So Paul's epistle to the Colossians,
chapter one, and we'll read from verse one. Paul, an apostle of
Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus, our brother, to
the saints and faithful brethren in Christ, which are at Colossae,
grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. We give thanks to God and the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since
we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which he
have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you
in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the
gospel. which is come unto you, as it
is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also
in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of
God in truth. As ye also learned of Epaphras,
our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister
of Christ, who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit,
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease
to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with
the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,
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 long-suffering with joyfulness, giving thanks
unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light, 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, who is the image of
the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him
were all things created that are in heaven and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers, all things were created by him
and for him. And he is before all things,
and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn, from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased
the Father that in him should all fullness dwell, and having
made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile
all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether they be things
in earth or things in heaven. And you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in his sight, if ye continue
in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the
hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached
to every creature which is under heaven. whereof I, Paul, am made
a minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill
up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh,
for his body's sake, which is the church. Wherefore I am made
a minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for
you, to fulfil the word of God, even the mystery which hath been
hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his
saints. to whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach, warning
every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may
present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Whereunto I also
labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in
me mightily. Amen. May God bless to us this
reading from his word. Having introduced himself and
having introduced Timothy, from prison in Rome, Paul greets the
Colossians who are known to him through Epaphras, and expresses
thanks to God for the saving work of grace in the lives of
these, his new friends. And as we read together these
opening verses of the Book of Colossians, we can almost detect
the delight in the words of the Apostle Paul, to know that there
is a church here at Colossae and to know that there is a faithful
group of believers who are gathering there hearing the Gospel preached,
maintaining the praise of God, looking to the Lord Jesus Christ
as their Saviour, demonstrating those Christian qualities in
their own life of love one to another and the desire to praise
and to pray God, and the support of the Gospel and of Gospel preaching. And it seems as if the Apostle
is delighted to know that this little church is here. He speaks
of the fact that he had through Epaphras being informed, being
made aware of this little congregation. And I thought about that as I
was just coming to the service and the sermon this evening and
thinking about the fact that we are indeed blessed when we
are introduced to another child of God. I was thinking about
that Just this week I had occasion as I mentioned there in the introduction
to speak a little while to our friend and brother Edward and
his wife across again in Seattle and we know a couple of folks
over in Seattle now and they know us and there's something
precious in being introduced to another child of God, a brother
and sister in the Lord Jesus Christ, someone who values the
truths that we value, has been brought to understand the doctrines
which undergird and provide the foundation upon which we stand
and look for the comfort and grace of God in our lives. And it is evident in the Apostle's
words that he valued these new friends that had been brought
into his life. And I trust that it's something
that we too can engage upon and embark upon a little bit also
in our own relationships one with another. Last week we saw
how Paul described the Lord Jesus Christ in some pretty amazing
language, some fairly lofty language with respect to the nature and
character and accomplishments of this man, Jesus of Nazareth. It's as if he's saying to the
Colossians right early in his little epistle, He greets them,
he says hello, he mentions Epaphras so that they know that he knows
of them and that there is that little triangle that has been
formed there of his appreciation for Epaphras and his knowledge
of them and their appreciation and love for Epaphras and Epaphras'
support for the Apostle as his fellow servant. and so these
relationships were being cemented here and as he writes this letter
he writes about the gratitude that he feels to God for their
salvation and also the prayers that he has for them, that they
might grow in a knowledge of the truth, that they might be
filled with a knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual
understanding. So the apostle is saying, I'm
looking for you believers, I'm looking for you men and women,
you saints and faithful in the Lord, to deepen your understanding,
deepen your knowledge, of grace and of the scriptural revelation
of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ and the accomplishments
of Christ. And it seems that immediately
he goes into this little hymn of praise, if you like, these
few verses to be absolutely certain that these Colossian brethren
Do not in any way misunderstand or mistake who the Lord Jesus
Christ is. This is the one we worship. We
worship Jesus of Nazareth. We worship the carpenter's son. We worship this man who went
to the cross, who was condemned of his religion, who was condemned
of the Romans, and who was placed upon the cross. but we worship
him because he is truly God incarnate. God in flesh. And when we read as we did, let
me just touch on the verses again for the sake of honouring Paul's
emphasis upon them. He says in verse 15 of this Christ,
who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him were all things created
that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers,
all things were created by him and for him. And he is before
all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of
the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. This is our God. This is the
Lord Jesus Christ. This is Jesus of Nazareth of
whom we speak. And he is the one whom we worship. He says to the Colossians, let
there be no mistake about the identity of this Jesus Christ. And please do not imagine that
this one is merely another one in the great cupboard of deities
that are revered by superstitious idol worshippers. When the Apostle
Paul went to Athens, he looked around and he looked at all of
the altars and the images that were set up. and he realised
that here was indeed a very superstitious people. And he's saying to the
Colossians, don't be like these superstitious idol worshippers
that simply imagines that Jesus Christ is one amongst many gods. No, this is the one true God.
