Behind The Curtain

You're listening to a sermon from Grace Church in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, where we believe in grace for all. If you'd like more information about us, please find us@whygrace.org.

Pictures Woman take a mental photo. Picture green smoke. A face 20ft tall in the air, breathing fire. A voice booming from the stones.

Dorothy and her friends are standing there, terrified, in front of the most powerful being they've ever encountered. Then there's a small dog who pulls back the curtain. And it's just a man sweating, pulling levers, talking into a microphone, pretending to be something bigger than he is. Here's what I want you to sit with everyone in this room. Everyone in that room walked hundreds of miles based on a rumor.

A story of a wizard who was powerful enough to solve their problems. And they never stopped to ask if it was true. They just kept walking. Because the alternative was admitting they would probably have to face themselves. They would have to face their reality.

They would have to face their circumstances. But the. The Oz was this promise of a solution. The Oz was his promise of man, I got it. Whatever you need.

This dude, if we go there, he will help us.

Can I just say, like, a lot of us are probably on the same road, less flying monkeys, but on the same our circumstances. In the situations we find ourselves in, we usually think that if we keep walking or we keep working a little bit harder, maybe a program, maybe a relationship, maybe a better version of yourself. Somewhere behind the curtain is everything that we've looked for.

Here's the part that gets me. Have you seen the wizard of Oz? Right from the beginning, the solution to the problem is given.

Gilda tells Dorothy at the end she had the power to go home all alone. Right from the very beginning, the solution to her conundrum that she was looking for, she already had this whole movie. Scarecrows and wizards and curtains and monkeys and all of this hardship, all of this, man, if I could just press a little bit further down the yellow brick road, the wizard will help me. Meanwhile, she. She has it.

She told her, oh, you know, the shoes. If you just click your heels, you can. You can go home. That's his part in Colossians 2. Paul is pulling back the curtain for the Colossians.

But here's the twist. He doesn't find anything back there. He finds everything already given, already theirs. They just haven't recognized it yet.

Let's swing back to verse eight.

Paul tells them to be careful. Mind you, where we left off last last week was that there was. There was nothing more you need all of it. The fullness of all of all the things that they were looking for were found in Christ. Paul outlays what Christ has done, who Christ is, why we can be resting in that identity of his supremacy and the sufficiency for salvation, so that he is our Lord.

And this is where he follows up with. He goes, be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and. And empty deceit based on human traditions.

He's not warning them about something that's fake. Paul's a blunt dude. He would have just been like, listen, stop hanging out with the idiots, bro. They're dumb. Come on, what are you doing?

No, he understands. They're captivating.

It sounds good. And mind you, this is a dude who's a Pharisee, so he is a spiritual worker. He understands spiritual work. He understands all the things, the boxes that need to be checked, when they need to be checked. If I do this over here, God will be happy.

And then if I move this box over here 2 degrees to the left, God will shine his face upon me. He gets spiritual work so. So he understands why they're falling for it. You just receive the greatest gift that you could ever receive and you've done nothing for it. The natural inclination is, what can I do?

How can I earn it? How can I add a little bit more to this? It's so free, man. You ever drive past on the street and it says free? And you're like, I've been.

I could use that. And you get it home, you dust it off, you wipe it down, it's free. So you're like, man, this is good. Ever get, like, a chair? You done sat in the chair five times, but because it was free, you always got to give it that extra look, like, are you really going to be solid?

There's something in our minds about free gifts. Someone gives you, like, a free DVD player. You're like, but is it really going to play DVDs? Or am I going to drive this all the way to my house? And then it doesn't work, right?

We have a skepticism about things that are free. They get this free gift from Christ, and then these people come along and they go, yeah, it was free. But, like, what if you did this? What if you worked a little bit for it? So, like, it really wasn't free.

Paul understands it. He tells them to be careful.

Paul. Paul's words here are very particular. I think he chooses words very wisely. He has told them to. He has told Timothy to flee sexual immorality, Right?

Like Run, get away from it. Don't even be by it. Guard your heart from it. This he says, be careful.

So it's like a brotherly caution. He's like, hey man, like I get it, I understand it. It's so believable. Be careful. And then he also puts them so that they will not deceive you, that you're not, that you're not.

You don't fall into the scam of it.

You probably assume the danger to your faith looks like doubt or walking away, right? But Paul says the real danger is in more religion, not less.

Our first point is let's be serious because that's what Paul's addressing here. Listen, I think the Colossi Church is a fear group of believers who want to be serious about their faith. They want to be serious about walking with Jesus. They want to be serious about spiritual maturity. Because in the chapter one it's one of the things that he emphasizes that he wants for this group of believers.

But it is a fine line. We talked about this. It's a spectrum, is a fine line between legalism and a works based salvation. And there is a fine line between being deceived by grace and taking salvation for granted. It's a knife's edge.

