[0:00] Welcome. Thank you for listening to this wholesome word by David Entry. The words you catch will change your world. May your story change from this message.
[0:11] Be blessed. Colossians chapter 2 verse 16 to 23. Thank you Jesus. Colossians chapter 2 verse 16. It says that let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day or of the new moon or of the Sabbath day which are a shadow of things to come at the bodies of Christ.
[0:43] Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind and not holding the head from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered and knit together increased with the increase of God.
[1:17] Therefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances? Touch not, taste not, handle not, which all are to perish with using after the commandments and the doctrines of men, which things have indeed a shoe of wisdom in will worship and humility and neglecting of the body, not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.
[2:04] Here ends the reading of God's holy word. Let's pray. Father, thank you, thank you, and thank you again for the exclusive privilege of delving and digging into your word. Holy Spirit, help us to sink our teeth in your word so we can take fresh and raw nourishment from Christ for the growth of the body.
[2:31] As we get into your word, let scales fall off our eyes. Anoint our eyes with eye selves. Circumcise our ears. Open our ears.
[2:46] That we will hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Strengthen us with might by your Spirit in our inner man. Through the feeding of your word. I submit myself under your influence and your power.
[3:01] Holy Spirit, let my speaking be your speaking. Express your word through my speaking. Anything that is not of you. Anything that just minds the things of men and not mindful of the things of God.
[3:15] Holy Spirit, forbid me from delivering. Let me deliver only what is in line and compatible with your agenda, with your purpose, and what is in line with the things of God.
[3:28] Of godliness and of sound ways of the gospel. Thank you that your name will be glorified and your people will be edified and our generation will be notified.
[3:41] In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah. We thank God for today. Last week, we spoke about how there's more to the cross.
[4:01] From Colossians. In the verse, chapter 2, verse 14. Verse 13. Verse 13 says that, And you, three things that are very essential.
[4:16] And you, being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has quickened.
[4:28] God, dead people, he quickened us. That's the good news. That's what it means to be a Christian. A Christian, okay. I know quickened is very old English.
[4:41] So, let's go to a different translation. Let's go to a different. He has made a life. If you are a Christian, it's not the church you are attending that makes you a Christian.
[4:53] Evangelism doesn't even make you a Christian. Oh, wow. Not the fact that you are part of a group of people.
[5:05] In fact, believing in the Bible doesn't even make you a Christian. Some of you, before you became a Christian, you still believe the Bible. You had a big one under your pillow.
[5:18] It made your pillow bigger. So, just believing in the Bible is not what makes you a Christian. What makes a person a Christian is the life of Christ in you.
[5:30] That's what defines a Christian. How do I get it? Has not every human being got the life of Christ in him? No. I forgot what we just read. He said, and you being dead, every human being is dead in their transgressions, in their own circumcision, of their flesh.
[5:47] Every human being was born dead on arrival. Every human being. So, Jesus told the man, Nicodemus, that you have to be born again because there's a problem with your first birth.
[6:00] Everybody's first birth is problematic because of the first birth. If you stay in the first birth, you suffer a second death. After you die, you die again.
[6:11] But if you are born again, you will not die again. You will die once. You either get born twice and die once or get born once and die twice. Yes.
[6:23] The Bible says in Revelation, it's called the second death. Revelation chapter 21 says that, but the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all that.
[6:41] It says that they are part, you see, all lions shall have their parts in the lake of fire, which burns with fire and brimstone.
[6:52] This is worse than global warming. This is global melting, global burning. Brimstone, which is the second death.
[7:06] So, what makes a person a Christian is the life of Christ you have in you. How do you have the life of Christ in you? By believing in Jesus Christ, who is revealed in the scriptures.
[7:19] not in the Quran. The Jesus in the Quran is a dummy Jesus. It's a fake Jesus. Ask any Muslim, if that Jesus in the Quran saves.
[7:33] If they say no, then okay, that's not. This Jesus is the savior of the world. The Jesus in the Bible is the savior of the world. He saves. He sanctifies. He justifies.
[7:45] He redeems us. And he propitiates God for our sin on our behalf. He died on the cross for us, not for himself, for us.
[7:58] Any other Jesus who doesn't do this is a dummy Jesus, replica, fake Jesus. fake Jesus. There are people who have found themselves in churches and religious systems who think they have Jesus.
[8:11] It's a fake Jesus. It's a replica Jesus. So, what makes you a Christian is the Jesus in you and the life of God in you.
[8:22] On the cross, some things happened. As I said previously, it wasn't an accident. The cross was a design, was planned by God.
