WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.140 Let's read God's Word together from Colossians chapter 1, verses 9 to 14. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:52.019 This is God's Holy Word. 00:00:52.020 --> 00:01:00.340 Well, we turn this evening back to Colossians chapter 1 and to look at those verses that 00:01:00.340 --> 00:01:13.859 Corrie read for us a moment or two ago. Elephants never forget. It's a well-known saying. Perhaps 00:01:13.859 --> 00:01:21.000 the strangest thing about those words is that they are in fact true. Apparently, elephants do 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:28.379 indeed have incredible memories. For example, they can keep track of the occasion of up to about 30 00:01:28.379 --> 00:01:35.079 members of their herd at any one time. They're a long-lived species, and their good memory for 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:43.260 places and terrain is of vital importance for the survival of the herd. It must be true. I read it 00:01:43.260 --> 00:01:51.340 in Wikipedia. Now, I don't know if anyone has ever before likened the Apostle Paul to an elephant, 00:01:52.100 --> 00:02:01.360 but if not, we're breaking new ground this evening. Because like the elephant, Paul did not forget. 00:02:02.160 --> 00:02:09.259 In particular, he did not forget people. He had a great memory for the people of God. 00:02:09.259 --> 00:02:15.299 And Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica. He tells them in chapter 1 verse 2, 00:02:15.639 --> 00:02:24.359 we always remember you when we pray. And we see something similar here in this opening chapter of 00:02:24.359 --> 00:02:31.139 Colossians. Verse 3 of chapter 1, we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:02:31.139 --> 00:02:41.539 when we pray for you. And here in verse 9, and so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray 00:02:41.539 --> 00:02:51.519 for you. Paul, it seems, didn't forget people, and he didn't forget to pray for them. He was committed 00:02:51.520 --> 00:03:02.439 to persistent and persevering prayer for others. And his example, I think, presents a huge challenge 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:11.520 to our own prayer lives. And so, what we have before us this evening in these verses is a prayer of Paul, 00:03:12.180 --> 00:03:19.600 a prayer for the Colossians, a prayer for God's people. And it's helpful, I think, to note 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:29.620 what he prays for, what he asks for, what he longs to see in the lives of these Colossian believers. 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:35.780 We remember from last week, this was a church that was being influenced by false teaching, 00:03:36.519 --> 00:03:44.539 and there was the danger that rather than the gospel, rather than Christ remaining at the center 00:03:44.539 --> 00:03:51.319 of their life and worship and witness, it was being displaced by other forms of teaching. 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:58.479 So, notice with me, if you will, three things that we see in this, a prayer for God's people 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:07.159 this evening. And the first thing I think we notice is that in verse 9, it's a prayer asking for knowledge, 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:15.460 wisdom, wisdom, and understanding. This is the central request of Paul's prayer, asking that you may be 00:04:15.460 --> 00:04:24.620 filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. What is Paul 00:04:24.620 --> 00:04:33.860 asking here? What is he referring to? Now, often when we think of God's will, we think about His will for 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:43.720 our lives. We think about our circumstances and our life choices. Shall I apply for this job? Should I marry 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:53.680 this person? Where should I live? This is not what Paul is referring to here. He's speaking here really 00:04:53.680 --> 00:05:01.340 about the gospel itself and the great future hope it holds before us. He's alluding to God's great 00:05:01.339 --> 00:05:11.179 purposes of grace for His people and for the world. It's the big picture that Paul has in mind here. 00:05:12.039 --> 00:05:18.139 As we were reminded last week, the Colossians had come to faith through receiving the gospel message, 00:05:18.639 --> 00:05:25.719 and now Paul asks that their knowledge and their understanding of that gospel would be expanded. 