THE TRIUMPH OF HIS CROSS

Colossians 2:13-15 (KJV) “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

Stick with me on this one, there is so much “spiritual meat” in th ese three verses, it is hard to get through them in one session, one sermon or one lesson. So let’s begin by taking apart these three verses, by parsing and reparsing them. So that we get the message from them that GOD wants us to have, let’s empty our hearts of all of the things that happened in the past year. Let’s forget about all of the mistakes that we have made, all of the wrong turns that we have taken while on our JOURNEY through this world of sorrow and woe, and start afresh as we head out into this NEW YEAR, and use all of the time that GOD is giving us to GLORIFY HIS SON. Let’s take the opportunities that are given to us to be the “BEST BODY OF CHRIST” that we can be. Let’s receive, into our HEARTS and LIVES, all of the instructions that GOD’s HOLY GHOST presents to us this year, and let’s remove the BUSHEL BASKET that we might have put over our LIGHT, or to wipe clean the SOOT or STAIN that has collected or gathered on our “LAMPSHADE OF LIFE” so that we can shine “BRIGHTLY” every day of this coming year, so that we are continueously giving a Bright BEAM, to LIGHT the way for those people who have never TRUSTED CHRIST as their SAVIOR or for those who have abandoned even trying to be a LIGHT for the world to use, to see their way through this sin-laden world that is full of pitfalls and perilous distractions.

Let us look first at Paul’s statement at the beginning of verse 13 of our text. “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh…” Now the Apostle Paul is not talking about the actual medical procedure that is done to males very soon after birth, but is using that procedure as a simile to bring us back, in our mind, to what we were before we chose to turn from sin and turn to JESUS for our REBIRTH. Right now I want to read to us a few verses that will remind us of what we were, and where we were in our lives, according to what Paul teaches in some of his other letters. In Romans 6:23 (KJV) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Now you might be saying or thinking, surely he can’t be talking about me, I lived or I am living a good life, I love my family and my neighbor and do the best I can, but now listen to what Paul says in Romans 3:23 (KJV) “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;..”  For, you see Paul is talking about how, that before we were SAVED, how that we directed our lifes toward the fulfilling of our FLESHLY desires. How we were FLESHLY minded and didn’t direct the efforts of our lives to help the spiritual lives of others. We may have helped others physically, we may have given to all of the popular charities, helped feed the poor, paid our bills, didn’t drink or carouse around but, we were not within the “BODY OF CHRIST” we had never turned from sin and turned to GOD, but then “A MIRACLE” happened! Please listen to or follow along in your Bibles with what the Apostle Paul said next in verse 13 of our text, as he is continuing to talk about YOU, ME, and EVERYONE that believes. I am going to interject the first two words of the 13th verse for clarity “And you…hath he quickened together with HIM, having forgiven you all trespasses;…” When we finally see ourselves as GOD sees us in the truth of HIS word, we don’t like what we see, and we cry out to GOD, “LORD FORGIVE ME COME INTO MY HEART AND SAVE ME” then and only then does he “quicken us together with HIM” makes us alive with CHRIST, and forgives us of “ALL” of our sins and trespasses. Have we really grasped that, have we taken the meaning of it into our hearts. HE, GOD, “The Creator of the Universe” has washed us clean and placed us together with JESUS THE CHRIST. HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH, PRAISE BE UNTO GOD, WE WHO DESERVE, DEATH, HELL, and the GRAVE have been placed NEXT to JESUS because we cried out to GOD and HE placed us there, we couldn’t live good enough to get there, we didn’t have enough money or position to get there, because no amount of anything exists to get us there, but as Paul said in Ephesians 2:8,9 (KJV) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of GOD: Not of works, lest anyman should boast.”

Now then, in verse 14 of chapter 2 of the book of Colossians, Paul continues to explain what GOD did to save us when we by faith believed that JESUS died for us. Paul wrote: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to HIS cross;”

You see the phrase that Paul used “handwriting of ordinances” was a hand-written decree a manuscript, a legal document or bond that said or decreed that you and I are and were GUILITY. Now, by whose hand was this decree written, because that is vitally important, I have had a lot of people write or say, Doug did this, Doug did that, Doug was mean to me, Doug said this or Doug said that. But most of the time it was because they were mad at me because of something I had said or done that they didn’t like. But that report or decree meant nothing because of who wrote it or said it.  

So by whose hand was this “handwriting of ordinances” written? It was written by someone who LOVED and LOVES us with an everlasting LOVE, it was written by GOD’s hand of course, GOD wrote your name and my name on a decree or an ordinance, that was and is legal and binding. But that report is not a good thing, it is decreeing where we would go if we died before we were saved, decreeing where we will or would spend eternity. Not because we were such a bad person but because we had or have rejected the payment that was made for our salvation, that was made for our redemption, it was the propitiation for our sins even the sin that was transferred to us by EVE’S and ADAM’S disobedience to GOD. The word “BLOTTING OUT” in this verse means to obliterate, to ERASE COMPLETELY and actually wipe away as if it had never happened. You see when GOD forgives us HE puts our sin away from us as far as the EAST is from WEST to remember them no more. Not because we were innocent but because we had received or accepted the atonement offered to us. As I said just a little while ago the Bible says that the “…the wages of sin is death…” and that “…all have sinned..” so you see all of us are “GUILTY” but we are seen as “innocent” because of JESUS’ sacrifice on the cross, “HIS CROSS”, because HE “NAILED” every sin that has ever been committed or that will ever be committed to “HIS CROSS” even though HE had never sinned.

Now, I will not forget to include the 15th verse of our text. Colossians 2:15 which says “And having spoiled principalities and powers, HE made a shew of them openly, “TRIUMPHING OVER” them in it.”

The word spoiled means that HE, JESUS, rendered the powers of and principalities, the leaders and chiefs of darkness POWERLESS. When HE died and was buried and then rose again, HE triumphed all of the POWERS that were against HIM. ANGELIC, DEMONIC, and HUMAN. You see when we obey GOD, nothing can stop us nothing can win against us, when we let GOD DO IT, and stop trying to do it with our power or for our GLORY. GOD WILL GIVE US THE VICTORY just as HE gave JESUS the VICTORY! Listen please!!! There was not only a wrongful death upon the CROSS of CALVARY but because it was “HIS CROSS” there was also “VICTORY” on that BLOODY, gruesome hill of Golgotha that day. It was not murder but it was a willful sacrifice of an INNOCENT life to pay for the sins of the whole world!!!!

If you have never been saved, trust in that SACRIFICE that JESUS of NAZZARETH made for you, me, and “WHOSOEVER WILL” on “HIS CROSS” that day over 2000 years ago, you will NEVER regret it. If you have been saved but have kind of forgot it and have wandered off the narrow path, HE still loves you, HE will forgive you, HE will bring you back into the FOLD. HE like the prodigal son’s Father, is waiting and watching for you to come back home.