Jesus-Centered Freedom (Centered #7)

I want to tell you up front: what I did with this sermon is something I had never done before, and something I will probably never do again. That actually sets up a win-win. If it lands well, it will be a one-hit wonder. If it flops, we will all know we never have to endure it again.

We are continuing our walk through Colossians in this series called Centered, because in this letter the Apostle Paul teaches us how to live a Jesus-centered life. And this week we came to Colossians 2:8–15, a passage so dense with grace that I did not want to merely explain it. I wanted you to feel it. So I put on a tie I have owned since the late 90s, and I asked our church to walk into a courtroom.

A Disclaimer, and an Invitation

First, the disclaimer. Paul wrote Colossians to Jesus followers. That means this particular passage — and therefore this particular message — is aimed squarely at people who already follow Jesus. If that is you, lean in and listen well, because there is something here that is key and crucial to the Christian faith. This could be a genuinely big theological step for you in understanding God’s heart toward you and what was actually accomplished for you through the cross and the empty tomb.

If you are not a follower of Jesus, I want you to know we are glad you are here. You might not believe this, but we actually started this church for you. When we launched Riverwood, our goal was never to pull Christians out of other churches and build something nice for ourselves. Our dream was to help people who feel spiritually disconnected from God find him through Jesus and begin to follow Christ. So even though this message is directed at believers, please do not check out. Do not log off. Do not turn off the podcast. Lean in anyway, because when the day comes that you realize this gospel is true and you put your faith in Jesus, having heard this will put you further down the road. In fact, if you really absorb what Colossians 2:8–15 says, you will already understand more than some people who have claimed the name Christian for decades.

Second, the invitation. I need you to use your imagination. Our kids were in the room that morning, and honestly, they are far better at this than the adults. The rest of us need a throwback to a time when we knew how to do it.

Here is what I want you to picture. You are in a courtroom. At the back and center is the bench, where the judge sits. Off to the side is the jury box. In the middle are two tables. At one sits the defendant. At the other sits the prosecution — the team arguing that a crime has been committed, bringing evidence and witness testimony to prove guilt. The defendant has a defense attorney, whose job is to argue for innocence.

Now push your imagination one step further. You are not a spectator in the gallery. You are sitting at the defense table. You are the defendant.

I cannot bring specific evidence against you. There are too many of us, and we are too different from one another for me to get granular. So your imagination has to fill in the gaps. As I speak in general terms about our crimes, you will need to supply your own specifics. If you will do that honestly, I think you will walk away understanding what Christ actually did for you.

The Text

Before we go into the courtroom, here is the passage. Paul writes:

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:8–15)

Now let us hear from the prosecution.

The Case for the Prosecution

Good morning, your honor. It is a privilege to stand before you today in your courtroom and these halls of justice. As lead attorney for the prosecution, I will prove to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that the defendant seated before you has committed crimes worthy of the death penalty, and that the only right and just decision by this court is a verdict of guilty. If it would please the court, allow me to share the overwhelming evidence.

Exhibit A: Colossians 2:8

Your honor, I would like to enter into evidence Exhibit A, which reads: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world.”

Despite these clear words, the defendant has not only fallen captive to false philosophies and empty deceit on numerous occasions — the defendant has actively engaged in spreading false philosophies and leading others into empty deceit. We have reliable witness testimony from family, friends, classmates, and coworkers that the defendant has engaged in the act of lying, which is a form of deceit. We have records from internet history and social media accounts revealing the crime of believing false philosophies. And we have corroborating evidence showing that the defendant has repeatedly ordered life according to human tradition rather than according to Christ.

The defense may attempt a technicality. They may point out that in the original Greek there is a single qualifier — “empty” — attached to two nouns, philosophy and deceit, and argue that the empty deceit is merely a description of the philosophy rather than a separate charge. I would answer that the act of lying is itself evidence of a deeply held philosophy: the philosophy that a person must protect their own reputation at the expense of everyone around them. We all know that such a self-focused view of the world is damaging in relationships, damaging in the workplace, damaging in the classroom, and damaging to every institution of our society.

Therefore, for the protection of this world and to stay within the boundaries of justice, you must render a verdict of guilty. And the spiritual records make clear that this verdict must carry the death penalty. In the law book of Romans, chapter five, section twelve, it is written that death spread to all people because all sinned. The sin of ignoring Colossians 2:8 and falling for deceitful philosophies is not merely empty; it is dangerous to society. That is justification enough for a guilty verdict and a sentence of death.

Exhibit B: Colossians 2:10

But if it would please the court, I would like to offer further proof of the defendant’s guilt. I enter into the record Exhibit B, the tenth verse of the second chapter of Colossians, where we read that someone who claims to be a Christian is supposed to have been filled with Christ.

