Colossians 1:1-14

[0:00] But I have a question for us as we get started this morning in the book of Colossians. Have you ever considered what life is like when lived in the dark?

[0:17] What do I mean by that? Well, I want to share a quick story to help us grasp what I mean, this concept of darkness and living in darkness. When I was in high school, me and two of my buddies, really good friends of mine, we had the summer and it was all open for us to do whatever we wanted.

[0:36] So we said, you know what, let's go climb the tallest mountain we can in the region. And for me down in Medford, Oregon, where I grew up, that was Mount McLaughlin, which is roughly 10,000 feet in elevation.

[0:48] But we decided, you know what, let's go hard. Let's do this. Let's pack it in. We're going to go to the base of the mountain. We are going to camp, not in a campsite. We're just going to find a spot at the base of the mountain, camp there in the raw wilderness, and the next day we'll wake up, we'll climb it, we'll come back down, we'll go home.

[1:06] Now, you can imagine, three high school boys, the summer is open, we have it within our grasp, and what were we thinking? We got this. So we packed it up, went, set up camp in the middle of nowhere, at the base of the mountain, in the middle of the woods.

[1:24] It started a fire, and it started to get dark, and we're having a great time. But, you know, we started hearing some noises. We looked around, and all of a sudden we realized, in the middle of the summer in Medford, Oregon, this does not happen, a thunderstorm starts rolling in.

[1:42] Of course, we didn't do any weather checks. That's how myopic and short-sighted we were, right? Thunder clouds start rolling in, and it is getting dark quick. Cloud cover is upon us.

[1:54] So we decide, all right, well, let's turn in, I guess. Turn up the fire, we went into the tent. Over the next three hours, the elevated egos of three high school boys were reduced to that of a mouse.

[2:09] We sat in this tent, turned off our flashlights, and because of the cloud cover, and because absolute no light pollution, no fire, nothing, that was the darkest place I've been in, literally, in my entire life.

[2:24] You could not see your hand in front of your face. At one point, we turned the flashlight on, just because the sounds, the darkness, and I remember my friend turned it off and dropped it, and we couldn't find it. And all three of us were so terrified, but we're scrambling them in the flashlight.

[2:38] It's so dark. Well, not only is it pitch dark, in those hours, thunder exploded around us.

[2:52] The trees rustled above us. I swear, each of us heard the growls and roars of 30 to 40 non-existent bears, wolves, and cougars. But what about that experience was so terrifying?

[3:05] I've heard thunder many times. In fact, I love thunder. I'm one of those people. Thunder's room comes in, I'm going outside, and I'm going to sit on my porch. Weird. I know, I get it. If it rains, I love to listen to the rain.

[3:16] I love even the darkness. You'll often find me at our house, up till midnight, reading, studying, just watching a game, whatever. I like to stay up late. Why was I so terrified? It's because of the darkness.

[3:29] It was scary. All I wanted to do was reach for any source of light. Fear, paranoia, helplessness all came upon me.

[3:40] Have you ever felt this way before? Maybe you feel this way right now. The reality is, is that darkness is debilitating, disorienting, deadly.

[3:54] And when you find yourself literally in a dark place like we found ourselves, here's the experience. You're unable to avoid danger. You're filled with fear, filled with uncertainty, desperate for sight like we were, and trapped with no hope of rescue.

[4:09] And the reason this is important is I want us to consider what life is like when we find ourselves in darkness. But today our passage, as we just saw in the passage at the end there, is dealing not just with physical darkness.

[4:27] It's dealing with the spiritual darkness. All of those same emotions, all of those same conditions, when you find yourself in that place, they're true of the human heart. And Paul knows this.

[4:40] Our passage this morning is 1 to 14. It's a big section. But the reason we're doing a big section together is it's 1 to 14. It's an entire expose on the brilliance and beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[4:55] So what we're going to do is we're going to work through it slowly here. But I want you to know also that we're in a sermon series in Colossians which is called The Splendor of Jesus.

[5:06] That not just the first 14 verses, but the entire book of Colossians is about one thing. And it's about how amazing Jesus is. How worthwhile He is.

[5:17] How much of a treasure He is for us. And it's written by a man named Paul. So over the next 12 weeks, we'll be making our way through this book together. We'll be feasting on the splendor of Jesus week by week.

