MPC, 14th January 2001.Colossians 2:6-23 - Don't Move!
Andrew Richardson MPC, 14th January 2001.
To grow as a Christian you need to stick with Jesus as your Lord and Saviour so beware of anyone who wants to take you away from him.
Every few weeks, it seems like you hear about another couple like Patrick and Cheree... usually on a current affair or a show like that. They've been building their dream home. The only problem is they've picked the wrong builder. It's the same story over and over again. A shonky builder who promises the world. Cheap quote, carpet and white goods thrown in. So they sign the contract and hand over the deposit... and the whole deal goes sour. The fine print. Says the roof wasn't included in the deal. Or else the builder skips town. The deal promised so much but you end up like Patrick and Cheree, $ 50 000 out of pocket.
Now the Colossians Paul's writing to are having a similar problem. The Colossians are having trouble with some spiritual shonky builders. New teachers are offering bargain basement deals on complete Christianity. They're offering rules, they're offering experiences and visions that sound like they'll make the Colossians into super Christians. They've got a philosophy that sounds good. And Paul is writing to tell the Colossians how to avoid being ripped off by these new teachers. He wants them to know how they can be built up as Christians without ending up a victim. He wants them to become mature Christians and not spiritually bankrupt Christians.
And the first thing the Colossians have got to remember is to stick with Jesus. Stick with Jesus and you won't get ripped off. Sounds obvious but it's easier to be sidetracked than you think. It's not as if they become Christians by faith in Jesus and then they have to grow by moving on to something else. They need to keep trusting Jesus and living with him as their lord. He tells them that in v 6, have a look...
6. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, Continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Like a pot plant or a tree. He says just keep growing where you're planted. Growing as a Christian is all about sticking to the basics. Accepting Jesus as Lord and trusting him as saviour. When you start doing those things you become a Christian and when you keep doing those things you grow as a Christian. It's that simple.
Trouble is, sticking to the basics doesn't sound very exciting does it? When someone comes along and offers something extra, the free carpet or white goods, it's hard to resist. Christians who say they've got something more always sound attractive. So after telling the Colossians to stick with Jesus, Paul goes on to warn them about the kind of teaching that will take them away from him. Paul says that any one who takes them away from Christ is actually taking them captive. It's a trap. And whatever extras they're adding is like the bait. Looks great. But it's dangerous.
Look what he says in v 8:
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fulness in Christ.
If you've been given fulness in Christ...everything in Christ, then it stands to reason. Any teaching that moves away from Jesus is hollow and deceptive. It might seem like a good deal. It might seem exciting, but it's a rip off. Jesus gives the Colossians everything they need. If they move away from Christ they're actually giving up their fulness, not gaining it.
Just look again at what Paul says about Jesus:
v 9 For in Christ all the fulness of the deity lives
v 10 Christ is head over every power and authority
v 13 He forgave us all our sins
There's nothing incomplete about Jesus. There's no part of God's fulness he doesn't have, there's no power he doesn't command and they've got no sin he hasn't forgiven. Jesus has made them full Christians and he did it by dying on the cross. It was at the cross he took away the power of the law. The law that kept telling Israel they failed to measure up. And it was at the cross he triumphed over the powers and authorities, the spiritual forces of the devil.
V 14 God cancelled the written Code with it's regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away nailing it to the cross 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross
Jesus, who's got all God fulness, makes the Colossians full at the great cost of his death on the cross
So Paul says don't let anyone tell you that you need anything else. Don't let anyone take you away from Jesus. Don't let anyone fool you with hollow and deceptive philosophy. No matter how good it sounds. It's like a rotten apple. Looks good on the outside, but inside it's rotten - it's got nothing to offer.
Then, to make sure the Colossians know what the hollow and deceptive philosophy looks like, Paul gives them three examples. Three ways they can be sucked in. And will you notice, They all sound spiritual and good. That's why they're deceptive.
First, there's the Old Testament law. He says don't let anyone tell you that you need to obey the Old Testament law. The law is only a shadow. Jesus is the real thing and he's taken over from it.
Verse 16. Paul says:
Therefore, [because Jesus has done everything on the cross] don't let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come. The reality, however, is found in Christ.
The food laws were just a shadow, the festivals were just a shadow, even the Sabbath.. was only a shadow...... When my wife Simone was just a new Christian she was confident Jesus had given her everything she needed. She was trusting Jesus as her king and saviour and she thought that was enough. Then some friends. They gave her a book.... 100 reasons why you should keep the Sabbath. All of a sudden trusting in Jesus didn't seem enough anymore. She felt guilty... like she had to do something more. She was a new Christian who'd just found out how great it is to trust Jesus as her saviour... and then her friends were taking that away from her. They were saying it wasn't enough..
Paul says, don't let anyone judge you by the Law. It's been nailed to the cross. It's been superseded. Jesus is the reality now. Follow the real thing, not the shadow.
The second way people are taking the Colossians away from Jesus is by telling them they need to worship Angels. Maybe not something you've often been tempted to do. But Paul says to them. 'don't let anyone who goes on about strange visions try and tell you you're not a complete Christian. Don't think that visions of angels are more important than trusting in Jesus. I mean you might think it's exciting. Flapping wings, feathers everywhere. The bright lights. Sounds great. But its just the bait in a trap.
Verse 18:
18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility or 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.
Funny thing. They sound so spiritual. They'll tell you what they're getting and you're missing. And you'll feel bad. And yet Paul says they're actually unspiritual. They're puffed up.
Not so many people worship angels these days, but there's plenty of people who want to say that you need special experiences to be a genuine Christian. Maybe like the Toronto blessing a few years back. The idea that laughing or even making animal noises showed how spiritual you were. But Toronto has gone out of fashion. These days people are having the Gold dust blessing. If you're really spiritual, when you worship God gold dust falls out of the air. Or maybe by now it's something else again. They Sound impressive. But things like the Toronto blessing or the Gold dust blessing are dangerous. They suggest that you need more than faith in Jesus to be spiritual. And according to Paul if you think that, then you've lost the plot. You're not even connected to Jesus at all.
Now you might think its pretty obvious that anyone who laughs uncontrollably or sees gold dust falling from the ceiling has lost the plot. But there are more subtle ways we can be told that faith in Jesus isn't enough. The songs we sing can do it. There's a lot of songs that tell us if we're really spiritual we'll have special feelings of God's closeness or God's love... Almost as if we need to feel God giving us a cuddle. But you don't need those feelings to be spiritual. Trusting in Jesus is enough...
And have you ever thought about what trust feels like? We trust things all the time. You're trusting your seat to hold you up right now. You're confident and relaxed about sitting on it. You know it can hold you. And if you really think about it you're probably thankful you don't have to sit on the floor. Trusting Jesus feels just the same. You're confident and relaxed because he's in control and he's forgiven all your sins.... And you're thankful.
If you're trusting Jesus you can expect to feel confident relaxed and thankful. Songs that say you need to feel more than that are just like the gold dust blessing or worshipping angels. They say that really spiritual people need more than faith in Jesus. They need special experiences or feelings as well. Paul says Faith in Jesus is all you need. Don't let anyone tell you that you need anything else.....
Now there's a third trap Paul warns about and it's easy to fall into. I did it a few years back when I got caught up in going to a prayer meeting. Now there's nothing wrong with prayer meetings. But this was a prayer meeting at 5 o'clock in the morning. And the problem is, you can start to think it's more spiritual struggling out of bed at 4.30 am. Especially in winter. You're not as interested in praying as being tough on yourself. As if the earlier you pray the more God listens. It's can be like Fasting or lying on a bed of nails... And the same things happening with the Colossians. They're being distracted from following Jesus by rules about tough living. Certain kinds of food or drink they shouldn't taste. Some things they shouldn't handle or even touch. Rules that sound wise and sensible. That sound like they'll make them more disciplined, but really they're useless. They won't help them to grow as Christians at all.
Look at v 20:
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to it's rules 21 Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch? 22 He says . Such regulations have got 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.
Well, what about you? Do you have friends who are telling you to move on from your simple faith in Jesus to something else? As if you're missing something? Don't listen. They're shonky builders. They might sound attractive, but they'll rip you off. Jesus has done everything we need. He's forgiven all our sins. Anyone who says that trusting Jesus as your lord and Saviour isn't enough to be a full scale Christian is not going to help you. It's like bait in a trap. They'll take you captive to their teaching and undermine your faith in Jesus. Anyone who suggests that to grow as a Christian you need to do something different to what you've been doing so far is leading you in the wrong direction. Avoid them like the plague.
If you want to grow as a Christian, stick with Jesus, He's given you fulness. Grow where you've been planted. Keep at it. Hold on to what you were taught in the first place. As Paul says
So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.