What More Could We Ask For?

For a short time to a reading in Colossians chapter 1.

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

We're going to look at the end of the section that we read.

The reading from verse 11.

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might,

for all endurance and patience, with joy, giving thanks to the Father,

who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness

and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

As you go through this letter that Paul wrote to the church at Colossae,

and indeed as you go through many of Paul's writings,

and as you go through the scriptures in general,

you find that the writers, inspired by God,

they are able to put into words, just in so few words,

such a clear teaching.

It's a gift I sometimes envy in people,

being able to put into a few words,

something that you would struggle,

even in a few sentences or paragraphs, to put across.

When I first went to study in Edinburgh,

one of the first essays I handed in came back, marked,

and I'd passed, and I was delighted,

but there's a little bit of feedback on the essay,

and the professor had said where I'd been writing strongly,

or where I could improve,

but one of the comments that really stood out for me was,

a bit wordy.

And you think to yourself, it's fine for a professor,

he's able to put things across so clearly,

but I was obviously struggling just to find words,

and when you've got a word count to reach,

you maybe just fill it in with a few extra words here and there.

But I'm sure you all know people,

and you're trying to get something across in words,

and then someone just comes in,

and in one sentence they're able to sum up things so beautifully,

and just in a way that is so clear,

and makes so much sense.

It is a gift to be able to do it.

And it is a gift that we have from God,

that we have his word in such a way to us,

and that his word comes across to us with so much clarity.

Even when there's times when you're reading through something,

and you've got questions about what you're reading,

and you're wondering, where's this going,

and how can we go forward with this?

And yet it's followed so often by a qualifier

that just sums up things so beautifully,

and puts everything into perspective.

And here as Paul is writing to the Colossians,

he does this for us.

He's talking here about living a life pleasing to God,

which really begins there in verse 10,

fully pleasing to him,

bearing fruit in every good work,

and increasing in the knowledge of God,

being strengthened in power according to his glorious might,

for all endurance and patience with joy,

giving thanks to the Father.

So there's so much there for us

about the wonder of all that God has done for us,

joyfully giving thanks to God.

But there are people who are enduring things,

who are suffering things,

and so just to leave it there would make you leave you wondering,

how can this be so?

How can we go on in a manner worthy of the Lord,

fully pleasing him,

bearing fruit,

being strengthened,

enduring with patience,

with joy,

and giving thanks?

How can you go on in this?

Well, he goes on to give a reason why.

In just a few words,

he sums up for us

a reason why

they and we can go forward like that,

looking to walk

in a manner worthy of the Lord,

fully pleasing him.

And how is it?

Well, he gives us

great reason for thanksgiving

and seeing the bigger picture

and reminds them here

of the love of God towards them,

the love of God

that will never leave them

in the midst of all

that they are seeking to do for him.

And there are three reasons

why they can focus here

that we want to think about this evening.

Three things that they have

and we have through faith.

You will have heard

or seen the idea

of a genie in the bottle.

Maybe it's in a cartoon

or something like that

where someone finds a bottle

and rubs the bottle

and the genie pops out

and you've got three wishes.

It's make-believe, of course,

but sometimes when you see this,

it makes you think,

what would I ask for?

If I had such an opportunity,

what would I ask for?

But what if God was asking you?

What do you want of me?

So when I think of that question,

I come back to Bartimaeus.

Blind Bartimaeus who met with Jesus

and Jesus asked him that very question.

What do you want me to do for you?

And what was Bartimaeus' response?

Lord, that I may see.

All the things that he could have asked for,

it was that he could see.

And that is what Jesus gave to him.

Well, here we see three things

that are ours through Christ.

And they're not wishful thinking.

They're not make-believe.

They are ours through faith in Christ.

And that's what Paul is reminding the Colossians here of.

That in their going forward,

in their living a life pleasing to God,

bearing fruit,

and all of these things,

with patience and joy and giving thanks,

he gives them three things

that they can hold on to.

And that's what we have in the middle of verse 12

down to verse 14.

And the three things that are highlighted for us

are there is a share in the inheritance of the saints.

That there is a deliverance,

as it speaks of in verse 13,

delivered us from the domain of darkness

and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son.

And then the final one we see there in verse 14,

that is redemption,

the forgiveness of sins.

Three things that could seem almost like wishful thinking for us.

And yet it is what we have in Christ.

I just want us to focus on these three things together

just for a short time.

And we begin with that,

share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Everything that we have here,

as Paul is writing,

is the foundation is God.

And what God has done for us

in Jesus Christ,

our Redeemer,

who lives.

That is the foundation of all of his writings.

It's the foundation of scriptures,

as we have it.

It's the foundation of all that we see

in the Old,

right through to the New Testament.

And language that Paul uses here

has so much of it

reflecting the Old Testament as well.

In summing up in a few words,

there's a depth of teaching here

and a breadth of teaching

that covers all kinds of situations

down through the generations

of God's people.

And here as he speaks of a share

in the inheritance of the saints in light,

it takes us right back to the Old Testament

and to the promises of God,

to his covenant promises

that he gave through Abraham,

Isaac, and Jacob,

that they would have an inheritance,

that God's people would have an inheritance.

And when you go back to the Old Testament,

so much of it was to do with land

and the promise of a land for God's people.

And it's the promises that you see fulfilled

during the Old Testament days

with the Exodus,

as God led the children of Israel out,

he was leading them to the promised land,

taking them out of slavery in Egypt

to the promised land.

And so there was a kind of exclusive side

to that inheritance,

that it was for God's chosen people

in the Old Testament,

God's chosen race.

But yet there is a change for us here now

in the New Testament.

Still the same kind of language,

this inheritance and a share in the inheritance,

but there's a change.

And that change is because of Christ's coming

and of what he has done for his people.

You see, the inheritance is broadened out.

It's for all of the saints in light.

And you think of this in light

of how the Old Testament,

we're looking at God's chosen people,

but the New Testament speaks about Jew and Gentile.

It speaks about all of God's people

in a broader sense.

And it's not just speaking about a land,

it's more than that.

We have an inheritance,

a share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Of what?

Of God's chosen place for his people.

Not just a land in an earthly sense,

but in a heavenly sense.

Of what we have through Christ as our Lord.

And when you think of inheritance,

it's something that so often causes difficulties

in this world.

Especially when there's a lot to be gained

from an inheritance.

How many people and families

have fallen out over an inheritance?

Something that has been left by someone

for somebody else.

And maybe somebody's been left out.

Feeling that they were due something.

And they get nothing.

And if you look at it so much

in the world of the rich people

who have passed away,

how often you see it's caused

so many problems.

Famous people,

you could almost list them off.

People who have passed away.

Michael Jackson,

Bob Marley,

John Lennon,

Nelson Mandela,

Robin Williams.

There's been a whole host

of famous people

who have passed away.

And if you look it up,

what you find is

what they've left behind

has just caused

so much tension.

Fallouts.

People claiming

what they feel is rightfully theirs

and somebody else has got it.

even in some cases

has been left to an animal

or to a charity

and they feel so hard done by.

And it causes

so many problems.

But yet here we have

a wonderful inheritance

that is for all

and for any

who will put their trust

in the Lord Jesus.

It's for the saints,

the holy ones,

for Jew and Gentile,

for young and old,

for rich and poor.

No matter what,

it covers all.

By faith in Christ,

he has qualified you

to share the inheritance

of the saints

in light.

It is a wonderful promise.

And Paul puts it

to the Ephesians as well,

where he speaks there

in chapter 3,

in verse 6,

he says,

this mystery is that

the Gentiles are fellow heirs,

members of the same body

and partakers of the promise

in Christ Jesus

through the gospel.

Again,

just a few words

that sum it up for us.

The mystery

that the Gentiles

are fellow heirs,

partakers of the promise

in Christ Jesus

through the gospel.

So there's no debate,

there's no dispute.

It's what is ours

through the gospel,

through faith

in Jesus Christ.

And when you think

of the famous people

and the disputes

over their inheritance,

just looking at it

for money,

and yet the gospel

has so much to offer

on people

who should away,

they don't want it.

And this is what is ours

through Christ,

an inheritance

with the saints,

something that can be

never taken from us,

that is ours

through Christ.

What a wonderful

blessing that is.

So then,

in light of

what he has spoken

about before,

of fully pleasing,

bearing fruit,

increasing in knowledge,

having patience,

with all joy,

giving thanks,

here is one reason

why,

the inheritance

that is ours.

The second thing

we see here

is a rescue

from darkness.

He has delivered us

from the domain

of darkness

and transferred us

to the kingdom

of his beloved son.

So as well as

having something

that we really

had no right

to,

this inheritance,

ours through

the mercy of God,

verse 3 leads on

from there then.

And it's telling us

that there are two kingdoms

that we have

around us.

That there is

the kingdom

of darkness

and the kingdom

of light,

the kingdom

of God.

And we can only

be in one

or the other.

And the one

that should cause

us fear

is the kingdom

of darkness.

darkness.

And yet,

when you read

in other places

like in John's

gospel,

you read there

that the people

loved darkness.

They loved that

aspect of life

where they felt

hidden from God.

And yet,

there is that assurance

that God will bring

all into the light.

But in what way?

Well,

here we are given

assurance that

when we put our

trust in the Lord,

he has delivered us

from the domain

of darkness

and transferred us.

So he's taken us

from one

and put us

into the other.

And we are put

into the kingdom

of his beloved

son.

Again,

when you think

of Bartimaeus,

blind Bartimaeus,

how he was brought

from darkness

to light.

He was blind

and could not see

and yet,

by the mercy of God,

he was brought

to see Jesus

and follow him

on the way.

And that is,

again,

the Christian hope

that we have here.

The reasons

that we have

to be full of joy

and patience

and all of these things

is that we've been

brought from one place

to another.

John Newton

was another one

who saw that change

and transformation

himself.

How he knew

the grace of God

and he put it so well

when he said,

it's almost like

the darkness

still has a little

hold in some ways

and yet he knows

he's in the kingdom

of light

but he knows

he's still a work

in progress

but he knows

he's in the kingdom

of the beloved son

but he says,

I am not what I ought

to be.

I am not what I want

to be and I am not

what I hope to be

in another world

but still,

I am not what I once

used to be

and by the grace

of God,

I am what I am.

The grace of God

which enables us

to see where we've

been taken from

and taken to.

And again,

this is Old Testament

language for us as well

when you look at

the experience

of God's people

in the Old Testament

of one kingdom

and another

waging war

against them.

You think of

the children of Israel

again

and the Exodus

and how it speaks

of it in this way

in Exodus 6

Exodus 6:6

verse 6

it says,

Therefore,

say to the Israelites,

I am the Lord

and I will bring you

out from under

the yoke of the Egyptians.

I will free you

from being slaves

to them

and I will redeem you

with an outstretched arm

and with mighty acts

of judgment.

There is the Lord

working in their midst.

He is the one

who brings them

out of the yoke

of the Egyptians

and who brings them

into another kingdom,

another place.

They were physically

delivered from one

to another

but now the emphasis

is on

a kingdom of darkness,

the works of evil

of this world,

to the kingdom

of the beloved son

and the redemption

and the redemption

that we have

in Christ.

And the trouble

that the Colossians

and so many other

churches in Paul's day

faced up to

was the false teachers

coming in

and saying,

you need to do

you need to do

you need to do

you need to do

X, Y and Z

before you can be

qualified for the

kingdom of God.

But no,

he delivers

from the domain

of darkness.

He brings us out

and puts us in.

Jesus does not just

bring us out

of darkness

but he brings us

into his own

kingdom.

Jesus saves us

and he speaks here

of that darkness

and light

and we speak

of darkness

around us

especially in the

winter months

and we talk about

maybe our eyes

becoming accustomed

to the dark

so that you're able

to see a little

at least in the

darkness

when your eyes

readjust

but would you

choose to live

in darkness?

Would you choose

to go out

on a dark night

and say it's a

full moon

so I'll think

I'll switch my car

headlights off

and just go

by that little light

I have from the moon?

You wouldn't.

You would still

keep your lights on.

You wouldn't go out

to the shed

and not switch

on the light

when it's dark

to start looking

around for something.

You would put

the lights on.

and so

as God

speaks to us

here about

the kingdom

of darkness

and the kingdom

of his beloved

son

which one

would you want?

Which one

would you choose

to be in?

Why would be happy

walking in darkness

when there is the

kingdom of his

beloved son

the kingdom

of light

to be part

of?

