WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.219 I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church, and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today. 00:00:06.679 --> 00:00:10.439 A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us. We're glad that you're here. 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:18.339 And we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats, but because we're following Jesus together as one community. 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:24.660 And as we follow Jesus together, we've become convinced that there's no one so good they don't need God's grace, 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:33.939 and no one so bad that they can't have it, which is why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in his word. 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:43.039 This week and next week, we're taking a break from the Gospel of Mark as we celebrate Palm Sunday this week and Easter next. 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:51.439 And instead, we're taking a look at the book of Colossians, because our focus in these two weeks is Jesus as our king, 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:53.740 Jesus as the one who's risen from the dead. 00:00:53.740 --> 00:01:02.359 And Jesus as king is especially a focus on Palm Sunday as he enters Jerusalem on a donkey rather than a war horse, 00:01:02.460 --> 00:01:05.620 signaling the type of king that he's going to be. 00:01:06.340 --> 00:01:13.159 The book of Colossians is a letter, and it's written by the Apostle Paul to the city of Colossae, which is in modern-day Turkey. 00:01:13.879 --> 00:01:20.879 And Paul writes it in the 60s AD while he's in prison, and he is fighting against false teaching in the church. 00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:27.199 It's in the context of that that he talks about these two issues, these two things that we're going to look at this morning. 00:01:27.299 --> 00:01:32.219 First of all, what it means to go from spiritual death to spiritual life, 00:01:32.219 --> 00:01:37.979 and also what it means that Christ has triumphed over his enemies. 00:01:38.459 --> 00:01:42.640 What it means in verse 15 that he's disarmed the rulers and the authorities. 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:46.340 And so with that, I invite you to turn with me in God's word. 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:48.000 You can turn in your Bible. 00:01:48.500 --> 00:01:49.819 You can turn on your phones. 00:01:50.200 --> 00:01:52.000 You can turn in your worship guide. 00:01:52.420 --> 00:01:55.540 No matter where you turn, remember that this is God's word. 00:01:56.140 --> 00:02:01.680 And Proverbs chapter 30, verse 5 tells us every word of God proves true. 00:02:02.379 --> 00:02:05.780 He's a shield to those who take refuge in him. 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:10.819 And so that's why we read now Colossians chapter 2, starting at verse 13. 00:02:11.640 --> 00:02:16.520 And you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 00:02:17.300 --> 00:02:22.280 God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:26.860 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. 00:02:27.460 --> 00:02:30.560 This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:36.400 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:39.520 by triumphing over them in him. 00:02:40.580 --> 00:02:44.560 I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word. 00:02:47.020 --> 00:02:52.140 Our Father in heaven, we thank you this morning that you have taken us from death to life. 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:57.939 And we thank you that Jesus is not just a savior but a Lord, 00:02:57.939 --> 00:03:00.319 that he comes as a conquering king. 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:03.159 That he triumphs over powers and authorities. 00:03:04.199 --> 00:03:08.460 We thank you for your word that instructs us and teaches us and shows us. 00:03:08.500 --> 00:03:11.420 And we ask that you would do those things this morning. 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:15.840 That you would use your words to speak clearly to us. 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:23.680 That you'd show us Jesus Christ in all his beauty and glory and holiness and power and authority and love. 00:03:24.379 --> 00:03:27.240 That you'd grow our love and affection for him. 00:03:27.460 --> 00:03:30.060 You'd grow our reverence and awe for him. 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:32.780 That you'd grow our obedience to him. 00:03:33.879 --> 00:03:36.180 We thank you that you've promised to do these things. 00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:38.039 And so we ask you to do them. 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:40.460 We ask them in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:41.340 Amen. 00:03:41.340 --> 00:03:41.479 Amen. 00:03:41.479 --> 00:03:42.259 Amen. 00:03:42.259 --> 00:03:42.340 Amen. 00:03:42.340 --> 00:03:42.739 Amen. 00:03:42.739 --> 00:03:43.179 Amen. 00:03:44.859 --> 00:03:45.060 Amen. 00:03:45.119 --> 00:03:45.340 Amen. 00:03:45.340 --> 00:03:45.519 Amen. 00:03:45.519 --> 00:03:52.399 The story is told of a man named Dr. Erwin Lutzer who was the former professor of preaching 00:03:52.399 --> 00:03:53.459 at Gordon-Conwell. 00:03:53.460 --> 00:03:58.340 and each semester he would take his preaching students out to a cemetery. 00:03:58.780 --> 00:04:01.500 So he would take a field trip and he would tell them, 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:05.760 look, pick one of these stones and pick the name on the stone, read it out, 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:07.500 and I want you to preach to that name. 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:13.460 And I want you to say to that person, you know, let's say it's John Smith. 00:04:14.140 --> 00:04:18.240 Say, John Smith, I want you to believe in the gospel and trust in Jesus Christ. 00:04:19.319 --> 00:04:21.780 And his students would look at him, dumbfounded. 