Worship - Sunday at 10:30AM
Bible Study - Wednesday at 6:30PM
2003-07-27 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church
GROUNDED, SETTLED, GROWING
Colossians 1:21-29
21. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
I have a tendency, which we probably all do to some extent, to feel good after doing a good work. When I do something good, I always feel better, and I feel like I'm closer to God. The problem comes when I shortchange the good work that Jesus performed on the cross; when I actually start to believe that my works are somehow bringing me closer to God.
Verse 20 made it pretty clear that Jesus was the only one chosen, the only one sufficient to reconcile us with the Father. The only one who knew no sin, made to be sin for us.
When I die, my works may very well follow me into God's presence, but they're powerless to bring me there. Jesus is the One who removed the obstacles. Jesus is the One who made it possible.
Our carnal minds are naturally bent toward seeking a higher power, a higher plane, whatever we want to call it, through our words and deeds, but that's the opposite of Christianity. Christianity is God seeking us out and saving us; the Good Shepherd calling the lost sheep who hear and know His voice.
We have to lock away this fact in our hearts: Our sufficiency is only in Christ. We work out our salvation with fear and trembling, meaning that we're completely distrustful of our ability to meet all of God's requirements, but at the same time we're faithfully doing our utmost to be spiritually minded, and fulfilling our duties in accordance with His Word.
Jeremiah 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
Our lives are not our own, and we're unable to plan our own course. Salvation is only according to His mercy, not by any of our works of righteousness. Salvation: to be presented to the Father withouth sin, without stain, without any charges against us, able to give praise to Jesus in His presence as the Worthy One! What a wonderful day that will be! What a glorious thing it is to be free of condemnation! This seems too good to be true! There must be a catch. What could it be?
23. If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;
In the midst of all these rituals and traditions, in the midst of all my meaningless clatter, do you hear the Spirit's simple message? Believe the truth and hold fast to it: the simple truth that God's only begotten Son died on that cross at Calvary, a Man without sin. Why did a man without sin die? To reconcile my sin, your sin, our sin. Stand on this truth and study it. Live every moment of your life in the presence of this truth, and let nothing shake you from this truth all your days. This can be quite a challenge sometimes, but the truest test of your faith is continuance.
Proverbs 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
The just do not forsake the faith. Even after a fall, the just return to the truth...
(continuing v.23)
...whereof I Paul am made a minister;
24. Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
25. Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26. Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27. To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
28. Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
29. Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
Even in the short time I've been a part of this fellowship, I've witnessed growth in participation and study, and that's something we can be very thankful for. In the next section of this book, Paul will be giving some warnings to the little church at Colosse. As we read earlier, they were growing in faith and love, and yet if not for this book, there would be little information on this little church that sort-of faded out of history. I want to encourage you all to keep seeking, keep asking, keep knocking, keep inviting folks, keep each other in prayer, keep loving each other in truth, and keep growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.