Colossians 1:13

Good morning, this is truth in love and I'm so thankful and glad to be able to spend time with you this morning

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That's what that's our aim. That's what we want to do and we would love and I would love to partner with you in doing that truth and love, of course

If you've been with us before comes from Ephesians chapter 4 verse 15, but speaking the truth in love

We are to grow up in all aspects and to him who is the head even Christ? so Jesus is the truth we

We hear his truth from his word and that's what we want to talk about God's Word God speaking to us and we want to do it in love whether we do it here

Or where wherever we are, whatever we're doing. We want to speak truth and we want to speak it in love

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Holy Spirit as he grows us to make us into who God would have us to be which is more like his

Son, of course, and so then we are glorifying him in the world expanding his kingdom and making him known so I love being with you and doing that together with you

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For Jesus just want to do a short video this morning a devotion that I did last weekend with a prayer

Group that I'm in And it's gonna be from Colossians. We've already we've already touched on this verse

And but uh, I wanted to go back to it because it's so it's so powerful so impactful so helpful and Just want to do a little devotion going back and touching on one of the verses.

We've already looked at in Colossians So I hope you'll stick around with me as we look at it together Colossians chapter 1

Colossians chapter 1 verses or just verse 13 We're gonna look at verse verse 13 and And see what

God has to say to us this morning verse 13 says for he delivered us from the domain of darkness and Transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved

Son now We got to know the context because he says for which means there's something that comes before it

So Paul, of course is is writing this letter to the church at Colossae the the the

Colossian Church And it's also going to the the church at Laodicea. But but Colossae Was a church that he did not found

Nor had he been to But one of his disciples one of the the folks that he had led to the

Lord That helped found this church and and I was also a messenger back to Paul obviously wanting

Paul to communicate to the church about issues that were going on at the church and We're going to get into more of those issues and how

Paul addresses those issues later as we discuss Colossians but the context of verse 13

Paul Paul does his introduction his greeting to them and then he offers this prayer to the

Lord for these folks at the church the Colossian Church, and he's giving thanks for them and Then at the very end of the prayer he's giving thanks for what they've been given this

God has qualified them There's a sense that you have to be qualified Which none of us

Were ever and could ever be qualified to inherit eternal life right in and of ourselves but Jesus Was qualified and therefore we received

The qualification that he earned that's what's given to us so that we may inherit eternal life.

And so Paul is giving thanks for this this qualification of That we may in that of this inheritance that we've received and Then he goes on explaining about this inheritance giving us more information about this heritage because that was

This was Paul's way of attacking Or addressing the the issues that they were having at the

Colossian Church Just as a reminder The the big thing the big issue that that Paul is addressing

Was that you had you had two groups of people that were making up this this church this new church following Jesus it was a

Group, which which Paul addresses on this situation hugely in Ephesians where God God is bringing together and Making one out of two two people groups or where we're familiar with The Jewish people being

God's chosen people God's elect throughout the old hope Old Testament and then the

Gentiles everyone else being outside being Paul describes them as far away, but in Christ God is bringing

Together into one these two people groups, which is actually, you know, the

Jewish people and then everyone else That's what the Bible refers to as Gentiles everyone else other nations

He's bringing the nations to Christ and bringing us and making us all one together. But in this particular situation

The Gentile group, of course They had their other religions their own religions and then you had the the

Jewish group Who had their own religion?

the Jewish religion With the temple with Jerusalem with what the

Pharisees and Sadducees had had brought to them had taught them Had You know how they changed

God's Word in God's ways they had they had this

This religion and both groups were trying to bring bring into This this new religion this new church concepts ideas theology

Practices rituals they were trying to bring in from their old religions to to add to this new

Christian religion and Paul is Paul is addressing this and and the way he is

Addressing it It seems from the start is that he is focusing on the authentic This is who you were, but this is now who you are

And so the two can't mix it's like water and oil. They can't meet they can't be together. And so in verse 13 when he says for He is he's coming off His thankfulness for this being qualified for this inheritance

And what is this inheritance? He says you he has delivered he delivered us

There's there's a rescue going on here. He has delivered us from the domain the domain of darkness and this word domain

If you look in your translation, or if you look in other translations, it may translate the

English word Into a different word you can I've seen domain or dominion and Both concepts are true of this word domain or dominion of darkness.