00:04:22.419 --> 00:04:23.679 What a crazy idea, right? 00:04:23.699 --> 00:04:27.099 This preaching professor is going to take them to a cemetery. 00:04:27.679 --> 00:04:29.379 And so he does it because they won't. 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:33.279 He stands in front of his students and he preaches to this tombstone. 00:04:34.559 --> 00:04:37.039 And he says this in instructing them, 00:04:37.719 --> 00:04:43.099 this is no different than preaching the gospel to unsaved people. 00:04:44.099 --> 00:04:48.639 The Bible says that they are dead in their sins. 00:04:49.539 --> 00:04:51.139 You can preach your heart out. 00:04:51.139 --> 00:04:58.860 But nothing will happen unless God does a miracle to give them the life to listen. 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:07.459 That's the very same image, the stark image that Paul gives us here in Colossians in verse 13. 00:05:07.459 --> 00:05:12.939 He says, you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 00:05:13.099 --> 00:05:15.180 God made alive. 00:05:15.180 --> 00:05:18.459 You were dead if you were a Christian. 00:05:19.579 --> 00:05:23.060 God took you from the dead and he made you alive. 00:05:23.340 --> 00:05:27.060 Now, this is easy for us to understand in a physical sense. 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:30.000 It's easy to understand, at least at a conceptual level, 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:33.899 what it means for someone to be physically dead or physically alive. 00:05:33.899 --> 00:05:36.819 Things perhaps get a bit more confusing, though, 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:41.620 when we talk about what it means to be spiritually dead or spiritually alive. 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:47.680 In fact, it's tempting for us to think of physical death as the ultimate enemy. 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:50.120 When in fact, the way the Bible presents us, 00:05:50.340 --> 00:05:53.000 spiritual death is our primary enemy. 00:05:53.220 --> 00:05:56.340 Physical death is the result of spiritual death. 00:05:57.079 --> 00:06:00.879 Physical death is downstream of spiritual death. 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:05.040 It is spiritual death that led to physical death. 00:06:05.040 --> 00:06:09.879 It was Adam and Eve's rebellion in the garden that led to the curse. 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:14.040 So what does it mean for someone to be spiritually dead? 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:16.000 We know what it means for them to be physically dead. 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:18.360 Their heart doesn't work. 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:21.080 Their pulse stops, right? 00:06:21.140 --> 00:06:21.980 They can't breathe. 00:06:22.939 --> 00:06:25.320 Something that was there is lost. 00:06:26.300 --> 00:06:28.379 Well, spiritual death is very similar. 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:32.400 Those who are spiritually dead cannot respond to God. 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:35.399 They can't hear God. 00:06:36.179 --> 00:06:37.739 They can't love God. 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:42.299 They can't do anything of spiritual value. 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:45.000 They're unable to give glory to God, 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:48.479 unable to do the right thing for the right reasons, 00:06:48.719 --> 00:06:51.859 unable to love righteousness and holiness. 00:06:52.699 --> 00:06:57.379 We might say when it comes to God, they are dead. 00:06:59.539 --> 00:07:02.199 Sin is a rebellion against God. 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:05.399 And so if we're spiritually dead, it means that's all we can do. 00:07:05.479 --> 00:07:06.959 That's the only thing we can do. 00:07:07.539 --> 00:07:10.860 We can only rebel against God. 00:07:12.019 --> 00:07:14.899 Now he makes this odd reference here to circumcision. 00:07:15.099 --> 00:07:16.939 He says, you were dead in your trespasses, 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:18.300 meaning you're dead in your sins. 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:21.620 You're dead in the things that you do that violate God's law 00:07:21.620 --> 00:07:24.719 and the uncircumcision of your flesh. 00:07:25.219 --> 00:07:26.839 Now he could be saying two different things here. 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:28.680 He might be saying you're uncircumcised 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:31.660 in the sense that you're separated from God's people 00:07:31.660 --> 00:07:35.920 because circumcision was a sign of belonging to God's people in the Old Testament. 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:41.000 Or he might be saying what circumcision symbolizes is not true of you. 00:07:41.340 --> 00:07:43.579 Your sinful nature has not been cut away. 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:48.319 Either way, Paul is speaking here of spiritual death. 00:07:48.519 --> 00:07:49.879 And he's saying there's a stark difference 00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:53.600 between those who are inside of Christ and those who are outside of Christ, 00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:56.720 those who believe on him and those who do not. 00:07:57.280 --> 00:07:59.540 And so what I want us to do for a minute this morning 00:07:59.540 --> 00:08:03.220 as we think about what it means to be spiritually dead or spiritually alive 00:08:03.220 --> 00:08:08.540 is just to get a picture of what the spiritually alive person looks like. 00:08:09.460 --> 00:08:13.420 What is it that you can do if you are spiritually alive? 00:08:13.780 --> 00:08:15.000 I'll give you one thing you can do. 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:20.660 You, if you are spiritually alive, are able to thank the giver for his gifts. 00:08:20.660 --> 00:08:26.660 If you are spiritually alive, you are able to thank the giver for his gifts. 