If we tried to tell of all that Jesus had done for us we would be lost for words
Christ has broken the bonds of sin - we are no longer slaves to sin
Once we condemned and guilty - now we are justified and acquitted of all our sin
Once we were orphaned and alienated - now we have become the children of God
Once we were perishing - now we have everlasting life
The enemy of our souls - the Devil - seeks to bring us back into bondage
Tempt us back into sin
Cause not to look to Christ but to look within our own heart
Tempt us to turn back to a works based system
Seeks to upset us and causes fear within our hearts
Men say we need to seek spiritual experiences
Paul came across such men
Paul reminds us that we have a complete salvation (v11-15)
The argument that unfolds follows this (v16-23)
We are not to submit ourselves to religious traditions or man-made laws
Our Complete Salvation (v11-15)
The Judiasers were teaching Gentile believers that they should take on the Jewish law
E.g. circumcision
They were saying that Christ is not sufficient - you must follow this rule and that regulation
Paul counters this by saying whether Jew or Gentile you have the real thing
You have the circumcision of the Holy Spirit
You do not need this outward act anymore
There is no longer any need to follow physical circumcision
There is a great debate over what circumcision meant
Some say that it pertains to our sinful nature
It is a mark of God
Paul is clear that circumcision is only for the Old Testament Jews
"For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God." Rom 2:28-29
"For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh..." Phil 3:3
If we are complete in Christ then we are renewed in nature
We are buried in Christ
We were raised in Christ
We must be born again
We must have a new heart and experience regeneration
If we are complete in Christ then all our sin has been forgiven
"Having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." (2:13b-14)
There are many requirements of God's law
Christ has done away with all of this
Imagine if all aspects of our life were written down - how ashamed we would be
God knows all this - every one
Christ took all of this to cross, all was nailed to the cross
If we have repented of our sin all of our sin has been nailed to the cross and forgiven
Complete salvation means 'complete'
We are feeling guilty we look not to ourselves but to all that Christ has done for us
We look to Jesus who has paid the full debt of our sin
If we are complete in Christ
"Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." (2:15)
At the cross the ruler of the world was cast down
Christ won complete victory
The spiritual world and the angels see it
The devil cannot touch us
He cannot take our salvation away from us
He may come with accusation but we have an advocate on the cross
The Unfolding Argument (v16-23)
Food & Drink and Festivals (v16-17)
We consider some of the things the religious leaders were teaching about
Food and drink (cf Lev 10, Lev 11)
Remember the festivals (of Weeks, of Tabernacles, of the Passover, the New Moons or Sabbaths)
If we don't follow these we are not the children of Abraham
Paul says these re a shadow of the things to come
The food laws no longer apply
Christ says 'I am the bread of life' - we feed on Him
Christ says 'if anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink' (John 7:37)
"For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." 1 Cor 5:7
"For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His." Heb 4:10
The Christian has entered into rest
Paul tells us not to let any religious tradition rob us of our liberty in Christ
We look to Christ
The Gospel is not Christ plus something else - the Gospel is Christ alone
Some church says 'believe in Jesus but you must have this also'
False Spirituality (v18-19)
Paul speaks of a false Spirituality
A deceiver - someone who speaks softly
People commanding that we should worship angels
Scripture is clear that we should worship no-one but the Lord Jesus Christ
Do not list
Many people believe about Angels
Freeschool court is doing a special teaching session on angels
In 1995, 6 out of 10 books were about angels
The new age movement
In the evangelical world there is much talk about angels
Steve Chalke of the Oasis Trust:
Says the Bible is an ongoing conversation
Says we can interpret the Bible
Does not accept the plain teaching of the Bible
We are called to hold fast to the Head (v19)
Only nourishment comes from Him
We don't go after angels and mystical expriences
Works Based Thinking (v20-23)
Personal example from Brazil re clothing
E.g. It is a ridiculous idea that Christian women cannot wear trousers
We need to be careful about making exemptions
People cannot be Christians if they have a nose piercing, a belly button piercing, etc
We need to be careful about following dictated religious traditions or actions
Washings, fastings, etc
There are sinister cases of works based thinking
All these outward things:
Do not change our thinking
Cannot change out heart
Look to Christ - you are complete
There is a stark warning not to return to legalism but to return to Christ
Live holy lives
Remember that we are saved through grace and faith alone in Christ Jesus
