Leviticus 23; Col 2:16-23



"Dead Men Don't Do Legalism"



We saw last week that we have been circumcised.

Our old sinful nature has been snipped off by Christ

through our baptism into his death.

Just as Christ has died to sin once for all,

so also our baptism is God's promise that we have died to sin with Christ,

being buried with him in baptism,

in which we also were raised with him through faith

in the working of God.

Therefore our baptism shows us two things:

1) Christ has made us alive with him;

and 2) he has forgiven all our sins.

He has done this by defeating the power of the Law over us,

and by making a public spectacle of Satan and all the idols

--the principalities and powers--

which had control over us.



In Verse 8 Paul had introduced the hollow and deceptive philosophy,

those things which are opposed to Christ.

Now, having restated the central theme of the book

(who Christ is, and who you are in Christ, vv9-15),

Paul is finally ready to go after the hollow and deceptive philosophy of v8.

We agreed that *anything* opposed to Christ

can be called a hollow and deceptive philosophy,

but Paul is going to outline the principles of what the Colossians are facing:

1--emphasizes Jewish rituals (v16)

2--teaches Jewish mysticism (v18)

3--insists upon Jewish restrictions bordering on asceticism (v21-22)



Paul comes back with Christ-centered responses to all three:

1--rituals were a shadow of what we have in Christ (v17)

2--the body of Christ connects us to Christ himself; who needs fantastical mysticism? (v19)

3--you died to the world with Christ, what good is asceticism? (v20, 23)



Let's take these three issues one at a time.



[RITUALS]

1--Don't Get Lost in the Shadowlands

let no one judge you in food or drink,

or regarding a festival, or a new moon, or sabbaths.

Remember that Paul is addressing people who are faced with a Jewish heresy.

There are people who are telling the Colossians

that they must keep the old food laws.

Paul is telling them:

"NO!! the old requirements of the law have been fulfilled in Christ."

Jesus taught us that it is not what goes into a man's mouth that defiles him,

but it is the things that come out of our mouths that make us unclean.

There are people who are telling the Colossians

that they must keep the various holy days of the OT,

and again Paul says, "Forget it!

You can keep them if you want to, but they are no longer required by God."

These things (v17) are a shadow of things to come, but the reality--the substance--is of Christ.

Look at Lev. 23

What does it mean that these things were shadows?

How do you get a shadow?

The light shines on a body,

and so the resulting shadow looks like the body,

but without the substance.

Lev. 23:4-8 Passover--reminder of redemption from Egypt

--shadow of how Christ delivers us from slavery to sin

Lev. 23:9-14 Firstfruits--the harvest offerings where you gave the firstfruits to God

--shadow of how Christ is the firstfruits of salvation, and we are the harvest

Lev.23:15-22 Feast of Weeks-Pentecost-thanksgiving for the harvest that God has provided;

the command to leave the corners and gleanings of the harvest

was to be a reminder to the people

of how they were once slaves

Pentecost is the completion of Passover

And even so, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

is the completion of Christ's death and resurrection;

We are not merely redeemed from bondage to sin,

We are also receiving an inheritance in Christ.

Lev.23:23-25 Feast of Trumpets

Okay. Does this one sound weird?

"A memorial of blowing of trumpets"-what sort of feast is that?

Every month, on the first of the month, there was to be a new moon feast

(Israel had lunar months--always beginning with the new moon;

that's where we get our word month)

But the new moon feast for the beginning of the seventh month was different.

The seventh month was the most important month of the year.

Why?

Keep reading...

Lev. 23:26-32 Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the 7th month

--shadow of how Christ will offer the perfect sacrifice

Lev.23:33-43 Feast of Booths--thanksgiving for the full harvest

on the 15th day and for seven days after

-concluding with a holy convocation on the 8th day

--shadow of how Christ will provide the completion of our inheritance.



All were shadows of Christ

(which incidentally means that they were good and holy in their own day,

but have become useless in the light of Christ).

Yet while we have the reality

--we also look in a glass darkly;

we are still awaiting the final revelation of Christ,

and so though we have more light,

we are still pilgrims journeying toward the land of light;

yet we have that light in Christ.

