In this sermon, Pastor Joe Babij examines Colossians 1:12-14 where the apostle Paul prays that believers might be filled with joyful thankfulness. From this passage, Pastor Babij explains four things God has done for his children that should generate thankfulness as the crowning virtue of your Christian life:
1. God Qualified Us For an Inheritance (v. 12)
2. God Rescued Us from the Domain of Darkness (v. 13a)
3. God Bought Us into Christ’s Kingdom (v. 13b)
4. God Redeemed Us from Our Sins (v. 14)
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I think we have been transported to Heaven this morning I’d like to thank all our praise groups I think we have three now that put the time in every single week to come and prepare songs and practice them and then bring them to us on Sunday morning that is really a privilege and watching out also for the Theology of the song so the songs are in line with scripture and with the character of God and so we come together and we sing and give praise to God which we ought to do right that’s what we ought to be doing all the time not just Sunday morning you should be singing it in your car on Monday morning and in the office and everywhere you go so let’s uh let’s look like the word of God this morning Colossians chapter 1.
Colossians chapter one and as you’re turning there let me have a word of prayer Father Again you bring us here today on this Lord’s day and we really do thank you father for the blessings you have bestowed upon us and Lord as we think of church history and all those have gone before us who actually died for the word of God for a stand on the word of God so we can sit here in America with our Bibles in hand and we can worship you and listen to your word thank you Lord for that I pray that we would never take that we would always take that as a privilege and never take for granted of it I pray in Christ’s name amen so Colossians chapter one last time we were in this passage I left you with a pile of bricks and mortar and sand in your driveway the problem some of you face is that you still have a pile of bricks mortar and sand in your in driveway and you haven’t done much with it so if you are a born-again Christian and the Holy Spirit of God indwells you and you have been sitting under sound teaching and preaching from God’s word and you have been informed with the knowledge of God’s will you are no longer ignorant you are now responsible and you have to start now working out with the holy spirit of God is working in you because we’re cooperating with God in cell in our sanctification not in our Salvation God’s done it all there and we’re going to see that this morning so so far just keep bring you up to speed we have covered two two of the three headings the first to prerequisite for growth in verse number nine Paul is asking here in verse number nine for something to be given and the verb indicates that Paul is asking for himself on behalf of the Saints he requests is for enlightenment which includes three free prerequisites and it says in verse number nine for this reason also since the day we heard of it we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding and of course that is a prayer request that Paul’s offering up before God in behalf of the people we should be offering that up on our behalf on behalf of each other in the church all the time we should be praying for one another this prayer it is so vital for us we all need this right we need these things and with all the Bible based facts and information about the knowledge of God’s will you are now enabled to build something out of those facts by being filled with the knowledge of God’s Will and wisdom and with wisdom you know how to take all the information and all the facts that you hear from the word of God and make something useful out of them actually live them out that’s understanding so you take the bricks and the mortar and the water and you joyfully construct your life by the knowledge of the word of God while he enables you and I to reach the goal of being filled in all spiritual wisdom and understanding and what is the purpose of this growth well in verse number 10 and 11 the purpose of the growth is so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please him in All respects bearing fruit and every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God of of God so once a Believer starts putting the spiritual knowledge into practice and continues growth begins and growth should never stop once it begins the request for expanded productivity becomes a reality for us in our Christian Life The Saint starts to walk according to God’s will the lights are turned on in other words and so the goal of the knowledge of God’s will is twofold in our passage it’s to bring to bring one’s life into balance because before you were believed your life was out of balance matter of fact your life was chaotic it was chaos secondly in verse number 10 to please the Lord in every kind of way so you should start doing that who can actually please the Lord in every kind of way I can’t say that I do that every day but that is our goal that is the purpose of this knowledge right