Today, on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. The power of Satan, the power of evil, has been broken in your life. That is the power. That is the triumph of the cross of Christ. Today, celebrate the triumph of the cross.
This is the verdict: the Bible teaching ministry of Pastor John Monroe. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been offered life. A life of spiritual victory and freedom. Are you aware of this victory? And are you experiencing this freedom?
Today, we're rediscovering the triumph of the cross as we go deeper in our study of Colossians.
So let's join Pastor John Monroe for today's message. I trust you're finding our study of the book of Colossians to be helpful. As we look closer at what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. False teaching was infiltrating the church at Colossi.
So Paul is taking a strong stand against it. The false teaching De-emphasized the sufficiency and preeminence of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul's answer? It is to present the magnificence of the all-sufficient Christ.
Now, chapters 2, verses 13 through 15, describe the triumph. of the cross. Here is a wonder of what Christ accomplishes through his death, burial, and resurrection. I know you'll be encouraged and challenged as we meditate at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ. Let's open our Bibles to Colossians chapter 2 as we're making our way through this little book, only four chapters.
And we're going to look at Colossians 2 this evening. Verses thirteen, fourteen and 15. Says Paul, and you who are dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made us Alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses. by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him, that is, in him. Christ. First of all, as we look at the end of verse 13, we see that all of our trespasses, our trespasses are totally forgiven. Having forgiven us, says Paul, all our trespasses. There is then this barrier of our trespasses between us and God.
Paul doesn't paint a very flattering picture. of men and women without Christ. Spiritually speaking, it's not just that we are sick. It's not just that we are weak, we are dead. In our trespasses.
Left to ourselves, we are unable to know God. Left to ourselves, we are unable to communicate with God. We're spiritually lost and we need to be found. We're spiritually blind and we need to see. We're spiritually diseased and need to be healed.
We are spiritually enslaved and need to be freed. We're spiritually dead and need new life. And if we're spiritually dead, As Paul is saying here, you were dead in your trespasses, the beginning of verse 13. If we're spiritually dead, what we fundamentally need is not reformation of character. Not improvement of our education or attitudes, not of getting in touch with our true feelings, not even adjusting our behavior.
If we're dead, we need regeneration, we need new life, the very life of God. in their souls And that is the wonder of the gospel of the grace of God: that although we are dead, In our trespasses, dead in our transgressions, God made us alive.
Now how does he do this? If we're dead in our trespasses, how does God make us alive? Through the triumph of the cross of Christ. Paul is saying, there is total forgiveness of our trespasses. Verse 13, having forgiven us all.
All our trespasses. God made us alive together with Him, having forgiven us our trespasses. This word, forgiveness, has grace at its root. God's forgiveness of you, as we thought this morning, is an act of grace. We don't deserve it.
Paul writes. In Ephesians 1, verses 7 and 8, in him that is in Christ We have redemption through His blood. The forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. God in His grace, God in His love. Offers us total forgiveness of all, not just some, all of our trespasses.
That's amazing. Grace. Where do we receive this forgiveness? How can we receive this forgiveness? Just think back and some of the terrible things you've done in your life.
How can you be forgiven? It is at the cross. of Christ. Although forgiveness comes to us freely, we can't buy it, we can't work for it, it comes at the infinite cost of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the triumph of the cross of Christ, this immense barrier between us and the Holy God, our trespasses, our sins, our transgressions, that barrier is now demolished through the power, through the triumph of the cross.
Have you personally receive this total Forgiveness. of all your trespasses? Are you aforgiven? Person? You're still struggling with the guilt?
The shame of your past. At the cross of Christ. Paul is saying He made us alive together with Him. having forgiven us all Our Trespasses. In the triumph of the cross, your trespasses may be totally forgiven as you place your trust in Christ and in Christ alone.
for salvation.
So first of all, our trespasses are totally forgiven. Verse 14, our debt is completely cancelled. Verse 14, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with his legal demands, this he set aside, nailing it to the cross. There's a barrier. Here's another barrier.
The record of debt which is against us. Paul uses here a term from commercial from mercantile law. When you borrow money, a certificate of debt, a bond is drawn up. The bond states the amount of money you are due and the terms on which it must be repaid. It stands as a legal debt against you.
It's an I owe you, as it were. This is the picture. that Paul is saying. A tremendous debt has been accrued against us, which we can't eradicate. Spiritually speaking, we are bankrupt.
And this expression in verse 14, the record of death. May refer to a holograph document that is a document written by our own hand, an IOU, which we ourselves have signed. There is, as it were, a signed acknowledgement of our indebtedness before God.
