Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. It can't be clearer than that, can it? We are. to be characterized by thankfulness.
Welcome to The Verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe.
Sometimes we get so busy that we forget to be thankful. But being thankful is more than just manners or grace before a meal. Today, on the verdict, we're continuing in Colossians and remembering what God has accomplished through our Lord Jesus Christ. and why we should always give thanks with great joy.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with today's message. In the church at Colosse, there were some challenges with false doctrine. I find it very encouraging. That before Paul deals with the doctrinal error, He magnifies our Lord Jesus Christ. As we see in chapter 1, verses 12, 13, and 14.
In the preceding verses, he has explained what it means to live a life which pleases God. And that includes being thankful. Are you a thankful person? We encourage little children to say thanks when they receive something. Do you approach each day with a spirit of thankfulness?
Do you take the time to pause to consider your blessings and to remember the good God who creates and provides all things?
So listen.
so that our thankfulness can be deepened. And in this way, we will please our Heavenly Father. Let me ask you that to open your Bible to Colossians chapter 1. as we continue our study. in this wonderful letter of only four chapters.
And we're only going to be looking at three verses, so we're going fairly slowly. But these are three wonderful Versus your turning there. Let me remind you of the story in the Gospels regarding in Luke chapter 17. where there are ten lepers. And these ten lepers ask Jesus.
to have mercy on them. And he says to them, Go and show yourselves to the priests. And so they go and they're cleansed from their leprosy.
However, The gospel record records that only one of them, one of the ten, turns back. And praises God. and falls on his face. At Jesus' feet. That seems surprising, isn't it?
Ten lepers, all of whom are cured, they're cleansed. And of the ten, there's only one. who goes back to Jesus and worships him and thanks him. Dr. Luke, as he writes, says now he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? The others, presumably, were Jewish. And here is a foreigner, the man that you would expect at least.
He's the only one who comes back. And praises God and says thank you. Lord. Ten are cured. Yet, only one goes back to Jesus.
Praises God. and give thanks. If we're honest, we often have to admit that we're like the nine lepers. We receive the blessings of God. We receive spiritual cleansing from Jesus.
But we often do not say thank you. Lord. From the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, we know that the people of God are to be characterized by thankfulness. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love. For his wondrous works to the children of man, and let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and tell of his deeds in songs of joy.
Psalm 107, verses 21 and 22. And then Psalm 79, 13. But we, your people, The sheep of your pasture will give thanks to you forever. From generation to generation, we will recount Your praise. One generation to the other, having this in common, whether young or old.
Whether a grandfather or a grandson, all of us are going to give thanks to you, is the point. of the psalm. And this emphasis on being thankful Which let's face it. doesn't characterize our society. We are click.
to ask, quick to insist on our rights. Quick to have a sense of entitlement, but often slow to give thanks. Colossians three verses Fifteen and following. And let the peace of Christ, Paul says, rule in your hearts. to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. It can't be clearer than that, can it? We are to be characterized By thankfulness. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, give thanks.
In all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. We often ask, what's God's will? We want to do God's will. Here it is that we give. Thanks.
And a good test of our spiritual maturity is whether or not we are thankful. We teach children to say Thank you. I'm trying to teach my little Grandson, not yet two years old, when he gets something, and already he's being spoiled by his grandmother, that when he gets something, He can say Thanks. But you know What is perhaps cute in a two-year-old is not so cute when we're 12, or 22, or 32, or 42. or eighty two.
or that we would be thankful. Famous preacher Alexander White was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. And he always found something. For which to be grateful. One Sunday morning, the weather was so gloomy.
That one church member thought to himself, certainly the preacher won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this. Much to his surprise, Alexander White, as he got in the pulpit, began his prayer by saying, We thank you, O God. that it's not always like this. There is always something, isn't there? to give thanks.
Have you been thankful? This past week The title of This message is thank you. Lord. In our passage this evening, Colossians 1 verses 12, 13 and 14, Paul gives three magnificent reasons, at least three. for giving thanks.
With joy. I believe the expression with joy at the end of verse 11 better goes with giving. Thanks. We studied verses 9, 10, and 11 and learned what kind of life pleases God. When we're filled with the knowledge of his will, verse 9.
