WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.900 --> 00:00:05.500 Our text will be the text from Colossians chapter 1 especially verses 2 00:00:05.500 --> 00:00:12.100 13 and 14 that I read again. Who and this is God the Father who 3 00:00:12.100 --> 00:00:17.000 delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into 4 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:19.000 the kingdom of his beloved Son. 5 00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:25.800 In whom we have Redemption, the Forgiveness of sins. Grace and peace to 6 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:26.200 you 7 00:00:26.300 --> 00:00:29.900 from God, our Father and from the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 8 00:00:30.400 --> 00:00:30.800 Amen. 9 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:39.500 Many of you may know this or not but I happen to be a movie buff and 10 00:00:39.800 --> 00:00:44.300 you probably heard that. And one of my favorite genre film are films 11 00:00:44.300 --> 00:00:48.200 that depict Jesus as a character or films, that depict another 12 00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:52.400 character, who is not Jesus, but serves the role as a Christ figure. 13 00:00:52.900 --> 00:00:56.100 I like to watch Jesus films and Christ figure films. 14 00:00:56.600 --> 00:01:01.500 But today, I want to radically change course and talk about films that 15 00:01:01.500 --> 00:01:03.100 depict the devil 16 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:07.900 as a character. Can you think of any films that depict Satan as one of 17 00:01:07.900 --> 00:01:08.800 the characters? 18 00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:12.400 You might think Devil's Advocate or Ghost Rider? 19 00:01:13.600 --> 00:01:17.200 Typically, I don't like the way the devil is depicted in film. 20 00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:19.100 I don't think they do a faithful job. 21 00:01:19.100 --> 00:01:21.400 Now, you may see, how do you be faithful? 22 00:01:21.400 --> 00:01:25.200 Well, they don't give a Biblical view of who the devil is and what he 23 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:30.600 does. Often the devil is just a little too slick, a little too cool. 24 00:01:31.100 --> 00:01:33.300 And because God tends to be absent from 25 00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:37.200 these films, they almost said the devil up as if he is God's rival 26 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:41.600 and equal God who just happens to be evil. And because he's on Earth, 27 00:01:41.600 --> 00:01:45.800 active among us and God is far away in heaven, the devil seems to be a 28 00:01:45.800 --> 00:01:49.800 bigger threat, a bigger concern than God himself. 29 00:01:50.300 --> 00:01:54.600 And yet ironically at the same time the devil is someone that we 30 00:01:54.600 --> 00:01:56.000 humans could easily out 31 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:01.300 do. In other words, if Nicolas Cage is Ghost Rider can send the devil 32 00:02:01.300 --> 00:02:02.500 hurling into hell, I'm not 33 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:04.300 afraid of the guy. 34 00:02:05.900 --> 00:02:10.199 So, to think of a good devil movie, I've actually got to go all the 35 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:17.800 way back to 1981 and the film is Terry Gilliam's "Time Bandits". Which 36 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:18.400 may be a film 37 00:02:18.400 --> 00:02:21.700 none of you have ever heard of, or seen the, I would say it's a good 38 00:02:21.700 --> 00:02:26.600 film to pick up and look at. And this film has what my dad said was 39 00:02:26.600 --> 00:02:30.500 the best depiction of the devil in any film ever, and I would agree 40 00:02:30.500 --> 00:02:31.100 with him. 41 00:02:31.500 --> 00:02:34.000 Now, if you've never seen "Time Bandits", I'm not going to waste 20 42 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:35.500 minutes, telling you what the plot 43 00:02:35.600 --> 00:02:36.100 is. 44 00:02:36.500 --> 00:02:38.400 Just know that in the film 45 00:02:38.700 --> 00:02:43.000 God is a character and the Devil is a character. And the devil is 46 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:44.500 simply called evil. 47 00:02:44.900 --> 00:02:48.600 And the main plot of the film is how the devil, evil, who has been 48 00:02:48.700 --> 00:02:52.600 imprisoned by God in this dark fortress is trying to get out of the 49 00:02:52.600 --> 00:02:56.100 fortress so that he can undo God's creation. 50 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:57.400 That's what he's after. 51 00:02:57.400 --> 00:02:59.800 He wants to escape from this prison 52 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:02.300 so that he can go out and mess up creation. 