This is the God who transcends, who supersedes, who excels beyond
all and has the preeminence over all. Indeed, everything else
that we can conceive of, everything else that we can create, everything
else that we can imagine, everything else that we can build and form
with our hands. He is the one who created all
these things and holds all these things together. Let there be
no mistake about who we worship. And indeed, having read these
verses again this evening about the Lord Jesus Christ, we might
even say that if words can be used to describe the indescribable,
or to express the inexpressible, then Paul is getting pretty close
in the way in which he describes the Lord Jesus Christ. And I
think we, even in these opening verses of this little book, we
can sense the Holy Spirit inspiration in the language that the apostle
here uses with respect to our worship of Christ and who he
is. But I think also, as we look
at these verses, that we might discern another strand at work
here, because the Apostle Paul is not simply involved here in
information. He's not simply teaching these
Colossians about the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ. This
is not theory or some sort of educational activity that the
Apostle is on, as if perhaps he might seek to develop and
deepen their knowledge of the truth. But rather, I think for
Paul, we can see in this that he is eager not only to teach
you who God is, but to emphasise what God has done. It's one thing
to be able to describe the Lord Jesus Christ in this high inspired
language, but he weaves into these explanations of the Lord
Jesus Christ and of God's purpose. something of the accomplishments
of the Saviour as well. So not only is this the High
God, not only is this the Eternal God, not only is this the Creator
God, not only is this the God by whom all things consist and
have their connection one atom to another, but the Apostle seeks
to emphasise what the Lord Jesus Christ has done, the work that
has been accomplished by the Saviour. And surely both of those
strands are important. The true identity of the Lord
Jesus Christ and the divine role of God in the atonement and salvation
and deliverance of his Church. emphasising that achievement
and the success and the attainment of the objective and purpose
of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we find the reference
there that the Apostle Paul tells us in the lead up to these verses
that we read twice, 15 to 19, he says in verse 14, in whom we have redemption through
his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. So here is this beautiful
ascending description of the Lord Jesus Christ and who he
is, woven between these two bookends as it were. verse 14 and verse
20, which testifies to the work which he has accomplished and
the shedding of blood upon the cross. In whom, this God, we
have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins,
that he has made peace through the blood of his cross and by
him to reconcile all things unto himself. And so we see here that
the cross and the death of the Lord Jesus Christ and the shed
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is being woven together with
a true understanding of the person and the identity of the Lord
Jesus Christ as Almighty God. It's as though Paul is reaffirming
the centrality of the cross. And he is saying to these Colossians,
Brothers and sisters, it's about the blood. It's about the blood
of Jesus Christ that has been shed. We have redemption through
His blood. We have the forgiveness of sins
because of His shed blood. We have peace with God through
the blood of the cross. We have been reconciled in the
body of his flesh through death. And this is the Apostle's emphasis
to these believers in Colossae. This he is saying is your foundation. This is what you stand upon. This is the ground of your hope. The title for our sermon this
evening is The Hope of the Gospel. And we actually find that little
phrase in verse 23. And it's interesting to see that
this word hope, it gets repeated several times in this opening
chapter. And the apostle is emphasizing
to the Colossians that our foundation and that upon which we stand
is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ shed at the cross for
the remission of our sins, for the forgiveness of our sins,
for the cleansing of our iniquities, and for the reconciliation of
God and man. So he emphasises the death and