[8:34] Men couldn't have planned it. Acts chapter 2, verse 23, it says that according to the predetermined counsel of God and the full knowledge of God, Jesus Christ was delivered by the determined purpose.
[8:50] It was a determined, it was already planned by God and the full knowledge of God. They took him by lawless hands and wicked hands and evil hands and crucified him.
[9:01] But God was behind it. So, on the cross, God, as I said, Jesus was on the cross. God was present working. Jesus was procuring redemption for us.
[9:15] So, he accomplished, the cross was an accomplishment. He accomplished redemption for us. On the cross, God was also venting out all his anger against sin.
[9:28] on the cross. So, God was there also working. Panishing sinner. Panishing, executing the punishment that must go with sins.
[9:39] The wages of sin. God was there. So, but it wasn't God alone. Principalities and powers were also there. They were happy to come and make sure that Jesus would die and never resurrect.
[9:54] So, Jesus made an, according to Colossians chapter 2, we read, Jesus made an open show. Bible says that on the cross, after he spoiled principality, they were there.
[10:06] principalities, that means rulers, authorities, spiritual authorities. He spoiled them and he made an open show.
[10:17] Okay, New King James. He spoiled them and he made a public spectacle of them. Triumphant the cross is not a sign of defeat. He triumphed over them in the cross.
[10:31] He made them small. He just rubbished them. Whatever, demonic power that has tried to hold you captive, Jesus made it small on the cross. When you are in Christ, you can walk, that's where the believer's authority comes from.
[10:46] You can walk over scorpions and serpents. Jesus said, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke chapter 10, verse 19. He said, behold, I give you power to walk over scorpions and serpents and over every power of the, over every power of the enemy.
[11:05] And he said, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. That is why in Matthew chapter 28, verse 18, he says that all power in heaven and in earth has been given to me.
[11:18] All authority has been given to me. All power has been given to me. And so he triumphed over them in the cross. One of the things that happened on the cross which people have not really noticed is that, obviously, the world was being crucified or Jesus was dealt a fatal blow to the world.
[11:40] The world was being judged. Satan was being, the Bible says that he crushed the head of the serpent. All right? So the head, the authority, the center point of Satan's rule was being crushed on the cross.
[11:55] It's a very serious thing. In fact, in Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14, Bible says that he himself, likewise, that he might destroy, he might destroy he who has the power of death, who is the devil.
[12:08] He destroyed the devil on the cross. He destroyed, so when you are in Christ, Satan's hold, Satan's grip, Satan's authority, Satan's influence has actually been destroyed.
[12:20] So why am I still facing it? You have to live from the life that is in you. But one of the beautiful things he did on the cross was, besides all these things that I've said, he released the, Jesus Christ, when he was on earth, he was the embodiment of the divine life.
[12:39] It was, the divine life life was captured, was like a, shelled in Christ. So he was a container, the carrier, Colossians chapter 2, verse 9, said, for in him dwelt bodily, bodily, the fullness of deity, I think NIV uses the word deity, but King James says Godhead, the fullness of deity, lives in him, in a bodily form.
[13:15] So when he was walking on earth, he was deity captured in humanity. The fullness of God in a human being, and yet, you see him and there's nothing about him that shows that he was different from us.
[13:33] He was in every sense of the word, human, 100% human, truly human, and yet, he was 100% God, truly God.
[13:43] God and man captured in one person. Hallelujah. Captured, and yet, there was no mixture. So you can't say the godness and manness or humanity and deity mixed to form another hybrid, another entity.
[14:02] No, no other entity was formed. The humanity was not mixed with the divinity to form a different entity. He was fully human. So theologians call it, he was truly man and he was truly God.
[14:18] So now, watch this. When the God man was truly man, when he died on the cross, what happened was, on the cross, the divine life that was captured in him, in John chapter 12, verse 24, he said, except a grain of wheat, called a shadabaya, falls to the ground and dies, Jesus, as long as he hadn't died, abided alone.
[14:52] But when he dies, he brings forth much fruit. Some translations say, he brings forth much grain. He brings forth much grain.
[15:06] And in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, I think verse 17, so it talks about, we being many grains are one bread, are one body.
[15:18] That's a very interesting thing. For we being many are one body. Many grain is what causes the bread. For we all are partakers of one bread.
[15:31] You get bread with grains. Jesus Christ fell. And when he fell, he's talking about his death. When he died, he produced many grains.
[15:45] Except a grain of wheat falls to the ground. What are you talking about? On the cross, the divine life that was captured in this humanity was released so he can enter other human beings.