And and what are those two concepts? well, we have

We have a domain as in Like to me is like a location.

It's an area We've been delivered out of the this location of darkness and and the the thought that come to my mind as an example to help me understand it was

I of course I Cannot understand completely What it means to not have my eyesight to be one who was blind but to some degree

I understand Somewhat of what they have to go through or deal with They they are unable they have

Limitations because they do not have their eyesight But we we know that many who do not have their eyesight adapt and and Do very well in Their daily lives because they they just become accustomed to how they must live

But yet because of the darkness that they're in there are there are

Limitations and so if you want to speak of if you want to speak of free will Here's here's the concept of free will if you want to use that term if you want to think of a free will

Here here's how you can think of free will as understood in this in the scriptures if you are

Physically if you are physically blind You are living in its darkness

For for a lack of better or better way of explaining and you you live you're living in darkness

You you can't see so there are Limitations on what you can do therefore

You can only you can only do though Some things can increase, you know, like we talked about before that you can

You can begin to do things better You can learn to do more things

But there there are going to be limitations and so you can only do

What you can do as someone who is living in darkness And that's where that come a more biblical concept of a free will comes from or a better understanding of what?

Biblical free will is you you are only able to do you you can't go outside of the boundaries

Just like if you were blind if you do not have your eyesight There there are boundaries.

There are limitations. There are things that you you can't do So there are there there's a circle that you live in so You are only able to do what you are able to do within those boundaries and That would be a more biblical understanding of what free will is you were only able to do what you're able to do

Within those boundaries or you're free to do Only what you are able to do within those boundaries

Okay, so that's where That's where we've been delivered out from The the location this domain of Darkness where we are on we are only able to do what we are able to do within that boundary of darkness

Which what is what is outside that boundary is anything?

That's good anything That's pleasing to the Lord if you recall some of the verses in the

Bible Um our our Righteousness our right living is

Like filthy rags to the Lord The scripture says that we can We can do nothing apart from him

Scripture says that no one is good. No, not one. So out

Outside of those boundaries is please is doing things that please the

Lord is doing anything. That's good So We're only able to do what we can do within that boundary that domain of darkness and these are

These are truths that that should That we should meditate on and and let's settle in our heart in our mind

The realities of who who we are apart from Christ That this is this is reality this is who we are we can do nothing apart from Christ No one does good.

No, not one. We are in we are subject to these boundaries

We are chained to these boundaries So we we must have a rescuer we must have a deliverer

We must have a Savior if we want to be be free from these chains Living in the this location this domain of darkness and then the other concept the other idea of this word is dominion and Dominion simply means power or authority so this this darkness that we're living in is a power is an authority

And there's and there's in my mind there's two concepts to that as well And I was hitting on that living at the location having being chained to that location is

Is a power is an authority over us We're controlled by that location because that's all that's the only place that we can function

That's the only place that we can go We can't go outside of that domain of darkness because of the minion the darkness has over us

And then the other concept is Scripture speaks of the powers and rulers and principalities in the spiritual realm

And we were familiar with Satan or the devil and and the other fallen angels the the demons and so there's this concept of powers and spiritual rulers

That that would has Dominion over us who has power who has authority over us

While we're in that domain of darkness, isn't that a rotten isn't isn't that a horrible?

thought that Living as Americans in this

United States. We have this concept of freedom But yet if we study scripture if we look at God's Word We were realized that this is a

False Security I would say a false sense of security it

It veils our eyes even further from the truth. The Bible describes us as being spiritually blind

But it's almost like living as an American We have a double set of blinders on first we're spiritually blind from the truth

But secondly as an American this this false sense of autonomy of freedom that we have

Deceives us into thinking that that We are able to rule and govern ourselves when that's not what scripture teaches us

Scripture teaches that we we live in the domain of darkness

And we are ruled and have a have authority over us from the dominion of darkness

And that's a horrible place to be but it's a reality. It's a concept that we need to We need to settle in our minds that that's who we are.

