What Christ Has Done For Us!

I want to talk this morning from the subject “What Christ Has Done For Us.”

“What Christ Has Done For Us.”

For various reasons traditional Christian Beliefs have fallen on some hard times. Christianity has evolved or devolved to a bloodless, humane theology and practice of peace and goodwill to all men.

The Church has accepted the strain of the virus that has been called by Michael Harton who is Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at West Minster Seminary. He calls what we do a Christ-less Christianity.

Somehow we have managed to preach Christ Crucified in such a way that few are offended.

We are so obsessed with being practical, with being relevant, with being helpful, with being successful and perhaps the church is so preoccupied with wanting to be well liked. That the Gospel has become therapy and not truth.

So that all we need is a Life Coach and not a Redeemer.

Dr. Phil and not Jesus.

Christ is increasingly being reduced to a mascot.

We have growth without depth.

We are a mile wide and a inch deep.

It is not hearacy as much as it is silliness that is killing our Church.

The focus is now on a bracelet that says what would Jesus do?

But the focus should be on a Cross that responds “Look at what Christ has done.”

We are in a time that every generation needs to experience both a fresh revelation of Jesus Christ and the cost and joy being his disciple.

Every generation needs to experience both a fresh revelation of Jesus Christ and the cost and joy being his disciple. This six-part series breaks down those needs, as seen Paul’s letter to the saints at Colossae—and to saints everywhere.

Paul opens his letter to Colossians with a prayer and an introduction to the power of Christ.

To speak eternal truths correctly from the Epistles, a background to the particular letter is necessary. “Despite this variety of kinds, however, there is one thing that all of the epistles have in common, and this is the crucial thing in reading and interpreting them.

They are all what are technically called occasional documents (i.e., arising out of and intended for a specific occasion), and they are all from the first century.

Although inspired by the Holy Spirit and thus belonging to all time, they were first written out of the context of the author to the context of the original recipients. …

Most of our problems in interpreting epistles are due to this fact of being occasional.

We have the answers, but do not always know what the questions or problems were—or even if there was a problem.

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas K. Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth stated “It is much like listening to one end of a telephone conversation and trying to figure out who is on the other end and what that unseen party is saying”

The doctrine of the Person of Christ is here stated with greater precision and fulness than in any other of Paul’s epistles.’

The reason for this is that the Colossian heresy in its attack upon the Person of the Lord Jesus, made it imperative that the Apostle meet it with such precision and fulness in doctrine regarding His Person as would successfully cope with the false teachings of this system.

In order to understand the full implications of the truth in Colossians, we must first acquaint ourselves with this heresy.

attack upon the Person of the Lord Jesus, made it imperative that the great Apostle meet it with such precision and fulness in doctrine regarding His Person as would successfully cope with the false teachings of this system. In order to understand the full implications of the truth in Colossians, the student must first acquaint himself with this heresy. Internal evidence in the letter indicates that the heresy with which Paul is dealing, contains two elements that are fused into one system. His mention of the observance of sabbaths and new moons, his distinction between meats and drinks, and his reference to circumcision, all point to an element of Judaism in this system. His reference to a self-imposed humility and service of angels, the hard treatment of the body, and a superior wisdom, indicates that he is dealing with a Gnostic element. The word ‘Gnostic’ comes from the Greek gnōsis which means ‘knowledge.’ It is the name designating an intellectual oligarchy, a few who set themselves above all others as possessing a superior knowledge”

Internal evidence in the letter indicates that the heresy with which Paul is dealing, contains two elements that are fused into one system.

attack upon the Person of the Lord Jesus, made it imperative that the great Apostle meet it with such precision and fulness in doctrine regarding His Person as would successfully cope with the false teachings of this system. In order to understand the full implications of the truth in Colossians, the student must first acquaint himself with this heresy. Internal evidence in the letter indicates that the heresy with which Paul is dealing, contains two elements that are fused into one system. His mention of the observance of sabbaths and new moons, his distinction between meats and drinks, and his reference to circumcision, all point to an element of Judaism in this system. His reference to a self-imposed humility and service of angels, the hard treatment of the body, and a superior wisdom, indicates that he is dealing with a Gnostic element. The word ‘Gnostic’ comes from the Greek gnōsis which means ‘knowledge.’ It is the name designating an intellectual oligarchy, a few who set themselves above all others as possessing a superior knowledge”

His mention of the observance of sabbaths and new moons,

his distinction between meats and drinks,

and his reference to circumcision, all point to an element of Judaism in this system.

His reference to a self-imposed humility and service of angels,

the hard treatment of the body, and a superior wisdom, indicates that he is dealing with a Gnostic element. The word ‘Gnostic’ comes from the Greek gnōsis which means ‘knowledge.’ It is the name designating an intellectual, a few who set themselves above all others as possessing a superior knowledge”

These heretics had marginalized this Christian walk to a method, tradition or a custom.

Paul understood that there were some who were still holding on to the Faith.

He exercising successful spiritual oversight by praying for those in his charge.

Notice Paul’s prayer for the saints.

It begins with a thanksgiving to the Father for them and a commendation for the spiritual fruit they exhibit (1:3–8)

then continues with petitions for the specifics needed in their daily lives as believers (vv. 9–12).

Paul was clear about the blessings of salvation for which we are to give thanks. This time we are given a list of three:

Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 282). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians C. The Truth about Pleasing God (vv. 9–14)

God, the Father, has qualified believers for sharing in the blessings of salvation. We don’t qualify ourselves by our moral achievements or personal worthiness. In grace, God qualifies us when we trust Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sin. That this salvation is ours by grace is seen in our participation in the inheritance. We don’t earn an inheritance. We receive it.

Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians C. The Truth about Pleasing God (vv. 9–14)

God, the Father, has qualified believers for sharing in the blessings of salvation. We don’t qualify ourselves by our moral achievements or personal worthiness. In grace, God qualifies us when we trust Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sin. That this salvation is ours by grace is seen in our participation in the inheritance. We don’t earn an inheritance. We receive it.

God, the Father, has qualified believers for sharing in the blessings of salvation.

We don’t qualify ourselves by our moral achievements or personal worthiness.

In grace, God qualifies us when we trust Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sin.

That this salvation is ours by grace is seen in our participation in the inheritance.

We don’t earn an inheritance. We receive it.

Paul closes his opening with the power of Christ in transforming believers from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (v. 13).

The word rendered here ‘translated’ is often used in the sense of removing a people from one country to another.

It means, here, that they who are Christians have been transferred from one kingdom to another, as if a people were thus removed.

They become subjects of a new kingdom, are under different laws, and belong to a different community.

This change is made in regeneration, by which we pass

from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light;

from the empire of sin, ignorance, and misery, to one of holiness, knowledge, and happiness.

He paid the necessary price to clear (our debt).

1 Corinthians 6:10 KJV 1900

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV 1900

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:23 KJV 1900

23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

To redeem someone means “to buy them back and set them free.”

Jesus’ death was the price paid to buy us back and set us free from sin.

Hebrews 9:12 KJV 1900

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Because of Christ’s death on our behalf, we are set free from both the penalty and the power of sin.

Forgiveness parallels redemption.

Forgive literally means “to send away, to cancel.”

Through the death of Jesus, God has canceled the debt of our sin.

It was a debt we could never repay; but since Jesus paid the debt for us, God has forgiven the debt.

Paul wants us to know the truth about pleasing God so that we won’t be victims of the well-disguised lies of those who might lead us astray.

What Christ Has Done For Us!

Introduction

Christ Qualified Us...

Christ Rescued Us...

Christ Redeemed Us...