[15:58] For us, who are in Christ, now, now that we are in Christ, we are no more dead, but we have the life of God. We have the Zoe of Adam, never had the life of God in him.
[16:10] He was, God, God meant for us, I was sharing it yesterday when I was preaching Nacra, that, I've been saying it here anyway, that, God did not, the reason why God created man was not to worship.
[16:26] Please tell my fellow praise and worship leaders. That's why God created us, worship, worship. They are not bad, they are not wrong, but really, essentially, get the scripture, when you look at the scripture, because when God was creating man, he said why he wanted to create man.
[16:46] He said, let us create man in our image, in our likeness, so that then they will have dominion over the fishes of everything. So he created us to have dominion, but first, you can't have dominion without being in his image and his likeness.
[17:01] So he said, let us create us in his image. He created us in his image so that he can put himself in us. And then, watch this, I'm coming down. When, when he created us, when God created us, the next thing he did, according to Genesis chapter 2, verse 9, verse 7 said, God made man breathe into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became nephesh, living soul.
[17:28] But is that all the story? No. So after the verse 7, look at verse 8, verse 8, and the Lord God planted a garden. After he created man, he said, okay, I'm wrong.
[17:38] Now he went and planted a garden. He started with a garden. He's going to end with a city. What? Revelation, there's a city. It's not a garden anymore. But he planted a garden. And when he planted a garden, Bible says that, and the Lord God took the man who he has created and put him in the garden.
[17:56] He should have said, stop worshiping. No. He put him in the garden. And when he planted a garden, he made sure that there were trees in the garden. Three, three, three categories of trees.
[18:10] The first category was the tree that gives you natural food. So he said, the trees that produce food. And he says, talk about pleasant to the eyes and good for food.
[18:23] So in the verse 9, the Lord God, after creating the garden, in the garden, the Lord God made, or he caused these trees to grow up. He says that, and the Lord, out of the ground, the Lord made every tree grow.
[18:36] That is pleasant to the side and good for food. But he didn't say, he made the other tree also grow. Those other trees, they were there.
[18:49] Because they were not normal trees. They were spiritual trees. So he says that, they didn't grow from the ground. They were just there, as a tree.
[19:01] So he says that, and the tree of life, say life. Life. Say life. Life. There's a certain tree that when you bite into it, it gives you life. It's a tree.
[19:14] Life is a tree. Jesus said in John chapter 15, verse 5, he said, I'm the vine. He said, Jesus Christ describes himself as the vine, as a tree.
[19:27] He said, I'm the vine. Ye are the branches. I'm the vine. Then in John chapter 6, he said, unless you eat me, I'm the bread that came from heaven. Unless you eat me, you don't have life.
[19:39] So actually, life, in him, Bible says, in him is life. John chapter 1, the verse 4. In him is life. Or in him was life. And the life is the light of man.
[19:50] So Jesus Christ was the Zoe of God. The life of God. Now, so the tree in the garden was not an ordinary tree. It was a tree that symbolized the nature of God.
[20:01] God. Because God is life. Life is in God. If you don't have God, you don't have life.
[20:12] You are a dead man walking. This whole thing is more than just church. More than a gathering. It's more than a gathering, please.
[20:24] It's about life. It's about life. God created us. Read the scriptures. Life was a common theme. Central theme that ran from Genesis to Revelation. Life. Life. Life.
[20:34] The tree of life was also there. But unfortunately, it wasn't the only tree that was there. So the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was there.
[20:45] And then God took man who he has created and planted him in the garden. Wow. So he made the garden for man. But the trees were there.
[20:56] And then God, verse 16, and God commanded him that of every tree in the garden, it's the three. All of them.
[21:08] One, two, three. Were there in the garden. But the central one was in the midst. In the midst. That word mist is not just like amongst them. No. In the midst means that it's so central you can't miss it.
[21:23] And what was the central, most central tree? The tree of life. So in fact, if you run into the garden and you want something to eat, the first thing you will see is the tree of life.
[21:37] So God himself, God packaged himself as tree and made himself so unmissable. Made himself so prominent that anyone who wants to eat, when you come in, that's the first thing you will see.
[21:50] Why? Because God created us so we can eat. Yes. I've been saying this in the house. He created us to eat. To eat what? In our eating, he created us with an appetite.
[22:03] That's why as soon as a child is born, this is all they wanted is something to eat. Many children's Christ lack of is due to hunger. Many children.
[22:14] Even adults. There's a mother there is even adults. Food. But I'm not talking about just natural food.
