What It Means to Be Translated (02/01/2004)

Colossians 1:12-13 and the Meaning of Spiritual Translation

Turn with me to Colossians chapter 1 verse 12 this morning. We're going to talk about what it means to be translated. Let me give you a Webster's Dictionary definition of to be translated to bear remove or Change from one place state form or appearance to another to bear remove or change from one place state form or appearance to another.

It is to transfer or to transform in. Colossians chapter 1 verse 12 It says giving thanks unto the father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us? into the kingdom of his dear son.

We're going to be in this passage so stay there, but I'd like for you to turn to one other passage to Hebrews chapter 11 verse 15. Because as we know God gives us in the Old Testament Physical examples to teach us spiritual truths that happen in our lives and the lives of those of us who live in the last days.

Couple of verses in the New Testament say that very clearly. That the Old Testament is given as in samples to those of us who live in the last days. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 5 Reminds us of a story in the Old Testament, which is a physical example of what it means to be translated.

Hebrews chapter 11 verse 5 says by faith Enoch was Translated that he should not see death that means physical death and He was not found. Because God had translated him. For before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God.

But without faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is. Now look at this and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. That is a great definition of faith.

It is to believe God That he is but more than that to believe that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Now look at Enoch just for a moment before we go back into Colossians to talk about spiritual translation.

Enoch was translated that he should not see death. So he did not die physically. But from the world's appearance or from the world's point of view those who lived in the day around Enoch. The next phrase is pretty astounding.

From their viewpoint. He was not found. For God had translated him. So here you had people in the world all around this man who saw him perhaps every day or every week they were in his circle of life and God translated him and all the sudden from the world's viewpoint.

He was not found because God had translated him. That's exactly what happens to us in the spiritual realm when we are born again. When we are truly born again when we are saved delivered preserved and Rescued by the Lord Jesus Christ all of a sudden from the world's viewpoint.

We are no longer found. The old man that they knew is no longer present. They can look around and look at you and they don't see you and they don't like the new you that they see. That is one of the greatest symptoms of salvation that there is in your life.

You can look at your old friends that you had before salvation and ask yourselves. How do they view me now? If they view that you the same you may not have been translated because by definition a Translation is something that makes no sense in the language of those who had the original language.

If you could take our language today and all of a sudden God could make it so that every word that I spoke he translated into French. For those of you who haven't taken French, you wouldn't understand the thing I said.

You'd be looking at me and saying the old David is not here. He's speaking some foreign language doesn't make any sense. He makes no sense to me any longer. And if I spoke that language long enough, you'd quit hanging around me because you could get nothing out of it and That's what happens to the life when a person is born again.

He is translated out of the powers and dominion of darkness and the people in your circle of life Who are still in that Dominion can't understand your new language. They can't understand your new life.

It's like it's been translated into something totally different. It's in God's language. Now you've been made a member of the king of light and they cannot understand it any more than you could understand me if I began to speak parlez-vous francais today.

I Made a D in that in history in college, by the way, so I won't speak any of it to you. I promise I Could read it, but I just couldn't write it and speak it you had to do that, too. You know what that was the best D I ever got.

I was glad to have it and move fathered with big up away from that class and My grandmom had to cook my French teacher a quiche Lorraine just to get the D. So I took it to her house gave it to her. She loved it.

The Finished Work of Christ and the Evidence of Redemption

Colossians chapter 1 verse 12 and 13 speak of a spiritual translation. Whereby God has delivered us and we have to remember the theme of what we're teaching is the finished work of Christ. Therefore it was what the work that Jesus did on the cross in his burial in his resurrection.

In his ascension it is that work that delivered us and it delivered us from darkness. And also it has translated us into the kingdom of his dear son delivered if you remember is Rescued this word translated Methi stay me is to transfer or to carry away and It's interesting because it comes from two Greek words His stay me which means to stand very simple word and You put the word meta in front of it and meta means amid.

So if you took the literal translation of it It is as if you are delivered from the power of darkness and because of Jesus Christ Standing in the midst of you. You are then translated into his kingdom.

You are translated you are transferred from one place to another but by the one who is standing in the midst of you is the deeper meaning of that word to translate now as we read on through we will see evidence of this translation and I want to spend the rest of the time today and Sometime next Sunday morning the Lord willing talking about you with you about the evidence of translation.

How can I look at my life and see if there are enough symptoms that I've been translated. For me myself to believe I really have been translated. I'm not teaching this so that you can judge someone else.

This is for us to judge ourselves. To see that our salvation is sure to see that our salvation is real. And so we give you from the scriptures the symptoms of having been translated. How can you look and see if you've been translated into a different language all together?

Well, first of all in verse 14, we see that in whom we have Redemption now this the rest of this passage takes place after the translation takes place. And so we find that once upon a time we were slaves look at your life this morning.

