Legalism is a Rejection of the Gospel.

Steve Gentry

[0:09] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. [0:10] Welcome to Village Church. [0:11] This is your first time here. [0:12] My name is Steve, one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:14] And as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:18] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to Colossians chapter two.

[0:21] We’re going to be starting in verse 16 this morning. [0:25] If you haven’t noticed, the balcony is complete. [0:27] All that we’re going to do now is go get some ladders so that you can climb up there next Sunday. [0:32] Bring some blankets so you can sit down. [0:36] It’ll be good to go. [0:37] But we’re really at the midway point of Paul’s letter to the Colossian Church.

[0:43] And last week, we looked at verses 13 through 15 as the crescendo of the book’s first half, [0:49] that everything that God has done through his son, Jesus, has given him victory, [0:55] where he has triumphed over every ruler, every authority. [0:59] He’s put them to open shame through the death and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ. [1:05] And so really, it is the bedrock of our faith. [1:08] And if you weren’t here, I really do think that in order to understand the context of what we’re going to talk about today,

[1:14] it would be helpful to you if you would go listen to that or watch it just for contextual purposes, [1:21] because every verse in Colossians really builds on the last. [1:26] And so as we go through the book as a whole, it’ll be very helpful if you kind of track with the themes and the structures [1:33] that every verse sets out, even to understand the analogies that we’re going to go through. [1:38] And what we’ll see today really is that we are meant to live our lives in celebration of what Jesus has done. [1:45] Faith in Christ actually leads you to the work of applying the truth of Jesus to every single part of your life.

[1:53] And it’s the work that some people fall short of. [1:56] Therefore, when they do that, they begin to either form or fall for the lies of false teachers. [2:03] And verses 16 through 23, Paul leads the Colossians to apply the truth of the gospel to their lives [2:09] so that they can begin to live out the practical implications of it. [2:15] So much of what we’ve talked about in this book so far has been really orthodoxy or right teaching. [2:21] And what we’re going to begin to transition into this week is what’s called orthopraxy, theologically speaking,

[2:26] or you take the orthodox teaching, you take that right teaching and you learn how to live a right lifestyle. [2:34] And so he’s going to spend the rest of this book showing just how the gospel impacts every day of your life. [2:40] And by letting it do that, letting it have that effect is actually going to combat those pervasive false doctrines. [2:48] Because if Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sin and he rose from the dead, winning victory over sin and death, [2:55] then his victory is certain. [2:57] Nothing should be added to it, nor should anything be taken away from it.

[3:01] And so when people seek to take you captive by giving you an extra pathway to righteousness, [3:07] you must refuse and even rebuke them in the name of Jesus as they are perverting the whole thing. [3:14] And what we’re really going to be delving into this morning is the topic of legalism. [3:18] And the issue of legalism can be difficult to tackle because it requires you to put your thinking cap on, really. [3:25] It requires you to kind of have the ability to walk and chew gum at the same time, [3:30] to understand how legalism is such a perversion of the gospel, yet God still commands you to obey him.

[3:38] There is obedience required of the Christian, but none of it makes you more righteous than you are made [3:44] at the moment of your conversion to faith in Jesus Christ. [3:48] And so I want to begin reading in verse 16 of Colossians 2. [3:52] He begins with the word therefore, and of course, whenever you see therefore, it is a vital element [3:57] in what he’s saying there is in light of everything that we have just talked about, [4:02] in light of Jesus triumphing over all of the rulers, all of the authorities,

[4:06] in light of the fact that he has put Satan and his demons to open shame, [4:11] that there’s nothing that they can do to you because of the triumph of Christ. [4:15] Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival [4:22] or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are but a shadow of the things to come, [4:27] but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, [4:32] insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions puffed up

[4:38] without reasons by his sensuous mind. [4:43] Number one, this morning, you need to understand that legalism rejects the lordship of Jesus. [4:48] Legalism rejects the lordship of Jesus. And so if you’re a follower of Jesus, [4:53] you must therefore reject legalism. But what is legalism? And so many people will look at you. [4:59] If you say they need to be obedient to any command, they will label you a legalist. [5:04] Some people will see the statement even in the first verse, let no one pass judgment on you,