[22:27] He said, your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and are dead. John chapter 6 from verse 30, 31, 32, said, they ate manna in the wilderness and are dead.
[22:38] The natural food doesn't take you anywhere even though it's okay. So, God packaged himself as a tree so that man would just go to that tree and eat.
[22:51] And now when you eat that tree of life, what happened? The nature of God, the life of God enters you, then you have the life of God. That is when that union between God and man would have taken place.
[23:04] So, because the flesh had not been introduced to sin. The flesh was innocent. Theologians call it the dispensation of innocence. Before Adam ate the other tree, the serpent introduced to the woman.
[23:20] So, God put them in the garden, packaged himself as a tree and he said, eat. He actually commanded them to eat of every tree.
[23:30] But, don't go to that other tree because it signifies the nature of the devil. But, man went and ate it and then the nature of the devil entered it.
[23:40] that's why you can't stop sinning. Yeah, yeah, you. I'm talking about you. It's our nature. It's our nature.
[23:51] It's our nature. We were born damaged. It's our nature. It's our nature. Lying comes natural. Jealousy can come natural.
[24:05] Natural to you. It's natural. Envy, natural. Natural. Anger, bitterness, natural. Unforgiveness, natural. A lot of things come natural.
[24:16] So, sin entered us and sin had dominion over us from that time. Then God brought his law which is higher, which is pure, which is perfect, which is holy.
[24:28] And the holy law of God coming to contact with us made us look even bad or worse. Worse. And so, it couldn't solve the problem. The law could not solve the problem.
[24:39] But God himself had a plan. The plan was he himself is now going to come not as a tree this time but as a human being. Why? A human being because tree has not got blood.
[24:52] But sin requires blood. The payment for sin requires blood. So, in Acts chapter 20 verse 28 it said take it to yourself and to the flock over which the holy goes to shepherd the church of God which he did what?
[25:09] Purchase with what? Has God got blood? Where did he get it from? When he came on earth. When he was born by a woman. Women are amazing.
[25:21] It takes a woman to introduce God on earth. It took a woman the glory of what God has how God has designed a woman to introduce God on earth.
[25:35] Joseph step aside. There's never once in the Bible where Joseph was referred to as your son when he came to Jesus. No! But they said take the boy and his mother.
[25:46] Take the boy and his mother. Mary was the one who donated God blood. God had to use the blood of Mary not direct blood because it's actually it's not the blood from the woman but it's the blood from the word of God but you know it must be formed in the womb of a woman.
[26:06] That's how God got the blood and so he had to now come as life but he's first of all John chapter 1 verse 29 behold the Lamb of God because sin has already come in.
[26:19] Somebody must take it out before life can come in. So on the cross he was busily taken out taking away the sins that's how I said he was crushing the power of sin on the cross but not only that and then he released oh he released the life of God that was captured in the shell of humanity he released it on the cross so that the life of God can now enter because it was in the raw life of God permit me to use this phrase it was a processed life of God.
[26:50] What do you mean by processed? It was captured in the womb of a woman after nine months it was born living on the earth as a human being lived a normal human life without breaking the law of God he lived the life of man but he didn't have the sin of man untainted by sin Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 said we have a high priest who was tempted like us at every point but without sin he was without sin in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 God made him who knew no sin he never knew sin he was without sin so that's why the thief on the cross said we are guilty of what we are going but this man is innocent the one who killed him said this man is innocent even the Pharisees they couldn't have a charge against him they asked him what charge do you bring you?
[27:42] I said if he has not done something wrong with your brother so what's the charge? We don't know just kill him because he was sinless at every point with human law with God's law he lived a sinless life but 100% human life that's why he was hungry that's why he was tired that's why he slept that's why he wept and Jesus wept he wept that's why on the cross he cried and that's why he died because life cannot die if he is the life how can life die?
[28:17] but his life was captured in a human body that could die and so when he died on the cross that's why in John chapter 19 verse 34 the Bible says that they pierced his side with a sword and what came out first?
[28:31] blood for our redemption and then what came out again? water for our life so water symbolizes life there can never be life anywhere there's no water so the life of God in him before the life could enter us the blood must cover us oh yeah I'm teaching something very important the blood that is why the blood of Jesus speaks he speaks and he speaks he speaks mercy to cover our sins mercy mercy can you can you imagine in John chapter 20 when he resurrected from the dead he met his disciples the first thing he did was look at my my wounds I've shed my blood I've done it he said he showed evidence to show that sin has been paid for oh come on I feel like preaching the evidence that shows that and up to now in heaven he still has the evidence the wounds that never heal in his hands he said they will see him who they have pierced in the book of Zechariah they will see him who they have pierced in Revelation they speak about the piercing he was pierced the evidence that your sin has been paid for is the wounds he's piercing they pierced him on the side when God was blessing man when God created man he never told man to eat animals he only told them
[29:52] Genesis said all the food herbs I give to you for food eat so where did the animals come in why are we eating animals because he authorized us to eat animals after we came out and Noah from the flood Genesis chapter 9 from verse 1 he blessed and he said add the animals eat them why the animals why Cain and Abel's offering Cain's offering did not have blood Abel's offering had blood because blood was now required in relating to God now when you like in Exodus chapter 12 he said kill the animal what you need is the blood paint your doorpost with the blood what do we do with the flesh eat it it was from that time God introduced a loud man to eat flesh why because blood will be needed and he told them throughout the Jewish life and history they were strictly warned never to eat the blood Jews were strictly warned by God don't touch the blood the blood is sacred the blood is holy so that one day when God comes to shed his blood you will be so familiar with blood that you will trivialize the uniqueness of blood don't touch the blood so he shed his blood the blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins for the atonement for our sins
[31:11] Hebrews chapter 9 verse 22 without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins blood must flow for sins to be forgiven so when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming John chapter 1 verse 29 behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world so on the cross he was taking away sins but not just that he was also releasing life so now that brings me back to the Colossians chapter 1 chapter 2 verse 13 he says that and you being dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision has he made alive he actually introduced life to us now this is pointing to the cross I'm saying something very important this is pointing to the cross on the cross we were made alive together with him but that's not all that God did because of the cross so three major things is this one made us alive number two is the next verse he brought down the handwriting of ordinances that were against us because listen listen you've broken some laws and you are still breaking more oh yeah some of you between the time you woke up and now you've broken about 300 laws even now people are that's human nature the nature of man is to break laws so if you want to catch anybody and get anybody into trouble monitor them monitor them for a long time you'll find problems with them whether they are politicians in fact the more powerful they are and the more liberties they have the more likely it is for them to do something they shouldn't do liberty most of us we got into problems because of the freedom we had yeah liberties have a way of trapping us yeah liberties so we are all we have the acute propensity to break laws and sin but when you are now this is what we read the text we read very interesting bible says handwriting of ordinances that were against us when he went to the cross he just brought it he raised it he raised it wow but why won't you be in
[33:45] Christ then can you carry this your sin can I tell you something about man or human beings human beings were never created okay your car is a normal car if you use it to carry all these speakers the shocks would break and the car wouldn't even move it would crush the car why because the car was not made to carry that kind of load it's not made to carry that kind of load human beings were not designed to carry burdens but that's why you must learn how to cast it this is the casting all your care because it's going to break you down many people have mental breakdown because of the load of problems on them we are not we are not designed to carry load Jesus said Bible said casting all your care upon him for he careeth for you amen oh if I will you I will say amen amen sometimes learn how to go to bed go to bed if the building will collapse then it collapses go to bed because staying awake and watching whether it's coming or it's not coming it won't change it
[34:59] Jesus said this we'll put it this way he says sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof there's enough problems in a day for you to start worrying so much and add to it trust God and move forward trust God and move forward I don't know who I'm preaching to but I believe God sent me to somebody trust God and move forward shout hallelujah hallelujah so he brought out the high writings of ordinance and not just that not just that that were contrary to us that were against us but the third thing is the next verse he also made a public spoiled principalities empire three things that happened on the cross life was released law things that were contrary to us were removed and then principalities were spoiled said having attained this thing then he says you therefore verse 16 on the basis of this that has happened let no man judge oh oh oh let no man therefore or you can put the therefore in front it's the same thing it's just basic english grammar but