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. And he also reaffirms
the sovereign nature and the divine source and origin of this
plan of salvation. So this is the important point
about both the identity of Christ, truly God, and yet the accomplishments
of Christ both being formed together, both being woven and wound together
in order to be the ground of hope for these Colossian believers. He's saying to them, your atonement,
your being made one with God, your acceptance with God. is no longer based on some strange
concept of making sacrifices or giving things up or endeavouring
to do good or trying to live righteous lives. Your acceptance
with God, your cleansing from sin has been effected on the
cross, quite independent of you, and it is acceptable to God on
your behalf because it is God's own way of salvation. divinely originated, planned
and purposed from eternity for the accomplishment of the gathering
of sinners just like you. You have been saved, delivered,
translated, to use the Apostles' words, by the physical death
and the shed blood of Jesus of Nazareth. And I think that's the essence
of the Gospel. I think that's it right there.
The Apostle Paul, in just a few paragraphs, in the space of 20
verses, at the opening of this letter, has introduced himself. He's thanked God for the Colossians. He's spoken about his knowledge
of Epaphras. He's prayed for their well-being.
He's lifted up the Lord Jesus Christ. He's emphasised the blood
of Christ. and he has brought the gospel
to the attention of these Colossian brethren in just a short space
of time. In that sense, the apostle was
good at his job because that's what he goes on to say in verse
23, is his ministry. That's his service. That's his
labour. He says, we're of I Paul. and made a minister. This preaching
of the gospel, this gospel of hope, again in verse 23, that
has been declared faithfully by gospel preachers Everywhere
under heaven there's a unanimity, there is a faithfulness to this
gospel. This is the gospel that's being
preached and the Apostle Paul is a minister of it also. He is tasked with declaring the
completed work of the triune God. Peace with God for sinners
by the divine purpose. reconciliation by the divine
accomplishment and an experience of sins forgiven. by the divine application. Father, Son and Holy Ghost bound
together in the great deliverance and salvation of this chosen
people, loved before time, elected in eternal purpose, chosen sinners,
reconciled, redeemed, regenerated by the three persons of the Godhead. And I want to make an important
point here, if I may, because I began this series, we'll see
how long it takes, but I guess a relatively short series in
the book of Colossians here a few weeks ago, making the point about
the audience to whom this epistle is written, this letter from
the apostle. The audience are saved people. He speaks of them
as saints and faithful. These are saints and faithful
brethren. And so when the Apostle speaks
to them in verse 21, which is the verses that are before our
attention this evening, verses 21 to 23 particularly, and when
he says to them, and you, So he's come to the end of this
portion where he's lifted up the Lord Jesus Christ and emphasised
the divine labours upon the cross to the shedding of his blood. And now he says, and you, he
is speaking to the Colossians. And he's speaking to all those
who are saints and faithful, because this is to the audience
to whom the letter is written. And he's saying to these Colossians,
you were once alienated and enemies of God. But God has reconciled
you. God is the moving cause of your
reconciliation. God has reconciled you to himself. Sometimes when we think about
reconciliation, we think about two parties that are Well, to
use the Bible word, at enmity. But of course, if we pause and
think about it, the Lord God was never at enmity with his
elect. The Lord God has always loved
his people. It was the elect having fallen
in Adam that was at enmity with God. We were alienated from God. And so we understand in this
activity of reconciliation, not the sense that we often think
about as two parties being reconciled to each other by moving each
of them somewhat towards the other and finding some compromised
common ground. That's not how Bible reconciliation
works. That's not the scriptural revelation
of reconciliation. Rather God hasn't changed but
God has changed us. God has changed the Colossians.
God has changed because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ
those for whom Christ died so that we are now brought into
a new relationship with him. He hasn't changed. He is the
unchangeable God. We were alienated, we were enemies,
but now that alienation and enmity has been removed, has been taken
away, and we have been brought into a new relationship with
God who has loved us from before time. The apostle calls these
Colossians saints and faithful. That is, they're a sanctified
people and they're a faithful people. And those two words that,
we did touch upon this, so I won't go into it too much again, but
just to recap, those two words speak of the fact that they had
been set apart in Christ. So in the eternal covenant, in
the eternal purpose of God, they had been placed in Christ and
they are set apart a second time by the gospel, as the gospel
reaches them, whether it's through Epaphras, or whether it's through
Paul, or whether it's through another preacher like Timothy,
or some of the other preachers at that time, or the preachers
down through the ages who have been sent by the Lord to preach
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. So where those preachers
those preachers with the beautiful feet who bring good tidings of
great joy, who bring the message of salvation, as these preachers
come We find that the Gospel has an effect in the hearts and
lives of men and women and calls them out, separates them, sanctifies
them once again and brings them into a knowledge of the truth
and brings them into a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. So
when we speak about conversion, conversion is simply a part of
that sanctifying work that begins with the gospel being preached
and an individual hearing it and hearing the voice of Christ
in it. My sheep hear my voice and they
follow me. And that following is the outworking
of faith and faithfulness towards the things of God. So when Paul
calls these people saints and faithful, sanctified and faithful,
he is both attesting to the eternal purpose of God, the power of
the gospel, and the faith that these Colossians have been given,
that all believers have been given, to stand upon and depend
upon the word that has been preached to them, the gospel that has
been revealed to them. Now, that is my understanding
of the gospel. And it may well be that some
people, maybe even some listeners tonight, and some who will hear
this will say, you know what, I don't... agree with that presentation
of the gospel. I don't agree that there is an
effectual power in the Lord Jesus' atoning sacrifice by which a
reconciled, redeemed and regenerated people are brought into a relationship
with God. I believe that the gospel is
for everyone. I believe that the gospel gives
everybody the same chance to be saved. That we preach the
gospel and if a man hears that gospel or a woman receives that
gospel and by an expression of their desires to follow Christ
makes a personal testimony and a personal confession of faith,
then that person is a believer. and I'm not interested in this
idea of eternal purpose and a limited group of people in the elect.
Or maybe you say, you know what, I'm not even sure that I understand
the sovereign origin of this plan of salvation, or this talk
about a covenant of grace. Well, you can argue with me upon
those points, but if you do, let it be clear that that betrays
to me that you are not amongst the sanctified and faithful of
whom the Apostle Paul is speaking here. And I say that because
I think that what we're about to say is also an area that you
would find cause for argumentation. You would also argue with me
on these verses 21 to 23. So what I'm going to do is I'm
going to endeavor to dispense with your argument and I'm going
to prevent you from saying that I didn't deal with the text,
and I'm going to stop you from stealing the true meaning of
this text, which I actually believe is a sweet comfort to the elect
of God. And here's what I'm saying. Look at verse 23 with me please. I'll tell you what, we'll read
verse 21 and 22 again and go into verse 23. And you that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works,
yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through
death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in his sight, if ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled,
and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. Now it's
that little word there, if. And if you've got any doubts
about sovereign grace, if you've got any doubts about election
and predestination, if you've got any doubts about free will,
as opposed to free grace, then you will fall upon that little
word, if. Because that little word, if,
makes all the difference to this passage with respect to those
Arminian preachers, or free will preachers, and works preachers
everywhere. And they will say that word,
if, is conditional. And all the blessings that the
apostle is speaking of here, will become the individuals,
the Colossians or the believers, if they continue in the faith,
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope
of the gospel. You'll get your blessings of
grace if you comply with the conditions. You will be redeemed
if You stand fast. You will be reconciled if you
hold firm. You will be regenerated and atoned
for and have your sins forgiven if you continue in the faith,
grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel. And there you are, they will
say to me and to others, to you perhaps who believe in sovereign
free grace. They'll say to be saved. To be
the beneficiaries of redemption and reconciliation and regeneration
and atonement and the forgiveness of sins, you must believe. You
must be convinced. You must be sure. You must be
settled. You must live this life of a
believer. You must not move away from the
faith. And upon such logic, they will
say that personal faith is a moving cause in the saving of a soul. If a man or a woman is going
to persevere, if they are going to endure, if they're going to
heaven, if they're going to participate and enjoy This hope of the gospel,
which the Apostle Paul has previously spoken of as being in heaven
with Christ, if they're going to receive and possess those
things, then it's because they have their personal faith and
they have held their faith and they have continued in their
faith. And by their logic, that makes
salvation to be based on God's work and man's work, combined
together, maintained by the commitment, dedication and perseverance in
the faith of those who have taken advantage of God's provision
of salvation. And that is an error and it is
a false teaching and it is perpetrated and promoted by those who try
to steal the children's bread. So I'm going to tell you in a
few minutes, if you'll just bear with me, why that's a wrong interpretation. And if the Lord will allow, I
will return that bread to the children to whom it belongs. The first thing is why this is
wrong, and it's wrong for this reason. This if that is spoken
of here in verse 23, if ye continue, is not a condition for salvation. It is rather for the enjoyment
and encouragement of our salvation. People talk about unconditional
election, and I know that many of you will be familiar with
that phrase, unconditional election. It's the U in tulip. The total depravity, it's the
way in which the doctrines of grace have been summarized together. The headings being total depravity,
unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace,
and the perseverance of the saints. And the T-U-L-I-P of those sayings
form the word tulip. And so sometimes in this particular
doctrinal presentation, you'll see a little tulip as representing
this doctrine. And the unconditional election
is the you in TULIP. And that speaks of the fact that
God has chosen a people in eternity entirely according to his own
goodwill and purpose and based upon his love and foreknowledge
of those individuals. But here's the thing, I believe
in unconditional salvation, not simply unconditional election.
I believe in unconditional salvation as far as the elect sinner is
concerned. I also believe in unconditional
love. I believe in unconditional justification. I believe in unconditional redemption.
I believe in unconditional reconciliation and unconditional faith. I could
go on. I believe in unconditional adoption.
I believe in unconditional pardon. I believe in unconditional forgiveness.
I believe in unconditional cleansing. More. I believe in unconditional
holiness. I believe in unconditional sanctification. I believe in unconditional spiritual
knowledge. And I believe in unconditional
glorification. All of our spiritual salvation
is unconditional as far as the elect sinner is concerned. Now I say as far as the elect
sinner is concerned, because nothing is conditional upon the
sinner. It is rather, if it is to be
termed conditional at all, conditional upon the fulfilling of every
covenant obligation by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It
is to Him that the Father looks. It is to Him that the Godhead
looks. It is upon His work that we wait
to see the fullness of the accomplishments of so great salvation. If I am
His, if I am the Lord Jesus Christ, if I am God's, He will do everything
to secure my salvation in time and for eternity. The Apostle
Paul has already given God all the glory for these Colossian
believers, these saints and faithful men and women. He has traced
grace back to its source and he finds that source in the divine
purpose and in the divine work upon the cross, not in human
flesh, not in human will. And he has repeated frequently,
even in these few verses, that it is God who has delivered us
from the power of darkness, who has translated us into the kingdom
of his son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, having made
peace through the blood of the cross. And you notice that all
of those phrases are past tense. This isn't something that gets
done when we believe that we are delivered upon our belief
from the power of darkness or that we are translated into the
kingdom of God upon our belief or that we have redemption through
Christ's blood upon our belief. Rather these things are a work
between God the Son and God the Father, the accomplishment of
the eternal obligations and purpose. And having accomplished those
things, the blessings flow to the beneficiaries, even although
we may not experience the effect of those benefits and blessings
for many years to come. All these blessings were effectually
secured at the cross by the Lord Jesus Christ. They were not conditionally
provided, contingent upon some contributing work or human action
or effort on our part. No, if that was the case, then
man would have to take the glory. But God will have the glory,
not man. God is the source that secures
and ascertains our salvation. It is of the Lord. So this cannot
mean if as a condition to salvation because it would go against and
run against everything else that the Apostle Paul has said here.
So if it doesn't mean what the free will works, teachers say
it means, what does it mean? And here's where I'm going to
give the children their bread back because we see what the
Apostle Paul is saying if we pause and reflect upon the wonder
of the testimony that he is making here. Look again with me at verse
21, because that little verse shows something of the depth
of separation that exists between God and the sinner. That separation
came at Adam's fall and it has been aggravated and intensified
because of our own works, our own thoughts, our own words and
our opposition and attitude towards God, our rebellious nature and
their iniquitous transgressions. That little phrase, alienated,
means that we have been separated from him, that there is a great
gulf between us now. And the fact that we are enemies
in our minds means that we are opposed to God. And Paul says,
you were sometimes, you used to be like this. This is how
you were. In your mind, he says, in your
mind. See, that's not just a case of,
well, I know better, but I just can't help myself. That's not
a case of, it's simply the actions, or the senses, or the passions
that run wild. And like a disobedient child,
if you could just sit down and explain to them, then they would
see the sense of it, and they would know better. No, that's
not what it's like. When Paul says, in your mind,
he is saying that this is deep-seated. This is going beyond your mere
sensual appetites. This is an antagonism that is
deep-seated and rooted in the very heart and soul of the individual. It's in your mind. It's an aggression
towards God, an opposition and rebellion towards God. Enmity,
he says to the Ephesians. In your mind, in your will, in
your nature, you are an enemy of God. God's not an enemy of
you if you're one of the elect. God loves you if you're one of
the elect. But you sometime were the enemy
in your mind, in your will, in your nature. We call that spiritual
death. And it is here. It is here in the soul. It is
our nature to be dead towards God. And a change must be made if
that is to be remedied and corrected. And praise God, a change is made. And this change that is made
is not that God heals, the old nature or patches up the old
man. That would be a waste because
that old man has to die. Rather, God creates a new nature. He brings about the new birth
of a new man with a new heart. And he places that new creation
in the nature of the believer. What Peter calls in 1 Peter 3,
verse 4, the hidden man of the heart. in what is not corruptible. So here Peter and Paul are both
agreeing on this matter, that here there is the old man and
the new man, the old creation that is enmity against God, that
in the mind is alienated from God, and the new man, which is
created by God, created by God the Holy Spirit, ye hath he quickened,
You must be born again. These are works of the regenerating,
enlivening, empowering hand of the Holy Spirit. David, it's
not a new teaching, a new theme. David spoke of this in Psalm
51. He says there, against thee we
only have I sinned. You know, David hadn't only sinned
against God. Not by any means. He had sinned
against Bathsheba. He had sinned against Uriah.
He had sinned against his own soldiers. He had sinned against
his nation. But you see, he began to understand
the true nature of his alienation and enmity against God. And he
cried out in the depths of his soul, against thee, thee only
have I sinned. He saw sin in its true nature
and its true character. And he goes on to say, creating
me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. This is the new man. And that's
exactly what God does in the new birth. It's a divine work. Did not we read that the Lord
Jesus Christ, that by him all things are created that are in
heaven and that are in earth, visible or invisible? This is
a new creation. And it is a divine work of the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is the divine work of the
triune God. Just as sure as the sun and the
moon and the earth and the stars were created in the first creation,
so the Lord Jesus Christ creates with the same power a new man
fitted for heaven. However, and here's the point,
that old man with his old passions, with his old nature, with his
old sins, is not yet destroyed. But into, as it were, the heart
of every individual believer comes these two natures, this
fleshy nature and this spiritual nature, this nature which is
after the old ways and the old man, and seeking to overthrow
God and any worship of God, and a new man who seeks to follow
the Lord Jesus Christ as one of his sheep, who hears his voice
in the gospel and endeavours to follow after him. And for
a time, these two natures coexist in every believer. And this is
the time that they are coexisting. It used to be, says Paul, again
in verse 21, that you were sometime alienated and enemies in your
mind. Now, he said, you're not because
this new man has been placed in there. But that old man still
exists. And there is a battle goes on
between the old man and the new man. And sometimes one gains
the ascendancy and sometimes the other. And Paul knew about
that. He knew about it. Turn with me just for proof. Since it's a Wednesday night,
we've got a few more minutes perhaps, and I just want to read
Romans chapter 7 verse 18 for you. Turn to Romans chapter 7
and hear the testimony, the personal testimony of the Apostle Paul
with respect to this old man, new man battle that existed in
his own soul as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans
chapter 7. Verse 18. For I know, writes
Paul, that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. For to will is present with me. But how to perform that which
is good I find not. I want to do it, but I find that
I can't. For the good that I would, I
do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that,
I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me. This indwelling sin, it's part
of his nature, part of his life. And he identifies it here. He
says, I find then a law that when I would do good, evil is
present with me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin, which is in my members. O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank
God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I
myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of
sin. This is the battle that the Apostle
Paul is talking about. Now, don't be under any misapprehension. The new man's victory is promised. And that is the hope of the gospel
that the Apostle Paul speaks about here in verse 23. That hope of the gospel is promised
to us because our sins are forgiven. We are accepted. The Lord Jesus
Christ's work has been successful. God is reconciled. We are reconciled
to God. The Spirit will overcome the
flesh. That battle will be won. Though
it sometimes rages in our breast, rages in our heart, rages in
our mind, yet it will be won. And that is the hope of the gospel.
And the Lord Jesus Christ, fresh from the success of his atoning
work on the cross, fresh from the redemption of his people,
will present you and me who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, you
and me who are that saints and faithful people, you and me to
whom the gospel has come in power, he will present us holy and unblameable. and unreprovable in his sight."
What an amazing statement that is. The Apostle Paul is telling
us that we are holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in the sight
of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ presents us as such. That's the
hope of the gospel, and we possess that hope in faith. So when the
old man rises, when the flesh rises in temptation and we find
ourselves struggling in this battle, faith hopes in the gospel,
in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what faith does.
Faith sees this law in our members. And rather than endeavouring
to try and win that battle by its own strength, it looks to
the Lord Jesus Christ. When doubt attacks us, faith
hopes in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith places its
confidence in the blood of Christ, in the cleansing power of that
blood. When Satan says, You're wrong. That's not good enough. You're
a failure. You're a wretched failure. You're
an embarrassment to your testimony. You're a shame to that congregation
that meets every Sunday down in the church. You are bringing
the gospel into disrepute and you are casting a shadow on the
Lord Jesus Christ. And Satan says that to the Lord's
people regularly, frequently. Where does the new man find his
peace? Where does the believer find
his comfort? How are we going to have any
joy when we have the world, the flesh, and the devil conspiring
against us all the time to make us feel so inadequate and so
much a failure? in the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. There is where our hope lies. Do you feel holy? Rarely. And when I do, it's usually self-righteousness
that's at work. Do I feel unblameable? That's not a feeling that my
conscience in all truth allows long to dwell in my mind. Do you feel unreprovable? That's
an amazing word. Unblameable means, yeah, he did
it, he did it, but there are extenuating circumstances. It
wasn't really his fault. Unreprovable means that they've
searched the books and there's absolutely no ground for condemnation
because they can't even find any sins that you've committed.
