When The World Comes To Church (Colossians 2:16-23 June 7, 2012)

When The World Comes To Church (Colossians 2:16-23 June 7, 2012) There is a church plant that became historically famous. A godly pastor went into a very pagan area of the world preached Christ and saw many converts. Godly men prayed for that church. It received great teaching. Christ was the centre and heartbeat. But within a decade things changed. A visitor to the church was stunned. Before the service, he mentioned eating roast pork the night before and castigated. He talked about playing a game with his children last Sunday and was told he was a Sabbath breaker. He was questioned about his diet, his bodily discipline and was almost told he could not be a Christian. The service started and he wondered what he had walked into. Visions were the guiding force. Angels were worshipped. And perhaps most tragically of all Christ was no longer the centrepiece of their worship. The lives of many of those in the church were not holy. Despite their pious rhetoric they were little different to the world around them. This story is true. 1

Unfortunately that story has sequels throughout history and even today but tragically this is the history of the church at Colossae. A church founded by Epaphras a co-labourer with the Apostle Paul. A church Paul prayed for from its inception. And this history of corruption by the world has been repeated countless times. I suspect most of us hear stories like that and say not me not my church. Worship of angels, led by visions, focussing on peripherals. Too influenced by the trends of the world. Not us. Here is my warning. Whether we admit it or not, there is something in the heart of each of us that is attracted to this deception. It is exciting, some new twist, some secret wisdom, it elevates our place in our salvation, it can feel right. It seems to make the church more palatable to the lost. If it can happen in Colossae it can happen anywhere. What is the antidote? The Reformers gave us the five solas. While all of these are crucial in my mind one of them sums of the heart of Paul s message to the Colossians and to us Solus Christus Christ Alone. Listen to Colossians 2:2 4: Paul desires that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of 2

God s mystery, which is Christ, Christ is the centre of our faith in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. They were being led away from what is crucial to their faith Christ to being deluded by plausible arguments. Solus Christus Christ Alone. There is one Saviour, one Mediator, one object of our faith and that is Christ alone. Jesus Himself made it very clear. John 14:6: Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Paul added this. 1 Timothy 2:5: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. And in Ephesians 2:8 9: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works. When you read the Scriptures it could not be clearer. Solus Christus Christ Alone. There is one Saviour, one Mediator, one object of our faith and that is Christ alone. However, our sinful hearts delight in muddying the purity and simplicity of the gospel. We are so easily deluded by plausible arguments. We have added co-saviours. Most notably ourselves were we are taught we aid in our own salvation. But we didn't stop there over the years we have added a whole panoply of co-saviours False Messiahs and Christs come to aid Jesus. We have added co-mediators. Mary, priests, prophets. We have added co-objects of faith. Angels, leaders, prophets. The result is worship that is far from the truth yet those in it still claim it to be authentically Christian. And if that were not enough despite the clear teaching that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone and not by works the number of works men have looked to add to salvation by faith is staggering. 3

Then history shows how many fads, rituals and philosophies that start in the world and graft themselves onto the church. You only have to read the letters of the New Testament to understand how easily our hearts are led astray from the purity and simplicity of a Christ centred religion. Almost every New Testament Epistle has examples of warnings. The letters to the seven churches in Revelation are a classic example. And every one of these occurred within years of the church being founded by Apostles or those associated with Apostles. The church in Colossae was founded by Epaphras, an associate of the Apostle Paul. It started off well but within a decade it was in danger of becoming a full blown cult moving away from the basic truths of the gospel. Moving away from Christ to angels, visions, asceticism and other worldly traits. So when word came to the old Apostle, Paul picked up his pen and entreated the Colossians to turn their backs on these false teachings and cling ever more closely to the glory of the incomparable Christ. Nearly twenty centuries later it is difficult if not impossible to be certain the exact nature of the false teaching infecting the church at Colossae. Certainly there were some cultic Jewish elements. What pagan, Gnostic or other influences were there as well is harder to speak to with certainty. Let me read the section of this letter where Paul directly addresses the heresy that was seeping into the church. The plausible sounding delusions destroying their faith. Colossians 2:6 23: Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the 4

substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch (referring to things that all perish as they are used) according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Heresy was infecting the church: Deluded by plausible arguments. Philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Let no one disqualify you. According to human precepts and teachings? An appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion. That heresy was after the souls of the Colossians is clear. When you read let no one pass judgment on you human precepts and teachings appearance of wisdom self-made religion. It seems that some had come into the church filled with wisdom and practices of the world and said Jesus is important for sure but there is more. And tragically the church said pray tell. What the exact nature of that heresy was is a bit harder to discern. Clearly there was some form of Jewish flavour. Paul speaks of: Questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. This has Judaism written all over it. But then there are other statements that are more difficult to categorise: Elemental spirits, asceticism, worship of angels, visions. Any Bible scholar knows the endless debates about what was going on. But, don t get hung up on the Colossian heresy. 5

