Colossians Lesson 15 Week 1
Colossians · Courtney Hemenway · Sep 14, 2014
Colossians (2014), No. 36
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926440334473

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Alright, let us begin. We are in lesson 15 of the Colossians study, chapter 3, and the verses we are going to be covering today are Colossians 3, 1 through 3. Again, this is lesson 15. So, I'll begin by reading the passage for today. It's Colossians 3, 1-3.

Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. between what the verses that Jim covered and then these verses. These are some of the most powerful verses in this passage and actually when Chester McCauley, I listened to Chester McCauley on some of this and him saying this is one of the most important passages we can go over.

Because it has a lot, a lot in it. Tell Mike getting excited when we went out to lunch. Yes. And I had to pay. Yeah. You know, he said he tried to reach for his wallet. So obviously I had to pay. But we discussed it, and I'm excited about these verses. I hope I can wire down enough to do this, because these were exciting verses.

As I studied them and I went through them, these are incredibly important verses. You may not think so, looking at them, but as we study them, between what was covered in the last part of Chapter 2 and these verses, There's a lot of the identification truths, a lot of things that will impact us in our lives as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. These are important verses. So, as we look at these, we're going to see some things, how it deals with the past, the present, and the future in these verses for believers. And again, just the importance of them as in our day-to-day life. And I want to get into all those things. So, I'm excited about these things, and let's hit it with question one. What does the word therefore tell us?

And by the way, I don't know who put this on the board. This is not scary. This is a little scary. We're watching you. I don't know who put that up, but it's a little unnerving. So if you're looking at that, I did not put that on. We're not watching you.

So what is the therefore? Tell us. Well, like Dr. McGee used to say, you always look back at the previous verses to see what the therefore is there for. Exactly. Yeah. And that's always, you know, why is it therefore, you know? And so in the New King James, the therefore is not used.

What do you have the if I got it right? There's about three versions of that, if-then. If-then, yeah, I went through a couple of them, but most are either New American Standard, New King James. Most translate some NIV, and I don't know what the NIV had, I didn't look that up.

Therefore is not used, if-then is used. So, this is a first class conditional again. So therefore, it's a positive statement, which is better translated since, or therefore, instead of if then. So the if then is kind of, you think it's well if, well it's maybe going to happen, or maybe this is true, or anything like that. It is not. It's a first class conditional, which means it can't be changed, or it's not a probability. So this is, therefore, since is a better translation. Mine says if ye. If ye? Yeah. Yeah, if you. So again, that if is not if like, well, if this happens, like we translate it or interpret it would be if, like it may happen or it may not. No, since you would be a better translation for that since ye.

I said it's a result of something which has happened previously or was known previously. Yeah, and that's getting into it a little bit more, the therefore. Gerald said, you know, why is it therefore? But it also, yeah, it relates to what happened and how it impacts us. You know, whatever was said before, since now tells us it's going to point us to a result of that. So it's kind of two different things. It points back to say why and gives us the basis. But then it points forward to, OK, because of that fact, this is true. OK, so.

Yeah, therefore tells us because of all that was explained previously, therefore we are to believe or to respond to that information in the following manner. Kind of what Francis just said. That therefore is, okay, because of this truth we just learned, we're now going to go ahead and look at this other truth that's based on that. So, what is the previous information that he's referring to?

Being caught up in rules. Yeah, but what, more importantly, why aren't you caught up in rules? You're not to be thinking of yourself. Okay, not to be thinking, but what does the passage say right before this? That is true, all those things, but why is that true?

We were raised with Christ. That's the, therefore, what the past is, what is it? We were raised. We have died with Christ. Died. We're getting to the raised. Because we're died, therefore we're raised. So, it points back to the fact that we have died, and if you look at Colossians 2.20, if, again, first class, since you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the Word, that's what the therefore is referencing. It's going back to, since you have died with Christ, therefore, and then he'll get into the passages we're looking at. So, we'll go through that whole passage just for reference. So, verse 20.

If you have died with Christ in the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees such as, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch, which all refer to things destined to perish with use, in accordance with the commandments and teaching of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. So the main thing that this is pointing to, and Carol, you kind of went to the results of it, of being died, don't touch, don't handle, don't do all these things. But the fact, and we're going to hit that a lot, the fact is what?