00:08:26.980 --> 00:08:30.240 Remember Matthew 5, verses 44 and 45, 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:34.240 Jesus says the rain falls on the just and the unjust, 00:08:34.660 --> 00:08:37.860 which is Jesus' way of saying there are good and wonderful 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:39.560 and beautiful things in this world 00:08:39.560 --> 00:08:42.960 that Christians and non-Christians both receive. 00:08:44.540 --> 00:08:48.920 Christians, though, are able to thank the giver of the gifts. 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:51.000 They know where the gift comes from. 00:08:51.079 --> 00:08:54.259 They're able to praise God for his provision in the world, 00:08:54.399 --> 00:09:00.159 and they know they are going to end up eternally in the place of that gift. 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:04.599 Spiritually alive people are going to experience those gifts forever. 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:10.139 Spiritually dead people experience them now. 00:09:10.659 --> 00:09:13.679 They will not experience those gifts one day. 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:20.959 There will be a time where the rain falls only on the just and not on the unjust. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:26.399 And so a spiritually dead person, if they go to the Grand Canyon and they look out on it, 00:09:26.579 --> 00:09:30.479 they might recognize, wow, there's a tremendous amount of beauty here. 00:09:31.599 --> 00:09:35.019 And they do not know where the beauty comes from. 00:09:35.739 --> 00:09:39.240 They are not able to thank the artist. 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:45.259 In fact, they might give thanks not to God, but give thanks to themselves. 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:49.200 Take a self, I'm so great that I'm close to this. 00:09:50.340 --> 00:09:52.740 This is what happens a lot with people who love the outdoors. 00:09:53.159 --> 00:09:56.100 Look at how great I am that I am here. 00:09:57.279 --> 00:10:01.779 No, look at how great God is that he made it. 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:06.200 That's what the spiritually alive person is able to do. 00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:07.940 They're able to say with Psalm 8, 00:10:08.280 --> 00:10:11.259 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:13.320 You have set your glory above the heavens. 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:16.640 They're able to agree with Psalm 19, 00:10:16.800 --> 00:10:21.800 the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 00:10:22.800 --> 00:10:28.040 In short, the spiritually alive person worships the creator. 00:10:29.300 --> 00:10:33.020 The spiritually dead person worships the creation. 00:10:33.019 --> 00:10:38.019 If you're alive, you are able to worship the creator. 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:40.419 Of course, it's more than that. 00:10:41.019 --> 00:10:45.000 It also gets at how we respond when we do things that we know are wrong. 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:49.439 Paul talks about in another place the difference between true sorrow, 00:10:49.620 --> 00:10:54.779 true repentance, and simply merely sorrow over sin. 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:59.399 The spiritually dead person is sorry because of the consequences of sin. 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:04.779 The spiritually alive person is sorry because of the sin, 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:06.860 that it has grieved and offended God. 00:11:07.100 --> 00:11:10.139 They know how dark and terrible it is, 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:12.579 and they have a hope that they can turn to. 00:11:13.340 --> 00:11:17.759 So it's not just this ability to see God's goodness and his gifts at work in the world, 00:11:17.819 --> 00:11:22.199 but also it affects what happens when we look inside our own hearts and our lives 00:11:22.199 --> 00:11:25.000 and see the evil and the wickedness that is there. 00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:28.940 In other words, the alive person has hope. 00:11:30.419 --> 00:11:34.759 They are able to see change and a way out. 00:11:35.899 --> 00:11:37.580 The spiritually dead person cannot. 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:41.379 All they can have is regret. 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:47.259 All they can do is try to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. 00:11:47.259 --> 00:11:54.399 The person who has life, who has God's power at work in them, 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:58.259 is changing day by day and week by week and year by year. 00:11:58.439 --> 00:12:03.659 As they grow older, we see in them a softening, a growing in love. 00:12:04.460 --> 00:12:08.939 There is more and more mercy that flows out of their life. 00:12:09.299 --> 00:12:12.279 There is more and more holiness that comes out of their life. 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:15.279 There is a greater and greater joy. 00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:20.659 That's what happens as the person who's alive ages and walks in life. 00:12:20.839 --> 00:12:24.059 What happens when the person who's dead increases in age? 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:26.600 Well, they grow bitter, right? 00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:28.860 They grow cranky. 00:12:30.019 --> 00:12:31.839 Their temper is shorter. 00:12:33.220 --> 00:12:36.059 Not so with the person that God's made alive. 00:12:37.379 --> 00:12:42.740 Goodness and love and joy flow out of them more and more each year. 00:12:42.740 --> 00:12:48.980 And so the person who God has made alive has this conviction of sin, 00:12:49.060 --> 00:12:52.700 this ability to change, this love for God and his gifts, 00:12:52.779 --> 00:12:56.860 this joy that extends and transcends the circumstances around them. 00:12:57.899 --> 00:13:00.419 We can say in a true sense, 00:13:00.899 --> 00:13:03.639 wow, that person is really alive. 