A Fruitful Death

(To download an mp3 file of this message, click on the title above. To listen online, click on the play button of the audio player shown.)

This is a sermon that was preached on Oct. 6, 2019 for a worship service in which the sacrament of communion was shared. It is based on Colossians 1:6 & 21-22 and discusses the benefits of Christ's death on the cross. His death seemed to be a tragedy at the time by His closest disciples and followers, but was proven to be a fruitful benefit to all humanity because of the redemption and reconciliation it provided.

Written Excerpts:

Colossians 1:21-22 (NKJV) And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²² in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

Introduction: When we are facing tragedy and calamity in our lives, we may wonder what good can ever come out of this situation? Having said that, I’m sure that most of us have heard various individuals speak about the good that has come about from some tragic event they have experienced. 

When we are experiencing the adverse or tragic event, probably the last thing we want to hear at the moment from anyone is how much good may result from the situation. At the time of the tragedy, it too often seems trivial and insincere when we are reminded of the blessing that may eventually come out of all the chaos. Yet, there is a substantial reason why we can exercise faith and proclaim to the world that God is able to bring good out of evil and blessing out of tragedy. It is based on the message of the cross.

The title of today’s message may sound silly and paradoxical. The mental images that the words “fruitful” and “death” convey would probably seem totally incompatible. The word “fruitful” implies life, promise, productivity and reward. The word “death” implies everything opposite of that. In normal life situations their incompatibility would be confirmed, but when we look at the cross of Jesus Christ, we find the one exception and discover how death produces a fruitful (blessed) outcome.

There are 2 or 3 verses in Colossians 1 which stress this theme I would like to present.

Colossians 1:6 (NKJV) ⁶  which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; [The pronoun “which” at the beginning of v. 6 refers back to the word “truth” in verse 5.]

Colossians 1:21-22 (NKJV) And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²² in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

I want to draw your attention to this passage in Colossians to explore how Christ's death on the cross turns out to be a fruitful death for each of us.

I.          The Theme of Paul’s Letter

Paul’s letter to the Colossians is one of four letters he wrote while in prison in Rome. The other 3 letters are Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon. Ephesians and Colossians are the most similar of the four. We are told that Ephesians emphasizes the church as the body of Christ, and Colossians emphasizes Christ as the head of the church. 

Here in the first chapter of Colossians especially, Paul has been driving home the message of the preeminence of Christ. See v. 15 and following. One thing we need to see clearly is the preeminence of Christ. There are so many different texts in the Bible where Christ is exalted, and the “spotlight” is shone on Him by the Father as well as the Apostles. In all of Paul’s teaching and preaching he tries to stress the priority of Christ. Nothing can change or has changed without Christ.

II.        The Tragedy in the Past

A. The tragedy of their condition.

v. 13 under the “power of darkness”

v. 21 alienated and enemies; wicked works

B. The “tragedy” of Christ's death.

v. 20 – the blood of the cross

The cross was a well-known instrument of death. It involved a bloody death. You can’t accurately speak about the benefits of the gospel without including the gruesomeness of the cross. 

v. 22 – the body of his flesh through death

Tyndale Commentaries - For Paul, the word ‘flesh’ (sarx) frequently describes not merely the physical aspect of human nature, but humanity as it opposes God. ‘Body’, on the other hand, which also describes man as a totality, not merely as a physical entity, is morally neutral. 

The point here seems to be to emphasize the identity of God with humanity in the “flesh” so that the punishment for sin could be legally and adequately assumed by the perfect human – Jesus Christ. That could only be accomplished by a literal death – the stated consequence for sin by God in Genesis.

III.       The Benefit in the Present

v. 14 – redemption and forgiveness

vv. 20, 21 – reconciliation 

IV.       The Prospect for the Future

v. 22 – presentation as holy people

Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised - Like animals suitable for sacrifice, the Colossians are to be found “holy and blameless” in his presence (cf. Eph 1:4). Like prisoners set “free from accusation” (NIV) by a judge in a court of law, the Colossians are to be irreproachable in God’s sight. Christ’s sacrificial, guilt-incurring death has made such a presentation possible (2Co 5:21; Gal 3:13).

v. 28 – present every man perfect in Christ Jesus 

The fruitful end of Christ's death is to present us to God as perfect in Christ. We are perfect as we stand “in Christ.” And… we are being made perfect in the sense that God’s purpose and design for each believer is to transform us into the image of His Son.

Not works of darkness but fruits of the Spirit.

(Expositor's Bible Commentary) The crucifixion (past time) affords reconciliation (present time) and enables presentation before God (future time).  

Conclusion:

As we prepare to share the Lord’s Supper, let us offer our thanks to the Lord for the positive spiritual fruit that has come about in our lives because of His death. May this sacrament not only remind us of His suffering and what He went through in death, but may it also remind us of the fruit it produced in our redemption, reconciliation and transformation.

Let us sing our closing hymn before we share communion together.

Are You Washed in the Blood?