The Gospel: The Reason for Our Thankfulness
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning! Would you turn with me to Colossians today? Colossians comes just after Philippians and just before 1 Thessalonians.
Today, we are starting a new series through Colossians. (As people are turning- Giving messaging and SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING- LIKE US ON FACEBOOK, FOLLOW US ON INSTA)
Colossians is great.
Can you go back in time with me to August of 2020? I was sitting in my apartment on the campus of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary about to attend my first virtual class for Greek 3.
Our professor announced on that first day that by the end of the year we would have fully translated COLOSSIANS!
Remember, this was during Covid and I was on zoom, so my camera mysteriously turned off (hahaha) as I thought “That’s not possible!”
But over the next year, I spent time each week working through Colossians, classifying verbs and participles (Which are really cool by the way. If you ever want to talk about participles, I’m here for it and Hope would love it if someone else would have that conversation so that she doesn’t have to hear me talk about it so often) and of course, translating verses.
I learned so much.
And in fact, this week, I logged back into that course’s online portion and read through some of the conversations. I learned a ton of honestly really NERDY stuff that year!
But do you know what I walked away from that year knowing?
I walked away knowing that Colossians had a simple theme. There’s a simple truth that I saw that year!
Colossians is ALL ABOUT JESUS!
It’s one of the simplest messages that we find in the New Testament. It is all centered around Jesus!
It’s centered around WHO JESUS IS, WHAT JESUS DID FOR US and NOW WHAT WE SHOULD DO BECAUSE OF THAT!
Colossians is powerful!
And Colossians 1:1-8 starts off with some important applications for us. Today, our main point is:
Main Point: Our THANKSGIVING and LOVE for one ANOTHER is proof of the GOSPEL moving!
Main Point: Our THANKSGIVING and LOVE for one ANOTHER is proof of the GOSPEL moving!
Body
Body
Colossians is such a rich book of the Bible. Colossians is one of the prison epistles, or letters that Paul wrote as he was in prison in Rome.
The setting of Colossae is interesting. Colossae itself was a city that had gone through major decline and its recent history was impacted substantially with two major earthquakes, one in 17 A.D. and then another one in 61 A.D. which would be right around when the letter was written.
These earthquakes severely diminished the role of Colossae. It was no longer a major city in the area.
Colossae is located in what we now call Turkiye. Colossae is notable because it receives two epistles from Paul- Colossians and also Philemon, who was a member of the church.
Colossians is noted for its unique teaching. It is really ALL ABOUT JESUS!
There’s been lots of focus given to something called the Colossian Heresy!
The Colossian heresy is the reason that this letter was written.
In fact, when we consider the structure of Colossians, the vast majority of the book is spent arguing against this heresy!
We could say that Colossians has three parts- a greeting from Colossians 1:1-8, the argument against this heresy from Colossians 1:9-4:6 and then finally a farewell and benediction from Colossians 4:7-18.
We’ll talk more about the Colossian Heresy as we study this book, but the summary is simple:
The Colossian Heresy stems from a lack of strong CHRISTOLOGY- or understanding of WHO JESUS IS, a lack of good SOTERIOLOGY- or an understanding of HOW WE ARE SAVED, and finally, that leads to poor ANTHROPOLOGY, or understanding of our lives.
Those are the things that this book is about. JESUS, HOW WE ARE SAVED, and HOW WE SHOULD LIVE BECAUSE OF OUR SALVATION!
So, when we say that Colossians is “All About Jesus” which is our tagline for this series, we MEAN IT!
Uniquely, Paul had not met many of the Colossian believers. He alludes to this in his Colossians 2. He also did not plant the church in Colossae, as we’ll see today, Epaphras did that. Yet, he finds it important to write to this church to address the confusion surrounding JESUS!
Let’s dive into Colossians 1 with Paul’s introduction.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother:
Paul describes himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will.
Paul wasn’t the typical apostle. Unlike Peter and John, for instance, he had not been a disciple of Jesus who followed Jesus personally!
Instead, from Acts, we know that he PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS AND FOUGHT AGAINST CHRISTIANS!