Now we have to face the reality that it is impossible that we can discharge, that we can pay off the debt. There is a legal demand against us. There is a record of debt, and it is hostile to us. It's a barrier between us and God. How is it going to be cancelled?
Through the triumph of the cross. The debt is completely cancelled. Paul says here, look at verse 14 again. He has set aside the debt. How wonderful.
He has cancelled it. Not only has he cancelled the debt, he has completely destroyed the document, the record on which the debt was recorded.
Now there is no record. that there ever was such a debt in the first place. You're dead. Which once stood against you, perhaps which even worried you, has been completely cancelled, wiped out, the record of debt destroyed. The record which detailed all of your sins has been destroyed by it being nailed to the cross of Christ.
That invoice has gone. It is no longer valid. The debt has been repaid. That's the picture. In the mystery of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he who knew no sin.
is made sin for us. All of the debt of our sin What happens to it? It's nailed to his cross. Says Paul here. By canceling the record of debt, it has been cancelled.
This Greek word cancelled is used in Revelation 21, verse 4, where John says he will wipe away every tear from their eyes. You get the picture? The record of your debt. Of sin is wiped away, it's blotted out, it's erased, it's cancelled. How?
Nailed to his cross. My sadden. Says Horatio Spafford, my sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross. And I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Oh, my soul. Do you know one of the most common problems That we who are pastors deal with. As people come to see us, you know what one of the most common problems is?
Guilt. Guilt. People are often guilty. about something that they did. 20, 30 years ago.
And the shame and the guilt. of that sin still haunts them. It wakes them up at night in a cold sweat that they did such and such. And there's no relief. What a terrible thing to go through life with that guilt and with that shame of a wrongdoing.
In the power of the cross, there is no need. That guilt. That shame, that wrongdoing, these trespasses, that record of debt is cancelled, it's wiped out, it's nailed to the cross. Just imagine. You were greeted at the door by the devil.
And the devil says to you, Oh, Jim, Jenny, Mark, Mary, put your name. I know you're a terrible sinner. I know your life. You've committed a lot of sins. And sure enough, On your chest is a piece of paper.
And as you look a at You realize that the devil knows Some of the worst things you've ever done. And you hurry and sit with your head down and You look at the piece of paper pinned on you. And there it lists some of your sins. Perhaps theft. Pride.
drunkenness, greed. Gossip. Lust. Adultery, lies, anger, vengeance, drug addiction, deceit, murder, whatever it is, they are there listed. You know the devil is right, that you have committed these sins, and you sit.
In your guilt and shame under the pile of your own debts and sins. And suddenly Jesus, the Christ, the Lord. When he comes to you, he takes that piece of paper from you and pins it on himself. Why? He is the Lamb of God who does what?
Who takes away. The sin. of the world. He said our sins. He sets our trespasses aside by nailing them to the cross in the triumph of the cross.
Verse 14, our debt. is completely cancelled. Our trespasses are totally forgiven. Our debt is completely cancelled. Verse 15, our enemy is decisively disarmed.
Verse 15. Paul isn't finished. He says that Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. Not only are the barriers of our trespasses and record of debt against us removed. The barrier of evil forces is against us.
Now while some people might laugh at the concept. The Bible teaches. very clearly that there is a personal Devil. Here, the expression in verse 15: the rulers and authorities are the satanic and demonic forces. They are implacabed to God.
to the people of God, and to anyone who wants to know God. Satan, a highly intelligent being created by God, is the prince of the power of the air. Paul warns us in Ephesians 6, verse 25. 12 against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. There is no doubt.
That evil is a reality not only in our world, but in our lives. And you know, as I do, so well, that by ourselves We can't defeat the enemy. There is no way that you can defeat these forces. They are too powerful, they're too subtle, they're too intelligent, they're too devious, too evil. But in the first book of the Bible, Genesis.
There is this wonderful promise that the seed of the woman, namely the Messiah, will one day crush the serpent's ugly head. Right in Genesis, after the fall. There is the promise of the ultimate defeat of evil and all its forces. He shall bruise you, the serpent, on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. On the cross of Christ, The Messiah's heel is bruised.
But the devil is crushed. and defeat it. In the triumph of the cross, Paul is saying here in verse 15, The satanic And demonic forces are disarmed. When our Saviour hung on the cross. The Satanic forces must have thought that they were victorious.