You have died. You have died. So that's the principal point that he's going back to. And it's pointing out another thing, our union with Christ. Did we just die randomly? Was it a random act? What is this death? What's that? Through what? Death. We have died with Christ. This is the key basis. It's pointing back to our union with Christ, our identification with Christ. That's what this is pointing back to. Again, it's pointing out union with Christ, identification with Christ. We have died with Christ.

Again, is that present tense, future tense, past tense? We died in the past. Okay, I'm hearing a... We have a past, we have a present, or a future? I'm not dead anymore. I'm raised in Him. Interesting. We're going to get to a question later about that, if you're dying or dead.

So, past, present, or future? What does that reference? Well, could it be all? Because if you're not a Christian yet, but you're thinking about it, you haven't yet died. I'm a believer. Okay. Past, present, or future? All three. How is it present? How is it future?

See? It's our position. Ooh. Ooh. Wanda. It represents the past. It's eras tense. We have died. We have died. That has what? Continuing results today. But it's a past completed action, right? It says, since you have died. It's a fact. It's an aorist tense imperative. Imperative means it's a fact. You have died. OK? So again, and Wanda, you've got the star for today. Is this a positional or conditional truth? Positional. It's positional. So what does that mean, a positional truth? It's a fact.

Can it ever change? No matter what we do, can it ever change? Never. That's key about positional and conditional facts that we learn. Positional facts are truths that cannot change. So we have died with Christ. Done. Not to be changed. Fact. How do you know it's not to be changed?

What about those people who say that I can lose my salvation? All I've got to do is choose not to fall with Christ. Okay. If you have died, how do you get back alive? How do you get back alive to get out of Christ? If you're dead, separated, how do you get back? That's a good point. You can't. You can't, yeah. See, that's why, you know, when you learn...

What we did in our experience of trespasses and sins anyway. We were spiritually separated from God. And that's attached to the flesh. So, how do you get to a position where we're seated in the heavenlies? That's impossible. Oh, no. Well, it's impossible without Christ. I can't do it on my own. Good qualifier to add to that. Yeah, you cannot.

In fact, Inger and I were just talking about this on the way in. about understanding the fact that you have to die. In there, CBS are going through Romans and talking about when you get to Romans 6, just read that. Just read it. And when you get into the study of that, what does it say?

You have been crucified. Past tense. Just like this, and we'll get into some of these things. You have been crucified. So it's a fact. And Mike's touched on this a lot. If Christ died for my sins, which he did, correct? And the guy across the street and the guy over there and the person over there died for all of their sins. But is that enough? Can you be all your sins paid for and that's enough? No. You have to believe it. What? You have to believe it. Well, believe it. Okay, I believe he did that. But what is the key fact on this? That we get Christ's righteousness. Yet nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me. And you were baptized into Him, placed into Him.

Can I as a sinner step into eternity because all my sins have been paid for? Can I stand in the presence of the Father In my present, Christ paid for every one of my sins. Can I step into eternity and go face-to-face with him? But if you don't believe, then you can't. No, just assuming that Christ's payment of sins was the only thing. Can you step into eternity and be face-to-face with him, with God?

No, you need a new representative. We have to be separated from this sinful body. Because I can't, as a sinner, with all my sins paid for, step into eternity as a sinner. I have to be separated from that. Which is death, separation. And so, we're talking about this because some messages we heard, or this guy was talking, and you can't, you know, you have to be separated from that, the flesh. the law, the sin, everything's associated with the flesh. We have to be separated from that.

Otherwise, I step into eternity as a sinner. I can't stand before God as a sinner. Everything's paid for because I'm still a sinner. So we have to be separated from that. And that's our co-crucifixion. Just as we said, since you have died, what does death mean? Separation. Since you have died, and then we'll get into these verses, therefore, risen.

So it's a key point about people who save sinners. I know Mike's hit that a lot. You see it on some of the church things. Save sinners. Are you a sinner going into heaven? You're saved because he paid for all the sins, but I'm still a sinner. Can you go as a saved sinner?

No. No, you can't. So we have to die. We have to have that separation. And that's a key to these verses. Again, since you have died, and you go back to Romans, co-crucifixion, our co-crucifixion, not just a random death, but our co-crucifixion with Christ, placed into him, baptism placed into, now therefore risen. Our union, our union in death and our union in rising up. Okay, so, very, very important verses that we look at. Our union with Christ in death and our union with Him being risen. Once you're separated, I'm dead, I'm separated.