[36:13] I know some of you may not know I'm just telling you I side of the he said therefore let no man judge you in meat what does he mean meat fish or meat also so they can judge you in fish now that anytime Shakespearean english meat there means food okay give us a different translation let what was there can you can let no man judge you in food your work with God has not got anything to do whether you eat ham or you eat sausages I actually I actually believe that Paul used to eat a lot of sausages and ham or chicken or don't let anyone spoil you and tell you that the fact that you are not a vegan you are not spiritual come on don't let anyone spoil you in meat because this thing has not got to do with what is going just just tell it clearly it's not what enters you that affects you it's what is coming out of you that affects you pastor thank you I've been waiting for someone to tell me I can eat anything and drink a lot of coke no that's not what I mean I'm talking about spiritual matters the coke you are drinking and coughing and coughing is going to have an impact on your natural life your spiritual life may not affect it your natural life you may have to do a few hospital visitations yes well so he says that therefore let no one judge you with meat that's food all right and then what is next let's go to
[37:57] New King James or let I prefer the New American Standard Version that's better let's already allow from the screen let's go let no one judge you be your judge why are you not doing this why are you eating this food why you're not eating this food how how can you be spiritual eating how can you be spiritual and be drinking this thing you can't be spiritual let no man judge you because spirituality how often do you eat it depends all right Jesus in the prayer in Matthew chapter 6 verse 9 down was when he was talking about food he said give us this day our so how often do we eat it is daily how about drinking daily so there are things you we do daily we do daily eating has to do with a daily thing but when you look at the next points there that we shouldn't be judged in it's not a daily thing it says that regarding a festival festivals are occasional and particularly this was making reference to the
[39:22] Jewish traditions and I want to I'll explain this in our end the Jewish traditions particularly some things that they do every year for instance they had what is called Yom Kippur now Yom Kippur is a special feast and a special celebration at the period of time where you have to make sure you are taking all the boxes that has to do with the feast so if they say by the time the feast comes you must let's see grow your hair if you have hair you make sure you grow the hair if you have to be at the temple in the synagogue or the temple at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. you go at 5 and go at 8 if they say you have to eat at a certain time you eat so there are rituals that govern these feasts now because of the proclivity of human nature to break law and sin over the year they've been we've all keep breaking laws so the Jews will be doing things and they break laws but when they come to the Yom Kippur they want to make sure every tick box regarding the celebration they've got it ticked so if you're able to do much of it as opposed to how much you have sinned you at least you are in a good balance so a lot of weight was now put on the feasts how that is why religion is the strength of religion has got to do with doings and tick boxes that's the strength of really how many boxes you have been able to take how many days you are
[41:03] Christianity never demands you to pray a certain number of days or a certain number in a day a number times in a day thank you it's in the scriptures I David said I pray seven times a day but it's not a law that you should praise some of you the last time you prayed was eight weeks ago when your car almost got clamped do you understand what I'm saying fasting is not a law prayer is not a law attending church is not a law it's just reasonable and it's smartness because when you do some of those things they have what they download into your life but God won't be upset with you that you you haven't read your Bible today no that's legalism but when we are in Christ it's not about legalism none that is it about license but it's liberty he who the son sets free is free we have liberty in Christ but there are people who are legalistic and others who are licentious you are free to do anything you can go anywhere do anything say anything watch anything sleep with anybody whatever God understands sin is not in your heart it's just in your flesh and God has saved your heart so forget about it yes there these are all things that people bring into the church so that there must be safeguarding in the church spiritual safeguarding the only effective spiritual safeguarding in the church is when the Christ taught by the apostles is elevated in the church that is the only spiritual safeguarding not about what you should do what you should do so he says that don't let anybody judge you in your daily life nor in your annual behavior nor in the so he said the festivals new moon is every month once a month something that is done new moon is referring to monthly behavior or monthly celebration something it's a new moon so we didn't do it this man then you they say yeah God is upset with you listen you are complete in Christ whether you do something or you don't do something as long as Christ is your life i'll show you something as long as Christ is your focus as long as Christ is your life and the life of Christ is finding an expression in your heart that's what matters so it's there in your scriptures it says that new moon or sabbath sabbath is weekly oh my god thank you jesus jesus said in mark chapter 2 verse 27 he says that that's a powerful statement he said the uh the sabbath was not made for man sorry the sabbath was made for man was not created for the sabbath some people this question always comes up why have we why why why since you christians why have you canceled sabbath day why have you changed the sabbath day sabbath day has never been changed sabbath it's just come on saturday it's sabbath no how can you change it it doesn't mean changed but why don't you worship on a sabbath day for what i don't worship on i worship every day i worship every day why don't you celebrate christmas every day is a christmas to me that's why your food is christ is our daily enjoyment it's our weekly life it's our monthly enjoyment and it's our year all year round celebration christ so look at this in verse 16 again let's already other let's go food drink or is right of red festival a new moon or a sabbath verse 17 oh oh oh oh the substance is christ why did you say substance because it just says shadow how can you have a shadow without an object
