Sermon Tone Analysis

lass=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'>1)  11-4-07…..SBC…..PM Series     2) 

 

“Intentional Gospel Living”

/Living in the light of the Gospel/

*Colossians 1:1-8*

 

 

Introduction:

 

Authorship -    Paul

 

 

 

            City -   Colossi

 

Ø      their main industry was wool – wool was taken and dyed a dark red color

Ø      at one time Colossi was a very wealthy city

 

 

People –

 

Ø      at first the city was made up of Greek and Phrygian settlers

 

Ø      Antiochus III brought Jewish families in to settle there

| Just like ours culture today! |

 

\\ Ø      This settling made the city a city with a wide differing cultural and religious system

 

-          this cultural diversity becomes a major factor in the letter

 

* *

*Application: *  When you attempt to live in light of the Gospel in the 21st Century, and share the

*                        *good news of the Gospel to a world void of God be prepared for opposition.

Ex) messages of tolerance and relativity

 

 

Church –

* *

Ø      before salvation they were out or harmony with God, idolatrous and enslaved to sin          *1:21*

 

Ø      This was done to emphasize the superiority of Christ in their salvation         *1:5*

 

Ø      Forgiveness of sins is a important picture represented in Colossians             *2:13, 3:13*

 

Quote: “God…canceled their debt, or signed IOU, but also destroyed the document on     which it was recorded.”

(O’Brien)

 

Ø      when they were saved they began to bear fruit          *1:5-6*

 

Ø      Paul is excited and thankful to God for the report he received from Epaphras about the church

 

Occasion –

 

Ø      probably mainly to refute the false teachers that had come in to the church and were teaching things contrary to the gospel they knew

 

False Teacher:            

- partly Jewish (rituals)

§         partly non-Jewish

§         possible angelic worship

 

 

Customary Opening – author, recipients and greeting                                   *v1*

 

                        ? - What makes Paul’s openings different than just “Dear Colossi”

 

A-    All of the theological content, the personal nature and pastoral care

 

 

A-    Paul

 

1.

Apostle – establishes his authority for writing this letter

 

a-      he is going to expose the false teachers so it is important that the people remember that his writing is authoritative

 

2.

Of Jesus Christ – the words mean “sent by” or “belonging to”

 

3.

By the will of God – God chose him for this ministry

 

*Application*:  God has also chosen you to do His will – Road to Damascas

 

4.      with His associate Timothy – means “co-worker or helper”

 

 

Recipients – The Colossian believers              *v2*

 

 

1.

Theological terms used as description of Colossian believers

 

 

a-      saints – holy, set apart for God, characterized by godly behavior

 

*?* – If Paul wrote a letter to us at Southview would he be able to address like this?

 

 

 

Greeting – Grace and Peace   *v2*

 

 

1.

Grace – this word describes Paul’s view of salvation

 

a-      no personal work

b-      this was the basis for the new life the Colossians now lived

 

2.

Peace – Jewish greeting generally meaning – “well being”

 

 

3.

The idea is that God is the source of our grace and our peace

 

 

*Transition:     *After his apostolic greeting, Paul shows what intentional Gospel living looked like in the life of the

                        Colossians.

*Purpose Statement*:

 

Intentional Gospel living (living in light of the Gospel) should shape our prayers to God and our devotion to God.

 

*#1) *Intentional Gospel Living          v1-8

 

 

Intentional Gospel living includes…

 

A-    A Persistent Prayer Life         *v3*

 

            1- Paul states that the sanctified living of the Colossians caused him to pray a prayer of thanks to God

 

a-      the structure here is of something that is currently taking place

b-      Paul is stating that his action of praying is an “action in progress” (Indicative Mood)

 

2- His thanks was for the Christian growth that had taken place in the lives of the Colossians

 

a-      Paul was regularly and continually thankful for them in his prayers to God

 

b-      The expression “we thank God” occurs frequently in the Pauline Epistles.

The term implies both a statement of thanksgiving for what is received from God and an element of praise for God’s character which originated it.[1]

------------------------------

 

Though it is grammatically possible (with A.V. and A.R.V.) to construe /always/ with /praying,/ it is better to join it with /thanking/.

This is true in view of the immediately following context (verses 4–8) in which reasons for thanksgiving are given, and also in view of I Cor.

1:4; Eph.

1:16; Phil.

1:3; I Thess.

1:2; II Thess.

1:3; and Philem.

3[2]

                        -------------------------------

Application:

 

1-      How much are our prayers revolving around petitions to God? 

2-      Are we always asking God for something?

3-      Try praying without asking God for something and just focusing on His character and goodness to you.

4-      Remember to give thanks to God for the things that only God can do – Christian Growth

 

3- Spiritual growth is impossible apart from the practice of prayer.

Just as the key to quality

relationships with other people is time spent in communication, so the key to a growing relationship with the personal God of heaven and earth is time invested in speaking to Him in prayer and listening to His voice in Scripture.

[3]

4- The essence of prayer is simply talking to God as you would to a beloved friend—without pretense or flippancy.

[4]

 

Application:

 

1-      The temptation that we face in our prayer life is that our own busyness will crowd out our prayer.

2-      For some prayer lacks a respect for God, others believe it to be a time for requesting from God, while for many it is nothing more than an empty routine

3-      Let’s make Southview Baptist Church a church that thanks God for the great God He is and one that prays regularly for each other’s growth and walk with God

 

*Transition:  *Not only does intentional Gospel living involve a persistent prayer life but it also must be evidenced by..

 

 

            B – Fruitful Faith       *v4-8*

 

                        1- Paul is thankful here for the Gospel which is the source of their faith, hope and love      *v5*

 

a-      The Gospel

 

1.      to communicate good news concerning something

2.      in a NT context it refers to the message of God as it is revealed through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

3.

There are many important aspects to the Gospel

 

a.

redemption

b.      reconciliation

c.       propitiation – sacrificial atonement

d.      grace

e.       faith

 

4.      the most important aspect of the Gospel is God