The reality is that anything that draws our heart and faith and worship away from Solus Christus Christ Alone would qualify as a stepchild of the Colossian heresy. But for what it is worth, here are my thoughts about what was going on. Epaphras turned up in Colossae preaching the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of those in this city turned from the world to Christ and it was a wonderful testimony of the power of Christ. But then some false teachers inside the church or outside the church began to suggest that while faith in Christ was good that was not all that was needed. Worldly wisdom, philosophy, teaching began to seep in. Clearly some of the influence was Jewish. To worship correctly you need to keep dietary laws and the great feasts and Sabbaths. Then there were other influences. Colossians 2:8: See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world. It is very difficult to know exactly what Paul meant by what is translated elemental spirits or in some other translations fundamental components or basic principles. All are possible. For me the context and verse 20 in particular sway me to the view that Paul is talking about the basic principles that the world functions under. The wisdom of the world. The way the world does things. They were substituting God s way for the basic principles of how godless men do things. I would translate verse 20 like this: If with Christ you died to the basic principles the basic wisdom of the world the way the world does things why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations? The point is this the world thinks special diets bring you closer to God that angel worship is important that God speaks through mystical experience. None of that has any place in a Christian church. When you came to Christ you put those types of things aside why go back? That is what I believe the flavour of this passage is. So don t get hung up on elemental principles and Sabbaths. 6

Realise that whatever is of the world rather than Christ is what Paul is warning about. Most commentators think that there were several different groups influencing the church in Colossae Jewish and pagan stoic and mystic. The church was sucking up strands of teaching from everywhere. It is like the story of the missionary who shared with a Buddhist. The Buddhist seemed to love Christ and wanted to follow Him. But then he asked for a picture of Jesus. When the missionary asked why he said so I can add him to my shelf of gods. But Jesus made it clear to follow Him is to clear the shelf. You worship Him and Him alone. You cannot add Christ to any other religion or philosophy. That is why the world loves Eastern Religions. You can add any teaching or philosophy in. But that is why the world hates Christ He is the way the truth and the life. There are no other gods. Solus Christus Christ Alone. Whatever the origins of this teaching in Colossae, the end result was that the pure worship of Christ was perverted by these heresies. This eclectic mix of influences should not surprise us. While Jesus left us here to influence the world unfortunately the world has always influenced the church too much. Dress, music, hobbies, leisure, speech. But also the latest trends flow into the church always has mysticism, asceticism, humanism. I know of some churches that espouse God speaking through angels, Christian body building, Old Testament diets all in the same church. Different strands of influence leaving their mark. It happens again and again in history. The church is seduced by the wisdom, the practices, the philosophy of the world. We take it in give it a Christian flavour and think we are worshipping Christ. C.J. Mahaney has written a wonderful book Worldliness: Resisting the seduction of a fallen world. He notes: Today, the greatest challenge facing American evangelicals (I would add Australian evangelicals) is not persecution from the world, but seduction by the world. 7

We aren t under attack from without; we re decaying from within. 1 This is nothing new. 150 years ago speaking of his day, Charles Spurgeon asserted: I believe that one reason why the church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the church. 2 Spurgeon also made this sage observation: Put your finger on any prosperous page in the Church s history, and I will find a little marginal note reading thus: In this age men could readily see where the Church began and where the world ended. Never were there good times when the Church and the world were joined in marriage with one another. The more the Church is distinct from the world in her acts and in her maxims, the more true is her testimony for Christ, and the more potent is her witness against sin. 3 That is exactly what was happening in Colossae. Worldly practices asceticism, angel worship, works righteousness had seeped in and robbed her of her witness against sin. I am sure it made the church more seeker friendly. I am sure the visitors found these familiar practices somewhat comfortable. But it blurred the line between Christ and the world. As only Spurgeon could put it: Worldliness is growing over the church; she is mossed with it. 4 The result in Colossae was that the supremacy of Jesus in all things was diminished. You worship Christ and angels. You are saved by faith in Christ and by diet and keeping festivals and Sabbaths. You become holy by Christ and asceticism. The result is that Jesus is downgraded from the One true God to a lesser God or even an angel. Before we turn to our passage for this morning in detail let me sum this up. 1 C. J. Mahaney, E., Mahaney, C. J., Piper, J., Harvey, D., Kauflin, B., Purswell, J., & Cabaniss, C. (2008). Worldliness: Resisting the seduction of a fallen world. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. 2 Charles Spurgeon, How to Become Fishers of Men (sermon, Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, Sermon no. 1906; no date). 3 Charles Spurgeon, Separating the Precious from the Vile (sermon, Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, March 25, 1860). 4 Charles Spurgeon, Confidence and Concern (sermon, Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, August 8, 1886). 8

As far as I know there is no church in the world infected by the exact brand of heresy afflicting Colossae. I think one reason the Lord did not allow us to know the exact nature of the heresy is so that we could apply the principles in every age. There are countless churches, denominations and cults today that bear the DNA of the Colossian heresy. And it is a battle a spiritual battle to retain the purity of a gospel focussed on Jesus. Yes we can all point to the over the top examples. Catholics with works righteousness, worship of saints, Mary as a co-mediatrix. The cults the angels of Mormonism, the Old Testament diet of the radical end of Seventh Day Adventists. Most of us read this passage in Colossians and think this applies to cults, nuts and wackos I would never fall for that stuff! But millimetre by millimetre the church has seen subtle and not so subtle variations of these deviations encroach, make themselves at home and become mainstream. And what is the sign that we have moved away from Solus Christus Christ Alone? Worldliness. A loss of witness against sin. To understand why this is so important we have to see where Paul goes with this. Look at verse 23: These (things all the false wisdom and practices) have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. You might be told that bodily discipline, avoiding foods, keeping Sabbaths makes you holy. But, they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. If you are struggling to deal with the indulgence of the flesh have a good look at what tools you are using. Worldly ones or Christ. Look down to chapter 3 verse 5. These practices are shown to be worldly not godly because they are of no value in putting to death what is earthly in us: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. We live in a world that is seeking to seduce us and tear our souls apart. The right diet, the right festival, worshipping angels, getting visions these have no power to help us live godly and holy in Christ. 9

One thing and only one thing can do this. Christ. He saves us. He makes us righteous. He gives us His Spirit to fight sin. So, with this very long introduction done. Look with me at Colossians 2:16: Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. The therefore goes back to verses 6-15. Look at this. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. Paul says before you try adding worldly remedies for living godly just think for a moment about what Jesus has done. He circumcised us with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh. He has saved us. He buried us with him in baptism, raised us with him through faith in the powerful working of God. We who were dead in our trespasses and the uncircumcision of our flesh, God has made us alive together with him. He forgave us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. Look at this. The question is this. Is there anything that can be added to what Christ has already done for us? No! Can any wisdom, practice, philosophy add anything to this? No! 10

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. Don t let someone tell you that Jesus is not enough. That you need to avoid certain foods and drinks. That you need to keep certain festivals, new moons and Sabbaths. We have everything we need in Christ. It is like someone inheriting a billion dollars but being told you still need to work your second job so your family can eat. We saw in Romans we see throughout the New Testament that some Jews wanted Christ and the Law. Christ alone was not enough. They say if you want to be godly if you want to be righteous learn from the Old Testament. Keep the Old Testament dietary Laws. Keep the Feasts and Festivals and New Moons which are probably Jewish variants of Sabbath keeping. As we have saw in Romans the Law was not given to make men holy but: To display the utter holiness of God To display the utter sinfulness of man To display the utter grace of God It was not given to make men holy but to show them how sinful they are and to point them to the One who can do what the Law cannot. Verse 17: These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 11

The feasts, sacrifices, Sabbaths pointed to Jesus. They were a shadow. Jesus is the substance the thing the shadow pointed forward to the One who can actually make men holy. It is like a man dying of thirst who comes to a sign oasis over the hill but he sits there trying to drink the sign instead of going to where the sign points. Christians know the Law pointed to Christ. Christians know the Law could not make you holy. Christians know the Law helps you cry I cannot do it God help me I need Jesus. A casual read through the Old Testament showed that the Law was not enough Kings, prophets, patriarchs all sinned. So Paul asks why would you want to go back? You need Christ not Law. But that was not the only influence. Verses 18-19: Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. I read this and wonder how could a church let this in. They I look at history. We have let in far worse and baptised it as acceptable. In some ways this is a weird mix. Asceticism this is practice of depriving yourself of worldly pleasure but the usual practice it referred to was fasting. Going periods of time without food. This was found in many streams of worldly religion as a way to draw close to God and to help you avoid certain sins. 12

