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Spiritual systems that are entirely

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legalistic. They assume that their

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spiritual life and those who are actually

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dead in sins. This is

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today in the word. And I'm John Geiger.

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Always glad to connect with you. Well,

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this was the spiritual condition of the Colossians

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when the gospel came to them, when

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you were dead in your sins and in

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the uncircumcision of your flesh,

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God made you alive with Christ.

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Paul reminds them in Colossians two.

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Today in the word we read in verse 14, he

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forgave us all our sins,

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having cancelled the charge of our legal

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indebtedness which stood against us

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and condemned us. He has taken

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it away, nailing it to the cross.

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Boy, that's awesomely good news. And

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because Christ took upon himself the penalty

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for our sins, we are not

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bound by any custom, observance,

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or regulation that claims to make

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us right with God. Even the regulations

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in the law of Moses were only a shadow

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of the things that were to come. While

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the reality is found in Christ.

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The appeal of many of these legalistic systems

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is that they offer the appearance of

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holiness with the rigor of their demands,

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but in reality, you know, they lack

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any value in restraining sensual

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indulgence. It's the truth. When

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Paul tells us not to let anyone judge

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us in such matters, he means that

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we should not let them impose their

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practices and standards on us.

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For the Colossians, these were regulations

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about food and festivals and observances.

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Righteousness is not earned

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by obeying rules. Great

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reminder and we encourage you. By the way, here's

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a reminder for you to check out our today

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in the Word app at Google Play or

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the App Store. You'll love the various

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options that will allow you to take that next step

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in your walk with Jesus in

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a fresh, new way. Again, look for today

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in the Word at Google Play or

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the App Store.