Religious-Looking Chains Are Still Chains

False teaching doesn't always look false. Sometimes it looks devout, serious, and holy — and that's exactly what makes it dangerous. In this sermon from Colossians 2:16–23, we expose the counterfeit religion threatening the church at Colossae and show why Christ's freedom is worth holding onto.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Well, friends, some of you are familiar with the poisonous gas, carbon monoxide. I'm no expert, but what I know of carbon monoxide is that it is odorless, it is colorless, and it is tasteless. You can be in a room full of it and not even at first notice it. You won't smell it, you can't see it, and it's completely uh you're completely unaware of it until it's too late. There's no smell to trigger an alarm, no visible sign that anything is wrong until you drop over dead from carbon monoxide poisoning. The most dangerous poisons are the ones that are hard to detect. In a similar fashion, I feel like that's what Paul as a apostle is trying to do with these Colossian Christians to help them see that heresy, a false gospel, is poisonous in a subtle sense. It is a subtle attack on the gospel, a religious system that that looks externally serious and feels weighty and even has some like real gospel undertones, but at the end of the day, it's carbon monoxide. And it is slowly killing people, leading them, leading them astray from the true gospel that saved them. Before we get into the text this morning, I just want to present to you just one statement I want us to focus on this morning, and we're just gonna unpack that through the text this morning. And that idea is this religious looking chains are still chains. Christ paid too high a price for your freedom for you to hand it back through legalism. Let me just read that again. Religious looking chains are still chains nonetheless. And Jesus paid too high a price for your freedom for you as a Christian to hand that freedom back through legalism. We're gonna be focusing on uh for context, we we read a little bit more, but in Colossians chapter two, we're gonna be focusing on verses um beginning at verse 16 down through verse 23 to the end of the chapter. And so with that in mind, let's look at three warnings that Paul gives these Colossian Christians and by secondary nature us, three ways that this this toxic religion, this false teaching, this heretical gospel, how it shows up, and three reasons why it has no authority over anyone who is truly in Christ. If you look down in your Bibles at verses 16 through 17, we will start there. And if you're a guest with us this morning, you can use the uh Pew Bible in front of you. If you don't own the Bible, I would encourage you to take that one home as a gift from us to you. Uh the big numbers are the chapters, the little numbers are the verses to help you follow along. But in verses 16 through 17, I want us to see this. Christian, don't let anyone judge your standing before Jesus. Look down at verse 16 of Colossians chapter 2. Paul says, Therefore, don't let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink, or in the matter of a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of what was to come. The substance is Christ. Now, what kind of judgment is Paul talking about here? I think this is a taboo topic sometimes for Christians, like, hey, we're not supposed to judge each other and all these things. So the New Testament clearly teaches believers are to judge one another in an accountability sense of helping each other, make sure we're all walking in a manner worthy of the gospel. But contextually, what's happening here is it seems that these false teachers are outsiders from the Colossian community of faith. And these outsiders are judging the Colossian church, saying, Well, you guys aren't like really walking with Jesus unless you also believe this and practice this. And in light of that, Paul says, Don't let anyone judge you in regard to food or drink or in a matter of a festival. He's saying, Don't let anyone outside of the faith community judge whether or not you're truly a follower of Christ based on uh traditional practices you should be implementing according to these outsiders. So these are not, uh best as we could tell, you know, maybe these were false teachers like we saw in Jude and 1st and 2 Peter, that it seemed like those false teachers uh rose up from within the church. There might there might be some of that going on here, but it seems contextually, when you read all of Colossians, that these false teachers were outside the church community. So these are likely not fellow believers working through a healthy theological disagreement within the church. These are people who are intentionally trying to communicate a whole new religious system and sprinkling some Christianity on it. These are outsiders who have appointed themselves as gatekeepers to determine who's truly qualified to be a child of God. And that is what Paul is addressing. These teachers are using food laws and sacred days to decide who truly belongs to God and who doesn't. Not have you trusted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, have you placed your faith in him as the object of your salv, your salvation? Nope. They're saying, sure, believe all that, but also make sure you keep these restrictive food laws because that equals holiness. Make sure you observe these religious uh festivities and holidays because that also proves that you are truly of God. So this is a this is important because that kind of teaching, according to Paul, is a direct challenge to these Colossian Christians' identity in Christ. And Paul's response is clear. He says, friends, don't let anyone rattle your identity in Christ. If you've been purchased by the blood of Jesus, if you've trusted in the gospel that Epaphras preached to you, you are justified. Don't let anyone come in and rattle your understanding of your identity or union with Christ. You're standing before God, and this applies to us today, this morning. If you are in Christ, that is not up for debate. God, if he has declared you justified, that means he has chosen to forever think of you as forgiven. And for him to go back on that would be for uh for God to