How God Makes Your Curses into Blessings (Colossians 1:13).

Class Outline:

Sunday August 30, 2026

 

Intro: I am going to suffer and die. Should I avoid it? Can I? The way of our culture is to do all in our power to avoid it, or at least put it off as long as we can. God’s plan is not to remove it or postpone it, but to turn it completely around so that suffering and death are vehicles of good things.  

 

Main idea: God’s power and wisdom make the curses of suffering and death become vehicles of blessing for those He has delivered and transferred into the Kingdom of Christ. 

 

COL 1:13-14

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

 

Rescued: aorist - rescue from danger, save, deliver.

 

Transferred: aorist - transfer from one place to another, remove, transplant.

 

Aorist: at the moment of faith: no waiting or vetting period. No doubt.

 

 

1. The DOD that still assaults the delivered.

 

Practical definition: (LUK 4:6; 2CO 4:4; EPH 6:12) Authority that does not honor God. Secular and religious (often these are together). Over arching power from which comes government tyranny, philosophy, ideology, psychology, law. 

 

Example: Israel’s desire to “be like other nations” (1SA 8:5)

 

1SA 8:19-20

Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."

 

Solomon in all his glory [Israel like other nations] could not be as beautiful as a lily … God who clothes the grass will clothe you (MAT 6:29-30). 

 

1JO 2:15

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

 

MAT 13:22 [thorns] “the cares of the age choke the word”

 

2. The very things that enslave people of the DOD, God now uses as vehicles of freedom. 

 

Suffering - the DOD makes suffering like engines make noise (not the main purpose but always a side-effect). 

 

Suffering is made a vehicle for blessing for the delivered and transferred. 

 

Suffering is loss - mourning (shall be comforted, MAT 5:4).

 

Suffering is gain - pain.

 

ROM 8:18-25

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

 

God has given us comfort and a certain hope but we are slow to believe, so He uses the suffering of the domain of darkness to force us to confront our theology. Is it working?

 

Opens our eyes: suffering strips away delusions of grandeur and pitiful self-reliance and confronts us with reality (unbeliever and believer; PSA 119:67). 

 

People suffering: God is love and that love is for the sinner.

 

Sin suffering: we are confronted with forgiveness, the cross, redemption (1JO 1:9; 1JO 2:2).

 

Those not delivered and transferred their eyes are open to darkness.

 

God allows the delivered and transferred to confront the darkness in their lives so that their eyes are also open to it, but for them only, also open to the light - to Christ.

 

Christ went through all of it and showed His life. Then, resurrected, He gave us His life and His Father.

 

God uses suffering to beautify and strengthen us (refiner’s fire).

 

The fourth man in the furnace - Christ would 600 years later come to earth and throw Himself into the furnace.

 

 Death made a blessing for the delivered and transferred.

 

God has the power and wisdom to turn any curse into a blessing. Joseph (GEN 50:20); Paul (ROM 8:28). 

 

The ultimate curse: DEU 21:22-23 Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. 

 

The penalty of sin, death, God made into a vehicle for life (GAL 3:13-14). 

 

GAL 3:13-14

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE" —  14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

 

Under the DOD death is the ultimate fear and slavery. (our society has moved it away from sight). 

 

Christ faced it and defeated it.

 

HEB 2:14-15

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

 

Application of impending death:

 

Death is our ticket home: 

 

Death is our goodbye to a tragic world and our victory.

 

Death is our joy and courage while still in the DOD. 

 

Death is our means of not putting ultimate value on anything here.

 

Death is the ultimate source of courage: “My hour has not yet come.”

 

Death is the ultimate freedom, freedom from sin, free to finally enter perfect practical righteousness. 

 

3. Conclusion: Let your light shine. 

 

When we are not in pursuit of the things of this world we become excellent pilgrim witnesses of Christ. 

 

Let your light shine: Suffering and death are used by God to stoke the fire and clean the lens. 

 

God uses suffering and death - the greatest tools of the DOD to chisel His saints into wise, strengthened, loving, thankful, joyful, tireless workers for good and through the refining fire, make His light clearly and brightly shine through them.