His Work for You

Introduction

After Paul tells them what his prayer is for them he moves on to remind them of what Christ has done for them. The whole line of reasoning Paul is using to speak to the church of Colossae is that Christ should be preeminent in their life. To do this he has told them that he should be first in their lives, he has prayed for them to have knowledge of Christ, be obedient to Christ, and have the strength to endure. Now, he moves to remind them of the great work that Christ did for them.

He reminded them that Christ Delivered them from Darkness.

When a person does not know Jesus as their personal Savior then they walk in darkness and they are under the power of darkness. No matter how much morality a person has, without Christ a person is under the power of darkness.

The people of the church of Colossae were not, in general, people of high morality. As we have talked about before they were steeped in idolatry. Idolatry led people into immorality. This kind of heathen behavior led them down the path of darkness.

Jesus Christ delivered them from the power of that darkness and put them on a road toward godliness. The people of Colossae were not delivered by their own works, they were not delivered by Epaphras, and they were not delivered by false teachers. The church of Colossae was delivered from the power of darkness by Jesus Christ. When we think about dividing our loyalties we must remember who delivered us.

He reminded them that Christ Redeemed them with his Blood.

The fact that Jesus Christ died on the cross, shed his blood, and sacrificed himself so that all those that believe could be redeemed is not a new thought. It is however, the greatest thought in human history. It is this thought that Paul wanted to remind the church of Colossae about.

He makes plain that Christ redeems people. Christ made the sacrifice for their sin. Christ shed his blood. Christ died for them. Don’t be distracted from this thought by false teachers that are now selling you a different gospel, a false gospel, and a destructive gospel. Remember who bled and died for you.

Sometimes we seem to get distracted by other things in this life. At times it is sin, at times it is other people, and at other times it is shiny things. Whatever it is that may be distracting you from Jesus Christ you must turn away from it and get your eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ saved you. He redeemed you with his own blood. He sacrificed himself for you. Is he the center of your life? Is he number one? Because while he was dying on the cross he was thinking of you.

He reminded them that Christ Forgave their Sins.

Deliverance, Redemption and forgiveness are all the things that Christ offers to everyone who chooses to believe in him. In Christ we have deliverance from darkness, in Christ we are redeemed back to God, and in Christ we are forgiven of all our sins. Christ is the center. Christ gets the glory. Christ gets the preeminence. All of this is because he chose to forgive us from our sin when we placed our faith and trust in him. This is his work for you.

Conclusion

Salvation is not a work that we do for ourselves. It is a work that Christ has done for us. If you have not been born again I want you to know that nothing that you have done prevents you from turning from the power of darkness to the person of Christ who shed his blood and sacrificed himself for you so that you could be redeemed back to God and forgiven of your sin. All you must do is trust in Christ alone for salvation.

If you have been saved then you need to ensure that that Christ has the preeminence in your life. He delivered you, he redeemed you, and he forgave you of your sin. He gave you a home in heaven. He saved you from Hell. He offers you his friendship, his love, his grace, and his mercy. He has done a great work for you. What place will he have in your life as a result?