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:08.480 Jesus tells us in John chapter 10, 00:13:08.580 --> 00:13:09.740 my sheep know my voice. 00:13:11.340 --> 00:13:15.679 The spiritually alive person can hear the shepherd's voice. 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:18.019 In fact, they don't just recognize it. 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:19.639 They love to hear it. 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:21.319 They want to hear it. 00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:22.519 They're drawn to it. 00:13:22.899 --> 00:13:24.860 They respond to it. 00:13:24.860 --> 00:13:34.080 If and when those things are true of you, 00:13:34.820 --> 00:13:39.019 it is because of spiritual resurrection. 00:13:40.300 --> 00:13:43.720 It is because God has worked a miracle. 00:13:44.259 --> 00:13:47.580 It is because God has taken you who were dead 00:13:47.580 --> 00:13:49.840 and has made you alive. 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:55.040 He is the only one you can praise and thank. 00:13:57.639 --> 00:13:59.100 If you're a Christian, 00:13:59.800 --> 00:14:03.220 all of those things that I described to you should sound familiar. 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:05.680 You should be able to say, 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:07.240 yes, I know what that's like. 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:07.840 I know. 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:08.920 I can sense that. 00:14:08.980 --> 00:14:09.920 Yeah, that makes sense 00:14:09.920 --> 00:14:12.680 because I experience spiritual life. 00:14:13.920 --> 00:14:16.440 This passage then points a question at us. 00:14:16.440 --> 00:14:20.420 Do those things describe you? 00:14:23.540 --> 00:14:25.140 Do those things describe you? 00:14:26.900 --> 00:14:28.300 Are you a person who can say, 00:14:28.420 --> 00:14:29.780 yes, God's at work in my life. 00:14:29.860 --> 00:14:33.240 He is growing my love, my joy, peace, patience, kindness, 00:14:33.420 --> 00:14:34.440 gentleness, and self-control. 00:14:35.880 --> 00:14:37.740 Yes, I look around at the world 00:14:37.740 --> 00:14:41.160 and I'm able to give praise and thanks to God for it 00:14:41.160 --> 00:14:43.940 because I know that it comes from him and not me. 00:14:43.940 --> 00:14:47.360 When you look at your sin, 00:14:47.500 --> 00:14:50.380 are you able to confess it and repent of it 00:14:50.380 --> 00:14:52.040 as a sin against God 00:14:52.040 --> 00:14:56.120 and then move forward to the new future that he has for you? 00:14:58.780 --> 00:15:02.860 Are those things true of you? 00:15:04.040 --> 00:15:05.440 Because that's what God does. 00:15:06.540 --> 00:15:09.020 He takes people who are spiritually dead 00:15:09.020 --> 00:15:11.740 and makes them spiritually alive. 00:15:11.740 --> 00:15:16.480 Has God resurrected you? 00:15:18.580 --> 00:15:23.220 Do you experience that resurrection in your life now? 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:26.980 That is meant to be the experience, 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:29.080 the life of the Christian. 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:35.860 Not only does Paul tell us about this resurrection power, 00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:37.980 he also tells us how it happened, 00:15:38.259 --> 00:15:41.279 which is part of why we're talking about this on Palm Sunday. 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:44.000 Verse 13, he tells us this death to life 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:47.339 happened because of resurrection power. 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:52.860 God made alive together with him, 00:15:53.159 --> 00:15:56.039 which is Paul's way of saying 00:15:56.039 --> 00:15:59.259 that you are alive because Jesus is alive. 00:16:00.679 --> 00:16:03.899 Jesus rose and he took you with him. 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:06.679 So I want you to think about it in this way. 00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:09.559 You're probably familiar with the idea of a payload, right? 00:16:09.559 --> 00:16:12.399 A satellite is carried by a rocket. 00:16:14.079 --> 00:16:16.739 Passengers are carried by a plane. 00:16:17.819 --> 00:16:19.279 Why does the satellite rise? 00:16:19.319 --> 00:16:21.399 Not because it has this power inside of itself. 00:16:21.619 --> 00:16:23.559 No, because it's attached to the rocket. 00:16:24.659 --> 00:16:26.979 When you fly from one place to another, 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:28.699 why do you raise from the ground? 00:16:28.979 --> 00:16:31.419 Well, because you're attached to the plane. 00:16:31.419 --> 00:16:33.620 We might say you're hidden in the plane, right? 00:16:37.079 --> 00:16:40.519 Why is it that you were taken from spiritual death 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:42.000 to spiritual life? 00:16:42.199 --> 00:16:45.979 It is because you were connected to Christ. 00:16:47.419 --> 00:16:50.000 You are his payload. 00:16:51.479 --> 00:16:53.879 Jesus' power, resurrection power, 00:16:54.019 --> 00:16:57.779 is so great that it is able to take someone 00:16:57.779 --> 00:17:00.279 who's spiritually dead and make them alive. 00:17:01.559 --> 00:17:05.960 It is so powerful that it is able to take the weight 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:09.759 of your sin and raise you from the grave. 00:17:11.019 --> 00:17:14.200 And in fact, that's the only power that's able to do that. 00:17:14.200 --> 00:17:20.799 It took resurrection power to bring you back from the dead. 00:17:20.799 --> 00:17:25.599 That's how great, on the one hand, our sin is, 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:31.659 and how much greater, on the other hand, God's power is. 00:17:32.759 --> 00:17:36.639 He raised you together with him. 00:17:37.819 --> 00:17:40.299 You are spiritually alive because, 00:17:40.680 --> 00:17:45.619 and only because, you are connected to Jesus Christ. 00:17:47.859 --> 00:17:49.180 We're told even more, though, 00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:51.080 it's not just that we are alive with him, 00:17:51.100 --> 00:17:52.440 but there's this forgiveness here. 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:54.880 Having forgiven us all our trespasses 00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:56.779 by canceling the record of debt 00:17:56.779 --> 00:17:59.440 that stood against us with its legal demands. 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:02.480 I'm sure we have a general idea 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:03.980 of the concept of forgiveness, 00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:05.220 which is when you say, 00:18:05.320 --> 00:18:07.539 I'm not going to hold this against you anymore. 00:18:08.080 --> 00:18:10.100 Whatever debt or weight there is, 00:18:10.180 --> 00:18:11.720 I'm going to receive that weight. 00:18:11.820 --> 00:18:13.120 I'm going to pay that debt. 00:18:14.080 --> 00:18:15.759 And Jesus does that for us 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:18.240 and our sins in his resurrection, 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:19.960 but it doesn't just tell us 00:18:19.960 --> 00:18:22.440 that he forgives us here in verse 13. 00:18:23.120 --> 00:18:24.920 It tells us how he did it. 00:18:25.579 --> 00:18:26.940 Canceled the record of debt 00:18:26.940 --> 00:18:29.539 that stood against us with its legal demands. 00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:30.900 In other words, 00:18:32.359 --> 00:18:34.019 legal demands is speaking about 00:18:34.019 --> 00:18:36.579 the ways that we have disobeyed God's law. 00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:38.880 And that debt is saying, 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:40.779 look, we have these transgressions. 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:42.160 We've disobeyed God's law. 00:18:42.259 --> 00:18:43.359 We've rebelled against him. 00:18:43.359 --> 00:18:44.979 We've refused to worship 00:18:44.979 --> 00:18:46.619 and follow him as he deserves. 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:49.359 And so there's a record that's standing there. 00:18:49.559 --> 00:18:51.459 That record of debt lays out 00:18:51.459 --> 00:18:53.039 what it is that we owe to God. 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:54.839 And what do we owe to him? 00:18:54.919 --> 00:18:56.539 Well, we owe him our very lives, right? 00:18:56.779 --> 00:18:57.599 The book of Romans, 00:18:57.779 --> 00:19:00.119 Paul tells us the wages of sin are death. 00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:03.259 And you can't just take that. 00:19:03.319 --> 00:19:04.859 We can't honor God's justice 00:19:04.859 --> 00:19:06.079 and the reality of the world 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:08.000 and simply clear that. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:11.059 Now he tells us that it's cleared, right? 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:12.319 It is cleared, 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:14.420 but it's cleared by a specific act. 00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:15.960 He canceled it. 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:17.640 He scraped it out. 00:19:17.700 --> 00:19:19.119 It's kind of what the Greek says here. 00:19:20.059 --> 00:19:23.200 But he did it by nailing it to the cross. 00:19:24.359 --> 00:19:25.720 Now, why is it important 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:26.859 that he nailed it to the cross? 00:19:28.299 --> 00:19:29.440 In ancient times, 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:31.160 when someone was hung on a cross, 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:35.420 their crimes were often posted on the cross 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:37.320 so that someone would know 00:19:37.320 --> 00:19:40.279 why it is that they had to be crucified. 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:43.000 There's an explanation of what they've done. 00:19:43.980 --> 00:19:46.039 So their crimes, their punishment. 00:19:47.360 --> 00:19:49.019 What Paul is telling us here 00:19:49.019 --> 00:19:52.140 is it's our crimes and Christ's punishment. 00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:58.980 The explanation for Jesus' crucifixion is our sin. 00:19:59.259 --> 00:20:02.340 That's what it means that Jesus nailed them to the cross. 00:20:02.339 --> 00:20:05.139 He added your expense, 00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:07.039 your charges to his account. 00:20:07.459 --> 00:20:08.879 Someone had to pay. 00:20:09.699 --> 00:20:10.359 Jesus did. 00:20:11.579 --> 00:20:15.639 And he paid for it specifically on the cross. 00:20:18.099 --> 00:20:21.079 That is how Jesus made you alive. 00:20:22.439 --> 00:20:23.839 He made you alive 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:26.799 because of the power of his resurrection. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:31.879 He made you alive by canceling the debt of his sin, 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:32.859 of your sin. 00:20:33.659 --> 00:20:35.279 And this highlights something important for us. 00:20:35.339 --> 00:20:38.299 It's tempting at times to think of the Christian faith 00:20:38.299 --> 00:20:40.139 as merely intellectual assent. 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:43.539 Yes, I believe that I'm a sinner 00:20:43.539 --> 00:20:44.819 and Jesus paid for my sins. 00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:48.079 And I know I need to live a life 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:50.059 that is consistent with that, right? 