53 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:09.600 And in this film, this guy, evil, he is definitely a deadly foe whose 54 00:03:09.600 --> 00:03:10.700 arms mean deadly 55 00:03:10.700 --> 00:03:13.500 woe, on Earth is not his equal. 56 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:16.900 He's just an awesomely evil diabolical guy. 57 00:03:17.400 --> 00:03:20.900 He hates God and he hates God's creation. 58 00:03:21.700 --> 00:03:24.000 He's a liar and a manipulator. 59 00:03:24.500 --> 00:03:29.400 He is able to use people's greed and cravings and desires 60 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:34.700 to get them to sin, to do what he wants them to do so that he can use 61 00:03:34.700 --> 00:03:36.000 them for his plans. 62 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:42.300 He's a murderer who kills people. And again, no, human can stand up 63 00:03:42.300 --> 00:03:45.200 to this guy. In the penultimate scene, 64 00:03:45.300 --> 00:03:50.100 the penultimate climax, various warriors from different time periods 65 00:03:50.100 --> 00:03:51.900 come to take down the evil one. 66 00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:55.000 And when the battle is over the evil one easily 67 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:55.800 dispatches 68 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:56.300 all of them. 69 00:03:56.300 --> 00:03:59.800 He annihilates all of them without any trouble. In other words 70 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:04.100 there was never a contest between humans and the evil one, he could 71 00:04:04.100 --> 00:04:05.700 always outclass them. 72 00:04:06.100 --> 00:04:10.300 And then what was most telling about this character evil is that he 73 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:16.300 rewards friends and foe alike and his reward for everybody is death. 74 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:18.800 He kills his enemies 75 00:04:19.300 --> 00:04:24.000 but he also kills his own minions, he rewards them with death. And I 76 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:28.000 remember watching this film with my dad, when I was on home on, leave 77 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:28.800 from the Army. 78 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:29.800 And with this scene 79 00:04:29.900 --> 00:04:33.500 came my dad turned to me and said that's it, this is exactly what the 80 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:34.000 devil is 81 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:37.900 like he wants nothing more than to kill everybody. 82 00:04:38.100 --> 00:04:42.200 And even those who think that he's their friend, he wants to kill them 83 00:04:42.200 --> 00:04:42.900 too. 84 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:45.300 And then my dad gave me this warning. 85 00:04:45.300 --> 00:04:47.600 He said, Son the devil may come to you 86 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:51.000 with temptation may promise you everything you want and beyond. 87 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:54.200 Don't listen, he wants to destroy you. 88 00:04:54.500 --> 00:04:55.700 He wants to kill you. 89 00:04:55.900 --> 00:04:58.000 He wants you to go to hell. 90 00:04:58.300 --> 00:04:59.800 Do not listen to him and 91 00:05:00.200 --> 00:05:03.700 I would say that the depiction of the evil one, the Satan figure of 92 00:05:03.700 --> 00:05:07.700 the "Time Bandits" definitely depicts a guy who more than anything else 93 00:05:07.700 --> 00:05:11.300 wants to kill and destroy everybody. 94 00:05:12.200 --> 00:05:16.100 And so, you might think about Paul, when he talks about this authority 95 00:05:16.100 --> 00:05:19.400 of darkness, the authority of the darkness. 96 00:05:19.900 --> 00:05:23.100 This is a place where it appears that the devil is the one who's got 97 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:25.900 Authority. and what a horrible place to be 98 00:05:25.900 --> 00:05:29.700 because his desire for you, is your 99 00:05:29.900 --> 00:05:32.400 death. Is your destruction. 100 00:05:32.700 --> 00:05:34.300 Is your damnation. 101 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:36.500 He may promise you good 102 00:05:36.900 --> 00:05:40.900 but he's only going to deliver evil because all he has for, you are 103 00:05:40.900 --> 00:05:42.300 evil desires. 104 00:05:42.900 --> 00:05:47.000 And so, what a horrible place to be in the authority of darkness, 105 00:05:47.300 --> 00:05:50.100 where this guy appears to be the one who's got authority. 106 00:05:50.700 --> 00:05:51.700 He hates you 107 00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:53.700 and that's not the worst of it. 108 00:05:54.200 --> 00:05:55.400 Here's the worst of it. 109 00:05:55.800 --> 00:05:59.700 Well, another thing "Time Bandits" does very well, is eventually the 110 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:04.900 confrontation comes before between the Supreme Being and evil. 111 00:06:05.200 --> 00:06:09.800 And when the Supreme Being shows up, he kills the evil one, just like 112 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:13.200 that, he just burns him to a crisp no contest. 