[5:29] Now the man, Paul, who wrote this book, he was an apostle of Jesus, which means that he'd seen Him in person and has now dedicated his life to following Him. And in this small letter, four chapters, he writes to a young church.

[5:42] The city of Colossae was a gateway town, much like Spokane, in between two massive metropolises. In order to get from one side of Asia Minor to the other, you had to go through Colossae.

[5:54] I remember a while back, we were watching college football with my in-laws and it was when the Ducks were top five team in the nation and we were watching this ESPN broadcast. They're coming to Pullman to play the Cougs and they gave the keys to the game for the Cougars to win.

[6:08] They gave them all, you got to play defense, you have to actually score points. Don't, I don't know what they were, probably not those. But here's what I remember of the Ducks. There was one play, one key to the game for the Oregon Ducks as they came into town in Pullman and it was, don't speed through Colfax.

[6:21] That was it. They're going to win this game as long as they make it to the stadium as essentially what ESPN was saying. Colossae is kind of like that. You have to get through it. There's no way around. So why is that important?

[6:32] Well, Colossae, because it was a gateway town, all of these ideas would come through and they would stick. And it's a small town. So word gets around quick and here's why Paul writes Colossians.

[6:45] This young church established in Jesus, glorifying Him, finding all of their worth in Him. Here's what Paul says, essentially in the book. There's these people that have come in and they're pulling you away from Jesus.

[6:59] You need nothing other than Jesus. So that's why I'm writing to you. That's Colossians. Here's how great Christ is. You need nothing else. And 1 to 14 is a gorgeous way to start this.

[7:12] So here's what we're going to do. I want to read verses 1 and 2 again. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae, grace to you and peace from God our Father.

[7:30] In this intro, Paul writes to a people who have already received Christ. They've already received the grace and peace of the gospel. And he writes to them and says, you are faithful brothers.

[7:41] You're in Jesus. That makes you faithful. Now, let's read verses 3 to 7. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we pray for you since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints.

[7:57] Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of this you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing. It is also as it does among you since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

[8:12] Just as you learned it from Epaphras, our fellow beloved servant, he is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. An amazing section, but here's the heart of it.

[8:27] Verse 5. One more time. Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of this you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel.

[8:42] This entire first section is about the gospel. What is the gospel? Paul's talking about this thing that you've received.

[8:53] You have hope in an eternal heaven that we will be in someday, but we also have joy now. We've come to understand something now that gives us meaning and hope now in this life.

[9:05] It's the gospel. It came to you. I sent Epaphras and he went to you and he planted a church in your midst. He's a faithful brother. He brought to you this great word that we've all received.

[9:16] What is the gospel? What is Paul so... What's he on right here? Well, here it is. The gospel is simply this, that 2,000 years ago, God became a man.

[9:29] His name is Jesus. Flesh, skin, bones, just like you and I. Except for he was from God. He was born in the small city of Bethlehem to a virgin named Mary.

[9:43] He healed the sick, casted out demons, preached good news, but ultimately was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. He was crucified on a Roman cross, a brutal death.

[9:55] He was buried in the grave and rose to life three days later. And he now sits at the right hand of his father. Today we call this good news.

[10:10] The gospel, literally, that word means good news. Like a rider flying into town on the horse, screaming, the victory is won, the battle is over, we won.

[10:22] That's the image of gospel. Good news coming into town to tell all who would listen. So why is that good news? Like just that historical person that came and did all these things.

[10:33] It's good news because of what it does for us. And that's what this passage is about. So here's a quick definition of that good news put simply.

[10:45] The gospel is good news that Jesus lived perfectly, died sacrificially, rose victoriously, forgiving our sin if we repent and believe. That's the gospel. And when Paul says in verse 5, the gospel, the word of truth, it came to you.

[11:02] That's what he means. But one of the core underlying principles for Paul and for us this morning that underpins this gospel message is Jesus' sufficient work and our spiritual need.

[11:15] I want you to notice, we're not going to read the whole thing again right at this time, but maybe this week, take an exercise to do this. Read Colossians 1, 1 to 14, our passage this morning.

[11:27] Read the entire thing and I want you to go through and find anywhere where Paul suggests that in order to receive the good news, in order to receive life, to receive hope, to make it to heaven, that the people in Colossae had to do something.

[11:41] You won't find it. Because here's what Paul's trying to do in these 14 verses. I want to remind you that you're saints, that you're faithful, that you're already in Jesus, that you already have a hope, that you're already going to be destined for heaven, you already have life now, but here's what I want to remind you of.

