OUT OF DARKNESS

COLOSSIANS 1:12-14

          Last week, using Col. 1:12-14 we began a series of messages entitled “From Captive to Captivated”.  We said that within these three verses are 4 things that God through Jesus did for us.  And we said that if we could really get an indebt understanding of these four things, then we would find ourselves captivated with God. Last week we said the first of those 4 things is that he provided an inheritance for us.  We talked about the fact that our inheritance is shared among all those who have surrendered themselves to the Father and are committed to walking (or living) in the light.  We talk about what is included in our inheritance.  But one of the first points that we made is that God did not just provide us with an inheritance.  He also made us fit to receive the inheritance.  Today as we look at the second thing that God through Jesus did for us we will see how he made us fit to receive the inheritance.  The title of today’s message is “Out of Darkness”. 

COLOSSIANS 1:13

          The word translated here as delivered is the Greek word errusato which means to draw or to snatch someone from danger, to rescue.  I like to watch shows on TV like Alias, 24, and the Unit where they do missions that they call snatch and rescue.  This normally means that they have to go into some dangerous place to rescue some who is being held captive.  Before they start the mission they always go through pre-ops which is where they get information on where they are going, who they will encounter and who is to be rescued.  So before we talk about how Jesus delivered us, let’s talk a bit about where he delivered us from.  Note that the scripture says that he delivered us from the “power of darkness”. 

There are two things that I want you to note about the phrase "power of darkness."  First of all, it indicates there is a kingdom, a realm, a world of darkness. Darkness means just what is indicated: a person is unable to see and understand or know. Consider a person trying to walk and stumble through a world of darkness. He cannot see or understand:  He can not see or understand who he really is for there is no light in which he evaluates himself.  He does not know where he has come from nor does he under where he is or where he is going. This is the very situation of natural man, the man who has not been delivered from the world of darkness by God.  

 

I CORINTHIANS 2:14

          The natural minded man here is the unregenerated man.  Than man who is not born again, man in his natural sinful state. This man, who is still in darkness, does not know who he is, why God created him and what God has planned for man.  He does not understand where he has come from, that his origin is God and what it truly means to be created by God and in the image of God.  He does not understand where he is, that the world was made by God and that it has an eternal purpose in the plan of God.  In the dark he cannot understand where he is going, that he is an eternal being who is to either live forever in the light of God's presence or in the darkness away from God's presence.

 

II CORINTHIANS 4:3-4

Darkness is a realm or a world in which the unbeliever lives and moves. He never knows the truth of his world, the truth about life or the truth of God. He walks in a life and world of darkness, blinded from the truth. He is separated from God and thus cannot know or comprehend the truth.  But John 8:31-32 tells us “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” When we enter into relationship with Christ the blinders that kept us in darkness are removed and we begin to receive more and more light which brings more and more understanding of our world, life and of God and his purpose for man.

The second thing about the "power of darkness" is that the darkness is not only a realm or world, but a power—an active power that enslaves men and stands in opposition to the light of God. The world of darkness is a kingdom in rebellion against God and that kingdom has a ruler.

EPHESIANS 6:12

This verse speaks of rulers, principalities and powers of darkness.  Satan has set up a hierarchy among his evil forces.  Though we can not see what is happening there are spiritual battles going on around us all day every day.  Within this war we who are saved are wrestlers.  Wrestlers jockey for position, holding the ground that has already been secured and trying to advance to score more points.

ACTS 26:18

          Paul said he was sent to those who were outside of covenant relationship with God to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.  There is a spiritual power that holds mankind in darkness.  It wants to keep of blind because in doing so it keep us from knowing the love of God which offer to us life and the inheritances God has for us. 

EPHESIANS 2:1-3

          Before we get saved, we by nature are enemies of God; we are the children of disobedience who by nature stand at odds against God.  Do we mean to be enemies of God?  OF course not.  In fact most that are unsaved do not even recognize that they are enemies of God.  They don’t see themselves as being on the devils team. They just don’t see themselves as being on God’s team.  In fact they would describe themselves maybe as not being on a team at all.  But by nature itself, we were born on a team and to leave your team us must denounce your allegiance to that team and take up membership on a new team.  But before we can join a new team we must be delivered from the power that holds us captive on the old team.

What was holding us captive?  OF course the answer is sin. 

ROMANS 6:16, 22

          We were being held captive by sin.  Not the things which we did.  For our actions were just minor symptoms of a greater, deeper seeded problem; our sinful unregenerated nature.  We had a disease called sin that was alienating us from God.  Our Nature to sin was holding us captive in the kingdom of darkness.  But Colossians 1:13 tells us that God Himself has delivered us from darkness. A person lost in pitch black darkness is hopeless unless someone rescues him.  He cannot be rescued by those who are lost in the same darkness as he is.  It requires light to be rescued from darkness. No person who is in the world of darkness has light, or else he would use the light to get out of the darkness. This is the very reason God had to rescue man. He alone is light; therefore, He alone could reach down and snatch man from the darkness. How did He do this?  

I PETER 1:18-23

We have talked on many occasions of how death entered the world as a result of sin and we know that by death we mean physical, spiritual and eternal death.  We know that Romans 6: 23 says “For the wages of sin is death.”  The penalty for sin is death and sin was holding us trapped in its clutches.  We were being held captive and there was nothing we could do about it.  We were slaves to sin. Most of us know by now that in order to redeem us back out of slavery Jesus came and died for us.  The word "redeem" (lutroō ) means to set free or deliver by paying some ransom.  We are freely redeemed: redemption does not cost us a penny. We are not redeemed by silver and gold because they are corruptible; that is, silver and gold perish. Money passes away. Therefore, if we were able to buy redemption with money, our redemption would last only as long as our money lasted. When it deteriorated and passed away, the payment for our ransom would no longer exist. Therefore, because of God's righteousness and justice he would no longer be able to accept us. Once again, we would stand guilty before Him. Why? Because God is eternal; therefore, the ransom demanded by His justice is an eternal ransom. If we are going to be delivered from this corruptible world and given eternal life, then the ransom paid for our release has to be an eternal ransom—a ransom that will last as long as we are going to be living. This is the reason silver and gold are totally inadequate in redeeming us. 

          We could only be redeemed by blood because the taking of blood is equivalent to killing it.  The shedding of blood brings death.  But it could not be just any blood.  It had to be pure sinless blood. This means that we could only be redeemed by the death of Jesus. For he is the only one who came to earth, and never sinned. He never transgressed the law of God. He stood before God as the Perfect and Ideal Man. He was acceptable to God, perfectly acceptable. As the Ideal and Perfect Man, whatever Jesus Christ did, it would stand for and cover every man. Therefore, when Jesus Christ died, He was able to take all of man's guilt and judgment upon Himself and die for man. He was able to bear the judgment and punishment of transgression for man. The death or blood of Jesus Christ is the eternal ransom for man. When we believe in Jesus Christ, really trust Him, God counts us as having died in Christ. Therefore, having died with Him, we shall never die. When it is time for us to depart this world, quicker than the blink of an eye, God shall transfer us into heaven, into His very own presence. Jesus Christ has redeemed us; He has paid the ransom and delivered and set us free from sin and its penalty of death.  Hebrews 9:12 lets us know that an eternal price has been paid. For it says, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us". Even as God considers the believer to be dead in Christ so we too must reckon ourselves to be dead.  Paul said in Galatians 2:20-21 “ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  I do not frustrate the grace of God.” Sometimes we frustrate God’s grace by running back and forth into sin, by trying to be on God’s team and the devils team at the same time.  When we do that we are relying on the grace and mercy of God to not allow us to slip away from this life while we are playing around with sin.  Jesus did not die so that we could have a chance to play around with sin.  He died so that we could be freed from the bondage of sin.  When we go back and associate with that in which we have been freed from we run the risk of being entangled again and being led captive back into bondage and darkness.  Now that we have the light why do we continue to run back to the darkness?

The next thing that I want us to see is that God demonstrated his love for us even before we were ever created.  Verse 20 lets us know that God foreordained that Christ would die and redeem us by His blood.  He foreordained it even before the foundation of the world.  Before the world was ever created, God knew, approved, and predestined Christ to redeem man by coming to earth and dying for man.

  On an individual note, God delivers us from the power of darkness by bringing light and life into our hearts.  Verse 23 says that we are born again by an incorruptible seed, the word of God. God spoke and convicted us and led us to repent of our sins and turn to Him. It may have happened when we were reading God's Word or thinking about God or when we were listening to some preacher proclaim God's Word. It does not matter when or how we were born again. What matters is that it has happened. When we turned from sin to God, God spoke the Word and quickened our spirits, making them alive to Him and His Word.  And that word that God spoke continues to breathe life into our spirits as long as we will heed the Word.  God breathed in Adam and he became a living soul. He spoke in those of us who are born again and we became living spirits.  What that means is that physical death is now used to free our spirit from being captive in the earthly, corruptible shell.  Death for the believer is no longer a punishment for sin, but rather has become a doorway into life.  Death holds no sting because it now ushers us into life eternally with God.  Sin bought death which held mankind captive in darkness.  Jesus through the shedding of his perfect blood, brought life eternal to all of those who will trust him and follow him as he leads them out of the darkness of sin and captivity into the light of God. 

NOTE: For continuation of this series see messages titled: