Live Free with Josh Howerton - Jesus Qualifies You | Ep. 72 | Tuesday May 16, 2023

Episode Date: May 16, 2023

If you're seeking a deeper understanding of the role of Jesus in our salvation, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in as Pastor Mike reminds us of the incredible gift of salvation that is available to all who believe in Jesus Christ. We pray that today’s episode helps you reflect on God’s great love for you. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.comit. slash Daily Drive. And now, let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, hey, hey, thanks for tuning in the Daily Drive podcast. My name is Bro, and together we are trekking through a little book of the Bible known as Colossians.

It's actually a letter that was written by Paul, a guy chosen by God to spread the good news, any planted churches with a team of wonderful people. And this particular church in the city of Colossay was one he'd never actually seen in person. Another guy on the team actually planted this church, but he'd heard so much about it that he writes to them to encourage them. It really is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I say that about every book, but this one, it really is. And I don't know about you. I'm not a big fan of winter. I've seen enough ice and snow in my life and wind chill to last a lifetime. I like summer. I really like fall. And I love spring. I mean, being a sports fan, you got March madness right up into the master's

golf tournament, right into Major League Baseball kicking off, and the NBA is in playoff mode. I love it. But my favorite thing about spring is all the new life. Trees are budding out, flowers poking through the ground, grasses greening up. I mean, the first day of mowing season is one of my favorite days the entire year. I'm addicted to mowing. I mean, that's love it. In fact, I love everything about spring. And I love the way Easter coincides with spring.

Because it's the very best thing about spring. It's the very best thing about life. Very best things ever happen. The resurrection of Jesus is what brings new life, no matter what. season you might find yourself in. So we've been talking about how Colossians is a springtime letter. It's all about new life through Jesus. And we are still in chapter one. And today we're going to see a really cool description of what Jesus has done for us. Let me read verses 11 through 14, make a little commentary about it. He writes this, we also pray that you will be strengthened with all of his glorious power

so that you will have all the endurance and patience that you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. His power will give you what you need. He will. He will give you what you need. So hang in there. And as you practice gratitude, you will be filled with joy. Remember, it's not joy that makes us grateful. It's gratitude that makes us joyful. Then he writes this. I love this. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us in the kingdom of his dear son who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. I love this. He says, he has enabled you. or some versions say he has qualified you.

Now, this word appears only twice in Scripture, and Paul is the one who uses it both times in describing what God has done. It's all about what he has done. I don't know about you, but when you were a kid, did you ever get frustrated when you walked up to a roller coaster you really want to ride? And there was a sign there that read,

you must be this tall to ride this ride. I would think to myself, I'll never be that tall. And the ironic thing is I am tall enough now, but I don't even like roller coasters. But I have come up short a lot in my life. I've been cut from teams because I wasn't quite skilled enough. I've been rejected from job opportunities because I wasn't quite talented enough. I've been denied admission from places of higher learning because my grades weren't quite good enough. There's a lot of things I just didn't qualify for.

I've come up short for a bunch of stuff. And at the top of the list was eternal life in heaven. There's no way a guy like me was getting a piece of that. In fact, Romans chapter 3 tells us that all of us come up short. But the good news is that Jesus, in spite of all of our shortcomings, qualified us. He did it, Paul says. The only way I'm getting into heaven is because Jesus Christ has qualified me. I know me.

I don't qualify. But he has enabled me. He has qualified me through his death and resurrection. And I love the imagery here. He says, for he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his dear son who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. I mean, this seems like a scene out of an epic movie. I mean, you can almost see like a knight in shining armor on a white horse galloping toward you as the evil enemy is closing in about to do you in. A dark fog is about to engulf you.

and he reaches down and scoops you up and throws you on the back of a horse and speeds away toward the light, leaving the darkness and despair behind. That's what he has done. He has qualified us. He has rescued us. He transferred us. He purchased for us. He forgave our sins.

He did all of that. Man, I hope you can see how much he loves you. And I pray that today you and I will be absolutely captured by the magnitude of what he has done. And we'll live grateful for this new life that we did not qualify for. Man, I hope you have a great day. See you next time. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out?

For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe.combe. Church slash daily drive.