and I have chosen that for my
subject special thanks to the father he says in verse 3 we
give thanks to God we give thanks to God and the father of our
Lord Jesus Christ praying always for you over in verse 12 he said
giving thanks unto the father I give thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in life. Then in chapter 3, if you turn
there for just a moment, verse 17, this theme is reflected again,
verse 17, and in Colossians 3, 17, whatsoever you do, In word or deed, do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks. Giving thanks to God
and the Father by Him. Giving thanks to God. That should
be the theme of every creature. That should be the theme of all
creation at all times. For He's worthy of all praise
and thanksgiving. It ought to be our thing. But
as I read on, I found that Paul had a special reason. That's
the reason I call this message, Special Thanks to the Father.
He had a special reason for giving thanks to God at this time. Because
these people's pastor had visited him. Verse 7 says, as you also
learned of Epaphus, our dear fellow servant, who is for you
a faithful minister of Christ, who also declared unto us your
love in the Spirit. Epaphus, your pastor, has been
here. I told you that Paul, when he
was a prisoner in Rome, lived in a in confinement, but he lived
in a hired house, his own house. He had a guard, a soldier. He
was not allowed to go and come, but people were allowed to come
and go to visit him. That's where Philemon found,
or Onesimus Philemon's servant came to Paul. And this pastor
from Colossus, Epaphos, came to visit Paul. And he had a lot
of good things to say about this church and about this congregation
where he preached. And Paul mentions in verse 4,
now he says in verse 3, we give thanks to God and the Father,
my Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you since we heard.
From whom? The Apostle. One who certainly
knows. We heard four things about you. Number one, your faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Your pastor has told us how you
believe the gospel. How you love the gospel. How that faith which was found
in Abraham is found in you. That faith which is found in
Isaac and Jacob and Moses and David is found in you. Do you
remember what our Lord said about this business of faith? Turn
to Matthew chapter 16. Matthew 16. This faith is the
gift of God. And as I said this morning, God
calls it precious faith. Precious, precious faith. It's
ranked along with precious blood, and precious is the name of Christ,
and precious promises, and precious is the is the death of the saints,
but precious saints. How blessed we are who believe. How blessed we are who believe.
Matthew 16, listen to it. Verse 13, When Jesus came into
the coast of Caesarea of Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying,
Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they said, well, some say
you're John the Baptist, some Elias, others Jeremiah, one of
the prophets. None of them agree who you are
and what you are and where you came from, what you're doing
here. None of them really agree. And he said unto them, but whom
say ye that I am? Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus
answered and said unto him, Blessed. Blessed art thou. Blessed, highly
favored, oh, so blessed among men. Blessed art thou, Simon, son
of Jonah. Flesh and blood hath not revealed
it unto thee. That's what all these other folks
with their opinions are confined to what their flesh and blood
teaches them or tells them but my father in heaven revealed
me to you and you blessed me and Paul is giving thanks in
the right direction he said I give thanks to God since I heard of
your faith in Christ Jesus how blessed we are who believe. Secondly, and, since we heard
of your faith in Christ and the love which you have to all the
saints, I heard that you love one another. The grace of love is a gift just
like faith, and is shed abroad in our hearts by His Holy Spirit,
and there's no greater grace. Turn to 1 John chapter 4. 1 John 4, listen to this. Now those
who believe are blessed of God. How blessed of God we are. Those
who love, listen to this, 1 John 4 and 7. Beloved, let us love
one another, for love is of God. And everyone that love it is
born of God. Born of God, the Son of God.
and knows God. Everybody who loves Christ and
loves believers, he's born of God and he knows God. I thank God for your faith and
I thank God for your love. Now watch the next one. And I
give thanks to God, verse 5, for the hope by the hope which
is laid up for you in heaven. You know faith, hope, and love
always go together. Where you find one, you'll find
the other. Where you find faith in Christ,
you'll find love for Christ and for believers. Where you find
faith and love, you'll find hope, the hope of eternal life. And
he said in verse 5, for this hope which is laid up for you
in heaven whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the
gospel. That's where you first heard
about this hope. What I preached to you this morning,
the hope of the gospel. That's what it is, it's the hope
of the gospel. The glory which shall be ours
in the new heaven and new earth shall be ours because of faith
in Christ and the hope of the gospel. That's where it is now,
only that. The hope of the gospel. Turn
to verse 23 of this same chapter. Listen to this. The hope of the
gospel. There's no hope of life apart from the gospel. There's
no hope of glory apart from the gospel. There's no hope, apart
from the person, the blood and righteousness of Christ. The
blood and righteousness of the person. You can't separate the
person. It's not just blood, righteousness. It's His blood and His righteousness. That's the only solid foundation
of a good hope. Listen to verse 23. If you continue
in this faith, grounded and settled, And be not moved away from the
hope of the gospel, which you've heard. You've heard over and over again,
which was preached to every creature under heaven where our Paul was
made a minister. The law offers no hope. The ceremonies
offer no hope. Religion offers no hope. But
Christ in you, that's the hope. Some of you going out of the
service this morning after we rejoiced in the blessed hope. And you made comments like I
can hardly wait. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the
Lord would come and just take us all to glory right now. That's
a good hope. Good hope. And I thank God, Paul
said, if you have faith in Christ you have love for Christ in one
another and you have a blessed hope which you learned first
when you heard the gospel but now watch this verse six watch
verse six which is coming to you as it is in all the world
this gospel came to you God sent it and brings forth fruit that's
the fourth thing I'm thankful for your faith in Christ, your
love for one another, your hope, blessed hope of eternal glory,
and the fruit. This gospel brings forth fruit. What is this fruit? Well, it's
not, it's not converged. Turn to Matthew chapter 7. It's not converged, it's not
The fruit of the church is not converts. That's the children
born of God. False prophets are said to have
fruit. Over here in Matthew 7 verse
15, Beware of the false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, inwardly they are ravening wolves. You know them by their
fruit. It's not God's fruit, it's theirs.
The men gather grapes of thorns, of figs, of thistles, even so
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth corrupt fruit, evil fruit. A good tree cannot
bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth
good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not
forth good fruit is hewn down, cast into the fire, wherefore
by their fruits, by their converts, the fruit of their ministry,
you know them, false prophets. But this fruit of the gospel
is the fruit of the vine, not the black, it's his fruit, that
you bear much fruit, and it's over here in Galatians chapter
5, that's the fruit he's talking about. Galatians chapter 5, the
fruit of the spirit. In Galatians chapter 5 verse
Verse 19, let's read this, verse 19. Now the works of the flesh,
fruits of the flesh are manifest, which of these adultery and fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
various emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, keep on envying,
murder, drunkenness, reveling, and such like, of the which I
tell you before as I have also told you in times past, that
they which do these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God,
but the fruit of the Spirit." Now here's the fruit he's talking
about. I thank God. Thank God. Your faith, your love, your hope,
and the fruit you bear. The fruit of the Spirit is love. joy, peace, patience, gentleness,
goodness, faith, humility, meekness, temperance, self-control. Against
such there is no law and they that are His, they that are Christ's
have crucified the flesh with the affections and the lust If
we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit. Let us not
be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, ending one another.
Bear the fruit of grace, the fruit of the Spirit. Now when
did all this take place? This is interesting, this verse,
the rest of verse 6. I thank God, I give thanks to
God. For your faith in Christ, blessed
are you. To have faith, God gave you faith. To love one another, to genuinely
sincerely love one another, born of God. To have a blessed hope,
the fear of death removed and a hope of eternal glory. And
growth in grace, the fruit of the spirit, joy and patience
and humility. Look at verse 6. I'll read the whole verse again
now. Which is coming to you, this truth of the gospel. Let
me read verse 5. For the hope is laid up for you
in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the gospel,
the truth of the gospel, which is coming to you. This gospel
has come to you as it is in all the world. And it brings forth
faith and love. and hope and truth as it doth
also in you. See that? This gospel is the
power of God under salvation. It brings forth faith. Faith
comes by hearing and hearing by the gospel, the word of truth.
It produces love and it gives us a good hope. A good hope through
grace and it produces fruit. Look at this word, since. This
is when it started. Since the day you heard it. Since the day, the word of is
in italics. Since the day you heard it. And
secondly, and knew the grace of God in truth. That's when
it all started. That's when it became a reality. when you heard it, this gospel
of God's grace and when you experienced it. A man in Chiapas, I preached
down there one time Brother Milton translated out in San Rafael
and a lot of people there from everywhere And there was a man
there that after the service was talking to Brother Milton.
And I asked him later, I said, what was all that about? What
was he talking? Milton said, well, to sum it
up, this is what he's saying. He said, I've heard you fellas
several times. Tonight, I heard you. I heard you. There is a time
when a person hears the gospel. Turn to Ephesians 1. One day I heard this gospel.
I heard it. I am not talking about with natural
ears. You say everybody in here is
hearing you. Well, everybody in here is hearing my voice and
they are hearing me read and they are hearing these words.
