Keep Christ Preeminent
Notes
Transcript
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Introduction
What would, or do, people who don’t like you call you? I know it’s an odd question to begin wtih, but people who really dislike you have a unique perspective of you. They tend to fixate on a particular flaw and view you entirely in the light of that flaw.
Take, for instance, the case of early believers. They referred to themselves as “the Way” or followers of “The Way.”
1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
There is some debate on why that particular title, but it could be because of something Jesus said:
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The “why” behind the way, doesn’t really matter, because we had a name change pretty early on.
25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. 26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
And who was it that began calling us Christians? Our enemies. Why would they have called them Christians? The word literally means follow of Christ.
Tacitus, writing near the end of the first century, says, “The vulgar call them Christians. The author or origin of this denomination, Christus, had, in the reign of Tiberius, been executed by the procurator, Pontius Pilate”
Early in the second century, believers accepted the title as an honorific and we have called ourselves that ever sense. We are—or purport to be—followers of Christ.
But I wonder what our detractors might call us today if they were trying to affix some new title upon us. We certainly have no shortage of opponents. But I don’t hear any of them complaining we are too much like Christ. It would probably not even be hard to argue the notion that Christ is quite unpopular in many “Christians” churches.
Transition
We are not alone in this. The Apostle Paul penned a letter to a church in the small, has-been city of Colosse encouraging them to keep Christ preeminent in all things…especially the church. This letter is just 95 verses long, and yet the title “Christ” appears 26 times in 24 verses.
Illumination
A Little Background
A Little Background
The city of Colosse was situated along the Lycus (Wolf) River in the area of Phrygia, located in the wester, part of the Roman Province of Asia (modern day Turkey)
Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul
Colossians is one of the “Prison Epistles” written by Paul from prison in Rome around AD 60
Paul had not personally visited the church at Colosse, but is one of two letters sent to Colosse
The church appears to have been started by Epaphras who was likely converted in Ephesus and was visiting Paul in Rome at the time of the writing
The church also included Philemon, recipient of the other letter to Colosse, with whom Paul clearly had a relationship
The church at Colosse was predominantly gentile and had multiple competing “threats” against it that Paul addressed to varying degrees
Roman secularism
Greek philosophy
Jewish legalism
Christian heresy (early Gnosticism)
A Short Salutation, 1:1-2
A Short Salutation, 1:1-2
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 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.
From Paul
Apostle - literally sent one
Sent by Jesus Christ
Jesus being His name
Christ being His title and role - literally anointed one (the same role indicated by the Jewish title Messiah which also means anointed one)
Sent by the will of God
He didn’t send himself
He didn’t even volunteer
To Believers
Saints - those who are set apart to God
Faithful Brethren
Those in Christ
With Goodwill
Grace - receiving what they don’t deserve
Peace - harmonious relationships
Derived from their relationship with God as a result of the work of Jesus
Lord - master, recognizing His authority
Jesus - name
Christ - title
There is a real sense that grace and peace come from God and are not truly known apart from God
A Bit of Appreciation, 1:3-8
A Bit of Appreciation, 1:3-8
3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.
He gives thanks for them
He prays for them
He celebrates the effects of the Gospel with them
faith in Christ
love for other saints
hope of heaven
fruit in life
He highlights the faithfulness of Epaphras
They heard the gospel from him
Paul heard of them from him
Conclusion
Application