And yet, your honor, we have damning evidence that the defendant has acted in incredibly selfish ways, entirely denying this supposed Christlike manner of living. We have already proven the act of lying. But witnesses can also testify to further patterns of selfishness: gossip, greed, lust, foolishness, unkind words, anger, rage, intolerance, and more.

As the spiritual record states in the book of Galatians, section five, parts nineteen through twenty-one, a person who claims to live a good life would never engage in sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. Yet the defendant has committed multiple infractions across several of these categories.

In fact, this supposed Jesus — who supposedly put much of the spiritual record in place — is quoted in section five of the Gospel of Matthew, in what legal scholars commonly refer to as the Sermon on the Mount, as saying that if someone merely harbors murderous anger in the heart, they are guilty of murder itself. And if someone lusts after a person who is not their spouse, they are guilty of the very act of adultery.

So, your honor, even if we lacked hard evidence of outward guilt — which we do not lack — we have the defendant’s own testimony admitting to these thoughts and emotions. Which means the defendant is guilty regardless of what they claim about their outward behavior.

Exhibit C: Colossians 2:14

I am not finished, your honor. As I stated in my opening, the evidence is overwhelming. Before I rest, allow me to present one final piece: Exhibit C, item fourteen of the second chapter of Colossians. There you will read a phrase that mentions the defendant’s record of debt.

The defendant has committed so many atrocities that he or she has accumulated a spiritual debt that can never be repaid. Now, there are some within the jury of culture who might argue that this is not worthy of death. But might I point out that a person of such horrifying spiritual debt is not only spiritually bankrupt — they are an emotional burden upon society and a burden upon the spiritual realm. The kindest thing for this world and for the spiritual realm is to eliminate this person.

To show mercy toward a debt of this magnitude denies justice to everyone to whom the defendant owes. It would be a mockery of this court, of our society, of the spiritual realm, and of the very concept of justice if such a debt were treated lightly. And even if — even if — the debt could somehow be forgiven and erased, we would still have on record the evidence proving the guilt of the defendant, guilt deserving of the death penalty.

And so, your honor, on behalf of the prosecution and the Department of Righteousness and Sin, I submit this argument to you and to the court, knowing full well that you are a fair judge who will render justice by handing down a verdict of guilty and a sentence of death. The prosecution rests.

The Case for the Defense

Thank you, your honor. I am grateful for the opportunity to present my client’s case.

I would like to begin by stating plainly — to the prosecution, to the audience of the court, to the jury of culture, and for the spiritual record — that my client does not dispute the facts entered into evidence. My client, if asked, would stand and declare his or her guilt to every one of these charges.

However, your honor, we have further evidence that justice has already been served and every wrong has already been righted, despite the accusation put forward by the prosecution.

The Prosecution Cherry-Picked the Text

To begin, I would like to use the very same text my opposing counsel used. He selected three sections from chapter two of the spiritual record of Colossians. He not only cherry-picked his way through the text, ignoring what is actually written there, he also conveniently omitted its most crucial feature.

Previous courts and juries, as well as prior spiritual scholars and judges, have noted how many times the original author points to Jesus — showing that this text is as much about Jesus as it is about my client. And I intend to prove it is even more so.

The prosecution, in his case against my client, mentioned Jesus. But he referred to Jesus as a myth, using the word “supposed” as a descriptor, casting doubt upon his very existence — and yet the prosecution had no problem quoting Jesus when it served his purposes. While this court might entertain an idea quoted from a fictional character, we all know such quotes carry far more weight when spoken by a real person of history. The good news is that the historical record indicates Jesus was a real human being, and the record of Colossians used by the prosecution holds the very same assumption.

Now consider the arithmetic. In the eight verses the prosecution used against my client, seven times the record says “in him” or “with him” — and the him being referred to is none other than Jesus. My client, by contrast, is referred to only five times. And in four of those five instances, each mention of my client is directly connected to the person and work of Jesus.

What this means, your honor, is that this passage is far more about Jesus and what he has done than about my client and what my client has done.

The Guilt Has Already Been Dealt With

The defense readily admits the guilt of the defendant. But the spiritual record of Colossians clearly shows that this guilt has been dealt with. It has been erased, forgiven, canceled, and nullified because of the actions of Jesus through a cross and an empty tomb. Let me explain.

In section nine of that second chapter, we read that Jesus, while fully human, also held the fullness of the godhead within his person. This divinity is what allowed him to be the head of all rule and authority, as recorded in item ten. The wrongs of my client were ultimately committed against God — and as God, Jesus holds the right to determine my client’s outcome. What we see in this very record, the record the prosecution used for his own argument, is that Jesus the Son of God has decided to fully forgive my client of every spiritual crime by paying the penalty himself. My client is therefore accepted, and in the clear.

