The Life of Faith and Our Freedom in Christ

Let's turn again now to pause now to Colossians and chapter 2 and we can read at verse 11.

! Colossians 2 at verse 11.

In him also you are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body

of flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which

you are also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised

him from the dead.

And so on down to verse number 15.

The last time we were together, or I was with you on the Lord's Day, we looked at chapter

one of this letter and we noticed, as we notice again today and remind ourselves that in these

first two chapters, Paul wants to highlight the supremacy of Jesus Christ in salvation

as well as in creation.

And he is writing with that theme because of the great need that they had and the great

need that we have ourselves to recognize that our salvation is all about what God has done

in Jesus and not so much about what we are doing ourselves.

And we saw in chapter one and verse 12 the way in which God speaks about qualifying us to

share in the inheritance of God's people.

And we highlighted the way in which our salvation is about what God does in our own lives.

Today we want to look at the other side of that and to consider in these verses, to consider

what God has done for us outside of ourselves in the person of Christ.

Christ.

And we are doing so because when you read the letters of Paul, we notice a significant development.

When Jesus speaks of disciples, his emphasis is on people leaving everything and following

him.

When Paul speaks about disciples and about Christians, he speaks about those who are in Christ and who

are with Christ.

There's a development.

There is a change in focus.

And the message is not going to be a lesson on grammar, but I do want to draw attention

to the fact that the key to understanding what Paul says here and elsewhere is his use of

prepositions.

When I went to school and I heard prepositions mentioned, I was not remotely interested.

But prepositions are important because they show us the relationship between a noun and

what has been said in the previous clause.

And there are two prepositions that are central to the message of the gospel that capture for

us so much of what salvation is.

The first of these is the preposition in.

It's through this chapter in Christ.

The second preposition is with Christ.

And all of your salvation and mine today is summed up by Paul in the use of these two

prepositions.

And we hear so often with documentation that the devil is in the detail.

Well, in the case of salvation, the great blessing is in the detail.

When we notice the detail, we notice the marvel of what God has done.

And bearing that in mind, I want us to think of these verses before us here and to think of

the life of faith and our freedom in Christ.

I want to think, first of all, that we have before us a transition.

I come from being in one place to being in another place.

And we see that transition from verse 11 onwards, where Paul speaks about being circumcised with

a circumcision made without hands.

And the very mention of circumcision presents us perhaps with great difficulties.

But I want us to think of circumcision in the light of God's relationship with his people in the Old Testament

as an oath pledge of their loyalty.

Their loyalty to God.

And if they were not loyal to God, they would be cut off from the people of God and sent away from God.

Circumcision is about being cut off.

And here Paul wants them to understand their salvation in the light of that sense of cutting off

and cutting off with a circumcision made without hands.

God is working for our salvation by engaging in this cutting off activity

to take us from where we are, the place to which we are so attached,

the place in which we live our lives.

He comes to us in his grace and he comes to cut us off from being there.

And today, if I'm a Christian, if I'm a child of God,

the evidence of this happening is that I am following Jesus.

But my following of Jesus is the result of God the Father

cutting me off from the life of sin that I lived

and the life that I lived in the service of this world

and setting myself at the exclusion of Jesus Christ.

And he shows us how that actually takes place.

A circumcision made without hands,

putting off of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.

Circumcision, the cutting off of people.

Circumcision, the cutting off of Jesus Christ.

Circumcision, the cutting off of Jesus Christ.

We read in Isaiah chapter 53 that on the cross,

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

Jesus was cut off from the land of the living.

The cutting off in the life of Jesus is all about the cross of Jesus

where Jesus died for our sins and where,

when he was cut off from God,

he cried out,

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And we hear that he was cut off because they came

and saw that Jesus was already dead.

And Paul wants the Christians in Colossae to understand

that they were cut off from the life of service to sin

because of the way in which God took them from where they were

and placed them in Christ,

in that new relationship with Christ,

in their union with Christ.

And so today in my lostness,

I'm out here.

I'm outside of the kingdom of God.

I'm outside of Christ.

I'm lost.

I'm serving myself.

I'm under the influence of the God of this world,

the devil and Satan,

and all that this world offers me.

I'm there outside of Christ.

And the moment that takes place in the day of my salvation

is not so much me coming to follow the Lord Jesus.

It's God taking me from there,

cutting me off from the root of that kind of life

and uniting me in my relationship with Jesus Christ

so that his death and his life

become meaningful in my life.

That's why Paul says in writing to Galatians,

I am crucified with Christ.

When I become a child of God,

I'm united to Jesus and his death,

says Paul.

And because of that,

my life up until then has come to an end.

I go on a train journey.

And I may be going from Edinburgh to London.

And I'm going on the express train.

It stops at so many different places.

And then I hear the announcement

that this train,

the next stop on this train is London.

And then I'm told,

this train terminates

at London,

Euston.

And I want us to think today about our lives.

We are on that journey outside of Christ.

And in the day in which God comes to save us,

our journey on that railway,

on that track,

comes to an end.

It terminates

the moment my relationship with Jesus begins.

And so,

for you and for me today,

am I a Christian or am I not?

Am I a child of God or am I not?

Then the first part of the answer

comes in looking at yourself

and asking yourself,

has the life that I lived,

setting myself,

happy in my sinful life,

has that life come to an end?

Has that part of my journey

has determined,

is it now over?

And those of us,

as we struggle

and come into faith,

there is that kind of process

where there is that kind of

struggle and confusion

with the life that I am leading

and the life that God wants me to live.

And that struggle comes to be over

when I'm united to Christ

and the one who died for my sins,

who broke the power of sin,

that through him and in him,

that life has come to an end.

Has your life today changed?

That's the first way

in which faith is evident

in the life of God's children.

That is confined to the past.

It's done with.

I don't want it anymore.

God has taken it away

and I don't want to see it anymore

appearing in life.

And the transition is complete

because not only do I share

what Jesus achieved in his death,

but I also achieve what,

I also take part in what

Jesus achieved in his resurrection.

And that's what we read of

in verse number 13.

You are dead in your trespasses

and the uncircumcision of your flesh.

God made alive together with him.

Here is the preposition,

the with him.

When I hear about Jesus

being raised from the dead

on the third day,

making himself known to his disciples,

when I read and hear that,

that's the new life of Jesus

after the cross

and that's the new life

that the child of God lives

in the moment of our union with Christ

and of being united to Christ

by the invisible hand of God.

the newness of life.

That comes, says Paul,

having had our sins forgiven,

we walk now in this newness of life.

A life that is like the life

that Jesus lived.

A life that shows the work

of the Spirit of God

in our hearts and our lives.

A life that is in the service of God

and no longer in the service of sin.

There is that transition.

There is that movement

in this momentary activity of God

when I'm taken from there

and taken to be in Christ.

And so, today,

for you,

there will be no physical movement.

The way God works,

you can sit where you are sitting.

And at the same time,

the greatest movement ever

takes place in your heart and life.

You don't change your position,

you don't change your body movement,

and in that silence,

motionless picture

of where you're at,

God works.

And He creates this new thing

in your heart.

And the new thing is

creating this union

with the Lord Jesus,

and that changes you forever.

physically,

there's no change,

but before God,

there is the world

of a difference.

That's what Paul wanted them to see.

And that's today

what God wants you and I to see.

A life that has changed

because God has brought us

into a living relationship

with Jesus.

And in that relationship,

we are a new people.

And the same Paul says

that everyone who is in Christ

is a new creation.

And he goes on to say,

all things have passed away.

That train has terminated

at the cross of Jesus.

All things have become new.

The old and the new.

The movement created

by God's work in our hearts.

Are we old or new?

Are we serving sin

or serving the Lord?

The transition

that is the first part

of our freedom.

Secondly,

we want to see

that there is

a transaction.

And the transaction

is based on two images

or word pictures

that Paul gives to us

in these verses.

And in the first word picture

that we have,

there is this idea

of debt cancellation.

We have it in version number 14.

By cancelling the record

of debt

that stood

against us.

There is a handwriting.

It's a handwriting

that speaks of

debts that,

of things that a person

is obliged to fulfill.

And all of these things

are written down.

And the document

is signed

as proof

of the obligation

to keep

and to observe

what is written

in the document.

And for the Old Testament

people of God,

we can think of them

at Mount Sinai

where God brought them

to be his own people.

And the people of God,

they said to Moses

and to the Lord,

all that the Lord

has said we will do,

they were signing

the document,

placing themselves

under obligation

to give obedience

to God

and his commands

and to live with him

forever.

It was

an I owe you

to God.

And it was signed

by them

in that moment

willing to

bind themselves

to God

and committed

to live

to him.

but we know

that

the Old Testament

people of God

were just like

yourselves.

We say the right

things,

we promise to do

so much

but we fail.

And they failed

to fulfill

the obligation.

What they had

signed up to do,

they simply

did not do.

And because of that,

the law that God

gave them,

that placed them

under obligation

to whom

that law now

changed to be a law

that spoke

against them.

It stood

in their judgment.

They had broken

the law of God.

They were condemned

by the penalty

of God's law.

It stood

firmly against them.

And what was true

of the children

of Israel

as they left

Mount Sinai

is true

of humankind

as we leave

the Garden

of Eden.

And for all

of us here today,

there is our debt.

There is our

obligation to

keep the law

of God

perfectly.

There is a promise

that if we do so,

we will have

eternal life.

But there is the threat

that if we don't,

there is the penalty

of death

that stands

against us.

And here we are

in our lostness

and God is

taking us

from the place

of lostness

and uniting us

to the passion

of his Son

and the day

of our salvation.

And he's forgiving

our sins

and he does that

because of

this wonderful

transaction

of cancelling

the record

of death.

He puts

his pen

through it

and he puts

his pen

through it

because of

all that

Jesus has done.

And not only

does he put

his pen

through the

record of

death that

you and I

have,

he also

takes the

document

and he

destroys it

so that the

evidence is

completely gone.

It's

cancelled.

I can

delete a

document

on my

computer

or laptop

and it

will be

in the

recycle bin

and if I

want to

recover it

I can go to

my recycle bin

and restore it

to where it

belongs so that

I've got the

written document.

But if I go to

my recycle bin

and if I

empty my

recycle bin

I'm asked the

question,

are you sure

you want to

empty your

recycle bin?

because once

the bin is

emptied then

these documents

are gone

forever.

And God

does not have

a recycle bin.

When he

deletes,

he deletes it

once and

for all.

And he

deletes the

record of our

sin and the

guilt that comes

with that

record.

He wipes

the slate

clean.

He erases

every entry.

Then he

destroys the

document so

that there is

no condemnation

to those

who are

in Jesus

Christ.

And today

as a child

of God

you may be

troubled because

of your sin.

You may be

troubled because

of the failures

in your life

and the way

in which you

are not able

to reach up

to the standard

that God

has given to

you.

And it robs

you of the

sense of the

peace of the

salvation that

God has given

to you.

And instead

of that peace

there is turmoil.

There is a

sense of

letting God

down.

There is a

sense of

failing to

find the

satisfaction

that God

promises to

give you.

And here is

what the

gospel wants

to say to

you, what

God wants

to say to

you.

The record

of your

debt is

cancelled.

The slate

is wiped

clean.

The document

is destroyed.

God is

saying, I

will forgive

their sin.

I will

remember

their

iniquity

no more.

The

forgiveness

of God.

And our

recent book

on forgiveness

speaks about

the importance

of forgiving

others.

But speaks

about a

psychological

challenge

of not

being able

to forgive

ourselves.

And when

God forgives

us, that

forgiveness

should reach

us so far

as to

enable us to

forgive

ourselves so

that we

have that

perfect peace.

And perhaps

as the

children of

God, that's

one of our

great problems.

That we

don't allow

God's total

forgiveness

forgiveness, to

fill our own

lives totally

and to take

away the

sense of

failure and

guilt and

to enjoy the

peace of

God.

There is the

cancellation of

debt.

the

second word

picture is

the way in

which the

cross comes

to be at

the very

center of

that.

This he

set aside,

nailing it

to the

cross.

He takes

it up.

He nails

it to the

cross.

He wipes

it clean.

The penalty

is thoroughly

executed.

The penalty

is severed in

the passion of

the son.

The son

who had

before him

on the

cross, that

that

that

that

superscription,

this is the

king of

the Jews.

That was his

condemnation

under

Pilate.

But the

nails and

the hands

and the

feet of

Jesus on

the cross,

they were

the

superscription

of God

that here

in the

oppression of

his son,

he was

bearing the

penalty.

He was

made a

curse for

us.

All other

sins

deserved.

He

severed in

our

room and

in our

place.

He set

it aside.

He lifts

it up from

us.

He places

it on his

son.

His son

suffers for

it and

takes it

all away.

And it's

deleted.

It's removed

forever.

the supremacy

of Jesus

in God's

transaction

in making

us the

children of

God

and the

way in

which

everything

comes back

to what

Jesus

achieved on

the cross.

He was

made a

curse for

us,

says Paul.

