Don't Get Scammed!

This is Colossians chapter 2, verses 16 to 23.

Colossians 2:16–23

Verse 16.

Amen. This is God's holy word.

We turn this evening to Colossians chapter 2 and to the final verses of that chapter.

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

The number of people targeted by scams of one kind or another, telephone, internet, email,

in any given year apparently runs into tens of millions of people. That's just in the United

Kingdom. The statistics indicate that almost two-thirds of us will have this kind of experience

in the coming year. And these fraudulent scams appear to be everywhere. Now, some are pretty obvious

and are designed only to dupe the most gullible. I mean, if you receive an email from a Nigerian prince

offering to deposit a million pounds in your bank account, if you'll just send them your bank details,

I suspect most of us, at least I hope most of us, are going to think twice about that. But others are

very sophisticated, difficult to detect. They purport to be from your bank, your building society,

even HMRC. They use the right language. They have the right logo. They appear very convincing. And if

you're on the phone to somebody, they appear very, very convincing. Warnings abound against being taken

in by various scams of one kind or another. And that's really what Paul is doing in this section

of the letter. He's writing to warn his readers in Colossae that they're in the danger of succumbing

to a huge spiritual scam. And the key verse introducing this theme is in verse 8,

see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition,

according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. These false teachers,

as we've seen, were offering a kind of Christianity plus, offering something better,

something new, something improved, a free upgrade for the Colossians. All they had to do was download

the file, click on the button. Everything's going to be so much better. Here was the way of fullness

and freedom. And yet, of course, it was all a lie, an illusion. Their words were words of worldly

philosophy and empty deceit. They were a spiritual scam. And here Paul appeals to the Colossians not to be

taken in or taken captive, captured by such teachings. No matter how appealing they may appear,

because they will lead not to fullness, but to emptiness, not to freedom, but slavery,

not to life, not to life, but actually to death. Why? Because these teachings are not according to

Christ. They're based on human tradition, not divine authority. They are rooted in a worldly way of

thinking rather than in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the essence of what Paul is getting

at here in these verses is simply this. Jesus Christ doesn't need an upgrade. In the Christian life,

you don't get beyond Jesus Christ. The person and work of Jesus does not need to be added to or

supplemented. Don't be captured by any way of thinking that takes you away from Jesus. He is all

sufficient. Christ is all you need. In the previous verses that Chris looked at last week, in verses 8

through 15, Paul reminds us there that Christ is our satisfaction. Only in Him is there the fullness

of deity. Christ is our power for living. Only He can produce a holy life. Christ is our forgiveness.

Only He has canceled the debt that we owe to God. He is all we need. In Calvin's words,

drink from this fountain and from no other. Now, however, Paul turns his attention to focus more

specifically on the threat posed by this religious philosophy that was doing the rounds in Colossae.

And in essence, he makes a three-pronged appeal to the Colossians. He does not want them to exchange

the truth of God for a lie. He doesn't want them to be scammed. And so, let's look at these three

appeals. The first one we have in verses 16 and 17 is this. Don't exchange gospel substance for religious

shadows. Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a

festival, new moon, or Sabbath days. These are a shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

It appears that these false teachers were promoting or pushing several different things. They were trying

to impose dietary requirements. Paul speaks about being judged in relation to food and drink. Some

foods and drink were deemed unclean or unacceptable for believers. And this appeal may well have found its

origin in some of the dietary laws of the Old Testament. Those were designed that the people

would be clean to worship in the sanctuary of God. It distinguished them from the unclean Gentiles.

But it wasn't just about diet. It was also about days. Festival, new moon, ESV has an Sabbath.

Better there, Sabbath days. In the Jewish calendar, there were annual festivals that were celebrated.

A new moon would have been acknowledged monthly. The reference here to Sabbath, I think, is not a

reference to the Lord's Day and the fourth commandment. It's a reference to ceremonial,

festival, yearly Sabbaths. And so, this group was trying to force a certain regimen on the Colossians,

trying to shape their worship, their way of life in a certain way, seeking to get them to

conform to a variety of different Old Testament traditions, under the pretext that these would

help them grow spiritually and deepen their faith. And I think there's a hint in the text that the

Colossian believers were somewhat intimidated by this group, their zeal in promoting these practices.