[5:09] and they will put a period after that and not read the context of the judgment that they’re [5:12] talking on. And they’ll just simply quote to you, Matthew 7, one, judge not lest you be judged, [5:18] ignoring the context of the whole chapter. There’s a lot of judgment in the Christian life, [5:22] to be honest with you. And so legalism is not calling people to obedience. Legalism is not [5:30] the expectation that you will live under the lordship of Jesus Christ. No, that’s an expectation [5:36] that the scripture gives you. Legalism is actually finding righteousness in your activity

[5:43] versus finding your righteousness in Christ. Because finding righteousness in activity [5:48] is actually about robbing God of his glory and trying to give it to yourself or give it to [5:54] another human being. The clearest application of this is the glory of self that so many people [6:00] seek. Paul’s premise about false teachers in Colossians 2, 8 was actually to guard [6:06] against false teachers taking them captive. But verse 16 actually makes practical what that is. [6:14] It actually shows you how this can happen. Once you are in Christ through faith, you should not

[6:22] let any type of judgmentalism be the reason that you follow Jesus Christ. It’s not that judgment [6:31] is bad. It’s the wrong kind of judgment is bad. The Bible, as I said, especially the New Testament, [6:36] is filled with not only judgment, but it is actually filled with how to exercise being [6:41] judgmental in righteous ways rather than finding your righteousness in that judgment. [6:48] When somebody makes the statement, no man can judge me, only God can judge me, [6:52] that should be of no comfort. That should actually be more terrifying because God not only

[6:57] sees what I do, he sees why I did it. He can read my mind. That is a dangerous principle. [7:04] Any effort that you put in to earning righteousness from God is the legalism [7:11] that Paul is warning you against seeking in this life. Jesus declares us righteous [7:18] through his work on the cross and in the resurrection. Therefore, because of that, [7:24] there is no more righteousness for me to earn if he has declared me completely righteous. [7:30] God in his righteousness made the decision to gift it to us. Therefore, there is nothing left for us

[7:38] to earn. And so what Paul is warning us against is the bad judgment that would lead someone away [7:44] from the gospel of Jesus. This is the cultic type of judgment that he’s been warning against, [7:49] whether it be a practice to add a sacrament to follow or observances that are not attached [7:56] to God’s work through Jesus. It is a man centered attempt at making the self righteous. In that [8:04] sense, that’s why I call it a rejection of the lordship of Jesus Christ, because the lordship [8:10] of Jesus Christ is all about the gospel and not about my attempt to earn righteousness.

[8:15] Romans 3 26 makes it very clear. The apostle Paul again writing that God uses the gospel to bring [8:22] himself glory by redeeming man from sin himself. He says that the gospel was to show his righteousness [8:29] at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. [8:36] And so it starts with the premise God is just. It’s one of his attributes. It’s who he is. [8:42] You will never find perfect justice apart from Jesus Christ. You will never find it apart from [8:51] who God is. But not only did God desire just for him to be just, he made the decision that he would

[8:59] bring himself ultimate glory by implementing his justice for my sin through the gospel of Jesus [9:08] Christ. That’s what it means by he’s also the justifier. And so God in his justness did not [9:14] ignore sin. No, he found justice for sin on the cross. Jesus paid the penalty. Christ absorbing [9:20] 100% of the wrath that I deserve, 100% of the condemnation for my sin that I deserve. And [9:28] through that, God desired to declare sinners as righteous through the righteousness of Christ. [9:37] There was never a moment and there has never been a moment in the existence of humanity where we

[9:43] could earn our own righteousness. It was always God’s plan to do the work himself. Therefore, [9:49] when we talk about the issue of justification, we are talking about a legal declaration that God has [9:56] made through his son about me that I could not do myself. I am a sinner, but God in his justice [10:06] through his love has declared because of his son, I am righteous. There’s nothing I can add to that. [10:15] I will ruin it if you give me the shot. But God in his perfect justice has declared it true. [10:22] Therefore, I rest in the righteousness of Christ. I don’t seek to earn it.