That's where we live without and apart from Christ And our friends and our families our neighbors and everyone our community needs to know that reality and The blinders need to be removed

So that this this reality of being able to only function and and live within the boundaries of the darkness and And being on being shackled to this authority

Having to submit to this authority this power of darkness Is a concept that we need to It needs to become a reality it needs to become a reality so that we can

Pursue the deliverer We'll never we'll never pursue the deliverer if we're continue to live in Deceitfulness if we continue to be deceived that we're not living in darkness that we're not under this power of darkness

So there's that concept There's that concept of where we were apart from Christ, but Paul says they were they were delivered they were rescued they were taken out of They were taken out of this domain this dominion of darkness

And it says and Paul says he they were transferred and if we're in Christ, it's us, too we were

Transferred we were taken out of and and not just taken out of and and left to ourselves

But we were moved into a different location and this is the good news, and this is him.

This is him sharing the the authentic apart from the false apart from the fake apart from you know the the kind of religion that they were trying to deform in their own image where They've been led to Christ, but they were trying to bring in they were trying to bring in their other practices theology religion rituals all that all those concepts to make to make a new religion, but this is the authentic and Paul is telling them this is where you were so this this religion that you had before whether Whatever religion whatever pagan religion they practiced as a

Gentile and and this Religion that you had as a

Jew as a Jewish person that you're trying to bring in where you were

Was in the domain and the dominion of darkness What an insult

I Mean this is scandalous This is really scandalous language.

This is This is a tremendous insult to say to someone

Paul is telling these people you are wrong You are wrong about your religion

There's nothing good about your religion you Gentiles These different religions that you practice there is nothing good in them that you could bring over to add to Christ This Jewish Religion that you had there's nothing good in it that you did that you believe that you could bring in To add to Christ to make it better You are wrong.

You are not right It was false it was evil and Where you were you were chained to that domain and dominion of darkness that religion is darkness

How scandalous to be told and to be the one that is telling someone that you are wrong?

And and that's what we are doing We we are

We are scared to do it very very often we are scared to do it

Because we don't want to offend we don't want to lose relationships We don't know ruffle feathers.

Well, whatever the case may be But this is when when we are presenting

Jesus And it doesn't it doesn't matter how much you try to Convince yourself convince me convince a church convince anyone else that God God is just a

God of love. The gospel is just about love Everything about your church service needs to be friendly and about love

We need to we need to greet folks from from the parking lot all the way in to to where they sit the the music needs to be uplifting and fun and the we can do all those things and try to deceive ourselves and Try to deceive those who are coming in try and and deceive those who were trying to reach

But when you get down To the the bottom line no matter how much you try to sugarcoat

Christianity if you're leading someone to Jesus You're telling them

That they are wrong that they have been wrong. They that they have lived in darkness

They are not free. They are enslaved to darkness and That they are are wrong

Plain and simple you are telling people that they are wrong No matter how you sugarcoat it

And it's scandalous and it's tough and I Think that's why

American Christianity has has a been so sugarcoated and it's and it's why that All these false concepts have have come about It's because it's so offensive

Telling someone they are wrong is very very offensive But when you get down to the bottom line of Christianity if you're leading someone to Jesus You're telling them that they're wrong.

And that's that's what Paul is telling them here Your religion you cannot there's nothing good in your old religion that you can bring in to add to Jesus to make it better You can't add to Jesus.

He is Sufficient and not only is he sufficient. He's he's the only real authentic There there's nothing above Beyond or beside him.

There's not even anything underneath him Because it doesn't exist Jesus is the only one so therefore you can't add to him to make him better and To come to him you have to realize that you were wrong

About how you were living about your beliefs you were enslaved to darkness

You were you lived in darkness and were enslaved to darkness and that's what he is Trying to remind them here that they were wrong but Coming to Christ.

