Colossians: You Might Be Ritualistic If...
Colossians: It's All About Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
The comedian Jeff Foxworthy has made millions telling redneck jokes. I am embarrassed at the number of them I know:
You might be a redneck if your porch caves in and it kills 5 dogs.
You might be a redneck if you mow your yard and find a car.
You might be a redneck if your famous last words are “Hey Y’all watch this!”
Perhaps not as funny, but almost as ridiculous, is the way that some people believed that rituals were the way to the Kingdom of God. In our study of Colossians, we see in chapter 2 that there were those that believed rituals and religious practices were key in earning their place. The Colossians believed that mysticism, moralism, and martyrdom were necessary elements to be a good Christian. Paul, on the other hand, demonstrated that it was a relationship with Jesus that was necessary.
Teaching on Colossians 2:16-23
Teaching on Colossians 2:16-23
In an effort to understand the difference, I want to offer you a bit of teaching on the verses found in and then give you a little preaching in the form of application. I am going to read each verse then discuss as we go. We will begin with .
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.
Paul emphasizes in earlier that because of what Christ has done in His death on the cross, we free from being judged on our participation in rituals and any diet that was set up for the Jewish nation. The religious festival, New Moon celebration and Sabbath Day were referring to the great annual festivals, the monthly celebrations and the weekly rituals that took place on the Sabbaths.
These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
The “shadow” refers to the practice of Judaism with its rites and rituals. These were good and noble things but fell short of the reality which is Christ. This reminds me that Jesus is the real deal.
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.
Colossians 2:
Paul is reminding his readers that they are already members of the body of Christ and they do not need to let anyone tell them differently. He is also saying that a believer does not have to experience a particular style of worship or a mystical approach as was the practice at that time. There was an emphasis in worshiping angels which if you look at it closely, is nothing more than idolatry. People were looking at creation instead of Creator. They were constantly being supernatural in their worship and were in reality making idols. Scripture speaks to this rather bluntly.
“You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
Exodus 20:
We also see in where John is told not to worship an angel:
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
Revelation 22
The people in Colosse were taking that which was due to be given to Christ and giving it to the angels. In other words, they were worshiping angels instead of God.
The second part of states “Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.” What this amounts to is a mystical experience of imaginary fantasies. These mystics would dwell on what they had seen in their visions. The problem would be that these visions would not line up with the word of God.
Pride would be at the bottom of these errors which would lead to corruptions and evil practices. There would be no humility present. It would be this is what I know .
He has 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.
The Head refers to Christ who alone gives life and growth to that life. Paul is teaching there that true spirituality does not come from being in compliant with laws, which is only a show, but by through a connection with the reality, which is Christ.
Jesus described it this way:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Growth comes for you and I as we are branches to the Vine of Christ. It is not what we do, it is Who we receive our growth from.
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: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?
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:
Colossians 2:20-
The Colossians, and us, are reminded here in these verses that we are free fro the rituals of the Mosiac Law. We have that freedom because of and through Christ!
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
Christ has abolished the old law.
by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,
These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 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.
Colossians 2:2
The old law focused on perishable material things instead of that which is eternal. Notice the descriptive words that are in these verses:
“Human commands” and teachings would imply that they are not of God.
“Self-imposed worship” indicates self-chose service meaning “I am going to do this because I feel like it and I will get the ‘atta-boy’ as a result.”
The “false humility, harsh treatment of the body, and the phrase “lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence” is basically saying, “you are doing whatever feels good for you to do.”
What looks like rigorous discipline is in fact nothing but self-indulgence.
Application of
Application of
How do you know if you focus more on rituals and regulations rather than on Jesus?
You might be ritualistic if you think that showing up for worship every Sunday makes you right with God.
Church attendance is important and it is helpful in one’s Christian walk. But coming to church will not more make you a Christian that going to Bill’s garage will make you a car!
He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’
You might be ritualistic if you spend more time arguing about what you are against than what you are for.
The ritualistic person loves to argues. They believe they are to defend God and legislate rules. They make that come before the Gospel. A ritualistic person is not about love but about rules.
Do everything without complaining or arguing,
You might be ritualistic if you think God needs you on His team. I believe that if God had a refrigerator, He would have our picture on it. As our Heavenly Father, God loves us. But God does not need you and me for His work to be done. He is very capable of accomplishing His work without us. However, He wants us to join Him in His work.
For God does not show favoritism.
Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
You might be ritualistic if you don’t repent of sin because you don’t have any “serious sin.”
The ritualistic person has a reputation to uphold. Repentance in their eyes is a sign of weakness. That person may say I have not sinned, I have not murdered or stolen. I am nothing compared to that other guy. But the fact is that any sin is a big deal.
Isaiah
“I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
1 Johnk 1
You might be ritualistic if your salvation is based on works and not on Jesus.
If you ask non-Christians why they should go to heaven, inevitably they will say something to the effect of “I am a good person and I do good things.”
Ephesians 2
Ephesians
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Acts
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans
There is nothing that you and I can do outside of believing and having faith in Christ that will get us saved. We can’t make it, we can’t earn it, we can’t wish it, we can’t grab it. It is by grace and grace alone.
You might be ritualistic if you think people should conform to a certain lifestyle before they can be accepted as a “Christian.”
Do you get cleaned up to take a bath or do you take the bath and get cleaned up? Remember the story of Zacchaeus, the wee little tax collector that climbed up in the sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see? Jesus called him out of that tree and said, “I am going to your house.” The Bible says:
Luke 19:
So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ”
This man was brought into the redemptive arms of Jesus but ole Zach was still a sinner.
The Apostle Paul had his Damascus Road experience and was a changed man. He went from prosecuting Christians to starting churches all over the world. He wrote in the book of 1 Timothy:
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
Notice the tense of that last phrase: “…of whom I am the worst.” I am. Not I was. Not I have been, but I am. Still in the present.
You might be ritualistic if you read the Bible to support your convictions but not to be shaped into the image of God.
I have seen members of the KKK take partial verses out of context to support their horrendous cause. I have seen churches split over things that should not matter rather than being molded and shaped into what God wants them to be. Is it worth it?
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Are you allowing God’s word to dwell in your richly?
“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
You and I were created to do incredible things for the sake of the kingdom. These incredible things happen when we realize that we are made in the image of our God but we are marred with sin and self righteousness. We must allow Him to shape us and remove from us the filth that separates us from Him.
You might be ritualistic if you have no concept of grace. The longer I live the more I learn about grace. In fact, the more I learn about grace, the more I learn about our God’s redeeming love.
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.
From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
I would be satisfied with part of God’s grace, but He has given us from the FULLNESS of His Grace! Glory hallejah!
God’s Redemption at Christ’s Expense.
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, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy
Wow. Because the grace of our Lord has been poured out on me abundantly, I need to let it flow through me into the lives of others.
So how do you and I become less ritualistic and focus more on a relationship with Jesus?
2 Corinthians
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
John 14
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
John 14:2
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,