you learn to do that you start dropping off sin you start dropping off all habits you start actually sometimes you have to lose some people that are in your life because they’re not good for you right you just have to stop reading some things stop going to certain blogs stop posting certain things on Facebook you need to stop doing things that you once did because you find out you know what this doesn’t please God I want to do the things that please the Lord and when you do that you’re going to find that it fuels your joy it fuels your thankfulness of course where does it show up where does this worthy Balanced Life show up well in verse number 10 it shows up in fruit bearing it says here in verse 10 bearing fruit in every good work so fruit bearing for Christians is to be a continuous thing as this fruit bearing takes place more knowledge is required to grow if Christ saved you from sin then the then and only then you have good works to please the Lord remember you can’t have good works to get saved good works comes after salvation because now it’s part of Salvation it’s part of what God gives us so the believer grows burying all kinds of fruits such as it says in verse number 10 the fruit of good works Ephesians tells us bearing fruit in every good work why because where his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works I like the passage of scripture in Acts 9 where it talks about Dorcas right she gets sick and all the people are coming and Paul comes of course uh and I think she ends up dying in that passage and Paul comes and the people are the scripture says she was rich in good work well what kind of works did it mention there she was making like quilted things for people and passing them out and making sure she was meeting people’s needs that’s it of course Paul came and raised it from the dead so see that is something that um is part of the Christian walk in life that we are ordained to good works and what’s the purpose of Good Works to show people who God is to have an open door for the gospel it’s not the end in and of itself it is the ways the means of evangelism is to do good works also the objects of good works as people people first the household of God and then everyone else right and who is everyone else our neighbor strangers our enemies all of them were to do good works and what is the realm of good works of the realm of good works is that we are living uh now in a changed realm we have a changed life and so that’s where we live and that’s where it shows up it shows up in you now doing those things for others and then in verse number 10 it shows up in the increased knowledge of God what you find and start growing the knowledge of God you want more you want to know who he is you want to know what he’s done you want to know depth of the so this this remember means an intimate a personal a special knowledge of God the father so as Chris a Christian takes in the truth both understanding and heart are expanded and mental power is multiplied and moral power is Multiplied bearing fruit and growing is accomplished by means of the knowledge of God so Christians grow by spiritual knowledge and only a steady diet of the spiritual fruit from the word of God will continue that growth if you step away from the word of God if you somehow close it don’t read it don’t listen to it don’t meditate upon it don’t expect to grow you stifle your growth by not having the desire for the sincere milk unadulterated uh milk of the word of God coming constantly into your soul to nourish it and make it strong so you can stand firm it also shows up in verse number 11 by the strength that God gives you to live your Christian Life it says strengthen with all power according to his glorious might for the attaining of steadfastness and patience joyously so here’s Paul’s request for enlightenment with power so the saint can shine forth the attributes of Jesus in their life and here the Believers being acted upon by God and given the strength to shine forth these qualities in living every day in a very practical way in in two areas steadfastness in circumstances and patience with people and to do it how with joy see that is Supernatural as I said last time so Saints need the knowledge of of the power of God in order to be strong for every kind of steadfastness and patience that we are going to need whether it’s under assaults or whether it’s contrary relationships or whether it’s hostile forces so a Christian can overcome and it could also be what’s happening in the the flow of our nation that Christians are going to become more in the crosshairs of government of officials because we’re getting in the way of their agenda we’re getting in the way so this strengthening takes place as one increases in the knowledge of God and all this spiritual growth turns out to be very practical in every circumstance of life and what is more uh what more does the Christian really need when in the midst of hostile world and is is steadfastness and patience coupled with joy because that’s Christ’s likeness that’s how we’re going to display Christ’s likeness in the world and so it also shows up in verse number 12.
