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Series C – Second Wednesday of Advent – Wednesday, December 9, 2015 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:29	our text for the second Wednesday in Advent is taken from Paul’s epistle to
0:34	the Colossians chapter 2 verse 6 through chapter 3 verse 4.
0:40	therefore as you receive Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him
0:47	rooted and built up in him and established in the faith just as you
0:52	were taught abounding in Thanksgiving see to it that no one takes you captive
0:58	by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition according to the
1:03	elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ for in him the whole fullness of the
1:08	deity dwells bodily and you have been filled in him who is the head of all Rule and Authority in him also you were
1:16	circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of
1:22	Christ having been buried with him in baptism in which you were also raised
1:28	with him through faith in the powerful working of God who raised him from the dead and you who were dead in your
1:34	trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh God has made alive together with him having forgiven us all of our
1:42	trespasses by canceling the record of death that stood against us with its legal demands this he set aside nailing
1:50	it to the Cross he disarmed the rulers and the authorities and put them to open
1:55	Shame by triumphing over them in him therefore
2:00	let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink with regard
2:06	to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath these are a shadow of the things to come but the substance belongs to Christ
2:13	let no one disqualify you insisting on asceticism and the worship of angels
2:19	going on in detail about Visions puffed up without Reason by his sensuous mind and not holding fast to the Head from
2:26	whom the whole body nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments grows with a growth that is
2:32	from God if with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world why as if you were
2:38	still alive in the world do you submit to regulations do not handle do not taste do not touch referring to things
2:45	that all perish as they are used according to the precepts human precepts
2:50	and teachings these indeed have an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and
2:57	severity to the body for there of No value in stopping the Indulgence of the flesh if then you have been raised with
3:05	Christ seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God set your minds on things that are
3:12	above not on things that are on the earth for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God and when
3:19	Christ who is your life appears then you also will appear with him in glory
3:26	in the name of Jesus here again the opening stanza from the hymn that we just sang Comfort Comfort
3:33	ye my people speak ye peace thus saith Our God comfort those who sit in darkness
3:41	mourning Neath their sorrows load speak ye to Jerusalem of the peace that
3:46	waits for them tell her that her sins I cover under Warfare
3:52	now is over that is a good summary
3:57	of the text that we are about to Embark in tonight we’re in the book of Colossians chapter 2.
4:05	and it has great words of comfort for us last week we considered the part of
4:11	Colossians that talked about how we have been transferred from the Dominion of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light and God is the
4:19	one who has done this for us and today we are going to hear these amazing words
4:24	that the record of debt that stood against us and opposed to us because of our sins
4:29	has been canceled nailed to the cross this is great comfort and this is the
4:37	type of stuff that makes Christmas Even so much better than you can possibly believe because the one thing that we
4:45	needed more than anything was a savior and that’s
4:50	who God sent not only did he send us a savior he himself is our savior and so
4:57	we then pick up in Colossians and it says this
5:02	kind of think of this context therefore because you have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom
5:07	of his son as then you have received Christ Jesus the Lord be walking in him
5:14	and you’ll notice these phrases in Christ in him in in it’s all about Jesus
5:21	you remember when Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life
5:29	we don’t usually think of Truth as a person but Jesus says I am the truth
5:35	you think of pilate’s question to Jesus when Jesus was on trial
5:41	when he said what is truth he almost asked the right question
5:47	it’s not what is truth who is truth Jesus is the truth
5:54	it’s not a way in which we think but this is the way that we need to think and this is how Paul is writing that we
6:00	are in Christ he is everything he is the head so then as you have received Christ
6:06	Jesus the Lord be walking in him
6:11	this is what it means to walk in Freedom not walking in Moses Walking In Christ
6:17	having been rooted and being built up in him and being established in the faith
6:24	just as you were taught and abounding in Thanksgiving and if you don’t think you have something to be thankful for wait
6:30	till you see what’s coming next now a little bit of warning here Paul gives us
6:35	see that you all are not being taken captive through philosophy notice I said y’all right
6:42	it’s it’s a plural you there yeah we need a plural you and that doesn’t sound
6:47	like it’s redneck I’m just saying we need to talk to the people who do these things right you know because whenever
6:52	say y’all it sounds kind of Southern right we’re from Minnesota yeah
6:58	Norwegians don’t talk this way they’re a little more respectable to that but here’s what it says see that y’all are
7:04	not being taken captive through the philosophy and the empty deceit according to the tradition of men
7:12	and according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ
7:18	just by way of note here if you know anything about philosophy I
7:23	know I’ve talked about this before but if you know anything about philosophy philosophy is a slippery thing right you
7:30	all heard of Plato yeah you all heard of Aristotle yeah I’ve all heard of her have you heard of Rousseau
7:37	Locke Barkley Hume cont right how about Foucault dareda right you’ve heard of
7:43	these guys well these are all philosophers well philosophy is the proverbial generational King of the Hill
7:49	game Plato ascended the philosophical Mountain first and then his student
7:54	Aristotle came and knocked him off and then the philosophers after Aristotle came and they knocked him off and they
8:00	were at the King of the Hill for a while and so that’s kind of the idea and in the past few hundred years we’ve seen
8:05	the rise of the modernists we’ve seen the rise of the logical positivists and then we’ve seen the rise of the
8:12	postmoderns what’s coming next I don’t know but I do know this that whatever is coming next the guys
8:18	the philosophers now they’re looking at the King of the Hill the King of the Hill is post-modernism and they’re
8:24	trying to figure out how to get rid of it in other words philosophy is one of
8:29	these things that you could be kind of foolish to hit your wagon to because the school that’s in power today
8:36	Falls tomorrow and this is what the text says that don’t be taken captive through
8:42	philosophy an empty deceit these are according to the traditions of men these are not
8:49	according to Christ and remember Christ is the truth what do all these philosophies have in
8:55	common whether it’s platonic philosophy Aristotelian logic whether it’s modernism post-modernism logical
9:02	positivism or whatever is coming down the road next right what do they all have in common none of that has anything to do with
9:08	Christ and what’s true today for the philosophers is anathema tomorrow
9:15	and so that’s that’s not the truth that’s something that moves and it’s according to empty deceit traditions of
9:22	men and yet there’s lots of people in the church oh man you think about what
9:28	happened in the church during the modernist period what would happen is is that the modernist philosophies were
9:33	winning the day and everybody was paying attention to them oh we’ve got to listen to the modernists and so what would
9:39	happen is is that there were philosophers who became Seminary profs and then the Seminary students came in
9:46	and you know what they learned they learned modernism and they combined it with Christianity and when you mix
9:52	Christianity with philosophy you get nothing
9:58	it’s a mess and then what happened well when the modernists fell out of Vogue
10:03	then came the emergent church and the postmoderns and they mixed post-modern philosophy and Christianity together and
10:11	you cease to have Christianity right we don’t need any of that stuff
10:17	we just need Christ he’s the truth and here’s why
10:22	Paul goes on for in Christ is dwelling it doesn’t say dwelt dwelt
10:29	past tense Jesus is if he’s dead moldering in the grave somewhere in Jerusalem right
10:34	for in him is dwelling present tense all the fullness of the deity in bodily form
10:40	currently right now right
10:45	and you are in him you you are in him
10:50	being filled who is the head of all Rule and Authority in whom you also check
10:59	this out have been circumcised with a circumcision without human hands by the
11:06	putting off of the body or the sinful flesh by the circumcision of Christ
11:11	and yes that includes you women yes it does this is a spiritual
11:16	circumcision all of you anyone here not spiritually circumcised
11:22	right have you been there
11:28	somebody take water and say I baptize you in the name of the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
11:35	well if that’s what’s happened to you you’ve been circumcised and here’s what it says having been buried with him in
11:43	baptism there it is you want to know what spiritual circumcision is it’s being baptized in whom also we have been
11:50	raised through faith of the working of God the one having raised him from the
11:55	dead so your heart has been circumcised in the waters of your baptism in the waters
12:01	of your baptism you were buried with Christ and God has also raised you with Christ
12:08	in fact do any of you still have sitting in a folder somewhere in your house maybe in a lock box your baptismal
12:16	certificate yeah Marilyn Matson baptized in 1904.
12:24	okay maybe I sorry I’m sorry it was 18. no no that joke
12:31	but your baptismal certificate think of it this way you have a baptismal certificate it says
12:38	when you were baptized many of you here right there
12:43	right that is your death certificate
12:51	you’re already dead you are already dead remember the movie
12:56	Gladiator right right you meant Maximus with that
13:01	jarring you know soldierly speech that he gives and talks about how
13:07	you know if you find yourselves walking amongst grains then you’re already dead
13:12	you’re in Elysium right all right this is what he says to his troops well he’s talking about if you find yourself after
13:18	you know in the middle of the battle walking among this beautiful place that you are somehow in Elysium which is the Rome in heaven right
13:25	but here’s the deal you are in Christ Christ has died and risen from the grave
13:32	you in your baptism were tucked into him into his death into his resurrection all
13:38	of these things God has already done for you you are already dead sin no longer
13:43	has Mastery over you Satan has no longer has Mastery over you either all of these
13:49	things are true this isn’t figurative speech this is the truth you have been buried your heart has been circumcised
13:54	you have been raised you are in him and he is all he is the
14:01	truth indeed you being dead in trespasses in
14:07	the uncircumcision of your heart of your flesh back when you were before you were Christians he God Made You Alive
14:14	together with Christ having forgiven us all of the trespasses notice it doesn’t
14:20	say some which I’m pretty darn excited about this is a good thing
14:27	because if you think about your life think about your actions today think about your thoughts your words your
14:33	Deeds the things you did and the things that you kind of let slip by
14:39	then you pull out those Ten Commandments you do a little comparative work
14:46	oh I’ve come short
14:52	I’ve come short I came short yesterday too and the day before
14:59	and the day before that one all last month
15:04	pretty much the whole year um yeah actually the whole year and then there was the year before that
15:10	it’s not looking good for me it’s not one good for you either right but it says this
15:17	God has made you alive together with Christ and has forgiven us all
15:23	every single one of our trespasses
15:28	and here’s what it says having wiped out the written document that was standing
15:34	against us with its decrees which was opposed to us
15:39	one of the ways I like to describe this reiterate this you all familiar with the End of Time the last day the day of
15:46	judgment the day Jesus returns in glory to judge the living and the dead it says the books are opened
15:54	and if you’ve been paying attention to your life you might know a few things written in that book
16:00	the book with your name on it right now
16:05	a little bit of a note here sometimes I make attorney jokes
16:11	but they’re not the people who I despise the most in the world it’s accountants
16:17	okay they’re the worst Bunch numbers it’s dark it’s magic it’s black magic
16:23	I’m telling you it’s evil have you ever seen the books that they keep they have ledgers
16:31	everything gets recorded have you ever had to turn in an expense report to an
16:37	accountant oh and then they sit there and go this isn’t balancing
16:44	there’s 15.46 missing well write it off I can’t do that
16:52	there’s no mercy no Grace from these people they’re evil I’m telling you
16:58	right well think of it this way what’s being described here
17:06	it’s from accounting world there’s some kind of a ledger
17:11	and it says this that God has whipped wiped out the written document that
17:16	stood against us with its decrees or its orders or its records
17:22	all of those sins that you’ve committed there’s some accountant Somewhere in Heaven writing all this stuff down
17:30	that’s why they’re evil so when you get to heaven and you’re
17:36	standing before Christ he opens the book with your name on it does a whole section put together by
17:43	accountants and it’s not a good spreadsheet awful and here’s the thing
17:51	they don’t miss anything every single little Penny every single
17:57	little sin every Nary word every stray thought every evil deed everything you
18:04	should have done it gets written down in this thing
18:10	were hosed we are doomed but the text says this
18:16	because of what Christ has done for us God has wiped out the written record all
18:24	of the documents though those pages in the book
18:30	torn out accounting right
18:36	he’s written wiped it out indeed he’s taken it out of the middle having nailed it to the cross and to which I say that
18:44	is proof there will never be an accountant in heaven yes right I’m very excited about this so all of
18:51	the ledgers all of the spreadsheets all of the documentation of your sin ripped out of the books Tink dink dink nailed
19:00	to the cross Written in Blood paid in full boom
19:07	we’re forgiven we are forgiven
19:13	there isn’t a single page in your book with any sins recorded that will on the
19:21	last day be spoken against you Christ has paid the debt in full
19:30	that’s why he shouted out it is finished it is finished
19:39	this is good news this is something to get excited about
19:45	true reconciliation and he did it all for us
19:50	he stripped out all of it nailed it to the cross and then it says this
19:57	having stripped the rulers and authorities he exposed them in public having celebrated a triumph over them in
20:03	him you’re thinking what is that about well think of it this way Satan is described as
20:10	the accuser of the brethren at some point
20:17	Satan was up there accusing all of God’s Saints did you see what that person you saw that didn’t you
20:24	see he got all of that documentation from the accountants and then he becomes
20:29	a prosecuting attorney see they work together they see accountants are the ones that are most evil okay
20:36	so Satan’s up there doing his thing and and the Demonic world is described as
20:42	well rulers and authorities up in the heavenlies and so what Christ has basically done by
20:49	bleeding and dying for every one of your sins all of the accountants all the Demonic
20:55	attorneys they all are now proven to be liars and they’re thrown out and they
21:00	are triumphed over by what Christ has done on the cross the end get out of my court he’s
21:07	innocent I’ve bled and died for him that’s what Jesus says foreign
21:16	wonderful next verse therefore and whenever you see it there for you always ask what’s it there for
21:22	right well it’s all of this because you’re forgiven so therefore don’t let anyone judge you regarding eating and
21:30	drinking oh thank you or in respect to a feast or a new moon
21:37	or a Sabbath which were a shadow of the things coming
21:42	the body the substance belongs to Christ so the idea is this the colossian church
21:48	was actually facing a form of the judaizing heresy but it was Judaism the judaizing heresy kind of mixed with
21:54	gnosticism as a really messed up system and so what do we know about people who
21:59	invent their own religions how many religions are there in the whole world by the way
22:05	I think one two no there’s really only two there’s two religions in the whole world
22:12	this Christianity that says that God has done it all for you in Christ
22:17	and then there’s every other religion just balled up into one and it’s one big religion of the law do these things and
22:24	you will live pray towards Mecca five times a day right
22:29	make your pilgrimage give your alms or go door to door and
22:35	tell people about Jehovah or go to the temple and do all those secret ceremonies and
22:42	learn the secret handshakes and do all these things or it takes on more subtle forms well you well you want to be saved
22:50	well that means Don’t drink don’t smoke don’t chew and don’t go go with girls that do
22:56	and then you go to heaven problem is this
23:01	although some of that actually might have something to do with God’s moral law
23:07	to say that your ticket to Heaven is based upon what you do or don’t do makes you the one who’s responsible for your
23:15	salvation but what we just read says Christ has done it all for you
23:21	there isn’t in oh it’s just a mess how do most people think well I think what’s
23:27	going to happen is when I get to heaven they’re going to take all my good works and put them on this side of the scale
23:32	and all the well the inadvertent sins that I’ve committed
23:38	don’t they like that’s how they like to talk you know because basically I’m a good person and they’ll put them over
23:43	here and as long as my good stuff outweighs my bad stuff I’m in
23:49	here’s the problem all of your good works
23:54	are tainted with the bad stuff all of them
24:01	scripture is very clear on this even your best good work has enough sin in it
24:06	that your good work could send you to hell so we best not trust in this system
24:14	it’s better to trust with the system that says Christ has taken all of your sins bled and died for him taken all the
24:21	stuff that the accountants were working on ripped it out of the book nailed it to the cross
24:27	canceled the debt go with that that one not this one right
24:32	yeah so because of that because you were free in Christ don’t let anyone judge you
24:38	with things that you have freedom to decide on drinking what you eat or don’t drink
24:44	with respect to a new moon a festival or a Sabbath or even Christmas and have you ever been lambasted by other Christians