[11:55] The very thing that gave you all of that. So I'm going to say it in a bunch of different ways. And that's what 1 to 14 is. It's just an amazing picture of the gospel. But in that is an assumption that Jesus has already done what is sufficient to lead unto salvation and we are unable to do anything leading to salvation.

[12:16] We are in spiritual need, brothers and sisters. So in short, here's what 1 to 14 is about. The gospel is all we need to be delivered from darkness and into the kingdom of Jesus' light.

[12:33] So I want us to marinate in the gospel this morning. Just like my wife last night, threw some steaks in the big bowl of teriyaki marinade, sat for 24 hours, threw it on the grill. Delicious. I want us to marinate in the gospel this morning so that when we go out from here, that taste, that flavor, that absolute beautiful essence of the gospel comes out.

[12:56] So a quick illustration to understand what Paul's doing. When you think of a diamond, Colossians 1 to 1 to 14 is kind of like a diamond. A radiant, beautiful, captivating diamond filled with all splendor.

[13:10] Now if you've ever shopped for a diamond, and if you're young and you're a guy, well you will learn these things. But if you already have done it, you know what I'm going here. There are four C's they tell you.

[13:21] Cut, clarity, and color. And if you take the combination of these four things, you'll find very quickly, you go into a jewelry shop, you say like, I want the most clear diamond. No flaws internally.

[13:33] They're like, that's great. What's your price at? Because all the other ones are going to go down if you want that one high. Or it's just this game of balancing and value. But here's what I love. Diamonds are rated on each one of these four scales by jewelers.

[13:45] But when you put them all together, you come up with that value. But here's what Paul is essentially saying in 1 to 1 to 14. That Jesus is like the perfect diamond. All four C's, the highest possible quality.

[14:00] Perfect in color, perfect in clarity, perfect in cut, perfect in size. And that value that it holds is beyond estimation. Jesus is worth everything to obtain. In fact, Jesus literally said this about the gospel in himself in a short mini parable on earth.

[14:17] He said this, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in shirts or fine pearls who on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all he had and bought it.

[14:33] What is this? This is a picture of people stumbling upon something so valuable that every single thing else that they had used to value holds no value. That's the only thing that's worth anything and that's what I want.

[14:46] That's what Jesus, who he is. Now a diamond has many different facets. Now I didn't know this but the word facet literally comes from the jewelry world. So if you take a diamond, a cut diamond, you look at it and you know what?

[14:59] Maybe this is the time, ladies, you can show off that rock to the people around you. Go ahead and look at a diamond if you've got one near you but you can just imagine in your head if not. Those cuts on the diamond, all the different shapes and the faces that are cut angled, those are called facets.

[15:14] Now what is a facet? A well-cut diamond has all these beautiful facets and the facets, what they do is they accentuate the quality of the stone. This passage takes the gospel and it makes it the facets of Jesus.

[15:35] There's so many angles through which we see the radiance of Jesus Christ and his goal here is that we would understand how truly magnificent Jesus is.

[15:46] So what I want to do is we're just going to highlight some sections in here and we're going to call these facets. Shining facets of the gospel and from different perspectives. That's what Paul's doing here.

[15:57] Colossians, I want you to know how great Jesus is so I'm going to go through all of the lists of how amazing he is so that you will get it. So we're going to do the same thing this morning. So look with me in verse 1.

[16:09] Paul says, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. This is the shining facet of God's choice. In verse 1. This is part of the gospel.

[16:20] Paul tells us his own testimony that I am an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. And how does this relate to the good news of the gospel?

[16:31] Because Paul was somebody who decided, just like all of us that have once lived in sin, Paul decided, I hate Christianity and these Christians and so I am going to give my life up, devote it over to persecuting them, imprisoning them, dragging them off into captivity.

[16:53] That's going to be my life. And he did this. He arrested and even was in agreement with killing certain Christians. Didn't know Jesus, was lost in darkness and here's what God did.

[17:06] He says this, by the will of God, I'm now an apostle. Meaning, God, through his grace, his mercy, chose Paul in a situation where Paul would never choose God.

[17:24] And that's a shining facet of God's choice. Why? Because God chose him to be an apostle. Paul did not earn this through prowess or intelligence or diligence.

