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document.writeln(' Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk'); document.writeln('in Him, rooted and built up'); document.writeln('in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in'); document.writeln('thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty'); document.writeln('deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the'); document.writeln('world, and not according to Christ. For in Him the whole fullness of deity'); document.writeln('dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and'); document.writeln('authority. In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without'); document.writeln('hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,'); document.writeln('having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him'); document.writeln('through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And'); document.writeln('you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God'); document.writeln('made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by'); document.writeln('canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This'); document.writeln('He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities'); document.writeln('and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him. '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('Text: Colossians 2:6-15 T 7/25/10 Genesis 18:20-33 Luke 11:1-13 Psalm 139 '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('Hymns: 657, 414, 433,'); document.writeln('352 '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('KEEP WALKING IN CHRIST! '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('Dear fellow believers in Jesus Christ, '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('Everybody'); document.writeln('has a religion. Everybody. You don’t think everybody has a religion? God says'); document.writeln('in the Bible that, left over from Adam and Eve, everyone is born with a'); document.writeln('conscience and a Remnant – a bit – of God’s Law left in his or her heart. God'); document.writeln('says that everyone has a Natural Knowledge of Him, knowing deep down inside'); document.writeln('that there is a god – a Supreme Being or creator or what-have-you. Jesus has'); document.writeln('told us, “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Mt. 12:30). The Bible calls'); document.writeln('the devil, “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4). John says, “We”'); document.writeln('(who believe in Christ) “know that we are of God, and the whole world lies'); document.writeln('in the power of the evil one,” who is Satan, the god of this world (1 Jn.'); document.writeln('5:19). So, whether they realize it or not, everybody DOES have a religion! Our'); document.writeln('text from the second chapter of Colossians tells you and me what God and'); document.writeln('religion to believe in. '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('We’re'); document.writeln('warned, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit,'); document.writeln('according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world,'); document.writeln('and not according to Christ.”'); document.writeln('God warns us: Don’t let yourself be influenced by human philosophies and'); document.writeln('religious ideas that contradict what I tell you in My Word. Some human'); document.writeln('philosophies and religious ideas may be intriguing to us. They are appealing to'); document.writeln('our reason and our flesh because they avoid confronting us with our own sin and'); document.writeln('helplessness to save ourselves. The world’s philosophies and religious ideas teach'); document.writeln('us to look to ourselves to improve ourselves and make ourselves right with God.'); document.writeln('God tells us that all human religions and philosophies are “empty.” They'); document.writeln('do not direct us to Jesus Christ and the truths of the Bible, so they get us'); document.writeln('nowhere closer to God and truth and lasting peace. '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('We believe'); document.writeln('in Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus? We’re told, “In [Christ] the whole'); document.writeln('fullness of deity dwells bodily.”'); document.writeln('We just confessed in The Apostles’ Creed that Jesus was “conceived of the Holy'); document.writeln('Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.” In the man, Jesus Christ, we see the almighty,'); document.writeln('eternal, living God in the flesh. Jesus says in John 10:30, “I and the'); document.writeln('Father are one.” The context makes it clear that Jesus is making Himself'); document.writeln('equal to God the Father in every way. By the grace of God, you and I have found'); document.writeln('the only true religion there ever was or ever will be! We need search no'); document.writeln('farther. Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone is the only true God and Savior'); document.writeln('of humankind. Acts 4:12 says of Jesus, “Salvation is found in no one else,'); document.writeln('for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be'); document.writeln('saved.” '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln(' We’re told, “Christ … is the head of all rule');
document.writeln('and authority.” Our text explains: “He');
document.writeln('disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing');
document.writeln('over them.” The “rulers and authorities” Jesus “triumphed over” by His cross are Satan and his demons. God told Satan, “He” (Christ) “will crush your head” (Gen. 3:15). This Jesus did when He died on the');
document.writeln('cross and rose again. In The Apostle’s Creed we confess that Jesus “was');
document.writeln('crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose');
document.writeln('again from the dead.” We teach that Jesus descended into hell from our text');
document.writeln('here as well as from 1 Peter 3:19-20. Peter says that between the time Jesus');
document.writeln('died, and the time He rose again, Jesus went and “preached to the');
document.writeln('spirits in (hell).” Jesus did not descend into');
document.writeln('hell as part of His punishment for our sins. Just before He died, Jesus said');
document.writeln('about all He had to suffer for us, “It is finished!” (Jn. 19:30). Jesus descended into hell to show Satan');
document.writeln('and his demons that He, Jesus, had defeated them. As our text says, Jesus “disarmed');
document.writeln('the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over');
document.writeln('them.” Jesus died for all of our sins on the');
document.writeln('cross, and rose again. Thus Jesus defeated sin and Satan and all the powers of');
document.writeln('hell. We’re told, Jesus “put them to open shame.” After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to many of the believers more');
document.writeln('than once. He let them see Him and touch Him to reassure them that He has risen');
document.writeln('bodily from the dead and is our living God. Jesus ‘publicly’ showed that He has');