[10:28] I don’t seek to make it better. I don’t seek to make it more righteous. I can’t. It is perfect [10:34] in the way that it was carried out. It is perfect in the way that it has been applied to my life [10:39] through faith. Therefore, there is nothing I nor you can ever do to make yourself righteous or to [10:50] earn the favor of God. There is only what Christ has done that earns you the favor of God through [11:00] justification. Therefore, God doesn’t seek to give you the opportunity to prove your righteousness. [11:10] That would be to give you glory. God’s intention, excuse me, in the gospel is to display his power

[11:18] and glory for all to see as he maintains his justice in declaring us righteous or [11:25] justifying those who’ve sinned against him. And this is where Judaism went wrong. And why those [11:32] who sought to convince the Colossians to be circumcised and convert to Judaism on top of [11:37] the gospel were actually seeking to rob God of his glory. In Galatians chapter five, starting [11:43] the first verse, the apostle Paul warns that this is not a small matter. He says, for freedom, [11:48] Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

[11:54] Look, I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to [12:01] you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the [12:07] law. Now note what verse four says, you are severed from Christ. You who would be justified [12:14] by the law, you have fallen away from grace. That’s pretty serious. He says that if you accept [12:20] the false teaching of legalism, if you accept that you have to be circumcised, a work that you do by [12:26] your hands, if you accept that you must earn God’s favor through keeping the law, you are severed

[12:34] from Christ. Friends, legalism is a serious matter. To give in to these false teachings of [12:43] legalism is a denial of the sufficiency of Christ. But understand, there’s a little legalist in every [12:52] heart. You want to prove something about yourself. You want to earn your keep. You want to show people [13:01] that you are good enough. I mean, in our culture, especially this is pervasive in every element. [13:09] You only need to look at the fact that whenever you put any post on social media, [13:14] you will stare at it saying, why hasn’t anyone liked it yet?

[13:19] Why hasn’t anyone shared my brilliance with others yet? [13:23] Why hasn’t anyone given me a heart? Why hasn’t anyone commented?

[13:29] And then you take it down. It’s like, well, I guess it wasn’t good enough. So it’s actually [13:33] going on inside of you is this self-centeredness that you’re trying to earn something in this [13:40] world. You’re trying to earn something from someone else. You want the acceptance of others [13:45] just the way you want the acceptance of God. And if you are not careful, [13:50] you will invent a system that you are not righteous until you’ve earned acceptance. [13:58] Every single one of us struggle with it, even if we deny it. And this, of course, is not, as I just

[14:03] said, limited to circumcision. This is not just Jewish heresy. There are Christian legalisms. [14:10] Anything that you do to earn righteousness, or I would go as far to say anything that you do to [14:16] prove your righteousness is a rejection of the lordship of Jesus and an attempt to take his [14:23] and give it to yourself. I have seen people do wonderful things. I’ve seen people help [14:32] many, many other people, and they’ve done it for the most self-centered of reasons. [14:39] And therefore, God didn’t get any glory out of it. You can do a great thing in this life. And if

[14:45] you do it to show how good you are, how much moral fiber you have, and for the applause of [14:53] other people, you have your reward. Every action must transcend me and go to the glory of God for [15:01] it to be of any spiritual benefit. Friend, you can spend your entire life helping thousands of [15:10] people in an extremely moral way. And you can have the whole world look at you and say, [15:16] you are an example of everything everyone else should be. You have done so many good things. [15:25] And if you did it for the glory of self, all it will earn you is eternal condemnation.

[15:31] All it will earn you is the wrath of God, because you didn’t live for the glory of God. You lived [15:35] the glory of self. And that’s why I caution so many people. Stop trying to prove something [15:42] to everybody. Stop trying to prove your worth. Stop caring so much what other people think about [15:51] you and say about you, because what will ultimately happen is you will build a life where you are more [15:57] fearful of people than you are of God. And I will tell you, there is not a single thing other people [16:05] can do to your eternity, but there is plenty that God can do to your eternity. So whose glory

[16:10] are you living for, friend? If you live for the glory of self, you will never be able to worship God. [16:18] And yet, so many of you will do something this very week, even in light of what we’ve talked [16:25] about, to prove your righteousness to other people. Friend, I accepted a long time ago, [16:31] I have no righteousness of my own. Therefore, it is a fool’s errand to try to prove it. [16:40] It’s a lie. The only righteousness that Steve Gentry has is the righteousness gifted to me [16:48] through the obedience of God, the Son, Jesus Christ, in his life, death, and resurrection.

[16:52] And he lives making intercession for me right now. Understand, you can very quickly turn a good thing [17:00] into a proving my righteousness thing, and it becomes a legalistic standard that does not give [17:05] glory to God. If it’s not a biblical thing because of the glory of Jesus Christ, then you need to [17:12] repent of it. When I was growing up, people were proving their righteousness because they used a [17:18] certain version of the Bible. I’ve seen people in adulthood prove they’re more righteous than [17:24] everybody else because they have six kids when everybody else has three kids. I mean, friends,

[17:29] I dealt with it in this church. It was controversial because some people thought that [17:32] they were righteous because they used a certain type of diaper while everybody else used the less [17:36] righteous disposable standard. Some people find righteousness in breastfeeding while all the [17:42] peasants use formula. What are we trying to prove? Who gave you these standards? [17:53] Friend, you can have 18 children at home and you’re going to split hell wide open if it’s [17:57] about your righteousness. But you can also have no kids at home and split hell wide open if that’s

[18:05] your standard of self-centered righteousness. It is about Jesus or it is unrighteous. [18:14] Where did we get ourselves to a place where there was any other standard than Jesus Christ? [18:21] You can’t prove your righteousness by the way that you dress. You can’t prove you’re righteous [18:27] by the standard of your hair. You can’t prove your righteousness. I mean, I was in a tradition [18:33] where people were bringing their televisions and burning them in a big pile in the field behind [18:38] the church to prove just how righteous they were. All I saw was a pile of money where I could have

[18:42] watched cartoons. What a loss. Friends, the culture around us is seeking to do this to us as well. [18:53] Just a few years ago, none of us knew what critical race theory was, but it’s the Marxist [18:57] ideology of the oppressor, oppressed posture and owing others because your people group has had a [19:05] history of oppression over another people group. And if you are in the majority culture, then you [19:10] have to earn righteousness by divesting of your culture. Friend, I know I’m supposed to divest [19:16] of my whiteness to be righteous, but I’m still trying to figure out how to quit that. It’s

[19:22] a clarion call even for Christians to make themselves more righteous. Anything apart from [19:28] the gospel that is an attempt to make you earn righteousness is false doctrine. I don’t care [19:36] where it comes from. Jesus is the fulfillment of every Old Testament picture and promise. [19:44] Note that in the text, if you look at verse eight, verse 17, rather, he uses two very important [19:51] words that can be confusing if you don’t study them. He says these are a shadow of the things [19:58] to come, but here’s the important phrase, but the substance belongs to Christ. That is a statement

[20:05] that every shadow in the Old Testament was a sign meant to point you to what Christ would fulfill [20:14] on the cross. Now he specifically is going to use the examples of food and drink and the observance [20:21] of religious days of Sabbath. Paul states that those Old Testament requirements though have been [20:28] fulfilled in Christ just as the sacrificial system they were a part of. If you look at Romans chapter [20:35] 14 verses five and six, I love the way Paul puts this. He says one person esteems one day as better [20:41] than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each should be fully convinced in his own mind.

[20:45] The one who observes the day observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats eats in honor of the [20:50] Lord since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and [20:55] gives thanks to God. Paul is more or less saying if you want to observe a day as special, good for you, [21:02] but don’t put that burden on anybody else’s shoulders. You’re not God. Now if you come to [21:09] membership matters, you will find out I love the 1689 confession of faith. I think it’s a great [21:13] guiding document for good doctrine, but I always preface that and qualify it with the fact that it

[21:21] is not inerrant like the Bible is inerrant. And it’s because of this type of standard. [21:26] And the 1689, it does that to Sunday. It basically refers to Sunday as the Christian Sabbath. [21:33] Friend, Christian Sabbath is Christ. It’s not a day. And so if you want to legalistically hold [21:41] everyone accountable and say they must only worship Christ on that day, here’s the problem. [21:48] There’s no biblical standard for that. You can search the whole Bible. I promise you, [21:53] you will never find a verse that says that God, because of the resurrection, woke up one day and

[21:59] said, I’m tired of the Sabbath being on Saturday. It’s now going to be on Sunday. And so now [22:05] Christians have a Sabbath. No, it doesn’t exist. It’s not the Sabbath day. And so people should, [22:09] it is a sin, I believe, to refer to Sunday as the Sabbath day because you are creating a law that [22:16] God has not made. But here’s why walking and chewing gum at the same time can be complicated [22:22] on the issue of legalism. Why do we meet on Sunday? Why are we here? Why are we doing this then? By [22:29] the way, I still think you should come here on Sunday. I think it’s a really, really good thing

[22:33] to do. All right. But here’s why we meet on Sunday because we’ve been doing that since the book of [22:38] Acts and Acts chapter 20. They started meeting on the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead [22:42] because it is a memorial to the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on Sunday. But here’s [22:47] the key. Sunday still isn’t the Sabbath. And so I’m not going to try to guilt you of it. What I am [22:52] going to tell you is you are actually commanded to gather with other Christians regularly for [23:00] worship. And since we do it on Sunday, you should come meet with us on Sunday and worship Jesus

[23:08] Christ. That’s the tension. One of them is a command that God has given. The other is not a [23:15] command that God has given in Christ. That’s why number two this morning, obedience to God [23:21] is not legalism. Obedience to God is not legalism.

[23:29] If legalism is rejection of the lordship of Jesus Christ, obedience should be seen [23:36] as submitting to the lordship of Jesus Christ. And they are very different because just as [23:43] you should reject legalism, you should also reject what is called antinomianism. Antinomianism means [23:48] against law. It means that if you are in Christ, there’s a whole thread of heresy about it, then [23:54] you are not bound to obey anything that God has said. Therefore, you don’t have to live by a [23:59] righteous standard that God has given. You do not need to obey God at all in Christ. And that is

[24:05] just as heretical as legalism is. It’s just the polar opposite side of it. Yes, God has given you [24:12] the right to live by the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. [24:15] And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the [24:17] law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God.

[24:27] And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the [24:42] law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. [24:47] And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the [24:51] law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. [24:52] And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the [25:02] law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God. And that is the law of God.

[25:10] Retort. Are we required to obey or not? I think James 2 17 is very helpful, puts it in a perspective. [25:19] Half brother of Jesus writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and he says faith by itself. [25:24] If it does not have works, is dead. Faith is shown through the work in our lives. Now Colossians [25:32] chapter 3, which we’re going to get into next week, will show the effect that the new life in [25:37] Christ has. But here, Paul is speaking of a foundational principle that that is to be built on. [25:44] We do not obey Jesus so that God will love us. We obey him because we are confident that God loves

[25:55] us completely in Christ. And those are two very different things. It’s a different thing to try [26:01] to earn someone’s love than to live in light of their love. When you’re seeking to earn their [26:06] love, there is the possibility of condemnation if they will not give it to you. In Christ, that is [26:12] not a sufficient standard. In Christ, you have his love already. Therefore, all of my obedience [26:18] is because I want to show how great the God who loves me already, the God who has gifted me with [26:23] his righteousness is. We do not gain faith through works. We show our faith by our works. Verse 19

[26:33] contains a command to obey. Note what he says here. He says, and excuse me, he talks about those [26:41] who would have them legalistic. They are puffed up without reason by sensuous minds and not holding [26:47] fast to the head from whom the whole body nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments [26:53] grows with a growth that is from God. But note, if you are not held accountable by God to obey certain [27:00] commands, then why did he give you a command there? What was the command? Hold fast to the head. [27:06] That’s a command. The head is Jesus Christ. He says you have to commit. You have to be committed

[27:15] to the standard of living that God has given us in Jesus Christ. And so that is a command that you [27:23] are to obey, but you don’t do it to earn his righteousness. As I’ve said, he’s already given [27:28] it to you. You do it to show his righteousness. One that shows that we have already been declared [27:35] righteous in Jesus and we are now alive through the power of his spirit and we live as those who [27:42] are already alive. That is very different. Righteous activity is the outcome of grace. [27:49] It is not the earning of favor. He notes at the end of verse 19 that we grow with a growth that

[27:57] is from God. That is again a statement of grace. This is a statement of the source of the strength [28:03] of our obedience to God’s commands. It is the power of God working through our lives of faith [28:10] made possible because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, understand that God commands [28:18] us not to be legalistic. And that’s not counterintuitive. That’s not a contradictory statement. [28:26] If you’re not to be legalistic, do you not understand that that’s a command you’re to obey? [28:32] Therefore, even in rejecting legalism, we have a command. Therefore, God commands obedience to

[28:37] many things. And the way that I like to explain this, that was very interesting. It might seem [28:42] odd to you, but I want you to track with me for a minute. It’s from Acts chapter 10 starting in [28:46] verse 9. It’s right before the apostle Peter preaches the gospel to a Gentile for the first time [28:53] and where we see Gentiles begin to be grafted into the Church of Jesus Christ. It says, [28:58] The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the [29:02] housetop about the sixth hour to pray, and he became hungry and wanted something to eat.

[29:07] But while they were preparing it, Peter fell into a trance and saw the heavens open and something [29:12] like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all [29:18] kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him, rise, Peter, [29:24] kill and eat. But Peter said, he objects, by no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that [29:32] is common or unclean. And the voice came to him again a second time. What God has made clean, [29:40] do not call common. This has been something that baffles so many people. I get questions about it

[29:46] sometimes, but the question is, why has God hate barbecue in the Old Testament?

[29:51] I don’t know if you’ve ever had a tasty pig, but I kind of like it. It’s one of my favorite parts [29:55] of being a Gentile. All right, I get to get those baby back ribs. All right. [30:01] But here in the book of Acts, something fascinating is happening, because a lot of people even ask, [30:05] why are Christians allowed to ignore the dietary restrictions of the Old Testament? Why can we go [30:12] to eat a red lobster and eat shrimp? It’s shellfish. You’re not supposed to eat shellfish. It’s [30:15] unclean. This takes us back to where it says there’s the shadow of the law, and then there’s the

[30:22] substance, which is Christ. The entire dietary restrictions of the Old Testament were given to [30:29] Israel to show their uniqueness and to show that God has standards of what is clean and what is [30:35] unclean. But here’s the key. It was a shadow so that God would have the perfect analogy [30:44] to send to Peter in Acts chapter 10 to show Peter, Peter, I want you to go preach the gospel to [30:52] people that you would consider unclean, because I’m going to make them clean through faith in [30:58] Jesus Christ. And so God unfolds this miraculous sheet and a trance from heaven and inside of it.

[31:04] And understand, Peter is a Jew. Not only is Peter is a Jew, Peter is a proud Jew. And so Peter’s [31:12] rejection of it is, I’m too pious. I’ve revered your law. I’ve earned your righteousness in some way. [31:23] And he says, Peter, kill the pig, eat the pig. Peter, kill the shellfish, eat the shellfish. [31:29] And Peter is offended by God’s gospel. And Peter says, nope, I’ve never eaten anything common, [31:38] never eaten anything unclean. I’m good enough, Lord. And God looks to him and says, [31:43] be careful. I’m going to judge your legalistic heart if you don’t do what I’m telling you to do.

[31:50] And the liberation from legalism, God does not free Peter from obedience. [31:56] God gives him the righteous standard of obedience. Never call common what God calls clean. [32:05] And if Peter had disobeyed at this point, he would have missed out on the opportunity to go [32:12] to the house of Cornelius, preach the gospel to a Gentile, see the entire household come to faith [32:18] in Jesus Christ, and then a Gentile revival, never again seen, started that spread the gospel [32:25] over the known world at that time. See, friends, God’s standards are never arbitrary.

[32:32] There is a purpose and there is a meaning. But this is why the Old Testament must be [32:36] understood through the lens of the New Testament. The substance belongs to Christ. [32:42] Whenever you look at the Old Testament and say, why, why, why, why is this the way it is? Why is [32:48] that the way it is? It’s a shadow that’s ultimately to be fulfilled completely in the work of Jesus [32:55] Christ because the gospel brought about the life that God always meant to have and the glory that [33:00] he wanted by being both the just and the justifier. The people of God are now Jew and Gentile

[33:08] together in Christ, one people from all nations, the church. See, the tension there for so many [33:17] is real. That’s why 2 Peter 1, 3 explains that the order by which things come is, excuse me, [33:24] is that God in his power has granted these things to us and now we live by the knowledge [33:32] that God has given us to his glory, not to my glory, to his glory. I am righteous in Christ [33:44] because God has declared it, not because I deserve it, not because I’ve done some religious activity [33:52] over the course of my life. I can tell you, I have been in church since the day I was born

[33:57] and none of it has earned me any righteousness. I’m glad for it. I’m thankful that I’ve always [34:03] known the name of Jesus Christ, but not a single ounce of my religious activity has earned me the [34:09] favor of God. What has earned me the favor of God is that I realize what a sick sinner I am and how [34:19] glorious Jesus paying the penalty for my sin on the cross is. That is my righteousness and I don’t [34:25] have another one. Friend, you spent five minutes with me, you find out I’m pretty unrighteous. [34:32] I mean, you guys love that we had fall back day, everybody loves it. I prefer the one where we

[34:37] lose an hour of sleep because when we lose an hour of sleep, I don’t wake up at 415 wide awake.

[34:43] Cussing the world, all right, because I’m like, now I’m awake in the middle of the night. [34:48] So I’ve just had more hours awake today than I have asleep. Friend, you are not righteous. [34:57] But here’s the big catch. Why aren’t these legalistic practices good? [35:04] Verse 23, skip a few verses. He says, these have indeed an appearance of wisdom. [35:11] Anytime the Bible says something has an appearance of wisdom, it’s actually mocking it. [35:15] In promoting self-made religion and asceticism, severe to the body. But here’s the key.

[35:23] But they are of no value. Why? Because they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. [35:32] Why is legalism so dangerous? Because it doesn’t help you obey God. [35:40] It doesn’t help you repent of sin. It doesn’t help you be restored to the vision [35:47] that God has for you. It just makes the sinner more sinful. It is useless in helping us deal [35:55] with our sin because Jesus has dealt with it perfectly on the cross. Therefore, number three, [36:01] this morning, Christian freedom is a celebration of the sufficiency of Jesus. Christian freedom

[36:08] ultimately isn’t about what I’m allowed to do and what I’m not allowed to do. That’s an immature [36:14] way of looking at Christian freedom. Christian freedom is really just about celebrating the [36:19] sufficiency of Christ. And so whenever you’re eating some good barbecue, just celebrate that [36:25] you can eat pork because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. Next time you’re at Red Lobster, [36:30] the unending shrimp feast, if you like something like that, every single one of them to the glory [36:35] of God in Christ Jesus, because if you have died with Christ, you have victory in Christ,

[36:44] and that can never be taken away from you because you didn’t do anything to earn it. [36:51] Jesus did it all. Paul begins in verse 20 to end the chapter with an if-then statement. Look at [36:58] what he says. He says, if with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, [37:05] as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations? Do not handle, do not taste, [37:12] do not touch, referring to things that all perish as they are used according to human [37:17] precepts and teachings. These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made

[37:23] religion and asceticism, and like I said, severe to the body, but they are of no value. [37:30] If you are in Christ, why do you act like you aren’t? See, Christ, excuse me, Paul begins with [37:39] a statement asking a question of inventory more than anything else. He says, if you are in Christ. [37:47] In other words, if your whole life is about proving your value, if your whole life is about [37:51] proving everybody wrong about you, if your whole life is about proving how worthy, proving how [37:56] righteous, proving you can meet the standard, Paul wants you to stop for a second and say, am I in

[38:02] Christ? Am I in Christ? If I’m living by nothing more than standards that I’ve made up and proving [38:10] a righteousness that I can never attain, am I in Christ at all? But then he notes, if you take that [38:17] inventory and come out on the other side and say, yes, I am in Christ, he says, stop listening to [38:26] every false teacher that would convince you, you aren’t. Elemental spirits of the world is actually [38:32] a restatement of something that was said in Colossians 2.8. The term there is the root word [38:37] for stoicism or a self-denial. It’s sometimes translated as the basic principles of the world

[38:44] according to pagan religion. And this phrase, Paul is saying, if Christ has paid the penalty [38:52] for sin and death, why would the Christian consider for a moment the power of pagan practices [39:01] as though they have any? He says, do not handle, do not touch. These are regulations of superstitious [39:11] practices that would label the physical world as evil and contain a curse that you can only [39:18] rid yourself of if you transcend the physical. This is Gnosticism. We have a version of this [39:26] Gnosticism in our world that would tell the people of our world that if you feel like

[39:31] your physical body isn’t the one you were supposed to be born in, you transcend the physical [39:38] by ridding yourself of gender and hocking on a new one. See, it’s the same form of Gnosticism. [39:46] It’s telling you that there’s something wrong with the physical body that God has made. [39:49] It’s telling you there is something wrong with the way that God has made you. And the only way [39:53] that you can get over that which is wrong is to deny the physical and reach a nirvanic plane [39:59] of transcending being. It’s false religion. Christ’s victory is complete and final. It is

[40:08] perfect. Do not submit to the rules of this world. You must submit to the rule of Christ and Christ [40:14] alone because self-made religious activity. I like that he says that. It denies the sufficiency of [40:23] Jesus. People have been making stuff up that I’m supposed to do for years, and I don’t do any of [40:31] it because I don’t need to. Because God hasn’t called me to. Because the word doesn’t direct [40:37] me to. And 1 Timothy 2, 5 says, for there is one God and there’s one mediator between God and men, [40:44] the man Jesus Christ. You want to know why I don’t worry what people think about me? Because only

[40:49] Jesus stands between me and the Father. You don’t. I know some of you want to.

[40:56] Sorry, that position’s already been taken by the one who died on the cross and rose from the dead, [41:01] and you can’t do that for me. So why would I make my life all about proving how great I am to you? [41:10] Be liberated from that. Experience the Christian freedom of waking up every day and celebrating [41:19] the sufficiency of Christ because he is enough for me. Romans 10, 4. For Christ is the end of [41:29] the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Nothing more to earn. Nothing more to prove. [41:38] So here’s the question. How are you going to live? Who are you going to submit to?

[41:47] Whatever God has made clean is clean. Enjoy it. When people attempt to make up new laws, [41:57] to make you feel guilty or there’s some new practice that will help you transcend the [42:02] physical and reach your nirvanic high that the scripture and the gospel haven’t been able to do, [42:07] stop for a second and just consider, does this make God more glorious or will this just be an [42:16] attempt to make me look more glorious and lead me away from Jesus to something new? [42:24] Stop buying into the hype of man-made religious practices and trust the gospel of God’s word.

[42:35] Jesus is enough. God has given us a clear revelation in scripture. It is sufficient [42:47] and quite frankly, I don’t need any more rules in my life. I just don’t, I have enough. [42:55] I have enough because Christ is enough. A few application points this morning. [43:03] Reject the temptation to self-righteousness. It’s a fool’s errand. I’ve been there, [43:09] I’ve done that. I’m tempted to do that all the time. Never ends well.

[43:15] Secondly, refuse to submit to man-made standards of righteousness. [43:20] Just refuse. Just don’t do it. Some people get mad about it. Yeah, what do I care?

[43:29] Thirdly, rejoice in the sufficiency of Christ. I’m too busy celebrating that he is enough [43:37] to listen to anyone that says he isn’t. Fourthly, submit to the lordship of Christ. [43:44] He does have a standard by which he wants you to live righteously, [43:48] but it’s only because he’s already made you righteous. And then finally, where Jesus has [43:54] made you free, live free. Don’t live by man-made standards. Enjoy the good blessings that God has [44:04] given into his good physical world and live for the glory of God.