09/27/2020
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning FCC, we are so glad that you have joined us this morning as we begin the book of Colossians.
Is been said by scholars that if you want to learn quickly about who Jesus is, read John 1, Revelation 19, and Colossians.
So today, we begin our study in Colossians 1.
Prayer
Prayer
Read Colossians 1:1-8
Read Colossians 1:1-8
Review
Review
Looking back over the last few weeks we learned that Paul did not start the church at Colossae, nor did he ever visit there.
We know that Paul wrote this letter from prison as he was on house arrest in Rome.
As we studied the Word, we learned that Epaphras was the pastor of the church, and the church started in Philemon’s home.
We also learned that Colossae was a small town and a small church like us. However, there was a trade route that went through Colossae, therefore, different religions, philosophies, legalism, and Gnosticism was pouring into this city and the cities around it.
False teaching started rising up in this church as well as the church of Laodicea and Hieropolis. Paul had phrophecized about this here in:
For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
Review continued:
Review continued:
Epaphras not knowing what to do, decided to go find the Apostle Paul, the won who won him to Christ and the one who discipled him. He then passed the baton to Philemon’s son Archippus and he journeyed 1300 miles to find Paul in a Roman prison to get counsel on what to do.
It is here church, that Paul decided to write this epistle.
Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis.
Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
Quiz time: What books are the prison epistles?
Colossians
Philippians
Ephesians
Philemon
Church, we can divide this book, as well as most of Paul’s writings into 2 sections:
Doctrine
Duty
Or we can put it this way: polemical or practical
First we need to know what we believe, so then we will know how to behave or how the Lord desires us to act and walk out our faith.
Right doctrine (teaching) equals right behavior
As we begin, I would like to share three observations that one scholar makes:
Paul did not write Colossians as a theological treatise to be analyzed by scholars, but as a pastoral letter to be read and understood by common, small town people who were young in the faith. The most mature were probably no more than five years old in the Lord. Keep in mind most were Gentiles.
If the Holy Spirit directed Paul to write these profound truths about Jesus Christ to these original readers, many of whom probably couldn’t even read, but had to listen to the letter as it was read, then it’s not too deep for us to grasp if we depend on the Spirit to teach us.
Second, right theology is the basis for right living. We tend to avoid theology because we find it either too difficult or just plain boring. If a preacher starts talking about theology, our eyes glaze over and we tune out. We want him to skip the theology and get to the practical stuff. We prefer amusing anecdotes and heart-warming stories. But Paul wanted these small town folks to know that what we believe about Jesus Christ is not irrelevant to life. Rather, it’s absolutely crucial. It affects our morals (Col. 3:5–9) and our relationships in the church, in our homes, in our jobs, and with those in the world (Col. 3:12–4:6). False teaching never leads to true godliness (Col. 2:23).
Third, the test of solid theology can be summed up by answering the question, “Where does it put Jesus Christ?” Does He merely have a place in it, or does He occupy the central and supreme place? Is He presented as fully God and fully man in one person, or has either side of that truth been slighted? Is His sacrificial death on the cross presented as sufficient for life and godliness, or do we need to add the latest insights from the world to deal with our problems?
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul- was a radical. He was trained up under Gamilel who was the Rabbis of Rabbis. He was a highly educated man, who was a Pharisee and zealous for Judaism.He persecuted and had Christians killed until the day that he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
Here Paul introduces the book, he gives the four normal elements of an introduction. This is very typical.
First he introduces the writer. Church when we write a letter we put our signature at the end, and you've always got to fumble through to see who wrote you the letter.Paul starts with his name. This was typical, "Paul."
Secondly: his companion. In so many of his letters he introduces the person who's with him while he's writing. It isn't a co-author, it's just who was there with him - "and Timothy." Actually it says, "and brother Timothy." He is not saying Timothy is writing. He is saying “Timothy is with me.” He included Timothy as his companion when he started in 2 Corinthians, in Philemon, in Philippians, in 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians. Timothy, like Paul was a radical for Jesus Christ and his gospel. He was a disciple of Paul and raised up in the ministry by Paul and eventually, Paul handed him the pastoral baton to him for the church of Ephesus.
Third: the readers. The writer, his companion, and the readers - verse 2, “to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colosse” - and you’ll notice how this narrows – “to the saints.” That’s a broad term – “and out of the saints, to the faithful saints” - and from the faithful saints to the ones that are at Colossae.
Forth: the answer or the subject matter of the letter.
