The lutheransermons's Podcast

Bible Study from July 13, 2020 - Colossians 2:16-23 Part 3

This study begins with a brief review of what we talked about in the previous study, issues of eating and drinking and the general freedom we have about such issues under the new Covenant in Christ, in comparison with the Old Testament and what quite a number of groups still require of their members today - sometimes even for salvation. We also were reminded that this additional study of more Scripture passages helps understand why Paul mentions these issues as ones that can lead us away from the centrality of Christ our Savior.

Then we focused on the issues of "a festival or new moon or sabbath." These were important in the Old Testament as days and festivals that the Jewish people were to follow on a regular basis, and were based upon a lunar calendar and cycles of the moon. Examples we looked at were Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, remembering God’s rescue of the people from slavery in Egypt described in Exodus 12 and 13. Note the command in Exodus 13:10 to follow these festivals year after year.

We also saw in Exodus 31:12ff the importance of sabbath days and the weekly Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, the seventh day of the week. The Sabbath was part of the 10 Commandments and was to be observed “throughout their generations, as a covenant forever” (v.16). A summary requirement to follow these days “required of them, regularly “ is described in 1 Chronicles 23:24ff, using the same listing that Paul has in Colossians 2:16, “Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days” (v.30).

How then can we set aside these things so clearly spoken of in the Old Testament? It is Jesus and the New Testament writers who free us again from these Old Testament regulations and many other human traditions added within Judaism, as with the eating and drinking requirements. See Mark 2:23ff, where Jesus and his disciples do things considered “unlawful” to Jews. Jesus gives an example of the same sort of thing being allowed in the Old Testament and call Himself “Lord even of the Sabbath.” As true God, as well as true man, He can interpret God’s true will and even change things, because of the New Covenant He brings in. He reminds, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” We still need time for rest and to hear and focus upon God’s Word, but we are freed from the exact day and ways we do this. See the story in Mark 3:1-6, too. Note also such New Testament Scriptures as John 20:19, Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, and Revelation 1:9-10, where the day for worship is switching to Sunday, seemingly in remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus on a Sunday. Paul also warns in Galatians not to go back to Old Testament rules and regulations, including observing “days and months and and seasons and years.” See Galatians 4:8-11.

This last passage also seems to indicate a danger from the ancient non-Jewish world, too, which had a fascination with the sun, moon, and stars, and wrong ideas about them. Think about how religious and other ideas about observing the sky were mixed together at Stonehenge in England and ancient Americas and people like the Aztecs and with astrology and horoscopes and signs of the Zodiac - some of which are still a danger today. See the warning in Isaiah 47:1, 9-15, to nations like ancient Babylon and other nations wrapped up in sorcery and enchantments and star-gazing, in order to predict the future (v.12-14, especially). See the warning of Paul in Romans 1:18ff and especially v. 25, about worshipping parts of the creation, instead of the Creator. Many people worshiped the sun, moon and stars as “gods” and thought they had control over us in some way, depending on when we were born. All of this is wrong.

In Colossians 2:17, Paul goes on to explain that the things listed in Colossians 2:16 were only a “shadow” in the Old Testament, pointing forward to the reality, the substance, our Lord Jesus Christ and what He would do for us. We know the difference between a shadow and the real person who casts a shadow. Paul does not explain more here; but many other Scriptures help us understand this more, using similar imagery, especially in Hebrews in the New Testament. Hebrews is largely a comparison of the Old Testament and the New Testament. (Testament and Covenant mean about the same thing. Note in Hebrews 8:4-5 that the earthly priests at the temple in Jerusalem were only doing “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” But Jesus brought a better and more excellent way when He came with the New Covenant (v.6ff). The prophecy of a New Covenant is quoted from Jeremiah 31:31-34, right in Hebrews 8:8-12. Note especially what is said then in v.13. The old covenant is “obsolete” and “ready to vanish away.” That includes the rules about eating and drinking and festivals and sabbaths, etc.

In Hebrews 9:9-10, we hear of the “present age” of the first century AD, which dealt only with the Old Testament shadow activities - until Jesus came with the new covenant and new life through His own sacrifice for us. See Hebrews 9:11-15 and 25-28. This is what Hebrews calls “the time of reformation” (Hebrews 9:10). Hebrews 10 gives us the same message. Verse 1 says that “the law has been but a shadow of the good things to come.” The good things come through Christ Jesus, when he came into the world (Hebrews 10:10-18). Note the emphasis on the fact that Jesus came with a real body (the substance, the reality, not the shadow). And through the sacrifice of that real body for us, we are forgiven and sanctified (counted holy) before God.

In all this, Christ Jesus is the key and our hope, and we are called to “hold fast” to Him, as the “Head” of His body, the church, including the church at Colossae and our own churches still today. The study ends with a quick note that Lutherans have traditions and festivals, etc., that we value, but only if and because they help us remember Jesus and His life and work for us. There will be more about that next week, along with other dangers that Paul speaks of in Colossians 2:18ff.

Bible Study from July 6, 2020 - Colossians 2:16-23 Part 2

This podcast focuses more on the issues of “eating” and “drinking“ as mentioned in Colossians 2:16. Paul in Colossians simply says not to judge one another about these issues. He is emphasizing the freedom that we have now in Christ, but does not go into more detail or talk much about why we have this freedom. We looked at Romans 14 last week, which also emphasized that freedom and that we ought not to be condemning each other about that freedom. At the same time, we should not abuse our freedom in a way that hurts others and their faith, who may be confused about this freedom.

In general, the Scriptures warn us about abuse of eating and drinking in a way that we go to extremes - gluttony and drunkenness, both of which can harm us and others. (See Scriptures like Proverbs 23:20-21.) There are also warnings about extreme judging about these issues too, no matter what people do. Jesus points out that people judged John the Baptist because of his unusual Nazarite vows and criticized Jesus because he seemed to have too much freedom about eating and drinking. (See Luke 7:33-34.)

In the Scriptures most of the conflict came because of Old Testament rules about eating and the idea that there were “clean” and “unclean” foods (and unclean people and other unclean things) and ideas about these that gradually went far beyond the OT Scriptures, too. They were important in the OT, but when Jesus came, He freed us from these rules and distinctions. He taught that all foods were now clean and that none would pollute us spiritually by our eating them. Rather, it is what comes out of our own sinful nature, in evil thoughts, words, and deeds, that pollute us and others. (See the conflict Jesus had with Jewish religious authorities in Mark 7:1-23, and especially v. 15-23, and v. 19, in particular. See also Peter’s struggle to overcome the OT rules about food, for himself and to allow non-Jews to eat freely, without fear, too, in Acts 10-11.)

With regard to “drinking,” the primary conflict has revolved around drinking wine or other beverages. The Old Testament does not forbid the use of wine, the primary alcohol of ancient times. It was used by Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18ff and in Old Testament offerings and rituals. It is spoken of positively in Psalm 104:14-15 and other places. It is pictured as being used in the heavenly banquet to come, when death is overcome and all tears are washed away. (See Isaiah 25: 6ff.) Jesus turns water into wine in abundance at the wedding at Cana, as His first sign of the coming of the Kingdom of God. It is used in the giving of the Lord’s Supper. Paul tells Timothy to use it for medicinal purposes in 1 Timothy 5:23. And so on.

At the same time, abuse of wine or other alcohols is consistently called wrong. See Proverbs 20:1 and examples of Noah and others who became drunk. See Ephesians 5:18 and the lists in the New Testament which warn of behaviors which are sinful and which can lead us out of the Kingdom of God, which include drunkenness. See 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Galatians 5:19-21, as examples.

Paul and the Scriptures say we have freedom about eating and drinking, as long as we do not abuse these in ways the Scriptures warn about. At the same time, we are free in Christ and do not have to eat or drink as others do. For example, there is much pressure to drink alcohol in certain places. We can choose not to drink, if we wish. We are to take care of our bodies, but we do not have to follow every dieting fad or pressure to look or eat in a certain way. And Scripture tells us to obey our government; and so we should not break laws about use of alcohol or drugs in a way that is illegal.

