“Rescued from the Dominion of Darkness” - Colossians 1:13-20

“Rescued from the Dominion of Darkness” - Colossians 1:13-20
11.21.10 – Sunday of the Fulfillment
Vicar Darren Harbaugh

A couple weeks ago we “fell back” an hour for daylight saving time. Instead of the sun setting around 6 o’clock, now it sets around 5. We’ve lost almost a half an hour of daylight since setting our clocks back and we’ll lose another half hour of daylight until we hit December 21st, the shortest day of the year.

I’ve never been fond of the dark. Darkness has a certain power, and not necessarily for good. You can get lost in the dark. You are vulnerable and can’t see danger coming. Even physically, humans need light. In those places in the world where it is dark a lot, like in the extreme north, people have to be on guard against depression. Physical darkness has a certain power.

Spiritual darkness indeed has power too. In the world and in our lives, spiritual darkness can seem very powerful, almost as if it controls us and rules us. We know that there is a king of darkness and that he is very powerful. But even though we feel the power of darkness, our reading from Colossians has an incredible promise for us.

In Colossians 1:13, the apostle Paul mentions the “domain of darkness.” That is a very fitting description for Satan’s realm. Satan likes to keep his work hidden and secretive. He deals in deception and fear. Sin would not be so tempting if it was out in the open and exposed to the light. It would look downright hideous, so he likes to keep it under wraps. And in this Spiritual domain of darkness, we are vulnerable to either being trapped by what we can’t see or terrified because we know that something out there is lurking.

All of us, at one point, were part of this domain of darkness, and even now, Sin and Satan still pull at us.
-Sin and Satan pull us with deception. Satan wants us to believe the lie that sin isn’t dangerous. An entire industry is built on gossiping about people, saying mean and hurtful things about others. Rather than speaking about our neighbor in the best possible way, it’s our national pastime to drag her through the mud every change we get. Maybe you hold a grudge against someone and harbor bitterness against her. And think, “What’s the harm?”
Also, our entire economy seems to be fueled by people on desiring what their neighbor has; wanting the next latest and greatest thing to come down the line rather than being content with what God has provided. We ask ourselves, “What’s wrong with wanting nice new things? What’s dangerous about wanting more money, a nicer car, a better house, a bigger TV?”

-Sin and Satan also pull us with temptation, just as with Adam and Eve in the garden; Satan still gets us to ask the question, “Is it really wrong?” Is morality determined by my own personal preference and by society? Or is it determined by God’s Word? Billions of dollars are generated by marking and selling sex via TV and computer to people in the privacy of their own home. Because it’s there, does it make it right? Living together or having sex outside of God’s plan for marriage is accepted by many and we are tempted to think, “Is it really wrong?”

-Sin and Satan also pull us with fear. Maybe you beat yourself up, over sin and the experience of sin past and present. Maybe you think that there is no way that God will forgive you for things you’ve done or accept you because of things you’ve experienced. Maybe you’ve hurt people with your actions. Maybe you have abused drugs and alcohol. Maybe you’ve committed sexual sins. Maybe you’ve destroyed a relationship. Maybe you’ve been destroyed through a relationship. Maybe you’ve had an abortion or pressured someone to get one. Maybe you’ve been the victim of physical or emotional abuse. And because of this, whatever it is, you think: “Forgiveness and acceptance is not for me.”

Maybe you’re just scared. Terrified of being alone, of dying. Paralyzed with fear of the unknown, of things that could happen to you or your family. The pull of sin and Satan can deceive us and lead us into deep discouragement and despair. We turn inward and wonder “What’s wrong with me?” We can get to the point of almost losing hope and losing faith, ready to throw in the towel and to give up trying to live for Christ.

But hold on; let’s go back to Colossians 1:13. What does it say? God has rescued us and placed us under the authority of his Son. We are not under the authority of Sin and Satan’s domain of darkness. For us as Christians, there has been a regime change. There is a new guy in charge; we are under the rule of the Son. He is our king.

Notice that the following actions are in the past tense. ‘The Father has delivered us (past tense) from the domain of darkness and transferred us (past tense) to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” God has rescued you. It’s already happened!

It happened because of a specific historical event: redemption by the death of God’s beloved Son. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for ALL our sins and bought us back from Satan’s dominion of darkness.

-Those sins that we toyed with because we thought that they couldn’t hurt us all that much - gossiping about others, harboring bitterness toward others, craving money and possessions; those sins have been forgiven.
-Those sins we tried to rationalize away – lust of the eyes through pornography, lust of the flesh, through sexual sins; those sins have been forgiven.
-Even those sins we knew were wrong and know are deadly and even now are tormenting us with guilt- drug and alcohol abuse, adultery, murder, lies, hurtful behavior; these sins too have been forgiven.
-Also, sins of fear and doubt because of the unknown, because of experiences of abuse and pain; yes, these sins have been forgiven as well.

We have been redeemed! The price the Jesus paid was sufficient and our rescue from the domain of darkness was complete because of who Jesus is.

The Son has the authority to break the power of darkness – Now and forever. Verse 15 says that the Son is the image of the invisible God. Sometimes God may seem far away, but God doesn’t wish to keep us in the dark about his identity or his actions. When we see Christ, we see God. And in Christ, we see that God’s actions are always gracious and loving and forgiving, bringing light to those who sit in darkness.

Verse 16 says that The Son made all things; because of this, Son’s ability to rule has no limit. The Son, not Satan, is the rightful king of the universe. Satan is not equal in power to God. A few weeks ago for Reformation Day, we sang the hymn Luther wrote: “Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill; They shall not overpower us. This world’s prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, He can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him.” What word is that that shatters the darkness? Jesus! The name above all names, “for at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, those on heaven and those on earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the Lord of God the Father!” When the Son returns, we will see Him on the throne and Satan cast down.

Verse 17 says that the Son sustains all things. He’s got the whole world in His hands. There is nowhere that His power does not reach. It shines into every dark corner where Satan might lurk. We have nothing to fear – not Satan’s worst in this life, nor hell in eternity.

Jesus rose from the dead and was the firstborn, the cause, of those who rise from the dead. When Jesus returns in bright glory, we too will rise! Jesus is God himself, all the fullness of God dwells in Him. He is 100% God and 100% man, he is therefore the mediator between God and man. Even when you and I don’t feel peaceful, Jesus has established peace between us and the Father – by taking all the hatred and evil of our sins in his own body on the cross.

So when you feel the pull and power of darkness – and every Christian feels it – hold fast to God’s promise. What is that promise? We are no longer under condemnation, we are not slaves to danger and fear because have been buried with Christ by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the death by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. God has rescued us out of the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the reign of His Son. One day, that reign will come in glory and we will be united with Christ in His resurrection. In these dark days, this gives us reason to rejoice, for His is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.