The Gospel of Reconciliation
Colossians: Listen Up To The One in Charge • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Title: The Gospel of Reconciliation
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 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, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Text:
You Will Continue in the Faith of God (vs. 23)
I’d like to take a survey this morning. How many of you love conflict?
There are some that do, no doubt, but the vast majority of us, myself included, do everything we can to avoid conflict.
We do not like conflict because it potentially will cause a fracture or a rift in a relationship. And so instead of dealing with the problem, we keep it superficial so there is a fake peace/unity that results. Instead of doing the messy, hard work of working through a problem, we avoid it, ignore it and even run from it! This is not God’s way.
There is a huge conflict between God and human beings. We, initially through Adam and Eve, disregarded God and His commands and did our own thing. We don’t need to blame Adam and Eve for everything, because we are just as rebellious. And so there is a great conflict between us and God.
And guess who took steps to resolve that conflict? It wasn’t you and it wasn’t me. It was God himself.
“While we were YET sinners, Christ died for us.”
This is the beautiful truth of the Gospel. Even though there was a great and seemingly insurmountable conflict between us, God’s love compelled Him to pursue a way that our relationship could be harmonious, gracious and full of love!
What is the Biblical Solution?
What do the hearers need to know?
Main Textual Idea:
Main Idea: God Made the Way for You to be Right with Him
He gives three important truths in this passage to remind the Colossians of what they have received in the gospel so they will not be tempted to follow another gospel!
Transition:
Body (Satisfaction)
1. You Were Alienated From God (vs. 21)
Lead in…Paul doesn’t mince words. He lovingly reminds them of their former state...
Lead in...
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
Text -
Speaking the truth can be very challenging hard because people do not want to hear it, especially about themselves. We live in a time of hyper-sensitivity with little grace and humor. To be perpetually offended is a badge of honor.
And then, here we Christians come with the gospel. The gospel is an offensive message. It is harsh and painfully brutal. It is anything but politically correct! It cuts right to the heart of the matter. And this is what Paul reminds the church in Colossae. Let’s break this verse down and see what he says...
“And you” - Paul is not speaking in a general sense at all. He reminds them that it was them, personally...
“A
“who once were...” Three things they were in the past...
“alienated” - estrange; only, be a stranger to, be separated from ()
He is so holy
alienate, estrange; only passive in the NT be a stranger to, be separated from ()
We are so sinful
and hostile in mind” -
Isaiah - Woe is me...
Dimond -
and hostile in mind” - enemy, is alienated; one who is at war; one who has long been alienated and refuses to be reconciled.
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, Henry Stuart Jones, et al., A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), 748.
Mind - disposition or attitude! ‘
Resulting in...
“doing evil deeds” - Acting in a wicked way
Doing evil deeds starts in the mind and leads to action...
Why is Paul reminding the Colossians of this? Well, it’s always good to remember where you’ve come from so you don’t become too proud of where you are.
No one, other than Jesus, has been right with God from birth. No one has been buddy, buddy with God before the act of justification. The raw, unadulterated fact is that the Colossians were, prior to their salvation, enemies of God. Determined enemies! Not interested in conforming to the character or demands of God. And Paul wants them to never forget this.
Paul certainly didn’t forget from where he came.
So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently. “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities. “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 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, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 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.’ “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
Paul, of anyone, understood what he was apart from the grace of God...
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
You and I have the same problem as Paul and the Colossians did. We are, as Paul declared, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds...”
When was I “alienated?”
When was I “hostile in mind?”
When was I “doing evil deeds?”
Illustration - another word for alienated is estranged.
