Sermon or Lesson:  Colossians 2:13-15 (NIV based)
[Lesson Questions included]

TITLE:  Beneficial Aspects Of Being Made Spiritually Alive
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READ:  Colossians 2:13-15, with vv.4,8-12 for context

BACKGROUND:
- - There are people in our churches who use "fine-sounding arguments" to effectively persuade undiscerning believers into believing and adopting false doctrines, that are deceptive, contrary to Scriptures, and destructive to their spiritual well-being.  (v.4)
- - To help believers thwart the adopting of false doctrines, God has provided us with the written Scriptures, which contain teaching, warnings, and the true doctrines that we are to hold.  (vv.7,8)
- - Philosophies about the things of God that are based on humanistic sources are not acceptable to God, particularly because they are not properly based on "Christ" - the key to understanding God because Christ is God Himself revealed in physical bodily form.  (vv.8,9)
- - The fullness and the authority supremacy of the divine Christ are internally present within true believers, thereby available to help us successfully resist falling into false doctrines and deceptive philosophies.  (vv.9-10)
- - In and by Christ, God applies a working of His power to spiritually circumcise our deadness to sins and to raise us true believers to a regenerated newness of life, which additionally serve to assist us in resisting falling into false doctrines and deceptive philosophies about the things of God.  (vv.11-12)
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v.13 - READ

[Lesson Question:  Discuss, analyze, formulate, and then describe how the statements in verse 13 have become truths and reality, and how they fit together in context.]

SECTION POINT:  Upon becoming a true believer in Christ, God changes our state of spiritual deadness into spiritual aliveness with Christ, while simultaneously forgiving us all our sins.

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,"
- - God says here that every person starts life in a state of being spiritually "dead in [our] sins", unable by our own means or power to remedy our sin problem that makes us spiritually dead.
- - Furthermore, we are "dead... in the uncircumcision of [our] sinful nature", unable by our own means or power to spiritually circumcise or cut away the effects that our sinful nature are producing in us and upon us.
- - Consequently, these two types of spiritual deadness separate us and alienate us from God and from having a relationship with God.  (cf. v.1:21)
- - By implication then, God does not use a person's goodness as a measurement to determine that the person is qualified to have a relationship with Him.  However, God does use a person's state of being dead in our sins to determine that the person is currently disqualified to have a relationship with Him.
- - So, the common humanistic philosophy that 'if the good we do in this life outweighs the bad we do in this life, then God will accept us into heaven' is herein debunked - exposed and proven to be false and contrary to what God says and does in this regard.  (cf. Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:8-9)

"God made you alive with Christ."
- - The reality, then, is that God has to make us spiritually alive in order for us to be acceptable to Him, which He accomplishes through Christ.
- - This spiritual aliveness through and with Christ effectively transfers us and transforms us from being spiritually dead in our sins, to being spiritually alive, despite our sins.
- - This spiritual aliveness through and with Christ also effectively spiritually circumcises or cuts away the power of our sinful nature to render us and keep us spiritually dead.
- - And God is the One who initiates and accomplishes these actions to make us alive spiritually.
- - So, the common humanistic philosophy that 'we can do enough good things and religious things that will make ourselves acceptable to God' is herein debunked - likewise exposed and proven to be false and contrary to what God says and does in this regard.  (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9)

"He forgave us all our sins,"
- - Within the means by which God makes us acceptable to Himself and alive spiritually, God "forgives us [of] all our sins".
- - God initiates and accomplishes this comprehensive forgiveness of sins by and through Christ, "in whom we have redemption" or have been purchased by Christ paying the punishment price for our sins through His suffering and death on the cross.  (Colossians 1:14,22,20)
- - Notice the word "all" here in this phrase, meaning that judicially the price that Christ paid effectively and completely covers and applies to accomplish the forgiveness of all of the sins that we true believers commit in our life - past, present, and future.
- - So, the common humanistic philosophy that 'I need to redeem myself for the bad things that I have done in my life so that God will accept me into heaven' is herein debunked - likewise exposed and proven to be false and contrary to what God says and does in this regard.  (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9)
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v.14 - READ

[Lesson Question:  Discuss, analyze, formulate, and then describe what the statements mean in verse 14, and how they fit together in context.  e.g. - What is the "written code" and how did it stand against us?  Who is the "us"?]

SECTION POINT:  Through Christ, God removed true believers from being under the authority and requirements of the Old Testament Law.

"having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us;"
- - By forgiving us true believers of all our sins through this redemptive work of Christ on the cross, God is effectively canceling the adverse judgment that the Law in the Old Testament convicts us of, pronounces us guilty of, and renders us utterly dead in our sins.
- - The Law in the Old Testament is "the written code with its regulations" that was specifically designed by God to stand against all of us humans and oppose all of our sinfulness, which of course we humans naturally do, usually numerous times every day.
- - Due to our inherited sin nature, we humans do not have the power nor the ability to keep the Law perfectly, wherein the Law condemns us before God even if we break only one law.  (James 2:10)

- - Notice that God created and instituted the Law, and God is the One who cancels the Law.
- - Also notice that the Law in the Old Testament in and of itself does not make a person spiritually alive in God's sight - Christ does that.  (Colossians 2:13)
- - Further notice that God selectively cancels the Law for only those humans who God determines to be qualified to receive forgiveness of all their sins that was provided through the redemption and spiritual aliveness that come from and through Christ.
- - For only those humans who have correct and genuine faith in Christ, the condemnation of the Law has been canceled, and our failure to keep the Law perfectly has been pardoned.
- - So, the somewhat common humanistic philosophy that 'if I follow all of the Old Testament laws, then God will accept me' is herein debunked - likewise exposed and proven to be false and contrary to what God says and does in this regard.  (cf. Romans 3:20)

