Col 1:13  For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
Col 1:14  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

	A Doctor spends his life giving terrible news to >others< - but HAS to do it, NO WAY OUT of it. It would be even MORE horrible should I >not<, even if I >knew< the news would be grevious and upsetting. And yet, fortunately, I sometimes ALSO get to deliver >wonderful< news - news of LIFE, of HOPE, that brings LIGHT into darkness and heartache. 
	THESE two verses DO THAT VERY THING FOR ALL HUMANITY - including us here tonight. Lets examine them - what do they tell us about >ourselves<, about our >condition<?
	1st - THERE ARE >ONLY< 2 DOMINIONS. There is NO "third place" for those who would sit on the sidelines, for those who would >rather exempt< themselves from the process of life. >Clearly< the apostle Paul points out that there are TWO and ONLY TWO domains for ALL mankind. THIS then raises the nest question:
	WHAT ARE THOSE DOMAINS LIKE?
	1. NOT places of mere >residence<, BUT of DOMINION - of DOMINATION and CONTROL.
	THIS si the >1st< place where people often HATE to hear this news. MOST want to DENY that they are subject to ANYone or ANYthing. BUT HERE GOD'S WORD IS >CLEAR<: ONLY 2 DOMAINS. SO, we ALL MUST be in ONE or the OTHER - AND WE ARE THE SUBJECTS OF >WHOEVER< CONTROLS those Dominions. WE are SUBJECT to their CONTROL, their LAWS, if you will. ANd in THIS economy, there are NO "outlaws" - ALL ARE SUBJECT TO THE CONTROL OF THE MASTERS OF THEIR DOMAINS. What? Don't >like< the news? You're not the ONLY ones - BUT, like it or NOT, it's TRUE. I can no more change that truth than I can bring a loved one BACK from the DEAD - IT'S the >FACT< of the matter - the Dx you and I CANNOT escape from - SO, what remains is this: WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE TO >DO< ABOUT IT?
	As your Doctor for tonight, >I< strongly recommend you LEARN MORE about your condition  and DISCOVER what has ALREADY BEEN DONE TO PROVIDE THE CURE. Anad, like in my office, I CANNOT MAKE you listen to my recommendations, BUT >I< WILL GIVE THEM NEVERTHELESS - what you do with them is YOUR responsibility...
	SO, the SECOND thing we see in the text is THIS: WE ALL START IN ONE DOMAIN: >DARKNESS<. See the text: if you are NOT in that 2nd "Kingdom of the Son", then you MUST be in and UNDER the DOMINION of Darkness. Now, I can almost hear some of you say to yourselves, "HEY! WHAT Darkness??! Looks pretty well lit in here to ME!"
	SO, since the scriptures declare us ALL NATIVE BORN CITIZENS of this terrible Domain, lets see what the text tells us about it - what >cahracterizes< this Dark Domain?

	1st, the Domain is characterised by it's POWER OVER US. Gr word "exousia" means >authority exercized over something< AND it IS domination and control WITHOUT love, or caring or compassion for the ones within it's realm. It is a brute hard cold and uncaring power - that see's and treats people only as objects to be used and USED UP, then discarded once their usefullness is gone.
	2nd, the Domain is characterized by DARKNESS. This is NOT something by itself - it is REALLY an ABSENCE of SOMETHING - LIGHT; it is an absence of ILLUMINATION,a Domain of BLINDNESS. It's inhabitants CANNOT SEE - they cannot see their OWN condition, their OWN NEED FOR LIGHT. 
	3rd, it is characterized by REBELLION. Gr word translated as "darkness" implies MORE than mere absence of light, it ALSO speaks of OPPOSITION to that Light. it is NOT just a condition of being  WITHOUT God, but of BEING >AGAINST< GOD. IN this domain of rebellion, even those who refuse to accept their subjecgation to the Prince of that darkness NEITHER do they acknowledge or accept GOD'S mastery either - they are determined to be their OWN "law"; they >deny< God's right and His authority OVER then AS their CREATOR - and THAT is sufficient for Satan. As long as men REFUSE God, Satan cares NOT if they acknowledge >him< - it's >enough< that thise in taht Domain of Darkness >remain< rebels - OPPOSED to God - >blindly< declaring that THEY are THEIR OWN "GOD" - their OWN "ruler". THIS is the ULTIMATE OPPOSITION to God. And WE ALL >WILL< HAVE TO ACCOUNT TO HIM FOR THIS SOMEDAY.
	4th, ultimately, this domain of darkness is a DOMAIN OF DEATH. Scripture elsewhere speaks with agnonizing clarity when it says in Eph 2:1-3 (NAS): And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power [exousia] of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
	HA! NOW I can >really< hear you think, "AGH! WHo INVITES these guys?!? Who NEEDS ALL this DOOM and GLOOM, DEATH and DESTRUCTION?!? WHAT A GROUCH!"
	BELIEVE me when I tell you that is >exactly< the >same< response I have recieved from some PATIENTS whom I have had the sad DUTY to inform of their terrible diagnosis! Their >1st< reaction is NOT "OH! What a HORRIBLE >DX<!" NO! It's "WHAT a TERRIBLE DOCTOR! I want ANOTHER Doctor! One who WON'T tell me such terrible news!" Crazy, huh?
