What does Jesus do with all that power?

Read Colossians 1:21-22 “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—”

Introduction

What would you do if you won the lottery?

I would probably buy a house.

But here are some things actual lottery winners bought as soon as they won:

After winning $319 million in Mega Millions, John Kutey bought a $30 million water park

After winning $25 million Bob Erb, donated $1 million to 420 day which supports legalizing marijuana

After winning $5 million Evelyn Adams took it to casino and literally gambled it all away and is now penniless in a trailer park.

Not gonna lie, pretty disappointing things that people did with all that money.

Now, people often say that money = power.

So in that sense, looking at our previous 2 sermons: that Jesus has all power, today we are going to answer the question:

What does Jesus do with all that power?

1. He reconciles (v.21-22a)

As we said before, reconciliation requires an existing conflict between two groups.

There is a conflict between Jesus and another.

So Paul explains this conflict by introducing the other in v.21, ‘and you’.

After 9 verses of explaining who Jesus is, he now shifts 3 verses to you.

Because the Bible is all about Jesus.

You see, when you read the Bible, if you read it to find out how it can help you rather than reading it to learn more about God to grow your relationship with Him, you have the priorities reversed.

Come to God’s Word for the Lord not for yourself.

It’s the constant selfish thinking about ourselves that brings pain in our lives.

Jeremiah 17:9–10 (NKJV)

“The heart is deceitful above all things,

And desperately wicked;

Who can know it?

I, the Lord, search the heart,

I test the mind,

Even to give every man according to his ways,

According to the fruit of his doings.

That’s why coming to the Bible with a focus on yourself is hurtful, because your heart lies to you.

Instead of choosing what to read in the Bible, based on what problem you have, stick with reading an entire book in the Bible like Mark, and when the next day comes, just read the next chapter!

Because we think we know what the problem is, but in reality only God actually knows what we need.

And when you come to God’s Word to worship Him, He takes care of us and our problems.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

And speaking of taking care of our problems we have some really bad ones.

As Paul says, ‘and you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works’

Here, he refers to our past lives by saying, ‘who once’.

What is said about us here, was once upon a time.

That we were alienated.

Or in other words separated or isolated from God.

An example of this was King Uzziah who Pastor Neville preached about a few Sundays ago in 2 Chronicles 26:21

2 Chronicles 26:21 (NKJV)

King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord.

Just like how lepers were separated in isolation from the rest of society because of their uncleanliness, we were also separated from God because of our uncleanliness though not because of leprosy, but because of sin.

We dwelt in complete loneliness.

My whole life before Christ, I was constantly lonely.

Literally.

I grew up with just my mom and she had to work 7 days a week so we can both live.

So what that meant was that I was constantly alone at home all the time.

It was truly depressing.

But you see, there is one more problem we have that Paul describes.

He calls us ‘enemies’.

Alienation was referring to our separation, but enemies refers to our personal hatred of God.

That’s right, before Jesus, we all personally hated God.

That’s what Paul calls us in Romans 1:30 in his list of our wicked deeds:

Romans 1:30 (NKJV)

backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

Now, you might be thinking, ‘I didn’t hate God. I didn’t join the atheist club or post hateful comments about God online.’

But James 4:4 says,

James 4:4 (NKJV)

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Loving worldly things, money, materialism, power, or being worshipped by others online on social media are all examples of being friends with the world.

Isn’t that what Peter did?

When he chose to become friends with the world by being warmed by the fire with them instead of siding with Jesus, didn’t he deny Jesus three times?

What Jesus taught was true in Matthew 6:24,

Matthew 6:24 (LSB)

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Instead of denying this, we must accept the sobering reality that before Jesus we all personally hated Him.

And it’s because of our isolation and hatred for Jesus it showed up in the way we used to think and behave, which is why Paul says, ‘in mind and in evil deeds’.

Years ago, I met a man in his mid to late twenties.

He lived with his dad, but was mostly alone.

And at times when he was with other people, he would go into a hateful rage.

No one wanted to be around him.

He was just this lonely hateful guy.

I’m sure all of you can think of someone that awful that no one ever wants to be around.

That’s us.

Thats who we were and that’s who Jesus saw.

And what do most people do, when they are bigger, stronger, richer and look at people like this?

Especially in middle and high school, people with the upper-hand bully people like this.

But that’s not what Jesus did.

As Paul says, ‘yet now He has reconciled you'

I like other translations that say but instead, Colossians 1:22

Colossians 1:22 (LSB)

but now He reconciled you

Because it brings out the monumental change from such a dark past to beautiful and bright future.

A beautiful and bright future where there is reconciliation.

We talked about this before so I’m going to ask:

What does reconciliation mean?

Reconciliation simply mean restoring a broken relationship.

Now some of you have seen and experienced reconciliation at camp.

I’m not going to name names.

But whether you experienced it at camp or not.

Everyone here has had a conflict with another, where you and another stop talking to each other because of conflict.

And if you made up and started talking again and become positive with one another, that is reconciliation.

We see this in the parable of the prodigal son, where the prodigal and his father stop talking, but it ends with a joyful celebration at the end because the prodigal came back to his good father.

And that is what Jesus did to us.

Instead of completely destroying us and wiping us out, which He would have been right for doing, He reconciles us to Himself.

But how does Jesus do this?

You see most people when they reconcile sometimes they say sorry, or someone does something to make up for the wrong they did, or a long time has passed.

Jesus does neither.

Instead, He flips human reconciliation on its head and does a marvelous thing to make up not for the wrong He did, but for the wrong we did.

See, if someone did something wrong to me, and it was completely their fault, I wouldn’t do anything, I would wait for them to make up for what they did.

But Jesus, who was completely innocent of any wrongdoing, humbly and sacrificially made up for our wrong.

Incredible.

But again how exactly?

Paul says in v.22, ‘in the body of His flesh through death’

Jesus literally sacrificed His body.

He took on human flesh, so that He can truly be the substitute for our sins.

And put it to death on the cross.

And so students, rejoice in the beautiful reconciliation, our all powerful and all mighty God, Jesus did for us.

That instead of destroying wretched trolls under the bridge like us.

He reconciled us so that we can enjoy this amazing relationship with Him forever.

That is grace.

And if Jesus reconciled people like us, we must also be willing to forgive and reconcile with others.

Especially when we are in the waiting position of a conflict.

If you right now, have bitterness, and unforgiveness, towards someone and are being a bully by refusing to forgive and reconcile, repent.

Come down the high ground, like Jesus who came down from the heavens.

And forgive because Jesus forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Because Jesus even with all that power chose to reconcile you.

There is one more thing that Jesus does with all that power:

2. He presents you before God acceptable in His sight (v.22-23)

That’s what we see here in the rest of v.22, ‘to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight

The things that we buy undergo a crucial process called quality control.

Quality control is a process that ensures that there are no defects or imperfections in the final product.

Many of you have smartphones.

They are small and highly intricate devices where one small thing can ruin the whole phone.

In fact, one iPhone requires 1200 people to inspect and ensure that it is flawless.

But one human being only requires One to ensure that he is flawless: Jesus.

And that’s because Jesus being God, having all power can perfectly inspect and ensure that we are flawless because He sees all things.

Now the combination of these words: holy, blameless, and above reproach in His sight all hearken back to the OT when a priest must ensure that the animal brought to him was spotless and without blemish the sight of the priest.

Above reproach means that no one can accuse you or find wrong in you.

So Jesus as our high priest makes sure that we are set apart and spotless like a lamb and as our advocate make us completely guilt free.

So that when you meet your creator after death, you will have no fear or worry of entering His kingdom because He makes you completely acceptable in His sight.

This is divine quality control.

So what does Jesus do with all that power?

Instead of using it all for Himself, He uses it for the good of others.

He uses it for you.

He makes sure we make it all the way to the end.

Even though Jesus has all power, He sacrifices His high and lofty status for our sake, because He is selfless.

So live life only to please God and no one else.

We were made in Jesus, through Jesus and for Jesus.

At the end of our life, the only approval that actually matters is whether Jesus accepts us at the end of our life.

And He will because He uses all His power to ensure that we are acceptable in His sight in the end.

So live life to please God and no one else.

But that doesn’t mean we do nothing.

In fact quite the opposite.

Look at v.23, ‘if indeed you continue in the faith’

You see the Gospel is a living thing.

It brings about a response among those who believe.

It creates movement and life.

It creates perseverance.

True believers continue in the faith, and persevere all the way to the end.

So as a believer hearing this you need to continue in the faith.

What does this continuing in the faith look like?

Paul says, ‘grounded and steadfast and are not moved away’

Grounded and steadfast refer to a building with a good and deep foundation that cannot be moved by anything.

Wind and rain cannot move a building that is grounded and steadfast.

False teaching and temptations cannot move a Christian that has strong foundations and because of those foundations become immovable.

What is the strong foundation for Christians?

Paul tells us, ‘ from the hope of the gospel which you heard’

Our foundation is the certainty of the good news of grace our all powerful Jesus brought us.

The gospel that you already heard from your parents, other people at church, and pastors.

Continue in that.

Stay in Jesus.

John 15:5 (NKJV)

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

You can do nothing unless you stay in Jesus.

But if you stay in Him you will bear fruit.

Continue in the faith not out of fear of losing your salvation, because Jesus has already sealed your eternal life forever.

You can’t lose it.

Philippians 1:6 says,

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

He already reconciled you.

But instead continue in the faith because it is the natural response of staying with Jesus.

Stay with Jesus and just watch the fruit of continuing in the faith grow.

But not only will your faith continue, it will also spread like wildfire.

Paul concludes, ‘which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.’

The LSB provides a better translation Col 1:23

Colossians 1:23 (LSB)

which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

What Paul is simply saying here, is that the gospel that spreads to all people effects not only all people but also everything in existence, as Jesus will restore all the corruption in creation.

And the gospel is led by ministers like Paul and pastors in the church.

And from the pastors, finally to you.

You will also be a light to the world and spread Jesus’ gospel to the world.

The Christian life is not about sitting all day in a room and listening to the Bible.

It’s supposed to go out of these 4 walls.

After learning the grace and kindness of Jesus who has all power but used it to serve you instead, go continue in the faith and spread it to everyone you know.

Conclusion

It’s widely known that many lottery winners end up broke or dead.

Jack Whittaker after winning $315 million in the lottery, both his daughter and granddaughter died to drug overdosage.

Many times these lottery winners don’t know what to do with all that money.

But Jesus knows what to do with all that power.

He uses it selflessly for you.

Let’s pray.