I can't come back and if I'm in Christ, can I ever die? Can Christ ever die? So if I'm in Him, I can never die again. I have life in Him. Originally, I think I've said this several times in teaching, before I used to be, John 10, 28 was one of my favorite verses.

When I had those doubts about my salvation, it was always, I'm in God's hand and I can't climb out. Oh, that's me. I can't climb out. But I could almost try to get out of there. The doubt, those doubts. Since I've understood the identification truth, I have never had a doubt of my salvation. Not a wisp of that. Because of that very fact, I cannot climb back on the cross, relive, and jump back into my old self. I can't.

If you understand that, that fact, and we're going to get into a lot of this about what are our objective and subjective one of the questions of facts. If you understand that, it gives you a peace that you will never question your salvation again. At least for me, I can never question it again. I will always be in Him. Christ can't die again, I'm in Him.

So, good? I think it's important to recognize that All that I am is because of whom I am united to. If I'm united to Adam, then I am everything that he is. No matter how I behave. If I'm united to Christ, then I'm everything that he is. And it isn't up to me. My standing isn't up to me. My righteousness isn't up to me. It's because of my union with him that makes the difference.

Now my role is to believe him. Yeah, and we're going to hit that real hard about believing these things. And that's why we use the term identification. I think that's a very good term, because who are we identified with now? Adam or Christ? If so, we're identified, which I think that means Our identification, who we are, is Christ. That's key. So when you're looking about who you are, do you look around the world? Do you look at all these worldly things? No, you look at Christ because that's who you are. And as you understand Him more, who He is, who do you understand also? Who I am in Christ. That's a great sentence, really. Because, you know, I am who I am, united to. I just love that, because it's so simple. It's a simple sentence and it's so big.

You know, one of the questions I had too, so it was positional or conditional. So, what does it mean? It's positional. So, the other question I have, Is this how God sees us now, or when we step into eternity? Now. Now! How does that change you? Understanding that fact.

He sees you in Christ. Do you see yourself? Do you, by faith, trust, believe in that fact? God sees you in Christ, where do you see yourself? How does that change your outlook? Understanding that when God sees me, and I used this reference before, and the best I can come up with as an analogy. What does that mean? I'm dead in Christ, I've been placed into Him, but what does that mean? I'm still this ugly guy, big fat belly, and still sin, do all these things, but God still, He sees me in Christ. What does that mean?

The best analogy that I could ever come up with, or that I have come up with, is when I said when I got married. And when my wife, well at that time, fiancé, we were fiancé, boyfriend, but I could change at any time at that point. But once we were married, my wife can only see me as a husband. I mean, I could be an ex-husband, but I'm always a husband at that point. From that point on in our earthly existence, earthly, I'm only a husband. That's only how she can see me. Regardless of anything I do or whatever, I can only be seen as a husband.

That's the same as when God now, even with all our warts and our two natures in us, He can only see me in Christ. That's the only way he can see me now. Not in my old self. He can only see me as in Christ. That's how he sees me right now. Not later, but right now. And that's all he can see me as. That's all he can see me as.

I can never be, you know, the old Ed. That's dead. He's condemned. He's done with it. He only now looks at me and says, I'm in Christ. That's all he can see me as. So, best analogy I have is that, you know, like I said, my wife can only see me as a husband from now on. God can only see me in Christ from now on. So are you a positional husband? I'm very conditional. I ask her, I'm a conditional. You know, positionally I'm a positional husband, yes.

I can never get out of that position until we step out into eternity. So, anyway, just enough thought that And that should change you, as you understand this. He can only see you in Christ. All that other stuff that you were in. Monique, we talked about that last week. You know how the stuff that keeps coming up, your past, your this, the that, and all that. He's done with that. Yeah, I didn't say that sentence. He's done. That's great. Why do you still deal with it? He's done with it. You should be done with it. Right. Because he only sees you in Christ. That's the only thing he sees. So these have real, real important impacts on our condition as we understand our position. It helps us in our condition as we understand our condition.

So question two, would you say being knowledgeable of the truth objectively and entering into that truth subjectively are two different things? Do we have no? We have a yes. Any no's out there? You know what's going to happen next. Why? Objectively, it's fact. Subjectively, it's just what you think or your opinion or whatever that's in your mind. Actually, that's what was my question. Does everybody know what's subjective and objective?

