Holy Days

1. There was a man who we use to worship with who felt like we should have been more a part of Advent and Holy Week.

A. He threatened that he would not worship with us unless we went through the observation of Holy Week activities.

B. Many in the very traditional church will celebrate a calendar full of holy days.

2. I recently saw an advertisement for a trip to the Holy Lands. You can go to the places where Jesus was.

A. Then it showed where Jesus was announced to Mary.

B. Then there were the mountain where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount

C. Then you can see this and that.

3. Should we pay more attention to days like Pentecost Sunday, or Good Friday?

A. Should we make a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands?

B. Is there anything in the Bible that would encourage us to that to strengthen our faith? Would it help us to overcome sin?

In writing to the believers in Colossian Church, Paul was concerned about the Jews who were being pressured by other Jews to rely on the traditions of the Jewish faith.

Let’s read Colossians 2:8-23 and see what God’s Word has to say.

1. Don’t let anyone take you captive/spoil your dependence on Christ.

a. These Holy Days can give a since of false security.

i. Participation in these days will not make us righteous.

ii. They will not cleanse us of our sins.

iii. We are not more holy because of them.

b. It can lead those who participate, judge those who do not.

i. Talk through: Colossians 2:16-19

c. Jesus disarmed the powers and authorities who thought these days were their righteousness, when he triumphed over them by the cross.

i. They crucified God’s son on Passover week.

ii. They were so righteous that they did not recognize the righteous One who they hung on a cross.

iii. Jesus was their answer to their sins.

1. They had God’s son in the flesh.

Yates Pool

During the depression a sheep ranch was owned by Mr. Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family had to live on government subsidy.

Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills.

Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract.

At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day.

Mr. Yates had lived a life of poverty, until he learned about the true value of the land he owned.

Many live a Christian life feeling like they are powerless against their sins. They live like they owe God good works, and that they can overcome their poverty of righteousness by trying harder if they just worship God more days and go to the places where Jesus walked. The more days they worship the less days they sin.

Jesus is our righteousness. Jesus is our holiness. We are rich in God’s only son. He is all, ours.

2. When we were buried with Christ in baptism we need nothing else to overcome sin.

a. We were dead, condemned in our sins.

i. God made us alive through Christ.

ii. He forgave all our sins.

iii. He cancelled the written code that said we are condemned, guilty and should be punished.

iv. Do not let anyone disconnect you from Christ and connect you to special days, angels, revelations, miracles for your salvation.

A preacher told a story about a principle he had in Middle School.

“I used to have a principle named Mr. D. He was a monster of a man. Not in Character, but in stature. When in trouble in Middle school, the students feared for their lives.

I remember one day having another student at the school bet me that I couldn’t kick a clock that was 7.5 feet off of the ground and sticking out of the wall. Being the intelligent kid that I was, I took the challenge, jumped and kicked with all of my might. I connected, and pieces of the clock, went flying through the air. One piece, the face of the clock, landed in the doorway of Mr. Anderson’s Math class, and he immediately came to the door to see what all the commotion was about.