Sanctified by the Cross

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Made Alive

Made Alive 13 You who were dead, God made alive together with him, having forgiven all our trespasses, 14 by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14 Those who trust in Christ have been made alive in Christ. We go from death to life in our very nature. We don’t make ourselves alive; there is no way we could. We were dead, and dead people don’t do anything. God made us alive and brought us to life. Notice: Together with Him. Having believed in Christ we are buried with him in his death for our sins, and then we are raised to new life with Him when he rose victoriously over death, having defeated it. That old dead sinful disposition that went to our very core, the motives and nature that ended in death He raised, changed and made alive. Further he did this, Having forgiven all our trespasses . We are made alive in our very nature reversing the nature that...

Reading my Own Obituary

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him. Colossians 2:13 Can you imagine opening the paper and seeing your own obituary printed there? Startling and overwhelming would not be sufficient words. If your own shock wore off, you would then have to deal with the shock to your friends and the cards you would receive in the mail comforting you in light of your own demise. I do not intend to be insensitive here. I intend to help us see a very real truth in God’s Word. The Bible then comes along and writes our own obituary for us and prints it here and a few other places in the Scriptures (Eph 2:1, Rom 6). “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and sins” Are the Scriptures being intentionally offensive? This is getting personal now. Here is the point: You would resist the news of your death because we consider ourselves experts on our own aliven...

Why Didn’t Jesus Stop the Crucifixion?

38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself.” Matthew 27:38-42 I know Easter has past, but put yourself at the scene of the crucifixion as they add the two robbers up alongside Jesus. You know them and the heinousness of their crimes and you see the great contrast between the reason they are there and the reason that Jesus is there. Why is He up there? You wonder with the others, “He saved others, but why can’t he save himself? If he is truly the king of Israel, the Son of God then why doesn’t he come down?” If God really had his seal of approval on this Jesus - how could this happen to Him? If He ...

Fuel for the Fight

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. We talked about the fact that we are in a battle. This is a battle of rival claims on our heart and how to see the world. So how do we fight those rival claims? All of our hearts are hard wired to willingly and traitorously wave the white flag and give into sin. As Christians, we must fight against any way of thinking that does not depend on Christ. Paul writes this whole letter to help us fight against untrue and dangerous ways of seeing the world that tempt and lure us away from Jesus Christ. This world...

On Guard

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8 Many in our world today fear war. There is good reason to fear war. What is worse than looming war is to be in a war and not realize it. To not be prepared for war or battle means that war itself will overtake you and you have no way to defend your life against it. This, I fear, is the state many believers find themselves in spiritually speaking. They are in a war, unaware and epically losing. Paul in essence sounds the bomb raid siren. See to it, he says, watch out for, be on guard, look carefully, make sure of this, be settled and firm. That no one takes you captive or carries you off as plunder, spoil, treasure of their own triumph, winning you over to their side. See that no one carries you off as s...

Jesus in the Middle

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7 How do we battle what wars with Jesus for first place in our hearts? Continue as you began. Continue to live your lives in Christ. Continue to look to Christ and Christ alone for all of your spiritual needs. If Jesus is the only sufficient thing to cling to at the beginning of my Christian life, and Jesus is the only thing sufficient to cling to at the end of your Christian life, what do you cling to in the middle of it? This makes us consider another question. Who is Jesus (and the gospel) for? Generally we think the gospel is for those who have not believed. That’s not wrong necessarily. But it is wrong to think that it is only for unbelievers. The good news of Jesus saving me from my sin is for me as a believer every da...