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:33.500 God has made known His will. He has revealed His purpose through the Scriptures, through Christ, 00:05:33.740 --> 00:05:41.540 through His apostles. He has made things plain to us in the message of the gospel. It is a revelation 00:05:41.540 --> 00:05:50.600 of God's grace and love for sinners. And so, Paul is praying that their understanding of God's plan 00:05:50.600 --> 00:06:00.680 and purpose in the gospel would grow and deepen. And the reason for that, as we shall see, is that the 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:10.100 whole of the Christian life flows out of this gospel. Paul's desire is that the Colossians would be filled 00:06:10.100 --> 00:06:16.660 with this gospel knowledge in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Now, that word spiritual here is not a 00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:23.820 reference to some kind of vague mystical feeling. That's often how that might be understood in our 00:06:23.820 --> 00:06:29.880 culture. But what Paul is speaking about here is the work of the Holy Spirit, because it's the Spirit 00:06:29.880 --> 00:06:39.740 Himself who brings wisdom and understanding to God's people. We are to be a people whose thinking, 00:06:39.740 --> 00:06:50.480 whose mindset is continually shaped by the Word of God, illumined by the Spirit of God, and transformed by 00:06:50.480 --> 00:06:59.060 the gospel of God. And there's a real danger today, as there was in ancient Colossae, that we are duped 00:06:59.060 --> 00:07:07.199 and deceived by all manner of worldviews that are circulating in our culture, where people move away 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:15.439 from the gospel and the centrality of our Lord Jesus Christ, then be assured, confusion will abound, 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:26.279 and immaturity will result. There's a famous quote of Tim Keller. I believe this is an approved quote 00:07:26.279 --> 00:07:29.839 from Corey, so I think I'll be okay. He writes, 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:38.579 We never get beyond the gospel in our Christian life to something more advanced. The gospel is not 00:07:38.579 --> 00:07:46.239 the first step in a stairway of truths. It's more like a hub in the wheel of truth. The gospel is not 00:07:46.239 --> 00:07:53.319 just the ABCs of Christianity, but it's the A—I was going to say Z, but I can't make myself say that—but 00:07:53.319 --> 00:08:01.159 it's the A to Z of Christianity. The gospel is not just the minimum required doctrine necessary to enter 00:08:01.159 --> 00:08:10.039 the kingdom, but the way we all make progress in the kingdom. Martin Luther, another famous quote, 00:08:10.579 --> 00:08:16.680 The truth of the gospel is the principal article of all Christian doctrine. Most necessary is it that we know 00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:25.480 this article well. Teach it to others and beat it into their heads continually. The gospel that justifies 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:32.560 is also the gospel that sanctifies. It's the way of growth and renewal in the Christian life. 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:39.460 Quoting Keller again, It's the solution to each problem, the key to each closed door, the power through 00:08:39.460 --> 00:08:47.240 every barrier. And Paul is praying here that the Colossians would grow in their understanding of the gospel, 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:53.600 its fullness, and that that would powerfully impact their lives. We've been praying as a church in this past 00:08:53.600 --> 00:09:03.320 week. What for? For gospel renewal. And the gospel does that renewing work in us as we understand it in all 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:11.940 its truth, in all its grace, in all its glory. So, the key to continual and deeper spiritual renewal and 00:09:11.940 --> 00:09:19.820 revival is this continual rediscovery of the gospel. We need to see and understand and feel more of its 00:09:19.820 --> 00:09:28.460 truth and power in our lives. Now, this knowledge and understanding of God's will in the gospel that 00:09:28.460 --> 00:09:37.040 Paul's praise for here is not knowledge for the sake of it. It's the kind of knowledge, wisdom, understanding 00:09:37.040 --> 00:09:44.860 that will issue in changed, transformed lives. And that brings us, I think, to the second thing I want to 00:09:44.860 --> 00:09:52.759 highlight here. Paul prays here not only for gospel understanding, but for gospel living. It's a prayer, you'll 00:09:52.759 --> 00:10:02.340 notice in verses 10 and 11, looking for godliness, fruitfulness, and resilience. What will it mean for 00:10:02.340 --> 00:10:08.840 us to be filled with the knowledge of God's will in Jesus Christ? It means we will be a certain kind of 00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:15.319 people. We will be changed. We will no longer be conformed to the pattern of this world. We will be 00:10:15.319 --> 00:10:22.700 different because the gospel brings deep and profound change. And this is what Paul is looking for 00:10:22.700 --> 00:10:28.840 in the lives of these Colossian believers. He's looking for three things. For godliness, 00:10:30.160 --> 00:10:39.840 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him. Verse 10, he's looking for lives 00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:48.300 that would reflect love for and worship of the Lord. Paul's words here are very similar. There are strong 00:10:48.299 --> 00:10:54.719 connections between Colossians and Ephesians, very similar words to those we find at the beginning of 00:10:54.719 --> 00:11:01.419 Ephesians 4, where Paul says, I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of 00:11:01.419 --> 00:11:08.439 the calling to which you have been called. Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. He doesn't mean 00:11:08.439 --> 00:11:16.120 living in such a way as to make ourselves worthy of the Lord. He doesn't mean living to earn our way 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:22.560 into God's favor. He's referring to that way of life that flows out of the grace that we've already 00:11:22.560 --> 00:11:31.460 received in the gospel. It's a life that shows His worth and that we belong to Him. 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:39.200 Many years ago when I was at school, 20 years ago or whatever it was, I can't remember, 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:46.740 if we were going on a school trip or if we were representing the school, you know, football team 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:53.200 or whatever it might have been at some event, we always had the same talk from whoever the teacher 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:59.580 was. So we were exhorted not to disgrace and dishonor the good name and reputation of the school. 00:11:59.940 --> 00:12:05.860 I'm not sure our school had a great reputation, but anyway. Well, as Christians, if I put it this way, 00:12:05.860 --> 00:12:11.820 we belong in the school of Christ and we bear His name through baptism and we need to live 00:12:11.820 --> 00:12:21.340 to honor Him. We need to live lives worthy of the Lord. More than that, we need to live lives that are 00:12:21.340 --> 00:12:30.639 fully pleasing to Him. No longer living simply to please ourselves, even to please others. Our primary 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:37.639 motivation is to please the Lord Himself. That's the great desire of the Christian, to live a life that 00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:45.860 brings pleasure to God. Sometimes there are those who appear to embrace the Christian faith 00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:54.379 for self-serving reasons, and they very quickly find that it doesn't work because self-pleasing 00:12:54.379 --> 00:13:02.700 Christianity is never and can never be satisfying. We only find satisfaction when we're set free to 00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:10.179 live for God and not for self. And so the Christian life is not to be understood as some kind of crushing, 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:17.720 oppressive burden or some great long list of rules and regulations. It's to be a pleasure and a delight. 00:13:17.720 --> 00:13:23.800 We are to give Christ pleasure by the way that we live and conduct ourselves. We are to delight 00:13:23.800 --> 00:13:31.560 ourselves in the Lord because it's not about what pleases us. It's all about what pleases Him. 00:13:32.600 --> 00:13:40.980 Our lives are orientated towards Him. Christ is now at the center. We aim to give Him pleasure. 00:13:40.980 --> 00:13:51.060 To God be the glory, great things He has done, says the old hymn. We're to be taken up with Him. 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:59.620 He must come first. We must be less concerned about what we think of ourselves or even about what others 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:07.460 think of us, and more concerned about what the Lord thinks. And that should be true in the lives that we 00:14:07.460 --> 00:14:14.759 lead in the worship that we offer. I don't know if I quoted this before. I think Anne Ortlund wrote a book 00:14:14.759 --> 00:14:22.879 on worship some years ago entitled Up With Worship. In the book, she describes a proper attitude to worship 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:31.740 in these terms. Lord, this church service is for you. I am here to give you pleasure. 00:14:31.740 --> 00:14:43.139 Godliness. Godliness. Lives worthy of the Lord, looking to please Him. But not just godliness here, 00:14:43.200 --> 00:14:49.139 also fruitfulness, again in verse 10, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge 00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:55.580 of God. You might remember last week in the previous verses, Paul spoke there about the gospel bearing 00:14:55.580 --> 00:15:03.320 fruit and growing in verse 6. This is what the life-giving seed of the gospel does. It bears fruit 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:10.420 and grows amongst those who receive it by faith. The underlying principle here, growth and maturity. 