Word of Salvation – Vol. 22 No. 03 – October 1975

 

Transferred

 

Sermon by Rev. A. I. de Graaf, B.D. on Colossians 1:12-14

(Suitable for Thanksgiving)

Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:1-14

Psalter Hymnal: 14; 240; 361; 358:4,5; 266; 151:4.

 

Colossians 1:12-14 Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified us to
                                    share in the inheritance of the saints, in light.
                                    He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness,
                                    and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son,
                                    in Who we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

 

We need to be thankful every day of the year for the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us.  Sometimes, however, we have special days of thanksgiving to express our gratitude to our God.  We thus acknowledge what He has been pleased to bestow upon us, this particular group of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

At times, however, we have trouble to realise our reasons for this gratitude.  We know of plenty of things wrong with the church.  Or the church people, including its office bearers. . . . its minister.  Some can get quite bitter about such things, maybe because they don't expect things wrong there, least of all THERE.

And then there is the world around us.  Oh sure, we all get a wage rise at least once each year (are you going to give your Church one, too?  Maybe you didn't do that in quite a while and that with all these rising costs!) but the action of some labour Unions does not spell much comfort: ....when will this inflation stop?  And so do you want me to give thanks today?!?

Something that is especially hurtful to all of us is the fall of VietNam earlier this year.  For those of us who have studied what Communism is, and especially those who have been there, there must be a sense of frustration and defeat.  We read already of stern threats of punishments in what was Saigon.  Another country has gone down into the darkness of a ruthless, absolutistic System.

Well, when we saw the thousands clamouring to get out when still there was time but no more space on helicopters and planes, and when we remember the wall the communists had to build across Germany (not to keep out those longing for Paradise, but to keep their own people in!) then we can say that many people living there now have been transferred into a kingdom of darkness.  That's how many have felt it.  And those who did make it, and could come to, say, Australia, - or America - must have had the intense feeling of relief.  At last they could get to a place where there was light, where there was peace, where there was law and order.  Sure there are rather frequent hold-ups and bank robberies, but at least it would be a place where one can live in freedom.

Into the helicopter, and transferred – lifted up bodily – from a domain of darkness into a kingdom of peace, prosperity, new opportunity and light.

Yes, and now you know I am overdoing it.

For what did these VietNamese get transferred into?  Sure, we still have freedom, and sure, we still have prosperity.  But here, too, injustice rides the streets and corruption oozes from the screens.

Here, too, light is scarce and a civilization totters on its unsteady feet.  Here, too, parents wonder what their children will have to face and they wonder about that EVEN IF THERE WOULD BE NO THREAT OF A COMMUNIST TAKEOVER.

A hundred thousand VietNamese were transferred... but to what?  I am going to think with you this morning about a similar operation.  An operation of TRANSFER.  It was costlier than with helicopters ditched into the sea.  But then it was a real transfer, not from the one godless society into the other, but:

            1.  From guilt to sainthood

            2.  from slavery to freedom

            3.  from a domain of darkness into a Kingdom of light.

TRANSFERRED FROM GUILT TO SAINTHOOD

The forty days after Jesus rose from the dead are a demonstration of the power of God over death.  There walked on the face of the earth a Man whom God the Father raised from OUR punishment.  We have – says Paul – we HAVE, the forgiveness of sins.  He knows because the proof has walked this earth for 40 days.  We have been transferred from guilt to sainthood.  If Paul would write a letter to the believers here in this Church he would head that letter by saying "to the saints that are at -(church/place)-... now this morning!"  Saints – those set-apart.

Those plucked out of the grey mist of never knowing, to a land of song and assurance.  Because for 40 days there walked on the face of this earth a Man with wounds (YOUR wounds!) in His Hands and His feet.  Therefore we have thanksgiving for the existence and ministry – yes also of this church.

