Free in Christ

What a great promise, right?

When Christ comes,

we'll be able to enjoy the benefits

Thank you, Manuelers.

Appreciate the reminder of that song.

Imagine running,

running on a treadmill,

and your steps are relentless.

Sweat is pouring down your face.

You push the speed control higher and higher,

convinced that somehow,

the faster you run,

the better you'll perform.

Just a little faster,

just a little longer.

And finally,

finally,

you realize

that all of the effort that you've expended

is not accomplishing anything.

You're just going round and round

and round in circles.

And no matter how much effort you expend,

the ground beneath you never changes

because the treadmill goes

nowhere.

And so you're exhausted.

Not from the distance that you have run,

although the miles you put in

in that treadmill are excessive,

but you haven't really accomplished anything

because the treadmill is all about self-effort

without any progress that is accomplished.

That's where Jesus meets Nicodemus.

That's where we kind of meet Nicodemus

in our story,

the story that we find in John chapter 3.

John 3 · chapter mention

Nicodemus has come to Jesus one night

and he wasn't a reckless sinner.

He was one of Israel's finest,

a respected teacher,

a Pharisee,

a member of the Sanhedrin,

an elite part of the ruling class in Israel,

part of that elite class of religious leaders

there in Jerusalem.

Nicodemus,

Nicodemus,

for all intents and purposes,

had arrived.

He'd accomplished.

He had fulfilled the obligation.

Yet beneath the robes of his reputation

was a man still running,

tired,

tired by the treadmill,

the treadmill of performance,

and had brought him to the very brink

of wanting to give up.

Then Jesus,

he looked into his heart.

He peered into the spaces of his heart

and he makes this definitive statement

that we find there in John chapter 3.

John 3 · chapter mention

He says this,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

unless one is born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

In that single sentence,

Jesus dismantled the illusion

of Nicodemus' self-righteousness.

In that single sentence,

Nicodemus was reduced.

Reduced to one who is performing,

but performing with absolutely no benefit.

Nicodemus,

he didn't need to run harder.

He didn't need to keep having more effort.

Nicodemus needed fundamentally a new life.

He needed a new heart.

The problem wasn't Nicodemus' effort.

The problem was Nicodemus' condition,

his nature,

his status before the Lord.

He was fundamentally flawed.

Only the Spirit of God could give him,

give Nicodemus,

what he really needed.

Not effort,

but a new birth from above.

Nicodemus' treadmill isn't unique.

It's the kind of treadmill

that all of us often find ourselves on.

It's the kind of treadmill

that leads to constant effort

and the kind of wearing out

that we find in Nicodemus' life.

In Colossae,

false teachers

were calling believers back to the treadmill.

They were calling them back to obligation.

They were calling them back to duty.

Do more.

Deny more.

Experience more.

And then you'll be more spiritual,

they would say.

But Paul would sound the alarm of the gospel

and he wants them to know,

let no one pass judgment on you.

Those are Paul's words.

Let no one pass judgment on you.

Let no one disqualify you.

Let no one drag you back into the shadows.

Into the shadows of routine.

The shadows of performance.

But rather,

understand the substance

that is available to us in Christ.

You see,

every human effort

to reach God apart from Christ

becomes a treadmill

of empty religion

in motion,

but no arrival.

No arrival.

So Paul urges

those in Colossae

to step off

the treadmill

of self-effort

and to stand

in the finished work

of Jesus Christ.

The gospel

does not say

run faster.

The gospel says

run to Jesus.

So this morning,

as we look at

this passage,

we're going to see

the benefits

of running to Jesus.

Of getting off

the treadmill

of human effort

in recognizing

all that Christ

has accomplished

for us

in his son.

There's only two points

this morning.

The first point is this.

The first is,

the verdict

has been given

so don't let anyone

pass judgment

on you.

There is a verdict.

That verdict

has been announced.

It's been given

by Christ.

So don't let anyone

pass judgment

on you.

Let no one

pass judgment

on you.

We pick up

our passage

this morning

in Colossians

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

beginning in verse 15.

It says this.

He disarmed,

speaking of Christ,

he disarmed

the rulers

and authorities

and put them

to open shame

by triumphing

over them

in him.

Therefore,

let no one

pass judgment

on you

in question

of food

and drink

or with regard

to festival

or new moon

or Sabbath.

These things

are a shadow

of that which is to come

but the substance

belongs

to Christ.

