Part 1: In Christ We are RESCUED / Colossians 1:1-14

Discover the life-changing truth of who Jesus is and what it means to belong to Him. Through Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we’ll see how our identity, purpose, relationships, and mission are transformed as we learn to live fully in Him.

This week we see IN CHRIST we are RESCUED

Transcript

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Why Colossians? Every generation asks the same questions. Who is Jesus? What does it really mean to be a Christian? How should we live? Where do we find hope? What is the church supposed to be about? Paul will answer every one of those questions in this short four-chapter book. He writes to a young church facing pressure from the culture, not yet persecution, but still pressure. A lot of false teaching was coming in, competing philosophies, religious legalism, spiritual confusion, which is pretty much what the church deals with more or less in each generation. The church at Colosse wasn't having unique problems. It was facing the normal human problems where every church rests. The answer wasn't a new philosophy. It's not a new political situation, psychology, or religion. The answer, as has always been, is Jesus Christ. The next slide, I think, shows the series. That's where we're going for the next seven weeks. And what you can see is that in Christ is what's going on there. Every title begins with the same two words. Everything Paul says flows from our union with Christ. Not what we do for Christ, not what we become apart from Christ, but everything begins, ends, and fills in around Christ for the believer. So we're going to cover the first part of chapter one. I'll read verses one to fourteen, and then we'll come back and look at it. I'll try to go as fast as I can, and hopefully the fans will kick in or something, but here we go. Chapter one, Book of Colossians, verses one to fourteen. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy, our brother, to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse, grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love that you have for all of the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing, as it also does among you since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. Just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, he is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and has made known to us your love in the spirit. And so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain and darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And thus the word of God for the people of God, when we say amen. Amen. The big idea here is that because God has rescued us in Christ, we are called to live as grateful citizens of his kingdom. Okay? He has rescued us, and that rescuing produces a citizenship of acting out, of proclaiming, of producing fruit. Uh the chapter is going to roll out in three parts. We're going to see God begins the work of salvation, verses one to eight. He grows the believer, nine to twelve, and then he's going to complete our rescue in 13 and 14. The Christian life begins, grows, and ends with God's gracious initiative. It is what God has done, what God is doing, what God has accomplished in Christ. Okay. Before Paul tells them what to do, he he's going to correct, before he, before he tells them what to do, before he corrects false teaching, before he explains the supremacy of Christ, he's going to remind them of something much more important. And this first set of verses is going to do that. It's who we are, who they are in Christ. It's not merely a greeting, it's a theological foundation that Paul is going to remind them that God has called them, saved them, and is changing them. Just like he has called you and longs to change us, he will complete the work that he has begun. Um, because before we ever obey God, God acts upon us first. Verse 1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God. So he's he's establishing the church here. Paul had never been to Colos. He's riding from prison, probably Rome. There's lots of debate if you want to go out and read about it. But he's imprisoned and he's riding, okay? Um, but you'll see that there is somebody he has sent in verse seven that that is responsible. But here, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by God's will, okay. Notice he claims this title, but he attributes it to the Lord. That any position, any power, any placement we have in the church, in life, in anything, comes from the Lord, not ourselves. Timothy, our brother, um, Paul never ministers solo. Uh, we were taught this when I was doing youth back at Denton Bible, that you just always take someone with you. And that's part of the discipleship process, that uh you should have somebody, a man or woman, with you as you go along, as you go about doing the business of the ministry. To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ. Saints, uh, we don't use that word too much, but you guys are saints. If you're in Christ, it means you are called out, set apart to be distinctly different for God in this generation. A lot of times we try to get the church to look a lot like the world outside. And I think it's to our fault in certain ways. We don't want to look like we just have an eyeball in the middle of our head. I get that. We don't want to be so weird that people keep their distance. But at the same time, we should have a character, a nature, an aroma of Christ that makes us distinctly different. And if you've been around enough Christians, you you know. You know when when you're there. I remember, I think I've