17-6-25, Jesus Saved Your Life, The Secret of Life, Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22
The Secret of Life • Sermon • Submitted
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Series Review
Everyone is in search for the Secret of Life! We want our lives to have meaning and satisfaction, so we search out that one thing that we believe will give this lasting fullness.
But this is
The Secret of Life, discovering that one thing that will give your life lasting fullness.
But this is easier said than done. We chase many things, good things, which fill us to the brim, but these can only satisfy for a little while. Then we are on the hunt again. Oh, is there anything that can give us enduring fullness?
When we ask Scripture, “What is the Secret of Life?” It doesn’t hesitate with its answer.
God wants us to know what that one thing is. The book of Colossians tells us, “Jesus Christ.”
He is the one who fills us to the brim with meaning and purpose. The fullness He brings constantly flows into us, forever and ever. Even when everything else is gone.
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Scripture says,
The secret of life is to bind yourself to Christ so you can experience life to the fullest.
Scripture says, The secret of life is to bind yourself to Christ so you can experience life to the fullest.
The secret of life is to bind yourself to Christ so you can experience life to the fullest.
God promises us that if we will believe in Jesus with all of our hearts, and if we will seek the Son, we will find in our hearts the fullness we’re looking for.
In order to believe in Jesus with our heart of hearts, we’re searching Colossians for what to believe about Him.
Last week, we discovered that in order to be full,
You must believe Jesus Christ is pre-eminent over everything.
You must believe Jesus Christ is pre-eminent over everything.
This week there is a second principle. In order to be full,:
You must believe Jesus Christ has saved your life and brought you to safety.
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians
10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
If you’re like me, you want your life to be happy, rich, and full of meaning, right?
Cornerstone/Keystone
Colossians 10-12
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Let’s look at Colossians
You want your life to count, not something that turns out to be wasted, hollow.
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
To understand what this passage says, I want to answer some questions that relate to the born again believer.
Where were you?
1. Vs. 13 says
You were in the domain of darkness.
That sounds a scary doesn’t it. This is a very serious thing
Paul is speaking about our spiritual place. Domain of darkness is not referring to a geographical place but to a sovereignty. It describes the shadow of someone’s rule.
The domain of darkness is the sovereignty of the enemies of man: Satan, sin, and death.
1 Satan, sin, and death.
Paul affirms this concept of domain of darkness in . He explains God called him to tell the gospel to non-Jews- Gentiles, in order...
18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
In the domain of darkness, you and I were under the power of...
16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
1. Satan
A. The devil is a life-thief. He’s a hater, a killer, and a liar. He wants to destroy you and make you ill. He ambition is to make you pointless and without meaning. He is the opposite of God.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
B. The devil works to keep you separated from God.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
Alienated means he kept you in the domain of darkness and away from the kingdom of God, with its blessings and life.
Imagine a kingdom with a brilliant castle and fortified walls. People in the city are blessed by the goodness of the good king. Yet outside the castle walls lay the dark forest where evil resides. You were in the forest and the devil kept you from finding the kingdom.
Not that you would want to go into the kingdom anyway. Under Satan’s spell you were hostile in mind toward God and His ways. You were an enemy of God.
Why? His laws countered what you wanted. They revealed you are not inherently good. They hold you accountable.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
2. Sin In the domain of darkness, you were captive to sin. In your resentment toward God, we lashed out at God through sin. “Doing evil deeds” as Paul puts it. You were serving the desire of your body and your depraved mind.
When you came across God’s laws, instead of causing you to repent, they hardened your heart.
B. In the domain of darkness, you were captive to sin. In your resentment toward God, you lashed out toward God by knowingly doing the things you know He hates- solidifying your position as an outlaw.
Yet, indulging in sin was not so much your choice as something you had to do.
Instead, sin compelled you to sin more and more. I should say that when we are outside of Christ, we can’t not sin. It’s like a sticky trap- You dabble in it even once and then you’re all in before you know it.
3. In the domain of darkness you were also captive to death.
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Death had a legal right to you- a warrant for your arrest and and an order for your execution. The sentence for our sins was permanent spiritual and physical death. Nothing quite sobers us up as talk of death. It is the universal greatest human foe. No one of us can break free of its claws based on our strength. Yet Christ did. And when we believed He took us with Him.
Death had a legal right to you- a warrant for your arrest and and an order for your execution. The sentence for our sins was permanent spiritual and physical death.
Lastly, death had a legal right to you- a warrant for your arrest and and an order for your execution. The sentence for our sins was permanent spiritual and physical death. Nothing quite sobers us up as talk of death. It is the universal greatest human foe. No one of us can break free of its claws based on our strength. Yet Christ did. And when we believed He took us with Him.
Nothing quite sobers us up as talk of death. It is the universal greatest human foe. It takes us away from the ones we love. No one of us can break free of its claws based on our strength.
Death had a legal right to you- a warrant for your arrest and and an order for your execution. The sentence for our sins was permanent spiritual and physical death. Nothing quite sobers us up as talk of death. It is the universal greatest human foe. No one of us can break free of its claws based on our strength. Yet Christ did. And when we believed He took us with Him.
Before Christ, in the domain of darkness, you were slaves to the devil, sin, and death.
You were outside the sphere of God’s blessing, outside of God’s kingdom and redemption. You were apart from the
Colossians 1:21-22
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
This means you were outside the sphere of God’s blessing, outside of God’s kingdom and redemption.
2. Sin
2. Sin
evil deeds
3. Death
This means you were outside the sphere of God’s blessing, outside of God’s kingdom and redemption.
2. Alienated
2. Alienated
This means you were outside the sphere of God’s blessing, outside of God’s kingdom and redemption.
Before Christ, you we in captivity to the devil, sin, and death.
Hostile/hateful, toward God
Before Christ, in the domain of darkness, you were slaves to the devil, sin, and death.
What do you think this did for your fulness in life?
The devil, sin, and death drain your heart of meaning and fullness.
Lashing out through sin
So let’s see how this affects our fullness.
Before Christ, you we in captivity to the devil, sin, and death. Under Satan’s spell you even hated God and His ways.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
He used to have control over you.. He used to be able to compel you to sin.
Where you are now?
Where you are now?
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
Colossians 1:
These passages tell us that if you have trusted in Christ, you’ve been rescued.
1. You were in the domain of darkness,
You were in the domain of darkness,
Now you are in the kingdom of Christ.
Paul speaks of this as if it were like a military extraction mission.
It’s like capture the flag. We are the flag in enemy territory, and Jesus swooped in past the devil’s guards, nabs us and brings us out of that side.
Again, the kingdom of Christ is not a place, but a sovereignty.
Now we dwell spiritually in Christ’s kingdom (which is a precursor to the kingdom of God ). This means Christ now has rule over us. We are under His umbrella.
Redemption, forgiveness of sins
Paul’s teaching us that Satan, death, and sin’s power over us has passed away.
Paul’s teaching us that Satan, death, and sin’s power over us has passed away. Now we dwell spiritually in Christ’s kingdom (which is a precursor to the kingdom of God ). This means Christ now has rule over us.
Now we dwell spiritually in Christ’s kingdom (which is a precursor to the kingdom of God ). This means Christ now has rule over us. We are under His umbrella.
2. Redemption: Vs. 14 says you are “redeemed”. Remember, this term refers to the slave market. It refers to the payment of a price to secure freedom. Christ bought you out of your slavery to the devil.
2. Redemption: Vs. 14 says you are “redeemed”. Remember, this term refers to the slave market. It refers to the payment of a price to secure freedom. Christ bought you out of your slavery to the devil.
3. Forgiveness of sins
No longer are you a criminal defined by your sins. Instead, your sin has been removed from you and cast into a deep ocean. You are pardoned.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
4. He reconciled you to God. And now we are no longer hostile to God, but at peace.
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
Instead of an enemy, we’ve become a child
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
5. Then it says that God presents you holy and blameless, above reproach.
Presented holy and blameless, above reproach
Like a bride dressed in white on her wedding day, Christ presents you as holy and blameless, and above reproach.
