[0:00] I'm going to take your Bibles one more time and open them, not your Bibles one more time, but open them one more time to Colossians 1.13.
[0:20] I had to correct myself because my wife always will when I get home. She'll say, do you know what you say up there? No, she doesn't say that. Well, sometimes.
[0:31] All right, Colossians 1.13. Well, actually, let's look at verse 12 to begin with. I don't know what it is about the air movement in this sanctuary. It always blows my Bible page over.
[0:52] Have you ever noticed that? I'm up here and all of a sudden just kind of goes over there. Well, you didn't need that. This is Paul's prayer, prayer for the Colossian believers, and he closes it with a point of worship, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
[1:17] That passage we looked at last Sunday night. For he rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
[1:34] All right. Now, Paul, of course, is reminding us of some of the blessings of our salvation. And he's reminding us of what we have as believers.
[1:48] On the basis of his grace, the grace of God. About which we ought to be constantly grateful.
[1:58] That's what he's doing. Giving thanks. And he mentions these things. And so each of these things that he mentions here at the close of the prayer and kind of a wad of them put together.
[2:14] Each of these is a point of worship. And I am calling it a passionate. A passionate, again, in the sense of just pure emotionalism.
[2:28] Though emotion comes into play. And if you can worship without emotion, then I doubt very seriously that whatever is taking place is true worship. But it is.
[2:39] It can be. Without being emotionalism, it can be a passionate. It ought to be a passionate. A passionate worship. Now, last Sunday night, we looked at passionate worship on the basis of our inheritance.
[2:51] The inheritance. And ultimately, I defined that inheritance or objectified the inheritance as God himself. Forever. In eternity.
[3:04] Tonight, we're going to look at passionate worship. And this will be the end of this series. Passionate worship on the basis of the deliverance. The deliverance.
[3:16] Or the rescue. And, in fact, that's the word in the New American Standard. The word in the King James is deliver. New American Standard says rescued from what?
[3:31] The domain of darkness. Rescued from the domain of darkness. And I'm saying that that is, and Paul is saying, That's a point of worship.
[3:42] That we have been rescued from the domain of darkness. And delivered or transferred or translated into the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[3:55] Let's dwell for a moment on this darkness thing. This domain of darkness. You know, every one of us, if we would admit it. And I think we probably would. We're all honest people here tonight.
[4:07] Right. We would all. Right. Amen. At least there's one among us. We would all admit that we have, to some degree, a fear of the darkness.
[4:20] I say to some degree. You know, some of us can handle it better than others. But we all have some of it there. And there's just something. Wouldn't you admit something about darkness that is unsettling to us?
[4:33] You know. And something that causes, darkness causes sometimes our imaginations to run amok. You know, you're lying there in the bed at night and something goes bump in the night.
[4:47] You know. And right off, you know, you're imagining all kinds of evil things or evil people that might be lurking in your home.
[4:58] Or maybe in your bedroom. Or maybe in your closet. Or maybe under the bed. You know, have you ever, you know, just, you don't have to answer, but ever thought maybe there was something or someone under your bed?
[5:10] You know. Afraid to look? I, we won't get into that tonight. You're not going to be honest with me anyway. Some of you are. I saw some heads shaking yes over here.
[5:22] But, you know, our imaginations just kind of run wild. And really, darkness can be a fearful thing. It really can be. And we usually associate darkness with bad things or evil.
[5:36] Something evil. And we come by that naturally. Actually, we come by that scripturally. Because in the Bible, the concept of darkness is almost always used in a metaphorical sense.
[5:47] And it is usually, though not always, but usually in the Bible, darkness represents evil. Okay? Okay? And that's the case here in Colossians chapter 1 verse 13.
[5:59] Because Paul calls it the domain of darkness. The domain of darkness. And he says that believers, as believers, as born-again believers, we have been rescued from it.
[6:14] Or delivered from this domain of darkness. Or in the King James, it's the power of darkness. Okay? Now, let's then focus, first of all, tonight on the darkness.
[6:27] I know that doesn't just send out all kinds of warm fuzzies for you to talk about darkness. We could possibly pick a more enjoyable subject. And I will go ahead and say on the front end that darkness is not Paul's subject here.
[6:42] It's not his focus. But I want us to deal with and recognize the darkness for what it really is. So that we can then fully appreciate what God, by his grace, has done about it.
[6:55] About the darkness. Okay? So, there are several points of truth that I want us to consider here tonight that spring from this text and other places in the Bible that we should consider about darkness.
[7:08] Okay? The first place, we should consider or acknowledge the fact that it is a person of darkness that Paul is referring to.
[7:20] A person of darkness. And so I want to call it the unruly prince of darkness. I mean, after all, he does use the terms domain of darkness or power of darkness.
[7:33] And so, and it's a person he is primarily referring to. And it is then the unruly prince of darkness.
[7:44] Paul uses that word domain for purpose. And, by the way, I think I would go ahead and say to you that I really prefer the word power here. That really is the primary idea behind this Greek word exousia.
[8:01] It's the power. And the authority that is associated with that or attached to that. It's not so much the domain, although it is a domain.
[8:11] But it is the authority, that power of darkness that Paul says, as believers, we've been rescued from. That's the point of worship.
[8:23] And we'll get to that at the close of the sermon. But the idea that I want you to get here is that this is not some force of darkness. Some thing. It is a person.
[8:35] A real person. A person of darkness. The unruly prince of darkness. And, of course, that person is who? Satan. Or we might use the name devil.
[8:49] The devil. Satan himself. And so it carries with it the idea of a tyrannical authority.
[9:01] But I would be quick to add, it is a delegated authority. Okay? We're not talking about absolute authority or freedom of authority. It is a delegated authority.
[9:12] That is the authority that the devil has over his demons and over this world system in which we live. And even over some people who live on this planet. It is an authority created or granted, rather, to the devil by God himself.
[9:29] We need to understand that. The devil does not have sovereignty in regard to his authority. He has a limited authority that never goes beyond the absolute authority of God.
[9:42] Now, that being the case, it does bring up the question, why would God allow him to have such authority? Well, that's a different sermon for another day. Alright, so the authority or the domain or let's use the word I prefer.
[10:02] And apparently the old King James people preferred it. The power of darkness points to a tyrannical, unruly authority operating in the realm of spiritual darkness.
[10:16] Alright? It's a person. When Jesus was with his disciples in the garden. And this was just before he was to be arrested and delivered into the hands of the authorities and crucified.
[10:28] He says this in Luke chapter 22. In fact, you might look at it if you're so inclined real quickly. Luke chapter 22, verse 53. He said, while I was with you.
[10:42] And he's speaking to the chief priests and officers of the temple and the elders, the Jewish elders. He says, while I was with you. Verse 53. Some of you are still finding it.
[10:56] While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour. Now that's kind of an expanded translation.
[11:11] This hour or this is your hour and the hour of the power of darkness. The power of darkness are yours. This hour and the power of darkness are yours.
[11:24] The authority, the domain of darkness is allowed to not only arrest me but to crucify me. This is your time. I've been walking among you and you have not taken me and you've not been able to.
[11:37] This is the implication. Think about how many times Jesus came near to arrest, near to stoning, near to death. And they were never able to lay hands on him.
[11:49] But he says, now this is your hour. And the hour of the power of darkness. It's a person. It's a tyrannical rule that rules over this darkness.
[12:02] Now, again, the power of darkness must be thought of as a person, created being, not some impersonal force.
[12:14] We do not believe in the theology of George Lucas. Who's he? Star Wars. Star Wars. We're not talking about the dark side of the force here.
[12:27] Okay? If I might just bring that in to your imaginations. Hopefully not carry away too far. Thinking of Darth Vader and some of those, you know.
[12:38] Anyway. We're talking about the devil. He's a real person. He's called the devil. He's called Satan. He's called Beelzebub. He's the evil one.
[12:49] He is the wicked one. But we must also understand that though he is a personality, he is not a man. He's not some superhuman man.
[13:02] He is superhuman, but he's not a man. He is not flesh and blood. Paul tells us that. We do not war against flesh and blood. He's not a man. He's superhuman.
[13:14] He's created being. A holy angel. Fallen angel. One of the archangels, I believe. And he is not a man. He's superhuman. He's bigger than a man.
[13:25] He's stronger than a man. He's stronger than any man in here. He is greater. With more power than any man. I think you ought to consider that about Satan.
[13:35] You're not going to fool him. Or somehow control him. Or somehow manipulate him. Or to trick him into anything. He is a superhuman being that God created.
[13:50] He created all the holy angels. The Bible speaks of him as the adversary. The adversary, your devil. The devil, rather.
[14:02] He's a roaring lion. And he walks about. Roams about. Seeking whom he may devour. He is not a man. And yet he is not divine either.
[14:17] He's not a little God. He's not a God at all. He's not divine. There's no deity in Satan. The Bible does refer to him as the God of this world.
[14:28] Though, however. Right? God with a little G. But that just simply speaks of how men respond to him in this world. When the Bible calls him the God of this world.
[14:39] It's a reference to how creations or men and women respond to him. Or worship him. Or give their allegiance to him. It's a reference really to his power in this world.
