Serve the Right Master

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Serve the Right Master

• Is there a rule book for Christians to follow?
• List of Dos and Donts?
• Do you see God like Santa Claus?
• Our Christian life is more about who we serve,
  instead of the rules we follow.

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Church History

• Many have seen the church as the Perfection
  Police
• The Rule and the Authority
• Determine what can and cant be done.
• Christians never, dont, cant
• In Colossians Paul takes on the Perfection
  Police
• 3 Concerns Legalism Mysticism Asceticism

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Lose the Legalism (16-17)

• Do not let anyone judge you
• Diet (Kosher) and Days (Moons, Feasts)
• Remember Fish-Fridays Chicken Sundays
• Paul says, Do not let anyone judge you
• Whats wrong with Legalism?

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It Gives Favor to the Wrong Person

• Legalism is a shadow (17)
• Jesus is the real thing
• When we focus on rules and regulations we are not
  focusing on Christ.
• When we let others call the shot for us then we
  give them the position reserved only for Jesus.
  This is idolatry.
• This says Jesus work on the cross is not enough.

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It Puts Focus on the Wrong Place

• It demeans life in the church.
• You end up with a police state mentality.
• Everyone judges everyone and the focus is off
  Christ.
• It dims the light of the church.
• People cant see past the rigid rules and
  regulations.
• The shining love of Christ must be seen.
• We need to be servants not drill sergeants.
• The focus must be on Christ!

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Miss the Mysticism (18-19)

• Mysticism is the opposite of legalism.
• It is spiritualism.
• Some in the church in Colossae were into visions
  and making contact with angels.
• False Humility- bowing down to angles because
  they felt they unworthy to come into fellowship
  with God.
• They were looking for deeper spiritual insight.
• They were looking in the wrong place.
• How does mysticism hurt us?

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Mysticism Puffs Up our Heads (18)

• When visions, dreams, later day revelations
  become our spiritual insights puffs us up with
  idle notions.
• True spiritual experiences humble us Job 425-6,
  My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have
  seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent
  in dust and ashes.
• Others Isaiah, Peter, John- All humbled before
  the Lord.

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Mysticism Parts Us from the True Head

• Verse 19
• There is no life when the body is separated from
  the head.
• You can chase after revelations out-of-body
  experiences, visions, healers, angels, saints
  already departed.
• If you do this you slowly strangle yourself from
  the real relationship with Jesus Christ.

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Avoid Asceticism (20-23)

• Col 220-23, Since you died with Christ to the
  basic principles of this world, why, as though
  you still belonged to it, do you submit to its
  rules "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not
  touch!"? These are all destined to perish with
  use, because they are based on human commands and
  teachings. Such regulations indeed have an
  appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed
  worship, their false humility and their harsh
  treatment of the body, but they lack any value in
  restraining sensual indulgence.

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Avoid Asceticism

• An ascetic practices extreme self-denial.
• This was popular in the Middle Ages.
• Thought- we can sanctify the soul by punishing
  the body.
• They would deprive themselves of food and sleep.
• Might take a vow of silence beat themselves
  wear burlap sleep on a concrete slab etc.

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Why Avoid Asceticism?

• We are guided by a relationship with Christ, not
  by regulations in the world (20).
• Appearance of wisdom.
• Self-imposed worship.
• False Humility.
• Harsh treatment of the body.
• All this lacks any value in restraining sensual
  indulgence.

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Serve the Right Master

• Col 31-4, Since, then, you have been raised
  with Christ, set your hearts on things above,
  where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly
  things. For you died, and your life is now hidden
  with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your
  life, appears, then you also will appear with him
  in glory.

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Focus

• Because you have been raised with Christ.
• Set your hearts on throne of Christ.
• Set you mind on Christ not earthly things.
• For you died.
• Your life is hidden with Christ in God.
• Christ- who is your life.
• Is Christ your focus today?