Gospel Production

Introduction

Introduce Colossians

when was it written - one of the prison espitles

while Paul was in Caesarea mid to late 50’s

while Paul was in Rome, early 60’s

there is a different tone about this letter

Paul still addresses false teaching

like most letters you can feel the shift from teaching theology to application

but the tone is different in that Paul has never met these people and has not personal connection to them

Today - Gospel Production

Paul and Timothy are thankful for the faith of the Colossian people

we may wonder why would a people, who have never met Paul care what Paul has to say to them

this is not just a stranger - Paul will introduce himself as the apostle, or sent one, that God himself has sent to the Gentiles

Paul is known, and this known apostle, that has shown that God is working through him is sending us a letter

there would have been excitement, an eagerness to read what the apostle has to say and would have gathered together as a church and read the letter aloud

Colossians 1:1–8 CSB

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.

PRAY!

The gospel changes lives, not positions or certain people. When we have faith, we find hope and express it through love.

A New Faith

my initial reading of the text, the phrase when we pray for you stood out to me

We will look at how he prays for them next week…

our praying for people does not only need to happen when they’re in a bad way, or need answers

Paul is praying for them and it leads him to praise God

Colossians 1:3–4 CSB

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

We have heard of Paul’s missionary journeys and starting churches all over

Paul had never been to Colossae

meaning somebody else had to have brought the gospel to them

we are not in competition as some would have you think

I would rather not one person be saved through my ministry and see the entire world saved, than to have a ministry full of salvations

my eternity is not going to be based on the number of salvations that come from my ministry, like selecting a church size

how many salvations… 1-100; 101-200, 202-300 ext…

Paul’s excitement leads to praying for these people who have come to know Christ

the testimony of this church is leading Paul to praise… thankful for what God is doing among a people that he has never met

the testimony of these believers leads to thanksgiving and praise from Paul

Paul is not excited about more gospel workers, but that they have come to know Jesus, that they are now are at peace with God

Romans 5:1 CSB

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

this is not a report of the number of people who prayed a prayer

but because of the fruit of their faith (Love for all the saints)

James 2 tells us faith without works is dead

James 2:14 CSB

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?

2 fish… same people come on multiple days, accept whatever your selling if they think you will feed them

because we seek to justify ourselves and not live in the justification we have by faith we need to impress people

We must examine our hearts when we look

too often we want to say look what we have done… we have saved this many

we cannot save anyone

Epaphras has told Paul of the believers that are in Colossae

not because of how many people he got to pray

but evident because of the love they show

because of the hope they have

A Producing Hope

Colossians 1:4–6 CSB

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.

Hope = assurance, expectation

Reserved = laid up; appointed

my parents use to put Christmas presents on layaway

the stores would advertise it, you would pick out all the stuff you wanted, leave it at the store, pay a little every so often then when it was all paid off, you get the stuff

a little like a credit card, but you do not get the stuff until you pay off the bill

the stuff was yours, nobody else could buy it, the price would not change

you just did not get the full realization of what you got until you were able to take it home

Faith in the gospel produces hope

this is more than a wish in the streets of gold when we die

not a right answer when we die

Allister Begg - man on the middle cross said I could come

a knowing that a place has been prepared for me and that he will come again and take me to himself

A hope of a place with Christ

We talk too often of Heaven as a destination where all my dreams come true

all the people I love will be there, grandparents, parents

we do not normally name Jesus on that list

we talk about all the things that we want to do… as if it is the ultimate retirement plan,

worshipping Jesus is not normally listed

some will even ask about pets, marriage, food that we will eat, where we will live…

yeah yeah yeah… Jesus will be there

What we desire to be in eternity over Christ is what we worship

This hope is spreading all over the world, wherever the gospel is proclaimed

Satan loves to isolate believers

separate them from the community that will help them grow in Christ

separate them and make them feel like they are all alone

nobody else going through what they are going through

nobody that can understand

everyone will be against

he loves to do this with churches as well

we are hated, we are alone, we are not winning

causes us to want to just survive

well lets just hold on to everything that we have and last as long as we can

The truth is that the gospel is spreading and hope for eternity is growing

the true gospel,

not the false works gospel

not the prosperity gospel

highest numbers from imb for conversions and discipleship are in south Asia

A Resulting Love

Didn’t we say faith produced love… no, faith is evident by love shown

Paul says that it is the hope that produces love

the order is important because it reveals the motive behind it

we are not loving others to prove our faith

our love and deeds for others are a product of the faith we have that leads to the assurance of our salvation, and the Spirit inside us moves us to respond with love for God and People

Colossians 1:4–6 CSB

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.

Love = Agape, an all encompassing, unconditional love, a benevolent love meaning it does…

meaning this is not something you feel, but something you do

James 2:14–17 CSB

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

James gives a test of ourselves to see if we really believe what we say we believe

Paul tells the Colossians that they have passed this test

they show love to all the saints

this would mean that they are not only loving those in their community, but also in a missional way as well

how do we know this… agape is an active, benevolent love, not a feeling

Their faith in the Lord Jesus produces a certain hope of a salvation that is to come and the result is an active love for God’s people

Paul loves to talk about faith, hope and love

one of the most commonly known verses is from 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 13:13 CSB

13 Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.

Found in the “love chapter”

Paul writes that prophecies will end, tongues will end… that now I know in part but then I will know as I am fully known

then, when we are face to face with him, when our hope is realized it produces an active love

what would that look like in glory?

worship… “Worthy is the lamb who was slain!”

casting our crowns at his feet… there are different crowns the bible tells us about, but we see that they will throw their crowns at his feet

What would it look like here… loving your neighbor as yourself

good Samaritan

This begs the question, is this what your faith looks like

Have you put you faith in the Lord?

not an insurance faith, one that says well, if I do not believe in him then I do not go to heaven

one that you know, you have a hope, an assurance of salvation, of spending eternity with him

one that produces a love for people

where you are broken hearted for those who are hungry, hurting, without

A Faithful Minister

Part of the love for people is a desire for their salvation as well

no, we are not keeping score, but we should never desire or be uncaring on where somebody spends eternity

the lord has put people in your life that need to hear the gospel

Paul told the Romans, how can they believe if they do not hear

I know the popular saying, preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words

I understand the sentiment but it is necessary to use words

Ligon Duncan concerning this thought said its like saying, “feed the hungry and if necessary, use food.”

Paul never made it to Colossae, but the gospel did

it was one of their very own, a man named Epaphras

Colossians 1:7–8 CSB

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.

Paul calls him a fellow servant, meaning he too is somebody working to share the gospel

faithful minister of Christ

minister = diakonos; servant, deacon

not an official title like what we have in church, but somebody who serves people

There is no greater service that we can have than sharing the gospel with the lost

it is not done by the pastor, paid person in the church

but each and every believer is to be a minister of the gospel

sharing it with all who need to hear

Memory Verse

Romans 5:1 CSB

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Discussion Questions

What does Paul's statement about being 'justified by faith' mean in terms of our relationship with God?

How does having faith in Christ impact your daily interactions with others?

In what ways can we actively demonstrate love for all saints in our community?

What is the significance of the hope reserved in heaven for believers?

How can we overcome feelings of isolation as believers and build a supportive community?

What practical steps can you take to share the gospel with your friends?

How does the concept of hope shape our understanding of salvation?

How can you cultivate an active love for those who are marginalized in your life?

How might understanding the role of Epaphras inspire us to be active ministers in our own spheres of influence?

Why is it important to distinguish between true faith and faith that lacks works?