June 25, 2006

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

Blessings Jesus Brings

 

Introduction

 

Jesus explained his parable about the shepherd and the sheep by saying, “All that came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door, by me if any man enters in, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture.  The thief comes not, but to steal, kill and to destroy.  I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.”  (John 10:8-11.)

 

Peter preached in Jerusalem: “You are the children of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the earth be blessed.  Unto you first, God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away everyone from his iniquities.”  (Acts 3:25-26.)

 

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”  (John 3:17.)  This is one of the most significant statements about Jesus and what he came to do.  He did not come to condemn the world.  Recently on a television broadcast, a reporter asked how Christianity views other world religions.  A Jewish rabbi was sitting next to the reporter.  Does Christ condemn Jews?  Is Jesus opposed to Buddhists, Muslims, etc.?  We should remember that the world, the whole world, was lost in sin before Jesus came.  He did not come to condemn, but to bless the world.  The reporter asked the wrong question and showed a misunderstanding of our Lord and His Gospel.

 

 

Those who reject Jesus Christ do not understand who it is that they are rejecting.  Jesus told the woman at the well, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water.”  (John 4:10.)  Some speak of Jesus as if he is on the same low level as the Buddha, Hira Krishna, Muhammad, or Moses.  I heard a Jewish scholar at VCU speak of “the Christian’s Jesus” tauntingly and mockingly.  They fail to understand that Jesus was God living among men.  (Matt. 1:23.)  Jesus created the world and all of us.  He has given to us the blessings that physical life and existence brings.  (Col. 1:15-16.)  In addition, Jesus gives to us the blessings of redemption.  Peter was right when he wrote, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these you might be partakers of divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”  (2 Peter 1:3-4.)

 

The blessings which Jesus brings to mankind are innumerable.  Joseph and I will speak today on “Blessings Jesus Brings,” especially as seen through Paul’s Colossian letter.  I will present some specific blessings and Joseph will present the larger picture of how Jesus blesses mankind.

 

Here are some of those blessings enumerated by Paul to the Colossian Christians.

 

Forgiveness

 

“(God) hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”  (Col. 1:13-14.)

 

One of the first things that we think about when we contemplate the blessings that Jesus brings is forgiveness of sins.  Spiritually, that is what we are concerned about.  Sin is the big enemy of mankind.  It is so destructive physically, socially, spiritually and eternally.  Forgiveness is a word with which everyone can identify; we know what it means. It has a practical human application.  Knowing our own need for it, we must freely forgive others.  In fact, our forgiveness from God is directly connected to our willingness to forgive others.  (Matt. 6:14-15.)

 

There is only one who can remedy the problem of sin.  Jesus, being without sin, is the only satisfactory sacrifice for sin.  We have redemption through his blood.  (1:14.)  If there were many ways in which we might become free of the guilt and destruction of sin, we would not speak so often of the role of Jesus Christ.  But since he is the only way we may have forgiveness, then that one way becomes precious and meaningful.  We have learned that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin.  (Heb. 10:4.)  Jews, who remain committed to the Old Testament and reject Jesus Christ for their atonement, find themselves in a difficulty.  What is their atonement for sin?  The good works and obedience that they offer to God?  If these could atone for sin, then it was unnecessary for Jesus to die on the cross.

 

In speaking of the spiritual circumcision of Christ, Paul wrote: “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.”  (Col. 2:12-13.)

 

Forgiveness should not be thought of as God grudgingly parceling out forgiveness one piece at a time.  But in Christ, there is a blessed man to whom the Lord does not impute sin.  (Rom. 4:8.)  Jesus took our place and by one sacrifice removed our transgressions.  In Christ, we have security and hope.  The Hebrew writer said: “The worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.”  (Heb. 10:2.)  And, “by one sacrifice he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”  (Heb. 10:14.)  The Psalmist said that God has put away our sins “as far as the east is from the west.”  (Psalm 103:12.)

 

Peace

 

“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they are things in earth or things in heaven.  And you who were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.”  (Col. 1:20-21.)  To the Ephesians, Paul likewise wrote: “And that he (Jesus) might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby and came and preached peace to you which were afar off and to them which are nigh.”  (Eph. 2:16-17.)  “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Rom. 5:1.)  The angels sang at Jesus’ birth: “Glory to God in the Highest, on earth peace and goodwill toward men.”  (Luke 2:14.)

 

One of the great blessings that Jesus brings is peace with God, with whom we were alienated due to sin.  Sin sets us at enmity against God.  James wrote: “You adulterers and adulteresses know you not that friendship with the world is enmity with God?  Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”  (James 4:4.)  The Psalmist wrote, “God is angry with the wicked everyday.”  (Psalm 7:11.) 

 

When sin was removed by the sacrifice of Christ, the enmity was likewise removed.  Now we can have peace with God.  One of the great by-products of peace with God is peace within and with others.  It brings peace between Jew and Gentile.  The peace that Jesus brings is a greater peace than the world can ever know.  Jesus said that he would leave his peace with us.  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you.  Not as the world gives, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  (John 14:27.)

 

Peace is the result of right-standing with God.  As long as men are out of harmony with God, they will be at variance with others and have turmoil inside.  World leaders speak of peace often, but larger armies cannot enforce it or produce it.  World peace is an illusion; it never has existed.

 

Hope

 

Paul mentioned hope several times in this short letter.  Faith, hope and love are the trinity of Christian traits.  Faith and love are given more time and space in Scripture, but hope is just as important.

 

“We give thanks to God . . . for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel which is come unto you, as it is in all the world.”  (Col. 1:5.)

 

“If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which you have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I Paul am made a minister.”  (Col. 1:23.)

 

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:27.)

 

Hope is encouraging and powerful.  Sometimes, hope itself saves us because despair is self-defeating.  Without hope in life, man gives up and perishes.  Abraham “against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations.”  (Rom. 4:18.)  But we need to be clear; we do not have faith in faith, or hope in hope alone.  We have hope because of Jesus Christ.  Christ in you is your hope of glory, according the Scriptures.  The Gospel gives us a solid foundation for our hope.

 

Hope that is seen is not hope.  (Rom. 8:24.)  Our hope will be fulfilled in the future.  But our hope is not based upon what we wish and fanciful desires.  It is based upon the life and work of Jesus Christ.  The lack of confidence of Christians can be traced to the world’s definition of faith.  To them, it is so subjective and personal that there is no real hope that can come from it.  Our hope is laid up for us in heaven by the work of Jesus Christ.  If our trust is in him, we have a well-grounded hope.

 

Complete in Christ

 

The writer sums up our blessings from Christ by saying that we are complete in Him.  “Whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; whereunto I also labor.”  (Col. 1:28.)  “For in him dwells the fullness of the godhead bodily.  And you are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.”  (Col. 2:9-10.)

 

There is nothing lacking for the one who is in Christ.  He is complete.  We live our lives as a story that is told.  But our life’s story is incomplete alone.  What makes it complete is that the believer trusts in Jesus Christ.  His story removes the sinfulness of our lives and perfects us.  The work will be finished in glory.  We will be raised incorruptible and our spirits will be perfected.  (Heb. 12:23.)