We learned that a life that pleases God bears fruit in every good work. Colossians 1, verse 9. A life that pleases God increases in the knowledge of God. Verse 10. A life that pleases God is strengthened with divine power, verse 11.
Now we'll discover that a life which pleases God also gives thanks. With joy. Do you get that? This participle, beginning verse twelve, giving thanks. is connected grammatically to the main verb in verse 10.
to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. If you're living the Christian life, Correctly. If you are filled with the knowledge of his will. If you're pleasing God, one of the things that will characterize us is that we give thanks. With joy.
Now I confess that sometimes I find that rather easy, and sometimes I find it very, very difficult. And at other times Perhaps I don't even think of it at all. But we're going to read. The importance of being thankful. An attitude of thanksgiving is essential.
as we seek to fully please the Lord. I know life is tough. I know each of us could take a sheet. And write down all of the things that's wrong with our life, all of the problems, all of the difficulties, all of the hardships, all of the things that come into our life and the trials and tribulations and disappointments and sufferings of life. All of us could do that.
But as a people of God, We are to give thanks. We're going to look up. And we're going to see that there are Three wonderful things at least. in these verses for which We give. Thanks.
Now we're going to concentrate on verses 12, 13, and 14, but for the sake of connection, let's start reading again in Colossians 1. Verse nine. Paul writes, and so from the day we heard We have not ceased to pray for you. Asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will. In all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
So, as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. fully pleasing to him. Bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power. According to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience.
With joy giving thanks to the Father. Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light? He has delivered us. From the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom. We have redemption.
The forgiveness of of sense. Doesn't Paul write brilliantly? Thanks so much. And so few words. We will see then That we are to thank God the Father.
Or we'll put it in the way of an imperative, a command: thank God the Father. for your inheritance. For your deliverance. and for your transfer. To use the words here.
First of all, verse 12: Thank God the Father. For your inheritance. Verse twelve again, with joy, giving thanks to the Father. who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Now as we read verses twelve, thirteen and fourteen It's very clear, even if you know your Old Testament fairly superficially, that Paul is using Old Testament imagery. Borrowed from the deliverance of the children of Israel from the slavery of Egypt. to the land of Canaan. the promised land. Let's see that.
For example, go back with me to Exodus. The second book in the Bible, Exodus 6. Six. I said this morning that an understanding of Daniel helps us to understand the book of Revelation, but that's true of all scripture, isn't it? An understanding of the Old Testament helps us to understand the New.
Paul and the New Testament writers were steeped in the Old Testament, the language, the images, and the theology. And they bring that, of course. in the writings in the New Testament. Exodus six verse six. Say therefore to the people of Israel, I am the Lord.
And I will bring you out. Notice it? I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you. from slavery to them. And I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.
I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land. Here's the inheritance. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
I will give it to you for a possession. I am. The Lord. As you read these verses, you see how some of them are taken and adopted and borrowed by Paul in Colossians.
Now, the book of Joshua. Joshua chapter Thirteen. We'll see the concept of the inheritance because after redeeming. His people from Egyptian slavery. The Lord gave his people an inheritance in that land, an earthly inheritance.
For example, Joshua 13. There's Fifteen. And Moses Gave an inheritance. That's her word. that we have in Colossians 1, verse 12.
Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben. Verse 24, Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of Gad. Verse thirty-two. These are the inheritance that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. But to the tribe of Levi, Moses gave no inheritance.
The Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said. to them. God delivers them. From Egypt, he redeems them. He takes them out of slavery.
But furthermore, He gives them an inheritance, actual land in the promised land, the land flowing with milk. and honey.
Now go back to Colossians. And look again at verse twelve. Paul is saying here That we are to thank God the Father for for our inheritance. Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Notice, it is our Father who has qualified us.
He has authorized us. He has made us fit to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. This is. The hope Laid up for us in heaven. We saw that in verse 5.
Because of the hope. laid up for you. Yeah. Heaven that we have All of God's grace, it's God who has qualified us. We didn't qualify ourselves, it's all of God's grace.
We have an inheritance in heaven. Peter in 1 Peter 1, verse 4 describes it as an inheritance that is imperishable. Undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you. It is already our inheritance. It will never ever be lost.