Think about this! Paul studied under Gamaliel who was a major leader in the Sanhedrin, which condemned JESUS TO DEATH!
Paul’s mentor was one of the men who arranged Jesus’s death!
But, God saved Saul, renamed him Paul and made him an apostle!
That’s why Paul talks about being an apostle BY THE WILL OF GOD!
His apostleship is different because of his background.
One detail even in this introduction that I love about Paul is that he doesn’t shy away from the hard parts of his testimony. He doesn’t pretend that he was perfect before God! Instead, he alludes to GOD’S POWERFUL AND MERCIFUL SALVATION!
His testimony further backs up the POWER OF GOD and GOD’S SUFFICIENCY! For believers who were surrounded by a heresy that taught otherwise, this had to be POWERFUL TO HEAR!
This is an intentional encouragement that Paul makes to these believers and to us! JESUS IS ALL SUFFICIENT AND HE CAN SAVE ANYONE!
Paul also states that Timothy is with him. This is the same Timothy who receives 1 and 2 Timothy later. Timothy is best known for traveling with Paul and serving in the churches in Corinth and Ephesus.
Notably, Paul uses almost exclusively 1st person singular pronouns when he addresses the Colossians. This means that he is writing the letter, but that Timothy is sending it alongside Paul as a TRUSTED CO-LABORER FOR THE GOSPEL!
In Colossians 1:2, Paul addresses the Colossians. Colossians 1:2
2 To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Paul greets the Christians who are, “faithful brothers and sisters.”
Remember, what is the main theme of Colossians? IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS BECAUSE JESUS IS UNDER ATTACK!
These believers that Paul writes to are holding onto truth despite challenges from the world!
And Paul greets them with two things.
GRACE TO YOU!
AND PEACE FROM GOD OUR FATHER!
Once again, Paul is reminding them that God is sufficient.
God’s GRACE AND PEACE IS SUFFICIENT!
Paul’s message for the Colossian church is deeply God-Centered! There are some epistles that are more practical and others that are more theological. COLOSSIANS IS JESUS CENTERED! IT’S GOD CENTERED! It’s applicable and theological and it is all about GOD!
His intro is too! GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE FROM GOD OUR FATHER!
Even in the face of heresy, Paul reminds them that they can rest in PEACE FROM GOD WHO IS THEIR FATHER!
What an encouragement that must have been!
Every book of the Bible has a unique structure. In Jude, we saw list after list. In Jonah, we saw repeated words. In Matthew, we see the fulfillment of prophecies. Paul is notable because he uses a lot of long sentences, that are truthfully run-on sentences. This is one of his unique writing tendencies and verses 3-5 are all one sentence!
In Colossians, we will also see a LOT OF PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES!
These clarify Paul’s argument as he writes! They matter a TON!
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel
Let’s break this down.
Paul is beginning his letter with THANKSGIVING!
He thanks GOD- THE FATHER OF JESUS whenever he prays for the Colossians!
There’s two things that I want to unpack here.
First, God is the FATHER OF JESUS!
This is super important. It’s helpful to think of the Colossian heresy as being attacks on Jesus from the Greek (hellenistic) side and the Jewish (Judaizer side).
On the Greek side, Jesus’s humanity was denied, but on the Judaizing side, Jesus’s deity was denied.
So as Paul says that God is the FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, he is really zeroing in on that Judaizer argument and is fighting against it!
I think sometimes, at least for me it can be easy to read an epistle and think, “That was good. Solid stuff.” But we can, or at least I can, miss that EVERY WORD IS WRITTEN INTENTIONALLY! THE HOLY SPIRIT IS AT WORK THROUGHOUT!
So first, Paul unpacks that GOD IS THE FATHER OF JESUS!
This means that JESUS IS FULLY GOD!
Secondly, Paul states that they (Paul and Timothy and others with them) ALWAYS GIVE THANKS TO GOD WHEN HE PRAYS FOR THE COLOSSIANS!
Why? BECAUSE OF VERSE 4!
They have heard of the faith of the Colossians!
They hear about the strength of their faith and they THANK GOD FOR IT!
But it goes one step further.
They hear of their faith AND OF their love for all the saints.