Defense Exhibit B: Circumcised by Christ

Let me draw your attention to Defense Exhibit B, the eleventh section of the second chapter of Colossians. Just as ancient Jews had to be physically circumcised in order to be spiritually accepted, the record shows that my client has been spiritually circumcised by Jesus — a circumcision made without hands. Which means my client is completely accepted by God.

Defense Exhibit C: Buried and Raised With Him

Next I submit Defense Exhibit C, which shows that my client has been baptized with Christ. Just as the body of Jesus was placed into a tomb after his death on the cross, the guilty and sinful part of my client’s spiritual nature was buried with Jesus when he or she went down into the water.

This means, in a very real sense, your honor, that my client has already suffered the death penalty. Jesus paid that penalty physically on my client’s behalf, satisfying justice, while my client suffered it spiritually in union with him. Therefore my client cannot be found guilty of spiritual crimes that have already been paid for.

Defense Exhibit D: The Record of Debt Is Canceled

Which brings me to Defense Exhibit D. The prosecution quoted a tiny portion of this text while completely ignoring what it actually says. Section fourteen of the second chapter of Colossians states plainly that the spiritual record of debt piled up by my client has been completely canceled. It was nailed to the cross. It has been set aside. Therefore my client cannot be held liable for a debt that no longer exists.

And so, your honor, I may be a defense attorney, but I am every bit as passionate about justice as you are. In this case, justice has already been met. Jesus, who had the authority as God to decide whether to hold my client liable for spiritual crimes against heaven, chose to pay the penalty himself. He forgives my client of all wrongdoing, completely accepting the defendant and freeing him from all sanctions and retribution.

Therefore, your honor, if it would please the court, I ask that you render a verdict of not guilty — so that my client does not have to pay what has already been paid. The defense rests.

Now Do You See Why Paul Starts With a Warning?

If you follow Jesus, maybe now you understand why Paul opens this section the way he does: See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Because in Paul’s mind, look at what is already true of you through the cross of Jesus. You are completely forgiven. Your heart has been circumcised, so you have been accepted by God. If you have been baptized, you have identified publicly with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ — you have declared that this is what everything is about for you. Your spiritual debt has been entirely erased. At the deepest, most fundamental level of who you are, everything has changed.

So why on earth would you go back? Why would you return to hollow spiritual philosophies, to political arguments, to all the ways our culture tries to tell us how to think and how to behave — and let those things pull you away from Jesus?

Jesus gave everything for you. Now he asks that you give everything to him.

Come to the Table

As we moved into communion that morning, I said this: if you realize you have been getting caught up in these competing philosophies — if it is creating division in your home, friction with coworkers, tension with classmates, and pulling you away from the Christ who died for you and gave himself willingly for you — let this time be a time of confession. Let it be a chance to name how you have allowed other things to take the place that belongs to Jesus.

But whether or not you need to spend that time confessing, let the elements be a moment of worship and thanksgiving. Thank Jesus for circumcising your heart. Thank him for setting aside your spiritual debt. Thank him for dying your death and paying the penalty that should have been yours.

And as you take the bread, remembering it represents the body of Christ, and as you take the cup, remembering it represents the blood of Christ — as those elements come into you, may you be reminded that you are in him and with him. You are not alone. And you certainly should not be running off after anything else.

If You Are Not Yet a Follower of Jesus

If you have not yet put your faith in Christ, I want to give you a different invitation. I invite you today to place your faith fully in him.

Because even though on a physical level you may not deserve a death penalty, on a spiritual level you do. The Scriptures teach that all have sinned, and that sin brings death. The penalty for our sin is death. It is simply that God loves you so much that he does not want you to pay it. That is why Jesus came — to take it for you. And by giving himself for you, he can take away your debt. He can circumcise your heart and make you accepted by God. He can help you identify with Christ and completely change you at the deepest part of your life.

Most people, when they realize the truth of this gospel, mark the moment in prayer. They often find themselves wanting to confess their sin, recognizing that Jesus died for it. And then they go on to say something like: Jesus, because you gave your life for me, I want to now give my life to you. I want to follow you. I want to start becoming like you.

If that is you, you do not need to get up and go anywhere. Stay right where you are and pray. Just have a conversation with God. If this is all true, give your life to him.

And if you already follow Jesus — come. Come and worship the one who gave himself for you, who circumcised your heart, who buried you and raised you with himself, who made you alive in Christ. May you pray. May you confess. May you worship. May you give thanks. And may we do this in remembrance of him.