And here's the thing about the knife's edge. Usually the falling is when you take your eyes off of Jesus.

Because if the gift is so immensely free, none of your work can feel like it's truly valued. And if the gift isn't held in its highest esteem and weight, then it's taken for granted and you can just do whatever and hopefully God makes up for it, right? The false teachers weren't lightweights. Right? The people trying to convince them were disciplined, they were articulate, they were spiritually intense.

Think about the things that he points out here. Food, laws and festivals and angel worship and visions.

I think these are things that they were looking for. They became this picture of like spiritual maturity. Did you get a word from God yet? Did God give you a vision yet? Did God reveal himself to you yet?

Paul gets it. If anyone takes it serious, it's Paul having been a Pharisee. And his warning to them once again is do not be deceived.

So if sophisticated isn't the same as sound, the question isn't how do I get more serious? The question is, what am I serious about and who am I connected to? Here's our second point. Nothing's wrong. Nothing's wrong, verse nine.

For the entire fullness of God's nature dwells bodily in Christ and you have been filled by him who is the head over every ruler and authority. Right there too. He hits, he throws a shot at the culture.

Probably need a shot at our culture too, right? Like over every ruler in authority. Christ supersedes kingdoms. Let me give you a hard pill for this patriotic weekend. Christ supersedes America.

Our nation will fade into the ashes of eternity while our Savior sits upon the throne, ruling over everything.

What is a landmass compared to the stars? What is a country compared to galaxies? Now be patriotic, love. America was actually listening to Red, White and Blue by Toby Keith. It's my fourth of July song.

Absolutely love that song. Be patriotic. Care for your country, right? Don't hear what I'm not saying, but remember who sits upon the eternal throne. And in our biblical context, these people are being deceived by high spiritual leaders who are coming into these places and going, if you just, if you just add a little bit more, they seem wise, they seem smart.

Colossi is a, is a port town. It's pretty wealthy. So there are some well to do people there and they're coming with like, hey, your Jesus is cool, but like our angel over here will give you another revelation of like Jesus. Oh, you don't believe me? Well, look at me, I'm rich, I'm smart.

Culturally speaking, I'm your better. You can trust me. Paul reminds them even in his first verse in this letter. Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus. By God's will, he doesn't use bravado or authority the Lord over them, but rather he reminds them that he is lowly and a servant to their God.

They're falling into traps, but he immediately pulls them back into where they need to be. In verse nine. The entire fullness of God in body, not partial, not symbolic, not maybe another vision. No, he's blunt about it.

And here's the thing, it's either absurd or it changes everything.

Verse 10. And you have been filled by him who is the head over every ruler in authority. And you were also circumcised with him, with a circumcision not done by hands, by putting off the body of the flesh. So circumcision don't need to get into it. I think you know what it is.

If you don't know what it is, see me after service. We'll talk through Dan will tell you what it is. But for the Jewish custom, for Jewish society, circumcision is basically the gate to their society. If you're uncircumcised, you aren't really One of them. And even if you come into Judaism, you're a gentile who's been redeemed and wants to follow Yahweh, you're still like at an arm's length till you actually get circumcised.

Right? Like for a lot of these people, they're, they're Jewish people in Colossae, lording over them, claiming spirituality, maturity, leading them astray. Because Judaism, by its case nature is a works based salvation. So they start bleeding in works into this free gift of God. So Paul has to remind them like, hey, the most immense thing that brings the Jewish people together, this almost sacrament to them, it's been done for you.

It's actually been done so well that human hands weren't even needed for it.

That's how close you are to God, that's how honored by God you are. That's how deep in the fellowship with our Lord that you are, that he is the one who is circumcised. He is the one that is giving you access, status, invitation into the place of his dwelling.

Here's what's different about this claim.

If you're exploring things of Jesus today, what Jesus does here, what Paul says that Jesus offers to you and I is not a means in which we must fulfill our own acceptance before God, but rather acceptance before God is complete and full in him. There's nothing else. There's nothing more needed. There's nothing more behind the curtain. If you're waiting to feel complete, to feel loved, man, feel loved because you have been made complete by Christ.

There's a resting in this. There's no striving. These people were looking for opportunities to strive, man, strive for all things in Christ. I boast of nothing but our Savior. Right?

But like there aren't golden stickers on God's chalkboard for you. Yes, scriptures say that there's a crown waiting for you, but it also says they cast their crowns before the Lord. Right. I need you to understand what Colossians going through. They want maturity, they want to be godly, they want to love God deeply.

And there are people coming alongside them who are deceiving them with do more. And Paul is saying there's no more for you to do. There's nothing more that you could achieve. If that's true and there's nothing actually missing, then why do many of us live or feel like we're a step behind? It's not a hole in our theology, but rather it feels like a hole in our heart.

And that's my next point. That Paul addresses, you tried harder. It doesn't work.

