It's good to be here again. Always
a joy. What if someone was to tell you that a sinner by birth,
by nature, and by choice, what if someone was to tell you that
a sinner who is just like that can be made fit for heaven, can
be made fit to enter into the presence of a God who is absolutely
holy? of a God who rules the whole
universe. God who holds every one of us
even, gives us the very breath that we breathe. What if sinners,
and think of that, God is absolutely holy, right? Sin cannot be in
His presence. But sinners can be made fit to
be in His presence. Now for a sinner, that would
be the most wonderful news, wouldn't it? It would be the most incredible
news. It would be good news for us,
right? Because all we are is sinners.
All anyone, this top side of God's earth is sinners. And what if someone was to tell
you that you could be made fit for heaven, but it wasn't any
of your doing? Let's look at tonight. Let's
look in Colossians 1, verse 12. The name of the message is qualified
for heaven. qualified for heaven. And qualified
means to be made fit, to be fit. Look at Colossians 1, verse 12. Giving thanks unto the Father
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. Giving thanks unto the Father
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. Now last week and weeks before,
we looked at Paul praying for the church at Colossus, the saints
at Colossus. He's praying for God's people.
And we see in verse 11, it says, "...strengthened with all might
according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering
with joyfulness." Tonight we'll see where Paul's petition turns
to praise. There's a shift. He's been praying
for the people of Colossians. And what happens when we pray?
We naturally turn to praise, don't we? It always happens. It always happens to one. We
get so caught up in the wonder of God that we'll be praying
for people and then we'll just get caught up in the wonder of
God, in the majesty of God. And it says here in our text,
see where he turns his petition? He's petitioning God that the
Colossian saints would be strengthened with all might according to His
glorious power and to all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.
And we looked at patience being strength to go through trials
last week and long-suffering to deal with people every day
in our lives with joyfulness. That's not always easy. And it says here in our text,
giving thanks unto the Father, so he turns his petition to thanks,
to praise. Giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in line. Now what wondrous things God
has done for us. What wondrous things God has
done for His people. And it's all in Christ. It's
nowhere else. Nowhere else. And what happens? Our hearts become filled with
praise, don't they? When we think of the things that
Christ has done for us. The things that we could never
do for ourselves. And it just, our hearts become
abounding with praise towards him. When we think about him
dying on the cross in place of me. And it becomes personal.
Well, our hearts just cry out. When we think that God the Father
planned that in eternity, our minds can't even, I don't think
we can fully even take in what that means. Because that was
all based upon nothingness and simply by the good pleasure.
And then to think that Christ went to the cross and died for
those people who God gave him. It's amazing. And it fills us
with awe. And to think that the God of
the universe became a man. That he knew exactly what he
was doing. He knew. He knew what he had
to do. We saw that on Sunday. He must
die. He must. And yet he did it. And think of the agony in Gethsemane.
I was reading a Spurgeon sermon today about the agony in Gethsemane. The agony that he went through as the father starts to forsake
him. That had never happened until that point. God forsaking
God. And the agony as he's already
starting to bear the weight of our sins. And it fills us with awe to think
that he did that for me. He did that for you who believe.
It just fills us with awe. And we give thanks. We give thanks. Our hearts are filled with praise.
And here Paul gives thanks unto the Father. And if you notice
through his epistles, he's continuously giving thanks. He always does. He approaches God with a thankful
heart. And notice in his prayer, what
we see in verse 11, strengthened with all might according to His
glorious power unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.
And we can even see in verse 10 that ye might walk worthy
of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good
work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all
might according to His glorious power unto all patience and longsuffering
with joyfulness. And then we see in our text then,
giving thanks unto the Father which had made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints and light. There's no man's doing in those
texts. It's all what God is doing. It's not about man making a decision.
There's nothing in those texts about man's supposed free will. There's nothing in there that
says that a sinner merits this. God has mercy on whomever he
pleases. Nothing in us prompted God to
have mercy upon us. We are all hell-deserving sinners.
Every one of us. But we who are saved are saved
by the pure, free, sovereign grace of God in Christ. Because
He chose to have mercy upon us. So why should we give thanks
for the Father choosing us in Christ? For the Lord Jesus Christ dying
in our place, purchasing us with His own precious blood. And we also give thanks to the
Holy Spirit, who regenerates us. We're born again. Strengthens us all through this
journey, all through this world. We give thanks for the justifying
blood of Christ, which cleanses us from all our sins. It covers everything. Praise God it does, eh? Heard
a grace preacher this week, he said, he said, oh I'm so thankful
you can't see what's in here. Don't every one of us say that?
But he says God sees it, right? But God doesn't see that in the
believer anymore. He sees us clothed in the righteousness
of Christ. clothed in His precious righteousness. So we give thanks to God for
His preserving grace, too. Because if He didn't keep us,
we'd be gone. And all this was prepared by
God in eternity for His people, for those who would trust Christ. And we give thanks that he's
qualified us for heaven. He's qualified us for heaven.
Remember earlier I said, what would you do if you were told
you'd be made fit? The believer is made fit for
heaven. And we're going to see that tonight.
Made fit. And it's a wonder. It's a wonder. I know we look at that text,
right? And we say, it doesn't say made fit, though. But we're
going to see that salvation is of the Lord. The Greek word,
see the little word there, meet, M-E-E-T? It doesn't mean what
the English word means in the Greek. Giving thanks unto the
Father which hath made us meet. Now, meet for us, we meet people,
right? I met someone. Giving thanks unto the Father
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. The Greek word in this text means
this, to enable. Giving thanks unto the Father
which hath enabled us. It also means to qualify. It also has another definition
of to make sufficient. Make sufficient. Render fit. The believer is made fit for
heaven. Made fit for heaven. And it's
only in Christ. It's nowhere else. Nowhere else. Now, we have no natural fitness
for heaven, do we? When we come into this world,
we're not fit for heaven. Not at all. Not at all. Every man, woman, and child in
this world tonight was born into this world totally and completely
unfit for heaven. Born into the world. There was
only one who was perfect. And that's our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. But every person who has been
born from Adam other than Christ, from Adam all the way till now,
till when the Lord comes back and it's all over, every human
being born from Adam comes into this world completely and totally
unfit for Heaven. Totally. And how do we know this? Only the Lord Jesus Christ was
born sinless. Absolutely perfect. He was God
incarnate in the flesh. We come from our fathers. We can trace that all the way
back. And we know when Adam fell, we fell with him. So we're unfit
for heaven. And we're born, aren't we, dead
in trespasses and sins. We know that. Ephesians 2 tells
us that, right? And Colossians 2.13 says this.
If you want to turn over, turn over one page probably. I think
it's one page in mine here. Yeah, it's on the same page.
Look at Colossians 2.13. We come into this world unfit
for heaven. Look at Colossians 2. And you
being dead in your sins, in the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath he quickened, born again. With Him, heaven forgiving you,
all trespasses. Remember I said it's wonderful
news for sinners? Oh, brother, all your sins are
forgiven in Christ. It's wonderful news for sinners.
And do you know we're hostile to God? Turn, if you would, to
Romans chapter 8. We come into this world, by our
first birth, we're not qualified for heaven because we're hostile
to God. We're hostile to God. Look at
Romans 8, verse 7. And we'll be looking at verse
8 too. But look at verse 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be. And this is the next one. We
are not qualified for heaven by our first birth as we cannot
please God. So look at verse 8. So then they
that are in the flesh cannot please God. So do you see how
we're not fit? We're not fit. But oh, one can
be fit in Christ. And we're going to see that. 1 Corinthians 2.14 says this,
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God, for they are foolishness. So we come into this world, we're
born into this world not qualified because we cannot even understand
the things of God. Natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto
him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned." 1 Corinthians 2.14. We are not qualified for heaven
by our first birth, as we cannot see the kingdom of God. The Lord
said, our King said to Nicodemus, Jesus answered and said unto
him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God. Brother Tim, we've often
talked about the Gospels of Revelation. God has to reveal himself or
you'll never know him. You never will. But praise God. He reveals himself to sinners.
And in doing that, and we're going to see this, he makes us
fit. He makes us fit. So all these are things that
we're not fit by our natural birth. And it goes on. Turn with you, if you would,
to John chapter 8 verse 43 and 2 Corinthians 4-4. We're not qualified for heaven
by our first birth, because we cannot hear the words of Christ. John 8, verse 43, and then 2
Corinthians 4, verse 4. We cannot hear the words of Christ.
Why do you not understand my speech? Even because you cannot
hear my word. They couldn't receive it. Do you remember before the Lord
saved you how the Bible was just ink? Ink on paper, wasn't it? Now it's wonderful. Now it's
wonderful. Look at 2 Corinthians 4, verse
4. We're not qualified for heaven
by our first birth because we're blind to the light of the gospel.
We're blind to the light of the gospel. Look at 2 Corinthians
4, 4. In whom the gods of this world
have blinded the minds of them which believe not. So we're blind,
we're deaf, we can't hear, we can't see. In whom the gods of
this world have blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them. We're not qualified for heaven
by our first birth, as we think the gospel's foolishness. 1 Corinthians
1.18 says, for the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness. I remember. And every one of
us who have been saved, we can remember that. People come and
talk to us about the gospel, and we were like, what are you
doing? Or you want to just get away from them as fast as you
can. But now it's precious. Now he's precious. Now he's precious. Now the word's
precious. The gospel's precious. It says, for the preacher of
the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But unto us who
are saved, it is the power of God. Keep that in mind, the power
of God, when we go back to our text. That was 1 Corinthians
1.18. Turn, if you would, to Romans
3. We're not qualified, and I'll
just say this verse here before that, because the rest are in
Romans 3 that we're going to look at. We're not qualified for heaven
by our first birth. Our heart is deceitful and desperately
wicked. Jeremiah says this, the heart
is deceitful above all things. People say, just let Jesus into
your heart. He didn't just give us a new heart. Heart's deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked. Who can know it? And then, look
at Romans chapter 3, verses 11. We're starting verse 10. We're
not qualified for heaven by our first birth as there is none
righteous. Look at Romans chapter 3, verse
10. As it is written, there's none
righteous, no, not one. We know that in order to stand
before God, we must have a perfect spotless righteousness, right?
But this scripture tells us, and see, There's none. None who are righteous. And we're not qualified by heaven
for our first birth as we do not seek God. Often people say,
well, I asked a guy this week, I was talking with him and I
said, he professes to believe and I knew he didn't. I knew
he was trusting in himself but I asked him a question and I
said, well, you claim to be saved, who saved you? Was it God or
you? And he said, both. And I went,
you're not saved. You're not saved. I said, salvation is all of God.
If you're trusting in God and you, you just mix works and grace. You see how precarious it is?
No, a man who trusts in his own work along with God's is trusting
in a refuge of lies. Because like our little sign
out there says, salvation's of the Lord. It's all His doing,
beloved. And we'll see tonight again,
we're made fit because of Him. We do not fear God in our eyes,
in our natural state. Look at Romans 3.18. There is
no fear of God before the rise. Now, we have a healthy reverence
and a healthy fear of God, and it's a reverent fear. It's not
a slavish fear, but it's a reverent fear. God is holy. He's holy. His wrath and justice
is turned away for the believer in Christ. So, look at verse 19. Here's
a sum of it all. In our natural state, the sinner
is not fit or qualified for heaven. And we see here that all sinners
in the eyes of God, remember I said that every person on this
earth who's ever lived except for Christ is guilty before God,
is not fit for heaven unless they're made fit. Look at this,
Romans 3.19. Now we know that what thing soever
the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every
mouth may be stopped. Folks want to say whatever they
want to say. They want to say, well, but it's
me in this, and I'm going to follow the law, and I'm going
to do this, I'm going to do that. Surely that will make me fit.
No. Scripture declares we're all
guilty. Every single one. Do you see what mercy salvation
in Christ is? Do you see what mercy it is?
God having mercy on sinners who do not deserve mercy because
he loves them from the eternity. It's wondrous grace. Think of how deep our oceans
are. It doesn't even come close to how deep This grace and mercy
is in Christ. And so we see right here before
us in scripture that we are unfit for heaven by our natural birth. In that scripture in Romans 3.19,
we're unfit for heaven by any works either because we're all
guilty. And that's a level playing field.
That doesn't matter what situation in life, rich, poor, it does
not matter. Everyone is guilty before a holy
and righteous God. And our works surely do not make
us fit for heaven. The law doesn't make us fit for
heaven. We tried, didn't we, those of us who came? We tried
to supposedly spin our own self-righteous works. That didn't do anything. Didn't
make us fit. The law can't make us fit. The
law condemns us. Preacher can't make you fit. Can't make yourself fit for heaven.
But what if there was one? And there is one who can make
sinners fit for heaven. And it's only through the Lord
Jesus Christ in Him alone. See the state we're in, right? Oh, if you're born again by the
Holy Spirit of God, if God, the Holy Spirit, if you're born again, if you've been redeemed by that
precious blood of Christ, If you're saved by His grace
and His grace alone, and rested and trusted in Him alone, then you're made fit for heaven
by Christ. Look what Scripture declares
here again back in our text. And beloved, it is all by the
mercy and grace of God our Father. Look at our wonderful text here.
Giving thanks unto the Father. No wonder we give thanks. Look
at all those scriptures we looked at, right? That said we are totally
unfit in our natural state. But look at this. Look at what
this marvelous scripture says. Given thanks unto the Father,
and here's four little words. And notice how these four words
absolutely destroy works-based religion. Which hath made us. Oh, we could never make ourselves
fit for heaven, but God can make us fit for heaven. Given thanks
unto the Father, which hath made us meet, qualified, fit, to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in life. Turn,
if you would, to 1 Peter 1.3. Oh, it is God the Father who has
begotten us to this inheritance. Only God can pardon us. Only God can pardon us. And He
can only do it in Christ. Look at 1 Peter 1.3. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to His abundant mercy... We could just park right there,
couldn't we? According to His not just mercy, but abundant
mercy, beloved. Abundant mercy towards sinners.
Abundant mercy to hell-deserving sinners. Abundant mercy. has begotten us, born again,
unto a lively hope. Oh, what a hope we have. Everything
going on in this world, and we have a hope in Christ that cannot
be moved. It's only in Him. By the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, raised for our justification,
God is satisfied. Do you see how it all ties in? Oh, and only He, only the Father
can pardon us and accept us in Christ. He is the fountain of all holiness. And it's only Him. Why do we
give thanks to the Father? Because He preserves us to the
end. Oh, because we know we couldn't
do it. But He keeps us. Oh, now unto
Him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you
faultless. Faultless. Faultless, sister. It's wonderful. It's wonderful,
wonderful news. Faultless. Before the presence of His glory
with exceeding joy. With exceeding joy. Jude 1, verse
24. Oh, and some religious folks
will say it was God and them and their salvation. They were
just not saved. They do not know Christ. They
do not know the God of the Bible. If God does not save us, we will
never be saved. He must redeem His people from
their sins. If God does not make us fit,
As the Scripture says, if God does not give thanks unto the
Father which hath made us fit, qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in life, if God does not make us fit, we'll be
left dead in our trespasses and sins and without hope. Everything And here, sinner friend,
if you don't know Christ, here it is. Everything that a sinner
needs is in Christ. It's nowhere else. Everything. And every one of us who believe,
we know that. He's my redemption. He's my wisdom. He's my sanctification. He's
everything. I have no salvation outside of
Christ. All that a sinner needs is in
Christ. That's where, in our prayers,
God make you willing to plead on. Oh, that he make you willing. How does God make sinners fit
for heaven? Only in Christ. Only in Christ. nowhere else, only by his redeeming
blood, which cleanses us from all sins,
only by Christ's righteousness, which is given to us, imputed
to us. And by faith, you must have faith
in Christ. Folks who say they're saved but
have no faith in Christ, they're deceiving themselves. They're trusting in their own
works of supposed, well, I'm a good person. Oh, you must believe. And that's a gift from God. When
he regenerates us, Brethren, we've talked about it. We went
from one minute unbelieving to trusting, to resting. And we
might not be able to put an exact time on that, but we did. We
know, and we know who we believe right now. That's the other question. Who do you believe right now?
Who are you trusting in? Who's your rest? Who's your righteousness
before a holy God? Well, the believer cries Christ.
Nowhere else. He's my only hope. He's my only
hope. By faith we rest and trust in
the crucified one, the substitute. Great substitute look at our
text again giving thanks unto the father and look at that which
hath made us He's he's made those Colossian believers Partakers And who did it God right and
it says right there in our text which hath made us meet our And look at this wonderful part,
the latter part of the verse, to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. Beloved of God, we're not just
witnesses. We're partakers. We're partakers. We're not just
someone witnessing this happen. We're partakers, just as Paul
was a partaker, and Peter, and John, and James, and all the
saints of all the ages. Oh, and He has made us meet. He has made us fit. He has made
us qualify for heaven. No wonder we give Him all the
praise and glory and honor. Oh. Not just witnesses, but partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in life. Sinners. Sinners made to partake
of this wonderful, amazing inheritance of the saints. He's telling these Colossian
saints here that God has made them qualified. God has made them fit. They're
fit. Fit for heaven. And as I said, this text is written
for we who believe, for us to rejoice. for us to rejoice in
the fact. It's a fact. Everyone who trusts
and rests in Christ has been made fit for heaven. And we've been shown, haven't
we, that we're unfit by our natural state. Oh, but that which is impossible
with man is possible with God. We can't make ourselves fit.
God can make us fit. And He does. He makes His people
fit for heaven in Christ. God by His grace and according
to His good purpose made us fit. His elect, His people, those
He's loved with an everlasting love, Those who the great Shepherd
of our souls went to Calvary's cross and bled and died in the room
instead of His people, died in their place, the just one for
the unjust. Those who the Holy Spirit draws
to Christ are made fit to be partakers of the saints in life. And remember this, it is God
Himself who makes us fit. What mercy. What mercy. Christ is the only way that any
sinner can meet the qualifications of citizenship in heaven. It's only in Christ. It's only
in Christ. And if we're in Christ, this
scripture here declares, giving thanks unto the Father which
hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
in light. It's all God's doing. It's all
His doing. If we're in Christ, we're made
heirs. I remember growing up, you know, and each one of us,
just think, those of us who are saved, just think of where you
were growing up not having a clue that you were one of God's people.
We didn't have a clue, did we? Living our life however we pleased.
But all that time, the shepherd of our soul knew exactly who
we were. How come? Because we're engraved
in the palms of His hands. And He redeemed us with His precious
blood. And He's loved us with an everlasting
love. Made fit for heaven. No wonder
Paul says in our text, giving thanks unto the Father. No wonder. No wonder. Given thanks unto
the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. Oh. Oh. We'll just praise His name,
won't we? We'll just give Him all the glory
and all the honor because He deserves it all. And then next
week, we're going to look at this, who had delivered us from
the power of darkness. He made us fit. Oh, and beloved,
he delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated
us into the kingdom of his dear son. This mercy just keeps overflowing,
doesn't it? It's super-abounding grace. Like the Greek says, it really
is. It's just grace upon grace upon grace. Praise His name.