The Believer’s Biography

Biographies are something that intrigue us. We love to read (perhaps watch or listen) about the lives of others, particularly those who have had great impact or unusual life experiences. We read biographies of war generals, runaway slaves, astronauts, presidents, Christain leaders throughout time. We do it when someone dies (obituary). And although biographies may touch on early life, hobbies, etc. They primarily focus on the big events in someones life. A large battle, the heroic journey, the thing perhaps they were known for. The large elements that make up what they felt, how they thought, who they really were.

While of course no two biographies would ever be the same, the believers biography, their story, share the same milestone events. All believers, whether the colossian believer 2000 years ago or you today, share these three realities.

Turn with me to Colossians 1. This week we will be looking at the final 3 verses of the 1st chapter of Colossians. The last couple of times we spent looking at this cosmic Christ, this beloved son, who created all things and who is the head of the church, the firstborn from the dead, the Godman who is reconciling all things to himself. This week we’re going to look at the personal reality of reconciliation and what has happened to these Colossians and what also has happened to us if we are in Christ.

Who you were

Your former position

Who You Are

Your current status

Who You’ll Be

Your final journey

Who you were

Alienated and hostile (enemies) in mind - Estranged

Not necessarily gentile - No racial distinction in surrounding context

Ephesians 2:12 “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

Alienated from God

“Everyone is a child of God”

Eph 2 Children of wrath

“I believe most people are good”

Our former state is that we were enemies of God

Even if we didn’t “feel” hostility

Sin doesn't simply upset God, it separates us from him

Myth of neutrality. We were not neutral toward God, we were hostile toward him

Evil deeds

Ray comfort - “are you a good person” 10 commandments

Evil deeds flow out of a hostile heart

Why is this here? Why Paul? Why bring up my past? Why stir up all the guilt & shame I have from who I was before? Why not just tell my of my reconciliation?

Most have heard the story of John Newton. John Newton was a pastor and writer of the famous hymn amazing grace. He was saved when a storm rolled in and threatened to sink his ship. He cried out to God for mercy and his life was spared. Prior to his conversion to Christianity, Newton was a wicked man. He was a blasphemer - mocked God & the Gospel , drunk, promiscuous, worked in the slave trade, he was extremely profane and crude. It was said that even the other sailors were shocked at his profaneness.

What many may not know about Newton is that above his desk he hung the verse Deuteronomy 15:15 “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.” You see, Newton never wanted to forget the wicked man he was because it was in the midst of his wickedness that he was redeemed

Near the end of his life Newton said this

“My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things very clearly:that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.”

You want to know why Paul is reminding us of who we WERE… It is there to demonstrate the great chasm that exists between us and God and the great love that is displayed in the cross

The woman in Luke 7. Jesus is with a Pharisee and woman of the city comes over and washes jesus feet with her hair and tears and pours ointment on them and kissed them. The pharisee is disgusted by this. Jesus tells the story of two debtors. One $60,000 one $6,000. “Who will love him more?” “The larger debt”

This is forgiveness, not reconciliation. Same?

Remembering who you were ought to fuel your love your Christ out of his great mercy

The bitter the past the sweeter the grace

Your shame over who you were puts the focus on you and off of Christ

Remember who you were, Christian

So now that we’ve seen who we were, let’s look at who we are.

But before that I want to say a quick word to those who are not believers in here today.

If you are not a Christian, this is where the journey pauses for you.

The reality is, who you were is still who you are. Religion, moralism, effort, does not change the reality of your status before God.

But it can, the invitation of the Gospel is that you can go from alientated, enemy, child of wrath to, reconciled, friend, child of God by believing on Jesus

Who you are

Paul transitions from “you were this” with “he has (but) now” reconciled…

You who were alienated have been joined, who were enemies have not been friends, who were evil have now been made righteous

Elements of reconciliation

It’s finished

It’s costly

It’s effectual

It’s finished

“has now” past tense. “reconciled” past tense.

This reconciliation between us and God is finished. There is no more that can be done in order to accomplish reconciliation.

2. It’s costly

“in his body of flesh by his death”

Your reconciliation with God is different from other reconciliations.