[45:06] there's always a real deal the real deal in your life your the food you ate and you've been eating it's not actually the real deal your real food is christ i feel like preaching i feel like preaching the real deal so he says that all these things making references making reference to the the whatever the new the old testament rituals they were keeping he said they are not bad rituals they are not bad i can show you where god himself said do this don't eat this god told them like leviticus i think chapter 11 verse 2 or something don't eat this eat that don't do this do that god told them so it's not like someone decided that this is what's it's good god told them and then they took it to another level by adding more and now making it very legal regross to anyone who wants to be spiritual or wants to be a bit religious so that's what was happening and now that colossian church has come to know christ and they are now coming you see listen to this very carefully it doesn't matter how well intentioned you are when you become born again you are likely to bring your religious philosophy into christianity that's why the jews when they became christians they are now imposing and importing and imposing judaistic demands on on the new gentiles and so paul said why do you put this weight upon them which we know our fathers were not not able to bear why are you doing this to the jesus now therefore why do you test god by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear why are you doing that so even on a positive note in where i grew up there are a lot of spirit churches christian churches that if they are not careful their practices have some african traditional religious philosophy under it undertone in it and are getting without without people realizing without people realizing because the society especially in europe europe people are very strong very very religious that's why it has also helped them when you but i was told i don't know how true is but when someone is even a thief or a fetish priest is passing behind or by in front of your house a house and they tell me this is the house of a pastor he's home man of god a fetish priest oh but that's a man of god yeah naturally you bring it to uk so so so what i'm trying to say is that our pre-existing religious ideologies religious philosophies we naturally import it into church into christ that is why teaches pure and healthy teaching that's any verse christ must be held at a very high esteem because that is the only thing that can safeguard the church the only thing that can safeguard christianity safeguard the church because everywhere people have gathered to worship the worship might be genuine i'm talking on christians the worship might be genuine by every now and then you can see infiltration of people's personal religious opinions which they that's how they know how it should be done and so this judaizers they began to judaize the believers that's why they are called judaizers they brought in this we are in church they said why are you not doing the sabbath day why are you why are you playing keyboard on a sabbath day hey man where is this
[49:08] thing coming from they were infiltrating the church with sabbath with new moon with all kinds of opinions and posted listen these things were a shadow actually all the rituals all the laws in the old testament in hebrews chapter 8 verse 5 he says that these things were a shadow hebrews 8 5 they were a shadow hebrews 10 1 or like hebrews 10 1 let's already hebrews 10 1 please put you on the screen if you can hebrews 10 1 said for the law let's read it let's go amen that's okay that's okay the law had a shadow of the good things to come the good things that were coming the lord had a shadow of them shadow of good things to come how about hebrews chapter 9 verse 11 hebrews chapter 9 or is this chapter 12 christ but christ came as a high priest of what see that good things to come is christ the law the rituals the commandments the feasts the sabbath everything all those things were a shadow of the real thing to come i've been carrying my wife's picture in my pocket everywhere i go i'm not saying that's what i do i have to start doing that anyway now there's my wallet is small the cards maybe you have to print it on the card but people do that which is nice so when you travel and you don't have your children with you or your husband with you your wife you have their picture oh it's on nowadays it's on the phone actually yeah yeah but can you imagine i've traveled i come home and i'm i'm with my wife and i'm still looking at the picture why do i stay with the image when the real is here when the real has arrived when the real has arrived why would i stay with something else why would i stay with the shadow when i've got a substance and it says that christ is the substance of the new moon the substance of the rituals the substance of the Sabbath day the substance of the of the instructions the substance of the law the substance of all the celebrations the feast christ is the substance. So when you are in Christ, every day you are in the feast.
[51:27] Every day is your Sabbath. Every day is your food. Every day, come on, say Christ is in earth. That is Christianity for your information.
[51:38] Anything that eclipses Christ is not Christian. It can be your emotions. It can be your ideologies. Your philosophy is not Christian. Don't forget that. The only way the church can be safeguarded against any form of infiltration, be it from other religions or be it from ideologies is when Christ, who is taught by the apostles, is highly elevated in the church.
[52:10] So everybody, your Christian life is based on, I thought I would go further, but I will continue. Because he is the unifying factor. Once you detach the church from Christ, you have beheaded the church.
[52:27] Look at verse 18. Thank you, Jesus. Look at verse 18. Let no one cheat you of your reward. Taking delight in false humility.
[52:39] See that thing we are watching? Oh, you don't know. This is God. You don't have to challenge God. God has been showing me things. Oh, excuse me. Tell me what you've seen in the Bible and stop telling me what God has been showing you.
[52:52] Did he show you in the Bible? If he's showing you in the Bible, then we can all read it and you may even help me to notice what he has said. But if you can't point to the Bible and you are telling me to follow your personal subjective experiences, excuse me.
[53:08] It's very subjective. What if you got it wrong? What if your description of what you were seeing may be really showing you something, but because of the limitedness of your comprehension, of your interpretation, you interpreted it wrong.
