Transcript

Let No One Deceive You!

Colossians 2:16-23
Sunday, December 30, 2001
Pastor Randy Smith

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A Catholic retreat center in Illinois advertised "Five days of Za-Zen sitting and walks of nonverbal prayer. Two conferences daily integrate the Zen experience with Christian tradition and Scripture. A Zen stool or cushion is recommended." The instructor is billed as both a Catholic priest and Zen master.

In California, the famed Agape Church is 7,000 members strong. Worship is Christian praise songs combined with Eastern meditation. Their bookstore contains items written by self-proclaimed goddesses and mystical pop-psychologists. Their Pastor Michael Beckwith calls it "new thought combined with ancient wisdom. Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists…we cut across all lines to reach what is true."

Frederic Baue, in his new book, The Spiritual Society: What Lurks Beyond Postmodernism, predicts the rise of a new syncretistic religion based on the premise that all of the world's religions must be combined into one.

Syncretism is defined as the process by which elements of one religion are assimilated into another religion resulting in a completely new religious system. Syncretism dates back in the Bible to the Israelite's temptation to follow the Canaanite practices and their worship of Baal. The early church battled syncretistic tendencies with the onslaught of the Mediterranean gods, which sought to be absorbed into the church. In the third century, the church intentionally chose December 25th as the day to celebrate the birth of Christ. This was the same day already recognized as the birth of the sun god, Sol Invictus, and therefore was an attempt by the church to protest a syncretistic imperial religion.

Even today the church battles the tendencies to combine Christian beliefs with other religious thought forms, whether it be eastern mysticism, astrology, psychology, pragmatism, philosophy, new age, etc. Though combining religions may appear harmless, the sufficiency of Christ is either openly or implicitly denied. The tendency is to add or supplement the gospel, seek a higher level of spiritual knowledge, get more in touch with the supernatural, become more popular in the eyes of the world or make the faith more relevant and trendy. All of these occur today, and all of these attack the supremacy of Jesus Christ.

Can there be any wonder that Paul in our epistle this morning had such grave concern for the Colossian believers? False teachers sought to lead them away from the sufficiency of Christ and the gospel through a syncretistic blend of legalism , mysticism and asceticism.

As we close the theological section of Colossians today, Paul will give us the greatest glimpse of the Colossian heresy that was seeking to damage the church. His method is consistent. He briefly presents the error and then reveals how superior Christ is compared to the error. Our outline this morning attempts to stay consistent with Paul's train of thought. The three main points summarize the syncretistic error that sought to be integrated with the Christian gospel. Under each of the three points is the specific problem the Colossians faced, followed by a brief synopsis of the problem today, concluded by a timeless solution to the error.

The church still battles syncretism. The church still battles legalism , mysticism and asceticism. Many of the specific errors in Colossians are still errors today. All of which are seeking your attention and attempting to undermine your pure devotion to the sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

1. LEGALISTIC DECEPTION (2:16-17)

Legalism is basically the desire to add anything to the law of God; it takes the form of adding works to achieve salvation or human tradition to deepen spirituality. Legalism binds people where God has given freedom, and often forces people to major on the minor, such as rules rather than their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Part of the Colossian error was a form of legalism, which demanded strict cooperation from its adherents.

Colossian Problem

"Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day" (Col. 2:16). All of these elements of worship that were imposed on the Colossian church by the false teachers were derived from Jewish practices under the Old Covenant. The first two apply to dietary laws : food and drink. The last three apply to holy days : a festival, a new moon, and a Sabbath day.

Like any form of legalism, observance of these matters appeared to make one more spiritual, but Christianity has no room for mandated issues not commanded by Christ. What we choose (or choose not) to eat is a prime example. Remember in Mark 7 Jesus said, "Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside (i.e. food or drink) cannot defile him; because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man." Paul said in Romans 14:17, "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." In 1 Corinthians he said, "But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat." (1 Cor. 8:8).