How does this make me full?
But now we live in Christ’s kingdom, where the mark of sin’s been removed from us and we’ve now been branded by the Holy Spirit ()
Jesus is like Swooped down and
This night and day difference should boost our self-esteem! We’ve been remade! And I am holy and blameless in the eyes of God because of what He has done. And, there is nothing I can do to change the mind of God about me.
Even if I sin, or have a weak moment, which I would be foolish to do intentionally, I am still blameless and precious in His sight.
How does this make me full?
How does this make me full?
This affects your fullness in several of ways.
You’ve left the domain which drains your heart and you’ve come to the Kingdom which fills it up.
Now you are in the kingdom of the life giver, who fills you up with life, encouragements, and power.
Now you are in the kingdom of the life giver, who fills you up with life, encouragements, and power.
This fills your heart!
As we are in the practice of remembering this, we constantly find two things in our hearts which God uses to keep us full:
1. Humility- Awareness of your helplessness
Even strong people can be humble. Even Bass Reeves knew he had no power to save himself.
2. Gratitude- Recognition of unmerited favor that really matters to you.
God sees our humility, that we seek him with gratitude, and he rewards us.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
The book of Colossians reveals the Secret of Life. God wants you to know it. He has no interest in hiding it from you. He’s calling you to it.
The secret of life is to bind yourself to Christ so you can experience life to the fullest.
God promises us that if we will believe in Jesus with all of our hearts, and if we will seek the Son, we will find in our hearts the fullness we’re looking for.
You must believe Jesus Christ has saved your life and brought you to safety.
How can we move this from rote knowledge to conviction? We practice remembering the gospel. It is the center of church. It is at the heart of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. It is at the heart of our marriages.
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
We remember it constantly. We meditate on our salvation daily.
In this passage, “He” is the pronoun for the Father (according to vs. 12). So we have another statement about the Father and Son working together.
Remember, Christ is the life-giver. Life in Him begins immediately and lasts forever. When He fills us with life He fills us with God. When we walk in the Lord, there comes with it a contentment which surpasses your circumstances.
Let it play a role in seeking Him
Believe:
If you are saved, then Paul says the Father delivered you through the work of Jesus Christ His Son. Your deliverance is a cooperative effort of the Godhead (and other passages express the Spirit is involved too), you can say God saved, meaning also that the Father saved you, the Son saved you, and the Spirit saved you. Yet, the emphasis of this letter is the role of Christ.
To the person who has not been saved.
In being saved, God delivered us from the domain of darkness.
God has worked through Christ to secure redemption and reconciliation for all who put their faith in him.
Domain of darkness sounds creepy right? Yes, it does! It is the realm of our spiritual enemies- Satan, sin, and death.
Paul affirms this concept of domain of darkness in
16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Acts
Because we have sin guilt and actual sin in our lives, every person is born in the domain of darkness, aka the power of Satan.
18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Acts
This means we are by default captives to Satan, sin, and death.
If we are saved, it means we’ve been rescued or delivered from this dark domain and transferred into the kingdom of His Son.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
Paul’s teaching us that Satan, death, and sin’s power over us has passed away. Now we dwell spiritually in Christ’s kingdom (which is a precursor to the kingdom of God ). This means Christ now has rule over us.
This affects your fullness in several of ways.
John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
He used to have control over you.. He used to be able to compel you to sin.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
He alienated your mind from God. Like people do when their hearts are empty of love, you lashed out by doing the very things God told you not to do. This is sin and rebellion.
22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
Now you’ve gone from the life thief to the life giver. Whereas the abuse of the devil in your life would depress you and cause you doubt and discouragement, now you don’t have to subject yourself to that garbage anymore.
Now you’ve gone from the life thief to the life giver. Whereas the abuse of the devil in your life would depress you and cause you doubt and discouragement, now you don’t have to subject yourself to that garbage anymore.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
R
It this rebellion separated you from God and was inescapable. There was no way to escape the deed you had done. They followed you everywhere like the crimes of a fugitive on the lamb.
Jesus’ work on the cross neutralized the ill effects of sin in your life.
There was still a punishment, but not for you- Christ took it upon His own body and spirit.
He reconciled you to God.
22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
No longer are you a criminal defined by your sins. Instead, your sin has been removed from you and cast into a deep ocean
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord
because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my cause
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
I shall look upon his vindication.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
Like a bride dressed in white on her wedding day, Christ presents you as holy and blameless, and above reproach.
22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
Sin drains our hearts of meaning and fullness because it condemns us before God.
But now we live in Christ’s kingdom, where the mark of sin’s been removed from us and we’ve now been branded by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)
But now we live in Christ’s kingdom, where the mark of sin’s been removed from us and we’ve now been branded by the Holy Spirit ()
This night and day difference should boost our self-esteem! We’ve been remade! And I am holy and blameless in the eyes of God because of what He has done. And, there is nothing I can do to change the mind of God about me.
As vs. 14 says, we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
Even if I sin, or have a weak moment, which I would be foolish to do intentionally, I am still blameless and precious in His sight.
Remember, Christ is the life-giver. Life in Him begins immediately and lasts forever. When He fills us with life He fills us with God. When we walk in the Lord, there comes with it a contentment which surpasses your circumstances.
Remember, Christ is the life-giver. Life in Him begins immediately and lasts forever. When He fills us with life He fills us with God. When we walk in the Lord, there comes with it a contentment which surpasses your circumstances.
And we will never die spiritually. We will go into Christ presence immediately.
And though we we may die physically, it is only until Christ returns and finishes the redemption plan. On that day, we will say to death, “hands off please!” and we will be with Christ in a forever body just like His.
You see friends, even in death, we can remain full.
Because of this desire, we all set out to find something which we believe will give us a sense of fullness. Some people believe this something is family, others physical pleasure, still others knowledge or the right job or wealth.
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
We search for something that will satisfy our heart’s need to be relevant.
Remember, Christ is the life-giver. Life in Him begins immediately and lasts forever. When He fills us with life He fills us with God. When we walk in the Lord, there comes with it a contentment which surpasses your circumstances.
Cornerstone/Keystone
Domain of darkness; “I was in a dark place”
Alienated
Hostile/hateful, toward God
Lashing out through sin
Where you are now.
Jesus’ kingdom
Redemption, forgiveness of sins
Forgiveness of sins
Reconciled, peace
Peace
Presented holy and blameless, above reproach
It’s like eagles rescued Frodo from the rock when the lava he was stung by the
Jesus is like Swooped down and
How does this make me full?
Humility- Awareness of your helplessness
Even strong people can be humble. Even Bass Reeves knew he had no power to save himself.
Gratitude- Recognition of unmerited favor that really matters to you.
Swooped down and
Man, that sounds really good doesn’t it. I just have to go out there and find the Secret of Life. The problem is that just when I think I’ve found that one thing for me, the novelty of it soon wears off, or the thing changes, and then it no longer satisfies me like it did.
Then I’m off to the next thing, then the next. Soon enough, I’m in a constant rat race trying to find something that is going to make me happy. Pretty soon I doubt that this world has anything that can give me enduring purpose.
We are on constant pursuit of the Secret of Life. That which will fill us and keep us filled.
In this new series, we are going to ask the Bible, “What is the secret of life?” “What is that one thing?” “What will permanently fill me to the brim with meaning, satisfaction, and fullness? Is there anything that can fill me and make me matter in this life and even after death?”
The book of Colossians reveals the Secret of Life. God wants you to know it. He has no interest in hiding it from you. He’s calling you to it.
The secret of life is this- It’s Jesus Christ.
God has worked through Christ to secure redemption and reconciliation for all who put their faith in him.
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
God promises us that if we will believe in Jesus with all of our hearts, and if we will seek the Son, we will find in our hearts the fullness we’re looking for.
You must believe Jesus Christ has saved your life and brought you to safety.