20.09.09 - The Life That Pleases God and You

What is the good life? Google revealed the old TV comedy, where the good life is being self-sufficient, growing your own vegetables; living close to the land and spurning wealth. For other people, the good life is the carefree life – the life with no worries; the life of perpetual relaxation.. In this image, sunshine, relaxation, and no worries are perhaps also associated with wealth and relationships – maybe, according to some images, illicit, immoral relationships.

I look at that image and it is pretty appealing! But for how long? Wouldn’t you want to do more with your life than sit on a ship?

We have been jumping around in Colossians a bit. Today I’d like us to look at Paul’s prayer in 1:9-14 for the Colossian Christians. In this passage Paul describes a better life – a life pleasing to God and you.

The Colossians had heard the gospel and believed in Jesus. Because of that, Paul prays constantly for them. “Since the day we heard... we have not stopped praying... we continually ask God...”

Paul was a great pray-er. He regularly tells the churches that he writes to that he prays constantly for them. Despite all his other busyness – and probably few people have achieved so much as Paul – he still prioritised prayer. He achieved because he prioritised prayer. He was committed to prayer.

But what did he pray? This, I think, is the key part of these verses. Paul says he prays for one thing – just one thing. What might that have been? If you were praying for a group of Christians and could ask only one thing, what would it be? When you pray for other Christians or when you pray for another church, or even when you pray for this church – which I hope you do – what one thing might you focus on? In fact, I think this would be a great prayer to pray for non-Christians as well. What is this one thing?

READ Col 1:9-14 (TNIV)

The request is at the beginning of the sentence: We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will. Paul’s pray is that they will know God’s will.

How can God’s will be known? That is the next phrase: through all the wisdom and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives.

What is the result of knowing God’s will? So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him in every way. Clearly, Paul is not talking about simply knowing God’s will. Doing God’s will is implied. It is when we know it and do it that we live a life worthy of God and pleasing to God. But to do it, we have to know it. So Paul’s central prayer is that this church will know God’s will.

We could take our cue from Paul and make that the prayer we pray for other Christians and other churches. We prayed today for the Anglican church. We could have prayed, “Lord, may they know your will through all the wisdom and understanding the Holy Spirit gives, so that they might operate in ways that are worthy of You and pleasing to You.” In fact, wouldn’t that be a great prayer for all churches: that we might all know God’s will so that we might operate in this community in ways that are worthy of God and pleasing to Him? What might happen if we all operated in ways worthy of God and pleasing to Him?

Then there is a colon introducing a list of four things that describe this life. As we look at those, ask yourself if this is the life you want to life and the life you want other Christians to live.

1. Bearing fruit in every good work.
Have you ever got to the end of a day and said, “Well, I’m not sure what I have done.” Sometimes there’s precious little to show for it – not much fruit – no real results. It is possible to get to the end of a week or the end of a month and not really have anything to show for it. Many people will get to the end of their lives and have nothing to show for it.

And yet, everyone wants to think that they have made a difference somehow – that their life has counted for something. The life that is worthy of God and pleasing to Him is a life of productivity – fruitfulness. It is a life that does count – that has made a difference.

This is not the life of inactivity. This is the life of activity and productivity.

The key is knowing God’s will. If we do, we can do those things that are really important and that will bear fruit – the things that God is blessing. If we don’t know His will, we might be frantically busy but doing the wrong things and achieving nothing. The key to being productive is knowing God’s will.

2. Growing in the knowledge of God
The life God wants us to live isn’t only about what we do. It is not just about being productive – although we do need to know that the Christian life ought to be productive. But it is not just that. It is also about being loved – being in a relationship with God – in an increasingly close relationship with God.

Growing in the knowledge of God doesn’t just mean knowing more and more facts about God. Anyone studying theology or even philosophy could know more facts about God. Growing in knowledge means the knowledge that comes from experiencing God – knowing Him better and better because we are experiencing Him in closer and closer ways.

This also is the life that is worthy of God and pleases Him. He wants us to know Him better whether that is through stopping to take time with Him or through acting and serving and seeing God move and discovering Jesus in those we serve or through crying out to Him in desperation.

3. Being strengthened with God’s strength so that you can endure and be patient
It is all very well being productive and having a relationship with God but what happens when life gets tough or you are severely tested? From the parable of the seeds we know that many seeds make a start but some of the plants stop growing when trouble and persecution occur or the worries of this life or the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for things crop up. Some Christians give up when there is pressure.

But that is never the will of God. Knowing the will of God means knowing we are called to persevere – to overcome. But Paul says God will provide the strength. The God-honouring life is one in which we are strengthened with all power according to His glorious might. In other words, it is not dependent on our very limited power. It is by God’s glorious might at work in us that we are able to keep on keeping on.

This is not the carefree life but it is the life of overcoming and of victory when things are tough.

This quality is known as resilience. There is a lot being written and taught these days about resilience. The American Psychological Association lists 10 Ways To Build Resilience. Strangely, they don’t say anything about being strengthened by God’s power! That is the Christian’s privilege.

4. Giving joyful thanks to the Father
The God-honour life remembers to thank God. That is true but notice here that Paul is not talking about some obligation. This life includes joyful thanks to the Father. Look what Paul says immediately: the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His people in the kingdom of light. For He rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. That is enough reason to give joyful thanks.

