Sermon Tone Analysis

*Text*: Colossians 2:16-23

*Title*: What is controlling you?

*Theme of the book of Colossians: *Jesus Christ: The preeminent and all-sufficient Savior* \\ Theme of Text: *You are complete in Christ, not through man’s vain methods.

*Proposition: *Man’s ideas can only constrain you; Christ can change you!

 

*Introduction*

I went to a /Christian school for elementary, junior high, and high school/.

I had many friends in the Christian school that went to my church.

You might be thinking, well, it is great that you were able to Christian school.

I believe it was very good, but let me tell you of a problem that was prevalent among the students.

/Our/ /problem was legalism.

I don’t think it was intended legalism, but I’ll tell you, it was a problem with my friends and me./

I had many friends that went to Christian school with me for years.

/We knew how to act, we knew how to dress, and we knew how to stay out of trouble.

On the outside, we looked like good kids.

On the inside, we were just conforming to a bunch of rules./

That is how many of the kids that have graduated from that school were.

The problem is that when someone graduates from the school, they don’t have the strict rules over their head.

They are on their own.

/They graduate, and then go out and ruin their lives because they don’t have the rules.

I ask you, was the problem the rules or their heart?

It was their heart!

Christ needed to change their heart./

Conforming to a rule will never bring change.

Fortunately, Christ worked in my life and I realized that only Christ can save me and change me.

In this passage, Paul talks about the problems with the false teacher.

He confronts the issues with which the believers at Colossae were dealing.

Paul does not hold back on his teaching.

He *boldly* confronts incorrect teachings of the false teachers.

Paul knew that these false teachers were misleading people about Christ, so a correct understanding of Christ had to be given.

Paul addresses three problems in this passage.

The three problems addressed are /legalism, mysticism, and asceticism/.

Each one has major errors.

/The biggest problem is that the false teachers promoted their religious ideas and methods over Christ/.

These methods are worthless since a believer is complete in Christ.

/A Christian should not be controlled by human religious methods or ideas but by the Head, Jesus Christ.

/

 

*Proposition: Man’s ideas can only constrain you; Christ can change you!*

 

Let’s look at three key point from this passage.

1.

You can only be saved by Christ

2.      You can only be growing through Christ

3.

You can only be controlled by Christ

 

*1.

**You can ONLY Be Saved by Christ  v.

16-17*

*a.      **Salvation is not through legalistic means*

The annual festivals, the monthly new moon sacrifice, and the Sabbath were not meant for salvation.

The false teachers were promoting that these religious observances were required for salvation.

Even though Christ had come as the Messiah and had done away with the ceremonial aspects of the Old Testament law, many people were saying that a person had to practice these religious observances for salvation.

/This is legalism!

Legalism can be its own type of religion/.

/Legalism is saying salvation and spirituality comes from Christ and human works./

In verse 16, Paul is saying, do not let anyone judge you or hold you these things: food or drink, festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths.

Colossians 2:14 says that Christ wiped out the handwriting of requirements or the law.

In /Acts 15:10, Paul said that the legalistic requirements are something that one cannot bear, known as a “yoke of bondage or slavery.”

Galatians 5:1 states that Christ has made us free from the “yoke of slavery or bondage/.”

There is no food, festivals, or physical sacrifices that are required for salvation!

/These five things that are mentioned (eating, drinking, festivals, new moons, Sabbaths) all concern the Jewish law.

Christ has abolished each one/.

Mark 7:18-19 abolishes the food and drink regulations.

Sabbath requirements are talked about in Hebrews 8 and Galatians 4:10-11.

/They were a shadow of the things to come!/

*b.      **Salvation is only through Jesus Christ*

The religious observances were only a shadow of what was going to come in Christ.

The Old Testament Law had many elements that pointed to the coming Messiah.

All of Israel was waiting in anticipation for the Messiah.

Unfortunately, many people rejected Christ as the Messiah.

Paul says here that Christ is the true reality of the shadows.

/A shadow is not reality, it is simply a portrayal of reality.

Unfortunately, people were making these shadows (the religious requirements) more important than the reality-Christ/.

It is pointless to focus on a shadow if the reality or body is standing in front of you.

Since Christ has come, these religious observances or shadows have no value.

A person can only be saved through Jesus Christ! (Galatians 3:24-25)

*Illustration: *If *Chien Ming Wang* (the great Taiwanese pitcher for the Yankees) was here with us now, we would not be focus on his *shadow* and be impressed with his shadow.

We would be looking at him and focus on him.

/A shadow is not the reality or the true identity/.

* *

*Application: *Some of you might be thinking, /“Good, none of *us* are legalistic.

We don’t live by these strict rules that Paul is talking about, nor do we require monthly animal sacrifices/.”

That may be true, but I believe that legalism is alive and well!

Legalism is often connected with Jewish law, as in this passage, but it does not have to be.

/Legalism can //mean treating biblical standards of conduct as regulations to be kept by our own power in order to earn salvation/.

Have you been trying to keep a specific standard to earn your salvation?

Do you think you will earn your salvation by /going to church every Sunday/?

Some people are misled to think that if they go to church every time possible, /comb their hair the right way, wear the proper attire/, and look /good in front of the pastor and the church/, then they will really be a Christian.

/Church attendance does not mean you are a Christian, nor does having “constrained conduct” save you from sin!/ /Christ is the only means for salvation!/

Don’t trust in your own good conduct to get you to heaven, trust in Christ!

No amount of good works or legalistic conduct will amount to righteousness.

*I want to be careful* to make sure that you don’t think that since you have accepted Christ as you savior, you can now fulfill the desires of your flesh.

This is incorrect.

The New Testament gives specific commands for Christians to obey.

/Obedience to the command does not bring salvation, but salvation should bring a desire to obey the Savior!/

We must note that this passage also has application in another area as well.

You should be trusting Christ as your means for salvation!

Nothing else can save!

Do you believe that?

If you believe that then you must leave the religious practices of your previous religion.

/Some of you might still practice Buddhism, Taoism, or ancestor worship, even in a small form/.

You might think, “/Christ might not be sufficient for salvation, so I must continue too follow my old religious ideas.

I will still offer sacrifices or prayers to ancestor or other god’s just to make sure that I’m going to be ok/.”

That is incorrect thinking!

Christ is the only GOD!

He is sufficient for salvation and if you trust him as you savior, then /Colossians 2:10 says that you are made COMPLETE in him!

/

* *

*Proposition: *Man’s ideas can only constrain you; Christ can change you!

* *

*2.      **You can ONLY Be Growing Through Christ  v.