of a heartfelt Joy towards the father giving thanks to the father so without the heavenly father qualifying us being for us we would never we could never be fitted for this growing life of knowledge wisdom and understandings so these truths are all praiseworthy because without the Lord we would not be saved without the Lord we could not grow in this Rich Abundant Life and that’s what it is so I want you to direct your attention now to verse number 12 of chapter one because we’re going to look at this third point and that’s the praise given to whom growth is possible and that praise in verse number 12 is that we give thanks to the father we give thanks to the father we would not have known the father or could not even call upon the father until we actually have come to Christ believed in Christ been forgiven of our sins and now we are brought into the family of God and now we can call the heavenly father our father because we’re now in the family and that’s very important thinking about this and there are four things God has done for us for his children that we should think about every single day if we’re going to maintain a thankful and a joy-filled life these are the things to think about and these things are otherworldly I like when we get to it in Colossians where Paul says you’re living like you’re still on Earth well we are still on Earth but your mind and your heart ought to be in heaven right because I need we need to start thinking like God wants us to think that’s how we become Overcomers all right so there are four things that God has done for us that we ought to be thinking about every single day and these four things generate thankfulness and as a crowning virtue of the worthy Christian Life and it starts with giving thanks to the father joy and thankfulness are a result of victory that has been given to us by God so the next few verses notice the release of praise and for salvation and the source of all spiritual growth in verse number 12 notice what it says it says giving thanks to the father and here’s the first thing who has the first thing who has qualified US to share in the inheritance of the Saints in light so here’s the first thing the father does he qualifies us for something now you see something has already been done for the saints that God has qualified US that means he makes us capable he makes us able he makes us suitable and a very simple way to put it he makes us fit for our inheritance see God made us fit to share in The Inheritance through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we have no Fitness in ourselves we don’t have any Fitness in it or or of ourselves for sharing in the inheritance of God’s people we can never have this on our own it is only God who qualifies us for this Christian Life and for heaven none of us none of us are fit for heaven and the point that there was a point in time that this being fit for heaven happened at your conversion and what do I mean by conversion I mean the effectual call of God that inward call the day is the day you heard the message of the Gospel you understood the message you received it by faith in Jesus Christ alone and you repented of your sins and now you’re continuing to follow him that’s real conversion not saying I I profess Christ and nothing happens afterwards I just checked the box and hopefully that’s one of the many things I have to do in life to get to where to heaven to where God wants me to be no God has done it all he’s done every bit of it and so because of that you know God has sent his son to die to procure eternal life for you for whom he predestined these he called and whom he called these he justified in these he just whom he justified these he will glorify so according to the confessions of the church what exactly is the effectual call well here’s the definition by one confession it says in effectual calling is the work of God’s Almighty power and Grace whereby out of the free and special love to his elect and from nothing in them moving him there unto he doth in his acceptable time invite and draw them to Jesus Christ by his word and spirit savingly enlightening their minds renewing and powerfully determining their Wills so as they although in themselves are dead in sin are hereby made willing and able to answer his call and to accept and embrace the grace offered that is conveyed to them that is what it is the effectual call in other words you cannot resist that call irresistible Grace God overwhelms your will by the knowledge of the gospel and the person of Jesus Christ and you say Lord I believe it I believe you died for me in my place as my substitute and that day that’s the change that takes place that day and why is that he saves us to share in the inheritance of the Saints now this is definitely an allusion to the Old Testament concerning the inheritance of ancient Israel remember when they went through the promised land each Israelite once they were done getting all the land that fighting all the battles they were given and inheritance of property and an inheritance is something allotted it is something assigned it is something conferred by right of position and relationship it is not one by one’s own effort else it is not an inheritance our inheritance is salvation this is what we inherit it is what God gives us it’s nothing we can do to get it it is what God gives us it is what we participate in with all the rest of the Saints that’s our inheritance that’s where it starts and that has been given unto us so an inheritance remember goes to those who are in the family if you’re not in the family you don’t get the inheritance just like the Apostle John says in chapter 1 he says but as many as received him to them he gave the right to what to become children of God even those who believe in his name so the Apostle Paul is referring to our Heavenly inheritance also but each believer has a share a lot to them in this life and that share starts with salvation that Saints have a blessed lot of bearing fruit of all kinds be empowered for perseverance to please God in all things but who are the Saints let me remind you again in verse number 12 who qualified us to share the inheritance of the Saints in light it says these are those of course the Saints are those who have been sanctified by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ the book of Hebrews says it in a different way by this will we have been Sanctified or set apart made Saints through what through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all so all believers in Christ than our Saints every believer has been sprinkled with his blood and brought under the shelter of its enduring value every believer has been purged from guilt and condemnation every believer has been invested with God’s righteous righteousness in Christ every believer has been accepted by God the father because of Christ that means therefore every believer is set apart this is a Judicial setting apart and it is made sacred and very dear to God as because we are now his own property and part of his family and so therefore once we’re in the family once we are his possession no one could take us away from his possession no one can rob us from God’s security we are in the palm of his hand right we have a protection that no one could mess with so it is God’s Own act that makes us Saints we don’t make ourselves Saints the church doesn’t make Saints God makes sense but I want you to notice in verse number 12.
