The Journey Church
Sunday, June 29
  • This Is Our God
  • There Is Freedom
  • Holy Forever
  • Date and Place of Writing
    Colossians is considered one of Paul’s prison letters along with Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon.  The Apostle Paul wrote the Book of Colossians about A.D. 60–62, while he was imprisoned in Rome. Paul was awaiting his trial before Emperor Nero. One purpose of its writing was to correct the heresy that had sprung up in the Asian city of Colosse.
    Colosse was in the Lycus Valley, about 100 miles east of Ephesus in Asia Minor. Its name is possibly derived from Colossus, a large statue that may have been named for the unusual shape of stony deposits there. Colosse is about 12 miles from Hierapolis and Laodicea, the other two cities of that valley (see the location of these three on the map between Acts and Romans).Several references in Colossians lead us to believe that Paul had yet to visit Colossae. Epaphras is a beloved servant who appears to be a representative sent from the church at Colossae to bring reports to Paul. 
    Purpose of Writing
    First, to show the Doctrine of the Declared Supremacy of Christ in the gospel, redemption, creation, the church, and ministry.
    Second, to show the Danger of not defending the Supremacy of Christ, leading to Empty philosophies, religious legalism, and man-made disciples.
    Third, we must show the Demonstrated Supremacy of Christ in purity, fellowship, home, work, witness, and service.
    INTRODUCTION
    Colossians 1:1-8
    Colossians 1:1–2 ESV
    1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
    Paul begins first by addressing himself as an apostle of Christ who finds himself in the Gospel ministry of Christ by God’s will. Paul met Timothy on his second missionary journey and became his mentor. Timothy travelled with Paul and Paul called Timothy his true son in the faith.
    Through Paul’s introductory testimony we are reminded that God has a plan for each of us (by the will of God). Though your position may not have an official title or status, the Lord calls each of us to serve according to his will and plan for our lives. As a follower of Christ and participant in God’s kingdom, every believer has significance and purpose because each had been called by God individually.
    “Called to be an Apostle by the Will of God”
    You hear some people say well, “I have always been a Christian,” “I have always known God.”
    This is an untrue statement. You did not come out of the womb knowing God and His Son Jesus Christ. You were not born a Christian. You became a Christian simply because of God’s grace and mercy as He has pursued your heart and affection. Those whom he has called he has justified, and those whom he has justified and those whom he has justified he has also glorified (Romans 8:30)
    The Adopted People
    The letter is written to the saints and the faithful brothers in Christ. Therefore, Paul is addressing his letter to those who have been reported as having a strong faith.
    Here, Paul highlights two great New Testament themes at the outset. The first is God's Fatherhood and our adoption as his Children. 
    On this theme, J. I. Packer says, ‘Adoption is the highest privilege that the gospel offers; higher than justification … adoption is higher because of the richer relationship with God it involves’. The second theme Paul highlights is the deity of Christ Jesus. Paul will repeatedly stress this in what is often called the ‘Great Christology’ of Colossians 1.
    The only way anyone could ever possibly have grace and peace is if they are in Christ.
    As Members of God’s family we have a great reason to be grateful. What provokes your heart to gratitude.

    BIG IDEA: As Members of God’s Family, We have a Great Reason to be Grateful

    Colossians 1:3–8 ESV
    3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 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, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
    Significant threats were made to the church at Colossae, and Paul will address them. However, he starts his letter by affirming the positive, good things that are taking place in the Colossian Church. 
    Are you the ultimate pessimist or optimist? Do you always see the cup as half empty or half full?Is the sky always falling, or does your world consist of rainbows and unicorns? 
    You will notice that most of Paul’s letters begin with the positive. Take note of church leadership. Have you ever been a part of a church where the sky is always falling and the church is in a desperate situation? I call this the chicken little syndrome: " The sky is always falling.”
    Or maybe you have been in a church where everything is rainbows and unicorns; they live in denial of the threats facing the church. Paul does not do either of these two things. He acknowledges and celebrates the church's wins, but at the same time, he recognizes and warns the church against the coming threats to the gospel's mission. 
    Matt Chandler in His book “The Explicit Gospel” stated:
    The Explicit Gospel is both the gospel on the ground and the gospel in the air. They are complementary—two views of the same redemptive plan. To focus too long on either one, to the exclusion of the other, is dangerous to our soul and has significant implications for how we live out the Christian life.
    This is what Paul is thankful for, that the church is bearing fruit here on the ground but it is all motivated by the hope of the eternal kingdom which is the gospel in the air.
    Even if you go to church, it doesn't mean that you are being exposed (or exposing others) to the gospel explicitly. Sure, most people talk about Jesus, and about being good and avoiding bad, but the gospel message isn't there--at least not in its specificity and its fullness. 
    Paul is thankful for the church's bearing fruit on the ground, but it is all motivated by the hope of the eternal kingdom, which is the gospel in the air. 
    What is the Gospel?
    Defining the Gospel
    Gospel does not mean God’s news, but Good news. In the Greek the word gospel is derived from the word euangelion (eu[good] + aggello [to proclaim]). It reflects good news, joyful news, or glad tidings.
    In scripture, preeminent is defined as having paramount rank, dignity, or importance, essentially being first in all things.  
    Note: Paul has no reason to doubt the genuineness of the Colossians faith in the gospel of Christ. The gospel should rank supreme and paramount in every true believers life.
    How do you Know Whether Someone is A true born-again believer? 
    It is most evident in the Faith, Hope, and Love of God’s people. Paul thanks God for the Colossian people because of their genuine faith, hope, and love. 
    Paul feels thanksgiving well up inside him when he sees the true marks of a Christian's existence: his presence in the Church. 
    Marks of the Preeminence of the Gospel in the Lives of God’s people.
    Note: These qualities of being a Christian are not natural.

