Bible Materials

HE HAS RESCUED US

by   12/31/2008   Colossians 1:1~14

Message


Thank God for granting us Deuteronomy 6:5 as our key verse for 2009. May God bless our direction to love God through loving God’s word and personal obedience to him. Thank God that he has given us a chance to study Colossians. St. Paul wrote this book to protect Colossian Christian from false teachings that penetrated into the church of Colosse [(hollow and deceptive philosophy (2:4,8), Jewish ceremonial tradition (2:11, 16-17), angel worship (2:18-19), and asceticism (2:21,23)]. In this book he expounded the supremacy of Christ, who is the full demonstration of God and sufficient for our salvation. We are living in the post-modern era. Many people deny that Jesus is the only way of salvation. There are many religions, such as Buddhism, Islam, Bahai, and Kabbalah. People build their own Smorgasbord religions. They say that there are many roads that lead to the top of a mountain. Christianity is one of the many ways available for them. In this atmosphere our study of Colossians is very significant. May the Holy Spirit lead us into all the truths of the words in Colossians that we may clearly know who Christ is and be rooted and built up in him. May God raise truthful and influential Bible teachers for young people of this generation. First, faith, love and hope (1-8). Paul introduced himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. His identity as an apostle of Christ Jesus was undisputable given by the will of God. Paul and Timothy were sending this letter to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ Jesus at Colosse. He greeted with these words, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father.” Look at verses 3-5a. “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all saints—the faith and love that spring from the hope…” Usually people’s thanksgiving topics are for material blessings. But Paul’s thanksgiving topics are higher in dimension. He thanked God for Colossians’ faith, love and hope in heaven. Faith, love and hope are three essential elements in our life of faith. Faith is the basis for love and hope. Without faith we cannot have love and hope. Faith is to believe in Jesus Christ. To believe in Jesus is the major difference between Christianity and other religions. People of other religions believe the doctrine of their founders. But Christians believe in the person, Christ Jesus. Our faith is not memorizing some kinds of doctrines, but having a personal relationship with the person Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus is our Savior who saved us from sin and death through his death and resurrection. And we confess our faith in him. Our faith is based on our absolute trust in Jesus. He is our salvation and the source of strength and joy. He is our eternal security. Therefore to believe in Jesus means to love him, to rely on him, and to trust in him. The personal relationship between Jesus and us on the basis of faith is not to be a dead one but a living one. Our relationship with Jesus can be compared to a marriage relationship. A man and a woman marry and establish a love and trust relationship. They are married not only in legal terms but also in their relationship. If they do not take care of their relationship together, it will be ruined. A married couple should make effort to develop their love and trust relationship continually by serving one another humbly and taking up each one’s own cross. In the same way, to develop our relationship with Jesus through faith, we need to make a constant effort to know him through our life of faith and spirit, as Paul said, “I want to know Christ.” So faith is not something static, rather dynamic. It is something that is to live and develop continually. Faith and love has a close relationship. True faith produces true love. “The love you have for all the saints” this love is a pure and sacrificial love. In the end times love grows cold (Mt 2:11). All people of the world are seeking for pure and true love. Those who express their faith through love are really beautiful (Gal 5:6). Look at verse 5. “the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel.” Hope is a source of power for our life. People can endure all kind of trials and hardships when they have hope. Our faith in Christ Jesus is personal. But our hope is really personal. The hope that is stored up for us in heaven and that we have already heard about in the gospel is truly amazing. This hope is not a vague hope we do not know. We heard about it and clearly know it, though not completely. It is stored up for us in heaven. Peter said in 1 Peter 1:3 regarding this hope, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the kept dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or faith—kept in heaven for you.” We will inherit the imperishable, glorious kingdom of God and live there forever. This is a living hope while all other hopes in the world (human love, honour, and wealth) are dead hopes or false hopes ending in death. On top of the inheritance of the kingdom of God all our sinful nature be changed and moulded beautiful like that of Jesus (1 Cor 15:49). We will be full of love and gentleness and obedient spirit. What an amazing and glorious hope! With this hope our faith in Christ and love for others can be renewed and grow. Those who have this faith, love and hope are truly happy and beautiful and precious people in this world. When God said in Genesis, “Be fruitful and increase in number,” God wanted this kind of people to fill the earth. St. Paul thanked for the Colossian believers who have such faith, love and hope. Through the truth of the gospel of Christ Jesus they could obtain such virtues. When the gospel is heard and understood, such a thing can happen. Second, being filled with the knowledge of God’s will (9-12a). The Colossian Christians had faith, love and hope in Christ Jesus. Then, what else did they need? What did Paul pray for them? Look at verse 9. “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Paul prayed for them to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. Why was this prayer important? We must know the importance to know God’s will as those who received his blessing. When the Jews did not know God’s will, the people of God became an enemy of God by crucifying his Son Jesus on the cross. They have been many Christians who turned out to be enemies of the gospel. Paul said in Philippians 3:18, “For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.” First of all, God’s will is world mission to save all people of the world. God has been blessing UBF ministry because it obeyed Jesus’ world mission command. In this grand purpose we pray that Canada be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, and Toronto, a holy city. In this prayer God wants us to build up his church in each respective mission field. We do this by practically feeding campus students through 1:1 study, which is God’s specific mission given to us. Saving one soul is the will of God. Also, personally God’s will for each of us is to grow in the image of Christ. God’s will can be more specific for the individuals. One can be a medical doctor shepherd or missionary, another, a dentist or businessman, professor, lawyer, engineer, etc. For this, now our students study hard, learning shepherd life at the same time. In all these things, one important thing is to be God-centred with the prayer, “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” So what a wonderful prayer it is to ask God to fill them with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. In reality to know God’s will was not easy for the Colossians, because at that time they were surrounded by false teachers. Also, their human selfish desires were great hindrance to know God’s will. The same is true with us. To know the will of God one really needs discernment. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Those who do the will of God are great and truly blessed. For 1 John 2:17 says, “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” May we discern and do the will of God with understanding and conviction in this generation. Paul’s prayer went further. Look at verses 10-12a. “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to this glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father...” Paul prayed that the Colossians Christians might live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power of faith and joyfully giving thanks to the Father. Third, he rescued us (12b-14). Look at verse 12b. “…the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” In this world qualification is important. At that time the qualification to be a Roman citizen was great. Some obtained it with money, some others, through achievement, still others from birth. In our time also, qualification is important. Barack Obama is qualified to enter the oval office, for he was elected to be the 44 president of USA. Then how about entering the kingdom of light? It will be truly glorious to enter the kingdom of light and share in the heritance of the saints in it. Who can be qualified for this? Among human beings no one is qualified. No human qualification would reach the standard to enter the kingdom of the light. The qualification comes from God. God did something amazing for our qualification? What is it? Look at verses 13,14. “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” In order to qualify us for the kingdom of light God did a rescuing work. Rescuing work is very risky, life-risking. In the movie “uncommon valor” a rich father gambled his huge oil company for the rescuing work of his son who had been a POW. It was reported that 360 9/11 rescue workers had since died of various diseases (New York State health officials in May 2008 report). One major in an army momentarily noticed that a grenade was dropped in front of his company soldiers, and sensed that all would be killed in several second. Then he threw his body on the grenade and, covering it. At that moment his body was shattered into pieces but all of his soldiers were safe. What a rescuing work! He showed the spirit of Christ as a sincere Christian. For our eternal rescuing work God sent his one and only Son to be crucified and die on the cross. The Son’s body was torn apart on the cross, and his whole blood was spilt. It was the redemption price for our sins. The full and sufficient payment was made for the perfect forgiveness of our sins. The Son died and rose again from the dead as the sure proof of his atoning death and victory over sin and Satan. In this way God rescued us from the dominion of darkness that is the ruling power of sin and Satan, the most powerful dominion in the world. It was through our faith in the Son. One young boy had an introverted character and did not know the meaning of life nor did he have a clear purpose to study. His heart was dark and sinful. He attended a church to experience the real God. He was faithful and sincere in his effort. However, he only became legalistic and felt God’s punishment. He was dreaded for his destiny and became a prisoner of fear. His heart was fearful and gloomy; his way of thinking was fatalistic with the thought of premonition. He strongly felt that he was under the unknown power of darkness and evil spirits. He was tempted time and again to destroy himself. In sorrow his soul groaned day and night for 6 years. God had mercy on him and led him to Bible study. As he heard and accepted the gospel of Jesus’ salvation and blessing, he was rescued from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of the Son. His soul was freed ad rejoiced. Since then he learned that he had a clear meaning and purpose of life in God and was called to live for the sake of Jesus and his gospel. His life goal has been to please and glorify the Son through his life of mission and work of faith. Verse 13 says, “…he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son…” It is very important to know where he brought us. (We must know the meaning of bringing, “methistemi in Greek, “transferring” in NASB). He brought us into the kingdom of his Son from the dominion of darkness. He did not bring us into a desert or a neutral znoe (in the middle between the two ). No. He brought us into the kingdom of the Son. We were transferred. We are not in the dominion of darkness anymore. Those who are in the dominion of darkness are headed toward the eternal darkness and destruction. The power of darkness has no more dominion on us. The darkness has no more legal right of dominion upon us. Now we are in the kingdom of his Son, where the Son rules. S. Bushy was brought from Sudan to Canada. Now she is not under the dominion of Sudan but the dominion of Canada. She drinks Canadian water and breathes Canadian air, air Canada. She lives and moves in Canada. In the same way, since we were transferred into the kingdom of the Son, we breathe in the Son and live and move and have our being in the Son’s kingdom. We have 100% legal right of this transpose. We must claim this utmost blessing and actively live in the Son each day. Then how should we do in the kingdom of the Son? Those who are rescued can be rescue workers. Now they engage in the battle between the dominion of darkness and the kingdom of the Son. Paul testified in Acts 26:17b,18 to Jesus’ rescuing purpose. Jesus said to him, “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” God wants us to expand the kingdom of the Son through engaging in the rescuing work, which is the most urgent and important work in this world. Thank and praise God for his rescuing work through his Son Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemption through his complete and enough sacrifice. He rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son. We have the qualification of entering in the kingdom of light to share the inheritance of the saints. May we thankfully and positively live in the Son’s kingdom. In the knowledge of his will we may be willingly participate in his rescuing work so that the kingdom of the Son, the kingdom of Christ be expanded in this world until the kingdom of this world become the kingdom of Christ, the Son.



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