Delivered!

Delivered!

who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Colossians 1:13‭-‬14 KJV

The Context and Focus:

Paul and Timothy are credited with writing the words of today's verse, and is part of the letter written to the church in Colosse. Paul started this letter, like all others, with gratitude to God for his call upon his life, and the power of the Word of God being made manifest all over the world. The Word of God is actually the person of Christ Himself. The bible makes it clear in the book of John, that 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God'. By the power of the Word, all that we see today were created, and placed where they are. By the power of the Word, creation is still being kept and sustained and everything keeps working as they should. The person of Christ is the Word of God, and the message of Christ is the key to all that we have received. Without Him, there is really nothing to look forward to. Outside of Him, nothing makes sense. You can't speak of the Christian faith without a reference to Christ, who is the author and finisher of our faith. It is therefore imperative to consider if I have truly met this Christ. Is He my Lord and Saviour, or is he still just one of my many fall-back options?

The Message:

Today's verses speak to the person and mission of Christ. A few verses may not be able to fully encapsulate all that Christ came to do, but as we focus on today's extract, we see a few lessons. First, he came to deliver us from the power of darkness. It is clear that sin has power, otherwise, it would have been easy to deliver men from its grip. However, the devil knows his end is sealed, and he will want to take as many as he can with him. In order to defeat this plan, God had to send His own son, in the image of the people He wanted to save, so he could deliver them from the power of sin. Sin brings darkness, because it leads to eternal separation from God. Only a more powerful force could save men from the power of sin, and that is what Christ represents. No one goes into the house of a strong man and loots his goods, without first overpowering and subduing the strong man. Secondly, there is a translation into the kingdom of Jesus. Both deliverance from sin, and translation into God's kingdom are the complete package that Christ came to deliver to us. He wouldn't have done one without the other. 

The Conclusion:

Sin no longer has any power over me, if i am truly translated into the kingdom of Jesus. I cannot play both sides, with one foot in sin and the other foot in the kingdom of Christ. It will not work. Such deceit will only end in eternal death. By the cross and the blood that was shed, redemption is sealed. By the cross and the blood that was shed, sin is totally forgiven, and the past taken care of. No other person could secure these blessings for me, and this is why I must live as one who truly appreciates all that Christ has delivered to me. This package is the reason why I am who I am, where I am and what I am today. It is by the cross that my hope has been sealed, and I can look forward to all that God has for me in the present and the future. It starts at the cross. All of the blessings of eternal life are found in Christ. The world's treasures are just for a little while; the world cannot secure eternal life for you because it does not have it. The One who does has laid down his life to secure it; I have to come to Him on his own terms. Make up your mind before it is too late. God's time of favour is here.