Sermon Notes - Colossians 2:16-23 - Littleby Baptist Church - June 12, 2022

1.     Chapter 2

a.      Live for Jesus.

b.     Don’t let false teachings or reasonable arguments deceive you.

c.      Be rooted in Jesus by building a foundation of Godly knowledge and wisdom.

d.     Be thankful for all that Jesus has done for us.

e.      Hold onto the Truth of Jesus, not philosophy, tradition, or flat-out deceit from the devil.

f.      Without Jesus we are doomed, we are separated from God.

g.     With Jesus our sins have been erased.

h.     With Jesus the devil and his minions have no power over us.

i.       Jesus is triumphant.

2.     Colossians 2:16

a.      Therefore… because Jesus has erased the debt you have racked up.

b.     Because Jesus took the power away from the rulers and authorities.

c.      Because of who Jesus is and what He has done, do not let anyone impose any legalistic rules over you.

d.     The Old Testament laws about what one should eat or drink, do not apply to those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

e.      Requiring people to follow certain celebrations and practicing the Old Testament Sabbath puts faith in practices and checklists, and ultimately deteriorates the work that Jesus did on that cross.

f.      Whenever a rule is imposed on one of us, as we follow Jesus, the completeness of Jesus work is minimized.

g.     Those that say you have to worship in specific buildings, minimize Jesus.

h.     Those that say water baptism is required for salvation, is putting more faith in the water than they are Jesus.

i.       Those that say you can only worship on this day or that one, are missing the point.

j.       Are we to dedicate time to the study of the Word of God, absolutely!

k.     Are we to spend time in prayer talking to our God, definitely!

l.       Are we to sing His praises, every day!

m.   Jesus matters, the other stuff can get in the way.

3.     Colossians 2:17

a.      These things, the Old Testament Law.

b.     The commands about food, festivals, and the Sabbath Day.

c.      They are all a shadow of the New Covenant.

d.     The New Covenant that was established by Jesus through the shedding of His blood for our sins.

e.      Matthew 5:17-20

                                                    i.     Jesus says He came to fulfill the law, not wipe it away.

                                                  ii.     Why would things about festivals and food not need to be followed?

                                                iii.     If we scan down the rest of Matthew 5.

                                                iv.     Murder begins in the heart.

                                                  v.     Adultery is also a heart issue.

                                                vi.     If our heart is not right with God, ungodly actions will follow.

                                               vii.     Divorce was allowed and oaths needed to hold humans accountable, but neither of them fit with God’s intent.

1.     Marriage is to be permanent.

2.     If everyone always told the truth, there would be no need for oaths.

                                             viii.     Instead of vengeance, which is allowed by the Law, Jesus teaches that we are to turn the other check.

                                                ix.     Instead of only loving one’s neighbors, we are to love our enemies and pray for them.

f.      When Jesus fulfilled the Law, He points us to the original intent.

g.     Not some list of rules and sacrifices.

h.     But, love, truth, and a willingness to serve others.

i.       Matthew 5:48

                                                    i.     A very tough standard.

                                                  ii.     One that we cannot achieve.

                                                iii.     But one that we are given as followers of Jesus and children of God.

                                                iv.     A person who trusts in Jesus will be seen as righteous when they stand before the judgement seat of our Lord.

                                                  v.     Trust in Jesus not food, drink, festivals, or the Sabbath.

4.     Colossians 2:18

a.      Paul is warning that people will try to persuade the Colossians to follow them.

b.     These are people who would boast, or brag, about their special spiritual abilities.

c.      They would be claiming things beyond what is reasonable.

d.     ‘I am so holy that when I fast, I am able to join the angels in heaven to worship God.’

e.      Seems extreme, but there are people out there that attract followers by proclaiming their humility and holiness at the same time.

f.      They may state that through denying themselves of something that they receive a special revelation from God.

g.     Maybe they have received a message from an angel that says they know when God going to call the church home.

h.     We are to watch and judge a person, a messenger, by their fruit.

i.       I firmly believe that God speaks to people even today, but everything needs to line up with the Divinely Inspired Word of God.

j.       If the fruit of the messenger and the message they are telling are not in line with our Bible, we need to turn away.

k.     Don’t be lead astray.

5.     Colossians 2:19

a.      Those whose faith is in legalistic practices.

b.     Those who add things on top of the sacrifice Jesus has made.

c.      Those who believe some mystical experience triggered by denying themselves of something.

d.     These people are no longer connected to the Head, meaning the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ.

e.      Putting faith in these other things is a rejection of Jesus.

f.      A rejection of the sacrifice He made for us.

g.     We are to trust in Jesus and in Him alone.

6.     Colossians 2:20-21

a.      A heresy making its way around the Colossian church was that people needed to follow rules to be saved.

b.     Romans 6:6

c.      If we have repented of our sins and are following Jesus, our old self is GONE.

d.     We have been set free.

e.      Those legalistic micromanaging rules have no power over us.

f.      There is no level of self-denial or self-flagellation that can open a pathway to God for us.

g.     These types of thoughts and actions are worldly and sinful in nature.

h.     As children of God, we are to follow His teachings.

i.       We are to Love God with all that we have and Love Others as we do ourselves.

j.       Loving God and Loving Others is a result of the amazing gift of eternal life we have been given by our Lord Jesus.

k.     Our actions, even if they are sacrificial in nature, do not earn us a spot in heaven.

l.       We are not saved because of what we do.

m.   What we do is a result of the gift of salvation we have received.

7.     Colossians 2:22

a.      Things you can handle, touch, and taste are all material things that will perish.

b.     Things that perish, have no impact on where you spend eternity.

c.      This was another form of legalism, similar to those who were pushing gentile believers to be circumcised.

d.     Romans 4:9-11

                                                    i.     Abraham was circumcised after he was declared righteous by God.

                                                  ii.     It was His faith not the circumcision that made him righteous.

                                                iii.     The circumcision was a sign of his righteousness.

e.      Romans 10:9-13

                                                    i.     Scripture does not tell us we are saved through circumcision.

                                                  ii.     We are saved by the blood of Jesus, it is He who we proclaim as Lord.

                                                iii.     It may be a whisper initially, but as we draw closer to our God it should grow to a roar.

f.      We are saved by calling on the name of the Lord, not some list of rules.

8.     Colossians 2:23

a.      The heretical teachings being spread through Colossian church have no value.

b.     Worshipping angels will not save you.

c.      False humility is a lie.

d.     Self-flagellation, excessive fasting, or circumcision are not of any value.

e.      Think of it this way… starving yourself to lose weight does not work. You cannot control the cravings. Eventually we would give in and eat even more.

9.     Salvation does not come from the actions we take.

10.  Salvation comes from faith in Jesus, which in the long run changes who we are.

a.      Drawing closer to God makes us Holy.

b.     Spending time with Him, changes how we live our lives.

c.      Trusting Jesus will ultimately change the choices we make and the actions we take.

11.  Psalm 51:10

a.      God will cleanse our hearts.

b.     He will renew a steadfast sprit within us.

c.      It is God who will work in us.

d.     It is God who changes us.

e.      A lifelong process from the day of our salvation to the day we stand in the presence of Jesus.

f.      We need to let God change us.