We left off

our time together

last week

and speaking

about the victory

that has been purchased

for us

in Jesus Christ.

What God has done

for us

through him.

And we saw

that Jesus

is preeminent.

That he disarmed

rulers

and authorities.

That he literally

undressed them

as it were.

He stripped them

of rank

and he made

a public spectacle

of them.

The picture

that we get

from these words

is a triumphing

commander

who is parading

those who have

been captives,

those who have

been conquered,

those who have

been humbled

through the streets

and Jesus

who reigns

is the one

who is over

them all

parading

these powers

and putting them

to open shame,

public shame.

Of course,

he did this

in demonstration.

It says,

of the fullness

of deity

that dwelled

in him bodily.

That component

of Christ,

that fullness

of who he was,

his deity

just shone through.

And that's why

Paul says,

don't let anyone

pass judgment

on you.

This Greek word

is the word

judgment.

It's this legal

standing,

this decision

that's been made.

Why don't let

anyone pass

judgment on you?

Well, because

the verdict

has been passed.

The verdict

has been given.

The announcement,

the judgment

has been carried

by Christ.

Going all the way

back to verse 10,

we see the things

that Christ

has accomplished.

He says,

you're complete

in him.

Then he says,

you were circumcised

in him,

which is a picture

of this new covenant

relationship,

what Christ has

accomplished

for the sake

of his church.

He says,

you were buried

with him.

There was a death

that happened

in Christ.

We died

to the old

way of life.

We were buried.

But we were also

made alive with him.

He didn't just

leave us

in our death,

but he allowed

us to enjoy

the benefits

of that newness

of life.

You were forgiven

in him.

That debt

was canceled.

You are triumphant

in him,

he says.

All of these

conditions

that are

pronounced

over the believer

who has faith

in Christ

because of

the work

that Christ

has accomplished,

this victorious

work on our

behalf.

So,

let no one

pass judgment

on you.

Don't let anyone

pass judgment

because that

verdict has

already been

announced by

Christ.

You're forgiven.

There's peace.

There can be

relationship.

There can be

fellowship with

God through

his son,

Jesus Christ.

All that has

been accomplished

for us in

him.

Paul will

continue to

declare this

truth in

Galatians

Galatians 3:23–25

chapter 3

verses 23

to 25

where he

says,

Now before

faith has

come,

we were

held captive

under the

law,

imprisoned

until the

coming faith

would be

revealed.

So then,

the law

was our

guardian

until Christ

came.

In order

that we

might be

justified

by faith.

But now,

faith has

come.

We are

no longer

under the

law,

but under

a guardian.

All of

these

descriptions

that the

apostle Paul

is using

is to

describe the

condition

that we

had before

we believed,

before we

were people

of faith.

There was

an obligation

that we

had to

the law,

to the

moral demands

of that

law,

and because

of those

moral demands,

we were

enslaved.

We were

bound.

The

apostle Paul

says we

were under

guard by

the law.

But now

because of

Christ and

because of

faith,

there's been

a release.

There's

freedom that

we enjoy.

You are

in Christ,

and so

you're no

longer under

this law.

You're no

longer under

this master.

There is

freedom that

we enjoy,

but it's

not a

freedom without

a law,

per se.

It's a

freedom that

binds us

to love,

to Christ.

Paul was

not an

antinomian,

as it

were.

Paul was

not one

that was

against the

law.

It was

that the

law had

been fulfilled,

and so

because the

obligations of

that law

had been

fulfilled in

Christ,

now there

is a new

condition that's

on our

hearts.

It's a

law of

faith.

It's a

law of

love.

love.

This

ritual

pointed to

this picture,

this picture

of Christ.

Paul continues,

he says,

in verse

15,

16,

he says,

therefore,

let no one

pass judgment

on you

with regard

to food

or drink

or with

regard to

festivals

or new

moons

or Sabbaths.

These are

a shadow

of the things

to come,

but the

substance

belongs to

Christ.

All of

those who

were under

the law,

all of

those who

were under

that old

covenant

condition

sought to

meet the

conditions of

that law

by their

own power.

Conditions

that the

apostle Paul

spells out

when he

talks about

food and

drink,

when he

talks about

new moons

and festivals

and Sabbaths.

Certainly

there were

conditions

that bound

the hearts

and lives

of those

who were

under

that moral

obligation

of the

law.

Those

clean

and unclean

foods that

they were

allowed to

partake of

if they were

clean and

were supposed

to put

away if

it was

unclean.