Was there ever a time when you were a slave to sin? Was there a time when you could not master it? Some of you may say well, I'm in that time right now. You need to examine why? Because there's only one of two reasons.

Either you haven't been translated yet. You're not really born again. You're just religious or You have been saved and you're walking in the flesh. But then you have to ask yourself the question of why am I doing that and how long can I do that?

Before I determine in my heart that the reason I'm walking in the flesh is because I haven't been translated yet. You've got to ask that question if you are having a problem with sin habits and you can't get victory over them.

There's a great chance. You've never been translated. Because the first thing that happens upon translation when God moves you from the kingdom of darkness and he translates you carries you. Transfers you into the kingdom of his light.

Is that you have? Redemption. Redemption is a word in the New Testament. It means ransom which has been paid in full ransom paid in full. Jesus Christ has paid the ransom for your life in full and he never does anything halfway and he never fails.

Therefore if you are saved you are Ransomed. You can't be a believer and not have the full ransoming effect of God of Jesus's blood. Therefore if you've been ransomed or redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, you are no longer a slave to sin.

You're no longer a slave to Satan. You're no longer a slave to this world. It can only affect you if you allow it and you'll have a new heart that won't want to allow it. So examine ourselves this morning.

Have I been redeemed? Do I am I still standing on the slave block with my old owner behind me? With his long ugly fingernails around my neck bringing me into his dark domain. Or has someone? Ransomed me off those blocks and removed me from it and brought me into a new household.

Ask yourself that question if the answer is no you haven't been saved yet. Translated is simply another word for saved. You haven't been rescued from the power of darkness into the kingdom of his light if you don't sense redemption in your life.

Redemption is positional, but you can sense it. It is positional in the fact that it's not you that do it. It's not you that by an effort of keeping a list of things. You'll no longer do that. Therefore.

I don't sin anymore. That's not how it works. The ransom was paid with a price and that price was blood and it was not your blood. It was Jesus's blood the finished work of Christ is what gained your ransom and that is Positional and you can't change it, but it can change you.

You see the difference. It does change you because if you're no longer a slave to Satan in your flesh in the world. Then you have victory over sin. All you have to do is say no I don't live there anymore and you avoid it in the power of Jesus Christ as you walk in him.

Remember the word translated means to stand. To have one standing in the midst of in such a way that it changes you. From one place to another that's Jesus in Christ. We have power over sin verse 14 in whom we have redemption through his blood.

Look at the next one, even the forgiveness of sins. Now ask yourselves the question. If I've been translated. Then that means I'm no longer under judgment. I'm no longer under God's judgment. How do I view God this morning?

Do I view him with a fear of the Creator whose righteous justice is coming out against me because I am not in Jesus Christ. Do I sense that today or do I have a spirit that is not a spirit of fear? But a spirit that crieth out of a father that crieth out to the Lord.

You are my father. Examine your hearts this morning because if you have been translated into his kingdom. You even have forgiveness of sins. This word forgiveness Means to send forth in the Greek language.

God didn't just let it go or pass over it as he did in the Old Testament. Passover. God sent it forth from your life. It is as far from you as the East is from the West if you've been Translated from the power of darkness into the kingdom of light.

Now look at verse 15. Jesus who is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of every creature. That means the firstborn from the dead. The first to come out of the grave in and of his own power. This image is the word icon which we even had carry into English.

It's the likeness of God. In verse 16 says for by Jesus were all things created. Now this is the one who has redeemed you this is the one who has forgiven you. This is the one who has delivered you and this is the one who has translated you.

The creator of the universe. His name is Jesus Christ for by him. We're all things created all things that are in heaven. I want you to make a list as I read this list everything that's left out of this list.

Because he's over everything that's in the list. So anything you leave out of the list Jesus is not over. So see if you can find something that's not in the list for by him or all things created that are in heaven that are in earth that are visible and Invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him and he is.

Before all things you could you want to use bad grammar you could wear it this way before all things he is. He was there you go back before there was anything he was there. He existed before there was anything and by him all things consist.

The word consist means set together or held together. By the way, there was nothing left out of that list. Everything in the heavens everything in the earth everything that's visible everything that's invisible.

Every principality and power is Under him. That's the one who has delivered you. That's the one who has Translated you into his kingdom. Picture the translation as you being moved from the auction blocks.

Off of that platform into the arms of your new owner who bought you with his own blood. You're translated from the old kingdom the old owner. Into the new kingdom and Jesus Christ is now your Lord. Verse 18 and he is the head of the body.

There was a time in your life when you thought you were on your own really you weren't you were under a different head. His name was Satan, but you thought you were your own headship. You thought you led your own life made your own decisions and so forth.

But if you've been translated into the kingdom of Jesus you have a new head and his name is Jesus Christ. He is the head of the body. He is the one who helps you to make the right decisions. He is the one who will guide you in knowing what to do with your very physical body.

He will tell you where to move that body what to do with it and how to use it for God's glory in this physical World he is now the head of the church and you are part of the church. Who is the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in all things he might have the preeminence.

If he has the preeminence and you've been translated into his kingdom, then you're in a good place. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. Now look at verse 20 another sign of translation and Having made peace through the blood of his cross.

There was a time when you and I were the enemies of God. And if you have been translated into his kingdom, you now have peace with God. Do you sense that peace in your heart this morning? If you sense confusion if you sense fear.

You may not have been translated yet. You may still be in the old Kingdom. If you've been translated. Then Jesus Christ because of his blood on the cross has made a peace for you between the father and you.

Says by him to reconcile all things and to himself by him I say whether they be things in the earth or things in the heavens and you that were Once upon a time alienated. Now, here's another Symptom of translation.

You were alienated you were Enemies in your own mind by wicked works the things that you did with your mind and your body. They were wicked and yet now Hath he reconciled you? So as once you were alienated from God God had nothing to do with you in the sense of Of having a relationship with you.

You were his enemy in your own mind because of the wicked works that you did you did not love him. Therefore you did opposite of what he wanted you to do and yet now you find yourself in a different position altogether.

You find yourself reconciled by the blood of Jesus. There is a Friendship that's been restored where you are the friend of God. Do you have that in your life this morning? Verse 22. And the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and Unblameable and unreprovable in his sight look at these symptoms of having been saved symptoms of having been Translated into a new kingdom.

First of all, you used to be under the full blame of God's justice and you sensed it in your heart. Your conscience would bring that back to you from time to time that you're not living for God. You're living for yourself.

Now if you're still there, you may not have been translated yet. You have to pay attention to yourself. God commands us to examine our own salvation, even though we may sit in this church every Sunday.

Do you find yourself today? Having been made holy By the father whereas once you were unholy do you find yourself today having been made? Unblameable, but the actual Greek word means unblemished and it takes us back to the Old Testament sacrifices where they had to look at that Sacrifice it had could not have one blemish one mark on it.

They couldn't use it and that was a picture of Jesus Christ who has not one blemish not one mark on him. He is perfect pure Righteousness if you've been translated into his kingdom. You have also been given that righteousness in your heart and in your life you've been made to be righteous.

You've been given the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which therefore makes you to be unblemished. Secondly, it says you're unreprovable. This means unaccused. You cannot be accused before the throne of God righteously.

If anyone would come and accuse you which the Bible says Satan is the accuser. Then Jesus would stand on your behalf and say no he is covered by my blood and my blood has been applied to his life or her life and Therefore they cannot be accused.

So if you've been translated you have been presented holy before God you have been presented unblameable or unblemished and Unreprovable are not able to be accused and then it says in his sight. Now I think about this word the Greek word here is very specific it means it comes from the little word kata, which means to the uttermost and then the word which means in the face of so it means to be directly in The strongest way to say it in the Greek language possible in the front of the face of a person.

So the Bible says if you have been translated By the power of Jesus Christ into his kingdom that you can stand before his very face today. Holy unblameable and unapprovable in his sight. Verse 23 says an interesting word.

Look at the word it starts with. What does it say? That is a word the Baptists don't like. Because if you could somehow remove this verse Then verses all the way from the first of that chapter down through verse 22 is Probably as strong eternal security teaching as you can find anywhere in the Bible and the problem with it as an eternal security Teaching is that you have to leave out verse 23.

They think because all of a sudden it puts a condition and says if you continue. But if you understand the whole of God's Word. You don't see this as a problem. As far as teaching eternal security, it's not a problem.

It's the proof of it. Because it says if you continue in the faith. Grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. Well, let me tell you something if you've been translated the if doesn't apply to you.

Because you are already translated. You have been translated into a being who has faith the faith of God the faith of Jesus Christ. When is the last time you saw it fail? Can you picture him walking across the water?

Can you picture him? Glancing in a tree and saying it didn't bear any fruit and all the sudden the entire tree dies right in front of his apostles. And withers away in an instant very unnatural. Can You picture him touching a little girl and saying arise in Tabitha arises.

It opens her eyes and give her some food. Can you picture him? Before the grave of Lazarus. Saying Lazarus come forth and a mummy shuffles out of that cave. And he tells the men. Unbinding. Can you picture that kind of power?

Can you picture that kind of faith Jesus did those things as a man? Not as God. He did those things as a man in the absolute fullness of the Holy Spirit which requires absolute faith. Which he had because God had given it to him.

