Delivered Us "Out Of" (01/25/2004)

Turn with me this morning to the book of Colossians Chapter 1 and verse 10

We've been talking lately about the finished work of Christ and how part of what it accomplished for us is that it delivered us from the powers of darkness and We will finish that topic this morning.

We've talked about it a couple of other times in previous Sundays We pointed out in introducing this topic that the

Bible teaches in 2nd Corinthians 4 1 and following that Satan has a Blinding power over those who are unsaved with regard to the gospel

He's pictured as a black bird coming and eating the seed off the hard path

That is Satan coming and taking the truth out of the minds of unbelievers before they can think about it

And then in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 and following it points out that the whole Group of the lost is energized by Satan and in fact is in Satan in the same way that we are in Christ Which is sort of a startling fact

But then we began to talk about the topic that we're really here for and that is to study that the finished work of Jesus Christ Has in fact delivered

The believer from the power of darkness. Let's look down through Colossians chapter 1 starting with verse 10

Understanding that this is a prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed for his converts. He is praying for his converts

He says he prays first in verse 10 that They might walk worthy of the

Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work increasing in the knowledge of God His prayer for his converts was not that they would sit on the pew

Sunday after Sunday and grow to be old and not know More about the Bible than they did the day they got saved

Unfortunately that describes most churches today in America. It's not what Paul wanted for his converts

He wanted them to increase in the knowledge of God Every day throughout their entire lives

Verse 11, he prays that they might be strengthened with all might according to God's glorious power not according to the power of the flesh of the arm of flesh but according to God's glorious power and all patience and long -suffering with joyfulness and Then he gives thanks unto the

Father Which made us fit the word meat means fit To be partakers of the inheritance of the

Saints in light and in verse 13 comes the point we're studying Who hath?

Now who can tell me hath delivered is that past present or future tense?

All right, I have a lot of English students out here today a few English teachers Who hath delivered us so does this mean that this is an ongoing thing in this verse

Are a once -and -for -all thing that's taken care of once and for all Once and for all taken care of and the reason is because it's part of the finished work of Christ finished means

Finished that's what it means in the Greek It means it's done

It is not something Jesus has to do again. It is not something you can help him with in your life

It is finished you have been delivered from the power of darkness

Now it goes on to say you've been translated, but that's another topic for another day

In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins

Goes on talks about who Jesus is in verse 16 by him were all things created

All things were created by him and for him he is before all things and By him all things consist that means they're held together by his power every moment

If Jesus Christ took his hand off of this universe, it would be gone And so would you and so would

I so he holds everything together. That's how powerful he is. Well that same power

Was demonstrated on the cross in delivering you and me from the powers of darkness and that's what we're talking about now last

Sunday We talked about the fact that there are several verses in the

Bible where it says that we are delivered from out of something and Then there are some verses that say we're delivered away from something

And let me give you two examples that in the same couple of verses turn to 2nd Timothy chapter 4 and verse 17

There are two little Greek words that precede Or follow

I should say the word deliver Almost everywhere you find the word deliver. You'll find one of these little words after it.

One of them is the word ek which means from out of One of them is the word oppo which means away from Ek means from out of and oppo means away from now in 2nd

Timothy 4 17 The first time you see the word deliver. It's going to be ek and Many times in the

English it will then be translated out of delivered out of sometimes it's not though so you do have to look each one of them up to know and Then you'll find in verse 18

It's going to say delivered from so it says notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me that by me

The preaching might be fully known and that all the Gentiles might hear and I was delivered out of that's the word ek in the

Greek I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion and Then verse 18 and the

Lord shall deliver me from that's the word oppo He will deliver me away from every evil work and preserve me into his heavenly kingdom

We commented on that verse last time that word preserve is translated save in many other places.

It's the word so -so and What we a lot of people don't realize that when you talk about I was saved

It's the word so -so it carries the very definition of being preserved and so those who don't believe that you are saved and They think maybe you can fall away from that and lose it they don't even know the definition of the word because to be saved is to be preserved and To be preserved makes it impossible to rot

So you're not going to be rotten At least not for long. You can backslide can't you and you can get in the flesh

But your Heavenly Father would chasing you and bring you back into a right walk

So that's found within the word, but now last time we looked at several things I'm gonna review three things that we mentioned last time the

Bible says you are delivered away from and it has the word oppo Which means away from first of all, we talked about Satan himself

Matthew 613. You don't have to look these up I'm just reviewing but Matthew 613 says that it's a prayer where Jesus said deliver us from evil

Now that means deliver us away from evil It does not mean to take us out of the evil

