Truth and Freedom in Christ | Colossians 2:16-23

[0:00] Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we're dedicated to encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ. Located in Ontario, Oregon, Pastor Patrick Daly preaches insightful sermons from the Word of God, offering practical applications for modern living.

[0:16] We're delighted to share this sermon with you. All right. Well, good morning, everyone. I hope and I trust that you've been warmly greeted here at Ontario Community Church.

[0:30] My name is Patrick Daly, and I am the pastor here at Ontario Community Church. Today, we are continuing our sermon series. We're doing a biblical exposition of the book of Colossians.

[0:43] It has been a wild ride so far. Colossians being a letter written by the Apostle Paul, he starts off by expressing his thankfulness for a rural church that was faithful to God and exhibited the love of Christ to others.

[0:58] Then he's going on into details about who Jesus Christ is, his preeminence, and Christ being the firstborn of all things. Then we go on learning about the mystery of Christ being revealed and the majesty of Christ, and even what it means to suffer for Christ.

[1:18] Now we are in chapter 2 of the book of Colossians. What's very interesting is that even though the Apostle Paul never visited Laodicea or Colossae, he is concerned and he is warning that Christians should not be deceived, they shouldn't be deluded, they shouldn't be derailed or distracted.

[1:38] We can think of a bunch of D words, right? Don't be distracted by the things of this world and focus on Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul felt that, and he believed that the Colossian church would respond appropriately.

[1:53] But as for Laodicea, well that's a different story and you find that as the lukewarm church and you'll find that in your notes. The warning that the Apostle Paul had to do with not being captive by philosophy, not being captive by empty deceit.

[2:10] And when we think about what this world has to offer, well, more often than not, it's filled with empty promises, deception, and works-based systems.

[2:23] And this leads us today where we're continuing on the specific warnings from the Apostle Paul. We'll learn more about angel worship, aestheticism, what's going on here.

[2:34] So we'll go more into that. But before we go any further, I would like for us to pray, let's offer the Lord our time here to bless us and that we may come to understand God in his word more deeply.

[2:47] Will you pray with me? And gracious Father, we come before you. Hungry for your word. We pray for those that do not know you, that they will gain knowledge of who you are and may they change their mind to believe in you.

[3:03] We pray for the Christians that are here today, that they grow in knowledge and understanding of who you are. May they mature. And we also pray that upon salvation and growth in you, that we are encouraged to have an active faith to be doers of the word, doing good in the name of Jesus Christ.

[3:27] It is in all of these things that we say together, amen. Amen. So let's start off with verse 16 here, freedom from judgment. We start off in verse 16 here, therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink with regards to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath or an eclipse or the northern lights, right?

[3:50] We have recently had a lot of things that were happening in the sky recently and there's some beautiful things. How many of us saw the northern lights recently? Absolutely beautiful in the sky, right?

[4:02] Well, in verse 16, right? The apostle Paul is saying, let no one pass judgment on you in questions about what you eat or what you drink with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.

[4:14] I had to have a little fun there. When we're thinking about the context and the fact that the apostle Paul is writing to the Colossians here, we're talking about people who were once Jewish and they became Christians, right?

[4:29] It is going from this former life, the works-based religion, right? A works-based system into a belief-based system or a faith-based system into believing in Jesus Christ and having that new life.

[4:43] When you become a Christian, when you believe in Jesus Christ, you are set free from sin and you receive eternal life. That doesn't make us sinless though.

[4:54] We're just called to sinless though. And sometimes, you know, when we become a Christian and we make that decision for Christ, we're called to tell our friends and our families about what we believe in.

[5:06] But at times, there are some people who may not like the fact that you are a Christian. They may not like who you have become or who you're becoming in Christ.

[5:16] And just as there were people back then, there are people now who they might judge you. What do you mean you don't follow this festival? What do you mean you don't pray a certain direction or pray a certain amount of times?

[5:30] How could you do that? And that's what we're dealing with here. Because to believe in Jesus Christ is to be set free from the restrictions, the rules and the regulations of religion, just like how the Colossians were transitioning from Judaism to Christ.