"he took it away, nailing it to the cross."
- - God not only "canceled" the Law for true believers, He also "took it away" or took it "out of the middle", meaning God has removed the Law from being a barrier that stands between Himself and us sinful alienated humans.  (Strong's #1537, #3588, #3319)
- - God has removed the Law from being this barrier by the means of Christ suffering and death on the cross.
- - By means of the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, the barrier effect of the Law was permanently removed - in essence being spiritually included when the nails were driven in during the torturous suffering of Christ on the cross until His redemptive work was finished at His death - ""It is finished"" - John 19:30.
- - On the cross, Christ became a once and for all time atoning sacrifice to appease God's righteous requirements that are contained in the Law for perfection and punishment.  (Romans 6:8-11; Hebrews 7:27; 9:26)
- - Notice that the Law "was against us and that [it] stood opposed to us" - this is past tense and it applies to "us" true believers in Christ (like the Colossian believers).
- - So, the common humanistic philosophy that 'God canceled all of the Old Testament laws and fixed the sin problem for everyone, so humans do not need to be concerned that God has a problem with our sins' is herein debunked - likewise exposed and proven to be false and contrary to what God says and does in this regard.  (cf. Romans 3:20)
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v.15 - READ

[Lesson Question:  Discuss, analyze, formulate, and then describe how the statements in verse 15 have become truths and reality.]

SECTION POINT:  The resurrection of Christ after His crucifixion on the cross declares His deity supremacy in triumphing over the power and authority of human and demonic enemies - combined.

- - In addition to canceling the authority and influence of the Law upon believers, Christ also "disarmed" or "stripped away" the power and authority of those humans in the physical realm and those spiritual forces in the spiritual realm that stand against and oppose Him and His believers.  (Strong's #0554; cf. John 12:30-33)
- - Indeed, the powerful authority evil spirits and their human allies accomplished an historic utter defeat of Christ in their successful scheme to not only murder Him and discredit His religious views but also to severely torture Him.
- - HOWEVER, the subsequent resurrection of Christ from the dead clearly and unequivocally declared and provided concrete irrefutable evidence to the world that the victory actually belonged to Christ.
- - The power of God to raise Christ from the dead distinctly surpasses and far exceeds the powers and authority of evil spirits and of human religious authorities, human conquering armies, and human lynch mobs - combined.
- - Through His resurrection that came to occur by means of His crucifixion on the cross, the supremacy of Christ "triumphed over" these powers and authorities that opposed Him, "divesting" them of their momentary gleeful "destroying and plundering" of Christ and His new religious movement.  (Strong's #0554, with AHD - 'despoil')
- - Even though these opposing powers and authorities tried and appeared to succeed at making a public spectacle and disgrace of Christ, the reality is that those powers and authorities were actually the ones who were made a public spectacle and disgrace of.
- - Christ lived on, and His religious movement lives on, despite all of the extensive efforts to kill Him, and His followers, and His religious movement; His enemies have been disarmed in their ability to stop Him and the advancement of His kingdom.
- - So, the common humanistic philosophy that 'Jesus Christ was a good man and a religious prophet, but he was nothing more than that' is herein debunked - likewise exposed and proven to be false and contrary to what God says and does in this regard.  (cf. Colossians 1:18, 2:9)
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BIG IDEA:  For us true believers in Christ, God removes our state of being spiritually dead, being under the Old Testament Law, being eternally accountable for our sins, and being defenseless to enemies who oppose God.

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APPLICATIONS:

- - For those of us who are true believers, do you accept and admit to yourself that prior to becoming a true believer, "you were [spiritually] dead in your sins" and spiritually dead under the control of your sinful nature?
- - Do you appreciate that God could have left you in your spiritual deadness, being forever separated and alienated from God with no opportunity to have a relationship with Him?
- - Do you appreciate that God initiated and accomplished the actions to make you alive spiritually?
- - Do you appreciate the comprehensive forgiveness that God has granted you and provided you?
- - Do you appreciate the price Christ paid to provide you with comprehensive forgiveness?
- - Have you studied the regulations, commands, and mandates in the Old Testament Law so that you adequately comprehend the extensiveness of those demands that have been lifted from you? 
- - Do you appreciate the magnitude of keeping the Law that you have been relieved from?
- - Do you appreciate that God has removed the Law from being a barrier between you and God?
- - Do you appreciate that Christ has continued and advanced His religious movement during the past 2,000 years, which has now been extended to include you as a true believer?

- - Do you agree and acknowledge that God accomplished all of these priceless benefits for you by the means of Christ suffering and death on the cross for you?
- - How appreciative are you, that God has done all these things to rescue and benefit you?  Are you slightly appreciative?  Or moderately appreciative?  Or greatly appreciative?  What should your level of appreciation be?
- - What can you do or additionally do to show your appreciation to God?
- - What will you start doing this week to show your appreciation to God?  Take some time right now to make a solid commitment before God that adds tangible ongoing actions that will serve as evidence of your appreciation to God.  Be honest and sincere and determined and specific.
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Works Cited:
The American Heritage Dictionary (AHD). 3rd ed., ver. 3.6a (CD-ROM). Cambridge, MA: SoftKey International Inc., 1994.

Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

“Strong's Greek Dictionary.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.
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