A casual glance at the Koorong Web site shows this is not foreign to today s church. Page after page of books on spiritual Christian based diets the Daniel Diet, The Maker s Diet, the Hallelujah Diet. Page after page on kinds of fasts many Daniel fasts as well as others. Fasting is a spiritual discipline. But it is not the kind of fast that matters. It is fasting to say I love Christ more than pleasures such as food. Special diets and fasts in and of themselves are more worldly than Christian. Don t get me wrong many of us should diet. But don t think God has ordained some special diet that makes you godlier and closer to Him. Worship of angels. While some want to translate this worship with angels joining angels in the worship of God more likely the Colossians were being encouraged to worship angels who could reveal secret wisdom about God and help you become holy. Angels are real. But they are not co-mediators. They are not where we learn our spiritual wisdom. Again, look at any Christian bookstore. So many books on encounters with angels, wisdom from angels, visions of angels, angels taking them to see heaven, angels protecting your family, good angels fighting on your behalf against evil angels. We must remember, Jesus is our mediator. Jesus is the Word of God. Jesus gave us the tools to fight the spiritual battle we don t pray for angels to do it for us. Too much world in the church. Visions. Receiving our guidance from dreams and visions. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16 17: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. But that is not enough for many Christians. I couldn't tell you how many books there are encouraging Christians to seek the wisdom of God in dreams and visions. In our church over the years a number have asked me about the significance of dreams they have had. 13

It is cool that an angel speaks to you or God speaks directly to you. Paul says they are puffed up by their sensuous minds. They want to think they are so special they get secret revelation and knowledge. But God spoke once for all time in His Son Jesus Hebrews 1 and all we need to know about Him and how to live godly was recorded in His world. The cults, the religions, the mystics they receive wisdom through visions and dreams we receive it from God s sufficient Word. Brothers and sisters something in us is attracted to these deviations. They are cool, they make us special, it is secret knowledge, an easy way. But this is the world. This is Oprah and Dr Phil. Paul says if with Christ you died to these ways the world does things why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you go back to them? What is the answer? Verse 19 hold fast to the Head Christ. It is from Him that the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. We grow by our union with Christ by abiding in Him not by adopting the latest fad. Verses 20-23: If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch (referring to things that all perish as they are used) according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an 14

appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. If with Christ you died to the basic principles the basic wisdom of the world the way the world does things why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations such as don t handle, taste or touch this? Jews taught touching or handling something unclean made you unclean. They taught eating something that was not kosher made you unclean. Paul says that you died to this way of thinking that is the world. Yes they have an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body. It might seem godly to avoid certain things. But it is the heart that needs washing not just hands. Avoiding these things doesn t make you clean Christ does! How can any Christian go back to that way of thinking! These things are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Brothers and sisters listen to John. 1 John 2:15 17: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. We are in a spiritual battle. A pitched battle. The things of the world are opposed to the things of Christ. Yet our sinful hearts yearn for the things of the world. Its music, its movies, its dress, its toys, its sexuality. We are drawn to its wisdom and its practices. We invite them in, welcome them, and baptise them into the church. Colossae invited strands of worldliness in from the Greeks and the Jews. We read this and these excesses are probably not where we will struggle as a church so often we just mosey on. 15

But some of these we are at risk of. Looking to ways other than the power of Christ to make us holy. Paul deals with this at length in chapter 3. But believe me we are very susceptible to worldly practices coming in in other areas. I have been asked about how Christian certain diets and fasts are. I have been encouraged to look into certain health supplements that are Christian. I have been asked about people s dreams and visions. Tell people these things are Christian find a verse to support it and it can waltz in the door and join us as a welcome member. As well, the great danger is thinking these things are the way to combat sin and make us holy. They are not. One thing and one thing alone can do that the blood of Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters the world has nothing it can offer in making us right with God. In Christ alone we have everything. May we rest confident in the faith that He is sufficient. May we spurn the wisdom and ways of the world and cling to Christ and Christ alone. 16