Transformed
Colossians 1:13 “Who hath edelivered us from fthe power of gdarkness, and hath translated us hinto the kingdom of †his idear Son: 14 jIn whom we have redemption kthrough his blood, even lthe forgiveness of sins:” [1]
I. Removed
A. Prison
B. Powerless
II. Replaced
A. Paradise
B. Prince
III. Redeemed
A. Payment
B. Perfection
IV. Reunited
A, Propitiation
B. Permission
Introduction: Here we are in another new year of our Lord. This is the 2022’d year since Jesus came to this earth. It is amazing that the whole world keeps up with the fact that Jesus left heaven to come here and time as we account it changed when He came. People who don’t acknowledge His lordship know that He came 2022 years ago even though they understand that by saying this is 2022 they are acknowledging the truth that He came.
Today we are looking into the scripture from Paul to the Colossians which describes what God did for us who will see. It is not about seeing a ball dropping in New York or even an acorn falling in Raleigh. Each New Year reminds us that God is not finished with us.
There is still more for each of us to do here in this life or He would take us out of this world. He has taken so many out already and we are walking in their footsteps. When we leave here there will be others walking in our footsteps.
The resolution for the true Christian should be to follow closer by walking in the footprints of Jesus so that those who come behind us will see that we walked with God. Physical resolutions are good for us who are killing ourselves by the things we are allowing in our lives. If we make a resolution to do a thing such as more exercise so that we will be able to ward off sickness; that is a good idea. I personally would like to stop going to the doctor every 100 days so that someone can bleed me. It is good to have a goal to keep like that. At least you are acknowledging that you can change physically with God’s leading.
The real resolution that goes beyond selfishness is a spiritual resolution. What is it that you can do to get closer to God that others will see? Keep in mind that there is no promise that others will be motivated to follow you in your quest for closeness with God. In fact there will certainly be those who turn away for a time and might not acknowledge your change as a positive change until God decides to take you home. If you allow God to bring about a spiritual change in you it will affect others. That is a promise! There will be an eternal change in someone else if you allow God to make an eternal change in you.
So that is the challenge for this first sermon from this pulpit this year. Allow the transforming power of God into your life more today than yesterday. Each day wake up to the possibility that you are here to learn something that God will place before you and you will live in His light. The more light you allow to come in the less darkness from this life will affect you.
The scripture we will study today is offered to all who will receive. The choice to receive is not God’s. God made His choice when Jesus came 2022 years ago. But for each and every person who has reached the age of accountability the choice is yours. Will you receive that which He so wants to give you this new day, this new week, this new month, this new year?
Scripture: The scripture today is Colossians 1:13-14. Please stand if you can for the reading of God’s Word.
Prayer: Please be seated.
Message: Paul’s letter to the Colossian church begins with a very cordial introduction. He reminded them that the prayers that are being prayed for them daily are so that they would increase daily in spiritual wisdom and understanding. These are the prayers that I pray for those on my daily prayer list too by the way. Your pastor prays that prayer for each of you and your family every day. Maybe that’s what is keeping our membership low, otherwise I wouldn’t have time each day for anything else than to pray for Merry Oaks Baptist members and the others on my personal prayer list. In verses ten through twelve Paul explains our purpose for remaining here.
This is indeed a new year. Friday as I completed reading the Bible again I was brought to tears. My heart was heavy in the knowledge that whether we consider 2021 as a good year for us or whether we are just glad to be beyond it, there is a truth that we all know to be the truth. We cannot pass that way again. What is in the past is past and we are still here.
It is good for us to reconsider why we are still here. The old saying, “time marches on” would make the hearer think that there is no real purpose for anything. That we have no control over anything and time is just a fleeting thing. Many say that we must simply learn to take whatever is handed at us and we will all get through this together. No wonder people are so depressed!
For those of us whom He has decided to have here in His world, if we are Christians then we are citizens of His kingdom. We are ambassadors for Him and we must acknowledge that truth. We must seek Him and we must communicate with Him or the things that surround us will influence us so that we will be less powerful for that which He has for us to do.
That is the thing that Paul was explaining to the Colossians and that is what the Bible is explaining to us here today. Look especially now at verse nine, “For this cause we also, csince the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire pthat ye might be filled with qthe knowledge of his will rin all wisdom and spiritual sunderstanding.” [2]
We learn as we review there at verse seven that apparently Epaphras was the minister there in Colossae and he sent word to Paul and his entourage of the faithfulness of the church there. Paul was so impressed with the report that he sent a letter of encouragement for them to keep up the good work. Merry Oaks Baptist can be encouraged by it today.
Paul didn’t waste the opportunity to continue to remind them how to increase their faith as they increased in knowledge and wisdom. Merry Oaks Baptist needs that today too. We all need that every day. We all need to rededicate our lives and recommit our purpose every day not just because this is the first Sunday of another year.
So with knowledge comes what? Verse ten, “ tThat ye might walk worthy of the Lord uunto all pleasing, hvbeing fruitful in wevery good work, and xincreasing in the knowledge of God.” [3] Paul seemed to be redundant as he mentioned knowledge twice already in the same sentence. Why is it important that we increase in knowledge? That ye might walk worthy of the Lord! If you aren’t reminded how to walk with God you will find yourself lost and alone without God. Stay on course! That earthly Global Positioning System, that GPS that the world uses to lead us, might get you lost. You need to check the map (it's called the Bible) to make sure that the world is not leading you astray.
So how will you know that you are increasing as God wants you to? Verse eleven, “yStrengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and zlongsuffering awith joyfulness.” [4] I was torn when I went to the doctor last time. The medicine I don’t want to take is the medicine that he prescribed for me. If my physical results showed that I was improving that would mean I would have to admit that something that I didn’t want was working. The other day I took the plane out, went for a nice flight, and then pushed it back into the hangar all by myself. The next day I had the plane filled up and pulled the plane back out so that the guys on the fuel truck could change the light in the hangar. They left and I pushed the plane back in again by myself. I am getting stronger. I am staying on course. I never go a day without reading the Bible. I am getting stronger. I am staying the course.
But how do you know that you are getting stronger in faith to God? Verse twelve. “bGiving thanks unto the Father, which hath cmade us meet to be dpartakers of dthe inheritance of the saints in light.” [5] When a person finds less and less reason for anger and more and more reason to praise God, that person knows that he/she is increasing in the knowledge that we serve an awesome wonderful loving God. The One True God who sent His Only Begotten Son.
That brings us to verse thirteen. God is the One who has removed us from the prison of darkness where there is no illumination of truth. The 1900 KJV translates the Greek here to “the power of darkness.” This phrase is like an oxymoron because to be in the dark is to be powerless. So how can the dark have power over us? Ask anyone who has suffered something that weakened their sight and they will tell you. It stopped me from doing what I wanted to do and mine was very minor compared to many. Darkness makes a person powerless. Only through the knowledge of the cross can we find the power to change lives and make us whole.
Not only that but through the miracle of salvation we have been translated or replaced out of that dark place into the paradise that is Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus is God’s Son. He is the Prince of Peace. The closer we get to Jesus the more peace we have and we have not even left here yet. If you are a Christian you are in His kingdom. That is His promise!
We have been redeemed. The perfect payment has been paid. No more sacrifice is necessary because through His perfect blood we have been made perfect.
God the Father is Holy. He is without sin. He cannot be in the presence of sin. Each and every human who has reached the age and ability of accountability has decided to disconnect from God because we have all chosen sin. There is no way around that. For us to be reunited with God? There is nothing that we can do about that. Sin is sin and that is that. There is no taking it back just as 2021 cannot be lived. It is over.
So how is propitiation achieved if we are powerless to reunite with God? Propitiation is that big 50 cent Christian word that means conciliation, pacification, appeasement, placation, and other words that say forgiveness is achieved through some means other than direct payment from the indebted one. Somebody else had to pay!
Through the blood of Jesus we have been granted permission to do that which we are powerless to do on our own. We are reunited with the One who loves us more than anyone else can love us. We are reunited with the One who created all things and yet He has time to walk with us.
Prayer: Let us pray.
Invitation: For you to have a closer relationship with God this year is not His decision. God already made His decision. For you to have a closer relationship with God this year is not a decision your pastor can make for you. For you to have a closer relationship with God this year is not anyone else’s decision. It is your decision. God has already done more for you than you can ever do for Him. He gave His Only Begotten Son in addition to giving you all that you have or ever will have.
As we consider what the world understands; that we are beginning a new year for this planet, consider this. Jesus died to start a new life with you. What have you decided? The choice to get closer to Him is your decision and it is not a New Year’s resolution. It is a lifelong commitment.
If you have not made that commitment you are not achieving all that you can. He must have more of you before He can have all of you. That thing that you have decided is too hard; it is not too hard for Him. Allow Him to do a miracle through you again. I say again because He has already worked at least one miracle through you to show you that He can.
To allow Him more is to hold back less. Give it to Him and see what He will do. I promise that you will have a more abundant spiritual life which will bring you closer to the contentment that Paul understood. Do you want that? Consider and come to Him as we sing…
e 1 Thess. 1:10.
f Luke 22:53. So Eph. 6:12.
g See Acts 26:18.
h 1 Thess. 2:12. 2 Pet. 1:11.
† Gr. the Son of his love. As Eph. 1:19 marg.
i See Matt. 3:17. So Eph. 1:6.
j Eph. 1:7.
k See Acts 20:28.
l See Acts 5:31.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Col 1:13–14). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
c To ver. 4, Eph. 1:16, 15. So ver. 9.
p So 1 Cor. 1:5.
q Phil. 1:9. ch. 2:2 (Gk.). & 3:10. So Eph. 1:17. See Eph. 5:17.
r Eph. 1:8. ver. 28. ch. 3:16. So 1 Cor. 12:8. ch. 4:5.
s See Mark 12:33.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Col 1:9). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
t See Eph. 4:1.
u So 1 Thess. 4:1.
h So ver. 10. See John 15:5.
v So Tit. 3:14.
w 2 Cor. 9:8. Heb. 13:21. See Acts 9:36.
x See 2 Pet. 3:18.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Col 1:10). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
y See Eph. 3:16. & Phil. 4:13.
z Eph. 4:2.
a See Acts 5:41.
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Col 1:11). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
b ch. 3:17. See Eph. 5:20.
c 2 Cor. 3:6 (Gk.).
d See Matt. 25:34. & Acts 8:21.
d See Matt. 25:34. & Acts 8:21.
[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Col 1:12). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