00:20:51.220 --> 00:20:52.259 Paul is telling us, 00:20:52.680 --> 00:20:54.200 okay, yeah, it's not less than that. 00:20:54.279 --> 00:20:56.000 It is so much more than that. 00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:59.119 It is not simply that God has forgiven your sins 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:00.420 because of the work of Christ, 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:03.859 but instead that the very power of the resurrection 00:21:03.859 --> 00:21:08.460 is at work and giving you a new life now. 00:21:09.619 --> 00:21:11.539 That's why in the book of Ephesians, 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:14.440 he says the same power that raised Christ from the dead, 00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:16.519 that's the power that's in work in you. 00:21:16.819 --> 00:21:19.799 It's resurrection power that gives the Christian 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:22.440 the ability to move forward in this life. 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:24.100 It is not that God says, 00:21:24.259 --> 00:21:25.420 look, I've paid for your sins 00:21:25.420 --> 00:21:26.799 and now go figure it out. 00:21:26.940 --> 00:21:28.559 But he says, I've paid for your sins 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:31.500 and I've given you the life that you didn't have. 00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:33.940 I've given you the power that you didn't have. 00:21:34.180 --> 00:21:36.220 I've given you the ability to see 00:21:36.220 --> 00:21:37.700 when you were blind before. 00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:42.019 You were raised with him. 00:21:44.819 --> 00:21:46.580 Because there's a power here, 00:21:46.660 --> 00:21:50.460 because it is more than God forgiving sins, 00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:55.019 we see also his act as a king in verse 15. 00:21:55.580 --> 00:21:57.600 Yes, he is bringing life to you 00:21:57.600 --> 00:22:02.660 and he is restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. 00:22:03.340 --> 00:22:04.620 And that's what we see here. 00:22:04.619 --> 00:22:07.259 We're reminded of what we saw in the book of Daniel, 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:07.879 for example, 00:22:07.899 --> 00:22:10.979 that there are real demonic powers and forces 00:22:10.979 --> 00:22:12.639 at work in this world, 00:22:12.919 --> 00:22:14.919 referenced here as rulers and authorities. 00:22:15.179 --> 00:22:16.639 That as we walk in this world, 00:22:16.819 --> 00:22:18.619 yes, we have Christ's life in us 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:21.439 who has brought us back from the dead spiritually. 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:23.679 And we also live in this world 00:22:23.679 --> 00:22:26.159 where real evil forces are at work. 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:29.219 And so what are we supposed to do with that? 00:22:31.199 --> 00:22:32.799 We see it all around us, right? 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:35.539 We see evil in the news every week. 00:22:35.639 --> 00:22:38.019 We see it in our hearts every day. 00:22:39.159 --> 00:22:41.519 And so we have this word of encouragement, 00:22:42.259 --> 00:22:43.559 and even more than encouragement, 00:22:43.859 --> 00:22:45.180 declaration and truth. 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:47.720 He disarmed the rulers and authorities 00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:49.119 and put them to open shame 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:52.619 by triumphing over them in him. 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:54.779 So there's two things going on. 00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:55.940 First of all, he disarmed them. 00:22:56.539 --> 00:22:58.159 Second, he puts them to open shame. 00:22:58.220 --> 00:22:59.759 And we're told triumphing over them 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:02.700 is a type of way in which he's put them to shame. 00:23:04.259 --> 00:23:05.400 Disarmed means this. 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:08.660 Yes, there are real evil forces in this world, 00:23:08.660 --> 00:23:12.420 and they no longer have power. 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:19.200 Their bite, their teeth have been removed. 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:22.720 I think I told you a couple years ago 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:23.880 on Palm Sunday or Easter, 00:23:25.240 --> 00:23:28.680 death is like a snake with no poison. 00:23:29.640 --> 00:23:31.019 God's removed the poison. 00:23:31.620 --> 00:23:32.759 Yes, it can bite you. 00:23:33.100 --> 00:23:34.279 No, it can't kill you. 00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:37.500 That's what happens in this world. 00:23:38.080 --> 00:23:40.380 Yes, we see snakes around us. 00:23:41.080 --> 00:23:42.360 They're toothless snakes. 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:45.019 They're venomless snakes. 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:47.200 They're poisonless snakes. 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:52.799 Whatever evil we see in this world, 00:23:52.920 --> 00:23:54.580 it has lost any ability 00:23:54.580 --> 00:23:56.440 to have final and ultimate power. 00:23:56.819 --> 00:24:00.600 Jesus has won the victory over them. 00:24:01.900 --> 00:24:05.160 And so we need not fear them. 00:24:06.580 --> 00:24:08.880 Jesus wasn't just content to defeat them, though. 00:24:08.940 --> 00:24:11.279 He also decided to put them to open shame. 00:24:12.259 --> 00:24:14.080 You're familiar with this idea, right? 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:17.379 You hear that someone has resigned from a job, 00:24:17.439 --> 00:24:18.339 and what's your first thought, 00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:20.319 especially if this is in the news? 00:24:21.439 --> 00:24:23.559 Well, did they resign? 00:24:26.099 --> 00:24:30.099 Or were they nicely fired, right? 00:24:31.779 --> 00:24:33.099 Well, why do you wonder that? 00:24:33.659 --> 00:24:35.939 Because if they were nicely fired, 00:24:36.299 --> 00:24:39.619 their employer decided not to put them to open shame. 00:24:39.619 --> 00:24:43.299 They were given a way out. 00:24:43.399 --> 00:24:46.299 They were allowed to keep their honor. 