Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

I want to talk for a moment from the subject of "Christ, Whom We Preach!"

"Christ, Whom We Preach!"

If you are a child of God it should be your desire to know more about the one you serve.

It should never be a time where you get tired of hearing about the one through His atoning sacrifice gave you another chance.

James Rowe in 1912 published a song that simply said...

I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,

Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more,

But the Master of the sea, heard my despairing cry,

From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.

Refrain

Love lifted me!

Love lifted me!

When nothing else could help

Love lifted me!

Refrain

Love lifted me!

Love lifted me!

When nothing else could help

Love lifted me!

Refrain

Love lifted me!

Love lifted me!

When nothing else could help

Love lifted me!

If you know that it was Love that lifted you then you ought to want to know more about the one who John says “Herein* is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Paul made it clear in “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

This Christ, Whom we preach, who is He and how can I get to know him more?

He is the sum and the substance of the Gospel...

Paul tells us in Ch 3:11 “ but Christ is all, and all.”

If you walked in hear this morning:

Discouraged - you can find encouragement in Christ

Disappointed - you can find satisfaction in Christ

Depressed - you can find joy in Christ

Lonely - you can find comfort in Christ

Sick - you can find healing in Christ

Financially Distressed - you can find provisions in Christ

Angry - you can find peace in Christ

Confused - you can fine clarity in Christ

Rejected - you can be accepted in Christ

Broken - you can be put together in Christ

Torn - you can be mended in Christ

Lost - you can be save in Christ

Defeated - you can be victorious in Christ

I can preach on any one of these subjects alone and you will find yourself temporarily helped.

If I teach you about Christ you will be helped this day forward.

Christ is the great burden of Paul's teaching.

After articulating the four things Christ, the Savior, does to translate a sinner from

the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (rescued, brought, redemption,

forgiveness [vv.

13–14])

Paul makes the unprecedented truth: “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (v.

15).

image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (v.

15).

The false teachers were not giving the person and work of Christ proper interpretation or emphasis.

and work of Christ proper interpretation or emphasis.

They were distorting

They were distorting and minimizing these doctrines.

The false teaching also contained a philosophic appeal (2:8).

Hellenistic we cannot be sure (2:8).

Notwithstanding there was an

Notwithstanding there was an emphasis on higher knowledge of the cosmic order.

emphasis on higher knowledge of the cosmic order.

There were also

There were also elements of Judaistic ritualism and traditionalism present (2:8, 11, 16;

elements of Judaistic ritualism and traditionalism present (2:8, 11, 16;

3:11).

The false teachers were encouraging the veneration of angels, whom they believed controlled the operations of nature to some degree (2:18-19).

encouraging the veneration of angels, whom they believed controlled the

operations of nature to some degree (2:18-19).

and minimizing these doctrines.

There was an emphasis by these false teachers on self-denial (2:20-23), and apparently also the idea that only those with full knowledge of the truth—as taught by them—could understand and experience spiritual maturity (1:20, 28; 3:11).

23), and apparently also the idea that only those with full knowledge of the

truth—as taught by them—could understand and experience spiritual

These emphases later developed into Gnosticism.

maturity (1:20, 28; 3:11).

These emphases later developed into

Gnosticism.

“As the Gnostics saw it, Jesus Christ was by no means unique.

We have seen how they

Gnostics saw it, Jesus Christ was by no means unique.

We have seen how they

“As the Gnostics saw it, Jesus Christ was by no means unique.

postulated a whole series of emanations between the world and God.

They

They insisted that Jesus was merely one of these emanations.

He might stand high in

insisted that Jesus was merely one of these emanations.

He might stand high in

the series; he might even stand highest; but he was only one of many.

Paul meets this by insisting that in Jesus Christ all fullness dwells:

meets this by insisting that in Jesus Christ all fullness dwells ();

).

that in him there is the fullness of the godhead in bodily form ().

One of the supreme objects of Colossians is to insist that Jesus is utterly unique

One of the supreme objects of Colossians is to insist that Jesus is utterly unique

and that in him there is the whole of God”

The two main problems were the misunderstood doctrine of Christ, and the misunderstanding of how this doctrine affects Christian living.

misunderstanding of how this doctrine affects Christian living.

The primary

The primary Christological passages (1:14-23; 2:9-15) present Christ as absolutely

Christological passages (1:14-23; 2:9-15) present Christ as absolutely

preeminent and perfectly adequate for the Christian.

The Christian life, Paul explained, flows naturally out of this revelation.