Bottom line is this: eat what you want to eat, drink what you want to drink, observe the days you want to observe. Don't allow these issues to lead you into sin , violate your conscience or become a stumbling block for another believer. But don't ever elevate them to the level of Scripture, to a prescribed rule, which must be followed by all believers… that's legalism! As Jesus said, true spiritually is not based on what goes in, but rather what comes out of the heart. God examines our hearts (1 Thes. 2:4) and simply making a set of "do and don'ts" eliminates the need for the conscience, the Holy Spirit, and a personal examination of the heart.

Legalism is deadly for the church and deadly for the spiritual life of the believer. Not only can it stifle true spiritual growth, but it can also cause great judgmentalism from those who do not share your convictions. For that reason, Paul began verse 16 by saying, "Therefore let no one act as your judge." All believers have freedom in Christ. No human has any right to impose stipulations on another believer that exceed the requirements outlined in the Scriptures. As I mentioned before, Christians are free to do whatever their conscience dictates, provided they follow Scripture and cause no offense for another believer. Paul is saying that the Colossians were to allow no one to judge them as to the status of their salvation or their spiritual maturity based on outward legalistic requirements.

Current Problem

Though we don't celebrate "new moons" and "Jewish festivals", is legalism a cause of concern in today's church?

I could rephrase verse 16 and make it more applicable. Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to how you school your children or how you spend your money or in respect to your desire to dance or drink alcohol or celebrate a certain holiday. If polled, I'm sure all of us would have different opinions on these issues, opinions that could all possibly be justified in the Word of God.

We all need to pray as to how the Lord would lead us to make decisions in these specific areas. We need to follow our conscience and respond in faith. However, we are not to press our convictions and preferences on others. As a body, we need to agree on the essentials and leave freedom for our fellow siblings on the non-essentials.

Though I have touched on some of the above issues, I have intentionally never taken an official stand on them. I have only asked you to be aware of the situation , examine the facts , compare with Scripture , pray and follow the Lord's leading. Nothing can destroy a church faster than elevating legalistic principles to the status of law. Worshiping rules more than Christ will always lead to arrogance and divisions.

As verse 16 teaches we are not to allow others to pass judgment on us in these matters. But how quick we forget, we are not to pass judgment on others either. For the moment you pass judgment on another in legalistic matters, remember, 10 fingers will be pointing back at you from others and from God (Mt. 7:1-2).

Timeless Solution

God's timeless solution applies specifically to the Colossian situation but has general application to today's situation as well. "Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ " (Col. 2:16-17).

These dietary laws and holy days were given to Israel for a specific purpose: to mark Israel as a distinct people and to discourage them from intermingling with surrounding nations. But primarily, they all foreshadowed God's redemptive work in the Person of Christ. G.B. Caird said, "Once we see the fullness of the sacrifice in the cross, we understand what the sacrificial worship of the Old Testament was groping after."

Paul is basically saying that all these Old Testament regulations simply pointed to Christ. But now that Christ has come, dietary laws and holy days are rendered useless and are to be regarded as mere shadows. Jesus Christ is the reality to which the shadows point. Why be preoccupied with the shadows now that the reality has come? Jesus Christ is the bread of life (Jn. 6:41), Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7), and Jesus Christ is our Sabbath rest (Heb. 4:11).

The substance belongs to Christ! Legalism overemphasizes the minor (the set of rules that I need to follow, an outward morality) and disregards the major (a heartfelt devotion to Jesus Christ as my first love). The flesh struggles with an inner relationship with Christ but has no difficulty with religious rules and regulations. The result? A joyless surface faith seeing uniformity amongst believers filled with pride (anyone who does not follow my rules is less spiritual) and judgmentalism (pointing my fingers at others and judging them on legalistic issues).

2. MYSTIC DECEPTION (2:18-19)

In moving from legalistic deception, Paul now covers mystic deception in verses 18 and 19. Mysticism can be defined as the pursuit of a deeper or higher, subjective religious experience. Mystics view their spirituality apart from objective human intellect and put complete trust in their personal feelings. Often their theology is an irrational, non-intellectual concoction of their feelings, which is the opposite of a true Christian theology based on a systematic study of the Word. Paul addresses the mystic element of the Colossian heresy in verse 18.

