Colossians 2:13a

Colossians chapter 2 this morning, verses 9 to 13, our focus is going to be on the first part of verse 13. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power, whom also ye are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who raised him from the debt. In you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flush, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses. May God bless to us his sacred and… Holy Word this morning. The first Sunday of the new year of 1850 dawned, and it was cold, and it was snowing. Prevented by the weather from accompanying his father on a nine-mile journey to Tolisbury to attend church, C.H. Spurgeon sought for something that was close by. And this led Spurgeon to a primitive Methodist chapel. where he was converted. Later on, 14 years after his conversion, he went back to the chapel and he preached, and he pointed to a seat on the left side of the building under the gallery. And he said this, he said, I was sitting in that pew when I was converted. I had heard the plan of salvation by the sacrifice of Jesus from my youth up, but I did not know any more about it. it in my innermost soul than if I had been born and bred a hot and taught. The light was there, but I was blind. It was of necessity that the Lord himself should make the matter plain to me. It does you good to look back on your past and remember what you were before you were converting. As God told Israel, he that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord, look unto the rock whence ye are youne, and to the hole of the pit, whence ye are digged. In Isaiah 51 and verse 1. Consider that idolatrous family and err the caldees out of which I called Abraham. That was the rock from which you are eun. Consider the miserable state you were in in slavery in Egypt long ago when I formed you into a nation. That was the whole of the pit from which you were dug. And so it should come as no surprise in the New Testament after Paul has spoken about your circumcision by Christ, your regeneration, and your union with Christ and his death, burial and resurrection, which is pictured for us in back. baptism that Paul should ask you to look back on your past and what you were prior to conversion. And he says here in scripture in verse 13, and you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh. Now you were in a state of spiritual death, he says, and you were dead. What is? is spiritual death. Now you and I know what physical death is, for you see it all around you, you’ve seen a graveyard, you’ve seen all the tombstones. Death is a very common human experience. Death is the separation of your soul from your body. The scripture puts it this way in in James 226, the body without the spirit is dead. When the body dies, all the actions of that body life that were once in it cease. The dead can’t walk, talk, hear, see, think. As far as this world is concerned, the dead have no longer have any connection with it. Now, spiritual death is the separation of your soul from God. To be separated from God is to be deprived of everything that makes this life worth living. for the scripture tells us that God is the fountain of life in Psalm 36 and he is the true source of all joy and happiness according to Psalm 16. And so to be separated from him is to be separated from these things. Just as a person physically dead, a corpse, cannot perform any physical actions in the same way someone who is spiritually dead, is incapable of performing any spiritual activities. Scripture teaches that you can be spiritually dead while you’re physically alive. Remember what Jesus said, let the dead bury the dead. You come and follow me. Or as Paul put it, she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. Salvation involves your life. your soul passing from death unto life. In other words, a spiritual resurrection. When speaking of the deadness of your soul, the Bible often uses physical terminology. The Bible talks about you are spiritually deaf. Now, obviously, your physical ears can hear the message of God as it is proclaimed. The minister gets up. He talks. You may sit in that audience and you hear everything that everybody else hears. But your soul has no ears to hear the message. As Jesus put it in John 843, you cannot hear my word. It’d be like reading scripture to a mule. You’re spiritually blind. Now your bodily eyes can see, but the eyes of your understanding are closed so that you cannot comprehend, grasp, spiritual things. It would be like a horse seeing a beautiful sunset, but can’t appreciate it. What does a horse know about the beauty of a sunset? You are spiritually lame, the Bible says. You can physically walk around this world, but you have a situation where your soul is incapable walking with God. I remember when I was growing up, we didn’t have air conditioning in the church when I was growing up. So the back door, the front door, I should say, of the church in the back was open all the time. Double doors, big, they were always open. All the windows were open. So one day, a dog came in the church service. It was going to walk it up the aisle. Now, friends, that dog could walk in the church, but it was incapable of fellowship. It was incapable of worshiping the true God of right. And my friends, that’s the way we are. This is what spiritual death. We’re separated from God. Now, how did you become spiritually dead? Well, man is not as God originally made him, for God made man upright, the scripture tells us. He made him holy and righteous and in the image of God. And yet scripture reveals, and Adam all die. 1st Corinthians 15. The fall of man in Adam took place as he was the reprehensible. representative of all men. Adam disobeyed God’s command not to eat off the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The punishment would be severe because the scripture says the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. Now, this does not exclusively refer to physical