told this story. I was in northern Iraq and Dahook, and I walk into this cafe, and I'm like, this has the aroma of Christ in it. And I go up behind the counter or to the counter, and there's a guy behind the counter, a Korean guy, and I'm like, talk to me. Uh tell me about this place. And not only that, but it felt like home. And it ended up, the guy behind the counter went to the same seminary that I was at. And he had set up this cafe so that he could serve coffee and tell people about Jesus in northern Iraq. I was just like, yeah, but you you get it sometimes. But there's this aroma, this fragrance, this disposition that should come with you in the works that you do, the deeds that you do, the way you conduct business. People should think you're weird in the way that they're going, what is different? Why do they act this way and not like everybody else? That's what a saint is. Grace to you and peace. And this is exactly where he's leading it. It comes across as just an introduction, but it's grace because that's how we get there. It's peace because that's what he brings us. Not that your life won't have the normal chaos that every life does in a fallen world. It will, but it will give you a peace in the midst of that chaos, not in denial of that chaos. You still have to admit it's there. And it's still painful sometimes. But our gaze isn't downward towards the chaos, our gaze is upward towards Christ. And he gives us the faith, usually in groups and corporate gatherings with people beside us, to walk the distance and to carry on. Paul grounds everything that follows in God's initiative, God's will, God's people, God's grace, God's peace. Okay these virtues that we're gonna see in this next paragraph are aren't gonna appear by accident. They were born from God. Verse three. We also thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. His first response, thanksgiving. And honestly, I think this is a lot of our problems today, both in mine and yours, everyone's Christianity, but as well as some of the mental issues, is that we forget to be having people of gratitude. That we forget to give thanks consistently. And if you read Paul just for a little bit, he's always giving thanks. Uh, and you wonder how does he go through these struggles and he still comes out. Uh I don't know if he smiled or not, but but it seems like it because he's always saying thank you. Thank you, thank you. Um, and he didn't have the least tumultuous life, if you if you read Paul. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. And so this prayer is going to reveal his perspective, that his ministry begins for them on his knees. Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints. I mean, honestly, prayer is not my greatest strength. I I strive at it. Um, Paul's praying fervently for a group of people he has never seen or met. And it challenges me as a pastor, it challenges me as a believer. Uh, when Mo prays for China this morning, it it makes me remember there's others out there that we need to pray for. Okay. We had our quarterly day of prayer yesterday, and and we spent three hours praying, and we we barely scratched the surface of the needs of our own church and of the things that are going. But but you've got to get on your knees to get God's perspective. And and here he is, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints. So this genuine faith has produced a genuine love. That they have this hope laid up because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. And so you see this progression that they have this faith that gives them this love that brings them hope. Faith, hope, and love. That's really the pillars of what we're supposed to be uh made up, the foundations on which we stand. Okay. Paul's joy is God-centered, not man-centered. Um, faith looks up to Christ, love looks out towards others, and hope looks ahead to eternity. Um and sometimes I think we cling to this world so much that we forget about the next, and that really is what causes our our kingdom confusion. That a lot of times we know that we belong there, but we think and we act like we only belong here. And that the 80 years we get here, if we jog and eat right, is gonna be nothing compared to the 80,000, 80 million that we're gonna get with him one day. So we need to keep all those things in balance. And Christ, we are rescued. Paul doesn't thank the Colossians for rescuing themselves or for making themselves spiritual. He thanks God because their faith, love, and hope are evidence that God has already begun the saving work among them. And on a good day, hopefully you can see those things in me, and hopefully I can see those things in you. That we walk with a very evidential distinction. Of this, you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you as indeed in the whole world, it is bearing fruit and increasing. The gospel changes lives. You have the word of truth, which is God's objective, trustworthy revelation. We come here to know how to act there. We put our belief here so that it can transform us out there. And only because this word isn't to be worshipped, but this word reflects who He is and what He has for us. Okay? The gospel has come and it initiates salvation. It begins with the hearing of the Word, which has come to you as indeed the whole world. It is bearing fruit. This is the means. It is it is through the hearing of the gospel worldwide, and that's why we send people out, or we send you back home when you're done here, with the hope that you're taking the gospel back and to further places. It's increasing. The gospel is living, expanding, and multiplying. You