His Cross- Colossians 1:13-20

Text: Colossians 1:13-20                                                 7/20/08 a.m.

Thesis: In Christ, the preeminent One, we have redemption.

 

Intro: The next passage we will be memorizing together over the coming 6-7 weeks is all about the glorious nature of Christ and our perfect redemption in Him.

Colossians 1:13-20 lays out for us the fact that God intends to meet every physical and spiritual need we have in Jesus Christ.

Our creator is our redeemer. The sovereign of all creation is the ruler of the church. The perfect God-man brings us redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. These blessing are ours with God, each other, and all of creation.

Forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace are ours through the righteous blood of Christ shed on the cross.

We are His and He is glorious; creation and the cross prove it.

 

Read Colossians 1:13-20

 

I) All of the benefits of salvation are found in Christ

To begin to grasp the benefits of salvation let me start with this

a)      Our deliverance is a personal matter to God

i)        Verse 13 makes it clear that it is God the Father who delivers us from the domain of darkness.

ii)      This word deliver is not what the UPS man does; delivering an unknown package from an unknown sender to an unknown recipient just to make a buck.

iii)    Our deliverance is the product of God’s unstoppable love for us. You and I are saved because God personally called us out of darkness and transferred us  into the kingdom of His beloved Son.

iv)    We were in the domain of darkness. That means we were under the power and influence of Satan.

v)      And we weren’t prisoners of war in Satan’s camp. Before salvation we were willing members in Satan’s army.

vi)    This doesn’t mean that we were demon possessed it means we were trapped in the prison of our own sinful desires.

vii)  Apart from the redeeming grace of Jesus every decision leads to more darkness. Apart from the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit every plan leads to more pain.

viii)            Apart from the love of the Father we would still be there under the terrible sway of sin.

ix)    But we have been delivered from that to the kingdom of his beloved Son.  No longer are we slaves to sin but now due to Christ we are dearly loved sons.

x)      What happens is God penetrates enemy territory, shows us the tragedy of our sin and the glorious forgiveness that is ours in Jesus Christ.

xi)    By trusting in Christ we are joined to Christ and given all his righteousness and rights as a son.

xii)  Colossians 1:12 says that God the Father qualifies us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

xiii)            That means we add nothing and cannot add anything to our salvation. Our good works are not the ground of salvation or even the icing on the salvation cake.

xiv)            Driven by His great love for us and the redeeming work of Christ for us God the Father makes us acceptable for entrance into the kingdom.

xv)  We cannot earn nor do we deserve salvation. We are Christians because God, in an amazing act of grace, makes us righteous in Christ Jesus.

xvi)            So what does that mean for us? You cannot clean yourself up and then come to God. Only God can clean you up and God wants to clean up His own.

xvii)          It is foolishness and a false gospel to believe you can some how make yourself right with God.

xviii)        Jesus lived a perfect life, died an atoning death, rose victorious from the grave, and is seated at the right hand of God on His glorious seat of honor.

xix)            Only because of this Jesus do we have, verse 14, redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

xx)  Because we have been qualified by God, because we have been made completely righteous by God, because we have been removed from the tyranny of our sinful desires, and because we are now members of the kingdom of God’s dearly loved Son we have redemption the forgiveness of sins.

xxi)            When God sees you His believing child He sees the faith, love, obedience, and holy desires of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

xxii)          We think God sees our weak faith, wavering love, faltering obedience, and less than perfect desires and because of those things casts us out.

xxiii)        But thanks be to God that’s not the gospel. God does not see those things provoking Him to punishment or wrath.

xxiv)        God sees us as completely qualified, delivered from sin, transferred under the ownership of Christ, redeemed, reconciled, and at perfect peace with Him.

xxv)          It is true that God will discipline us for missing His best. But He disciplines us because He loves His believing children never because He’s angry with us.

xxvi)        All of God’s holy wrath and just anger have been swallowed up for the believer on the cross of Jesus Christ.

xxvii)      Never attempt to quiet your guilty conscience by comparing yourself to others who you think are bigger sinners than you. Never make yourself feel better by reminding yourself of the good you have done.

xxviii)    Always quiet your guilty conscience with God’s truth that you have been purchased by Jesus Christ.

xxix)        I am qualified, I am delivered, I am transferred to Christ, I am redeemed, I am forgiven, and I am loved.

xxx)          When the Spirit inspired Paul to write that truth the outcome was a little time of praise and worship.

xxxi)        Verses 15-20 are the expression of the majesty and preeminence of Christ over creation and the church.

II) This creating Christ is worthy of all our praise

a)      Because Christ is preeminent over all creation

i)        To be preeminent means you have first place. When you think of all creation what or who gets the blue ribbon?

ii)      Let me tell you from our passage why Jesus gets the blue ribbon.

b)      Jesus is the image of the invisible God

i)        Everything the Father is the Son is. The Son is by His nature identical to the Father. Jesus said in John 14:9, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”

ii)      Hebrews 1:3 says, “[Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.

iii)    I want you to notice the difference in Jesus being the image of God and humanity being made in the image of God.

iv)    Humanity is a copy of the image of God. In the same way that a photocopy is lesser than the real thing when it comes off the copy machine so also are all of us lesser than the real image of God even in our Garden of Eden perfection. We are not God.

v)      But Jesus was not made in the image of God. Jesus was never made. The truth is that Jesus is the image of God.

vi)    From eternity past God the Son has been everything visibly that the God the Father is invisibly.

vii)  What does that mean for us? The gospel tells us that God no longer sees you as a lesser copy or a sin defiled copy. No God sees us as kingdom members covered completely by His beloved Son. When God sees us God sees Christ.

viii)            Jesus is the image of God and

c)      Jesus is the firstborn of all creation

i)        Let’s be clear that Jesus is not the first created being.

ii)      This is proven by verse 16 which tells us that it was by Jesus that all things were created.

iii)    If anything created exists it’s because God the Son created it.

iv)    And the Son could not have created himself. The Son has always existed as the perfect image of the Father.

v)      The point is that the Son was the means by which the Father created everything. In this creating capacity the Son is said to be the firstborn of all creation.

vi)    That means God the Son is before all created things as far as time is concerned and God the Son is before all things as far as value is concerned.

vii)  You and I will find nothing in creation that can compare to the value of Jesus Christ.

viii)            You and I will find nothing in creation that can compare to the satisfying power of the Son’s redemption and plan for our lives.

d)     In fact, nothing is better than Jesus in the spiritual world or the physical world.

i)        Nothing is better than Jesus in heaven or on earth.

ii)      Read verse 16

iii)    The angels and the magnificent heavenly creatures owe their existence to God the Son and are subject to Him.

iv)    Satan and the demons owe their existence to God the Son and are subject to Him.

v)      Every rock, every tree, every over priced barrel of oil owes it’s existence to God the Son.

vi)    You owe your existence to God the Son.

vii)  Knowing that, we live based on faith; we understand that every thing was created through Jesus.

viii)            And we can live based on a right understanding of this life; we were created for Jesus.

ix)    The Son does not exist for us. We exist for Him. And when God qualifies us and transfers us it frees us to live the joy filled life we were created to live. (2 Corinthians 5:14&15)

e)      Colossians 1:17 says, “and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

i)        Jesus is the blue ribbon; greater than everyone and everything. And Jesus holds everything together.

ii)      Now to quote the rest of Hebrews 1:3, “he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

iii)    The entire universe stays in constant and perfect orbit because Jesus holds it together.

iv)    The Milky Way galaxy contains our solar system and a plant perfect for human life because Jesus said it should be that way.

v)      You and I do not fly off the face of this earth because Jesus exists and gave us gravity.

vi)    Your heart beats according to an electrical rhythm that is set by Jesus the perfect conductor.

vii)  Our next breath happens only because the infinite power of the Son of God gives us that blessing.

viii)            The gift of God for the redeemed is realizing the truth of Christ’s providential hand and worshiping Christ rightly because of this truth.

ix)    Do not worship rocks, stars, or rock stars worship God.

x)      This God in three persons is the blessed Trinity worthy of worship and sacrifice if only because of their work to create and sustain all creation. But there’s more.

III) This redeeming Christ is worthy of all praise

a)      Jesus is the head of the body, the church

i)        In the same way that the Son of God is the source of life for all creation He is also the source of life for the church.

ii)      Through the Son the Father called the universe into existence from nothing.

iii)    Through the Son the Father called the church to life from the spiritually dead. And the Father set the Son as the head of this living body.

iv)    It is as the church’s perfect head that Jesus gives spiritual life to all that make up his body. And as the church’s perfect head Jesus gives leadership to all that make up his body.

v)      I like the way Mark Driscoll puts it when he reminds us that Jesus is the senior pastor of every church.

vi)    Mambrino Baptist Church owes its hundred year and more existence only to Jesus Christ.

vii)  When I go on vacation The Pastor is still here. When you and I die The Pastor will still be here.

viii)            I am not your source of life and I am not the glue that holds everything together. Those roles belong to and are fulfilled perfectly in Jesus.

b)      And Jesus is forming a new humanity

i)        Verse 18 says, “He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

ii)      Jesus is the start of something wholly and holy different than fallen sinful humanity.

iii)    Jesus is the conqueror who through his death and resurrection forms a new and eternal kingdom.

iv)    As the firstborn from the dead Jesus is given all preeminence.

v)      Jesus is rightfully preeminent over all things because he is the creator of all things.

vi)    And Jesus is in fact preeminent over all things because he’s the only person whose body is not still in the grave.

vii)  He is fully and perfectly God by his nature and Jesus is full and perfect man by taking on flesh, living a righteous life, dying an atoning death, and rising victorious over sin and death.

c)      This Jesus could not be held in the grave because he is God

i)        Verse 19 says, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”

ii)      In this dying and rising man there was no part of God’s deity missing. This must be true because God cannot be stopped by sin or death.

iii)    So it pleased the Father that the Son would take on flesh, come live for us, come die for us, and rise from the grave for us.

iv)    I hope you are encouraged by the fact that it pleases the Father that the Son would come and redeem you.

