The Supreme Christ of the Colossians
Notes
Transcript
Backdrop of the Epistle (Part 1)
Why do you do what you do? Better Q: Why should you do what you do?
In church, in you home, in your work, in your life.… Why do you do what you do. Why as a church do we heavily pursue a disciple-making culture where mature christians lead other less mature christian into spiritual maturity thru life on life relationships. Why do we as a church heavily promote redemptive relationships where we the people of God are called to go out to our communities and with intentionality and commitment give up our times during the week to meet lost souls and befriend them so as to “win them” for the sake of the Gospel. Why do we a spiritual body encourage the growth of relationships in friendship amongst our members. Why do we spend our time learning and applying our time to worshipping God correctly through prayer and song. Why do we work hard to love our spouses, raise up kids well, be good employees.… etc etc etc.
This is what I have recently been most challenged by and most thought provoked about, why am I doing all of this? Am I doing it for the wrong reasons? What’s my motivation?
There has been a second challenge in my life, a reoccuring burden. This burden is where does Christ fit in it all? You could say then that the hear of my burden then is to reinstate Christ as King. That may sound fairly odd coming from any Christian who claims Christ as King and especially as a Pastor, but what I mean by that is that it often appears in our Christian lives that we do Christian things without really giving much thought to Christ. We have someone disconnected Christ from the word “Christ-ian”. Much of what we do stems from what we feel and know to be right or wrong, but that’s as deep as it goes, a moral obligation, a sense of guilt for not doing what we know to do. But does God give us a greater reason for living and working than that.… Indeed He has. We just stated it in our meditation verse for this summer. Colossians 2:6–7
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Christ is our reason. He has got to be! If he is not, we eventually fail. This is abundantly true as we consider what the gospel’s themselves say. John 15:5
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
If Christ is the key to living right, then I need to know more about this key. It’s imperative to my sanctification and spiritual growth in this life. And what book could better articulate that than the book of Colossians, famously known for describing the Supremacy of Christ in all things. So that is where we will be the next few weeks and months. And I believe that by diggin in deep, we will see a Christ that we perhaps have not fully known or appreciated before and love and follow the more diligently.
Today’s sermon will set the stage for this series called “The Supreme Christ of the Colossians”. I would like to take the remainder of our time to talk about the background to this church and as we go along describing the setting, I will be sprinkling in applications that can be found even in knowing the details of the letter itself.
Let’s begin by reading the first 8 verses, will follow that with prayer before we dive into the outline for today’s background message to the book of Colossians.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 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
I. The Place
I. The Place
A. Where Paul wrote from
A. Where Paul wrote from
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Colossians, Letter to The
Colossians is one of four so-called Prison Letters, along with Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon.
Two quick notes about the authorship before we move to location:
1. Dual authorship
1. Dual authorship
(Paul and Timothy are addressed as the authors- Timothy was with Paul at this time but was likely not in the same circumstances as Paul as Paul was in prison. Timothy was not in that same position since that appears nowhere in the New Testament but was likely there with Paul serving as ambassador and as amanuensis (a-man-uen-sis)/ or literary assistant/someone who wrote out what another said)
2. Disputed authorship
2. Disputed authorship
I do want you to be aware of this seeming argument over authorship.
Colossians today has been referred to as the “disputed Pauline letter” due largely to the differences linguistically between this letter and the rest of the New Testament.
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Vocabulary and Style
For instance, Colossians contains 34 words that are unique within the New Testament and 28 words that are unique within the Pauline corpus.
Some have made the case that the author speaks differently about Christology, Ecclesiology, and Eschatology then the other Pauline letters. But regardless of these asserted claims, it’s hard to ignore the clear indications that have Paul as the author who is identified in the letter’s opening, body, and closing… with words as Colossians 4:18 “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand...”
And the meaning of the apparent differences in style of writing can simply be accepted as circumstantially driven. In other words, the circumstances in Colossae dictated a need to write in this way.
These doubts of Paul’s authorship of Colossians have only recently became to circulate. However,...
Leaders of the early church such as Eusebius, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Irenaeus, these all attest to its Pauline authorship. There is no evidence that anyone doubted Colossians’ authenticity before the nineteenth century.
With these two facts straight, we can with great confidence move forward in understanding that Paul did himself write this letter.
So returning to our question at hand, where was Paul when he wrote this letter?
That Paul was in prison can be evidently seen in the letter.
At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Knowing where Paul from would also help us identify the dates in which he wrote. Scholars have identified 3 possible places for the writing of Colossians. Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, in Caesarea, and possibly during an unrecorded imprisonment in Ephesus.
Colossians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Date and Place of Writing
Paul’s writing from Caesarea was first proposed early in the nineteenth century. However, this argument fails on account that Paul was under close watch during his imprisonment in Caesarea. (
Colossians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Date and Place of Writing
Another more popular alternative is that Paul was imprisoned in Ephesus, during his third missionary journey, when he wrote the prison epistles.... However, problems arise in this view as well. The most obvious being that Acts does not mention an imprisonment at Ephesus at all. Luke devotes one entire chapter (19) to an account of Paul’s ministry at Ephesus. It is unthinkable that he would fail to mention it if Paul had been imprisoned
Colossians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Date and Place of Writing
In light of the above, I see that there is no convincing reason for rejecting the traditional view that Paul wrote the prison epistles from Rome.