    1. True Christians Have a True Assurance in the Gospel

    Note: Notice Paul says that we “always” thank God. We do not just thank God when things are going well or when everything works out as we expect it to. We thank God in all circumstances of life.
    Paul is reassuring the Colossians that they have heard the true gospel, and there is evidence that this has occured. 
    Many counterfeit gospels are being spewed out in the world today. Paul’s primary concern in writing this letter is that the Colossians will hold to the gospel's truth. 
    Where does the gospel's truth come from? It comes from the truth of God’s word. 
    The continual attack on the truth of God's Word is a recurring theme in Christianity, stemming from the beginning when Satan first questioned God's authority in the Garden of Eden. This attack manifests in various forms, including doubts, lies, and attempts to undermine the Bible's authority. It's a battle for the truth, where the enemy seeks to distort God's message and lead people astray.
    *Doubt and Skepticism - doubting the authority and truth of God’s word. Doubting God’s goodness; doubting God has their best interest at heart; doubting that God can work all things out for their good and his glory; filled with constant worry and anxiety that does not show the peace that passes all understanding.
    * False Teachings - Presenting alternative interpretations or Denials of biblical truth. Choose to believe the lie over the truth of God’s word.
    * Cultural Influences - promoting values and ideologies that contradict scripture.
    What is the Churches Relationship to the Truth?
    First of all it is the means by which we come to GOD.  Jesus is the truth and His gospel was given to reconcile us to him.
    2 Timothy 3:15 ESV
    and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
    Jesus even calls himself the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6.
    The church should be a pillar and a buttress of truth to the world.
    1 Timothy 3:15 ESV
    if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

    *The Reassurance of our Faith

    This faith is a certain consequence (rather than a cause) of God’s work in a person’s life.
    In this context, Paul is not saying that faith in Christ leads to an experience of the spirit; his purpose here is the presence of unchallenged evidence. What is the true evidence of a person's faith in the preeminent Christ? 
    The true spiritual person is led to put their full faith and trust in Christ.
    To say that I believe in God is not sufficient evidence to convict me of being a Christian. Satan believes in God and trembles.
    Unless by ‘God’ is meant the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (e.g. verse 3). Those whose faith is in Christ Jesus acknowledge no other God.
    Faith in Christ is a sign of true spiritual life.
    Jesus Christ is the key to unlocking the kingdom of God to all who believe.
    True faith is a gift from God centered on Christ. Faith is not something you can muster up or create on your own it is a gift from God.
    Ephesians 2:8 ESV
    For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
    The most significant difficulty people have with the assurance of their salvation today is that they are basing their born-again status on an experience or feeling and not on the truth of God’s word. Faith is based on our objective response to the spirit of God working in our lives. Do you believe what Jesus said in John 10:28-29
    John 10:28–29 ESV
    I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
    Or what John writes again in 1 John 5:11-13
    1 John 5:11–13 ESV
    And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
    Faith points to the past as the starting point of the Colossians spiritual Journey.
    Colossians 2:7 speaks of being “rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught.”
    Hebrews 10:22 ESV
    22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
    The True tested genuineness of our faith is tested by fire.
    1 Peter 1:7 ESV
    7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

    *The Reassurance of our Love.

    First, Paul identifies the Colossians by the love they have for all the saints (1:4) and later, “your love in the Spirit” (1:8).
    Note: notice the word “all,” not just some, not only those we like and get along with, not only those who always agree with us. We are called to love all of the saints.
    While faith looks back to Jesus as the source of our confident faith, Love is seen in terms of its effects on other people in the present. Faith and love are inseparable because true faith cannot be contained in the head, the heart, or the lips. Sooner or later, it reaches completion in the hands and feet, in the action of love for others. 
    Love for others is the evidence of a redeemed heart.
    1 John 3:14 ESV
    14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
    Later in the letter, Paul challenges the Colossians to, above all else, “put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (3:14). Our sincere affection for one another emanates from the undeserved love we have received in Christ. 

    *The Reassurance of our Hope.

    Look at the connecting word “because” which leading us to understand that love springs out of our hope that is laid up for us in heaven. Some have also seen the phrase because of the hope as modifying the overall reason for giving thanks.
    However, I think the more probable meaning of the word “because” and it’s placement is to modify both our faith and love. Our love is inspired and prompted by our great hope in the eternal kingdom of God.
    “Hope that is Laid up for us in Heaven”
    The focus of our hope gives us an eternal perspective on this life. If our hope is in the things that this world can bring us or in other people or things, then we are hoping on temporal things. Hope is about tomorrow and fulfilling God’s promises to us in Christ. 
    2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV
    20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
    Hope can be defined as ‘a patient waiting and a confident expectation.’ Its foundation is the truth of the gospel. Trusting in God's promises gives birth to hope. 

    2. True Christians Have a Hearing and Understanding Response to the Gospel

    “You have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel.” This supposes a past hearing of the word truth, aka the message of the gospel.
    “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.”
    A present reality has affected the whole world and has caused the bearing and increasing of fruit since it was first heard and understood by the people. 
    Romans 10:17 ESV
    17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
    We must have ears to hear and understand the word of God. The great mystery of the gospel is that it is not fully heard or grasped by all who hear it proclaimed.

    *Hearing with Understanding Comes Through the Secret Hidden Wisdom of God

    We read in 1 Corinthians 2 about a secret hidden wisdom that not everyone hears or understands. The key to de-crypt the code to the secret hidden wisdom of God is the Holy Spirit.
    1 Corinthians 2:7–10 ESV
    7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
    How do you know if someone has heard and understood the secret hidden wisdom of God?
    It is an absolute miracle of God when He restores the physical sight of the blind. But the greater joy comes when God opens your eyes and helps you understand spiritual truth for the first time. Your life is dramatically and forever changed.
    We read repeatedly about Jesus calming the storm, the nation of Israel walking through the Red Sea on dry land, Jesus opening the blind mans eyes and causing the lamb to walk, and even Lazarus walking out of the tomb. We do and should stand amazed at all of these amazing miracles. However, the greatest miracle of all is the spiritual renewal we receive when the spiritually dead person comes to life. When the once hidden things of God are revealed to those who were once dead men and women walking.
    QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHETHER SOMEONE HAS RECEIVED THE SECRET HIDDEN WISDOM OF GOD

    1) Do they hear God speak?

    If you can honestly say that you have never heard God speak to you, then you are still lost. God speaks to His children, He knows His sheep, and His sheep know Him. He calls His Sheep by name, and they follow Him. (John 10).

    2). Do they come to God with a Humble and Broken Spirit?