The detail

of those

foods and

the number

of them,

it's an

extensive

list.

Pigs and

camels and

badgers that

they were

unallowed to

eat.

rabbits and

sea creatures,

those whose

fins in

scales,

eels and

shrimps and

lobsters,

they were

forbidden to

eat.

All of the

intricacies of

the law,

it's almost

too difficult

to even

sort out.

It was all

a result of

the condition

of the

burden of

that law.

And partly,

God had a

standard to

draw attention

to his

holiness.

God had

built those

standards to

draw attention

to his

character.

He was a

holy God.

And there

were foods

that were

against his

nature.

God wanted

them to be

distinct.

He didn't

want them to

participate in

the pagan

rituals that

were entrenched

in that day.

there was

food and

drink,

but also

festivals.

All these

festivals,

Passovers,

that they

had to

fulfill.

Day of

Atonement,

the Feast of

Booze,

the Feast of

Weeks,

the laws of

feast and

new moons,

every new

moon that

came,

every Sabbath

practice.

And even

there were

entire years,

the Sabbath

year,

they had to

fulfill and

put away work

for an entire

year.

All of these

were just a

shadow of

the substance.

All of these

were rituals to

perform.

All of these

were burdens

to carry.

But Jesus

came to give

freedom.

Jesus came to

give life.

Jesus came to

fulfill the

obligations of

those burdens

So the people

would be free.

Particularly as

it relates to

the Sabbath.

The Apostle

Paul,

as we know,

we find back

in the law

in Exodus

Exodus 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20,

we find,

remember the

Sabbath day

to keep it

holy.

Six days you

shall labor

and do your

work,

but the

seventh day

is the

Sabbath to

the Lord,

your God.

On it you

shall not do

any work,

or your

female servant,

or your son,

or your daughter,

or your

livestock,

or the

sojourner who

is within

your gate.

For in

six days the

Lord made

them and

rested on

the seventh

day.

Then,

therefore,

the Lord God

blessed the

Sabbath day

and made it

holy.

We find this

principle of

rest that's

built in to

the law.

This principle

of rest that

actually even

goes back to

the pattern of

rest that's built

right into

creation.

That in six

days work was

to take place

and on the

seventh day there

was to be rest.

this timeless

principle,

this rhythm

of work

and rest

was meant

to be the

cadence by

which those

who lived

according to

God would

follow.

But it was

a yoke.

It was a yoke

that the

Apostle Paul

draws attention

to.

And Paul

will say

in Colossians,

he'll say,

don't let

anyone pass

judgment on

you with

regard to

Sabbaths.

Why?

Well,

because as

Paul will

say,

these are

just a

shadow.

These are

not the

substance.

This is

not the

observance

that God

came to

fulfill.

These

observances

were just

the shadow,

a symbol,

not the

reality,

the outline,

but not the

actual image.

They were

not meant

to be

permanently

binding,

but to

direct the

attention of

those who

followed them

fixed,

this fixed

standard of

Christ to

help them

understand that

Christ was

the end of

the law.

Christ was

the fulfillment

of the law,

not the

duty of

carrying these

burdens on

their own.

Just like the

blood of the

bulls and

goats,

they were not

the once for

all sacrifice

that was

needed.

Not the

repeated

sacrifices over

and over

again,

but recognizing

this picture

of Christ,

that Christ

came to

complete,

to complete

and fulfill

the law.

So,

the shadow

had become

substance.

The gray

had become

this brilliant

color.

And that's

why Paul

will say,

don't fall

back into

the weak

and basic

principles.

You find in

Galatians

Galatians 4:9

chapter 4,

verse 9,

now you

have come

to know

God,

or rather

have been

known by

God,

how can

you turn

back again

to the

weak and

worthless

elementary

principles

of the

world,

whose slaves

you want

to become

once more?

You

observe

days and

months and

seasons and

years.

I'm afraid

that I may

have labored

over you

in vain.

These things

have been

fulfilled,

the obligations

have been

met,

Christ has

come.

We find in

Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

10,

it says,

for sins

the law

has,

excuse me,

for sins

the law

has but

a shadow

of the good

things to

come,

instead of

the true

form of

the realities.

It can

never,

by the

same

sacrifice

that are

continually

offered

every year

make perfect

those who

draw near.

Otherwise,

would they

not have

ceased

to be

offered

since the

worshiper

having once

been cleansed

would no

longer have

been conscious

of his

sins?