113 00:06:13.300 --> 00:06:16.100 God, comes the devil's destroyed, end of story. 114 00:06:16.300 --> 00:06:18.500 After the devil has all these elaborate battles 115 00:06:18.500 --> 00:06:19.600 killing all these people 116 00:06:19.700 --> 00:06:23.700 God shows up and bang, the devil's crisped and God just beats him 117 00:06:23.700 --> 00:06:25.200 without any contest. 118 00:06:26.200 --> 00:06:27.500 And you see in this film 119 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:29.800 sorry, the devil is not a god. 120 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:31.800 He's not God Almighty. 121 00:06:32.200 --> 00:06:32.600 Sorry, 122 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:35.100 God Almighty is God Almighty 123 00:06:35.400 --> 00:06:37.300 and the devil is simply his creature. 124 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:41.500 And so God basically destroys his creature whom he made 125 00:06:41.700 --> 00:06:45.700 and the conflict is all over. And this is bad news 126 00:06:45.800 --> 00:06:50.300 if you are in the authority of darkness, the domain of darkness 127 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:54.900 because God is going to confront Satan and his realm and he is going 128 00:06:54.900 --> 00:06:55.900 to destroy them. 129 00:06:56.300 --> 00:06:59.400 When the last battle comes Satan doesn't have a chance. 130 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:04.100 If you are in the authority of Darkness, then not only do you have to 131 00:07:04.100 --> 00:07:08.800 fear the hostility of Satan, you've got to worry about the wrath of 132 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:11.900 God, that's going to come to all who are in that realm. 133 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:19.500 So worse than Satan's hostility is God's wrath. And that's why Paul 134 00:07:19.500 --> 00:07:22.400 builds up to this very powerful gospel 135 00:07:22.400 --> 00:07:26.600 message in his epistle, opening to the Colossians. 136 00:07:27.100 --> 00:07:29.800 He tells these people they're Saints. 137 00:07:30.200 --> 00:07:31.600 They're faithful brothers. 138 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:34.900 He prays that they would grow in knowledge and faithfulness and then 139 00:07:34.900 --> 00:07:37.100 finally he brings them to these words. 140 00:07:37.700 --> 00:07:42.800 God the Father has qualified them to be holy ones to be Saints and 141 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:47.200 then he says, this is God who delivered you out of the authority of 142 00:07:47.200 --> 00:07:49.800 darkness and has transferred 143 00:07:49.900 --> 00:07:53.200 He delivered us out of the authority of darkness and has transferred 144 00:07:53.200 --> 00:07:55.300 us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. 145 00:07:55.800 --> 00:07:59.800 In whom we have Redemption the Forgiveness of sins. 146 00:08:00.900 --> 00:08:02.100 And so this is true. 147 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:07.400 You were at one time subject to the authority of Darkness. Subject to 148 00:08:07.400 --> 00:08:13.600 the evil hostile, whims of the evil one and subject to to the wrath of 149 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:14.300 God. 150 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:21.200 But God has transferred you from that realm, to the kingdom of his 151 00:08:21.200 --> 00:08:22.300 beloved Son. 152 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:27.300 He has delivered you from that realm and has removed and brought you 153 00:08:27.300 --> 00:08:29.100 to where Jesus is Lord. 154 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:30.000 And where Jesus 155 00:08:30.400 --> 00:08:31.300 is Lord 156 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:33.700 that's where we find Redemption. 157 00:08:34.100 --> 00:08:36.900 Namely here, the forgiveness of sins. 158 00:08:37.500 --> 00:08:41.400 This is something Paul had in common with the Colossians and that they 159 00:08:41.400 --> 00:08:43.100 have in common with us. 160 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:48.200 Paul was delivered when he was confronted by our Lord on the road to 161 00:08:48.200 --> 00:08:49.100 Damascus. 