    Coming to God with a humble and broken spirit means approaching Him with a heart that is deeply aware of one’s sinfulness and God’s holiness, having a desire for forgiveness and reconciliation. It is a state of knowing one’s absolute dependence on God, surrendering to His will.
    Psalm 51:16–17 ESV
    16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
    Many people miss this truth. Rather than repent, they try to "clean up their act," give more, pray more, or busy themselves in other religious activities in the hopes that God will finally "get over" being mad at them. In Psalm 51, David says that God wants none of that. External religious activity cannot replace internal, heartfelt contrition (1 Samuel 16:7).

    3). Do they receive the Truth or does the Truth Repel them?

    The Holy Spirit is necessary to hear and understand God’s word’s truth. God’s true church has always been where people hunger for the truth from God’s word. The Bible indicates that some individuals may be blinded or unable to perceive the truth due to their hearts' condition. This is not a punishment from God but a consequence of their own choices and the influence of a "god of this age" that keeps them from seeing the "light of the gospel." 
    Romans 1:18 ESV
    18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
    So what should we do with a person who does not receive the truth of the gospel?
    2 Timothy 2:25–26 ESV
    25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
    Notice that Paul writes that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth of God. In other words, the reason that some people believe and some do not believe is not because they have ultimate self-determination, but because God may or may not grant them to repent and believe. It is a gift of the sovereign grace of God alone. “For by grace you have been saved by faith, but this is not your own doing it is the free gift of God.”

    ULTIMATELY, WHEN GOD IS REVEALED, KNEES BOW

    Isaiah 45:23 ESV
    23 By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’
    One day, the hearing and understanding of the secret hidden wisdom of God will be seen and heard by all of creation. On that day, every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of the Father.

    *Hearing with Understanding Leads to a Fruitful Reproducing Life

    Our purpose statement at the Journey is that “we are disciples who make disciples.” The calling of every believer who has ever walked the face of this earth is that we bear fruit that doesn’t stay in our own small corner of the world. It is a fruit that grows, expands, and eventually replicates.
    Remember the Movie “The Gremlins?”
    A gadget salesman is looking for a special gift for his son and finds the ‘mogwai’ but sells it to him with the warning to never expose him to bright light, water, or feed him after midnight. All this happens, and the results are disastrous as it begins to multiply at an alarming rate.
    Paul encourages the Colossians that the truth of the gospel was not only bearing fruit with them but that it was increasing and bearing fruit all over the world. Epaphras was fulfilling his responsibility by sharing the good news and was therefore, considered faithful. Epaphras was God’s instrument that He used to reach the Colossians with the gospel. This reminds us of his designed plan for us to carry the gospel message to the nations. As Paul charges the Romans in Romans 10:14-15
    Romans 10:14–15 ESV
    14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
    CONCLUSION
    Here is the problem: The owner of the mogwai did everything they were not supposed to do to keep it from multiplying and expanding. All believers everywhere have the fruit of Salvation that has taken up residence in their lives, but we are not doing any of the things we know will multiply the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth. 
    Paul encourages the Colossians that the gospel's truth was not only bearing fruit with them but that it was increasing and bearing fruit worldwide. Epaphras fulfilled his responsibility by sharing the good news and was considered faithful. Epaphras was God’s instrument, and He used him to reach the Colossians with the gospel. This reminds us of his designed plan for us to carry the gospel message to the nations.
    What are you doing today with what you have been given? Maybe you should be going about spreading the faith, love, and hope you have been given in Jesus Christ. What would it say if we were to write a report card for your life today? 
    * Would it say stalled out and barely moving?
    * Would it say dead in the water, not moving at all?
    * Would it say moving forward and reproducing the fruit you have been given?
    If you stopped being a part of the Journey Church today, would anyone miss you? Would they say they miss your great faith, hope, and love? Or, would anybody miss you because your fruit was not present and increasing in the church?
    Epaphras also declared to us your love in the Spirit. Paul regards love (agape) as the first and most important fruit of God’s saving grace (1 Cor. 13; Cal. 5:22). Love is the first grace because it is the greatest and is often included in the others. 
    Paul instructs us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to examine ourselves, to see whether we are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?
    Where are you, Christian? As members of God’s family, you have reasons to be glad, you have a reason to be thankful, you have a reason to be going!
  • Colossians 1:9–14 ESV
    9 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, 10 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; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
    INTRODUCTION
    After hearing of the Colossians’ faith, love, and hope, Paul constantly prays that they will fully understand God’s will. A consistent and frequent prayer life prompts Paul’s thanksgiving in verse three. In verses 9-14, Paul elaborates on his time spent in constant prayer for the Colossians.
    Paul begins by giving the nature or reason for his blessing. The phrase “Since the day we heard” pinpoints the particular reason Paul has in mind, referring back to verses 3-5, where Paul says, “Because we have heard of your faith and love that is based on your hope.” 
    One of the questions I often get as a pastor is, " How do I know God’s will for my life?” 
    We are looking for a clear road map from point “A” to point “Z.” However, this is not how God operates. Most of us fall into the trap of trying to circumvent God’s plan, forcing God’s hand by taking matters into our own hands. Here is how this generally works: We move ahead with our agenda and plans, then ask God later to come alongside what we have determined is best, asking Him to bless our efforts. It's a shocker when this never works out. 
    REASON FOR PAUL’S PRAYER
    That his readers would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will.
    Here, Paul is praying that they be described by knowing God’s “will.” This could refer to his unalterable redemptive plan in history or his preceptive will (i.e., his commands for his people to obey).
    God’s Preceptive will:
    The preceptive will of God relates to the revealed commandments in God’s law.
    This decree does not carry the immediate necessary consequences when God commands us not to steal. So, where the light can't refuse to shine in creation, we can refuse to obey God’s commands.
    In a word, we steal. We must be careful not to be lulled into thinking that God's preceptive will is divorced from His decreed will. It is not as if the preceptive will has no effects or consequences. 
    We may have the power to disobey a precept. We do not have the power to disobey it with impurity. His law remains intact whether we choose to obey it or disobey it. 
    When I was a kid, my friends and I used to love to draw mazes. We started simple, but eventually graduated to using graph paper to draw out elaborate, complex mazes to navigate.  Drawing them was a lot of work, but it was so entertaining to watch our friends attempt to navigate them and repeatedly have to backtrack and start over. Many Christians approach finding God’s will for their lives with a similar perspective. We are each easily convinced that God has designed a plan for us with many dead ends, as though we are mice making our way through some experimental process or maze. Whenever we come to a point where we do not know which way to go, we are forced to reverse our course and pursue a different path. This results in our wandering through life with uncertainty, second-guessing every decision, feeling frustrated at every wrong turn, and hoping that somehow we will reach our destination and finally find God’s will. 
    Discerning God’s will for your life was never meant to be like working through a maze. He designed it to be amazing! 
    So, how can we possibly know for certain what His will is for us, and what is involved in accomplishing His plan? 
    You are not alone if these questions still roam your mind at every waking and sleeping hour. This morning's passage teaches us how to determine God’s will for our lives, both individually and as a church. 
    God’s Redemptive plan permeates everything we say and do in the Christian life.
    Paul begins our text today by praying for the Colossians to come to know and understand God’s will. We must remember that Paul concludes that the Father alone qualifies the believer to share in the inheritance transferred to us, leading us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light. To move a step closer to knowing, understanding, and living out God’s will for our lives...
    We Must First Understand that…
    The Preeminent Christ Redeemed you to the Will of God.