[5:47] It's a huge transition. It's no longer a focus on works, but a focus on faith. And I don't know about you. I'd much rather focus on having a relationship with the living God than having this continued checklist of things that I must do.

[6:04] It is just like today, again, how there are some people. There's some people out there who are more focused on the ritual. They're more focused on the rules and the regulations, right? They are legalistic as it were, right?

[6:16] They're so focused on, well, you know, what can I and can't I do, right? And they just, that becomes their God, so to speak. Well, it's just like how there are people like that today.

[6:29] Just like how there were people that the apostle Paul is talking about. Let no one judge you based upon what you eat or drink, right? Or in regards to a new moon or a festival.

[6:42] So it goes on in here, it's making sure the apostle Paul is saying here, let no one change your mind. Let no one judge you because some people are gonna judge you. Have you ever been judged for being a Christian?

[6:55] None of us have, right? None of us have been judged. What are you talking about? There will be people, especially worldly people, who will, people who are not Christian, who may not understand the faith that you have in Jesus Christ.

[7:10] Some people will judge you according to what you eat or you drink. What do you mean? I mean, when we're talking about the Jews, right? They had dietary restrictions, right?

[7:20] What you eat or drink or certain festivals, just like how there were many feasts in the Jewish religion. And you know, Romans 14 is a parallel of what we're talking about here.

[7:32] In Romans chapter 14, verse 17, it says, now I want you to hear me out here. Romans 14, 17, it goes on to say that the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and of peace and the joy in the Holy Spirit.

[7:49] Can I get an amen? Amen. And even in 1st Timothy chapter four, verses one through five, it's mentioning a great deal about deceitful spirits who will teach people to abstain from certain foods, right?

[8:01] So it's when you get over the top about certain diets, right? When it becomes your own religion. Now I know for some of us, we may not have gluten or some of us may have too much gluten or some of us may focus on having meat or some of us may not eat meat.

[8:15] It's when it becomes your religion. And when you start becoming judgmental with other people, maybe your brother and sister in Christ, don't do that. Don't be judgmental to that point.

[8:27] And so the apostle Paul is encouraging the Christians not to let the judgment get through to them, right? Just as Paul was saying earlier in Colossians, stand firm in the faith and you see to it that no one takes you captive, right?

[8:43] It's the continuation of that. And this is applicable for us today, right? Again, when you become a Christian, don't let someone judge you for who you are, right?

[8:54] People may judge you for who you've been, but who you are now is a new creation in Jesus Christ, having a new life and a new identity in Him. That is a cause for celebration.

[9:05] And for the ones that judge you, you can always pray for them, answer their questions. They may not respond very well, but you know who you are and you remain in that.

[9:17] Don't let these people judge you. Live your life, your new life in Christ and you stay on the path. We go to verse 17 now, which is talking about the shadow and the substance.

[9:28] It says, these are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. That's a very powerful verse, right? And in order to understand this verse, you must understand that the Colossians, right?

[9:41] Again, they were once Jewish, they became Christian. They went from the old identity, the old way of doing things into the new life, the new identity, no longer focusing on the restrictions and the requirements.

[9:56] They, what's so interesting when we think of the Old Testament is how it points to Jesus Christ, right? Just as we've talked about before, the mystery of Jesus Christ, it is pointing to Christ and His majesty.

[10:14] That is something that's what we see here in so many connections and prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Those rules and restrictions from the Jewish faith were to point to Christ, that there's going to be a better way in Him.

[10:30] The Levitical Law, the sacrificial system, the dietary restrictions, they were all to point to Christ. And unfortunately, there were people who didn't understand it then and there's people that don't understand it now.

[10:40] We are blessed to know that the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ, right? We think of it as the Old Covenant, the old way of doing things, and we go into the New Testament, the New Covenant, that's testifying to Jesus Christ.

[10:56] So the verse goes on to say that the substance belongs to Christ. It is here where we find a connection, right? Where it's making another mention of the mystery of Christ, right?

[11:07] The revelation of the mystery. The shadow is pointing to the body or the substance of which belongs to Christ, Christ being the head of the body.

