COLOSSIANS 1:3-8 – We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE LIFE-CHANGING POWER OF THE GOSPEL. Well, it really doesn’t need to be stated but it helps to set the stage for today’s nugget theme. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, if truly believed and embraced, radically changes a person. The Bible goes as far as defining the change as being “born again” and becoming a new creation in Christ – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). As such, a good way to gain assurance of salvation is to see if such radical change has occurred in our lives. There will be new desires, new worldviews, new pursuits, and new relationships with other Christians. But there will be more and in today’s scripture, the Apostle Paul offers us four realities in a life changed by the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.
First, the Gospel is the truth which is so liberating because we live in a world where truth is void – in the word of the truth, the gospel which has come to you. Think about it. People all around us are blinded by the devil and sin to the truth about life and death, yet, God has opened our eyes. Stop now, and thank God for enlightening us; to making known the truth of the Gospel (Ephesians 4:17-24).
Next, the Gospel is the source of our sure hope for heaven – the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you. Friends, we are a people with a certain future heading to a real place where sin and Satan no longer plague us. These glorious words of promise are ours because of the Gospel – And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:3-4).
A third display of the life-changing power of the Gospel is the manifestation of fruit – the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, Here is one of the most radical pieces of evidence of new life in Christ; fruit, and it is the fruit of His character being produced in and from us – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).
Finally, the life-changing power of the Gospel changes us from having lives controlled by sinful self-love to being under control of the holy love of Christ – For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). We will know if this is happening by our glad and sacrificial service to others.
The life-changing power of the Gospel. It is just that! May we see and experience more and more of it in our daily lives.
PRAYER: “Father, thank You for Your wisdom and power found in the Gospel of Your Son.”
QUOTE: “If we truly believe the Gospel, then our lives will reflect the radical changes it makes in life.”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim