Rev. David Holwick P
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
May 26, 2002
Colossians 2:16-23
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I. The real thing.
A. How many have a picture of their family in their wallet?
1) What is better, a picture or the real thing?
2) (maybe it all depends - I have a picture of Celeste as the
background image on my computer, but the photo dates
from 1979...)
3) It is dumb to settle for the two-dimensional when we can
show them the real thing.
a) This is precisely the problem in church of Colossians.
B. Two double-warnings.
1) Food and festivals.
2) False humility and angel worship.
II. Don't let anyone judge you on food or festivals. 2:16
A. Eat or drink.
1) Food long associated with religion.
a) Taboos on what you can eat or must avoid.
b) Most famous - kosher laws.
c) Muslims - daily fasting during month of Ramadan.
d) Roman Catholics - fish on Friday. Abstain from meat.
1> Not a requirement after Vatican II.
2> Some want to bring it back, because it helped
define Catholics as different.
2) Early Christians.
a) Many followed Old Testament food rules.
b) Further issue - food offered to idols.
3) Paul's conclusion.
a) All food is good and from a good God. 1 Timothy 4:3-4
1> Eat anything, with thankfulness.
b) But if someone is offended, abstain. 1 Cor. 8:9
1> We are free, but we don't hammer people.
B. Festivals, New Moon, Sabbaths. 2:16
1) Annual, monthly, weekly events.
a) Evangelicals sixty years ago - Sunday is Sabbath, don't
do nuthin'. Billy Graham - no baseball, sports,
just reading Bible and newspaper.
b) Liturgical Christian holy year lays out each week.
1> Lexicons to guide each worship service.
2) Paul on holydays.
a) Every day is created by God, can be holy. Romans 14:5
1> Worship in Egypt - on Friday.
b) Sunday worship is not obligatory.
1> We can worship any day of the week.
2> Early Christians worshipped EVERY day!
3) Baptists are more free-form.
a) We don't want to be constrained by ritual.
C. These are a shadow, reality is in Christ. 2:17
1) Shadows reveal a rough outline, a hint.
a) Like a photo compared to a real person.
2) Jesus is the meat.
a) Makes our faith different from all others.
III. Don't be disqualified by false humility or worship of angels.
A. Tied together? Angels as go-betweens. 2:18
1) Argument is that God is too holy to approach.
2) It is more spiritual and humble to go through an angel.
a) Catholic lady and prayer to Virgin Mary.
b) Emphasis on saints and relics.
3) Jesus is only intercessor we need.
a) He is always approachable.
b) Any other path or person is false.
B. Danger of subjectivity run amok.
1) They dwell on what they have seen in visions. 2:18
a) Emphasis on visions and spiritual experiences.
b) (King James - what they have NOT seen. > inferior text)
2) Mystics often see what they want to see.
a) Instead of objective, truth-based faith, they have a
subjective, made-up faith.
3) They can become "puffed up" and proud.
C. They have lost connection with Head. 2:19
1) This condition is possible, but undesirable.
The town of Fruita, Colorado, wanted something a little
less boring than the usual "pioneers" to focus on for
Colorado Heritage Week.
So the city revived the story of Mike the Headless Chicken.
In the 1940s, farmer Lloyd Olsen went to get a chicken for
dinner.
Wanting to leave as much of the neck as possible, he lopped
off the chicken's head as tightly as he could.
The chicken did not die, and continued to "peck" for food
as it walked around the yard.
Amazed, Olsen started feeding the chicken with an
eyedropper.
The headless bird, dubbed Mike, appeared in Life magazine
and traveled to exhibitions around the country.
Mike lived for 18 months after his head was chopped off.
Which is really nothing - some Christians live headless
for decades!
#5472
2) Jesus must be head of the church.
3) Lose connection with him, church falls apart.
IV. Don't backtrack.
A. Why submit to rules? 2:20
1) Don't handle, taste, touch.
a) Relies on "basic principles" of world.
2) Based on humanistic commands and teachings.
a) Something in our soul demands we "pay" for religion.
1> We have to suffer for our own sins and salvation.
2> We must deny ourselves to get payback.
b) Examples in other religions...
1> Walk miles on knees.
2> Lay on bed of nails.
3> Crucify self - in front of T-shirt vendors.
3) Destined to perish. 2:22
a) Essence of Christianity is Jesus has paid it all.
b) We rejoice in his presence and promises.
c) We have an expansive faith, not a restrictive one.
B. Appearance of wisdom in asceticism.
1) Three aspects of asceticism.
a) Self-imposed worship.
1> Muslim men with dark callouses on foreheads.
b) False humility.
c) Harsh treatment of body.
Some of the most amazing examples come from the early
history of Christianity.
In the fifth century a monk named Simon retreated to the
top of a pillar in the wilderness of Syria.
The Greek word for pillar is Stylite, so they called him
Simon Stylite.
He lived on top of his pillar for thirty-six years without
ever coming down.
Simon is said to have touched his feet with his forehead
more than 1244 times in succession.
He was so filthy his beard dripped with lice.
His fame spread, and multitudes, including some high state
officials, came to see him.
#1261 & 1033
2) Asceticism can't restrain sensual indulgence. 2:23
a) People have tried hard.
b) Martin Luther and ink well thrown at devil.
c) St. Jerome and night visions of sensuous demons.
d) But our fallen nature remains as strong as ever.
V. Are rules passe?
A. Becca on two chapel speakers at her college.
1) One a fundamentalist, very legalistic.
2) Other progressive - drink booze, not important.
3) True spirituality is somewhere between these extremes.
B. Our faith is not a list of do's and don'ts.
1) It is about a relationship with a Savior.
C. We do not have a license to steal.
1) Or sleep around, or cheat, or lie, or ...
2) Paul is very firm about self-discipline.
3) The "don't" rules here deal with ritual, not ethics.
VI. Where's the meat?
A. Old Wendy's commercial...
B. Our substance must be in Christ.
1) Do you know him intimately?
a) Many are just going through motions.
2) Do you follow his ethical teachings?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#1033 "How the Ancients De-Loused Themselves," by Kostas Y. Mumcuoglu
and Joseph Zias, Biblical Archeology Review, November 1989,
page 66.
#1261 "Pillar Sitters, Penitents, And Pilgrims," by J. Stephen Lang,
Discipleship Journal #49, February 1989, page 34.
#5472 "Mike the Headless Chicken," by Randy Cassingham, "This Is True,"
April 29, 2000. Most of my people loved this illustration -
some were grossed-out - but a few doubted their Faithful
Leader. A little research completely vindicated me, as this
internet site shows; it contains several photos:
http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/headless_chicken/
These and 20,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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