Perhaps some of them were made to feel unspiritual, second-class Christians. Their confidence had

taken a hit. This group claimed biblical warrant for their practices. They pointed to the Bible.

And we know from passages such as Mark 7 that Jesus declared all foods clean. In that great vision of

Acts 10, Peter hears a voice telling him, what God has made clean do not call common. The Old Testament

dietary laws were provisional. They were only for a specific period in Jewish history as they looked

forward to the coming of the Messiah, in whom all peoples, Jew and Gentile, would be made clean.

Israel's worship in the Old Testament was a shadow of what was to come and be fulfilled in Jesus.

And much of it, including the dietary laws, the special days and festivals, and indeed the temple and

the whole sacrificial system itself, were signposts pointing to Christ. Shadows, not substance. These are a

shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Christ is the substance. He is the real

thing. If we think we're having communion this evening, if we think for a moment of the Passover

in Exodus 12, that night where God's people were shielded from the divine wrath, not by their ethnicity

or their traditions or their good works, but by what? By the blood of lambs. And those first Passover lambs

were the price that had to be paid for the Exodus. For God's people to be set free, those unblemished

lambs had to be slain, their blood had to be shed. Without them, there was only judgment and death.

And yet on the eve of His death, Jesus celebrated the Passover. But He didn't take a lamb from the table.

He took bread and said, this is My body given for you. He took the cup. He said, this cup is the new

covenant in My blood. Because Jesus offered Himself as the Passover lamb. As Isaiah prophesied,

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. As John declared by the Jordan River,

behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Because Jesus is the Lamb,

set forth as a propitiation for sin, set forth that God's wrath might pass us over,

set forth that we might say with the firstborn of Israel, that lamb died for me.

He died in My place. You see, there are shadows, and then there is the substance,

and Christ is the substance. He is the solid reality to which the whole of the Old Testament

points. And if you have the substance, then why would you be focusing on the shadows?

It's not that Paul is despising or diminishing the importance of the shadows. They are important signs.

They have their place. But we need to let them lead us towards the one that they're pointing to.

Many years ago, Alice and I, I remember this, Alice and I bought a washing machine,

and we had it for years. I don't think I ever learned how to operate it, to be honest, but that's a

personal confession. But however, every time someone came out, because washing machine is always

breaking down. But anyway, somebody came out to repair it, and they would say this,

they don't make them like this anymore. And invariably, the repairman would encourage us to

hold on to this washing machine as long as possible. Why? Well, it was built to last.

Unlike most modern appliances today, which have built in obsolescence, they are no longer,

you know, they're no longer made to be repaired or renewed. You know, they run their life, and then

you throw them away. Friends, these Old Testament laws and festivals had built in obsolescence.

They weren't designed to last. They were not meant to keep on going. They had a divinely appointed

lifespan. They were previews of the one who was to come. They were not the final word. They were never

meant to be permanent fixtures. They were provisional. They've now been superseded. They've been overtaken

by the Lord Jesus Himself. You would think me a bit crazy or crazier than usual if I suddenly decided to

trade in my Honda Jazz for a horse. You know, you'd be thinking, well, that's a bit strange.

I wouldn't abandon my laptop computer to go back to my old Amstrad word processor or some old typewriter.

Things have been superseded. Belong in the past. We sometimes give babies a dummy to keep them quiet.

Dummy is used to pacify. I think that's what our American cousins call them, isn't it? Pacifiers.

Parents pacify a young child. And with babies and very young children, we see that as altogether

appropriate. But if we see a 40-year-old man sitting in church sucking a dummy, we would think

something has gone wrong. That would be aberrant behavior. It would be a sign of immaturity or

something worse. Because the dummy is not meant to be a permanent fixture. It's only for a short time.

Likewise, the diets and days of the Old Testament were only for a time. They weren't built to last.

They were shadows pointing to Jesus. They were signposts, not the destination.

If you're, you know, if you're going to Glasgow and you see a sign, Glasgow M8,

you don't stop at the signpost and gather around it. You go where it's pointing you,

even if it's to Glasgow. Yeah, I'll just stop there.

