1 00:00:02,730 --> 00:00:03,710 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:04,590 --> 00:00:07,710 Speaker 2: For more resources to help you in your walk with Christ, 3 00:00:08,070 --> 00:00:14,070 Speaker 2: please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. This morning we're going to 4 00:00:14,110 --> 00:00:17,329 Speaker 2: be continuing our look at the book of Colossians. We're 5 00:00:17,750 --> 00:00:20,770 Speaker 2: in the last section of chapter 2, and we're going 6 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,540 Speaker 2: to be talking about something that I think is probably 7 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 2: best phrased this way, or certainly this is one of 8 00:00:26,340 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 2: the ways we could phrase it, is the idea that 9 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,620 Speaker 2: beating yourself up won't earn you extra credit with God. Now, 10 00:00:31,660 --> 00:00:33,690 Speaker 2: I don't know if you're adept at beating yourself up. 11 00:00:34,050 --> 00:00:35,729 Speaker 2: I don't know if that's something that you've noticed as 12 00:00:35,770 --> 00:00:37,630 Speaker 2: a pattern. I think for most of us, we probably 13 00:00:37,670 --> 00:00:40,530 Speaker 2: spend a lot of time beating ourselves up, sometimes over 14 00:00:40,590 --> 00:00:43,990 Speaker 2: past mistakes, sometimes over present mistakes, sometimes over things that 15 00:00:44,030 --> 00:00:46,229 Speaker 2: we wish that we could do better that we just 16 00:00:46,270 --> 00:00:49,229 Speaker 2: don't seem quite adept at. And when you look at 17 00:00:49,270 --> 00:00:51,610 Speaker 2: the portion of Scripture we're about to look at, you 18 00:00:51,650 --> 00:00:54,130 Speaker 2: have the Apostle Paul giving us very good counsel about 19 00:00:54,670 --> 00:00:57,890 Speaker 2: about how we treat ourselves in light of the truth 20 00:00:58,010 --> 00:01:00,030 Speaker 2: of the gospel. So if you would take your Bibles 21 00:01:00,810 --> 00:01:03,690 Speaker 2: and turn with me to Colossians 2, and I'm going 22 00:01:03,710 --> 00:01:05,910 Speaker 2: to pick up at verse 16, and I'm going to 23 00:01:05,950 --> 00:01:08,050 Speaker 2: read down to verse 23, and this is what it says. 24 00:01:08,069 --> 00:01:13,270 Speaker 2: It says, therefore, let no one pass judgment on you 25 00:01:13,490 --> 00:01:14,649 Speaker 2: in questions. 26 00:01:14,230 --> 00:01:16,950 Speaker 1: Of food and drink or with regard. 27 00:01:16,650 --> 00:01:19,210 Speaker 2: To a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 28 00:01:19,850 --> 00:01:23,790 Speaker 2: These are a shadow of the things to come. but 29 00:01:23,830 --> 00:01:28,190 Speaker 2: the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, 30 00:01:28,350 --> 00:01:33,010 Speaker 2: insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in 31 00:01:33,090 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 2: detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 32 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:40,780 Speaker 2: and not holding fast to the head, from whom the 33 00:01:40,819 --> 00:01:44,660 Speaker 2: whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, 34 00:01:45,020 --> 00:01:49,090 Speaker 2: grows with a growth that is from God. If with 35 00:01:49,190 --> 00:01:52,930 Speaker 2: Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, 36 00:01:53,050 --> 00:01:55,890 Speaker 2: as if you were still alive in the world, do 37 00:01:55,930 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 2: you submit to regulations? Do not handle, do not taste, 38 00:02:00,140 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 2: do not touch, referring to things that all perish as 39 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:08,190 Speaker 2: they are used, according to human precepts and teachings. These 40 00:02:08,250 --> 00:02:12,650 Speaker 2: have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion 41 00:02:12,889 --> 00:02:14,609 Speaker 2: and asceticism and. 42 00:02:14,570 --> 00:02:18,530 Speaker 1: Severity to the body. but they are of no value 43 00:02:18,750 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Let's pray. 44 00:02:24,220 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: Lord, thank you so much for your word, and thank you, Lord, 45 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:28,500 Speaker 2: for the privilege to be able to look at it 46 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 2: together today. We're just grateful, Lord, that we have the 47 00:02:31,300 --> 00:02:34,030 Speaker 2: privilege to be able to start off our week looking 48 00:02:34,060 --> 00:02:36,369 Speaker 2: at what your word states and thinking about the things 49 00:02:36,389 --> 00:02:39,260 Speaker 2: that you reveal to us here in a passage like this. 50 00:02:39,300 --> 00:02:41,020 Speaker 2: And Lord, we pray that you'd help our minds and 51 00:02:41,060 --> 00:02:43,990 Speaker 2: our hearts to understand the very things that we're reading 52 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,130 Speaker 2: and thinking about this morning. We pray that these would 53 00:02:46,150 --> 00:02:49,510 Speaker 2: be things that we would realize have a direct application 54 00:02:49,610 --> 00:02:52,470 Speaker 2: to our daily lives and the nature of our walk 55 00:02:52,590 --> 00:02:55,309 Speaker 2: with you. And even just the quality of how we 56 00:02:55,430 --> 00:02:58,030 Speaker 2: interact with our brothers and sisters in Christ, all of 57 00:02:58,090 --> 00:03:00,740 Speaker 2: these things are impacted by what we believe about the 58 00:03:00,780 --> 00:03:03,339 Speaker 2: portion of Scripture and the content that the Scripture speaks about. 59 00:03:03,810 --> 00:03:04,690 Speaker 1: So, Lord, we pray that. 60 00:03:04,610 --> 00:03:06,730 Speaker 2: You'd help us to understand these things and that by 61 00:03:06,790 --> 00:03:08,970 Speaker 2: your grace we would grow in our relationship with you 62 00:03:09,490 --> 00:03:11,730 Speaker 2: as a result and that we would apply your gospel 63 00:03:11,770 --> 00:03:14,780 Speaker 2: to our lives in every context. We pray this all 64 00:03:14,810 --> 00:03:15,740 Speaker 2: in Jesus' name. 65 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:22,619 Speaker 1: Amen. What pleases God? Why don't you just think about 66 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:23,500 Speaker 1: that question for a second. 67 00:03:23,580 --> 00:03:28,530 Speaker 2: What pleases God? Have you ever attempted to answer that question? 68 00:03:28,550 --> 00:03:30,489 Speaker 1: Have you ever wrestled with that? What pleases God? 69 00:03:30,830 --> 00:03:32,010 Speaker 2: And I think a lot of times when people are 70 00:03:32,070 --> 00:03:34,730 Speaker 2: asking that question, they're really saying, what do I need 71 00:03:35,170 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 2: to do to please God? I think that's typically how 72 00:03:38,130 --> 00:03:41,260 Speaker 2: we're phrasing that in our mind. And I also wonder 73 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:43,340 Speaker 2: if the message that we're preaching to our own hearts, 74 00:03:43,420 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 2: if it lines up with the truth of the gospel 75 00:03:45,980 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 2: and what the gospel actually teaches us about how God 76 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 2: is pleased. And I bring that up because I've noticed something. 77 00:03:52,900 --> 00:03:55,020 Speaker 2: One of the things that I have the opportunity to 78 00:03:55,080 --> 00:04:00,420 Speaker 2: do as a for about 25 years now. And in 79 00:04:00,460 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 2: that time, I've had the opportunity to officiate for many funerals, 80 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:05,940 Speaker 2: more funerals than I know what to do with. In fact, 81 00:04:06,220 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 2: when I was pastoring in Northeast Pennsylvania, there was a 82 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,230 Speaker 2: funeral home in town that started asking me to do 83 00:04:12,330 --> 00:04:15,230 Speaker 2: funerals for anyone that came to them that did not 84 00:04:15,330 --> 00:04:18,409 Speaker 2: already have a pastor. So in addition to serving my 85 00:04:18,470 --> 00:04:20,950 Speaker 2: church and serving people that I knew, I also started 86 00:04:21,029 --> 00:04:23,980 Speaker 2: serving that funeral home. And basically, most of the time, 87 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,630 Speaker 2: I would just agree to officiate for funerals, even if 88 00:04:26,690 --> 00:04:28,550 Speaker 2: I didn't know the people. And so I've officiated for 89 00:04:28,589 --> 00:04:33,070 Speaker 2: funerals for most of my grandparents and many other family members. 90 00:04:33,110 --> 00:04:36,830 Speaker 2: I've officiated for the funerals of friends. I've officiated for 91 00:04:37,089 --> 00:04:40,089 Speaker 2: the funerals of church members. I've officiated for the funerals 92 00:04:40,150 --> 00:04:42,690 Speaker 2: of a whole bunch of people that I did not 93 00:04:42,750 --> 00:04:43,630 Speaker 2: know personally. 94 00:04:44,350 --> 00:04:45,380 Speaker 1: And whenever I. 95 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:48,260 Speaker 2: Officiate for a funeral or whenever I speak at a funeral, 96 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 2: I inevitably discover what some of the people, in fact, 97 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,230 Speaker 2: what many of the people in the room know. are 98 00:04:54,690 --> 00:04:58,390 Speaker 2: under the impression, will please God. It inevitably comes up 99 00:04:58,430 --> 00:05:01,310 Speaker 2: in that context. People talk about what they think will 100 00:05:01,370 --> 00:05:04,040 Speaker 2: please God. And I'll tell you something that's kind of 101 00:05:04,100 --> 00:05:07,520 Speaker 2: tragic about that experience, because in my experience, I've noticed 102 00:05:07,540 --> 00:05:11,779 Speaker 2: that most people seem to believe that either the fruit 103 00:05:12,180 --> 00:05:15,760 Speaker 2: of their labors, or the ways in which they have 104 00:05:15,870 --> 00:05:20,130 Speaker 2: treated others, or the things they've avoided, at least publicly— 105 00:05:21,580 --> 00:05:24,040 Speaker 2: will earn them points in God's scoring system. That's what 106 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,430 Speaker 2: most people are kind of judging their life by. That's 107 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:28,150 Speaker 2: what most people are looking at their life and saying, 108 00:05:28,190 --> 00:05:30,430 Speaker 2: all right, if I avoid these things, if I treat 109 00:05:30,470 --> 00:05:33,089 Speaker 2: people this way, if I do this with my time, 110 00:05:33,510 --> 00:05:36,670 Speaker 2: that's somehow going to earn me points in God's scoring system. 