00:24:46.719 --> 00:24:50.919 Jesus does not give the devil the opportunity to resign. 00:24:51.939 --> 00:24:55.719 No, instead, he shames him in front of everyone. 00:24:56.199 --> 00:25:00.959 Jesus at the cross really embarrassed the evil forces of this world. 00:25:01.219 --> 00:25:03.279 He beat them at their own game. 00:25:03.500 --> 00:25:05.779 He used their weapons against them. 00:25:05.779 --> 00:25:10.339 It is embarrassing to be a demon after Jesus' resurrection. 00:25:12.019 --> 00:25:15.759 It is embarrassing to be part of the evil forces of this world 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:18.079 after Christ has risen from the dead 00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:20.339 and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. 00:25:21.160 --> 00:25:23.119 That's how badly he beat them. 00:25:23.500 --> 00:25:26.160 You don't want to show your face in public. 00:25:28.279 --> 00:25:29.759 Shouldn't surprise us then, right, 00:25:29.819 --> 00:25:32.839 that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. 00:25:32.839 --> 00:25:33.899 He has to be. 00:25:34.439 --> 00:25:36.759 Because to tell the truth would be to say, 00:25:36.919 --> 00:25:38.859 look, I got trounced at the cross. 00:25:39.919 --> 00:25:44.220 I got beaten so badly, I cannot come back. 00:25:48.299 --> 00:25:49.759 Triumph is part of this shaming. 00:25:49.899 --> 00:25:51.539 And to understand what's meant by triumph, 00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:55.019 we have to go back a little bit and understand Roman history. 00:25:55.539 --> 00:25:59.720 If you were a Roman general and you conquered another nation, 00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:00.779 you conquered an enemy, 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:03.379 you would then return back to Rome. 00:26:03.980 --> 00:26:07.240 And you wouldn't just return back and receive a fanfare or applause. 00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:09.559 No, you would put on a triumph. 00:26:09.940 --> 00:26:11.279 Now, we don't use the word triumph, 00:26:11.359 --> 00:26:13.759 so instead I want you to think of this as a parade. 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:15.899 You would put on a parade. 00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:18.279 We're familiar with Macy's Thanksgiving parade, 00:26:18.500 --> 00:26:19.759 and there's floats, right? 00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:21.440 You might have a Thanksgiving turkey 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:25.059 or whatever the popular cartoon character is for that year. 00:26:25.059 --> 00:26:29.500 And so that was what would happen when a Roman general came back, 00:26:29.539 --> 00:26:32.559 except instead of a Thanksgiving turkey or a cartoon character, 00:26:32.819 --> 00:26:35.019 he would have these floats, essentially, 00:26:35.179 --> 00:26:36.859 of what he had captured from his enemies. 00:26:37.379 --> 00:26:39.399 So you'd have this parade coming in, 00:26:39.419 --> 00:26:40.039 and people would cheer, 00:26:40.159 --> 00:26:42.460 look, we captured all their gold and all their silver. 00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:45.399 And then after the goods of the people they captured came in, 00:26:45.579 --> 00:26:47.539 the people themselves would be displayed. 00:26:47.539 --> 00:26:52.379 He might have a float with the soldiers that he's conquered on it. 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:55.839 And what would come at the very end, 00:26:56.539 --> 00:27:00.779 the very end would be the chance to see the king himself, 00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:04.579 humiliated and disarmed. 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:09.519 Oh, that was the scary person that we were afraid of. 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:14.940 And there he is, a joke for us to laugh at on a float. 00:27:14.940 --> 00:27:20.059 When Jesus rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, 00:27:20.140 --> 00:27:22.039 and sat at the right hand of God the Father, 00:27:22.380 --> 00:27:28.440 he made the evil forces of this world look silly on a float in his parade. 00:27:30.220 --> 00:27:34.200 That is how powerless they are. 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:42.640 Now, if you're hearing all this, 00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:43.960 one thing you might be thinking is, 00:27:43.960 --> 00:27:47.640 well, it certainly doesn't feel like that. 00:27:48.759 --> 00:27:49.920 We grieve, right? 00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:51.960 With the Covenant School in Nashville, 00:27:52.360 --> 00:27:57.720 doesn't feel that day as if Jesus has conquered the powers, 00:27:57.759 --> 00:28:01.259 as if he has embarrassed and shamed the devil. 00:28:04.039 --> 00:28:06.220 One illustration that's given, 00:28:07.160 --> 00:28:08.640 that's in your worship guide, actually, 00:28:08.640 --> 00:28:12.259 on page 8. 00:28:13.160 --> 00:28:16.540 It talks about the difference between D-Day and V-Day. 00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:20.560 And that, in a sense, is what we live in right now as Christians. 00:28:21.040 --> 00:28:26.759 D-Day, the final, the decisive turn of the war in June of 1944, right? 00:28:26.800 --> 00:28:28.160 The invasion of Normandy. 00:28:28.259 --> 00:28:30.100 That's the breaking of the enemy powers. 00:28:30.099 --> 00:28:35.099 And yet, V-Day, Victory Day, comes a year later, 00:28:35.099 --> 00:28:37.500 when official surrender happens. 00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:39.799 As it says there, 00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:42.079 in your worship guide, 00:28:43.599 --> 00:28:45.599 V-Day is the second coming of Christ, 00:28:45.679 --> 00:28:49.179 when the enemy shall totally and finally surrender. 00:28:49.180 --> 00:28:53.400 That's what we look forward to when Jesus comes again. 00:28:54.220 --> 00:28:57.500 But, and, D-Day has already happened. 00:28:58.680 --> 00:29:00.840 The parade has already happened. 00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:04.019 The disarming of evil forces has already happened. 00:29:04.140 --> 00:29:07.200 And so, when we see evil at work in this world, 00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:10.180 we know its ultimate power is gone. 00:29:10.940 --> 00:29:13.700 We know it has already been disarmed. 00:29:13.700 --> 00:29:18.360 We know, on the final day, we will see that fully. 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:21.680 And so, what do we do? 00:29:21.700 --> 00:29:25.180 What do we do with things like this school shooting this week 00:29:25.180 --> 00:29:26.660 that Britt mentioned in his prayer? 00:29:27.819 --> 00:29:30.620 That we can say, this is an act of pure evil, right? 00:29:31.980 --> 00:29:33.920 This is what the powers and authorities 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:35.440 that we thought would be disarmed, 00:29:35.519 --> 00:29:36.640 that we wish were disarmed. 00:29:38.259 --> 00:29:40.680 And in that, Britt mentioned in his prayer, 00:29:40.680 --> 00:29:44.100 one of the victims was the daughter of a pastor 00:29:44.100 --> 00:29:45.140 in our denomination. 00:29:46.060 --> 00:29:47.400 A man named Chad Scruggs, 00:29:47.400 --> 00:29:48.620 who's the pastor of that church. 00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:50.100 His daughter is one of the nine-year-olds 00:29:50.100 --> 00:29:52.920 who was gunned down this past week. 00:29:54.980 --> 00:29:57.180 Speaking of his daughter, Hallie, he said this, 00:29:58.180 --> 00:29:59.380 we are heartbroken. 00:30:00.360 --> 00:30:01.420 She was such a gift. 00:30:02.580 --> 00:30:05.820 Through tears, we trust that she is in the arms of Jesus 00:30:05.820 --> 00:30:09.220 who will raise her to life once again. 00:30:10.680 --> 00:30:14.720 The powers and authorities have been disarmed. 00:30:16.920 --> 00:30:19.220 Jesus will raise her to life again. 00:30:20.600 --> 00:30:22.860 The snake can bite, but it has no teeth. 00:30:23.820 --> 00:30:26.440 And it can bite, but there's no poison. 00:30:28.019 --> 00:30:31.240 Jesus has already beaten them at their own game, right? 00:30:31.500 --> 00:30:34.580 Looking to bring evil and destruction and carnage, 00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:36.480 her father has used as an opportunity 00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:39.039 to remind people of the hope of the gospel. 00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:44.379 And as we live in sorrow and sadness now, 00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:47.700 we know how the story ends. 00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:51.059 We know that Jesus will beat 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:53.740 and has beaten death at its own game. 00:30:54.059 --> 00:30:59.799 He has shamed it for Hallie Scruggs and for us. 00:30:59.799 --> 00:31:03.579 Yes, V-Day hasn't happened. 00:31:04.359 --> 00:31:05.319 D-Day has. 00:31:06.259 --> 00:31:08.879 The power of evil in this world 00:31:08.879 --> 00:31:13.200 has been broken truly and really. 00:31:17.099 --> 00:31:20.440 He has disarmed the powers and authorities. 00:31:20.859 --> 00:31:23.339 And it's that knowledge that grows our love of Christ. 00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:25.399 Remember, we talked the last few weeks 00:31:25.400 --> 00:31:28.140 about what it means for our love of Jesus to grow. 00:31:29.360 --> 00:31:30.180 One of them is this, 00:31:30.220 --> 00:31:32.440 to know that he has defeated evil. 00:31:33.060 --> 00:31:37.280 No matter what evil does right now in this world, 00:31:37.840 --> 00:31:39.400 its power has already been broken. 00:31:39.840 --> 00:31:41.460 It has already been disarmed. 00:31:41.960 --> 00:31:43.320 The day is coming. 00:31:44.280 --> 00:31:48.519 When Jesus returns to this world. 00:31:48.519 --> 00:31:52.839 So we're reminded of Jesus' words of comfort in John 16. 00:31:54.059 --> 00:31:55.740 I have said these things to you 00:31:55.740 --> 00:31:57.240 that in me you may have peace. 00:31:57.759 --> 00:31:59.819 In the world you will have tribulation, 00:31:59.960 --> 00:32:00.700 but take heart. 00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:03.559 I have overcome the world. 00:32:05.420 --> 00:32:06.440 In 1 John 4, 00:32:06.599 --> 00:32:07.799 he who is in you 00:32:07.799 --> 00:32:11.940 is greater than he who is in the world. 00:32:11.940 --> 00:32:16.500 And so that's why 00:32:16.500 --> 00:32:20.059 we're gonna sing the power of the cross, 00:32:20.180 --> 00:32:21.019 which tells us this, 00:32:21.160 --> 00:32:22.039 curtain torn in two, 00:32:22.200 --> 00:32:23.700 dead are raised to life, 00:32:24.539 --> 00:32:27.279 finished the victory cry. 00:32:28.539 --> 00:32:31.340 Because the powers of evil have been disarmed, 00:32:31.920 --> 00:32:33.140 Jesus has shamed them 00:32:33.140 --> 00:32:35.000 and triumphed over them. 00:32:35.820 --> 00:32:38.720 We know the victory in part now, 00:32:38.720 --> 00:32:43.279 and we will know it fully one day. 00:32:44.339 --> 00:32:44.960 Let's pray. 00:32:47.200 --> 00:32:48.339 Our Father in heaven, 00:32:48.519 --> 00:32:49.500 we praise you 00:32:49.500 --> 00:32:50.420 and thank you 00:32:50.420 --> 00:32:51.360 that you have disarmed 00:32:51.360 --> 00:32:52.460 the powers and authorities, 00:32:53.400 --> 00:32:54.819 that you've put them to open shame 00:32:54.819 --> 00:32:56.059 and you've triumphed over them. 00:32:56.339 --> 00:32:56.960 And we thank you 00:32:56.960 --> 00:32:57.880 that you have brought us 00:32:57.880 --> 00:32:59.620 from death to life. 00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:02.740 We ask that you'd remind us of that, 00:33:02.839 --> 00:33:03.860 that you'd stir up 00:33:03.860 --> 00:33:05.319 our love and affection 00:33:05.319 --> 00:33:06.759 and our obedience to you 00:33:06.759 --> 00:33:07.880 as we see you 00:33:07.880 --> 00:33:10.180 as our great and victorious king. 00:33:10.400 --> 00:33:11.680 We ask these things 00:33:11.680 --> 00:33:13.260 in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. 00:33:13.760 --> 00:33:14.040 Amen. 00:33:14.040 --> 00:33:14.200 Amen.