And that's what Paul is driving at here. You know, don't get fixated on the signs. Don't let

these things obscure the destination. Focus on the substance, which is Christ Himself.

Don't exchange gospel substance for religious shadows. Secondly, don't exchange gospel truth

for what we'll call religious speculation. Verses 18 and 19, let no one disqualify you,

insisting on asceticism and the worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,

puffed up without reason by a sensuous mind, not holding fast to the head from whom the whole body

nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments grows with a growth that is from God.

That little phrase, let no one disqualify you, can be translated variously. Let no one condemn you,

or maybe let no one pass judgment on you. These false teachers were judging the Colossian believers

by their own worldly standards. They were looking down their noses at them, their simple faith in Jesus.

And they were insisting on asceticism, a word that conveys the idea of false humility.

They gave the appearance of being humble and devoted, but it was really just a show of religious pride.

They fasted. They fasted. They abased themselves. But it was all designed really to parade a sense of

spiritual superiority. It was a bit, you know, look at us. Look how spiritual we are. It was the very

opposite of that true humility that comes through Christ. And then there was the worship of angels

in that part of the ancient world. Angels were often invoked through magical practices for help and

protection from evil powers. And it's likely that their assistance was being sought, and these angelic

beings were being so venerated that they become objects of worship and devotion. It was idolatry.

They were looking to angels rather than Christ. They were angel-centered rather than Christ-centered.

And then Paul mentions visions, going on in detail about visions puffed up without reason by a

sensuous mind. Again, in some of the mystery cults of that time, initiation rites involved kind of ecstatic

visions. And these visionary experiences were sought after. They were viewed as a kind of badge of

spiritual maturity and standing. And I think it's likely that Paul is alluding to something of this

kind. Mystical, visionary experiences that puff people up with a sense of their own importance.

What do we make of those who claim to have visions from God?

Now, of course, Paul himself had a vision of Christ on the Damascus road.

And indeed, he tells the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 that he received

2 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

further visions and revelations from the Lord.

Now, Paul was a leading apostle of the early church.

No one can seriously make that kind of claim today. Or can they? Unfortunately, such claims are

sometimes all too frequent. There are many today who make great claims about receiving visions and

direct revelations from God. The claims are great. Jesus spoke to me. The Lord told me. God showed me.

And sometimes it's very hard to contradict or to push back against such claims. After all,

who are we to question God? But in truth, making such claims is very easy. Anyone can make them.

Prophetic words of knowledge, revelations and visions, promises of blessings for the faithful.

Indeed, indeed, in some settings, the Word of God is set aside in favor of these apparently more exciting

and immediate revelations. It is easy for some people to claim divine authority and direct revelation

from God, and on that basis seek to direct and control others.

In other words, invariably, it is a path that leads to pastoral carnage,

because these speculative visions and dreams lead people away from the Word of God and away from God Himself.

Many of such fellowships that have allowed such things have descended into all manner of heresies,

because they've exchanged the truth of the gospel for religious speculation. It is never a wise course to follow.

So, what was this group of false teachers missing? Where were they going wrong?

The dangerous characteristic, the evidence, was this, verse 19,

They were not holding fast to the head from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments,

grows with a growth that is from God.

What's he saying? They were not holding on to Jesus,

because Christ alone is the head of the church.

He is the one who directs the body. He is the one who sustains the body.

He is the one who nourishes the body.

He is the one who binds His people together in unity.

He is the one, the only one, who leads His church to growth and maturity.

And so, union and communion with Christ are absolutely vital.

In his little commentary on Colossians, the English preacher, Steve Brady,

tells of an experience learning to water ski in the English Channel.

He was all kitted out in his wetsuit and life jacket,

and he was assured that this was all going to be very easy.

There was a rope with a little handle attached to a powerful speedboat.

All he had to do was to hold the handle between his bent knees,

let the rope take the strain,

and as the boat surged away, he would be water skiing.

Simples.

Well, not quite.

He says, after swallowing a huge quantity of water from the English Channel,

being left adrift from the boat for the umpteenth time,

he again found himself bobbing about in the water.