At the same time, we should not feel compelled to eat and drink in ways that certain religious organizations tell we must do, especially if they tell us we are sinning and salvation depends on our doing what they say about these issues. The old Methodist view against all alcohol and the refusal of some to use anything but grape juice could be examples of this problem. The Mormons and other cultic groups have their own unique dietary rules, which they insist people must follow. Jewish people still follow OT rules, of course, in rejecting Jesus as Messiah and the whole New Testament. 7th Day Adventists and the United Church of God and other groups want to drag us back into following OT regulations on foods and other rituals. Even the Roman Catholic Church has at times added prescribed rules: Lenten rules, required fasting, no meat on Fridays, etc. See 1 Timothy 4:1-4 for a warning about such additions, including the forbidding of marriage to some, as the Roman Catholic church has done with priests. There is much more background we could look at, but this gives us an idea of what Paul was talking about and warning about, when he simply said, “Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink” (Colossians 2:16).

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity - July 5, 2020

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity, based on:

Genesis 50:15-21

Romans 12:14-21

Luke 6:36-42

Bible Study from June 29, 2020 - Colossians 2:16-23

This study begins with a quick reminder that Chapters 1 through 2:15 of Colossians are focused primarily on Jesus - who He is, as true God and true man Who came for us and our salvation, and what that saving work has accomplished for us, forgiving every sin and giving us new and eternal life, and breaking the power of Satan and the forces of evil for us. Jesus has done everything we need.

“Therefore,” Paul says, beginning in Chapter 2, verse 16, to the Christians at Colossae, do not be distracted by the many things that the false teachers are trying to get you to focus upon, as if these things are essential for your Christian life and salvation - and that you must do things the way they tell you. Paul gives a long list of items these Christians should be concerned about, according to these false teachers.

It is vitally important what you are doing or not doing, the false teachers say, about: the food you eat, what you drink, whether you are following various religious festivals and new moon events and sabbath days, if you are being humble and hard enough on yourself (asceticism), if you are worshipping angels properly, if you are paying attention to dreams and visions that others are telling you they have had and you need to know about, if you are following their regulations about what you should not handle, taste, or touch, if you are treating your body in a severe way to control it, and on and on (v.16-23).

Paul gives this long list of what to watch out for and says to “let no one pass judgment on you in questions” about these things (v.16). He does not tell us, though, how to react to all these; but he points us back to Jesus and listening to him in His Word. Many of these things, he says, are only a shadow from the Old Testament, preparing the way for the real substance, the body, our Savior Jesus Himself and His work and teaching for us (v.17). He is the “Head” and only as we “hold fast” to Him, will we grow and be nourished as we need to be (v.19).

On many of these concerns, we find help in other Scriptures. We looked at Romans, Chapter 14, as an example. Paul deals with the the question of what we can eat or not eat and which days are most important. He says that we have much freedom about these issues, and that Christians can honestly differ and don’t need to judge each other about these. We are free from Old Testament rules about clean and unclean foods, and we are even free from the sabbath day as Saturday. We need to worship our Lord, but the day is not crucial. Christians moved to Sunday as the day of worship, because each Sunday is like a mini-Easter celebration of our new life in Christ. But we could worship at other times and even work on Sunday, if necessary. We have much freedom, within what the New Testament now tells us. We don’t need to judge one another, but should be sensitive to others and their needs. We can help others know more of what Scripture says; but we also don’t want to try to get new or“weak” Christians to do things that they really think are wrong, though they actually are not. “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)

Above all, our worship and life are now led by Christ and His Word. For our spiritual life, we have the food and drink of the Word of God and the gifts of Baptism and Christ’s presence in our life and uniquely, personally (His very Body and Blood, in and with and under the bread and wine) in the Lord’s Supper (John 6:35-51. 7:37; 1 Corinthians 11:23-31). Christ is our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:6-8) and in Him we find the Sabbath rest we need, in His peace and promises.(Hebrews 4:9-10).