Because it is here to tell that message to men lost in sin.  It may do that here in -(church’s place)-

Another message may be heard on the face of this weary earth than that of psychology which says that we're nailed to our poor past, or that we're a sewer inside.  We have been plucked out of all that.  Over our heads no more hangs the doom (worse than communist terror!) WHICH IS THE DOOM AWAITING ALL WHO ARE AT WAR WITH GOD.  Because for the sake of Him Who died and said "IT IS FINISHED", and then demonstrated His victory by walking this earth for 40 days saying "Shalom", Peace unto you!  We have forgiveness, we are saints!

People, may I urge you in the Name of God, to take that seriously?

To seek it from that Lord if you do not by faith already have it?  To seek what is the very Gift of God the Father, Who Gave His Son, his Beloved, to earn this for everyone who believes?

But then I urge you who do believe this, be it with ever so small a faith to look at each other, to look at this church, as a place where that is true, where that is celebrated, before anything else.  Sure we make mistakes.  Sure there will be differences of opinion.  It cannot be avoided when people are together.  But these people, who believe in Jesus and see the wonder of Him walking the earth for 40 days to prove how true this is, are first of all saints, transferred with you into a land, a calling, of peace.

This place is the place where we hear of that.  This is the place where we celebrate it before carrying that torch of freedom out into the world.  We are no more of that dark kingdom.  We are saints, you and I.  We know of forgiveness and therefore we forgive.  We know of being accepted by God and therefore never mind the honest differences of opinion we do accept one another.  We live in another country from those who hate.  We have been – says Jesus – we have been transferred.  The helicopter has lifted us from a land of doom and everlasting punishment, onto the deck of a ship that brings us to Jerusalem.  We are safe sings the Christian, 'therefore we are saints!’

Glory and thanks to the Father.  Glory and thanks to Jesus Christ the Victor.  We were dead, but now we live forever.

2.  TRANSFERRED FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM

"In Him we have Redemption" sings Paul.  Now that is a word loaded with meaning in your Bible.  Redemption is to be set free after the price for your freedom has been fully paid.  No more am I a slave of a cruel master, but a child in my father's home.

Forty days Jesus walked the face of this earth to tell people who were slaves before, that they are free.  No more to serve an evil master the devil.  We now may fight him, even if unto blood.  And so we must, for a free man has a duty.  No more are we to knuckle down under our evil nature, the rest of bitterness, the ROOT of bitterness that is still left over in us after we became God's children.  We are now free; we no more have to get our way by bullying, by lying, by deceit or by anxious care.  We are now free, and can afford to love even if loving means running the risk of getting wounded.  We may throw that reserve away, that inferiority feeling.  We are God's freedmen – says our text, therefore we can afford to serve one another he other members of Christ's Body, and ultimately – the world.  Because for the sake of Jesus the father has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light and the most beautiful part of that inheritance is: to be made able to serve again, to be man!  Qualified – it says.  You know what the original has?  MADE WORTHY!  It is the same word as in Matthew 8, where the Roman centurion says to Jesus: Lord I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof!  He's right!  says Jesus – what an insight, what a faith.  I am not worthy – and you are not either – not by nature.  But when God's great transfer has taken place, then the Father has MADE you worthy and forever may you lift your head.  Never mind what your enemy says, you are made worthy to share the inheritance.  It is free anyway for what you inherit is not what you earn; another worked for it and then died for it.  And now you are made worthy, you, and that Roman centurion, and that sinner, and that harlot, that nasty character next to you in the seat, and that awful man you try to avoid when coming out of church.

God the father made us worthy, made us free, made us lift up the head.  But when we are free and have the head lifted up we cannot avoid each other's eyes and we should not.

We need not.

We may as free men and women realise who we are and lift each other up instead of cast each other down.  This Church community may be a community of freedmen and free women, getting down to business, the business of service!  and even when tired and even when at times having reason for impatience or even annoyance, never forgetting what is the great fact Jesus proved when walking the earth after His Resurrection: we forever belong to God.  No more to sin.  We may laugh to each other, we even can say, “I am sorry", to each other when having been convinced of wrong.  Only he can do that who is free, who no more has to fight for his own ego or whatever in a paralysed way.  We are free, sings the Christian, therefore we can love and work!  Yes: serve; put ourselves willingly (!) at the disposal of others.

            Glory and thanks to the Father.

            Glory and thanks to Jesus Christ the Victor.

            We were dead... but now we live forever.

3.  AND SO: TRANSFERRED FROM THE DOMAIN OF DARKNESS TO A KINGDOM OF LIGHT.

All around us is that darkness.  At times we feel the deep horror of it, or so we should if we have hearts and know of compassion.

Just as we now think: what of the people in VietNam? – and we pray for them especially God's children among them.  THEY, though having a kingdom of darkness around them, are with us in the kingdom of light already, alleluia!   And as Minka Hanscamp was who therefore could afford to live in captivity and could afford to die and was not afraid, what could men do to her?  But just as we think: now what about the people of VietNam, we should realise that greater darkness is around the people of Australia too who worship idols.

For those idols will let them down bitterly and lead them to everlasting death just as they now lead them to ever-mounting greed, to industrial unrest, to children neglected for money's sake, to broken marriages.  Those idols that bring in a law system that does not even dare to say any more that in all cases and under all circumstances rape is wrong.  This new interpretation is rather telling isn't it?  God's clear command is thrown out of the window and a sin is no more a sin as long as the fellow who does it THINKS he is right, THINKS he has permission from his victim.  Thinks!!!  that's all.

What girl will now be safe from that kind of attack?  Even top lawyers of our land declared that it's impossible now REALLY to convict and punish a rapist.  But don't you see that this also holds for murder and robbery?  The police themselves join into this ugly thing by making it impossible – just in the way of threats against life! – to have any court probe into their way of treating prisoners.

When man thinks he himself is a god, or any creature is god and we have no Lord of heaven and earth to bow before, what else do we get but a domain of darkness?  Long have the optimists believed that THEN we would be free to evolve into supermen; think as we liked; build up paradise on earth.  But you see around you that this is untrue.  You do not have to live under communist rulers, to be in a domain of darkness.  For right here in Australia to be born is seen as senseless – there are too many babies already – and to live is seen as absurd – what for?  Even here to die is a miserable affair in a hospital with drugs to stop you from thinking and an expensive undertaker business to make lots of money out of a sickening molasses of insincere generalities.  A domain of darkness!  But God in His mercy transferred us out of that, sings God's child.

He is now already, a citizen for life of a kingdom of Light.  He is now already a partner with God to tell and show the world that there are better things.  Because he knows that being born is the gift of life from this Lord... and may be followed by being born again.

And he knows that our daily life, our round of tasks and duties as well as our special moments of game, song and relaxation, may lie open unto God as the beginning of a new song.

And he knows that sickness and pain and hunger and bitter testing may be – instead of dead alleys – ways to find out what God's strength can do in our weakness.

He knows that death is an opportunity for glory, a doorway into eternal beauty, a sign to those around that we are Christ's forever.

The kingdom of light is here.  And a church like this one, in spite of all the weaknesses of the people in it, may proclaim and show and remind folk about this glorious truth.  Therefore on a day like this we give thanks and show that light – this morning AND this evening – and pray for the grace of God to make it so.  So we may take this message here received and celebrated, and carry it with us as the colours of the King, into whatever concern and situation as it is the grace of God to place us.

            Glory and thanks to the Father.

            Glory and thanks to Jesus Christ the Victor.

            We were dead, but now we live forever.

Loud and clear, even into our day of showdown comes the words from a beaten and battered man in a Roman prison, but a man saved by grace and kept going by grace:

Give thanks – O give thanks to the Father,
who has qualified us (made us worthy)
to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
He has (already!) delivered us from the domain of darkness
and He has transferred us forever
into the Kingdom of His beloved Son,
in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

AMEN