We know that Jesus said you're in the world, but you're you're not off the world He said

I'm not going to remove you out of the world yet So you're in it, but you're not supposed to be like it

You're not supposed to be of it because you're from heaven like I am he said that's true because God do you before the foundation?

of the world as His own children. So in God's mind you were always his children even before you knew it even before you received

Jesus Christ as your personal Savior God knew you by name and he loved you and So the

Bible does not say in Matthew 613 that God is going to deliver us out of evil

It it says he'll deliver us from it while we're around it And there is a significant difference now the second thing we studied

Was 2nd Timothy 418 it says in the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work now

It's interesting in Matthew 613 where it says deliver us from evil The word really can be translated the evil one

So Jesus is saying pray like this pray father Deliver us from the evil one

It means to deliver us away from him doesn't mean to take us out from where he is right now

But it means why we're here in this world and he is the God of this world with a little G That we are to be delivered away from him.

In other words protected from him rescued from him Remember this word deliver is a little bit different even though it's kind of like a synonym

It's a little bit different than the word so -so which means to to deliver in the sense of preserving

This word means to rescue We gave an example last time all the stories you read when you were a little kid about the

The night in shining armor Going to rescue the damsel in distress

And the fire -breathing dragon is always there. Does he just rescue her for the sake of rescuing her?

in those stories No, he doesn't he rescues her because he wants to have her for his own for himself

So he rescues her from the dragon and to himself and that is the connotation of this world of this word in the

Greek God does not just deliver us from Satan. He rescues us and then brings us to himself

God does not just take us from the world. He doesn't just separate us from the world. He separates it from it to himself

So it's always with the idea of rescuing because he desires us to be with him So we see then 2nd

Timothy 4 18 and the Lord shall deliver me not only from Satan as Matthew 6 13 says but in this verse from every evil work and Will preserve me that's the word so -so again

It's like you could translate it save if you wanted to and will save me into his heavenly kingdom To whom be glory forever and ever.

Amen. The Lord shall deliver me out from Every evil work or I should say away from Now does that mean he's gonna pluck me out of this world and make it where there are no there's no evil around me

No, because if he were going to use that he would use the word ek which means out from he's used the word oppo here and So he's going to deliver us from it while we're around it

Now the third thing we talked about last time First Thessalonians 1 10 says and to wait for his coming

Son from heaven whom he has raised from the dead even Jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come

He has delivered us away from the wrath not out of in this case, but away from Now this morning

I want to look at three areas in which God has delivered us out of some things

Not just away from it, but literally taking us out of that situation.

This is a stronger word This is a type of rescue where you're not only rescued from the thing you're rescued away from it

You're taken out from where it is The first one is in 2nd Peter 2 9

Turn to that if you would 2nd

Peter 2 9 and you'll notice in the English translation Nearly every time that the word ek is used in the

Greek It will actually say out of but not every time but almost every time

We're gonna find one in the end of the message today where it wasn't Translated out of but it is the word ek in the

Greek so the first one 2nd Peter 2 9 we are

Delivered out of temptation Not just away from it, but out of it.

Let's read it together the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and To reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished

That's a terrible contrast Look what happens to the unsaved? He is reserved.

It's almost the same word is preserved Except he's preserved unto hell not heaven

But it says the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations

This is the word deliver which means to rescue instead of the word

Oppo which means rescue from it is to rescue out of So when you find yourself in the midst of a temptation

You need to understand that God is not coming to simply deliver you away from it

He will deliver you out of it Where you are plucked out of that situation where you're no longer tempted by that thing

You're delivered out of the temptations And the reason this is done for the godly is because this is part of the finished work of Christ when

Jesus died he died for his own and Therefore all of the sufficiency of it and all of the completion of it comes to his own

So therefore if you belong to him today There the Bible is calling you the godly

It means those who are of God Then you have a once -and -for -all deliverance from temptation

Positionally now, let me explain what that means because there's a difference between that and our day -to -day walk and Experience what it means is this what

Jesus did on the cross when he died for sin One of the things that he accomplished is that he has purchased real rescue from temptation for you

That means you never have to sin ever There is no temptation that can come to you that God hasn't already

Purchased or made a way for you to be rescued out from it completely where you're not even tainted by it and So therefore if you are not rescued out of it, which is your positional right when

I say positional It means it is your right as a child of God To be taken out from that situation where you don't go on and sin

You're removed from the temptation. That is your right Now, why is it in real life?

