Christ Preeminent (Part Seventeen): Skin-Deep Spirituality

Transcript

JRNT 39
11/5/2023
Christ Preeminent (Part Seventeen): Skin-Deep Spirituality
Colossians 2:20-23
Jesse Randolph

Every person in this room was created in God’s image and every person in this room was created to give God glory. But since the Fall of mankind. The “default” setting for every single one of us. Man, Woman, and child alike, is not to be a glory-giver, but instead is to be a glory-robber, a glory thief. Think about it. It starts within minutes – or even seconds – of taking our very first breath, as we scream for our mother’s milk. It continues on into infancy, where, along with other similarly sized little people, we contend for toys and attention and snacks. It moves on into Childhood, where there’s this inherent sense of looking out for number 1. That inherent sense governs the decisions we make and the friendships that we forge. The degree of obedience or disobedience we show our parents. It continues on into adulthood. Where grades and promotions and new personal records and achievements and feats now become points of pride and glory-seeking. Causing us to lift up our chin, puff out our chest and point to ourselves as we completely tire ourselves from patting ourselves on the back. It continues into marriage. Where preferences and demands and conditions and restrictions and choices continue to show our natural human bent to glory in ourselves. Then it goes on into parenting. Where we see when little Johnny disobeys, it hurts us. Why? Because of how Johnny’s behavior reflects on us. Then when little Katie obeys, we get all swelled up with this sense of assured self-righteousness. Why? Because of how Katie’s obedience reflects on us. We are, by our very nature, glory-robbers. Glory thieves. Positive attention. Getting noticed. Looking good. Being held in high esteem by others. Receiving credit. It’s what we want. It’s who we are. If a soundtrack could be written about our lives. The first song on that track would be: “Glory to me in the highest.”

But then we get saved. Then we put our faith in Jesus Christ. Now, we’re new creatures in Christ. All of that goes away – right? Pride, gone. Pointing to self, gone. Glory-robbing, gone. Right? Suddenly, now that we’re Christians, we’re perfectly humble and we’re consistently others focused. We’re readily eager and willing to step down from our self-appointed throne and give that throne back to God. Right?

No. I don’t think so. The temptation is still very much there. To glory in self, rather than to give glory to God. Specifically, to give God glory for what He has done for us. Through the cross of Jesus Christ. One of the most sinister ways this happens is through the stain of self-made religion. As we go on in our faith, it doesn’t take much for that old glory-robbing nature. Those old glory-robbing tendencies to resurface. It doesn’t take much for those old thoughts to start creeping in. Where our focus is not so much on how good God is. Or how glorious Christ is. But instead, how competent we are. How sufficient we are, how skilled we are, how good we are and how amazing we are. Self-righteous thoughts like these come in all shapes and sizes. We find ourselves glorying in how we’ve chosen to educate our children. Or how much we earned last year. Or how much we gave to the church last year. Or how much education we’ve attained. Or how many employees we have. Or how many books we’ve read. Or how many classes we’ve taught. Or how many pies we’ve baked. Or how many potlucks we’ve attended. Or how many floors we’ve vacuumed. Or how many diapers we’ve changed. So impressed do we become with ourselves. So much praise do we silently heap upon ourselves. So much love do we still have for ourselves. That the cross of Christ begins to lose its luster. Our sufficiency in Christ becomes a batter of secondary importance. That long shadow of self-righteousness darkens and obscures what the Lord long ago accomplished for us at Calvary. In the section of Paul’s letter to the Colossians that we’ll be in today, we’re going to encounter some very severe warnings about this very problem. That tendency to hyper-emphasize the exterior. The external. The outside trappings of what it’s supposed to look like to be “religious.” That corresponding tendency, if we’re not careful, to build our houses on the religious quicksand of self-righteousness.

In our text for this morning, which is Colossians 2:20-23, we’re going to see the Apostle Paul, warn the Colossian Christians, and us, about what I’m going to call this morning, “Skin-Deep Spirituality.” Look at Colossians 2:20, we’ll read all the way through verse 23. God’s word reads:

“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, do not touch!’ (which all refer to things destined to perish with use) – 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.”

As we work through this text here this morning. I’m going to do so by way of three preaching points.
Point #1, tied to verse 20, is The Error Examined.
Point #2, tied to verses 21 and 22, is The Examples Emphasized.
Point #3, tied to verse 23, is The Emptiness Exposed.
The Error Examined, The Examples Emphasized and The Emptiness Exposed.

We’ll start with The Error Examined, here in verse 20, which, again, reads:
“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 . . .” Now, as you’ve heard me say repeatedly throughout this series in Colossians. This letter, as was true of each of Paul’s letters, was written to Christians. We see, back in Colossians 1:2, this is addressed - “to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae.”
These were new Christians. These were baby Christians. To borrow the old KJV translation from I Corinthians 3, these were “babes in Christ.” While they were showing themselves to be faithful brethren in Christ, as we see there in Colossians 1:2. Paul wanted to see them persevere on the faithful path. He wanted to see them endure. Which is picked up in the first few words there, in verse 20. Where, after warning these newer believers about the various dimensions of the Colossian heresy that was being promoted to them. Things like “Empty philosophy” and “traditions of men” and Jewish legalism and pagan mysticism. Paul now, in verse 20, with this sense of exasperation, exasperated concern says: “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 . . .” See, these otherwise-faithful believers were up against these persuasive tactics of the false teachers in their midst. Paul here is asking this question, to shake them into a state of spiritual alertness. He begins with those words, “. . .if you have died with Christ.”

Now, that very first word there, “If” Is significant. It’s a first-class conditional. All that means is that this was not an open question to which Paul did not know the answer. Paul is not here like a blindfolded marksman trying to land this truth on one or two supposed believers, there in Colossae. No. The word “if” here points to a settled fact. These were Christians. Paul knew they were Christians; and they knew they were Christians. That meant that this first part of the verse could actually be translated: “If, therefore, you have died with Christ.” Or, I can think, stronger, you could translate this, “Since you have died with Christ.” It’s that certain here. That reading “Since you have died with Christ”, actually makes sense in the context here. Because Paul has already made it clear, over and over, throughout the book of Colossians, that these believers, these individuals had “died with Christ.” Not only had they “died with Christ”, spiritually speaking. They had been raised with Him. They had been made alive with Christ. In fact, look back just a few verses, at Colossians 2:11. We handled this several weeks ago. But it says, “. . . in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions [verse 13]and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of dept consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

In other words, these were true believers. Borrowing from Paul as he describes them elsewhere in this letter.
These were individuals, Colossians 1:4 who had “faith in Christ Jesus.”
These were individuals, Colossians 1:5 who had “hope laid up for [them] in heaven.”
Colossians 1:6, they “understood the grace of God in truth.”
Colossians 1:13, they had been “rescued . . . from the domain of darkness and transferred . . .to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”
Colossians 1:14, they had “redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1:22, they had been “reconciled . . . in His fleshly body through death.”
Colossians 2:5, they had “good discipline . . . and stability of . . . faith.”
Then Colossians 2:7, they were now “firmly rooted and now [were] being built up in Him and established in [their] faith.”
This was their status. This was their reputation. This was their spiritual resume. The were in Christ. They had “died with Christ.” They were forgiven in Christ. They were now following Christ. They were now faithfully representing Christ.

So, Paul here, getting back to verse 20 . . . is now giving them this firm apostolic nudge. He says here. “Since that’s so.” “Since that’s true of you.” “If” is the word he uses here. But it’s “since” as I tried to explain. “Since” “. . . you have died with Christ.”

Then he adds this language: “to the elementary principles of the world.” “Since you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world.” Back in Colossians 2:8, we saw a phrase just like that. Look over at Colossians 2:8. It says:
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
If you recall from the message, I gave out of Colossians 2:8 here. If you go back and listen to it some other time, you’ll see that those words: “the elementary principles of the world.” Refer to that strand of the Colossian heresy, that had to do with Jewish legalism. That thread of the Colossian heresy that suggested that to be an upstanding religious person. To have a right standing with and favor with God. A person needed to, in addition to having faith in Christ. Continue to comply with various aspects of the Old Mosaic Law.

As we saw in our study of that passage, Colossians 2:8, that insistence that was being pushed by the false teachers there. On complying with Jewish laws and Jewish regulations. “The elementary principles of the world.” Was “empty deception.” It was a heretical overstep. It was not “according to Christ.” Then we saw, just a couple of weeks ago, as we worked through verses 16 and 17 of chapter 2. Where we did this bit of a deeper dive into the subject of Jewish legalism. That the Mosaic laws and regulations that were still being pushed and promoted there. Which dealt with food and drink and new moons and sabbaths and festivals. They were not a substance. Rather, they were “a mere shadow of what is to come” it says. “. . . the substance belongs to . . .” “Christ.”