v)      Do you realize that your forgiveness through Jesus Christ pleases God? God wants you to be made righteous in His Son.

vi)    No matter how much we may tell ourselves that God does not want me to be purified it still does not change the fact that at the Father’s good pleasure Jesus came for you.

d)     In fact, God’s entire plan of salvation, especially the cross, pleases the Father.

i)        Verse 20 says, and it was pleasing to God “through [Jesus] to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

ii)      Knowing the preeminence that will come to Christ and knowing the redemption that will come to us God the Father chose to save us through the death of His beloved Son.

iii)    There could be reconciliation no other way. We are utterly dependent on God. From salvation’s plan to salvation’s fulfillment to salvation’s application we need God.

iv)    Please, I beg you to notice that it is only through Jesus that we are reconciled. And it is only through Jesus that we remain reconciled and enjoy God’s blessings.

v)      As willing members of the domain of darkness we were at war with God but it pleased God to bring us into a state of peace with God through Jesus.

vi)    Jesus, the means of creation and the reason creation exists died for you to make you righteous.

vii)  Jesus’ heart, the heart of the One whose existence gives your heart it’s rhythm, stopped beating so that your cold dead heart could be given new life.

viii)            Hebrews 9:22 says, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

ix)    All believers are right now perfectly forgiven and righteous because of Jesus’ blood shed on the cross.

x)      An infinite sacrifice has been paid for you. Eternal forgiveness has been secured for you.

xi)    All this has been done according to the Father’s good pleasure and for the purpose of showing the preeminence of Christ over all things in creation and in the church.

IV) My question for you is if you know the joy of redemption and the perfect forgiveness of sin?

a)      The biblical truth this morning is that it pleased the Father to send Jesus to live and die in your place so that you would be reconciled to Him.

b)      No matter your sin and no matter your guilt your salvation is the Father’s desire and it is sure in Jesus Christ.

c)      According to His strength and righteousness we tell God we are sorry for living contrary to His perfect word.

d)     The big word is repent. We repent of our sins and place our trust in Jesus Christ. We trust that his death paid our penalty for sin.

e)      We trust that Jesus fulfilled God’s requirements of a righteous life for us and in Jesus we are given eternal life.

f)       We trust that Jesus will strengthen us and come back for us.  Repent, believe, and be saved.

1 Timothy 1:12-17 The Glorious Christ

Text: 1 Timothy 1:12-17                                              10/14/07 AM

Thesis: Christ came to save sinners

 

Intro:  Have you ever been lost or lost your child? In an instant you go from calm and maybe even tranquility to full-bore panic.

Very little changes physically from before you realized you where lost to realizing you where lost. Maybe you drove 50 feet, took another step, or looked down for your child.

You were lost or your child was gone even before you realized it. What changed is coming face to face with the problem.

You were fine, you thought everything was okay, you were enjoying the peace and quiet and then you got nailed.

I’m lost.  Abigail is gone.  Jimmy isn’t here. Then you become frantic looking for a cure. You start to scream for help. You look for anything familiar. You scramble for your phone.

Remember, nothing physically changed you just finally realized what was already true. Do you know that feeling?

What about the feeling of being found? What about being reunited with your child? What about making it out safely?

Oh the relief. Oh the joy; from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs in a moments time.

This is the Apostle Paul’s testimony from 1st Timothy 1:12-17. This is every Christian’s testimony. This is the powerful gospel of the glorious Christ.

 

Read 1 Timothy 1:12-17

 

I) Thank the Lord

a)      Thank the Giver of strength

i)        This is exactly what Paul does in 1 Timothy 1:12, he expresses his gratitude to Jesus who personally equipped Paul for the ministry.

ii)      Verse 11 tells us that Paul was entrusted with the gospel and verse 12 tells us that he was strengthened in order to fulfill his calling.

iii)    I am encouraging you and myself to worship at the end of a difficult day instead of complaining.

iv)    Through a right understanding of God’s good gifts in Christ Jesus turn your pains into praise.

v)      God it was difficult to do what was right. I was hard to handle that person as a Christian should but You gave me strength.

vi)    If you messed up turn the situation into confession. God I messed up but I know Christ gives me strength to make this right and do what’s right next time.

vii)  Work at it; be intentional about it; find ways to be thankful and find ways to express thanks to Christ.

viii)            Here’s the reason Paul expressed thanks to the one who gave him strength, “because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.”

ix)    This is an initially confusing statement. It appears that Paul is saying that Jesus entrusted him with the gospel because Paul was faithful as a blasphemer, persecutor, and bitter opponent.

x)      It would be the equivalent to saying, “because you were so good at destroying the church I’ll use you to build the church.”

xi)    Even worse it seems to imply that Paul was called to service because he was the worst of sinners.

xii)  But this interpretation is wrong because it immediately forgets verse 12. It is Christ who gives the power we need to be faithful.

xiii)            Recal to mind what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:25. There he wrote, “I give my judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.”

xiv)            Faithful and trustworthy are the English translation of the same word in the original.

xv)  So explicitly in 1 Cor 7.25 Paul states that he is faithful or trustworthy because of the Lord’s mercy.

xvi)            Every person will be faithful in their appointed ministry not because we are something special in and of ourselves.

xvii)          Every one of us will be faithful because of Jesus Christ working his strength in us and showering his mercy upon us.

xviii)        And it doesn’t matter what your background is.  We know that but someone always throws up the defense of “yeah but you don’t know me or what I’ve done.”

xix)            Okay look at what Paul did.  Let’s start with the one we’re less familiar with: insolent. Some translation use injurious, violent, or aggressor.

xx)  The NKJV gives a good explanation in it’s footnote this word. It means “violently aggressive”

xxi)            We’ve been praying for Hazel Rose’s nephew Timothy who was brutally beaten.  What happened to him is a sickening definition of what insolent means.

xxii)          Paul was ticked off in a rage about the church so he persecuted the church forcing people to renounce faith in Christ and killing others who would not.

xxiii)        He did all this because he was a blasphemer. He didn’t believe in the deity of Christ. He did not believe Jesus is the eternal Son of God.

xxiv)        Paul didn’t believe Jesus was the messiah sent to rescue the lawless and disobedient, the ungodly and sinners, the unholy and profane.

xxv)          In his disobedience Paul did not seek or see the need of mercy of grace.

xxvi)        He didn’t need to be forgiven of anything. He hadn’t done anything wrong. In his own mind, conscience, and faith Paul was just or righteous.

xxvii)      He didn’t need Jesus.

xxviii)    If your child is in this state of mind outside of the faith or if your spouse or parent is in this state of mind outside of the faith then take heart.

xxix)        Paul was once like this and he was changed.

b)      Thank the Giver of mercy

i)        In the end of verse 13 Paul wrote, “But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly and in unbelief”

ii)      This is one of if not the hardest thing for every one of us to admit in this room.

iii)    I was wrong. I thought I was right. I was ready to die for what I thought was right but I was wrong.

iv)    I was a fool. I was believing the wrong things.

v)      Here is the blessed Christian freedom of admitting we are wrong. It is so hard but so Christ-honoring and freeing to admit our sins to God and to others.

vi)    How was Paul able to admit this? How will you and I be able to admit this? I thank Christ who has given me strength.

vii)  There is mercy for us. This is a withholding of just desserts. This is a staying of God’s hand because God knows what God is up to and God is faithful.

viii)            God knows we are ignorant. Remember this does not save us or keep us out of hell. This mercy holds back what we deserve.

ix)    That’s why we go on to verse 14 (read it)

c)      Thank the Giver of overflowing grace

i)        In the original verse 14 starts with the word ‘overflowed’. It means super abundance.

ii)      It appears that Paul made up a word to describe the amount of grace he had been given.

iii)    He used the words hyper and fill. We say there are active kids and there are hyperactive kids.

iv)    We should thank Jesus because his grace is hyperactive towards us. The grace of our Lord is bursting forth like a busted fire hydrant.

v)      Our hands cannot contain all of it; grace is just flowing everywhere.

vi)    Who is this grace hyperactive toward? Ignorant, unbelieving, blaspheming, and ticked-off persecutors of Jesus.

vii)  Is there grace for you to forgive you and change you? You betcha

viii)            Take a moment to thank Jesus for his overflowing superabundant all-sin-removing grace

d)     Thank the Giver of faith and love

i)        Grace does not come alone. “And the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”

ii)      Mercy was given because Paul was an idiot. Grace was given to forgive and change Paul. But there’s more.

iii)    Faith and love are there in superabundance.

iv)    The redeemed person, the changed person, is a person who has faith and loves because that person is in Christ.

v)      The old unbelieving persecutor is gone and he is replaced with the believing self-sacrificing Christian.

vi)    What a monumental change! Jesus shows up on the road to Damascus and knocks Paul off his high horse.

vii)  Literally, Paul is cut down to size.  This is what the law does; it shuts the mouth.

viii)            But the shut mouth becomes a changed mouth full of thanksgiving because there is a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith where all there was before was unbelieving ignorance.

ix)    We should be able to look at every Christian and say, “he believes and he loves. She trusts Jesus and she loves people.”

x)      We do this and we say this about other people precisely because the Christian is joined to Christ and that causes some crazy things to happen.

xi)    We must thank Jesus the giver of faith and love.

