Colossians 1:1-14 Intro Michael Silva / February 5, 2017 Opening/Intro: Last month we focused on a special series: Changed Lives Changed Community. o We are called to impact our community, but we can t change our community if we aren t first living changed transformed lives personally in Christ. o How do we do that? By presenting ourselves as Living Sacrifices. Engaging in real Christian Fellowship Koinonia. Praying, expecting and attempting great things for God. Being filled by the Holy Spirit. As you have incorporated these things in your life, have you seen God at work in greater ways in your life? I HAVE!!! Over the last month I have truly sought to fully live out these principles personally. o I was blown away when at work I was called into a meeting at which time they asked me to take on a new role. o This new position is a great opportunity and was a total God thing! I officially start in that new role tomorrow. o I found God s blessings as I simply applied these principles in my own life. o Now, that s not to say that if you apply them you too will be offered a new job. o The point is that God wants to do a work in our lives By living out these principles we are putting ourselves in the best possible position for that work to take place. My challenge is that you would continue to offer yourself as a living sacrifice, and o Engage in real fellowship, o Pray with great expectations, o And seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit for power. And it s with those in mind that we begin a new study in the book of Colossians.
Page 2 The book of Colossians: Written by Paul A Prison Epistle Written to the believers in Colosse between 60-63 AD. o Colosse is about 100 miles East of Ephesus in Asia minor, which is modern day Turkey. The theme of this book is Christ. I am calling this series Jesus First. o It emphasizes that Christ is the Head of the body. In that day the early church was challenged and threatened by Gnosticism o Gnosticism was the belief that the spiritual was good, but physical was bad. o They did not believe Jesus literally came in the flesh for the physical was bad and could not be associated with God. o They also believed salvation was obtained through knowledge and not faith. The first century religious environment was much like our own. It was a time of religious mixing, with people borrowing a little from this religion and a little from that religion. (Guzik) Paul was writing to help the believers in Colosse to truly see Jesus in all His fullness. Key Verses: Colossians 2:9 10 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. Transition/Today s Focus: Faith, Love, Hope, and Fruitfulness. 1. Joke: A fruit farmer hired two new workers for his fields, but before he sent them out for the day's work, he told them he had just one rule: Don't steal any fruit. a) The two agreed to obey the rule. b) After the day was over, the two workers came in to report to the farmer. He asked them if they had stolen any fruit, and immediately their conscience forced them to tell the truth. c) "Yes, we did. We ate some when we got hungry," they said. d) The farmer replied, "Ok, here is your punishment. I want each of you to go pick ten of your favorite fruit and come back to me." e) The men couldn't believe their ears. This seemed more like a reward than a punishment! f) After fifteen minutes, the first thief came back with ten cherries. Page 2
Page 3 g) The farmer promptly told him that as part of his punishment, he would have to stuff each cherry up his nose. h) The thief was upset about this, but he knew he had done wrong, so he slowly began to push the cherries up his nose one by one. i) As he was working on the third cherry, he began to laugh hysterically. j) The farmer asked him, "What's so funny?" k) The thief replied, "The other guy is out there picking watermelons!" 2. Thankfully our passage today does not command us to jam fruit up our noses. Let's read our passage: Colossians 1:1-14 (NKJV)i 1. The theme of this letter is Jesus First. Colossians 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. 1. Very standard Pauline introduction: a) Paul identifies himself as the author. b) He states his credentials He s an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. c) He reveals that his trusted companion and fellow brother Timothy is with him. d) He s writing to the believers who are in Colosse. i) BTW, there is no evidence that Paul ever visited Colosse. ii) It s believed that the work in Colosse started as a result of the spread of the gospel by those who were saved while Paul ministered in Ephesus. e) And Paul extends his normal Grace and peace blessings. i) Note, that grace ALWAYS comes before peace. ii) You must first receive God s grace in order to experience God s peace. Page 3
Page 4 Colossians 1:3-4 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; 1. Paul heard that the believers in Colosse were doing well and this was what drove Paul to pray for them. a) We often stop to pray for those in need, but if we are to live out 1 Thes 5:17, Pray without ceasing, then we need to follow Paul s example of even praying always for those who are doing well. b) Why is this important? i) Because God says so. ii) Also because those who are doing well don t remain on that mountain top forever. (1) All too soon they will be faced with the difficulties found in the valleys below. (2) Moreover, those who are on spiritual highs often find themselves walking through greater attacks from the enemy. (3) So for these reasons we should be praying for all people, not just the ones going through the difficult time. 2. Paul notes their faith in Christ Jesus. a) This is an absolute necessity for any believer. i) Not just once when you say a prayer to receive Jesus. ii) But this is necessary daily and constantly in the life of a believer. b) Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. c) Faith says, Even though I can t see and I don t understand it, I will continue on because this is what God wants for me. d) Is there an area where God is calling you to take a step of faith? 3. Next Paul notes their love for all the saints. a) Jesus said in John 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. b) What does love look like? i) 1 Corinthians 13 is the great love chapter. Page 4
Page 5 ii) Love sacrifices. Love doesn t give up. iii) When you have nothing left to give, love finds a way to give more. 4. This letter full of love and concern, written to a church Paul had neither planted nor visited [also] shows the power of Christian love. a) Paul didn t need to see or meet or directly know these Christians in order to love them and be concerned for them. (Guzik) b) Love is the crazy glue that binds believers together here on earth. c) 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Colossians 1:5-6 [ 3 We give thanks praying always for you ] 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; 1. First Paul mentions Faith, then Love. Next is Hope in verse 5. a) Hope is an absolute expectation of a coming good. b) Hope looks past the present and stays focused on what is coming. 2. I believe the order Paul lists these three words is important! a) Faith first, for that s the basis of our relationship in Christ. b) Next comes love. i) 1 John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us. ii) So by faith we enter into that space where we can begin to experience His love. iii) Then we share that love with others. iv) You can t love well if you have not and are not fully experiencing His love. 3. My bitterness. My dad was not around when I was growing up. a) I could not forgive my dad until I had experienced the love of the Heavenly Father. i) It was the love of the Heavenly Father that touched my heart and showed me how to forgive, just as I had been forgiven. ii) And it was in the love of the Heavenly Father that I learned how to love. Page 5
Page 6 b) J. Courson, I firmly believe that a church, family, or individual who is focused on faith, love, and hope will be stable, solid, and sure. 4. In verse 6 Paul notes that their hope bringing forth fruit. a) For a long time, I thought that all that was required of believers is that we remain faithful. But that s not true. b) The goal is that every faithful believer would bear fruit! i) We have been called to be fruitful. ii) John 15:7 8 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. Colossians 1:7-9 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. 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 1. Epaphras was the pastor in Colosse and the one who came to see Paul in Rome. a) He was a faithful minister. Of course, minister meaning servant. 2. Then Paul goes on to describe what he s praying for for the believers in Colosse. a) That they would be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. b) Just as we talked about last week, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit who gives us power. i) But He also grants to us wisdom and spiritual understanding. ii) We are to seek wisdom and knowledge by studying and learning. (1) But we should also pray that the Holy Spirit would impart wisdom from on high. iii) If you are looking for an answer to something, ask God. (1) Go to Him before you go to others. 3. In light of the false teachings of that day, C.H. Spurgeon said, [Paul] knew that spiritual ignorance is the constant source of error, instability, and sorrow; and therefore he desired that they might be soundly taught in the things of God. Page 6
Page 7 Colossians 1:10 Paul s prayer continues 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 1. It s not good enough to merely have knowledge of Jesus and God s will. a) We are to walk worthy of the Lord. That knowledge must be lived out. b) There can be no fruit in our lives if there is no walk in our lives. c) Faith is the fertilizer and our walk is the water that is required to bear fruit for God s glory in our lives. 2. Notice that our walk and journey with the Lord should be increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:11 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 1. Strengthened comes by being filled with the Spirit. 2. Patience ὑπομονή [hupomone] Waiting, steadfast, endurance. 3. Longsuffering patience, perseverance, slowness in avenging wrongs. 4. Joy a product of hope. This is a settled spirit based on something greater than ourselves. a) The original Greek word for Joy comes from the same root word as grace. Colossians 1:12 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 1. Our works don t qualify us, the Father does. a) Notice that we don t earn a wage, but instead we receive an inheritance. Colossians 1:13-14 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 1. There is a power of darkness that held us and had power over us. That is until we were conveyed or transferred into kingdom of the Son. Page 7
Page 8 2. We now have redemption through His blood. What does that mean? a) Jesus bought us out of the power of darkness. He paid the price in full to set us free. b) He has also forgiven us of our sins. i) All charges against us have been cleared! Conclusion: What s the big take away from this passage? 1. According to the Life Application Bible Commentary, Because Christ is divine and the Lord of all creation, our lives must be centered around him. We must honor him as our God and our Lord; we must not accept any substitutes, tolerate any additions, or entertain any thoughts of a diminished role. This means regarding our relationship with him as most vital and making his interests our top priority.ii 2. Is Jesus your top priority? a) The theme of this book needs to be the theme of our lives: Jesus First. i All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. ii Barton, B. B., & Comfort, P. W. (1995). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (p. 138). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Page 8