00:15:11.160 --> 00:15:16.620 Our lives are to bear fruit for God. Just as a healthy tree bears its fruit in due season, 00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:25.299 so the Christian is to bear fruit for God in every good work. We're not to, I think, see ourselves as a 00:15:25.299 --> 00:15:32.399 bunch of do-gooders, but rather as those who take pleasure in pleasing God. And good fruit is the 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:40.179 inevitable result of that. And those fruitful good works are to be accompanied here by a growing knowledge 00:15:40.179 --> 00:15:48.500 of God. Not just knowing things about God, not just packing our minds with information, but knowing 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:57.419 Him. That's the language of intimacy. Remember Jesus' words in John 17, this is eternal life, that they know 00:15:57.419 --> 00:16:07.459 you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. And surely this is both its deepest pleasure 00:16:07.460 --> 00:16:13.200 and its greatest blessing. The Christian life is not something static, it's dynamic. 00:16:14.900 --> 00:16:21.019 And knowing God is at the heart of everything for the Christian and for the church. And it seems that 00:16:21.019 --> 00:16:27.500 Paul is expecting growth in the lives of these Colossian believers. He's looking for maturity. He's 00:16:27.500 --> 00:16:34.259 looking for development. He doesn't want them to remain in the same place spiritually. He wants them to 00:16:34.259 --> 00:16:41.899 become more and more like Jesus Christ. That's ultimately what it means to be fruitful. Maturity, 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:47.379 fruitfulness is likeness to Jesus. A fruitful people are growing in their knowledge of God 00:16:47.379 --> 00:16:53.799 and likeness to Jesus. Are we bearing fruit? Are we growing as Christians? Are we still growing? 00:16:55.200 --> 00:17:00.720 If maturity in the Christian life is being more like Jesus, then that tells us what immaturity is like. 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:08.920 It's becoming less like Jesus. And we become less like Him when we act selfishly. We become less like Him 00:17:08.920 --> 00:17:15.019 when we're full of our own pride. We become less like Him when we refuse to love and serve others. 00:17:16.860 --> 00:17:22.660 What do we sometimes say to people who are behaving in an immature, a childish manner? 00:17:22.660 --> 00:17:31.740 We tell them, you need to grow up or you're at your age. Paul tells the Christians in Corinth, 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:38.940 1 Corinthians 14, verse 20, Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, 00:17:39.940 --> 00:17:48.980 but in your thinking be mature, be grown up. So, Paul's looking for godliness. He's looking for 00:17:48.980 --> 00:17:55.500 fruitfulness. He's also looking here for resilience. Verse 11, be strengthened with all power according to 00:17:55.500 --> 00:18:02.400 His glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy. So, Paul isn't praying for God's mighty 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:07.779 power to be known in some kind of miraculous works and healings. He's praying that the Colossians 00:18:07.779 --> 00:18:14.059 will know God's power in keeping them moving forward in the Christian life with patience and joy. 00:18:14.059 --> 00:18:20.259 He desires that they will be able to stand in the day of testing and trial, that they would be able 00:18:20.259 --> 00:18:27.539 to cope with the many stresses and strains of living for God in a pagan world. That word for endurance 00:18:27.539 --> 00:18:33.679 often tied to circumstances. The word patience more often than not relates to people. We endure 00:18:33.679 --> 00:18:39.440 circumstances and we are patient with people. And you'll notice that the strength of resilience 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:46.160 comes from God. And you'll notice how Paul piles up the words so that we, you know, we don't miss the 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:54.799 point. Strength, power, might, glory. This resilience is nothing to do with a kind of stoicism or a stiff 00:18:54.799 --> 00:19:04.120 upper lip. It comes from God, and it's characterized by joy. Because to endure with joy is a mark of God's 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:09.619 grace. That we're growing in our knowledge of God, our understanding of His will. 00:19:11.779 --> 00:19:18.079 And surely that is one of the great needs, isn't it, in our own day and age, that we would continue to 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:26.819 stand and persevere for God, that we would keep the faith. God's power is at work within us, making us a 00:19:26.819 --> 00:19:33.099 resilient people, able to stand in those days when the enemy comes in like a flood, a people who will not 00:19:33.099 --> 00:19:39.519 crumble at the first sign of opposition, a people who will not throw in the towel despite the blows of 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:47.399 the evil one. And perhaps to some of you here, that appears somewhat unambitious, maybe even a somewhat 00:19:47.399 --> 00:19:55.339 mundane goal, just to remain standing, just to keep going, just to stay the course, just to endure. 