Already / not yet sort of stuff



While we don't have such complicated feasts,

Christ has given us one feast--the Lord's Supper.

While we don't have lots and lots of holy days,

we have one holy day--the Lord's Day.



Don't let anyone judge you in food or in drink,

or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.



What sorts of issues fall into this category?

alcohol

cultural holidays (The various trappings of Christmas, etc.)

What about the Sabbath?

Does this mean that Sabbath-keeping is optional?

Of course.

You don't have to keep Saturday holy!

Many of the Colossians were Jewish believers.

They were being tempted to observe Jewish holy days.

The early church usually called Sunday the "Lord's Day"

NOT the Sabbath to avoid confusion.

Paul is not attacking the Fourth Commandment,

rather Paul is saying that the Jewish Sabbath is unnecessary.



Just as Paul has declared that real circumcision,

the circumcision of Christ,

takes place in baptism,

and so renders circumcision unnecessary,

so also he declares that the old Jewish sabbaths are unnecessary.

You don't have treat Saturday as a day of rest and worship,

because that was just a shadow.

The reality is found in Christ.

The thing that casts the shadow is

the One who called Himself the Lord of the Sabbath.

Jesus also taught us that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Ever since the resurrection of Christ,

the day of rest and worship has been the first day of the week

--the Lord's Day.

Other feast days, like the OT festivals, new moons,

and the observance of the Saturday Sabbath,

are entirely optional.





[MYSTICISM]

2--Time for some Body Building! (v18-19)

Angel worship was common in Jewish mysticism;

it could be compared to those who delight in private revelations today

(some charismatics do this, others do not).

There are people who claim that they receive direct, personal revelation from God himself.

They set themselves up as teachers and prophets,

and sound very spiritual in words.

But this is nothing but an individualistic form of religion

which prizes personal, individual experience

over the corporate life and worship of the church.

Paul says that such a man has lost connection with the Head

--that is a radical statement;

it means that such a person is not a Christian.

He says that these people have fleshly minds.

This means that their flesh has not been snipped away in the circumcision of Christ.

They are worshipping beings other than God,

and are not holding fast to Christ, who is the head of a body!

Christians are members of Christ's body

--which means a local church body

--notice the language of being held together by joints and ligaments.

The body is a connected creature.

Your body is held together by real, physical stuff.

And even so, the body of Christ is held together

by real people in real places like Walkerton Indiana!

This means that you and I need each other.

We are dependent upon one another for our growth in the body.

(read v19)

God causes the body to grow--not just individual believers.

It is not that God causes the individuals to grow,

and therefore the body grows

--no, what Paul is saying is that God causes the whole body to grow,

which involves the growth of each part.

You will not grow in Christ apart from your brothers and sisters in Christ

--if you think that you are growing in isolation, then beware!



If you are growing all by yourself,

then you will become useless to the body.

We don't need an arm that is fifteen feet long!

Imagine what would happen if your foot just decided to grow another ten inches!

This just doesn't happen.

Body parts don't grow in isolation from the body.

But on the other hand,

imagine what would happen if part of your body ceased to function.

If your liver decided to stop working,

or if the hair on the left side of your head suddenly quit growing,

you'd be pretty bummed!



In other words, individual spiritual growth is not spiritual growth at all.

If you think that you are growing in isolation from the body,

then you are actually spiritually deformed.



The body grows together with the increase that is from God.

The sort of individualism that results in people

looking for mystical experiences can destroy a church.

I myself used to long for direct revelation from God.

I was a charismatic for a while.

I liked to think that I was a prophet,

and I used to go back into the mountains and wait for revelations from God.

I have since repented of all the time I wasted on seeking private mystical experiences,

rather than seeking to nourish and knit together the body.

You see,

God reveals his will to those who walk in his ways,

and seek the good of Christ's body.

God never gave me what I was looking for,

but he gave me something better.

He gave me a desire to nourish his flock,

and a joy in growing together with the body.



Let us not get caught up in an individualistic emphasis on our own private experience,

but let us get caught up in the love and fellowship

which comes from nourishing one another in the body of Christ.



