Who’s In Charge?
Notes
Transcript
Announcements:
Sunday Sept 15th we will be celebrating one year as The Gap! Pastor Forest Jones will be speaking and the men from Men’s Challenge of the Smokies will be coming to sing and give testimonies. Donuts and coffee will be provided. there will be no kids church as we will be using the kids church room as well.
Worship:
Goodness of God
2. Tremble
3. Rest on Us
Introduction:
Background:
City of Colossae
-A city in modern Turkey; about 100 miles east of the ancient city of Ephesus and about 350 miles south of Istanbul
-at one point the city may have been a military base
-it was known for the distinctive, glossy, deep purple wool from the sheep that grazed in the surrounding hills
-Situated along a trade route in the Lycus Valley
-by the time of Paul’s missionary journeys, the trade route had changed, placing Colossae off the beaten path which resulted in being surpassed in power and importance by Laodicea and Hieropolis (4:13), neighboring towns in the Lycus Valley.
-Destroyed by an earthquake in the 1st century AD shortly after this letter was written
-The population was diverse (Greeks, Jews and others) because of many people who had fled to the area during the persecutions of Antiochus the Great (223-187BC) 15,000 Jews
-The church was mainly Gentile though
Reason for the letter:
Paul writes to the church in Colossae while on house arrest in Rome (ca 60-62AD) (he wrote Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians and Philemon during this time he was in Rome)
-The letters to the Ephesians and to Philemon were sent out at the same time via Tychicus (4:7-9)
The reason Epaphras visited Paul was because of the heresies being taught which are addressed in chapter 2.
While Paul is trying to address the heresies that are being taught, he doesn’t just come out and scolds them.
Instead, he compliments and affirms them first and then gives them the solution to their heresy problem. He uses the rest of the book to go further in detail. (Maybe because he didn’t have a relationship with them?)
Sandwich method: say something complimentary, then address the issue, then say something complimentary
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1 A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.
Transition: So let’s turn to Colossians 1:1-23 and let’s make some observations as we go through our text for this morning:
Body:
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother:
2 To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters. Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
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
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.
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.
I. Paul recognized they were faithful believers (vv 1-8)
A. Paul introduced himself and Timothy to the church as he hadn’t visited there (Col 2:1)
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1 For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person.
B. Saints: believers in the Lord; not people who were perfect and had it all together
C. In Christ In Colossae or at Colossae (v2)
Philippians, Colossians & Philemon Paul’s Greeting / 1:1–2
They were placed in both realities to serve as citizens of heaven on site in Colosse. Their position in Christ should not render them so spiritual as to be out of touch with their peers.
C. Grace and peace was a Greek and Hebrew greeting which also recognized they both from God the Father
D. Their reputation was known (vv3-8)
1. Faith in Jesus Christ
2. Love for other believers
3. Hope of heaven through Christ
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
4. The Gospel they believed was also bearing fruit and growing (sharing it)
5. Epaphras was the person who started the church and pastored it and sent word to Paul about the people and the issues going on
It is important to note the Church of Colossae was known as being a fruitful church as they had a reputation of having faith in Jesus Christ and sharing it, a love for others and placing their hope in heaven.
Question:
Are we doing that today? What are we known for? Yes, we have been here for almost a year, but we still have a reputation even if it is a small one.
Are we continuing to place our faith in Jesus Christ only?
Are we showing a love for others? Not just in the church but outside of the church?
Is our hope in heaven?
Transition: Paul made sure he praised them for their good fruit and reputation. Then:
II. Paul prayed two things (vv 9-14)
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,
10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.
13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Paul prayed for:
A. knowledge of God’s will informed by a true spiritual (not by how men do) understanding (v 9)
Don’t assume God’s will but know it!
There’s a difference between:
Worldly (according to man) Knowledge (the heresies) vs godly knowledge (according to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God)
Worldly Wisdom vs godly wisdom
B. to live a life worthy of the Lord and to please Him in every way (v 10)
Many ask the question of how to know what is God’s will? Verse 9 (so that we can live a life worthy of the Lord and we can please Him)
(The three “C’s” from Pastor Gary Hamrick)
1. The counsel of God’s Word - Get Into God’s Word - His known will for your life (Ps 32:8; Josh 1:8; Ps 119:105; Rom 12:1-2)
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8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with my eye on you, I will give counsel.
8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.
feet: the near/today
path: the distant/the future
Reading the Bible will give you godly wisdom!