Bringing verse 20 back into focus here. Paul is saying that the Christians at Colossae, they’d already died to all of that. They had “died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world.” They were no longer slaves to the Law. Rather, they were freed in Christ. So now, in the second half of verse 20, the question now, inevitably comes out. Where Paul asks, “. . .why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees . . .?” You can sense the tone of frustration, even bewilderment from Paul here. See, the Colossians, to this point, they had shown themselves to be model new believers. But apparently the tactics of the false teachers were having some degree of success. They were sufficiently persuasive to have some sway with the new believers there. They were sufficiently silver-tongued to win a few naïve new believers and Paul here is concerned. Not only is he concerned, but he’s also bothered. Not only is he bothered, but he’s also agitated.

Now, we bring this over to our context, in 2023 in Lincoln Nebraska. If you are a believer here, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. If you have been a faithful adherent to the Great Commission of our Lord; to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ by pouring into them. Teaching them and training them. Building them up in the faith. Holding their hand from that initial stage of spiritual immaturity. To those successive stages of greater spiritual maturity. You know exactly how Paul is feeling here, don’t you? Because it’s not always a smooth road, as you go and make and mature disciples, is it? No. Newer believers, often like baby giraffes on ice skates. Just sort of slipping all over the place. Then, even as they start to grow and mature and develop in the faith. They can still continue to make confounding decisions, can’t they? Then you, as their dedicated hand-holder, your charge is to start asking them some difficult and pointed questions as you corral them and bring them back to the word. You need to ask questions like:
“Why are you pursuing that romantic relationship with an unbeliever, if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ?” “Why are you doing business the way that you’re doing it, if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ?” “Why are you still watching the shows that you’re watching?” “Why are you still listening to the music that you’re listening to?” “Why haven’t I seen you at church for six weeks?” “Why are your children playing year-round sports but have never been apart of our church’s youth group?” “Why does your wife always look upset with you?” “Why don’t your children look like they don’t know you?” “Why do you always smell like alcohol?”

That’s the sense here, from Paul, in verse 20. He’s concerned about the Colossians. He’s concerned for the Colossians. So, he asks them this question: “Why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees . . .?” There are really two parts to that question. There’s this conditional clause that sits right in the middle of it. “. . .as if you were living in the world.” Then there’s the heart of the question itself, where he asks, “. . . do you submit yourself to decrees . . .?” We’ll take those in order.

First, he throws out the conditional clause here, “as if you were living in the world.” The sense here is: “Why, Colossians, are you functioning as though you’re still living in the world?” “The world is this building that is burning.” “This ship that’s sinking.” “It’s this drain that’s circling.” “It’s this toilet that’s flushing.”
I know they didn’t have toilets or running water toilets back in these days. You get the idea. He’s saying here: “You have been rescued from all the refuse and filth and sin and wickedness of the world.” “So, why would you dare inch your way back to it?” That’s all wrapped into what he’s saying here, when he says: “as if you were living in the world?” By the way, with those words: “as if you were living in the world,” with those, Paul is not denying that the Colossians, just like us today; were, in fact, “living in the world.” Our Lord Jesus, in John 17, in His prayer to the Father, says that we are not to be of the world. But at the same time, there’s no doubt in that prayer, that we would be in the world. As He prays to the Father, in John 17:15, Our Lord prays: “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” So, back in Colossians here, the believer will be in the world. They will be “living in the world.” But here’s the key distinction that must be made. Though the believer lives in the world. They are not to be alive to the world. They are not to be alive to the things of the world. Rather, through their position with Christ. Through the death and burial of Christ. Through their new life in Christ. They’ve died to the world and died to the things of the world. Galatians 6:14, where Paul says: “. . . may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