162 00:08:49.500 --> 00:08:54.600 Then he spent three days blind and fasting and then a faithful brother 163 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:59.700 Ananias brought to Paul the gospel and baptism and Paul was delivered 164 00:08:59.700 --> 00:08:59.900 from 165 00:09:00.400 --> 00:09:03.900 the authority of darkness and transferred into the realm, into the 166 00:09:03.900 --> 00:09:07.100 kingdom of God's beloved Son. For the Colossians 167 00:09:07.100 --> 00:09:08.100 it happened this way. 168 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:13.300 A faithful witness Epaphras brought the gospel to them and when they 169 00:09:13.300 --> 00:09:17.400 heard and believed God delivered them from the authority of darkness 170 00:09:17.700 --> 00:09:21.500 and transferred them to the reign of his beloved Son. 171 00:09:22.400 --> 00:09:26.800 And so it happened to you, God through his proclaimed gospel, God 172 00:09:26.800 --> 00:09:30.100 through baptism has rescued you. Has 173 00:09:30.300 --> 00:09:34.200 delivered you from the authority of darkness and has transferred you 174 00:09:34.200 --> 00:09:37.600 removed you from there and brought you into the reign of his beloved 175 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:38.100 Son. 176 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:41.800 Where there is redemption, the Forgiveness of sins. 177 00:09:42.400 --> 00:09:47.000 This is the reign of his Son Jesus whom Paul will later continue to go 178 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:49.500 on to say he is the image of the invisible 179 00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:54.000 God. Jesus is the one through whom God the Father reveals himself. 180 00:09:54.400 --> 00:09:59.500 This is Jesus who at his baptism, took his place with sinners though 181 00:09:59.500 --> 00:10:00.100 He's not 182 00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:00.700 one. 183 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:05.400 And in his ministry, forgave sins and overcame the destruction that 184 00:10:05.400 --> 00:10:08.400 sin has brought in healing and raising the dead. 185 00:10:08.900 --> 00:10:12.500 This is Jesus who is faithful to his Father faithful unto death. 186 00:10:12.800 --> 00:10:18.500 Even death upon a cross where Jesus died, a sinner's death and then he 187 00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:20.300 resurrected for you. 188 00:10:20.800 --> 00:10:24.600 So that you would be delivered from the authority of darkness and 189 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:29.500 transferred into the reign of God's beloved Son. And you no longer 190 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:30.100 need to worry 191 00:10:30.200 --> 00:10:31.800 about, the hostility of the devil. 192 00:10:31.800 --> 00:10:34.700 You're not under his authority, you're under the authority of the Lord 193 00:10:34.700 --> 00:10:35.800 Jesus Christ. 194 00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:39.700 Nor do you need to fear the wrath of God on that final day. 195 00:10:40.200 --> 00:10:42.700 For in Christ, you have forgiveness of sins. 196 00:10:42.700 --> 00:10:49.100 God has forgiven you and he has declared you saints, holy ones, just as 197 00:10:49.100 --> 00:10:50.300 the Colossians were 198 00:10:50.800 --> 00:10:52.100 so, are you today. 199 00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:55.500 And keep in mind, this is really why we are here 200 00:10:55.500 --> 00:10:59.600 Concordia Seminary. Is to train pastors and deaconesses to go out with 201 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:00.000 this same 202 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:01.100 gospel. 203 00:11:01.500 --> 00:11:03.500 So that this Word would be heard by others. 204 00:11:03.800 --> 00:11:07.500 So that God would continue this work of delivering people from the 205 00:11:07.500 --> 00:11:11.400 authority of darkness and transferring them into the reign of his 206 00:11:11.400 --> 00:11:16.300 beloved Son in whom there is redemption, the Forgiveness of sins. 207 00:11:17.500 --> 00:11:21.000 Good news to hear as you go about your vocations this summer. 208 00:11:21.500 --> 00:11:24.100 Especially all of you whose vocation is summer Greek or summer 209 00:11:24.100 --> 00:11:24.700 Hebrew. 210 00:11:25.800 --> 00:11:27.400 Keep in mind who you are. 211 00:11:27.800 --> 00:11:28.800 You are Saints. 212 00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:32.800 Because God has rescued you and he's transferred you to the reign of 213 00:11:32.800 --> 00:11:33.300 Jesus. 214 00:11:33.300 --> 00:11:37.300 You are citizens of the reign of God, the kingdom of God, where Jesus 215 00:11:37.300 --> 00:11:41.300 is Lord and where you are saved and your sins are forgiven. 216 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:46.700 And so I pray that God would keep you steadfast to this Faith both now 217 00:11:46.800 --> 00:11:47.100 and unto 218 00:11:47.300 --> 00:11:48.400 life everlasting. 219 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:49.800 Amen. 220 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:52.200 And may the peace 221 00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:53.600 that passes all understanding. 222 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:55.800 Keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 223 00:11:56.300 --> 00:11:56.700 Amen.