24:50	because you celebrate Christmas oh if you haven’t don’t push it it’ll
24:56	happen in its own time there’s a big backlash going on right now all of these are a shadow of the coming
25:01	things but the body the substance belongs to Christ so let no one decide against you while delighting in humility
25:08	and the worship of angels these are false religionists dwelling upon things that they’ve seen or visions being
25:15	puffed up and in Vain by the mind of his flesh and not holding to the Head from whom the whole body being supplied and
25:22	held together by the joints and ligaments is growing the growth of God you see even those people in the church
25:29	who are chasing after all of this nonsensical Doctrine the end of the day the bottom line is
25:35	this they’re not holding on to him who is the truth he who is the head they’re
25:42	following after other things and they’re leaving Jesus in the dust but Jesus is our all
25:49	and he is all so if you died with Christ indeed you have if you’ve died with Christ from the
25:55	elemental things of the world why is thou living in the world do you submit to these decrees and regulations don’t
26:02	handle don’t taste don’t touch these things which are these things are
26:08	for those that are perishing in use according to the Commandments and teachings of humans which are indeed
26:13	they have a they have an appearance of wisdom in connection with worship and humility and a harsh treatment of body
26:19	but all of these rules and regulations don’t handle don’t taste don’t touch they don’t have any value in actually
26:26	restraining the Indulgence of the flesh in fact if all you’re hearing is don’t
26:31	don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t rather than
26:36	God says this you haven’t done this repent be forgiven bear fruit in keeping
26:42	with repentance to see the difference instead of don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t if all your hearings don’t don’t don’t don’t dote what’s the thing you want to
26:48	do the thing that they’re telling you not to do I remember very distinctly my mom would
26:54	tell me don’t don’t eat all the Twinkies
27:00	did you eat all the Twinkies yeah
27:06	why because you told me not to right
27:11	that’s how the logic works the thing you’re constantly told not to do is the thing you end up wanting to do don’t
27:16	underestimate the fact you still have sinful flesh so just simply telling people don’t do that has no power
27:23	whatsoever to actually restrain your sinful flesh true Restraint of the
27:29	sinful flesh comes by preaching God’s law correctly and then preaching the gospel
27:34	the two go together only do saying don’t don’t don’t don’t is law it can’t save
27:40	you it can only condemn you the Christ is the one who disarms and totally takes
27:46	away all the power of sin by bleeding and dying for it it’s the Forgiveness of sins that takes away the power of sin
27:54	so if then you were raised with Christ and you have been be seeking the things
27:59	that are above where Christ is seating at the right hand of God be thinking the things above not the
28:06	things upon the Earth in other words don’t get all worried about all the things here all this is passing away anyway
28:13	right you’re thinking well haven’t you seen the news politics is really a mess in
28:19	the United States when has it not been right this Republic has been on the
28:24	brink of disaster and shipwreck so many times it’s not even funny remember that thing called the Civil War somehow the
28:30	Republic made it through that right so don’t get all stressed out about these things
28:35	pray for good government pray for good leaders and then get about serving your neighbor and your vocation and be
28:42	thinking about the things that are above not the things on the earth and here’s the reason why because you’ve died
28:49	you’re dead you are already dead
28:54	and your life has been hidden with Christ in God you’re tucked into the Ark of Christ
29:01	and when Christ appears your life then you will also appear with him in
29:07	glory what amazing promises we have what an amazing Jesus we have who’s overcome the
29:16	evil of accountants and attorneys and all of their dark arts and magical
29:22	systems of keeping score and all that kind of stuff disarmed it setting us
29:28	free canceled the dead and we are in him and on that day when he appears in glory
29:34	to judge the living and the dead you will appear with him you will be in him in glory
29:40	forever World Without End come Lord Jesus come quickly and thank
29:46	you thank you thank you for forgiving somebody even as wicked as me
29:53	in the name of Jesus Amen

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