Colossians 1:12 – 17 Peel grace Baptist Church 30 July
What joy there was when the apostle Paul learned from Epaphroditus v7 of their faith in Christ Jesus, of their love for all the saints and of their hope laid up in heaven. This led to him praying for them, v9 asking that they may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. It is then that Christians are enabled to walk worthy of the Lord, this includes fruitful good works, v11 strength onto all patience and long-suffering. Note carefully the words "with joyfulness." A greater understanding of the knowledge of God, which we gain by studying and understanding his word, leads to joyfulness. Understanding more of his grace, mercy and power we learn of how he is working out his purpose in the world. True joy is not dependent upon the events that are happening in your life, but on knowing the will of God and experiencing his power. Fruitfulness in good works, growing in the knowledge of God, and strength to endure difficulties will all be with joyfulness. How is that possible? It is because you know that God is working out his purpose, you know something of his glorious power and you know that you can trust him. Writing to the saints at Philipi the apostle said, Phil 4:11-13 "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." When he had been given 2 Cor 12:7 “a thorn in the flesh” which he described as “the messenger of Satan to buffet me,” he had pleaded with the Lord to deliver him from it, but instead of deliverance he was told v9 "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." This is not some form of dry stoicism. This is a confidence that our God is powerful and is working out his purpose. Here in his letter to the Colossians Paul immediately details the power of God in salvation.
1. Giving thanks onto the Father.
Scripture is very clear that our sin, our rebellion in Adam, our rebellion in our daily lives, is not something which caught God unawares. Eph 1:4 explains “he hath chosen us in him [the Lord Jesus Christ] before the foundation of the world.” This great plan was no last-minute reaction to a disaster. God planned it in his eternal decree that a saviour would be provided, and at what cost. We see something of the grace and mercy of the Lord after Adam and Eve sinned. They experienced guilt and loss of fellowship with the Lord. It was the Lord who called to Adam, it was the Lord who provided them with the covering of animal skins, it was the Lord who gave them the gracious promise that the seed of the woman would win the victory over Satan. 
Look again at our text, Paul says here giving thanks onto the Father. This is very special. If you are one of the v2 faithful brethren in Christ, then you can come and give thanks onto the Father. In v3 God is described as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The gracious privilege of the gospel however is of adoption. Eph 1:5 goes on to say “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”  We who are in Christ can say with confidence "our Father which art in heaven." How thankful we should be unto God our Father for his grace and mercy.
Jesus, the day after feeding a multitude with five loaves and two fish, was asked to give a sign, they were thinking of how in the wilderness bread from heaven had been given. Jesus told them Jn 6:32 "Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my father giveth you the true bread from heaven, 33for the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven and giveth life onto the world." He went on to explain that he came with a definite success before him for we read Jn 6:37 "all that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and he that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." 
2. Delivered from the power of darkness
The power of darkness is very real. Generally, darkness means the absence of light, but here note that this is powerful darkness. This is not merely the absence of light, it is a hatred for light. "Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil." There is a power at work here. When he testified before King Agrippa of his conversion on the road to Damascus Paul explained Acts 26:16 that he was commissioned to be a minister and a witness to the Gentils, v18 that was called to "open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." In Adam we are not neutral, we are sinners, rebels against the God of glory. There is a spiritual battle raging, where do you think the evil imaginations of men's hearts come from? Why do you think that there is such a fierce attack on God's creative order of male and female, of marriage being of one man and one woman? Why have nations so often turned to death as the answer to the problems of life? This was spoken of in Leviticus where the Israelites were sternly warned not to sacrifice their children. Lev 20:2 “Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.” Deu 12:31 “Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.” The power of this darkness is real and is attractive to the natural man. Getting drunk, or these days, intoxicated with drugs, seems so cool to many. There is a pleasure in it, but the pleasure of sin only endures for a season. The night of partying becomes the hangover of the morning after. The drugs become addictive, or they alter the way that you think. Prov 13:15 "The way of the transgressors is hard." We, in ourselves are hopeless slaves of sin. But this is the wonderful news of the gospel, the Father in grace and mercy has made us “meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints” in Christ, he has delivered us from the power of darkness. No matter what you have done, if you cry onto the Lord in repentance and faith you will be forgiven, you will be taken from darkness into light.
3. Translated into the kingdom of his dear son.
What a contrast, from the power of Satan and slavery to sin, out of darkness and into the light. This is not a change brought about by a lifelong struggle as you seek to do enough good things, as you try to restrain the bad or to do works of penance. No, this is the sovereign work of God, this is being born again of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said to Nicodemas, “Ye must be born again.” 
From darkness into The kingdom of his dear son, his beloved son. This speaks to us of that realm where Christ is King. 
John MacArthur says "this everlasting kingdom speaks of the realm of salvation in which all believers live a current and eternal relationship with God under the care and authority of Jesus Christ."
Standing before Pilate, Jesus said "my kingdom is not of this world else would my servants fight." His kingdom is spiritual, in Col 1:18 we read “[Christ] is the head of the body, the church.” Have you bowed before Jesus? 
His dear son, his beloved son, is the one v14 “in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." We are not saved by the babe lying in the manger, we are not saved by the blood flowing through his veins, it was as he was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, as his body was pierced. It is his shed blood that redeems, that pays the debt built up by our sin and sets us free.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. Men down through history have rebelled. Rm 1:22-25  “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” look to Jesus and you will see clearly what God is like.
Those who deny the deity, the eternal sonship of Christ, try to use verse 15 to prove their point, but they are ignoring the context. He is the creator of all things and they were created for his glory. He was the creator, not part of creation. He is the only begotten of the father, his sonship is of eternal generation. He is described as the firstborn because he is pre-eminent, he is above all. And yet it is he that took on him the form of a servant and became a man so that he could die on that cross to save his people from their sins. His blood was shed, his body was buried but he did not remain in the tomb. He rose in triumph on the third day. This is our glorious saviour. He who has the power to set us free from slavery of sin and to give us new life has the power to enable us to grow in the knowledge of God, to walk worthy of our call and to have strength to endure, to go forward with patience and long-suffering. To do all of this with joy. Hearts which are full of faith in Christ, love for the brethren and with hope laid up in heaven are joyful. We are not looking to our own strength but looking onto Jesus.