If Christ

has cleansed

you,

then why do

you continue

to offer

sacrifices?

That cleansing

has happened,

it's happened

through Christ,

and so

there's no

longer a

need for

us to

continue

to sacrifice

as we

find in

the Old

Testament

law.

So what

do we

make of

this Sabbath

principle?

In Matthew

Matthew 12:5–8

chapter 12

verses 5

to 8,

Jesus

says,

have you

not read

in the

law

how the

Sabbath,

the priests

in the

temple

profane,

the Sabbath

and are

guiltless?

I tell

you,

something

greater

than the

temple

is here.

And if

you have

known

what this

means,

I desire

mercy

and not

sacrifice,

you would

not have

condemned

the guiltless,

for the

Son of

Man is

Lord of

the

Sabbath.

Jesus

draws

attention

to the

power of

the Savior,

the power

of Christ

himself,

that he

is the

Lord of

the

Sabbath,

that he

is the

one who

has fulfilled

the Sabbath

obligations,

and he

is the

one who

now offers

rest to

those who

are in

Christ.

As Jesus

will say,

my yoke

is easy,

my burden

is light,

enjoy the

rest that I

have to give

to you.

So Jesus

fulfilled the

obligation of

the Sabbath,

Jesus fulfilled

the obligation of

those new

moons and

rituals and

feast days,

and because

he's fulfilled

it, the

verdict has

been written.

That

verdict is

that you

are forgiven,

that you

are righteous,

that you

are one

who is

enjoying the

benefits of

all that

Christ has

come to

accomplish.

So not

only has the

verdict been

given, so

we don't need

to pass

judgment,

we come

also to

recognize your

bondage has

been removed,

so don't

let anyone

disqualify

you.

Your bondage

has been

removed.

Don't be

disqualified.

Verse 18

of chapter 2

says,

let no one

disqualify you

insisting on

asceticism,

on worship of

angels,

going on in

detail about

visions puffed

up without

reason by his

sensuous mind

and not holding

fast to the

head, from

whom the whole

body, nourished

and knit

together,

through its

joints and

ligaments,

grows with

a growth

that is

from God.

Don't be

disqualified.

Don't be

those who

run the

race and

run it in

a way that

will ultimately

lead for your

disqualification.

This word to

disqualify is

to deprive.

It's to

encroach upon

another's

interest.

It really

has the idea

of condemnation.

Don't run in

such a way that

you're going to

be disqualified

or condemned.

Make sure

you're playing

by the rules,

the Apostle

Paul would

say.

There's an

illustration of

one who is

an ultra

marathoner.

This ultra

marathoner who

ran this

50 mile race

back in

2023.

And they

were one of

the top

performers.

They were

able to finish

in third

place.

And in

April of

2023, this

47-year-old

Scottish woman,

ultra marathoner,

she was able

to finish

third overall.

And her

recorded time

was seven

hours, which

was an

incredible

accomplishment.

Seven hours

for 50 miles

and worth of

race.

However, when

the officials

reviewed her

GPS tracker,

they noticed

something impossible

had happened.

In the middle

of the race,

somehow, for

two and a

half miles,

she had run

35 miles an

hour.

Of course, she

had ridden in a

car to accomplish

that objective.

And in order to

kind of get ahead

and actually maybe

even get back to

the place that

she had been,

she ended up

riding in this

car for two

and a half miles

so that she could

get back to the

spot in the

race.

Of course, she

admitted later on

to her cheating.

And of course, as

a result of her

cheating, she was

disqualified.

Disqualified and

actually banned for

12 months that

following year.

The Apostle Paul

will direct our

attention to the

same kinds of

consequences when

he says for us

not to be

disqualified.

2 Timothy 2

2 Timothy 2:5

verse 5 says,

Are you competing

according to the

rules?

Paul will also

say in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 9:24–26

chapter 9 verses

24 to 26, he

says this,

Do you not know

that in a race

all runners run

but only one

will receive the

prize?

So run that you

may obtain it.

Every athlete

exercises self-control

in all things.

They do it to

receive a perishable

wreath but we

an imperishable.

So I do not run

aimlessly.

I do not box as

one who beats

the air.

The Apostle Paul

describes this

race that he was

in and a race that

all of us are in

but we need to run

this race in a way

that is according

to the rules.

And Paul will

use different

ways to describe

the false

teachers and how

they were trying

to run through

self-effort.