Colossian Problem

"Let no one keep defrauding you (condemn you) of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen" (Col. 2:18). In 2:16 remember the church was to allow no one to judge them on legalistic matters. Now, in 2:18 the church is to allow no one to defraud them of their prize on mystical matters. Literally, 2:18 says that the false teachers were acting as spiritual referees. They acted as self-appointed judges disqualifying any who did not play according to their rules. The teachers felt they could determine who was saved by whether or not others followed their prescribed rules of mystical conduct. Paul proceeds to list three examples:

First they advocated a delight in self-abasement. The Greek word for "self-abasement" is always translated humility in other biblical passages. But the text here says they delighted in humility. The moment we delight in our humility or boast of our humility we cease to be humble; therefore, they advocated a false-humility or pride.

The false teachers also promoted the worship of angels. This was a problem in the early church for centuries. Angels were worshipped as a supposed link to God. But we know that angels are simply created beings for the purposes of serving and worshiping God. To worship angels is not only inferior, but also idolatrous. I'm sure you can recall the apostle John's experience, "And I fell at his feet to worship him (an angel). And he said to me, 'Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy'" (Rev. 19:10).

Finally Paul rebukes the false teachers based on their mystical visions. The teachers supported their outlandish claims and divine insight by relying on private visions. Unfortunately, their visions were simply the product of their own imagination and contradictory to the Word of God.

Current Problem

Have these mystical issues of false humility , angel worship and personal visions ceased in the 21st century?

For starters, where are we at today on the issue of humility ? For the world, humility is a weakness. Sure, Christians confess the biblical need to be humble. But often, like the false teachers, their humility is another example of their pride. So many in the church are proud of their humility- how's that for a contradiction of terms? We may think we are humble, and boast of our humility, but oh how far short many fall.

On which side of the fence do you fall?

Proud People		Humble People
Focus on the failure of others		Overwhelmed with their own spiritual needs
Desire to be served		Motivated to serve others
Need to do all the talking		Delight in listening
Look down on others		Esteem others as better than self
Claim rights		Yield rights
Desire to be a success		Desire to see others successful
Are confident in how much they know		Aware of how much they have to learn
Quick to blame others		Quick to accept responsibility
Concerned with what others think		Concerned with what God thinks
Deal with generalities in confessing sin		Deal with specifics in confessing sin
Compare themselves with others		Compare themselves with God

I guarantee all of us struggle with pride more than we would care to admit. Remember, God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. And there is no greater form of pride than a false sense of humility.

What about angel worship today? The ancient heathen saying made these commands of angels, "Protect me, preserve me, hear me, give me, come to me, serve me, fulfill me, perform for me." Look around today and you will find that angels are a booming business, whether it be through pictures, trinkets, books, statues or the media. And the ancient heretical beliefs ring true today. Angels are viewed as sentimental, beautiful gods that exist for the sole purpose of making us happy and successful.

What's the modern lure behind angels? It's simple; I can have my own personal angel in a non-religious context, who will give me what I want, when I want and without demanding any commitment, sacrifice or accountability on my behalf. David Garland said, "The modern-day angels have nothing to do with (their biblical roles in Scripture); they simply help to prevent bad things from happening to us. They serve us, not God, and work to improve life for us here and now. People exalt in angels who stroke us gently with their wings and whisper sweet religious nothings in our ear, 'Don't worry, be happy.' These angels never challenge us to look out for others, to wrestle with the sin in our life, or to struggle with evil and injustice in the world." God doesn't want us to look toward angels, He wants us to look toward Christ. The worship of angels has a strong negative effect on that purpose.