(The quotation from Dr. Martin Franzmann is from the Concordia Self-Study New Testament Commentary (c) 1971,1979, p. 203.)

Sermon for the 4th Sunday after Pentecost - June 28, 2020

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, based on:

Jeremiah 28:5–9

Romans 7:1–13

Matthew 10:34–42

 

Sermon originally delivered June 26, 2011

Bible Study from June 22, 2020 - Colossians 2:15 (Part 2)

This study begins with a reminder of the eternal blessings coming to us through what Jesus has done personally for us, as described in Colossians 2:13-14 and summarized in Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We then reviewed what we had heard last week, with Old Testament promises of the coming Messiah, our Lord Jesus, and the way He described His coming victory over sin and Satan and death, including a “binding”of Satan. That victory was won at the cross and in Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, and in what is described in Colossians 2:15 as a “disarming” of the Satanic “rulers and authorities.” Jesus put them to open shame, as in an ancient Roman triumph. This is also described in 1 Peter 3:18-19 and 2 Corinthians 2:14-16.

Then we looked at the certainty of this victory and the ultimate destruction of Satan and his forces. The decisive battle has already been won by Jesus (Hebrews 2:14-15). Satan is bound and limited, and even with the real temptations we still face and possibly even more trouble whenever the end times come, the victory is ours as we stay confident in Christ, who is already the “King of kings and Lord of lords.“ See the words in Revelations where the apostle John sees many picture images of the hope we have in Jesus, the victorious Lamb and Word of God. Satan will finally be put away entirely, and there will be perfect peace in eternal life (Revelation 1:4-5, 17:14, 19:11,13,15-16; 20:1-2,7,9-10, and 22:3-5).

This victory of Christ for us is beautifully described in Romans 8:34-39 - nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ. We see it also in 1 Corinthians 15:57-58: the victory of Christ is also ours and we can carry on with our own work in the Lord with confidence in the Lord’s blessings for us. The example that Larry Christiansen uses, of being “under new management“ in the Lord, can be helpful. We don’t owe anything to Satan and do not need to listen to his lies and accusations and temptations when he comes around to bother us.

The victory of Christ over Satanic supernatural powers also gives us strength to deal with superstitions and fears we may have had from childhood and false religious ideas that may trouble us. Read Deuteronomy 18:9-14, for Old Testament warnings about many ways that people can get away from the Lord and into false, misleading ways to try to get help and direction, not from God, but from other sources, where Satanic forces could be at work. Ideas about spirits of the dead and ancestors who can trouble us and ghosts and black cats and evil numbers and on and on can create fear and unrest. Christ has won victory for us. We can take our fears and superstitious ideas to the Lord for His help to overcome them and to avoid places where fears increase.

There is always hope in Christ and His strength for us. Do pray for people, too, who come from cultures or religions or families, where there are high expectations that one must do certain things to keep everyone happy, including dead relatives and spirits, etc. These are real challenges for some, who love and respect family, but have trouble meeting these expectations, when they seem to contradict what the Bible says. The perfect love we have from Christ helps cast out these sorts of fears (1 John 4:16-19) and gives us peace in our perfect Savior (John 14:25-27).

Note: The thoughts about Buddhist ritual come from an article from Pierce Salguero, from Penn State University.

Bible Study from June 15, 2020 - Colossians 2:15

We begin our study of Colossians 2:15 by reviewing what was said in Colossians 2:13-14 and the many ways that Paul describes the blessings and forgiveness that come to us by what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. We died to our old life and have a new life in Christ. We are forgiven. Though we are guilty of sin, we are pardoned of all our sins by what Jesus did. The record of the debt of sin that we owe is canceled, blotted out. It is set aside, carried away from our midst, and nailed to the cross along with Jesus who carried all of our sins in Himself. The legal demands of the Law are fulfilled by Jesus, and He pays the penalty for all our sins by His death in our place. All this was accomplished by Christ for us in His death and resurrection.