Remember, I am an engineer. So, English is my third language, I think. So, I tried to figure these things out. So, I basically went back to And not Zoviades. I went to Webster's. Webster's Dictionary. Objectively means treating or dealing with facts without distortion by personal feelings or prejudices. Subjectively means of or relating to or arising within one's self or mind in contrast to what is outside. Pretty good. So I found a website, differencebetween.net. Do you like that? So I said, what's the difference? I just Googled, what's the difference between subjective and objective? And found this differencebetween.net.

And what they say is, objective is a statement that is completely unbiased. It is not touched by the speaker's previous experiences or case. It is verifiable by looking up facts or performing mathematical calculations. Subjective is a statement that has been colored by the character of the speaker or writer. It often has a basis in reality, but reflects the perspective through which the speaker's views reality. It cannot be verified using concrete facts or figures. So, with those, would you say knowledgeable of the truth objectively and subjectively are two vastly different things? Yes. So, and this is where I really kind of went off in what we talked about. Objective, what is that based on?

Facts. Okay, facts. So, I really hit this hard in that it's imperative for us to understand facts. And as you understand those facts, how that impacts our condition and our life. and understanding those facts. And the scriptures are very, very explicit about understanding those facts. It's by what? How do we understand those facts? Two things actually. By two different things I put up. By faith, and by the Holy Spirit convicting us of those. I mean, it's by faith, our believing those facts. And it's the Holy Spirit's job to convince us and convict us of those facts.

So, a lot of these things, I'll get on to some of the things that were said that really kind of made me think about this. Let's see, this gets to the heart of the Christian life. Do we look at the truths that are spelled out in scripture objectively as fact, without personal bias, or subjectively, where we add our own spin to the Word of God? This brings me back to what I've brought up many times. The Christian's main job or, I don't know, job, but his responsibility is to fight the good fight of faith. Faith.

We go through all these permutations of different things and lots of things, you know, it's expressed, it's hard to do, was expressed. I think Wanda, I think a couple of weeks ago, said, you think I'm perfect or something, because I can say these things. Did I say that? Yeah, I think you did.

We'll have to go back, and I was really kind of, you know, floored by that one, but because of the understanding or in challenges, if we rely upon our flesh or this world or anything else but what is true about us, it will be hard, it will be prolonged. I don't know how to really express this.

We choose to go through more effort or things because we don't understand these facts or we don't have faith in the facts that are true about us. I'm going to go through a bunch of verses that express that our objective, our battle, our whole existence is based on faith. All the circumstantial and all the different things that go on in our lives is circumstantial to our faith. Faith in the facts.

And I just, I can't express this, I grow in my faith and Wanda, I am not perfect in any way, shape or form. Go back on the tape. I don't think I said that you think you're perfect. Well, I think you said something to that effect. You act like you're perfect. Maybe that was it. Maybe that was it, my loose translation of it. But I thought, well, you know, it's not the act.

It's my trusting in these things that have helped me. My life is not perfect and my life has a lot of things that go on, a lot of trials, a lot of things. But as I understand what is true, it's so much, well that's where I say the peace, the joy, the rest, all those different things.

I copied that PowerPoint sheet that I gave when I taught in Colossians 1. about, it's not a process, it's just kind of as you look through scripture, how you can deal with all these circumstances. And I go back to, kind of a random thing, but go back to Colossians is one letter. We break it up into chapters and verses and all that, but it was penned as one letter. We just break it up into books and verses to help us find things, but it was penned as one letter.

And so when you start in Colossians 1, remembering him all things hold together, he creates all things, all those things, and what piece we can understand that if he's the one who created all this and holds it all together, whatever's going on is under his control. So whatever circumstances you're in, God's in control. And as you understand that fact in those verses, then you have peace, joy, and rest. No matter what the circumstances are.

That doesn't mean that we just abandon you. You're going through something and just tough it out. Us as a body are to come and help him or whoever is in a circumstance. I don't mean to say that we're just callous and we don't come to people's support. That's a body concept. If one part of the body is hurting, we're to come and support it.

But, if you understand these facts, and I'll go through a bunch of these, that through faith, not our efforts, we can overcome a lot of these things and have the joy, peace, and rest in any circumstance. So, with that as a lead off, You know, the PowerPoint. But, let's start off. Our new life started by faith.

Ephesians 2.8. For by grace you have been saved through faith. Okay? So we started off this life, this position, in faith. So what is biblical faith? Belief. Belief. Trusting God and He's absolutely trustworthy.

