Sermon Tone Analysis

Don’t lose your head by losing site

Do you ever sit down and come up with a plan, set a goal and then get distracted from it?

The church at Colossi is being attacked trying to detour them from the goal, from the reward they have waiting for them.

We too can lose our site, take our eyes off the prize at times and lose our head.

(below for handout not to be said; jump over this section)

We need to remember what we have in Christ, who is our head

Our fullness is found in Christ (1:19)

In Christ we have the hope of glory (1:27)

In Christ is all things (1:16-17)

He is the fullness of God (Eph3:19; Col1:19)

Why, Because He paid the debt for us (2:14)

Don’t lose you head, that head being Christ for the fullness of God dwells in Him

Don’t lose your head, knowing that the the riches of God’s glory is found in Christ! who is the hope of glory!

Don’t lose you head for the head created all things, and all things created for Him and that includes you.

Don’t lose site of that, don’t lose your head

For in Him is the fulness of God.

And finally, because of Christ our debt is paid in full.

We can lose our head when we get too comfortable in our Christianity and lose the proper perspective of God and of the Christ.

We take Him for granted and He can lose site of the goal, being heaven, when we get to comfortable in this world.

Paul is going to give some warnings to the Christians in Colossi to not lose their head though our passage today.

I. Don’t lose your head

Warning signs, we see them everywhere, from railroad crossings, to warning labels, and we pass on warnings to our children and grandchildren.

Paul is giving some warnings.

Here in this passage about legalism.

(Col2:16-17)

Legalism defined as: Excessive adherence to law or formula, dependence on moral law rather than on personal faith.

The being of Gnosticism was coming in, a mixture of Oriental mysticism, Jewish legalism and a little smidge of philosophy and yes even some Christian teaching too.

Legalism can be overcome when we remember the basis for our freedom; we need to remember the “in Him” that we just looked at.

(see Col2:10; 11-15)

In case you don’t remember, our fullness, our freedom is found in Christ

Don’t lose you head, for He is our head!

As a believer the basis of our freedom is found in the person and the work of Jesus.

At the cross he cancelled the debt and the dominion of the law, then gave us the gift of grace from being freed under the bondage of the law.

Oh as Gentiles we were never under the law of Moses and the legalist want us to subject ourselves to Christ and the law.

A system of works not of grace.

Something to think about: The person who judges the believer who is not living under the Jewish law is really judging Jesus Christ saying that His redemptive work on the cross is insufficient.

Don’t lose your head to the bondage of legalism (v.16; Act15:10; Gal5:1; 1Cor8:8; ref Lev11; Mt15:1-20 and Act10:9ff)

Don’t lose your head, don’t let anyone tell you adherence to a set of rules, regulations will make you more spiritual is a form of bondage, a form of legalism.

Some of these things may seem spiritual, but they do not accomplish what they promise by making you more spiritual.

Peter called legalism bondage, a yoke around the neck; one others could not bear

Paul warned the church at Galatia

In our passage it is discussing food and days.

As for the food it comes from (Lev11) where the Lord said things that were clean and unclean at that time, which Jesus put aside Himself declaring all food clean (Mt15:1-20) and Peter was reminded of that in (Act10:9ff) Food does not bring us closer, nor keep us away if we eat it or not eat it.

I mentioned it covers food and days, so now let us look at days for a minute.

Sunday is not the Christian’s Sabbath, for we are told the Lord is our Sabbath and our rest is in Him.

Don’t lose your head over days (v.16; Gal4:8-11)

Now we do have a day of remembrance called the Lord’s Day (Rev:1:10; Act20:7) the day we commemorate Jesus victory at the resurrection (Jn20:1, 19, 26)

The problem, people were trying to judge spirituality by keeping certain codes of behavior (food, drink, religious festivals, Sabbaths).

Legalism is not only rigid and lifeless but it fosters false pride, arrogance, makes us judgmental and even angered.

Don’t lose your head, remember the blessings of grace (v.17; Heb10:1)

See the things in Leviticus were a mere shadow of the the N.T. and the grace we have in Christ.

The Law was but a shadow of the reality of what we have in Christ.

Don’t lose your head by going back to the shadows when you have the Light!

II.

Don’t lose your head

Paul comes and warns against people who want to steal you receiving or believing you have the prize awaiting you.

Self basement and angel worship do not add to your spirituality and they take your eyes of the head, off the prize.

Now look at the KJV in (v.18) uses different word.

How about the definition of Beguile?

It means to declare unworthy of a prize

It is an athletic term showing someone is disqualified because a person did not adhere to the rules.

He still runs the race, but they are trying to take the prize away, to take away their reward.

Don’t lose your head: stay faithful (1Cor3:8)

Just because you don’t do what someone else does, don’t be beguiled by it.

Run your race set before You for You are accountable for Your race!

There is the danger, so we have the warning here, that our lives today will rob us of reward and glory tomorrow.

Not keeping us out of heaven, but of the rewards we had coming to us as faithful servants when we get tricked by the false teachers.

Don’t lose your head by angel worship (v.18; 2Cor11:13-15; Remember Heb1:14; Heb10:19 and Heb4:16)

Don’t lose you head, don’t be tricked.

There is only one who is worthy of worship, that is God through Jesus Christ.

We need to remember angels are created servants

Whose servants?

God’s servants to us who will inherit salvation.

We worship the One who tore the vail so we may confidently enter the holy place by the One who was sent, not by an angel.

Not only can we enter with confidence we can enter boldly

Don’t lose your head by self-abasement/self-denial

Self-abasement is really will worship (you do what you think not what God through His Word says)

Bodily discipline is good, for a time, but it is not the nature of what saves you, if the fulness of Christ is Christ then it is Christ that saves you, not self -abasement or self-denial.

Don’t get me wrong, we are the temple of the Living God that dwells in us and we should take care of the temple, I know should do it out of love for Christ not out of legalistic requirement.

Don’t lose your head by mysticism

Don’t get caught up by emotional experiences, claimed vision that are not in accordance to God’s Word.

The false teachers were claiming they needed to have deeper experiences to be truly spiritual.

Again, remember Christ is our all, and all fullness if found in Him.

Solution: Hold fast to the head; The Head who spoke through the prophets, through the Apostles and gave us the Spirit so that we may mature.

The person who worships through angels, or trying to be more spiritual by Self-abasement does not prove his humility, for then he is not submitting to God’s Word.

True worship always humbles a person.

True worship has the right perspective of God and the worshiper is in awe of God and their heart if filled with the love of God and for God.

They live a submitted life to God and want to live out God’s purpose for their life.

- So don’t lose your head!

True worship, true spirituality comes in submission and leads to wilful service.

(Lk5:8; Isa6:5 and Rev1:17)

Peter fell down in awe and reverence

Isaiah was undone

And John, well just look

Warren Wiersbe said:

“Tragically, vain religion of the puffed-up fleshly mind, is but a mere substitute for true spiritual nourishment from Jesus Christ, the Head of the body, His Church.”

Solution: We need to draw our nourishment from Jesus through His Word and through His people so we are not weak and we are protected from the false teachers.

The Spiritual body grows by nutrition not by addition, we are all needed as a part of the body look again at this.

The entire body, is the entire church, the body of believers to work together, united, each bringing the faith given and the gift given to help the body.

Don’t lose your head by trying to add to what the Lord has given us, the Word and the body!