SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). Refuse to judge by externals (16-17)
(2). Reject false authority (18-19)
(3). Repudiate religious rules (20-23)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• There once was a man who owned a record company.
• Can the older folks explain what records were to the younger folks!
• (They were of course vinyl-disks that looked a little bit like black Frisbees!
• Besides running the record company ;
• He spent many hours in production listening to the “master disc,”
• From which was the record and all subsequent records were pressed.
• Over the years his ears became adept at catching the “pops and sizzles,”
• The imperfections that had to be eliminated in the master disk;
• Or they would end up on every successive record.
• One day someone remarked to him that he had a great job;
• That listening to music all day long must be very enjoyable.
• His response was insightful - he said,
• “You know, I haven’t listened to the music in years.
• When I turn on my sophisticated home stereo,
• No matter what recording I’m listening to, all I hear are the ‘pops and sizzles.’”
Transition:
• It is important to remember and learn from this little illustration;
• That a wrong focus will ruin our enjoyment of the Christian life!
• If we focus on the “pops and sizzles,” – that is the ‘rules & regulations’;
• We will lose the beautiful music – that is our song – Jesus Christ!
Ill:
• I think the greatest rule makers of all time had to be the Pharisees in Jesus day;
• In contrast to the two commands of Christ,
• The Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws for people to keep.
• 365 of those laws were negative commands;
• And 248 of those laws were positive laws.
• There laws designed to help people in their spiritual lives;
• But their laws only created a heartless, cold, and arrogant brand of righteousness.
BECAUSE THEIR LEGALISM CONTAINED AT LEAST TEN TRAGIC FLAWS.
• (1). New laws continually need to be invented for new situations.
• (ill: regulations of men are like weeds in a garden, each time you look there is another one)
• (2) Accountability to God is replaced by accountability to men.
• (i.e. Pharisees were always on the prowl looking for people who had broken their laws)
• (3) It reduces a person’s ability to personally discern.
• (i.e. You don’t think for yourself – you do as you are told or face the consequences!)
• (4) It creates a judgmental spirit.
• (i.e. The law keepers are spiritual, God pleasers while everyone else is sinful)
• (5) The Pharisees confused personal preferences with divine law.
• (i.e. Over a period of time - the Pharisees laws soon out-weighed God’s law in their importance)
• (6) It produces inconsistencies.
• (i.e. Human laws are flawed and will soon start to contradict themselves)
• (7) It created a false standard of righteousness.
• (i.e. People measured themselves against each other – “I’m more spiritual than you!”)
• (8) It became a burden to the Jews.
• (i.e. It was impossible to live by so many rules and regulations)
• (9) It was strictly external.
• (i.e. These rules are outward acts done for others to see – they cannot change the heart)
• (10) It was rejected by Christ.
• (i.e. Jesus always kept the law of Moses 100%,
• But he constantly, deliberately again and again broke the laws of the Pharisees)
Ill:
• Consider the story of Hans the tailor.
• Because of his reputation, a rich man visited his shop and asked Hans to make him a suit.
• But when he came to pick up his suit,
• The customer found that one sleeve twisted that way and the other this way;
• One shoulder bulged out and the other caved in.
• The man somehow managed to pull and manipulate his body to fit this misshapen suit;
• As he returned home on the bus, another passenger noticed his odd appearance;
• And asked if Hans the tailor had made the suit.
• The man replied; “Why yes he did!”
• The passenger then remarked,
• “Amazing! I knew that Hans was a good tailor,
• But I had no idea he could make a suit fit so perfectly someone as deformed as you.”
Transition:
• Often that is just what we do in the church.
• We get some idea of what the Christian faith should look like from others:
• Then we push and shove people into the most grotesque configurations;
• Until they fit that ideal!
• Brothers and sisters that is madness!
• It is a legalistic straight jacket which in time will only lead to bondage!
Now in Colossians chapter 2 verses 16-23:
• The apostle Paul gives us three warnings.
• Three key pieces of advice to help keep us free;
• So that we do not become entrapped in the rules and regulations of men.
(1). Refuse to judge by externals (16-17).
“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
Quote: The old adage says:
• Whenever you see the word “therefore” in the Bible;
• You should always ask; “what it’s there for?”
• Well, it is there as a link to what Paul has said in the previous verses;
• The verses we looked at in our service last week (verses 6-15).
• The apostle Paul is now drawing a conclusion;
• Based on the content of verses 6-15.
In verse 6 for example he said:
• “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him”.
