Delivered From the Power of Darkness

Colossians 1:12 – 14

The purpose of this message is to renew our understanding on the great transformation believers have through the finished work of Calvary by our Savior and Master, Jesus Christ.

Many believers are under – assessing the privileges and rights of being a follower or a disciple of Jesus because of lack of understanding.

What you don’t understand you cannot appropriate. That’s why Paul says in Colossians 1:9, “we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

I have said this numerous times that Jesus would want us to be His disciples (Matthew 28:19 NKJV) rather than just followers. A disciple takes the lifestyle of his/her master while a follower might decide not to but follows because of the benefits from the master.

A follower can change his/her master when he/she sees a “greener’ pasture.

As disciples, we must have mental and spiritual understanding of our translation or transfer from the power that used to dominate us to the power that gives us freedom.

Satan dominates while Jesus gives freedom.

Before Jesus came and died as a ransom for our reconciliation with the Father, mankind was under the oppressive, brutal domination of the devil. This he does through sin, sickness, and afflictions of all kinds.

Then came the intervention from God via His mercy through the program of redemption by Christ Jesus.

The Bible talking about the graciousness of the Father says: “who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”

God did not just through His Son, Jesus Christ, delivered us from the power of darkness, He didn’t leave us in limbo. He repositioned us into a new kingdom.

The key in our deliverance from darkness is our deliverance from the power that operates in it.

Look at where we were before the scales on our eyes were destroyed. We operated in accordance with the power and prince of the air.

2/. “Wherein in the time past we walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”

Our former lifestyle was based on:

1. The patterns of this world.
2. The influence (power, dominion) of the prince of the power of the air.
3. The spirit that causes men to disobey God and other authority figures.

3/. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

This influence caused us to:

1. Obey the lust of our flesh. 
2. Gratifying the desires of the flesh as a result of the thought that crosses our mind.
3. Naturally destined to the consequences of those desires and the anger of God for disobedience.

And the power gains access through sight, sound, and feelings. Any of these three leads to pondering in the mind. And the moment it gains a foothold, actions follow.

To someone delivered from the power of darkness, conflicts erupt in the mind realm. To someone still under the power of darkness, the thought is natural, and actions ensues immediately. 

The reason a Christian should not be afraid is the understanding that he/she has been delivered from the power that controls the operations in the kingdom of darkness.

God didn’t not deliver us from this dark world. He delivered us from the power that operates in it.

There is existential darkness in the world.

Look at your Bible: Isaiah 60:1 – 2

1/.  “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

2/. “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.”

Prophetically, darkness will envelope the earth. Now we are in the dispensation where darkness has captured the earth.

The kingdom of Jesue is of freedom, grace and mercy.

1. Freedom from the dominion (power, master) of sin – Romans 6:14 
2. Saved by grace not of works (unmerited favor) – Ephesians 2:8
3. Received mercy to become the people of God – 1 Peter 2:10.
4. A kingdom of light (truth that sets free) as opposed to darkness (obfuscation) from where we were delivered.

John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Jesus is saying that even though the world is filled with darkness, those that follows after Him (having my word in their thought patterns and allowing my word to influence their actions) will not be part of the darkness of this world but will have the light that gives life.

Jesus is the light that gives life – John 10:10 “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (NLT)

As opposed to the power that destroys, Jesus, head of the kingdom under which Christians are translated gives “a rich and satisfying life” (NLT).

The rich and satisfying life is not limited to material things but a life based upon His word. That life is rich and satisfying.

Now that we have been translated into the kingdom of light, we have become light as we get get connected to the power of light.

This translation gives us a new identity, the light of the world just as Jesus is the light of the world (Matthew 5:14 & 16).

14/. “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Amp).

16/. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Amp).

This is where the rubber meets the road in these days on inclusivity where the power of darkness has gained a huge entrance into the body of Christ. 

No thanks to the greed and avarice of men behind the pulpit who has allowed the culture of the kingdom of a darkness a freeway into the kingdom of light.

How do we protect our light from the aggressiveness of the power of darkness that has infiltrated the church?

The book of Revelation 2:20 depicts the situation of the church at the moment: “But I still have something against you because of that woman Jezebel. She calls herself a prophet, and you let her teach and mislead my servants to do immoral things and to eat food offered to idols.” (Rev. 2:20 CEV).

Application:

1. Contend for the faith – Jude 3

There is a degrading of the word of God in this generation. This unfortunate situation has led to the powerlessness of the church. No thanks to those whose god is their belly (Jude 4,12 – 13).

You are going to see very soon mainstream Christian networks will allow transgenders and homosexuals (these people with mental health problems) time on their networks. 

My heart was filled with pain when I saw the successor of Reinhard Bonnke dressed in a Tee showing his muscles and a broad chest proving how much workout he’s done.

This lie of inclusiveness from the pit of hell must be contended with by righteous indignation.

The church an exclusive club. It’s for those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and have repented of their former lifestyle and taken a new life – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Old things must pass away before you can claim to be redeemed. If old things remain, what were you redeemed from?

Please run away from Westernized gospel of liberalism.

One of the tenets of liberalism is open doors. When you open your doors without restrictions, you damage your home.

2. Continued Renewal of our mind – Romans 12:2

At the rate things are going, Christians must spend more time with the scriptures. Stop listening to messages that tickles your ears and affirm your sinful lifestyle.

We are in the end times – 1 Timothy 4:1 – 2; 4:1 – 4. 

You cannot discern a lie when you don’t know the truth.

There is an influx of new day translations of the Bible to suit the depravity or the “revelation”, or the agenda of the set man which unsuspecting readers will believe to be from God. 

Asking the Holy Spirit to guide you, teach you, and tell you the mind of Jesus will renew your mind according to the will of God.

3. Walk in love – 1 John 2:9 – 12

The kingdom of God on earth under His dear Son, Jesus was built on the foundation of love. Where love is, there is light. Where light is, there is truth, where we have the truth, there is freedom.

Anyone that will enjoy this deliverance from the power of darkness must walk in love.

There are two types of love: 

1. the love for your neighbor.

”Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 33:39)

2. the love of the brethren.

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

Brotherly love is a higher realm of love. We must for the example of Jesus that He died for His brethren (Hebrews 2:11). The new family in Christ demands that we follow this higher level of love.

Don’t forget that we are the light in the midst of darkness and because we have been delivered from the power of darkness, the existential darkness has no dominion over us again.

Now if any follower or disciple of Jesus walks in hate, he/she has repositioned him/herself under the power of darkness. The kingdom of darkness can now operate (have dominion) in that life.

It is as it were, that the person just decided to switch off the light around him or her.

You have been delivered from the power of darkness, live in the light!

.. "acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness" (Titus 1:1).