How can we do this?

Regular fellowship Sunday evenings, Wednesdays, in between,

but especially in our families.

Daily times of prayer, singing, and reading the Word.

Mothers, with your little ones,

make it a practice of singing and praying with them throughout the day.

Fathers, when you tuck them in at night,

read the scriptures, and pray with them.

Or after dinner, or whatever time is best.

(Act it out with them!)

Body building is hard work.

But it is our calling in Christ.



[LEGALISM]

3--Dead Men Don't Do Legalism (20-23)

Hey, if you've died to the basic principles of the world,

why should you act as though you still belong to it?

The death Christ died he died to sin (Rom. 6:10);

you died with Christ;

therefore you died to sin as well.

Sin has no more power over you than it has over Christ!!

Why on earth would you need the old regulations

--especially the ones made up by men?!!

Following rigorous rules are utterly worthless because they do not touch the heart!

As long as you simply try to deal with sins from the outside you will fail

because the real problem is found in your heart.

What Paul is fighting against is legalism.

What is legalism?

I've heard it said that a legalist is anyone who is stricter than you are!!

No, actually legalism is the belief that following the law

is going to win favor with God.

Legalism is the idea that there is something I can do to please God.

Oftentimes it takes the form of saying

that once you are saved by grace,

you now need to respond with obedience

in order to please God.

Legalism can be the idea that if you have your devotional time everyday,

God will reward you;

legalism can be the belief that if you serve others,

you will be blessed;

legalism is the notion that if you hold your tongue in check,

God will be pleased with you.

That's all rot.

God will reward you because you are in Christ,

and all that is Christ's has become yours.

God will bless you because you are indwelt by his Spirit

who has given us all spiritual blessings in Christ.

God will be pleased with you solely because of the righteousness of Christ

--not because of anything you or I have done.

Yes, you should worship God daily in prayer and the reading of scripture,

together with your families and in private

--but not out of guilt or desire for reward

--rather out of gratitude and joy for what Christ has done.

Otherwise it is merely the very same "self-imposed religion" which Paul condemns!

Yes you should serve others and seek their interests above your own

--but not out of a desire to be blessed--my goodness!

you've already been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ;

you've already died and been raised with him;

what more could you possibly want!

Serve others from the overflow of thankfulness

--not out of false humility.

These "regulations" which Paul rejects "do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,"

are often exactly what modern Christians think about when we think about the Xn life.

We think that Christians are people who don't drink,

don't smoke,

don't watch "R" rated movies,

don't gamble,

don't swear,

etc.

Now I'm not advocating that you all get up and go do all these things,

but Paul is saying,

"that IS NOT THE POINT"!!!

Those things are external!

You can avoid every single one of them,

and still be a pagan.

Mormons are well-known for their moral lifestyle,

and yet they are as far from Christ as Muslims--who also avoid such things!

No, the Christian life, in its essence,

is not about externals.

Legalism sets forth a list of do's and don'ts,

and as long as you pass, you're okay.

Christianity looks at the heart.

Paul says that legalism has NO VALUE against the indulgence of the flesh.

Where is your heart?

What matters most to you?

Are you a new creature in Christ?

If so,

then your life will reflect it

--not so much in this "self-imposed" religion,

but rather in your love toward others,

your true humility and gentleness of spirit.

Paul says not to let others judge you in these indifferent matters.

And so I will not.

What I will say is that your life must reflect the mindset of Christ.

Your attitude toward others,

at home,

at work,

and in the church,

must be filled with the fruit of the Spirit,

love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, gentleness,

faithfulness, and self-control.

Because where the Spirit has restrained the working of the flesh on the inside,

the externals take care of themselves.



So Paul objects to three things:

1) the idea that God is pleased by eating special foods and observing special days

2) the idea that God desires us to have mystical religious experiences all by ourselves

3) the idea that we can please God by following man-made rules about worship or piety.



Focusing on the externals of religion is to miss the whole point of what Christ has done.



And Paul puts in its place one thing:

You have died with Christ, and have been raised into newness of life in his body.

Therefore live like it.