04 Colossians: The Mystery of Christ - Delivered & Transferred

Date: May 25, 2025 Lord’s Day: 21 Series: Colossians the Mystery of Christ Title: Delivered and Transferred Text: Colossians 1:12-14   A quick review from last week we were in Colossians 1:12-14 and we were dealing with the end of verse 13:   “12 giving thanks[d] to the Father, who has qualified you[e] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”   The phrase, “of his beloved Son,” was our focus.  This is the mystery of Colossians, this word that appears frequently.  That what once was hidden, “created from before the ages for our glory.  That none of the ruler understood this mystery, for if they had they would not have crucified our Lord and Savior.”  (1 Cor 2:6-8)   Why did the Father love the Son so much?  What is the significance of this love?   We can look at the book of Matthew.  We see the genealogy of Jesus back to Abraham: After the birth of Christ, He was taken to Egypt because of crisis, likewise Abraham and Israel went to Egypt because of crisis The very next scene in Matthew is Jesus being baptized just like Israel was baptized into the sea (1 Corinthians 10:1-2) Right after baptism, Jesus was taken to the wilderness, just as Israel was taken to wilderness Jesus faced the temptations (lust of eyes, flesh, pride) just like Adam and Eve   The difference?  Abraham did not trust.  Israel did not trust.  Adam and Even did not trust.  Jesus, the begotten trusted, at every point where we were unsuccessful, Jesus was successful.  Jesus was obedient at every turn and trusted the Father.   How did we get in this position where we did not trust?  What happened to Abraham, Moses, the Israelites and even us today that we got ourselves in a position of not trusting, not having faith and in rebellion?   This is the significance of the next phrase that we will focus on today.  The beloved Son did something.  The actions of the beloved Son had consequences.  What were those consequences?  For us specifically:   “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom”    This is our phrase today that will gather our attention. We have been delivered; delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to a kingdom.   What took place for this to happen?  What does this mean?  How, or in what way, are we delivered?   Before we begin looking into these questions on this phrase, let us ask for a blessing for the message.   PRAY   “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness.”  In what way did He deliver us?  What is the domain of darkness?   The word used there for dominion means authority, power or right to control or govern.  It can be a ruler, human or supernatural.    In our circumstance we were under control or governed by a force.  According to our text it was a dark force.  A domain of darkness.  A controlling governing authority of darkness.   But we must be careful in how we understand this.  There is in one sense a power of evil over us and in another sense that power was just a place holder.   I can explain it this way:   A number of years ago I purchased a property and I was super excited.  I made more than enough money at the time to own a home but I did not have the amount of down payment needed.    This particular individual had inherited the house from his parents, and he did not want anything to do with it.  He wanted to live in Florida, so we came to an agreement.  We agreed on the terms, the price and the money down needed.  We would enter a land contract and after 16 years the property would be solely owned by me.    I moved in (tell the story, history, renovations, plans).   Point: I had no power.  In reality, HE had let things go to the point that he had no power.  I was living in that property, and I could pay him thousands of dollars but he had no power.  He could not get me out of the situation that I was in.  He had taken a loan on a property I was paying on.  Of course, I was ignorant of what was needed legally for my protection.  I could do nothing but honor the sovereign over the property (the bank).  They are the ones to WHOM the debt was owed.   This is the situation here in our text.  We can go back to our Easter sermon and we briefly touched on this thing called redemption.    To whom was redemption owed?  To whom was redemption paid?  Many would answer that this “power of darkness”, this enemy of ours we call Satan, was the one to whom Jesus paid the debt.   Before being believers, we were absolutely in the DOMAIN of darkness.  We were in the area, sphere or jurisdiction of darkness.  But Jesus did not pay Satan for our redemption.   We use like words ransom and redemption in salvation.  These are true words.  We were redeemed and we were ransomed.   But when we think of ransom, what typically comes to mind is a kidnapping like situation.  To get the person that has been kidnapped we are asked to pay a ransom.   Thomas Hargrove was an American who worked for The Center for International Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Columbia.  He wrote the story of his captivity in the book Long March to Freedom in which, because of his badge (CIAT), he was kidnapped by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia).   The FARC is always looking for ways to finance their operation.  Kidnapping is one and they thought they had a golden ticket in Thomas Hargrove.  They took him and demanded a $6 million ransom.   The United States government, because they do not negotiate with terrorist organizations (for good reasons), did not intervein.  The American company that Hargrove worked for but him lose and left him for dead.   He was in captivity for 11 months.  In the jungles of Columbia sleeping on the muddy floors of his hut with jail bars, he suffered malnutrition and illness as he endured the elements.    A hostage negotiator came in, paid for by his wife and family to begin negotiations of getting him released.  Eventually, the price was lowered to two payments and then they let him go.   This is typically what comes to mind when those words redeemed or ransomed are used.  In relation to the Christian faith, just like the ransom was paid to the FRC, it is seen as paid to our enemy the devil.  This is not the case.   The devil is not sovereign.  God is sovereign.  The sin of Adam was committed against God.  At the point of sin, the wage of sin had to be paid to God.  Satan’s only authority was he ruled over the domain of darkness.  The debt was not due to him.  He did not kidnap us.  We left willingly.   How do I place us in the sin of Adam.  Let’s see Romans 5 for the answer to our question: “8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:8 & 12)   We are included in this.  The prince of the air, as he is described in Ephesians 2, was our ruler.   “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:1-3)   You and I were not half-dead.  We were as dead as Lazarus.  We were past four days and in the words of the KJV, “We stinketh”.    This is the result of the fall of Adam.  Being in the grasp of the devil, we, like him, were enemies of God.  We were children of wrath.  In the dominion of darkness.   Can you imagine if those alive knew that every unrighteous act they have committed they will be held in account?  For every violent thought, for every lustful fantasy, for every deceit that was both spoken and unspoken, for every vile notion, word and deed there will be an accounting before God.  For every single moment that you put your needs above God, when you have not loved him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, for when you have put off that prayer, for when you came to assembly but you really rather stay away, there will be an accounting for that.   If this was known they would be beating the doors of this building to get in because the ONLY relief is in Jesus.  Jesus absorbs the wrath we deserve.    He justifies and God is just through the sacrifice of His beloved.    It is in Christ that we are transferred from this domain, this area of darkness to the kingdom of light.  In whom we have redemption and forgiveness of sin.  This is why we meet.  This is why we praise.  This is why we sing.  I want you to feel it.  I want you know feel the weight lifted.   Jesus, the beloved Son, paid the Father the price we owed.  Jesus was beloved, as we learned last week and also, as we began today’s time together, because as incarnate, born in “likeness of sinful flesh,” (Romans 8:3) he was fully faithful and believing.  He was a pleasing aroma to the Father and He took our place as a perfect lamb.   For every act of unfaithfulness in your life Jesus was faithful.  For all the times you had no idea you offended God, He was faithful.  He absorbed ALL the wrath due to you.    He has transferred you to the kingdom of righteousness.  That is where you are and that is the message we want to take to the community.    Do you believe that?  Do you believe that God can transform the mess around us?  Do you believe that God can transform the mess in your own family?  If you don’t maybe you have not fully experienced your own transformation.   The word is passive voice which means, you are not doing it.  He is doing it.  He has:   “qualified (us) to share in the inheritance of the saints,” (Colossians 1:12b) and is “delivering us from darkness and transferring us to the kingdom of his beloved son.” (Colossians 1:13)   I have seen what He has done in my life.  I see what He continues to do.  I am certain what is seen by me is only a fraction of a fraction, but it is enough to know.  As believers, you and I are forever changed.   Magnus Carlsen, the reigning world champion, who has showcased brilliant king-and-pawn coordination in numerous endgames. His ability to maneuver his king to shield a passed pawn and ensure promotion has been praised by chess analysts.   This is the process by which the king (the most important piece on the chess board) is used to protect and promote the pawn (the least important piece) to the other side of the board.  In chess, when a pawn reaches the other side, it can be taken off and replaced by another piece.   Most often the queen, who is the most aggressive piece on the board, if she has been taken, will relace the pawn.    From Pawn to Queen.  This is be taken from weakest to strongest.    This is the act of Jesus in your life.  King Jesus empowers us.