“The word "estranged" implies a former condition of close relationship and affection, from which they have since fallen. You would not apply the term to foreigners. You would not say of a Frenchman that he was estranged from this country, simply because he never belonged to it; but if an Englishman resided so long in Paris as to lose his patriotism and interest in our affairs, you would say that he was estranged. So, again, you would not say of a mere acquaintance, if you ceased to see him, that he was estranged from you; but if the love of an old friend grow cold, if a child become indifferent to his home, or a husband fail in his devotion to his wife, you describe such a falling off as estrangement.” -
https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/furse/alienation_from_god.htm
https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/furse/alienation_from_god.htm
Argumentation - Paul doesn’t remind them of this truth to get them to feel bad about themselves or to do some sort of penitent work to earn God’s favor. Not at all! Paul is reminding them that they were once alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds so that they would never get the dangerous and ill-conceived idea that there was something about them that deserved God’s gracious gift of salvation. Paul wanted to paint a very simple, clear and poignant picture of who we are prior to us becoming children of God. Because an accurate picture of who we are produces a continual humility that is our only hope to grow in Christlikeness.
Paul doesn’t remind them of this truth to get them to feel bad about themselves or to do some sort of penitent work to earn God’s favor. Not at all! Paul is reminding them that they were once alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds so that they would never get the dangerous and ill-conceived idea that there was something about them that deserved God’s gracious gift of salvation. Paul wanted to paint a very simple, clear and poignant picture of who we are prior to us becoming children of God. Because an accurate picture of who we are produces a continual humility that is our only hope to grow in Christlikeness.
How do you view God’s gracious gift of salvation? How do you view what God did to provide salvation for you?
There is nothing free in this life - but you say, wait, the bible says salvation is free! It doesn’t cost me anything. True, it is free to you by faith. However is it not free. To save you, cost God a great deal!
Do you take that for granted or are you daily, deeply moved by what God has done for you through Christ. If you are, your life will not be one of grousing and complaining, but one of gratitude and grace. So, if you want to know if you truly appreciate the gospel? Review your attitude this past week and you will get a very clear picture!
Review - God Made the Way for You to be Right with Him
You Were Alienated From God
Interrogative:
Division 2 Statement: You Were Made Holy and Blameless by God (vs. 22)
2. You Were Made Holy and Blameless by God (vs. 22)
Lead in…Again we see that God is at work changing those who believe...
Lead in...
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,
Text -
I’m not sure the Colossians appreciated the tremendous, cavernous rift that there had been between them and God. This is evidenced by the fact that they were tempted to follow a heresy that minimized that rift and what God did to make himself accessible to them.
later sermons will reveal the heresy they were dealing with more clearly but suffice to say, they were tempted to think there were actions and deeds they needed to perform to have and continue to have a relationship with God.
Doing “good” actions never minimizes the great gulf between us and God!
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
col 2 20-
Doing these things
As if there were some way we could pay God back!
Running off the pier in Grand Haven...
We simply do not have the capacity to jump that far!
Many try to “pay off” this debt by doing good things like giving money to the poor or going to church or volunteering at a soup kitchen or giving an extra dollar at Arby’s to feed the hungry or whatever they think will tip the scales in their favor.
And spiritually speaking, we need someone to bridge the gap for us. The death of Christ on the cross not only bridged the gap, but made it possible for us to have peace with God.
But Paul reminds them and us that this is not how it works. Look at the text again.
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,
“
Jesus’s physical body died as a tool of reconciliation.
What does reconciliation mean in this verse?
apokatallássō. This word does not occur prior to the NT and is found only in Colossians and Ephesians, where it has much the same sense as katallássō. Christ is now the subject as well as God or the plērōma (Col. 1:20, 22; Eph. 2:16). Reconciliation is preceded by human enmity but enables us to stand in the judgment (Col. 1:22). It is connected with the conclusion of peace and a new creation (Eph. 2:15), not merely the removal of guilt. Reconciliation with God brings reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:16). It also embraces supraterrestrial beings (Col. 1:20) in what some exegetes see as a restoration of cosmic order, possibly through subjection to Christ (cf. Col. 2:10).
by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross made peace with God possible. His death brings peace with God and peace with all people and things! It is the reality that total peace only happens through Christ’s wrath satisfying death on the cross.
What do you mean “Wrath Satisfying?”
What I mean is this...God must punish lawbreaker for breaking His law! He must do this to be true to His just character. In other words, God cannot let people off the hook.
Imagine if a judge just let murders off because the murderer promised never to do it again? It doesn’t matter if the murderer never murders again, he must pay for the murder he has already committed! And if a judge lets him off, the judge has performed a dereliction of his duty! A good judge must punish lawbreaking and there is no better judge that God himself.
