Rooted in Christ-Part 5- Gratitude

Introduction

Paul records his prayer for the believers at Colosse desiring that they would know the will of God and that it would the consuming passion of their lives to do the will of God.

He then begins to describe some of the characteristic changes that the following the will of God would produce in their lives. He speaks of their fruitfulness, their spiritual growth as they are “increasing in the knowledge of God”, and the strength they shall receive to endure difficulty with joyfulness.

The final element he describes is the gratitude that should be evident in their lives if they are following the will of God. I Thessalonians 5:18- the apostle Paul strongly believed that God’s will was for every believer to express gratitude to God.

There are countless things in our lives for which we could express gratitude to God, but Paul here lists three of the greatest.

We should be grateful to God for the temporal blessings that He has given us to enjoy, but how much more should we express our gratitude for those things which have eternal value.

Let us now examine what God has done for each of us who have believed upon Christ.

We should express gratitude to God for our:

Inheritance (Vs. 12)

You and I have been adopted into the family of God and have been made joint-heirs with Jesus Christ to the kingdom of God.

You and I have been made partakers of a marvelous inheritance and we have become joint-heirs with Jesus Christ! Romans 8: 15-17- children and heirs

It is important that we recognize that the inheritance that we have been given is not ours because we are worthy to receive it but because God the Father had “made us meet to be partakers” of it.

We certainly do not deserve the inheritance in heaven that awaits us, but God in his mercy has made us sufficient to receive it.

This inheritance includes eternal life, a home prepared for us in heaven, and a portion in the kingdom of God. It is by simple faith in Christ that you and I have been made worthy to receive this inheritance.

We have been given the indwelling Spirit of God as the earnest of our inheritance- Ephesians 1:14- until we receive the inheritance.

The inheritance that we shall receive is not like that which we might receive upon earth but is I Peter 1:4- incorruptible, undefiled, fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us.

We have been made saints (holy ones) by the finished work of Christ and through our trust in Him and have now become part of the family of God and thus become heirs to the kingdom of God.

What gratitude we should exhibit for such a wonderful gift as an eternal inheritance among the saints. We who were before Ephesians 2:11-13- without hope and without God have now been adopted into the family of God by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

We should also be grateful for God’s:

Deliverance (Vs. 13)

Before we trusted Christ you and I were in bondage to sin and were under the power of darkness, but we have now been delivered!

We have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and placed into a new kingdom, that of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We were once subjects of Satan in bondage to sin, but we have become subjects now of the king of kings and we have been set free to live now for Him!

Oh, how we ought to thank God for breaking the chains of sin and setting us free so that we could now freely serve Him.

In darkness we were unaware of our depravity, we were unable to find our way, we were wholly incapable of escaping the bonds of sin.

Every one of us were once under the power and dominion of the rulers of the darkness of this world with no hope of living in a manner that would please God.

We had no ability break free from this darkness on our own. The power of darkness was too great for us to overcome.

God spoke to Paul on the Damascus road and called him to be an instrument of His deliverance (Acts 26:18). It is the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ that made such a transference possible

God brought us out from under the power of darkness and then went even further placing us into the kingdom of Christ. We are no longer subject to Satan but now we are made subject to Christ.

We were not set free to live as we choose but so that we could live for the one who set us free.

Philippians 3:20- our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven now. Ephesians 2:7-8- even now we sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Again we must recognize that we are not worthy of this translation from the power of darkness to the kingdom of Christ, but it is God who by His own power has delivered us from our former state in darkness into our present state as a citizen of the kingdom of Christ.

We must constantly remain aware that we are not capable of conquering the powers of darkness on our own, but in Christ we have victory and have been set free from bondage.

What a joy to know that we are not under to power of darkness, but rather we are a subject of Christ our king!

Finally we must gratefully acknowledge God’s:

Forgiveness (Vs. 14)

You and I once stood guilty before God in the depths of our sins condemned to eternal torment and death. Yet God in Christ sought to redeem us and to reconcile us to Himself. The ransom for our release has been paid by Jesus Christ.

We who have placed our faith in Christ have now been redeemed by His blood which was shed for us. The price of our redemption could only be paid in the precious blood of Christ. I Peter 1:18-19- not redeemed with corruptible things

Let us never forget what the great cost of our redemption. We are forgiven today because Jesus Christ willingly took our sin and its punishment upon Himself.

When we consider the punishment that was due to us and the weight of all of the sin which we have committed, how grateful we ought to be that all our sins have been forgiven!

Jesus Christ came and died, shedding His own blood for us, so that we could be redeemed from the guilt and the penalty of our sins.

What a joy to know that God has forgiven us and has Psalms 103:12- removed far as the east is from the west. Isaiah 38:17- behind his back. Isaiah 43:25- will not remember our sins.

How grateful we should be that in Christ our sins have been forgiven and we have been clothed with His righteousness. The only way that you and I could have and inheritance in heaven and could be subjects in the kingdom of heaven was for our sins to be washed away.

It is only by the finished work of Christ and our trust in Him as savior that we are freed from the awful penalty which we had earned because of our sin. We will never be forced to face the punishment we rightly deserved because Christ has redeemed us and has “...washed us from our sins in his own blood,” (Revelation 1:5)

When we consider the penalty for sin and the punishment that we were due, how grateful we should be to God for sending Christ to redeem us and to secure our forgiveness.

Conclusion

Each item we have considered tonight is an act of God. We cannot earn our inheritance, we are incapable of delivering ourselves, and we will never deserve forgiveness.

Each of these are secured by one means alone and that is by our faith in Jesus Christ as savior, believing that by his death, burial, and resurrection He has secured our salvation.

Let us pause for a moment and remember the point at which we recognized we could never earn or merit salvation and that our only hope was to be found in Jesus Christ. Can you remember the moment you placed your faith in Christ to save you? If you cannot you have no eternal inheritance reserved, you are yet under the power of darkness, and you sins will not be forgiven, instead you shall face the penalty and punishment for them all on your own.

Won’t you come to Christ today so that you may join us in gratitude to God for the marvelous gifts He has given us in Christ?

If you know Christ as savior would you take a few moments just now to kneel before Him in humble gratitude thanking Him for your inheritance, your deliverance, and your forgiveness?