111 00:05:36,690 --> 00:05:38,920 Speaker 2: And then I also hear people talk about this idea 112 00:05:38,980 --> 00:05:42,020 Speaker 2: that maybe some of the suffering that they have endured 113 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 2: might earn them some points in God's economy as well. 114 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 2: And so these are the type of things that people 115 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:48,260 Speaker 2: tend to focus on. 116 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 1: But you know what that is? 117 00:05:49,420 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 2: Each of those examples, and I'm not saying that any 118 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:53,470 Speaker 2: one of those examples in and of themselves is a 119 00:05:53,490 --> 00:05:55,990 Speaker 2: bad thing. You know, the things you suffer or the 120 00:05:56,029 --> 00:05:59,150 Speaker 2: labor you do or the people that you treat well, 121 00:05:59,190 --> 00:06:01,910 Speaker 2: like those are all good things, right? But if your 122 00:06:02,029 --> 00:06:05,340 Speaker 2: faith is in those things, then your faith is in effort, 123 00:06:06,540 --> 00:06:09,220 Speaker 2: not in God. So you don't want your faith to 124 00:06:09,260 --> 00:06:12,420 Speaker 2: be in your efforts. You want your faith to be 125 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:16,250 Speaker 2: in God. Now, admittedly, I've walked down that path as well. 126 00:06:16,260 --> 00:06:17,969 Speaker 2: And I remember when I was growing up, I had 127 00:06:17,990 --> 00:06:21,760 Speaker 2: the impression that that salvation might essentially come down to 128 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 2: basically the last thing you did while you were on 129 00:06:24,140 --> 00:06:26,180 Speaker 2: this earth. And the way I think I reasoned it 130 00:06:26,260 --> 00:06:28,380 Speaker 2: in my mind at the time was something like this. 131 00:06:28,690 --> 00:06:30,670 Speaker 2: So I remember I was convinced that if you smoked, 132 00:06:31,230 --> 00:06:34,930 Speaker 2: that if you drank, or that if you swore, or 133 00:06:35,290 --> 00:06:38,049 Speaker 2: if the last action you took on this earth was sinful, 134 00:06:38,690 --> 00:06:41,620 Speaker 2: you were out of the kingdom. And you know how 135 00:06:41,630 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 2: when you're a kid, you have a hard time differentiating 136 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:45,940 Speaker 2: between like a movie. 137 00:06:45,580 --> 00:06:47,100 Speaker 1: And reality sometimes in your mind? 138 00:06:47,500 --> 00:06:49,820 Speaker 2: And I remember, you know, I'd be watching action movies 139 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:53,740 Speaker 2: and different things, and then inevitably somebody would get shot 140 00:06:53,779 --> 00:06:55,419 Speaker 2: or something like that in an action movie, and the 141 00:06:55,460 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 2: last thing they would say before they died was a swear, 142 00:06:58,500 --> 00:07:03,570 Speaker 2: and I was like, okay. It's a bad choice of 143 00:07:03,610 --> 00:07:04,850 Speaker 2: words on your way out, sir. 144 00:07:06,110 --> 00:07:06,890 Speaker 1: Bad choice. 145 00:07:07,529 --> 00:07:09,850 Speaker 2: And I remember, literally, that would be what would cross 146 00:07:09,870 --> 00:07:11,510 Speaker 2: my mind. I'd be like, why did you choose that word? 147 00:07:11,850 --> 00:07:13,570 Speaker 2: It's like, how do you know you won't choose. 148 00:07:13,350 --> 00:07:14,230 Speaker 1: That word, you know? 149 00:07:14,690 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 2: If your salvation comes down to the last thing you 150 00:07:17,980 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 2: utter right before you die, it's like, what metric was 151 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:23,860 Speaker 2: I using? It was basically another way to have faith 152 00:07:23,940 --> 00:07:27,060 Speaker 2: in effort, right? Or faith in the things we do 153 00:07:27,140 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 2: more so than faith in what Christ has done for us. 154 00:07:29,630 --> 00:07:33,150 Speaker 2: So let's answer the question, how is God pleased? How 155 00:07:33,230 --> 00:07:36,830 Speaker 2: is he pleased? Well, scripture reveals that he is pleased 156 00:07:36,870 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 2: when he is trusted. Just think about that for a second. 157 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 2: He's pleased when he's trusted. Scripture makes it clear. 158 00:07:43,700 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: That genuine faith pleases God. 159 00:07:48,660 --> 00:07:53,160 Speaker 2: Not faith in our efforts, not faith in our avoidances, 160 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:57,490 Speaker 2: but faith in Jesus Christ, who graces us with his 161 00:07:57,610 --> 00:08:01,750 Speaker 2: righteousness when we trust in him. Now, I believe that 162 00:08:01,830 --> 00:08:04,570 Speaker 2: genuine faith in Christ is going to bear all kinds 163 00:08:04,610 --> 00:08:08,630 Speaker 2: of good fruit. I believe it'll bear the fruit of worship, 164 00:08:08,770 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 2: genuine worship. I believe faith in Christ will bear the 165 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:15,350 Speaker 2: fruit of better relationships with others. I can think of 166 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:18,030 Speaker 2: many examples in my life where my relationships with other 167 00:08:18,070 --> 00:08:20,010 Speaker 2: people drastically improved as. 168 00:08:19,990 --> 00:08:21,350 Speaker 1: My faith in Christ grew. 169 00:08:22,210 --> 00:08:24,610 Speaker 2: I also think that genuine faith in Christ results in 170 00:08:24,710 --> 00:08:28,390 Speaker 2: obedience to the Lord's instruction. That if I trust in 171 00:08:28,410 --> 00:08:31,530 Speaker 2: the Lord, if I'm sincere about that faith, I do 172 00:08:31,570 --> 00:08:33,210 Speaker 2: think that that's going to have an impact on what 173 00:08:33,270 --> 00:08:35,650 Speaker 2: I choose to do with my life, how I listen 174 00:08:35,670 --> 00:08:37,860 Speaker 2: to the Word of God or reject the Word of God. 175 00:08:37,890 --> 00:08:39,880 Speaker 2: I think that that's going to be impact it by 176 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:43,740 Speaker 2: my trust in Jesus Christ. But it's a hard thing 177 00:08:43,780 --> 00:08:47,620 Speaker 2: to convince a lot of people of that. And in fact, 178 00:08:47,660 --> 00:08:49,679 Speaker 2: I would say that there's a large faction of humanity 179 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 2: that is convinced that basically the way in which you 180 00:08:53,660 --> 00:08:57,190 Speaker 2: please God is beating yourself up in one way or another, 181 00:08:57,970 --> 00:09:01,109 Speaker 2: and somehow that will earn you extra credit in God's eyes, 182 00:09:01,270 --> 00:09:04,170 Speaker 2: or earn you favor from God, as if the favor 183 00:09:04,190 --> 00:09:06,829 Speaker 2: of God is something that could be earned. In fact, 184 00:09:06,870 --> 00:09:10,429 Speaker 2: that's a very unbiblical concept, right? And that's an issue 185 00:09:10,490 --> 00:09:13,810 Speaker 2: that Paul addresses directly in the portion of Scripture that 186 00:09:13,830 --> 00:09:14,630 Speaker 2: we just read together. 187 00:09:14,650 --> 00:09:15,689 Speaker 1: And so we're going to revisit this. 188 00:09:15,929 --> 00:09:17,250 Speaker 2: And the way I'm going to do this today as 189 00:09:17,290 --> 00:09:18,830 Speaker 2: we look at this is I'm going to ask four 190 00:09:18,910 --> 00:09:21,740 Speaker 2: questions that I hope that as I ask these generally, 191 00:09:22,030 --> 00:09:24,520 Speaker 2: we will ask these things of ourselves specifically. 192 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: Because by asking these questions, it's a pretty logical way to. 193 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:30,679 Speaker 2: Apply some of the things that the Apostle Paul is 194 00:09:30,740 --> 00:09:32,819 Speaker 2: bringing up in this passage. And I actually think it 195 00:09:32,860 --> 00:09:35,070 Speaker 2: can help us wrestle with some of the topics that 196 00:09:35,110 --> 00:09:37,720 Speaker 2: he was trying to help the church at Colossae to 197 00:09:37,770 --> 00:09:39,420 Speaker 2: wrestle with. And so the first question I'm going to 198 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:42,459 Speaker 2: ask today is this, with this theme in mind, right? 199 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:45,380 Speaker 2: On what basis do you think you're better than anyone else? 200 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 2: So that's question number one today. On what basis do 201 00:09:48,540 --> 00:09:52,770 Speaker 2: you think you're better than anyone else? Let me reread 202 00:09:52,790 --> 00:09:55,710 Speaker 2: verses 16 and 17. You'll see why I'm asking that question. 203 00:09:56,070 --> 00:09:58,429 Speaker 2: Paul says it this way. He says, therefore, let no 204 00:09:58,510 --> 00:10:17,030 Speaker 2: one pass judgment on you And especially when you look 205 00:10:17,070 --> 00:10:19,290 Speaker 2: at some of the cautions and some of the teaching 206 00:10:19,330 --> 00:10:21,490 Speaker 2: and some of the direction that he was giving the 207 00:10:21,570 --> 00:10:25,210 Speaker 2: early church, it's very interesting to observe how concerned Paul 208 00:10:25,250 --> 00:10:29,590 Speaker 2: was with false teaching during the days of the early church. 209 00:10:29,610 --> 00:10:32,420 Speaker 2: It was clearly a problem. It was something that Paul 210 00:10:32,460 --> 00:10:34,960 Speaker 2: wanted these young believers to be on their guard against. 211 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:38,780 Speaker 2: And he realized it was something that would impact their 212 00:10:38,820 --> 00:10:41,240 Speaker 2: life and their faith in drastic ways. And so he 213 00:10:41,300 --> 00:10:43,900 Speaker 2: cautions them all along the way to be aware of 214 00:10:43,940 --> 00:10:46,930 Speaker 2: different forms of false teachings. And one of the things 215 00:10:47,010 --> 00:10:49,580 Speaker 2: I've noticed, you've probably noticed this too, is that one 216 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:55,020 Speaker 2: of the major fruits of false teaching is a smug attitude. 217 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 1: Just think about that for a second. 