Seize the Day for Grace

Introduction:

So if you were in prison awaiting a possible death sentence, what would be your last words to your church family? Would you panic or pray? Considering Paul’s whole exhortation in Colossians about keeping our eyes on Christ, it should be obvious what choice he made.

Quick fly-over of Colossians: Caught between the legalism of the Judaizers & the pseudo-spirituality of the Gnostics, the church at Colosse had gotten distracted from the sufficiency that’s found in Christ Jesus! In Ch 1, Paul prayed for the church & showed the preeminence of Christ over all creation & the reconciliation He brings through the cross & resurrection. He is the hope of glory! In Ch 2, because He is preeminent, we don’t need to go anywhere else for living the Christian life besides Him. In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge…thus we are to walk in Him without the burdens of legalism or false-spiritualism… With this in mind, in Ch 3 Paul exhorted us then to leave the false things behind, put the Old Man of sinfulness to death & put on the New Man in Christ (already available to us), applied in the church & at home. And that’s enough to leave the church to chew on for a bit. J In Ch 4 he sends his greetings & basically says “Carpe Diem – seize the day!” Seize the time that’s left for prayer, for witnessing, for service, for grace!

Paul may not be able to be with the church (he may not even have MET this church!) & his life may be over any day, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. There’s work to be done – there’s a Great Commission we’ve been given – and God (in His wisdom) has graciously allowed us to participate. And that’s what Paul exhorts them to do in the time they have left.

Colossians 4:2-18 (NKJV)
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

A. Paul often put an emphasis on prayer. 1 Cor 14 taught about praying in the Spirit – 2 Cor 5, Phil 1, Col 1 he prayed for the church – 1 Thess 5:17, “pray without ceasing”, etc. Paul understood that prayer accomplishes much! ‘But I prayed & nothing ever happened!’ Wrong…something happened; you may just not be aware of what it was. We don’t pray to have our will be done; we pray for God’s will to be done (and for our will to be in line with His).

B. How are we to pray?

a. Being earnest: Several translations say “devote yourselves to prayer” – the NKJV “Continue earnestly” is only 1 word in Greek. The idea be continually diligent…to ‘keep on keeping on’ in prayer. [] So often, we relegate our prayers to once in the morning, and mealtimes, & maybe at bed…but we treat it as something to ‘get out of the way.’ That’s no different than any other pagan religion which has prescribed prayers at prescribed times that are mindlessly repeated (and Jesus specifically told us NOT to pray that way! Matt 6:7). Instead, we’re to be earnest & steadfast in our prayers…we’re supposed to actually mean what we say & do it continually all day long.

b. Being vigilant: When Jesus prayed in the Garden, the three disciples He took with Him (Peter, John, James) kept falling asleep all night. They could stay awake & keep watch with the Lord in His hour of distress. That’s the idea Paul’s trying to get across here – we want to be awake in our prayer times!

c. Being thankful: Thankfulness undergirds every aspect of our Christianity because we’ve got so much to be thankful for! We were dead in our sin & have been made alive in Christ – we’ve been indwelt with the Holy Spirit – we’ve been empowered for His work – we’ve been raised with Christ & are seated in the heavenlies – we have been adopted into the very family of God & MUCH more! Even on our worst days – in our deepest tragedies – we have much to thank God for simply because we have access to pray to Him in the 1^st place.

3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

A. Specifically, Paul asked the Colossians to pray for him in prison…but HOW he asks them to pray is mind-blowing. Doesn’t pray for: release, justice, protection, provision, etc… Instead, he asks for prayer that he’d be able to do the very thing that got him thrown into prison: the opportunity to preach the gospel! More to the point, Paul wants the opportunity to preach the gospel to Gentiles (which was the catalyst for his arrest in Jerusalem).

a. How important is the gospel? Enough for Paul to be beaten multiple times for, imprisoned, and eventually martyred. Enough for Peter to endure the same. Enough for thousands of believers around the world TODAY (esp. in NoKo, NAMESTAN, etc) to do the same. So often we pass over opportunities to share the gospel because the inconvenience (I’ve been far too guilty) – yet Paul desired the inconvenience if it meant one more opportunity to see someone repent & be saved!

B. Gospel is described as “the mystery of Christ” (in depth in Eph 3). Mysteries are truths about God in the OT, but hidden/not understood – now fully revealed to the church (the saints) through Jesus Christ (Col 1:26). What was hidden before? The fact that Jesus was going to not only be the Jewish Messiah, but the Savior to ALL who call upon Him! Isaiah 49:6 Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” [] This was a mystery, but it’s ALWAYS been God’s divine plan!

a. Amen! What an incredible thought…

C. Note this is his obligation: “as I ought to speak” … Paul was constrained to preach the gospel! Whether or not he was paid for his service or able to live in freedom outside of prison was of no consequence…woe to him if he did NOT preach the gospel! (1 Cor 9:16)

a. God hasn’t called everyone to be an evangelist; but God HAS called everyone to evangelize (proclaim the good news!). We have been entrusted with the greatest news to ever cross the face of history; we are stewards of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We simply MUST preach & proclaim it in whatever way He’s empowered us to do it.

5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.

A. Not only are we called to preach the gospel; we’re called to demonstrate it as well. Thus we are to “walk in wisdom.” Bluntly described by some as “the gospel with shoe-leather.” The church of Paul’s day had a terrible reputation among the Roman empire: they were thought to be atheists (since they didn’t recognize the Roman gods) – they were thought to be cannibals (ate the body & blood of Christ), etc. Walking in wisdom is to walk not according to the world’s wisdom, but the σοφία wisdom of God, prudently showing the love of Christ, thus proving we are His disciples (John 13:35).

a. The church of today doesn’t have too much of a better reputation! Talk to any non-Christian under 25 & the picture of Christianity they’ll paint isn’t very pretty. Just as the Colossians were to walk in wisdom, so are we! We need to walk in such a way that the love of Christ is demonstrated through our actions…

B. No better activity we could spend our time on…we’re called to redeem the time. [] How often we waste the time! We fill our minds up with junk & then wonder why our walk with Jesus is so shallow… [] Instead, Christian – redeem it! Literally, “buy up the time” for the Lord Jesus. Use every breath to give Him praise & take advantage of every opportunity for His glory.

6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

A. Walk with wisdom; but speak with grace. Is Paul saying to speak with winsomeness & charity? Sure – that’s part of it. But contextually, Paul is speaking about witnessing to others of Christ, and our speech is also to reflect that. Even if we’re not directly speaking of the Gospel of salvation, our speech should reflect the grace by which we’ve been saved. [dirty mouth as a new believer] Our mouth has been born-again right along with the rest of us! J

a. Specifically, our gracious speech is supposed to be “seasoned with salt”. (1) Salt is a preservative – our words should be edifying…and at the very least not contribute further to the decaying of the world around us. (2) Salt is flavorful – our words should be help make people thirsty for the Living Water…

B. Why should we always speak with grace? So that we can be prepared to answer. Answer what? Questions about our salvation… 1 Peter 3:15-16 (15) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; (16) having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. [] As we walk in wisdom towards those outside – as we redeem the time – as we speak with grace – it should deny the opportunity of those who would defile the name of Christianity & provide the opportunity for us to tell them why.

- Paul is going to pass along greetings from folks with him…

7 Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. 8 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, 9 with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here.

A. Tychicus was apparently bringing the letter (probably read it to the church) & was going to update the church on Paul’s status in prison (originally from Asia – Acts 20:4). Love that description of him! Beloved brother… Faithful minister… Fellow servant in the Lord…

a. Also there to “know your circumstances and comfort your hearts.” Don’t you love this? PAUL is the one in prison, yet he’s the one trying to minister to Corinth by sending them Tychicus.

B. Onesimus was also a beloved brother – and he was one of them (i.e., a Colossian). He was also the repentant slave of Philemon…

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me.

A. Aristarchus: originally from Thessalonica & seized in the Ephesian riot (Acts 19-20)…ended up going to Rome with Paul (Acts 27:2)

B. Mark: The SAME Mark who abandoned Paul early in his ministry & caused a split between Paul & Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41)… Later proved himself to be useful in the ministry (2 Tim 4:11). Wonderful object lesson in 2^nd chances!

C. Justus: possibly the same church-home host in Corinth (next-door to the synagogue – Acts 18:7).

D. Apparently there weren’t too many Jewish believers with Paul…which makes sense due to the reason for his arrest. Upon his arrival in Rome, he had attempted to speak to the Jews there, but they dismissed him & he vowed (once again) to go to the Gentiles (Acts 28:28).

12 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. 13 For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis.

A. Epaphras: The original founder/pastor of the church in Colosse.

B. What does a heart for ministry look like?

a. Bondservant of Christ: literally a slave of Jesus! (Interesting considering Paul just wrote about the relationship between earthly slaves and masters). We are all slaves to whatever we present ourselves to obey (Rom 6:16) – since we’ve been bought with the blood of Christ, Who better to present ourselves as slaves of? [Bill Bright] Epaphras was willing to go anywhere God told him to go & do anything God told him to do because he was a slave of Christ. It’s so much easier to do when we realize our place in comparison with Jesus (He’s God; not us!)…

b. Laborer in prayer: Gk is where we get our word “agonize” from – same basic word used of Jesus when He prayed in the Garden (Luke 22:44). Epaphras demonstrated the type of prayer Paul was exhorting all the Colossians to engage in.

1. Interesting that bondservants of Christ are always prayer warriors. It’s virtually impossible to be one without being the other – if we’re going to be completely submitted to the will of God, we need to find out what the will of God is. And that only happens through the Scripture & prayer…

c. Desirer of maturity: Epaphras wasn’t the type of minister to blow into town, build a reputation for himself & leave people floating behind in his wake. He wanted them to “stand perfect & complete” in Christ. A good factor in determining a Godly ministry (on TV, radio, wherever) is to see who/what is being built up. Is the ministry exalting Jesus & edifying the church? Or is it all about the minister?

d. Zealous for souls: Epaphras didn’t merely pay lip-service to the church. He was truly concerned about them & labored over them. Ministers are (by definition) servants – and this was overflowing in his life.

1. A great determining factor in looking at people who believe they’re called to ministry is to see how willing they are to serve. A ton of folks want to jump in & start conducting seminars for a 1000 people at a time, but how willing are they to teach a 10 1^st graders – or whatever act of service?

14 Luke the beloved physician [of Acts & Gospel of Luke] and Demas greet you.

A. Demas: Don’t know where he was from originally; eventually he abandoned Paul & the ministry. 2 Timothy 4:10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. [] Notably, Demas isn’t given any commendation or description here – just the briefest of mentions. It’s possible his downfall to abandonment had already begun.