lie, which he cannot do, because God cannot sin. So your standing before God, according to Paul, is not up for debate, and it is not determined by human criteria as well. We got to ask ourselves a question here because we're no different than these Colossian Christians. We live in a cultural moment in which we're constantly gonna have outside voices influencing our understanding of our identity in Christ, our salvation, our justification. And we have to constantly ask ourselves, what voices am I allowing in my life? What voices carry the most weight in my heart and how I understand myself to be a child of God? Is it primarily people who have more weight and voice in my life than God does in his word? Is it me comparing myself to other people to determine my standing before God? Is it a religious system that I'm using to speak into my life primarily about my standing with God? Are we quietly determining whether we measure up in God's eyes according to all those things and not the gospel of Jesus Christ? What are you letting define your standing before God? Just to get the cat out of the bag, pretty much this whole sermon, I'm just gonna be trying to just blast a hole in legalism this morning. Because that's what Paul is addressing in these eight verses. Now, before we get into this, now Paul, he's he's gonna make some strong, he already is making some strong statements here because he's addressing heresy, which is a very serious thing. Now, in our cultural moment, I see a lot of Christians tend to use the word heresy for almost everything under the sun. Like if I hear a teaching I disagree with, that's heresy. That not everything is heresy. If everything's heresy, then nothing's heresy, right? The word heresy gets used way too loosely. Heresy does have a precise meaning. To boil it down super short and plain and simple, heresy is a different gospel. Heresy is a different gospel, a different Christ, a denial of the essentials of the faith. Things that you have to believe this to be a child of God. So if you alter anything that is an essential aspect of our faith, that would be a heretical teaching, such as Jesus was God's first creation. He's not eternal. That is heresy. That is a different Jesus, or any other teaching that gives us a different Christ, a different means of salvation, anything that is essential is heretical. So if some of you might be familiar with Al Moller, for example, who's the president of Southern Seminary, he had an article he wrote many, many years ago. His mother was a nurse, and she explained to him when he was a kid like medical triage, you know, when you have to assess, okay, how who do we care for first based on the severity of illness or injury? And he took that concept and created what he calls uh theological triage. I often use this in every single membership class to just help people think through what are first-tier issues, second-tier issues, third tier issues. So, first tier issues are first order issues. So these are the hills that as Christians we should die on. These are things that you have to believe to be a Christian, such as the divinity of Christ, the Trinity, the exclusivity of Jesus as the means of salvation, the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ. These are non-negotiables. Okay, so that's why we would say those are first-tier issues. So if someone denies any of those things, we're asking the question, well, then is this person truly born again? Second tier issues are second-order issues. These are issues that, hey, we we're brothers and sisters in Christ. We can agree to disagree. I think you'll be in the you're in the kingdom, but we're probably not gonna worship at the same church. We're probably not gonna plant a church together. So I love many Presbyterian brothers and sisters that God has brought in my life, but I would never join a Presbyterian church because I think biblically they get baptism wrong. And there's other examples as well. But so these are categories of, hey, genuine Christians can disagree here. They're still in the kingdom, but those disagreements matter enough to create healthy boundaries, so to speak. This is why you have who knows how many denominations across the globe. Some of that's not for good purposes, but many denominations exist because of some of those second-tier issues. And then the third-tier issues are matters of Christian liberty. These are matters of Christian conscience, right? So these are the categories of well, can a Christian drink alcohol? Some have strong views about that, some have opposite views about that. Should every Christian homeschool their kids? Is it a sin to send your kids to public school? These are third-tier issues. These are issues we can disagree on and stay in the same congregation. These are in-house discussions among mature Christians. I'm given this framework to help us see the severity of what's going on here in Colossae. Because I think as Christians, all of us need to learn how to triage theology. Because if you don't have a category of where to put things, then you might fall into the trap of, well, everything's a first-tier issue. It's like, well, that means we're questioning someone's salvation. Not everything's of the same importance, right? Or is this a second-tier issue, like, okay, that brother has a different view on me on this thing. Can we be in the same church together? We need to be able to categorize these things because not every hill is worth dying on. But some absolutely are. Treating first-tier issues like third-tier issues produces compromise. So this is why we have a meaningful church membership process. We want to do our best. Uh, we're not God, we can't see people's hearts and guarantee this person's a Christian, but we want to do our best to make sure the people who join our church are born again. That they believe when we say gospel, we're saying the same thing. When we say Jesus, they're saying the same thing. And so there's a process, right, to make sure our born-again believers joining a church to keep the church healthy, to preserve its doctrine. However, if a church treats first-tier issues like third-tier issues, like, hey, you know, I believe in the divinity of Christ. But if you're not there yet, I