But everybody in here is not experiencing these words, they
are not hearing it in here. Everybody never does hear, not
everybody, some do. In Ephesians 1 verse 13, now
listen, in whom you trust it, how do you know they are not
hearing it? They are not trusting Him. They are not believing Him. They are not confessing Him. They're not laying hold upon
Him. They're not any change in their
lives, attitude. In whom you trusted after you
heard the word of truth. The word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation. That's what you heard, the real
gospel, the one gospel, the true gospel. you heard the gospel
of your salvation in whom also after you believed when did you
believe? when you heard that's when you
believed and you were sealed back then with the Holy Spirit
of promise our Lord said in Matthew 13 now here's another verse for
us to look at here in Matthew 13 verse 16 verse 15 he talks about the people
that listen to Isaiah and other prophets and listen to him verse
15 this people's heart is wax gross their ears are dull of
hearing their eyes they close Blessed is any time they should
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand
with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal
them. But blessed are your eyes, they see. Blessed are your ears,
they hear. Now this faith, the gift of God
is seeing Christ, believing Him. This love that overflows, whom
having seen, having not seen ye love, and whom though now
ye see him not, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, full of glory. This hope, sure hope, bested
hope, certain hope, true hope of grace, this truth
that It comes spontaneously from a new heart. It started when
you heard. When you heard. And when you look at this next word
he uses. Since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in
truth. You knew it in truth. I remember
that day. I remember that day when Not
that special hour, but that time, that time, that time period. That day when it started, when
I first heard the gospel. 1950. And I found out four things.
I found out the grace of God was for real sinners. Real, bona
fide, genuine sinners. Everybody knows the gospel is
for sinners. What kind of sinners? Fallen
sinners. Men and women with no hope, no
goodness, no ability. As Arthur Pink said, the poor
in spirit have nothing, know nothing, can do nothing. They're
dead in trespasses and sin. They're fallen and adamant. They're
separated from God. Mephibosheth, when he found out
about the grace of David, he said, who am I that you should
show mercy to such a dead dog? And read tonight in the book
of Job, turn over that chapter 33 a minute. In Job 33 verse 27, Job 33 verse
27, he looks upon me and He looks upon men, and if any
say, I have sinned, I have sinned, I have sinned, and perverted that
which was right, prophets may not. He will deliver his soul
from going down into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
I heard that. I heard by one man sin entered
this world, and death by sin sowed death fast upon all men.
And the second thing I learned was this, in this truth of the
gospel. I learned the truth of sovereign
grace, that we're born not of our will, but born of the will
of God. By his own will begat he us with the word of truth.
I found out that his purpose had saved me. I called on him
because he called me. I chose him because he chose
me. I found out it was by the sovereign grace of God that any
man is saved. The Lord took that prophet down
to the potter's house and he said, you see the potter? You
see the clay? I'm the potter, you're the clay.
And I can of the same lump make one vessel unto honor and another
to dishonor. But it is not of him that willeth
nor of him that willeth, it is of God that showeth mercy. I
found that out, the truth of the gospel. And the third thing
I found out is this, in Romans chapter 1, I never will forget
when this was so impressed on my soul and my heart. That the gospel is not an offer,
it's a gift. It's not a proposition, it's
a proclamation. The gospel is a person. A person. In Romans chapter 1. Paul, a
servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle. Separated to
the gospel of God, which he promised in the Old Testament by his prophets. And here is the key. This gospel
is concerning his son it's concerning him, Christ is the gospel it's
concerning his son Christ our Lord who was made of the seed
of David according to the flesh he was made what he was but he
was declared to be who he is the son of God with power and
the God man came to this earth to fulfill the purpose of God
to save real bona fide sinners who couldn't save themselves. Over here in verse 16 Paul says
I'm not ashamed of that gospel of Christ, it's the power of
God unto salvation, the power to give life to satisfy the law,
to honor God's justice, to enable God to be juster and justifier.
It's the power of God to everyone that believe it, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek. And in that gospel is the holiness
of God, the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. And then I learned the grace
of God gives us a new heart and a new nature. which delights
in him, rejoices in his word, and listen, read Philippians
3, and counts everything done for
the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. It shuts us up to
him and separates us unto him. In verse, our religious works,
our traditions, Like Paul's solitarsis is just forgotten. He said in
verse 7, what things were gained to me, I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless I count all things
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and I
count them but know that I may win Christ and be found in him.
not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith. What a wonderful special reason
to give thanks to God. Faith, we believe God. Love,
the love of God shed abroad in our hearts. A blessed hope of
eternal glory and the fruit of God's spirit. and that came when
we heard the gospel and experienced it and knew the grace of God
in truth alright one other thing before I finish this message
verse 12 he says again giving thanks unto the father and he
mentions some other special things in verse 12 he said giving thanks
unto the father who hath made us, the folks he's talking about
there, meet, MWT, what's that word mean? It means qualified.