[11:20] And so the substance belongs to Him. And this last Sunday, right? I talked to you about how the apostle Paul was saying, let no one deceive you, right?

[11:32] Let no one delude you, let no one distract you. And we're going into verse 18 now where it says don't be defrauded, right? The verse says, let no one disqualify you, insisting on aestheticism and the worship of angels and going on into detail about vision, visions and puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind.

[11:55] These are some very specific things. The language is saying here, let no one defraud you, let no one rob you or even steal from you.

[12:07] Let no one deprive you of the prize in Christ. In 1 Corinthians chapter nine, verse 24, there is a reference of running the race to obtain the prize, right?

[12:23] After we receive salvation, we're called to do good in the name of the Lord. And that we are called to build up treasures in heaven. We are called to do the work of Christ and don't be robbed of the opportunity of doing good in the name of Christ.

[12:40] Let no one disqualify you, that's just another way of saying it. This disqualification speaks of robbing our treasures in heaven or the opportunity of it. So it begs the question then, okay, well, what is it that disqualifies us?

[12:53] What robs us or maybe even distracts us? Do you rails us so to speak? It's where we find the false teachings that were around in Colossae and maybe in Laodicea at the time.

[13:07] The first is aestheticism, which has to do with kind of being overly humble, loving the fact that you're being humble.

[13:18] Have you ever met someone like that? It's like they're being prideful about being humble. It's almost like a contradiction. Let's be honest here, right?

[13:28] The whole point of being humble is to not be proud, but yet there's some people who find pride in being humble. I know it's kind of funny when you really think about it, but it's an obsession with being humble.

[13:41] It's the point where you're worshiping yourself. Oh, look how humble I am. Like, what? What's going on here? And so these are people who are humble and they used it nothing more as pious pride over people.

[13:56] So then we have the worship of angels. When that's pretty self-explanatory, right? Like that makes pretty good sense. The Bible is very clear that we do not worship angels.

[14:08] In fact, you go to your Bibles, you go to Hebrews chapter one verses four through 14, mentions a great deal about how Christ is superior and he is above all angels.

[14:21] Christ is to be worshiped and he is served by the angels. And we're not to worship angels, but worship the living God. We're to worship Jesus Christ. And you know what's so funny?

[14:31] I think sometimes God has a funny sense of humor because in Revelation, you find two times where John, he attempts to worship an angel and the angel is saying like, hey John, don't do that, let's go to that first one.

[14:48] Revelation 1910, then I fell down at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, what? You must not do that, don't do that.

[14:59] I'm a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Do what? Worship God. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

[15:11] And if that doesn't convince you enough, it shows up twice. Let's go to the next one. I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me and he said to me, you must not do that, don't do that, John.

[15:31] What are you doing? I'm a fellow servant with you and your brothers, the prophets and with those who keep the words of this book, what?

[15:41] Worship God. That is incredible in seeing that. So in addition to these revelation verses, we need to know that, look, Satan himself is an angel of light, right?

[15:53] That's a very scary thing. I know for many of us when we're younger, we always think of the devil as a guy who's wearing a red suit. He's got horns going on. He's got a pitchfork, right?

[16:04] And he's got a poke you, right? That's how you're gonna go in and be tempted. He's gonna, okay, I need you to steal right now or I need you to do something here, whatever the sin is.

[16:15] But that's not an accurate representation of who Satan is, being an angel of being one of the most beautiful angels that God had created. Now, let's bring it home for a second here.

[16:29] How many of us like new things? Right? It's okay. We're all sinners here, right? We like new shiny things, right? And there's something that's really cool about advertising when you see the new sleekness of, I don't know, a new Lexus vehicle or a new Toyota Tundra or whatever it is.

[16:49] It's shiny, it's new and you're like, oh, I wanna drive that and have that new car smell, right? How many of you have seen something that is so beautiful? You're like, that can't be evil.

[17:02] But yet it is. And when we think in terms of the devil, I'm sorry, I mean, I kind of wish that the devil was just a guy wearing a red suit and he was all red in the face and had horns.