B. Perfect example of someone who DIDN’T redeem the time! Historically, we don’t know the exact reason for Demas’ departure, but whether it was the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, or the pride of life (1 John 2:16), Demas loved the world more than the call of the gospel that he had received.

a. ‘But wasn’t Demas just some lowly assistant to Paul? Who did his leaving hurt?’ It hurt Paul! It obviously hindered the work of the gospel in SOME way b/c he had originally received a call into ministry (Paul wouldn’t have taken him if he hadn’t). [] EVERY work within the Body of Christ is important – and if we aren’t functioning within the Body as we’ve been called, then everyone suffers as a result!

b. Interesting contrast with Mark, who had originally abandoned Paul but went back. We know even less about why John Mark left the mission field; but we do know his uncle poured into him & spent time discipling him (Acts 15:39). Whatever the case was with Mark, he realized that there’s always an opportunity with the Lord for repentance! Even if we feel we’ve wasted time (which we can do…just look at Israel in the wilderness!) – if you’re alive for one more day, there’s always an opportunity to redeem THAT day for Christ!

15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house.

A. Was Nymphas a man or woman? Different manuscripts have it listed differently. Don’t know anything about him/her other than this mention.

B. Note the church isn’t a building. The body of Christ is the church – and they can meet in any building big enough to house them. Can churches meet in homes? Sure! (We did! J) Historically, the 1^st churches all met in homes, eventually outgrowing them.

16 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.

A. A lost epistle to Laodicea? (Not lost to God!) Some think it’s the letter to Ephesus – no definitive proof…

B. Notice Paul is encouraging each of them to read the other’s epistles. Paul always put a high emphasis on teaching – he didn’t hesitate to teach all night when necessary (even with people falling out of windows! J). From the very start of the church, they were encouraged to study the Scriptures! Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. [] This was their normal practice – and ours as well.

a. BTW – did you notice fellowship is just as important as doctrine in that list? “Church” is not over during the fellowship time; the Church is still meeting with each other & ministering to each other…

17 And say to Archippus [possibly the son of Philemon – Phile v2], “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

A. Special note to Archippus… Later wrote similar advice to Timothy (2 Tim 1:6) to “stir up the gift of God which was in him.” It had been given to them for a reason & the Lord expected them to use it.

B. Applicable to all of us! We’ve mentioned it many times before: not every believer has the occupation of ministry, but EVERY believer has the vocation of ministry. We’ve all been called in the Great Commission! We’ve all been equipped through the Holy Spirit (everyone receives at least 1 gift – 1 Cor 12:11)! Thus we’ve been given a stewardship we need to care for & fulfill…

18 This salutation by my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.

Conclusion:

Amen! Grace be with you! Grace to you as you redeem the time… Grace to you as you play your part in the Body of Christ… Grace to you as you walk with Christ – not distracted by Judaizing legalism or Gnostic dualism or anything else! The only way we can redeem the time for Christ is by relying on the grace of Christ.

In a nutshell, that’s the whole message of Colossians: Jesus has done everything, so keep your eyes on Him & on what He’s doing. We are complete in Him & Him alone – so if you’re trying to live any part of the Christian life outside of Christ, you’re simply guaranteed to struggle. So get your eyes back on Christ & just follow Him through the power of the Spirit.

If you’re not a Christian, the message is similar – you need to turn away from the world, get your eyes ON Christ, and follow Him. ‘But I am a Christian – I go to church & do good things.’ Praise God, but that doesn’t save your soul! No matter how many ‘good’ things you do, you can never pay the price for your own sin. Lies can’t be taken back, no matter how much else you tell the truth. Our own mouth condemns us of our sin when we use God’s name as a 4-letter curse word. Pick any sin that you’re guilty of, and there’s no resolution to it outside of sheer death. Here’s the good news: Jesus Christ died that death for you & because He rose out of the grave He offers you new life in return. He makes it available to every person on the planet – but we MUST call upon Him to receive it.

The New Man at Home

Introduction:

So what should a Christian family look like? It’s interesting to me that the popular image of Christian families deal more with externals (bumper stickers, radio stations, political causes) – yet Paul repeatedly deals with internals: how we relate to one another in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Contextually, this comes right at the tail end of Paul’s discussion of putting on the New Man in Christ…which fits perfectly. After all, because we are raised with Christ (symbolized through baptism) we know what to put off (the Old Man in sin…put it to death!), and we know what to put on in its place (the New Man – characteristics of Christ that we might put on agape love & be unified as we worship the Lord). Summarized in vs. 17…

So the 1^st place Paul brings application to this is the home. If we’re going to live as new creations in Christ, than the 1^st place we ought to do it is with our families. Our families deserve vastly more than our ‘leftovers’ – if there’s anyone that we should relate to with the New Man, it’s the ones we love the most & spend the most time with…

This section of Scripture is VERY similar to Eph 5:22 – 6:9, repeating some sections word-for-word. But they make a great commentary on each other & we’ll go back & forth a bit today.

Colossians 3:18-4:1 (NKJV)
18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

A. Keep in mind, this was also controversial to the 1^st Century church. To the Roman mindset, wives were little more than property who were needed to bear legitimate children & not much else use (they had concubines for ‘recreational’ sex). Paul does two extraordinary things in these 1^st two verses:

a. Addresses women as being worthy of being addressed. He’s not talking down to them; he’s addressing them as valued members within the Body of Christ who have a choice on how to live out their “New Man” as a wife.

b. Teaches their husbands that they are worthy of far more than motherhood – but of their specific directed love…

B. 1^st, note who this is directed to. This isn’t “all women are supposed to submit to all men”…this is specifically for “wives” directed to the relationship between them & their “own husbands…” Women are not obligated as a whole to submit themselves to anyone outside their husbands. There are roles within the church that Paul addresses in 1 Tim 2 & 1 Cor 11, but nothing outside of that.

a. How can we say this for certain? Because Christ is not divided! Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [] Keep in mind Paul is writing about a wife’s role in a marriage relationship; not her value as a woman. A woman’s value is the same as any man because Jesus shed the same blood for her as for him.

C. 2^nd, note what he says: “submit.” He does NOT say “obey” (different words in Greek from vs. 20). Actually a military term meaning to ‘fall into ranks’ – when applied to non-military use, it implies a voluntary willing submission/cooperation. This isn’t a command from Paul for wives to be “barefoot, pregnant, & in the kitchen” – it’s a call to order…an application of the humility of Christ.

a. Is submission bad? No! Jesus is fully equal within the Trinity, but His role is submissive to the Father (“the head of Christ is God” – 1 Cor 11:3) & Jesus willingly humbled Himself (Phil 2:8). Submission isn’t bad; it’s Christ-like!

D. Why? This is “fitting in the Lord.” Paul ISN’T saying that as long as a husband is acting as a Christian, that’s the only time a wife needs to submit to him. Paul doesn’t even specify that both husband and wife are both Christians in this context & Peter goes so far as to suggest that a Christian wife’s Godly submission is a wonderful witness to an unsaved husband… 1 Peter 3:1-2 (1) Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, (2) when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. [] So what IS Paul saying? Simply that: Godly submission from a Christian wife to her husband is fitting/proper because that is the role God designed a wife to fulfill.

a. What is the role God designed for a wife? To be a helpmate – a “helper comparable” to her husband (Gen 2:18). Keep in mind this was before the Fall – the conflict in roles didn’t come until afterwards.

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.

A. Wives are exhorted to “submit”; husbands are exhorted to “love.” Do husbands get off easy here? No! “love” = demonstrative form of ἀγάπη. [phileo – eros – storge – agape]. Agape is the love exemplified by Christ (beautifully defined in 1 Cor 13). Shown practically as “service/sacrifice” – Jesus loved His disciples to the end (John 13:1) & immediately began to wash their feet – God demonstrated His love for us by sending Jesus to die for us (Rom 5:8)… So then: how did Jesus love/serve the church? … Ephesians 5:25-29 (25) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, (26) that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, (27) that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. (28) So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. (29) For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. []

a. He gave Himself for her…He sanctified & cleansed her…He will present her to Himself…THAT’s how husbands are to love/serve their wives! Completely sacrificial where husbands are serving their wives in such a way that we can present them back to God in an act of spiritual stewardship. (Sobering thought!)

B. 2^nd exhortation: don’t be bitter. Speaks of one’s attitude towards their wife…husbands are not to be cross or harsh with the helpmate that God has entrusted to them. Always keep in mind that although your wife may be yours in marriage, she ultimately belongs to God! []

a. ‘Does that mean I’m in sin every time I have an argument with my wife?’ That depends – how do you treat your wife during your argument? We CAN be angry with each other & not sin (Eph 4:26)…the challenge is continuing to die to our flesh when we’re angry. Contextually, Paul seems to be referring to an ongoing attitude of bitterness (in opposition to an ongoing demonstration of love) – but we want to avoid bitterness at all times…even the rare times.

b. If we know husbands should not be bitter, what SHOULD they be? Understanding! 1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. []

20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.

A. Note the primary difference from wives here. Wives are not exhorted to “obey” their husbands; children are. The word properly means “to obey/to hearken” – the same response someone has to a knock at the door is to immediately answer…this is the same form of obedience Paul exhorts.

B. Is there an age limitation on this? Not necessarily, but the word & context implies that the children would still be in the home. A 30 yr old living at home would seem to be under the same obligation as a 10 yr old…which might provide them good motivation to move out.

a. We may not always be in a position to obey our parents (might not be Christian – may be out of the house, etc.) – but we ARE always in a position to honor them! (5^th commandment…) Why? Because they are representative of God the Father in the home…

b. When children (no matter the age) honor/obey their folks, it pleases God!

C. What do children obey their parents in? “all things”…pretty exhaustive! There are always going to be some things kids aren’t going to want to do (clean room, mow the lawn) – but our responsibility as parents is not to cater to our children’s whims, but to help them grow up to be responsible God-fearing followers of Christ. When children learn to obey the law of the home, they’re going to be predisposed to obey the law of the land & the Law of Christ. []

a. This is not “carte blanche” for parents & it’s certainly not a license forcing kids to engage in illegal and/or sinful behavior. [Austrian incest crime] Kids (like the rest of us) 1^st have a responsibility to God before anything else…

21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

A. If children have a command to obey, then fathers have a responsibility not to provoke them…we’re not to overuse the authority God has entrusted to us thus creating an environment ripe for rebellion. (Josh McDowell – “Rules without relationships lead to rebellion.”)

a. Just fathers? Same word translated “parents” in Heb 11:23…so the command could apply to both father and mother. BUT the heart of this is especially to fathers! Gk: πατήρ (paternity) – fathers have a tendency to provoke their children & thus need to be specifically aware not to do it.