His friend pulled up alongside in the boat and asked Steve,

do you know what faith is?

And though he was an experienced minister,

Steve wisely decided not to rise to debate,

and instead said,

Peter, tell me.

And Peter replied,

Faith is holding on.

Don't let go of the rope.

And friends, we need to be doing that.

We need to be holding on to Jesus.

We mustn't let go of the Lord.

We need to be abiding in Jesus.

Thomas Chalmers wrote,

Oh, let me abide in Christ,

and in Him have nourishment and strength.

You want to grow as a Christian?

You need to be united to and abiding in the Lord Jesus Christ.

You need to be holding on to Him by faith.

Don't exchange gospel substance for religious shadows.

Don't exchange gospel truth for human speculation.

Keep holding on to Jesus.

Third thing,

don't exchange,

verses 28 through 23,

don't exchange gospel freedom for religious rules.

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world,

why, as if you were still alive in the world,

do you submit to regulations?

Do not handle,

do not taste,

do not touch,

referring to things that all perish as they're used,

according to human precepts and teachings.

These indeed have an appearance of wisdom

in promoting self-made religion,

that asceticism and severity to the body,

but they're of no value

in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

So, this third prong of Paul's appeal

is for the Colossians not to be seduced,

we'll call it,

by a religion of rules,

because these false teachers

laid great emphasis on certain rules and regulations,

and they encouraged the Colossians

to submit themselves to their teachings,

as if this was the way of real,

true spiritual progress.

And Paul reminds them

that since they've already died

to the spiritual pattern of this world,

why on earth would they live

as if they still belong there?

They've been set free in Jesus Christ.

They were now part of God's new creation.

Why would they return to this old way of life?

Why would they submit themselves

to worldly rules and regulations?

What on earth were they thinking?

The regulations that the false teachers

were seeking to impose

were promoted, as I've said,

as a way of kind of true holiness.

Paul says here that these things

are of no value.

They're purely external.

They're not a matter of the heart.

They're of human, not divine origin.

They're fixed,

their attention on a world

that is passing away.

Not on Christ who reigns and rules

over all things.

Paul asks the Colossians,

why do you submit to such things?

Now, that's a good question.

Why is a religion of man-made rules

sometimes so attractive?

Well, I think we must remember

that rules can be very comforting.

They have a very strong appeal for many.

Submitting ourselves to certain

extra-biblical religious rules

can make us feel very good

about ourselves.

If you just need to recall

some of the often bizarre rules

imposed upon people

during COVID-19.

Extraordinary, really,

when you think about it.

And how absolutely obsessive

some people became about them.

And in the same way,

rules-based religion

can be very satisfying.

It gives all the appearance

of spiritual wisdom.

Adhering to rules

can make you feel very good

and very righteous.

And unfortunately,

churches can be infected

with this kind of approach.

Sometimes churches can morph

into something quite authoritarian.

Church life can be very regimented.

There can be a kind of

unwritten behavioral code.

The atmosphere can be very controlling.

People become accustomed

to being told

what they can and cannot do

in all sorts of

secondary and peripheral matters.

And in a strange way,

people can really feel

very safe and secure

in such a context.

It can all sound so very spiritual.

And it can be very difficult

to leave and break free.

And over the years,

I've seen just how such a culture

of unwritten rules often

can damage people

and cause harm

to the cause of Christ.

People are psychologically

stripped of their freedom.

It generates into a situation

of spiritual abuse

from which it's very hard

to break free.

You know, sometimes

in a domestic abuse case

where perhaps a wife is oppressed

by a domineering husband.

And we wonder,

why doesn't she just leave

for her own well-being

and safety?

Friends, it's never that easy.

It can be very hard

to free yourself

from an abusive relationship.

And this group in Colossae,

with all their rules

and regulations,

were very intimidating,

appeared very spiritually impressive,

high level of commitment,

rigorous,

disciplined,

sincere,

full of do's and don'ts.

But look at what Paul says

about such practice.

These have indeed,

verse 23,

an appearance of wisdom

in promoting self-made religion

and asceticism,

severity to the body.

But they are of no value

in stopping

the indulgence

of the flesh.