So if that's the kind of faith that you're translated into at salvation. Then there is no if here as far as you continuing in the faith. Let me tell you why the if was put there. The if was put there because every sermon it was ever preached in the New Testament was preached to a congregation like this and Almost every congregation has a lost person sitting out there.

Listen to me has a lost person sitting out there who thinks he's saved maybe this morning a Lost person who because he can say the right words and he sits in the right pew thinks he's saved. That's who the if is far for it's always been placed there.

All good preaching has an if in it. Because the if is for those who have professed to be a Christian. But they've never been translated from the power of darkness into the power of light and their life shows it.

Now they may be very good at hiding it. But they themselves know they haven't been translated yet. Because if you can't continue in faith grounded and settled and if from time to time you are moved away from the hope of the gospel.

Then you're just trying to walk in human effort of religion and it won't save anybody. So he goes on and says The gospel which you have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven.

You see it's preached to the non elect and the elect. That's why the if is here. Let me Just share with you a verse that proves that this is no problem for eternal security. Because Hebrews chapter 10 verse 38 says now the just shall live by faith but if any man draw away my soul hath no pleasure with him.

God says but We are not of them that draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe into the saving of the soul. If you've been translated the if doesn't apply to you. Because you will be grounded in the faith you will remain settled you will not be moved away from the Expectation.

That's what the word hope means in the Bible the expectation of the good news. That you have heard so the whole passage lends itself to Seeing the great victory that we've had now. We don't have time to go into this, but I want to name these for you to be thinking about before next week.

There are several other Symptoms of having been translation translated that are found throughout the Bible that I want us to study. But you can ask yourselves the question this morning is this a Change that has taken place in my life at the point when God translated me from darkness into his light first of all.

Do I have a love for the brethren that I didn't used to have. Do I enjoy going to church? Now there are mornings when all of us get up and don't want to come. I'm not talking about that at all. I'm talking about when you get here.

Are you glad you came? When you leave are you glad you came. And is there something that draws you back next Sunday morning, even when your flesh wants to stay in that bed? I'm talking about you not me now.

Is there something that draws you here? Anyway in the full frontal attack of your flesh and you go right through that battle and you win it you get here to church. And then you're glad you're here. What is that?

Because you love the brethren you want to see him. You want to be around them? You want to gain strength from and you want to encourage them? That's something no lost person can have. Is that true genuine heart desire.

Now a lost person can have the character of the physical Self to come and sit in that pew every Sunday if he thinks it'll gain him something. But there is no love for the brethren that draws him there.

Ask yourselves this morning. Do I have that love? Secondly love of the word. When I got saved it's something changed about the Word of God in the sense that all sudden I was curious about it. I Wanted to read it.

I wanted to understand it more and I found myself reading it and understanding it more. What about the new nature. Am I still the same or have I been changed? Do I have my want to? Changed is it different than it used to be or do I still want to hang around worldly people?

Do I still want to hang around the worldly places? Or do I want to be with God's people? Do I want to do God's things? Has anyone changed my desires? Because if you've been translated God changed your very nature.

What about your works? Do you exhibit any truly good works for God? Are we still caught up in the old works of the flesh? What about our speech as our speech changed or do we still cuss? Do we have cuss words that just slip out like the world does when we're around them.

Great sign that you have not been translated. Do you speak of things that are unclean and not godly? Great sign that you've never been translated. And what about the world? Does the old world love you still?

Because Jesus said if you've been translated Marvel not my brethren if the world hate you and. What about The fact of being kept by Jesus Christ as he keep you in his arms because if he's taking you off that auction block.

Then he didn't just take you off and say now just go by yourself and be free. He held out his arm said come let me give you a hug. You're mine now, and I'm gonna walk with you. So those are some great symptoms of having been translated.

We'll look at those in more detail next Sunday. Stand and let's have prayer together. Father, I pray that if there's anyone among us today who has questioned their own salvation today because of these scriptures that they would search their own heart, but that your Holy Spirit would also shine light into the darkness in their heart and Enable them to have eyes that would see and ears that would hear in a heart that would want to belong to Jesus Christ Lord.

For those of us who have been translated into this marvelous kingdom. May we just give our thanks at this time because of the change that we saw the day you saved us. And the way you've worked in our hearts since that day may we just stand before you thankful that you have not left us in darkness.

That you have not left us powerless. That you have not left us dead, but you've raised us in Christ. You have not left us lame, but you cause us to walk in Christ. You've given us eyes that see and ears that hear.

Father we stand before you responsible today because of that. Help us to be light and salt to others. Help us to be spreaders of this marvelous gospel and father. May you grant us the privilege and the joy of seeing others translated before our eyes.

From the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of your marvelous light. Go with us into our time of fellowship bless our meal today and our fellowship together. We ask it in Jesus name. Amen.