We find first

they were insisting

on asceticism

and asceticism

is simply

the condition

of treating

yourself in a

way that is bad

so that somehow

you will be able

to attain

spirituality.

spirituality.

This desire

of humility

and lowliness.

This treating

your body

or treating

yourself,

depriving yourself

of pleasures

in order to

attain some

level of

spirituality.

They were also

worshiping angels.

This worship

of angels

seemed to dominate

their attention

instead of

worship of God.

They were those

who relied on

visions.

It says they

go on in

detail about

what has been

seen.

They wanted to

boast about

their experiences

of all the

special extra

visions that

they had been

able to partake

in rather than

depending on

the revelation

of God through

his word.

They were also

puffed up without

reason by their

sensuous mind.

These individuals

who seemed to

boast in their

accomplishments.

They boast in

their spirituality

but it was all

counterfeit

because they

weren't holding

fast to the

head.

They weren't

those who were

depending on the

work of Christ

alone.

They pursued

special experiences.

They wanted

all of these

wonderful

revelations

Christians.

But instead

of it leading

them to

God,

it led them

away from

God.

It led them

into bondage.

You see,

healthy churches,

healthy people

are those who

will follow

what we find in

Colossians 2

Colossians 2:1

verses 1 and 2.

I want you to

know,

he says,

how great a

struggle I have

for you and

for those in

Laodicea who

have not seen

me face to

face,

that their

hearts may be

encouraged,

being knit

together in

love to reach

all the riches

of the full

assurance and

understanding and

the knowledge of

God's mystery which

is Christ.

That's what God

has to offer.

That's what the

Apostle Paul in

Colossians 2 is

talking about.

These hearts that

are knit together,

this refreshment,

this health,

this vitality

that's taking

place,

this unity among

God's people,

this working

together that is

happening.

As the Apostle

Paul will say in

Ephesians 4

Ephesians 4:15

verses 15,

he says,

rather speaking the

truth in love,

we are to grow up

in every way into

him who is the

head into Christ,

from whom the

whole body joined

and held together

by every joint

which is equipped

when each part is

working properly

makes the body

grow so that it

builds itself up

in love.

Love is the way

you can tell a

church is healthy.

It loves the Lord

Jesus Christ.

It loves and has

affection for others

in that love for

one another does

something.

It leads to some

energy, some effort

on their part but

it's that effort

that's motivated by

a heart of love

for God and love

for one another.

It results in

unity.

It results in a

church that's held

together in growing,

a church that's

actively working out

the things that it's

been called to.

It's not the church

that we find in

Colossians chapter 2

Colossians 2:20

verse 20.

It says if we, if

with Christ you

died to the

elemental spirits

of the world,

why, why as if

you were still

living in the

world, do you

still submit to

its rules and

regulations?

Do not handle,

do not taste,

do not touch,

referring to all

things that perish

as they are being

used according to

human precepts,

according to

teaching.

These things have

indeed the

appearance of

wisdom in

promoting self-made

religion and

asceticism and

severity to the

body but they

are of no value

in stopping the

indulgence of the

flesh.

All this human

effort, all of

this innate

desire, this

energy that we

expend to try to

put away those

fleshly desires

that we have and

we find that

only Christ can

come and remove

those fleshly

desires.

Only Christ is

the one who has

been able to

destroy the works

of the devil.

Only Christ is

the one who has

allowed us to

experience the

freedom that

comes as he

is killed, he's

put to death

our flesh and

made us alive in

the spirit.

So as we

think about what

Christ has

accomplished, as

we understand that

the verdict has

been written, as

we seek as

those who don't

want to be

disqualified, we

remember what

Christ has

accomplished for

us and we

remember the

wonder of his

work and we

praise him.

let me pray.

Lord, I thank

you for what you

have done in

Christ Jesus.

Lord, I thank

you for

forgiveness of

sins and

cleansing.

I thank you,

Lord, for the

death of our

sinful flesh,

that you've

made us alive

in Christ

because of your

spirit.

spirit.

And Lord, I

pray that you

would help us

to walk in

that newness of

life.

Not bound by

human traditions,

not bound by

the obligations of

the law, but

free.

Free because in

Christ you have

accomplished it

all.

But of course

that freedom

doesn't mean that

we live any way

that we want

to.

That freedom

compels us because

of love for Christ

to live in a way

that's pleasing to

you.

And so I pray

that you would

help us,

Father, to live

in that very

way.

That you would

be glorified.

That you would

triumph.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.