directly for help.
As the reputation of angels grew, the reputation of Jesus shrunk.
Jesus remained a mediator between God and man, but one among many. Jesus had become devalued.
In the area of Colosse was excavated this prayer, “Hor, Hor, Phor, Eloei, Adonai, Iao, Sabaoth, Michael, Jesus Christ. Help us and this household. Amen.” Jesus is here listed among others as a god to be sought.
Of course, angelology today is a growing industry. You can call in an expert who will, for a fee, call upon angels to minister to you in various ways.
Although Angels, and fallen angels, certainly exist and occupy a purpose in God’s plan, they should not detract from the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ as the one and only mediator between God and Man. Nor should anything or anyone else.
e. Imposing Rules (v21)
“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”
Religions are very good at creating taboos, and at teaching, “thou shalt not …”
It is done with the best of motives – to prevent people one from being defiled as well as to present them pure and holy.
But it doesn’t work. Rather, it produces a holiness that majors on the negative and can easily become a “holier than thou” attitude - where we compare ourselves against others and assess where we are in the holiness scale.
“I’m nearer to God than you are!”
It also drives us away from following Jesus by faith to measuring our walk with him by drawing lines in the sand. In other words, we approach discipleship by saying, “How close can I get without breaking the rule?” without realising that already have broken it in our sinful heart and attitudes and motives.
Jesus points us to seek inner cleaning and transformation by faith in him, not by ensuring that our hands and clothes and cups and plates are clean.
We can clean the outside of the cup, gain and retain the appearance of holiness through learned acceptable behaviour and speech, yet the inside remains filthy.
Paul raises all these issues in these verses that need to be handled with care.
God created us as united, embodied beings, so it is good to eat healthily, avoid the excesses of food and drink and substances that are damaging, and exercise to keep our bodies fit. Our body, after all, is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
The discipline of retreats, of keeping some days special, of fasting can be helpful – in order that worship, prayer and reflection upon Scripture may result in clarity and maturity in faith.
An awareness of the role of angels may give us a fuller picture of the providence of God in our lives.
“But the moment we trust any of these things as the means of our salvation, and the moment they usurp the place of Christ as our sole and supreme Saviour, they become a snare and not an asset.”
This is where the Colossians had begun to go wrong. Far from being useful spiritual disciplines they had been distorted beyond recognition and used to enslave the people whom Christ had set free.
We need to avoid such false teachings as an alcoholic should avoid a pub.
2. The Critique of false religion (v17-23)
Now Paul has described the false teaching in some detail and he interlaces his description with six criticisms.
a. Its form : shadow not substance (v17)
Paul states that “these are a shadow of things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
A shadow cast by a body relates to the body, but it is certainly not the body.
Shadows have no substance or permanence, they are fickle and transient.
Here and elsewhere in Scripture, the Old Testament laws and rituals are likened to shadows, or as signposts which point you forward to your destination. If you are driving down the A509 trying to get to Wellingborough and you see a sign at the Wollaston roundabout pointing to Wellingborough, you know you haven’t actually arrived at the town but you’re on the right road, you’re heading in the right direction.
The religious laws and customs of the Old Testament were pointing forwards to Christ Jesus.
In him they find their fulfilment. They are but rough sketches, He is the real thing.
b. Its character: sensual not spiritual (v18)
Paul critiques the False teachers by saying that though they send out the signals of being very spiritual, the truth is that they are anything but. They “go into great details about what they have seen.”
Have you met those people who make you feel small, because they present themselves as so great?
These false teachers’ minds are arrogant and their ideas are empty. They and their claims do not measure up.
Paul points to two ways of testing the authenticity of such people : firstly a test of character :
Does a person exhibit qualities such as “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Or do their “unspiritual minds puff them up”; they believe themselves to be so knowledgeable that it makes them proud. Humility is a test of genuine spirituality.
Secondly, there is the test of truth – is Christ Jesus central? Or are they are “full of idle notions” – full of ideas that detract from Christ and that are not based upon truth or hold to the truth? Such people can give an appearance of knowing what they’re talking about, but dig a little and you’ll find the treasure chest is empty – all that glitters is not gold.
c. Its power source: severed not connected (v19)
Paul says the false teachers have “lost connection with the Head.”
He stresses how vital it is that we remain connected to Christ.
Some concentrate so much upon ensuring that they remain connected with people and programs and religious practices that they neglect the most important thing – to ensure that their relationship with Jesus is growing from strength to strength.
To severe ourselves from Christ and his instruction, direction, will make the body weak.
May we as a church worship and obey our Lord Jesus as our first priority, may everything take second place.
It is only from Him, the Head, that “the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.”
May we not be distracted by anything – by buildings, by money, by styles of worship, by personalities.
