Colossians 2c

Background

EPISTLES TO THE CHURCHES

Paul’s letters are another way he continued his care for his churches. They were written in his stead and delivered by people commissioned not only to read the letter aloud but to explain its contents. The letters deal with pastoral issues including:

1. False teaching: Over half of Paul’s letters deal with the problem of false teachers. The whole of Galatians is devoted to the problem of Judaizers.. Colossians 2 speaks of a heresy, and Paul deals with it directly and indirectly. Philippians 3 deals with Judaizers Behind the three Pastoral Letters, false teaching is the major issue.

2. Disunity: 1 Corinthians and Philippians deal with divisions and their causes. In Corinth, this is a major problem, whereas Philippians is intended to stop another Corinth from happening. Romans and Galatians also deal with disunity between Jew and gentile. Romans 14–15 particularly deals with matters concerning eating and holy days.

3. Specific concerns: Other matters punctuate the letters, for example, the death of Christians (1 Thess 4–5), ethics (Rom 12–15; Gal 4–6; Col 3; Eph 4–5), travel plans (e.g., Rom 1, 15; 1 Thess 3; Phil 2), and the return of the runaway slave, Onesimus (Philemon).

Paul’s letter to the Colossians promotes the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ in order to combat a heresy that had divided the church and distracted them from serving Christ.

when he wrote this, Paul is most likely in prison in Ephesus, on the sea-coast of modern Turkey; he’s writing to the new church in Colossae, about a hundred miles inland. It’s probable that the short letter to Philemon was on its way to Colossae at the same time the present letter includes a mention of Philemon’s slave, Onesimus (4:9).

Colossians 4:9 I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will tell you everything that’s happening

Onesimus is going back to Colossae, and to Philemon’s household, along with Tychicus, who was carrying the letter we are now reading.

The opening section (1:3–2:5) centers on the supremacy and lordship of Christ as Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. This is followed by

1] identifying the serious errors of the false teachers (2:6–23) and then 2] addressing the needs of the Colossian believers to grow in their Christian walk (3:1–4:1). Finally, Paul looks outward (4:2–6), to his and the church’s mission to the world.

Colossians 2:20-3:4

Colossians 2:15 (NLT)

15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

How does Jesus get the upper hand with demonic powers? (He is God, they are created beings)

Why were these spiritual ruleres, and authorities in a position of power in the first place?

Fall of man

New Living Translation (Chapter 3)

The Man and Woman Sin

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’ ”

4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

13 Then the LORD God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

14 Then the LORD God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, you are cursed

more than all animals, domestic and wild.

You will crawl on your belly,

groveling in the dust as long as you live.

15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring.

He will strike your head,

and you will strike his heel.”

16 Then he said to the woman,

“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,

and in pain you will give birth.

And you will desire to control your husband,

but he will rule over you.”

17 And to the man he said,

“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree

whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,

the ground is cursed because of you.

All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.

18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you,

though you will eat of its grains.

19 By the sweat of your brow

will you have food to eat

until you return to the ground

from which you were made.

For you were made from dust,

and to dust you will return.”

Paradise Lost: God’s Judgment

20 Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live. 21 And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

22Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”

23So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.

24After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Colossians 2:16 (NLT)

16 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.

Who were these people that were trying to get them to do these things?

Why were people condemning them for these things?

Colossians 2:17 (NLT)

17 For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.

can someone explain in their own words why the old testament laws were just a shadow of Jesus’ ministry?

Going back to the garden,…what did Jesus’ coming remedy? (Satan’s power is disarmed from col 2:15 )

Colossians 2:18 (NLT)

18 Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud,

what’s wrong with worshipping angels?

What is an example of pious self denial in our culture? electric cars only …. mormon holy underwear

Colossians 2:19 (NLT)

19 and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.

Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters (The Law and the Cross (Colossians 2:13–19))

Paul’s answer is quite simple, All you need is Christ, the king. Hold fast to him and you’ll have all you need. He is the head of the ‘body’, as Paul said already in Col 1:18. The body gets its life from the head, through what it thinks, sees, smells, hears, eats and drinks. In the same way, the body which is the church is nourished and sustained, in all its joints, muscles and ligaments, not by embracing this or that new teaching, but by holding fast to the Head.

Can you sense the sigh of relief the Colossians may have experienced on being reassured that they were already complete in Christ and didn’t need anything else, just more of what they already had? Have you ever come under pressure to ‘add’ to your Christian experience? Do you know the same sigh of relief yourself?

Colossians 2:20–21 (NLT)

20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as,

Colossians 2:21 NLT

21 “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”?

Alchohol, tobacco, movies, games, cards, dancing,

Colossians 2:22 (NLT)

22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them.

why does it say these rules deteriorate as we use them?

Colossians 2:23 (NLT)

23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

Colossians 2:22 (NLT)

22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them.

Colossians 2:23 (NLT)

23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

Colossians 3 (NLT)

1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

what does being raised with Christ mean?

What do we know about heaven?

2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

dave talk about keeping Christ in front of my face so I don’t go dark.

3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

Matthew 16:24 (NLT)

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.

4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.