    1. God’s Will is not a Puzzle to be Solved

    Much of our time is spent worrying about God’s plan and will for our lives, wringing our hands in worry over not knowing God's will. 
    The ability to know and do God's will is not some far-off fairy tale that we have to discover. It is a present reality that is already available to everyone. 
    Our ability to know, understand, and act on God's will hinges on our consistent prayer life. How much time do you spend praying that you would be filled with the knowledge of His will and understanding? 

    *God’s Will Has Been Disclosed

    If God’s will had not already been made available to us, Paul would not have prayed that we would know and understand God's will. Why would Paul pray for something that was not available for us to receive? 
    Note: Notice Paul uses the word “all” to identify spiritual wisdom and understanding. The other “all” designation is about power. 
    What does the word “All” refer to? It directs us to all those things that God has already revealed to us in scripture. 
    Most people take a discovery approach when determining God’s will for their lives. Like a tourist on a beach looking for lost treasures, they approach it with a spiritual metal detector, sweeping the detector around as they wander through life, hoping they stumble onto it. Yet when they uncover what they have found, they are often disappointed to see the equivalent of empty cans, tarnished objects, or worthless trinkets. This is like encountering a dead end in my maze, so they start the discovery cycle again and hope the following beep will be it.
    God did not design his will to be found this way, he would not design a plan for our lives and then hide it away where we could not find it. God’s will is more like a treasure map to follow than a metal detector.
    THE REALM OF KNOWLEDGE
    We must consider what the gnosis or knowledge of God is. 
    From such small beginnings grew the developed Gnosticism of the second century, which caused the churches many problems. 
    Gnostics offered an exceptional understanding of spiritual reality, immune from dissent or discussion, shared only by those similarly ‘in the secret’. But Paul will have none of it. In Christ, his friends at Colossae had already received full knowledge (Gk epignōsis). Bruce quotes Bultmann’s definition of epignōsis as ‘almost a technical term for the decisive knowledge of God which is involved in conversion to the Christian faith’.
    What do we know about God’s Fully Revealed Will?
    It is God’s Will for us to be Saved.
    1 Timothy 2:3–4 ESV
    This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
    We know that God’s will for us is salvation, and as Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:9, he also desires that none should perish. What are we doing to help others know the saving grace of God? 
    It is God’s will for us to be Sanctified
    1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV
    For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
    Scripture explicitly contends that God’s will for us is for us to be sanctified, that is, set apart as holy before God. 
    Ephesians 1:4 ESV
    even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
    It is God’s will for us to be Spirit-Filled
    Ephesians 1:13 ESV
    In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,.
    Our moment-by-moment surrender to his abiding presence in our lives is essential to God’s will for every believer.
    It is God’s will for us to stand
    Living in opposition to a hostile world toward God is firmly rooted in your faith. Christians are called to stand against the world by not conforming to its values and lifestyle, instead living a life that reflects God's will and encourages others to glorify God. They are to engage in spiritual warfare, equipping themselves with God's armor and relying on his strength to resist temptation and evil. (Romans 12:2) “Do not be conformed to the world but be transformed.”
    1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV
    Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
    It is God’s will for us to Walk in Obedience
    The statement "It is God's will for us to walk in obedience" highlights the biblical concept that following God's commands and teachings is essential for a fulfilling life and relationship with Him. Obedience is seen as an expression of love, a path to wisdom, and a means of experiencing God's blessings.
    Obeying God will Make you Wise
    Deuteronomy 4:5–6 ESV
    5 See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’
    It is God’s will for us to Suffer
    2 Timothy 3:12 ESV
    Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
    We also read in Philippians 1:29 “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,”
    We also read in Philippians 1:29, “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,”  God’s will has been revealed to us in His living book, the Bible. So, when Paul concludes that all spiritual wisdom and understanding have been given to us, he is speaking of those things we know are God’s will for our lives. The problem is that we spend so much of our lives trying to figure out God’s will for our personal lives that we miss and neglect the explicit things that we know God has planned for us to do here at ground zero. 

    *God’s Will Must Be Discerned

    Do you have a spiritually discerning Spirit and how do you get a spiritually discerning Spirit?
    While certain aspects of God’s will have been clearly revealed, more personal and particular elements must be discerned.
    What is discernement? We see it used in Psalm 119:66
    Psalm 119:66 ESV
    Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.
    Jesus encourages us to be discerning and discriminating lest we cast our pearls before swine. (Matt.7).
    A remarkable example is on display in John2:24-25
    John 2:24–25 ESV
    But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
    Jesus knows what is in man’s heart and will not reveal himself to those who are not spiritually discerning.
    “Discernment is learning to think God‘s thoughts after Him, practically and spiritually; it means having a sense of how things look in God‘s eyes and seeing them in some measure “uncovered and laid bare.”
    Things we must understand about discerning God’s will

    a). Passive knowledge of God

    The "passive knowledge of God" refers to the idea that our understanding of God is not something we actively create or discover, but rather a gift from God himself through revelation. It's a receiving rather than a searching process.

    b.) Active Knowledge of God

    The "active knowledge of God" refers to a deep, personal, and experiential understanding of God that goes beyond mere intellectual comprehension. It involves a relationship with God, where one actively seeks to know, love, and serve Him, applying that knowledge to daily life and responding to His presence in the world. 
    The Active and Passive Will of God refer to two ways God is believed to act in the world. The Active Will is the will of God that is actively carried out, causing something to happen. The Passive Will is God's permission for something to happen, without directly causing it Therefore, we must carefully discern God’s will through prayer and the guidance of His Spirit. 
    We must confirm his will under his Word. We can evaluate its validity for our lives by the fruit it produces. Because God has graciously disclosed his will and provided everything we need to discern it, through Paul’s prayer in this passage, we can affirm the possibility of finding God’s will for our lives.