[17:34] In fact, God had to knock him off of a literal horse and literally blind him in order to call him unto himself. It's a picture of the denial of pride and the removal that God will humble us so that we see with true eyes.

[17:52] God chooses us, brothers and sisters. This is part of the gospel call. His will stands forever while ours fades away. His will is so much more joyous and so much more glorious.

[18:04] The gospel is about God's choice in our lives. Let's rotate the diamond, the gospel diamond, and look at another facet. Let's look at verse 2. It says this, to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae.

[18:16] Now, this term saint, it's going to teach us this about this, the shining facet of a new identity. Paul uses the word saint here and he's talking about identity.

[18:27] Now, what does this mean? The term saint literally means holy one. Holy one. So when Paul says, to the saints, this is literally what he's saying, to all of the holy ones at the church.

[18:42] Now, if you're like me, the first time I heard this explained, I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa. We shouldn't be calling anyone saint then in the church. You with me? Here's what Paul means by that.

[18:53] He's not talking about what we have done. He's not talking about how we have earned that reputation. He's talking about a new identity. What is holiness? Simply put, the Bible describes holiness as being set apart, different from the rest.

[19:08] But in reference to God, it implies total perfection. Absolute purity. God is morally pure and infinitely set apart from humanity.

[19:19] In fact, the Bible calls us sinners, which essentially means not holy, not set apart. We have missed the mark and have chosen impurity and thought word and deed.

[19:32] That's what it means to be a sinner. So how can Paul call them saints? Because of Jesus' perfect work. He was the Son of God and He walked a perfect walk, obeying the law of God and fulfilling all of its demands without once falling into sin.

[19:55] And here's what the Gospel teaches. He says, you're saints, guys. He's teaching this, that for all who repent of their sin and believe in Him, Jesus substitutes His holiness to us and He takes our mess, our sin, our fallenness, that brokenness, that we have broken God's law.

[20:17] He takes that upon Himself. The weight of the sin of us on His shoulders. His moral perfection, His standing, right standing with God for our mess.

[20:28] Imagine if the LA Lakers traded LeBron James for a bench player on the worst team in the NBA. Bad trade, right? What are they doing? Why would you?

[20:40] That's only a bad trade for one side though, isn't it? The Lakers got the bad side of that trade. But the other team got the best trade. The cross is kind of like that but infinitely more, meaning this.

[20:52] Jesus doesn't just take our sin metaphorically. He takes it and because He takes the sin of us on His shoulders, what does that mean? It means that He must suffer the wrath of God that is deserved for sinners.

[21:03] So here's what happens. Jesus goes to the cross. He's tortured. He's whipped. He's flogged. He's spat upon. He's mocked. He's beaten. And then they hang Him on a cross. Arguably the worst way to die in human history.

[21:17] And He suffers until He takes His last breath. He takes our punishment. But here's what it means to be a saint. That He made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

[21:35] Set apart. Holy. There's that word. Righteous and holy. Synonyms. Meaning this. When you come to Christ He takes your sin. He gives you His holiness. So now we are seen as truly holy.

[21:49] Saints. Let's rotate this gospel diamond. Look at another facet. Look with me at verse 6. We're going to skip down a little bit here. Paul references the gospel in this way.

[21:59] Which has come to you as indeed the whole world that is bearing fruit and increasing as it also does among you since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth. Meaning that when you understood the gospel you also that means requires that when you take the gospel and you receive it that you understand something and it's the grace of God in truth.

[22:20] Well what is this? It's the shining facet of a free gift. This is another aspect of the gospel that makes Jesus so radiant and brilliant. Here's what a free gift is.

[22:31] It's what grace is. It's a free gift. It's undeserved. You do nothing to earn it yet someone blesses you with it in any way. Now I remember my parents are here today. Thank you for coming. Great having you.

[22:42] I remember back when I think I was like six years old six or seven years old in the same year here's what I did. I put my parents through a lot of grief. I stole cookie dough regularly. I ripped up magazines.

[22:54] I bullied my younger siblings. But here's the most memorable one for me. I remember stealing a butter knife and an orange saying little sister let's go enjoy this orange downstairs. And tried to cut in the orange with the butter knife.

[23:06] I don't know how I did this. And I cut my finger open. I've got the stitches right here to prove it. I put my parents through a lot of grief. But here's the reality. That Christmas rolled around.

[23:17] I still got presents. Why? I look back and I say Mom and Dad you were totally you could have just said Eric no presents. You're going to learn.