That now brings us to the heart of Paul’s question here in verse 20. Where it says: having “died with Christ to the elemental principles of the world.” Why would these Colossian Christians act as if they were “living in the world.” Meaning, why would they act as if they were “alive to the world?” Why would they, as we keep on developing the thought here, yoke themselves back under the old rules and regulations of the Law? That’s what Paul is getting at here, when he says: “why . . . do you submit yourself to decrees?” The “decrees” that Paul was referring to here. The “decrees” the Colossians were apparently tempted to fall back under, were the “decrees” of the Mosaic Law. We saw that back in our study of Colossians 2:13-14, where we saw that there’s this “certificate of debt.” “Which was hostile to us.” And we saw that that “certificate of debt” “has been taken . . . out of the way.” It’s been “nailed to the cross.” We saw that that “certificate of debt” was “consisting of decrees against us”, it says. Those “decrees”, when we worked through that passage, we saw, were the rules and the regulations. The statutes and the strictures of the Mosaic Law. Those “decrees” had fulfilled their purpose. The Law had fulfilled its purpose, which was to expose sin and to highlight the need for salvation. But now, as followers of Jesus Christ; we’ve been brought under this new “law.” That new law being what James calls “the law of liberty.” Or what he calls the “royal law.” We looked at that in our study of James last year. The point though, is we’re not subject to the Mosaic Law. We’re not subject to “decrees” that were given to Israel. No. We aren’t Israel. We’re the church. The Law was for Israel. The Law wasn’t for the church. Paul’s whole point here in verse 20, is this: That you are in Christ. You’ve died with Christ. You’ve been made alive in Christ. You’ve died to the world, and the world to you, Galatians 6:14. You’ve already been brought across the finish line, in terms of your justification through the completed and sufficient work of Christ on the cross. You’ve already experienced victory in Christ and triumph in Christ. The world no longer holds you or has a hold-on you. Or owns you. Or controls you. So why would you act as though it does? Don’t relapse, Paul’s saying here, into this rigid system of empty religion. Don’t get yourself tangled in a morass of defunct rules and regulations. Don’t fall prey to the old worldly system of self-righteousness. Which postures itself as being submissively humble. Postures itself as though it surrendered to Christ. But in reality, is a form of empty Christless religion. Empty Christless religion, by the way, is the type of “religion” that the devil loves most. That form of religion makes people think of themselves as being busy with religion. Religious activities, religious practices and religious do-gooding. A religion not of faith, but of sight. A religion not of believing, but of doing. A religion not of freedom, but of slavery. A religion that’s not rooted in Christ, but instead only has this thin veneer of so-called “spirituality.” “Skin-Deep Spirituality.” That’s how Paul sets up and frames the issue here in verse 20. Where we’ve seen The Error Examined.

Now, as we turn to verses 21 and 22, we’re going to see him elaborate further on the nature of the rules, and the regulations, and the religious practices. That were being pushed by the false teachers here, as a so-called litmus test of orthodoxy.

Our second point this morning is: The Examples Emphasized.
Look at verses 21-22. It starts really with the last two words of verse 20, where he says: “. . . such as ‘Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!’ (which all refer to things destined to perish with use) – in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?” What Paul is starting to zero in on here. He’ll continue to do so in verse 23. In this final component of the Colossian heresy. Not only was it steeped in Jewish legalism. Not only was it steeped in pagan mysticism. It was steeped in ascetism. Which just means self-denial. Rigorous self-neglect. As a supposed means or method to gain favor with God. As a supposed mark of true piety and holiness. Paul calls it out here in verse 21. These are actually words of mockery, where He says: “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”

Now, some have suggested, as you read the commentaries and literature, that words “handle” and “touch” there. Might have to do with sexuality, specifically, sexuality in marriage. That the idea here would be that the false teachers were commanding married couples to abstain, to be celibate. I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. I think the references here, rather, are to food and drink, food and drink exclusively. I have a couple of reasons for that.

First, the “food and drink” interpretation better fits the whole context here. In fact, go back up to verse 16. We saw this a few weeks ago. Where it says: “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink.” The false teachers were attempting to lay these extra biblical burdens on the Colossian Christians, about the type of food and drink they put into their bodies. Or, in verse 18, last week, we saw that idea of self-abasement. Which is a form of false humility. Specifically, a form of false humility dealing with a very public display of fasting. The public spectacle of fasting. You rigorously restrict the type of food that you intake or drink that you intake. You want praise for it. So, all the context here suggests food.

Second, and not only that, verse 22, which we’ll get to in just a second. Even further emphasizes the food idea here. Look at the parenthetical there, where it says: “(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)” That phrase makes a lot more sense as it applies to perishable food items, does it not? Rather than sexual relations between husband and wife.

So, Paul here, is referring to food. Restrictions on food. Specifically, the restrictions that the false teachers in Colossae here, were attempting to burden the believers with. In doing so, again, he’s calling it out inverse 21. He’s actually ridiculing them with the language here. It’s him, making sport of how legalistic they were and how futile their efforts were. “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” By the way, I think he’s alluding, as well here, Paul, that is, back to Genesis. In fact, turn with me, if you would, over to Genesis 2. Back to the very beginning, the book of beginnings, the book of Genesis. Look at Genesis 2. We’ll just pick it up, mid-thought here in verse 16.
Genesis 2:16 says: “The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die’.”
Straight forward command, singular command, “do not eat.” Sounds a lot like what Paul quotes the false teachers as saying, in Colossians 2:21, “do not taste.” Now, look at Genesis 3:1. What does Eve now do with God’s command? Well, she does what all who are prone to legalism do, if we’re not careful. She misquotes God to the serpent. She carnally exaggerates and broadens what had actually been commanded and creates a new command here.
Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was craftier than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, “You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” [the serpent got the question right] The woman said to the serpent, ‘From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree, which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die”’. So, right there in the garden, we see the first ever instance of legalism. The command is, don’t eat. Eve says, do not eat and do not touch.