mean, hey, man, it's not that big of a deal. You can still join our church where we preach the gospel, where we preach that Jesus is the Son of God. But if you don't believe that, that's okay, as long as you love Jesus. That is to compromise and to take a first-tier issue and treat it like a third-tier issue. And that's why some denominations and churches decline and die and go astray and embrace all sorts of theological issues. But the opposite happens as well, where some Christians and churches treat third-tier issues like first-tier issues. Some churches are known for this, it's their culture. Like we are the church that does this, or we are the church that believes this third-tier issue that is a matter of conscience and should not be binding on everyone. Both are failures of Christian maturity. Whether you're making a first-tier issue, a third-tier issue, or a third-tier issue, a first-tier issue, I'm saying that word alive because it still sounds weird. It is a maturity issue for believers. Let's look at an example of this. Um, it's not the exact situation going on in Colossians, but if you turn over to Romans chapter 14, many of you are familiar with this text. Romans 14, Paul is encouraging the church in Rome, who is uh wrestling with some third-tier issues, and he is giving them some counsel on how to honor God and keep the gospel at the forefront and how they relate to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. I'm gonna read verses 1 through 16. It's a lot, but it's helpful for context. And I want you as I read, as you look down, pay attention to Paul's counsel to these Christians. Now, to give the context, if you're not familiar, many of these people were Gentiles, they came to faith in Jesus. They live in a pagan culture that offered uh meat. They would sacrifice uh animals and take the meat and offer it to idols, to false gods. And now they all become Christians, and some of them are wrestling with the question of so what do we do? Like, is it okay to buy that meat because it's on sale at Costco? Like, it's on sale because it's a false God, so it's not a big deal. But others were like, No, that is a big deal, and that troubles my soul that you would do that. And so Paul gives them counsel on how to think through this. So uh Romans 15, beginning in verse 1. He says, Welcome anyone who is weak in faith. That's just another way of saying less mature in their faith, but don't argue about disputed matters. One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables. Praise God for them. One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him. Who are you to judge another's household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls, and he will stand because the Lord is able to make him stand. One person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God. And whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat, and he gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and returned to life for this, that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living. But you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God, for it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God. So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us no longer judge one another, instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean. For if your brother or sister is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy by what you eat someone for whom Christ died. That last sentence is the most important part of Paul's argument. Why would you allow a matter of conscience to become something that stumbles another brother in the faith, whom Jesus purchased with his blood? That is the emphasis. Verse 15 is the main point. Paul's concern is to protect the weaker conscience and to not destroy a brother for whom Christ died. He's saying you are missing out on the whole thing. So many Christians get caught up in, well, this is how I determine who's solid and faithful or not. Are you committed to this certain uh theology? Are you committed to this practical way of living? And if not, then it's like, oh, I don't know if you're like a legit Christian or not. And Paul's saying, that is so prideful. That is, you're completely missing the mark of Christian love. Jesus purchased that brother. They will stand before Jesus one day, not you. So why would you use your convictions to bound somebody else who is free to have a difference of opinion? Let me just give a practical example. I have strong personal views for myself. These comments belong to Cameron Dobbins and Cameron Dobbins alone. I think it is very wise and prudent for Christians to just abstain from alcohol altogether. I just don't understand the glamour of drinking alcohol. But I'm influenced by my upbringing. Before I came to faith, alcohol was not a friend of mine. I was the party guy at the club with an entire bottle of Hennessy. That was me. So when I came to faith in Christ, by God's grace, I had zero appetite for alcohol whatsoever. It's almost like people who smoke cigarettes, like, I don't get it. It's like you don't get high off of it. So, like, what's the point? So that's how I think of alcohol. Again, these are just my opinions. But if I'm hanging out with a friend and they bust out a beer or some wine, guess what? I am fine. Does not bother me. I'm not going to sit there and say, oh my Lord, you are going to hell. Right? Because why would I bind somebody else's conscience based on my convictions when they have liberty in Christ in that area? That is what Paul is addressing in Romans 14. Now, that's not exactly what's happening here in Colossae, because what's happening here in Colossi is this isn't a community of faith issue. These are people outside the faith community who is judging those in the community of what it looks like to truly follow Christ by imposing their legal legalistic system on these groups of Christians. So it's an external assault on their standing in Christ. So within the body, friends, we bear with one another in love across differences. That is actually one of the unique ways we can display the love of Jesus. We can look people in the eyes and say, I think that's a really whack view, but I love you. Jesus died for you. I don't know why you believe that. I think you're wrong. We can engage and agree to disagree, but man, the most important thing I know about you is the same thing I know about myself. Jesus purchased you on the cross. So if you want to believe that and do weird stuff with your life, praise God. We're going to be in glory together, and your theology will be corrected then, anyways. So, but that is Christian maturity when we value love over airing out our arguments and being right. But an encouragement to us as well, we don't let outsiders rewrite the terms of our membership in Christ. We have to know the difference. There's a difference in us as a church family hashing through some things and charity and charity and love, but there's a difference when false teaching comes externally to assault your identity and standing before God. If you look down at verse 17, Paul brings up, uh he says in verse 17, these are a shadow of what was to come. The substance is Christ. So some of these false teachers are saying, hey, if you're really following God, you got to keep the Sabbath, or you got to observe this festival or this new moon. There's some who do that today, the, you know, the Sabbath day and all these other things. I'm not going to get into that because I don't got time. But what's interesting is these false teachers, remember what we looked at last week. Like some false teaching is deceptive because it's partially true. Or it has some elements of it that sound biblical, which is why people embrace it. But what these false teachers are missing out on is what was the purpose throughout scripture of shadows and what they pointed to. So some of you, if you love theology, you're familiar with the term typology. Typology in scripture is a type of person or event or institution in the scriptures that prefigures something greater that is fulfilled in the New Testament. So, for example, when Jesus says in the Gospels, like uh the Son of Man must be lifted up, he is quoting from Numbers when God says, sent a a uh venomous serpent into the camp and was biting people and told Moses to raise up a bronze uh altar with a serpent on it. If anyone was bitten, as long as they looked at it, they would be saved. That was typology. It was a picture of what Jesus would do hanging on the cross and all those who all those who look to him for salvation, excuse me, for salvation will be saved. So a type typology is anything in the Old Testament primarily that points to the new covenant that Jesus fulfills in his person, uh in his person work in death on the cross. So these guys are saying no, these feasts, these new moons, these these Sabbath days, you are to observe these things because that's the barometer for whether or not you truly are of God. And Paul says no those things are good for some, but they were never meant to be the final destination. They were signposts. So for example, you don't have to turn here but um an excellent book to read to really get into this is the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews does biblical theology where it says hey all this stuff in the Old Testament Jesus fulfilled it. The Levitical pre-system, Jesus fulfilled it. The sacrificial system, Jesus fulfilled it. In Hebrews 8, the author says these serve as a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things. Or in Hebrews 10 he says since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year. So for these teachers to say no you have to keep adhering to these things are contradicting God's inspired word, which said no, those things were always meant to be fulfilled in Jesus who was the ultimate sacrifice. This is why in the Levitical system they had to offer sacrifices continually every single year because it wasn't enough. It was meant to prepare them for the Savior who would be the ultimate sacrificial lamb who would offer himself once and for all and it was finished. These false teachers are missing that completely the substance belongs to Christ. He is the fulfillment of everything those shadows were pointing towards it's to illustrate this it's like a it's like a movie trailer. Like what is the point of a good movie trailer to build anticipation to the final product to get you to want to long for and to see the movie. But when you go watch the movie you don't go home and say I want to watch the trailer again or it's like you saw the whole thing now it's fulfilled right that's similar to the old covenant everything we see in the old testament it was all pointing to something to come and that was Jesus Christ. Now this is important because these false teachers are being deceptive because think about this if you fixate if these Colossians fixate on the shadow well then they're going to miss the substance isn't that what happened in the gospels when you see Jesus constantly trying to open the eyes of the Jews and the Pharisees and the Sadducees when they're the masters of the Bible so to speak and they're longing to see the Messiah but because they were fixated on the shadow they missed the substance right before their eyes all of these things were meant to point to him. This is why on Jesus what the greatest Bible study that ever took place that hopefully we get to hear about in heaven when Jesus resurrects and he's on the Emmaus road what does Jesus do? He walks those brothers through the Old Testament and says and here's how all of that pointed to what just happened a couple days ago. So if we fixate on the shadow we miss the substance but Paul isn't done. Judging what the Colossians ate for food and how they observed a calendar was the entry point for these teachers, but now they are coming after they're standing before God itself and they've got religion on their side as they do it. If you look down at verses 18 through 19 Paul's exhortation here is don't let anyone disqualify you. In verse 18 he says let no one condemn you by delighting in ascetic practices and the worship of angels claiming access to a visionary realm. Such people are inflated by empty notions of their unspiritual mind. He doesn't hold on to the head from whom the whole body nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons grows with growth from God now if you're like a city boy like me and you see that word asceticism