[23:27] Next year we'll work on it. But they still gave me presents that year. Why? Because they love me. That's what grace is. You can't earn it. Receiving the free gift of salvation and life from God is not earned through anything we do.

[23:44] A promotion at work. A flawless report card. Being CEO of a Fortune 500 company. None of those will merit the gift of salvation.

[23:56] It is entirely free. Offered to those who accept Jesus. That he lived a perfect life on their behalf and placed their trust in him. Grace. The shining facet of a free gift.

[24:09] Now let's look at verse 12. We're going to skip down a little bit ahead here too. Well you notice what Paul says at the end here about the gospel. He says this. Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

[24:24] and this gospel facet is the shining facet of heavenly joy. Now how do I get that from inheritance of the saints in light?

[24:35] Here's how Paul describes the gospel here. For all who respond to the gospel call who turn from sin and trust in Jesus they receive an inheritance. Now what is that? The thing about inheritance is that it isn't owned by the recipient.

[24:48] Someone worked hard their whole life to secure an inheritance that they might pass it on to people they love someday.

[25:00] Earned by someone else to bless another. That's what inheritance is. Even biblical times and today this is still how it works. At this rate you probably know where this is going.

[25:11] Jesus' sufficiency our need. Here's what Paul is saying here with the inheritance piece. If you're here today and you're saying in your heart I want wealth, possessions, and comfort when I receive my inheritance someday.

[25:24] Or more practically I want that beamer or that lake house or whatever you know may be coming. We all do this.

[25:36] We covet after things that are not ours. But here's what this is. The inheritance of the saints in light. The inheritance of light is this. That Jesus is going to pass on to us something he has earned.

[25:52] And this inheritance of light is only reserved for those who are holy to dwell in the land of the living with the God of light. How do we get there?

[26:04] I want to live in that land of light. How do I get there? You've got to be holy which we know he's done through the gospel saints. The inheritance of light means that we will never experience pain in the fear of darkness again.

[26:17] We will forever be in heavenly joy and eternal light. Obtaining an inheritance that will never fade away and will always retain its value. That's what Jesus is offering in the gospel.

[26:28] It will always retain its value. Unlike our homes with these elevated interest rates. Am I right? But what is what is a spiritual inheritance? It's something Jesus gives that's eternal.

[26:39] It's forever. It's now. Now. Heaven that we get to enjoy one day but also the light of that experience now. That I know where I'm going I have hope and I already have Jesus within me.

[26:51] Let's rotate the gospel again look at verse 13. This one's the shining facet of life-saving rescue. I want to camp on this verse to kind of finish here. Verse 13 says this.

[27:04] We get to share in the inheritance of the saints' light but then also he has delivered us Jesus delivered us from the domain of darkness. Here's darkness.

[27:19] Here's the image. I want you to imagine you're in Coeur d'Alene National Forest which is 800,000 acres in size deep in the forest. Night descends.

[27:30] Okay, find yourself in a situation that me and my two friends were. You can't find your way out. You have no idea where you are. You're in the middle of an 800,000 square foot forest.

[27:43] What's going to set in is night and hopelessness. A few days go by and you get more and more terrified. Well, this is the exact situation that a little boy named Riker Webb found himself in in the summer of 2022.

[27:58] Riker was reported missing in June of 2022 after wandering from his home and into the wilderness of northwestern Montana. Over two days this boy was lost.

[28:10] Authorities searched endlessly and he was finally found by a local family roughly two miles two miles from his home in Montana. Here's what the Lincoln County Sheriff said.

[28:23] He was very, very scared. Yes, that makes sense. But here's what the sheriff also noted. In this region mountain lions and bears inhabit the area.

[28:35] The region where he is lost or was lost we've seen many there but not only that in those two days that he was lost there were severe thunderstorms the entire time. And on the evening Riker went missing temperatures dipped into the 40s.

[28:53] Riker was three years old when this happened. I've got a two-year-old and a four-year-old. I cannot imagine so here's the viral picture of him when they found in the ambulance.

[29:07] Look at this. First thing I've got to say is this is tragic but what an amazing story that he was found. Second thing I've got to say is that is the toughest three-year-old I have ever heard of.

[29:20] Montana wilderness for two days found. Here's what Paul just said. Delivered us from the domain of darkness. Here's what he is saying. Riker came out later they found out that he got lost at night when he was getting ready for bed they let him outside.

