For the next four weeks we are looking at a passage in Colossians that describes Christ. For most of us, as we start this new year, we want to see changes in us... But where does real change come from? Real change/action comes from our deep held beliefs. That’s why they are called “resolutions” - your resolve allows you to change. Well this year, in your lives I would love to see your resolve in Christ to be strengthened to the point where you begin to act out! Because of who Christ is - and who you are in Christ - you can have a whole new outlook on life! READ TEXT
In high school I was a life guard at a Christian camp. I spent my summers watching the kids (and the girls) and cleaning the pool - and every now and again I would have to jump in and help someone. We called it a “save.” Normal lifeguards at good pools very rarely have saves. I had 17 over two years. But there’s only one that really sticks out in my memory. The First Baptist Church had a children’s camp each year. My second year, I was in charge of the pool and I let them in for morning swim - only my other lifeguard didn’t show up. There were a bunch of kids...and just one lifeguard. I did the swim test, and I talked to their leaders, and we decided that they could help me watch, so I let them in the water. There was a little boy that was about to go off the diving board - only I don’t remember him doing the swim test. He shouldn’t be thinking about the deep end, so I called him over - turns out he couldn’t eve swim, so I told him “You can’t go in the deep end.” About 30 minutes later, I hear someone yelling “Lifeguard” and I look over to my right, in the shallow water - and there he is - that same boy - floating face down under the water - in the shallow end. 3 feet away from about 10 of their leaders. I jumped in and dragged him to the side of the pool. We lifted him out and I tried to start CPR - nothing. His lungs were filled with water and junk, so I turned him to the side and started doing the only thing I knew to do - I started pressing all that junk out of him. They called an ambulance, and we got him help - but it was pretty scary. He turned out to be okay...but I’ll never forget the next day at lunch. Our staff all ate together and my boss was going over how we could prevent that in the future, etc - then he looks at me and he says, “Charles, if you hadn’t of been there, that little boy would have died. You saved his life.”
That’s the same message that we have here - you and I have been rescued by Christ. He reached into the deep and plucked us out. We were saved by him. Had he not saved me, no telling where I would be... You have been rescued! ...but he also transferred you...
Have you ever had to go to the post office and apply for a change of address? I have... You end up getting this little form. It asks where your address is currently. Then it asks where it is going to be and when. Then it says how long do you want us to collect your mail and forward it...
As believers/Christians, we have had a change of address.
We have moved from darkness to light, from the camp of the enemy to Jesus’ camp - but guess what? Satan does not want you to know this little truth! He knows that he can trick you into feeling defeated. You can be tricked into thinking that you are still under his thumb...
I remember a time in college when I was working at one of the Lubbock hospitals. I was an orderly. I had zero power, but a lot of responsibility. I did what I was told. That was my job... The boss I worked for was kind of a jerk. He had all these very detailed, nit-picky things that he would make us do at the end of our shift. We all hated it... Then one night, I came in to work the late shift. At the end of my shift I started doing things as normal, and one of my buddies came in and said, “What are you doing? Haven’t you heard? So and so got a promotion and is now our boss and so we don’t have to do all that stuff anymore...” For a second though, I didn’t believe him. Then I saw this note from the new guy - you don’t have to do that stuff anymore... I had this new sense of freedom and relief. I stopped right there - it would have been foolish to have continued as if nothing had changed, right?
Well, you have been transferred in Christ from the darkness to the Kingdom of God. Think about it. You are a child of the king. You have an inheritance in heaven. You have been forgiven and redeemed. Your address has changed and it’s about time you start showing it!
Imagine moving and yet still going back to the old place. That’s not your home. You don’t live there anymore...
But listen to this... He didn’t just save you - he didn’t just transfer your membership from hell to heaven - he redeemed you. He bought you with a price. You were someone else’s, and he loved you so much, he bought you back with his own life.
The greek word here for redemption is ‘apolutrosis’ - it means to “deliver by payment or ransom” and it was used in speaking of the freeing of slaves - as a matter of fact, it’s where we get the english word - emancipation.1
We were slaves to our sin. In bondage, and he freed us - but the price was his death on the cross!
“He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” Ephesians 1:7
“God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.” 1 Corinthians 1:30
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” Romans 3:23-24
You see he purchased you...to forgive you. ...to pardon you.
Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