Okay, any others? Just knowing that God's Word is true, I don't want to sit there believing that. And then all those things are incorporated in it. Okay. But then peacefully resting and abiding in that truth, as we are also obedient to it, is Christian maturity. That's exactly where I'm going.

So, why would I believe the word? Good question. I'll have my answer. No, seriously, I mean, the word of God is, I'm not belittling it, I don't misunderstand it. The point that I'm trying to make is that we believe it because of the one who said it. Right.

Our faith is in a person and what he said. And so if he's not reliable, if he isn't doesn't have veracity, then the whole thing is a scam. So when I see something in the Word, that's why Colossians started out with that great expose of who Christ is, so that when he started making pronouncements, I could believe him, that he's telling me the truth, that the Father tells me the truth, that the Spirit of God is persuading me about these truths. So faith It starts out, I think, with objective fact, but it moves to a person fairly quickly.

We'll get into that a little bit. The other is, I heard something that said, if you read the word, that's great, and you memorize the word or do whatever. Which is more important, to know the word or the author? The author. I want to know the author, because that gives it validity. If I can't trust the author, the word means nothing. I want to know the author.

So, I want to, which is back, but in Hebrews 11.1, now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and that's not in the conditional sense, the conviction of things not seen. It's the assurance of things hoped for, the facts, that because of these are true facts, and the conviction of things not seen. Okay? From the Word.

Now, so we started off by faith in Ephesians 2.8. Our access to Him is through faith.

Ephesians 3.11 and 12.

This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Our access is through faith. We are strengthened by faith, Ephesians 3, 16 and 17, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that what? Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. We're strengthened through faith. We're protected by faith, Ephesians 6, 14 through 16.

Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, in addition to all, all that he just went through, taking up the shield of faith, which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." So above all, faith. Above all these other things, faith.

And then I went through one of my favorite verses that I always quote, is James. James 1, 2 and 3. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter the various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and letting your endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. You know, I've used this verse a lot of times, but I have not studied it in a long time, and I've kind of gravitated away from what that verse says. When I look at that, consider it all joy when you count various trials, that testing would be endurance and this, you know? I've kind of not looked at that verse and what it says. I think that's so I can get through anything, right? Buck it up. Any trial, I can do it. And whatever trial produces endurance and complete lacking in nothing, and all those tribulations, right?

Is that what it says? What does that verse say? I looked at it and went, you... I misused that verse many times. Listen to it again. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. This is where I thought, man, buck it up. Consider it all joy. What? Buck it up. You can do it. Christ.

Knowing that what? The testing of your faith. The testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. How did I go by that? The endurance is testing of our faith. It's not how tough I am in these trials.

It's the testing of my faith. What do I believe? What do I trust in? Is it me that I can consider? When I get tested, I'm tough. I'm gonna do it. No, it's testing my faith. Who I am in Christ. And all these truths that he's told me about. That's the testing. That's where endurance comes from. Testing of my faith. All these verses point to faith. That's our responsibility. In all these things. Believe in the facts. The imperative is trust in these facts that are true about you. Would you say that the testing of your faith is designed to have you prove to God how faithful you are?

No. No, it's not proving. Again, I go back to almost the question is, or the thought, Do my feelings, expressions, or anything have anything to do with my position? No. It means nothing. It's true of me whether I have faith in it or not. Is it still true of me? Absolutely. That's why I say when we talk and it's hard, and it's this kind of stuff, it's hard because we don't believe what is true about us. And I am not there. I certainly fail and fall about believing what is true about me in a lot of instances, many instances. But when I do trust in what He's told me, there is peace, there is rest, there is joy. Those are all the things He promised us. Why do we choose not to believe what is true about us?

To me, it's spiritual insanity, and I'm part of it. I'm fully part of this. I am not above this. I am there. I don't believe what's true about me, and I fall, and it's like, you dummy. Yeah. I'm probably, I'm sure I'm not the first one that made this mistake, but for my, you know, first ten years of, after learning about my position in Christ and identification jurors, At some point I kind of switched from just trusting in the facts to puffing up in pride. I don't know where the switch was, right? What you're saying is correct. It's good, so I'm not trying to correct it in any way.

But faith is our responsibility, like you said. at some point, faith is more than... it is believing something in God's word, for sure. So it is that. But it's also... I'm also depending on someone. Kind of like what Mike said. So that in other words, I'm not... the Christian life I guess I screwed up and looked at it and said, man, it's all up to me, it's all up to my faith. That's my job, man, I gotta go. The responsibility of faith is true, but I put it all back on me. And so now understanding that, it's actually faith is depending on Him because of all these things. Which focus do we have? And I'm going to quickly read a couple things from The Hungry Heart in the last few times. hit this right in squarely. And that's it. Where's our perspective?

Is it Christ in me? I'm doing it with a little help from Christ? Or Christ? Going back to the root of this, too, is whose job is it to convince and convict us? The Holy Spirit. So it's our job to receive and to believe. And are those anything meritorious work. Anything relied on us? No. Which fits into the process of grace, by grace, which is unmeritorious system. We can't do anything for it. I want to read a couple of these. A couple of these hungry hearts were right on the money. A couple of them. This was on 9.9.

There is usually only occupation with the Lord Jesus for the relief of conscience. And if so, where does it stop? It stops when the relief is gained. Lord, get me out of this thing. Get me out. He gets me out. Okay, I'm done. Let's go on. So, when in circumstances He's taking you through, it's to get us to depend on Him, not on ourselves.

Once the pressure's off, we go looking everywhere else, all the things that Colossians tells us. Look to the world, look to all these things. But if He is the object of the heart, you will never be satisfied but in fellowship with Him where He is. And these verses that we're going through next week will tell us where He is and where we should be occupied.

Another one. As you by faith, and this is 910, as you by faith in the positional facts realize that you are in the Father's presence, you will not try to depend on any sense of His presence. You know His presence because you know that your position in the Christian life is a life of faith in the facts, nothing else. That the Father forces you to live by faith so as to draw you into His presence, not you by sense trying to draw Him into yours. Lauren, come here. Get me out of this. Lauren, you don't understand. You don't know the pressure I'm under. You don't know what's going on.

Come here. What are you doing? What perspective is that? Right here. He knows what he's doing. He's perfectly in control. Using it for his purposes. So ours is usually, get me out of this. Look at it from his perspective. He's causing us to depend on him in these circumstances.

And there's one great one in here where sometimes we try and pray to get people out of circumstances, and are we going against what God wants in that person's life? We can support him and go through all that, but get you out of the storm. And there was a song I think that went, you know, sometimes he calms the storm and sometimes he calms me in the storm. You know, they're two different things. And sometimes he does get us out of these. And the last one was in 9-8. Yeah, thanks be to God who giveth the victory through our Lord Jesus. That is grace.

That is the test of real or the counterfeit. Just remember this, any victory over the power of any sin whatsoever that you have to get by working for it is counterfeit. Any victory that you have have to get by trying for it is false. If you have to work for your freedom, it is not the real thing.

It is not that which the Father offers you and His Son. The effortless life is not a willless life. We use our will to believe or receive, but not to exert effort in trying to accomplish what only the Father has done. Our hope for freedom from the power of sin is not Christ plus my efforts, but Christ plus my receiving. To receive victory from Him is to believe His word that solely by grace He is, the moment, freeing us from the dominion of sin. And to believe on Him in this way is to recognize that He is doing for us what we can never do for ourselves. Again, do we try and do Christ plus my efforts? Or rely upon Him solely? The facts that we understand about ourselves. So, we got through two questions. We will let's close and we'll start with question three next week.

Heavenly Father, we thank you again. We just thank you for, first and foremost, who you are. You are the awesome God, the one and only, and we just thank you that we have this access to come before you like we do, and what peace and joy and rest we have, that no matter what circumstances we're going through, we can come before you and come boldly before you. And we have that intimacy. We don't have to use frilly words or anything. We can come before you intimately as a child.

And we rest in that fact and thank you for that, that we can come so freely before you and the circumstances that we have. And we realize that a lot of times our focus is on ourselves and not what you have for us. So Father, just give us, as we'll read in the verses coming up in Colossians here, that our focus, our mind, we should be seeking things above, not things here on the earth. And just give us that perspective, that desire, that eagerness to seek You and Your Son in the heavenlies rather than look into the world.

So Father, we just thank You for this time again to open up Your Word. Again, we just rely upon the Holy Spirit to convince and convict us of Your Word. And Father, we just pray for Vern in the next meeting just to give us the Word and prepare our hearts to receive it. Father, we do all these things in the name of Your Son, the Lord Jesus. Amen.