[29:37] He was on a search for bugs on the outskirts of his property and wandered a little too far and could not find his way back home. He was just looking for bugs. But here's the truth of the gospel and of us brothers and sisters that we too wandered from home but we weren't looking for bugs.

[30:00] No. Instead this was like the teenager that leaves home and slams the door and says I don't need you anymore I got this and leaves home. We hear this story we see it in the beginning of the Bible there's a person named Adam and his wife Eve and here's what they do they look at God this is all proverbial but they look at God and they say we got this we know what's best and we will choose what we want and they rebel against God and his law his life his commandments his presence his light the garden that was everything they needed was there they turned their back on it and said we know what we're doing and the Bible teaches this that we've each chosen our own way and we deserve to suffer the consequences of it separation from God is eternal death and the Bible tells us this in the verse this verse in Romans called says this the wages of sin is death that when we choose our own way and not God's way it will lead to our destruction that is what's due our sin and the Lord will pour his wrath on those who have fled home in their pride and our pride is simply this

[31:19] I know what's best for my life and I'm competent enough to do it that's pride pride would have us believe that we can rescue ourselves but the Bible tells us that we're not just trying to rescue ourselves we are in darkness and we think we can navigate our way out of it which is hopeless the reality is the world of darkness that we experience is self-inflicted and self-perpetuated we will suffer the fear and pain of living in darkness every single day unless we come to him in faith and Paul says he's delivered you from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved son the kingdom of light and life if you feel trapped in the domain of darkness here this morning I want to speak to you for a minute what is it like being in the domain of darkness it's the experience of brokenness maybe you've suffered loss here today recently a family member died or a relationship you had that was important to you fell apart you're suffering with chronic health problems maybe you feel inadequate today physically mentally spiritually it's the experience of emptiness the new career that you thought would satisfy you isn't what you thought it would be the relationship that you thought was going to fulfill your needs is not meeting your eternal need for connection and intimacy the home you bought already seems too small and outdated maybe your darkness today is the experience of failure maybe you're saying

[32:47] I don't know what I'm doing in life your marriage might be crumbling raising kids is wearing you down you found yourself making a lot of mistakes hurting people and loved ones you find yourself inadequate in my own life I've experienced many seasons of darkness to name a few quickly I've been in a pattern of destructive sin that filled me with shame and depression I was going into college I placed my identity in a career path that was ripped out from under me and all of a sudden I had no identity that was a season of darkness for me pain and fear of loss in the hospital room with our critically sick seven week year old daughter self inflicted loneliness!

[33:27] and isolation from being a bad friend I recognize the feeling of living in darkness and it is debilitating it's horrible and it leads to a hopeless joyless life and all these experiences represent what life is like when we live in darkness but the one thing that drives the arrow through the heart of all of this is hopelessness Riker found rescue praise God but those of us who are in darkness who refuse the love of Jesus and the goodness of the gospel will continue to wander but here's how that verse finishes I want to finish Romans 6.23 for the wages of sin is death here's the good news here's the good part here's that amazing triumphant beauty the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord a gift and it's there waiting to be taken by us freely offered and here's who here's what Paul is speaking of when he says domain of darkness that we in our sin live in that realm where God is not Lord

[34:40] God cannot be found because we have made a world of our own darkness but that Jesus has plunged into that darkness just like those authorities plunged into the darkness of that forest to find this little boy Jesus has plunged into the darkness to find that lost sheep of which you and I are a part of and he brings us home and through the good news of the gospel he will bring you home too let's rotate the gospel again look at another facet verse 13 let's finish this idea here transfer us to the kingdom of his beloved son and this is that good news the shining facet of a new home not just that the Lord through Jesus will deliver us from that darkness which we so desperately need but he's not just going to deliver us from darkness and then leave us on a highway you're out of the forest have a great day and drive no he's going to take us and he's going to hold us and not let us down until he brings us all the way to his kingdom that is the work of Jesus sufficient it's done perfect life sacrificial death resurrection that's victorious in nature he does all of it he carries us all the way to the end and if you're here today you're a believer