But as we know, through the triumph of his resurrection and his ascension, Our Savior triumphs over these forces and demonstrates that he is victorious. They are defeated. The picture here in verse 15 is of the weapons and the dignity of these evil forces being stripped off and made a public spectacle. putting them to public display. He's exposed them to ridicule, says Paul here, to open shame.
Our enemy is decisively disarmed, his power broken, stripped, and thrown away like old rags. John the Apostle says in 1 John 3, verse 8, That Christ came. to destroy The works of the devil. And this he does. in the triumph.
of the cross. He is destroying the works of the devil. The imagery here in verse 15 is of the Roman army commander returning to Rome to celebrate a great victory. Behind him is the defeated enemy, stripped of their weapons, in chains, humiliated. The superiority of Rome clearly demonstrated.
There is no question who is victorious. Here is the enemy, disarmed. Once strong seemingly, now weak, we are clearly the conquerors. On the cross of Christ. Which seemed and which continues to seem to the unbeliever.
Which seems the very instrument of shame and disgrace, has now triumphed.
So that the cross has become an instrument of power. and of glory and of honour. Our Saviour is triumphant. His resurrection and his ascension make the defeat of our enemy very, very evident. Six June.
nineteen forty four. That was D Day. What was D-Day? The Allied forces established a bridgehead. on the beach of Normandy.
That marked the turning point of the history of World War two. Once the Allied forces came ashore in Normandy, The ultimate defeat of Germany, our enemy, was certain. It is true, some time was to pass before victory was declared and the war ended, but D-Day was the decisive victory. When Christ triumphed on the cross, It was Satan's D-Day. It is true, our enemy Continues to fight in a desperate but ultimately futile.
Bado. Remember that. Remember that we're on the victory side. It's sad, isn't it, when we as Christians Live. as if we were still under the power Other enemy?
And someone says, as a Christian, well, that's just the way I am. This is how I behave. No, my brother, no, my sister. The triumph of the cross means that the power of sin The power of Satan, the power of evil has been broken in your life. That is the power.
That is the triumph of the cross of Christ. Today celebrates. The triumph of the cross. The guns and the ammunition, as it were, have been taken out of the hands of the evil rulers and authorities. The barrier of evil has been destroyed, it's been abolished, and we.
who follow in Christ. We are on the victory side. And there is no way. In heaven or on earth, or hell itself, that will stand against the triumph of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which in that great day will be demonstrated to everyone, including the enemies of Christ. That our Lord and Savior is King of kings and Lord.
of Lord's. That declaration of victory will happen When our Savior reigns as King of kings and Lord of Lords over the whole universe. But Satan is disarmed, he's disgraced, he's defeated. The sentence against him is passed. And one day He will be thrown.
into the lake of fire which has been prepared For the devil. And these angels. We sang as Martin Luther wrote, And though this world with devils filled Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us. The Prince of Darkness grim. We tremble not for him.
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure. One little word. Shofell him. Do you seek to live for the glory of God this week? And when taci temptations come, And the devil himself and all of his forces seek to discourage you and harass you and buffet you.
Take him to the cross of Christ. Where he is defeated. Where he has disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. Through the triumph of the cross of Christ, our enemy. is decisively disarmed.
And if you have placed your personal trust In Jesus Christ. as the one who died for your sins. And who rose again as the Son of God, your trespasses are all forgiven. The guilt, the shame, the disgrace of the past has gone and has gone forever, and don't allow your enemy to bring it before you. The record of that which was once again you is completely cancelled.
Nailed to the cross. Tonight, rejoice. In the triumph of our Savior on the cross. The power of sin. The power of Satan.
Yes, the power of death itself, with all of its fears, is broken in the life of the Christian. As Wesley writes, he breaks the power of cancelled sin. He sets the prisoner For you. What a freedom we have. As followers of Jesus Christ, when we understand that we're on the victory side.
Don't return to the old way of living. The old habits, the old shame, the old disgrace, don't go back to that life. Live a life of freedom. Live a life praising the Savior, keeping your eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of your faith. Live a life knowing that although you may be battered by the storms of life, and buffeted by Satan himself, rejoice in this.
through the triumph. of the cross. It is well. It is well. with our soul.
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. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Have you been to the cross of Christ? There is much about the cross that I do not understand, but I do know this. It was at the cross where I first saw the light. And the burden of my sin rolled away.
At the cross, There is forgiveness. for all of your sins. Our Lord Jesus has perfectly completed the work of salvation.
So make sure your trust. is in him. Join me next time as we see the dangers of a religion which does not have Christ at the center. 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.