We don't always exercise that, right? Because the right is there but sometimes your desire is not there

Sometimes my heart is not there and if we find ourselves in the flesh

All of a sudden we don't take advantage of our positional, right? You remember how last time we used

Saul as an example of what Satan does today Do you remember when God came to David and he said

I've anointed you the real king of Israel Saul is no longer the king and Then Saul did he leave the throne immediately though?

No He chased David all over the wilderness trying to destroy him and yet God had already known that David is the future king

Saul didn't know it but David was invincible because he had to sit on that throne and So Saul stayed on the throne after God had removed him so he was usurping that authority

It was not rightfully his that is all Satan can do today as the little G God of this world

Jesus has already removed him When Jesus died on that cross the day he was nailed when the first drops of blood began to run from his body he had destroyed

Satan as rightfully Having you having received the authority over this world that he received from Adam by right of conquest

Because when Jesus died on the cross by right of conquest, he then took this world back from Satan And it is not his

So the only way Satan can have a throne on your heart or in this world at all is by usurping it like Saul did

It's not rightfully his anymore but he still hangs in there like Saul did and So if you find yourself in a temptation know this positionally

God has removed The rightful power of Satan to draw you into that sin

The only way he can do that is if he usurps it and you let him because the finished work of Christ includes a deliverance a rescue from sin and Temptation and the temptation has to come before the sin does so if you're delivered out of the temptation you cannot sin

Or put it this way any temptation you do you're delivered out of will not be followed by sin and You have the right to have that upon every temptation

So you have no right or need? To sin as a child of God now you say are you preaching?

Total sanctification in this life like some groups do I'm not Because I know by experience us

I Know that even though rightfully we don't have to sin in all likelihood.

We might sin again But the truth is what I am preaching is the power

Behind the rescue Remember who the knight in shining armor is in this case

It is the Lord Jesus Christ the same power that raised him from the dead is that work in your life?

To take you out of every temptation Now who does that place the fault upon if you decide to stay in the temptation and go on to sin?

Squarely upon you because Jesus has done everything to provide a way of escape So it puts even more

Responsibility upon us to not sin than it did on the Old Testament Saint So, why is it that Jesus says when we face him that we shall be judged look at me everybody and listen to this

We shall be judged by every work that we do in this body Whether it be good or whether it be evil and you'll either receive reward or suffer loss.

That is so real That we choose to never think about it It is so absolutely a part of the reality of your existence

As you sit here in this pew as you go on you fellowship later as you go home after that as you go to work

Perhaps Monday or whatever you do Someday you are going to find yourself face to face with the

Lord Jesus either because Surprisingly to you you passed away from this earth or the rapture came when you weren't expecting it and you are face to face with him and you're looking into his eyes and exposing everything every time you chose not to escape this temptation and When you look into his eyes, you're going to be seeing the power of escape right there

Knowing that you had it every inch of the way in his life And you look into his eyes.

He may not have to say anything. I don't know He may never say anything to us with regard to this.

We may be just looking in his eyes knowing That there was never a sin that we did that he didn't provide an escape for and We willfully chose to do it anyway and to not escape it

But the point is we have a rescue it has been already provided the day he died on the cross

When he resurrected from the grave it it showed forth the power the fact of the power

That can deliver you from every temptation So remember in 2nd Peter 2 9 when it says deliver the

God out of temptation Let's just say from the temptation. It says he removes you out of the whole situation where you will not be tempted

Now secondly Turn to 2nd Corinthians 1 9 look at the second thing that God says he has delivered us out from 2nd

Corinthians 1 9 And while you're turning there

You can turn to Romans 7 24 as well. We're gonna look at that one. Does these two go together?

Okay, 2nd Corinthians 1 9 says But we had the sentence of death in ourselves

That we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead And verse 10 says who

Delivered us from it's the word Ek you could put the word out in there if you want to you could say who delivered us out from so great a death

And doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us now

Paul here under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit does not just leave it with the past tense once and for all even though That is the fact it is positional and we have been delivered from so great a death

This is talking about a death which would include spiritual death Total death like the death of the lost we have been delivered from this we have been delivered from spiritual death and We are going to continue to be delivered from it and then look what he says in whom we trust that we will yet be

Delivered now, let me ask you a question if positionally you have already been delivered from it because you were in Christ the day he died and Positionally Paul says he is now delivering doth deliver.

That's present tense Because you were resurrected in him and then when he ascended you were in him

And then if he says you will in the future deliver us, where is there room to lose your salvation?

Some people think that Modern tongues gibberish is my favorite topic to talk about.