[17:15] So we could know exactly what he looks like. But that's not how it works though. The devil being an angel, so beautiful that when you see it, just like we're seeing here, right?

[17:28] I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. Now, what's very important when we're reading this is that the angels that follow the Lord are gonna tell you don't do that.

[17:43] But there's another side that might want you to go down on your feet as it were to worship them, say, oh yeah, look at me, I'm so beautiful.

[17:54] That's something we must take to note. So we go on into the section about details about visions which is speaking about having a healthy obsession about spiritual experiences, especially ones that are outside of the things of God.

[18:11] Now, when we consider Christianity, there are spiritual experiences, prayer and fasting, right? Reading the Word of God. But there are other spiritual practices that may be outside of, well, things that are scriptural, things that are over the top as it were.

[18:29] So just as there were people that were having the pride of humility, what an odd thing to say, the worship of angels, there were people who were so focused to the point that that was their emphasis.

[18:41] I'm gonna focus on the vision more than Christ. I'm gonna focus on the vision, think of it nowadays. I'm gonna focus on these prophecies. A good example would be Nostradamus, right? I'm gonna focus on Nostradamus more than the Word of God.

[18:55] Like what the angels said to John, don't do that. Don't do that. Don't do that. It's becoming distracted, right? Being robbed of the opportunity to do good in the name of Christ and being almost let away as it were from the truth of Christ.

[19:11] Because the truth of Christ, the truth of the Word of God is simple. Just like I mentioned previously in another sermon that believing in the Lord is simple.

[19:21] It's you having faith in him and being saved. It's not adding, you know, X amount of prayers again, praying in certain directions or having certain things to pray on.

[19:32] No, it's just believing in the Lord. We just have to be very careful when someone is going over the top about visions. Now that may not, that may be applicable today.

[19:45] I mean, I don't really know many people who's going on so much about visions where it's over the top but it's not to say it doesn't happen. Maybe you may have heard or seen or experienced someone like that.

[19:58] It should be noted as well, and you'll find this in your notes, that when we're considering prophecy or visions, we also have to remember, and this is always important, that with visions, just like with the angels here, the angels, if you know they're of the Lord, they're gonna tell you to worship God, right?

[20:15] Just like when we're considering prophecy or someone who receives a vision, so to speak, does it align with scripture? Because there might be someone who says, God told me to go rob this bank.

[20:30] What did the angels say? Don't do that, right? I tell you don't do that. And if you know anyone who has such a vision, don't do that, right? So it leads us into this next one, which is being puffed up with his sensuous mind, which is the idea of being full of pride and thinking of the things of the world, the things of the flesh.

[20:50] Ephesians chapter four, verse 17, it makes mention of how when we become a Christian, right? We have our new life, our new identity, and the verse says, you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do in the futility of your minds, right?

[21:07] It's so important. When you become a new creation, you focus on the things of God. You focus on scripture, your new life and your new identity, and you'll find why in the world would you focus on the former things?

[21:24] Because you have some people who at times they may believe in the Lord, but they're still living a sinful life. How does that testify to the fact that they're a new creation?

[21:35] I'm not gonna say they're not saved, but where's the evidence though? There's also mentioning it's the focus on the new life in Christ and not the former. There's a mention in Romans chapter eight, verses five through seven, which talks about how if we live according to the flesh, our minds are focused on the things of the flesh.

[21:53] We've gotta be careful to not focus on sinning, right? When we find that we habitually sin, you might become captive by it.

[22:04] And very often it does happen. If we focus on the things of God or the things of the Holy Spirit, we are setting our mind on things that are greater, on the spiritual, not on the things of this world, but focusing on Christ, the Holy Spirit, God the Father.

[22:22] We go to verse 19, which says that Christ is the head of the body, right? So these people, right? These prideful, humble people, there's those that are worshiping angels, those that are focusing on living a fleshly life.

[22:37] They're not holding fast to the head from whom the whole body nourished and knit together through which joints and ligaments grows with a growth that is from God. This is very important because we found that it is Jesus Christ who is the head of the body, the church, right?