218 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:00,679 Speaker 2: A smug attitude goes hand in hand with false teaching, 219 00:11:00,700 --> 00:11:04,190 Speaker 2: because if you're convinced that you possess secret knowledge or 220 00:11:04,290 --> 00:11:08,890 Speaker 2: secret wisdom that isn't accessible to somebody else, you might 221 00:11:08,950 --> 00:11:11,570 Speaker 2: actually start to think that you're better than that other person. 222 00:11:12,470 --> 00:11:14,839 Speaker 2: You might develop a smug attitude, and that appears to 223 00:11:14,860 --> 00:11:16,750 Speaker 2: have been a problem when it came to some of 224 00:11:16,790 --> 00:11:20,490 Speaker 2: the legalistic teachings that were prevalent in the culture of 225 00:11:20,570 --> 00:11:22,250 Speaker 2: Paul's day. And that's some of what I see him 226 00:11:22,290 --> 00:11:24,910 Speaker 2: addressing here. By the way, it's still a problem today. 227 00:11:24,950 --> 00:11:27,510 Speaker 2: It's not just a problem that Paul endured during his day. 228 00:11:27,750 --> 00:11:30,010 Speaker 2: It's a problem during our day as well. And often 229 00:11:30,050 --> 00:11:33,050 Speaker 2: it gets disguised as being Christian in nature, even though 230 00:11:33,090 --> 00:11:36,990 Speaker 2: it isn't. And I'm kind of curious, have you ever 231 00:11:37,110 --> 00:11:40,290 Speaker 2: personally experienced someone thinking that they were better than you? 232 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:43,719 Speaker 2: Do you ever have that experience where you could just tell, oh, 233 00:11:45,630 --> 00:11:49,030 Speaker 2: I see how it is. You think you're better than me. Well, 234 00:11:49,050 --> 00:11:53,060 Speaker 2: this got awkward, right? Have you ever experienced that? There 235 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:54,620 Speaker 2: are people in your life, I'm sure, that have treated 236 00:11:54,660 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 2: you that way. And sadly, I almost don't even want 237 00:11:57,800 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 2: to know the answer to this question, but has it 238 00:11:59,540 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 2: ever occurred to you in a faith context? 239 00:12:03,100 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 1: Because it may have. 240 00:12:05,100 --> 00:12:06,559 Speaker 2: You know, when I was preparing for this week, I 241 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:10,500 Speaker 2: still remember teaching, or while I was being asked to 242 00:12:10,620 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 2: speak at a church years ago, it was a church 243 00:12:13,220 --> 00:12:15,940 Speaker 2: that was For a brief season of time, they were 244 00:12:15,980 --> 00:12:18,380 Speaker 2: without pastoral leadership, and so they had asked me to 245 00:12:18,420 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 2: fill the pulpit for them one Sunday. It's actually quite 246 00:12:20,820 --> 00:12:23,780 Speaker 2: a while ago at this point. And I agreed to 247 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:28,410 Speaker 2: do it. And when I arrived, I remember a member 248 00:12:28,490 --> 00:12:31,650 Speaker 2: of the staff of that church pulling me aside and 249 00:12:31,809 --> 00:12:34,570 Speaker 2: asking me a bunch of questions just prior to the 250 00:12:34,610 --> 00:12:39,030 Speaker 2: worship service beginning. And in asking me those questions, he 251 00:12:39,110 --> 00:12:42,400 Speaker 2: realized that I was not part of of the denomination 252 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:44,219 Speaker 2: that that church was from. And by the way, I 253 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:47,020 Speaker 2: won't say what denomination it was, but it's a denomination 254 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:49,020 Speaker 2: that kind of has a history and a reputation for 255 00:12:49,059 --> 00:12:53,380 Speaker 2: being pretty legalistic. And in my mind, I wasn't really 256 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:57,020 Speaker 2: thinking about that stuff, but he definitely was. And when 257 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:59,730 Speaker 2: he discovered that I wasn't part of their brand, he 258 00:12:59,790 --> 00:13:02,330 Speaker 2: actually froze. We were in the entryway of the church. 259 00:13:02,570 --> 00:13:04,850 Speaker 2: He froze for a second. He just looked at me 260 00:13:04,870 --> 00:13:05,410 Speaker 2: with shock. 261 00:13:05,429 --> 00:13:08,050 Speaker 1: And I was like, oh no. I was just wondering 262 00:13:08,090 --> 00:13:10,350 Speaker 1: in my head, what's going to happen next? 263 00:13:11,030 --> 00:13:13,730 Speaker 2: And he wasn't really sure what to do. He did 264 00:13:13,790 --> 00:13:16,970 Speaker 2: not want to allow me to speak. This is moments 265 00:13:17,010 --> 00:13:19,890 Speaker 2: before the worship service started. And he did not want 266 00:13:20,050 --> 00:13:21,860 Speaker 2: to allow me to speak, but I think he felt 267 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:24,660 Speaker 2: stuck because they were only minutes away and he didn't 268 00:13:24,700 --> 00:13:25,540 Speaker 2: have a plan B. 269 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:28,579 Speaker 1: And so he looks at me. This was his smug reply. 270 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:35,589 Speaker 1: He goes, I guess it will be okay. What a 271 00:13:35,670 --> 00:13:36,410 Speaker 1: weird welcome. 272 00:13:36,470 --> 00:13:38,230 Speaker 2: Like, can you imagine if this morning, I don't know, 273 00:13:38,610 --> 00:13:40,189 Speaker 2: there's a few of you that are brand new with 274 00:13:40,270 --> 00:13:43,700 Speaker 2: us today. If you walked into our church for the 275 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:46,000 Speaker 2: first time today and you showed up and in the back, 276 00:13:46,040 --> 00:13:49,660 Speaker 2: I was like, hey, I guess it's okay that you're here. 277 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:54,080 Speaker 1: I don't know. It's kind of cold out there. You 278 00:13:54,100 --> 00:13:57,180 Speaker 1: might as well be in some building, you know. That's 279 00:13:57,200 --> 00:13:59,439 Speaker 1: how I felt. Can you imagine if a church did that? 280 00:13:59,580 --> 00:14:02,450 Speaker 1: That was my greeting. I was the speaker. that Sunday. 281 00:14:02,710 --> 00:14:05,630 Speaker 1: And that was my greeting. I guess it will be okay. 282 00:14:06,190 --> 00:14:07,630 Speaker 1: I guess it will be okay. 283 00:14:08,110 --> 00:14:09,230 Speaker 2: And I thought, what do you think I'm going to 284 00:14:09,270 --> 00:14:11,470 Speaker 2: get up there and say? Like, why did you ask 285 00:14:11,510 --> 00:14:13,050 Speaker 2: me to speak here to begin with? You must be 286 00:14:13,090 --> 00:14:16,839 Speaker 2: familiar with my beliefs. But regardless, I guess it will 287 00:14:16,860 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 2: be okay. 288 00:14:17,260 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: It was awkward. 289 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,520 Speaker 2: Definitely made me feel like I was a lesser Christian 290 00:14:20,540 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 2: because I wasn't part of their brand. 291 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: And I thought, okay, you know, thankfully things went well. 292 00:14:24,660 --> 00:14:26,180 Speaker 2: I think he changed his opinion by the end of 293 00:14:26,210 --> 00:14:28,790 Speaker 2: the service, but he provided me a good illustration for 294 00:14:28,830 --> 00:14:31,860 Speaker 2: the rest of my life, you know? But when you 295 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,100 Speaker 2: look at Colossae, it appears that there were some people 296 00:14:35,140 --> 00:14:37,260 Speaker 2: in that context who had a habit of looking down 297 00:14:37,340 --> 00:14:39,800 Speaker 2: on others who didn't share some of their beliefs and practices. 298 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 2: And you can see Paul addressing that here in the 299 00:14:41,980 --> 00:14:43,880 Speaker 2: way he phrases some of these things. And so you 300 00:14:43,900 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 2: have some of these young believers. They're new in their faith. 301 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:49,180 Speaker 2: They're young in their faith. That's a very tender time 302 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 2: in a person's faith. And you're going to be directly 303 00:14:51,220 --> 00:14:53,700 Speaker 2: impacted by the ways in which people treat you during 304 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:56,470 Speaker 2: any season of life, but particularly when you're a young believer. 305 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:58,630 Speaker 2: So you have these young believers being treated in a 306 00:14:58,710 --> 00:15:02,210 Speaker 2: condescending way by certain people in that city. certain people 307 00:15:02,250 --> 00:15:05,150 Speaker 2: in that culture, because they didn't maybe observe some of 308 00:15:05,170 --> 00:15:07,670 Speaker 2: the same festivals or eat in a way that aligned 309 00:15:07,690 --> 00:15:09,530 Speaker 2: with some of the beliefs of those who were looking 310 00:15:09,570 --> 00:15:14,130 Speaker 2: down on them, who were judging them. And this experience 311 00:15:14,170 --> 00:15:16,590 Speaker 2: here that these early believers were going through, it's actually 312 00:15:16,630 --> 00:15:21,710 Speaker 2: something that was demonstrating something very consequential about the faith 313 00:15:21,750 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 2: of those who made these believers feel somewhat dismissed. Their faith, 314 00:15:27,410 --> 00:15:29,250 Speaker 2: it wasn't a faith in God, it wasn't a faith 315 00:15:29,290 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 2: in Jesus Christ, it was a faith in checklists. 316 00:15:32,980 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 1: It's a faith in arbitrary rules. 