• In other words you started the Christian life by grace and not by rule keeping;
• And that is how we continue the Christian life;
• It is by grace and not by rule keeping!
• You were saved by looking to Jesus Christ and him alone;
• Therefore continue that way;
• Don’t start looking at other people and copying other peoples idea of virtue.
• The apostle then tells these Christians;
• Don’t let other people evaluate YOUR spiritual life by THEIR external standards.
Note:
• We have noted several times before in our studies of this letter;
• That there were people in this Church teaching false truths.
• They taught that these Christians need Jesus plus…
• i.e. Jesus plus other knowledge, Jesus plus other experiences.
• They taught that Jesus Christ was not enough;
• They needed faith in Christ Plus other things.
Ill:
• i.e. They needed Jesus plus the keeping of certain food restrictions;
• They wanted to restrict people in their diets.
• i.e. They needed Jesus plus the observing of certain ceremonies and holy days;
• Those found in the Old Testament Judaism or in the Pagan religions of their day.
• i.e. They needed Jesus plus the keeping of certain extras:
• Keeping of religious festivals which were annual,
• i.e. Keeping New Moon celebrations were monthly,
• And keeping the Sabbath was weekly.
The apostle Paul reminds these Christians at Collosse that:
• Since Jesus Christ has now come into the world;
• He has fulfilled all these extras in himself,
• Therefore all these special diets and obligatory days are no longer necessary;
• Because every Old Testament feast looks forward to Christ.
• They were just shadows of the reality that is fulfilled in Jesus.
• Hebrews 10:1 puts it succinctly:
• “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-not the realities themselves.”
• All through the Old Testament;
• The writers show us what we call ‘types’ and ‘shadows’.
• The substance of which they speak is Jesus Christ.
• It is his shadow & type that is cast all over the Old Testament.
• But remember a shadow is distorted; depending on the position of the light;
• It never quite gives you the clear picture of what you want.
• It is the same yet very different;
• And different yet the same.
• And remember of course;
• That you cannot have a shadow unless the substance is actually real.
Ill:
• There is a book called ‘Daddy Long Legs’ by Jean Webster and is now also a film.
• It is the story of a little girl in an orphanage.
• She knows that there is a wealthy man who provides for the orphanage.
• One day she sees his shadow cast onto a wall.
• Because of the position of the light;
• The shadow it is elongated and has tremendously long legs.
• She calls the shadow ‘daddy Long Legs’.
• For years she dreams of this shadow.
• And one day she meets the owner of the shadow and falls in love with him;
• He too falls in love with her and a relationship develops.
Now here is the point:
• Once she has got him she stops thinking about the shadow altogether.
• Because the substance is better than the shadow.
• What would you think if she went back to the shadow on the wall and tried to kiss it?
• She would be crazy for she now has something far superior in the man himself.
• Well praise God we have something far superior to any type or shadow;
• We have Jesus Christ himself!
(2). Reject false authority (18-19).
“Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.”
Ill:
• Usain Bolt is on our TV screens an awful lot at the moment;
• Advertising Virgin broadband.
• He will no doubt be on our TV screens a lot more;
• During the fast approaching Olympic games;
• This time it will be because of his great performances in the 100metres.
• Defending champion Bolt caused shock recently when he made a False Start;
• In the 100m final (IAAF World Championships 2011 in Daegu).
That is the picture that the apostle brings to mind in verse 18:
• He uses that word (N.I.V), “disqualify”.
• The (K.J.B.) translates it; “Beguile”.
• It is an athletic term meaning “to declare unworthy of a prize.”
Ill:
• It’s the idea of an umpire who is calling you out because you have not obeyed the rules.
• Remember that the contestant does not cease to be a citizen of the country;
• But forfeits the honour of winning a prize.
• Likewise the Christian who fails to obey God’s directions;
• Do not lose their salvation;
• But we may lose the approval of the Lord and the rewards he has for us!
Note:
• Paul describes these false teachers that cause others to be ‘disqualified’ in four ways,
• Four characteristics marked them out.
(a). They have a false humility.
• They present themselves as humble and holy;
• But in reality they are filled with spiritual pride and superiority.
Ill:
• When Charles Dickens wrote the classic novel “David Copperfield”,
• He created an unattractive character called Uriah Heep.
• Uriah Heep was a greedy, insincere, ambitious manipulator;
• Who constantly proclaimed his “humbleness”.
• But Uriah Heep was not humble.
• He was proud, and self-absorbed and self-serving.
• The words that came out of his mouth were false.
• Someone who is really humble is not even aware of their humility.