it says he makes he qualifies Us in his inheritance of the Saints in light now you say why what’s why that’s dangling there in light you know why because we weren’t in light before we work in complete total darkness about everything about life about what’s the purpose of life what’s important to do in life what happens after life we were in complete and total darkness it doesn’t matter how many degrees someone could attain no matter how smart they are in the upper housing group of their brain they were in darkness they were left to their own whims about thinking about how to solve problems especially the Deep problems of life but here it says to share in the inheritance of the Saints in life now in the Greek it has a definite article there and so that means the definite article would be in the light meaning we’re talking about some light other than the light we normally uh have a relationship with in this world this is God’s light and part of the lot the Saints have is entirely in the light and light is an emblem of Truth and Holiness and Purity and perfection so we have been brought into this new walk onto this new Walking path in which the light has been turned on and now we see things through the prism of scripture we see things through God’s word because before we just walk on the path of Darkness and we know from scripture God’s light First Timothy tells us that he dwells in unapproachable light also in James James says coming down from the Father of Lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow the Bible says that Christ is light Jesus again spoke to them saying in John 8 I am the light of the world he who follows me will not walk where in darkness but will have the light of life see you see now how miraculous the Christian Life is this is not just some small little decision you make and nothing changes in your life when you come to Christ the lights turn on you see everything differently because God Is In You by his Spirit he has given you your word the word of God is light the word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path so see in other words I can walk around I know where the potholes are I know where the stumbling blocks are why because God shows me them he shows me them by the word of God he shows me how to live how not to live what pleases him what doesn’t please him I didn’t know how to do that before no one knew how to do that before until they come to Christ in fact in the New Jerusalem when we get there there’s no need the Bible says of illuminaries why is there no need we don’t need the Sun or the moon for it says in scripture and the city has no need of the Sun and of the moon to shine on it for the glory of God Has illumined It and its lamp is the Lamb the Nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their Glory into it see this is our this is our destiny but it’s also our present you’re going to be walking in a light and you’re going to be continued to be walking the light for all eternity you’re going to see things clearly you’re going to see things just the way they really are and that’s the good Bad and The Ugly and then we can determine what’s the good in the midst of all the other garbage see that’s what God does for us that’s real conversion that should be happening in your life every single day it should be happening in your life and that’s why we have such a hunger for the word of God because we want to know more so now we enjoy the full blessing of God as children of light that’s what Paul said in the thesis to the Thessalonians for you are all sons of Light and Sons of the day we are not of the night nor of the darkness so the Rays of light are knowledge wisdom and understanding the opposite of light is Darkness and both the light and the Darkness are viewed in scripture as Powers the former as the means for making us bear fruit and grow and the latter as the Authority or power from which the father rescues us so we ought to be releasing thanks of praise to the father because he has made us fit to share in The Inheritance through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ see it’s the heavenly father who did this by his mighty Act of rescue a glorious act to transfer us into a saving possession a possession that’s why we read Acts 26 where Paul’s mission in the world given by God was to do what to open their eyes so that they may turn from the darkness to light and from the Dominion of Satan to God and that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among those who have been Sanctified he’s just saying the same thing there as it’s saying here in different words it’s the same thing the same consistent message so if we look back at Acts or excuse me Colossians chapter one notice the second thing that God does it says the Father the father does verse number 13 the father has rescued us for something from something it says for he delivered us from the what domain of Darkness you know what I was studying this passage of scripture and something dawned on me would really get and I’ve been saying this in the past and I have to change I used to say uh the kingdom of darkness or the kingdom of Satan it doesn’t say that it says domain of saint all right now that changes things the Greek here translated domain is actually a word that means Authority or Supernatural power or ruling power so if we or anyone is to be rescued out of the power domain of Darkness then it is required that a power greater than that power has to rescue that person now the power domain is the characteristic and ruling principle of any kind of region with unbelievers we dwell before conversion to Christ in a power domain where everyone holy is within its grip there is nothing you can do to rescue yourself or remove yourself from this power your subject you’re absolutely subject to it you’re helpless to gained any kind of Escape or release you can do nothing about it and that is every single person who’s ever born from the time of the garden where Adam and Eve fell from God and God shut them out from that point on they were walking in darkness and every single