B. Why? They might “become discouraged.” (AMP) “Fathers, do not provoke or irritate or fret your children [do not be hard on them or harass them], lest they become discouraged and sullen and morose and feel inferior and frustrated. [Do not break their spirit.]” That’s intense! Dad, we don’t want to encourage an unhealthy obsession with self-esteem (which is the tendency with our culture), but at the same time we don’t want to break the spirit that God put into our kids either! We should raise them in such a way where they see themselves as God sees them: in need of a Savior, but so much loved by God that He provided One.

a. Basically, Paul’s saying that we can get in the way of that! It’s possible for fathers to put such a burden on their children that it becomes almost impossible for them to see their Heavenly Father. So what’s one way of ensuring they don’t get discouraged? Lead your kids to the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. []

C. What if you didn’t have the best example of a father at home? How can you learn to be a good Christian dad? Look to the example of our Heavenly Father! There’s a reason the Bible says we call Him “Abba” (Gal 4:6) – He not only gave us physical life, He gave us spiritual life & adopted us into His own family… He loves us perfectly (which includes not provoking us – 1 Cor 13:5) – when you have doubts, do what you would do in any other situation: go to God in prayer & the Scripture & model His character.

D. This Father’s Day, enjoy the love of your family…but take the time to reflect on what kind of father you are. If you’ve been failing, it’s never too late to change & ask God for restoration – that’s part of the reason behind the gospel message. Malachi 4:6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. []

22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.

A. “Bondservants” = δοῦλος = slaves. Is this still a relationship in the home? For the Roman world, yes! Very much part of the day-to-day relationships…

B. Bondservants are to obey…this is the same word Paul used of the children. They were obligated to serve their masters as however their masters directed.

a. Does this mean Paul approves of slavery? No! Christian slaves were not to be concerned about their servitude, but if they had an opportunity for freedom, they were to take it. (1 Cor 7:21)

C. There’s a qualification here: “obey in all things your masters according to the flesh…” They may have had to perform menial tasks for their masters, but it was only physical stuff. Jesus alone was master of their spirit! In the Lord, they were already a freedman (1 Cor 7:11) – this was merely their physical responsibility due to the social condition.

D. BUT – just because they were obligated to serve didn’t mean they shouldn’t serve well. How not to serve? With “eyeservice”…i.e, when only their master was looking & then goof off the rest of the time. God desired them to serve in “sincerity of heart…” to be without guile & without hypocrisy. Like Joseph (Gen 39), they were to serve in such a way that it would give glory to God…

a. Why? This comes out of a healthy fear of God! See vs. 23…

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

A. Ultimately bondservants (and everyone else!) serves the Lord & not men. We belong to Him – we were bought at a price – so everything that we do, we should do unto the Lord. The bumper sticker is half-true: “My boss is a Jewish Carpenter” – the full truth is that our “boss” is the Risen Savior! We serve the Lord Christ!

a. What’s the implication of this? We’re ALL in ministry…despite what your career title might state. Your occupation might be accounting, but your vocation is ministry. We’re a kingdom of priests, so no matter if you’re the servant or the boss – we all serve the Lord in whatever it is that we do.

B. Thus: Do things heartily! Because we serve the Lord, there’s no work that we perform that we should be lazy in. Literally, we should work “with soul” – think of yourselves as musicians… J

C. Why is it bondservants/slaves could be expected to serve their masters with soul? (1) Because ultimately they serve the Lord… (2) Because even though they may not have one now, they’ve got a reward coming from God Himself. They may not have lands or possessions, but they are co-heirs with Christ!

25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

A. Sober warning. BECAUSE we serve the Lord Christ, then we know Jesus is going to be truly just: to servant AND master. Paul warns the servants in Colossians & masters in Ephesians.

a. We reap what we sow…can’t avoid it! If we sow to the flesh, we’re going to reap of the flesh (Gal 6:8). If we’re lazy at work, we shouldn’t be surprised when we’re fired…and we definitely shouldn’t blame God for it.

B. Although this is a warning, this is also a glorious truth: “there is no partiality” with God! Amen!

1 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

A. Masters aren’t exempt. They are to give what is just and fair. Slaves may have had no legal recourse for any rights, but that doesn’t absolve the master’s responsibility to answer to God for how he treated his slaves. He had the responsibility to feed/clothe & generally treat them well.

B. What’s their motivation to do so? … Masters have a Master in heaven! Every idle word a man speaks will be accounted for on Judgment Day (Matt 12:36) – how much more the way earthly masters treat those under their roof?

a. Interesting that Paul is writing to Christian slave owners here. (Non-christians wouldn’t be reading the letter!) We need to keep the cultural context in mind. Slavery was (1) vastly different than what we know in American history, and (2) universally accepted at the time & thought of as vital to the fabric of society. Christianity was THE major factor in abolishing slavery in the Western world (and still is today!) – but it took time.

b. Also interesting that Paul sends another letter to Corinth about a Christian slave & slaveowner (Philemon). What is just & fair? I suggest a good argument could be made that Paul’s hinting at freedom.

C. Any modern application to this? Sure – are you an employer?

Conclusion:

Did you notice the common thread in all of these exhortations? None of this comes naturally! Wives don’t want to submit – husbands don’t want to serve – children (definitely) don’t want to obey, etc… Yet what doesn’t naturally comes supernaturally when we put on the New Man in Christ!

In Christ, wives can submit & husbands can serve… In Christ, children can obey & fathers can build them up… In Christ, slaves can heartily serve & masters can do what’s right… It’s ONLY possible through Christ Jesus! Too often we look to self-help books to try to accomplish these things…as if our “self” is any help at all in our home life! (Our “self” is what generally gets us into trouble.) If you want your home transformed, it only happens through the Lord Jesus & putting on His character. Christian: one of the worst things you could do is play the worshipper in the world & live in your flesh with your family…that’s called hypocrisy. May we be sincere at all times – and give our families the very best of what Christ is doing in us.

Is Christ doing anything in you at all? Before your home can be transformed, YOU have to be transformed (born again) by the grace of God. Too many people want the benefits of salvation without being saved…but it doesn’t work that way! The most important need you (and everyone else) has is to be forgiven of your sin – everything else is secondary.

Putting on the New Man

Introduction:

Sometimes knowing what NOT to do can be helpful in knowing how to handle situations.

Paul began Ch 3 by telling us what to put off (take off/kill)…the old man. (Described by sensual sins & social sins) That’s what NOT to do. But once you’ve put it off, what are we supposed to put on? The new man who is renewed in knowledge (vs. 10)… Both aspects of this are important to know. We cannot put on the new man until the old man is gone; but once the old man is gone, we need to replace it – or the old man will be replaced for us…

Remember the foundation of all this: we have been raised with Christ! He is the preeminent one – in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge – we are complete in Him. Great theology & doctrine! So now what? So now we don’t merely let Jesus change our mind; we let Him change our life. Jesus is LORD – He is the image of the invisible God – the 1^st born over all creation…as a born-again Christian, we don’t have the option of simple mental assent. Our very lives belong to Him…thus we’re to glorify Him with everything that we are. Part of that is putting on the new man…

Colossians 3:12-17 (NKJV)
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

A. “therefore”: because of everything that Paul had written about us dying & living in Christ…

B. “the elect of God”: simple statement of fact – as born-again believers, we ARE the elect. Simply means that as born-again Christians, we’re chosen of God (we’re all God’s favorites!). (We love Him; He 1^st loved us – 1 Jn 4:19)

a. Don’t let theological debates scare you off from the term. “Elect” has gotten a bad rap in the Calvinist/Arminian wars – thus many non-Calvinists don’t want to even accept the word. (I’ve heard pastors say “I don’t believe in the elect.”) If you don’t believe in the elect, then you don’t believe your Bible… Word is used 12 times in the NT epistles alone!

i. Beware of the tendency (trap) of trying to force the Word of God into the logical system of Man. God’s Word is absolutely true & rational – but it’s still talking about an infinite God… The Bible plainly speaks about God’s election & predestination (see Eph 1) AND plainly speaks about man’s responsibility to choose God in repentance (see John 3, Acts 17 – Athens). We simply need to believe what the Bible says.

b. How do you know if you’re one of the elect? Repent, trust Christ, and be born again. If you do, you’re elect!

C. How are the elect described? As “holy & beloved”.

a. We are holy because HE is holy! Because Jesus set us apart to Himself – because He gave us His righteousness – because of HIM, we are considered holy. ‘But wait a second…I know me. I’m anything but holy!’ Not according to God. When you were born again, He clothed you in the righteousness of Christ & you are holy! Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. [] PTL!

b. We are beloved (ἀγαπάω)…how do we know? Because we’ve been made holy! J This is how He demonstrated His love for us (Rom 5:8)…

D. What are the elect supposed to do? Put on the character traits of the new man…

a. Tender mercies: Lit “bowels of compassion” – reaching from the depth of our being to show mercy to one another in the Body.

b. Kindness: defined by some as “benevolence in action.” It should be common sense that Christians would be kind to one another…

c. Humility: “egotistical Christian” is a contradiction in terms. We’re supposed to crucify the flesh & put the old man to death – which most certainly includes our ego.

d. Meekness: could be defined as “power under control”…NOT weakness! Jesus is definitely meek (wouldn’t break a bruised reed – Is 42:3), but He is definitely (infinitely!) powerful!

e. Longsuffering: Patience, but more so. I like the translation “longsuffering” b/c it describes what patience does. Patience is more than the ability to wait through a traffic light – the patience of Christ helps us endure during suffering…

f. Ultimately, these are all character traits of Christ! He IS merciful – kind – humble – meek – longsuffering… This is God’s plan for us as believers…He desires for us to look like Jesus – Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. []

- Paul goes on to describe what these character traits do…
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.