Isn't it wonderful to know? That if we're saved by God's grace, that we have an inheritance. In heaven. When I practiced law, it was always amazing as people would come and make make their wills or when someone died. The relatives wanted to know if they were there.
We used to say, where there's a will, there's a relative. And The fact is that earthly inheritances sometimes are lost. Perhaps That's been true in your family. An individual you thought Made a will. bequeathing land or possessions to you on his or her death.
It's not that you wish the death of the person, of course not. But When they die, you think? I'm going to get this inheritance. I'm going to get this land. I'm going to get this house.
I'm going to get these stocks and shares or whatever. But when the person dies, the testator dies, the possessions may be worthless. Have you ever been left anything that was worthless? In our last church, someone left us land, and I thought that's wonderful. These kind people bequeathing land to the church.
But we found it was really a hole. There was liability in case people fell into it, and we realized that we had been left something that was utterly worthless. And sometimes that happens. Or A person leaves something in a will to you, But then he or she changes their minds. And you no longer get the inheritance, it goes to someone else.
That can happen, can't it? That will never ever happened to this inheritance. The father Has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in life. And for that, we give. Thanks.
This inheritance Is totally a gift accomplished through the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are, says Paul, saints in life. What a wonderful description. The light of God has already shone on us. In the future, we will enter into the fullness of that inheritance.
It is already there. It's imperishable. It's unfading. It's undefiled. It's reserved in heaven for us.
It's absolutely guaranteed by God Himself. And one glorious day, You and I will enter into the fullness of that inheritance. And through the work of Jesus Christ. That we are qualified to share in that inheritance. Therefore, for that, we thank you, God our Father.
For this. inheritance. But there's something else we need to thank God the Father for. Verse thirteen. We thank him.
For the inheritance, but verse 13, he has delivered us. from the domain of Darkness. Not only do we thank God the Father for our inheritance, we thank God the Father for our deliverance. By nature we don't belong. To the light, do we?
To the darkness. All of us are aware of that dark side to us. We're born spiritually blind. Jesus said that we love the dark rather than light because their deeds are evil. We like to operate in the shadows.
We like to have our secrets. We like to cover up things. That's human nature apart from the grace of God and the light of God. Remember Our Lord said to Nicodemus in John chapter 3. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
We can't even see the kingdom, far less enter it. By ourselves, we need the spiritual rebirth, we need the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. And Paul is saying: not only are we in the darkness, But he says verse 13, he has delivered us from the domain of darkness. That is from the dominion, the power, the authority, the jurisdiction of darkness. By nature, we're held captive by the prince of darkness in bondage to sin.
Addicted to sin, addicted to evil. And the darkness grips us. It's not just that we're in the dark, the fact is, by ourselves, we can't get out of the darkness. But our Heavenly Father, has planned From all of eternity, he rescued mission. And how does he do that?
In love. He sends his son. The light of the world. to deliver us. To rescue us from the domain of darkness, out of.
The domain of darkness. Paul writes, for God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 6. Once we were blind, Ah, but now We see. We are now In the light.
We now have a share in the inheritance of the saints in light. We have been delivered out of the Greek word ek out of The domain of darkness. We were once in this dark hole, dark prison. And Jesus Christ has come into our darkness. as it comes into this world.
He who is the light. He who is perfect, and through his death, Through his glorious resurrection, as he conquers the darkness, as he conquers sin and Satan and death, and delivers us out of the domain. of darkness. Did you get that? Do you remember?
when you were first delivered From your spiritual darkness. When we're saved by the grace of God. And regenerated by the Spirit of God. We have different eyes. We see things differently.
Why is that? Delivered out of the power, out of the domain of darkness. By Christ himself. And once that happens, We see things that we never saw. before.
Delivered out of the darkness by the light of the world. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. This is the verdict featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Are you giving thanks to God? I know your life is not perfect, but this past week, have you been giving thanks? Perhaps you can't be thankful for your salvation. because you're not yet saved.
Before God Will you acknowledge your sin today? and look to Jesus as your Savior. He died on the cross for your sins. And rose from the dead. He's alive.
And he offers us and offers you new life. Trust him. And join me next time as we continue this vital subject of being thankful. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies.
Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