[14:52] But he is not a God. He's not a deity. We do not have two gods. Here. And you just pick which one you want to be your God.
[15:03] The Bible says that he is the accuser of the brethren. We could go on and on in scripture and identify this person. This person called Satan. Called the devil.
[15:13] He is our adversary. He is our opponent. He is our foe. He is the tyrannical leader of an army. That is set against us.
[15:25] Revelation 12.7 implies that he is making war against the saint. That's who the devil is. The Bible calls him the tempter.
[15:37] We could go on and on. His desire is to tempt you to sin. His desire is to mislead you and fool you and deceive you. Ultimately, his desire is to kill you.
[15:50] To destroy you. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2.2. That the devil is the prince of the power of the air. He's a prince.
[16:05] That is, he is, in a sense, in essence, the king of a kingdom. He does have a kingdom. And he's the king of it. And as king, he has servants.
[16:18] Many of them. Hordes of them. The Bible says in Ephesians 6.12. Or calls them principalities and powers and rulers of this present darkness.
[16:34] I tell you, it's a well-organized army here. And it's a kingdom. It's part of a kingdom, you see. A kingdom of great power.
[16:45] With hordes and hordes of demon servants. That's what we understand from Scripture. About the person. The unruly prince of darkness.
[16:55] And, you know, this is not some outdated superstition that we're talking about here. This is not something out of Hollywood. This is real. I tell you, the devil is a real personality.
[17:09] Demons are real. They are. Whether you can see them, that doesn't matter. They're real. They're real. And they operate, of course, in the unseen world of the supernatural.
[17:20] And the devil is the unruly prince of darkness. And we kind of look around our world, you know. Especially in the last couple of decades.
[17:30] We look around our world and we notice the ever-increasing evil that is in our world. That is in our world in the sense of our own culture. The pornography and prostitution and homosexuality and immorality of every kind.
[17:46] And even kind of immoral kind that you can't even conceive of is going on in mainstream here in our culture today. And we might ask, well, why is this stuff happening?
[18:00] I mean, why is that happening in America? Why do people behave this way here in America? And we notice that it's so organized. It's pervasive in our culture.
[18:12] And we say, you know, there must be more to it than just the sinfulness of man. And indeed there is more to it than that. There is an unseen, diabolical authority at work in this world.
[18:30] Manipulating men and women and world affairs and world leaders. He is not flesh and blood. He is the unruly prince of darkness. He is the devil.
[18:41] He's the devil. And thank God for the light of the gospel. Amen. Thank God for the light of the gospel that enables every born-again believer to know our enemy.
[18:54] We can know our enemy. Jesus said in Acts, as a matter of fact, Acts chapter 26 and verse 18. I'll just read it to you. He says to, he says, and this was when he was, by the way, having his encounter.
[19:09] Paul was having his encounter with the living Lord Jesus there on the road to Damascus. And he said in verse 8, to open their eyes so that, and this is what the gospel accomplishes.
[19:20] To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light. And from the dominion of Satan to God. That they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in me.
[19:37] That's the power of the gospel. Unless we give the devil too much credit. Lest we think that somehow all sinful activity is the direct cause of the devil himself.
[19:55] Let's just remember that the devil does not have to make you sin. The devil does not have to make a man sin before he will sin. We're pretty good at it ourselves.
[20:07] We don't need the devil to do that. It's not dependent upon him. You see. We're able to do it on our own. A man cannot say, like Flip Wilson said years ago, the devil made me do it.
[20:23] How many of you in here remember Flip Wilson? Okay. Kind of tells us the age of the crowd here tonight. Okay. You can't say that, can you?
[20:36] You can't say the devil made you do it. Because there is plenty of sin in man. Plenty in there. By nature and by choice. Plenty of sin in us to fill the world with sinfulness.
[20:49] So consider then, having said that, not only the unruly prince of darkness. And we're just kind of focusing on the darkness. And understanding it. And then we'll glory in the rescue from it.
[21:01] But consider, secondly, the unholy product of darkness. The unholy product of it. Ephesians 5.8 speaks of the condition of the believer prior to his or her conversion, regeneration.
[21:17] Paul says, you were formerly darkness. That's what he says in Ephesians 5.8. Speaking to believers, he's saying you were formerly darkness.
[21:32] Darkness. That is, before you were saved, you were immersed in darkness. Just on the face of it, that's what that means. And this is the condition of all lost people. In darkness.
[21:45] Or were darkness. And what does that mean exactly? Does it mean that all lost people, all unbelievers, are living lives saturated by sin?