A. Bearing with one another: How to deal with present offenses/complaints caused by fellow Christians? Bear with it – endure it – be longsuffering… Sometimes it’s easier to do this with the world under the idea of being a witness for Christ; but we’re not quite as ready to do it with others in the Church. [] We’re supposed to bear with one another…

B. Forgiving one another: How to deal with past offenses/complaints… “Forgiveness” in the NT has its root in cariV (grace) – the whole idea of the word is to “give grace” to someone else. [] In what way are we supposed to forgive? As Christ forgave us. That raises the bar, doesn’t it? When we forgive others, we need to forgive them fully & completely. Christians have no place (or even a right!) to bear grudges against one another…doing so is completely the opposite of what Christ did for us.

a. Our natural tendency is to want to BE forgiven, but then to withhold forgiveness from someone else (re: unforgiving servant – Matt 18:21-35). How important is this? So much so that Jesus included it in His model prayer for us – Matthew 6:12, 14-15 (12) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. … (14) “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. [] Serious stuff! If we withhold forgiveness from others, our fellowship with God is broken…why? We’re playing the hypocrite & thus in sin.

b. Be careful not to make forgiveness into “lip service”…we have to do it! “so you also must do.”

14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

A. All the traits Paul just listed are needful – but one is more so. We need to put on mercies, etc., but most of all we need to put on love! (ἀγάπη) [selfless – sacrificial]

a. If you put on love, you’ll put on the rest. Love suffers long, is kind, bears all things, etc., (1 Cor 13)…

B. Paul’s description of agape is interesting: it’s “the bond of perfection”. Not only does it perfectly bond the other character traits of Christ together (like an outer jacket on the New Man), love bonds US together as believers. It’s one of our primary defining characteristics! The world knows we are in Christ through our love for each other (John 13:35) – without love, we have nothing (1 Cor 13:1-3). In fact, if we DON’T have love for one another as believers, it’s a good sign we need to reexamine our faith. 1 John 4:7-8 (7) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (8) He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. []

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

A. In addition to love (ἀγάπη), we need peace (εἰρήνη)…we need to let the “peace of God rule” in our hearts. “Rule” is an athletic term – like an umpire, the peace of God through Jesus Christ should help “call the shots” & help us walk with Christ. Two aspects to this:

a. Within the Body of Christ: The whole context leading up to this point has been how we relate to other believers – either through sinning in the Old Man, or by following Christ in the New Man. The New Man deals with conflicts in bearing, forgiving, loving…and seeking the peace of God. Got a question in how to act with a brother or sister whom you’ve offended? Or has offended you? – What can you do that would bring about peace – what would demonstrate the peace of God? Wonderful rule of thumb in acting out in love & grace…

b. Within ourselves: As we make decisions, the peace of God is a deciding factor. Whatever is not from faith is sin (Rom 14:23), so the peace of God is one way in determining these things… When we DON’T have the peace of God about something, we should stop what we’re doing & go to the Lord in prayer & Scripture. With that in mind…the peace of God should be a guiding rule for our practice – but be careful not to be driven by false notions of what this is. (Wiersbe) ““I had peace about it!” is not sufficient evidence that we are in the will of God. We must pray, surrender to His will, and seek His guidance in the Scriptures. The peace of heart alone is not always the peace of God.”

B. Be thankful! Be thankful for what? Be thankful for the peace that God gives you through Christ Jesus. God doesn’t merely shout out a command to us & then leaves us to blindly grope about wondering how to apply it…He graciously gives us peace by working in us through the Holy Spirit as we walk day-by-day.

a. Too many Christians live with a dead faith. To them, everything about Jesus & the Bible is past tense…but it’s VASTLY more than that! Jesus is alive & is interceding for you before the throne of God right now – the Holy Spirit is indwelling you & ready to empower every believer right now – God the Father reigns & is using His word to speak to us right now! [] Why be thankful? Be thankful that every day is supernatural to those in Christ Jesus. You have access to go boldly before the throne of grace in prayer (Heb 4:16), and God supernaturally responds through many ways – including His peace.

b. Why else? Be thankful that you were called to one body! IOW – be thankful that you’re saved! J You were dead in your transgressions, headed for the judgment of God & preparing to spend eternity in Hell – but the Lord Jesus changed everything! When you cried out to Him in faith, He forgave you – gave you a new birth – made you a new creation – sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in you – gave you an inheritance in glory – blessed you with every spiritual blessing! That we should be thankful is a blessed understatement.

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.

A. Paul has discussed who we are supposed to BE when we put on the new man (our characteristics)…now he describes what we are supposed to do.

B. 1^st – let the word dwell within: What’s the “word of Christ”? The Scripture – the gospel – both? Commentaries are somewhat split, but if the gospel of Christ is dwelling in us, we’re obviously going to be meditating on the Scripture as well…it’s all His word. (Be careful of being a “red-letter Christian” – ALL of it is the inspired word of God…) [] “dwell” = “To feel at home.” Ever feel awkward traveling? [This week…] Always great to be home! … That’s the idea Paul’s getting across – many Christians only “visit” the Bible (the Word of God); it should be at home in us!

C. 2^nd – let the word spring forth: We don’t read the Word of God to do nothing with it – how do we use it (and the wisdom it brings) within the church? By “teaching and admonishing one another…” Through the Word we are to instruct one another & help build up one another in Christ. We’re also to caution & correct each other. It’s profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, & instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16) – since it’s profitable, let us use it!

a. Notice the “one another.” Are pastors/teachers the only people who can teach & admonish those within the church? No. We are the Body of Christ – we’re ALL the priesthood of believers, thus we’re to help each other. That’s not to say we’re supposed to preach a sermon…simply that God may give you a word or Scripture for someone – share it!

D. How is this expressed? Through music! (Say what?!) It’s possible that doctrine was taught through the worship songs of the church (church today does much the same thing…which is why it’s important for worship leaders to be careful about the lyrics we sing). Also possible that Paul’s saying, “As you teach & admonish one another, break out in song because of what Christ is doing through you.”

a. “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”: Almost every commentary defines these terms differently…probably the best distinction is psalms (OT hymnbook), hymns (NT odes to Christ), songs (NT odes about Christ). Whatever the case is, the idea is worshipful singing!

b. BTW – this should put all the ideas about “worship wars” to rest. The Bible tells us to sing in hymns, so we sing hymns. The Bible tells us to sing in psalms & spiritual songs, so we do that as well. Arguing about the style is unhelpful & illogical. What is a “traditional” hymn to the church today was obviously a new song at one time…and people probably argued about it in 1600 too.

E. Proper worship?

a. Sing with “grace in your hearts”: Some translations say “thankfulness” – the word is χάρις, which is translated “grace” 130 times in the NT in most versions. Granted, we always sing with a thankful heart unto the Lord – but we sing with the grace of God because we have experienced the grace of God…so in our praise, we give God what He deserves: glory!

b. Sing “to the Lord”: We don’t merely sin to hear how pretty our voices are…we’re singing to God! []

c. Notice the implication here: we’ve got to be Christian before we can worship Christ. If we haven’t experienced the grace OF God, we cannot sing with grace TO God. [] A lot of people show up in churches because the worship is exciting & they want to be a part of it – but without belonging to Jesus Christ, all our singing is in vain. Over & over through the OT, we see that God doesn’t care about our worship if there’s sin in the way. [Isaiah 1:13 – “futile sacrifices”] Psalm 51:16-17 (16) For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. (17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. [] What’s necessary? Repentance & a new birth!

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.

A. Paul opens it up far beyond worship and instruction in the church. “Whatever” we do, we do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. “word or deed” is all inclusive…whatever we do it going to fall in either one of those categories. J BOTH are important. Words DO matter… Our intentions must be followed by deeds…

a. Whatever it is, do it in His name! (Walvoord & Zuck) “there is no sacred-secular split in God’s eyes; He is Sovereign over all— whether in word or deed (by lip or life) should all be done in the name of the Lord Jesus (i.e., for His glory; cf. 1 Cor. 10:31)”

b. This makes a wonderful guideline for what we should & shouldn’t do as Christians. [People wonder how far they can go…] Ask yourself, “Can I do XYZ in the name of Jesus Christ?” If not, it’s probably something to avoid, if not outright sin.

B. Undergirding all of it? Thankfulness! As in verse 15, we’re thankful that God is working in our lives & thankful for our salvation in Christ.

a. We can only give thanks to God the Father through Jesus Christ. There is no other way!

Conclusion:

What glorious instruction to the church! In Christ, we put the old sinful man to death – but we’re not left wanting. We’re raised with Christ (Col 3:1) & thus raised to a new man nature. So put it on! ‘Don’t we automatically get this new nature in Christ? Why this exhortation?’ Yes – we have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ & been made into new creations. But it’s our choice whether or not to walk as one. Many Christians (including myself!) make the mistake of thinking that life is the same-old, same-old…that when sin & temptation arises, we’ll just fall back into old patterns. Or if conflict pops up, we just respond like we always did in our flesh. … But God has SO much more for us than that!

We have been FREED from sin, death, and the power of the old man nature…we don’t have to walk in it any longer! We’ve been given new clothes & a new man in Christ – thus we need to appropriate it by faith. We can put on the characteristics of Jesus Christ – put on love – be ruled by the peace of God – and edify each other by the Scripture as we worship God in grace. This is something that’s flagrantly impossible for the world – but available to every believer in Christ! Why settle for anything less?

A Death Sentence You Can Live With

Paul has a habit of dividing his letters into the doctrinal & the practical – and Colossians is no exception. In Ch 1-2, he described the preeminence of Christ Jesus as Redeemer – as Creator God – as Reconciler… We need nothing else BUT Him…in Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge, so we don’t want to get cheated out of that by empty deceit/vain philosophy…nor legalism…nor false spirituality/ascetism. We cannot ADD to Christ; we are complete in Him!

Since we are complete, does that mean we do nothing? We just sit around & enjoy our salvation while indulging in all the temptations the world has to offer? After all, we can simply claim, “Once saved – always saved! I prayed a prayer, what more do you want?!” Perish the thought! Christ Jesus didn’t merely save us from death so that we could continue to engage in dead practices (the stuff that killed us); He saved us so that could live with & in Him!

This is what Paul is looking at today & it’s vitally important for the Colossian church (and us!). Remember the Colossians had been dealing with all sorts of heresy (Judaism & Gnosticism), and now that Paul has emphasized the need to keep their eyes on Christ, he now needs to make them aware of practices that could either help or hurt them in this.

Colossians 3:1-11 (NKJV)
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

A. “If” = “since”… As a believer in Christ Jesus, you HAVE been raised with Christ Jesus. This is not a work you perform; it’s a work He does in you upon your salvation. Note the past tense (aorist in Gk)…this has already taken place. In Christ, you ARE a new creation (2 Cor 5:17) because spiritually you died & rose again with Christ… (“If” is still appropriate b/c the only reason it’s “if = since” is IF you are a believer!) How were we “raised with Christ”? Through baptism into Christ, represented by physical baptism…

B. So what? This is great theological truth; what do we do with it? Then “seek those things which are above…” Don’t waste your time seeking after the things that are earthly; seek after the things that are in heaven. Too many Christians spend WAY too much time scurrying after stuff that’s going to burn… Matthew 6:19-20 (19) “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; (20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. []

a. ‘Ok, great. I’ve done that – I belong to Jesus.’ PTL! Then Paul would now tell us, “Good, then act like it. Realize that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him because He IS the treasure & we need to seek after Him.”

b. Keep in mind Paul is not talking about ascetism – he’s not instructing us to swear off careers & go move to a monestary somewhere. (He just got done calling that kind of stuff “false humility” – Col 2:23). This is a call to keep our priorities straight. The world offers all sorts of cheap substitutes for what the Lord intends…there’s nothing inherently wrong with jobs, pleasure, etc. – the problem arises when we substitute these things for God. We are risen with Christ! What will be our priorities in Heaven? Then why wait till then to seek after those things? Do it now…

2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

A. Welcome to the department of redundancy department. J Paul’s repeating himself for good reason – we have a tough time with this! It’s incredibly easy to get into a daily rut & stop seeking the Lord without realizing it… [lack of prayer; lack of the Bible] All of a sudden we find ourselves falling into sin because we’ve been seeking the things of the earth & not of heaven…

B. Don’t just do it once – keep on doing it! Greek implies continual action here. This is a complete mindset change…

a. So is this being (per DL Moody) “so heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good?” No. With respect to Moody, we cannot be any earthly good until we realize that our home is there; not here. When we have heaven before our eyes, we realize that not everyone is going there – thus we’re going to be motivated to do what God has called us to in the Great Commission.

3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

A. Did you know you were dead? [] This is foundational to the gospel – discipleship 101 is: die. Luke 9:23-24 (23) Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (24) For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. [] People didn’t pick up their cross with the idea of taking it with them on a picnic…they took it knowing they were about to be killed on it! This is the life that Jesus has saved us for: that our ‘self’ would daily be crucified in order that He could live through us.

a. Note the past tense again (“died”). Positionally, this has already happened! Practically, it needs to keep happening day-by-day. IOW, our physical lives should daily reflect the spiritual reality of our being dead to the world & risen in Christ.

B. What occurred when we died? Our life is now “hidden with Christ in God” Like a treasure that’s hidden away in a safebox, so are we hidden away with Christ in God. The devil can do a lot of things to us: tempt us – lie to us – try to kill us – but he cannot snatch us out of the hand of God! (John 10:28) He can snatch away the Word of God from a non-believer (Matt 13:19), but he cannot take us away from our Savior & Redeemer!

a. What does this say on the ongoing debate regarding eternal security? Contextually, not much. We have a tendency sometimes to read the Bible specifically to find prooftexts for the positions we like & against the positions we don’t…the problem is that we end up missing the meaning of the verse to begin with! (“A prooftext without a context is a pretext.”) Contextually, Paul’s saying we ARE with Christ, so we should set our minds to the things where He is because we’re there too!

4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

A. Jesus Christ IS OUR LIFE. Don’t miss this! Paul just got done telling us we are dead – but we’re not left dead. Jesus wasn’t left in the tomb to rot there; neither are we left dead to decompose in our sins pining away until Jesus comes back; we live in Him – He is our life.

a. He’s not “part” of our life or “in” our life; Jesus IS our life. (Gk = “the life of us”) This is radically different than what we sometimes are led to believe. [compartmentalize our lives – Jesus over in the corner] Christianity simply doesn’t work that way. You were completely DEAD in your sins – you died with Christ – He gave you new life by redeeming you from the grave – you’ve been bought with a price & are not your own…we simply don’t have any existence without Him!

b. Are you living like Christ is “in” your life, or are you living like Christ IS your life?

B. What do we know about Jesus’ basic activities? He lived, He died, He rose, He ascended…and He’s coming back! …. [] When HE appears, we’ll appear too (the rapture).

a. Put it all together so far. Our life is hidden with Christ & Christ is in heaven. He’ll appear, and we’ll appear with Him in the sky. He IS our life & He lives at the right hand of God. Since this is the case, why would we ever value anything that’s here on EARTH? Our whole life, being, and future is in Heaven! THAT’s where we should set our minds…(vs. 1-2)

b. How do we do this? See vs. 5…

5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

A. How can we put something to death if we’ve already died? Paul’s talking about two separate things here. WE died with Christ & rose again with Him (demonstrated through baptism); but although we are spiritually born-again new creations, we still live in this fallen body with its sinful habits & weaknesses. The remaining stuff is what we put to death. Romans 6:11-12 (11) Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (12) Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. []

a. “reckon” = accounting term. We have to intentionally do this in our mind. If we simply wade into temptation headlong & blind, what do you think is going to happen? We need to count ourselves as dead to sin & alive in Christ…

B. What do we put to death? These various members (NOT talking about church membership rolls!) J …referring to different sins that take place in the various members of our body – they act like an extension of our body. To the Gnostics, it didn’t matter what you did with your body (it was evil anyway), so as long as your mind was specially prepared, you were ok to engage in whatever lusts you wanted. Paul says, “Uh-uh! What you do with your body has a direct impact on your mind & your relationship with Christ! So kill off those evil desires of the flesh.”

a. Fornication: πορνεία (pornography, etc) – talking about sexual sin of any kind. God lovingly limits sex to husband & wife – and ANY sexual act outside of that falls into the category of “fornication.” This ranges from homosexuality to someone “sowing their oats”…

b. Uncleanness: Talking about sexual impurity. People often try to make excuses saying “I didn’t actually go to bed with anyone” – but sin isn’t limited to a motel bed.

c. Passion: Not talking about good passions (husbands SHOULD be passionate for their wives) – the word is specifically used of depraved passions & lustfulness.

d. Evil desire: A general longing to be around or engage in lustful living.

e. Covetousness: Most of us understand what covetousness is…relates to the 10^th Commandment. Contextually, Paul’s referring to sexual covetousness (which the 10^th Commandment specifically outlines as well)… [] Paul takes things a step further, however, and shows us that covetousness is really the same thing as idolatry…

f. Note that Paul’s list is progressive. Idolatry/Covetousness leads to evil desires…leads to lustful passions…leads to physical uncleanness…leads to actual sexual fornication…

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.

A. ‘But these are just little sins…it’s no big deal. It’s not like we’re talking about murder or something like that.’ Wrong. This IS a big deal…so much so that this is the reason the “wrath of God is coming.”….

a. It HAS come (on the cross) and IS coming (as discipline), and WILL come (tribulation & judgment)…

b. Is this stuff worth the wrath of God? Yes! Our bodies were created in the image of God, thus we are to honor Him with our bodies. He knit us together in our mother’s womb (Ps 139) – we have no right to trash what He put together! [trashed hot rod]

B. How bad is it? These are distinguishing marks of the unsaved (“the sons of disobedience”). … Ever hear from your parents, “I didn’t raise you to act that way!” [Olivia] – our Heavenly Father could say the same thing. He didn’t save us so we could act that way!

8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

A. “put off”… Put off what? More sins…perhaps less evident than the earlier listing, but sin nonetheless. (Wiersbe) “We are so accustomed to anger, critical attitudes, lying, and coarse humor among believers that we are no longer upset or convicted about these sins. We would be shocked to see a church member commit some sensual sin, but we will watch him lose his temper in a business meeting and call it “righteous indignation.”” God still cares about these sins too! [] Keep in mind that God calls us to holiness because He is holy…

a. Anger: There can be righteous anger (re: Jesus in the temple) – but that’s not what Paul is referring to here. Seems to be describing a smoldering attitude of anger that people can live in…

b. Wrath: If “anger” is the lava in a rumbling volcano, “wrath” is when it bursts forth.

c. Malice: The intentional desire to do evil to someone. It should be unthinkable for Christians to engage in this, but it’s more common than we might realize… Word covers more than physical injury; we can injure someone’s character as well.

d. Blasphemy: More than taking the Lord’s name in vain; this seems to include all sorts of injurious speech (slander, insults, etc.).

i. But don’t forget the primary application of this word is blasphemy of the name of God – and Christians are still guilty of this!

e. Filthy Language: Personally speaking, my mouth took a while to get cleaned up after I came to Christ… [] Interesting to me that filthy language is placed right next to blasphemy. God created us to praise Him & give Him glory…when we use our mouths to speak forth obscenities it profanes the reason for our creation.

9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,

A. One more: put off lying. Why? Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6) – Christians have no business lying or bearing false witness against one another. (And yes, this includes to the gov’t as well. J)

i. Why does Paul set lying apart? Speculation… Perhaps because it was the 1^st sin recorded for us in the Bible (Gen 3:1) – Satan is a liar & the father of all lies (John 8:44) – when we engage in lying, we’re engaging in something particularly demonic.

B. All that stuff is what the old man does. What’s the old man? Some scholars take this to be the unbeliever who died with Christ; others take it to be the temptations of the flesh that we continue to endure. I suggest Paul intends a bit of both here. Our old man has definitely died with Christ; yet we must continue to put to death our members which are on earth – whatever it is that is keeping us from truly following Christ, we need to (1) realize that we died to it, and (2) continue to put it off whenever it arises…

10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

A. What is the old man replaced with? What else – the new man! J Paul wrote the same thing to the Ephesians – Ephesians 4:22-24 (22) that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, (23) and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, (24) and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. []

B. What is the distinguishing mark about the new man? He/she is “renewed in knowledge”. “knowledge” = ἐπίγνωσις…sound familiar? “Gnostics” – Is Paul siding with the Gnostic heresy that special knowledge is needed for salvation? No, but he is stealing their terminology! J ἐπίγνωσις = “precise & correct knowledge” – we can’t just know just any formula or special initiation facts…we have to know SOMEONE. We have to know Jesus!

C. How so? “according to the image of Him who created him” – i.e. Jesus! Now compare that with the list of sins Paul just went through…the old man is associated with the devil; the new man is according to the image of Christ. We want to look like Jesus!

a. Paul says something similar in Rom 12:2 “transformed by the renewing of your mind”…

11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

A. No differences nationally: We often think of “Jew” as a religious designation, but it’s really more of a national designation of citizenship. It’s ironic, but there are many atheistic Jews… [] Paul is saying, “It doesn’t matter what nation your passport may have listed on it, if you’re in Christ you’ve got a new citizenship & all of us have the same one…”

B. No differences religiously: Someone could be born a Jew, but their family had to take a step of faith to have the boys circumcised. [] This isn’t universalism; this is unity in Christ. We may have started out as atheists, agnostics, Jews, Muslims, or Hindus – but when we repent & are born again, we’re simply Christian!

C. No differences culturally: To the Greeks, the barbarians included more than Conan. J Anyone who didn’t speak the Greek language was considered a barbarian…and the Scythians were the worst of them all (wild & savage). [] We may not encounter too much of that here (though probably more than we realize) – but we need to understand around the world, this is incredibly good news! To the Indian Dalit, Jesus Christ offers the same salvation as the ruling caste…

D. No differences economically: Doesn’t matter what side of the tracks we may have come from, we all have the same inheritance of glory in Christ Jesus!

E. Why no differences here? Because “Christ is all & in all” – He is our life – He is our being – He is everything to us! We had nothing without Him, but in Him we have everlasting life & an inheritance in glory. Despite how different we think we are, we’re all equally in need of a Savior – and Jesus (PTL!) is no respecter of persons & grants us the same salvation in Him.

Conclusion:

Good news, Christian: you’re dead! J You died with Christ & He raised you up to life in Him in return. Since you are dead to the world already, then it behooves us to die to the old man as well…

One of the most common lies fed to us by Satan (and the world) is that we don’t have a choice not to sin. He tempts us & says, “You can’t resist, so just give in & give up.” That is a lie straight from the pit of Hell! If you are born-again, you are DEAD to those things. We don’t HAVE to give into temptation; we just do… [] You have been freed from that stuff – so instead of seeking sensual sins, social sins, or just the stuff of the world – seek after Christ!

Those are all glorious promises to the saved – but the unsaved has a different reality. You have not been raised with Christ, and (despite whether you know it) you are living enslaved to sin & awaiting the wages to come – which is death. ‘I’m not enslaved – what are you talking about?!’ Ever told a lie? Stolen something? Lusted? Blasphemed? You’re enslaved & you have to face God on Judgment Day. The question is: are you going to face God on your own or in Christ?

Recognize – Repent – Receive

Victory over Legalism

Introduction:

It’s often said (rightly) that the biggest difference between Christianity & every other religion in the world is that in other religions, man reaches up to God – and in Christianity, God reaches down to man. Absolutely true! Wonderful picture of grace. Yet often a funny thing happens with people under grace…they don’t always want to live under grace. They’ve been saved completely by the work of Christ, but over time decide that’s not good enough & they try to start doing things to make themselves “more holy.” (Which is impossible & completely illogical.) Worse yet, they start imposing the same restrictions on other people. All of a sudden, we end up with man trying to reach God again…except this time, in the name of Christ (which is completely the opposite of where we started!).

The biblical term for this is “legalism” & it is just as rampant in the church today as it was in the church Paul was writing to. When it comes to the issue of legalism, the question is not “What to do IF you encounter it?” – it’s “What to do WHEN you encounter it?” How prevalent is it? The church hadn’t grown outside of Jerusalem by the time Ananias & Sapphira tried to “buy” their holiness & lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5) & the very 1^st controversy that the church convened a council to address was due to the legalism of the Judaizers (Acts 15). Safe to say, we WILL encounter it.

The particular brand of heresy in Colosse was pretty unique…a blend of Judaizers & Gnosticism that had crept into the church. But the root of it all was simple legalism: either legalism through physical actions of adhering to the customs of the Jews, or legalism though the mental exercises of gaining more knowledge to be more holy. They even threw in a little asceticism to show how holy they were in their walk – but it was legalistically imposed on the rest of the church body.

Thus far, Paul has been trying to refocus the church away from those teaching this heresy & put it back onto Christ. Jesus (as the Creator) is preeminent over all creation – we have been reconciled to God through Him – and in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge. He has made us complete, so it’s pointless to look anywhere else besides Christ for what we need in our walk with Christ.

So now what? What are the practical ramifications of all this? That’s what Paul looks at in the rest of Ch 2 as he takes the legalism of the Judaizers & Gnostics head on.

Colossians 2:11-15 (NKJV)
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

A. Remember circumcision is more than a medical procedure – to the Jews, it was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant with God (Gen 17:10-11). It was a way they knew they were set apart by God to God, symbolized through the cutting away of the flesh.

B. Circumcision by definition is done in the flesh by hands…what Paul says is revolutionary to the mindset of the day! Our circumcision is “made without hands” – the circumcision of Christ is a spiritual act. What happens in the circumcision of Christ? We don’t physically cut away actual flesh from our bodies; in Christ we “[put] off the body of the sins of the flesh”. Physical flesh has never been the problem; it’s a picture of sin – thus the real work that needs to be done is what is done by Christ when He completely breaks us away from the sins of the past & gives us new life.

a. BTW – this is ALWAYS what God intended true circumcision to be. Deuteronomy 10:16 Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. [] What happens to our bodies (or what we do physically for God) is meaningless if our hearts are not devoted to Him. We can fake Christianity our whole lives & still end up in Hell (Matt 7:23) – God sees & knows our hearts (1 Sam 16:7).

C. How does this happen? By our being “in Him” = Christ – no other way!

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.

A. Baptism?! Where did THAT come from? J Remember what baptism is…identification with Christ Jesus. Like circumcision was the sign of being set apart to God, baptism is a sign – a public proclamation that we have been born again in Christ. Circumcision was a sign of being received into the family of the Hebrews; baptism is a sign of being received into the family of believers.

a. Does this justify infant baptism? Those who hold to infant baptism claims that it does…but if we say that baptism is precisely the NT equivalent of circumcision, we need to take the analogy all the way. A baby was circumcised because he was born into a family of Jews…thus he was born Jewish. We can be born into a Christian family, but we cannot be born Christian. We have to be born-again (John 3:3) – thus baptism does occur with babies…but we’re speaking about new-born believers in Christ.

B. What happens in baptism? We are symbolically identified with everything Jesus literally did on our behalf. We are “buried with Him” – wages of sin is death, so we die with Christ… “raised with Him” – to new life in His resurrection (and the promise of future resurrection)… []

a. This is why we practice immersion!

C. How is all this done? “through faith” – baptism doesn’t save us; God does. It’s HIS work. “working of God.” This is way we say baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality. The reality is that when we repent & trust Christ – we’re born again and at that moment God baptizes us into Christ. The physical baptism that follows is simply the symbol of what has already occurred.

a. ‘Does this mean baptism isn’t important?’ No. Jesus commanded us to be baptized (Matt 28:19) – so we are baptized.

b. Have you been baptized? What are you waiting for?

13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

A. What does it mean that we were “dead in our trespasses”? It means we were dead. J We may have been walking around, but our spirit was completely dead inside – whether or not we knew it. [Adam died in the garden…sin nature – Rom 5]

B. Our flesh was uncircumcised – our sin had left us dead…what to do? We can’t do anything (we’re dead), so God did everything! He made us ALIVE…we’ve been born-again – we’ve been made new creations – we have LIFE that we never had before! We have been forgiven…literally, “graced.”

a. Not just our unintentional sins; we were forgiven all our “trespasses”. This isn’t the idea of “missing the mark” – this is a willful disobedience & offense against God. [] What does this say about the immensity of the love of God that He would forgive us of the things we INTENTIONALLY did to cause Him grief and pain? Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. []

14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

A. What does forgiveness accomplish? It wipes “out the handwriting of the requirements…” Two thoughts here of what Paul might be referring to (closely related to each other):

B. The Law: Knowing that Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law, some scholars believe that Paul is saying God took the whole of the Mosaic law & nailed it to the cross of Christ as being done away with. There’s definitely truth to this – the law is contrary to us (it brings death – Rom 7:10) & we are dead to the law because we died in Christ (Rom 7:4-6) & we are now free to serve Christ in the newness of the Spirit.

a. BTW – don’t get the impression that the law is bad. The law is good & still applicable in the lives of non-believers. Why is the law good? It shows us our sin & thus our need for a Savior! (Law is a tutor – Gal 3:24)

C. Our sin: With written contracts, it was common (once the bond was paid) to take the parchment it was written on & either blot out or scrape off the section dealing with payment owed. We owed a payment due to our sin (Rom 6:23 – death!), and that payment was literally nailed to the cross!

D. Either way this is wonderful news! If you are in Christ (born again in Him through repentance & faith), your sin has already been dealt with & justice from the law has already been meted out. The work is finished & nothing more needs to be done!

15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

A. “disarmed” = “to spoil/undress” – it’s a military term used of what the victors would do with those they captured. Who did Jesus disarm? “principalities & powers”…demons. What did He do with them? Made them a “public spectacle”…like conquered soldiers in a Roman victory parade, Jesus stripped the demons of their power & parades them in front of the entire universe as utterly defeated enemies. He completely “triumphed over” them.

a. I LOVE this! Paul basically says that Jesus stomped on the devil & demons & does a victory dance over them… J []

b. ‘But isn’t the devil powerful?’ Sure – he’s walks about seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet 5:8). If you & I were to walk up to him in our own strength & try to take him down, we’d be trounced. [Sons of Sceva – Acts 19:13-16] But we don’t approach Satan in OUR strength; we approach him in CHRIST…and Jesus has defeated him! [] The only power the devil & his minions have over believers in Christ is the power we give them… When we listen to temptations, lies, etc., we’re playing into their hands. Hear me on this: we don’t have to listen to the devil. We have been freed! []

B. Sometimes we need to stop and realize how utterly & completely victorious Jesus Christ is over the enemy & the sin that resulted from his lies!

a. Victorious over the past: Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world – before Adam ever saw a serpent, God had already made provision for the sin that hadn’t yet come.

b. Victorious over the present: When we’re born again, our debt is paid in full – Satan has no claim whatsoever on our lives because we have been bought at the most expensive price: the blood of Jesus.

c. Victorious over the future: Every day brings us closer to the day that Satan will be forever cast down. Even after his final rebellion – the end of the book is already written. Revelation 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. [] And you bet Satan knows this…

d. Jesus is victorious!

16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

A. So in light of the fact that Jesus is COMPLETELY victorious, what’s our response to those who would impose legalism upon us? How do we respond to yet one more lie from the pit of hell that tells us what we need to do to be “more” holy? Don’t be judged! Don’t give power to people (well meaning or not) to judge you in areas in which Christ has already been victorious.

B. Don’t let them judge you in what?

a. Diet: We are not forced to keep kosher or vegetarian… (and praise God for it – I just BBQ’ed some pork shoulder!) J On the flip side, if you’ve got a conviction about dietary items, don’t let someone judge you on you don’t eat.

b. Feasts: We are not forced to keep the Jewish calendar of holy festivals or new moons. These celebrations are not bad, but they are not imposed on NT believers.

c. Sabbaths: Whether THE Sabbath or any other Sabbaths, we’re not to judge one another here either. [] This is the big one that always pops up from time to time. There are many arguments of how Jesus is our Sabbath rest (Heb 4:11) & how this commandment is the only one of the 10 not repeated in the NT. Bottom line? For a Christian, every day is holy – so we have no business judging one another on what day we worship.

C. Why not? Because all those things are fulfilled in Christ! They had a purpose as a “shadow”…but now we have the “substance”. On diet, the Hebrews kept kosher (beyond health reasons) primarily to show themselves set apart as holy unto God – we’re made holy in Christ. On feasts, virtually every festival on the Jewish calendar pointed to the work of Christ in some fashion (Passover = the cross, Firstfruits = the Resurrection, etc.) On Sabbaths, Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath & our rest is in Him. All of the substance of these items are in Christ…everything in the OT ultimately speaks of Christ – the whole book is about Him!

18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

A. Reiteration from earlier in Ch 2…don’t get cheated! But “cheat” is a different word in the Greek than in vs 8 (“plunder/carry off as spoil”). Here, it’s a sports term meaning “to decide as an umpire against someone.” Any sports fan can immediately think of a list of bad calls against their favorite team when asked – that’s the same idea Paul’s trying to get across. Colosse had taken in teachers & set them up as arbiters over themselves…unfortunately, these teachers were making biased calls & judgments.

a. Is there a reward we could lose? Yes – at the Bema seat! 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (9) Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. (10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. [] So the question is: what are we doing in the body? Are we worshipping God in our hearts rejoicing in the completed work of Christ? Or are we trying to add to His work through false legalism? Don’t get cheated!

B. How would they cheat the church? What methods would they use?

a. False humility: They may act humble & spiritual, but it’s vanity. Like the Pharisees would parade their religion before men, so these people put on a show.

b. Worship of angels: The only angel that ever receives worship in the Bible is the “Angel of the Lord” – which is usually a euphemism for a pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. Otherwise, angels NEVER receive worship. [John – Rev 22:9]

i. Be wary of those who would receive doctrine & teaching from angels. [] Angelic encounters were not uncommon in the NT, but they usually didn’t say too much & almost always pointed people back to Christ. Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) – just because an experience can seem supernatural doesn’t mean that it’s edifying.

c. Intruding into unseen things: Speaking of religious initiation rites. Various mystic organizations/cults call upon unseen beings & places – and Paul’s warning the church to stay away from that stuff. Ultimately, this is vanity & egotism as they “puff up” their view of themselves with what they think they know or have experienced.

19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

A. Make no mistake – when people get off into mystical trips outside of the Scripture, they are not holding fast to the Head! We don’t need angelic encounters; we need Jesus. The more puffed up we get in our mind, the less Christ-like we are.

B. When we hold fast to Jesus, we’re healthy…we find our nourishment in Him. Goes back to what Paul was saying in vs. 10 – “and you are complete in Him…” Our fullness is in Christ; our nourishment is in Christ; our increase & growth comes from Christ – it’s pointless to look anywhere else for it.

20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using— according to the commandments and doctrines of men?

A. Remember the form of Gnosticism that had come into Colosse had (among other things) claimed that anything physical/material was evil – thus there was a move to asceticism. They thought, “The more I withdraw & abstain from life, the better.” [] At 1^st glance, that may not seem too bad – after all, we don’t want to be influenced by the “things of the world”… Here’s the difference: asceticism tells us that denying (of afflicting) our flesh makes us more spiritual; Christianity tells us Jesus makes us spiritual…everything else is the outgrowth of what Christ has already done. Asceticism basically claims that the work of Christ is not enough… [] In addition, it leads to legalism. ‘If Christ is not enough for me, then He’s definitely not enough for you – so you have to deny yourself the same things I’m denying myself of you’re in sin.’ Wrong!

a. Jesus IS enough

b. Minor issues are (by definition) minor issues. J We don’t have the right to impose our view upon other Christians. [Ex: moderate alcohol] I can make the Biblical argument that it’s restricted for elders – that it’s a stumbling block – that it’s unwise…YET I cannot label it as “sin.” Romans 14:21-23 (21) It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. (22) Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. (23) But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. []

23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

A. IOW, legalism puts on a good show, but it’s not true religion.

B. What’s wrong with legalism? Everything. J It doesn’t help us get saved… And on top of that, it doesn’t even help us to be holy! It’s of “no value against the indulgence of the flesh”… Think of it this way: how much weight did you gain on your last diet? J Does legalism help? No – we need a complete life change & that only comes through new life in Christ!

Conclusion:

The Bible calls us to be holy; it doesn’t call us to make ourselves holy…we simply can’t! In our own legalism we will fail every time…but in Jesus, everything changes! Jesus is sufficient – He wiped out the handwriting of requirements against us – He forgave us – He is victorious over the enemy…everything else is a cheap substitute. [] Don’t get cheated by legalism – stay rooted & grounded in Christ!

Don’t Get Cheated

Have you ever flipped around on TV, catch a program talking about the Lord Jesus & watched it only to get disappointed? Feels like you’ve been cheated out of something in the end…

That’s what had happened with the Colossian church. They had started out great in the faith having received the gospel from Epaphras, but over time people came in with all sorts of false ideas about legalism & false ideas about being “super-spiritual” & they ended up cheating the Colossian church out of the joy of simply following the Lord in truth.

The solution? Get the church’s focus off of the heretics & back on to Jesus. Thus far in this epistle, Paul’s been doing just that by painting a picture of Christ so big that the church just can’t ignore it. After telling the church how he’d been praying for them, he showed them what Christ had saved them from (the power of darkness) – showed what Christ had saved them for (redemption/forgiveness) – showed them Who Christ is (image of the invisible God & 1^st born over creation as Creator) – showed them what Christ did (reconciled us to Himself)… Incredible doctrine so far!

Left off in Chapter 1 with Paul transitioning to his own calling as a minister of the gospel. With all the correction he was bringing to the church, he didn’t want to do it out of nowhere, but took the time to establish a relationship with them telling the church of his suffering for them – his simple call to stewardship of the gospel – and his responsibility to warn & teach every man in all wisdom…it was what God called him (and every minister) to strive & labor for through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So with all that in mind, Paul is going to take the time to show the church how they’ve been swindled out of the truth of the simple gospel of Christ. We all have a tendency to try to “fill in the gaps” in various areas of our Christianity that we don’t understand – and that’s good as long as we’re filling in the gaps from the right source. The problem comes in when we stop looking to Jesus FOR those answers.

Colossians 2:1-10 (NKJV)
1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,

A. Possibly proof Paul hadn’t been to Colosse…

B. What kind of conflict is Paul referring to? A mental conflict in which he desired to see the church succeed. “conflict” = ἀγών (agony) = struggle/fight/contention… It hurt Paul to see this church engaged in such heresy…

C. Letter supposed to go to Laodicea as well. [MAP] Possible that they had encounted the same heresy as Colosse…

a. Heresy is a lot like weeds: pops up often – hard to get rid of – easily spread. That’s why it’s so important to (1) address it when it does arise, and (2) keep focused on Jesus! The more we keep our eyes on Christ, the less distracted we’ll be.

2 that their [those who hadn’t met Paul] hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,

A. How are their hearts encouraged? By being bonded hearts… (knit together in love). “encouraged” = παρακαλέω (paraclete) = “call alongside/comfort”. Isn’t this a wonderful thought? As we’re called out of the world by Christ (ekklesia = the church), we’re called to come alongside each other & as we walk together, we comfort & encourage one another in agape love. We’re called into 1 body, so it only makes sense that we would be unified & mutually encouraged.

a. This is something that Paul struggled to see – he desperately wanted to see the encouragement & unity of the church! It’s striking to realize how many times throughout his epistles that Paul called for unity. [Rom 14, 1Cor 1.3.12, Gal 3, Eph 4, Phil 4 & now] Obviously the early church had just as much of difficulty with this as we do.

b. Unity is not optional for us…

B. Paul also wanted the church to be rich! (Never thought I could say that & be Biblical at the same time! J) Obviously not talking about money but the “full assurance of the understanding”… IOW, as the church grows in their unity & encouragement with one another – as they continue walking with Christ – that their understanding of doctrine would grow & we would be assured that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3) – that we would have assurance of the character of God – that we would be rich in Him!

C. What do we want to understand? The “mystery of God” – remember our definition of a Biblical mystery from 1:26, “…hidden from ages…but now has been revealed to his saints.” [] How does this apply to God? Obviously generations past knew of God (Adam, Noah, Abraham, etc.)…what’s new? The incarnation of Jesus Christ! God’s character had always been revealed through the prophets & Scriptures, but His person was always concealed. (No man shall see me & live…Exo 33:20) But in the Lord Jesus, His very person was revealed to us! John 1:14, 18 (14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. … (18) No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. []

a. “both of the Father and of Christ”: Simply saying the Father & Christ are both fully God. Paul’s already demonstrated the deity of Christ in Ch 1 – he’s not going to let go of this point. (And neither should we!)

b. Many English translations don’t have this. Phrase isn’t found in the oldest manuscripts; but it IS found in the majority of manuscripts. Does this add/take away from Paul’s point? Part of the mystery of Christ is His union within the Trinity & specifically the Father. He is of one essence & one substance with Him. This goes dramatically against the grain of gnostic thinking!

3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

A. All knowledge is hidden in Christ: That’s a pretty high statement. Is Paul saying, “If your 1984 Chevy S-10 Blazer breaks down (which mine did, often!), turn to the book of 1 Automotives for the answer.”? Of course not. J But everything we need to know about God – everything we need to know about life – everything we need to know about truth is all found in Christ Jesus!

a. It amazes me when people look to movies, TV programs, & popular books (even Christian ones) to tell them something new about God. The best any book can do is simply point us back to Jesus Christ – ALL the treasures of the knowledge of God are found in Him.

B. All wisdom is hidden in Christ: What’s the difference between knowledge & wisdom? Knowledge is the accumulation of fact; wisdom is the application of it. Want to know how to apply the truth of Scripture – have a need for wisdom in a certain situation? Look to Christ… James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. []

C. Why are they hidden? These are treasures stored away for us – available to every believer to discover in Christ. Don’t miss the importance of this fact: knowledge isn’t available to only certain believers; knowledge & wisdom are hidden in Christ & thus available to every believer. The gnostics didn’t have any sort of hidden key that was only available through them – and neither does any pastor or teacher have any different access to God than any other believer in Christ.

a. We have a tendency to set up walls in the places where God obliterated them. The OT model of a priestly class set apart from the rest of Israel was meant to picture the difference between believers born again into the family of God & the world… The NT tells us specifically that we’re ALL holy priests – a royal priesthood of believers (1 Pet 2:5-9). We were never supposed to set up a class system among ourselves in Christ! Pastors may have a different vocational ministry than other believers, but we’re all called to minister in whatever vocation God has given us…

4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.

