Sacrificing Your Rewards

Colossians 2:16-23

Some parents spend all their time saying “don’t”. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.” “Don’t leave your toys on the floor.” “Don’t be late for school.” “Don’t stay up too late.” Eventually their children get the idea that being good is just about not doing things. Some get where they don’t do anything.

A man who came to our church said, “If the world does it, it is wrong for Christians to do.” He had a long list of things that Christians mustn’t do. Men mustn’t have long hair, and women shouldn’t have theirs’ short. Women shouldn’t wear pants. Christians shouldn’t celebrate Christmas, or Easter, or Independence day, or Halloween. He didn’t say anything about Mother’s Day or Thanksgiving, so I am not sure about those. Christians were not to eat certain foods, including pork, coffee, and sugar, and shouldn’t watch TV or listen to anything but Christian music, and even only certain types of that. This is exactly what Paul is warning about in today’s passage. We can get so caught up in all these don’ts we don’t do anything.

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17)

We are not to allow people to set such standards for us. They are not relevant to Christianity, having the same relationship as the shadow does to the person. A shadow will be generated by a physical body, but only because the body interferes with the path of light. It contributes nothing to the life of the person, and frequently gives a distorted picture of the reality, sometimes even concealing the reality. God doesn’t want us to be focused on the shadows.

Romans 14 stresses the idea that we have no right to hold others to our standards. They are not responsible to us, but to God. As Romans 14:4 asks, “Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.” When we begin to set the standards, we are usurping God’s authority. and Christians are not to allow others to take God’s place in their lives.

Romans 14:12-13 reiterates this responsibility to God. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.” Rather than worrying about whether another is doing something we think is wrong, we need to focus on making sure we are not doing things that push others away from God, because we will also be judged, and according to Matthew 7:1-2, by the same standard we judged. “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” This doesn’t mean we can’t hold a standard ourselves, but that we have no right to impose it on others.

Just as we are not to allow others to set our standards, thus usurping Gods authority, we are not to simply follow our leaders blindly, assuming they are so much more spiritual than ourselves. While we are to obey those that lead, and to honor those who teach, and lead well, we are never to transfer our focus to them. A Christian who accepts the pastor’s word over the word of God, or the wife who ignores God’s word to obey her husband is guilty of idolatry. They have given up their rewards for serving Christ to serve a person. I Corinthians 7”23 says, “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.”

“Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath 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, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore 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 the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.” (Colossians 2:18-23)

The men who are demanding this kind of obedience are overstepping their authority, convinced they are greater thatn the others. They ignore Christ’s authority, and take it for themselves, though he is the source and basis for everything. By doing so, they ignore the command of Christ that we are not to do it that way. Luke 22:25-26 is quite explicit. “And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.” Lest there be any Question, both Matthew and Mark record the same statement. I Peter 5:3, after instructing in how to pastor properly, instructs: “Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” Jesus even went so far as to forbid using titles in Matthew 23:8, “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.”

Because they no longer hold Christ as the most important, such men begin to establish their own rules, standards, and teachings. These give an appearance of value in self control and humility, and of self denial, but why are we obligated to keep them? Christ set us free from such things. Romans 8:2 tells us, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” As a result, “All things are lawful unto me.” according to I Corinthians 6:12, although I do have responsibilities in them.

As far as worshipping angels is concerned, the angel speaks to John in Revelation 19:10. “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” A similar statement is found in Revetlation 22:8-9. “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”

Christians are not to worship, or allow anyone to take God’s place before then, not pastors, church leaders, political leaders, or angels. They arte not to be set above other people, including ourselves. We are to worship and follow God, and in doing so , those leaders who are also following God.