one of us is walking in darkness and we’re in we’re under we’re in a domain that is controlled by a fallen angel called Satan and there’s nothing you can do to rescue yourself from that domain you are in it you are in that domain and in that domain what happens there in your natural state you love Darkness rather than light that’s what it says in John chapter three men love Darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil Hey listen I’m loving my sin here don’t shut any kind of light on it why do we why do why is sin done at night and in Dark Places and in secret why do we hide it it’s because we don’t want people to find out about it that’s why but when the light comes it starts shining on your life as a Believer what happens you start seeing all the darkness I didn’t know I was that Wicked I didn’t know I was that hateful I didn’t know you know what I never loved anybody in my life it was all about me see we began to see those things why because the light of the Gospel is shining in your heart also The Sinner resides in darkness in an unilluminated State look what does Luke say it says to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death see that’s where we are we’re sitting in darkness we don’t know it we think we’re in control we think we know everything that’s going on we’re smart we can get by we’re Americans we have a step up our lip and all that things that’s that’s a bunch of hogwash we were in this domain and we’re in it’s under its control also in that domain hatreds of hatred abounds towards God and people first John tells us but the one who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness amen and then sinners walk in darkness where no fellowship with God takes place it doesn’t matter how religious a person is it says here if you say that we have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness we lie and we do not practice the truth and a lot of religious systems all that they do is they kind of like coddle the conscience so you think you’re doing as much as you can to be a good person and all that is is the kingdom of darkness just manipulating you so you stay within his confines Satan will give you anything you want he will give you any kind of he will allow you to have all the pleasure and joy and money and everything you need in this world he will do anything he will give you anything he will say anything he will lie to you so you stay in the kingdom of darkness that’s what he’s doing and of course I’ve already mentioned but I cannot mention this domain of Darkness without mentioning God’s greatest antagonist which is Satan and after his fall from God because of his pride he has hated God ever since Satan is in the world and the world is really the world is in the Embrace of the devil first John tells us we know that we are of God and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one so the devil wants to keep the Lost in the dark and ignorant of the Gospel it says in second Corinthians it says whose case the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God he wants also to delude and trip up the Saved and Rob them of their peace and joy and stifle their growth and ruin their testimony as children of light so that means that darkness is ungodliness it’s opposition to God it’s estrangement from God it includes all those Dreadful evils which are involved in the evil state of heart and mind it’s the power of sin it’s the tyranny of error it’s the slavery of corruption that these are everywhere everywhere you go you find them and it’s not new today they’ve always been here maybe because of our Global Network of information we just know about them sooner but the Evil’s always been there The Tyranny has always been there’s a slavery to corruption has always been there these are everywhere and are the characteristic of human nature and existence it always has been in other words the world’s mad the world is mad it’s it’s going mad it’s madder than ever and it’s not political it’s not social this is spiritual we’re talking about a spiritual battle with wickedness in high places so whatever’s going on in our world whether it’s political social or otherwise Satan is pulling the strings God’s allowing him to do that because his days are numbered his time is short judgment is coming he’s already been judged by the cross just a matter of time before it all comes to a crashing end but a Victorious end for those in Christ see Satan is a usurper he actually has no right at all he’s a rebel he has he’s one who has taken an authority unto himself that was not him his to take he was never given it he was never meant to rule humans he robbed it that’s what he did he robbed it and the devil has taken upon himself an authority that was never given to him he does not have a kingdom he is a power but it’s only a stolen power he has no right to have it but he does use that power to overcome believers to try to overcome Believers and to definitely keep those who are in his bondage in bondage so there’s no way at all possible that any human being no matter who they are how much strength they are how much knowledge they have can rescue themselves from that they are there and they’ll stay there it was uh Marlo Jones who said this being a Christian is not to have a nice comfortable feeling inside you but to enter the kingdom of God the kingdom of Christ to be a Christian means to be taken out of that horrible Darkness out of the life of sin and shame and evil to begin a life that is a new life that is a new start that you have a new heart it means now to you belong to him who who says I am the light of the world anyone who follows me will not walk in darkness see Christianity is to belong to God who is light and in in him is no Darkness it is the realm of light and of glory and of Holiness and a purity and of Peace Everlasting it is the inheritance of the saints that is what he gives us in other words what I am saying is that the one who rescues you from that domain of darkness is God the Father through Jesus Christ that ought to bring praise to our lips and worship to our