Colossians - Lesson 5 Chapter 3:1-17
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Review
Review
Show Map - Highlight Colossae and the Churches of Revelations
Colossae was a city in the Lycus Valley located within southwestern Phrygia in the interior of Asia Minor.
Colossae was once a densely populated and wealthy city.
In 133 BC the last king of Pergamum bequeathed his kingdom to the Romans who later reorganized it as the province of Asia. The Lycus Valley was eventually incorporated into the Roman Empire and remained so for many centuries.
By Paul’s time Colossae was dwarfed by the larger cities of Hierapolis and Laodicea also in the Lycus Valley.
Authorship
Authorship
The Pauline authorship of Colossians is supported by abundant evidence both in and out of the book.
Colossians has three personal references to Paul in the first person (1:1; 1:23; 4:18).
The most probable time for writing Colossians is in Rome during Paul’s (first) imprisonment there, as recorded in Acts 28:30
Purpose
Purpose
Four purposes seem to have been in Paul’s mind as he wrote Colossians.
First, he sought to show the deity and supremacy of Christ in the face of the Colossian heresy (Col 1:18, Col 2:9)
Second, there is general agreement that one reason, probably the primary reason, was to counteract teaching that might become or already was either attractive or threatening to the baptized in Colossae, particularly with regard to their appreciation of the full significance of Christ. (Col 2-3)
Third, he wanted to lead believers into spiritual maturity (Col 1:28; Col 2:6-7)
Fourth, he simply wanted to inform them about his state of affairs and elicited their prayers on his behalf (Col 4:2–8)
Outline of Colossians
Outline of Colossians
INTRODUCTION (1:1–8)
I.THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST (1:9–29)
A. The prayer of Paul (1:9–14)
B. The person of Christ (1:15–20)
C. The work of Christ (1:21–29)
II.THE WARNING AGAINST THE HERESY (2:1–23)
A. The concern of Paul (2:1–5)
B. The safeguard against heresy (2:6–15)
C. The description of the heresy (2:16–23)
III. THE PRACTICE OF TRUE CHRISTIAN LIVING (3:1–4:6)
A. Christ not Carnality (3:1–11)
B. Character of the New Man (3:12–17)
C. Its applications (3:18–4:6)
1. Wives (3:18)
2. Husbands (3:19)
3. Children (3:20)
4. Parents (3:21)
5. Servants (3:22–25)
6. Masters (4:1)
7. Church members (4:2–6)
CONCLUSION (4:7–18)
In short; the first two and half chapters of Colossians talk about who Christ is to combat the false teaching there are competing for attention. Chapter three deals with how we are to life in light of who Jesus is and chapter four is a an update on Paul and his salutation.
And remember what Gnosticism is:
Gnosticism—emphasis on knowledge which was emancipated from the claims of morality; arrogance toward ‘unenlightened’ church leaders; interest in angelology; divisiveness; lasciviousness”
Let get into the word...
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
The Practice of Christian Living
The Practice of Christian Living
1. Christ not Carnality
2. Character of the New Man
Christ not Carnality - Verses 1-11
Christ not Carnality - Verses 1-11
Paul told us who Christ was in Chapter 1. Then explained what Christ was not, like philosophy nor legalism in Chapter 2. So now in Chapter 3 he continues the though by explaining it is Christ not carnality.
There are 2 sets of three words I would lie to draw your attention to as we break down theses passages.
-If then
-Therefore
-But now
-Seek
-Set
-Put
The first set of words “if then, therefore and but now” are transitional statements making us consider other information. Starting with ‘if then” Paul is making sure you know there is a prerequisite and actions to follow once you are raised with Christ.
If then you were raised with Christ
Remembering the purpose of Colossians is to combat false teachings then we can assume there was teaching that you could obtain salvation through through knowledge or other means. So what just does the statement being “raised with Christ” mean. As always the best commentary on the Bible, is the Bible itself.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
If we accept what Christ did on the cross and follow Him we have been raised from our sin and brought into new life with Christ.
Notice it didn’t say anything about being good....well I was a good person.
So if we are raised with christ we must from verse 1 and 2:
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
Seek those things above
Set your mind on things above
A life of following Christ is not about yourself and what you want or feel.
Let’s take a moment and look at the world and what is going on....answer this question
If we don’t focus on Christ what is the focus?
Focus examples If I focus on what I'm not going to do then I will do it.
We tend to focus on what pertains to us. What feels good what feels bad ect. The next few verses give us more insight.
Now on to the next section
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
If then raised with Christ we seek thing above and set our mind on things above. THEREFORE, look at what was just written and because we are raised with Christ and seeking things above we must PUT to death your members which are on earth. We are talking about the carnal fleshly desires now that are earthly but we are “above” focused so we must put to death:
Fornication
Uncleanness
Passion
Evil Desires
Covetousness
For the Colossian Church unlike the Corinthian church Paul is admonishing them to stay clear of the false teachings and stay on the right path. They have not fallen to the false teaching and but Paul is warning them in verses 6 and 7
Paul tells them what disobedient people do and the wrath of God is their reward and reminds them they were once like them.
Paul continues the lesson in what not to do in verses 8-11
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
Paul is being very specific in his descriptions here to ensure the Colossian church knows exactly what to look for in the difference of a person especially a teacher that is raised with Christ and one that is not.
We just went over the first list Paul outlines...Fornication, Uncleanness, Passion, Evil Desires, Covetousness
Now the third transitional words of But now
If then
therefore
and but now
but now “Put off” we have more actions to perform and we see “put off” again.
put off :
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, lying, the old man and his deeds
Then Paul then tells us from the positive side what actions are needed.
Put on: the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, this is the true knowledge came from God not the carnal self. Remember Christ is the image of the invisible God.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
All knowledge must come from Christ and his word.
11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
Racism is a relatively new concept. Historically we dont see racism but a class structure that separated people. Here in verse 11 Paul is letting the church know once you are raised in Christ we are all equal.
Now let’s think about the setting of the first century church. Patricians (wealthy elite), Senators (political), Equestrians (businessmen), Freeborn Roman Citizens, soldiers, slaves....
The Women’s role was dependent on their father or husbands status. When there was a part you sat at the table according to your class and the higher the class the more food and drink. Now lets say you are a businessman and you have a few slaves as house keepers and such.
You get saved and so does your slaves. You go to attend church and find you have to serve your slave communion and wash their feet. No what. If you do it you will be kicked out of polite society for braking class rules. You will possibly loose your business and then poverty. No better than a beggar. You have a wife and 5 kids to feed. This is where the Gospel gets real.
But when Christ came to the earth barriers where broken and when you come to Christ then barriers must be broken in your life.
T. K. Abbott describes four barriers that Christianity destroyed:
The Letters to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians The Universality of Christianity (Colossians 3:9b–13)
(1) It destroyed the barriers which came from birth and nationality. Different nations, who either despised or hated each other, were drawn into the one family of the Christian Church. People of different nationalities, who would have leaped at each other’s throats, sat in peace beside each other at the table of the Lord.
(2) It destroyed the barriers which came from ceremonial and ritual. Circumcised and uncircumcised were drawn together in the one fellowship. To the Jews, people of any other nation were unclean; when men and women became Christians, every man or woman of every nation became a brother or sister.
(3) It destroyed the barriers between the cultured and the uncultured. The Scythians were the ignorant barbarians of the ancient world; the Greeks were the aristocrats of learning. The uncultured and the cultured came together in the Christian Church. The greatest scholar in the world and the humblest labourer can sit in perfect fellowship in the Church of Christ.
(4) It destroyed the barrier between class and class. Both slaves and free came together in the Church. More than that, in the early Church it could, and did, happen that a slave was the leader of the church, and the master was the humble church member. In the presence of God, the social distinctions of the world become irrelevant.
The second set of word I mentioned earlier are the action words we must do.
-Seek
-Set
-Put
Here is the meat of being in Christ and not being Carnal
We need to Seek God
- Seek those thinks above
4 He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.
21 Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the Lord God of Israel.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
We need to earnestly seek God with all our hear mind and soul
29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Once we seek God and find the truth we need to “set our mind on things above” this word set is make it firm, set it in stone or concrete. Do not let anything move your mind from being set on thing above. Then put into actions what you have learned and set your mind to.
Action, Action, Action. Lots of action going on.
To put to death and put off then put on
The Character of the New Man
The Character of the New Man
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Here we go again with the transition word to link back to the previous section. Therefore because we set sought the things above, set our minds on things above, put to death: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desires, covetousness and put off: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, lying, the old man and his deeds we are the elect of God.
Paul tell us what the new life in Christ looks like.
This time instead of taking off we will be doing more putting on...
Put on:
Tender mercies
Kindness
Humility
Meekness
Longsuffering
Bearing with one another
Forgiving
Love
Peace
Thankfulness
Can I tell you a secret? If you haven’t put off the old man and his ways from “therefore” verse 8 above you will never be able to put on theses positive traits and here is why.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
This just doesn't happen because you accepted Christ. this only happens when you are intentional about doing it. If you are not actively putting off this sin then here is what is going to happen. Gal 5:17
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
If you haven’t subdued the flesh then it will take control.
24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Let talk about passions for a minute. People always say follow your passion. Passion can lead us to sin. We need to be careful.
We dont need to follow our passion or dream. We need to follow Christ. Christ can fulfill our passions and dreams once our passions and dreams are aligned with the will of God.
The world will tell you for follow your dream and passion but I will always tel you to follow Christ. Your passion and dreams may lead to good but I know following the will of God will always led to good.
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
If these things are not done then the new man can’t shine fourth and will be mired down in the carnality of life never reaching God’s potential for your life, but once this happens the new man can shine and col 3:12-17 will become a reality in your life.
Paul gives us another key to success in verse 16
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
That is why we are here tonight. That is Capt Logos exist. That is why Discover Church believes in discipleship.
We must let the Word dwell in us richly. Not just on Sunday, or a couple times a week but we must be daily in the word in order to accomplish God’s purpose in our life.
In summary tonight Paul tells us that it is Christ not carnality that brings new life. He explains how to achieve being raised with Christ. What we must put off and what we must put on. What it looks likes as a believer and what it looks like to not not be a believer.
Paul is very detailed in chapter one describing who Christ is and who Christ is not. Here in chapter 3 Paul is just as specific with what the believer should do and not do.
and in closing
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.