I've studied it for years in the Bible and in Christian Church history The modern

I call it the modern tongues heresy, but it's not my favorite topic. My favorite topic is eternal security

It always has been You don't even have to look for proof of it. It just comes doesn't matter what topic you're studying today

We're talking about deliverance, but isn't it interesting in 2nd Corinthians 110 that Paul says he hath delivered us

He doth deliver us and he will yet deliver us Remembering that the word deliver means to be rescued from out of the whole domain of darkness

You've been delivered. You're being delivered and you shall be delivered. You're not going back to prison ladies and gentlemen

You're not going back into the domain of darkness And the only way you can choose to do it is momentarily if you make a an evil choice to avoid the escape from temptation that God offers every time you're ever tempted and You make an evil choice to ignore that and you sin you will be chastened by God because he's your father and he'll bring you back every time

You will suffer for it when you make that choice, but he will bring you back Because that's a part of the deliverance

The chastisement in time that we get is like a spanking from a good parent

It is in fact part of this you see where it says that he doth deliver

Present tense sometimes that chastening from God is part of that He's delivering us from our own flesh

Which is an enemy just like Satan in the world So He has delivered us he doth deliver us and he will yet deliver us now

Look at that speaks of spiritual death. Look at Romans 7 24, which speaks of the body and physical death

We're even going to be delivered out from that It says Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me out from the body of this death it's the word heck and you know for a fact if you've ever been to a funeral and You've looked at The loved one or the friend whose corpse is laying there

The first thought you have as a Christian is they're not there anymore It's always the first thought you have when you look if you look at their face and you say they're not here anymore

Why is that because they have been delivered out from not just away from like oppo

But this is heck they've been delivered out of That body of death and The Bible teaches very clearly also in Corinthians that they've been given a new temporary body

Instantly Paul said to be absent from the Lord is to be present I mean from the body is to be present with the

Lord It is interesting that this is a delivery out of and for in Romans 7 24 at the moment of physical death

Think of it as a rescue Do you hear what I said? You are rescued out of that unto

God who is the rescuer God is the Prince and He's not just saving you from the dragon.

He's bringing you to himself Physical death is just another example of this Now, let me give you the third place and it's in our text passage that we chose this morning in Colossians chapter 1

We read down from verse 10 down to verse 13 So let's look at verse 13

And this is one where you'd have to look at the Greek to understand This is heck because it doesn't say out of it says from here

But it probably a better translation would be delivered out of but look what it says

Who have delivered us? out of and away from the power of darkness

And have translated us into the kingdom of his dear son You see those that think you could lose your salvation don't understand what translation means but we're gonna talk about that another time

They don't understand what translated they don't understand who did the translating God did it?

He is the one who rescued us He is the one who translates us out of the language.

We were in that kingdom of darkness Into the language we are now in God's kingdom

Completely different language. You're completely different character a completely different Person you are the new man not the old man and You have been born again and given the genes of God regenerated and The old flesh now is your enemy it just hangs on here to use it as a tool to do good works for God In this physical world, that's all it's for and as long as the real new you stays in control

You're always one with the Holy Spirit. And as long as you stay in control, you won't sin you can't sin

But when that flesh rises up through your carnal brain Your brain as a computer that can think the things that have been put in it even before you were saved can just pop up You let that thing get in control

And you are not going to escape temptation at that point So the thing we need to remember is the position behind all of this we have been delivered from the power of darkness

What does it mean for us? It means we stand in a position of deliverance

It means if you find yourself sinning it is because of your own wicked flesh

Because of my own wicked flesh if I find myself sinning And so what should be done

We come back to the Lord. We confess our sin We thank him that we were crucified in him that we were buried in him that we are risen in him

And with that we are seated in the heavenlies right now today in Christ above this world of sin above the flesh above even the law and We asked the

Holy Spirit to help us to stay living in that domain Having been already

Rescued from the power of darkness Did you know that if your position is you're seated in Christ and the heavenlies at the right hand of God right now?

that you're there is no darkness there and To the extent we choose to walk in that place the rest of today tomorrow and all week

We have been delivered from all sin For what purpose?

Because the Prince wanted us with him by his side That's what it's all about.

Let's stand in that prayer together Father we thank you for this beautiful truth that part of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross

Is that you delivered us from the power of darkness? You delivered us from the power of darkness and you did it by the very power of the resurrection your power

He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world Father may we remember as we walk this week that we are seated in Christ having been crucified buried and risen and Now in Christ in the heavenlies far above this world far above its temptations its sins its laws its rules its curse

May we Reckon this to be true May we walk as children of the

King Lord, we ask you to bless our fellowship and our meal together in just a few moments and our afternoon service