death because they said the day you eat thereof you’ll die. A death, physical death was connected with it. But obviously, he died spiritually. His soul was separated from God. Something happened within Adam the moment he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He lost God’s image of holiness, righteousness, and knowledge. And all of a sudden, he is now alienated from God. Now, Adam passed down that alienation, that separation, that spiritual deadness to all his offspring. to you and I, wherefore, as by one man’s sin entered into the world and death by sin, so death passed upon all men. You had a corrupt nature. You were spiritually dead from the moment of conception. Remember what David wrote in Psalm 51. Behold, I was shaping an in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. So you don’t know. come into this world innocent. You don’t even come into this world in a neutral position or anything of that nature. You come depraved. You come dead. You come separated from God into this world. This whole idea of an age of accountability is a denial. It is a denial of man’s fallen Adam. So you were in a state of spiritual death, he says. You being dead. Now, the evidence of your spiritual death, you are a transgressor of God’s law. You are dead in your sins, it says. Now, the scripture declares there’s not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sineth not. That indicates to us that all men must be fallen in Adam because everybody sins. We could speak about sin as missing the mark, falling short of God’s standards, like shooting a a bow and arrow. You’re shooting an arrow from a bow at a target and it falls short. We don’t hit the mark. Have you ever bitten into an apple and filed a worm? And you look at the outside of that apple and there may not be anything at all on the outside of the apple. You bite into it, all of a sudden, you see the rottenness inside. It’s funny. I had mentioned this last week and Jared bit into an apple. And sure enough, it had come true. But I said, look good on the outside. It happened just this week. How did the worm get into the apple? It didn’t burrow in from the outside. Well, the worm actually comes from the inside of the apple. The worm is laid there. Some insect lays an egg on the apple blossom and it closes up. and then it eats its way out. Friends, corruption starts within you. Because you’re spiritually dead, works out in your life through your thoughts and your words and your deeds. You know, suppose some young boys are, you know, gambling, shooting dice. And the boy who owns the dice, he rolls first and he rules sevens three times. He keeps winning. And after the six straight seven, the other boys are growing suspicious. And the only explanation for it is there’s something wrong with the dice. They are loaded dice that this kid’s using. And so it is with man. If sin were a product of man’s environment, then sinners would be confined to the slums and the broken homes and the uneducated and those lacking in social standing. But sin is found in those who live in mansions. Sin is found in the best of homes, among those who were academically elite. And in the best social socials. standing. There’s only one solution. There’s something wrong inside man. And it’s something wrong inside every man. Just like the dice are loaded, there’s something wrong within man. You love sin. And it dominates your life before conversion because you’re spiritually dead and alienated from God. So you were a transgressor of God’s law. You are without God. He mentions the uncircumcision of your flesh here. If you would, turn to the person. book of Ephesians chapter 2 verses 11 and 12. Paul writes here, wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands. That at that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. The Jews thought themselves special in God’s sight because they were circumcised, because they thought themselves to be the sons of Abraham and had the Abrahamic coveted and so forth. Sadly, many of the Jews were uncircumcised in heart, as we’ve already talked about, and therefore they were still spiritually dead, and ultimately they were in the same state of condemnation as the Gentiles. There was no real difference. However, the uncircumcised Gentiles did not enjoy. the privileges that the Jews possessed and it was a great hindrance to them. First Gentiles were without Christ. They lacked any connection with the Messiah who was of Jewish origin. They didn’t expect him. They didn’t know anything about him. John 1, verse 10, tells us that Christ came into the world, the world, knew him not. The world didn’t know anything about Christ when he came. The Gentiles were in the dark. that’s a great disadvantage. Secondly, the Gentiles were aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel. To be separated from Israel was to be separated from where the people of God resided. But not all the Israelites were true Israel, as Romans 9 indicates to us. Believers were almost exclusively found among this nation. Israel was the recipient of God’s word. Israel had the true worship of God. And so to be alienated from them is to be alienated from really knowing about God in the worship of God. Third, the Gentiles were strangers from the covenants of promise, he says. Now, all the covenants pertain to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, his coming and the salvation that he was going to bring. But the Gentiles were ignorant of the covenants. and, interestingly enough, they were ignorant of God’s promise to them in the covenants that through the seat of Abraham, all the nations of the earth would be blessed, but what did they know about it? They were ignorant. Fourth, Gentiles had no hope, no hope of salvation. They were wedded to their dumb idols in which they worship. They had no clue about eternal why. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, which they didn’t have. And so, fifthly, Gentiles were without God in the world. The true God was unknown to them. They didn’t have the light of Scripture. They sat in darkness. To be uncircumcised in flesh here meant all these disadvantages. But let me say this. The evidence of spiritual death that we find here relates both to Jews and Gentiles. because while one was uncircumcised in flesh, the other one was uncircumcised in heart as well. And so they both were in the same boat. What do we see here evidence of spiritual death? You don’t know Christ. Christ came into the world, the world knew him not. He came onto his own and his own received him not. But to as many as received him, to them gave you the power that become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. not being attached to God’s people. Not of the true Israel of God. Now, think about this. The Jews thought they were the sons of Abraham, but Jesus had to disabuse them of that. They were not the true sons of Abraham, or else they would have the faith of Abraham. They would believe in Him, which they didn’t do. They’re not attached to God’s people. Not knowing the promises of Christ and the covenants. Well, the Jews had the covenants. We see that most of them didn’t understand the covenant. and what the promise was concerning Christ in the covenants. Not finding hope in Christ was another problem. And being without God separated from him in this world. And this is the problem. Well, the Jews, many of them thought they were of the Lord. Christ had to tell them that they were really of Satan. And so Jews and Gentiles alike, when we really boil it down and we put him in the spiritual death, we see these are the kinds of things. that are related to spiritual death. So the evidence of your spiritual death, you are a transgression of God’s law, you are without God. Now let me make a couple practical observations here. One is this. You should realize popular doctrine is not always biblical doctrine. If we took a poll of 90, 95% of the evangelical churches, so-called, in our society, they would not teach man’s fallen, depraved, spiritually dead condition. Scripture portrays man as he really is, and not what man would like to think himself to be. You know, Paul talks about thinking of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Well, that’s the way people think. They think themselves more highly than the scripture says about them. God declares that man is spiritually dead, that man thinks, man thinks that he is capable of doing good, that he’s able to do spiritual actions, that he’s able to produce faith and repentance on his own, that he’s able to come to the Lord on his own, that he’s able to love God on his own. There was a picture drawn by Holman Hunt entitled The Light of the World, which sort of captures the theological thinking concerning man. you see the Savior staying at a door which is ivory covered has long been closed and he wears a priestly breastplate and bears in his hand the lamp of truth and he stands and he’s knocking at the door and there’s no answer and so he continues there knocking and knocking. If you look closely, you perceive there’s no knob on the outside of the door, no latch for him to open. so it can only be open within. My friends, that is the idea that most people have with regard to salvation. That somehow, rather, Christ can only knock at the heart’s door, he has to wait for the sinner to open it. Such is the popular view of salvation. It’s sort of a cooperative effort between you and God. That is not the biblical view of salvation. People commonly think, you know, God is striving. to save the sinner. He’s doing all that he can. And that Satan is diligently working to prevent the sinner’s salvation. He’s doing all he can. And ultimately, the sinner has to make the decision with regard, the final decision in regard to salvation. The Bible says no such thing. The Bible says here, you are dead in sin. The Bible says you have no ability to open your heart. The Bible says, you cannot do the spiritually good thing of coming to Christ on your own power. I read in scripture about Lydia whose heart the Lord open that she attended under the things which were spoken of Paul in the gospel message. I remember when I was in seminary, I had choirs in those days, and the choir would sing at the end of the service, almost every service, open your heart and let him come in. That was one of the songs we sang. And I had just come to the doctrines of grace, and I’m singing it one day, and I’m thinking, wait a minute, that’s not what the Bible says. Have ever had anything, the light go on? And you’re saying, why are we doing this? Why are we singing this? So I had to go and talk to the choir director and the pastor and said, wait a minute, we shouldn’t be singing this song. This is wrong. This is unbiblical. Jesus said, you will not come to me that you might have life. Man is incapable of doing. good in this manner. You have to be drawn to Christ. Jesus said, no man can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him. You know, Martin Luther put it this way. If any man ascribes any of salvation, even the very least to the free will of man, he knows nothing of grace, and he has not learned Jesus Christ to write. And I think he’s correct. By the way, Revelation chapter 3, where Christ is knocking on the door, door is in relation to the church. And he fits in with Song of Solomon chapter 5 where we find that the beloved is knocking at the door of his bride and she won’t open it. She doesn’t immediately get to the door and open it for him. It has to do with fellowship with the Lord. It’s the people whom he loves that he rebukes and chasens, he says, in that passage. in Revelation chapter 3. But let me ask you, could you impart life to a dead man? If there was a corpse, could you give life to that dead person? Could you resurrect him? Could you make his limbs to move? His heart to start pulsating? His lungs to start heaving? Could you do that? You know that’s impossible. Much less can a spiritually dead man somehow or other bring himself to life. is never going to happen. You are without spiritual strength. You cannot help yourself. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopardist spots? Then may ye also do good that are accustomed to doing you. Blackness is natural to the Ethiopian. Black spots are natural to the leopard. They’re born that way. And so the sinner is born polluted and defiled. As it is impossible for the Ethiopian to change the color of skin or the leopard to shed his spots, so the sinner cannot rid himself, cannot, of his corruption and depravity. In blackened by sin in your present state, you cannot decide to somehow change your ways and start doing good in the future. It’s never going to happen. It’s impossible. Only God by his power and grace can affect a change within you. Only he can resurrect the soul. Why won’t man accept what God says in his word about man’s state? Sadly, that church members refuse, it seems, to reverence God’s word. And in effect, we want to call God a liar. God says, you were dead and man says, well, wait a minute, I can still do this, that and yet. No, you can’t. You realize the popular doctrine is not the biblical doctrine. Secondly, your original state of spiritual deadness is a humbling doctrine. You may not like this subject. When we talk about these kinds of things, it’s withering to man’s pride, his sense of self-importance. But I remind you that most medicines that we take are bitter in taste, but they’re beneficial in the long run. This is a bitter pill to swallow the state that we’re in by nature. sure, but unless you really behold the horror of the pit in which you lie by nature, you’re never going to appreciate the great salvation that’s been provided by Christ. You’ll never give the triune God the honor and the praise that he rightly deserves in saving you from this wretched condition if you don’t hold the right view of man. My friends, you’ll never have any genuine self-abhorrence. nor casting of yourself upon the mercy of God, unless you understand how vow and how hopeless your condition is. We need to be completely stripped of this notion that somehow or other we can do spiritually good. Otherwise, you’re going to steal the glory that’s due to God alone, and Paul will have none of it. This is where you were. Think back. This is what you were. It’s the original state of spiritual dead as a humbling doctor. Let me suggest also. There’s a grave danger associated with denying man’s spiritual deadness. If you cherish the delusion, that you have the power or the ability to come to Christ on your own, then you are going to procrastinate seeking salvation. Like Felix, you’re going to always be looking for a convenient season to look out. You search out the Lord. While you’ll figure, I’m in my youth, I’ll sow my wild oats. And when I get old, when I’m facing death, then I’ll get serious maybe about religion and seeking selage. William Shed, put it this way. He said, a sense of danger excites, a sense of security puts to sleep. A company of gamblers in the sixth story are told that the best. building is on fire. One of them answers, we have the key to the fire escape, and they all continue the game. Suddenly, one exclaims the key is lost. They’ll immediately spring to their feet and endeavor to escape. As long as you believe that you hold the key of salvation in your hand, you’re going to readily dismiss any calls to repentance and faith in Christ because there’s no urgency. Only when you realize that repentance and repentance and faith in Christ, only when you realize that repentance and faith are God’s gifts. Are you going to beg for God to do a work of grace in your heart? Now the danger is, you’re not promised tomorrow. People procrastinate, they think, well, I’ll do it when I get older. You don’t know you’re going to get older. Thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee is what the scripture says about one man. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him. while he is near. My fourth thought and final thought is this. Your belief in Christ is evidence of you passing from death unto life. Scripture says in John 524, Jesus put it this way. Verily, verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death. life. This verse is a favorite of God’s people. It’s a very comforting verse. It brings peace and insurance to any troubled soul that has come to know Christ. You’ll notice it speaks of eternal life as a present possession that we have as believers, those who hear the gospel and believe it. But it’s important to realize that having a hearing ear and a believing heart is the result of having eternal life. And what I’m saying is this. There’s an indication you have already passed from death and the life if you believe the message of the gospel of Christ. Regeneration precedes faith. God must give you ears to hear in faith in order for you to embrace the gospel of Christ. But if you’ve come to hear God’s word, if you come to believe in Christ, then you already possess eternal life. You have passed from death unto life. When C. H. Spurgeon, visited that primitive chapel 14 years later after he was converted. And he thought about his previous spiritual condition. And how he had heard the plan of salvation from his youth. But as he put it, I didn’t have any more knowledge of it than a hot and taught. You know, what do I know about salvation truly? He said, it took God’s revelation. He had to open my eyes to the truth because I was blind to it. I didn’t. understand it. I was dead spiritually. It does you good. It does me good to flash back and think about where we were, how we came into this world, and how God has saved us from that miserable condition that we were in, that we may be thankful and grateful to God for the salvation he has provided us in Jesus Christ. And so it does good at times to think back and ponder the past. Well, let us close with a word of prayer.