Title: From Alienated Enemies to Holy Friends
Text: Colossians 1: 21-23
Date: December 16, 2012
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Throughout the epistles we find that the early
church suffered the same charges and teachings from will-workers that the
church faces in our day.
In the epistles of Paul, he continually warns
believers against the error of false teachers.
The false teachers would say that sinners are saved
by faith in Christ. They will say Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to all who believe. But in addition,
they insist that the believer must keep the law or they cannot be saved.
Either Christ is the end of the law or the sinner
must keep the law. Either Christ has
fulfilled the law or the believer must fulfill it. Either we are complete in Christ or there is
some work the sinner must do to make himself complete. But the two cannot be mixed. To do so is to
mix law and grace. The error Paul dealt with is the same false
teaching which we hear so much in Christianity in our day.
Proposition: Paul’s object in his epistle
to the Colossians was to comfort the saints with the truth that they are
complete through faith in Christ, not by their works, but only by Christ’s
finished work. Our text is Colossians 1: 21-23.
There are five words in this text that we will
focus our attention on. We will have four divisions.
Colossians 1: 1)
ALIENATED AND ENEMIES: 21: And you, that were sometime ALIENATED and ENEMIES in
your mind by wicked works,
2) RECONCILED:
21:…yet now hath he RECONCILED 22: In the body of his flesh through death,
3) PRESENT: 22…to
PRESENT you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
4) CONTINUE: 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; whereof
I Paul am made a minister;
I. ALIENATED AND ENEMIES
Colossians
1: 21: And you that were sometime alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked
works…
Alienated
Before
we were regenerated by God the Holy Spirit we were alienated from the life of
God—alienated from the life of God. This
is the natural mind, the sin-nature, the carnal heart, the flesh, the old man,
the way we are born the first time:
Ephesians 4: 18: Having the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because
of the blindness of their heart:
By our
first birth we were alienated from the life, completely ignorant of God,
ignorant of our need of salvation, and ignorant of how God saves.
We are
unable to give ourselves the life of God.
If we could it would be the life of man, not the life of God. The life God gives when we are born of God
is spiritual, eternal life which is the life of God, and this life is in his
Son. It is being born of Christ
Jesus, the Everlasting Father, of God the Holy Spirit, of the incorruptible
Seed.
Enemies
But our
condition is worse than alienation, we were ENEMIES. The carnal mind hates God who is life, hates
the truth that only God can give life, and hates the life God gives, Christ
Jesus.
By our Wicked Works
God
made man upright, in his own image and good. God did not separate himself from
us. We did. The wicked works were our
wicked works.
Isaiah 59: 2: But your iniquities have separated between
you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not
hear.
First,
by Adam’s wicked works as our federal head
Romans 5:12: By one man sin entered into the world and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that [the margin reads
"in whom"] all have sinned.
Secondly,
we were alienated and enemies in our minds by our own wicked works. Enmity is
not inactive. Enmity actively does not submit to Christ.
With
some, these wicked works are the base, wicked, outward sinful acts. But
outward sins are only the tip of a iceburg---underneath the surface is the
sin-dead heart, the mind, the nature, the root of the problem. And enmity also manifests itself in active
religious works whereby a sinner tries to earn acceptance with God.
Sinners will say, “I do not hate God; I never
hated God.” But the carnal mind is so
defiled and deceitful, that until God intervenes part of our wicked works is
rejecting the word of God against ourselves.
The
paradox is: the natural man will vent his enmity against God defending himself
against the charge that he is enmity against God.
The
paradox is: whole churches are planted, deacons set up, great works performed,
all by the will and wisdom and methods of unregenerate men—all being the active
manifestation of enmity against God.
Titus 1: 15: Unto the pure all things are pure:
The
pure are those in whom God has created a new man created in the righteousness
and true holiness of Christ, gifted with faith to trust Christ who is All and
in all, our complete acceptance with God.
Titus 1: 15: Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto
them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and
conscience is defiled. 16: They profess that they know God; but in works they
deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate.
The
works spoken of here clearly are not immoral, lewd sins, he says, “unto every
good work.” Where “the mind and conscience is defiled”, though they “profess
that they know God”, though the deeds may be in themselves “good works”, the
doer of those works is yet “abominable and disobedient and unto every good work
reprobate” because the carnal mind is actively working out his enmity against
God by trying to come to God another way than by simply trusting Christ. He will not renounce himself, repent from all
his vain works, and believe on Christ.
Romans 8: 5: For they that are after the flesh do mind
the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the
Spirit. 6: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is
life and peace. 7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8: So then they that are in
the flesh cannot please God.
II. RECONCILED
Colossians
1: 21: yet now hath he reconciled; 22 In
the body of his flesh through death,
Reconciliation
Accomplished for his Elect
By Christ’s finished work, God has already
reconciled his elect to himself. Yet now…it is done. It can never be
undone. Yet now hath he reconciled—Christ did it for all the elect of God scattered throughout the four corners of
the world. God did not leave the slightest degree of
reconciliation to hinge upon the will of those he chose to reconcile—we were
alienated from the life of God and enemies in our minds—if reconciliation were
left to the sinner none would be reconciled. Christ accomplished reconciliation for the elect “In the body of his
flesh, through death.” The Son of God was made flesh because his
brethren were flesh; the Son of
God was made flesh to bear our sins in his own body on the tree; the Son of God was made flesh to
have the chastisement of our peace laid on him. There was no other way
God’s fallen elect could be reconciled to him and God remain just so Christ
paid the full ransom price redeeming all for whom he died from the curse of the
law.
Colossians 1: 20: And having made peace through the blood
of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself
Reconciliation
is peace with God accomplished by God in Christ for his elect.
Romans 5: 10: When we were enemies, we were reconciled to
God by the death of his Son…
2 Corinthians 5: 18: And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God
was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by
us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21: For he hath made him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Reconciliation
Accomplished in his Elect
Reconciliation is also a work of God wrought within
us. Paul is speaking to believers at
Colossee who were reconciled in heart and affection to God as well—“we pray you
in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” But we were alienated and enemies
in our minds. A sinner can’t make himself be at peace with God when in his
mind, God is his enemy! We have to be
born of God and given the mind of Christ. The glory goes to God for this inward
work the same as the other.
When we are born of God, he purges our
conscience within, by Christ’s blood, through the gospel. He reveals in us that
God has already reconciled us into a state of eternal peace with himself,
justifying us of all our sins past, present and future, by Christ’s blood.
Hebrews 9: 14: How much more shall the blood of Christ,
who, through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
While
our conscious is defiled our deeds are evil because they are not done out of
love for God but in the evil attempt to make ourselves acceptable to God. It is
the evil attempt of giving ourselves the preeminence that God has given to
Christ alone.
So God
sets our affection on Christ by teaching us inwardly in spirit and in truth
that he has already reconciled us in Christ and we are accepted in him. He put away our sin himself. God remembers
our sins no more. He teaches us that
there is now no condemnation to them that in Christ Jesus. The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made
us free from the law of sin and death. Justice
and mercy have kissed in harmony. He reveals his righteousness, Christ, by
whose obedience he has made us the very righteousness of God. God accepts me!
Then the
terror we had of God ceases, the enmity against God ceases to rule us, the fear
of approaching God is cast out because God’s perfect love is shed abroad in our
hearts.
1 John 4: 18: There is no fear in love; but perfect love
casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made
perfect in love.
For the
first time, we believe on Christ, we are made honest, we confess our sins, we
believe Christ has worked all our works for us so that we are accepted of God
by what he has done. Now we…
Hebrews 10:22…draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our
bodies washed with pure water.
Psalm 57: 7: My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed;
I will sing and give praise.
Now
doing his will becomes the delight of a son to our loving Father. God puts his will into our hearts, making you
Hebrews 13:21…perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ;
to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
When
the old man screams, “Don’t trust God too much!” God’s keeping hand turns us away from that
old nature in repentance to faith in Christ our All.
So you
see how that reconciliation is wrought by God FOR us and reconciliation is
wrought by God IN us. So truly our being
reconciled to God is all of God, not of us, by the blood of Christ, applied by
God the Holy Spirit.
III. PRESENT
Colossians
1: 22:…To present you
holy and unblameable, and unreprovoable in his sight.
God the Father has done all this in his Son, Christ
Jesus and gave us his Spirit to present you himself in his sight the only way
he will receive you. Right now Christ our High Priest appears in the presence
of God for us. Before his Father, in his
sight, Christ our High Priest bears our names on his breastplate. Our life is hid with Christ in God. Then one day, Christ will deliver up the kingdom
to the Father and say,
“lo, I and the children thou hast given me”—not one will be lost. (Hebrews 2:
13)
Holy and
Unblameable and Unreprovable
He will present you…in his perfect, all knowing,
sight holy and unblameable, and unreprovoable. As verse 12 says, the Father, hath made us meet
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Christ is the righteousness and sanctification (outward
and inward) of the believer. He is our perfect obedience. All ours sins were
purged away by his sacrifice. Our
persons are washed and cleansed in his blood. We are clothed with his spotless
righteousness. Our hearts are sanctified
by his Spirit. He shall
presents us in all the beauties of
holiness. Christ will present us to
himself a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, as a
bride prepared for her husband.
Illustration: Can you imagine a bride showing up to her wedding,
claiming to be the bride but the groom had never met her. He knows them that are his.
Sinner,
be honest with God. You can plead all your works, deny your sins, while
you claim you believe God, but this one simple fact will betray you to him, in
that day, he will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you….Bind him hand
and foot and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Illustration: Can you imagine a stranger showing up before the King,
claiming she is the kings daughter, wearing a garment that she made claiming
the king made it. We can’t fool Christ
our King.
Christ "The
king's daughter is all glorious within; [her glory within is that she is born
of the King’s Seed, she’s his daughter, partaker of the Divine nature of Christ
the King—Christ is our Sanctification within] her clothing is of wrought gold.
[it is the robe Christ the King himself made for his daughter to wear—our
righteous just standing before God by his obedience]" (Psalm 45:13.)
We
can’t fool Christ. Those given him of the Father were alienated
and enemies in our minds by wicked works, but by his pure holy person and
perfect work we are reconciled by him, all shall be born of him, robed by him,
presented by him: and shall be his holy
and unblameable, and unreprovoable worksmanship.
IV. CONTINUE
Colossians
1: 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;
whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Believer, Continue in the Faith
Our
faith will proven to be the gift of God if we endure to the end trusting Christ
and him alone. "He that endureth to the end, shall be saved."
Some
are moved away from the hope of the gospel: for the works of the law or to join
with the deceitful workers or for the wages of unrighteousness or for some
other crooked way. They are debtors to
keep the whole law, Christ shall profit them nothing. There remains nothing but
to fearful dread of the day of judgment.
Psalm 125:5: As for such as turn aside unto their crooked
ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace
shall be upon Israel.
It
proves they were nothing but a fraud from the beginning. It is not that such a one was a saint who
fell away. They were never the workmanship of God. True faith endures to the end because God
finishes what he begins: Paul said, "Having obtained help of God, I
continue unto this day" (Acts 26:22)
Philippians 1: 6:…he which hath begun a good work in you
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Grounded and Settled
How do
we continue in the faith? V23:…grounded
and settled. Christ is our Foundation our sure Cornerstone, born-again believers are
living stones, fitly framed together, God’s house, built upon Christ our
Foundation. The house is truly grounded on the
foundation when it “settles down” on the foundation—grounded and settled.
The Hope of the
Gospel
Be not moved away from the hope of the gospel
which you have heard. The hope of the gospel is Christ. The anchor of our soul is Christ who has
entered within the veil. You are dead
and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Therefore our hope is sure and steadfast. If Christ is truly our
hope, you will not be moved away from the hope of the gospel.
Matthew 7: 24: Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings
of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his
house upon a rock: 25 And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
I have
preached this same gospel since the day we first met. You who have heard our Gospel inwardly know
we have a good hope through grace. We
must endure much tribulation. But whatever
trials come, whatever doubts or fears, hope against hope and believe against
unbelief. His strength is made perfect
in weakness. Look nowhere else but
Christ. Ye are complete in him. May the Lord ground and settle us more with
these words as only he can.
Amen!