Sunday Morning February 10, 2002 Bel Aire Baptist Church
Series: Who Is Jesus Christ [#1]
LET’S GET IT RIGHT!
Colossians 1:13-23
Introduction:
1. The Lord has burdened my heart that as your pastor I must stop a problem that has been going on for a long time.
2. Please don’t take this wrong, but I am not sure we understand what it is to worship and for those of us that do know I am not sure that we are doing it.
3. I am not talking about style. We can worship to a hymn just as easy as a chorus. We also have more components to worship than just singing. For example, we should be worshipping during the offering, not getting in one last conversation.
4. You are probably waiting for me to tell you that you have to close your eyes and raise your hands in order to worship. No, no, no!
5. That’s not it. If that is what you think, then you don’t get it. It is good if you shout amen. It is good if you raise your hands. It is good if you clap. But, doing those things for the sake of doing them or not doing them because it’s “taboo” to tradition is wrong. If you clap after the special, great; but you better make sure you know who you are clapping for. If it’s for Mark or me or anyone besides God, you better stop.
6. This morning we are going to sing our songs, take our offering, and baptize new believers all during the sermon. I want our service to have meaning. I want us to understand and be reminded of why we come here.
7. I also want the children to stay in here this morning. I want them to hear this also.
8. No more going through the motions. No more playing church. If the music is just going to be something we do because we are suppose to, then let’s not have music. It’s time to worship.
9. So why do we worship Jesus?
We Worship Jesus Because He Rescued Us
What’s Happening In The Church?
1. I am afraid that in our churches we no longer believe practically that Jesus is the Savior of the world. We believe that Jesus is a means to an end. We believe that Jesus is there to make us better husbands and better fathers. We believe that Jesus is there to make us better wives and better mothers. We believe that Jesus is there to make us better businessmen. We believe that Jesus is there to make us more respected in our community. We believe that Jesus is there for many things. We have forgotten that Jesus’ prime reason for coming to this earth was to seek and save that which was lost.
2. Turn with me in your copy of God’s Word to Colossians 1:13-23.
Guilt Of Man
1. I love that Paul starts here by showing the guilt of man. We don’t like than. We don’t like to be shown that we are sinners. Paul starts with guilt. Look in verse 13. “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness.” That’s where we were, in darkness. “And brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,”. That’s where we were not. “In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” We had to be redeemed and forgiven from our sins. That had to happen because we are guilty before God.
2. There are some people who believe that man is basically good. Those people don’t have kids. My first kid taught me that we are all sinners. My second kid taught me that some people are bigger sinners than others. My third kid just confirmed all of the above. We are born in sin and shaped in iniquity.
3. Look at the words here in verse 13. “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness…” That word “rescued” means “to come in and take out by force”. It’s like Rambo or Arnold Swartzinhager or somebody who comes in and kicks the door down and walks in, snatches us up, and drags us off somewhere. I didn’t do that on my own.
4. There is an illustration of salvation that used to be one of my favorites until God, through a sermon, showed me it doesn’t work. It is the illustration of the life raft. It is like man is drowning and we throw him a life preserver and man has to reach up and grab the life preserver and then he is pulled in. You know the only problem with that? According to Ephesians 2, I was dead in my sins. Dead men don’t grab life preservers. I did not help God save me. I was lost and dead in my sins. I was guilty before a holy God, a holy and just God who must punish sin. God has to deal with sin. How does He do that? The wages of sin is death. When we die in our sins, we die eternally separated from God. We are in terrible shape and until we realize that, we do not understand the significance of Christ as Savior of the world. Jesus did not come to make me better; He came to transform my life. People don’t need to be better dressed up sinners.
5. Illustration: It’s like boys that start playing ball in school. These boys will come after school and go to practice and after they go to practice, these sweaty and nasty boys will take off their uniform and put back on their street clothes. Some of them even have the audacity to put on deodorant and cologne. They don’t understand that deodorant and cologne have prerequisites. You need to bathe first.
6. Our philosophy in our churches has become one of socialization. We need to learn how become better people. We need to learn how to be better organizers. God does not want to make us better; He wants to make us new. We do not understand that Jesus is Savior until we understand the guilt of man. All men are guilty before God and all men need salvation.
7. Baptism shows that we have died in our sin, but we are made alive as a new creation through Jesus.
8. Let us worship together as we witness the baptisms of these new creations in Christ and then after the baptisms we will sing hymn 361.
Baptism
Hymn 361: “We Have Come Into His House”
We worship Jesus because He rescued us. Also …
We Worship Jesus Because He Alone Is Worthy
Revealer Of God
1. We can’t understand the significance of our sin until we look at it compared to the glory of Jesus Christ. We sometimes act like Jesus died on the cross because He had nothing better to do.