You may have an estranged relationship and go to reconcile by both apologizing and saying how you were wrong.

This estrangement is not a two party issue. We alone have fractured the relationship by our sin and estranged ourselves from God

Now the question is; if we are the party to estrange ourselves from God then who should be the one to pay the cost for reconciliation

Although it ought be us, the reality is the cost is paid for by the offended party.

Jesus pays the price that we owe for the alienation that we caused.

That is why reconciliation is all the work of God. We didn’t want to pay it! and even if we did we never could.

Reconciliation was costly and Jesus has paid the price out of his own pocket

The cost was his life.

“IN HIS BODY OF FLESH BY HIS DEATH

3. It’s eternal (mission, goal, design, purpose,etc)

“In order” the purpose behind the reconciling work of Jesus

To present you (legal language)

Judgement seat

Holy, Blameless, Above Reproach (free from accusation)

without stain, fault, pure,

The purpose of the reconciling work of Christ is to present you righteous before God. This is why Paul can call the Colossians “saints”in vs 2

What a change of position

From alienated, hostile, evil doers to holy, blameless and free from all accusation.

MORE

The reality of our justification is the aim of our sanctification

Who you’ll be

The biography of a true believer in Christ is one that includes their perseverance

Condition & solution

Paul says “if”

Conditional statement

if what

If you continue in the faith

Is this saying you can lose your salvation? That you can lose your reconciliation? That you can be transferred from the kingdom of the beloved son back into the kingdom of darkness?

By no means. Paul isn’t introducing the theology that you can fall from grace and lose your salvation.

Let me show you why I say that.

Vs 5 “hope laid up (stored up, reserved) for you in heaven

It’s done for you, it’s guarded by God

Same language as Peter

1 Peter 1:3–5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

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

Colossians 1:13 “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”

Colossians 1:14 “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

You WERE once, Now you ARE

Colossians 3:12 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,”

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Romans 8:38 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,”

Paul is not saying “if” as possibility, he is saying “if” as proof

The proof that one is reconciled, the proof that one is forgiven, the proof that one has been transferred into the kingdom of the beloved son, the proof that one is a saint is in their perseverance.

A follower of Jesus will prove themselves to be a follower of Jesus by enduring until the end.

1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”

But we do not want to diminish the apostles words. Paul is concerned for the perseverance of these Colossian believers.

The letter was written to correct the error

Colossians 2:18 “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,”

The solution

How do you continue in the faith

Positively & Negatively

Positively

Be stable & steadfast

Stable / established

Foundation or grounding

Man who built his house on the foundation of the rock

Steadfast

Firm / immovable

Positively we endure by grounding & tethering ourselves to the gospel

Negatively

Not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard

The false teachers in this day are trying to shift you from the hope of the gospel

The devil doesn't need you to do a 180 and worship him, he is just fine if you shift a few degree from the hope of the gospel.

Jesus plus

Negatively, we endure by never shifting from the gospel.

Throughout the ages there have been attacks on the gospel and attempts to shift those away from the hope of the gospel

Trinity

Humanity of Christ

The deity of Christ

Salvation is through works

The historicity of resurrection

You name it

We fix our eyes on Christ and stare at him until dimly until we see him fully

At first read, it seems strange to put this last clause “which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven”

A few options

The gospel has been proclaimed in all of creation already

Not true.

Romans 15:20 “and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,”

God’s revelation in creation

A pointing to a future reality

Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Exaggeration for emphasis

Acts 2:5 “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.”

He has said that Christ is reconciling “all things” in “the whole creation”

Paul is saying this is the global solution to the global problem

Similar to vs 6

Colossians 1:6 “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,”

This is the gospel for all of the globe. and it’s proclamation is as good as being proclaimed everywhere because it will be.

Paul says he’ a minister of this gospel, and we’ll look at Pauls ministry next week, but the reality is we are all ministers of the gospel. We are all called to proclaim this wonderful truth to every nation under heaven.

So it is that we can say with the Colossians

You were an enemy, remember

You’ve been reconciled, rejoice

God will keep you, persevere

This is a global gospel, proclaim