317 00:15:35,020 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 2: And it's very easy for people of any generation to 318 00:15:38,180 --> 00:15:40,630 Speaker 2: slip into that kind of perspective. And in some ways, 319 00:15:40,650 --> 00:15:43,310 Speaker 2: you could look at what they were doing, you could say, well, basically, 320 00:15:43,410 --> 00:15:45,710 Speaker 2: I guess your faith was more in the creation than 321 00:15:45,770 --> 00:15:50,790 Speaker 2: the creator. Things that the creation does, things that they 322 00:15:50,850 --> 00:15:53,940 Speaker 2: themselves were doing. And because their faith was in their 323 00:15:54,060 --> 00:15:58,580 Speaker 2: own righteousness, their actions demonstrated that they were not filled 324 00:15:58,660 --> 00:16:01,870 Speaker 2: with the Spirit of God. And the result was, instead 325 00:16:01,890 --> 00:16:03,750 Speaker 2: of building others up, they had a habit of tearing 326 00:16:03,790 --> 00:16:05,730 Speaker 2: other people down because they're not filled with the Spirit 327 00:16:05,750 --> 00:16:07,420 Speaker 2: of God. So they're not going to build people up, 328 00:16:07,430 --> 00:16:10,570 Speaker 2: they're going to tear people down. And that's what they 329 00:16:10,610 --> 00:16:13,530 Speaker 2: were doing. Instead of making the lives of other people better, 330 00:16:13,870 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 2: they thought of themselves as better than other people. And 331 00:16:18,140 --> 00:16:19,840 Speaker 2: it was a pattern that Paul noticed, and it was 332 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:22,440 Speaker 2: a pattern that Paul was aware of, and it was 333 00:16:22,500 --> 00:16:26,340 Speaker 2: probably something he had also personally experienced. And so he 334 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,110 Speaker 2: cautions the early church to be aware of this. The 335 00:16:29,150 --> 00:16:31,830 Speaker 2: church at Colossae, he warns them to be aware of this. 336 00:16:32,410 --> 00:16:33,930 Speaker 2: And so that's something I think we can wrestle with 337 00:16:33,990 --> 00:16:35,610 Speaker 2: as well, and just ask the question, on what basis 338 00:16:35,630 --> 00:16:38,030 Speaker 2: do you think you're better than anyone else? Because if 339 00:16:38,210 --> 00:16:40,550 Speaker 2: in your mind you're preaching to yourself that you are 340 00:16:40,590 --> 00:16:44,340 Speaker 2: better than anyone else, you're missing something key about the gospel. 341 00:16:44,980 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 2: And you could easily turn into some of these people 342 00:16:47,060 --> 00:16:49,420 Speaker 2: that the Apostle Paul is describing in this portion of 343 00:16:49,460 --> 00:16:53,200 Speaker 2: Scripture that went around with this smug attitude, legitimately thinking 344 00:16:53,700 --> 00:16:55,700 Speaker 2: that they were better than another person. 345 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:57,700 Speaker 1: Here's a second question for us today. 346 00:16:59,150 --> 00:17:00,910 Speaker 2: How much pain do you think you need to endure 347 00:17:00,930 --> 00:17:05,220 Speaker 2: to earn God's favor? Hint, hint, you can't earn God's favor. 348 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:08,100 Speaker 2: But I just want to ask, how much pain do 349 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:10,260 Speaker 2: you think you need to endure to earn God's favor? 350 00:17:10,300 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 2: Because I'll tell you what, one of the most common 351 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:15,119 Speaker 2: false beliefs, one of the most common false gospels that 352 00:17:15,180 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 2: people preach to their hearts in this world is this 353 00:17:17,740 --> 00:17:21,919 Speaker 2: idea that you need to endure pain to earn the 354 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:22,980 Speaker 2: favor of God. 355 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:24,960 Speaker 1: It's a very common belief. 356 00:17:24,980 --> 00:17:28,409 Speaker 2: Let me reread what Paul says in verses 18 and 19. 357 00:17:28,410 --> 00:17:33,119 Speaker 2: He says, let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism. 358 00:17:33,140 --> 00:17:34,720 Speaker 2: We're going to come back to that word. He says, 359 00:17:34,780 --> 00:17:39,379 Speaker 2: insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in 360 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:41,639 Speaker 2: detail about visions puffed up. 361 00:17:41,780 --> 00:17:43,020 Speaker 1: So you see that smugness, right? 362 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:47,310 Speaker 2: Puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind and not 363 00:17:47,350 --> 00:17:50,109 Speaker 2: holding fast to the head from whom the whole body, 364 00:17:50,510 --> 00:17:54,210 Speaker 2: nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows 365 00:17:54,410 --> 00:18:00,159 Speaker 2: with a growth that is from God. So theologians and 366 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:03,449 Speaker 2: people that study this portion of Scripture and study what 367 00:18:03,490 --> 00:18:05,590 Speaker 2: life was like in Colossae, there's actually a lot of 368 00:18:05,650 --> 00:18:07,770 Speaker 2: debate about the nature of the false teaching that was 369 00:18:07,869 --> 00:18:10,330 Speaker 2: prevalent in that city. At one point, people thought that 370 00:18:10,369 --> 00:18:12,129 Speaker 2: maybe it was a form of Gnosticism, and then some 371 00:18:12,170 --> 00:18:13,830 Speaker 2: other people think maybe it's something else. 372 00:18:13,850 --> 00:18:15,710 Speaker 1: So people debated a little bit. But some of the 373 00:18:15,750 --> 00:18:16,330 Speaker 1: clues as to. 374 00:18:16,310 --> 00:18:19,890 Speaker 2: What those false beliefs included are referenced in these verses, 375 00:18:19,910 --> 00:18:21,750 Speaker 2: because you see different things that are referenced here. 376 00:18:21,780 --> 00:18:22,670 Speaker 1: And so for starters. 377 00:18:23,460 --> 00:18:26,899 Speaker 2: it involved some form of asceticism. Now, I don't know 378 00:18:26,940 --> 00:18:29,199 Speaker 2: if you automatically knew what asceticism was when I read 379 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:32,950 Speaker 2: that word, but basically asceticism involves treating the body in 380 00:18:32,990 --> 00:18:37,109 Speaker 2: an overly harsh manner or an overly severe manner for 381 00:18:37,210 --> 00:18:39,609 Speaker 2: religious reasons, right? Because you're thinking that it's going to 382 00:18:39,650 --> 00:18:42,189 Speaker 2: accomplish some religious purpose. And so you just treat the 383 00:18:42,230 --> 00:18:47,399 Speaker 2: body in some sort of harsh and oftentimes physically painful way. 384 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:49,959 Speaker 2: We also know that the false belief that they were 385 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:52,409 Speaker 2: wrestling with there in that city It also involved the 386 00:18:52,450 --> 00:18:56,619 Speaker 2: worship of angels, which Scripture clearly forbids and which the 387 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 2: holy angels themselves reject when people attempt to worship them. 388 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,580 Speaker 2: You see multiple examples of that in Scripture. This false 389 00:19:03,619 --> 00:19:06,460 Speaker 2: belief that was prevalent, it also seemed to involve supposed 390 00:19:06,540 --> 00:19:09,899 Speaker 2: religious authorities boasting about visions that they had seen and 391 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:12,760 Speaker 2: then using those claims as a means to gain influence 392 00:19:12,859 --> 00:19:15,570 Speaker 2: or authority. And the way they would do that is 393 00:19:15,590 --> 00:19:18,470 Speaker 2: they would say, oh, I've had a special vision that 394 00:19:18,550 --> 00:19:21,570 Speaker 2: you haven't had. Now, how does anyone prove whether you 395 00:19:21,609 --> 00:19:22,230 Speaker 2: did or you didn't? 396 00:19:23,970 --> 00:19:25,790 Speaker 1: And so they. 397 00:19:25,330 --> 00:19:27,369 Speaker 2: Would just claim it and just be bold about it. 398 00:19:27,410 --> 00:19:29,850 Speaker 2: And if enough people believed it, then they would use 399 00:19:29,890 --> 00:19:32,609 Speaker 2: that as kind of their calling card or maybe something 400 00:19:33,010 --> 00:19:36,330 Speaker 2: that fit in with their claims of authority or influence. 401 00:19:36,670 --> 00:19:38,369 Speaker 1: But a big thing that Paul talks about. 402 00:19:38,250 --> 00:19:41,530 Speaker 2: Here is the severe treatment of the body, this asceticism, 403 00:19:41,550 --> 00:19:47,130 Speaker 2: this like punishing the body for some kind of religious purpose. 404 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:51,120 Speaker 2: And I just kind of wonder... maybe we can just 405 00:19:51,150 --> 00:19:52,979 Speaker 2: think about it just for a second. Are you convinced 406 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:54,540 Speaker 2: that there's some form of pain that you need to 407 00:19:54,700 --> 00:19:58,659 Speaker 2: inflict upon yourself for you to somehow earn the favor 408 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 2: of God? Because it doesn't necessarily do as much good 409 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:03,600 Speaker 2: just to focus on the errors of those who lived 410 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:05,880 Speaker 2: 2,000 years ago. We want to think about this from 411 00:20:05,940 --> 00:20:07,639 Speaker 2: our own perspective and think, all right, wait, am I 412 00:20:07,740 --> 00:20:10,830 Speaker 2: actually doing some of the same things. Now, there's extreme 413 00:20:11,310 --> 00:20:14,230 Speaker 2: examples of that even in present day, and maybe you're 414 00:20:14,270 --> 00:20:16,609 Speaker 2: familiar with some of these, but I just made a 415 00:20:16,650 --> 00:20:19,550 Speaker 2: brief list of a few examples of how some people 416 00:20:19,590 --> 00:20:21,389 Speaker 2: are doing this in our day and age, and one 417 00:20:21,410 --> 00:20:23,090 Speaker 2: you'll see in just a few weeks as we get 418 00:20:23,150 --> 00:20:25,709 Speaker 2: closer to Easter time. But does anyone ever pay attention 419 00:20:25,730 --> 00:20:27,679 Speaker 2: to the news that comes out of the Philippines right 420 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 2: around Easter? There's a common story that's shared at Easter 421 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 2: time out of the Philippines, and it grosses me out 422 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:36,040 Speaker 2: every time I see it. I see it every year. 423 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:38,480 Speaker 2: It comes across my news feed. I see it every 424 00:20:38,500 --> 00:20:40,980 Speaker 2: year And I think that is so dark and demented. 425 00:20:41,180 --> 00:20:43,219 Speaker 2: Do you know that every year in the Philippines, there 426 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:46,480 Speaker 2: are people that volunteer to actually be nailed to crosses 427 00:20:46,540 --> 00:20:49,500 Speaker 2: for a period of time? Anyone volunteering to do that? 428 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:50,840 Speaker 1: How about this? 429 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,310 Speaker 2: If you truly believed in your heart that it would 430 00:20:53,380 --> 00:20:55,270 Speaker 2: earn you the favor of God, would you do it? 431 00:20:55,950 --> 00:20:56,650 Speaker 1: Some of you would. 