[21:59] Does it mean that? I mean, literally, as Adrian Rogers, one of Adrian Rogers' favorite little quips, he'd say, living in the swirling cesspool of sin. That's one of his favorite little things.
[22:10] Does that mean that every unsaved person is just, I mean, headlong into sinful activity in life? Does that mean that? Well, I don't think so.
[22:23] Not necessarily. Matter of fact, you know, we all know of some lost people who live pretty decent lives. Don't you? I mean, outwardly, that is, in their behavior and the conduct of life, they live, there are a lot of lost people, pagans, who, for whatever reason, live clean and wholesome lives, right?
[22:46] We're not talking about, when Paul says, you were formerly darkness, he's not talking about, necessarily, talking about just gratuitous, sinful living.
[22:57] Not talking about that, necessarily. So, what does he mean? You were formerly darkness. Well, I believe, primarily, that darkness is a condition of lostness.
[23:12] Before, it is a behavior of lostness. It's a condition. That is, it is what a person is, apart from Christ. That's what darkness is, primarily.
[23:25] Before, it becomes an activity. Rather than, it's what a person is, rather than what a lost person does. Paul says, you were formerly darkness.
[23:36] That is, darkness is what you were. That's what you were. Or, what you are, apart from Christ, if you don't know Jesus. You are darkness.
[23:47] And, you know, to be sure, the ultimate product of darkness is the activity of sin. There's no doubt about that. And there's plenty of that going on around us. But the sin activity is not the darkness itself.
[23:58] The condition of man without Christ. That's the darkness. And the activity of sin is just simply the product of the darkness. Okay?
[24:10] Now, I believe we can understand it in this way. In the first place, there is the darkness of the mind. We're talking about pre-salvation.
[24:21] Talking about unsaved. Prior to Christ. Without Christ. Still in sin. There is the darkness. For all those apart from Christ, there's the darkness of the mind.
[24:32] The mind. See, there was a time in your life. Though you may not remember it. Especially if you were saved when you were very young. But there was a time in your life, prior to your conversion, when your mind was dark.
[24:47] That is, you were ignorant of certain spiritual things. Just totally ignorant. You just didn't know them. In the first place, you were ignorant of God. In the truest sense. Now, you knew there was a God.
[25:01] Most likely. You knew there was a God. And you might have had respect for Him. There are a lot of lost people who have respect for God. And you might have even prayed to Him. There are a lot of lost people who pray to God every day.
[25:14] Really? But you did not know Him. Not really. You didn't know Him. You did not know that He loved you. I mean loved you personally.
[25:26] You didn't know that before you were saved. You were ignorant of His complete holiness. And His demand upon your life to be holy. You did not know about His absolute authority.
[25:40] And His direct control and sovereignty over all things. Including all the affairs of your life. You did not know that. And a lot of other things you didn't know about God. We could go on with.
[25:52] Secondly, you were ignorant of Jesus Christ. Talking about prior to your salvation. See, when you were in darkness. You were ignorant. Ignorant in the mind.
[26:02] Darkness of the mind. You were ignorant of Jesus Christ. Not necessarily ignorant of His existence in history. There are a lot of pagans who would agree with Christians and say that Jesus really did live.
[26:16] Really was a man. And might even go so far as to say that everything the Bible said He did. To some point they would say, well this is historical fact. I'm not talking about ignorance of the history of Jesus.
[26:30] Or that He was a man. You know, you might even have had a knowledge of the influence Jesus had upon mankind for good.
[26:40] That He was a moral man. And a moral teacher. And He taught good principles. And gave a good example with His life and His death there on the cross.
[26:51] You might have agreed with that. But you were ignorant of the real reason why Jesus came to this world. All lost people are ignorant of that. Because they're of the darkness of the mind.
[27:03] You were ignorant of His person. And His work. And of what bearing His person and work had upon your life. Or potentially would have on your life.
[27:15] For good. Spiritually and eternally. You were ignorant of those things. And you were ignorant of Jesus being. Especially this. You were ignorant of Jesus being the one and only way to salvation.
[27:28] The one and only way for your sins to be forgiven. You were ignorant of Jesus being the one and only way to God. Ignorant of that. I tell you if you want to get into a debate with lost people.
[27:39] Just mention that Jesus is the only way. The only way. Okay. See lost. Lostness is the darkness of the mind.
[27:50] And we're ignorant of these things. Apart from Christ. Number three. You were ignorant of the truth about yourself. This is a big one. Ignorant.
[28:02] Of the truth about yourself spiritually. That is your spiritual condition. Of sinfulness. And lostness. Today the lost man or lost woman has no.
[28:13] Has not really come to grips. With this idea of sinfulness. And lostness. And spiritual hopelessness. Not come to grips with that.
[28:25] Fourth. You were ignorant of the true meaning of life. That is as God defines the true meaning of life. His objectives. Life's purpose.
[28:39] What you were created for. See lostness. Lost people are ignorant of that. Lost people are simply in the dark about this. Their spiritual intelligence. You see. I'm talking about intelligence.
[28:50] Talk about the mind here. Their spiritual intelligence. Will only allow them to think in this way. Eat. Drink. For tomorrow we die. That's just basically it. That's the philosophy of this world.
[29:02] Apart from Christ. But the Bible says of course. It's appointed unto man once to die. And after that what? The judgment. See. Life according to the Bible.
[29:13] Life is full of responsibility. Spiritual responsibility. That goes way beyond this life. All we do and all we say. Is being recorded. I mean. All our actions are seen.
[29:26] And all of our actions are known. By the all seeing. And all knowing God. And the all judging God as well. And every living human being. Is directly and personally.
[29:37] Accountable to God. But. Unbelievers are completely in the dark. About that. Their minds are dark. Which leads to something else.
[29:48] The lost are ignorant about. And that is. Their need for salvation. Especially in the context of America. This really is. When you think about it.
[29:58] An incredible thing. I mean. You know. With all the information. That is out there. The gospel. That is out there. The saturation level.
[30:10] Of Bibles in this country. It's incredible. When you think about it. And the. Gospel tracks. That are circulated.
[30:21] Out there. Not all of them are good. But. Many of them are. Have the pure gospel. There. Christian literature. Literature. I mean. I know a thing or two. About how much.
[30:31] Christian literature. There is out there. It's incredible. The radio way. I mean. The gospel is out on the radio waves. The television waves. And cable. And. And satellite.
[30:43] And. And the world wide web. I mean. The gospel. I mean. We're at a saturation point. Of the gospel. The full gospel. Of Jesus Christ. And it's incredible. That every living soul.
[30:54] In America. Does not know. That they need salvation. They just don't know it. They're ignorant of that. I understand. They've rejected that.
[31:04] And they have. Dismissed that. As some religious. You know. Idiocy. But I'm telling you. Not only. I'm not just saying.
[31:15] That Americans. Many Americans. Have rejected it. Many. Countless thousands. That don't even know. They need something. Don't even know. They're lost. It's incredible. Isn't it? But they don't know it.
[31:28] And why is that? Darkness. Darkness. Darkness of the mind. Not only is there. Darkness of the mind. But there's also.
[31:38] Darkness of the heart. Okay. And I. Yes. We would have to admit. That this explains. Why this country. Could be so saturated. With the gospel.
[31:49] And yet. In spite of that. Most Americans. Are not saved. Not saved at all. In fact. With the saturation. Of Bibles. And Christian literature. And the gospel.
[32:00] Being preached. All around. The United States. Our country. Is moving more. Toward darkness. Rather than light. And.
[32:11] You know. There's the darkness. Of the heart. That explains. Not only. Are they ignorant. Of the truth. But they are.
[32:23] Completely. Unresponsive to. We can't just. Stop with the mind. That doesn't explain it. In fact. It. Leaves a lot of holes. In the explanation. Because if we just.
[32:34] Go with the mind. With the intellect. And we'd have to say. Well. There's just no excuse. I mean. They've got the gospel. Out there. So what's the problem? The problem is not here. It's here. The darkness.
[32:46] Of the heart. Because of that. Kind of darkness. The unsaved. Are. Completely. Unresponsive.
[32:57] To the gospel. They do not. Want to hear it. And when they do. Hear the gospel. It means nothing. To them. And.
[33:08] When they do. Hear. It. They're usually. Either. Bored. By it. Or. Openly. Critical. Of it. And. Certainly. Openly. Critical. Of the one. Proclaiming.
[33:19] And. It's because. Of the darkness. Darkness. Of the heart. And. Those who can. Can. Hear the gospel. And. Can be bored. By it. Are making. A tremendous. Statement.
[33:30] About. About. Themselves. That their hearts. Are. Dark. John 3. Matter of fact. John 3. 19. Listen to this.
[33:41] Jesus said. This. Is. The judgment. This is. The. Heart. Of the condemnation. That. The light. Has come.
[33:51] Into the world. You know. This passage. Jesus says. Here's. Here's the point. Of judgment. And. It's this. Light. Has come. Into the world. Light.
[34:02] With a capital. L. That means. Jesus. Has come. Into the world. And. Men. Love. Darkness. Rather. Than. The light. For their. Deeds. Were. Evil. Men.