-through principles or passages that can help us make the right decisions in life such as:
(Should I?) Civil lawsuit against another Christian
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1 If any of you has a dispute against another, how dare you take it to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?
2 Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the trivial cases?
3 Don’t you know that we will judge angels—how much more matters of this life?
Should I pay taxes?
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1 Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.
2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval.
4 For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.
5 Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience.
6 And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks.
7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.
8 Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Rom 12:2 we need a renewed mind in order to know God’s will which is what the Bible does for us as we stay in the Word!
1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
1. the counsel of God’s Word
2. The comfort of God’s Peace (Col 3:15 rule means in the Greek to act as an umpire to call what is fair and what is foul) true or not true
15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful.
This is not about that fuzzy emotion, but it is an aspect of determining the will of God.
In other words, if you don’t have God’s peace/inner peace, then don’t move. Phil 4:6-7
6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
This comes with much prayer as well!
1. the counsel of God’s Word
2. The comfort of God’s peace
3. The confirmation of others
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1 This is the third time I am coming to you. Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
14 Without guidance, a people will fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance.
8 to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit,
Make sure when you get a word of knowledge from someone that it is confirmation (knowingly or unknowingly) and not direction as we all have a direct line to the Lord and you will have to reap the consequence whether good or bad!
We need to know the will of God just as they needed to know it in the church at Colossae in order to walk worthy of the Lord and to please Him.
Transition: So, first, Paul talks about the church’s reputation of the believers and growing in knowledge of God’s will and walking worthy to please the Lord. This is important because then he reminds them of the reality of two very different kingdoms:
III. Paul talks about two kingdoms and everyone is a part of one of them. There is no demilitarized zone (vv 12-13)
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.
13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
Paul talks more about this in:
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins
2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient.
3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us,
5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!
Born into kingdom of darkness but we can choose to surrender to the lordship of Christ and become part of the kingdom of light.
Kingdom of darkness: born into it and Satan is against us because we are made in the image of God
Kingdom of light is not God’s kingdom coming down to reign on earth: Luke 17 in you; Matt 6 your kingdom come; John 3:3 surrender to the lordship of Jesus as King
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20 When he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable;
21 no one will say, ‘See here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
In your midst = in you
9 “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
kingdom come is who is going to rule in you
3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
you must surrender to the lordship of Jesus in order to experience His kingdom in you
Kingdom of God come to rule in us! His millennial kingdom will come no matter what.
Who is going to rule in your heart?
We must choose a kingdom!
Transition: This is why He talks about the importance of growing in faith and knowing the will of God because when we come into the kingdom of light, we serve a new king! Now Paul presents the solution to the heresies the Church at Colossae was struggling with:
IV. Jesus Christ is central to everything (vv. 15-22)
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him.
17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
18 He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
20 and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions.
22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him—
Seven statements about Jesus:
A. The image (exact visible manifestation) of God (Gr for image is icon which is an exact image) He is not similar to God but he an exact imprint of God because He is God (Heb 1:3)
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
B. The firstborn (having authority and privilege) over all creation (Gr word mean supremacy and privilege; not by birth to God like the JW say) co-equal with God
C. Creator of all things (v16) This means Jesus was the given the privilege of creating everything in Genesis!
D. Sustainer of all things (The earth is rotating 1,040 miles per hour on its axis so Jesus could be spinning the world and maintaining it like we spin a basketball) and when He takes His hands off it will be the new heavens and the new earth
E. Head of the Church (v18) He is the head of the pastor and members of the Body
F. First among the resurrected from the dead
G. Supreme over everything!
V19: God’s fullness was in Jesus Christ!
V20: Jesus reconciled everything to Himself through His blood shed on the cross
V21-22: we all were once enemies of God and now are reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus
Similar to a marriage couple who have had trouble in their marriage and come together and are reconciled together
Conclusion:
Paul reminds the church of Colossae and us today that God is sovereign. Jesus is central to the kingdom of heaven. We are born into the kingdom of darkness but can surrender to the authority of Jesus Christ as King in our life. We can know the will of God for our life so we can walk worthy of the Gospel and can please the Lord!
But Paul also reminds them and us today that we have a responsibility as well to remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and not shift from the hope of the gospel.
23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.
The truth of Jesus Christ as Lord, King and God is supreme above any and all other teachings in the past, present or future that would say otherwise!
What kingdom are you a part of this morning? Who’s in charge in your life?