Colossians 1:1-12 Notes

Sermon Notes: Colossians 1:1-12 (ESV)Title: The Gospel of Grace – Faith, Love, Hope, and a Worthy Walk

I. Introduction and Background of the Letter

Beginning book of Colossians. / Wrote to fortify against false teaching / Teachers imposing unfounded rules from old testament i.e. eating, drinking & other regulations. / Also exhorts on reality of deity of Jesus

Paul demonstrates truth of Christ = superior to philosophies, traditions, & “other garbage” promoted. / How to behave in & out of church / Shows amazing love & concern for brothers in Colossae

Colossians 1:1–12 (ESV)“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. And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

II. Paul’s Apostolic Greeting and Authority (Colossians 1:1-2)

Opens differently than Philippians/Philippians called himself “slave”/“bondservant” of Christ Jesus./ here -

Colossians 1:1 (ESV) “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,”

Different picture than Philippians / Apostle = Sent out 1 / Roman times = Names carried value & authority / Roman legion sent by Cesar vs. governor / Paul Telling Colossae sent out by Christ Jesus according will of God. / God’s will = Paul sent to serve Colossae

John 6:38–40 (ESV) “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.””

Paul imitating savior by spreading gospel / We can see from \John that is God’s will / Paul includes Timothy = spiritual son. / Mention this elsewhere / Goes on in -

Colossians 1:2 (ESV) “To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”

Letter addressed to entire church: Saints = Believers (No halos) / We’re all saints / Exhorts = Faithful brothers / Especially encouraging - Due to constant persecution of early church / Mat seem trivial / Small exhortations matter

Continues to exhort: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father. / More than simple greeting / Reminds them God’s grace’s essential. /

Without grace = no eternal life. / Grace empowers = Service to Him. / Seems like simple greeting / Reminding we need his grace for service & peace

Titus 2:11-12 (ESV) "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age."

Reminds me how much I need it for everything / Even air breathed & waking up is grace from god / Reminding everything flows from Grace & Peace = Great way to open letter / Goes on in

III. Constant Thanksgiving and Prayer

Colossians 1:3–5 (ESV) “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,”

Love that Meat of letter = Prays for them & Thanks God for them / Praying began when they heard of Colossians faith & love for saints

Early in my walk = Didn’t pray enough for brothers (Still don’t) / None do If going by Paul’s standard -

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV) "Pray without ceasing."

When Paul says: “We always thank God when we pray for you” = A ton of prayer - over long period / Paul especially thankful = love for saints. / Jesus commanded us to love one another in -

John 13:34-35 (ESV)"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

When Paul hears of this love = Filled with thankfulness / Love we show each other = Our Thankfulness / Should be thanking God every day for love poured into us to pour onto others / This love = empowered by God’s grace.

Sometimes I don’t feel like loving brothers & sisters / Jesus never withheld love even when wronged repeatedly. / So I am grateful God pours love into heart so I can pour it out to others. /

Paul connects their love to “the hope laid up for you in heaven.” / Might be confusing / Because works do Not = Salvation / He’s connecting to heavenly rewards / Work we do poured out from Love

Paul’s saying the works they are doing out of love = Increasing treasure laid up in heaven / We don’t like admitting we’re looking forward to treasures in heaven / Feels selfish when saying “Man I can’t wait to see my rewards in heaven”

Nothing wrong with this / Remember where they’re from / Works = Christ working through you / There will be works burned up that we thought Christ did through us / Plenty of mine are too / Look what Paul says -

1 Corinthians 3:12–15 (ESV) “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”

Paul confident in their works / He says they will increase hope laid up for them because love they’re showing / Last part of 5 really important due to Gnostic teachings & heresies creeping in / Paul want them understanding these fruits not from those teachings

This hope, faith, & love from “word of the truth, gospel” they heard before. /

World today = people engage in spiritual practices (yoga, tarot etc.) & sometimes see what looks like success (Healing, financial, & family wins) / Remember true spiritual fruit = gospel

Psalm 145:9 (ESV)"The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made."

Next time someone says spiritual mumbo jumbo helped them or you / Remember = God’s mercy falls on everyone. Paul goes on to say where gospel came from / Want to remind you - Paul’s writing = Long sentence (No puntuation) = multiple verses looked at 1 time

IV. The Gospel’s Power, Fruitfulness, and Faithful Messenger

Colossians 1:6–8 (ESV) “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.”

Does something important / Paul notes gospel “has come to you” / Learned unchanged gospel from Epaphras / Evidenced by it “bearing fruit and increasing” in whole world, just as it’s doing among them / Not just saying “Trust me you have Gospel” / Paul’s saying look at the fruit / Where else are we told this -

Matthew 7:15–20 (ESV)““Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

We are fruit inspectors / That is how we know if walking in truth or not / Gonna be times in walk = Peoples actions = Not quite right / They’ll try backing up with scripture / That’s when looking at fruits needed

Important later = False teachings creeping in / Paul gives them way to tell difference / As Jesus said - “Wolves coming in / Wolves = Act, talk, & look like belong to him / but can recognize by fruits / We must examine own fruit = hearts can deceive us.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV)"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.'"