The word used here for love is AGAPE!
Agape love is the same type of love that God has for us!
It’s the love that we experienced when Jesus went to the cross!
Agape love is TOTAL, SACRIFICIAL LOVE!
It is undeserved, un-earnable love! It is COMPLETE LOVE!
That’s agape love and that’s the love that Paul says the Colossian believers have for ALL THE SAINTS!
The Colossians are believers who LOVE WELL!
They don’t have it easy physically, remember, their town was rebuilding from an earthquake from 17 A.D., or had just been destroyed by an earthquake. They don’t have it spiritually- remember, they are caught in the middle of two heresies.
Yet, they LOVE WELL!
They have FIRM FAITH!
What we will see throughout Colossians is a series of positive encouragement that reminds US that our ACTIONS and our LIVES must start with Jesus at the CENTER!
The BIBLE IS DEEPLY APPLICABLE! GOD GAVE US HIS WORD TO GUIDE US AND TO TRANSFORM OUR LIVES AND COLOSSIANS IS NO DIFFERENT!
Paul then goes one step further in his encouragement of the Colossians.
He explains the reason WHY they love so deeply and well! They love because of the hope that they have about what is to come!
They love because of JESUS!
So let me challenge us- WHY SHOULD WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER? JESUS!
We are to love one another- to have a culture of love, not because the GOSPEL IS LOVE, but because LOVE is a NATURAL OUTPOURING OF THE GOSPEL!
Think about that! The way that WE LOVE PEOPLE REFLECTS our LOVE FOR GOD AND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE GOSPEL!
That’s a PRACTICALLY DEEP CONCEPT!
On a larger scale, why should we live the way that Jesus calls us to live?
BECAUSE OF THE GOSPEL!
The GOSPEL, THE TRUTH OF JESUS IS CENTRAL TO HOW WE LIVE AND EVERYTHING THAT WE DO!
And remember, it is THIS GOSPEL that gives us hope in what is IN HEAVEN!
Let’s talk about verses 5b-6 together.
Colossians 1:5–6 (CSB)
5 You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace.
So the Colossian believers know about the hope they have in heaven because of the word of truth- the GOSPEL!
Remember, Gospel just means GOOD NEWS!
Literally, the word here is “Euangeliou.” It’s literally the same word as angel!
They have heard about this hope because of THE GOSPEL WHICH IS A MESSAGE OF GOOD NEWS!
And I want to emphasize this very specifically. The GOSPEL is a message!
So, when we think of sharing the gospel, we are SHARING A MESSAGE! The Colossians have heard this good news! It has come to them already.
And then Paul says that it is “bearing fruit and growing all over the world.”
Paul encourages the Colossian believers that the gospel is AT WORK AND IS MOVING!
And let me encourage us Cornerstone, THE GOSPEL IS AT WORK AND IS MOVING TODAY!
Today, we get to celebrate a pair of baptisms! That’s PROOF THAT GOD IS AT WORK! THAT’S PROOF THAT THE GOSPEL IS MOVING!
It’s the fruit of the gospel! So the GOOD NEWS OF JESUS IS MOVING TODAY!
We should PRAISE GOD FOR THIS!
Today, we get to CELEBRATE WHAT JESUS HAS DONE!
So what has Jesus done? GOSPEL
When we think about praying “LORD YOUR KINGDOM COME” as Jesus instructed us to in Matthew 6, THIS IS WHAT WE ARE PRAYING FOR!
We should be praying for the GOSPEL TO WORK!
And Paul encourages the Colossians that just as the gospel spread among them, the gospel is spreading around the world!
But they didn’t just hear it. Paul says that they “came to truly appreciate God’s grace.”
What does it mean to truly appreciate God’s grace?
This may sound removed, but I think it’s a recognition of just what we needed! WE are TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON GOD FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS! We are RELIANT on God’s MERCY AND GRACE! Our actions could NEVER save us!
And then, when we truly appreciate God’s grace, we LIVE IT OUT! We give grace to the people around us. We LOVE GOD, we LOVE OTHERS, and we GIVE THANKS TO GOD for what he’s given us!
7 You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.
Now as Paul finishes his section of thanksgiving, he gives a shoutout to Epaphras.
Epaphras who started this church is said to be a “dearly loved fellow servant.”
This comes from the word agapeton. Once again, this is AGAPE love towards another believer.
There’s real intentionality in this! As believers, we are to LOVE one another SELFLESSLY!
Practically, that’s important! Think about what happens if we really love one another selflessly. All of a sudden, conflicts go away, we are at peace with each other, unity grows and then we can keep our focus where it belongs- ON GOD AND ON REACHING THE WORLD WITH THE GOSPEL!
If we want to LIVE OUT OUR FAITH, it has to start with LOVING ONE ANOTHER!
Paul DEEPLY LOVES Epaphras! The Colossians DEEPLY LOVE all the saints!
DO WE DEEPLY LOVE? I mean that. Do we love ALL OUT…
Epaphras is commended as a “faithful minister of Christ on your behalf.”
Paul is giving credit to Epaphras for what he does.
Epaphras is FAITHFUL! He’s faithful to PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL and to lead the church as it should be lead!
Further, Paul also says that Epaphras has told Paul and Timothy about the Colossians LOVE that comes through faith!
Think about this!
That’s what Paul and Epaphras talk about! They don’t talk about numbers, or size of the church, or growth techniques.
They don’t worry about this threat or that threat, they TALK ABOUT THE ACTIVE EMBODIMENT OF THE GOSPEL, that is HOW THE COLOSSIANS LIVE OUT THEIR FAITH BY LOVING PEOPLE!
Let me challenge us- is that how we talk about Cornerstone?
Do we measure Cornerstone by how the GOSPEL IS LIVED OUT, or do we measure it in another way, maybe by attendance?
Colossians is clear, the success of a LOCAL CHURCH is not measured by numbers, it is measured QUALITATIVELY by the DEEP LOVE AND THE LIVING OUT OF THE GOSPEL!
The Church in Colossae is measured not by size, but by faithfulness and FRUIT!
And brothers and sisters, that is how CORNERSTONE CHURCH will be measured and judged by God! God will measure us not off of size, but off of fruit and that includes how we LIVE OUT THE GOSPEL!
APPLICATION:
APPLICATION:
Today, as we wrap up, I have three applications for us.
LOVE THANKSGIVING
LOVE OTHERS
LOVE GOD (MOST IMPORTANT- TIE IN TO BAPTISM)
Love Thanksgiving
Love Thanksgiving
Really, the first thing that we see in Colossians is THANKSGIVING! Think about it! Paul starts off his letter by saying, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.”
The first thing that he says to them is “WE ALWAYS GIVE THANKS FOR YOU!”
Paul gives thanks not just sometimes, but at all times when he prays for the Colossians.
And remember, Paul is imprisoned! Yes, this is during his first imprisonment which wasn’t as severe, but he is still a prisoner!
In the midst of that, what does Paul do? HE GIVES THANKS FOR A CHURCH HE’S NEVER MET BEFORE!
I absolutely love that! See, I’ll probably never meet believers in most of the countries around the world! But, I can still give thanks for them!
A great example of this is some countries in Central Asia. Because we are livestreaming I will not name them, but there is a country in Central Asia where Christianity has more than tripled in the last 10 years! Friends, WE can give thanks for what GOD IS DOING THERE!
We can give thanks for what God is doing around the world! And it’s not just that we CAN give thanks, WE SHOULD give thanks! We should LOVE THANKSGIVING1
And what do we specifically give thanks for? We should give thanks for what God is doing! We talked about how in the Lord’s prayer we ask for God to move.
We should GIVE THANKS for GOD MOVING ALSO!
Even today, as a church, we should give thanks as we prepare to celebrate some men being baptized! That is a reason to CELEBRATE!
So practically this week, can I encourage you to do something each day this week? Let me encourage you to set an alarm at 1:08 P.M. this week. Why 1:08? Because Acts 1:8 is another record of the great commission.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
We have been engaging in 1+1 (quick refresher on it). But don’t just pray for growth, GIVE THANKS! Give thanks to God for the people he has brought! Give thanks to God for the work that God is doing around the world!
