Hear and Understand

Paul, who went from Christian killer to apostle and pastor…writing to this real church in Colossae while he is in prison for preaching Jesus. He’s never met them, but they have a reputation and he has heard of them.

Colossians 1:3–8 ESV

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

PRAY

Good at math, good at cramming, did not know how to really study

Engineer

Calc 2

thought i could do the same things

heard it, but tried to go about understanding it on my own terms,

instead of humbling myself, making a change

Ended up saying that’s too hard and saying I’m out

There is a difference between hearing and understanding it.

When we hear something we can

choose to tune it out, to ignore it. We can

try our best, but we have questions or doubts. Sometimes we hear something and

say that’s a lie.

hear it, that’s hard I’m out. I can’t do that.

To understand means to “know fully” or to be “certain of it,” and in the context of the gospel in this passage, to understand means to have faith that it is true. To believe the good news.

To believe that it’s GOOD news, and making Jesus Lord of your life leads to peace and fulfillment and purpose

TOnight I am going to preach this gospel,

from the word of God. You will hear it. My prayer is that just 1 of you would have faith to believe it and trust Christ as your savior.

For those who have heard, have understood, Paul would have us remember that we never graduate from the class of the gospel. There is always more to learn, we can grow deeper, we can always learn more.

gospel will always change us

What IS The Gospel?

Colossians 1:6 (ESV)

which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,

Grace of God in truth

taylor guitar

Grace is unmerited Favor

Grace is getting something you do NOT deserve

Grace is the only reason the gospel is possible

John tells us that Jesus, the son of God was

full of grace and truth and that

grace and truth came through Jesus

of God …did not spare his own son to save sinners

Colossians 1:5 (ESV)

because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

Word of the Truth

so what’s the truth about me?

Colossians 2:13–14 (ESV)

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 1:21–22 (ESV)

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord

We can exchange death, hostility, evil, for life, freedom, forgiveness, holiness, adoption by God the Father

WHY would God let his son die for me?

LOVE

TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL

Good News

Colossians 1:12–14 (ESV)

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Understanding Takes Faith

Colossians 1:4 (ESV)

since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,

Justified by faith (rom 5:1)

Faith that Jesus does it all, on his terms

not make him kinda Lord, not let him forgive most of your sins and you’ll take care of this specific one...

Grace brings about the obedience of Faith (Rom 1)

Righteous shall live by faith

Saved by grace through faith

We receive Christs propitiation, payment, atonement for my sin through faith in his work alone

Faith can grow. Romans 14 says some of us have weak faith, and it’s ok. Through that same grace of God he grows us.

Constant learning, sitting under preaching, learning the Bible. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside us to grow us, comfort, strengthen, equip us, and to grown our faith.

The Gospel Understood Changes People

Colossians 1:6 ESV

which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,

Verse 7 tells us that Epaphrus took the gospel he heard in Ephesus, from Paul, back to Colossae and people received it. People heard the gospel, understood the gospel, put their faith in Christ Jesus for salvation.

Immediate changes us

Colossians 2:13–14 (ESV)

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 1:21–22 (ESV)

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

Saints. Holy. Blameless. Forgiven. Adopted.

The gospel Continues to change us

“as it DOES among you...Bearing fruit and increasing, SINCE”

Elementary: small plants

Fruit trees take time

“Why am I still like this? Why do I still struggle with this sin? Why is it taking so long to be like Jesus?”

Romans 6:19–23 (ESV)

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Gospel changes us by producing...

Produces Love

Colossians 1:4 ESV

since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,

Received grace…we give grace

Parenting: kids are sinners. Need grace just like their dad needs grace.

The gospel produces HOPE

4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.

HOPE of heaven motivates our today

Offense and hurt are temporary

Forgive because I was forgiven

suffering temporary

struggling with sin is temporary

Jesus with us the whole time

Times of Irritable...Lack of grace,

because lack of gospel in my life

Nothing can rob us of the hope laid up for us in heaven. Peter says our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, being guarded by God himself.

CLOSING

Paul reminding this Colossian Church of the basics, where they came from. They needed the gospel and so do we.

We all Heard it

DOn’t know Jesus you can...

1. Reject it, letting it go in one ear and out the other

2. Accept it by faith. Understanding and knowing fully, with certainty that you can be made whole

Those who are Christians already

preach it to yourself

forgiveness and grace and truth