Paul's honesty about religion rarely admits about itself. That strict rules and self denial looks wise, says it looks wise. Verse 23 Although they have a reputation for wisdom, by promoting self made religion, false humility and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value. And curbing self indulgence, it seems good, seems wise to the soul.

It's hard.

Can we just be real? Can we be honest? It's hard to rest in the grace of God. Especially in a culture that is so adamant that you only get what you work for, that you only get what you're willing to bootstrap up for.

And someone goes here, the greatest kindness, greatest thing that you could ever receive. I don't want anything from you, but rather I have something for you that's hard to sit in. It is like when you first hear about it and you're exploring the things of faith. It is a gift that is so immensely great because all of the lesser things you've chased have fallen by the wayside. And now this great weight has been lifted, lifted off of you and put on Christ.

But as we start to walk along, we start to go, well, I could carry a little bit of the weight.

Well, I can, I can, you know, just a little bit. Jesus carries most of it, but I could, I could do something. Before you know it, the free gift of grace that freed your heart and made you pursue your savior now feels weighty. Am I doing enough? Should I be doing more?

Probably should. Check another box, right? Paul understands it. That's why his heart stance in this situation is be careful, it's a trap, but it's not obviously bad.

So what do we need to do? We need to reorder. Abiding, overachieving self. Effort and willpower are attempts to achieve what only can come from being in God's presence. The verdict there's no value and stopping indulgence of the flesh.

Willpower manages behavior, but it can't change your heart.

You can, you can manage your behavior. I think some of us have tried to manage the consequences of our sin or we've tried to manage the lesser desires that draw us away. And for a time we crush it, we kill it. We feel like we're on fire for God. But can I be real?

We haven't pursued the heart change.

So when we fall and we slide back into things that we thought we were so far gone from, it feels like we failed that. Why would a God want us when we can't even do the simple thing of stopping the thing that we know we should stop. Paul writes about this, why do I do what my flesh desires but not what God desires? There's this eternal struggle within him that he wants to be more godly, that he wants to pursue and be on fire for. This dude writes the New Testament, multiple churches planted, pastors sent into the ministry, and he's struggling with his sinfulness and he has to rest again.

In abiding in Christ, you've tried harder. It doesn't work. If we're honest, if we bring the trueness of ourselves to the table, we know it doesn't work. Whether you haven't walked with Jesus yet or you've been walking with Jesus, I think we all know that try harder in our Christian walk does not work. It leaves us frustrated and restless.

And if you haven't explored Jesus trying harder in your day to day, I'd imagine it feels like you're drowning because you can't keep up.

Every stride, every mile walk feels like you take a sharp turn and all of a sudden you're right back where you started. Man, I want to be loving. I can't do it man. I want to be gracious. I can't do it, man.

I just want to be a good person. Why can't I just be a good person? Or maybe you think you are a good person, but you can't reach the next level of being the good person that you want to be.

Because behavior will only change for a moment.

But abiding in Christ will change your heart for eternity.

Here's the turn. The fullness that you've been chasing isn't a matter of technique to master. It's a person to be joined to. Verse 9 has already told you who he is. Verse 10 already told you what happened to you in him filled, not still feeling filled with him.

14 already told you that the debt is gone, there is no pending. You don't need the wizard behind the curtain.

You don't need to walk the yellow brick road off of rumors and myths and what possibly could be.

You need someone to resurrect you.

You need things to die and to be replaced with new life.

There's like a phrase song that I love and like the chorus of the song will go. I will try to fix you. When you've tried so hard, but there's still nothing to gain. When you've gone so far but you still feel behind. I will fix you.

It's like a love song, right? But those dudes didn't even know how theologically rich of a song they wrote like Christ will fix you. The striving fits, the doubt fits, the shame fits, the burden fits Carried the parts of you that you wish would die, killed, died in Christ and replaced with new life. And all we have to do is abide, walk, be in his presence, Receive doesn't solve every problem. Read the psalms and lamentations and you'll see it doesn't solve every problem, but it makes them way more bearable.

So here's a question for you as we wrap up today. Man, what what are you looking for behind the curtain?

What are you hoping for? Dorothy was hoping to get home. The Tin man was hoping for a new heart. The lion was hoping for courage. Like, what are you hoping for?

What's behind the curtain for you?

Whatever you're searching for, whatever you're hoping that is behind it, unfortunately, you'll find out just like Dorothy did.

It will never meet the expectation that you're hoping for because it doesn't have the power and authority. It's not supreme enough, and it ain't sufficient enough for your soul. But Christ is.

Let's pray. Hey, this is Pastor Greg, the lead pastor of Grace Church in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. That's our message for today. Wherever you're at in your journey, whether you're just curious, whether full of questions, or not really sure what you believe, or maybe you've been walking with God for a while, you're welcomed here. You can find us at ygrace.

Org or join us any Sunday if you're in the area. We'd love to meet you. Thank you for listening to today's sermon.