He is our deliverer. He is our rescuer. He transferred us from darkness into the kingdom of His beloved

Son We are in a different location and have a different authority.

You see that there the kingdom Which belongs to his beloved Son? We're in a different location and we have it a different authority.

So this this concept that we have as Americans still is somewhat deceitful or misguided

Because we still don't have Autonomy we don't Rule ourselves completely.

We're either under the authority of darkness or we're under the authority of Jesus who is the king of this new of this kingdom that we're in.

I hope that makes sense I hope that makes sense to you And if you have any questions, please let me know so What we want to look at and where this

This devotion this thought really takes off is in this concept because we've we've looked at the bad news we've we've come to the reality that we're wrong and And that where we lived

Our our ownership was this darkness But now we have new ownership

There's a king in town and he is he is our authority But let's learn a little bit more about who he is who who the father describes

Him as who Paul tells us he is so we have been transferred We're in a different location and we are under different authority

Which is the son the the beloved son who is the king of this this new kingdom?

And so what we want to do is skip over a few verses to verse 19 And we're gonna learn a little bit more about our our new king and and his relationship to the father first 19 says for it was the father's good pleasure

So it pleased God. This is something that made God happy. This is what he wanted to do

It was it was the father's good pleasure and there's two concepts here for all the fullness

To dwell in him to dwell in who? Jesus the beloved son the king of this kingdom and it was

God's good pleasure that all the fullness Dwell in him the fullness of what well just a few verses over Paul explains to us what this fullness is chapter 2 verse 9.

This is who our king is This is who has authority over us this is whom we serve this is whom we love

This is the rescuer that brought us out of the domain and the dominion of darkness chapter 2 verse 9 for in him in Jesus all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form deity just means

God so all the fullness of God Dwells in Jesus in bodily form and so that's what he's speaking of here in chapter 1 for it was the father's good

Pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him the fullness of deity

The fullness of being God dwelt in him in bodily form. That's who our king is

That's who our authority is. That's who we submit to that's who our rescuer is He is

God himself and all the fullness of God dwelt in him bodily That's the identification of who we serve our king.

Okay, so Just a little bit of application with that concept we

Christians have lived you know in different circumstances

Of course we are most familiar with with being in this Democratic Republic which that's what it's supposed to be

Where we have, you know a president and we have our different branches of government

We're not we're not under a king a monarchy or or anything like that or dictator

We have this Democratic Republic Which as I said before leads us into some deceitful thoughts about ourselves and about who we are but Christians in our history have lived under Dictatorships have lived under communism have lived under kings and queens

They've lived in those circumstances And so and Oftentimes we know that in in those circumstances where you live in communism

Marxism a dictatorship a king or a queen It's oftentimes

Very difficult to live out your Christianity in those circumstances

That that's where Many of our

Protestant forefathers came from Specifically thinking about the

Baptists, you know, the the the Baptists were among several Protestant branches in England That were being persecuted

Because they did not conform to the to the the Church of the state the

Church of England Who King Henry was the authority over And they didn't conform to that state church, so therefore they were persecuted and they they fled

England to places like Holland and then as the

To escape further some of them came to America. That's where we have the pilgrims Now that's the story of the pilgrims that's that's left out, you know in our school system that they were under religious persecution

Because they of their they didn't want to conform to this State church they fled to Holland and then they continue to flee to America and then our

Baptist heritage is that a Group left Holland went back to England once the the dust settled and formed the

Baptist Church there so living under these different forms of Governments have been very difficult for Christians in the past But here's the thing that that we need to realize and understand about this concept of this

King Paul tells us in verse 13 that we've been transferred to a different location to another to a kingdom and a kingdom has a king and This king is his beloved son

And who is this beloved son? Well, it pleased the father that all the fullness of deity dwell in him

Our King the one whom we're under the one whom we serve despite our current circumstances physically whether it be a communism dictator

Marxism a False Democratic Republic Whatever type oppression that we are under here in this world

The kingdom that we are truly in is the kingdom of his beloved son and that beloved son

