Well once again may the Holy
Spirit be with us and help and bless us as we turn to the epistle
of Paul to the Colossians and the second chapter and this evening
we'll read verses 13, 14 and 15. So the epistle of Paul to the
Colossians chapter 2 and reading verses 13, 14 and 15. And you being dead in your sins, and
the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with
him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary
to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. and having spoiled principalities
and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them in it. Well, in this chapter and in
these verses, the Apostle Paul really represents the wonderful
privileges we as Christians have above the Jews which are indeed
very great. And we should be so thankful
that today we are blessed with what we term the New Testament,
which explains to us so gloriously and wonderfully the Gospel. We know the Gospel of course
was in the Old Testament, right from Genesis, but yet in the
Old Testament it was often couched in the ceremonial law, which
was not easy to understand and to interpret. But today, in this
Gospel day, we are wonderfully privileged, therefore, to have
the Word of God explained to us by the Apostle and others
of the Apostles who wrote the epistles and of course the Gospels
that the Saviour wrote Himself. And this therefore speaks to
us in you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of
your flesh. That's how we all were without
any exception. We were born in sin and shapen
in iniquity. We were spiritually dead. We
had no life. What a wonderful blessing then
today if we have in our own hearts the wonderful evidence that he
hath quickened us together with him, who of course is none less
than the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. We read of course that
second chapter in the Ephesians which is A very, very wonderful
chapter, and it speaks to us so gloriously in those opening
verses. And you, hath he quickened, hath he made alive, hath he made
spiritually alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Well, what
a blessing for you and me tonight, if that is true, that we tonight
can say, Yes, indeed, by God's grace. As this says here, who
were dead. I was dead. I had no life. But blessed be God, through his
love toward me, and that's what it is, his love toward me, he
has blessed me with spiritual life together with him, with
the Saviour. union with the Lamb from condemnation
free and that's really the essence of what this verse first speaks
about it tells us Hath he quickened together with
him having forgiven you all trespasses and that's comprehensive isn't
it all trespasses that means every sin that you and I ever
have committed, indeed ever will commit, what a great and glorious
blessing that is. Because the Saviour, indeed,
carried our sins. Romans 4, 25 tells us, who was
delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification. That's where our justification
comes from. Not because we warrant it or
worthy of it. No, it's just because of his
grace. As we read in that second chapter
on two occasions, for by grace are you saved. Not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God. What reason then to praise our
God tonight? So having forgiven you all trespasses,
and he goes on, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out
of the way, nailing it to his cross. Well, there's so many
scriptures really which refer to this great deliverance, this
great and wonderful blessing. We read a part of it in second
chapter of the Ephesians from verse 15 to 18 and this is what
it reads having abolished in his flesh the enmity even the
law of commandments contained in ordinances see all those written
the handwriting written ordinances for to make in himself between
one new man so making peace, indeed peace by his cross as
Jesus made, and that he might reconcile once again unworthy
sinners estranged from God, to reconcile us both unto God in
one body by the cross, by the cross, having slain the enmity
thereby. That's why It's always so precious
and glorious to go to Calvary, to see there the suffering Saviour,
having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to
you, which were afar off, where we were. Peace? How could we
obtain peace? Not through what we've done,
but God brings it and gives it to His church. that glorious
peace, and came and preached peace to you which were afar
off, and to them that were nigh, for through him we both, Jew
and Gentile, we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father
well that's a very full statement isn't it you know again when
he wrote to the Galatians there was a very significant verse
there in the third chapter and verse 13 Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for
it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree just
ponder that statement to think that God himself the second person
in the Trinity was made a curse for us it's hard isn't it for
our little minds to comprehend the greatness of such a wonderful
and blessed transaction but it is true and we should be very
thankful for it and praise God for it. I have a quotation here
from Kelvin who really puts it together far better than I could.
Let me just read this paragraph. He says, with regard to the law,
Lord Jesus, he took it out of the way, fastening it to his
cross. He shows the manner in which
Christ has effaced the handwriting for as he fastened to the cross
our curse, our sins, and also the punishment that was due to
us. So he has also fastened to it that bondage of the law and
everything that tends to bind consciences. For on his being
fastened to the cross, he took all things to himself. and bound them upon him that
they, all those wrong and evil things might have no more power
over us. See the wonder of the gospel
and see the glory of it. As we read in this 14th verse,
and took it out of the way nailing it to His cross. Well, can we
not rejoice in the work of the Saviour? Can we not rejoice in
this great salvation? Can we not rejoice to realize
that by His grace it is well with our souls? When Paul wrote
to the Hebrews in the second chapter, the 14th verse he said
this, for as much then As the children are partakers of flesh
and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through
death he might destroy him. And the power of death, that
is, the devil. Very simply, the devil became
a vanquished foe. The Blessed Saviour conquered.
The Blessed Saviour died in order that you and I, by His grace,
might live. And finally, he says in verse
15, And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of
them openly, triumphing over them in it. Well, that's a wonderful
statement, isn't it? And again, just turning to another
quotation, because these verses are not easy. I didn't find any
way to actually try and explain. But John Gill tells us this. He says, the preceding verses
show how complete the saints are in and by Christ, and stand
in no need of the philosophy of the Gentiles or the ceremonies
of the Jews. nor have anything to fear from
their enemies, sin, Satan, and the law, for sin is pardoned,
the law is abolished, and Satan conquered. Surely tonight, that is the good
news of the gospel. and to think of this great truth.
He made a show of them. Spoiled principalities. Yes,
the devil wasn't able to continue in the way that he would like
to. We can look back into the wonderful verse in Genesis 3.15
where the Lord came and spoke to Adam and Eve and said that
the seed of the woman would indeed squash or spoil the head of the
serpent, the devil. And that was fulfilled. In the
glorious life and death of the Saviour, Satan was conquered. And what a mercy for us today. And so let us tonight come and
be thankful and rejoice that we have such words as this. And you, being dead in your sins
and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened
together with him. That's beautiful, isn't it? United
to Christ. Having forgiven you all trespasses,
not the bad ones, all of them, blotting out the handwriting
of ordinances that was against us, blotted out not to be seen
anymore, which was contrary to us and took it out of the way
nailing it to his cross, and having spoiled principalities
and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them in it.