Christ

redeemed

us from

the

curse of

the Lord

by becoming

a curse

for us.

He took

our place.

He died

for our

sin.

And the

cross of

Jesus

cancels

all of the

dead and

removes it

forever

out of

sight.

there is

then the

transaction.

And finally

there is

the triumph.

As we

come into

verse 15

that's where

we see the

triumph.

He disarmed

the rulers

and authorities

and put

them to

open shame

by triumphing

over them

in him.

The rulers

and the

authorities.

The

parish

that are

working in

Colossae.

The parish

that were

generating

the philosophies

in Colossae

that was

so harmful

to the

church.

The parish

that are

working in

the church

in Ephesus

where Paul

speaks to

the church

and reminds

them of

their need

to be

on the

whole

armor of

God

because

they are

not wrestling

with people

but they are

wrestling with

powers,

with principalities,

wrestling with

the devil

himself,

the rulers

and the

authorities.

Paul goes

as far as

to describe

Satan as

the God

of this

world.

The

challenges,

the powers

that are

too great

for you

and I

to conquer.

And that's

so often

our failing

that we

try and

conquer them

ourselves.

That we

see the

giants

and we

think we

can manage

the giants

ourselves.

That we

will confront

them thinking

that we

can conquer

them.

But we

discover time

after time

that they

are too

great for

us.

They are

too strong

for us

and they

are ready

to conquer

us.

And all

of these

ways in

which the

power of

darkness

and the

power of

Satan

works against

the church

in Colossae

and works

against the

church wherever

it is

including

here today

all that

power we

read in

verse 15

he

disarmed

rulers

and

authorities.

It's the

picture of

stripping

them of

their

armor

stripping

them of

all of

their

indications

of power

of leaving

them helpless

and not able

to do

anything.

that's

what Jesus

achieved

on the

cross.

He

stripped

the

power

from

Satan

himself.

He

cast

him

out.

By

the

power

of

God

Jesus

has

the

victory.

We refer

to that

in the

children's

others.

The way

in which

Jesus

is the

champion

because

he

triumphed

in the

cross.

He

disarmed

all of

the

rulers.

In the

letter to

the

Hebrews

we read

that

Jesus

destroyed

him who

has the

power of

death,

the

devil.

And

he did

so to

deliver

those

who

through

the

fear

of

death

are

all

of

their

lifetime

subject

to

bondage.

We

need

fear

no one

as

the

children

of

God.

And

the

devil

wants

us

to

fear

everyone

and to

fear

every

kind

of

situation

and to

say to

us

we

can't

do

this

and we

can't

do

that.

We

can't

go

here,

we

can't

go

there.

Looking

back

to my

own

conversion,

there were

these

struggles

for so

long

that

there

were

so

many

things

that

the

devil

would

tell

me

I

could

not

and

I

cannot

do

as

much

as

my

desire

was

to

follow

the

Lord

Jesus

and

all

of

that

not

overcome

these

kept

me

paralyzed

where

I

was

for

so

long.

It

can

do

that

for

you

today

if

you're

deciding

to

follow

the

Lord

Jesus

there

will

be

all

of

these

arguments

presented

by

the

devil

himself

to

persuade

you

that

you

can't

do

this

and

you

can't

go

there

and

you

can't

follow

because

you

will

fail.

