Reconciled and free from Blemishes – Revd Nicolette Leonard – 18 July 2010
OPEN: One of the greatest scientists of our time was Albert Einstein. He was a man who was so focused on his scientific theories. that, he often neglected even the simplest things of life, such as personal appearance (as evidenced by his hair).
One time, Albert Einstein was taking a train out of town for a speaking engagement. As he sat in his seat engrossed in his work, the conductor stopped by to punch his ticket. Looking up in shock, Einstein realized he didn’t know what he had done with his ticket. Frantically, he began to search his coat pockets, and then his briefcase.
Gently, the conductor said, "We all know who you are, Dr. Einstein. I’m sure you bought ticket. Don’t worry about it."
But, as the conductor moved along, he looked back to see Einstein on his hands and knees searching under the seats for his ticket. The conductor walked back, "Dr. Einstein, please, don’t worry about it. I know who you are."
Exasperated, Einstein looked up and said, "I, too, know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going."
APPLY: The Christians at Colossae had gotten to the point that they weren’t sure where they were going either.
Somebody had begun to convince them that they weren’t going to heaven like they thought.
Somebody had slipped into their midst and begun to tell them they weren’t acceptable to God
Somebody was confusing them so much that they weren’t even sure what was expected of them anymore
They had gotten to the point where they not only didn’t know where they were going…
They weren’t even sure WHO they were.
I. To understand what was going on here, it helps to realize that back in the days of this letter – behind the scenes – there was a spiritual battle taking place. There were false teachers who minimised Jesus. The message they proclaimed was that Jesus was important but not essential. They had given him a place in their lives without recognising that he demands first place. He was prominent to them but not preeminent. They also believed that God did not create the world because in their view matter was evil and God cannot create evil. They also argued that God would not come to earth as a human in bodily form and they also did not believe that Jesus Christ was the unique son of God but rather one of many intermediaries between God and people.
From verse 15 of this letter Paul then sets out the facts to the congregation at Colosse: 1. that Jesus is Over Creation; 2. That He is God himself- the fullness of God dwells in Him- not around upon and under him, but in Him ; 3. That he is the unique Son of God and : 4. That he is the creator of all things and that he holds all things together.
Another issue that that we have to know about this congregation is that they thought they had to escape this world to be reconciled with God. This belief grew out of the Greek philosophy where the material world and the spiritual world do not mix. They did not belief that you could experience the eternal in the temporal and that you had to be lifted from the material world to experience the eternal and spiritual. The Colossian church was influenced by this philosophy and the result was that people saw Jesus as another way of escaping the temporal world. Paul then writes this letter to them to straighten them out. In thiese verses before us today Paul gives us a tremendous description of the process of change in a human being. From verse 20-23 Paul describes the work of Jesus in reconciling lost people to himself.
Paul begins verse 20 with a general statement about reconciliation: “And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth ot things in heaven by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” What Paul told them and us is that they and we are not saved by Christ’s teachings that lift us above this world, not by Christ’s spirit which communicates eternal truths to our hearts but we are reconciled to God by Jesus’ incarnation and physical death. The false prophets at Colosse were teaching people that they could get closer to God through the worship of angels and by observing certain rules and regulations, but they could not promise total and complete reconciliation.
The bible dictionary defines reconciliation this way: “the restoration of friendship and fellowship after estrangement. It also means to change thoroughly from one position to another.” Reconciliation happens when someone ot something is completely altered and adjusted so that a relationship of peace can begin with the one with whom estrangement had taken place. Paul then establishes four elements about the reconciliation of Christ in this verse:
1. The focus is to reconcile to himself- it is always to reconcile to God and the initiative and action must come from Him
2. The scope is all things- it involves the whole universe.
3. The result is peace. Through Jesus our hostility with God can end.
4. The means is “through his blood, shed on the cross. Salvation is only through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross as our sin payment.
Many Christians today just like the Colossians believe that salvation means escaping this realm to get to the next. Yes they do believe in Christ, but they also believe that salvation comes only by escaping this life. For instance some people believe that being saved means never having problems. They believe that once you saved the problems of the world go away and when troubles do come they either doubt their salvation or they deny the existence of their troubles. We should know this is not true. Like everyone else we will experience problems, trials and tribulations in this life, the difference between us that know Christ and live in him and those that do not know him is that he is with us in our problems and trials and he keeps us standing and empower us to deal with whatever life deals us.