    2. God’s Will is Motivated by His Ambition

    a.) We Must Long to Please Christ

    In our culture today, we often desire to know and follow God’s plan, but not for the right reasons. Many times, we want to know God’s will and plan for our own selfishly motivated desires. 
    The overarching desire is to bring us satisfaction or glory. The thing that motivates God’s ambition to reveal His will to us is to please Him, all for His glory and fame alone.
    We are called to walk in a way worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him. 
    Many people expect the Lord to give them what they desire, and some may even quote Psalm 37:4 to justify their expectations: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”
    But this misunderstanding portrays God as some cosmic genie who is obligated to grant us our wishes as long as we ask “in Jesus’s name.” What this verse actually means is that God will infuse our hearts with his desires when we learn to delight ourselves in what pleases him.

    b.) We Must Live to Please Christ

    Verse 10 highlights the idea that we are to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
    Pursuing God’s will for our lives must be defined as comprehensively living in submission and surrender rather than living in comfort and convenience.
    It means our lives must be entirely and exclusively devoted to honoring him. We can’t live the selfish way we want to and hide behind sanctified excuses like, “Well, God knows my heart.” Our true desires will be revealed through our actual behavior as we embrace the ultimate purpose of following God’s will: pleasing Christ!

    3. God’s Will Has a Process for it’s Purpose

    In verses 10-12 Paul gives us the practical aspects of living a life that pleases God. It is impossible to please God apart from doing His will for our lives.
    The process of fulfilling God’s will: “bearing fruit” (v. 10), “growing” (v. 10), “being strengthened” (v. 11), and “giving thanks” (v. 12).
    The verbs of ongoing action provide us with practical steps in the process of fulfilling God’s will for our lives.

    *We are called to do Good Works

    Ephesians 2:10 ESV
    For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
    While some have argued that Paul is at odds with James. Some have said that Paul is the faith person and James is the work is the works person. I would say that this is untrue. The point both make explicitly is “show me a person’s works, and I will show you their faith or show me a persons faith, and I will show you their works.” James say’s in James 2:26 “Faith without works is dead.”
    Fruit overflows into the works in a believers life. You cannot assume that you are in God’s will if you are not actively working for the Kingdom of God. This is a 24/7 job for all believers.

    *We are Called to Grow Strong in the Lord!

    Ultimately, if we pursue paths that can be accomplished in our own strength and ability, then we have achieved something less than God’s will.

    *We are Called to Give Thanks

    Thankfulness will always bring us back to the one who inures the purposeful will of the Father in our lives.
    Our inheritance in Christ is imperishable. Matthew 6:19 “don’t lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…”
    Our inheritance in Christ is unspoiled
    Our inheritance in Christ is reserved.

    *We are Called to the Kingdom of Light

    We must relish in the Freedom that We have in God’s Will! The final 2 verses of this section expound on the Fathers word of Salvation to qualify his people for his service. Paul specifies the nature of Christ’s saving work, the means by which it will be accomplished shifting from the use of the second person pronoun “you” in v. 12 to the first person “us” in v. 13.
    This shift to the fist person would appear to be referencing his own personal testimony being blinded on the Damascus road and having what appeared as scales fall from his eyes when God used Ananias a high priest of Jerusalem to restored Saul’s sight.
    In verse 13 notice that Paul uses two complementary verbs to establish a stark contrast that reinforces the present reality of their sacred standing as God’s people. In the New American Standard we read that “He has rescued us,” where the ESV uses the word “delivered,” this speaks of the peril of our condition prior to Christ. The word used hear is usually attributed to Israel’s Exodus from Egypt.
    The parallel term, “transferred,” describes the sequential or simultaneous act of the Father in salvation reinforcing the vast insurmountable gulf that exists between the two conditions.
    Light and Darkness Cannot Coexist
    In the Bible darkness is commonly used to refer to the condition of a depraved world apart from God, both by the physical and spiritual metaphorical blindness used to characterize the lost.
    Jesus describes himself as “the light of the world,” (John 8:12), and he invaded the darkness of sinful humanity and could not be overcome by it (John 1:4-5). Christ rules and reigns over the kingdom of light. The transfer is from being citizen’s of this world with all that is controlled and ruled by Satan to being citizens of heaven with the other saints and members of the household of God.