It's

the

typical

strategy

of the

devil

to

stop

you

from

believing

that

strategy

will

perhaps

be

altered

once

you

come

to

believe

but

don't

be

afraid

of

the

devil

or

of

Satan

because

here

we

see

that

Jesus

has

disarmed

him

and

once

we

believe

in

Jesus

the

victory

that

Jesus

has

over

the

devil

becomes

our

personal

victory

we

are

more

than

conquerors

through

him

who

loved

us

and

there

is

in

that

triumphal

procession

we

hear about

it in

sport in

so many

different

ways

once a

victory

is won

once a

competition

has won

once a

cup

has been

won

there must

be a

victory

parade

we

must

go

through

the

streets

of

London

or

Manchester

or

Glasgow

or

Edinburgh

wherever

it is

we

must

have

our

victory

parade

we

must

show

off

the

trophy

that

we

have

won

it's

something

like that

that we

have

here

but it

is

something

different

he put

them to

an

open

shame

by

triumphing

over

them

in

him

and it's

different

because

the

Romans

had

a

particular

practice

and it

was a

practice

that they

had

with

regard

to

victorious

generals

and when

a general

was

victorious

there was

a parade

along

the city

streets

and the

general

would be

followed

not by

his own

army

who helped

him achieve

the victory

but

by

those

whom

he

had

captured

chained

together

exposed

as the

defeated

enemy

and the

general

walking

through

as the

one

who was

the

victorious

one

they

were

defeated

they

were

powerless

they

were

chained

but

he

was

the

victorious

one

and

that's

the image

that Paul

wants to

leave

with the

people

in Colossae

it's the

image that

God wants

to leave

with ourselves

today

that the

Jesus

whom we

trust in

who died

on the

cross

the Jesus

whom we

trust in

who was

raised from

the dead

behind

this is the

Jesus

who enters

into

the presence

of God

as the

great

general

and captain

of his

people

and behind

him

are all

the powers

including

Satan

himself

chained

so that

they cannot

operate as

they did

anymore

and doing

so

putting them

to an

open shame

and what

was the

shame

the shame

of their

defeat

the shame

of their

powerlessness

in the face

of the power

of this

great general

and there is

that sense

of open

shame

and the

triumph

of Jesus

for you

and for me

God has

done this

openly

in the

gospel

and today

we should

not fear

what anyone

should do

to us

we should

not fear

what the

devil himself

threatens

to do

to us

because

Jesus

has triumphed

over him

because he

is chained

by him

and he

will operate

nowhere

beyond the

control of

the Lord

Jesus

all authority

is given

to Jesus

and Satan

has lost

all of his

power

and so

today

because of

this great

procession

and because

of this

triumph of

the Lord

Jesus

we can

follow the

Lord

Jesus

as those

who in

God's

power

and in

his invisible

way has

united us

to the

Lord

Jesus

we can

follow the

Lord Jesus

with a

sense of

triumph

because his

victory is

ours

because the

defeat of

Satan

becomes the

defeat of

Satan in

our lives

and we go

forward in

the strength

of God

in a

sense

not becoming

weary

although the

life of

faith will

challenge us

but going

forward

going from

strength to

strength

because our

strength is

not in

ourselves

it is in

what God

has achieved

in the life

and the death

and resurrection

of his son

and may God

help us to

reflect on

the direction

that God

gives to us

to think of

the great

freedom that

we have in

Christ

and to

understand

that the

freedom is

secured by

Jesus

it is

unchangeable

it cannot

be lost

and the

triumph is

the same

we will

conquer

because

he has

conquered

may God

bless his

word

let us bow

our heads

in prayer

most gracious

God we do

rejoice in

you

God

Father

Son

and Holy

Spirit

working for

our salvation

doing so

even here

today under

the ministry

of the

gospel

we pray

you Lord

as a

father to

touch the

hearts of

your children

we pray

you Lord

as the

Son of

God

to show

to us

more and

more of

your great

love for

us

and we

pray you

Holy Spirit

to bless

your word

and to

breathe that

new life

in our

hearts

that indeed

we may be

the children

of God

who have

that spirit

of adoption

and to

know you

as

Abba

Father

and to

put our

trust in

you as

the one

who has

secured

our

eternal

salvation

for us

so bless

your word

we do

pray and

hear as

we ask

for Jesus

sake

Amen

so

the

closing

psalm is

psalm

118

in the

Scottish

Psalter

sorry

sing

psalms

psalm

118

and sing

psalms

it's on

page

156

and we're

singing at

verse number

19 to

verse 26

psalm

118

page

156

at

verse

number

19

throw

wide

the gates

of

righteousness

and enter

and give

thanks to

God

this is the

gate of

God

through which

the righteous

come

before

the Lord

we'll sing

from verse

19 to

verse

26

to God's

praise

!

O

wide

the gates

of

righteousness

I lend

with thanks

salvation

comes

from you

alone

the stone

the builder

hath

refused

has now

become

the

corner

stone

the Lord

himself

has done

all it

it is

a

marvel

in our

sight

this is the

day

the Lord

has made

in it

let us

take

great

delight

save

us

oh

Lord

we

hum

we pray

oh

Lord

we pray

grant

us

success

he

blessed

who

comes

in

cross

we

gave

you

from

the

Lord

house

we

will

bless

after

the

benediction

I'll

go to

the

main

door

the

grace

of

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

the

love

of

God

the

Father

and

the

fellowship

of

the

Holy

Spirit

be

with

you

all

now

and

forever

more

Amen

Thank you.

Thank you.