Well, as we turn back to Colossians, we see that apparently old, legalistic habits die hard. Because by the days of Paul, the false teachers here in Colossae were issuing a similar set of legalistic commands. Sort of this sliding scale of absurdity, the false teachers here were teaching, that in order to demonstrate one’s purity and holiness and worthiness before God; you were not to handle certain foods. You were not to taste certain foods. You were not even to touch certain foods. Touching, by the way, would mean inadvertently touching. Like bumping into a sack of potatoes. Or grazing a carrot. Or something ridiculous like that. What does that sound like? It sounds like the old Jewish laws and regulations governing purity and impurity. It sounds like the old Mosaic code dealing with cleanness and uncleanliness. Everything is back in play, apparently, through these false teachers.

Now, lest we think, that what we see here in Colossians 2:21-22, is some sort of phenomenon that was reserved to 1st century Colossae; aggressively pushing and insisting on one method. Or one approach to handling food or drink. Let’s just get real for a second. How many Christian teetotalers back in the Prohibition Era, overstepped what the bible actually teaches, by overburdening Christian consciences on matters related to alcohol? How many diet plans have been pushed, and marketed, and promoted as being the true “Christian” way to eat? I wrote a few down. The Maker’s Diet. The Losing to Live Plan. The Hallelujah Diet. The Pray Your Weight Away Plan. And of course, the wildly popular, Rick Warren, Saddleback church Daniel Plan. How many cutting remarks have been made in church hallways over the ways that we choose to eat, or not choose to eat? The ways we choose to partake or not partake? “Did you know that so and so has beer in their fridge? “Beer!” “Do you really let your kids eat Cocoa Puffs? Do you know how much sugar is on those things? Your dental bills must be outrageous!” “You’re not on the South Beach Plan? The whole 30 plan? The Keto plan? The raw plan?” “I’ll pray for you.”

Do you know what these man-made restrictions and legalistic judgments, pertaining to food in particular, are called in scripture? Turn over with me to
I Timothy 4, I’ll give you a clue, I’ll give you the word. They’re called “doctrines of demons.”
1 Timothy 4:1 – “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 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. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”
Do you “believe”? Do you “know the truth”? Do you know the truth about God, and about Christ and His death, and His resurrection? Do you know the truth about Christ and His gospel? Then go ahead and eat what you want. Recognize, as it says here, that it was created by God. Receive it with gratitude and enjoyment.

Now, back to our context here, in Colossians. We’re still sort of mid-thought here, actually mid-question here. So, taking this section as a whole, I’ll go ahead and read where we are, so far, to give us context for the rest of it. It says:
“If you have died with Christ as 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, do not touch!’ (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)?” And then, there’s this last part of the question, at the end of verse 22: “. . . in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?”
In other words, what was being laid down there at Colossae as law as it pertained to food and drink. “Do not handle.” “Do not taste.” “Do not touch.” Was not God-directed. Or God-inspired. Or necessarily Godly. Rather, it was completely man-made. Purely legalistic. It was doing what legalists do. Measuring the absence of traits in one’s life as the mark of godliness. I said it a couple of weeks ago. The old fundamentalist adage. “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, and I don’t chew, and I don’t go with girls who do.” There’s always a “don’t” associated with legalism. “Don’t.” “Don’t.” “Don’t.” “Don’t.” Rather than championing and celebrating the presence of certain godly virtues in the person, in the believer. Like we see in Colossians 3, which we’ll get to in a few weeks here.
Look at Colossians 3:12, it says:
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.”
What do you think the Lord is more concerned with? His children embodying the traits that we see there listed in Colossians 3:12 and 13? Or His children judging one another? Because: “So and so has beer in their fridge.” Or “So and so lets their kids eat Cocoa Puffs.” Or “So and so had a second helping at the potluck.” Or “So and so eats too much Culver’s.”

Those words, by the way, Colossians 2:22, “in accordance with the commandments and the teachings of men.” Those should be familiar to you if you’ve done any reading in the gospels. In fact, why don’t we go over to Mark 7. Because these words are very familiar. If you’ve read some of Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisees and the type of restrictions and legalistic practices they were pushing for. Look at Mark 7, picking it up in verse 1:
“The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, ‘Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?’ And He said to them, ‘Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of your hypocrites, as it is written: “This people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. ‘But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”
Jesus here is borrowing from Isaiah 29:13. As He’s rebuking the Pharisees for clinging to and elevating the traditions and the teachings and the commandments of men, specifically, on this topic of intake of food, over the simple precepts of the pure and timeless and powerful word of God. And he goes even further, as we read down the page. Look at Mark 7:14, now in this matter of intake of food.
“After he called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, ‘Listen to Me, all of you, and understand there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him, but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man’.”
Simple, profound, clear. It’s not what goes into man, it’s what goes out of the man. That indicates who he is.

Back to Colossians 2:22 here. Paul is something similar. He’s showing concern for the Christians here. He’s implicitly rebuking the false teachers here, for legalistically elevating the “commandments” it says, “and teachings of men” . . . specifically, commandments and teachings pertaining to food, to this place they didn’t belong. By foolishly going back to rules that governed them in their pre-conversion life. When in reality, they had already “died with Christ.”

Now, we could address one more matter here, in verse 22, before we move onto the final verse. Which is as I’ve said over and over here. This is about legalism. This passage is going after legalism. We must make it really clear, that we’re not confusing here this morning, legalism, with obedience. Legalism, with obedience. Those two are often confused, when they really shouldn’t be. Because these are two entirely different species of conduct. Legalism and obedience.

Legalism is rooted in self-righteousness. It is completely man centered. It considers our behavior. Our compliance with legal standards. As being the means by which we might be made right with God. Though God offers us freedom through Jesus Christ. Legalism says: “No thanks.” “I’ll do it my way.” “I’ll work hard enough.” “I’ll just be good enough.” “I’ll do enough.” “Because I don’t believe that Christ is enough.” Legalism is a twisted form of anarchy. It’s a self-willed choice to be enslaved to the Law.

Obedience, by contrast, is completely different. It’s rooted not in our righteousness. Or in self-righteousness. Obedience is rooted in God’s righteousness. Which has been imparted to the believer through Jesus Christ.
II Corinthians 5:21 – “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Obedience is the natural response of the child of God. Who once was outside the family of God and was headed for sure eternal destruction. But now, because of the rich mercy and the amazing grace of God. Has been now brought into God’s family. God’s household. A household that still has “house rules.” Obedience is rooted in the recognition . . . that the Christian life is not some libertine exercise in how much we can get away with while still calling ourselves “Christians.” Instead, it’s a God-consecrated and God-directed life that delights in doing the Father’s will. Yes, we have died with Christ. Yes, we are now free in Christ. But one of the aspects of being free in Christ. Is our freedom to obey Him. In fact, look at Colossians 3:18. It says: “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart. Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom your serve.”
Whichever category you fall into here. The theme, clearly, is obedience. Obedience unto whom, ultimately? Of Christ. The Lord Christ. It’s the Lord Christ whom you serve. We can only offer our obedience to the Lord, by being the Lord’s to begin with. Which we praise the Lord for, if we put our faith in Him.

We’ve looked at: The Error Examined, in verse 20. We’ve looked at The Examples Emphasized, in verses 21-22. Now, in verse 23, we’re going to look at The Emptiness Exposed. Look at verse 23:
“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.”

That’s an incredibly powerful statement. When we read this as a part of our daily bible reading plan and especially since it’s the last part of the chapter. We just want to get on with our day. “Read chapter of Colossians.” “Check.” We can totally miss the point of and the power behind these words. Paul starts by saying: “These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom.” In other words, things look good on the outside. “You don’t eat meat.” “You abstain from drink.” “You don’t let your kids eat Cocoa Puffs,” “You don’t watch TV.” “You don’t watch movies.” “You don’t send your kids to public school.” “You homeschool your kids.” “You privately educate your kids.” “You wear a suit to church.” “You wear a dress to church.” “You have a twelve-year streak of perfect attendance in your first hour Sunday School class.” To which Paul here says: “So what?” Then he breaks this down into these categories of things that have only the appearance of wisdom. You see these three distinct, but interrelated categories. “Self-made religion.” “Self-abasement,” and “Severe treatment of the body.”

We’ll take these one at a time. Starting with “Self-made religion.”
Self-made religion, by definition, originates with the human will. As opposed to that which originates with divine revelation. I’m going to give you an example of “self-made religion” this morning. Just to give you some color to what Paul is saying here.
Our family was once part of a church that taught a parenting class. The parenting class was a good parenting class. It was laden with biblical wisdom and truth. But also exceeded and stepped over some lines that weren’t biblically mandated or required. For instance, there were these rules, in this class, that dealt with child rearing. Child discipline. Child training. That stepped a few steps past what the bible actually mandates or requires. One example would be, this church and its parenting class, had this standard whereby children who were learning first-time obedience. The babies, the toddlers, especially, they were to learn obedience by sitting on a blanket and staying on that blanket. They called it “blanket training.” and that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that. If that’s how you deem the best way to train your child and teach them the way of first obedience; go for it. This issue though, was the leadership of the church, and the pastor, the lead pastor of the church. Were making it so clear that “blanket training” was the only way to go. This was the only way to train your child to partake in first-time obedience. Or to be first-time obedient. Suddenly moms were laying blankets all over the church and you couldn’t find a place to step. Another thing this class taught was that you were to train your children when you went out on family outings. To point out the disobedience of other children. To teach your children how not to behave. So, you would go to McDonald’s. You would see the other kid and the other family screaming their heads off. Then the call was, to then go have a conversation within your family, about how that kid was disobedient, and how those parents did it wrong in how they didn’t control this situation. Now, again, there were good components to the parenting class. Positive, biblical components to the parenting class. Parenting class, in general, so long as they’re anchored and tethered to the text of scripture, can be good. But you know what’s not helpful? When a church leader, or a church pastor, communicates that “blanket training” is the only way to teach your child first-time obedience. Or when speaking out against the disobedience of children at McDonald’s. Having a time, where in your own family, you talk about how they were disobedient and who we’re not to be that way. That that’s the only way that you can train your children to obey. Do you know what Paul would call that? It’s right there in verse 23. He would call that “self-made” religion.” A form of worship that’s according to one person’s idea of what is right. Rather than according to God’s word. It seems to be religious. It seems to be righteous. You can even see the principles behind it, as you seek to point your children to obey a certain way. But you can’t say that’s the command. You can talk as much as you want about convictions. But you can’t layer those convictions on other people and say it’s a command.

Paul doesn’t only go after “self-made religion,” though. He goes after “self-abasement.” That’s the next item listed out here. We saw last week, in verse 18, that “self-abasement” refers to “false humility”. In fact, look up at verse 18 again. “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement . . .” We saw that that was referring to “false humility.” Specifically, “false humility” practiced in accordance with fasting. He’s calling out here the practice of not eating for prolonged periods of time. Telling people you’re doing so for spiritual reasons and then walking around with a really long and gloomy and pious face. Hoping, after hope, that you’ll eventually receive some sort of consolation or a compliment, that you’ll get the praise of men for how holy and pious you are. You’re not eating, but you’re still fishing, fishing for compliments. That’s the idea here, behind self-abasement.

Then, last here, he lists out “severe treatment of the body.” What we know as ascetism. Self-denial, self-torture, even. That a person will go through, supposedly as a way to achieve a higher state of holiness. It’s really an Eastern concept, rooted in Hinduism and other Eastern mystical religions. But it’s crept its way into the church throughout the centuries. We think of Origen, who was a wacky interpreter of scripture. He lived in the 3rd century, and he was known to practice, practices like these, ascetism. Sleeping on the floor and walking around barefoot and practicing extreme fasting. There’s a gentleman named Bessarion of Egypt, who was known to avoid sleep by standing upright all night in the middle of thorn bushes. There are countless stories like these throughout the annals of church history. People starving themselves to the point of emaciation. Sustaining themselves on diets of things like roots and berries. Sleeping on hard beds. Self-flagellating. There are even stories about people putting vinegar in their eyes to stay awake. Now, maybe not those specific practices, but that same heart carries into the church today, does it not? There are still those today, who claim that the only way to live an authentic Christian life is to sell all your possessions. To sell all of your nice clothes. To sell your houses and your cars. To give everything to the poor and live your life in tatters and rags. Paging Frances Chan, Crazy Love from fifteen years ago. At first, it sounds noble, right? After all, as Christians, we are called to regularly be depriving or denying ourselves. As we take up our cross and follow Christ. We are called, as Christians, to live lives that are totally dedicated and consecrated to Christ. We recognize that this world is not our home and earthly comforts are what they are; and they have the limitations that they have. But the “ascetism” that Paul is referring to here, in verse 23, was no ordinary form of ascetism. He’s really talking about a legalistic form of ascetism. A form of ascetism that had at its root, this belief that you could strong-arm God into looking upon you with favor. Because of all you were depriving yourself of. Its fatal flaw was thinking that you could live an isolated life. A cloistered life. A deprived life. A miserable life, and somehow that would make you more forgivable than the next guy. Again, an important balance has to be struck here. Are we to deny ourselves as we seek to follow Christ? Absolutely. That’s the biblical command. But here’s the distinction. As we do so. We recognize that we are doing so in a way that is seeking to secure forgiveness from God. Or that will make us appear more religious or holy or pious in the eyes of man. Rather, we do so out of the response of a heart that is dedicated to Christ and is grateful for what He has done for us. Ascetism, which is a form of legalism, is rooted in pride.

Obedience, on the other hand, is a humble and joyful response to one who still marvels at the fact that they have a relationship with God in the first place. Obedience is rooted in love. Love for Christ. A.T. Robertson once said: “It Is love that makes us really free to do right. Love makes the choice easy. Love makes the face of duty beautiful. Love makes it sweet to keep up with Christ. Love makes the service of goodness freedom.” So, Paul, getting back to our text here, is concerned about all three forms of this “skin-deep spirituality”, pervading the church at Colossae. “Self-made religion.” “Self-abasement.” “And sever treatment of the body.” Why? He tells us at the very end, here at verse 23. Those practices, he says, “are of no value against fleshly indulgence.” You can engage in “self-made religion.” You can tell others that they need to blanket train their babies or their toddlers. Those babies can be blanket trained. But neither parent nor child, because they blanket train their baby or their toddler is immune from “fleshly indulgence.” Just because that little one was taught to comply by sitting on a square piece of cloth by the corner of the room. Makes them no less likely or more likely to engage in “fleshly indulgence.” Now, you can engage in “self-abasement”. You can engage in the most grandiose display of false humility imaginable. But God sees through it all. He knows exactly what’s happening in every single heart and not one of us has tricked Him by our humble bragging. Or by our grandstanding. You can engage in “severe treatment of the body.” You can engage in total control of the exterior. As you deprive yourself and you punish yourself. But none of it matters, if you’re not curbing the lusts of the flesh. If you’d rather, as Alexander Maclaren once put it . . . “. . . stick hooks in [your] backs . . . than give up [your] sins or yield up [your] will.”
It's not a matter of what you’re doing to yourself on the outside. It’s a matter of who you are - and what controls you – on the inside.

All of these. “self-made religion.” “Self-abasement.” “Severe treatment of the body”, verse 23, are . . . “of no value against fleshly indulgence.” Think about it, what’s easier? What’s easier for us? To comply with a man-made list of rules and regulations? To shine our shoes for church all while being hopeless legalists? Or to put aside, Colossians 3:8 – “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech.” To put on all the practices, we looked at in verse 12 of Colossians 3, “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” We know the answer. It’s obvious. Rules don’t change people. Regulations don’t change hearts. Religion can’t curb the flesh. Only Christ. Specifically, believing in Him and remembering who we are in light of His death can accomplish that. May we never forget that.

As we remember that we have died with Christ. There’s nothing left for us to do. There are no longer any “decrees” to follow. No “commandments or teachings of men” that we have to obey. Ours is not a “skin-deep spirituality.” Marked by “self-made religion.” Or “self-abasement.” Or “severe treatment of the body.” Rather, ours is a firm faith. Not because of us, but ultimately because of Him. Our firm faith is anchored in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Our firm faith is anchored in the message of the gospel. The very message through which God saves us and that gospel message begins with God. Knowing that there’s one true God. One living God. A God who is holy and just and righteous. Because of His holiness, He absolutely and unwaveringly hates sin. But He’s also a God who is patient and a God who is merciful. He’s also a God who is love. God demonstrated His love, most powerfully toward mankind when He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, into this world. He sent His Son on this mission; that mission being to die. To die in the place of sinners like you and me. He did so at Calvary’s cross. He did so to atone for sin. He did so, not to atone for His own sin. For He had none. But for ours. To shed His own innocent blood . . . and to die . . . on our behalf.

Considering who we once were in our sin. Considering the debt to that holy God, that we had incurred. Considering the sure wrath that we faced, were it not for the completed work of Christ on the cross. We consider Christ’s cross work; we consider His death and how He paid – in full . . . that entire sin debt. Like we see in Colossians 2:14, so that our sins could be forgiven. So that we could have a restored relationship with the holy God of all. That eternal hope would be secured.

God, we thank You again, as we remember the shed blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We know that blood is precious. We know that our forgiveness came at a high cost. An unfathomable cost. For that, we simply say, thank You. We thank You for being a God who is perfect in all ways. We thank You for being a God who is unchanging, in terms of what You expect in Your holiness and Your justice. But we thank You, that at the same time, as being a God who is holy, just and wholly righteous. You are also a God who is wholly love and wholly merciful and wholly gracious. Your love and Your justice meet and converge at the cross. They converge in the shedding of our Savior’s blood at the cross. It’s through that shed blood, that we are forgiven. We know from the hymn that, “there is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners blunged beneath that flood, we lose all our guilty stains.” For that, we say thank You. In Your name. Amen