    WE HAVE BEEN REDEEMED FOR A PURPOSE

    As God’s people we have a new position, a new purpose, a new perspective.
    Our eyes have been opened and we now can recognize the hopeless state of the world from which we have now been rescued. We are free from our slavery to sin and are now free to fulfill the greater purpose of God.
    We now have a heightened awareness of our responsibility to live as children of the light. Above all we must be faithful to proclaim the “light of the gospel” of King Jesus that penetrates the darkest dark, and even the greatest blinded hearts around us so that they too may be rescued. We have been redeemed for this purpose.
    You are now a part of the greatest rescue team the world has ever known. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5 that we are ministers of reconciliation to the world, we are ambassadors for Christ to those who are wandering and groping in this dark world of sin for answers.
    CONCLUSION
    Do you know what God is doing in your life right now? 
    Are you seeking the Lord and asking Him to reveal His will to you right now? 
    In all my years of serving the Lord, I have found that God does not desire to keep you in the dark. Yes, there are times I must walk by faith and not by sight, but even in those seasons of walking by faith, I can know the “ways of God.”
    God’s will for our lives was never intended to be a mystery for us to solve. Instead, he has provided everything needed to accomplish his plan faithfully. He has redeemed us from the world of darkness and given us the ability to discern and actively pursue His divine will accurately.  
    Psalm 103:7 ESV
    7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
    How do we grow in our knowledge of God’s will?
    Paul say’s it comes through “All spiritual wisdom and understanding.” This means that the “knowledge” of God’s will is not just knowing a few simple facts.
    Spiritual wisdom and understanding are the ability to apply Biblical principles to one's life. This gift is exclusively reserved for believers. If you halfheartedly follow Jesus, you will never have the great privilege of obtaining it. What Paul is talking about is a deep, thorough knowledge of God’s will for our lives. 
    This is only obtained through the study of God’s word. As we carefully and diligently learn more about God’s word, we learn more about God’s will for our lives.
    As God’s word becomes more dominant in our thinking and feelings, the will of God will come with it.  The redemption of the Lamb of God must become central in our daily thinking and feeling.
    A boy made a toy yacht, put a sail on it, and painted it red. He took it out and sailed it in a nearby stream, but for whatever reason, he lost the boat in the current of the stream. 
    He was brokenhearted at its loss. One day, the boy was passing a second-hand store in his village. He looked in the window, and his boat was for sale for 50 cents. He looked at it and said, " That's my boat, " so he approached the man behind the counter and said, " I want my boat back. I made that boat, put the sail on it, and painted it red.
    The man said someone brought the ship to me, and I bought it. If you want it back, you must pay the 50-cent sale price. So he gave the man the 50 cents and walked out of the shop with his boat. 
    As he cradled the boat in his arms, he said, “Little boat, you are twice mine.” I made you, I lost you, and Bought you back again.
    If you are a Christian here this morning, God says to you, “You are Twice Mine, I made you, I lost you in sin, and in Christ I qualified you, I rescued you, I redeemed you, and I have bought you back. 
  • Firm Foundation (He Won't)
  • Colossians 2:11–15 ESV
    11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
    We concluded last week with Paul declaring that we are complete in Him, because of what Christ Jesus has done for us.
    THOUGHTS ON THE TEXT
    We cannot put off the body of the flesh on our own. Circumcision was given as a sign of God's favored people, the nation of Israel. We cannot raise the dead to life, we cannot bring things to life on our own. After her brother Lazarus had died, Jesus told Mary, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Do you believe this? Mary responds, yes I do believe in the resurrection that will come at the end of the age. Jesus responded with, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Jesus came to earth to inaugurate the new temple of God that is being created through the greater temple being nailed to a cross.
    When someone puts off the body of flesh and puts on the body of Christ, the authorities of this world are disarmed and set to open shame. What does it mean for them to be put to open shame?
    The transformation from death to life. It is a visible and spiritual declaration that his power has been broken and that Christ is victorious over sin, death, and the dark forces of evil at work in this world.
    OUR IDENTITY PROBLEM
    Who are you? Why are you here? Where are we going? Humanity is born with an identity problem. We do not know who we are in relation to Jesus Christ.
    We must define our identity. If we are going to move forward in our walk with Christ. We must define our identity in Christ. This Colossian text follows a typical pattern Paul used in writing his letters.
    This is sometimes referred to as the Indicative and Imperative approach. The reality of who we are in Christ is the indicative. The corresponding and practical application is imperative to the text.
    Paul repeatedly uses the phrase “in Him” or “with Him.” This expresses the union we share with Christ as the focal point of our identity.
    THE TEMPLE AND OUR CIRCUMCISION
    We could also continue the temple motif, which emphasizes being filled with Christ in the preceding text. One could say that circumcision tied the nation of Israel to the temple where their circumcision took place. Now, the circumcision of the heart that the New Testament speaks of is tied to the new temple that is being created in the hearts and lives of his children.
    The physical temple and physical circumcision point towards the permanent spiritual temple that is taking place now in the hearts and lives of His believers.

    1. He Circumcised Our Hearts

    For Christians, having a circumcised heart refers to a spiritual transformation rather than a physical transformation that takes place at conversion.
    A heart transplant completely changes the inner workings of a person. The old, diseased heart is removed, and a new heart is placed in the chest. It’s invasive, permanent, and life-giving.
    Spiritual circumcision is heart surgery. God cuts away our sinful nature, not just trimming sin but removing its power over us. It’s done by God, not by human effort.
    Old Testament Circumcision
    Origin of Circumcision in the Old Testament
    First instituted in Genesis 17: God commanded Abraham to circumcise every male as a sign of the covenant made between God and Abraham’s offspring. Genesis 17:10-11
    Genesis 17:10–11 ESV
    10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.
    It was to be performed on the eighth day after birth (Genesis 17:12), showing immediate and total incorporation into the covenant people of Israel.
    Theological Significance
    1). Sign of the Covenant: It was a visible physical marker to the surrounding pagan nations.
    2). Symbol of Purity and Devotion: It symbolizes the removal of sin and impurity. Cutting away the flesh is the metaphor used for spiritual cleansing.
    3). Requirement for Covenant Blessing: Any male who was not circumcised would be “cut off” from the covenant community.
    Spiritual Circumcision in the Old Testament
    Even in the Old Testament God pointed toward a deeper spiritual meaning. Deuteronomy 10:16
    Deuteronomy 10:16 ESV
    16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.
    Jeremiah 4:4 ESV
    4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”
    The external sign of the covenant was not enough. What God desires is a complete transformation of the heart. God desires an inward transformation that leads to obedience.
    The Old Testament circumcision indicates how the covenant is to be ratified and fulfilled in the promise of the Messiah. Through the seed of Adam and the seed of the woman, the serpent will be crushed once and for all. Moses recognized the spiritual nature of circumcision and the circumcision of the heart that it ultimately represented (Deut 30:6).
    NEW TESTAMENT FULFILLMENT
    Paul picks up this theme and applies it to all believers, not just jews:
    A person is a jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, not the letter - Romans 2:29.
    “in him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands… buy the circumcision of Christ.” Colossians 2:11.
    How do we Experience the circumcision of the New Heart?

    *We Grieve over our Fleshliness

    11 b “Putting off the body of the flesh”
    In the history of the church, we have all felt this tug or pull between the spirit and the flesh. Maybe, even at certain times, we question whether we are even truly saved at all.
    Flesh in Scripture
    The word for flesh in the Greek is Sarx. The literal meaning is the soft tissue that makes up the body of humans and animals.
    However more often than not in the N.T. the word flesh references 3 things.
    1). Human Nature/Weakness
    This refers to the frail, mortal state of our human nature that is subject to decay, temptation, and death - the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
    2). Sinful Nature
    Often used by Paul to describe the fallen, sinful nature of humanity - our tendency to rebel against God (e.g., Romans 7:18 “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”
    3). Lineage or Descent
    Sometimes used in relation to human ancestry or physical descent (e.g.,Romans 9:3 “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.)
    But here the ‘body of flesh’ does not mean our human body of flesh and blood, but what Paul calls ‘the flesh’, that permanent propensity for evil that continues within us after conversion/baptism. The Christian can never see the body of flesh and bones as anything but good. Because God created man and said that it was created good.
    While I am in the body, the ‘flesh’ is in me, therefore we have an inevitable link between the two. The ‘flesh’ will be part of my experience until death.
    Every true disciple of Christ grieves over his fleshliness. The law is spiritual but I am carnal laments Paul. For though he loved the law, even as a Christian he could never attain it.
    The Danger at Hand
    Paul knew full well that the young believers at Colossae would be longing for freedom from the flesh. He also knows how open this will make them from deceptions that may be offered to them.
    The philosophies of this world would try to tell you that you can escape this body of flesh and experience purification here on earth. The new teachers may have well been offering what has often been called, “the new heart.”
    Paul’s response is that they already possess the only purification they will ever need, and it is only found in Jesus Christ. This circumcision without hands has already been made available through Jesus Christ.
    This purification is none other than the forgiveness of sins, the greatest blessing the world has ever known. The continued problem with many false teachings and traditions today is that Christ is not enough. His death for the sins of the world is not sufficient.
    In this redemption Christians have all that they could possibly need to bring their purification in this life. The problem is that in this world of sin the flesh still needs to daily be mortified.

    *We Mortify our Sins

    “Be Killing Sin or it Be Killing You” (John Owens)

    Mortification of Sin: Mortifying sin refers to the ongoing spirit-empowered process by which believers put to death sinful desires and behaviors in order to grow in holiness and conformity to Christ.
    Romans 8:13 ESV
    13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
    Galatians 5:24 ESV
    24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
    To Mortify Sin is to:
    Actively fight against the desires of the sinful flesh. 
    Deny sin its power and influence in your life. 
    Cut off the roots of sinful habits by confronting the heart-level issue behind your sin. 
    Rely on the Holy Spirit's power, not just will power, to gain victory. 

    2. He Conquered Our Death

    Jesus conquered the death that we deserved. He was the substitutionary atonement on the cross for your sins and my sins.
    Being baptized into Christ means sharing the benefits of HIs death as well as His resurrection.

    *You Were Buried

    Burial has been the marker of finality here on this earth since the earliest of times. Whether the burial takes place in the ground, in a shrine, or in a mausoleum . People gather to what is referred to a persons final resting place.
    However, you frame it, this is considered the marker that someone is no longer alive. The death that we experience here on this earth for the believer is only a temporary state.
    Notice that Paul speaks of our burial as “having been buried,” a past reality for the believer.
    The Apostle Paul, along with other New Testament writers, uses the phrase "fallen asleep" as a euphemism for death, particularly when referring to Christians. This phrase is not meant to be taken literally, but rather as a way to describe the temporary nature of death for believers, emphasizing the hope of resurrection and reunion with Christ. 
    Most prolifically Paul uses this expression in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15
    1 Thessalonians 4:13–15 ESV
    13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
    Christians are told that they are sharers in Christ’s burial. Therefore, they can claim that they have already died with Christ. Nothing can now separate the believer from the love of God in Christ.
    There would be no gospel at all if the Christian were only freed from the flesh in Christ and not freed from the condemnation. Again Paul is expressing to the Church that all that can be theirs in life is already available. Sin remains, but separation from God has gone.
    We know all to well that death is the enemy of all God’s creation because of the fall. Death is what separates a man from all that he knows and loves.
    The Spiritual Zombie Apocalypse
    Zombies are mythical undead creatures, typically depicted as reanimated corpses with a hunger for human flesh or brains. They are most famous today in horror movies and pop culture, but their origins go back centuries across several cultures. 
    The word zombie actually originated from the Haitian Creole or West African languages. In Haitian vodou, a zombi is a dead person revived by a bokor or sorcerer to serve as a slave. These zombies were not mindless flesh-eaters but living-dead beings with no will of their own, but were enslaved to the sorcerer's will. 
    Consider that the world today is in a sort of metaphorical zombie apocalypse, stemming from the fall in the Garden. Before we are buried and raised with Christ, we are dead people walking who are enslaved to the master of this world, which is Satan. 
    The Bible clearly teaches that all people are either servants (or slaves) of sin/Satan or servants (or slaves) of God/righteousness - there is no neutral ground.
    Romans 6:16–18 ESV
    Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
    1 John 3:7–8 ESV
    Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
    “The dead are now raised to new life in Christ.”

    *You were raised

    If you have been buried with Christ, then it is a given that you have been raised with Christ. The raising Paul is speaking of is due to our faith in the powerful working of God to bring life out of death. 
    Paul is now expressing the greatest manifestation of God’s power that has ever been on display by raising the dead to life. Paul wants Christians here to drop to their knees in awe and wonder at the power of God. Notice that this is through faith that we are raised to new life. Not by some new revelation or teaching that would add to or take away from the resurrection of Christ.
    It is the apostle Paul’s desire once again to drive home the point that in Christ, they have all that they need or can receive that is necessary for their death and resurrection. One day, that same power will raise the dead to life to that realm where there will be no more tears or tribulation to enjoy life beyond death. 

    3. He Gave Us Freedom

    “You were dead and now God has made you alive by cancelling the debt that was held against you by nailing it to the cross.
    Illustration: A man is locked in a prison cell on death row. He’s guilty. But one day the guard unlocks the door and says, “You’re free. Someone else took your punishment.”
    Point: We were spiritually imprisoned, awaiting judgment. But Jesus took our place. He didn’t just open the cell—He gave us a new life on the other side.
    We live in a world and society of perceived autonomy and freedom. In fact, the first Americans left the tyranny and rule of England to experience freedom from Government oversight and rule, specifically over their religiouse freedom to worship how they saw fit.
    Freedom from What and For What?
    The problem biblically speaking with the idea of freedom and autonomy is that people are not really free as they think of freedom.
    True freedom is not doing whatever we want - it’s the ability to live the way God designed us to live, without chains. Christ makes that possible for you and me through Christ ans His sacrifice on the cross.
    The world desires Freedom from anyone telling them what to do or how to live their lives. The world see’s freedom as the ultimate expression of themselves.
    However, scripture describes this kind of freedom as delusional and blinding. The great escape that the Bible speaks of is and escape from the delusion of this world into the light of Jesus Christ which offers true freedom.
    2 Corinthians 3:17 ESV
    Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
    The freedom that we experience in Christ means that we no longer live under the weight, guilt, or fear of God’s wrath, Jesus bore the punishment we deserved, so we now stand forgiven, accepted, and loved.

    *The Debt was Cancelled

    The certificate of our indebtedness is to be understood in terms of a promisary note. It acknowledges that we are bound to keep God’s laws and satisfy His rightful demands.
    The False Sense of Obligation over Freedom
    Many people feel this sense vows, resolutions, and obligations.
    It’s like the person who goes to a Billy Gram crusade or other evangelical event and feel a need to refresh or renew their obligations and commitments to God only to fall into righteous works based sense of freedom.
    It’s like the rich young ruler in scripture who had spent his whole life attempting to find freedom through his many righteous acts of the law. However, what Jesus required of Him did not come through the appearance of righteousness, it came through self-sacrifice, it came through abandoning the things of the world to find fulfilment in Christ alone. It came by recognizing that He owed a debt He could not pay and Jesus paid the enormous debt that he owed.
    The debt stands against us. It’s makes its legal, and inescapable demands.
    But Christ cancelled our bond, the word translated is whipped out, whipped away.
    Whether or not there was a wax surface on many ancient bonds, this cancellation implies the total obliteration of any mark, ‘jot or tittle’, that remains against us. The Bible preachers and writers use many metaphors to bring home to forgiven sinners that when God forgives, no stain on the soul remains.

    *The Debt was Set Aside

    “This He set aside, nailing it to the Cross.”
    God has taken away the debt by nailing it to the cross. We find no where in history where we see a nail driven through a bond or certificate of release from a debt.
    Illustration: Imagine a man who racks up a massive credit card bill—so large he could never repay it. One day he checks the account and sees it says, “PAID IN FULL.” Not because he earned it, but because someone else paid it on his behalf.
    Point: Our sins created an unpayable debt, but Jesus nailed that record to the cross. It is paid in full, not partially, not on layaway—completely wiped clean.
    Written accusation of the condemned.
    We have a picture a nailed sign above criminals who were crucified with every offense or charge that they were being executed for. It might serve as a justification for his sin as well as a warning to all others.
    In Jesus case the charges were meant to mock Him when he wrote Jesus King of the Jews. During crucifixion the one being crucified would be nailed to the cross to keep their body attached to the wooden beam until their life was extinguished.
    The very final breath or gasp of air into Jesus lungs declared that “it is finished” (Tetelestai, John 19:30). Jesus had fully accomplished all that was required and necesessary to save sinners. We read in Isiah 53:5 that “He was pierced for our transgressions…” and Romans 9 explains that through His blood, believers are justified.
    Tetelestai was a common term used in Jesus’ day, stamped on receipts to show a debt was paid in full. Jesus declared that the debt had been fully satisfied - no more sacrifices or works needed to earn Salvation.

    *The Powers were Disarmed

    At the cross when Jesus uttered the word’s “it is finished” He was also declaring that Satan’s power was now disarmed or defeated.
    “He disarmed the ruler and authorities of this world putting them to open shame.”
    Hebrews 2:14 ESV
    Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
    To know God is to be fully aware of the evil forces that dwell in the heavenly places and seek to destroy our lives. However, at the same time we must be careful that we do not make too much of the strong man and his armory.
    We know one who is infinitely stronger and more powerful. Through Christ this enemy and his minions have been rendered powerless and we have the greatest arsenal in the world has ever known at our disposal to do battle against his attacks.
    Ultimately, Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection from the grave secured our eternal redemption, but it sealed his enemies’ fate of eternal condemnation (Rev 20:10–15).

    *He Confirmed our Victory

    The final aspect of our identity is our triumph status.
    Too Many Christians Live as if They are Defeated
    Many Christians plod through life as if Satan has won the victory. They live defeated lives instead of celebrating the victory that has been won and secured through Christ alone.
    This goes back to the very first problem we diagnosed. We have a lack of understanding of our true identity which is in Christ.
    1). We fail to fully understand that we are new creations in Christ and no longer live in fear or guilt.
    2). We try to live the Christian life in our own strength. Instead of relying on the Holy Spirit, we try to live morally and spiritually upright lives by willpower alone. John 15:5 “Apart from Christ we can do nothing. (we need discipleship and community)
    3). We live in unconfessed and unrepentant sin. I believe this gives the acusor a foothold in our life to throw our sinfulness back in our face.
    Living a victorious Christian life does not mean that life is free from struggle. Remember in John 16:31 Jesus declared that in this world you would have tribulation but to take heart because He has overcome the world.
    In the ancient Roman world, when a general conquered an enemy, he would parade through the streets of Rome, displaying the defeated king or generals in chains. This “triumphal procession” publicly shamed the enemy and exalted the victor.
    Just as a conquering general paraded his victory, Jesus paraded His victory over Satan and demonic powers through the cross. What looked like weakness was actually divine triumph.
    It was a public humiliation to confirm and certify their victory over their enemies. We have all been given the ability to overcome the world. 1 John 5:4
    1 John 5:4 ESV
    For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
    CONCLUSION
    Ultimately, our walk with Christ must also overcome the temptation to find our identity in:

    What we know, What we can do, and What we have

    Our identity as believers is determined by:

    Who we know, What he has done, and what He offers

    God has now paraded Satan and his demons through the streets, as Jesus fell underneath the weight of the cross He carried to Calvary.
    He alone has put Satan to open shame as he was spit on and mocked by those looking on as he suffered on the cross.
    He is gearing up for the final battle where Satan will be defeated once and for all time.
    Grace, Grace, God’s Grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
    Grace, Grace, God’s Grace, Grace that is Greater than all my sins.

      • Colossians 2:16–23ESV

      • Galatians 5:1ESV

      • Hebrews 10:1ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 1:12–13ESV

      • John 5:39ESV

      • Galatians 3:24ESV

The Journey Church
mark@thejourneykilleen.com
3616557125
http://www.thejourneykilleen.com
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