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.
My first inclination was to run, but realizing that there was no escape from this one I decided to stick it out. When Mr. Anderson reached for the office intercom, again my inclination was to run, but again common sense, what little there was of it, restrained me. Soon, Mr. D immerged from the far end of the hall. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I watched Mr. D making his way down the hallway and within moments he was standing over me.
Let me take this moment to describe him to you. He was close to 7 feet tall, and you could have fit 4 of me (a little jr. High Student) into a pair of His pants. He had deep brown eyes, and dark black curly hair. His hands were the size of my head. As he stood over me, I could see the hair in his nostrils as I strained to look up at him.
He assessed the situation with his eyes, saw the face of the clock on the ground, and picked up the face of the broken clock with one hand, like he was palming a basketball and he put the clock back together and put it back up on the wall. Without saying a word, by merely peering right through me, He had accomplished his punishment. He turned around, thanked Mr. Anderson, then chuckled an amused chuckle and disappeared down the hall.
My life was spared. I didn’t know what to say. The monster of a man that I feared with all of my being was really a gentle giant. I had a new respect for Him, I stood in awe of him, I feared him.
The young man did not receive what he should have received from the man. Because he did not receive the punishment for his deed, he had all he needed to overcome the desire to ever do that again.
Because of what God has not done to us, we need nothing else. Special days, special works, will not give to us more than what Jesus has already provided.
Jesus is all we truly need.
b. Being connected to Christ the head of the body:
i. We are supported
ii. We are held together
iii. We grow because God causes us to grow.
c. The holy days do not do that.
i. The do not touch or do not hold does not restrain us from sensual indulgence.
ii. What restrains us is the grace of God.
Communion:
We are exposed to that grace every time we break bread together in remembrance of Jesus death.
The Lord’s Supper does not save us from our sins.
We are not more righteous because we do this in remembrance of Jesus.
This does not make us sin less.
It reminds us of who has forgiven us of our sins and why the Father has forgiven us.
Invitation:
So should we judge those who do participate in Holy Days?
No we should not judge them.
Nor should we let their traditions and observances judge us for not.
They have the same savior who has died for their sins that they need and we need.
Should we stop celebrating Christmas, Easter, and other days?
No…as long as it does not take us away from our need of what Jesus has done for us.
Being a nun does not keep them from their sins.
Being a priest or a preacher; an elder or a Sunday morning worshiper does not overcome our sins.
Jesus is all we need.
By graduating as salutatorian, Shannon earned the opportunity to give a speech during the graduation ceremony. The school asked Shannon to speak about the past, including how friendships helped her get through high school.
Shannon is a dedicated Christian, and she felt that she could not give the speech without talking about how her best friend, Jesus Christ, helped her through school.
In the speech, Shannon said, "He, even more so than the people I love, has been there every day, never forcing me to do anything, but always encouraging me to stretch my limits and strive for the best He has to offer. His name is Jesus; He is my greatest friend."
She went on to say, "It is because of Him that I have achieved and succeeded, and, no matter how much knowledge (this High School) has bestowed upon me, I would know nothing if I didn’t know Him."