[53:26] How can I follow you? But there's a sure word of prophecy. Is someone getting what I'm saying? He says that don't let anybody cheat you of your reward. Your reward is the life that Christ brings us.
[53:39] The salvation we have in Christ, the enjoyment we have in Christ, that is our reward. Christ is, so don't let anyone teach you by telling you, see, the church is not telling you everything. They have things.
[53:49] I've read other books. You always say in the Bible, I've read things. And some even think that by telling you the revelations they have, the visions they have, it makes them buy spirituality from you.
[54:01] So some people make themselves look spiritual by telling you the things, the visions they have seen. And some of them even go as far as telling you, me, when I see things, it comes to pass. And so what? And so what?
[54:12] The devil can also see things that you can't pass. And so what? The fact that it's working doesn't mean it's scriptural. Oh, don't use it.
[54:22] It works. So what? It works. So what? He said, he said, God will give me a job and God gave me a job. And so what? Does that make it godly?
[54:33] No. Oh, come on. Bible said, judge prophets with the word. Judge every prophecy. Let me finish on the 18. Let no man cheat you of your reward.
[54:48] Taking delight in false humility and worship of angels. There are people who believe that, no, no, no, you can't go directly to Jesus. You need a saint.
[54:58] You need somebody. You need, go to his mother. I'm telling you. They tell you, no, no, you can't go. Go through other mediums. Wow.
[55:09] It makes your access very secured. Or you need a certain special pastor, a certain special prophet, a certain special bishop. You need a certain, a certain special man of God.
[55:20] You need a special, special man of God. He has closeness to God. You need a man. You don't need anybody. If you don't need angels, how much more men? He said, you don't need anybody.
[55:34] Don't let them tell you that the only way your worship can be authentic is when you go through mediums. So they open the door and begin to introduce other things and tell you that, you know, you don't know what I've seen.
[55:46] You don't know what I know. You don't know. There are deeper things you don't know. There are deeper things I'm seeing. My sister, there are deeper things. You see, and those things make people, you feel like, wow, these guys are deep.
[55:58] They are deep. They know all those things. You see, Bible says that simplicity from Christ, you can be distracted from it. It's that simple in Christ.
[56:09] So you have to be careful. Don't be going to church because the man of God is powerful. Go to church because the word of God there is so strong and powerful. Go to church.
[56:23] Anyway, men of God are supposed to be like magicians in certain traditions, in religious settings. So, man of God, when a man of God speaks, God has spoken.
[56:35] There is a dimension to which God uses his men. But please, let's not take it farther than what the scripture is saying. Let us not take it too far. Else, we will eclipse Christ.
[56:50] And when a man of God disappoints you, then you say, I'm not more going to church because you are not actually connected to Christ. That's why. You never go connected. It's a man you have fallen.
[57:02] Wow. It's a man you have fallen. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. satuest, one of the children are again, very playful, hasn't been a dirty one day, veryigos, very believers.
[57:26] Wow. Which one of the times aren't you going there because a man now I don't go.
[57:38] And I said, but a Christian needs to be part of fellowship. I don't call myself a Christian. I call myself a believer. I said, look at this thing. Look at this thing. Set in their ways.
[57:52] She really got my attention. You call yourself a Christian. But, whatever you call it, a believer. But you don't, you don't fellowship with anybody.
[58:05] I told her, the quality of your Christian life is in direct proportion to the quality of your fellowship. But a lot of people don't know this. Self-made humility.
[58:18] Self, it's there. It's there. Self, false humility. False humility. And now look at verse 23. Look at verse 23. If the 23 uses the whale worship. Whale. 23. Verse 23, somewhere there.
[58:30] False humility again. Well, I think King James used whale worship. Look at King James. Whale. Something like that. Whale. Whale worship. It's just based on themselves. The more you are punishing yourself.
[58:41] Some people have made the genuineness of your Christian life based on how long they fast. Yeah. No, it's not that.
[58:54] Not even how long you pray. That doesn't determine the quality of your Christian life. The growth of God in you has everything to do, number one. The revelation of Christ you have and that revelation you walk by.
[59:08] That's what determines your quality of your Christian. Now, not how much you can punish yourself and sweating and praying. Charismatics. Guys, I think my time is, I have to stop now.
[59:19] Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry. You're welcome to connect with David Entry on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
[59:32] You can also find more spirit-filled messages from Karis Church on YouTube and all relevant streaming platforms. Don't forget to subscribe, like, and share the message.
[59:42] Be blessed.