Life in Christ (7)

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Walking in Freedom...

In John 8, we have the story of the woman that was caught in the act of adultery. That should stir questions as to “Where was the man?”

The Pharisees had brought this woman to Jesus to see what He would say or do.

This is what John wrote:

John 8:6–11 NLT

They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

This morning, we’re going to look at our

Freedom in Christ...

We can be so quick to accuse each other of missing the mark.

When someone doesn’t quite see things the way we do, we can be tempted to judge instead of praying for them.

Charles Price, former lead pastor at The People’s Church in Toronto, tells the story of a friend of his that went to the Netherlands to preach the gospel.

While there, he made many friends with Dutch Christians.

“He was amazed to find out how distressed Dutch Christians were with the state of American Christians. You see, they were struggling with the style of dress and the application of makeup that women in America had taken up and was now a part of the Christian culture. They felt that this was a worldly sin that had crept into the church. They would never let the world impact them and apply makeup as the Americans did.

His friend was amazed to see how upsetting it made the Dutch Christians. So upsetting that he saw women and men cry tears of sadness. He watched as those tears ran down their faces and dripped off the edge of their noses... and dripped into their beer and overtop of their cigarettes as they lamented at the worldliness of American Christians.

That’s the danger with legalism.” (Martin Spoelstra)

It reminds me of conversations I once had with a friend. He struggled with my music: News Boys, Petra, Michael W. Smith.

He was from Switzerland. I struggled with him being ok with drinking wine.

Years later, as his kids grew up, they were listening to the same kind of music that I listened to. He made the decision, even though it wasn’t his type of music, to have his girls serving the Lord than having a wedge in his family.

Let’s look at today’s Scripture:

Colossians 2:16–23 NLT

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it. You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

Don’t let anyone condemn you...

Other translations say,

“Do not let anyone judge you”

There’s a difference between conviction and condemnation.

The Holy Spirit was sent to guide us into all truth. When He convicts, we need to be quick to respond, and repent, turn from our sins.

God has not called us to be the Holy Spirit. He can take care of His job just fine.

God will often use people to speak into our lives, but He will never use us to bring condemnation on a brother or sister.

In Matthew 7, Jesus said this about judging others.

Matthew 7:1–5 NIV

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

This doesn’t mean that we should let sin run rampant in the church, but we don’t need a bulldozer to swat a fly.

James 5:19–20 NIV

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Peter said that “love covers a multitude of sins.”

Let’s read verses 16-17 again.

Colossians 2:16–17 NLT

Paul is speaking to a group of Gentiles about laws that the children of Israel were called to follow.

What you eat and drink...

Jews were not to eat anything that was unclean.

Pigs

Fish without scales

Shrimp

Rats and mice

They were not to eat or drink blood.

Some groups would not drink any strong drink or alcohol.

If you want to take time and read through some of the laws, read the book of Leviticus.

What about

Feasts, Festivals, Sabbaths, Holy days

Some believe that we should celebrate all the feasts.

Sabbath - Friday 6:00pm-Saturday 6:00pm

Some will say - Not Sunday. If you rest on Sunday, you are worshipping the sun god.

Passover and Unleavened Bread

Most Christians celebrate Good Friday and Easter. This is an abomination to many. To them it’s not good enough to recognize that Jesus died and rose again, but it must be on a certain day. Same goes with Christmas.

There’s a lot of history behind this. I won’t take the time to get into this. The problem comes when we celebrate the day and place it above the One we worship.

Then there’s the

Feast of Weeks

Pentecost

Feast of Trumpets

The Day of Atonement

Feast of Tabernacles

Paul said that each of these are shadows of what was to come.

They point to Christ.

Jesus is our Passover lamb. He is the Bread of life. He is our Sabbath rest.

He sent the promised Holy Spirit to lead us, to guide us, to empower us, and to fulfill us.

Jesus is the propitiation, the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only ours but for the sin of the whole world.

He tabernacled among us. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

One day the trumpet will sound, and the Lord shall descend. Even so…it is well with my soul.

This morning, I don’t want to belittle what God has called us to be. What He has called us to do.

There are some whom your conscience says that you need to recognize a certain day, and to others He calls you to abstain certain food.

Be obedient to what Holy Spirit is saying to you, but in all this, we need to show grace for each other and allow God’s love for each other to abound.

It reminds me of

The stumbling block principle

Romans 14:1–4 NLT

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.

There is so much in this chapter, but I believe that the key point is that as Christians, we want to see each other built up and strengthened in the faith, so if what we are doing might cause another to fall into sin, for their sake, we won’t do it.

Romans 14:17 NKJV

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The first couple of verses looked at condemnation for the things we are doing, but now Paul looks at what they were accused of not doing.

Colossians 2:18–19 NLT

Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.

Self denial

Maybe people were accusing people of not fasting, or denying themselves of the basics of life.

If God calls you to fast, you should fast. If God calls you to give extra, you should give extra. If God calls you to take a break from your technology, do so for the glory of God.

But for us to place burdens on each other that we find hard to keep ourselves is not of God.

The Holy Spirit does not push, He doesn’t coerce. He leads, He draws, and He guides.

If you feel that the Holy Spirit is urging you to do something, be obedient to His call, but if you are feeling pressure from outside sources, it’s probably not the Holy Spirit.

The worship of angels...

I don’t think this is very common today, but there was a group that taught that the only way to approach God was through various levels of angels. This led to the worship of angels.

1 Timothy 2:5 NLT

For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.

John 14:6 NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Paul said that these teachers were

No longer connected to Christ the head of the body

They are proud. They are puffed up. They have claimed to have seen these things through visions…but they are not connected to Christ.

In John 15, Jesus said, “Without Me, you can do nothing.”

Colossians 2:19 NIV

They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

We cannot grow if we are not joined to Christ. He is the head…but look what can happen if you stay connected to Christ.

Paul continues

Colossians 2:20–21 NLT

You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”?

You have died with Christ...

Paul is alluding to the realm of the spiritual.

When you committed your life to Christ, you didn’t die physically, but your sinful nature did.

We have to keep reminding our sinful nature that it has died, and it no longer is in control.

Carolyn Arends shares a story she heard as a child.

Satan’s a Goner

As a kid, I loved Mission Sundays, when missionaries on furlough brought special reports in place of a sermon. Sometimes they wore exotic, foreign clothing; they almost always showed a tray of slides documenting their adventures. If they were from a dangerous enough land, the youth in our congregation would emerge from our Sunday stupor and listen intently.

There is one visit I’ve never forgotten. The missionaries were a married couple stationed in what appeared to be a particularly steamy jungle. I’m sure they gave a full report on churches planted or commitments made or translations begun. I don’t remember much of that. What has always stayed with me is the story they shared about a snake.

One day, they told us, an enormous snake—much longer than a man—slithered its way right through their front door and into the kitchen of their simple home. Terrified, they ran outside and searched frantically for a local who might know what to do. A machete-wielding neighbor came to the rescue, calmly marching into their house and decapitating the snake with one clean chop.

The neighbor reemerged triumphant and assured the missionaries that the reptile had been defeated. But there was a catch, he warned: It was going to take a while for the snake to realize it was dead.

A snake’s neurology and blood flow are such that it can take considerable time for it to stop moving even after decapitation. For the next several hours, the missionaries were forced to wait outside while the snake thrashed about, smashing furniture and flailing against walls and windows, wreaking havoc until its body finally understood that it no longer had a head.

Sweating in the heat, they had felt frustrated and a little sickened but also grateful that the snake’s rampage wouldn’t last forever. And at some point in their waiting, they told us, they had a mutual epiphany.

I leaned in with the rest of the congregation, queasy and fascinated. “Do you see it?” asked the husband. “Satan is a lot like that big old snake. He’s already been defeated. He just doesn’t know it yet. In the meantime, he’s going to do some damage. But never forget that he’s a goner.”

Satan doesn’t want us to know that our sinful nature has died. The charges have been dropped.

Legalism can be way easier to follow than Holy Spirit’s leading.

No jewelry, hair length, need to wear a dress that is a certain length.

No Christian Rock, only a certain translation of the Bible, only certain food, and the list can go on and on.

Colossians 2:22–23 NLT

Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

We need Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome evil desires that the tempter throws at us.

This morning, I want to close with the Scripture about the

Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10–18 NIV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.