[34:12] Love. Darkness. Rather. Than. Light. For their. Deeds. Were. Evil. You see. That. Has. Everything. To do. Not. With the mind. But the heart. This is the heart.
[34:23] Issue. Jesus. Did not. Say. They. Or. Men. Believed. Darkness. Rather. Than. Light. He. Didn't. Say. That. Did he. He. Said. Men. Loved.
[34:34] Darkness. Rather. Than. Light. It's a. Heart. Issue. So. The. Unholy. Product. Of. Darkness. Dark. Mind. Dark. Heart. And. Then. I. Would. Add. A. Third.
[34:44] Thing. The. Darkness. Of. The. Will. The. Will. That's the other thing that comes into play here. Darkness. Of. The. Will. Now. Really. What I've been talking about.
[34:55] When I. Say. That. There's. Darkness. Of. The. Heart. And. Now. The. Darkness. Of. The. Will. The. The. Idea. Here. Is. The. Root. Truth. Is. Here. The. Depravity. Of. Man. The.
[35:06] Depravity. The. Doctrine. Of. Depravity. That. Comes. Into. Play. Here. First. You see. There. Is. Activity. Of. Sin. Depravity. In. The. Sense. Of. Active.
[35:16] Sin. All. Right. That's. Usually. What. We. Think. Of. When. We. Think. Of. The. Word. Depraved. You know. It's. Just. Out. And. Out. Sinfulness. Sinful. Immoral. Living.
[35:27] There. Is. That. And. That. Is. A. Part. Of. Depravity. But. The. Second. Part. Of.
[35:41] Man. Unredeemed. Man. To. Choose. Christ. To. Choose. Him. To. Live. For. Him. To. Believe. In. Him. It's. It's. It's. Inability. Inability.
[35:53] Now. You know. So. You see. When. The. Heart. Is. Dark. And. It. Is. For. The. Unsaved. When. The. Heart. Is. Dark. Then. The. Will. Is. Dark. Also. That.
[36:03] Is. What. Is. Settled. In. The. Heart. Will. Work. Itself. Out. In. The. Behavior. In. The. Things. We. Choose. To. Do. And.
[36:13] So. When. You. See. A. Man. Living. In. Some. Sinful. Lifestyle. Or. Woman. By. The. Way. I'm. Not. Just. Trying. To. Highlight. Men. It. Is. Father's. Day. I. Ought. To. Give. The. Guys. Break. Here. Tonight. Maybe. I.
[36:25] Say. When. You. See. A. Woman. Living. In. Sinful. A lot. That. Just. Doesn't. Sound. Right. Can't. Can't. Can't. Say. It. That. Way. Someone. When.
[36:35] You. See. Someone. You. Can. Just. Add. The. Gender. There. As. You. Please. When. You. See. Someone. Living. In. Some. Lifestyle. Some. Sinful. Lifestyle. And. Though.
[36:46] Though. That. Person. Is. Is. Ultimately. Accountable. To. God. People. Like. That. Don't. Really. Are. Really. Just. Doing. What. Comes. Comes. Natural.
[36:57] See. They're. Just. Doing. What. Comes. Natural. Because. Why? The. Mind. Is. Dark. And. The. Heart. Is. Dark. And. So. The. Will. Will. Be. Dark. Also. What. Down. In. The.
[37:07] Well. Comes. Up. In. The. Pump. There's. There's. No. Other. Way. It's. The. Depravity. Of. Man. But. Now. I. Said. The. Darkness. This. Darkness. Of. The. Will. Explains.
[37:17] The. Depravity. Of. Man. And. It. Does. Because. But. Depravity. By. The. Way. Is. Is. A. A. Whole. Lot. More. Serious. Than. Just. Sinfulness. The. Sinfulness. Of. Man. Depravity.
[37:28] Really. Speaks. More. Again. Of. The. Inability. Of. Man. You. See. The. Will. Of. The. Lost. Man. Or. Woman. Functions. Perfectly. When. It. Comes.
[37:38] To. Choosing. The. Wrong. Thing. The. Will. Of. The. Unredeemed. Unregenerate. Works. Absolutely. Perfectly. When.
[37:48] It. Comes. To. Believing. Error. Or. The. Unregenerate. Will. Can't. Will. Can. Do. Nothing.
[37:58] But. Choose. Those. Things. It. Can't. Do. Anything. Different. The. Will. Of. The. Lost. Man. Has. No. Ability. Whatsoever. To. Choose. God. And. Choose. The.
[38:09] Truth. Of. The. Gospel. And. Choose. Christ. Has. No. Power. To. Do. That. Because. The. Will. Is. Dark. Takes. The. Grace. Of. God. And. The. Regeneration.
[38:19] Of. The. Holy. Spirit. To. To. The. New. Birth. Experience. What. I'm. Talking. About. To. Set. That. Will. Free. All right. So. We're. Talking.
[38:29] About. The. Darkness. The. Unruly. Prince. Of. Darkness. Who's. That. Satan. Thank you. The. Unholy. Product. Of. Darkness. And.
[38:40] What. Is. That. Sin. Sin. Plain. And. Simple. Depravity. Dark. Mind. Dark. Heart. Dark. Will. And. Third. And. This.
[38:50] One. More. Point. Of. Bad. News. Then. We'll. Get. To. The. Good. News. The. Unending. Place. Of. Darkness. I've. Got. To. Include. That. Here. When.
[39:00] We're. On. The. Subject. Of. Darkness. We've. Got. To. Talk. About. The. Place. Because. State.
[39:13] Of. Mind. When. The. Unredeemed. Die. They're. Not. Just. Simply. Annihilated. Don't.
[39:24] Believe. In. Annihilation. Believe. There's. A real. Place. Called. Hell. Prepared. Prepared. For. The. Devil. And. His. Angels. And. All. Unbelievers. It's.
[39:35] A place. Of. Eternal. Unending. Darkness. Among. Other. Things. And. I'm. Just. Going. To. Focus. On. The. Darkness. Element. It's. A place. Of. Darkness. So. There's. The. Person. Of. Darkness. The. Product. Of. Darkness.
[39:45] There's. The. Place. Of. Darkness. And. It's. The. One. That's. Prepared. For. The. Unsaved. And. It's. Hell. Second. Peter. Chapter. Two. Verse. Four. Says. God. Spared. Not. The.
[39:55] Angels. That. Sin. He. Didn't. Spare. Them. But. What. Did. He. Do. To. Them. He. Cast. Them. Down. To. Hell. And. Delivered. Them. Into. Chains.
[40:05] Of. Darkness. You. Just. Gotta. Gotta. Kind. Of. Immerse. Yourself. In. That. Imagery. It's. Difficult. But. Just. Think. Of. That. Chains. Of. Dark. I.
[40:16] Mean. Darkness. That. You. Can. Feel. That. Binds. You. That. Holds. You. That. Imprisons. You. And. We're. Talking. About. Not. A. Darkness. That. Might. Be. Felt. Here. And. We. Can. Feel. That. Darkness.
[40:27] Here. I'm. Talking. About. A. Darkness. That. Is. Forever. It's. Chains. Of. Darkness. Is. What. Peter. How. Peter. Described. It. Jude. Thirteen. Uses. Language. Like. This.
[40:37] To. Describe. Hell. The. Blackness. Of. Darkness. Forever. Almost. Overkill. On. The. Dark. Type. Of. Words. But.
[40:48] But. But. Get that. Blackness. Of. Darkness. And. Then. Add. That. Word. Forever. Forever. Think about. Matthew. 8. 12.
[40:58] The. Lord. Jesus. Is. Speaking. And. He. Says. But. The. Children. Of. The. Kingdom. And. That's. Kingdom. With. A. Little. K. It. Means. The. Devil's.
[41:09] Kingdom. The. Children. Of. The. Kingdom. Shall. Be. Cast. Into. Outer. Darkness. Outer. Darkness.
[41:19] Whatever. That. Means. But. I. Tell. You. It's. A. Place. He. Goes. On. To. Say. Where. There. Shall. Be. Weeping. And. Gnashing. Of. Teeth. Chains.
[41:29] Of. Darkness. Blackness. Of. Darkness. Outer. Darkness. Can. You. Imagine. In. A. Place. Like. That. And. I. Haven't. Even. Mentioned. The. Other. Things. The. Bible. Describes.
[41:39] For. Us. About. Hell. Or. Identifies. That. Will. Be. There. In. Hell. Like. The. Fire. Fire. And. The. Fire. That's. Not. Quenched. The. Worms. That. Not. Die. And. All.
[41:50] The. Other. Things. And. The. Worst. Of. All. Of. Of. Of. Of. Of. Of. Of. All. That. Is. Good. Eternal. Separation. From. God. Without. Any.
[42:01] End. To. It. That's. A. Place. Of. Dark. The. Bible. Says. Darkness. May. Endure. For. Night. But. Joy. Comes. In. The. Morning. But. If. You. Go. To. Hell. There. Is. No.
[42:11] Morning. Just. One. Long. Night. Without. End. Now. So far. I haven't given you much.
[42:22] To bless God for. In a sense. I mean. The title of my message. Is. Passionate Worship. And. We've been focusing on. On.