Has the fullness of deity? dwelling in him in bodily form

Our King is God our King has authority and rule over all other authorities and powers whether they be spiritual or earthly and So that's the king that we serve that's the king that's protecting us

That's the king that's looking after us and we can be excited and we can be happy and we can glorify

God Because of that despite our circumstances Despite that we are persecuted

That's difficult But despite persecution We are under a keep the king who himself is

God And he rules and has a plan and is sovereign

That's our king And then the second concept in verse 19 going into verse 20

That all the fullness dwell in him and then verse 20 and through him. This was the father's good pleasure verse 20 and through him to reconcile all things

So all things are being reconciled reconciled Not just the elect but all things are being reconciled to him to himself having made peace through what?

through the blood of his his cross So there was some violence here when we see this this word blood

We know that there was some violence here and it was the father's good pleasure that this

Violence occur. Oh, thank you Roger. I appreciate it. My niece made it for me

Verse 20 is telling us that there was some violence that occurred So that this reconciliation this peace could happen

So where else and we're gonna wrap it up after it in just a few minutes But where else do we see this concept that it was

God's good pleasure That this violence happened so that all things could be

Reconciled so that this peace could happen my mind goes straight to the suffering servant of Isaiah 53

If you flip over to Isaiah 53 and you look at verse 10, we see that concept of Violence Then the pleasure of God But then we also see some promises

When we look at the suffering servant, we look at Isaiah 53 and some of us

For for a long time. I wasn't familiar with with this verse This is another one of those verses that that we don't like to bring up because we don't want to ruffle feathers

We don't want to offend anybody but this is the truth. This is reality. This is scripture Isaiah 53 verse 10 says but the

Lord was pleased This pleased the Lord Going back to Colossians.

It was his good pleasure That this violence occurred so that reconciliation could happen and that's what

Isaiah is speaking of Even though it's difficult, even though it's hard to hear.

It's hard to explain Isaiah 53 verse 10 the suffering servant.

This is what he tells us, but the Lord was pleased And that's that's difficult

His only begotten Son It pleased him to what?

To crush him. There's that violence It pleased the

Lord to crush him putting him to grief No wonder people skip over that.

No wonder people avoid that we're trying to explain that because it's difficult It's difficult to explain that it pleased the

Lord to crush his only begotten Son To send him to grief to putting him to grief, but there's a reason there's a glorious reason and we benefit from it and That's what makes it good news

What scripture says without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.

There had to be a sacrifice and Reconciliation and peace that if We would expand our understanding of what the this peace that the

Bible is talking about Because of sin because of our evil we are an eternity away from the

God The punishment for sin is hell which is an eternity long it never ends

So the separation between us and a right relationship with the Father is an eternity long

It's never gonna happen, but there's a way

God provided a way That peace could happen and that's what makes this peace.

So beautiful and so wonderful and that's why we can Settle in our mind this concept of This This reconciliation and what he had to do to gain it being pleasing to the

Lord Because it brought it's bringing a world.

It's bringing a people who were an eternity away To himself who didn't have a chance who never had a chance

He's giving he's providing a way So that peace can happen and that's how we can understand and and appreciate

That it pleased the Lord to crush him to putting him to grief

Because it brings peace and reconciliation to those

Who were far off? Who were an eternity away who had no chance ever

Can now have peace with him What wonderful news our community our world needs to hear

But then we've got to get to these three promises He says but the

Lord was pleased to crush him putting him to grief If he would render himself as a guilt offering

There's that there's that process There's that thing that had to happen to bring peace

To those who were far off who never had a chance if he would render himself as a guilt offering

Jesus was that guilt offering He was the suffering serpent and then here's the three promises that just continues to elevate

This this glorious thought even further and further and further

To where it's just be beyond comprehension how glorious this is If he will render himself as a guilt offering he will see his offspring

There will be in a relationship there He's speaking of us as his offspring his kinship

We we are his there's an ownership. There's a family Concept there.

We are his offspring and he will see us there's a relationship that we are going to have with him and he with us and that He will he will see the fruits of Offering himself up as this offering as this sacrifice.