This is were a proper understanding of Jesus comes in. Jesus is many things, but there is one crucial thing you must understand about Christ is that He was / is willing to absorb God’s wrath / punishment on your behalf.
And because He has never sinned, never broken God’s law, and because He is God and man, he qualifies to step in for you and bear God’s wrath against you.
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— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
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—
for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
Because Jesus is God He is sinless, because Jesus was man, He could be our sacrifice.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
He traded places with you by dying on the cross so he could bear God’s wrath intended for you.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
This action on God’s behalf give all humans the opportunity of reconciliation!
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Paul is reminding the Colossians what Christ did for them. The awful price that Jesus paid on their behalf and that by faith, how they were reconciled / made right with God!
There is a reason for this action on God’s behalf...
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,
In order to present you...
Holy - fundamentally signifies “separated” (among the Greeks, dedicated to the gods), and hence, in Scripture in its moral and spiritual significance, separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God, sacred. - W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 307.
fundamentally signifies “separated” (among the Greeks, dedicated to the gods), and hence, in Scripture in its moral and spiritual significance, separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God, sacred.
W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 307.
Blameless - without blemish, unblameable, faultless - this is what a person becomes when they are born again!
Above reproach - Guiltless, un-accusable.
This, by the way is what the devil is all about! He is the accuser of the Christian!
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
It is God who justifies and so the believer is holy, blameless and above reproach before him!
Before Him - You cannot, in your sin filled state, stand before a holy God. When you repent and trust Jesus as your savior you are asking God to transform you into a holy, blameless, above reproach. The Christian is therefore clothed in the righteousness of Christ and able, because of Christ alone to stand before God.
Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
“Why should I allow you to enter my heaven?”
We must understand the profound implications of the gospel of Jesus Christ! This is God’s goal! That we wouldn’t be infants in our thinking, that we wouldn’t be naive regarding the things of God. But that we would be mature in Faith!
Are you? Are you a follower of Christ? If you are then you are considered by God to be holy, blameless, and above reproach before Him because of Christ!!
God did this for you! You could never do this for yourself.
Priest’s in monasteries thought by absenting themselves from the world, they could be pure and holy. Wrong!
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Why do you suppose Paul reminded the Colossians of what Christ did for them? That it was He that reconciled them with God by sacrificing His body on the tree. And it was that action that made it possible for them to be holy, blameless, and above reproach before God! Why did he want them to remember these facts?
Because, when we discipline ourselves in understanding the true gospel, we won’t fall for false versions of the gospel.
There are many false versions of the gospel today (give examples).
The Gospel of permissive Grace - Anything goes because I am a Christian and God is obligated to forgive me. I can live anyway I want. “If you love me you will keep my commands.” - Jesus
The Social Justice Gospel - Doing Good.
The Prosperity Gospel - God wants to give you everything you desire you just have to have enough faith..
The Gospel of Interfaith Dialog - There is nothing wrong with diaologing with muslims to gain clarity and understanding. It is wrong for a Christian to try and find common ground between the two worldview. Erwin Lutzer - “However, under the guise of tolerance, love, and some would even say, evangelism, Muslims are being invited into churches to present a special revised version of Islam. Interfaith dialogue in the church gives Muslim leaders an uncontested platform to speak publicly and invites them to present a version of Islam that simply does not exist in Muslim countries. Nor is it based on Islam’s history or its foundational writings.” - Adapted and abridged from The Church in Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness by Erwin W. Lutzer (©2018). Published by Moody Publishers. Used by permission.
Adapted and abridged from The Church in Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness by Erwin W. Lutzer (©2018). Published by Moody Publishers. Used by permission.
However, under the guise of tolerance, love, and some would even say, evangelism, Muslims are being invited into churches to present a special revised version of Islam. Interfaith dialogue in the church gives Muslim leaders an uncontested platform to speak publicly and invites them to present a version of Islam that simply does not exist in Muslim countries. Nor is it based on Islam’s history or its foundational writings.