[42:33] The darkness. First. But. I need. To bring us back here. To Colossians. Chapter 1. And. Remind you. That this is part of a prayer.
[42:44] Again. Incredible prayer. And. Also. To say. That at this point. Paul. Is praying. That the Colossian believers. Would be. Would.
[42:55] Would. Have. As a constant part of their Christian experience. A passionate worship. That's. That's his subject here. That's. What he's praying for. And. Paul. Speaking of darkness.
[43:07] Gives them. And us. Another reason to worship. Because you see. The emphasis here. Is what I said on the front end. Remember. The emphasis here. In Colossians. Is not.
[43:18] Darkness. That's not the emphasis. Now. That's been my emphasis. For the past. However long. But that's not the emphasis here. But we needed to. To discover. And consider.
[43:29] The darkness. I wish that page. Would just. Stay over there. Consider that. Before we. Look at what. What. Paul's emphasis. Really is. Here. Because you see.
[43:40] The emphasis. Not darkness. But rather. Deliverance. That's the emphasis here. And this is the point of worship. That we have been rescued.
[43:52] Rescued. From this darkness. The darkness that I have just. Described. And we could spend. I tell you. A lot more time describing. We've been rescued from it. That's the point of worship.
[44:03] And so. I want you to notice. One final thing here. The unmerited promotion. Out of darkness. The unmerited promotion. Out of darkness. Look again. In verse 13. For he rescued us.
[44:15] From the domain. Of darkness. And transferred us. To the kingdom. Of his beloved son. Now. Paul uses. Two words here. That are incredibly.
[44:25] Worship worthy. Words. Or. Or. They identify. An incredibly. Worship worthy. Truth. Truth. He uses two words. What are they? Rescued. And.
[44:37] Transferred. Those don't sound like. Real exciting words. But when you apply it. The way. Paul applied it. They are. Incredible truth.
[44:50] They're military words. By the way. That is. The imagery is. Is. Military. And it kind of pictures for us. A.
[45:00] A mighty conqueror. Besieging the city of an enemy. And. With a strong. Arm. Conquering that enemy. And liberating the city.
[45:11] And then delivering the captives. From their bondage. And transferring them. To his kingdom. That's the idea. And that's exactly. What has happened. For us.
[45:22] To what Jesus has accomplished. Very common thing. In ancient times. But it. What a perfect way. For Paul to describe it. Because. You know. In reality.
[45:33] You and I. Were once. Under the domain. Of Satan. Whether you were conscious. Of that or not. And it's likely you weren't. Because you see.
[45:44] Our minds were dark. In those days. But we must admit. We must. Understand. That we were once. Under the domain. Of Satan. The power of darkness. The prince of darkness.
[45:55] And. By the way. Without a deliverer. There was no escape. For us. Not any at all. We couldn't escape ourselves. Because we were. Utterly powerless.
[46:06] To break free. Ourselves. We were. In darkness. Mind. Heart. And will. But. In Christ Jesus. And through his cross.
[46:18] And resurrection. God. With a strong arm. Like a mighty. Mighty. Captain. Conqueror. Strong arm.
[46:29] Invaded. Satan's kingdom. Which. Is where? This world. Invaded this kingdom. And he.
[46:40] Entered. Satan's. Domain. His. Territory. And. And. Rescued. His people. That's.
[46:51] That's us. He rescued us. From this. Tyrannical. Ruler. The prince. Of this world. And then. But he didn't just. Rescue us. He then.
[47:01] Transferred us. We've not. Seen the full. Reality. Of this yet. It's just as much. A. A reality. As if it had already. Happened. He has. Transferred us.
[47:12] To. Another kingdom. His kingdom. Or as. Paul. Put it. The kingdom. Of his. Beloved. Son. And so.
[47:23] In doing that. Jesus. Forever. Saved. Me. Saved me. From this. Unruly. Prince of darkness. The unholy.
[47:36] Product of darkness. And the unending. Place of darkness. Praise God. See. Here's the point. Of worship. And a passionate. Worship. For what?
[47:48] Our. Unmerited. Promotion. Out of darkness. Deliverance. Out of darkness. We used to sing a hymn. Goes kind of like this. Well I'm not going to sing it. But I'll give you the words. Tis the grandest theme.
[48:01] Through the ages. Wrong. Tis the grandest theme. For a mortal tongue. Tis the grandest theme. That the world. Eres sung. Our God.
[48:12] Is able. To deliver thee. And the chorus goes. He is able to deliver thee. He is able. To deliver thee. Though. By sin.
[48:23] Oppressed. Go. To him. For rest. Our God. Is able to deliver. Amen. I'm sorry.