But as we said last week, if we know the will of God and are living at the centre of His will, we will see God doing all sorts of things. Remember, we are bearing fruit in every good work. Remember we are growing in our knowledge of God. Remember we are strengthened to cope with adversity. This life is a life with multiple reasons for joyful thanks.

Does that life sound attractive? Does the idea of bearing fruit and being productive sound attractive? Do you like the idea of knowing God better? There’s millions of people looking in all the wrong places for spiritual experiences. Well, here is what people are looking for.

Do you want to be someone who finishes the race; who doesn’t quit but who overcomes? By God’s power this life is victorious. Clearly it is a good life if we are constantly giving thanks.

Productivity, intimacy, victory and thankfulness. That life pleases God but is also fantastic for us. Sometimes we think that to please God we have to be miserable. No, knowing and doing God’s will leads to a life that pleases God and us.

Think how Jesus modelled this. He was absolutely committed to doing the will of God. He once said that he could do nothing on His own. He did only what he saw the Father doing (Jn 5:19) and He said He always did what pleased God (Jn 8:30). Remaining in the centre of God’s will, Jesus’ life was amazingly productive. He remained in a very intimate relationship with His Father. I am not sure if we want to say that that was a growing relationship although the Bible does say that Jesus grew in favour with God and pretty clearly, certainly as a boy, He was growing and learning of God – for example, asking questions in the temple.

Strengthened with God’s power, He didn’t quit. It wasn’t always easy and it won’t always be easy for us. Perhaps the hardest time for Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane when He pleaded with God not to have to die on the cross. But even there He chose to do the will of God. God enabled Him to do that and in the end Jesus was victorious. And Jesus’ life was full of thanksgiving. As God used Him, clearly He had much to give thanks for.

Knowing and doing God’s will leads to a life that pleases God but is also fantastic for us.

How can we know God’s will? In Colossians 1 Paul says that it is through all the wisdom and understanding the Holy Spirit gives. We need God to reveal it to us. We cannot work out God’s will on our own. We need to receive from the Holy Spirit God’s wisdom and understanding. The Bible talks about being led by the Spirit. Jesus was led by the Spirit. Paul was led by the Spirit. Romans 8:14 says that those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

The number one way the Holy Spirit speaks is through the Bible. This is God’s word to us. So we need to read it listening for the voice of the Spirit and expecting God to reveal His will. There are some things that are always God’s will. They never change. It is always God’s will that we love one another. It is always God’s will that we store up treasure in heaven. This is part of God’s will: praying that others wil know His will. But we need the Holy Spirit to help us know those things and to know what they mean and how we can do them. We need to be led by the Spirit as we study the scriptures.

There are other things that are God’s will for today but not tomorrow. It might be God’s will that I talk to a particular person today or that I read a particular Bible passage today but tomorrow it will be different. Our listening to the voice of the Spirit needs to be a moment by moment thing. That might be a skill that God is still developing in us.

There is another clue in the passage. Paul says he prays for this for the Colossians. We can pray that we, and others, know God’s will through the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. We can ask.

James 1:5: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

If we pray to know God’s will and then we are listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit, we will find that he speaks through the scriptures, by that still small voice in our heads, through other people, through a comment on TV, through a flower. The Holy Spirit will speak in all sorts of ways. Of course, we need also to pray for discernment so as to know that it is the Holy Spirit. But God is willing to speak. He isn’t trying to be difficult. He actually wants us to know His will. He will speak.

Knowing His will (and doing it) means we live a life worthy of God and pleasing to Him – and incredibly satisfying for us as well. I want to make two suggestions for your prayer times: that you pray every day for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and understanding so that you know God’s will; and that you select some people and you pray every day that through the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and understanding they know God’s will. Imagine the result if more and more of us live lives pleasing to God – and hugely rewarding for us.

13.09.09 - Don't Give Up Now

Peter Cheyne

Four weeks ago we looked at a passage in Colossians 1 that talked about Jesus being the centre of everything and supreme over everything. I want to do a little jump now to some verse in Colossians 2. READ Colossians 2:6-15

Verses 6-7 say ‘Don’t give up now. Having made a start, keep going. Having received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him.”
Verse 8 says, “Don’t be pulled off course by wrong thinking.”
Verse 9-15 give us reasons for keeping on. They start with the word “for”. Do not give up because...

Vince Lombardi has famously said that winners never quit and quitter never win, Nancy Lopez has said, “A competitor will find a way to win. Competitors take bad breaks and use them to drive themselves just that much harder. Quitters take bad breaks and use them as reasons to give up."

Vv 6-7: The Colossian Christians have made a start. They have received Jesus as Lord. They have said that Jesus is their Master. They will be followers. They have dedicated their lives to serving Him.

But Paul says, “Great start! Now continue”. Our conversion; our becoming Christians is just a start. A baptism is just a start. Paul says, “Continue to live in Jesus.” The Bible often talks about us being “in Christ”. It means that somehow, in some spiritual reality, we are all incorporated into Jesus. We become united with Him. He envelopes us. I am not sure I can explain it better. But when we are baptised we are baptised into Jesus Christ. We live in a relationship with Him that is so intimate that we are in Him.

So Paul is saying, “Continue to live in Him. Don’t live independently of Him. Don’t wander off on your own independent journey. Don’t forget Him or turn your back on Him. Continue to live in Him.”

We could all ask ourselves how much our lives are lived in Him. Are you continuing to live each day in an intimate, organic relationship with Jesus? Is Jesus the context of your every day?

Paul describes living in Jesus. It means our roots go down. We more and more take an unshakable stand deeply rooted in Jesus and that is where we get our feeding and nourishment. Deeply rooted in Jesus.

As our roots go down, we are built up. Living in Jesus means growing up; becoming stronger; becoming more mature.

It means becoming stronger in our faith. Our faith can refer to what we believe. Growing in our faith means having greater understanding of God’s word and God’s ways. But our faith can also mean how much we trust Jesus and so being strengthened in our faith means we trust Him more and so we obey Him more and step out when He asks us to even when that is scary for us. Continuing to live our lives in Jesus means He becomes Lord of our lives more and more and we become more and more obedient.

Are you continuing to live in Him? Is your faith stronger than it was a year ago?

It also means overflowing with thankfulness. Jesus died for us and we have been forgiven by a gracious God. We talked before about God rescuing us out of the Kingdom of darkness and placing us in the Kingdom of Jesus. When we realise what an incredible thing has happened the moment we placed our faith in Jesus, then we have a never-ending reason to overflow with thankfulness. When we know how lost we were, and how saved we are now, then we will be thankful.

But it is not only our conversion. The more we grow up; the more we step out in faith, the more we will see God at work and then have so many more reasons for giving thanks. Continuing to live In Jesus means that the last week has given us more reasons to overflow with thankfulness. Has it?

So Paul says, “You have received Jesus as Lord, now live in Him, roots going down, you growing up, stronger in your faith and overflowing with thanks.”

v.8 – don’t be pulled off course by wrong thinking. There are many other ideas and philosophies that are contrary to the Christian faith and that can capture our minds. Paul describes them as “hollow and deceptive” They are worthless, yet they can be attractive. Paul also says that they depend on human tradition and (NIV “basic principles” but TNIV “elemental spiritual forces”) spiritual forces rather than on Christ - human ideas but also demonic deception. Human ideas are not worth a tin of fish compared with God’s truth and demonic deceptions are deceptions. They are wrong and will trap us.

What would be examples? There are all sorts of false religions – human ideas and demonic deceptions. There are pseudo-Christians ideas like Mormonism or Jehovah’s Witnesses. Compare them with what the Bible teaches and they are just wrong. Human ideas – Joseph Smith’s ideas in the case of Mormonism – and demonic deception.

But there are much more subtle examples like the love of money – the belief that money is more important than faithfulness to Jesus. A human idea and a demonic deception – hollow and deceptive.

Keep going. Don’t get pulled off course. Now the reasons – vv. 9-15.

Because Jesus is fully God. The fullness of God dwelt in Him. So why would we turn to human ideas and demonic deceptions when the alternative is God. God versus the demonic. Choose God. Choose God as the focus of your whole life.

Because in Christ we have been brought to fullness. What does that mean? Does it mean that we are made more complete – more completely human – when we are in Christ? Does it mean that we become more of who we are meant to be when we are in Christ? Whatever it means, the Bible says that in Him we have been brought to fullness. Would we risk that by now giving up?

The third reason for keeping on, keeping on is that Jesus is head over every power and authority. We can either choose the head or we can choose the underlings. Choose the head. Continue to live in Jesus.

The fourth reason is that Jesus has set us free. We have already been told that we have been rescued from the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom of Jesus. But here Paul tells us that when we were baptised our old sinful nature died – or, using the image Paul uses here of circumcision – our old sinful nature was put off. In baptism we were buried with Jesus and raised to new life. The old sinful us died and we were made alive in Christ. We are new people in Christ. So why would we not want to continue living this new life in Christ – the life of freedom – the life in which sin no longer has power over us?

Jesus has forgiven all sin and cancelled the charges against us. We are no longer under accusation. Yes, we have done things wrong but they are now forgiven and cancelled. Plus, Jesus has defeat the powers of darkness. They have been disarmed. Jesus has led the triumphal procession in which the demons have been paraded publicly as the defeated foe. Jesus is the victor. The powers of darkness have been made a public spectacle. Through Jesus’ death on the cross the past is forgiven and sin has no power over us.

It is perhaps not quite so apparent here but in Romans 6 which deals with this same topic, Paul says that we have died to sin and been raised to a new life in which sin has no power over us. We are no longer slaves to sin or to the powers and authorities.

Are you tempted to give up, or even to deviate – because being a Christian is hard or because, for example, money or sin is more attractive? If all that is said here about Jesus and what He has done, is true, we have every reason to persevere – to live each day in Him – in close, organic relationship with Him – and for Him. To give up on Jesus is to give up on your forgiveness and your fullness and your victory and freedom and your eternity. Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him. What does it mean for you to continue living your life in Jesus – roots going down, you growing up, stronger in your faith, overflowing with thankfulness. What do you need to do to continue living in Christ?

30.08.09 - Complacent Christianity

A Youth Service

Marty Redhead

It’s great to see you all at church this morning, and as a youth ministry we hope that you not only enjoy what the young people have to say, but that you go from this place having meet God.

Steph and I got back at the start of this week from a 10 day holiday in the Gold Coast, and it was fantastic. We had an amazing time and the weather was hot, the sun was always shinning and the pool was just nice to sit beside. But it’s so great to be back. Back to see our young people, back to see our church and to continue pressing on in the things that God has for us. And it’s so good to be in church this morning. For me there is no other place that I’d rather be than in the house of God. Because the church is the hope of the world. When Jesus left this planet after he died and rose again, he looked at his disciples straight in the eye and said “boys, you take it from here”. God’s plan for the salvation of man was to send his one and only son to the cross to die a sinner’s death, so that you and I could have a relationship with him and spend eternity in heaven. But the hope of the world rests in the bride of Christ, which of course the Bible says is the church. We as the church of Jesus Christ are plan ‘A’ for saving this planet. There is no plan ‘B’, we are it. We are God’s plan to see his Kingdom come here on earth. And God knows that we can do it. He believes in us more than we believe in ourselves, and he knows that his bride, his church, can see the community of people they live in changed and pointed towards Christ. That’s why I love being in the house of God, because you and I are the solution that God has to save the planet.

This mornings message I have entitled ‘Complacent Christianity’. Sometimes in our walk with Christ we become complacent about the God that we serve. We get comfortable with just doing God and forget about the power that He has placed in us. We forget that God desires us as a people to walk in a close intimate relationship with Him and that our lives be far from complacent. I believe that this morning God wants to do something fresh in the life of our church and impart his Holy Spirit to those who would want it. As a youth ministry our hope is that this morning you will walk away from this place having meet Jesus. We believe in a God who can heal broken lives, heal physical pain, bring relief to your suffering and see you live the life that God has planned for you. I believe God desires to pour out his Spirit on his people and if you are willing, I encourage you to come along with me and see what God will do.

If you have your Bibles, then turn with me to the book of 1st Samuel 4. If you don’t have your Bibles then that’s fine, because I brought mine and so you can share with me. And read with me from verse 1.

1st Samuel 4:1-11

Let me give you a bit of the background to this scene. The Israelites are well established in the promised land of Israel. As a people they have seen God’s hand on their lives as they left slavery in Egypt, as God provided for them in the dessert time after time with quail and bread for them to eat. They have seen God do miracle after miracle by parting the waters of the red sea and allowing them to cross on dry ground. They saw God literately tear down the walls of Jericho and all they had to do was walk around the city with musical instruments. They have seen miracle after miracle with God’s hand constantly giving them victory in battle and defeating their enemy. BUT, they had became complacent. They thought they’d put God in a box, carry him out to battle and expect the same result.

Don’t rely on past experiences with God.
How many of us have experienced God in a powerful way and seen God do amazing things in our lives, and then try and live off that experience for years to come. Not realising that God desires to pour out his Spirit on all of us, all of the time. Now please don’t get me wrong, I am not preaching that God is always an experience. That’s just not true. And more often that not we have to walk on with God in what we know, and not just what we feel. So please don’t confuse what I’m saying. What I am asking though, is when was the last time you experienced God?

See the Israelites knew what God could do, but they’d just forgotten about it and thought that if they grabbed onto the physical with God, then that would be the same. They thought that since they were in deep yoghurt and losing the battle against these pesky Philistines, that instead of seeking God’s face they’d just grab Him and take him where they wanted to go. Never once in that passage does it say they stopped, dropped to their knees and asked God what they should do. The Israelites had experienced God, had seen his power, but had forgotten about it and had grown complacent in their faith. They got comfortable with their surroundings, had tried to predict God and now paid dearly for it. 30, 000 men died because the Israelites grew complacent.

When I was growing up, I was always involved in music. And if you were to look back at my music career it would look sketchy at best. I first started out playing the piano, which if you had read my column in the Ensign this week you would know that it did not go well. My sister played piano for a long time so it seemed right that I’d follow in her footsteps and play as well. My Aunty who lived in Gore at the time and was a very accomplished music teacher, taught me, but I only lasted about 4 months.

After my failure as a piano player, I moved onto playing the recorder, at out of schools music. Nichi Russell started out as my teacher, and she must have had a little more success because I played that for a number of years until I progressed to the double bass. Now the only reason I wanted to play this monster instrument was because it was big, and rather different. I played that for a number of years and this was probably my most successful instrument, because I sat and passed with distinction, my Initial Double Bass Exam. That’s right, my initial exam. Not grade 2, not even grade 1, but my initial exam. I think my certificate is at the bottom of a wardrobe somewhere. That was over 10 years ago.

If you gave me a double bass and put it in front of me now, there is no way that I would know how to play it. I would know how to hold it, and look like I knew what I was doing, but there is no way that I would know what to do. I’ve forgotten, the experience I had in the past is now gone. Just because I played for 3 years, sat an exam and turned up to my lesson, doesn’t now mean that I can still play the double bass. The experiences that I had then does not mean that I can play now.

When was the last time you experienced God? When was the last time that you surrendered yourself to Him and said all I need is you Lord? When was the last time that you can say you had a genuine touch of the Holy Spirit?

For some of us we can’t even remember the last time that we had a touch of God. For some of us we’ve never had a touch from God. We think that there is no way that God could use me or touch my life, I’ve done too many things wrong. Or we think that God can never use me because I just don’t have what it takes. All that hearing from God stuff and being touched with the Holy Spirit is not really for me because I’m just not really a person God can use.

If that’s what you’re thinking, then you are the perfect person that God does use. In fact God specialises in using people who think nothing of themselves. If we look at the Bible we see that Moses was a murderer and a stutter yet he lead Gods chosen people out of slavery. Joseph was the youngest in his family and his brothers hated him, yet he became ruler over Egypt. Rahab was a prostitute, David was just a Shepard, Noah was old and Paul killed Christians. Jesus himself was born in a dirty old animal shed and the disciples that followed him were a bunch of no hopers who had some sketchy pasts. God is into using people who think they can’t be used. He takes what people said couldn’t work, and make something great out of it.

Look at me. I was a very average student at school, who played sport very averagely. I did not do flash on an musical instruments and the world had written me off as a very average, probably won’t amount to much kind of guy. Yet I put my hand up one day and said God if you can use me, then please do. And here I am. Serving in an amazing church, married to a beautiful wife, expecting a beautiful baby and seeing young peoples lives touched like I’ve never seen before. God has taken my life and made a some what ordinary, mundane, not amount to anything life – into an example of what God can do if we just allow him.

Let’s not live in past experiences. Let’s not be held back from what has, or has not happened. Rather lets seek a fresh touch from God and put our hand up and say ‘use me’.

Point number 2 – You can’t put God in a box
The Israelites thought that since they were losing the battle, they could go back to camp and get the ark of the covenant and everything would be alright. They thought they could get their box with God inside, march out and see the result they wanted.

You cannot box up God. He is the creator of the universe, the alpha and the omega. He is the beginning and the end. He created everything we see. With a single word he turned night into day. With a single sentence the world was created and everything in it was formed. With a single thought man was birthed out of nothing but clay and dust (and all the woman said amen). Through Moses God orchestrated the largest people movement the world has ever seen and lead them into the promised land. He is the God who spoke and the sun was born, looked and the planets were formed. He threw the stars into space, and created the only inhabitable planet in the entire solar system. He is the biggest thing the universe has ever seen, more powerful than any force we know and greater than anything you’ll ever see. You cannot put God in a box.

How often though do we try and do that. How often do we say we’ll take God here and here, but not here. How often does Sunday morning come along and you go to your wardrobe, put on your Sunday clothes, pick up your box that contains God and come to church? And yet when we go to work, or school, or where ever, we leave the God at home in his box.

God can be so much more in our lives if we just let him. Ephesians 3:20 says 20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. That means that God can do more than we ever hoped or dreamed of. He can take care of our financial situation, he can take care of our health, he can lead us into our future, he can right the wrongs people have done to you. Our Lord can do these things, and he wants to do these things. But he can’t do it while we hold Him at arms length. He can’t do it while we try and control what God wants to do.
The Israelites faced a problem, so they went and got what they thought was the solution to their problem. They went and got their box. Except God doesn’t work that way and he wants to be with us, spend time with us and not sit in our box. He wants to bust out and show us his love, show us his goodness, show us his power and his glory.

Our God wants to bless you. As a father to be I know that I will give everything good that my child asks for. If my child wants something, and if it’s going to be good for them, then I am going to do everything I can do to get it for my child. So how much more will God bless us as his Children when his resource is endless. He is our heavenly Father who wants to give all the good things to us that he can. But it’s up to us to ask, and it’s up to us to take God out of whatever box we may have him in.

16.08.09 - Jesus Christ: The Ultimate

Peter Cheyne

Let’s do some Bible study. If you have your Bibles, please turn to Colossians 1. I want us to look particularly at verses 13 to 23. This is an absolutely remarkable passage. It makes some astonishing statements about Jesus and about what Jesus has done for us. After every statement we can just say “Wow!”. This passage leaves no doubt about whom Jesus is or about what He has done for us.

Colossians starts with a greeting and a blessing. Paul then, in verses 3 to 7, gives thanks for the Colossians’ faith in God and their love for people.

Then in verses 9-12 he tells them what he prays for for them – what he wants to see in their lives as Christians. It is very interesting. Four things God want to see in our lives? We’ll look at that another time.

Then, in v.13, he says, “For... I want you to live this life because...” Because what?

Col 1:13-14 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Wow! For Christians, this is what has happened. God has plucked us out of one kingdom and placed us into another. We were in the dominion of darkness. Wow!

A dominion is a realm ruled over by a lord or master. Who is lord and master of the dominion of darkness? Satan. We were under the authority of Satan. That is a horrible place to be. Darkness is a symbol of evil and corruption and pain and hopelessness and lostness. Jesus said that Satan comes to rob, kill and destroy. His dominion is one of destruction. That is where most of the world is living. Jesus called Satan “the prince of this world” (Jn 12:31) and we see his robbing, killing and destroying all around us. Just think about the amount of misery and sorrow and alienation and violence we see. That’s what Satan loves. That is what his character is like. He rules and we are his slaves. It is his kingdom and he has the final say. People all around the world cannot escape the destructiveness of Satan’s lordship.

We cannot escape; we are trapped; we contribute to the pain of others and we suffer as well. We are trapped in this kingdom.

We were but God has rescued me out of that kingdom and has placed me in the kingdom of the Son He loves. Wow! That statement is extreme. Rescued. Change of kingdoms. Change of kings!

How different is the kingdom of Jesus Christ? We still live in this messed up old world of pain but we are actually citizens of another kingdom and we already experience aspects of that other kingdom. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ is a kingdom of light and joy and peace and purpose. Instead of being a kingdom of death and corruption and destruction, it is a kingdom of eternal life and harmony and perfection. Have you experienced the kingdom of darkness? Yes, but have you also tasted the kingdom of Jesus Christ?

We can go overseas and experience different scenery, a different culture and so on. But those differences are minor compared with the difference between the dominion of darkness and the kingdom of light. We travel around the world but people are essentially the same everywhere. All countries experience sickness and crime and broken relationships and so on. For all the differences, so much is the same.

When we are rescued out of the kingdom of darkness and placed in the kingdom of light, everything is different – because the master is different. In the dominion of darkness the lord is Satan. In the kingdom of light, the lord is Jesus. And that makes all the difference.

If we are Christians, God has rescued us. How did that happen? Jesus. It is in Jesus that we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. To be redeemed is to be bought at a price – like slave who is bought by some kind person and set free. We were slave under the power of Satan but God paid the price to set us free. Not only free but forgiven. All those things from the past that we did that we ought not to, have been forgiven because of Jesus. What a change, being forgiven, and free from the power of sin.

Who is this Jesus? Paul moves from the gospel to the Saviour. The statements continue being astounding.

The Son is the image of the invisible God. Jesus is the invisible God, made visible. We can see God. Jesus was God walking on earth and visible. Wow!

He is the firstborn over all creation. Does that mean that Jesus was born first, or created first, and then the rest of creation? Is Jesus a created being? I don’t think so.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus was there at the beginning. There wasn’t a time when Jesus didn’t exist. The very next verse in Colossians says that all things were made through Him. He is the creator, not the created.

“Firstborn” probably means “supreme.” The firstborn in a family was the most honoured child. Paul is saying, “Jesus is Number One, supreme over all creation.”

By Him and for Him, all things were created. Paul emphasises all things by saying things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all spiritual powers. Everything was created not only by Jesus but for Jesus. The whole universe exists for Jesus. Wow!

He is before all things. That could mean that Jesus existed before all things in time. That is true. But it is more likely to mean that He is greater than all things.

In him all things hold together. Without Jesus the universe would fall apart. It is only in Jesus that things make sense. It is Jesus who gives coherence and meaning to all creation. Without Him it would be meaningless and chaotic. Jesus is at the core and holds it all together.

Notice how many times Paul repeats the phrase “all things”. Nothing is excluded. Jesus is supreme over all creation. All things were created through him and for Him. He is greater than all things. In him all things hold together. He is the greatest; He is the first; He is the best; He is the heart. There is nothing in existence that Jesus didn’t make. There is nothing greater than Jesus. Even the spiritual thrones, powers, rulers and authorities were made by Jesus and are subject to Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate.

Then Paul turns from Jesus’ place in creation to His place in the church. He is the head of the church. The rest of the body is useless without the head. The rest of the body takes its instructions from the head.

He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead. Jesus was the first to be raised to life. He is the trailblazer; He is the one who makes life after death possible. Where would we be without Jesus? We wouldn’t even exist and we certainly would have no hope of forgiveness and heaven. Everything depends on Him. As creator but also as Saviour and head of the church Jesus is supreme. Jesus is the ultimate.

God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him. All of God dwelt in Jesus. He wasn’t a pale imitation of God. He wasn’t God Lite. He was God in the fullest.

And God was also pleased to reconcile to Himself all things by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. Even though Jesus is the creator, the creation has rebelled against its creator. It has preferred Satan. That is why it is out of kilter. But God is pleased to reconcile all things – and again Paul emphasises it by saying it is thing in heaven and on earth–God is pleased to reconcile all things to Himself, through Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross. This shows the heart of God for reconciliation. It shows the centrality of Jesus. It is through His blood, shed on the cross. It shows the love of God, willing to suffer that we might be reconciled to him.

Then Paul returns to describe the results for us. He has already said that we have been rescued out of the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of Jesus. In v.21 he says that we were alienated from God. We were cut off from God and indeed were enemies of God in our minds. We opposed God. In that kingdom of darkness, when we were ruled by Satan, we did what was wrong and so alienated ourselves from God. But what a change! We were enemies, now we are reconciled to God because of the death of Jesus’ physical body. We have been reconciled so that, one day, we may be presented to God holy, without blemish and free from accusation.

In just a few verses, Paul has gone from the creation of the world by Jesus Christ through the brokenness of the world without Jesus Christ, to the Cross on which Jesus suffered, to the resurrection of Jesus, to the reconciling of those who have faith in Jesus Christ and the formation of the church under the headship of Jesus Christ to eternity in heaven where we will be without blemish and free from accusation because of Jesus Christ and will spend eternity with Jesus Christ. In all of that, Jesus is central and Jesus is supreme.

This is the gospel. It is about being rescued for eternity because of the Saviour who is the creator and greater than all things but was willing to die. It is an amazing proclamation of Jesus Christ.