432 00:20:57,710 --> 00:20:59,670 Speaker 2: If you believed that it would earn the favor of God, 433 00:20:59,730 --> 00:21:02,050 Speaker 2: and that's why they're doing it. They're doing it because 434 00:21:02,070 --> 00:21:04,129 Speaker 2: they actually, they don't think it's crazy. They think that 435 00:21:04,150 --> 00:21:06,530 Speaker 2: it earns the favor of God. They think it demonstrates 436 00:21:06,609 --> 00:21:09,510 Speaker 2: genuine devotion to God. And so there are people that 437 00:21:09,550 --> 00:21:12,730 Speaker 2: for a period of time volunteer to be as an honor. 438 00:21:12,790 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 2: They're treated, it's honored. They're treated like it's an honorable thing. 439 00:21:16,859 --> 00:21:18,980 Speaker 2: People look at them as they're more religious than others 440 00:21:19,020 --> 00:21:22,060 Speaker 2: because they were willing to be nailed to a cross 441 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:25,300 Speaker 2: and they do that to somehow earn the favor of God. 442 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,580 Speaker 2: Sadly for them, or maybe not sadly, rejoicingly, that doesn't work, right? 443 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:30,360 Speaker 1: You don't need to do that. 444 00:21:30,810 --> 00:21:33,450 Speaker 2: So if you're thinking about doing that this Easter, take 445 00:21:33,470 --> 00:21:36,090 Speaker 2: that off the list, all right? And if you know 446 00:21:36,109 --> 00:21:38,730 Speaker 2: anyone in the Philippines thinking about doing it, encourage them 447 00:21:38,770 --> 00:21:42,270 Speaker 2: to reconsider. You know, but in our present day, how 448 00:21:42,290 --> 00:21:45,690 Speaker 2: about this? Scripture tells us that people have different gifts 449 00:21:45,730 --> 00:21:48,660 Speaker 2: in regard to marriage and celibacy and things of that nature. 450 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,460 Speaker 2: So how about traditions that are insisting on celibacy and 451 00:21:51,500 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 2: dietary requirements for the religious leaders, even though Scripture says 452 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,500 Speaker 2: that's an area of gifting, whether the Lord gifts a 453 00:21:57,540 --> 00:22:00,300 Speaker 2: person to stay single and remain celibate or whether the 454 00:22:00,340 --> 00:22:04,870 Speaker 2: Lord gift somebody to become married and not. This has 455 00:22:04,890 --> 00:22:06,550 Speaker 2: to do with your gifting, has to do with your 456 00:22:06,590 --> 00:22:09,350 Speaker 2: specific calling that the Lord placed upon your life. And 457 00:22:09,390 --> 00:22:11,230 Speaker 2: those that would insist upon that, I would say that's 458 00:22:11,270 --> 00:22:16,410 Speaker 2: a form of asceticism. I've also read stories, I actually 459 00:22:16,430 --> 00:22:19,300 Speaker 2: just read one this past week, of a group of 460 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:23,439 Speaker 2: monks that thought that it was a sign of devotion 461 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:27,560 Speaker 2: to not allow themselves to sleep. And so they would 462 00:22:27,580 --> 00:22:30,740 Speaker 2: do everything that they could do to avoid sleep, including 463 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:34,100 Speaker 2: tying themselves to posts so that they would be standing 464 00:22:34,380 --> 00:22:37,350 Speaker 2: upright so that they could not drift into sleep. And 465 00:22:37,369 --> 00:22:39,709 Speaker 2: they would do this for abnormal periods of time to 466 00:22:39,770 --> 00:22:42,270 Speaker 2: rob their bodies of sleep because they believed that in 467 00:22:42,350 --> 00:22:45,609 Speaker 2: some way that could either express devotion to God, and 468 00:22:45,650 --> 00:22:48,030 Speaker 2: as they expressed enough devotion to God, maybe they could 469 00:22:48,109 --> 00:22:52,410 Speaker 2: earn the favor of God in doing that. Some religious 470 00:22:52,450 --> 00:22:55,629 Speaker 2: traditions have traditions where they insist that their religious leaders 471 00:22:55,650 --> 00:22:58,899 Speaker 2: are Avoid bathing. Aren't you glad you're not at a 472 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:03,690 Speaker 2: church like that? But yes, there's some religious traditions in 473 00:23:03,730 --> 00:23:07,730 Speaker 2: this world. I didn't see any Christian tradition that emphasized that, 474 00:23:08,050 --> 00:23:12,990 Speaker 2: but some religions outside of the Christian faith that insist on, yeah, 475 00:23:13,010 --> 00:23:16,929 Speaker 2: our religious leaders, the most religious among us, would avoid bathing. 476 00:23:17,410 --> 00:23:18,750 Speaker 1: It's like, that's a strange one. 477 00:23:19,890 --> 00:23:25,480 Speaker 2: Some practice complete seclusion and abnormal periods of silence. In Hinduism, 478 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:26,940 Speaker 2: there used to be a practice, I don't know if 479 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:28,770 Speaker 2: people are still doing it today, but I've read about 480 00:23:28,810 --> 00:23:31,650 Speaker 2: people doing it in the past, where certain people would 481 00:23:31,790 --> 00:23:36,330 Speaker 2: stare at the sun until they physically became blind. They 482 00:23:36,369 --> 00:23:39,830 Speaker 2: would force blindness upon themselves by staring directly at the 483 00:23:39,869 --> 00:23:42,270 Speaker 2: sun for abnormal periods of time. 484 00:23:43,030 --> 00:23:43,609 Speaker 1: There are other. 485 00:23:43,570 --> 00:23:50,140 Speaker 2: Traditions that will use different forms of bodily torture, including self-laceration. 486 00:23:50,740 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 2: And by the way, let me just throw this out there. 487 00:23:54,900 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 2: When you look in the Gospels and you look at 488 00:23:56,680 --> 00:24:00,040 Speaker 2: how people acted when they were being either oppressed or 489 00:24:00,140 --> 00:24:03,580 Speaker 2: possessed by demons, do you ever notice one of the 490 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 2: patterns is like physical torment to the body? Like physical 491 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:11,010 Speaker 2: torture being done to the body, ways in which people 492 00:24:11,050 --> 00:24:11,880 Speaker 2: are harming themselves? 493 00:24:12,700 --> 00:24:13,350 Speaker 1: Do you ever look at that? 494 00:24:13,369 --> 00:24:15,949 Speaker 2: Do you ever wonder if sometimes examples of that that 495 00:24:15,970 --> 00:24:19,370 Speaker 2: we see in our present day might have an element 496 00:24:19,430 --> 00:24:22,709 Speaker 2: of demonic influence to it? We were in an amusement 497 00:24:22,730 --> 00:24:24,630 Speaker 2: park a few years ago, and I was, you know, 498 00:24:24,810 --> 00:24:27,550 Speaker 2: you're in line for a long time. And this stood 499 00:24:27,609 --> 00:24:29,550 Speaker 2: out to my children. They couldn't believe what they had seen, 500 00:24:29,570 --> 00:24:32,710 Speaker 2: but there was a girl in line with us who her, 501 00:24:33,150 --> 00:24:36,979 Speaker 2: like every inch of her arms was just covered in 502 00:24:37,180 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 2: cuts that were healing. 503 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:40,840 Speaker 1: It was very obvious that every one of those cuts 504 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:41,540 Speaker 1: was intentional. 505 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:44,840 Speaker 2: And I thought to myself, I was like, I don't 506 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:46,820 Speaker 2: know what pain she's endured in her life or what 507 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:49,619 Speaker 2: emotional trauma she's gone through, but I bet you there's something. 508 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 2: And I felt compelled every time I think of her. 509 00:24:53,060 --> 00:24:54,780 Speaker 2: It made such an impression on me and my kids. 510 00:24:55,060 --> 00:24:56,490 Speaker 2: Every time we think of her, we pray for her. 511 00:24:56,510 --> 00:24:59,129 Speaker 2: And it's been years. I think it was 2014 when 512 00:24:59,150 --> 00:25:01,390 Speaker 2: we saw that. And I prayed for that girl thinking, 513 00:25:01,410 --> 00:25:03,810 Speaker 2: all right, to get to that spot where you would 514 00:25:03,850 --> 00:25:07,050 Speaker 2: do that, there's something that's facilitating that. Or it may 515 00:25:07,130 --> 00:25:09,650 Speaker 2: even go deeper than that. Maybe there's some spiritual oppression 516 00:25:09,690 --> 00:25:12,050 Speaker 2: going on in her life. Or maybe a combination of both. 517 00:25:12,910 --> 00:25:15,170 Speaker 2: And I think a lot of times people go through 518 00:25:15,190 --> 00:25:17,639 Speaker 2: these moments where they think that somehow you have to 519 00:25:17,780 --> 00:25:21,379 Speaker 2: physically harm yourself or physically torture yourself. to earn the 520 00:25:21,420 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 2: favor of God, but is that what pleases God? Think 521 00:25:25,780 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 2: about that for a second. Is that what pleases God? 522 00:25:28,780 --> 00:25:31,460 Speaker 2: Why have so many people become convinced that things like 523 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 2: that will actually please Him? I think mankind spends a 524 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 2: lot of time trying to impress God with our suffering 525 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:45,480 Speaker 2: and trying to be acknowledged by Him for it when 526 00:25:45,510 --> 00:25:47,570 Speaker 2: we really should be thanking Him for the suffering that 527 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 2: Jesus already did on our behalf. and acknowledging that Christ's 528 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:57,050 Speaker 2: suffering was sufficient to atone for our sin. We think 529 00:25:57,070 --> 00:25:59,830 Speaker 2: that our suffering needs to be what saves the day. 530 00:25:59,869 --> 00:26:00,430 Speaker 1: It's actually the. 531 00:26:00,369 --> 00:26:02,909 Speaker 2: Fruit of a false gospel that we've been preaching to 532 00:26:03,010 --> 00:26:07,310 Speaker 2: our heart. Christ's suffering was sufficient for your sin and 533 00:26:07,330 --> 00:26:09,620 Speaker 2: for my sin. And Paul here references the fact that 534 00:26:09,670 --> 00:26:11,940 Speaker 2: Jesus is the head of the church. He reminds us 535 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 2: in this passage that it's through Christ that we are 536 00:26:14,619 --> 00:26:17,080 Speaker 2: knit together, not torn apart, right? 537 00:26:17,859 --> 00:26:18,540 Speaker 1: Knit together. 