As a means of evangelism, other opportunities exist for reaching Muslims with the love of Christ and the message of the gospel. Christians and Muslims can connect with each other in their homes, schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Jesus calls us to reach across the chasm and represent Him well wherever we find ourselves. This is the time for us to remember the words of Jesus to His disciples: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and as innocent as doves” ().
Thankfully, we can count on the Good Shepherd to be among us each step of the way.
📷
Adapted and abridged from The Church in Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness by Erwin W. Lutzer (©2018). Published by Moody Publishers. Used by permission.
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Originally published November 12, 2018.Ads by Revcontent
Are you tempted to follow gospel a, gospel b, gospel c? There is one gospel - The gospel of Jesus Christ. That He became a man, lived among us, died a criminal’s death, was buried and rose again on the third day. This act gave everyone the opportunity by faith to have a right relationship with God Himself. This is the good news and we dare not at to nor take away from it!
Review - God Made the Way for You to be Right with Him
You Were Alienated From God
You Were Made Holy and Blameless by God
Interrogative:
Division 3 Statement: You Will Continue in the Faith of God (vs. 23)
3. You Will Continue in the Faith of God (vs. 23)
Lead in...
Text -
if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Explanation - Every so often you see in the scriptures an “if clause”. And this one is a big if.
“if indeed you continue in the faith” - a healthy warning to not assume you are in the faith.
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
But, if you are indeed a follower of Jesus, you will continue in the faith.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
John 102
“stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard,” - What do these three words sound like to you? I think of a Rock!
I love you, O Lord, my strength.
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
We must be steadfast in our hope of the gospel!
“which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven,” -
The MacArthur Study Bible Chapter 1
The gospel has no racial boundaries. Having reached Rome, where Paul was when he wrote Colossians, it had reached the center of the known world.
“and if which I, Paul, became a minister.” -
When I was a newer Christian, a friend of mind told me something he always told people that he was evangelizing. He warned them before they became a follower fo Jesus that if they trusted Christ and began to follow Him, life would get far more difficult!
And it will get far more difficult. The gospel is an offensive message. The world, your flesh and the devil are waring against you. And you will lose relationships over it. But, not to be a total bummer, remember this verse...
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.
Do you live with this mindset? Yes, God will work to get you there, but are you working? Are you purposed to pursue Christ daily?
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
How can I do my part to continue in the faith?
Fall deeper in love with Jesus
Be loving in ALL relationships.
Be purposed in investing in others for their salvation or growth in Christ!
If you pursue these three things you will be amazed at how you will continue and thrive in the Christian Faith!
Review - God Made the Way for You to be Right with Him
God Made the Way for You to be Right with Him
Conclusion (Visualization)
You Were Alienated From God
You Were Made Holy and Blameless by God
You Will Continue in the Faith of God
Interrogative:
Interrogative:
Conclusion (Visualization)
So, there was a huge conflict between us and God and because of His great love for us, He pursued a plan to resolve that conflict. It cost Him more than we can imagine.
Action they should take
Why would we look to another God or another Gospel in light of what we see here?
That seems strange indeed!
Land the Plane
There is a huge conflict between God and human beings. We, initially through Adam and Eve, disregarded God and His commands and did our own thing. We don’t need to blame Adam and Eve for everything, because we are just as rebellious. And so there is a great conflict between us and God.
And guess who took steps to resolve that conflict? It wasn’t you and it wasn’t me. It was God himself.
“While we were YET sinners, Christ died for us.”
This is the beautiful truth of the Gospel. Even though there was a great and seemingly insurmountable conflict between us, God’s love compelled Him to pursue a way that our relationship could be harmonious, gracious and full of love!
Connection Group / Reflection Questions
In what ways are you encouraged by this text and sermon?
Why do you think Paul wanted the Colossians to remember they had been alienated from God?
He goes on to say they were “hostile in mind” and “doing evil deeds.” Why do you think it is important that he added these characteristics as well?
What is reconciliation? How would you describe it in your own words to a friend who doesn’t know Christ?
According to verse 22, what is a goal of reconciliation?
Compare the perseverance of the saints verses eternal security? How do we live well in the tension of these two ideas?
We are called to be “stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel.” Discuss ways we can do this well.