Others view salvation as life after death insurance and that we are separated from God and his blessings and that we will only receive these blessings in the next life. By believing this we rob ourselves from the joy of knowing Christ and from what God has in store for us in this life.
But Paul answers this too when he in verse 21 move from the general to the specific when he reminds us that what we were like before we experienced peace with God. He says: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour.” It means we were actively hostile to God and our minds were at war with God. Paul says this also in Romans 8:6 when he says: “the mind of the sinful man is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”
But Paul does not dwell on this separation from God because despite these negative traits God took the initiative and extended his grace to us all when he says in v.22: “ But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” Notice it was Christ’s physical body that reconciled us . The false teachers in Colosse denied Jesus had a real human body. The NT makes it clear that Jesus was both God and man and the apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:24 that “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you are healed.”
God is in the business of changing lives and we are changed with the opening of our hearts to Christ and receiving him as Lord. But this process is headed for a specific goal which according to Paul is to present us holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. That is God’s goal and he intends accomplishing this.
Important to note the word says he reconciles us now- not he will reconcile us, or wait for us to be in heaven to reconcile us- he does it right here and now where we are in this temporal material world with all its trials and tribulations. God’s presence is with us now in the midst of this life and can and will know the glorious abundance of his blessings right here. Through his death our brokenness and hurt are set aside, if we come in faith to him he delivers us and our inner attitude changes when we accept his offering of himself. Our relationship with God changes from hostile to love and we come into loving fellowship with him.
We have earthly communion with our heavenly Father and I believe we will see God’s glory in an even greater way in Heaven.
Paul emphasises our holy standing before God because of this reconciliation and refutes the theory of the false teachers. Paul emphasises that we do not seek any other way of reconciling with God because through Christ we are made holy in God’s sight, we are without any blemishes and we are free from any accusations. We are set free to live the life that God has in store for us and to worship him with freedom and joy.
The reality of us being reconciled here and now in this life to God is proven to us by the life of Paul himself. He suffered, he was in prison when he wrote this letter where he was repeatedly beaten and top of all this he had a ailment or thorn in his flesh that constantly bothered him.
But he was blessed, he was able to speak of a Saviour that heals , he was able to speak of a peace that passes all understanding, he was able to persevere against all odds and he was able to keep walking into trouble for the Glory of God.
Paul’s suffering was a living example of the presence of God’s salvation and reconciliation in this world. Through his suffering people saw strength and knew that that strength came from God.
I want to finish off by looking at verse 23 which says: “ If you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel……The “if” clause does not mean that a believer can lose his salvation if he fails to “continue in the faith.” This can therefore be translated, “if indeed you continue in the faith, and I believe that you are doing so. Paul is using the architectural image when he says, “established and firm, not moved…” Just as a house, firmly set on the foundation will not move, so too, if you are truly saved and built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, then you will continue in your faith. It is the continuing that is the proof of reality.
Many people start out the Christian life, filled with joy because they have found a new sensation, but it does not last. Somewhere along the line it fades and finally they set it aside and go back to the way they were once before. This is a sign that there never was a real faith at the beginning. That does not mean that our faith cannot waver or get wobbly at times- it happens to all of us- yes it grows dim sometimes but true faith never ceases. As people of faith we never give up the realisation that God has changed us and in us remain the new attitude and new life imparted. We continue to hold fast to the thought and belief that Christ is in us the hope of glory. We continue to know and belief that we could never have this new power, new source of energy, comfort and strength in our life if Jesus did not donne what he did. As Christians we know that when we continue in faith and we are being conformed to the image of Christ.
So the question today is have you begun the process of change in your life by accepting the work Jesus did on the cross for each one of us? Have you allowed him to transform your inner being and bring peace to you?
Do you live your life as one reconciled to God through the work of Jesus- do you strive to live a life holy, free from blemishes and accusations or do you allow the evil one and the forces of this world to make you think that Jesus is unable to set you free from guilt and shame? Are you firmly rooted in Christ so that when life deals you trials and tribulations you know that Christ is in it with you and that these things do not separate us from God or make us doubt whether there is a God?
Jesus puts it this way in Matt 7:24 and 26 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock… but everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put it into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”
Amen.