538 00:26:20,180 --> 00:26:24,300 Speaker 2: Knit together as a body that becomes healthy, spiritually nourished, 539 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:26,880 Speaker 2: a body that's being taken care of, not a body 540 00:26:26,900 --> 00:26:30,869 Speaker 2: that's being ripped apart, right? Torturing ourselves will never earn 541 00:26:30,930 --> 00:26:35,189 Speaker 2: the favor of God. God's favor is graciously shown to 542 00:26:35,430 --> 00:26:41,090 Speaker 2: undeserving people through Jesus Christ who already suffered on our behalf. 543 00:26:41,830 --> 00:26:43,780 Speaker 2: What Paul's encouraging us to do in this passage of 544 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:46,360 Speaker 2: Scripture is to hold fast to Jesus. 545 00:26:46,820 --> 00:26:50,400 Speaker 1: Hold fast to him, he who suffered. on our behalf. 546 00:26:50,790 --> 00:26:52,609 Speaker 2: Third question I want to throw out there in relation 547 00:26:52,630 --> 00:26:56,030 Speaker 2: to all of this. Are you living a new life 548 00:26:56,190 --> 00:26:59,710 Speaker 2: or a different version of the old one? Are you 549 00:26:59,730 --> 00:27:01,409 Speaker 2: living a new life or a different version of the 550 00:27:01,510 --> 00:27:03,709 Speaker 2: old one? Why am I asking it that way? Look 551 00:27:03,730 --> 00:27:05,270 Speaker 2: at what Paul says when you look at verse 20 552 00:27:05,270 --> 00:27:08,410 Speaker 2: down to verse 22. He says, if with Christ you 553 00:27:08,490 --> 00:27:12,260 Speaker 2: died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as 554 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:15,060 Speaker 2: if you were still alive in the world, do. 555 00:27:14,980 --> 00:27:16,360 Speaker 1: You submit to regulations? 556 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:20,530 Speaker 2: Do not handle, do not taste, Do not touch, referring 557 00:27:20,550 --> 00:27:23,709 Speaker 2: to things that all perish as they are used according 558 00:27:23,730 --> 00:27:29,490 Speaker 2: to human precepts and teachings. So sometimes I think it 559 00:27:29,530 --> 00:27:32,910 Speaker 2: can be easier to go through the motions, no matter 560 00:27:32,930 --> 00:27:35,330 Speaker 2: what context you're in, than it is to just stand 561 00:27:35,369 --> 00:27:38,030 Speaker 2: your ground. Be easier to just go with the flow, 562 00:27:38,150 --> 00:27:39,830 Speaker 2: go through the motions and stand your ground. I think 563 00:27:39,850 --> 00:27:41,909 Speaker 2: we see examples of this in our own lives in 564 00:27:41,930 --> 00:27:44,450 Speaker 2: all kinds of contexts. In fact, I'm convinced that most 565 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,440 Speaker 2: people would rather put up with a whole variety of 566 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:51,660 Speaker 2: ridiculous things rather than receiving the criticism or the conflict 567 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:55,720 Speaker 2: that might result from standing up for what they actually believe. 568 00:27:55,740 --> 00:27:57,980 Speaker 2: I think a lot of people go through motions and 569 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:00,590 Speaker 2: put up with very ridiculous things instead of standing up 570 00:28:00,609 --> 00:28:05,050 Speaker 2: for their convictions. Can I share an example from my 571 00:28:05,109 --> 00:28:10,070 Speaker 2: life where this played out? I remember when I first 572 00:28:10,109 --> 00:28:13,290 Speaker 2: started reading the Bible, and as I was reading the Bible, 573 00:28:13,470 --> 00:28:16,330 Speaker 2: I was seeing things that I had never noticed before. 574 00:28:16,390 --> 00:28:18,229 Speaker 2: When I was There was a season prior to that 575 00:28:18,250 --> 00:28:21,950 Speaker 2: I was primarily dependent on other people reading the Bible 576 00:28:21,970 --> 00:28:24,190 Speaker 2: or teaching me the Bible. I wasn't reading it for myself. 577 00:28:24,230 --> 00:28:26,670 Speaker 2: When I started reading it for myself, I started noticing 578 00:28:26,710 --> 00:28:29,969 Speaker 2: some things. And I came across something in Matthew chapter 6. 579 00:28:29,970 --> 00:28:32,020 Speaker 2: And in Matthew chapter 6, there's a variety of things. 580 00:28:32,420 --> 00:28:36,000 Speaker 2: But in verse 7, you have Jesus explaining how prayer works. 581 00:28:37,020 --> 00:28:38,760 Speaker 2: And in that portion of Scripture, he told us not 582 00:28:38,780 --> 00:28:42,900 Speaker 2: to use meaningless repetition when we're praying. He says, don't 583 00:28:42,940 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 2: just pray. He said, that's what heathens do. Don't pray 584 00:28:45,660 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 2: like that, right? He's trying to encourage us to let 585 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:48,280 Speaker 2: our prayers be genuine. 586 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:49,360 Speaker 1: So don't use. 587 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 2: Meaningless repetition like heathens do. And then he gave us 588 00:28:52,500 --> 00:28:54,540 Speaker 2: an example of prayer, and typically we refer to that 589 00:28:54,580 --> 00:28:56,470 Speaker 2: as the Lord's Prayer, the example that he gave us. 590 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:57,290 Speaker 1: He says, look, when. 591 00:28:57,220 --> 00:29:00,830 Speaker 2: You're praying, pray like this. And then he genuinely prays, 592 00:29:00,990 --> 00:29:03,690 Speaker 2: and his words were recorded. And when I read that, 593 00:29:03,750 --> 00:29:06,390 Speaker 2: I thought, wait a second. How ironic is it that 594 00:29:06,410 --> 00:29:10,230 Speaker 2: we've turned the very example Jesus gave us when he said, 595 00:29:10,270 --> 00:29:13,330 Speaker 2: don't vainly recite something into something that we vainly recite? 596 00:29:14,060 --> 00:29:15,480 Speaker 1: I was like, why do we do that? Isn't there 597 00:29:15,700 --> 00:29:16,320 Speaker 1: irony in that? 598 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:18,400 Speaker 2: I was like, there is no more prayer that has 599 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,780 Speaker 2: been more vainly recited than the words Jesus gave there 600 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:24,020 Speaker 2: when he said, listen, don't pray in vain recitation. 601 00:29:24,620 --> 00:29:27,300 Speaker 1: Pray like this, like from the heart, genuine. Pray like this. 602 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 1: Let me give you an example. We're like, oh, okay, so. 603 00:29:29,870 --> 00:29:32,810 Speaker 2: Repeat that a whole bunch of times? No, that's not 604 00:29:32,830 --> 00:29:36,490 Speaker 2: what I'm getting at. Isn't it just ironic, though, that 605 00:29:36,530 --> 00:29:38,570 Speaker 2: we do the same, like we do the exact thing? 606 00:29:38,610 --> 00:29:39,270 Speaker 1: He said, don't do. 607 00:29:39,810 --> 00:29:40,860 Speaker 2: And I remember when I read that, I was like, 608 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:43,580 Speaker 2: wait a second, I've been doing that wrong. And I 609 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:45,420 Speaker 2: grew up in a very good church, and I'll admit 610 00:29:45,500 --> 00:29:49,230 Speaker 2: part of our worship service was we would pray the 611 00:29:49,250 --> 00:29:51,130 Speaker 2: Lord's Prayer together. Technically, we were supposed to be praying it, 612 00:29:51,150 --> 00:29:52,930 Speaker 2: but what I realized, at least in my own life, 613 00:29:52,990 --> 00:29:55,690 Speaker 2: I wasn't praying it, I was just saying it. I'm 614 00:29:55,710 --> 00:29:57,820 Speaker 2: sure there were people in the congregation that were genuinely 615 00:29:58,230 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 2: praying it. But I know for me, I wasn't genuinely praying. 616 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:03,220 Speaker 2: I was just saying it. And I was like, okay, 617 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 2: so that ends today. I think I mentioned last week, 618 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:08,180 Speaker 2: I'm an all or nothing personality sometimes, right? 619 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:10,600 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, okay. So Jesus said, don't do that. 620 00:30:10,700 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 1: So I guess I'm not going to do that. 621 00:30:13,260 --> 00:30:15,000 Speaker 2: And I remember when I went to church the next 622 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:16,800 Speaker 2: Sunday and it was time for the Lord's prayer and 623 00:30:16,820 --> 00:30:17,540 Speaker 2: I said nothing. 624 00:30:18,090 --> 00:30:19,020 Speaker 1: And the people sitting next to. 625 00:30:19,010 --> 00:30:22,390 Speaker 2: Me were like, and I think in like early, like, 626 00:30:22,430 --> 00:30:24,370 Speaker 2: you know, colonial days, didn't they think that made you 627 00:30:24,430 --> 00:30:24,770 Speaker 2: a witch? 628 00:30:25,270 --> 00:30:25,530 Speaker 1: You know? 629 00:30:25,850 --> 00:30:27,830 Speaker 2: So I'm glad I didn't do that, you know, in 630 00:30:27,870 --> 00:30:30,290 Speaker 2: New England during a particular season of American history, because 631 00:30:30,310 --> 00:30:32,890 Speaker 2: they'd be like, pretty sure that guy's a witch, right? 632 00:30:33,230 --> 00:30:36,130 Speaker 2: He did not say the Lord's Prayer during the service. 633 00:30:36,570 --> 00:30:38,230 Speaker 2: And I remember some of my family members looking at me, 634 00:30:38,230 --> 00:30:39,450 Speaker 2: and they're like, everything all right? 635 00:30:39,470 --> 00:30:41,610 Speaker 1: I was like, oh yeah, better than ever. They're like, 636 00:30:42,530 --> 00:30:43,270 Speaker 1: I don't think so. 637 00:30:43,910 --> 00:30:47,070 Speaker 2: And then I remember even my mother asked me at 638 00:30:47,130 --> 00:30:49,630 Speaker 2: one point, she's like, so I noticed you didn't say 639 00:30:49,670 --> 00:30:50,350 Speaker 2: the Lord's Prayer. 640 00:30:50,370 --> 00:30:51,850 Speaker 1: I was like, that's correct. Yeah, I didn't. 641 00:30:53,130 --> 00:30:56,290 Speaker 2: And I And she's like, okay, so what's up with that? 642 00:30:56,370 --> 00:30:57,830 Speaker 2: And I was like, well, I happen to be reading 643 00:30:57,850 --> 00:30:59,910 Speaker 2: in Matthew 6 this week where Jesus said, don't pray 644 00:30:59,950 --> 00:31:02,790 Speaker 2: in vain recitation. So I decided to listen to what 645 00:31:02,830 --> 00:31:04,580 Speaker 2: he said. And she's like, we're praying it. I was like, 646 00:31:04,740 --> 00:31:07,160 Speaker 2: I have not been praying it. I have been vainly 647 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,520 Speaker 2: reciting it. And I said, I'll say it again if 648 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:12,000 Speaker 2: I can genuinely pray it. But until I could get 649 00:31:12,020 --> 00:31:14,060 Speaker 2: to a spot where it's not just a vain recitation, 650 00:31:14,380 --> 00:31:16,030 Speaker 2: I'm just going to be silent for a little while. 