God

is able

to save

and that's

the wonder

of it

and he saves

sinners

transfers him

from one

kingdom

to another

and Jesus

warned

of this

he warned

in the gospel

of John

so often

about the need

to be in the light

that he is

the light

of the world

and in chapter 12

he said

to the people

there

Jesus said

to them

the light

is among you

for a little

while longer

walk while you

have the light

lest darkness

overtake you

the one who

walks in darkness

does not know

where he is going

while you have

the light

believe in the light

that you may

become sons

of the light

and here we have

the kingdom

of his beloved

son

that we would

be his sons

of light

so God

has qualified

you for an

inheritance

he has

transferred you

from the

domain of

darkness

to the

kingdom

of his

beloved

son

there are

two reasons

to go on

and joy

and thanksgiving

and you have

the third

and final one

here as well

in verse 14

the kingdom

of the beloved

son

and it's in the

son

in whom

we have

redemption

the forgiveness

of sins

so we are

brought into

view of

the cross

now

of all

that has been

done for us

on the cross

of Christ

the redemption

the forgiveness

of sin

that is ours

through Christ

so we have

an inheritance

we have a rescue

but perhaps

even more

importantly

we have

the forgiveness

of sins

we couldn't

do any

of these

things

we couldn't

give ourselves

the inheritance

we couldn't

transfer ourselves

from the

kingdom of

darkness

to light

and we

certainly

could never

redeem

ourselves

because as

the psalmist

says

to redeem

my life

is costly

none

sufficient

price

can pay

but the

Lord Jesus

has paid

it for us

we have

redemption

we have

redeemed

a price

has been

paid

and again

that word

has reference

to the

Old Testament

redemption

is so much

related to

slavery

and to

being in

bondage

and to

be redeemed

was to

be set

free

and that's

certainly

what the

people would

have had

in their

mind

here

even

looking

back

to the

exodus

and being

slaves

in Egypt

to be

redeemed

was to

be set

free

from that

slavery

so now

we are

looking at

it in

another

way

a

redemption

the

forgiveness

of sin

the Bible

the New

Testament

speaks about

being in

bondage

to sin

being slaves

to sin

and the

only way

to be

freed

is through

the price

being paid

for us

and Christ

came to

redeem

sinners

to save

sinners

from their

sin

so that no

longer we

will be

slaves to

sin

but we

will be

free

in him

and the

image here

you think

of being

set free

from prison

there's almost

two ways

it can

happen

there was a

series called

prison break

where two

brothers escaped

from prison

but all the

time that they

had escaped

they were always

looking behind

them and

wondering

would they be

caught

would they be

found out

would they be

put back

in

and that's

one way

you could

look at

this

a freedom

a forgiveness

of sins

but we're

always looking

behind our

back

just like

being on

run

on the run

from prison

and you

can't live

your life

because you're

always in

fear

you're always

wondering

what's

ahead

but the

image here

is not

that

it's much

more powerful

the image

is of

a rescue

of being

freed

of being

found

guilty

and put

in prison

but someone

else has

come

someone else

has confessed

someone else

has taken

the guilt

that you

had

and taken

it on

themselves

so you

are set

free

because they

have taken

the price

and that is

what we have

here

we have

redemption

the forgiveness

of sin

because

as Mark

puts it

in his

gospel

as it

says in

his gospel

for even

the son

of man

did not

come to

be served

but to

serve

and to

give his

life

as a

ransom

for many

he has

redeemed

his

people

so we

have these

three things

three things

that for

some

it can

seem

just like

wishful

thinking

that we

would ever

have such

a blessing

of God

in Christ

but here

we are

told

what is

ours

through

faith

in Christ

and why

we can

go on

strengthened

with endurance

with patience

with joy

giving thanks

because

we have

a share

in the

inheritance

of the

saints

we have

been

delivered

from the

domain

of darkness

and transferred

to the

kingdom

of his

beloved

son

and we

have

redemption

we have

freedom

we have

the forgiveness

of sin

isn't it a

wonderful

reason

to give

thanks to

God

for what

we have

through

Christ

and why

we aim

to live

a life

fully

pleasing

to him

in just

these few

words

it is

summed up

so beautifully

for us

what we

have

in Christ

these

three

wonderful

things

that are

ours

through

faith

and may

God's

words

strengthen

us

and help

us

to go

on

living

for him

knowing

and reminding

ourselves

of what

is ours

in Christ

let us

pray

God's

I'm

we're

all

we're

we're

all

we're

we offer

to be

we're

we're

we're

going to