00:19:55.339 --> 00:20:07.500 Maybe when I was younger, I thought that too. But as the years have passed, I've come to recognize that 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:19.000 this indeed is a vital aspiration. For tragically, I have seen many fall by the wayside and fail to endure. 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:28.720 So here we have a prayer for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and a prayer looking for godliness 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:38.039 and fruitfulness and resilience. And then thirdly, you'll notice here, there's a prayer. Here's a 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:46.700 prayer rooted in thanksgiving for God's salvation. We have this wonderful couple of verses here at the 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:53.980 end of the end of the section, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance 00:20:53.980 --> 00:21:01.980 of the saints and light. He's delivered us from the domain of darkness, transferred us to the kingdom of 00:21:01.980 --> 00:21:12.940 His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. To endure, to maintain our Christian 00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:26.420 convictions. We need strength. And Paul, you see here, returns to that note of thankfulness that we considered last week, 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:33.920 and something that we're going to see as we move through the letter. And simply put, the Christian life is a life of 00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:40.759 gratitude to God. We're to be a thankful people. Why? Because of all that He has done for us in the gospel. 00:21:40.759 --> 00:21:47.839 Because of all that we have received through the Lord Jesus Christ. Because God has been so wonderfully 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:57.099 good to us. What has He done to inspire such gratitude? Well, Paul spells it out in these verses. Three key 00:21:57.099 --> 00:22:06.440 words, you'll notice there, used all in the past tense. He qualified us. He delivered us. He transferred us. 00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:13.340 And Paul is speaking here about being moved, really, from one realm of existence to another. It's a 00:22:13.340 --> 00:22:23.840 fundamental way in which the New Testament speaks about salvation. So, he's thankful that he has qualified 00:22:23.840 --> 00:22:32.080 them, qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints and light. Now, perhaps some of you here 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:41.059 know what it is to be disqualified from something. Maybe in some athletic contest, maybe from driving. 00:22:41.939 --> 00:22:48.659 Perhaps you didn't meet certain criteria. Maybe your eyesight didn't make the grade. And then you can 00:22:48.659 --> 00:22:54.359 argue with it, with the government or with the officials. But if you don't meet the required 00:22:54.359 --> 00:23:00.259 standard, you're disqualified. You're out. That's it. You're excluded. You can no longer participate. 00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:07.640 And as sinful human beings, we've all been disqualified. We've all been excluded from God's 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:14.700 presence. We've all been left out in the dark. All of us don't make the grade. We failed the test. 00:23:15.319 --> 00:23:20.859 We don't make the necessary criteria. We've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 00:23:21.879 --> 00:23:28.400 And yet the good news is this, that through faith in Jesus, we are qualified. We're allowed in. We belong. 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:36.900 How can it be? It's because Jesus met all the necessary conditions and criteria on our behalf. 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:43.680 He lived a life that we could never live. He fulfilled all righteousness. And He did it for us. 00:23:45.340 --> 00:23:50.980 There is no hope in ourselves. There is no hope in our own righteousness. There is no hope in our own 00:23:50.980 --> 00:23:59.240 morality or good works. But in the gospel, a perfect righteousness is offered to us. 00:24:00.299 --> 00:24:09.400 The record of Jesus' faithful life is credited to us, imputed to us. The obedience, His obedience to God 00:24:09.400 --> 00:24:17.099 the Father becomes ours. We are clothed in His righteousness, perfect. And so in the gospel, 00:24:17.099 --> 00:24:23.799 it's not only that Jesus removes the stain of our sin and guilt, cleansing us by His blood. He not only 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:31.679 takes something from us, He gives something to us. His own perfect righteousness. He qualifies 00:24:31.679 --> 00:24:39.099 the disqualified. And friends, if that is not a cause for praise and thanksgiving, I do not know what is. 00:24:39.099 --> 00:24:47.139 Notice here that the language of sharing and inheritance is mentioned. That's rooted in the 00:24:47.139 --> 00:24:53.939 Old Testament. The promised land, the tribes of Israel were allotted a share in the land. And Paul 00:24:53.939 --> 00:25:02.740 really takes that imagery here and applies it to our place in the new heavens and earth. Most, perhaps, 00:25:02.859 --> 00:25:07.139 maybe not all, but perhaps most of them, the Colossian Christians were Gentiles, 00:25:07.140 --> 00:25:13.080 alienated and estranged from God. No share in God's kingdom. Strangers to the promise. 00:25:14.080 --> 00:25:18.620 But now through the gospel, the door had been opened, and through faith in Jesus Christ, 00:25:18.620 --> 00:25:23.560 they had been qualified to share in that heavenly inheritance. 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:32.140 They were qualified. They were delivered. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness, 00:25:32.140 --> 00:25:39.840 verse 13, rescued us from the power, the rule of this dark world. And darkness, of course, 00:25:40.380 --> 00:25:47.680 a powerful metaphor for ignorance, blindness, and inability to see reality. We sometimes speak of 00:25:47.680 --> 00:25:53.880 people being in the dark about something. It means they're ignorant. They don't know what's going on. 00:25:53.880 --> 00:26:01.160 And Paul speaks here about being delivered from the domain or dominion of darkness. He's talking about a 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:08.480 realm, a kingdom, where darkness rules over people's lives. People are lost in this dark world, 00:26:09.360 --> 00:26:16.880 in the grip of darkness. The darkness is not only out there, it's in here. It's invaded all our lives. 00:26:16.880 --> 00:26:31.120 We need to be brought out into the light. I like old films. Black and white, the better. That's the… 00:26:31.120 --> 00:26:36.600 And David Lean's film adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel, Great Expectations, is a, 00:26:37.040 --> 00:26:45.460 in my view, is a great film. Released in 1946. That was even before my time. Stars John Mills, 00:26:45.460 --> 00:26:53.100 Alec Guinness, Gene Simmons, Finley Curry. It's a wonderful piece of cinema. And in the climactic 00:26:53.100 --> 00:27:02.380 scene of the film, and some ancient people here may remember this, Pip returns to Miss Havisham's house, 00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:09.960 and he meets Estella again. And in the scene, he goes upstairs to a main room where it is, 00:27:09.960 --> 00:27:15.220 as it has been for years and years and years, dark and dingy. All the windows are 00:27:15.220 --> 00:27:22.660 boarded up. It's a place of real decay and darkness. And he speaks to Estella, and he tells her, 00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:29.079 he says, you must leave this house. It's a dead house. Nothing can live here. I have come to let 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:36.720 in the sunlight. And then he proceeds dramatically to tear down the shutters and the boards over the 00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:42.600 windows and pull back the curtains, and he opens up the windows. And the light floods in and exposes 00:27:42.599 --> 00:27:49.679 all the dust and the decay and banishes the darkness. And then he takes Estella by the hand, 00:27:49.740 --> 00:27:57.639 and he says to her, come with me out into the sunlight. And friends, that is exactly what Jesus 00:27:57.639 --> 00:28:06.959 says to us in the gospel. He says, leave this dark realm. It is dead. Nothing can live here. 00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:20.079 Take my hand and come with me into the light. Jesus delivers us from the domain of darkness 00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:28.799 and brings us into his kingdom. Thankful that he has qualified them, delivered them. 00:28:28.799 --> 00:28:36.099 Also here, you'll notice, transferred them, verses 13 and 14. Transferred us to the kingdom 00:28:36.099 --> 00:28:42.039 of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. That transfer imagery, 00:28:42.680 --> 00:28:48.639 very significant in the New Testament. Fundamental contrast between these two realms. 00:28:49.220 --> 00:28:55.299 One, the old realm of Adam, characterized, as I've said, by darkness and despair and death. 