Context of Colossians (2)

Introduction to Colossians

Scripture Reading

Acts 19:1-10 (in between songs)

19 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Introduction

· Book of Colossians – Probably the most Christ-centered books of the entire body

· Primary Purpose: To learn Theological truths as revealed from the letter.

· And how these truths fit into the Theological framework of the Bible as a whole

· As the authoritative Word of God is taught and proclaimed, it calls for a response to those listening.

· Our goal is to let Scripture lead us to life transformation as we apply these truths to our lives

· Secondary Purpose: As the Bible is preached, we can learn how we ourselves can be effective readers of Scripture

· As we go through this letter, I will give insights into this skill

Transition

· Start with context

· Although some may find this boring, it is importance for interpreting the text

· Context gives us an overview of the entire letter

· Help us understand its parts in light of the whole

· The 1st task of studying the Bible is EXEGESIS, discovering the original intended meaning when the text was written

· This is the 1st step in interpreting Scripture

· The 2nd task is called HERMENEUTICS, seeking the contemporary relevance of the text

· Bringing what the Bible taught then to the here and now

· These 2 tasks in order is important because we cannot apply meaning to Scripture today that it never meant back then

· The true meaning of the text is what God intended it to mean when it was first spoken or written

Context

· Read from Acts because it records the events that have a direct correlation to the letter of Colossians

· The letter was written by the Apostle Paul while in prison in Rome

· Was most likely written between 61-63 AD

· Interestingly, Paul never went to Colossae nor started the church there

· Most likely, the church was founded by a man named Epaphras who was from Colossae

· Epaphras heard the Gospel preached by Paul in Ephesus, the capitol of Colossae, and took the Gospel back to his home town

· This becomes evident as we study Colossians

· Application: When we evangelize, we never know the results and how far reaching it will go

· Again, the reason why we read from Acts

· It was during this event that Epaphras came to faith in Jesus

· The letter came into being when Epaphras visited Paul in Rome

· He first shared a good report of the general condition of the church

· Epaphras also shared the news of false teachings within the church that threatened its understanding of the Gospel and of Jesus Christ

· The false teachings are not clearly defined in the letter

· Instead Paul focused on correct theology and how the believers were to face these teachings

· We can infer from the letter that there were some members of the church who taught that there was more that needed to be added to belief in Jesus to be a true Christian

· That Jesus alone was not sufficient for salvation

· This contradicted the truth that Christ is all sufficient for the Christian life and salvation

· Their teachings included philosophy, traditions of man, and worldly thinking

· The worship of angels, asceticism (the practice of self-denial and mortification of the body to obtain a higher spiritual state)

· They insisted on following Jewish ceremonial laws like circumcision, laws regulating food, observing different Jewish festivals

· Truth is that Jesus + anything = Nothing

· These false teaching led to the main theme of the letter

· The supremacy of Christ

· That Christ stands supreme over all creation and over His church

· The letter proclaims the greatness of Jesus according to His person and work on the cross as well as our position in Him through faith

· Other themes include:

· God’s overarching plan of redemption, reconciliation, and salvation through Jesus

· Because believers are “In Christ”, we participate in His death and resurrection

· That Jesus defeated the power of death and evil through His death on the cross

· Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT law and prophesy

· Believers are called to grow in maturity in Christ – become more and more like Him – by turning away from sin and exhibiting Christian virtues and behaviors

· And last, Christians are to hold fast and stand firm in the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the face of false teachers

For our study throughout book

· Encourage you to make it a priority to be here every Sunday to get the most out of Colossians

· Read entire book in one setting 1st

· Then read the parts

· I will give you the reading for the following week to help prepare us in our study

Exegesis

Colossians 1:1-2 – Paul’s Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

“An Apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God.”

· “An Apostle of Christ Jesus”

· Paul asserts his apostolic authority yet done with deep humility.

· Reason: He establishes this authority as the very Words of God as he challenges the false teachings in the church

· “Through the will of God” is of Divine choosing and authority, independent of all human appointment

· Not of individual merit, or personal power.

· Based on what we know Scripture, we could paraphrase it this in more depth as:

· I speak to you because God has sent me.

· I am not an Apostle by my own will, nor by my own merit.

· I am not worthy to be called an Apostle.

· I am a poor sinner like yourselves,

· And it is a miracle of love and mercy that God should put His words into such lips.

· But He does speak through me;

· My words are neither mine nor learned from any other man, but His.

· Application: God also appoints us to ministry to serve Him and the church

· Based on the Spiritual gifts He has given us

Recipients: To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Saints:

· A word that has been woefully misapplied both by the Church and the world

·