II) Trust the Lord

Read verse 15

a)      Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

i)        This statement is true and we must embrace it completely.

ii)      The person who knows she is lost frantically looking for the way out will find it in Christ.

iii)    Christ is the way, he is the truth, and he is the life

iv)    Stake eternity on Christ.  He is full of mercy and grace.

v)      What he came to do he did. Now by faith we must grab onto all that he freely gives.

vi)    He came into the world to save sinners.

vii)  He came to seek and to save the lost (Lk:19:10).

viii)            He came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Mk 10:45).

ix)    Removing the stain of your sin is the reason for Christmas.  Taking your punishment so you could be restored to God is the reason for the cross.

x)      Our calling is not to live up to the law our calling is to trust in Christ and accept his grace, his live, and his righteousness.

xi)    Do not work; trust.  Christ has done the work to save you. Christ has paid the price to redeem.

xii)  But some will still say, “you don’t know me”

b)      Paul’s life is the example of the Lord’s perfect patience

i)        Jesus Christ came to save sinners and the Apostle Paul is the foremost of sinners.

ii)      This statement by Paul is not some weak attempt at humility it’s the truth.

iii)    The worst of sinners is not some guy on death row or one of us in this room. It was Paul.

iv)    But he received mercy.  On the road to Damascus Paul should have died.

v)      As we’re reading through 1^st Kings in our bible reading we see over and over the swift judgment of God.

vi)    Read 16

vii)  God in his gracious wisdom knew people would struggle with being forgiven so he made Paul an example.

viii)            Paul is exhibit A to prove the perfect patience of Christ.

ix)    For those who struggle with Christ’s love for sinners we are told to look at the Apostle Paul.

x)      Jesus is full of perfect patience.

xi)    Matthew 12:21, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; ²¹and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

xii)  Do not presume on his grace and patience. Don’t use them as an excuse to stay in your sin.

xiii)            The right use of grace and patience is as a balm for your soul.  The bruised reed and the smoldering wick frustrated because of remaining sin or continuing struggles must look to Jesus.

xiv)            Jesus is perfectly patient with his own. Those who believe in Christ for eternal life have the life of the Apostle Paul as reason to hope.

xv)  He was full of ignorance and unbelief doing all manner of ridiculous things against the name of Christ yet he was shown grace and received mercy.

xvi)            Go to Jesus and he will give you the same. He came into this world to do the same thing in your life that He did in the Apostle Paul’s.

xvii)          Believe in Him. Turn from the law. Confess your sins and you will find grace, mercy, and peace.

xviii)        As Paul thought about the work of Christ for him he burst into worship.  When he remembered where he had been and saw where Christ had placed him it wasn’t time to be proud it was time to praise.

III) Give God honor and glory (read 17)

This is solid praise and worship. Give Him honor. Give Him his rightful place in every aspect of your life.

We honor women by opening doors for them; standing when they enter.

We honor the flag and soldiers.  We recognize their worth.

Do the same for God and so much more. Give Him glory.

Show the world the splendor of our gracious God.

Speak about the work and worth of God. Serve selflessly in His holy name.

Tell people about the perfect patience of God. Magnify Him so all people see God for who He is: the strong savior of sinners.

It is every Christian’s duty to find hope in Christ and tell others where to find hope. We are beggars whose calling is to tell other beggars where to find food. Worship Him.

a)      God is the King of ages

i)        He is never ending and his reign knows no end. This is a worship fueled statement referring to the person of God and the scope of his rule.

ii)      No king is like Him.  Kings rise and fall.  Empires dominate one day and are destroyed the next.

iii)    Not so with our God. He is eternally king. There is no age over which He does not exercise his sovereign rule.

iv)    Every ruler in this age, good or bad, spiritual or physical is there because God gives permission.

v)      Do not worship some weak puny insignificant god. Worship the true God who is the only sovereign; strong enough to dispose the mightiest nation and gentle enough to restore the most broken of sinners.

b)      Worship God because He is immortal

i)        God doesn’t wear out, get tired, or go to sleep.  God doesn’t get back aches or cavities.

ii)      It’s not just that God could never and will never die. This is the worship filled truth that God can be trusted because He has been and always will be here.

iii)    His eye that is on His children will never close. His loving gaze on His people will never be broken.

iv)    He will never blink or be distracted. Death holds no authority over God so death holds no authority over His people.  Worship the God who is immortal.

c)      Worship God because He is invisible

i)        How can we worship what we cannot see? If we’re going to worship God we must understand fundamentally that God is different than we are.

ii)      The problem is not with God the problem is with our eyes. He is different than we are.

iii)    He is wholly different and he is holy different.

iv)    He dwells in unapproachable light. He is spirit. He is infinite. No eye can see Him because He is that magnificent.

v)      God is bigger and better than we are. Worship Him

d)     He is the only God

i)        Go no where else.  Look no where else. Your journey to find forgiveness, grace, mercy, and peace has led you here so you can learn of Christ.

ii)      The restlessness of your soul is for a reason. The guilt your feel over your past is for a purpose.

iii)    God is using all of your life to lead you to Himself. 

iv)    He is the only God. He is the only cure. He is our only hope. He is the only thing big enough to save and the only thing gentle enough to restore.

v)      Last week if you began to understand that you are lost. If you felt the weight of the law pressing upon your heart do not push that away.

vi)    Instead, push your way to Christ. Worship God by trusting Him to forgive, save, and sustain.

vii)  The darkness of the valley of sin and death is far surpassed by the majesty of Christ.

viii)            Do not stay where you are; go to Jesus.

ix)    Pray to him, cry out to Him, and He will save you.

Pastor Paul- Fulfill the Ministry; Colossians 4:14-18

Fulfill the Ministry

Text: Colossians 4:14-18                                                  9/2/07 PM

Thesis: We must watch self and doctrine to be fruitful in ministry

 

Intro: This morning as we finish our sermon series in the book of Colossians I want to encourage you to fulfill the ministry you have been given in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The church in Colossae is given the command to tell Archippus to pay attention to the Lord’s ministry so that it will be completed.

That command is so important I want us to work through the final 5 verses of Colossians using the command to fulfill the ministry.

We’re going to do this because I want you to run the race well. I don’t want you to stand before God one day and your ministry be labeled ‘disqualified’, ‘unfit’, ‘unacceptable’.

God’s will is for you to fulfill the ministry. Christ died on the cross and defeated death so that you will fulfill the ministry.

Christian, you have been given the Holy Spirit who will guide you and strengthen you as you seek to fulfill the ministry.

Let’s not waste time, let’s submit ourselves to the authority of Scripture, and there learn how to be useful.

 

Read Colossians 4:14-18

 

I) Fulfill the ministry by using what God has given you

a)      The lesson of Luke

i)        Luke is the beloved physician.  He is not the educated seminary student like the Apostle Paul.

ii)      Luke is not the faithful pastor/evangelist like Epaphras.

iii)    Luke is a faithful doctor. You see, Luke wasn’t trying to be something he wasn’t. Luke wasn’t trying to fill shoes he was never intended to wear.

iv)    He was called to be a doctor. He was trained to be a doctor. So Luke used his calling and his training to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ.

v)      Some of you have been trained to drive a truck. Some of you have been trained to manage an office. Some of you have been trained to build, to plant, to invest money, to raise children, to guard things, to remodel things, and we could go on and on.

vi)    God has called you to do what you are doing and God has trained you to do what you are doing so that He could use you where you are.

vii)  Stop moping around thinking, “I don’t have anything to offer.” That’s a lie.

viii)            1 Corinthians 12:7 makes it clear that every believer has been given a gift by the Holy Spirit to be used for the common good of the church.

ix)    “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

x)      It’s time to stop wishing you had some gift. It’s time to start using the gift you’ve been given.

xi)    What we need to be on guard against is using our gifts inappropriately. Don’t use your gift in the wrong way.

xii)  Every sin is taking what is good and using it the wrong way.  Luke could have stayed at home and been many things namely wealthy and important in his city.

xiii)            But instead we find him out doing medical missions. He used the gifts and training God had given him to advance the gospel.

xiv)            So stop trying to be something you aren’t. Embrace God’s calling and be used by God. 

xv)  Where Luke went right Demas went wrong.

II) Fulfill the ministry by not loving the world

a)      The lesson of Demas

i)        Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:10, “Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica”

ii)      Loving the things of the world isn’t just a struggle Demas had. It’s safe to say loving what this world offers is a struggle we all have.

iii)    1 John 2:15-17 speaks to all of us here and to Demas back then,

iv)    “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

v)      Luke lived the life that said, “God I’m going to use what you have given me to advance the name of Jesus Christ and His gospel as much as I can.”

vi)    Demas lived the life that said, “God I’m going to use what you have given me to advance my name and grow my pile of stuff as much as I can.”

vii)  What does your life say?

viii)            Demas found the call to faithfulness to be too restrictive. Demas found more joy in immorality, anger, greed, drunkenness, and other deeds of the flesh than he did in Christ.

ix)    Christ promised to give eternal life, the world promised to give stuff, and Demas chose the stuff.

x)      If you are going to fulfill the ministry you have received in the Lord you must be on guard against the temptations of the world.

xi)    You know your weakness. You know what tempts you about the world. Does anyone else?

xii)  Who is praying for you? Does anyone here know what lures you out into the world and is anyone here wrestling for you in prayer so that you would stand up against those lies?

xiii)            If we’re not doing that for each other than we are failing as the church.

xiv)            Don’t go at ministry alone. Don’t battle temptation alone. God will always provide the way of escape and often that way of escape is the accountability and prayers of a faithful brother or sister in Christ.

xv)  Don’t follow the world. All that stuff one day is going to be gone. Only what is done for Christ will remain.

xvi)            If we are going to work for Christ then we must

III) Fulfill the ministry by knowing Scripture

Read 15&16

a)      The church and the letter to the Laodiceans

i)        Acts 2:42 gives us the simple model of what every church is supposed to be about;

ii)      “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

iii)    The church in Nymphas’ house would have been no different. We should be no different.

iv)    The church in her house would have studied the Apostles’ teaching. They would have encouraged one another to fulfill the ministry.

v)      They would have shared meals together and they would have prayed together.

vi)    When’s the last time you invited some of the church into your home for a meal, time of Scripture reading, and prayer?

vii)  When you do be sure what you are studying is God’s word.  It’s okay to read books just be sure those books are based on God’s word and be sure you know what God’s word is.

viii)            As I was studying this verse that refers to the letter from Laodicea several authors wrote that there has been much ink spilt over this letter.

ix)    And there will be much more spilt in the years ahead I’m sure.  What I want us to grasp this morning is that not everything written by the Apostles was Scripture.

x)      Those letters may have carried the Apostles’ authority but not the inspiration of the Holy Spirit which makes it God’s word.

xi)    You see the church does not decide what is and is not Scripture. If we found Paul’s letter to the Laodiceans today we would not add it to the canon.

xii)  No doubt some would try but we would not.

xiii)            The Holy Spirit decides what Scripture is; not the church and not bible translators and not archeologists and not you and not me.

xiv)            This letter to the Laodiceans circulated but was not preserved because the same Spirit who inspired is the same Spirit who preserves.

xv)  The letter to the Laodiceans, though written by the Apostle Paul, was not deemed necessary to equip the man of God.

xvi)            These 66 books, no more no less, inspired in the originals and translated faithfully are the word of God.

xvii)          We must know them and we must know what is not them.  We must study them and memorize them and order our lives according to this magnificent book.

xviii)        Do the work of ministry by doing the work of knowing Scripture.