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Date and Place of Writing
If the letter came from Rome, it almost certainly was written prior to the earthquake that destroyed Colossae around AD 60–62 (since Paul makes no mention of it).
Similarities among Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon suggest that all three letters (and perhaps Philippians) were written during the same period of imprisonment:
• Colossians and Ephesians bear strikingly similar content and structure. (themes fresh on Paul’s mind sent to multiple locations just slightly different)
• Both Colossians and Ephesians were reportedly delivered by Tychicus (
Application:
A quick meaningful application, as we think about Timothy commitment to Paul to go with him even to Rome while he was imprisoned, doesn’t that first speak of Timothy’s character? It does speak volumes to the integrity and loyalty Timothy possessed, but doesn’t it also speak of Paul’s. Paul’s investment into Timothy’s life was so meaningful that even when Paul was forced to go literally 1000 miles away from home and family and under the worst of circumstances, Timothy did not leave his disciple-maker’s side. That stands so much differently than what Jesus own disciples did when he was unjustly arrested. So the question turns to us, are our disciplee’s so committed to us that no matter where we go or what circumstances we face our disciplee will willingly follow. If not, we need to be asking, why not? The answer to that perhaps lies in the investment we’ve put into them. Was it valuable enough to them?
B. Where Paul was writing to
B. Where Paul was writing to
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Location and Archaeology
Colossae was a city in the province of Phrygia located in the Lycus Valley within Anatolia, or Asia Minor, about 120 miles east of the major port city of Ephesus (Arnold, Colossians, 73). Today this is part of southwestern Turkey. The city sat on the banks of the Lycus river, not far from its junction with the Maeander River. At Colossae, the Lycus Valley narrowed to a width between the mountains of about 2 miles. This made it part a an important trade route. In the 5th century BC (Before Christ), Colossae was a thriving economy, known especially for its trade in unique textiles and wool (Moo, Colossians, 26).
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Colossae
Thus the name Colossae was derived from a Latin name collossinus, meaning “purple wool.”
However, during Paul’s day the first century A.D., this city became an insignificant town due largely to the main trading route being rerouted into Laodicea instead. Therefore, Colossae lost most of its significance being overshadowed by the nearby Laodicea and Hierapolis.
By the 8th century, many scholars believed the city to be largely abandoned and by the 12th century, being weakened by Islamic control, was completely destroyed.
Here’s all that remains of it today.
Application:
And yet, I find another encouraging application here, especially for our own congregation?
Does God care about the little obsolete towns in the middle of nowhere?
We want to believe so even if we aren’t able to make what appears to us as the big differences that some of the larger churches are able to make. The church of Colossae is a great example to us of a God choosing to set His love and affection on a small agricultural town in the middle of a nowhere, once a prominent trading place between two large cities, now just a little home for the few who remain.
What’s even more amazing than that, is that the church that would be planted here doesn’t remain. It’s gone today. Why would God waste his time on a church that would eventually fail? That could be a question we might ask ourselves.
Well though not God’s dispositional will that churches should close, it certainly is part of His sovereign will since we do indeed know that scripture states that God is in absolute control of all that happens on this earth. Nothing happens that He isn’t somehow connected to. If something did happen that He wasn’t connected to, then how could we say He was in control. Even the bad things, like the evil done to Joseph, or the evil done to the children of Israel during their captivity in Egypt, or the extreme evil done to Christ, all of that was under the direct control of God who used the evil for the ultimate good.
So even though the church in Colossae didn’t last, God still used it for good. And the known good we know of is the individual lives that were changed there and that ministered to hundreds of lives even outside of that small city church. Their impact would be far greater than anything the city of Colossae was ever able to contribute to this world. Even if most of their impact was located in that region, it was still for the good. We do know that they ministered heavily to their brothers and sisters located 11 miles away in the cities of Laodicea and Hieropolis. Colossians 4:15-16
Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.
So we be thankful/grateful that God choses to care for us “insignificant” towns, and even if our little church would eventually close (which God forbid that ever happen) He will still use it for our good and His glory, and He cares for us.
II. The People
II. The People
A. The Community
A. The Community
Not a lot is known about the community at Colossae. We do know that many would have worked the blue collar job. What we do know is that...
Colossians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The City of Colossae
The population of Colossae was predominantly Gentile (cf. 2:13), but there was a sizeable Jewish community. Antiochus the Great (223–187 B.C.) transported Jewish settlers to the region. Other Jews were drawn by the trade in wool and other business ventures. Still others came for the mineral baths at nearby Hierapolis. Because Colossae had a mixed Gentile and Jewish population, it is not surprising that the heresy threatening the Colossian church contained Jewish and pagan elements. A mixed bag of nuts.
B. The Church
B. The Church
So how did the church get it’s start. We actually never read about it in the book of Acts. We might have guessed Paul to have planted this church as well as the ones in Laodicea and Hierapolis, but when reading the letter, we would come to find out that he did not. In fact, it appears that he never once even visited the church.
since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face,
So if Paul didn’t plant this church, how did it come about.