Finally, visions. Visions are on the rise in recent times, which comes as no surprise to me in a non-intellectual age seeking mere sentimentality. Take for example Maria Rubio of New Mexico who saw the face of Jesus etched in the burn marks of the tortilla she was frying. She concluded it was a vision from God and even built a crude shrine for the tortilla. Thousands visited the shrine and concluded it was a modern-day miracle.

Many modern Charismatic preachers are very fanciful with their visions. I was reading this week of those who claim to have been caught up in the third heaven. Some watched the building of the heavenly mansions; others had a fun water fight with Jesus in the River of Life. Some saw visions of Jesus while watching 'Laverne and Shirley,' others claimed direct (often contradictory) extra-biblical instructions from God Himself, and some are merely just foolish. Charismatic Larry Lea wrote, "Several years ago one of my pastor friends said, 'Larry, when I was praying for you the other day, I had a vision. I saw you with great 'Mickey Mouse' ears. Everything else about you looked normal except those elephant-sized ears. When I asked the Lord to tell me what the vision meant, the Spirit of the Lord spoke back to me and said: 'Larry Lea has developed his hearing. He has developed his spiritual ears.'"

Stories like this are commonplace in some Charismatic circles, fantasy visions and extravagant predictions of the future. Beloved, truth must never be gauged by experience; it must always be gauged by Scripture. Jesus said, "Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth" (Jn. 17:17). Scripture clearly declares that Jesus Christ was the final word. "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken (past tense) to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world" (Heb. 1:1-2). What God has done and what God has spoken must always come across as the central determining factor to establish truth, not religious experience, psychological sensations, or mystic visions. One scholar rightly said, "Whenever the existential cart is put before the historical horse, theology becomes a synthesis of human superstition."

Timeless Solution

So what is the timeless solution to mysticism? "Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, ( first criticism ) inflated without cause by his fleshly mind ," (Col. 2:18). False humility, worshiping items to which we have no accountability and personal visions all lead to pride. Inflated without cause simply means to be "puffed-up," "to be conceited." Their mysticism was "ego-inflating" and the ultimate root (according to this verse) of such spiritual pride is none other than the flesh. Pride is a product of the flesh so naturally the flesh will feed on spiritual junk food that exalts our ego. The Spirit on the other hand seeks a pure relationship with the Lord based on truth, humility and love. The key, "walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16). Paul knew that these mystical means of false religion did nothing more than feed the flesh.

The second criticism with these mystical measures is found in verse 19, "not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God." We have already spoken of the body of Christ in our study of Colossians. All of us in the church are united as members of Christ's body with Jesus Christ Himself being our head. Salvation is only found by being united with the body and holding fast to the head. Sever yourself from the head and the body part dies. Paul's second criticism of the false teachers is most devastating. Basically he is claiming that their teaching shows they have severed themselves from Christ, demonstrating themselves to be outside the body and not a part of the church. Instead of holding firm to Christ's teaching, they followed the tradition of men, the doctrines of demons and the principles of the world. David Garland sums this section up well, "Paul therefore reminds his readers again of Christ's supremacy over all things and their total dependence on Him. They will not find growth or fullness in earthly taboos, celestial observances, worship of angels, or star-spangled visions. Such things can only "puff-up" human beings with the hot air of empty pride and snap the bonds that moor them to Christ."

3. ASCETIC DECEPTION (2:20-23)

Lastly, the false teachers pounded the Colossian church with ascetic deception. Asceticism is living a life of rigorous self-denial (often in rejecting the good and beautiful) in an attempt to gain greater spirituality.

Colossian Problem

"If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 'Do not handle, do not taste, and do not touch!' (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using)-- in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence" (Col. 2:20-23). The Colossian false teachers believed that asceticism would free the imprisoned spirit trapped inside from the evilness of the material flesh. All kinds of regulations were imposed, the "do not" rules that would appear to make them more spiritual. Sarcastically, Paul quotes them in verse 21, "Do not handle, do not taste, and do not touch!"

Current Problem

As long as man seeks to satisfy his religious longings there will be asceticism, rejecting the things that God has given us to enjoy. Rejection of things like: marriage, sex, parenthood, and His creation all to pursue a life of rigid self-denial in an attempt to bring one closer to God.