What was he saying?

He said,

they feed the self.

But they're useless

in combating the flesh,

the sinful nature.

They don't help people

overcome sin.

Why?

Because the root of sin

remains untouched.

These religious practices,

rules,

serve to feed

the sinful nature

and actually encourage

feelings of pride

and superiority.

Friends,

such rules will not

make you like Jesus.

They will not

transform you.

Friends,

they will deform you.

They will not make you

holy or godly

because such rules

have no power

to change the human heart.

Real godliness

is created

only when the roots

of sin

have been destroyed

and uprooted.

It can be created

only when the roots

of our fear

and pride

and insecurity

have been dealt with

by the power

of Christ's gospel.

Godliness is only

produced when people

have been set free

by the Holy Spirit

to live

for Jesus Christ.

God pouring out

His love

into our hearts

by His Spirit.

Jesus Christ

coming to live

within us.

Godly living

is about loving,

adoring,

worshiping,

enjoying

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ.

And these religious rules

obscured the glory

of Christ.

They diminished

Him.

They did not

exalt Him.

Their rules

meant that a person

was puffed up,

but the body of Christ

was not built up.

And so,

Paul says,

don't exchange

gospel substance

for religious shadows.

Don't exchange

gospel truth

for human speculation.

Don't exchange

gospel freedom

for religious rules.

You see,

the essence

of the world's

way of thinking

is to get us

to look to someone

or something else

to complete us

and make us whole

other than Jesus Christ.

It's when we think

we can complete

our own lives

by our own efforts,

our good works,

our religious acts.

It's when we look

to establish

our own righteousness

and credit before God,

or it's when we look

to other things,

money and power

and status

or whatever

to fill up

our empty lives.

And these avenues

may be popular,

but they're dead ends.

They will take us

nowhere but despair.

They will always

leave us empty.

Don't be afraid

to really give

your life to Jesus.

And yes,

that can feel

very scary,

but He alone

can slake

our thirst

and make us whole.

I'm reminded

of a scene

in one of

C.S. Lewis'

Narnia books,

The Silver Chair.

Jill is searching

for water

in the wood

when she encounters

Aslan the lion.

If you're thirsty,

you may drink.

For a second,

she stared here and there,

wondering who had spoken.

Then the voice

said it again,

If you're thirsty,

come and drink.

It was deeper,

wilder,

stronger,

a sort of heavy,

golden voice.

It did not make her

any less frightened

than she had been before,

but it made her frightened

in rather a different way.

Are you not thirsty,

said the lion?

I'm dying of thirst,

said Jill.

Then drink,

said the lion.

May I?

Could I?

Would you mind

going away

while I do,

said Jill?

The lion answered this

only by a look

and a very low growl.

The delicious,

rippling noise

of the stream

was driving her,

nearly frantic.

Will you promise

not to do anything

to me

if I do come,

said Jill.

I make no promise,

said the lion.

I dare not come

and drink,

said Jill.

Then you will die

of thirst,

said the lion.

Oh dear,

said Jill,

coming another step

nearer.

I suppose

I must go

and look for

another stream then.

There is

no other stream,

said the lion.

Friends,

there is no other stream.

If you are not

a Christian this evening,

then come and grab

hold of Jesus

by faith.

Put your life

in His hands,

you will not regret it.

And if you are a Christian,

then keep holding on

to Jesus.

Don't let go of Him.

Don't be lured

away from Him.

He alone is the way

and the truth

and the life.

Don't be scammed

by this world's religion.

All manner of religious

cul-de-sacs

and spiritual

dead ends

exist today.

Man-made religion

will take us

nowhere.

Look to the

life-giving Savior.

Drink from

no other stream.

Turn your eyes

on Jesus

because everything

we need

is found

in Him.

Let's pray together.

Lord, help us

to lean

and trust

and depend

not on ourselves

but on

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Help us

to look to Him

in faith.

Help us

to hold on

to Him

by faith

knowing that

He holds

on to us

and He has

promised

never to let

us go.

Lord,

we confess

tonight

that there is

no other stream,

no other fountain,

no other Savior.

And we pray

these things

in His name.

Amen.

Amen.