Colossians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Church at Colossae
Luke tells us in the book of Acts that Paul’s three-year stay in Ephesus on his third missionary journey was so effective that, “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord” likely through the outreach of the believers there (
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
Colossians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Church at Colossae
Epaphras was a native of Colossae (4:12) who was probably converted to Christ while visiting Ephesus during Paul’s stay there. He and another man, Philemon, were likely discipled by Paul during there there time in Ephesus and then sent back to Colossae to minister the word of God.
This is how Paul knew of the church at Colossae. In Colossians 4:12
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
Why would he greet them if he was one of them and likely there leader/pastor? Well, because Epaphras was the one to deliver the message to Paul in Roman imprisonment to hear of the church and inform Paul of the state of their being. “Since we we heard of your faith...” v. 4.
Somehow though, during Epaphras’ travels, he too would get arrest as we find out in the book of Philemon. Philemon 23
Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,
So from all this, we can assert than the church was probably founded in the city of Colossae sometime in the middle of the first century AD while Paul was in Ephesus (Acts 19:10). The church was made up of at least some individuals we know by name.
Epaphros (Colossians 4:12)- “who is one of you”
Onesimus (Colossians 4:9)- “who is one of you”
Philemon (by extension)- the slave owner of Onesimus
Apphia- (by extension/Philemon 2)- “our sister”/likely married to Philemon
Archippus (Colossians 4:17) - may have been another pastor or thee pastor of the church in Colossae. Was also named in Philemon’s greeting, some speculate that he was the son of Philemon.
So with all of these connections, we can assert that the church at Colossae was the recipient of not just one pauline epistle but two. Colossians being the obvious and the book of Philemon being the other.
Application:
Two applications that I would like to point out here.
First one follows this verse to which I am extremely challenged by… Colossians 2:1
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face,
How great a struggle I have for you… This struggle, these people Paul bathed in prayer constantly though he had never he met them. That amount of care for someone you’ve never even seen, words that describe them but no visual representation to link to is incredible. I struggle enough loving and caring for the people I know. (goofy) Perhaps that makes it easier to love them since I don’t know them (hehe), but in all reality, it should be easier to love people we know. In fact, there is nothing in this world that we could say we love without knowing something about it. Can you think of anything that you love that you know nothing about? NOT POSSIBLE is it. Cause the more we know about it, it grows our ability to love it more.
So that’s what’s absolutely astounding to me. It informs the way I should care about the missionaries and mission fields around the world, it also informs the way I love the people nearest to me. Do I care about what they care about? Many of us will never go over an see the believers in the Philippines or in India or all the different places we even heard of a few weeks.
God has united us with them in the body of Christ. They are co heirs with Jesus and fellow brothers and sisters in Him. We ought to love and serve them in prayer as Paul did for this church. And as Paul did give thanks.
By the way, why should we be thankful that we hear goods news of the Gospel around the world? Why should that encourage us. It proves that the gospel works! It proves the power of God unto salvation unto every man! It proves that God is indeed not just giving them good news but is rescuing them from the kingdom of darkness TO THE KINGDOM OF LIGHT (Kingdom of his beloved son- which results in faith, love, and hope which was what Paul praised and thanked the Lord for in the Colossian people as well as it was in the whole world). For us to hear this, continues to add weight and authority, trust and love to all that God has already said and done. So that we not only have the wealth of information and promises fulfilled in the Word of God that happened long ago in a bygone era, but that are even happening today. Praise the Lord! What exciting times we live in!
The second application may be based upon a less certain fact but none the less should ring true according to Biblical principles. If indeed, Archippus was Philemon’s son and a leader within the church at Colossae, then that there should prove powerfully to us an example of how the Word of God should work in a home. Many pastor’s kids get bad raps. The cause of their demise cannot be given without exemption but it is true that many children of ministry leaders walk away from the faith of their parents because they don’t see the same person who preaches on Sunday show up to their home and live out the same faith. They see a parent who is distant and puts them last. Who doesn’t take seriously the task to train up a child in the way he should go. They fail to not provoke them to wrath and miss the important command to bring them up in the instruction of the Lord. They spend themselves on others but then don’t leave anything for their own families.
This cannot be. I am a firm believer that as scripture says that those that train up their children the right way will see many of their children not departing from the truth. That doesn’t mean that all their kids will be perfect, that doesn’t mean that they themselves wont see any stray, but it should be true that they should see at least some of their kids really walking with the Lord. You become like those that lead you. If your life has constantly been characteristized by a love for the Lord that extends itself into loving others and your kids can obviously recognize that because you taught that, then I believe they will want to do that to. I believe that there should be many ministry children that do end up continuing in their parents work as we see here. Of course, only God can equip the child with the needed gifts to be a parent, teacher, missionary, etc… but the zeal for God can certainly be manifested by the parents and passed down to their children no matter their gifting. But it is encouraging here to see an example of this play out. That the gospel didn’t just effect one household member, but to the next generation of leaders, even within the home.
