Living the Redeemed Life

Introduction

“If your religion hasn’t changed your life, you need to change your religion.”

— Unknown

How has Christianity changed your life? How has following Jesus changed your life? Has it?

Could you list the ways? If not, why are you here?

Do you want it to?

What areas of your life are same as before?

Still the same sins?

Still the same fears?

Still living with the beliefs, ideas,

Colossians 1:3–14 (ESV)

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.

Notice how faith in Christ and love for the saints go together. The implication is if you have true faith in Christ it will manifest in love (agape) love for those in the church - brothers and sisters - saints.

This is why Jesus said

John 13:35 (ESV)

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

I love Jesus but I don’t love his followers is a false statement.

Of this (hope) you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 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, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

13 He (Father) 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.

This is justification - it is 100% done. Not by you but by Jesus.

“He has” — his kingdom — in him we have redemption

We had God’s wrath removed from us and placed on Christ AND we had Christ’s righteousness placed on us!

ILLUST - Living in the wrong kingdom

Imagine a kingdom of a faraway land.

New king on the throne

Land is spread out - takes a while for news to spread

While the castle (core) has a new king,

some of the outer regions are still paying the old king’s taxes

other regions are simply refusing to submit to the new king and are simply living autonomously

Over all, the kingdom is not united under the new king and the land as a whole does not serve as an ambassador to the king.

This is what it is like for many Christians who are redeemed but failing to live the redeemed life.

While Jesus may be on the throne in their heart, there are regions of their lives which have not yet been affected by the good news of this new king and so they are still “paying the old kings taxes” or they refuse to submit to the new king, instead wanted to rule autonomously at least in their region.

Jesus did not come to rule part of you life, he is king over all of your life.

Likewise, there are not parts of this new kingdom that the King is unwilling to redeem.

Jesus did not come to simply redeem your heart, he came to redeem your LIFE.

John 10:10 (ESV)

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life (not just a way to salvation) and have it abundantly.

Some areas of our lives that Jesus redeems:

— Past

— Future

— Minds

— Marriage

— Family

— Money

— Work

— Play

— Time

“Christianity is more than a meeting. . . the Christian life is more than keeping a few weekly appointments. Christ doesn’t want to merely be included on our calendar. He wants to saturate our calendar; he wants to be our calendar. . . Christianity . . . is our life.”

— Jason K. Allen, “Being a Christian”

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, (how many times do we think that if someone just accepts the gospel then our job is done?) asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding

Filled

often “fulfilled” - used of sails - idea of something that should be filled.

There is no settling in the Christian life! I’m good enough. I’m not as bad as I used to be - Not as bad as him.

If our goal of the Christian life is to be conformed to the image of the person in the pew next to you, then comparing your level of maturity against theirs makes sense. But the goal of the Christian life is to be conformed to the image of Christ!

Don’t settle because you’re better than the other guy, keep moving toward maturity until you live, love, and lead like Jesus!

how mature are you in Christ?

Hear me: those of you who grew up in a religious home: in our pursuit of being conformed to the image of Christ, we are never condemned by Christ!

Our pursuit of holiness is for the joy that maturity brings.

ILLUST - Why do you want your children to mature? to get out of my house! but really because of the joy of growing up.

There is a direct correlation between your maturity and the areas of your life that are Jesus-first

Paul is praying that the Colossians will be supernaturally helped to take their next step (be filled)

Filled with what?

with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding

one of the issues that Paul needed to address with the Colossians was the issue of false teachers

Colossians 2:8 (ESV)

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

We need supernatural wisdom to know how to navigate our daily lives with Christian maturity in a world that is pushing a different philosophy and even empty deceit.

Why? For what purpose?

, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him:

Nobody wants to walk opposite of that, right?

Do we live in a way that standing in front of God he would be pleased?

Fully pleasing = ‘pleasing him in everything’

bearing fruit in good works

increasing in knowledge of God

being strengthened to endure with joyful patience

giving thanks

bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

not circular but a spiral - knowledge of God’s will for our lives leads to good works which leads to a greater knowledge of him.

Interesting that Paul did not simply want them to know the rules but to get to know the Rule Giver.

11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;

It’s HIS power and HIS might.

Colossians 1:29 (ESV)

29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

ILLUST - moving grass BUT with the Gator and pickup truck

a lot of work but with the power to do it.

We are given the strength and power to do what? have endurance and patience.

We don’t endure things that are fun.

In the Redeemed life you will have struggles.

With JOY

Question as to whether joy is attached to the enduring or to the thanking - doesn’t matter.

The difference between one who is redeemed and one who is not is the power to see every area of life redeemed

(without the king, the region struggles, but with the king’s resources, it is redeemed)

ILLUST - Lights

we have dark areas of our lives

when the gospel comes in, it makes the dark areas shine.

it’s not our power, it’s the power of the Spirit

even though there is power running through, unless I apply that area of my life to the power, it will not shine.

the more areas of your life have the gospel applied to them, the more others begin to see the gospel

Redeemed lives help redeem lives.

Remember Epaphras?

6 which has come to you,

How many of you came to know Christ with absolutely no help of another believer?

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, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8

Epaphras was from Colosse - He was one of them

He was faithful

He gave the gospel and worked hard to see them become mature:

Colossians 4:12–13 (ESV)

12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.

Who is in your circle of influence that needs to hear and accept the gospel or that needs to become mature in Christ?

Do you struggle in prayer for them?

12 giving thanks to the Father,

The end result of the Christian life is the glory of God. (contra prosperity gospel)

If you don’t like this then there is a part of you that is misunderstanding the Christian life - it’s not about you.

It’s about the glory of God — but the glory of God leads to the goodness of man. (i.e. - Genesis 1)

It’s not ‘let’s try to get good things for me and then I’ll give God glory (that’s Genesis 3)’

The end result of the Christian life is the glory of God and it is expressed through the thankfulness of the redeemed in the form of worship. (all of life)

Why are we thankful?

who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

God has qualified you / me

word only used twice

Has the idea of ‘making sufficient’

We were not sufficient - works, religion, upbringing

God made you sufficient

You were not enough, but now you are enough to share in the inheritance of the saints

How? Full circle

Colossians 1:13–14 (ESV)

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.

What is the inheritance?

All that the king has to offer.

Don’t live in the kingdom of darkness!

Submit EVERY area of your life to the king and let him redeem it, empower you to shine in darkness around you for his glory.

This is my prayer for you:

That you might know God’s will to live redeemed in every area of your life and have the strength to do it.

As I pray, if this is you, would you be willing to stand right where you are as a physical statement that you are giving this area of your life to the Redeemer.

Pray.

— Past - brokenness you’re holding on to - not sure if it can be redeemed - don’t see how - not sure you want it to be.

— Marriage

— Family - children - need a change - not in our power

— Sin - it’s a dark spot in our life that is keeping us from the next step in maturity

— Money -

— Work - resources

— Control in general

— Your definition of success

Closing Prayer:

Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV)

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.