He will see the fruit of His sacrifice and not only is it fruit its family

We are his offspring and then number two He will prolong his days

Number one he's gonna live He's gonna have to die as this offering but God is going to raise him from the dead

He's going to live and not only is he going to live but he's going to live forever

And his kingdom is going to be forever. We've been transferred from the domain of darkness into The kingdom of his beloved son and this king and his kingdom

Their days are will be prolonged he's going to live and he's going to live forever and this kingdom is forever and there there's one other promise about this kingdom and the good pleasure

He ends he ends this with his pleasure again what makes him happy the result of Him crushing and putting to grief the suffering servant and the good pleasure of the

Lord will what? prosper his hand

There's so much out there about Prosperity gospel about name it and claim it if you send me money this this you'll get all these material blessings

This is the prosperity that we need to preach the kingdom of Christ Will prosper it will be victorious

It is victorious and we are in that kingdom We have been transferred out of the domain the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved son and in that kingdom we are in a prosperous kingdom a kingdom that will continue to prosper a kingdom that is

Victorious and will continue to gain victory forever Throughout all eternity it

God will prosper this kingdom and that's where we are we're under a prosperous

King and Just like we mentioned earlier speaking of the different circumstances that we've lived in throughout history

Marxism communism dictatorship Deceitful Democratic Republic Whatever kind of circumstance that we're in we're we're under persecution whatever it may be we're in a place where just sin is rampant

Where we live spiritually and also physically is in this kingdom with a king

Who lives forever and his kingdom is victorious and will continue to prosper

That's our kingdom and that's our king That's why we can't look at the circumstances

That's why we can't have a countenance based on our Circumstances around us we can have a countenance and we can have a joy

Because of the kingdom that we live in and the king that rules that kingdom and his name is

Jesus And if you don't know him, I Would encourage you to come to him today

The Bible teaches us that we're all wrong and beyond being wrong. We're all sinful

We've all sinned against a holy God. We've all done things that are wrong.

We've broken his law We've broken his commandments. We've all stolen. We've all lied.

We've never kept him first. We've all taken his name in vain we've broken all the commandments and Just like the summation of those commandments

Jesus Put them together when he said Love the

Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength and then the second is like it love your neighbor as yourself and and just like In that way

We can sum up the law and breaking the law in this way. Yes.

We have all stolen. Yes. We have all lied Yes, we have all taken God's name in vain We've we've broken every single law that God has made but to summarize

That breaking of the law it all boils down to what's underneath all that is a disbelief in God and his beloved

Son Is a saying that you don't know what you're talking about God you're a liar, and I know better I'm not gonna believe in you

So therefore I'm going to break this commandment because I think that way is best.

My way is better it's a disbelief and It's a shaking of fist at God when we break his law and you and I both have done it but God has made a way of Reconciliation he has made a way of peace and That way was through the cross through crushing his son so that he could reconcile all things to himself through the blood of his cross and What must we do?

The Bible commands us Jesus first message Was that the kingdom of heaven is at hand?

repent and Believe the gospel Repent of your sins and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ God said he will

Make you his child He'll call you his own and he will deliver you from the domain

Being underneath the authority of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son Where you can live in that freedom where you can live in that victory and you can prosper

Thank you for joining me if I can pray for you Just let me know that I can do that love to be able to do that.

Let's go ahead and pray together father We thank you for the time that you've given us To spend time in your word as we reach out to our community to glorify you to grow your kingdom to fill the earth

We're so thankful that you let us do that despite Who we are despite our sin

Thank you for forgiving us thank you for The way that you have made

Thank you Jesus for being willing to come even as The fullness of deity dwelt in you

You would lay down your life So that we may be free

So that we may have a relationship with you and with the father Father I pray that people would come to know you in the places that we are going out and in our communities

That we so desire to change We we pray that our communities will become filled with people who love

Jesus Help us to reach out to them for your glory

And we pray these things in Jesus name, amen Thank you for joining me.

I really appreciate it. Remember that Jesus is King go live in that victory and Let's continue to go out there together and proclaim the gospel.