you're like what on earth is that a cuss word what is that asceticism is just a fancy word for severe physical discipline of the body for the purpose of religious holiness. That is what he's saying. These false teachers are saying you have to discipline your body through harsh treatment as a path to spiritual achievement. You have to pursue asceticism as a form of righteousness. This could look like you know extreme fasting or physical deprivation as a ladder to you know gaining God's favor. It looks impressive externally it looks holy but that's exactly the problem it looks holy but it isn't holiness. It doesn't guarantee holiness the strange one though is the second uh tool religious tool they they are using which is the worship of angels. Now there's some debate here but this is actually really interesting to look into so during this day and age there was a common practice of not necessarily I mean I guess inadvertently they were worshiping angels, but they viewed angels as like a middleman to God. It's similar to like the Catholic Church the reason why they pray to Mary and to different saints is because well one of many reasons is they like have an unhealthy view of God where they fear God and they think we're not worthy to approach God the Father so we'll go through a middleman. Certainly he will listen to Mary because he picked her to give birth to the son which is not biblical. It's like changing your whole view of God and the heart of God that's a sermon for another day. But they were in this day and age there was this practice of angels were like middlemen so that we can gain access to God. And so we can pray to angels. We can show love and respect for angels because then they will take our prayers and our requests to the Father and there was even a council that came together to put together a statement to help Christians think through that biblically so this was a known practice. And there were some I'm sure who actually did worship angels. But you know what's funny about that? Angels have spoken for us on this issue. So we don't need to really question like well how do angels feel about this in Revelation chapter 19 verse 10 John one of Jesus' disciples has a supernatural supernatural encounter with an angel and he is tempted to fall down and worship the angel and here's how it goes down Revelation 1910 John says then I fell at his feet the angel to worship him he fell at his feet to worship him but he said to me don't do that I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus worship God because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy man that there's no explanation there. John an apostle was tempted to bow down and worship an angel and the angel said you trying to get both of us in trouble do not do that. I am a servant with you we're on the same mission exalting the glory of Jesus don't worship me worship God because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy therefore any system that places worship and adoration on anyone or anything apart from Jesus Christ is false. It's false we don't need praise God we don't need a middleman to have have access to the Father that's what Jesus did for us that was that was that that was was interesting even in the Old Testament they had that view of like no there had to be a curtain in in the in the temple you can't just approach God any way you want and what happened when Jesus died the veil was torn from top to bottom wasn't it we have access so why would these Colossian Christians entertain a teaching that said oh no no no no there's still a barrier you got to use angels to get to God. So why would they entertain a system that is literally teaching them to go backwards is what Paul is saying. But a third tool they were using was mystical experience as authoritative mystical experience as authoritative he says the worship of angels and claiming access to a visionary realm. So these were teachers who were claiming they had some kind of esoteric knowledge of the things of God like God was giving them visions, dreams, whatever may be they had access to private revelations that all the rest of the body of Christ did not have access to and they're saying hey my subjective spiritual experience of these private revelations are authoritative and you should have them too if you truly are walking with God. Obviously that is to say we should look for special revelation from God outside of inspired scripture which is an issue to this day there's all kinds of denominations and churches and big name leaders and authors who claim they have access to a spiritual realm. They have private revelations given to them from God to prophesy and to tell people how to live their lives and it's all detached from God's inspired word. And that's dangerous. And hey and many modern Christians and churches have their own form of this it just doesn't sound scary but it's when we say things like God told me blank God told me I'm going to marry this person. God told me I'm gonna move here God told me I'm gonna do this and then none of those things happen and it's like well then did God lie? Did you mishear God? This guy confused we have to be on guard against any form of private revelation special visions as if they are authoritative. I'm not saying that God can't move in our hearts and impress us and things like that. But these false teachers are claiming hey we are receiving private revelation from God that you need to hear and get up on and you can have these revelations too and they're authoritative and that is also a determiner of whether or not you truly are of God. Brothers and sisters all that I am describing that these false teachers were doing is legalism. Like that's the category that's the umbrella category it is legalism and it is more dangerous than it looks because legalism is external rule keeping elevated as a measure of genuine spirituality the more rules you keep the more spiritual you are. That's similar to what they're saying here's all the rules of what a true Christian is it's not just believing in Jesus dying on the cross for your sins it's also observing the Sabbath the new moons uh having private revelations and worshiping angels all of this is the system of Christianity and as long as you're checking these rules checking these boxes well then you're you're of Christ that is heresy the more rules you keep the more spiritual you are which means the fewer someone else keeps the more you question whether they are truly one of God's elect. Here's why legalism friends is deceptive legalistic people are often the most morally upright people in the room that is why legalism is dangerous and subtle they are often the most disciplined the most consistently obedient externally the most serious about God externally and that is what makes legalism so hard to spot and here's why God hates it legalism is self-righteousness in a religious costume it is self-righteousness in a legalistic a religious costume this is a this is a big statement but I'm convinced that there will be millions more people in hell because of legalism than for adultery drug use unforgiveness people who look morally upright externally but their hearts are far from God. They are ensnared to the sin of self-righteousness here's why legal one of many reasons why legal legalism is dangerous legalism replaces heart transformation with behavioral management. God is always concerned with your heart he's not primarily concerned with fruit modification. He wants our hearts and legalism puts a human being in God's judgment seat to determine who's in and who's out but not only that it produces modern day Pharisees not disciples of Jesus people who are clean on the outside but on the inside are completely dead. Friends when you read the gospels Jesus reserved his harshest words for the self-righteous legalistic moralistic people of the day and most of them were the Pharisees the pastors of the day the Pharisees were highly moral people who had been living their lives to the T, checking every box you can imagine. They even invented hundreds of more boxes to check to make sure that they were righteous and yet Jesus had these words for them you were like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones. Jesus was saying I don't give a rip how many boxes you're checking how holy you look externally because I know your heart and you do not love my father we see modern legalism as an issue even in churches today. It's still alive and well just in different clothes sometimes it's a dress code. Well as long as you dress a certain way then you are holy sometimes it's a style of music. Well if you only listen to this kind of music then you you really love Jesus or it's a political position. Well as long as you have the right politics then you are truly a child of God. Not that those things aren't worth talking about right but legalism takes those things and says these are the boxes you must check to show that you actually follow Jesus. Therefore if you don't check these boxes of these third tier issues then you're not truly following Jesus. The rules may differ but the mechanism is the same external conformity treated as a measure of genuine spirituality. Legalism also instills fear in people rather than freedom. That's probably one of the saddest aspects of legalism people in legalistic church environments do not primarily feel loved by God or their church community they feel watched they feel observed they feel like the members of their own church are like private investigators right they feel washed every decision becomes a potential failure that is not an atmosphere that the gospel of Jesus Christ creates but it also gives a false portrait of God the unspoken message legalism sends is this God is hard to please but you better work your darnest to try to please him he is always watching for your failures he is primarily concerned not with your love not you obeying him out of love but he's primarily concerned with your compliance that is a distortion of the father that we see in scripture the one who runs to meet the prodigal son and embraces him the one who sends his own son to die for our legalism our self-righteousness think about this what did Jesus say to the people who were saddled with the burden of legalism he said come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest Jesus wasn't saying the law doesn't matter obedience doesn't matter righteousness and holiness doesn't matter he never said that he said I came to show you you can never be holy that's why I'm here that's the whole point of the Sermon on the mountain they all missed it. When he is breaking down the law he's trying to make it clear to them you can never adhere to this perfectly you the purpose of the law was to prepare you to realize we need someone outside of ourselves to fulfill this so that we can be right with God. Then they would be receptive to the true Messiah brothers and sisters a church driven by legalism is not known for joy it's not known for love it's not known for grace and mercy. It is known for exhaustion for comparison and quiet despair and that is not what the blood of Jesus Christ purchased for his people. And Paul gives us the root diagnosis of this type of teaching in verses 18 through 19 when he gives the warning let no one condemn you by delighting in ascetic practices in the worship of angels claiming access to a visionary realm such people are inflated by empty notions of their unspiritual mind. He doesn't hold on to the head from whom the whole body nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons grows with growth from God. Paul names it plainly these teachers have an unspiritual mind. They are not thinking of the things of God they are not thinking of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Matter of fact they are likely not even saved themselves. So how is someone who doesn't even have a spiritual mind who can't discern the things of the spirit going to tell you how to have a spiritual mind. They have a mind of the flesh brothers and sisters rule keeping is a poor substitute for genuine repentance. Anyone can check boxes and look holy on the outside but that doesn't mean they've repented and have trusted in Jesus Christ. And the deepest problem according to Paul in those two verses of 18 and 19 is that this teaching is disconnected from the head of the church which is Christ. If you sever yourself from Christ nothing works. That's why I love Paul's imagery of the church whether he describes it as a bride or a body well guess what friends if you don't have your head I don't know how you're gonna function as a body. If Christ is the head of the church and we're all body parts within that we all have our role and function but if some false teaching comes in and says yeah that all looks good but just let's remove the head Jesus over here and let's put this there in play instead the whole thing falls apart. Unless you want to create Frankenstein Christianity right we're just putting stuff together and let's see if it works. No, the deepest disconnect here is severing Christ from his body whom he purchased which means this is why the apostles use this language of like the faith we received the gospel they received that they now give to their audience which means no teacher has any authority to customize the message that has been received by Christ's people. This is what um well this is what Jesus warns again in John 15 when he says remain in me and I in you because apart from me you can do nothing. So whenever we wander away from Christ as our head we are in dangerous territory. Some of you might be familiar with syncretism. That's kind of what these false teachers are doing. So syncretism is essentially when you take a bunch of teachings and try to blend them in into one. So hey I'm gonna borrow from well this is what they're doing. They're taking the gospel of Jesus Christ that Apaphras and Paul was preaching and they're gonna blend in some Jewish observance. They're gonna blend in some pagan philosophy and add some Christian language into it and then they you know mix it all up shake it up and say hey it's still Christianity. No, that's syncretism. You're mixing other things in that's like if someone you know what's that um the bumper sticker everybody always has coexist right where it's like yeah you can you can believe this aspect of you know this faith and then this faith and it's all the same thing because we're all just trying to be good moral people and love each other and have a good life. That is syncretism. And we see we see modern versions of this even today, right? So I'm from Southern California. I've been out here in North Carolina about six years now and I'm still getting used to like this cultural Christianity y'all got out here. It's really strange because in Cali it's pretty clear you're either a follower of Christ or you're not like there is no cultural Christianity. Like I grew up used to people like mocking me for being a follower of Jesus to my face will say hard things and it's like yeah great. All right that's that's how it goes here. But out here you have like and I'm not like picking on the South. I just feel like it's stronger in the South but cultural Christianity fuses like national or ethnic identity with the gospel and it's almost like a barometer of like yeah if you belong to this tribe, yeah you're a Christian. Looks good. Sounds good Good. Or if you're a part of this group, yeah, you're you're a Christian. And then it's like you can't tell people apart. And it creates all this tribalism. And suddenly the cross is like draped in a flag instead of focusing on sin, the gospel, regeneration, hey, be a proud citizen. Praise God. God and his providence put us in one of the greatest countries in the world. We have a lot of freedoms to do what we're doing right now, to worship Jesus openly and freely. But there is this blending of, well, let's add this to Christianity. And if everyone else doesn't agree with this, well, we're going to think they're not a Christian. No, the question is always the same. Is Jesus Christ at the center or has something else quietly taking his place? They judge your standing according to Paul. He says, Don't let them condemn you. Don't let them try to disqualify you. But Paul saves his most devastating argument for the end of the chapter, and that is this system does it so that the system of teaching doesn't mislead them because it says it actually has no power to help you. Look at verse 20. He says, If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belong to the world? Why do you submit to regulations? Don't handle, don't toss, don't taste, don't touch. All these regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up. They are human commands and doctrines. Although these have a reputation for wisdom, for promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence. That's the indictment. Paul says, okay, here's my final argument. Why on earth would you entertain something that doesn't even have the power to address your main issue, and that is the issue of sin. That is the issue of being reconciled with God. This system, it looks good, great. Don't eat these things and only eat these things. Observe this Sabbath, observe this new moon, do this and do that. Guess what? None of that's gonna get you to heaven. But his strongest indictment in verse 20 Why do you live as if you still belong to the world? Isn't that a question we just need to ask ourselves sometimes? It's like if I'm in Christ, why on earth am I still thinking and functioning as if I still belong to the old man? As if I still belong to the world. And he makes it clear human commands, human traditions, human systems that are propped up have no divine authority whatsoever. So great, if you want to live a certain life and don't handle this and don't taste that and don't touch that, those rules sound weighty, but they are human precepts that are never spoken by God, which means they have no divine power and authority in your life. And when we dress human tradition and divine language and use it to control other people and how they follow God, that's not holiness, that's manipulation. And it's a corruption of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul says, look, these things can make you look wise, but they cannot change you. I think there's a whole lot of people who fill churches who are content with, I want to look wise and holy, but I don't want to actually be holy. I don't want to actually follow Jesus and love him with all my heart, soul, and strength. I want to do just enough so that everyone around me thinks that I'm holy and righteous and love God because of the boxes I check and the things I do externally. Paul says, do not be ensnared by such manipulation. And but Paul does give the system some credit because he says, he says it does give the appearance of wisdom. So he's pretty much saying, like, it will work to a degree. You'll look smart to your peers with all these strict regimens and harsh bodily discipline and rigorous self-denial, but from the outside, you will only look holy. But that is exactly what makes this dangerous. Why? Well, look what Paul says. Because it is self-made religion. Sit with that phrase self-made religion. If you, if man built it, it's whack. I'm sorry. If man built it, it cannot save you. If man built it, it cannot save anyone. That is why the gospel has been received from God to us, to humanity. It wasn't devised by man. A bunch of guys, despite what some of you might have heard, it's like, oh, a bunch of Jews just got in a room and came up with the Bible. No, we received God's special revelation from him through the means of individuals he inspired. It is not a self-made religion. Man did not come, man could never come up with this. Think about it. Think about the songs we just sung. So a holy and just God, the king of the universe, would trade his righteousness and holiness and crown for our filthy rags and sin, even though we did nothing to earn it or deserve it. He's willing to voluntarily put on flesh and be killed to save a group of people who are his enemies. Who would sit down and come up with that? No, I'll tell you what people come up with. Hey, behave like this. Do this, don't do that. Practice this and you get to get in. And you know what that leads to? This is why, you know, I want to be charitable, but I'm sorry. But the Roman Catholic Church is heretical and is sending millions of people to hell. But what's dangerous about Catholicism, for example, is they teach you check all these boxes and you'll get to heaven. But guess what? You can never have assurance, though. You can never have assurance of salvation. Catholics will look at us, Christians, who teach on assurance because of the doctrines of like justification, and they would look at us like we're crazy. How on earth could you be so arrogant to think you could actually have assurance that you are right with God? Well, because we're not focused on our righteousness, but his righteousness on our behalf. Self-made religion cannot save anyone. And here is a flatal fall of flaw of all legalism. Discipline of the body, you can do that all you want. You can keep every rule on the list. It will never, ever change your heart. It cannot kill sin at its root. This is why Paul in Colossians 3, the next chapter, says, put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature. But he doesn't say that until chapters 1 and 2, where he reminds them of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the fact that they are united to him and therefore have the power through the Spirit to put to death the sin residing in them. Let me ask you a question as I wrap up here. Are you fighting sin with more rules and more willpower or from your right standing with God who has already died and risen on your behalf? One option leads to exhaustion or either pride or despair and spiritual depression, but the other leads to freedom. So here's the difference in legalism and true Christianity. True Christianity says, How could I not obey my God who died on my behalf? That's the difference. Christ is the substance, he is the head of the church, the one who has completed your sanctification, your salvation. Nothing ever needs to be added. And let me just encourage everyone in the room. I know I get on my soapbox a little bit about things that we engage in. So, for example, there's a lot of books and Bible studies towards men that are all focused on being a husband and a dad, and those are good things, praise God. Or for you ladies, it's like every book, every Bible study is just only focused on being a wife and a mother. Those are important things. But you all need to know your Bibles. You need to know theology. For example, if you only focus on those topics, you're like a guy who goes to the gym three days a week, a week, and only works on his arms, and he's walking around with like the skinniest legs you've ever seen, and it just looks weird, right? That's what you can be if you're only focusing on the next book on being a mom. It's the tenth one I read this year and being a mom. It's the tenth book I read this year and being a husband and a dad. It's like, okay, do you know what justification is? Do you know what sanctification is? Can you open your Bible and disciple somebody else in understanding these things? Because that's what happens in these churches. Someone externally or someone internally starts embracing a false teaching and it can lead people astray if they don't know the real thing. You don't need to be an expert in every false teaching. I think it's a waste of time. I'm not saying don't study those things, but don't do that if you haven't mastered the real thing. If you know your Bible well, well, guess what? When you hear something off, you'll know it because you'll say, Well, wait a minute. John says this in chapter 15. You're saying the opposite. That doesn't sound right. Know your word, because again, chains may look holy, but they're still chains nonetheless. Nonetheless. But Christ did not die to put you back in chains, friends. So know your Bible so you can stand guard. Let me close with Galatians 5, 1, where Paul says, For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and don't submit again to a yoke of slavery. That is a command. Know your Bible so that you can stand in the freedom Christ purchased on your behalf. Christ went to great lengths to free us, friends. Why would we work against our own salvation? Why would we work against our own sanctification and liberty that Christ purchased for us to put ourselves back in chains to think that, well, I think this will give me better assurance that I'm actually right with God. But it's detached from the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's know our Bibles and let's help one another know our Bibles so that we can stand firm and not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Amen. Let's pray.