[35:54] I ask you to plead with me these words don't ever let me down Jesus because I will wander away hold me fast until the end and that's what he does but then that last facet we'll deal with is this the shining facet of the guiltless heart how does Jesus do all this how does he deliver us how does he bring us put us on his shoulder and carry us out of the darkness and into light here it is verse 14 in whom we have redemption the forgiveness of sins redemption is a term used in context of slavery and captivity in the bible it literally means to be brought back from bondage you and I have sold ourselves into eternal captivity by rejecting God and trusting in ourselves and where does that land us Paul tells us in the domain of darkness bound by the shame of our sin destined for wrath but to be redeemed means that someone came and paid the price for our release and freedom that's what he's saying here he paid the price that we would be free so why did Jesus die on the cross for our sins like we've all heard to pay our sin debt to remove the shame over us for the wrong we've done and to free us to live lives that are filled with gratitude gratitude for him our savior and rescuer we need our sins forgiven friends and no greater weight can be lifted from the human heart than the weight of shame for what we've done see it lifted now today and each and every one of these shining facets of the gospel

[37:38] I want to remind us are not obtainable by us only Jesus has earned them and only Jesus grants them to those who trust in him what a glorious radiant diamond of the gospel that Paul presents to the Colossians and to us today so I believe that for each one of us we have a divine opportunity this very morning I invite you to believe regardless of who you are or where you are at in life spiritually or otherwise this morning I invite you to believe that the gospel is all you need today for those today who have already been transferred from that domain of darkness and into the kingdom of light of Jesus your call is to still recognize that the gospel is all you need it's not one and done it's now and forever the gospel is all we need to get to Christ and all of his glory and his riches of freedom and hope and restoration but it's also all we need to live a life filled with joy and gratitude let's revisit verses 9 to 12 it says this and so from the day we heard we have not ceased to pray for you asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all of his spiritual wisdom and understanding 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 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy that is a life he's describing of somebody who knows the gospel is all I need

[39:14] Jesus is my Lord so here's what I want you to respond with thankfulness those who've already been delivered from darkness thankfulness is our call Paul says that in that section giving thanks to the Father in all things he's filled with gratitude and gratitude leads to joy and joy leads to a full life experienced with the greatest that God has to offer respond to your salvation by remembering the good news of the gospel and giving thanks to your Father it will lead to a life of joy but for those here this morning who cannot say they have been delivered from darkness I urge you to respond to the good news the gospel is all you need I'm going to ask you to respond to that truth by repenting of sin and believing in Jesus what do I mean by repent and believe well in Mark 1 we read the first section of Jesus life and ministry Mark 1 we read this that Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God and saying the time is fulfilled the kingdom of God there's that kingdom kingdom of light is at hand repent and believe in the gospel

[40:27] Jesus himself the very savior the very radiant diamond that presents all of God's best he himself walks into the scene what does he say immediately repent and believe what does that mean what does it mean to repent it means to turn away from sin this symbolizes a person waving the white flag on trying to be their own savior their own hero repentance means that a person finally realizes the weight of their sin and wants nothing more to do with it I recognize now I see that I'm in darkness I don't want this I hate this I'm surrendering over my life because I don't want to be here and I know that salvation has to come from outside of me that's a heart of repentance my sin breaks me apart and I can't do this anymore so to repent of sin means to turn from sin but then there's a second piece believe in Christ believe in Jesus the gospel calls us to reject looking at ourselves for salvation and instead calls us to look beyond ourselves to someone else repentance rejecting myself faith or belief in him turning to someone else and that someone else is Christ so to believe in Jesus is to trust fully in his work and who he is what he has done the person you pick to trust with everything your whole well-being your soul better be up to the task this is the act of faith to flip from me to Jesus faith is to believe in the creator of the universe sent by God to die a sacrificial death on our behalf and when we turn to Christ in full faith we proclaim to him you are Lord and I believe everything that you said you did he's the only one capable of bearing your burdens alleviating your shame and freeing you to newness of life respond to the goodness of the gospel this very morning by turning from your sin and turning toward Jesus and if you do he promises to transfer you from the domain of darkness into his glorious kingdom of light that gospel is all we need

[42:55] Lord thank you for this morning thank you for your gospel thank you for your sufficient work thank you for coming to this earth for living a life of perfection for dying a sacrificial death that we were due to die for raising from the dead that we might have the hope of eternal life to raise one day with you as well and thank you for ascending to the right hand of the father interceding for each and every one of us that we are holy because you are holy that we are loved because of your work Lord I pray that for the darkness in this city in this room in these hearts wherever the darkness is this morning that you would transfer us out of that darkness and into your kingdom in your name we pray amen through the전 through the through the