• They aren’t absorbed with themselves at all.
(b). They worship angels.
• These false teachers claimed to be focussed on Christ;
• But in reality their focus was on other spiritual beings i.e. Angels.
• They might not admit it;
• But in practice they wanted supernatural experiences more than Jesus!
• They love to give people the “latest word from the Lord.”
• That they had received through supernatural means.
Ill:
• Those of us who drive know that;
• If you look at something while driving, you tend to steer off the road.
• You have to keep your eyes straight ahead – to keep going straight ahead!
• Sadly these false teachers were causing Christians to take their eyes off the road;
• That is there eyes of Jesus.
• And causing them to crash – that is to get side-tracked!
(c). They are puffed up with ‘idle notions’.
• These false teachers were puffed up with their own importance.
• Their so called “inner secrets” did not edify and build up the Church;
• It simply gave these false teachers big heads!
Ill:
• It created a kind of ‘first class’ and ‘second class’ believer.
• They were ‘first class’ Christians because they had experienced extra revelations.
• Everyone else was a ‘second class’ Christian;
• Because they had not experienced extra revelations.
(d). They were severed from the head.
• Because these false teachers were not getting their orders direct from Christ.
• But from ‘angels’ or ‘special revelations’,
• They had cut themselves off from the head.
Ill:
• These false teachers thought that they were spiritual giants;
• But in reality they were spiritual pygmies!
These false teachers:
• Thought they were spiritually alive – because of their experiences;
• But they were actually spiritually dead;
• Because they had severed their head i.e. cut themselves off from Christ!
(3). Repudiate religious rules (20-23).
“Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
Ill:
• Bill Bright (The founder of Campus Crusade for Christ),
• Used to tell a story about a woman married to a tyrant.
• He didn’t like the way she kept house.
• He didn’t like the way she ironed his clothes.
• He didn’t like the way she dressed.
• He didn’t like the way she conducted herself in public.
• He constantly criticized her for everything.
• Early on in their marriage he handed her a list of 25 rules for her to follow.
• She hated it, and she soon started to hate him.
• Then one day, he died.
• And the woman was both relieved and happy.
• A few years later she met another man;
• Fell in love with him and married him.
• They loved each other very deeply.
• And she did all she could to please him.
• One day when cleaning she ran across that old list of 25 points from her first husband.
• As she read it, feelings of anger and inferiority returned.
• Then she started laughing.
• As she checked the list;
• She realized that she was now doing all that was on the list for her new husband and more.
• And she was doing all this with great joy;
• Because she loved this man so much and he loved her!
Transition:
• Lists of rules and regulations bring bondage and misery;
• Loving relationships bring joy and service!
The false teachers in these verses were ‘list keepers’:
• They had ‘lists’ (rules & regulations – verse 21);
• For ‘what you could touch, what you could taste, what you could handle’.
• The false teachers were teaching that these disciplines;
• Would make you more spiritual.
• We call this way of living ‘asceticism’(as•cet•i•cism).
• It describes a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various sorts of pleasures.
Ill:
Church history is sadly full of ‘asceticism’(as•cet•i•cism).
• i.e. One of the first was a man called Anthony,
• Anthony, was the founder of Christian monasticism,
• He never changed his vest or washed his feet.
• i.e. He was outdone, however, by Simon Stylites,
• Who spent the last 36 years of his life on top of a fifty-foot pillar.
• He mistakenly thought that if he withdrew from the world;
• Then he would be truly spiritual.
• i.e. More modern examples of those living the monastic life;
• Are known by the generic terms monks (men) and nuns (women).
The apostle Paul tells us that:
• We don’t get to heaven by following a list of do’s and don’ts.
• And, we don’t live the Christian life that way either!
• We cannot earn God’s favour.
• All we can do is receive it.
Quote:
• Charles Spurgeon who put it this way:
• (“Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching and Preachers,” p. 235).
• “I have found, in my own spiritual life,
• That the more rules I lay down for myself, the more sins I commit.”
Verse 23 states very clearly:
• That ‘list keeping’ (rules & regulations) may look and sound good,
• But actually the “Lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
• In other words; rule keeping do not eliminate sensual desires;
• Because no matter how hard we try;
• We can’t force sin out of our lives through devotion to man-made dictates.
The only way to change human desires and behaviour:
• Is to allow God’s power through the Holy Spirit to be at work in us.
• It is His grace, not ‘list keeping’ that bring about real and lasting change.
Quote: Titus chapter 2 verses 11-12:
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”