May we fix our eyes upon him, the beginner and finisher of our faith.
God’s intention is for his people to grow, so may we let ourselves grow. May we grow forwards together.
d. Its future: transient not permanent (v22)
Fashions come and fashions go. [Pic of seventies]
False teaching comes and it goes, and will not stand the test of time, “These are all destined to perish with use”.
And what is popular is not necessarily correct.
Jesus was not entering into a popularity contest, but he was walking in the Truth.
The test of truth should never be whether it is fashionable or popular.
In our day, there are many subtle changes to the traditional teachings of the church being adopted and accepted. This is coming about because of the pressures of society, of not wanting to offend, of wanting to be relevant and attractive. Popularism, must be avoided else we risk detracting from the truth.
For example, it is not the done thing to highlight the peril of Hell for those who do not accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord. It is not politically correct to speak of Homosexual practice as an abomination in God’s eyes.
It is imperative that we as church live and present the truth and do not get distracted with falsehood, for fashions will fail us in the future. May we unapologetically present Jesus Christ and him crucified.
e. Its origin: human not divine (v22)
The reason why false teachings are bound to fail, Paul says, is because “they are based on human commands and teachings.” Their origin is human, whereas the gospel’s origin is divine – it is a revealed faith.
As humans, our ability to reason is not perfect, our knowledge and understanding is incomplete.
There can be no security in religious beliefs that are human in origin.
What little we can discover of God by ourselves, if left at that and built upon, can lead us astray - a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Yet in Christ Jesus the divine has revealed himself fully.
Why rely upon the broken reed of human reasoning when the strong staff of divine disclosure has been graciously given?
f. Its value: futile not effective (v23)
Paul ends his critique by warning that false teachings “lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
They do not work. A person cannot change what they are inwardly by outward stuff – they need the deep inner cleansing and transformation that only Christ can bring, through dying and rising with him, by his Spirit.
Therefore, why submit to false teachings, that though they have the cosmetic appearance of wisdom, are, in fact, phony and doomed to fail?
3. The Counter to false religion (v20)
It is one thing to demolish – it is another to build. If the way of the false teachers is not the way to know God, and experience change within oneself, then what is? Well, Paul asks, “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules.”
Firstly we need to die to the basic principles of this world.
Dying to the rules and regulations that we are no longer obliged to obey because we are now in Christ.
In Christ, we are no longer to be under their jurisdiction and influence, no longer ‘held’ by them.
We are to be ‘deaf’ to their voices, and attuned to the voice of the Spirit of Christ.
Dying to the old is the essential first step for the Christian, there can be no progress without it.
There is a cartoon which pictures a person saying, “Well, I haven’t actually died to sin, but I did feel kind of faint once.”
Vaguely drifting in and out of consciousness sometimes following the voice of Christ and sometimes following the voice of other teachings and whims and desires will not do.
Nothing short of death is required.
And having died, we need to remember that we have done so and now live according to our new status.
We are risen and now live with Christ in the heavenly places.
Questions to Ponder
19th June 2011
Read Colossians 2:16-23
1. In what ways does Jesus Christ offer us a place to call ‘home’? In what ways are Christians tempted to move away from Christ and embrace false teaching, and what are the effects or consequences of doing so?
2. Why is it that we may find it easier to pursue an appearance of holiness than to pursue holiness itself? (see Mark 7:14-23) What are the marks of true holiness? What place does diet have in the Christian life?
3. How can the Christian calendar and the Sabbath offer us opportunities to draw nearer to God, and to understand him better? In what ways can Church on Sunday become for us an empty ritual, and how do we ensure that it doesn’t?
4. “To become more acceptable to God you must become more uncomfortable.” Discuss in relation to Paul’s words in v23. Why is the real way to God a whole lot more gracious and simpler?
5. What does scripture say about Angels? Why is the worship or consultation of angels becoming more attractive in our land? If Jesus is the sole Mediator between God and Humans, then what do we think about “praying to angels” or “praying to the saints”?
6. Why, for many, is the perception of the church that it majors on “Thou shalt not …” (see v21) How can seeking a holiness through focusing upon the negative, actually detract from true holiness? How holy are you? How do we measure holiness?
7. Paul critiques false religion. Its form is shadow not substance (v17). Its character is sensual not spiritual (v18). Its power source is severed from the Head that is Christ and not connected (v19). Its future is transient not permanent (v22). Its origin is human not divine (v22). Its value is futile not effective (v23). Reflect upon how faith in false religion differs from faith in Christ Jesus.
8. What does it mean to deny yourself, pick up your cross daily, and follow Jesus? (see Luke 9:22-24, 1 Peter 2:24, Romans 7)