document.writeln('won the victory over Satan and all his demons! We’re told, “You, who were dead in your trespasses and'); document.writeln('in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with [Christ].” A'); document.writeln('dead person can’t do anything. You and I and all people by nature are'); document.writeln('spiritually dead, unable to do anything'); document.writeln('to make ourselves right with God and save ourselves. We are not saved by what we do for God. We are saved by what God has done for us. Our hope for our'); document.writeln('salvation is not that WE accepted Christ, which we are powerless to do, but'); document.writeln('that CHRIST accepted us. We read in the second chapter of Ephesians, “God,'); document.writeln('who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even'); document.writeln('when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. … For by'); document.writeln('grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the'); document.writeln('gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (vv. 4-5, 8-9). '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('Our text does not say, “You ACCEPTED,” but, “You'); document.writeln('RECEIVED Christ Jesus as Lord.” “You have been fIlleD in [Christ].” Jesus did everything that had to be done'); document.writeln('to save us. There is nothing you and I can do; nothing we have to do, to save'); document.writeln('ourselves. We are saved by God’s grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ!'); document.writeln('Sometimes we may wonder, “Can God forgive me for what I have done?” “Am I'); document.writeln('saved?” “Am I going to make it to heaven?” At such times, we need to remind'); document.writeln('ourselves that Jesus accepted us,'); document.writeln('undeserving sinners though we are. Jesus'); document.writeln('gave us our faith in Him, and Jesus'); document.writeln('will keep us in our faith and bring us safely into heaven! Paul says, I am “confident'); document.writeln('of this, that [God] who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion'); document.writeln('until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philip 1:6). '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('God forgave “us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt'); document.writeln('that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to'); document.writeln('the cross.” God’s Law demands that we have to be perfect in order to'); document.writeln('earn our own way into heaven. Jesus lived a perfect life in our place to earn'); document.writeln('the way to heaven for us. God’s Law also demands that because we sin, we'); document.writeln('deserve to go to hell. Jesus paid for all of our sins with His suffering and'); document.writeln('death on the cross in our place. Jesus has freed us from the Law’s demands,'); document.writeln('which we cannot meet, and from the Law’s condemnation, which He did not want us'); document.writeln('to bear. Our text says, “[Christ] (forgave) us all our trespasses.” The'); document.writeln('idea from the original is that Jesus took the sins of the whole world upon'); document.writeln('Himself, and bore our guilt and punishment for them. Jesus lifted off of us the'); document.writeln('burden of our sins, and took them all away! With David we pray, “Have mercy on me, O'); document.writeln('God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot'); document.writeln('out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin” (Ps. 51:1-2).'); document.writeln('Our Lord assures us, “I, even I, am He who'); document.writeln('blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more”'); document.writeln('(Is. 43:25). '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('We’re told, “In (Christ) also you were circumcised with a'); document.writeln('circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by'); document.writeln('the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in'); document.writeln('baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful'); document.writeln('working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” God here shows that the New Testament baptism has replaced'); document.writeln('the Old Testament circumcision. The Old Testament makes it clear that God made a'); document.writeln('person His believing child through circumcision. Here in our text God makes it'); document.writeln('clear that He makes us His believing children through baptism. Titus 3:5-7'); document.writeln('says, “God … saved us through'); document.writeln('the washing of rebirth” (that’s baptism!)'); document.writeln('“and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through'); document.writeln('Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might'); document.writeln('become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Through our baptism,'); document.writeln('the Holy Spirit gave us faith in Jesus. Romans 6:3-4 says, “Do you not know'); document.writeln('that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His'); document.writeln('death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order'); document.writeln('that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,'); document.writeln('we too may live a new life.” Jesus died for our sins on the cross and rose'); document.writeln('again. When we’re baptized into Jesus, He enables us to die to our old life of'); document.writeln('slavery to sin, and live a whole new life by faith in Him! Scripture says, “If'); document.writeln('anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold,'); document.writeln('all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('“As you received Christ Jesus the'); document.writeln('Lord, so walk in Him.” By God’s grace, you and I know Jesus Christ'); document.writeln('personally as our Savior, and the Lord and Master of our lives. We are'); document.writeln('encouraged, “Continue to walk in Him.” Continue in your faith in Jesus,'); document.writeln('living your life in Him and for Him! Jesus tells us, “I have come that (you)'); document.writeln('may have life, and have it to the full!” (Jn. 10:10b). In the chapter'); document.writeln('before our text, we’re told, “Live a life worthy of the Lord and … please'); document.writeln('Him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of'); document.writeln('God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might”'); document.writeln('(Col. 1:10-11a). '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('We are to be “rooted and built up'); document.writeln('in [Christ]and established in the faith, just as (we) were taught” in His'); document.writeln('Word. Remain firmly grounded in your faith in Jesus, growing and maturing in your'); document.writeln('relationship with Jesus. The only way we can be doing this is by continually'); document.writeln('hearing and studying and meditating on His Word. Scripture urges us, “Continue'); document.writeln('in what you have learned and have become convinced of…. The holy Scriptures …'); document.writeln('are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2'); document.writeln('Tim. 3:14-15). '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('Finally, we are to be “abounding in thanksgiving”'); document.writeln('to God in Christ Jesus. Walking by faith in Jesus, He works in our hearts true,'); document.writeln('lasting joy and thankfulness and contentment. “I believe that Jesus Christ,'); document.writeln('true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the'); document.writeln('Virgin Mary, is my Lord; Who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature,'); document.writeln('purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the'); document.writeln('devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His'); document.writeln('innocent sufferings and death; That I should be His own, and live under Him in'); document.writeln('His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and'); document.writeln('blessedness; even as He is risen from death, lives and reigns to all eternity.'); document.writeln('This is most certainly true!” (Luther’s explanation to The Second Article) '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln('Everybody has a religion. There is only one true religion.'); document.writeln('Dear Christian friends, KEEP WALKING IN CHRIST! Amen. '); document.writeln(''); document.writeln(' |