It means he's made us fit. He's made us sufficient in Christ. For what? To be a partaker of
the inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, that fades not away
that's reserved in heaven for all his redeemed who are kept
by his power and grace he has made every one of us fit, mean,
qualified and sufficient to be a partaker of the inheritance
in glory the believer won't sneak into glory We are not going to
back in the globe, we are not going to barely be saved. We
have an abundant interest, we are qualified. In Christ we are
qualified. He is going to present us, look
over here in verse 22 Colossians 1. In the body of his flesh through
death to present you, to present you. A friend of mine said one time
preaching to an Englishman, he said, you don't introduce anybody
to the king, you don't introduce anybody to the queen, you present
them. Your majesty may I present so
and so. And our Lord, the scripture says
here is going to present us in his presence to the father, holy,
unblameable, unapprovable in His sight. Now you think about
that. You talk about giving thanks. We were once beggars on the dumb
hill and now we're princes. Seated with Christ in glory.
We were once bankrupt. It says we had nothing to pay,
nothing to pay. And now we're joint heirs with
Christ of the whole universe. We were once enemies, children
of wrath even as others, now we're sons of God and the apple
of His eye. Think about it, you talk about
giving thanks to the Father and we didn't do
that, He did it. He made us sufficient, qualified
in Christ. Of God are you in Christ, who
is made unto you wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
That as it is written, he that glory, let him glow in God. Look at verse 13, here's another
reason to give. He has delivered us from the
power of darkness. I wish I had the words to define
the power of darkness. It's a kingdom. It's a kingdom
of darkness. Satan is the ruler of darkness. The darkness of this world. It's
chains. That's what scripture says. Chains
of darkness. It's blinded minds. It's the darkness of sin and
ignorance. it is the darkness of unbelief
and will give way to eternal darkness and he has literally delivered
us from that power and kingdom of darkness and look what's this
and he's translated us he has literally transferred us out
of that kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear
son the kingdom of the son of his love now then that kingdom
we talked about this morning we're not there yet we're not
there yet we're not on the new earth we're not in the new heaven
we're heirs of it in Christ we rejoice in the hope of it we
look forward to the reality of it and it's steadfast and sure
but I am already Translated, transferred from that kingdom
of darkness into the care and keeping and kingdom of his son. Now watch this. From a fallen
state in Adam we have been transferred to a living state in Christ. From the death of sin to the
life of righteousness. Already been transferred. Secondly,
from the dominion of Satan. He had power over us. We did
his will. Walking the course of this world.
We're now under the dominion and in the kingdom of his son.
He's our king. We've been delivered from the
curse of the law. to the personal care and keeping
of his son. We've been delivered from the
kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Christ and Christ
will take that kingdom and lose nothing and deliver it to the
Father. Let me show you that in 1 Corinthians
15. That's what he's talking about
here. He has already translated us from the kingdom of darkness
where we were, what we were, he transferred us under the care
and keeping and suretorship of his son, his kingdom. Now watch
1 Corinthians 15 verse 24, Then cometh the end, when he shall
have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father. You see, when he prayed in John
17, he said I finished the work you gave me to do. He said to
Joseph and Mary, he said, I must be about my father's business.
That everlasting covenant was put in his hands and everybody
who's involved in it. And God has translated us from
that kingdom of darkness into his kingdom and he's going to
take that kingdom. When he put down all rule and
all authority and all power, he must reign until he puts all
enemies under his feet. The last enemy shall be destroyed
at death, for he hath put all things unto him, but when he
saith all things are put unto him, it is manifested that he
is accepted which did put all things unto him. And when all
things shall be subdued unto him, then the Son also himself
and his kingdom shall be subject unto him that put all things
unto him. God made us all. That's that day we talked about
this morning. That's that day when I make all
things new, new heaven, new earth. But right now, giving thanks
to God. He's already made us sufficient
and meet, qualified. He's already delivered us from
the kingdom of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his son.
And watch this, the last thing. of his dear son the son of his
love verse 14 in whom in whom we have redemption through his
blood even the forgiveness of sins in whom the author of our
redemption is Christ our Lord as our kinsman redeemer redemption
belongs to him he has both the power and the will and the sacrifice
and the price to pay He redeemed us, brought us back. He redeemed
us, who are us? The subjects of His redemption
are men, not angels. Fallen men and women. Now how
do you redeem us? Through His blood. The means
are not our works, but His blood. Watch this, even the forgiveness
of sins. All sins, original, actual. Sins of lip, heart, life, secret
sins, open sins, past sins, present sins, future sins. Forgiven, removed, blotted out,
remember no more. Now that's not from an absolute
God, that's from God in Christ. Remember that, Jehovah. He has got to be satisfied. And then if you read the next
verses at your leisure, it describes who he is that did all this. He is the image of the invisible
God. Our Savior is the first born
of every creature. You see salvation is only as
sure as the power of your savior. The promise of God is only as
certain as the promisor. The hope of glory is only as
secure as the one who represents us. And this describes him here.
He is before all things and by him all things consist and he
is the head of the church. The head of the church. the body
was born from the dead that in all things he might have be preeminence
giving thanks special thanks to God may the Lord bless that
too to our hearts