Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction to Book

Some pondering questions in the world today.

Is all flesh evil?

Do the heavenly bodies have any influence over our lives?

There are some 1800 newspapers here in United States of which over 1200 carry a daily horoscope

Is there any relationship between diet and spiritual living?

Does God speak to us immediately, in our minds or only through His Word?

Does Eastern religions have anything to offer to Evangelical Christianity?

Though these questions seem contemporary in nature these are the exact things that Paul was addressing when he wrote this fantastic letter in about AD60 while in prison in Rome.

This letter is still as vital today as we face the same issues today as the church in Colossi did.

Colossi was located about 100 miles from Ephesus and was mostly a Gentile area.

There were two other cities near by Laodicea and Hierapolis (Col4:13, 16)

This was an important area in which the West met with the East and was a great trade route.

There were all sorts of philosophies as well as religious heresies that abounded there.

There was a large Jewish settlement and an influx of new eastern ideologies and doctrines coming in.

You don’t find the church at Colossi noted in book of Acts, neither Peter nor Paul started the church there.

In fact Paul had never even visited there, he only heard of their faith (Col1:4, 9, 2:1)

I will expand on those verses in a little bit.

I said Paul had never been there so here is he proof of that

So here is this church that Paul loves and sends a love letter, a reminder letter, and instruction letter to them, but who started the church?

Paul had spent years in Ephesus and the Word spread

Act19:10

There are names found that were involved in Paul’s prison ministry Epaphras and Philemon (Col1:7, 4:12-13)

Phi

Epaphras shared the gospel he heard from Paul with the people in Colossi

And the word between Epaphras and Philemon carried to Hirapolis and Laodicea

No apostle needed, no temple, no fancy building, just a heart for Christ and the gospel.

The gospel needs to be the gospel and not watered down by some of the issues mentioned before.

A mostly Gentile membership which we can see by Col3:5-9 in which Paul names some sins which are normally associated with Gentiles.

What was the reason for the letter, what was the crisis at hand at the time?

There was a mixture of new doctrines, Eastern philosophies and Jewish legalism that were infiltrating the church.

Paul wrote the letter in order to refute these heretical teachings and to fortify the sufficiency of Christ and the truth of the Gospel.

The love letter was delivered by Onesimus and Tychicus who also carried the letter to the Ephesians (Col4:7-9; Eph6:21)

We find the warning in the letter in Col2:8

Man made religion, man made philosophy is not divine truth.

Eastern Philosophies and Jewish legalism brought about two schools of thought at the time rigid discipline or that everything was permissible since all matter is evil.

The false teaching, by the false teachers thinking you needed more than Jesus and that God was distant from man because of sin, had it wrong.

Commentator Warren Wiersbe says

“In His work on the cross, Jesus Christ settled the sin question (Col1:20) and completed defeated all satanic forces (Col2:15).

He put an end to the legal demands of the Law (Col2:14-17).

In fact, Jesus Christ alone is the Preeminent One! (Col1:18, 3:11).”

All we need is Jesus!

This false teaching, was deceptive then and is deceptive today, Jewish legalism, oriental philosophy, pagan astrology, mysticism, asceticism and mix that with a little Christianity and what happens is a free for all, one religion for all, accepting all things and Christ looses His Supremacy and His Preeminence.

Christ has delivered us from such things and we need to be reminded of that at times

The main theme for book of Colossians is found (Col1:18, 3:11)

We are united in Christ when we have this belief, we are made complete (Col2:10)

We are united because of the fulness of Christ dwells in us (Col2:9)

What we believe determines how we behave so Paul slowly methodically works his way through this letter for we also know wrong doctrine leads to wrong living.

In the world we live in today we see and hear about religious tolerance or co-existence

(insert co-exist slide here)

Jesus Christ in not a way to get to heaven, he Is the Way.

As we study this magnificent book we will be able to heed Paul’s warning

and

So now let’s look at the opening of the book, Col1:1-12

The Salutation

What we can identify from the salutation

Written by Paul, an apostle by the will of God

We too today have authority, we have a commission and we have a mission.

We must consider how are we acting on those things

Written to the saints, the faithful who are in Colossi

Not only were they believers they were doing something with their belief.

They were being faithful and Paul had heard about their faith.

May our faith be known by our love, by our actions, by our words.

Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving

The elements of a prayer of thanksgiving here

Prays to the Father for them, prays always (v.3)

Why he prays for them, because he heard of their faith (v.4)

Prayed because of their faith, their hope and their love.

(v.5)

This love was evident and proof they were Jesus disciples (vv.6-8;

Jn13:35)

Think about this, their hope was known, hope laid up in haven the same hope we are to have in Jesus Christ who is in heaven interceding for us right now.

Paul heard about them from Epaphras, he spoke of this church in Colossi and spoke well of them.

Do we do the same?

Do we speak highly of the church?

Paul’s Prayerful Request

Col1:9-10

The elements of his prayerful request

The elements of his prayerful request

Filled with all knowledge and spiritual understanding (v.9)

So that you will walk in worthy manner bearing good fruit (v.10)

Increasing in knowledge of God; which brings about maturity (v.10)

Strengthened with all power, steadfastness, patience, joyously giving thanks (v.11)

Why?

Because the Father qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints (v.12)

What a powerful prayer.

Do we want these elements in us?

Then let us strive together in Christ and grow in Christ and for Christ for He is our all in all.

(Lead to invitation)

(Insert invitation slide)