Grace and Peace
Colossians Series #1
Grace And Peace
By Bill Denton
Introduction
A. It's been a while since I took a book of the Bible and preached through it, but today we're
going to begin a series on the book of Colossians
1. Colossae was a little town in what is today the country of Turkey
2. By 61 or 62 AD, it is believed to have been destroyed by an earthquake and possibly
never rebuilt, so most likely, Paul wrote before this time
3. There are a couple of things that are prominent in the book
a. some philosophical problem was creating great stress on the faith of the
Christians in this church
1) we don't know exactly what it is - figuring it out is like listening to one
side of a telephone conversation
2) whatever it was, there are some clues as to how it was affecting these
people, and there is the value for us today
b. the counter to this philosophy is a fuller understanding of the sufficiency of
Jesus Christ
1) this letter does a masterful job at presenting the completeness and
full sufficiency of Jesus to resolve our sin problem and restore our
relationship with God
2) partnered to this idea is that of assurance for believers, who can be
strong and unwavering because they know who Jesus is, and what he
has done for them
B. There is a great temptation to think that all these Bible books are so old and out-of-date that
we can't learn anything from them
1. Wrong! We'll discover once again that the Bible is as modern as anything, we just
have to be able to apply the principles to today's world
2. Colossians is certainly no different - it speaks directly to today's world
C. I believe if you listen carefully to this series of lessons, your faith will grow stronger and
more secure, you will be able to guard against doubt-causing philosophies, and you will
enjoy a confidence as a Christian that can make all the difference in how you live your life
I. A Little Insight Into How Colossians Can Help Us Today
A. In a world thoroughly immersed in philosophies that affect every area of life, Christians
need to be aware of the full sufficiency of Jesus Christ
1. We sometimes complain because God did not give us all the details, but the fact is
that the entire universe revolves around Jesus Christ (I don't mean physically, as in
the universe is in orbit around Jesus - I mean in concept, Jesus is at the center of it all
2. Jesus is the one who created it all, and for whom it was made, and in whom it all
holds together -- the church needs to know this because it is the truth upon which
rests the fact that God is in control
3. Your whole view of what the creation is, what its purpose is, how it works, and why,
and where it is headed comes from knowing these things - Colossians addresses it
B. There are a multitude of people who oppose Christianity, and those people necessarily
oppose you, if you are a believer and a follower of Jesus
1. Ridicule and opposition is sometimes bold and open, and sometimes quiet and more
reserved, but the effect is the same - weaken your faith, and cause you to doubt
2. Some of those opponents may be outright enemies, but they may also be your friends
3. On what basis will you handle those things? Colossians will equip you well
C. If you don't understand what you claim to follow, you are likely to water down some things
and in effect, participate in the destruction of your own faith
1. What do you do with things that others claim to be offensive? You better know if
that issue is important or not, or even correct or not
2. If you don't understand what you claim to follow, you might easily compromise or
even abandon some things that are very important
D. When people are not confident in their faith, they will be overly cautious with it
1. Evangelism suffers
2. Confidence for life suffers
3. Colossians encourages confidence
E. If you are not grateful for what God has done for you through Jesus Christ, and you will be
overcome by anxieties and tempted to look for answers beyond the gospel
F. Colossians tell us just how totally complete we are in Jesus Christ
G. How you live is necessarily affected by all these things
II. Let's Start Where Paul Started
A. Colossians 1:1-2
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. NASB95
1. It's a common kind of greeting from Paul and Timothy to the church at Colossae
a. Romans 1:7 7to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. NASB95
b. 1 Corinthians 1:3 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. NASB95
c. 2 Corinthians 1:2 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. NASB95
d. Galatians 1:3 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ, NASB95
e. Ephesians 1:1 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the
saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: NASB95
f. Philippians 1:2 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. NASB95
g. 1 Thessalonians 1:1 1Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the
Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and
peace. NASB95
h. 1 Thessalonians 1:1 1Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the
Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and
peace. NASB95
i. 1 Timothy 1:2 2To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace
from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. NASB95
j. 2 Timothy 1:2 2To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from
God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. NASB95
k. Titus 1:4 4To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from
God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. NASB95
l. Philemon 3 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. NASB95
2. There are at least a couple of conclusions you can draw from Paul's frequent use of
these words in the greetings of his letters
a. it's a commonly used way to greet people to whom you are writing and there
isn't anything really special about it
b. there is something here that is so important that it forms a base from which
Paul writes all his letters
B. I submit to you that part of the reason Paul addresses this church with the words "grace" and
"peace" is that they are at the core of the gospel, and at the heart of man's greatest needs
1. Grace - the undeserved, unmerited favor of God; you can't earn it, you don't deserve
it, but you get God's favor anyway
a. grace is hard for us to understand and accept
b. grace goes against human reasoning which is so often bound up in things
earned by the sweat of our brow, or deserved because of some innate quality
in ourselves
c. it's even hard for us to accept some people as recipients of grace
1) they're too bad
2) there is just something wrong with them, they are unacceptable
d. the amazing thing about grace is that totally undeserving people, who have
never done a right thing in their lives can receive the favor of God's grace
e. deep down, I think most of us understand our great need for grace; we know
our sins, even when we've been mostly good, we understand that we are
nowhere close to the holy and righteous God
2. Peace - commonly, it is the cessation of war and hostility; but the Jewish concept of
peace was much more, including all that makes life good and pleasant; it was to
possess health and everything that created a life without worry or anxiety
a. this is the constant search of mankind; not just to eliminate wars, for we could
do that and still have little peace among ourselves
b. we sometimes add other words to elaborate on this idea -- peace of mind;
peace and quiet; living in peace, etc
c. peace is something we all want
1) peace within
2) peace in our families
3) peaceful communities
4) peace among our neighbors
5) even hope for eternity is stated as resting in peace
C. I am confident that there are people here today who are in great need of these two things
1. Those who are able to look at themselves truthfully, understand the great need they
have as they stand before a holy and righteous God, guilty of sin, and burdened by
the carelessness of their ways
a. some tremble at the thought of standing before God
b. it is possible that some of the rebellion, the unbelief, even blaming God for
things that go wrong in life is an expression of the need for grace
c. you can stop waiting for finally earning God's love, or deserving God's favor -
grace says you can have it now
2. A lot of people are struggling with anything but peace in their lives
a. every relationship seems to be marred by turmoil
b. conflict, contention, animosity, hostility- and worse is the experience of life
c. you can take a deep breath and hopefully feel the calm assurance of God's
peace in your soul, for it is real and available
Conclusion
A. It is common for us to skip over verses of greeting
1. Couldn't be much there, the writer is just saying hello in an ancient form of writing
2. Well, there's that -- but there is so much more
B. Grace and peace - two words, two concepts, two blessings needed by every person alive
1. Grace is at the heart of the gospel, for it is to desperately undeserving people that
God sent his Son as a sacrifice in their place
2. Grace is the only way a terribly offended God can redeem a terribly offensive people
3. Grace is the soothing medicine that heals the sin-ravaged person
C. Peace is the ultimate blessing, the pinnacle that explains the possession of all the other of
God's blessings
1. Pay attention as Paul begins this little letter to the church at Colossae
2. He writes to them with words your heart is crying for today
D. Invitation