We will be presented holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation. Wow! Can you imagine there being no blemish in your life and no accusation that can be made against you? Now we know that we are weak. We know that there are many things that can be said against us that are true and embarrassing. What a transformation when there is nothing wrong and nothing that can be said against us.

We will be presented holy in His sight if we continue in our faith, established and firm and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. There is a condition. We must finish the race. It is one thing to start and to be saved by faith. It is another thing to continue trusting Jesus and living by faith in Him: keeping close to Jesus, remaining in the vine, listen to Him and obeying, and keeping on expecting God to keep His promises. We are to be established and firm. Our roots are to go down deep. We are to have a firm foundation and to stand firm amidst the storms and waves. Paul wants his readers to finish the race as people of strong faith. We should not be moved from the hope we have – not be tempted to think that heaven is not real; or tempted to think that being holy, without blemish and free from accusation might never happen, but to know that that is our hope and so to keep going to the finishing line.

Who is Jesus? Give me an answer from that passage.

What has God done through Him?

Let’s look at it again. Who is Jesus?

• The image of the invisible God
• The firstborn of all creation
• The creator of all things
• The one for whom all things were created
• The head of the church
• The beginning and firstborn from among the dead
• Supreme over everything
• Contained the fullness of God

What has God done through Him?

• Rescued us from the dominion of darkness
• Brought us into the Kingdom of Jesus
• Redeemed us
• Forgiven us
• Reconciled all things to himself
• Made peace through His blood
• Will present us holy before Him, without blemish and free from accusation

This is a stunning passage – about the Saviour and the salvation He offers us. There are wow statements in it. Do we believe them?

I wonder if we might read this passage together, making these statements in a personal way. “God has rescued me from the domain of darkness... God will present me holy in His sight.”

God has rescued me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

21Once I was alienated from God and was an enemy in my mind because of my evil behaviour. 22But now he has reconciled me by Christ's physical body through death to present me holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23if I continue in my faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel...

09.08.09 - Jesus: Just A Man? Or God?

Peter Cheyne

I really want to congratulate those who were in Jesus Christ Superstar. I saw it twice and I am glad I did. You did a fantastic job. You’re probably all exhausted. You’ve put a lot of effort into it and there have been numerous reports of people finding it very moving. There has been a lot of prayer go into the show and we can trust that God has used it to speak into people’s lives.

If He has, we need to be ready for the conversations that the show might have prompted. We need to take it that next step for anybody whom the show has caused to think about Jesus.

One of the big questions in the show, it seems to me, is whether Jesus was just a man as Mary sings: “He’s a man. He’s just a man.” Or whether He was – and is – God.

The show opens with Judas having had a revelation: My mind is clear now... If you strip away the myth from the man you will see where we all soon will be. Jesus! You’ve started to believe the things they say of you. You really do believe this talk of God is true... You’ve set them all on fire. They think they’ve found the new Messiah, and they’ll hurt you when they find they’re wrong. I remember when this whole thing began. No talk of God then; we called you a man.

That is the question posed at the outset of the show: Is Jesus God as He claimed, or man?

When the crowds sings “Hosanna”, calls Jesus “Superstar”, says “I believe in you and God so tell me that I’m saved”, and clamours for Jesus to “touch me, touch me , Jesus” the high priests say to Jesus, “Tell the mob who sing your song that they are fools and they are wrong.” There is tension between those who do believe that Jesus is God and those who don’t.

Caiaphas, the high priest, says: Jesus, you must realise the serious charges facing you. You say you’re the Son of God in all your handouts – well is it true?

That is the central question. That is what this whole thing is about: You say you are the Son of God. Is it true? Jesus replies, “That’s what you say – you say that I am.” Immediately that is taken as a confession and Annas, another of the high priests, says, “There you have it gentlemen – what more evidence do we need? Judas thank you for the victim. Stay a while and you’ll see it bleed.”

Now we have him. Now we’ve got him, the crowd sings. Just the hint that Jesus thinks he is the Son of God was enough to charge him with blasphemy. He is taken to Pilate and then to Herod. Herod mocks and again it is all centred around this question of whether Jesus is God or just a man.

Jesus, I am overjoyed to meet you face to face. You’ve been getting quite a name all around the place. Healing cripples, raising from the dead. And now I understand you’re God, at least that’s what you’ve said.

So, you are the Christ. You’re the great Jesus Christ. Prove to me that you’re divine. Change my water into wine. That’s all you need do and I’ll know it’s all true. C’mon King of the Jews... I am waiting. Yes, I’m a captive fan. I am dying to be shown that you are not just any man.

His conclusion was: You’re a joke. You’re not the Lord. You are nothing but a fraud. Take him away. He’s got nothing to say! Get out you king of the Jews! Get out of my life!

Judas then sings his song of regret recognising that he had betrayed innocent blood, but his understanding of Jesus hasn’t changed: I don’t know how to love him. I don’t know why he moves me. He’s a man. He’s just a man. He’s not a king. He’s just the same as anyone I know.

Pilate concludes that Jesus is just misguided – thinks he’s important... a misguided martyr. And with that, Jesus is crucified.

Of course, the show reflects the fact that this same question was asked by people in the Bible. For example, if you have your Bibles, look at Mark’s gospel. Mark starts with these words: The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, (1:1) and the footnote says that many manuscripts have “the Messiah, the Son of God” So Mark lays his cards on the table straight away. He believes that Jesus is God. But his readers don’t yet know that, so Mark lays out evidence upon evidence. He quotes an Old Testament prophecy (1:2-3). John the Baptist talks of one coming who is greater than he and who will baptise with the Holy Spirit (1:7-8). Jesus is baptised and a voice from heaven says, “You are my Son whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (1:11). Is He, or is He not, God? What does the evidence say?

A demon says, “I know who you are – the holy one of God” (1:24). Jesus casts out the demon and the people are amazed. He has authority even over evil spirits (1:27). Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law (1:31) and then many who are ill or possessed by demons (1:33). We are told that Jesus would not let those demons speak because they knew who he was (1:34). Constantly, there is this question of who Jesus is.

READ Mark 2:1-12

Jesus declared a man’s sins forgiven. That was blasphemy. No one can forgive sins but God alone. So what conclusion do we draw? Either Jesus was God or was not but was claiming to be.

“Which is easier?” Jesus asks, “to say ‘Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Take up your mat and walk”? If Jesus says “your sins are forgiven” no one can tell whether they really are or not. If He says, “Take up your mat and walk” everybody will be able to see if anything happens. So which is easier? “Your sins are forgiven.” So Jesus does the harder thing – heals the crippled man. Why? To show that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins – in other words, to show that he has the authority of God.

The people said, “We have never seen anything like this.” Did the teachers of the law conclude that Jesus was God? By the beginning of chapter 3 the Pharisees are already planning to kill Jesus.

How can we know if Jesus is God? In Superstar, Herod sings: Prove to me that you’re divine. Change my water into wine. That’s all you need do and I’ll know it’s all true. C’mon King of the Jews.

A miracle would be sufficient to prove that it was true. Of course, Jesus had turned water into wine. He had walked on water, and healed, and raised the dead. Miracles are a big part of the answer. In John’s gospel he refers to them as “signs” – signs that point to Jesus and point to who Jesus is.

John 14:11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.

First preference: believe my words. But if not, at least believe on the evidence of the miracles. When people heard Jesus speak they were amazed because He spoke with authority. His words rang true. Down through the centuries people have found Jesus’ words compelling. But if His words aren’t enough, then there are the miracles. Supreme amongst the miracles is the resurrection.

Romans 1:4 [Jesus] was declared... to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead...

The resurrection says, “This man is the Son of God.”

Of course, there is also the testimony of others to Jesus. The disciples were utterly convinced that He was God. Peter later wrote:

2 Peter 1:16-18 16We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For he received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 18We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

John also emphasised that they were eyewitnesses of these things.

1 John 1:3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ...

Note that fellowship with God comes through believing these things. And yet others didn’t believe. There was ample evidence but so many didn’t believe. If they had, what difference would it have made?

If they had realised that He was God, would they not have bowed before Him in worship? Is that not what you would do in the presence of God - worship? Even when he was a baby, the wise men came and they worshipped Him.

If they had realised that He was God, would they not have listened to His every word? This was God speaking. How often do you have the chance to hear God? On the Mount of Transfiguration, when God said, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen” His very next words were “Listen to him.” And would they not have trusted His words. God does not lie. And obeyed His words? Because God is God.

If they had believed that He was God, they would not have argued with Him. You don’t argue with God. They would certainly not have put Him to death. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter accused the people of having killed the Lord and Messiah and they were cut to the heart. You don’t resist God and get away with it.

If they had believed that He was God and they had seen His compassion and believed His words that He had come to save the lost and to give His life as a ransom for many, they would have known that God is compassionate; God is willing to save; God is forgiving. They would have gone to Him for salvation.

In Jesus Christ Superstar, Herod concluded: You’re a joke. You’re not the Lord. You are nothing but a fraud. Take him away. He’s got nothing to say! Get out you king of the Jews! Get out of my life!

I have a feeling that he could not get Jesus out of his life quite that easily. None of us can. We all have to answer that question: Is Jesus God? What does the evidence say?

We can try to ignore the question, but ignoring it is answering it. Ignoring it says, “I don’t believe He is God” because you don’t ignore God. You can’t believe Jesus is God and ignore Him.

If we conclude that He is God, what will that mean? That we will worship Him. That is more than singing songs. It means putting Jesus first in our lives and dedicating our whole lives to Him. Are you?

If He is God we will listen to His every word, trust what He says and obey it. The Bible is the principle means God uses to speak to us. I asked before how often we get the chance to hear God speak. Daily. Any time we care to pick up the Bible or listen to the Holy Spirit. If we believe He is God, we will be listening and then trusting and obeying. Are you?

If we believe He is God we won’t argue with Him. We will simply obey. And we wouldn’t continue with sins that continue to crucify Jesus. Hebrews 6:6 talks about people who have fallen away crucifying the son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace. Are you obeying?

If we believe that He is God, then we know that God is compassionate and gracious and willing to forgive. If we believe that He is God then we will run to Him for His forgiveness and love. God revealed by Jesus is a God of great love who forgives all who turn to Him. Have you?

Is Jesus God? We all have to decide that for ourselves. And we all have to decide how we will respond to God.