651 00:31:16,090 --> 00:31:19,010 Speaker 2: I'm not accusing everybody else of vainly reciting it. Maybe 652 00:31:19,030 --> 00:31:21,010 Speaker 2: they're praying it, but I wasn't up to this point. 653 00:31:21,030 --> 00:31:22,630 Speaker 2: And so until I could get that straight in my head, 654 00:31:23,210 --> 00:31:25,860 Speaker 2: I'm done. And would it surprise you to know that 655 00:31:25,900 --> 00:31:27,740 Speaker 2: some people kind of looked at that as funny, you know? 656 00:31:29,110 --> 00:31:30,730 Speaker 2: People looked at that as funny, like, I don't. 657 00:31:30,650 --> 00:31:33,050 Speaker 1: Know, I thought John loved Jesus, but he won't even 658 00:31:33,090 --> 00:31:36,150 Speaker 1: say the Lord's Prayer. His faith is young. He'll get there. 659 00:31:37,710 --> 00:31:39,350 Speaker 2: In the case of the Colossians, when you look at 660 00:31:39,390 --> 00:31:41,760 Speaker 2: the Colossians, there was pressure on them to just go 661 00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:44,860 Speaker 2: through the motions of religious exercise, right? 662 00:31:45,260 --> 00:31:46,160 Speaker 1: Just go through the motions. 663 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:51,510 Speaker 2: Convey an outward experience or an outward expression of religious devotions. 664 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:53,959 Speaker 2: Whether or not that conduct is truly biblical, just go 665 00:31:53,980 --> 00:31:54,620 Speaker 2: through the motions. 666 00:31:55,230 --> 00:31:57,650 Speaker 1: Just do what we do. Don't make waves, right? So 667 00:31:57,670 --> 00:31:59,470 Speaker 1: there were rules about what could be handled. There were 668 00:31:59,510 --> 00:32:00,670 Speaker 1: rules about what could be tasted. 669 00:32:00,890 --> 00:32:02,950 Speaker 2: By the way, again, those of you that attend here 670 00:32:02,990 --> 00:32:04,790 Speaker 2: know that we don't have too many rules about what 671 00:32:04,810 --> 00:32:06,950 Speaker 2: you can be tasted since you got served birthday cake 672 00:32:06,990 --> 00:32:08,830 Speaker 2: when you came in this morning from the snack table. 673 00:32:09,150 --> 00:32:10,930 Speaker 1: You're like, hey, they apparently have no... We want to 674 00:32:10,970 --> 00:32:12,910 Speaker 1: live out the passage. That's all I'm saying, right? 675 00:32:13,930 --> 00:32:15,459 Speaker 2: But they had rules about what could be handled, what 676 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:17,800 Speaker 2: could be tasted, what could be touched. And these things 677 00:32:17,900 --> 00:32:21,670 Speaker 2: gave the impression... of being godly. They gave the outward 678 00:32:21,710 --> 00:32:23,950 Speaker 2: expression of being godly, but they had more to do 679 00:32:24,330 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 2: with praise and attention of others than they did worshiping God. 680 00:32:29,860 --> 00:32:30,620 Speaker 1: Now, here's the thing. 681 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:35,100 Speaker 2: God gives us a brand new life in Christ, and 682 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:37,000 Speaker 2: he isn't saving us so that we can keep going 683 00:32:37,020 --> 00:32:40,160 Speaker 2: through the motions or the mistakes or the misunderstandings that 684 00:32:40,180 --> 00:32:42,740 Speaker 2: we once had about issues of faith. He's not asking 685 00:32:42,780 --> 00:32:44,680 Speaker 2: us to keep going through the same things over and 686 00:32:44,740 --> 00:32:47,660 Speaker 2: over again. Once your eyes are opened up to the 687 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,940 Speaker 2: truth of Christ's gospel, start. 688 00:32:50,980 --> 00:32:52,700 Speaker 1: Acting on that truth. 689 00:32:53,610 --> 00:32:56,209 Speaker 2: Don't drift right back to the meaningless practices that you 690 00:32:56,290 --> 00:32:59,810 Speaker 2: once embraced before you understood the nature of genuine faith. 691 00:33:00,050 --> 00:33:01,910 Speaker 2: Don't go back to those things once your eyes have 692 00:33:01,930 --> 00:33:04,330 Speaker 2: been opened to the truth of the gospel. Live a 693 00:33:04,530 --> 00:33:07,969 Speaker 2: new life, not just a different version of the old one, 694 00:33:08,390 --> 00:33:11,130 Speaker 2: not just a tweaked version of the old one. Live 695 00:33:11,150 --> 00:33:15,400 Speaker 2: a new life once your understanding of the gospel becomes clear. 696 00:33:16,060 --> 00:33:17,440 Speaker 2: And there's one other thing that I want to point 697 00:33:17,500 --> 00:33:20,620 Speaker 2: out here, a fourth question. that I think is really 698 00:33:20,660 --> 00:33:22,760 Speaker 2: helpful for us as we look at this portion of Scripture. 699 00:33:23,700 --> 00:33:25,630 Speaker 1: Do you want what looks good or do you want 700 00:33:25,690 --> 00:33:28,810 Speaker 1: what is good? Do you want what looks good or 701 00:33:28,830 --> 00:33:30,930 Speaker 1: do you want what is good? Look at verse 23. 702 00:33:30,930 --> 00:33:31,430 Speaker 1: It says this. 703 00:33:32,010 --> 00:33:36,990 Speaker 2: These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made 704 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:42,880 Speaker 2: religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they 705 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:45,940 Speaker 2: are of no value in stopping the. 706 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:51,610 Speaker 1: Indulgence of the flesh. It's a powerful sentence, isn't it? 707 00:33:53,740 --> 00:33:56,000 Speaker 2: The other day, I made a comment about a political 708 00:33:56,060 --> 00:33:58,540 Speaker 2: leader to my wife. And before any of us get worried, 709 00:33:58,560 --> 00:34:02,660 Speaker 2: it wasn't someone from our country. So don't worry that 710 00:34:02,780 --> 00:34:05,230 Speaker 2: I'm speaking about an American politician, even though this would 711 00:34:05,250 --> 00:34:07,469 Speaker 2: be true of some of them as well. But that 712 00:34:07,510 --> 00:34:09,230 Speaker 2: wasn't who I was talking about. And I said to her, 713 00:34:09,250 --> 00:34:12,270 Speaker 2: I said, you know what? I said, that politician strikes 714 00:34:12,310 --> 00:34:14,770 Speaker 2: me as the kind of guy who looks good. And 715 00:34:14,810 --> 00:34:19,020 Speaker 2: he might be effective at winning popularity contests. But he 716 00:34:19,060 --> 00:34:22,700 Speaker 2: has no idea how to actually lead people through tough moments. 717 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:27,489 Speaker 1: I said he doesn't inspire. He doesn't enlighten. 718 00:34:28,370 --> 00:34:32,290 Speaker 2: He forces his will and then he bristles against demonstrating humility. 719 00:34:33,170 --> 00:34:35,910 Speaker 2: He may look good, but he's not doing a good 720 00:34:36,030 --> 00:34:39,180 Speaker 2: job at what he's been called to do. He may 721 00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:43,020 Speaker 2: look good, but he's not doing good. We were talking 722 00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:45,080 Speaker 2: about that, and I was thinking about that in relation 723 00:34:45,100 --> 00:34:48,640 Speaker 2: to this because I think many supposedly religious activities operate 724 00:34:48,660 --> 00:34:54,140 Speaker 2: that same exact way. They look good, but are they good? 725 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:57,580 Speaker 2: And if you're actually serious about growing as a Christian, 726 00:34:57,600 --> 00:34:59,160 Speaker 2: do you want what looks good or do you want 727 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:02,540 Speaker 2: what is good? I know for me, I want what 728 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:04,879 Speaker 2: is good. What I mean by that is this. Life 729 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:07,840 Speaker 2: is too short to just go through the motions. I'm 730 00:35:07,910 --> 00:35:12,489 Speaker 2: interested in just going through the motions. Self-made religion, asceticism, 731 00:35:12,570 --> 00:35:14,790 Speaker 2: the severe treatment of the body, the things that Paul 732 00:35:14,830 --> 00:35:18,760 Speaker 2: is addressing here, they may appear to help people overcome 733 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:20,739 Speaker 2: their temptation to sin. That's one of the reasons that 734 00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:23,899 Speaker 2: I think some of the people were engaging in these things. 735 00:35:24,300 --> 00:35:26,260 Speaker 1: They thought that if I beat my. 736 00:35:26,180 --> 00:35:29,440 Speaker 2: Body up, or in some respects, if I practically burn 737 00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:31,580 Speaker 2: my eyes out, or if I do these different things, 738 00:35:31,620 --> 00:35:36,060 Speaker 2: it'll torture my body. That somehow that's going to limit 739 00:35:36,100 --> 00:35:38,239 Speaker 2: my temptation to sin against the Lord. 740 00:35:39,739 --> 00:35:43,469 Speaker 1: But does that actually work? It doesn't work, right? It 741 00:35:43,510 --> 00:35:47,050 Speaker 1: does not work. All it does is it masks our sin. 742 00:35:47,130 --> 00:35:49,330 Speaker 2: And I think in some contexts, it actually provokes us 743 00:35:49,690 --> 00:35:50,830 Speaker 2: to sin even more. 744 00:35:51,370 --> 00:35:53,110 Speaker 1: It's the fruit of a false gospel. 745 00:35:53,910 --> 00:35:56,029 Speaker 2: So if you're trying to overcome temptation in your life, 746 00:35:56,070 --> 00:35:58,350 Speaker 2: which I would assume that all of us are, because 747 00:35:58,370 --> 00:36:00,690 Speaker 2: scripture tells us that the things that tempt us are 748 00:36:00,770 --> 00:36:03,379 Speaker 2: common to us all. So each of us, we deal 749 00:36:03,390 --> 00:36:06,200 Speaker 2: with all kinds of temptation. And if you're trying to 750 00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:10,770 Speaker 2: overcome temptation in your life, Start with trusting Christ, and 751 00:36:10,810 --> 00:36:15,410 Speaker 2: then continue with preaching his gospel to your heart. Remind 752 00:36:15,430 --> 00:36:21,190 Speaker 2: yourself of his sufficiency. Don't be a self-sufficient person. If 753 00:36:21,210 --> 00:36:23,890 Speaker 2: you're a self-sufficient Christian, in the sense that you think 754 00:36:23,910 --> 00:36:26,290 Speaker 2: you can just supply all you need for your life 755 00:36:26,330 --> 00:36:28,800 Speaker 2: and godliness, you don't understand the heart of the gospel yet. 756 00:36:29,110 --> 00:36:32,520 Speaker 2: Rely on Christ for his sufficiency. Tell yourself that he's 757 00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:34,960 Speaker 2: the one that your heart is longing for. Seek his 758 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:38,690 Speaker 2: power in the midst of your weaknesses. And trust that 759 00:36:38,710 --> 00:36:42,549 Speaker 2: he will supply everything that you need to overcome the 760 00:36:42,610 --> 00:36:46,549 Speaker 2: things of this world that are trying to drag you 761 00:36:46,690 --> 00:36:49,340 Speaker 2: back to what your life was like before you came 762 00:36:49,380 --> 00:36:55,259 Speaker 2: to rely on Jesus. Beating yourself up and trying to 763 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:59,759 Speaker 2: suffer for your own sin. It really comes back to 764 00:36:59,800 --> 00:37:03,480 Speaker 2: this idea that somehow we're trying to do the job 765 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:07,319 Speaker 2: of Jesus for him. And what Christ demonstrates to us 766 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:10,820 Speaker 2: in his actions, in his teaching, and what he's demonstrated 767 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:13,280 Speaker 2: and what he calls back to our thinking through his spirit, 768 00:37:14,719 --> 00:37:16,839 Speaker 2: what he's saying to us over and over and over 769 00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:20,330 Speaker 2: again is that he is sufficient. What Jesus did for 770 00:37:20,370 --> 00:37:22,469 Speaker 2: you and me is a suffering that does not need 771 00:37:22,489 --> 00:37:25,150 Speaker 2: to be repeated over and over and over again. He 772 00:37:25,210 --> 00:37:30,710 Speaker 2: suffered once for all, the just for the unjust. And 773 00:37:30,770 --> 00:37:32,839 Speaker 2: anytime we would look at ourselves or those that were 774 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:34,860 Speaker 2: practicing these things, or anytime we think, you know what? 775 00:37:35,190 --> 00:37:38,959 Speaker 2: If I just beat myself up enough mentally or emotionally 776 00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:44,460 Speaker 2: or physically or spiritually, if I just beat myself up enough, 777 00:37:44,940 --> 00:37:47,520 Speaker 2: then God will be pleased. Then I can somehow atone 778 00:37:47,580 --> 00:37:51,260 Speaker 2: for my sin. Any attempt to self-atone for our sin, 779 00:37:51,550 --> 00:37:54,330 Speaker 2: it misses the heart of the gospel. Christ came to 780 00:37:54,390 --> 00:37:56,890 Speaker 2: atone for it because your righteousness was not going to 781 00:37:56,930 --> 00:38:02,550 Speaker 2: be enough. Because as an imperfect person, you can't atone 782 00:38:02,910 --> 00:38:07,410 Speaker 2: for your sin. because you keep piling more on. Jesus 783 00:38:07,469 --> 00:38:11,799 Speaker 2: atoned for us, the righteous for the unrighteous, the just 784 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:16,080 Speaker 2: for the unjust. And what he's saying is, trust that 785 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:19,140 Speaker 2: the work I did on your behalf is sufficient to 786 00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:23,500 Speaker 2: save you. Trust that what I've done for you is 787 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:26,690 Speaker 2: sufficient to save you. And I believe that if we 788 00:38:26,750 --> 00:38:29,730 Speaker 2: walk in that understanding, it will have a huge impact 789 00:38:30,010 --> 00:38:33,350 Speaker 2: on the quality of our life, on our understanding of 790 00:38:33,410 --> 00:38:37,830 Speaker 2: the scriptures, on our application of the gospel, and the 791 00:38:37,910 --> 00:38:41,330 Speaker 2: hopeful perspective that I hope that we can go through 792 00:38:41,370 --> 00:38:46,780 Speaker 2: life demonstrating and conveying as we interact with other people. 793 00:38:47,300 --> 00:38:49,239 Speaker 2: That we could live a life where we demonstrate in 794 00:38:49,300 --> 00:38:50,940 Speaker 2: our words and our actions that we. 795 00:38:50,900 --> 00:38:57,540 Speaker 1: Truly believe that Jesus is sufficient. Let's pray. Lord, thank 796 00:38:57,560 --> 00:38:58,600 Speaker 1: you so much for your word. 797 00:38:59,180 --> 00:39:00,850 Speaker 2: And for the privilege to be able to look at 798 00:39:00,870 --> 00:39:02,850 Speaker 2: a portion of Scripture like this and to think about 799 00:39:02,890 --> 00:39:05,430 Speaker 2: these things. And we know, Lord, that there are many 800 00:39:05,469 --> 00:39:07,669 Speaker 2: people in this world who are going through their life 801 00:39:07,710 --> 00:39:10,170 Speaker 2: thinking that somehow if they beat themselves up enough or 802 00:39:10,210 --> 00:39:14,279 Speaker 2: if they endure enough pain, or if they do this 803 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:16,720 Speaker 2: or if they do that, that somehow they will earn 804 00:39:16,980 --> 00:39:20,719 Speaker 2: your favor. And so therefore they demonstrate that their faith 805 00:39:20,780 --> 00:39:25,390 Speaker 2: is in their action, or their faith is in their avoidance, 806 00:39:25,450 --> 00:39:29,700 Speaker 2: or their faith is in their religious practice. And Lord, 807 00:39:29,739 --> 00:39:31,120 Speaker 2: we know that there are many people in this world 808 00:39:31,160 --> 00:39:33,319 Speaker 2: that that's basically how they've chosen to go through life. 809 00:39:33,360 --> 00:39:35,460 Speaker 1: That's what they think. That's how they think. 810 00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:39,870 Speaker 2: You operate, that you have a point system and that 811 00:39:39,890 --> 00:39:42,029 Speaker 2: it's all based on what we do or don't do 812 00:39:43,410 --> 00:39:46,469 Speaker 2: and that somehow salvation is obtained through the work of 813 00:39:46,530 --> 00:39:50,190 Speaker 2: our flesh. But Lord, we're grateful for the teaching of 814 00:39:50,230 --> 00:39:52,009 Speaker 2: your word. We're grateful for the fact that you make 815 00:39:52,030 --> 00:39:54,270 Speaker 2: it abundantly clear to us that you are pleased as 816 00:39:54,310 --> 00:39:58,180 Speaker 2: we trust in you. And Lord, obviously genuine faith in 817 00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:00,680 Speaker 2: you is going to change a person's behavior. It's going 818 00:40:00,719 --> 00:40:04,060 Speaker 2: to change a person's action. But sometimes we get that backward. 819 00:40:04,100 --> 00:40:07,260 Speaker 2: We think that if we change our actions, we'll receive 820 00:40:07,300 --> 00:40:09,739 Speaker 2: your favor. And then we realize from looking at your 821 00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:11,919 Speaker 2: word that your favor is something that you give by 822 00:40:12,520 --> 00:40:16,200 Speaker 2: grace to people who don't deserve it. So Lord, we 823 00:40:16,260 --> 00:40:18,060 Speaker 2: pray that as we think about these things that we 824 00:40:18,100 --> 00:40:23,330 Speaker 2: would exercise a healthy dose of humility. That we would 825 00:40:23,350 --> 00:40:24,930 Speaker 2: think about these things in such a way that we 826 00:40:24,950 --> 00:40:28,779 Speaker 2: would just recognize that we did not have in and 827 00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:32,460 Speaker 2: of ourselves what was sufficient. And so you provided what 828 00:40:32,500 --> 00:40:36,239 Speaker 2: we were lacking through your son, Jesus Christ. And Lord, 829 00:40:36,260 --> 00:40:38,200 Speaker 2: we're grateful for the fact that you've done that, that 830 00:40:38,239 --> 00:40:40,320 Speaker 2: your son came and he suffered on our behalf. 831 00:40:41,489 --> 00:40:42,430 Speaker 1: And so Lord, when we look. 832 00:40:42,330 --> 00:40:44,610 Speaker 2: At a portion of scripture like this that cautions us 833 00:40:44,670 --> 00:40:50,910 Speaker 2: against asceticism, the severe treatment of the body, Inventing checklists. 834 00:40:53,430 --> 00:40:55,900 Speaker 2: All these attempts to beat ourselves up to earn extra 835 00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:57,779 Speaker 2: credit with you. We pray, Lord, that we would look 836 00:40:57,800 --> 00:40:59,259 Speaker 2: at this and say, wait a second, I don't need 837 00:40:59,300 --> 00:41:03,180 Speaker 2: to do that. You've called us to trust in you 838 00:41:03,239 --> 00:41:05,640 Speaker 2: through your son, Jesus Christ. And so, Lord, we pray 839 00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:08,580 Speaker 2: that that's exactly what we would do. And Lord, we 840 00:41:08,620 --> 00:41:10,660 Speaker 2: pray that we would preach the message of your gospel 841 00:41:10,700 --> 00:41:13,319 Speaker 2: to our hearts regularly. That this would be something that 842 00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:16,299 Speaker 2: our minds and our hearts are refreshed by. Lord, we're 843 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:17,880 Speaker 2: just so thankful for the fact that we have the 844 00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:20,419 Speaker 2: privilege to be able to be reminded of these things today. Lord, 845 00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:22,960 Speaker 2: I pray if any of us gathered here, if anyone 846 00:41:23,500 --> 00:41:26,340 Speaker 2: accessing our podcast or anyone watching the live stream or 847 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:29,500 Speaker 2: anyone interacting with this content today, Lord, we pray that 848 00:41:29,540 --> 00:41:31,460 Speaker 2: if any of us has been going through a season 849 00:41:31,500 --> 00:41:33,440 Speaker 2: of life where basically we just kind of have to 850 00:41:33,500 --> 00:41:35,960 Speaker 2: admit that our faith has been more in the work 851 00:41:35,980 --> 00:41:38,520 Speaker 2: of our hands than in the work you've accomplished, we pray, Lord, 852 00:41:38,540 --> 00:41:40,080 Speaker 2: that you would switch that in our minds and in 853 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:43,420 Speaker 2: our hearts and that we would understand the nature of 854 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:45,420 Speaker 2: your work and all that you've done on our behalf. 855 00:41:46,540 --> 00:41:48,739 Speaker 2: Thank you again, Lord, for the privilege that it is 856 00:41:48,780 --> 00:41:50,469 Speaker 2: to know you. Thank you for the privilege that it 857 00:41:50,530 --> 00:41:52,730 Speaker 2: is to walk with you. And thank you for the 858 00:41:52,770 --> 00:41:56,609 Speaker 2: love that you've given to us. You've demonstrated it through 859 00:41:56,630 --> 00:42:00,049 Speaker 2: your Son. We're grateful for your presence. We're grateful for 860 00:42:00,070 --> 00:42:01,870 Speaker 2: your love and for the fact that the work that 861 00:42:01,890 --> 00:42:04,299 Speaker 2: your Son, Jesus Christ, did on the cross on our 862 00:42:04,340 --> 00:42:09,080 Speaker 2: behalf was sufficient. We give you the praise for all 863 00:42:09,120 --> 00:42:10,020 Speaker 2: of these things today. 864 00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:13,180 Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen.