Thank God I'm In His Kingdom

Text

Colossians 1:9–14 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Colossians 1:9–14 NLT

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Introduction

One important aspect about doing anything in the Kingdom is recognizing what it took to get us to this place.

We can find ourselves growing in our appreciation, devotion and commitment in the kingdom, when we see what it took to get us here.

The Colossians

The NT can be described as a document that provides the answers to questions, but not the questions.

This introduces a level of difficulty in ascertaining why the writer wrote what he wrote

The letter (circulatory) to the Colossians aims to ensure it’s readers never cease growing into a Christ-like character

Colossians 1:10 “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

Colossians 2:6–7 “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

Colossians 3:1–2 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

Being a faithful christian is not just [services, ministry, roles etc.] - It’s a life-long commitment to live like the Son

The Colossian Problem

The issue is that there are ome FALSE notions, ideologies, doctrines that threaten the faithfulness of brethren

The thing that will threaten your faithfulness to Christ is your understanding of Christ’s nature and Christ’s work.

It’s not because your brother/sister cursed you in the streets/store

If you knew Christ, you would know he faced the same thing but STAYED THE COURSE

It’s not becausee someone was being fake

Jesus said, “Have I not chosen you the twelve and one of you is a devil”

This is why he warns:

Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

Colossians 2:16 “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—”

The Colossian (Encouragement?)

[Read vs. 3-8]

This is the backdrop for vs.9 “for this reason”

What we see here is a church that responded well to the sound teaching given by Epaphras (vs. 7)

Then Paul says. . .

Colossians 1:9 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

#1 Thank God for Development

Paul prays for INCREASE

They know, but Paul prays that they grow in knowledge

They bear fruit, but Paul prays that they keep bearing fruit

APPL. It does not matter how long you’ve been in the church, how much degrees you have, how much classes you’ve been in there’s still some room for increase.

Then he says, “joyously giving thanks”

Why?

Colossians 1:12 “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.”

God made us fit/suitable to share in this

There was a time we did not/could not make the cut

#2 Thank God I was Delivered

How did God casue us to make the cut?

He “rescued us from the domain of darkness”

Why does Paul call it a rescue?

You do not have to be rescued from something pleasant

DARKNESS is something we needed to be delivered from

Understanding “darkness” the way Jews did

Genesis 1:1–2 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”

It was not just an absence of light, it was an absence of God (Chaos amd Emptiness)

John 1:1–5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

So darkness did not just mean no lights, “current gone”

The statement “The House of Darkness”

A Jew in Near Eastern culture and a Trini would have different interpretations of this statement.

This understanding carried over into the NT

2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

Acts 26:18 “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’”

The Darkness

It’s Real

It’s the realm of Satan’s operation and rule

It wants to extend and maintain what it has

#3 Thank God I was Deposited

Colossians 1:13 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,”

God didn’t just rescue you, He deposited you, He “transferred” you

The word means:

Place in another way

Change direction

God put you in a place of change

APPL. God has positioned you to make a difference, He positioned you to influence somebody to turn to Him.

God needed somewhere to put you, because He couldn’t leave you in the dark

The way that God’s rule is maintained in my life is by continued aherance to what He says

Being in the Kingdom must change you. You must look more like light when you are in the Kingdom.

And, at some point we need to see if it changes the people around us.

The Kingdom is the sphere of God’s power and influence. This is where I must stand. This is what we must build.

Thank God we’re in the Kingdom

A place of protection and purpose

The Call