During all our walks = Think following Jesus / God reveals through our fruit & his word = In error / Word is how we test spirits by looking at fruits it tells us to & sometimes = Not following properly = God bring us back

Love he points out = God bearing fruit in them since they heard gospel / Using since first moment heard from Epaphras & it has stayed same / Says JUST as heard from Epaphras / Unlike later teachings added onto / Gospel same yesterday, today, tomorrow, & forever/ Hebrews says-

Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Matthew 24:35 (ESV)"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."

If you hear someone changing gospel or adding to bible: Remember = God’s word doesn’t change / Bible means 1 thing = Millions of applications / Notice Epaphras described = “our beloved fellow servant” & “a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf.”

Do we remember we = ministers of Christ? / Do We represent him in all we do? / Not just while preaching but in all we do / I forget sometimes

Do we remember we’re serving everyone we are in contact with? / Ministering on behalf of Jesus on behalf of them / Confusing? / We are serving in everything we do / If remembered = acting different during situations

Philippians 2:14-15 (ESV)"Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."

If we shine as lights to world evn just to 1 another = doing honor in name of savior / Finishes up this part saying = Epaphras made known to Paul their “love in the Spirit.”

Think about this = Epaphras knew false teachings creeping in / Didn’t run to Paul with harsh condemnation / Instead = Expressed concern & love for them

Did tell Paul = being deceived / In way showing why he’s concerned for them being deceived / Focused on love they had = Didn’t want that to be corrupted

Remember when reading part of letter, or gospel, or prophesy = take whole word in consideration & context / Take whole council to understand even half a verse / Sometimes it’s not needed = God is love /100% true all the time / This situation more info needed / Goes on to say-

V. Paul’s Specific Prayer for Knowledge, Wisdom, and a Worthy Walk (Colossians 1:9-12)

Colossians 1:9–12 (ESV) “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

Love reiteration = Praying since first day hearing of them (Just like beginning of letter) / Asking for something different = Be filled with knowledge of God’s will, spiritual wisdom, & understanding

Often in prayer = ask God to change circumstances. / Truth = Bad experienced = help growing into image of Jesus / Not bad to ask for changed circumstances / Should pay attention here / Instead of jumping to conclusion = Bad

Ask = be filled with knowledge of God’s will / Because He sees the end from the beginning. / He knows whether giving you what you want will help or hurt you / You don’t!! / May ruin you / He knows best

Also asks for wisdom / Knowledge = Tomato = fruit / Wisdom = Don’t put on fruit salad / When asking for both - Knowledge = To know what’s going on around them & Wisdom = How to react to it / Further more = Why happening?

If we did this in walk i.e. Prayer, works = bearing more fruit in hard times. / Truth = We don’t control circumstances; we control our reaction /

Proverbs 3:5-7 (ESV)"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil."

Seeking own understanding = Folly = Truth / Seeking God’s knowledge, wisdom, & understanding = Walking in manner worthy of Lord / Fully pleasing, bearing fruit, & increasing in knowledge

A lot of what we do is to look more like Jesus / This is template how to do that / what’s it mean to walk in a manner worthy of lord & fully pleasing to him? / Easy answer = Act like Jesus / Our destiny as children of god = Look like him

Romans 8:29 (ESV) “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Because accepting Jesus = predestined to look like him / God says = Sure thing / Now harder answer -

Galatians 5:22-24 (ESV)"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

No matter what’s happening at work, church, home = should react same = fruits of spirit / Easier said than done / Being joyful in loss, peaceful in chaos, patient when irritated / Each fruit = Jesus in life /

What we go through = Nothing compared to him / Our lives not insignificant / But with his spirit We know it’s possible / He’s not asking us to do in own power / Comes from God’s Spirit, not our own effort / Finishes up in-

VI. Strengthened by God’s Power and Qualified by Grace

Colossians 1:11–12 (ESV) “being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

I struggled a lot with early on (still do) / Every Christian does = Trying in own Power / Culture says = Pick up by bootstraps

Illustration: Hunting a moose — 2 weapons = .50 BMG (Military grade, 500 grain bullet, sniper rifle) or .22 caliber handgun / Which one? / .50 BMG = anti-material rifle & .22 = kids gun = no recoil & tiny bullets /

.22 = Dumb choice / But we do choose that / We have actual power of God living in us = handle all situations / Yet we grab .22 = own strength = might aggravate moose / Rather than God’s spirit = real power to fix situation

2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

When things crazy around us = Don’t know how to act / That’s when = reach for god’s spirit & power in us & word = ability to overcome with patience & joy / When looking back when God empowered me = Inspires thanks & praise of the Father / Paul goes further to say -

Give thanks - to Father who “has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” /

We don’t feel qualified / looking at past & present life = Not qualified / Not based on our qualification / Sure you guys know -

Romans 3:23-24 (ESV)"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Qualification by God’s grace & redemption not works. / Some say only in new testament / Old Testament points to suffering servant prophecy.

Isaiah 53:11 (ESV)"Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities."

Even in old testament talked about God’s righteousness making us counted righteous / It’s true we fall short / We have glorious wonderful savior = wants us as own to pour out righteousness upon us /

He has bared our iniquities & suffered for us / We don’t deserve / We were enemies when he died for us / We would have been the persecutors of him 2000 years ago / Remember: He prayed = Father forgive them

He still prays that for the lost today / If haven’t accepted Jesus & you heard grace of god, love of his family, & What he wants to do with your life / Come to him & join the Saints in light / Today is day of Salvation

Romans 10:9–10 (ESV)“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”