We have so much to give thanks for!
So would you join me every day this week in praying at 1:08 P.M. for the Lord to move in Savoy and also in giving thanks for what God HAS ALREADY DONE HERE AND AROUND THE WORLD?
Let’s LOVE GIVING THANKS!
Love Others
Love Others
Our second application today is to LOVE OTHERS!
There’s no way in my mind that you can read Colossians 1:1-8 and not come away seeing the importance of LOVING OTHERS!
Listen to this quote by Richard Chin about Colossians 1. “The gospel is about Jesus. The fruit of the gospel is about our transformed lives- (LISTEN)- our faith in Jesus, our love for each other, and our good works. The gospel creates a life of love.”
Do you hear that? THE GOSPEL, FAITH IN JESUS LEADS US TO A LIFE OF LOVE!
So practically, we need to love others!
This isn’t a suggestion, this is a central point from Colossians 1!
Paul uses a form of agape 3 times from verses 4-8! Clearly love matters!
And agape isn’t a comfortable type of love for us. It’s great to think about God having AGAPE love for us, but it’s different when we are told to have AGAPE love for another person!
Because AGAPE love gets hurt and continues to love!
Agape love loves even when it is inconvenient! Agape love puts others first!
LOVING OTHERS doesn’t happen just when it’s convenient.
When I was in college, I was involved in a serious car accident.
And I was hurt really badly. But what I saw was friends helping out and loving me. I saw my parents LOVING ME by helping me get to all my doctors appointments even though I was 2.5 hours away from them and I saw a really pretty girl who had JUST become my girlfriend who made sacrifices to love me during that season!
And we are to have that type of LOVE for others!
It’s love that isn’t EASY, but it’s LOVE THAT MATTERS!
Practically, let me give three last thoughts on LOVING OTHERS that directly apply to our lives.
First, to love others, you have to forgive!
If you want to love others, you can’t hold a grudge against them. You have to forgive and move forward.
You have to LOVE SOMEONE!
Secondly, to have unity in the body of Christ, you have to LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
If we want unity here at Cornerstone, we have to LOVE ONE ANOTHER REGARDLESS OF BACKGROUND, REGARDLESS OF AGE, REGARDLESS OF PERSONALITY!
We have to LOVE ONE ANOTHER! We need to care for one another!
And that brings me to my third and final point on loving others.
Loving others is EVANGELISTIC!
The world wants to BE LOVED! It’s everywhere, all around us! The world wants to be loved!
And we have TRUE AGAPE LOVE TO OFFER!
So let me challenge us practically this week, do you want to be a CHRISTIAN WHO LIVES OUT THEIR FAITH?
LOVE SOMEONE!
LOVE SOMEONE THIS WEEK! It isn’t super complex, let’s keep it simple. Just go Love your neighbor, genuinely care about them. Love the person here at Cornerstone! LOVE SOMEONE! Give some time, give some energy and CARE ABOUT THEM!
Let’s be people known for our LOVE!
O may people think about Cornerstone and think “THOSE ARE PEOPLE WHO LOVE WELL!”
LOVE GOD
LOVE GOD
As important as it is to love thanksgiving and to love others, we cannot leave here without talking about the most important thing.
We must LOVE GOD!
GOSPEL!
BELIEVE, BE SAVED! WALK WITH GOD!
And we LOVE GOD as we LIVE OUT OUR LIVES! As we love others, as we give thanks, we are living out our LOVE FOR GOD!
We seek to LOVE GOD THROUGH OUR ACTIONS!
LOVE GOD! This sounds overly simple, I get it. But it is simple! LOVE GOD! Live a life that LOVES GOD!
And the first step in that is to be saved! Then after you are saved, GET BAPTIZED!
If you’re here today and you haven’t been baptized after you placed your faith in Jesus, let me encourage you- come talk to me! Talk to me today after service! Let’s talk about WHY BAPTISM IS AN ACT OF DECLARATION OF YOUR FAITH AND IS ALSO AN ACT OF LOVING GOD!
Prayer (Explain schedule)
Sing two songs
Baptism
Sing last song