2. Look at verse 15. “He is the image of the invisible God,”. Jesus is the revealer of God. God came to earth and showed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is not like God. He is not close to God. He is not almost God. Jesus is God. He was the us in the “Let us make man”. He was the us in “Who will go for us”. He is Almighty God.
Creator Of All Things
1. Not only is Jesus the revealer of God, He is “the firstborn over all creation”. This does not mean that He was the first thing created. The word “firstborn” means preeminent. This means that Jesus was here when it all happened. He is the Creator of all things.
2. Look at verses 16-18.
The Sustainer
1. Not only is Jesus the revealer of God and the Creator of the world, He is also the One who holds it all together. He is the Sustainer.
2. This means that when they put Jesus on the cross that Jesus was the One who spoke the seed into existence that grew into the tree that became the cross that He was hung upon. This means that He is the One who called the molecules together that made the metal that was formed into the nails that was nailed into His hands and feet. That means that He is the One that gave the breath of life to those that mocked Him and nailed Him to the cross.
3. Jesus Christ is the One who created the universe and allowed Himself to die so that He could be our redeemer. Jesus is the One who had victory over sin and death so that I could have eternal life.
4. Folks, don’t forget who Jesus is. Don’t take Jesus for granted. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords; and when we see Him we will automatically fall to our knees and worship before Him. The Bible says that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
5. I want us to continue in our worship of Jesus as we stand and turn to hymn 427. I would ask that the ushers come forward on the last verse. As we take our offering today, I would ask that we reflect upon how God has blessed us and give back to Him as He has asked us to.
Hymn 427: “For He Alone Is Worthy”
Offering
Special Music during offering: “There Stood A Lamb”
We worship Jesus because He rescued us, because He alone is worthy, and …
We Worship Jesus Because He Fulfilled The Plan Of Redemption
The Goodness Of The Father
1. Look with me at the goodness of the Father in verses 19-20. The Father was satisfied by the death of the Son. This was the only thing that would appease Him, not man doing better. According to Romans 3, it was the Fathers only opportunity to be both just and the justifier of those who place their faith in Christ.
2. God has a dilemma. He is holy and just. He must punish all sin everywhere. His holiness demands it; but God loves us, those whom He created. How does God get away from this dilemma? How is it that God can save us when what we deserve is death and eternal separation from Him? Why don’t we just be good enough? No, we can’t be good enough. Why don’t we go to church enough? Why don’t we don whatever enough? None of that could ever take away our sins because without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. So what does God do? Why not have another die for us? So who could die for us?
Jesus Became Our Substitute
1. Jesus humbled Himself and became sin for us on the cross so that we could stand righteous before God. Jesus became our substitute.
2. Hymn 135 asks the question, “What can wash away my sins?” Let’s sing together as we answer this very important question.
Hymn 135: “Nothing But The Blood”
We worship Jesus because He rescued us, because He alone is worthy, because He fulfilled the plan of redemption, and …
We Worship Jesus Because He Has Made Us Holy
Results Of Salvation
1. Look with me at verses 21-22.
2. Look at what God does when we surrender our lives over to Jesus Christ. We are presented holy in God’s sight without blemish and free from accusation.
3. One day, I will stand before God and this tells me that when I do, I will be presented to Him as holy and perfect. Sinful me will be presented to God Almighty as perfect. Is that crazy or what? Not only that. When I am presented to God, I will be presented to Him as His son. I have inherited all of the same rights as Jesus Christ.
Conclusion:
1. This cannot happen because I am good. This can only happen because Jesus took my place and carried my sin.
2. In a moment we are going to sing our invitation hymn, hymn 139. This hymn asks an extremely important question, “Are You Washed In The Blood?”
3. If you do not know this Jesus that I have been preaching about as your personal Savior, then you are dead in your sins and bound for an eternal hell. What you need this morning is hope? That hope is found in the blood of Jesus Christ.
4. Christians, don’t forget who Jesus is? Don’t forget why we worship Him. It is time for us to get focused on Jesus. Jesus is the Savior of the world!
Prayer
Invitation Hymn 136: “Are You Washed In The Blood?”
Benediction: “Shout To The Lord”
(Some of this sermon was adapted from a sermon entitled "The Savior Of The World" by Voddie Baucham of Houston, TX. He preached "The Savior Of The World" at the Baptist Convention Of New Mexico Evangelism Conference 2002.)
(Power Point and a sermon handout are available upon request.)