[22:55] Christ is the head of the body of Christ. And we, as Christians, are all parts of the body. I don't know who's an ear, right? I don't know who might be a foot, but the idea is that we're all equally important in the eyes of God and how we serve the Lord, how I serve the Lord may be different than how you serve the Lord.

[23:15] And we're not to attack one another, but we're to be knit together in love like it mentions earlier in Colossians. Christ needs to be at the center of our life and we build upon the foundation that exists in him.

[23:28] Upon salvation, we are to grow and mature. Who wants to still be a baby and have formula? Is anybody here? Weirdo? I'm just kidding. No, but really though, it's a call for you to grow up, right?

[23:43] Right? I don't wanna be a baby in Christ. I wanna grow and mature. And it's a call for us to grow and mature, right? And so Christ is in charge and it's the same language that we see here, being knit together in love, right?

[23:59] That is the beautiful thing about the church. The body of Christ is that we bear one another's burdens. We celebrate the birth of a child and a new marriage or growth in Christ.

[24:10] We should celebrate when someone believes in the Lord when someone gets baptized. Where in the world do you find anything else like that? Where else do you find good, godly relationships that help you become a better man or a better woman in Christ?

[24:25] I don't know where else, you know? And that's something that's so significant about the church because as Christians, we're not to do this life alone.

[24:38] You know, I just recently came back from a conference in Boise. It's called the Gather to Scatter Conference. And it was Friday to Saturday. It was very long on Friday and I was overwhelmed by the time I got home.

[24:53] I took a nice nap. But you know what's really unfortunate is how there are so many people, especially young people, who feel neglected, who feel alone, that their life doesn't matter.

[25:08] And our hearts should break for these young people from children to teenagers because their life is valuable in the eyes of God.

[25:21] Their life has purpose and potential. And just as we encourage each other, sometimes we have to be present with each other in times of crisis or trials.

[25:35] In the same way, we have to think of the ones that don't know the Lord to find that comfort and that safety and that security.

[25:47] You may know someone who doesn't know the Lord. You may know someone who is suffering with their identity or struggling with is life even worth it?

[26:01] And there was a statistic. I don't have that statistic with me, but it was saying that I think it was one in five kids have contemplated suicide before COVID-19, before COVID-19, think about that.

[26:14] We know how bad it was with COVID-19. How much worse did it get? That's why we as the church, we've got to focus on welcoming people and exhibiting the love of Christ, right?

[26:29] Just like the Colossian Church, faithful to God, his word and exhibiting the love of Christ. Let this be a call for you to believe in the Lord, knowing that you don't have to be alone in this life, that you can be a part of something much greater than yourself.

[26:48] It is the evil one who tries to divide and conquer us. It's the evil one who tries to say, now you don't need to go to church, you should be alone and sleep in, because that's what really matters, right?

[26:58] Is sleeping in. Sleeping in, that's what really matters, is you don't want to know those Christians? That's the evil one trying to divide and conquer us.

[27:10] Instead of division, we should focus on the love and unity of Christ being knit together in love. The body of Christ is to grow together. If you do not know the Lord, let this be a call for you to believe in the Lord, come to know him and know that there is safety and security and purpose for your life, that you're not alone in this.

[27:31] And don't just believe in the Lord and be alone. Grow in the Lord, grow together with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Can you imagine for a moment the impact that we can have on our neighbors, on our friends and on our families, and in the community when we grow together and we are encouraged to do good in the name of Christ?

[27:53] Just imagine the profound impact, because God calls for us. He takes ordinary people, ordinary people from the farmer to the business person, from the poor to the rich, everyday ordinary people, and uses it for greater purpose.

[28:09] That is the beauty of our Lord. So don't grow alone. It's an incredible encouragement, not just for the Colossian church contextually, but it's directly applicable for us today.

[28:22] Let's go to verse 20. If in Christ, leave the former life, right? It says here, if with Christ, you die to the elemental spirits of the world, why as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations?