heart that he has done that and nobody can undo that so we release thankful praise to the father because he has by his power rescued us out of this power domain of Darkness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ but he just didn’t do that there’s a third thing he did in verse number 13 of Colossians chapter one notice what he did the father now transfers us it says and transfers us what to the king Kingdom of the beloved Son Satan has a domain Jesus has the kingdom right and of course that Kingdom is the kingdom of uh his the Beloved son so the the very word transfer means to be removed to remove to be changed from one domain to a kingdom from the domain of Darkness to the Kingdom of Light it’s a change of King and Realm and this word is sometimes used to describe the deportation of a population from one country to another Jesus transfers us to a New Kingdom the kingdom of our beloved Son the world’s gone mad you know there was a I think he was a psychologist who uh is now passed away but his name was Dr Charles Berg he wrote a book uh many years ago and the title of his book now he wasn’t a Christian actually he was a vowed atheist but he was he was a scholar and he did write a book and instead of calling the book uh mankind he called the book mankind and the reason why is he was studying the origin and development of the Mind in human beings and why they act the way they do and he expressed the notion in his book his writings where he says that mankind are all a little mad people are all a little mad victims of a protact protracted and still uncured psychosis it cannot be otherwise as um described as supernaturalist taboo that colors the social life of people and their personal conduct to such a good a degree that human thought is found upon delusions now of course you would have to say well what was the solution once he got done with this research well his solution was this that parents should be trained in psychotherapy for and teach it to their young children before they further further corrupt their children to uh where they would have no Beyond The Cure they would be Beyond The Cure now here’s a man who studied Mankind and came up with the conclusion that mankind is mad but had no Solutions you know what he was right on except he had no Solutions brilliant man with no Solutions see Jesus the father rescues us from the man of darkness and he transfers us to the kingdom of his beloved Son and children of God have been lifted from the domain of the devil and our now children of his kingdom and in this Kingdom Christ is above all Christ is Lord and king of all and Jesus Christ is the preeminent one which we’re going to find out in the passages that follow this it’s like just like an airplane rises above the law of gravity because the power of the engines produce a stronger a stronger power than gravity itself so the power of God list lifts us above the pool of damnation and death and the power of the domain of Satan whereas the Saints are now free from the power of Darkness completely and now they alone walk in the light as God is in the light so we should release praise and thanks to the father because by his power he has transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved sin by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that’s what he’s done and these are the things that ought to be on our mind all the time so we can constantly thank God every day and praise him and that should fill our joy but there’s one other thing in verse number 14.
of chapter one of Colossians that the father has bought us for himself notice what it says in whom we have Redemption and the Forgiveness of sins so what is a ransom a ransom is a price for liberating either a person or a thing that has been taken or possessed by another to set it free by the payment of a price well the word Redemption has the same idea you redeem something by paying a price to get it back and it has come back to you when you do that to release a prisoner buy a payment it says in Matthew he says he gives his life a ransom for many in Timothy it tells us who gave himself a ransom for all that’s what Christ has done so the teaching here is that Christ by his death and Resurrection loses our bonds and sets us free who are prisoners and he does it by paying a price and that price was the price of his precious blood where he died on the cross and shed his blood the Bible says the Precious Blood of the Lamb unblemished unspotless or spotless the blood of Christ so Jesus met the holy demands of God’s law on that cross and the ransom has been paid on Calgary Calvary by his death and through faith in Jesus you have been set free the end of Colossians verse chapter 1 verse 14 shows us that Redemption and forgiven forgiveness go hand in hand hand it says the Forgiveness of sins because without the shedding of blood there is no washing away of sins for the the word translated forgiveness means to send away it means to cancel the debt that there’s no debt that we have to pay Christ paid that debt fully for us so the heavenly father through Christ not only set us free and transferred us to this new kingdom but he canceled every sin dead every sin that every sin that so that we cannot be enslaved to them again we can no longer be condemned by anything that we’ve ever done if you are truly in Christ today nothing can condemn you Satan cannot condemn you you are now in the light Satan can’t make any indictment stick against you again remember he’s an accuser of the Brethren is he not no his accusations mean nothing because you are in Christ as it says in Colossians chapter one look at verse number 20. it says and through him to reconcile all things to himself having made peace through the blood of his cross through him I say whether things on earth or things in heaven we are at peace with God can you think of that for a minute being at peace with God everything’s done I can sit down and relax the light is given to me the kingdom is mine but I have to get through this life I have to live in a way that pleases God that’s what I have