Title: Full Assurance for Believers
Text: Colossians 1: 12-14
Date: April 29, 2012
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Several times over the past year I have been asked questions such as:
· Is the believer secure in Christ?
· Can a child of God have their name blotted out of the Lamb’s book of life?
· Is there something else I must do in addition to believing Christ in order to be saved?
These questions came from believers—some who have been a long time in the faith.
Listening, I found that the questions were put into their minds by other religious acquaintances. There were folks who told them that the believer is not secure in Christ unless there are additional works the believer must add to secure his salvation.
The apostle Paul was informed that some of the brethren at Colossee were being troubled this way. False teachers were promoting these same kinds of doubts and fears among them who were turning the brethren from Christ.
They were adding philosophy to the message of Christ. And they were teaching that it was necessary for believers to observe certain days, to abstain from certain meats, and other things, which Paul summed up as the worship of man’s own will—idolatry.
Colossians 2: 23: Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; [they give an outward appearance of devotion, of humility and consecration. But it is self-made worship, self-made humility, self-imposed abstinence] not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh. [rather than curbing the flesh or sanctifying the heart those things puff men up in the fleshly mind. It may be promoted under the idea of honoring God, but it is really only the indulgence of the natural flesh and of the natural man’s false conception of righteousness. It promotes what it claims to prevent. That’s what they say about us who rest in God’s sovereign grace—but the Spirit of God says the message of will-worshippers promotes licentiousness—I believe the word of God.]
So what will make a believer truly mortify our members and put off the old man with his deeds—and no longer make a boast in ourselves of having done these things? Paul tells us in chapter 2. This is his reason for writing this letter.
Colossians 2: 1: For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; 2: That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3: In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge…9: For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
The mystery of God the Father which is hidden from this world is Christ. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in that mystery—in Christ—and nowhere else. And we who have been quickened together with him have been shown the mystery! And we are complete in Christ.
Proposition: When our minds and hearts are settled in the full assurance that God is our Father and has made us complete in Christ his Son how it does comfort our hearts, how it does knit us together in love, and how he does root us and build us up in Christ. And all this nourishment from Christ our Head. Colossians 2: 19:…the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Title: Full Assurance for Believers. Our text is Colossians 1: 12-14
Divisions: Note: these are all done. 1) We have Fitness—12: Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; 2) We are in a new place—13: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 3) We have complete forgiveness—14: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Brethren—you and I—who have been quickened together with Christ, whose only hope of salvation is Christ Jesus the Lord, we have…a Father…in heaven! Think on that.
That in itself is reason to be thankful. God is our Father. God who made heaven and earth, God who rules heaven and earth, God who is able to save and provide for his house in perfect righteousness is our Father.
Illustration: I asked my children, “What are you chief concerns in life?” They answered, “Being separated from our father.”
Sons and daughters of God, YOU WHO TRUST YOUR FATHER TO SAVE YOU SHALL NEVER BE SEPARATED FROM OUR FATHER. God our Father has provided all things necessary to receive us to himself right now.
I. BELIEVERS HAVE FITNESS--Colossians 1: 12: Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;
What we presently posses will give us present comfort. Right now, God our Father has made us meet, fit, worthy, right now to enter into heaven to be with him forever. This is our present position and standing before God in his Son. It means we are accepted in the Beloved, adopted into the family of God, and fit to dwell with the saints in light.
Our meetness is not of ourselves but of God our Father--v12: Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. By nature we are altogether unfit—fit for nothing but darkness, hell, and misery, not heavenly glory. Our meetness is of God our Father.
By the eternal, everlasting purpose of God our Father: we have been made meet:
1. Because we are adopted and made sons.
A child is fit to be the heir of his father—his meetness is being a child of his father—God our Father has made us meet to partake of his inheritance by making us his children.
Galatians 4: 1: Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2: But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3: Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5: To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6: And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7: Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. 8: Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 9: But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10: Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11: I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Romans 8: 14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16: The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18: For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
2. We are fit because we have been sanctified--the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:--A saint is one sanctified—set apart and made holy for holy use.
All God’s elect were sanctified by God the Father in covenant grace, set apart from all the rest of the world, to be his peculiar people.
Jude 1:1: Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.
We were sanctified, set apart and made holy by the sin-atoning blood of Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 10:9: Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10: By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all….14: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
We are sanctified by the Holy Spirit when we are regenerated and made partakers of the divine nature.
2 Thessalonians 2: 13: But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Most think we become more sanctified, more holy, by a co-effort between us and God by being brought back under the law. Paul was dealing with that very issue when he wrote Galatians—having begun in the spirit are you now made perfect by the flesh.
Illustration: When a child is conceived it is a human being. It will grow but it is already a human being. Believers are saints—holy—the moment they are conceived by the Holy Spirit. We grow in grace as a saint—as one who is already holy and sanctified—but we do not become more holy.
Illustration: The thief on the cross was born that day and entered glory that day. He did not have time to “Take time to be Holy”. But he was already a saint and already fit. The sanctification wherewith we are sanctified by God the Father is not progressive, it is complete at once. That new man conceived of the incorruptible Seed within the sinner, the new man, the new creation is conceived in righteousness and true holiness.
Ephesians 4:24: And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Believer, there shall not be one spirit in heaven more fit for heaven than the child newly regenerated than the oldest or the ones already there now. Likewise, you who are truly sanctified by his grace are as fit for heaven now as those saints already there. That is the good news that makes a believer mortify the deeds of his flesh which makes us love holiness and hate our sin.
II. BELIEVERS ARE IN A NEW PLACE--Colossians 1: 13: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Remember this is right now, done, God our Father has delivered us and put us into the kingdom of his Son.
We are saints in Light, delivered from the power of darkness. The power of darkness crucified Christ
Luke 22: 53: When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.
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:
We were blinded by the prince of darkness until God the Father made the Light shine into our hearts.
2 Corinthians 4: 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Ephesians 5: 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
We have been translated into the kingdom of his dear Son. When Paul said, “faith that could remove mountains”—same word as “translated.” God the Father has removed every believer here from the power of darkness and put us into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.
Christ Jesus is our absolute Monarch reigning in our new heart and directing all things for us in this present evil world. We have been truly redeemed and set free because we are no longer ruled by self and darkness, but all is in his hand to control as he will.
In our kingdom Christ is Lord and Sovereign from the new heart we love our King. We are loyal to our king and obey our King. He has made us “kings and priests unto our God,” and we shall reign with him.
Note: This is not future tense—God the Father has now translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.
Application: Shall we not love God the Father and give him thanks, and sing songs to him, and exalt his great name? The believer that has this hope in himself—he has come out from among the idoltors, washed his hands of it for good, and has no more longing to be defiled with any of the old things that are passed away anymore.
Romans 14: 17: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
III. Here is the legal, just and righteous ground of our full assurance before God--through the blood of his own dear Son, we have COMPLETE REDEMPTION, EVEN FORGIVENESS OF SINS--Colossians 1: 14: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Redeemed how I love to proclaim it! In short, this redemption is a deliverance out of the hands of all our enemies, all evils and misery, from the effects of sin, from death, and hell, and wrath to come—he has obtained eternal redemption for us.
Even the forgiveness of sins--Col 2: 11-15. The blood of Christ washed away our sins and God our Father says,
Hebrews 10: 17: And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
A FEW CLOSING REMARKS
Some here are not meet for this inheritance.
· You love your sin too much to part with it.
· You love your self-righteousnesses too much to see it is filthy rags.
· You do not want to be here too much or too long,
· You do not like to be in the scriptures too much or too long,
· You do not like for God to receive all glory too much or too long,
· You do not like to be with God’s saints too much or too long
As long as you remain where you are then you do not have to trouble yourself about doing these things for eternity. You will get to be with your own company soon enough. But oh that you could see, “It is the goodness of God that leadeth men to repentance.” Repent and ask God for mercy. Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
This work of grace creates an unknown, new sorrow at first, a need for Christ you never had before, and a willingness to surrender to him that simply was not in you before. Look to him and you shall be saved.
My brothers and sisters, those of you whose heart is full of joy that God the Father has done this for you—don’t let anything or anyone trouble you. Once “translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son”—we can never be taken out. Once we have been made meet to be a “partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light” we can never be unfit for that inheritance. The blood and righteousness of our Lord Jesus is our fitness and as sure as his blood cannot be unshed for his elect, as sure as those he justified can never be unjustified, just that surely you shall see the face of God with acceptance. Do not look for assurance in you. “Look unto me and be ye saved,” the Lord says, “for I am God and there is none else.”
Colossians 1: 12: Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
AMEN!