They cannot find anything that you've done wrong. And that's
how the Lord Jesus Christ is going to present us before his
Father. Holy, unblameable, unreprovable. So how does a believer exist
on this frontline warfare when he's attacked from within and
without? How is he going to have this
sense of holiness, this confidence of unblameability, this statement
that he is unreprovable? brought to his conscience, his
consciousness, his heart, his soul, his spirit with any degree
of comfort and peace. How is it to happen? How are
we going to believe that we are wholly unblameable and unreprovable
before God? not by looking to ourselves,
not by looking to our obedience, not by looking to our mark under
the law of God. No, no, no, that will bring us
down every time. And in fact, it becomes the very
tool in Satan's hand to bring us down. We are attacked within,
we are attacked without. When we look around, we see all
manner of temptation. When we look within, we see nothing
to protect and preserve our souls. But when we look to Christ, we
see the power of His blood. We see the accomplishments of
His sacrifice. We see the effect of His cross. We see the reconciliation and
redemption that has been accomplished. We see that we are atoned for. We have been made at one with
God. We look to the gospel of hope. We look to Christ and we look
to the hope of the gospel. The law doesn't give any hope
of deliverance to a poor troubled sinner. It rather works wrath. It ministers death to our heart
and mind. It sets up a fearful looking
for of judgment. and we have dread all the days
of our life if we try and live up to some standard of law obedience. But the gospel encourages us
to hope in the Lord, to hope in Christ for mercy and for redemption. And that hope of the gospel is
an anchor for our soul. In these days it's an anchor.
It is sure and it is steadfast and it holds and it won't let
go and we are not to let it go. The gospel, the hope in the gospel
is what we are to hold on to. We're not to let it go. It brings
us confidence. It brings us joy. It brings us
peace of mind. Don't let it go. Turn to the
gospel every time. Turn to the blood of Christ every
time. Turn to the work of Christ every
time. There is success, not looking
to yourself. Hold on to that anchor that is
Christ. Hold on to his accomplished redemption. And that hope anticipates the
reality that very soon we shall leave this flesh behind. The old man will be destroyed
and we will enter heaven. And that hope will give way to
glory. This hope of the gospel will
be our portion and comfort if we continue in the faith, grounded
and settled in the glorious accomplishments of Christ. We're not going to
give that if to the Arminians because it's not theirs, it's
ours. This hope of the gospel, this
blessedness in the battle, this armoury that is ours, this weaponry
that is given to us is ours if we hold on to Christ in the face
of our trials. Then we will have peace and joy
and a knowledge of Christ with us to help us. We're not giving
this if to the Armenians, no way. It's not theirs, it's ours,
for our encouragement to keep us looking to Christ, to keep
Christ as our inspiration, to put on Christ daily, to stand
fast in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm getting a little bit excited
here. One more verse and that's us finished. Hebrews chapter
3 verse 6. Lord Jesus Christ is a son over
his own house. Whose house we are. if we hold
fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. That's exactly the same if in
there and it is showing us there as it shows us here in Colossians
that this is us holding fast that confidence, that hope and
rejoicing in that hope that is firm unto the end. Why is it
firm? Because it's accomplished. Why
is it steadfast? Because it is foundational. Why
is it successful? Because the Lord Jesus Christ
has accomplished it all and it is unconditional. And the Lord's
people stand fast and firm. to the end with that hope of
the Gospel in our hands as our anchor. May the Lord bless these
thoughts to us and encourage us in these simple verses to
find profound meaning to the comfort and joy of our souls. Amen.