IV) Fulfill the ministry by giving it your undivided attention

Read verse 17

a)      The lesson of Archippus

i)        The Holy Spirit has given each of us a gift to be used in ministry.  If we aren’t diligent we won’t be used.

ii)      That’s why the church is required to tell Archippus to take heed or watch.

iii)    Do you understand that one of the purposes of the church is to encourage the weak and rebuke those who are wrong?

iv)    Archippus was on the verge of either messing up or giving up so the church needed to tell him to look carefully at what he’s supposed to be doing.

v)      The Spirit wanted the church to point fingers and name names because the Spirit wanted the church to be fruitful. This is church discipline.

vi)    We don’t know exactly what Archippus’ ministry consisted of what we do know is that it was service rendered to the church.

vii)  The church would suffer if Archippus failed so the church was called in to warn Archippus.

viii)            We are no different than Archippus. From time to time we all need to hear those words, “watch the ministry that Christ has given so that you will complete it.”

ix)    Be diligent, be careful, give your best to the ministry Christ has given you. Don’t give the left-overs.

x)      Paul said to Timothy, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Tim 4:16).

xi)    What we do and why we do it must be grounded in Scripture. We must ground ourselves in God’s word because salvation is on the line.

xii)  This bible is our manual for life. This bible is our manual for the church.  We must do what it says for by doing so we will save both ourselves and our hearers.

xiii)            This is why I want to do everything according to Scripture.  We’re not talking about strategies for winning tick tack toe.

xiv)            We’re talking about ordering our lives and this church so that we can advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ; so we can be used by God to save souls.

xv)  Pay attention to what is going on. Take heed to what this person is doing and what that person is doing.

xvi)            In Epaphras’ absence it is possible that Archippus is filling the role of pastor; like an interim of today.

xvii)          As pastor it’s crucial to be ever watchful. Wolves are always on the outskirts. Sheep are prone to wander off.  Watch, take heed, and pay attention.

xviii)        Archippus had been given a ministry in the Lord. It was given to him AND he received it. The Lord called Archippus and Archippus answered the call.

xix)            What has the Lord called you to? What is your ministry? Are you making a difference for Christ in someone’s life?

xx)  But it’s not enough just to answer the call. We must work to fulfill the call.

xxi)            We’re not going to let go and let God and ministry just happen.  If we are going to continually step up and do what is required we must be always vigilant.

xxii)          The slogan of the 142^nd fighter wing, the fightin’ redhawks, is Semper Vigilans, always vigilant.

xxiii)        Here is their mission: To provide superior mission-ready units to sustain combat aerospace superiority and peacetime tasking, any time, any place in service to our nation, state, and community. Paramount to our mission is maintaining the highest readiness.

xxiv)        Always ready, always vigilant. It’s time to shut off the TV or computer and get ready for ministry by getting into Scripture and getting Scripture into us.

xxv)          If it doesn’t square with Scripture I don’t want to hear it. If it contradicts Scripture I don’t want to hear it.

xxvi)        Can you imagine standing before God, giving an account of your life, and when He opens up the bible, points to a passage, and asks why you didn’t obey you tell him, “I had a better idea.” Or, “I didn’t think it was possible.”

xxvii)      I want to be always ready. I want to fulfill the ministry the Lord has given me. I want to be faithful.

xxviii)    I don’t want to enter eternity with a mouth full of excuses. I want to enter eternity with treasure that will last.

xxix)        I want people to be saved because of my ministry. I want the saints to be faithful and fruitful because of my ministry.

xxx)          And this is not a solo mission.

V) Fulfill the ministry by being honest about your weaknesses

Read 18

a)      The lesson of the Apostle Paul

i)        He wanted them to remember his situation but not so he could have their sympathy. Paul never wanted anyone’s sympathy. He never was ashamed of his chains.

ii)      Paul wanted their prayers.  He wanted them to pray that the gospel would continue to advance in spite of the chains.

iii)    He wanted Archippus to stand strong and not wimp out in the face of difficulty.

iv)    Can you imagine the excuse Archippus could offer about how hard it is when Paul just reminded him of the chains Paul has endured?

v)      God wants you to stand strong and not wimp out in the face of difficulty.

vi)    If the Spirit can give the Apostle Paul joy in prison and fruitfulness in prison then the Spirit can give you joy and fruitfulness in your ministry.

vii)  Pray constantly for faithfulness and strength. Ask your church family, your friends, and your neighbor to pray for you to be faithful and find strength.

viii)            Are you struggling trying to find a way to reach your neighbor and talk about spiritual things? The next time they ask you how things are going simply ask them to pray for the ministry you are involved in.

ix)    Be specific and don’t whine.

x)      Guys, God is going to do great things in this church; Things some of us have never seen things some of us haven’t seen in a long time.

xi)    But we’ve got to watch ourselves and our doctrine.

xii)  Are you using the gifts and training God has given? Are you too focused on this world?

xiii)            Are you grounded in Scripture? Are you giving ministry your undivided attention? Are you praying?

xiv)            God is going to do amazing things here at Mambrino Baptist Church but all of us need to exercise our gifts. We all need to turn our backs on greed, immorality, selfishness, and pride.

xv)  We all need to return to the commands and call of God through Scripture. No more excuses.

xvi)            We must be always vigilant focused on the ministry God has given us so that we’ll keep on doing what must be done.

xvii)          We must all be in prayer for one another. We must pray and we must work.

xviii)        And God will do great things through and for His glorious Son, Jesus Christ.

xix)            God will use us to display the strength and mercy of Jesus Christ.

 

Pastor Paul- Pray & Work; Colossians 4:12&13

Text: Colossians 4:12&13                                                9/2/07 AM

 

Intro: In 1 Corinthians 11:2 the Apostle Paul expressed his divine or godly jealousy for the church.  Through his preaching and teaching the Apostle had been used by God to join the church to Christ.

The way a father feels jealousy for his daughter and longs to see her realize what is best is the way the Apostle longed to give the church what is best. It’s the way the Apostle longed to show the church the glories of Jesus Christ.

I thank God that over the past three years He has shaped and strengthened my desires so that I want the same things for you.

It is a work of grace in my life that I love you and want to see you stand firm in the glorious truth of Jesus Christ.

God is molding this church to be a powerful tool in His infinitely powerful hand.  I am greatly encouraged by our future.

But I am also sober minded about our future. For us to continue on the path of recovering what it means in doctrine and practice to be a New Testament church it will take a great deal of prayer and a great deal of work.

And this is no impossible feat. It has happened before. By God’s grace it will happen again.

In Colossians 4:11&12 the Holy Spirit turns our attention again to Epaphras. We were introduced to Epaphras in Colossians 1.

Epaphras was faithful in prayer and he was faithful to discharge his work on behalf of the church of Jesus Christ.

I pray that God will raise up from among us this morning an army of men and women who will show us and the world what it means to pray and work hard for the Kingdom of God.

Read Colossians 1:3-8 & 4:10-18

 

I) You must see yourself as a servant

a)      Epaphras, one of the church, was a servant of Christ Jesus

i)        “A servant of Jesus Christ is one who has been bought with a price and is therefore owned by his Master

ii)      A servant is completely dependent on the master, to whom he owes undivided allegiance.

iii)    A servant ministers with gladness of heart, in newness of spirit, and in the enjoyment of perfect freedom, receiving from him a glorious reward” (Hendrickson, 191).

iv)    Almighty God has purchased us, not so that we can go out and do whatever we want to do.

v)      And God has not purchased us with the blood of His Son because he wants to form his own slave labor chain gang.

vi)    We were slaves to sin, under the domain of darkness.

vii)  We were not in this state against our desires but because we were born at enmity with God.

viii)            We did not want to belong to God.

ix)    We were lovers of the things of the flesh.

x)      True soul satisfying joy is not found by getting your own way and having Jesus there to forgive you.

xi)    True soul satisfying joy is being recreated into a person who does God’s will; born again unto joy.

xii)  This joy is found in obedience to God.

xiii)            Jesus Christ died to make you a joy-filled servant of God.  God bought you and made you his own because only those who are purchased by Christ and belong to God taste true joy.

xiv)            A servant, slave, or bondservant of God is not some piece of property belonging to a ruthless task master.

xv)  A servant of God is a beloved son who has been refitted to taste the deep joy of godly obedience.

xvi)            A Christian servant is a person who wants to do the will of another. Knowing he has been purchased, a servant works to accomplish the desires of another.

xvii)          Have you been refitted by God so that you want to do what God wants you to do?

xviii)        Are you doing what God wants you to do?

xix)            Jesus Christ died to make you what God intended for you to be- a man or woman or guy or girl who finds joy in knowing and obeying God.

xx)  If that’s not what you are becoming than it is fair to say that you are becoming something that may be morally upright doing the right thing with a clean nose but not a Christian.

xxi)            Epaphras was a servant of Christ Jesus. Epaphras was a Christian; are you?

xxii)          Epaphras was working for the kingdom boldly proclaiming the gospel; are you?

xxiii)        You must be a Christian and you must see the role of a servant as your role in the church.

xxiv)        I’m not asking if you’re pulling your weight around here because you feel like you have too.

xxv)          I’m asking if you are pulling more than your weight because the Spirit empowers you and joy in Christ drives you to want more for God.

xxvi)        Do you want to know where to start?

II) You must wrestle for the church through prayer

a)      We must see the Christian life as a war and prayer as a weapon

i)        Read verse 12

ii)      Epaphras was always laboring fervently in prayer. He was always struggling in prayer.

iii)    He was laboring earnestly, he was wrestling in prayer.

iv)    When’s the last time you prayed against false teaching and sin with the tenacity of a crazy juiced up wrestler?

v)      When’s the last time you prayed for your wife desiring her spiritual maturity and joy the way a Greco-roman wrestler sought the crown of olive leaves?

vi)    When’s the last time you prayed for your child that she would be mature in God’s will, not giving up but wrestling through the night like Jacob with the angel of God? Here is a specific prayer request:  

b)      Pray that the church would stand mature in the will of God

i)        Maturity is not something that just happens to us. We may naturally progress in our physical maturity but our spiritual, mental, and emotional maturity can lag far behind.

ii)      You’ve seen it in people 20, 30, 40, and even older who continue to act like children. They are prone to throw fits, they are self-centered, and they can only be counted on to do what they want to do.

iii)    Physically they appear mature; simply by living this has happened but they have not grown up.

iv)    Often this happens in the church. We think by simply living in the church we will mature spiritually.

v)      Unfortunately this is not the case. There are so many people in our churches who have been there 20, 30, 40, and more years who by their outward appearances look mature but are inwardly like little children.

vi)    They are prone to throw fits, they are self-centered, and they can only be counted on to do what they want to do.

vii)  Epaphras had seen this. You have seen this. That is precisely why he and we must pray that the church would stand mature.

viii)            We must pray constantly that God would continually raise up a body of grownups.

ix)    When we talk about being grownups, complete, mature or perfect in the will of God what are we looking for?

x)      Parents, what are you trying to make your children into?

xi)    Sunday School teachers what are you trying to make the people God has provided into?

xii)  Pastor, what are you working toward?

xiii)            Again, let me remind you that in Colossians when we are talking about the will of God we are not talking about God’s will concerning which pair of shoes you wear, who you marry, where you work, or what home you buy.

xiv)            Here, we are talking about understanding God’s will concerning the big picture of salvation through Jesus Christ reconciling all things to God through the cross.

xv)  When we pray that someone would be mature or complete in the will of God we are praying that he would understand, be devoted to, and work toward the salvation of souls through faith in Christ Jesus.

xvi)            We are to stand firm against false teaching by standing on the true teaching of God.

xvii)          Epaphras was praying the church would stand up as a mature body for what is right.

xviii)        Namely, salvation by grace to be preached to everyone.

xix)            We pray for maturity and we

c)      Pray that the church would be fully assured in all the will of God

i)        Again, this is not fully assured that we chose the right color of paint for the den or the right size tires for the pick up truck.

ii)      This is a prayer that the church would be fully convinced concerning God’s great work of salvation so that they would stand firm for God’s great work of salvation.

iii)    Full assurance of God’s will is displayed by speaking about and sharing God’s will.

iv)    You and I do not witness precisely because we are not fully assured of the gospel’s power to save.

v)      It’s not because we are scared or don’t have opportunities but because we don’t believe.

vi)    Remember, there were false teachers infiltrating the Colossian church demanding asceticism, angel worship, visions, and all manner of things OTHER THAN holding fast to Jesus Christ.

vii)  We are to pray for each other that we would understand and love the preeminence of Christ and the power of the gospel.

viii)            We are to pray for each other that we would be fully convinced concerning his deity, his death for sins, and his bodily resurrection from the grave.

ix)    We are to be convinced that these things are true and these things are for our salvation.

x)      We must pray for this because we are tempted to not believe it. Maybe it’s not true, maybe the church made it all up over the years.

xi)    Maybe it’s not enough. Maybe I’m too bad. Maybe God doesn’t love me like he loves other people.

xii)  Maybe the Muslims or Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons or Buddhists or Christian Scientists really have the truth.

xiii)            Colossians 1:28&29, “him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”

xiv)            You must pray hard for the church and

III) You must work hard for the church

Read verse 13

a)      Epaphras gave himself for the church

i)        He knew that this life is not about me and Jesus.  Epaphras knew that this life is not about my family and Jesus.

ii)      Epaphras knew that this life is about working hard, being concerned, and being full of zeal for the work of the church.

iii)    He did what Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus did: work hard for the kingdom of God.

iv)    The Apostle Paul saw Epaphras’ zeal and work ethic for the church.  Epaphras sacrificed for the church.

v)      This service is always ultimately for Christ but it always involves a specific concern for the church.

vi)    Not the physical property but the people who make up the church.

vii)  Epaphras prayed hard and this led him to teach the gospel to all the church.

viii)            Colossians 1:7 tells us that the people in Colossae learned the gospel from Epaphras.

ix)    Apparently Epaphras was some kind of circuit preacher working hard for the church in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.

x)      When you think of your commitment to Mambrino Baptist Church do you think of hard work?

xi)    When you think of your involvement in spreading the gospel to the farthest reaches of Granbury and Glen Rose do you think of great zeal?

xii)  When is the last time you worked to provide an opportunity to share the gospel?

xiii)            For some reason we’ve adopted this mindset that sharing the gospel is only cold-call stop a stranger and tell them about Jesus.

xiv)            Evangelism is that but that is a small portion. What healthy evangelism looks like is a church working together in a community to provide opportunities to share the gospel.

xv)  It’s the church working together to impact it’s community with the life changing gospel by getting out there and seeking to change lives.

xvi)            It’s Christian workers sharing the gospel with their co-workers. It’s Christians sharing the gospel with their neighbors and working hard to do it.

xvii)          What’s sad is how hard we work for everything but the church.

xviii)        We’ll work hard to get that dream job. We’ll work hard, we’ll scrimp and save to make the down payment on that house or car we’ve always wanted.

xix)            We’ll work hard to buy a pet or a new pair of shoes. We’ll work hard to look important or feel important.

xx)  But we won’t lift a finger to do the work of the kingdom. 

xxi)            Why? Because we are immature instead of mature.

xxii)          We are sitting idly instead of standing by ready to work. Why?

xxiii)        Because we haven’t seen the glories of Jesus.

xxiv)        We do not serve and we do not pray because we do not know Jesus Christ.

xxv)          It’s not because we are too busy or too young or too old it’s because we do not know Jesus Christ.

xxvi)        You do not know the splendor of the glorious savior of all men; Jesus Christ.

xxvii)      That’s the bad news; because of your sins displayed in your selfish desires you are going to hell.

xxviii)    The good news is that the Holy Spirit is here working on you changing your heart so that you will believe in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross for you.

xxix)        The Holy Spirit is convicting some of you right now concerning your commitment to God and to the things of God.

xxx)          The Spirit is here right now pointing those things out to you so that you will deal with them and find joy.

xxxi)        If you don’t know how then come and talk to me as we sing or slip me a note on your way out.

xxxii)      The most important thing you need to do is pray. You need to cry out to God that he would forgive you and change you into a person who loves to serve Him.

xxxiii)    You need to wrestle with God desiring nothing else but to stand fully assured in his perfect work of salvation.

xxxiv)    Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

xxxv)      Reach out and cling to Jesus who is the anchor for your soul, the forgiveness of your sins, and the hope of all eternity.

xxxvi)    Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Run to Jesus.

Pastor Mitch- Alive By the Cross to the Glory of God; Colossians 2:13-15

Introduction

My wife says that I am terrible “movie-picker-outer”. It’s not that the movies that I choose are full of violence or nudity or anything of that sort, it is just that some of my favorites movies tend to lack a few key elements; such as plot, direction, good actors, and so on and so forth. So I was greatly dismayed this week as I did some research on one of the films that I loved as a child.

 

In 1981 there was a remake of the 1952 classic The Legend of The Lone Ranger. This movie held a great place in my heart. I was 9 years old when I saw it for the first time and one particular scene stuck fast in my mind. But since it had been so long since I saw the film, I decided to go on line to get my facts straight. What I discovered was less than encouraging.

 

In 1981, the year in which The Legend of The Lone Ranger was released, the movie received two awards. First, it received Worst Actor, for the man who played The Lone Ranger and secondly, it received Worst Film of The Year. This is not the movie I remembered as a nine year old. To me the film was magnificent, one scene in particular.

 

At one point in the movie Tonto has been captured by the “bad guys” (on false charges I’m sure) and is slated to be hung on the gallows at noon. The day of his trial comes and his best friend, his sidekick, Kemosabe – is no where to be found. Tonto is taken in hand-cuffs to the gallows- still no Lone Ranger. The noose is put around his neck – still no Lone Ranger. And right before the lever is pulled to drop the floor out from under him one gunshot rings out loud as a cannon blast – the silver bullet snaps the rope above Tonto’s head- The William Tell Overture starts -The Lone Ranger and Silver come flying into town as fast as lightening – Tonto leaps from the gallows onto the back of Silver and the two heroes go blazing into the distance! And all the bad guys are standing there, jaws dropped open – saying “Who was that masked man?”

 

And this is exactly the picture the Apostle Paul paints for us in the book of Colossians. As he writes to the church at Colossae he explains that all of mankind is in the same hopeless situation, with death imminent, as they had been for thousands of years. Until one weekend in A.D 30, when the Son of God who has come from heaven dies on a cross one Friday afternoon and then early that Sunday morning – POW!- all of heaven and earth shake as sin and death are ripped from the clutches of a defeated and humiliated devil.