Take for example Simeon Stylites (from the 5th century). He spent the last 36 years of his life atop a 50-foot pillar for religious reasons. Or the individuals in the Philippines who intentionally crucify themselves every year to display their staunch spirituality. Even the world religions are filled with asceticism. Buddhist monks are to strictly follow 10 precepts, some of which include avoiding sex, alcohol, eating after noon, entertainment, jewelry, sleeping in comfortable beds and touching gold or silver. Muslims , as you know, must also follow strict rules of diet , dress and travel to fulfill a works righteousness. Though these practices are revered by the world as to the appearance of devout religiosity, are they the path to true spirituality?

Timeless Solution

For a solution, Paul makes his point clear how asceticism is damaging to one's relationship with Christ.

First , verse 20 says, you have died with Christ! We have been set free from man-made rules that are designed to promote spirituality. We now live under a new banner, a new standard, and a new Lord. Asceticism forces us to revert back to our former manner of humanistic religion as verse 22 says, "in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men."

Second , asceticism puts a heavy emphasis on the things of this world, things destined to perish with the using (verse 22). The rules deal with perishable things of this present evil age, whereas Christ offers the eternal. Many ascetics (then and now) were involved with the abstinence of certain foods. Christ denounced this belief for the same reason; food will perish. Remember Mark 7, "And He said to them, 'Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him; because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated'" (Mk. 7:18-19)? Modern paraphrase, it will be flushed down the toilet! Because of their restrictions, the false teachers were unable to recognize God's good gifts. Rather than resist certain items, we should partake with joy and thanksgiving for God's creation. In 1 Timothy 4 Paul speaks of "men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods, which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. (He goes on to say) For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude" (1 Tim. 4:3-4). Don't base your spirituality on the temporal, base it on the eternal and enjoy the temporal as a token of God's goodness.

Third , at the end of verse 23, asceticism is "of no value against fleshly indulgence." Though asceticism seems to have (verse 23) the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion…and self-abasement…and severe treatment of the body, it is "of no value against fleshly indulgence." Asceticism may make a person appear more spiritual, oh what humility, what poverty, what discipline, but the appearance is only a facade. True spirituality is found only in Christ.

Rules in the head are no substitute for obedience from the heart. Our flesh cannot be restrained through a prescribed set of rules. The false teachers thought this. They thought their endeavors could hold the flesh in check. Quite the contrary, man-made rules only feed the flesh. Take one look at the Pharisees and you'll see what I mean. They lead one to believe that their efforts are achieving favor from God. They lead one to believe that they are oh so spiritual, when they are only demonstrating their immaturity. Rules lead one away from the worship of God to the worship of self. Rules are a futile attempt to defeat the flesh. The only hope for humankind is not an ascetic lifestyle, but the Spirit of the living God, which is able to change our hearts.

G.B. Caird said, "Christianity offers a more radical and effective solution to man's ethical and spiritual problems than an ascetic legalism. It allows the old human nature, with its unruly passions and bad conscience, to die, nailed to the cross of Christ, so that it may be raised with Him to a new life." Paul's whole point is that being in Christ and holding fast to the head is the only thing that will bring moral growth and inspire moral behavior. Therefore the ascetic disciplines are both futile and dangerous; but the spiritual disciplines such as personal Bible reading , prayer , church attendance , and Christian fellowship are all designed to keep us holding firmly to the head. And then as verse 19 says, our growth will be from God.

So much, beloved, that was seeking to detour the Colossian church and ours today away from the supremacy of Jesus Christ, whether it be through forms of legalism , mysticism or asceticism. The deception was dangerously pulling believers away from their head and filling their minds with erroneous spiritual thought. The philosophy belongs to this world (2:8), but Paul is soon to remind the believers in Chapter 3 (our text for next week) that they belong to the world above, where they are to be seeking the things of Christ without being deceived by anyone who would have them settle for less.