00:28:55.299 --> 00:29:05.579 This is the world apart from Jesus Christ. This is where we languish without him. But by God's grace, 00:29:05.659 --> 00:29:13.940 he transfers us out of that old realm, brings us into a new realm where Christ is Lord and where he 00:29:13.940 --> 00:29:19.339 rules. And instead of darkness, there is light. Instead of despair, there's hope. Instead of death, 00:29:19.339 --> 00:29:26.419 there is life. There is life. And Paul tells us here, if we're Christian believers, we've been 00:29:26.419 --> 00:29:34.099 transferred into the kingdom of God's beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 00:29:34.179 --> 00:29:39.459 Again, the background here, that of the Old Testament, the exodus and return from exile. 00:29:41.480 --> 00:29:49.019 C.S. Lewis was once on an Any Questions type radio program where he was asked this question, 00:29:49.019 --> 00:29:55.200 Professor Lewis, what can Jesus Christ give me that no one else can give me? I want the answer in just 00:29:55.200 --> 00:30:03.879 one word. And without hesitating, Lewis simply said, forgiveness. The great need of all human beings. 00:30:04.740 --> 00:30:12.500 The forgiveness of sins. And this is what only Jesus can bring us. What a contrast that is with 00:30:12.500 --> 00:30:18.720 other religious systems in our world today, with Hinduism and its iron law of karma, 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:24.799 where your sins will inevitably catch up with you, when there's no escape for a never-ending 00:30:24.799 --> 00:30:33.839 cycle of punishment and retribution. Or with Islam and its symbol of the scales. Allah the judge 00:30:33.839 --> 00:30:40.920 weighs your good deeds and acts of righteousness on one hand, on one side, and your evil and wrong 00:30:40.920 --> 00:30:49.300 deeds on the other. Friends, the great symbol of the Christian faith. It's not a set of scales. It's a cross. 00:30:51.420 --> 00:30:58.980 Remember how Jesus described the very purpose of His death. This is my blood poured out for what? 00:30:58.980 --> 00:31:10.019 The forgiveness of sins. Do you know that forgiveness this evening? It is to be 00:31:10.019 --> 00:31:18.940 redeemed. It is to be liberated. As Corey mentioned earlier, we have a number of copies available. 00:31:19.819 --> 00:31:27.879 Colin and Mary Peckham's account of the Lewis revival, 1949 through 1952, entitled Sounds from Heaven. 00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:37.099 It's a collection, really, of 24 testimonies of people converted during that period. One of them 00:31:37.099 --> 00:31:48.119 was a man, and I met him and knew him, Kenneth McDonald. He was known as Kenny Ban. He was 29 years of age. 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:54.579 He was a heavy drinker. When he attended a meeting at his aunt's house in Garibald State Point, 00:31:55.359 --> 00:32:01.639 and Duncan Campbell was preaching on Jesus' words, I am the way. And that evening, 00:32:01.640 --> 00:32:13.380 God met with Kenny. He came to Christ, and he was saved. He was transferred from one realm to the other. 00:32:14.340 --> 00:32:19.180 And he wrote, and he writes this in the book there. He says this, 00:32:19.180 --> 00:32:28.039 I never, ever looked back. God saved me that night in the house, and he will never hear the end of it. 00:32:29.440 --> 00:32:36.480 I will praise him throughout eternity for his patience and grace with a sinner like me. 00:32:37.580 --> 00:32:46.060 I've never lost what he gave me that night. And friends, that's what it means to have a life 00:32:46.059 --> 00:32:54.240 rooted in thanksgiving. God saved me, and he will never hear the end of it. 00:32:54.980 --> 00:33:05.099 Because that experience of Christian salvation, of God's forgiveness, is something we never, ever get over. 00:33:07.899 --> 00:33:15.359 Those elephants that I spoke of earlier, their great memories allow them to survive and thrive in 00:33:15.359 --> 00:33:24.639 their environment. Are we going to survive where God has placed us? We need to make sure that we do not 00:33:24.639 --> 00:33:32.399 forget to pray and to call on the name of the Lord, that we might grow in our knowledge of his will 00:33:32.399 --> 00:33:43.979 and his gospel, and so become a godly, fruitful, resilient, and ever thankful people. Let's pray together. 00:33:45.359 --> 00:34:01.519 Amen. Well, we pray that we might, all of us here might experience something of your grace and mercy 00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:10.480 towards us in Jesus Christ. Lord, may you help us to grow in our knowledge of your will in the gospel. 00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:19.699 We ask, Lord, that your gospel would indeed renew us, revitalize us, reorientate our lives, 00:34:20.300 --> 00:34:27.019 shape our way of living, that we might live not for ourselves, but for you, the living and eternal God. 00:34:28.500 --> 00:34:35.260 And we pray, our God and Father, that our experience of your grace would be deep and true, 00:34:35.260 --> 00:34:45.320 and that we would always be thankful, that we would never, ever get over it. And we pray these things 00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:48.920 in Jesus' name and for your glory. Amen.