to do that’s what you have to do so we are we should be releasing thankfulness thankful praise to the father because he has the power by his power by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ bought us from the slave market of sin and washed us cleaned by the blood of Christ no condemnation to those who are in Christ that means that Jesus Christ is the preeminent one in the salvation of sinners no other person could redeem us forgive us and transfer us out of the kingdom of of the domain of Darkness into God’s Kingdom and make us fit for the Christian Life and for our inheritance no one else could do that there is no other way so what is our part our part is to give thanks to the father is that too hard to do but you can’t do that without knowledge behind that what am I thanking God for my new card that I got for this new project that I finished you know for for my health I mean all all those things we should be thankful for but specifically I’m thanking God for so great a Salvation that he accomplished for me so what so I can have peace of heart so can I I can have genuine Joy so I can live my life knowing where I’m going and not only that have the light of the Gospel shine on everything I’m doing to know whether I please God or not and not wonder whether I do I actually know I do that is a far different place than we ever were before conversion so our part is to give thanks because he has done everything salvation is all together entirely of him what he has done to enable us to enjoy this great salvation he qualified US made us fit he rescued us he transferred us he bought us this is the Glorious character of so great of Salvation so are you giving thanks to the father for those reasons to understand them and you are thanking the heavenly father for them you are a Christian and I’m not talking about just once in a while this is an everyday thing you walk outside the door say thank you Lord thank you for what you’ve done thank you for your greatness and kindness towards me I don’t deserve any of it but I thank you all day living that way of course scripture tells us that you ought to hold fast to those things because that’s where Satan wants to take him away from you and you can’t but he wants to try so if you never think about those things maybe could care less about those things maybe you think there’s more important matters in life well today you need to check yourself to see if you indeed are in the faith unless you believed in vain Colossians chapter one look at verse number 23 notice what it says it says if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel that you have heard which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven and of which I Paul was made a minister in other words he’s writing against the false teachers now because their false teaching wants to remove them from what they heard in the gospel you have to know you have to do these things if you want to be right with God and God is saying no it’s all done for you it’s all done now you have to go live for Christ you’re giving everything to live for Christ so let’s think on these things every day so that would it would fuel our knowledge it will fuel our understanding it will fuel our thankfulness it will fuel our joy so are are you in the light are you in darkness that’s that has to be the question and don’t fool yourself don’t deceive yourself to think well I I prayed a prayer 10 years ago or and and I’m I’m covered no today right now do you know if you die today you would go to be with the Lord because of what Christ did on your behalf and you lived that every day that’s a Christian so are you in the light are you in darkness that’s a simple question the answer has to be yes or no and if the answer is no if you say if the answer is no then you have to ask Jesus for the Salvation only he can give you have to come run to him where you’re not guaranteed tomorrow turn and repent of your sin and have faith in Jesus Christ and he will rescue you he will transfer you he will forgive you he will wipe out your debt and he will bring you to be with him in glory that’s something to give praise about that’s where we ought to think as Believers and if you live there you’re a little big problems you think become awful small because God’s going to give you the wherewithal to deal with them in the spirit of a steadfast patient Joy he’s going to do that see these are the things that you you and I ought to be practicing and believe me I know by experience when you practice them you actually have a peace and a joy that you really don’t have any reason in this world that should be giving you that except God right that’s where you want to live but if you don’t know that today is the day’s salvation please talk to someone today come talk with me let me share the gospel with you let someone in our church share the gospel with you so you can come to know Christ’s Savior and you can be rescued from the domain of darkness in which you live right now let’s pray Lord thank you this morning thank you Lord for the clarity of the word of God thank you Lord that the word of God does not pull punches it hits us squarely in the gut and it reaches down to the thoughts and intents of the heart and exposes us for who we really are Thank You Lord For That and I pray Lord because of it because of these things because of what we learn from the word of God we could be Christians who are praising you constantly who are thanking you for so great a Salvation and Lord that would make US citizens that are very productive in this world citizens who are concerned about lost souls concerned about the growth spiritual growth of others concerned about the glory of God in this world so I pray Lord no matter how dark the world gets the brightness and the sh the illumination of the Gospel is brighter still so Lord make us children of light and allow us to live that way every single day of our life and as we do that we would give you all the praise and the glory and the honor for all that you have done and will do in our life and I prayed this in Christ’s name amen