So Paul open the letter with stressing the authority that he was writing in, or coming to them in which was an apostle.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
He was an Apostle, not by the will of man, but by the will of God.
What is an apostle? Is an apostle and a disciple the same thing?
Apostle- ä-po'-sto-los- n. — an envoy of Jesus Christ commissioned directly by Him or by other apostles; normally someone who has been taught directly by Jesus and who is invested with the authority to speak on His behalf. A messenger, one sent forth, one sent on a mission. One who witnessed the resurrected Christ.
Paul was an apostle by the will of God church.
Paul was in God’s perfect will for his life.
Paul was doing exactly what God created Paul to do.
He did not choose his life’s work, the Lord did.
Church, had Paul not surrendered to the will of God, he would have come short at the end of his life. He would have looked back and wished he would have taken the other path, the path that God was calling him to.
To Paul there was but one work or profession for him> the will of God church!
The professions he wanted did not matter, what mattered most to the apostle Paul was one God’s perfect will for his life.
Let’s take a look at a few scriptures about God’s will for your life:
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Church, do you get the idea? God’s will is for you to seek him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
We will never be satisfied in this life if we are out of the will of God.
No amount of money, no title, no career will satisfy church, unless, like the Apostle Paul, we know we are in the will of God for our life.
When we step out of the will of God, our energies will become depleted and we might even end up depressed.
When your in the will of God for your life, the career or job has called you to will not be a burden, but a delight.
You will thrive in God’s will, because you are in the mission field that he had called you to.
Let’s re-read verse 1. We often skim past the introduction of letters in the NT don’t we. But today, we are going to wring it dry.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
Notice that Paul mentioned his companion.
Timothy was like a son to Paul, he was raised up by his mother and his grandmother in the faith:
I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.
Paul was not alone, he had a companion, a brother in Christ, someone to walk alongside him and keep him accountable in the faith.
Timothy was Paul’s pupil and a by-product of Paul’s ministry.
Why do you think God allows us to glean and gain all this life experience?
Church, it is so we can pour into others.
Paul poured into Timothy, more than he did any other companion that he walked with.
Timothy was humble and teachable, and he knew he needed someone to teach him the ways of the Lord.
Timothy was available and willing to follow God’s will for his life.
Church, God’s will for our life is that we too, have relationships like Paul and Timothy.
When we are under 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, we should step out in faith and mentor someone form the same gender.
We should pour into someone, what God has taught us.
If we step out in faith like this, discipleship happens. Its a natural by-product of our relationship with the Lord.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice that Paul is writing to the saints and the faithful brethren in Colossae.
He was writing to the saints!
Who are the saints?
They are not little things sticking to the dash board or sitting in someones front yard church.
Saints-hagios- dedicated to God, holy, sacred, devout, blameless, consecrated unto God
The faithful saints refers to those who in had set their lives apart to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
They had separated themselves church from the world and surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
It is clear by this introduction, that Paul was directing this letter to those that were walking it out.
Which means there was some that were not walking it out, their commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ was lacking. They had a come to jesus moment, but they did not continue on in the faith. They said a prayer and were convinced that it was enough. They only wanted fire insurance. They never matured in the faith, but were and are being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine because they have never committed their lives to Christ.
Here Paul is talking to the faithful saints in the church. This refers to those that had set their lives apart to the Lord, they were seeking Gods will for their lives, they were in fellowship with one another, seeking the Scriptures daily and in prayer Daily.
This is the group that was being made holy, their lives were being transformed by the power of God.
They were not lukewarm, but on fire for the Lord.
They were faithful and committed for the cause of Jesus Christ.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
As believers we have a dual citizenship church:
Our citizenship is here in Oregon or Washington:in Colossae, Physical
Our citizenship is in heaven: in Christ, Spiritual
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Grace is the means of salvation and peace is the result of salvation !
Grace is the means of salvation and peace is the result of salvation !
Grace is divine influence upon the heart and its reflection toward life.
Grace is God’s unmerited favor toward us, while his mercy is that we do not get what we deserve church.
Notice here, that Paul opens the letter with talking about grace and peace, but that he also point to where that Grace and Peace come from.
No matter how much money you have, grace and peace can not be bought! Why? Because it was purchased on Calvary, for you and for me.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Have you surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you made peace with God, so the peace of God can guard your heart and mind? Like Paul, are you in God’s perfect will for your life?
Prayer
Prayer
Announcements
Announcements
Does anyone have any announcements?
Benediction
Benediction
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
The Lord Bless you!
Your Mission Starts Now!