	WELL - DON'T give up on me just >yet<. For you MUST recall, there is ANOTHER KINGDOM! ANOTHER DOMAIN, if you will - let's examine IT'S cahracteristics and qualities:
	1st - It is NOT JUST a Place of LIGHT - but ALSO OF LOVE. Not just a cold bleak intellectual illumination, further revealing our own terrible bleak >living< conditions, BUT it is a WARM CARING LAND OF GRACE AND MERCY.
	2nd - NOT IMPERSONAL - NOT just a "land of love" generic in quality, and faceless in character. The >exact< words used here in the Gr are both unusual >and< important to note: most Bible's translate this line as "His Dear Son" (KJV), or "His beloved Son" (NAS), BUT the >literal< translation is "The Son of His Love". THE Son of His love - it is a PERSONAL place, it is a place of a >personal< RELATIONSHIP WITH THE >KING< OF THIS KINGDOM. YOU get to know the TOP MAN HIMSELF. This is a very rick expression Paul chose here - the MASTER of this SECOND Kingdom is NOT ONLY the >eternal< object of the Father's love, He is ALSO the VERY EMBODIMENT AND EXPRESSION of God's love TO US; THIS IS AMAZING! WE, who are >native born< inhabitants of a Domain in >opposition< to Him - a place where we are ALL determined to NOT submit to Him, where we ALL RATHER are determined to BE our OWN god's - to obey ONLY our OWN wishes, to acknowledge ONLY OUR OWN rules and laws of what's "OK" or NOT; WE who PREFER to be under the power of that Dark Land, a MOST hateful bunch of folks, HE LOVED US ANYWAY!
	And THIS leads to the NEXT characteristic of this >2nd< Kingdom:
	3rd - YOU CAN'T GET YOURSELF THERE. LOOK at the text: HOW does Paul describe the way, the >manner< of getting from a deadly land of >wrath<, >doomed< to DEATH? "HE DELIVERED US"!! OH what matchless marvelous news and yet SO often, SUCH a BITTER medicine to some! You see, THIS requires that WE >admit< we DON'T DESERVE IT, That WE don't PAY our own freight, we don't book our own passage!
	HE delivered US! NOT "one day God looked out at the world and sighed, MY, what a CHARMING GOOD LOOKING and DELIGHTFUL bunch of folks!! I simply MUST have them over for dinner! Gabriel, set another FOUR BILLION places at the table tonight!" 
	NO!! REMEMBER in who's kingdom we are! WHOA! Now I >can< believe this Diagnostic news is NOT welcome - we ALL want to believ that "Hey! I am NOT so bad if you'd compare me to some of the slugs >I< know - compared to THEM, >I'M< MOther Teresa!" And you'd PROBABLY be correct - IF THAT was the STANDARD. BUT IT IS NOT - WE are held to GOD'S Standard of >PERFECTION<. He has said in scripture that He can NOT have >sin< in His very PRESENCE - WHOA! That leaves US OUT! ALL of us! Including (and ESPECIALLY) ME. 
	THAT is why we HAVE to be DELIVERED - NOT of OUR own doing, NOT of OUR own merit - I think then the next logical question is :
	THEN HOW??!! WHO >PAID< THE FREIGHT?? We ALL know that there is NOTHING that's >free<. SOMEONE >HAD< to cover the tab, to PAY the bill, to >resolve< the debt!
	SO WHO?! HOW did God >arrange< for our "Deliver"?
	See vs 14 - >JESUS< "...IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION, THE FORGIVENESS of SINS" (NAS).
	Now HERE is where I often see the NEXT objection that patients have: THEY don't LIKE the CURE. They don't WANT to accept the medicine - they HATE it's TASTE; they FEAR it's CONSEQUENCES - they want something ELSE, ANYthing ELSE. SO TOO HERE: Men object to news of their helplessness and God's FREE gift!
	And yet, this I find MOST amazing: I have known sick people to accept ANY treatment, no matter HOW painful, >how< frightening, no matter HOW difficult - BECAUSE they DESPERATELY WANTED TO >LIVE<. They would accept ANY difficulty in order to CLING to THIS life - they often did it WITHOUT complaint, even HEROICALLY - >knowing< it was ONLY a >chance<, JUST a chance, mind you, at getting to live ONE MORE DAY.
	AND YET - see HERE! This in Colossians is an offer of ETERNAL life -  A SURE THING! PROMISED by the Creator of the Universe - BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY HIM, with His OWN BLOOD, and YET, WE BALK!!! WE PULL >BACK<! WE >OBJECT< to the CURE of the MOST DEADLY OF >ALL< CONDITIONS - OUR OWN SINFULNESS.
	It is amazing to me - such a >desperate< diagnosis, such a magnificent and loving and FREE (mind you) CURE. Yet, to GET there, to be delivered to ENTER that Bright Kingdom of the Son of His Love - YOU must PERSONALLY >ACCEPT< that payment FOR YOURSELF. >You< must say to that Son, >I< SEE my desperate condition, I now see YOUR marvelous Provision FOR me - I ACCEPT YOUR DEATH AND RESURRECTION as the PERFECT PAYMENT for MY debt. I ask YOU to deliver me OUT of my darkness and rebellion and INTO YOUR Kingdom, THANK YOU Lord, for BEING my Savior NOW and FOREVER ALWAYS.
	It's a funny thing - no one ELSE can take your medicine FOR you. EACH of us MUST accept it, take it, for ourselves. I would invite, URGE anyone here who ahs NOT yet sought the ONLY cure for a UNIVERSAL and DEADLY condition, to TONIGHT GIVE HEED, and ask that precious Savior, that Jesus, Son of God's Love, to DELIVER them now.
	Let's pray...