September 29 Sermon: Delivered and Transferred
Contemplate these questions as we begin our series in Colossians and look at Colossians 1:1-14:
1. How does Pastor Mark address the cultural tendency towards seeking upgrades and the belief that what we have is never sufficient? How does this relate to the sufficiency of Jesus in our lives?
2. What specific concerns is Paul addressing in the book of Colossians regarding the beliefs of the church in Colossae? How does he emphasize the sufficiency of Jesus in their salvation?
3. How does Paul's description of being delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of Jesus impact our understanding of salvation? How can we apply this truth in our daily lives?
Transcript:
It seems as though we are all looking for the next upgrade or the next big thing. Our culture is used to seeing people waiting in line for a phone that isn’t even a big jump from the one already in their pocket but people wait out in the elements to acquire what is new and better. Whether it is a new vehicle or a new piece of technology we seem to be people who think we need an upgrade. In fact, think of the effect just a little satisfaction with what we have would do to our economy. Imagine what would happen to a particular tech stocks if suddenly the next big thing was released and a significant majority of people said “Nah, I’m good with what I have. This is sufficient for what I need it to do.” I’m not an expert in how the stock market works but I would guess it would put investors into a small state of panic. Many of us probably think back to how long things used to last. I often reminisce on my grandmother using her old ringer washer in the basement even after my uncle had gotten her a modern one to put upstairs.
Obviously, we need new things and often upgrades are often necessary in order to be good stewards of the blessings that we have. What I’m hoping to draw out is that as humans we can see our desire and draw for more or thinking that what we have, that works perfectly well, isn’t quite sufficient for what we need.
As we are landing in the book of Colossians it is this attitude that we are going to see addressed. In some of Paul’s letters we can see that there is a specific problem that he is addressing. The perfect example is Galatians where a group of people called the Judaizers is telling Gentile Christians that they need to be circumcised. We know what the problem is in that book because it is clearly addressed and Paul is pretty forceful about it and, in fact, he calls it another gospel. In the book of Colossians we don’t get quite as passionate a response. There is not a heretical teaching directly pointed out in this book. The church there seems to not have any problem with understanding that Jesus is necessary for salvation. What is addressed by Paul in this book is the sufficiency of what Jesus has done to save them. In other words, is the gospel enough or do they need to add something to it. The Colossians have been told that by observing feast and festival and also by abstaining from certain food and drink they could usher themselves into ecstatic and vision filled states in this life and with the help of Jesus also make it to heaven one day. Like I said, they understood the necessity of Jesus it was whether or not what Jesus had done for them was enough in this life and to get them to the next.
If we think about it a little, we can see why this would be. It is the first century and the gospel has rapidly expanded in the Roman Empire. Colossae was a relatively unimportant city in the Roman Empire and would have been considered a small town or city in those days. I’ve put a helpful arrow on this map to show you where it would have been located. It isn’t a port city or anything else that would have made it an economic center. At one point, it was known for the wool trade but otherwise a rather insignificant location. But regardless of where they were in the Empire they would be highly influenced by paganism. There would have been people coming to faith in Jesus from all kinds of pagan religions where the goal was spiritual ascent and finding a way to get to a higher plain. That was the essential point of most pagan ways of viewing the world. To cast off this flesh and ascend to a higher spiritual level.
What was happening in that church in that day was significant. Paul wants the people there to understand that Jesus is sufficient and so he sends this letter to help them see this. But, this also isn’t just a letter to the church in Colossae. We know because it is in the Word of God it is also a letter to us. It is not just to first century people. It is a message that applies to 21st century people too. Many pagan ideas have influence upon us. We often see ourselves as needing something else other than the gospel. There are influences all around us that make us think that we are to have some sort of spiritual ascent and that we need to get to a higher spiritual level. New Age ideas, which are just paganism repackaged for modern times, have infiltrated they way we think. This letter to an ancient church comes to us right here and now reminds us of the sufficiency of Christ. We will see that we don’t need an upgrade to the saving work of Jesus. He is not only enough is above any other thing we could possibly ever desire.
And so, with this in mind we land in our first week of Colossians.
This letter starts out as many of Paul’s letters normally do. With his name and a greeting and then offering peace from God. The first part here was actually the custom in the ancient world. The writer would essential announce himself and then also be specific about who this letter was to. But Paul really adds a lot of substance to this traditional formula, doesn’t he? He mentions that he is an apostle and he is this not by his own authority but because it was the will of God. And he doesn’t just announce Timothy. He makes sure that they know he is a brother in Christ. And he also uses a rather fancy title for the church in Colossae too. He calls them saints. This is a rather common way of referring to believers in the New Testament. When we hear the word saint we think of Saint Paul or Saint Peter or even Saint Augustine. We connect the word with those who have died but here it is referring to the living. Saints are those that are holy and set apart and Paul takes what he teaches in his writings about the righteousness of Christ given to believers very seriously. By calling these people in the church at Colossae saints he is making a declaration of what he believes to be true about them. They are holy and set apart. They are righteous.
And so, in this introduction he has identified himself and Timothy as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ and also established that he believes the people are those called by faith to God and he wants them to experience grace and peace from God. While a short intro it gives us some important understanding for what Paul is doing in this letter.
As we continue into the letter, we see that Paul hasn’t ever actually been with the church in Colossae.
They have only heard of their faith in Jesus, and he is always thankful to God for them. Paul prays for them and is pleased that they have faith in Jesus Christ. Remember, the concern that he has in this letter is their refusing to trust in the sufficiency of scripture. He is setting up what he is going to say to them right here at the beginning by telling them that their faith in Jesus Christ is what has caused them to know that they were fellow believers and already have a hope laid up in heaven.
It’s like when you sit down to have a conversation with someone and there is a problem that needs to be addressed. We’ve probably all done it. We sit down with someone with an agenda but we don’t want to get to it right away but still we maybe hint at what our motive is right at the start.
That’s like what we see here. He is saying I’ve been praying for you because you had faith in Jesus. That’s all you need. In fact, that is what is what guarantees a hope for you in heaven. It isn’t in what you don’t eat or drink or in some ritual you follow. The gospel is enough. Not only is this shown in the fact that they love others but Paul makes it clear that they have already heard the truth of the gospel. Now, he is going to tease out all the details of this but really this is the core of what he is going to say.
It all rests on the hope that they have. This hope is not a wishful thinking like when you hope that we can win a new car or some other sort of prize. Hope in the New Testament is speaking of something that is certain but has not been yet been fully experienced. Christians speak about hope not as speculation but as something that is certain. The hope of heaven is not us saying that we are thinking the odds are good in our favor but it’s still up for grabs on whether it will happen. It is a promise you can take to the bank. That is New Testament hope and this is what Paul wants them to lay hold of and so he will keep speaking about their faith and their salvation in definite terms.
And he is speaking about the truth of the gospel not just offering a sure and certain hope to the people in Colossae. He wants them to see that this same gospel is the promise to all of God’s people wherever he has gathered them. In fact, it is bearing fruit in the whole world.
Paul is using great language for us to understand here. It is bearing fruit and increasing. This agricultural way of speaking gives us powerful imagery. We can not imagine the gospel growing but we understand the bearing of fruit. There is a substantial difference between a plant or tree that bears fruit and one that does not. We treat a grove of regular trees differently than an orchard of apple trees because we know the value of something that bears fruit and multiplies. This is how we are to understand gospel proclamation. It bears fruit and it also increases. Not only in people coming to faith but as we grow in faith. And we are to understand that something important. We are the trees bearing fruit. A fruit tree does not prune itself. It takes outside forces to bear fruit. Precipitation is an outside force. Fertilizing the ground is done by an outside party. Cutting back branches to allow growth is most certainly not done by the trees themselves.
You see my point. They need to understand that their growth comes from the Word by the power of the Spirit. Their growth comes through that, not by their keeping of special feasts or doing certain practices. And this truth is evident in them. The gospel has been bearing fruit amongst them too. They have heard and believed the gospel.
Paul also talks about a specific messenger who brought them the good news. But Epaphras not only brought the message of the gospel, but he has informed Paul and Timothy that they are showing love in the Spirit. We can clearly tell that even though Paul is concerned with what is going on in Colossae, he still knows that they have heard the true gospel, believed by faith, and received the Holy Spirit. This has all led to them not only believing but exhibiting love for others. Paul continues to affirm that what they have in Christ is enough. They don’t need more. They have a sure and certain hope in heaven and they exhibit Christian love. They don’t need to ascend to a higher plain. What they have is sufficient. But Paul is only beginning.
He lets them know that they have been praying for them. They do it all the time praying that God would fill the with wisdom and understanding. That they would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
These are great things to add to your prayer list for you friends and family. We want to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Remember who we are serving. The ascended King, the Lord of heaven and earth. Our savior who bore the wrath of God for our sin. Our lives should reflect that truth. Our daily should reflect the fact that we are servants of our crucified, resurrected, and ascended Lord. One of the most powerful things in our growing in holiness is being reminded of what Christ has done and then saying because Christ died for me I am going to flee from that sinful desire I have.
As this passage says we want to walk in a way that is pleasing to him. That includes fleeing from sin but also bearing fruit and growing in knowledge. Paul tells us tha tthis is a life of endurance and joyful patience.
Notice what Paul is doing here. He is talking about growing in the faith but it isn’t in a mystical type of ascent. It isn’t climbing a ladder into heaven. It is real tangible things. It is having knowledge of God. It is living with endurance and patience. The Christian life is lived in a real world with real tangible things that we experience and do in the real world, not in some out there otherworldly way but we are called to love God by loving the people around us. Showing them patience and even in the face of difficulty we are called to endure.
And why do we do this? We obey God and desire to live a holy life out of thanks to him.
Why? This powerful. The Father has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. It was believed that the pagan supernatural beings had the power to disqualify believers. Paul is wanting them to understand that their qualification comes from the only one who matters. He doesn’t believe in these pagan supernatural beings but he is saying that even if they existed and had any power they would be nothing compared to God the Father.
And he goes on to build up even more what God has done. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. We were in bondage to the kingdom of darkness and Jesus came and rescued us. He delivered us out of it but we are not just refugees living without a home. He transferred us from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son. This is who we are and he is the way the we have been redeemed and received the forgiveness of sins.
This such beautiful imagery for us and what we read here is such great application for us today. It often feels as though we are strangers in a strange land doesn’t it. It feels as though the domain of darkness has come around us. We may even feel discouraged and wonder if God is really in control. We may even feel as though we have been disqualified because haven’t climbed the ladder of ascent spiritually to leave the stuff of this world behind. But Paul comes and gives us the truth of our certain hope. We have been delivered from that and transferred into the kingdom of our ascended Lord and King.
As I was thinking about this idea of being delivered by God I thought about what our idea of delivery is in our modern world. It seems as though we are always waiting for something to be delivered right? But now, it is easy to know when things will arrive. We can track it but I remember how it used to be. These tracking numbers and websites we have are a newer thing really. You younger kids might not believe this but we used to have no idea when our packages would be delivered. I can remember ordering some novelty item from the back of a Boys’ Life magazine when I was 12 or 13. I filled out the order form, wrote a check, and dropped it in the mail. I had no idea if they had even gotten my order until after the check cleared and then you had no idea when it was going to arrive. Checking the mailbox or the front door every day wondering if the package has been delivered or wondering if it will arrive at all.
I believe that we as Christians can often live with this same mindset. We know that our salvation has been paid for but we wonder if it will be delivered. But Paul makes it very clear that in what Jesus has done you have already been delivered and you have been transferred into the kingdom of God. The temptation is always there to think there is something we need to do to ascend to a greater level of assurance. We can so easily believe that something that we have done has disqualified us but your salvation and your citizenship in the kingdom of God is not dependent on you. It has been delivered through the work of Jesus Christ for you. So hear and believe the good news and trust that the work of Jesus is sufficient for your salvation. Trust the sure and certain promise in the hope that Jesus is all that you need.
So, I want to challenge you this week as you rise up every day to live and love in God’s world. Stop and take a moment to remember what we have read here in Colossians. Jesus is sufficient and you have been delivered into our ascended king and Lord’s kingdom. So, instead of wondering how you can ascend to a higher level believe that what you have in Jesus is enough and trust in it. Dwell on it and know that in Jesus you have everything you need.
