Christ over culture
Colossians 2:4–23 (NKJV)
4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.
5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
We are warned to watch out for:
Persuasive words (v.4)
Philosophies (v.8)
Empty deceit (v.8)
Traditions with no biblical basis (v.8)
How do we guard ourselves?
We must learn to search out the word for ourselves
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. 20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
The church at Colossae dealt with imposing views:
Roman Empire
Syncretism
They had a very liberal culture on one side telling them that they could do anything
They had a very religious conservative culture on the other telling them they could do nothing
In the midst of all of that there were misunderstandings saying that they could just mix all of it together as they wanted
I see such a parallel between the Colossian church and the American church -
SO many people have SO many opinions!
You can find a church that will bless the things you want blessed and affirm the things you want affirmed!
You have to realize that the culture of the local church has been and always will be under attack
We aren't looking for cheap culture
Do you remember the day that Jesus had an absolute fit?
Flipping tables
Correcting
Chasing people out of the temple
Mark 11:15–17 (NKJV)
15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
Do you remember why? They had made redemption cheap and worldly
Christ himself fought against a system that had been made cheap
We aren't looking for church culture
On the other side of the equation - look how Christ treated the religious
Mark 12:38–13:1 (NKJV)
38 Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” 41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” 1 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”
Just as Christ stood against CHEAP culture - he was just as outspoken about creating a culture that was prohibitively expensive
The church has always fought a religious spirit that tried to make the kingdom of Jesus
A works-based society
Something for the rich
Something for those with church background
Something for those with a religious vocabulary
So:
We are fighting against "cheap culture"
We are fighting against "Church culture"
BUT WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR?
We are fighting the battle of having a KINGDOM CULTURE
Kingdom culture:
Puts Jesus above our opinions
Puts Jesus above our preferences
Puts Jesus above our comfort
Matthew 16:18–19 (ESV)
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
We are fighting for kingdom culture!
"It can't be cheap, and it can't be expensive " ???
"It can't be worldly and can't be religious" ???
This is the paradox of the church!
Christ always presented these seemingly opposite ideas:
Matthew 16:25 (NKJV) 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Luke 14:11 (NKJV) 11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
John 16:33 (NKJV) 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
We have been called to live in this weird paradox ourselves:
Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
It is a substitutionary thing that happens when I give my life to Christ and He gives his life to me:
To receive salvation, ALL I need is Jesus
But
To receive salvation, I need ALL of Jesus