 

GOD: BRINGING LIFE OUT OF DEATH (13)

 

I)       Our Condition Apart From God: Dead

a)      “And you were dead“, tied back to verse 12; the spiritual described as physical

b)      “dead in your transgressions“

i)     Sin: actions, your choices

c)      “dead in the uncircumcision of your flesh“

i)     Sin: nature; bondage to it

ii)   “everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34)

(1)   Application: How we view people who are apart from Christ

(a)    They are not just disinterested, or unaware- but spiritually dead

 

II)    Our Condition In Christ: Alive

a)      “He [God] made you alive” [now, spiritually]

b)      “made you alive together with Him [Christ]” [looks to the future, physically]

Ephesians 2:1-5

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ

 

·         Notice the importance of “together“: [attachment, dwelling - bus]

o       LORD’S SUPPER

·         (Colossians 3:3) “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

 

SIN AND SATAN: OUR TWO GREAT ENEMIES (13d-14)

 I)       Sin: Our Record Wiped Clean

a)      “having forgiven us all our transgressions” and “having cancelled out the certificate of debt“

i)     And noticed that our sins/ transgressions are described in these two ways:

(1)   “forgiven us“

(2)   “canceled out” or (KJV) “blotted out”, erased, removed

ii)   It is very important to recognize the word “all“

(1)   Application: The devil reminds you of certain sins; unwarranted guilt

 

·         Important: Our sins have not been simply swept under the rug, God would not be just if that was the case.

·         Notice the legal terms that are used.

b)      Transgressions are described as: “the certificate of debt”

i)     [record, or (KJV)"handwriting of ordinances"]

(a)    The picture is a written record of our sins [list]

(1)   “consisting of decrees against us” [every sin is due a penalty]

(2)   “which was hostile to us“

(a)    Looming over us as we await death, we live in fear

c)   “He has taken it away, having nailed it to the cross” [there is the justice]

i)     Our forgiveness came at the expense of the cross.

ii)   Our record of debt has been washed clean with the blood of Christ

 II)    Satan: Disarmed and Humiliated 

a)      Disarmed: “when He [God] had disarmed the rulers and authorities“

i)     Who are the rulers and authorities?

(1)   Satan and his demons

(a)    John 12:31 – Jesus calls him “the ruler of this world”

(b)   2 Corinthians 4:4 – Paul refers to him as “the god of this age”

(c)    Ephesians 2:2 – Paul calls him “the prince of the power of the air”

·         Satan has power, but it is limited, for the Christian it is more limited because he has been disarmed!

 

ii)   How did God disarm them? 2 Ways

(1)   He took their power away!

Hebrews 2:14-15

14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

·         Romans 6:23 “the wages of sin is death“

 

(2)   He gave His people truth: God’s Word

(a)    Because Satan’s only power now is the lies he can tell.

(b)   Application: Keep God’s Word in front of you, or you will forget it

 

b)      Humiliation: “He [God] made a public display of them [rulers and authorities]“

i)     “having triumphed over them through Him [Christ]“

(1)   Qriambeusa” – thriambeusas; [Kings returning from war]

·         (Acts 1:3) He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

·         (1 Cor 15: 3-8) 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

  Conclusion

I)       For the believer, the devil has been disarmed and is left with lies as His only weapon. We need to constantly keep God’s Word before us, so that we do not fall away from the truth and believe a lie.

II)    We need to remember that those who are in Christ will enjoy Him together; that is, His church will always have the communion that it does today and one day we will share it with Christ.

III) Those apart from Christ are in the utmost of spiritual peril and our prayers for them need to be prayed with equal fervor.

Pastor Paul- How to Be the Church, part 2, Colossians 4:10&11

Learning to be the Church from the Church, part 2

Text: Colossians 4:10&11                                              8/26/07 AM

Thesis: Every member must pursue endurance, grace, and comfort.

 

Intro: Turn with me in your bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 4.  We have three additional lessons today to learn about the church. We have the lesson of endurance, the lesson of grace, and the lesson of comfort. Let’s learn how to be the church

 

Read Colossians 4:7-11

 

I) Aristarchus, a lesson in endurance

a)      This fellowship began with sharing the gospel

Acts 20 verse 4 tells us that Aristarchus was from Thessalonica. Acts 17 gives us the brief account of the Apostle Paul’s activities in Thessalonica. From the Old Testament the Apostle explained to those of the synagogue that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead.

But not only did the Apostle explain this to them but he proved the suffering and resurrection of Christ were necessary. This explanation of Christ’s suffering and resurrection is necessary because they explain and prove the payment and defeat of my sin and yours.

So, it’s fair to say if you have not explained the death and resurrection of Christ you have not shared the gospel. Aristarchus heard the gospel, possibly from the Apostle Paul, and he was persuaded; he believed in Jesus the Messiah sent to die for sinners and made alive for righteousness. Aristarchus was changed. Aristarchus was born again, made new, and given a heart of flesh.

Thus began the fellowship between Aristarchus and the Apostle Paul. It was a bond based upon the internal change the gospel had wrought on Paul and Aristarchus.

And this internal change caused some very significant external events.

b)      This fellowship endured trials

There was a riot in Ephesus. Aristarchus didn’t get his Jesus fix and then go on with his life; Jesus changed his life. So, Aristarchus begins to travel with the Apostle Paul evangelizing, serving, and worshiping with him. When they arrive at Ephesus they give themselves for two years to the work of spreading the gospel. This was no short-term mission trip. But then trouble comes, Demetrius, a leading businessman/silversmith notices a trend. If people stop worshipping idols and turn to Jesus then they will stop buying silver idols and he’ll be out of work. Demetrius stirs up the whole town. There is a riot and this what happens in Acts 19:29, “So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.”

By God’s grace the crowd is calmed down and after the uproar ceased the missionary team sets out for Jerusalem.  Aristarchus and Tychicus, if you remember from last week, were a part of this team. Aristarchus gets roughed up on Ephesus because he’s with Paul.  They travel to Jerusalem together and there the Apostle Paul gets arrested. Then there are the trials, death threats, several years spent in prison at Caesarea, a boat ride, ship wreck, and finally Paul arrives as a prisoner in Rome.

If you and I are going to work for the kingdom we must expect trials.  Satan is not going to give up with out a fight. When you are faced with trials don’t get frustrated instead rejoice. God will make you more like Christ as you go through those trials. They endured trials.

Their fellowship endured the imprisonment. This is where we find ourselves in Col 4:10. Literally, Aristarchus is Paul’s ‘fellow prisoner of war’. The Apostle Paul used a war term because he understood that the battle between the domain of darkness and the kingdom of God’s beloved Son was war. There had been betrayal, beatings, conversions, miracles, imprisonments, murders, and all manner of struggles and victories.

Paul saw himself as a fellow soldier working alongside Aristarchus for the kingdom of God. They weren’t battling with swords and suicide bombs. They were battling with the gospel and self-denying sacrificial service.

We must return to this mindset today. We are at war not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of this present evil age. Satan knows it’s a battle, Christ died to equip us for battle, but we’re not in the battle.

We’re good at fighting but we fight every battle but the battle for the kingdom of God. There is little to no unity among us precisely because we aren’t fighting the right battle. There was great unity among Paul and Aristarchus precisely because they were fighting the right battle.

Do we see this Christian life as war? Where are you fighting in this community? Where are you going to battle? This is a call to arms. This is a call to unity. Deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Jesus into battle.  And there on the battle field you will find your family. You will find the need to endure. The battle will not be won over night. 

AWANA doesn’t make mature Christians in a quick bake oven but by endurance it fights the good fight. Sunday School doesn’t give you everything you need to know in kindergarten. You’ve got to commit to fighting for the gospel, sharpening your skills, and growing together as a group over the long haul.

You cannot endure by yourself. You and I need fellow soldiers. We need to link up with people and work with people captivated by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We need endurance; we need what Aristarchus had.

II) Mark, a lesson in grace

a)      This fellowship began with desertion

As in the case of Aristarchus the relationship between the Apostle Paul and Mark began in the book of Acts. In Jerusalem, John Mark joined up with his cousin Barnabas and the Apostle Paul. Together they returned to Antioch. It was there in Antioch, while the church was worshipping and fasting, that the Holy Spirit told them to set apart Barnabas and Paul for missionary work. Thus began the first missionary journey of Paul which included Barnabas and John Mark (Acts 13).

It’s was on this first journey in the city of Perga that John Mark abandoned his team. When the going got tough John Mark went home. After some time and at the beginning of the 2^nd missionary journey of Paul, he and Barnabas decide to return to the cities and check up on the church. Barnabas wants to take John Mark and the Apostle Paul says, ‘no way!’ Acts 15:39 tells us that there arose a sharp disagreement between these two men and they part ways. Barnabas and Mark head to Cyprus. Paul and Silas head to Syria.

Knowing that the mission work was war, apparently Paul did not want to take a 2^nd chance on a quitter. Maybe Mark quit because of the intense persecution. Maybe he quit because it was hard work. Maybe he quit because it wasn’t as glorious as he thought or he got his feelings hurt over something. We have all kinds of reasons for quitting ministry. What’s amazing is that the Holy Spirit has all kinds of ways of restoring us to ministry.

b)      This fellowship was restored by grace

In Colossians 4:10 the church is given instructions to welcome John Mark if he comes. In 2^nd Timothy 4:11 Paul wrote, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.” The one whom Paul had rejected early on became a very useful part of the gospel ministry. There is a substantial change between the sharp disagreement of Acts 15 and the statement of affirmation in 2 Timothy 4.

William Hendriksen points to three possible avenues from Scripture that the Holy Spirit used to mature young Mark (188). First, there was the influence of Barnabas who was the very “son of encouragement.”

If you are down on yourself, frustrated, and disappointed with your past the person you want to have around is the ‘son of encouragement.’ I’m sure John Mark would have been tempted to stay at home with his momma. But Barnabas went after him. When the next opportunity came up for mission work Barnabas went right back to John Mark. Learn the lesson here that we need to listen to others and not give up. We also need to learn the lesson here to not give up on people.  God is full of grace towards us and we must rely on Christ to make us full of grace towards others. Don’t give up and find someone to encourage.

The first avenue the Spirit used to restore this relationship was the encouragement of Barnabas.

2nd, the Spirit used the sharp rebuke of the Apostle Paul. Proverbs 17:10 says, A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool. Proverbs 28:23 tells us, Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue. Do you think that John Mark ever told himself that he didn’t want to be a quitter? Do you think that the disagreement between Barnabas and Paul taught John Mark a lesson? We must never go around looking for ways to discourage. Instead, we must look constantly for ways to help each other in this battle. If someone is doing something foolish a rebuke is necessary. The Holy Spirit uses rebukes.

3^rd, the influence of the Apostle Peter would have been great on John Mark because Peter was himself guilty of disloyalty and cowardice. In 1 Peter 5:13 the Apostle Peter calls Mark his son. I am sure that there would have been times when Mark talked to his spiritual father about desertion. The lessons Peter learned from the very mouth of Christ would have been soothing to Mark’s convicted soul.

Don’t be afraid to share what you have learned from your mistakes and sins.  Never glory in your sins or glamorize them. But if God can use them to prevent the same in another person or to restore someone who has done the same thing then for the glory of the Lord share what you know. Unfortunately we must learn to be gracious with each other; being gracious doesn’t come naturally. The basis for giving grace to each other must be the sure fact that God has given us grace. If you are having trouble being gracious the cure is to meditate on God’s grace. Memorize Ephesians 2:1-10 and think about God’s grace constantly.

If this church is going to move forward we must be committed to the long haul with endurance, we must be committed to offering each other grace, and we must learn the lesson of

III) Justus, a lesson in giving comfort

Read verse 11

a)      This fellowship began at birth

Justus, Mark, and Aristarchus made up the Jewish cohort who stuck by the Apostle Paul. Their backgrounds were the same having grown up in Jewish homes, going to synagogue, and memorizing the law. But it wasn’t the fact that they were from the same place and had the same upbringing that kept them together. There were others out there whom Paul had crossed paths with; there were others of the circumcision that Paul had met along the way.

But these three were the only ones who stuck it out

b)      This fellowship was characterized by working together

These men gave their lives so that they could work for the kingdom of God.  They sacrificed so that others, no matter their backgrounds, could hear the saving message of Jesus Christ. If by faith you have died with Christ then your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Col 4:3&4). The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God over His creation.  The Christian experiences it right now because of what Christ has purchased for us. The Christian experiences it right now because we are in Christ. We are right now a part of the kingdom.

They proclaimed and lived the message that Jesus saves and God rules over all.  They worked to make this known by the words they spoke and the lives they lived.

We must work to show the world the glories of the kingdom of God. We must show the world that it is better to be a redeemed soldier in God’s army than it is to be an army of me making my own decisions. These men worked together for the kingdom.  What are you working for? Again, are you working alone?

c)      Lastly, this fellowship brought the Apostle comfort

No wife, no children, no permanent home, always starting new churches, always on the run, always under attack. I’m sure the Apostle Paul welcomed the comfort these men provided him. Wuest in his word study says these men were a “solace, relief, alleviation, consolation, encouragement.” They were a medicine for Paul.

When ministry gets sacrificial, and it gets that way quickly, what is often needed is comfort. These Jews knew first hand what it was to be rejected by their kinsmen as traitors. Perhaps friends they had gone to school and synagogue with were now their deepest enemies. Hopes they had, Saul had been an up and coming star among the Jews, hopes like these were all gone. Because of Christ Paul had traded the best seat in the synagogue for chains in prison. These men encouraged Paul; they comforted him.

Let me close with this question- who are you encouraging in this church as they seek to advance the kingdom of God?

Satan and sin make ministry hard enough. We don’t need the church, our brothers and sisters, adding fuel to the opposition.

When’s the last time you wrote a note of encouragement to your Sunday School teacher? When’s the last time you wrote a thank you note to someone for a visit, a gift, or a special word of comfort? All of these things are good: endurance, grace, and comfort. But all of these things are impossible without Jesus Christ. In order to persevere in ministry, in order to go from a quitter to a finisher, in order to be a comfort instead of a discouragement we all need Jesus Christ. We need him to cleanse our sins. We need Him to satisfy our desires. We need Him to decide our plans. Let’s cry out to Christ who alone will make us useful. Let’s hope in Christ who alone will make us fruitful. 

Let’s have faith and move forward.

Pastor Mitch- The Faithful Minister: A Call to Suffering, Colossians 1:24-29

I was raised in a Southern Baptist church about 45 minutes east of Atlanta, GA. At the age of 25 I came to faith in Jesus Christ and a year later, sensing a call into the ministry I left home to attend Florida Baptist Theological College in Graceville, FL. Upon my graduation from their my wife and I left to attend seminary at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Three years later we moved to Gainesville where I served as the Student Minister at Northwest Baptist Church. 

For the past 10 years I have felt deep within me a call to be a minister of the gospel; both through preaching and teaching. It is my greatest desire and I feel deeply that it is who I am and who I am to be.

 

But there is a strangeness to being a minister of the gospel. Because on one hand we have a picture of what The Bible portrays a minister to be and on the other hand we find ourselves in a completely different culture from biblical times.

 

Repeatedly throughout the New Testament the Christian is called to a life of suffering- a thing to which I know very little. In my own life the gospel of Jesus Christ has cost me a few things, but never to the point of physical suffering in my flesh.

 

Now there is a suffering that is not suffering for the gospel, of which we all know or will know at some point in time. But the bible paints a picture to give us a guide as to what a faithful minister should be like and how suffering can be, and may possibly be, a very real part of the minister’s life.

 3 Actions of a Faithful Minister I)       Suffers For The Expansion of Christ’s Church (24-25a)·         Connection between Christ’s suffering and ours

a)      Suffers in his own flesh

Acts 5:40-42: After Peter’s Second Arrest

and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

 

b)      Suffers on behalf of the church

i)        For any other reason would be pointless: Christ died for His church

c)      Suffers in order to extend Christ’s suffering

i)        “in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions“

ii)      Not that Christ’s left anything unfulfilled at the cross

iii)    What is lacking?

(1)   Philippians 2:25-30 : “complete what was deficient in your service to me“

(2)   John Piper: What is lacking is that the infinite value of Christ’s afflictions are not known to the world.

iv)    Story by Michael Card, “Wounded in the House of Friends,” Virtue, March/April 1991, pp-28-29, 69.

 One day Joseph, who was walking along one of these hot, dirty African roads, met someone who shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with him. Then and there he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. The power of the Spirit began transforming his life; he was filled with such excitement and joy that the first thing he wanted to do was return to his own village and share that same Good News with the members of his local tribe.  Joseph began going from door-to-door, telling everyone he met about the Cross [suffering!] of Jesus and the salvation it offered, expecting to see their faces light up the way his had. To his amazement the villagers not only didn’t care, they became violent. The men of the village seized him and held him to the ground while the women beat him with strands of barbed wire. He was dragged from the village and left to die alone in the bush.  Joseph somehow managed to crawl to a water hole, and there, after days of passing in and out of consciousness, found the strength to get up. He wondered about the hostile reception he had received from people he had known all his life. He decided he must have left something out or told the story of Jesus incorrectly. After rehearsing the message he had first heard, he decided to go back and share his faith once more.  Joseph limped into the circle of huts and began to proclaim Jesus. “He died for you, so that you might find forgiveness and come to know the living God” he pleaded. Again he was grabbed by the men of the village and held while the women beat him reopening wounds that had just begun to heal. Once more they dragged him unconscious from the village and left him to die.  To have survived the first beating was truly remarkable. To live through the second was a miracle. Again, days later, Joseph awoke in the wilderness, bruised, scarred—and determined to go back.  He returned to the small village and this time, they attacked him before he had a chance to open his mouth. As they flogged him for the third and probably the last time, he again spoke to them of Jesus Christ, the Lord. Before he passed out, the last thing he saw was that the women who were beating him began to weep. This time he awoke in his own bed. The ones who had so severely beaten him were now trying to save his life and nurse him back to health. The entire village had come to Christ.   II)    Preaches For The Revelation of God’s Mystery (25b-27)

a)      The stewardship of preaching (25)

 2 Timothy 2:1515 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.  

b)      The Mystery (2x)

i)        Equates mystery with God’s Word [the story builds and becomes more clear: NT]

ii)      Hidden in past generations

(1)   Glimpses throughout the OT

(2)   Ezekiel 36:22-27

iii)    Manifested to the saints

iv)    Extended to the Gentiles [The Book of Acts]

v)      Mystery: Christ in you

  III) Labors For The Salvation of Every Man (28-29)

a)      Labor in proclamation

b)      Labor in admonition: gentle correction, speaking the truth in love

(1)   And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. (Romans 15:14)

c)      Labor in teaching with all wisdom

d)     Labor in God’s strength, not ours

·         Purpose: “so that we may present every man complete in Christ“

 1 Timothy 4:11-16

11 Prescribe and teach these things.12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

 Concluding Thoughts

I)       We should never be surprised when suffering comes our way because of our relationship to Jesus Christ.

II)    God is glorified in the sufferings that His saints endure for the sake of the gospel.

III) We need to pray that when our times comes to suffer for the sake of the gospel, that we will be bold and ready to make a good testimony for the cause of Jesus Christ.

 

Pastor Mitch- Reconciliation: The Pleasure of God, Colossians 1:20-23

The Bible uses 5 terms to describe our salvation. Each one emphasizes one aspect or one part of  our salvation. The Bible says that we have been (1) justified, (2) Redeemed, (3) Forgiven, (4) Reconciled, and we have been (5) Adopted. Each one is unique, but all are true.

• Justification: we are accused and declared righteous
• Redemption: we are enslaved and have been granted freedom
• Forgiveness: we are debtors who have had our debt paid for us
• Reconciliation: we are enemies who have been made friends
• Adoption: we are aliens who have been brought in the family and share an inheritance.

 

Reconciliation is a term that is used in court. Two warring parties have been brought back to friendly terms. Wrongs that have been committed have been atoned for and there is now a new right standing and all grievances have been laid to rest. That is what this passage is speaking of.

 

No longer is their any hostility between God and man. Jesus Christ has put this to rest and settled all the accounts, He has made right all of the wrongs, and now we are free to share in a friendship with God.

 Christ: The Means of Our Reconciliation

         “and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself”

                

                 “having made peace through the blood of His cross” (20)

·         Notice the wartime language that is used

·         Hostility between God and man is due to our sin. Our sin makes us enemies of God and there is no fellowship between us apart from Christ.

·         That is why the cross is so important. The cross is the means by which our sins are forgiven. Christ had to pay the penalty for all of the things we have done wrong. [rebellion, lies, adulteries, gossip, gluttony, etc]

                

                 “in his fleshly body through death” (22)

Hebrews 2:14-15

14Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

 

·         Christ had to come to earth in the likeness of man, because he needed to be both sinless (perfect) and able to bear the punishment due to us for our sins.

    All Things: The Extent of The Reconciliation

         “whether things on earth or things in heaven”

·         Notice how all of creation is under the curse because of Adam’s sin.

 Romans 8:19-22

19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope  21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

 

·         Creation does wait to be reconciled to God [beauty and disaster]

·         Revelation 21-22 New Heaven and New Earth

 Isaiah 65:25: New Heavens and New Earth

25″The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.

 

·         Creation was not meant to be like it is today, and one day God will bring it back right – like it was in the Garden of Eden.

·         But the reconciliation is also personal

          You: (3x: 21,22,22)                 We Are Described Like This

1.      “alienated”

2.      “hostile in mind” or “engaged in evil deeds”

·         Again the language of separation is used

·         Notice how we are active in keeping ourselves separated from God

                       

                        Romans 8:6-8

6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God [there is the evil deeds], for it is not even able to do so,8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.[there is the alienation]

 

·         We cannot please God, because we cannot keep the law

 The Purpose of Our Reconciliation

                   “to present you before Him” [God The Father]

1.      “holy”

2.      “blameless”

3.      “above reproach”

·         That is, as faithful sons: like Christ. [purpose, goal]

   

Remember: The Evidence of Our Reconciliation (23)

         “if indeed you continue in the faith”

·         “if” is the key word, then it must be possible for someone to give evidence of a genuine conversion and then to fall away.

Continuing In the Faith

1.      “firmly established” [solid foundation: Christ]

2.      “steadfast”

3.      “not moved away from the hope of the gospel”

 

The evidence of genuine faith is that we continue to have faith. Remember, the Bible says that the seed was scattered, but only some of the seed produced fruit. Some even grew, but only the one that produced fruit remained.

 

This is what is important for us to know today as we take the Lord’s Supper. Jesus asked that when we take this bread and this fruit of the vine, that we remember Him.

 

1 Corinthians 11:23 -26

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;

24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 

Just as God instructed Israel through Moses in Deuteronomy 6:10-15

 

10″Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build,11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied,12 then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.[that you do not forget your salvation]13″You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.14″You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you,15for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.

 

This is why we take the Lord’s Supper; to remember Christ crucified for the sins of the world.

 

In our remembering we are “proclaim[ing] the Lord’s death until He comes”, that is we are having the good news preached to us every time we take it and “faith comes by hearing”.

As we take The Lord’s Supper this morning, let’s remember Christ.

Pastor Mitch- Jesus Christ: Both Lord and God, Colossians 1:15-19

Introduction 

The Deity of Christ is important for this reason: Until we are able to stand in awe of who Jesus really is, as the Bible describes Him, we will not be willing to allow Him to have complete control of our lives.

• Until we are assured of His Sovereignty, we will never entrust our lives to Him.
• Until we are overwhelmed by His majesty, we will never be repulsed by our sinfulness.
• Until we are caught up in the extent of His grace, we will never worship him as we ought.

 

Whether this passage is new to you, or you have read it a hundred times- I pray for me and for you that we will see it with fresh eyes and a fresh heart.

 I)      Jesus Christ: God In Human Flesh

a)      The Deity of Christ

i)        “the image of the invisible God“

(1)   Jesus made manifest what had never before been seen

John 1:18

“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

John 1:14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(2)   Main point: In Christ the invisible God became visible, sharing the same substance (essence) as the Heavenly Father.

 

ii)      “all the fullness to dwell in Him“

Hebrews 1:33And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

(1)   Everything that is true of God the Father is true of God the Son

(2)   Jesus lost nothing in His incarnation, but only added a fleshly body

iii)    Conclusion

·         Because Jesus is God, His sovereignty and control extends to all things

 II)  Jesus Christ: Lord Over All Things

a)      Jesus Is Lord Over Creation (15-16)

      Three Phrases Explain This

i)        “the first born of all creation“

(1)   DENY: That Jesus is created (Jehovah’s Witnesses)

(a)    b/c of next verse “for by him all things were created”

(b)   b/c of how first born is used in v18, “first born from the dead”

(2)   AFFIRM:

(a)    Christ has the rights and privileges of the first born (authority, leadership, control, rule, etc)

 

ii)      “by Him all things were created” and “all things have been created through Him“

·         Notice the bilateral bracket

(1)   Jesus is the agent of creation (Genesis 1)

(2)   The extension of his creation

(a)    Heavens and the earth

(b)   Visible and invisible (thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities)

·         Nothing catches God off guard (nations, armies, wars, disasters, etc)

·         We can find some rest in the fact that Christ is the one who is ultimately in control of all the affairs of the world- and if He will them to end, or begin, they will.

 

iii)    “all things have been created for Him“   

(1)   Jesus is the purpose for all things

(a)    The sun shines bright for Him, the oceans roar for Him, the moon keeps its orbit for Him, the planets keep their course for Him, the stars light the sky at night for him – every flake of snow that falls from the sky is falling for the glory of Jesus Christ!

(b)   Psalm 19:1 “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the works of His hands“

(2)   All things exist for the glory of Jesus Christ [and so do you]

 

b)      Jesus Is Lord Over Time

i)        “He is before all things” [beginning]

ii)      “In Him all things hold together” [end]

(1)   Revelation 5:1-10

(a)    The end of all things is about to take place, but in order for that time to begin – one must be found that is worthy to open the book and break its seals

 

c)      Jesus Is Lord Over The Church

i)        “He is also head of the body, the church;”

(1)   The church is described as a body and Christ is its head

(a)    The Head Makes Decisions:

(i)     Jesus Christ decides how church should be done [His Word]

1.      Who should be in leadership

2.      How worship services should be organized

3.      The purposes of the church

(b)   There is no life apart from the head

(c)    There is only one head

 

d)     Jesus Is Lord Over Salvation

i)        “He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead“

(1)   By “beginning” I believe Paul means the age to come

(2)   By “first born from the dead”, I understand that not only

Mitch- Christ: The Salvation of God, Colossians 1:13-14

Introduction

Last week we talked about the gospel, specifically how the gospel had taken its effect on the church at Colossae and we talked about how radical the change is in our lives when the gospel has taken affect. During our time last week I said that the gospel, or the good news, is that we who were once distanced, separated, alienated, from God have been brought back to Him. That is the gospel- that our relationship with God can be restored and that we can have fellowship with Him once again.

 

Today’s message deals with the “how”. How will God save mankind and how will God bring a lost and dying people back to Him? In this passage today we will see that it is God’s Son, Jesus Christ that makes this salvation, this good news possible.

 

But before we can appreciate the good news of the gospel, we must clearly see the bad news. As Adrian Rogers once said, “Before someone can be saved, they must be convinced that they are lost.”

 

Our Perilous Situation

            “the domain of darkness”

·         Satan’s power/rule/authority, is a kingdom of “darkness”

·         Built on lies: Jesus refers to him as the father of lies (John 8:44-47)

·         Death as its goal

·         Powered by fear (Hebrews 2:14-15)

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through the fear of death were subject to slavery all of their lives.

            “He rescued us”

·         Notice how our helplessness is emphasized

·         “rescue“: we did not escape the domain of darkness [POW]

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6)

·         Point: We are powerless to save ourselves and are in need of being rescued.

 

God’s Powerful Salvation

            4 Phrases That Describe Our Salvation

            “He rescued us”

·         Notice the power of God in contrast to our weakness

·         God invaded Satan’s territory

Matthew 12:29 – When Jesus is accused of being in league with Satan

“Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.”

 

            “and transferred us”

·         KJV “he translated us“ or as the NIV “he brought us into“

·         We need to notice the full scope of our salvation and the security that comes with it.

            “in whom we have redemption”

·         Or you could say “freedom from the slavery of sin”

- “everyone who sins is a slave to sin” John 8:34

- “the wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23

·         Conclusion: We enter the Kingdom of Christ by our redemption. That is, we are no longer slaves to the old kingdom – we are free to enter into the new.

·         Our price for freedom from slavery has been paid. But how did Christ pay the price for our freedom if our sins have enslaved us to it?

            “the forgiveness of sins”

1.      Answer is this: Our sins have been removed from us and have been paid by Jesus Christ.

2.      [The wrath of God on sin]

 

Christ’s Permanent Kingdom

            “the kingdom of His beloved Son” or “the kingdom of the Son of His love”

2 Samuel 7:12-29 and 1 Kings 2:1-4

·         God makes a promise to David

·         David tells Solomon to be obedient to God, so that all the promises would come to fulfillment.

·         Matthew opens his gospel to announce to everyone that God’s Son, The son of David, had finally been born.

 Matthew 3:16-17: Jesus’ Baptism

16After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

 Matthew 17:5: Jesus’ Transfiguration

5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!“

 Psalm 89:34-37: God’s Covenant To David

 34″My covenant I will not violate,
         Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.
    35″Once I have sworn by My holiness;
         I will not lie to David.
    36″His descendants shall endure forever
         And his throne as the sun before Me.
    37″It shall be established forever like the moon,
         And the witness in the sky is faithful.” Selah.

 

·         Point: If we are in Christ we are part of his eternal kingdom, so that the words of Christ in John 10:28 might be fulfilled when he says, “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

  Conclusion

1. We need to realize that every man, woman, and child born into this world is separated from God and is enslaved to a kingdom of darkness, because unless we see the situation for as bad as it is, we will never speak the gospel to those whom we love.
2. We need to constantly remember that our salvation is by faith alone and in Christ alone. Working to get into heaven leads to misery and damages the gospel.
3. Our salvation in Jesus Christ, once we have accepted it by faith, is secure for all eternity, because it has been both provided for, accomplished, and kept by Jesus Christ and not us.