[28:35] That's a good question, right? If you believe in the Lord and you're saved, why in the world would you still live the former life? Why would you still live in such a way that doesn't honor and glorify God?

[28:47] Right, in believing the Lord you are saved, you're called to be, live differently. It's a question that can be asked then and today. Why would you focus on religion?

[29:01] Why would you focus on spirituality outside of the things of Christianity? Why would you want to continue to live a worldly life that you came to the Lord, most of us, we saw what the world had to offer and we came to Christ for safety and security.

[29:18] Why in the world do we keep living that way? It's a call for us to leave that former life. Christ has a better way, just as He has a better plan for you.

[29:29] Verse 21, religion equals what? Rules and regulations, right? It says in this verse, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch. Don't do this, don't do that.

[29:39] That's what you find in religion, right? The issue is that there's judgmental people who are trying to get Christians to go back to religion. And it's real that we find that it was very real back then and it will be real in the future, it's real today.

[29:55] 1 Timothy chapter four, verses one through five, mentions how the rules and restrictions, listen to this, will come back when there's apostasy. Isn't that interesting?

[30:09] That when we're thinking of the apostate church, right? Or those who become the great apostasy, it's a return to religion as it were. A return to rules and regulations.

[30:22] And that's very interesting. Some will leave the faith, some will leave the basics of our faith and will go into the rules and restrictions of religion, such as mentioned for food.

[30:34] Let's go to that verse 22 here. Referring to things that perish as they are used, the cornering to the precepts and teaching, right? So these two verses here are talking about, listen, the restrictions are nothing more than religion.

[30:51] Our faith offers freedom from sin and freedom from religion and offers eternal life by having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Our faith is about being a new creation, having an identity in Christ and spiritual transformation that exists in your life.

[31:07] And when it's referring to the things that perish as they are used, there's this nice connection. And it's kind of, it hits home if you don't know the Lord, right?

[31:21] And when you pick an apple from the tree, it's gonna eventually perish, it's gonna wither away, much like how we will if we don't know the Lord. That's a very heavy and difficult thing to think about, right?

[31:34] Comparing us to food, what in the world? But it's references of food, but also to the flesh, the things that perish which are used, which is in turn over time. There's a verse in 1 Corinthians 613, which speaks to this.

[31:47] I wanna read this to you. Food, 1 Corinthians 613, it says, food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food and God will destroy both. Woo, that's a difficult one, right?

[31:58] The body is not meant for immorality, specifically sexual immorality, but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. Because when you know the Lord, you're being saved, right?

[32:11] Your spiritual life and in the resurrection, when we get a new body, amen to that. I'd like to have a new body and I know for many of us we can identify with that, right?

[32:21] So the verse is saying that the things of the world will fade away. Food and flesh will fade away without knowing the Lord, so to speak. When you are a Christian, you are being reconnected to the Lord.

[32:34] To know Christ is to believe in him and to have eternal life. And you have to ask yourself the question, do you want to perish like food? What does John 3.16 say?

[32:48] That whoever believes in him should not, what? Parish, but have eternal life. Scripture also mentions that Christ is the bread and also that if we drink from the water of life, we will never thirst.

[33:05] And how interesting is it? And I want to give you this analogy. I didn't make a picture for this. If you want to go to the, actually could you go to the cover, the first slide? That's actually why I had the title slide as it were.

[33:20] Symbolism, imagery. I want you to think about this for a moment. In Genesis, what happened? There was an apple that was picked from the tree, right?

[33:34] The tree of life. That we are like the apple that would fade away because like the apple, it has been plucked, separated from the tree of life.

[33:47] That's interesting and check this out. With Christ, it is as though what has been separated from the tree of life was put back on to the tree.

[34:01] How Christ was nailed to the cross. Much like how our sins are paid in full when Christ was nailed to the cross. It's a very interesting way of looking at it, right?

[34:15] When you think of the tree in the garden and then the separation, right? Being plucked from the tree. And then when Christ dies being nailed on the cross, our sins are forgiven.

[34:28] It's just remarkable. And when you think about that, no longer to be separated, but to be connected with the Lord. That's what I want. And I hope that's what you want for your life.

[34:41] Verse 23 here, self-made religion. These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and aestheticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

[34:58] All of these things, right? Prideful humility, the worship of angels, focusing on visions rather than Christ, being puffed up and prideful with that sensuous mind, right?

[35:11] The fleshly mind, not holding on to the things of Christ and focusing on religions and rituals here. All of these things, they appear to have wisdom, much like how the devil appears to be good by being that angel of light.

[35:26] Think about that. There's a lot of things that appear to be good, but are not good. And ladies and gentlemen, there's a difference between truth and lies, good and evil, light from darkness.

[35:40] I do not wish to believe in something that appears good. I want to believe in something that is good. God is good.

[35:51] I do not want to learn wisdom that appears to be real wisdom. I want the real thing. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

[36:02] The verse is speaking of this self-made religion, which is outside of scripture. And in your notes, we don't have time to go over it, but in the back here, you'll find in here, there's a statement.

[36:20] If you go to Isaiah chapter 14 verses 12 through 15, these are what are known as the five satanic I wills. And that's interesting compared to the great I am.

[36:39] Do you understand the difference? I will do this. I will, I will, I will. Isn't that much like how religion is?

[36:51] I will do this. I will pray five times a day. I will face a certain direction. I will give $10,000 to get an indulgence or whatever it is.

[37:04] But in the eyes of God, we're worshiping the great I am who was and is and is to come. And so it's very interesting how there are things that are connected in scripture.

[37:20] We can either be like the devil and try to do things on our own or we can make a decision for Christ, believe in the Lord and be saved.

[37:31] Let this be a call for you to make a decision for Christ to believe in him and to be saved. And for those of you that know the Lord, let this be a call for you to grow.

[37:41] Cause we're always growing. We're always growing in the things of God. And for those of you who've been motivated, do good in the name of Christ.

[37:52] Go out into the world and be a beacon of hope. Exhibit the light and love and truth of Christ to others. We place our trust in the living God, the great I am, not the I will.

[38:09] Just as the apostle Paul was saying to remain in Christ, you see to it that you are not distracted, that you're not disqualified or robbed of the treasures in heaven or the opportunity to do good in the name of the Lord.

[38:25] Come to know the Lord, grow in him as an individual, be connected with our brothers and sisters in Christ, the body of Christ, and be equipped to go out into the world and do good in the name of Christ.

[38:39] Make a difference in the lives of our friends, our family and the community. May God protect us from the schemes of the devil the ways of this world.

[38:50] And may we remain focused on Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life, the salvation that he freely gives to all who believe. And may we keep our eyes on the prize, the treasures in heaven.

[39:04] That is the truth and freedom in Christ. Let's pray together. And gracious Father, we thank you for bringing us here today.

[39:15] As we have just gone further into the warnings that the apostle Paul had for the church at Colossae, we pray that we may all come to know who you are. We have a relationship with you that our minds are changed, that we repent.

[39:32] Our minds being changed, because that's what it means Father. Our minds are changed to believe in you. May we place our faith and trust in you. We pray that each and every one of us individually will grow in our faith.

[39:47] But also that we as the body of Christ, as the arm, the hands, the fingers, the ears, whatever, that we will grow together, from children to maturity, in the things of you and your holy word.

[40:02] We pray that we are moved and motivated to be a beacon of hope and exhibiting the light of love of your Son Jesus Christ and that we can act upon this faith, not have a dead faith, but a living and active faith that we can be doers of the word and not just hearers.

[40:20] May we be moved. May we praise you and worship you and thank you for all that you've done and all that you continue to do. May we be that light that comes from you.

[40:31] May we not fall into religions, rules or regulations, but rather may we have faith, may we have trust, may we believe in you, the solid rock, the firm foundation, the anchor for our souls.

[40:43] It is in the name of Jesus Christ, the name above all names that we pray and we all say together, amen. Thank you for tuning in to the Ontario Community Church sermon podcast.

[40:55] For more about our church and how you can get involved or support our mission, please visit ontariocommunitychurch.org. May God's blessings be with you.