cannot go anywhere in the world where this gospel hasn't been. Some places it's it's really diminished, some places it's it's really huge, some places there's persecution, and some places there's not. But God has a plan that will not be stopped. His promises will continue. It is a global gospel. The same message that was changing Colosse is what changed us, which is what got to Timothy, who got him baptized last night. It's the power of what we believe. As it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God and truth. The gospel always comes through faithful people who proclaim it. We are the people of this generation that are supposed to be proclaiming it for the next generation. Verse 7, just as you learned from Epaphras, and he's gonna give an example. Here is the guy who came into your midst and shared it with you. In September, the guy who shared it with me in 1981, Milton Perry, is gonna be coming through here. I haven't seen him in a number of years. Um, but I remember him dearly for having boldness in high school to come to me and to share the gospel of salvation. And I think sometimes we forget that that message changes everything. Just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, he's a faithful minister of Christ. Uh it's a ministry, is partnership, it's not a competition. Paul's not worried about someone else getting the credit here. In fact, he's pushing it. And has made known to you, made known to us your love in the spirit. A genuine Christian love is from the spirit. It's produced. You start learning to love people that you probably wouldn't have associated with outside of the church. Um, there are people with very distinct backgrounds, differences, socioeconomics. But when we come together in Christ, there's so much shared in common. Uh I remember climbing a building. We had to, it was in a persecuted village in India, and we had to go up to the top of an abandoned building to worship. And so we had to come in at various times, walk up these four floors that didn't meet any kind of OSHA standards. You could have fallen to your death at any time. So you really learned to pray. And you would get up there and you would wait for about two hours in the sun until everybody gathered, and then we would we would do church. And I remember looking at these people, it was real early on in my ministry career, and I was looking at them and I was like, Lord, these people are very different. And I started imagining my neighbors back in Texas, and God just put it upon my heart. He goes, You've got more in common with the people up here on this roof than you have with your non-believing neighbors back in Texas. And I think we forget that. That's why I love the international church, is because we almost express uh the church in Revelation where where the nations are coming together. You look around the room, you listen to the accents, you come to a pot luck, and you really understand quickly that uh we we come from different places. And I love you spicy countries that bring the spicy food. Because it's hard in France to find that. So, but here, our beloved fellow servant, he is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the spirit, which we all should exhibit. And and you know, I've told you before, but church is kind of like the dance of the porcupines. You're gonna poke somebody and you're gonna get poked. And it's part of the program. But the part of the program that is more important is how you respond to that poking. Do you seek forgiveness? Do you confess when you're the one doing the poking? Do you reconcile with your brothers and sisters? Okay. That we are just different, but we are distinctly different as well on how we deal with those differences. And so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you. The heart of Paul's prayer and the hinge of the entire passage is right here is that he wants them to know something, and it's God's will. And he doesn't want them to know it just for content, just to have a big head. He wants it to go from their head into their bodies, into their heart, and to fill them up and to cause them to know God's will so that they can walk worthy of the Lord. And so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge. We study the text so that we can know what his desire is. We study the text so that it's fuel for us when we come into conflict with something true, that we can stand on a truth with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to walk fully pleasing to him. If you're like me, I I rarely feel like I can be fully pleasing to him, but that's that's the lie Satan would love to tell me. That's the lie Satan may have told you over some sin that you struggle with continually. Confess it and receive his grace and walk again. Get back in there. If Satan can't have your salvation, he would love to put it on the sidelines. Don't let him win that battle. So, as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, that's what we're supposed to be doing, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. And so you see, this cycle is that we learn and we walk. We walk and we learn. And that's how maturity comes to pass is that you practice what you learn. Um, my master's was in physiology, and I had a bunch of professors that could teach me everything they knew about the body and how it worked and how to keep people fit and athletes at their prime. But we would go to these conferences and they would do things to their body that were not to keep them fit. Okay. And it really made me question what have you really knowledge of if you can destroy yourself in this manner and teach this on these days? And let us not be that type of Christian. I I know sometimes we can get very uh traditional. We can stand up and sit down when we're supposed to, smile when we're supposed to, we can come out of the car arguing with our wives, but as soon as we clear that door of the elevator and into the church, hi, how are you? Grace, peace. Okay and there's always gonna be that embedded hypocrisy. However, fight that. Confess that. Pull your wife aside before church and say, Hey, I'm sorry. I really didn't intend it to go that way. All right, let us be different in ways that will attract and show him and the increasing knowledge that is going on in him. Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might. Um, how can I possibly live a life like that, James? Right here. We do it by leaning into him. Where does that power come from? From knowing him, knowing his word and walking in it, confessing it, which will teach us a bit of humility that we need him, that we need him. A lot of times after you've been four decades in ministry, not a lot of times, that sounds horrible, but it happens where I'll get up and do something completely in my own strength. Because I've done it a thousand times. My biggest fear is to come up here and take a pulpit thinking I'm ready to do this. The day I don't fear at least some little bit of standing up and saying, Thus saith the word of God, it's time for me to do something else. That our strength, no matter how conditioned we get to doing something, always relies on him, being strengthened with his power, all power. And because we're doing something that we can't do, we're sharing of someone that we don't know fully, who only can do the work of salvation. We are the messengers at best, the vessels, but he does the work, according to his glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy, not by our own strength. In verse 9, we had know his will. In verse 10, we had walk worthy. Verse 11, be strengthened by God. And now we'll see in verse 12, overflow in thanksgiving. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness. Oh, I'm sorry, I skipped. Verse 12, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Thanksgiving. Father, thank you for using me. Thank you for allowing me. Thank you for keeping me from falling. Thank you for bringing those words out of my mouth which I would have never said outside of you. Thank you for keeping me. And why? One of the reasons we can continue to give thanks, it's because of what God has already done. Verse 13. He has delivered past tense, delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred again past tense us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. It's the concept of the already not yet. It sure seems like I'm not in that kingdom, and we're not fully. But we are fully citizened there. We are fully going there. We are fully represented there by our King. Notice every verb in these two verses has God as a subject. He has delivered, he has transferred. In him we have redemption. The emphasis is not what we did, but on what God has done. He has delivered us, transferred us, in whom we have redemption the forgiveness of sins. Praise God. Praise God. If I closing down, we see that Paul begins by reminding the Colossians who they are. He thanks God for the evidence of his grace in them. He prays for their continued growth, and then grounds it all in the finished work of Christ and what God has done. Everything begins and ends with God's gracious initiative. Because God has rescued us through his beloved Son, we are now called to live as grateful citizens of his kingdom. Our identity, our evidence, our growth, and our rescue are all found in him. It is Christ center. Three applications. Remember who you are. Before asking, what should I do? You should ask, who am I in Christ? Identity always precedes obedience. Remembering who I belong to, who has redeemed me, often keeps me out of a lot of trespass. Staying close to Him keeps me close to His will. Ask better questions. Application number two. Am I growing in Christ? Are you further along? Would you say you're more mature this year than you were last year? If not, why not? We are to be progressing towards his image, bearing fruit throughout the years. Am I convicted when I say this? Yes, praying faithfully. How's my prayer life? Are we strengthening, discipling others? Walking worthy, living by God's strength and not my own. And another convictional one. Am I thankful? Do I practice gratitude? Not perfection, but direction. Am I moving along in these ways? Application number three. The most convicting. Give thanks. Not because life is easy, but because he qualified me, he rescued me. We prayed earlier. He's written my name in the book of life. He transferred me, he redeemed me, he forgave me. God did what I never could. And I think in our quiet times, that's where we need to start off in the mornings or in the evenings or throughout the day, just remembering these bigger truths. Because I think I think we get very comfortable with them. And when we do, the circumstances of our day become more tangible than these truths of our eternity. And we need to really focus in on these bigger truths consistently to remind us that these circumstances are small in comparison. Every religion tells people to climb their way to God. Colossians begins with the opposite. God came for us. He rescued us, transferred us, redeemed us, and forgave us. Christian life does not begin with what we do, it begins with what God has done in his beloved Son. Next week, we'll look at why that Son is worthy, worthy of all our worship. Let's pray.