But there is more. Colossians 2:15 speaks of the fact that Jesus also won the decisive victory over Satan and his evil spirits, his evil angels, in His death and resurrection and ascension into heaven. The imagery used is that of a Roman “triumph," when a victorious general would be given a victory parade in Rome. His victory was clear and his defeated enemies would also be led in chains through the city, along with possessions that had been captured from them. It is a dramatic way of saying that the power of Satan has now been broken in Christ and what he has done.

Sometimes it seems as if the devil is still the winner in this world. There are warnings of the continuing danger we face in him. See Ephesians 6:10-13 and 1 Peter 5:8-11; but also note that we can stand firm in Christ and His armor and the certainty of victory in Him. In fact, Colossians 2:15 says that God “disarmed“ the forces of Satan, stripping away their weaponry. They are called “rulers and authorities," but Jesus has “triumphed“ over them. There is no question about the outcome of this battle against evil. Jesus is victorious, and in Him we win eternally, too.

This victory is prophesied in the Old Testament. See Genesis 3:15 for the prediction that an Offspring of Eve would crush the head of Satan, and that Offspring would be wounded in the process. See Psalm 68:18 and its quotation in Ephesians 4:8 regarding the ascension of Jesus. See the prophecy of Christ’s death in Isaiah 53, and yet His victory and “dividing the spoils with many” (v.12) and making many as “accounted righteous” (v.11). See also my sermon from this past weekend, June 14.

See in the life of Jesus how often He predicted that He was the “stronger man” who would overcome and bind up Satan, and that Satan would fall (Matthew 12:28-29, Luke 11:20-22, Luke 10:17-18, John 12:31-33, John 16:11, etc.) See also how often the New Testament speaks of the defeat of Satan through Christ and Satan ultimately being put away forever (Romans 16:20, Hebrews 2:14-15, Hebrews 4:4 and Revelation 1:5, 17:14, 19:16, 20:1-3, 7-10, etc.) Even the “binding of Satan” in Revelation 20 is understood by Lutherans and many other Christians, not as in some future millennial kingdom on earth, but in what is going on now during the spread of Christianity, with limits on what Satan can accomplish because of Jesus. In a positive way, Christians continually participate in the “triumphal procession” of Christ and in sharing His Good News of “Life” with more and more people, still today. (See 2 Corinthians 2:14-16.) Jesus is already “the Head of all rule and authority” as we already heard in Colossians 2:10.

See also 1 Peter 3:18-20, where Jesus, between His death and resurrection, descends in His “spirit” into hell to visit the “spirits in prison,” including unbelievers from the time of Noah. He does not go to hell to suffer. That was done at the cross. He does not go to give these people another chance. (See the gulf between heaven and hell in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Once one is in heaven or hell, that is where one stays. There are no second chances: Luke 16:26 and Hebrews 9:27-28.) Jesus goes to hell to proclaim His victory, as part of His “triumphing over” Satan and all who follow him in unbelief.

Next week, we will talk more about what this triumphal victory of Christ means for us in our daily life and how it can help us in practical ways, as we wait for the fullness of eternal life in heaven. (See also Romans 8:37-39 and 1 Corinthians 15:57-58.)

Sermon for the First Sunday after Trinity - June 14, 2020

Sermon for the First Sunday after Trinity, based on:

Genesis 15:1-6

1 John 4:16-21

Luke 16:19-31

 

Note: The song quoted was written by Grady Cole and Hazel Cole in the 1930’s, with some possible changes by Hank Williams. It is based upon a poem from the 1860’s. If I understand correctly, it is copyrighted but brief portions can be quoted for non-commercial use only, as I have done.

Bible Study from June 8, 2020 - Colossians 2:13-14

We begin our study with a brief review of Colossians 2:11-12, where we heard that Old Testament circumcision is now replaced by baptism, the “circumcision made without hands,” “the circumcision of Christ.” In baptism, God put off, stripped off our “uncircumcised flesh," our old sinful nature (v.11), and we died to our old life and were buried with Christ, and as He was raised from the dead, we too were raised to new life, through the gift of faith in Jesus. This was “the powerful working of God” through the Word and the water connected with the Word, in baptism, as we heard a lot about last week (v.12).

This had to be God’s doing and His work, Paul reminds us in v.13 because, he says, “You were dead in your trespasses”(missteps, going where we don’t belong, wandering away from what is the right way and path for our lives) and your “uncircumcised flesh,” your sinful nature, in which you and I were born. (See Ephesians 2:1-5 for a similar description.) As spiritually dead people, we could not give ourselves spiritual life; and in Ephesians 2:2-3, Paul makes it clear that this is the spiritual condition of everyone in the world at birth, including all of us. But “God made us alive, together with Christ, having forgiven us all our trespasses” (Colossians 2:13).

Our new spiritual life depends upon the death and rising of Jesus to forgive us our trespasses. The Greek word here for “forgiveness” means “to show mercy and favor and to pardon people who are definitely guilty,” as when a political figure “pardons” someone who has done wrong. We don’t deserve it, but we are pardoned too - and all of our sins are forgiven! All this was done by Christ, and we receive the personal benefit of all this, through our connection now with Christ through the Word of God and baptism and the faith we receive as a gift of God.

In verse 14 of Colossians 2, Paul continues to pile up the words describing what Christ Jesus has done for us. He “canceled the record of debt that stood against us.” The Greek word “cancel” here means “to blot out, to wipe away, to erase.” (See this word used also in Acts 3:19 and in Isaiah 43: 24-25.) Our messy sins are blotted out and remembered no more, through Christ. Those old enough to remember fountain pens and ink blotters, or typewriters and white-out, etc., can get this picture image.

And what specifically is blotted out? “The record of debt that stood against us” (v.14). This was a legal business term that was used in the ancient world. When people sometimes had debts, they had to write up in their own handwriting a list of all their debts; and this paper was kept until the debt was paid. It is similar to paperwork for a loan or mortgage today. We have to sign for the loan and are legally obligated until the debt is paid. And what joy when all the mortgage payments are finally made!

In the Bible, our sins are sometimes described as a debt we owe to God. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” In both Matthew 6:12-15 and Luke 11:4, the Greek sometimes uses the word “debts” and “debtors” rather than “trespasses” - and some churches pray the Lord’s Prayer that way. We do owe a debt to God that we cannot ever pay on our own, because we fail to keep His laws and rules. His “legal demands” stand against us and condemn us, left on our own (Romans 3:19-20 and Colossians 2:14). But in Christ “the record of debt” and the “legal demands” are blotted out, wiped away, canceled for us. (See Ephesians 2:13-18, especially v. 15. Note that this is the only real way to peace with God and among people. See also Romans 7:4, along with Romans 5:1 and 8:1-4.)

As Colossians 2:14 ends, Paul says that all this record of the debts of sin and the Law’s legal demands are “set aside” by Christ. Literally, this means that all that condemns us has been picked up and taken away “from the midst” of us and “nailed to the cross“ along with Jesus, as he was nailed to the cross, carrying and paying the penalty for all our sins. (See more Scriptures, including 2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 3:13, and 1 Peter 2:24.)

This is the miracle of all that God did for us through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross and then His mighty resurrection - eternal blessings received by faith in Jesus as a gift, through the Word and baptism. And there is still more that is very helpful and comforting for us that we will hear about next week in Colossians 2:15. Why then, Paul is saying, should the Colossians or any of us listen to false teachers who tell us that Jesus did not do enough and that we need to be doing more that they tell us to do?

Sermon for Trinity Sunday - June 7, 2020

Sermon for Trinity Sunday, based on:

Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Acts 2:14a, 22–36

Matthew 28:16–20

 

Sermon originally delivered June 19, 2011