A. Paul had a reason for laying this foundation: people were trying to deceive the church. Note it wasn’t that people were merely wrong; mistakes can be corrected (re: Peter in Antioch – Gal 1). These people were intentionally trying to mislead the church through falsehood & lies.

B. People still try to deceive the church! They come knocking on your door & intentionally try to change the way you understand biblical doctrine & twist it to their own cultic interpretation of it. They can be really persuasive & when they’re standing there in front of you, it can make sense. But just because an argument is persuasive doesn’t mean that it’s true.

i. When in doubt, fall back on Jesus (that’s Paul’s whole point!) – Jesus IS the truth (John 14:6) & we can trust Him & His word…

5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

A. Why was Paul rejoicing in their good order? Understand “order” is a military term that carried the idea of having discipline in the ranks – like a military parade where every soldier is in line. The Colossians were definitely under attack by the various heresies, but they hadn’t completely broken rank yet… Thus Paul rejoiced over their “steadfastness” of faith…

B. Note you can’t have faith in just anything. We must have faith “in Christ”

6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

A. What does it mean to have “received Christ Jesus the Lord”? Some scholars take this to mean the doctrine of Christ, but I think the NIV nails it here. “…as you received Christ Jesus AS Lord…” Doctrine is surely part of it here, but Paul’s talking about our salvation! As believers, we have received Christ Jesus as our Lord & Savior – it’s unthinkable to consider abandoning Him for the lies of those who would deceive us.

B. I love the fact that Paul spells out Jesus’ full title/function here! He is Christ – the fully incarnate Anointed Son of God who paid the price for sin that we could never pay… [] He is Lord – not just the Son of God but God the Son who is fully God & fully King…victorious over death & hell through the Cross & Resurrection… []

a. Have you received Him? That’s what this whole passage hinges on! You can’t search out wisdom & knowledge in Him if you’re not IN Him. We must receive Christ! What’s the result of receiving Him? We’re saved! John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: []

C. After we receive Him, then what? Walk in Him! Note Paul doesn’t say walk WITH Him (though that’s appropriate); here the emphasis is walking IN Christ. We walk in His knowledge – walk in His wisdom – walk in His power – walk in His love – walk in HIM! J

7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

A. Interesting mixing of metaphors here. (Paul would’ve driven English teachers crazy! J) We walk as a person in Christ, we’re rooted like a tree in Christ, and we’re built like a building in Christ. All very different, but all very true. When we’re walking in Christ, we don’t want to get tossed to & fro by every wind of doctrine (Eph 4:14) – we need a solid foundation & root system. (Ps 1:3, tree planted by the rivers of water) [] In addition, once we’re rooted in Christ we need to grow in Christ – thus we are built up by Him through His word.

a. Described by being “established in the faith”. Established for what? Everything! J 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (16) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. [] Is there any situation in life you’d prefer to be unequipped/unprepared for? Of course not – that’s what doctrine (teaching) is so important. The more we grow in our knowledge of Christ & our relationship in Christ, the more prepared we are to face the things the world throws at us every day.

B. As we’re rooted, built up, and established through teaching – Paul tells us to be grateful. How do we abound in thanksgiving in relation to doctrine/teaching? It’s virtually impossible to learn more about our salvation in Christ & NOT be grateful! []

a. (Courson) “Truly, the Church is an enigma. We’re the only people in the world who get together regularly to acknowledge that we’re a bunch of worms, wretches and sinners — all the while feeling wonderful about it.”

C. This is all what we want to have happen. What we DON’T want is what Paul addresses next…

8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

A. We can be cheated! To “cheat” goes back to the military analogy. The word literally means “to plunder” or “to carry off as booty.” Paul’s warning the church against becoming the victory spoil of false teachers…

a. Keep in mind this is exactly what happens when nominal Christians get picked off by various cults…

B. What were they cheated by? Philosophy. Is Paul referring to all philosophy in general? Not really…the term simply means “love of wisdom” & we can certainly have a love for the wisdom of God. Paul was well acquainted with the philosophy of his day & used it as a jumping-off point into the gospel in Athens (Acts 17:28). Yet Paul draws a distinction here between the philosophy that would uphold biblical principles & exalt God, and the philosophy that would be in opposition to God…and there is MUCH of the latter! (Direct hit on the gnostics!) Described as:

a. “Empty deceit”: Simply because someone’s ideas sound lofty doesn’t mean that they are true. [ridiculed by college prof.] Philosophy or ideas that take us away from Christ are ultimately deceitful…

b. “Tradition of men”: Tradition doesn’t sound too bad until we understand that Paul is pitting it against revelation. Which is better to build our lives upon: the tradition of men, or the revelation of God in Jesus Christ?

c. “Basic principles of the world”: The term “basic principles” could refer to elementary things (like the alphabet)…thus Paul might be saying empty philosophy at its core is nothing more than the glorifying of the things of the world. [] It could also refer to supernatural powers…thus Paul might linking the empty deceitful traditions of men with demonic influence (and that’s not too hard to see!).

C. Paul’s point? This kind of man-centered philosophy is all opposed to Christ! The legalism of the Judaizers & the spiritualism of the Gnostics had one major thing in common: they were works-based cults that denied the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus. Whether they worked their bodies or their minds, both were proclamations that “Jesus isn’t enough; you really need ___ to be complete.” That’s heresy!

a. It’s still heresy today! All sorts of people try to sell all sorts of religions and different forms of “Christianity” that tell us “Jesus isn’t enough.” If Jesus isn’t enough, NOTHING is. We have absolutely nothing to offer God because we are utterly & thoroughly tainted by our sin…and without Jesus Christ saving us, we have no hope whatsoever. [] But because Jesus DID die & rise again, He is the hope of glory (Col 1:27).

b. Paul’s drawing a direct contrast here. Christ is whom all the treasures of knowledge & wisdom are hidden (vs 3); not the world. When we look to the world to provide that which only comes through Christ, we’re cheating ourselves…we’re allowing ourselves to be plundered by the enemy. From day 1, Satan has always offered a cheap substitute of what only God can offer…and as Adam learned, Satan’s version is a lie.

9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

A. Review from Ch 1 – Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, [] The fullness = Jesus is fully God. “Godhead” speaking literally of the divine essence… Basically saying there’s nothing that exists about God that Jesus doesn’t embody.

B. Quick review from last week: why couldn’t Jesus be more than a man but less than fully God? It makes salvation impossible. Only God can perfectly atone for sin & give us His righteousness, and only as a man could He offer Himself as both our High Priest and the perfect sacrifice. Anything less than Jesus being fully God & fully man makes our faith utterly worthless.

a. Here’s the good news: (1) We know that Jesus is a literal human in the flesh because He literally died on the Cross (certified by the Romans)… (2) We know that Jesus is literally God because He literally rose from the grave – this was God’s declaration to the world of the fact…

10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

A. IOW, since the fullness of the Godhead rests in Jesus & we walk in Jesus, what more do we need other than Jesus? We are complete in Him! “complete” similar root to “fullness” (vs. 9) – our fullness comes from Christ’s fullness. (Walvoord & Zuck) “This, of course, does not mean believers become God but simply share in Him. They have or share in the goodness of the nature which He is.”

B. He is over everything: principality, power…everything.

Conclusion:

Is there something that you need in life that you’ve been looking to the world to provide? You’ll never find satisfaction through Donald Trump; it only comes from being satisfied in Christ. You’ll never find spirituality through Oprah; it only comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit. The tragic thing for many Christians is that we’ll run everywhere else for the answers, and it’s only when everything else inevitably fails that we turn back to our Savior. The Lord Jesus is not a last resort for believers; He’s the ONLY resort. We are complete in Him – what more could we possibly want or desire?

If you haven’t received Jesus as your Lord – I can guarantee there’s something you desperately need that you’ll NEVER find in the world: forgiveness. How do I know you need it? Because you’re human. Like the rest of us, you’ve lied, cheated, stolen, lusted, hated, or somehow generally ignored God altogether at some point (if not every single day). You’ve broken God’s law & have to face Him on judgment day. What can the world possibly offer you to fall back on? Everyone else is just as sinful as you…we’re all in the same boat! The good news is that Jesus already has done something on your behalf when He went to the cross…

The Cost of Hope – Colossians 1:19-29

Introduction:

Paul has just initiated an in-depth description of who Christ Jesus is. He is the image of the invisible God – the 1^st born over Creation – the Creator – the Head of the church – 1^st born from the dead – the Preeminent One… With that as the foundation, Paul moves the discussion to what Christ Jesus does & what Paul’s role is in proclaiming it.

So is this just an academic exercise? Is Paul simply instructing the church patiently in the theology of our faith? No – there’s profound application that Paul is driving at here. The Colossian church had allowed major heresy to come in & throw them off their theological bearings incorporating both legalism (Judaizers), and mystical dualism (Gnostics). The faith that they had started to embrace was a pretty far cry from the one true Gospel…so what did Paul do? He instructed them in doctrine (for sure!), but more than that – he shows them the VALUE of the doctrine…why the “pearl” is of such “great price.”

Example: If you ask to borrow a watch & I hand you a pocketwatch, you might be grateful & go about your merry way. But if I tell you that the pocketwatch had been handed down to me by my great-grandfather & was a one-of-a-kind timepiece from a master maker in Switzerland, I bet you’re going to care for it a little better. Why? You understood the value of it.

We NEED to understand the value of our salvation! Sometimes evangelism has been cheapened to a sales-pitch for “good-times-with-God”…but it’s vastly more valuable than that! That’s what Paul is trying to convey to Colosse – he’s telling them, “Before you so easily let go of the gospel, you need to understand what it is you’re letting go of.”

- One last description of the Person of Christ as Paul transitions the subject…

19. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,

A. What does this say about Jesus’ person/being? It says that He’s God. J No ifs, ands, buts about it – no qualifications of Him being “less than” – no questions about Him not having every “capability” of God…all of the “fullness” of the Father dwells in the Son. IOW, there’s no characteristic or ability that God the Father has that God the Son does not…Jesus is FULLY God.

B. Who did it please? God. Technically, the word “Father” does not appear in the Greek text – scholars unanimously agree that the word “please” is relying upon the context for a subject, which either takes us back to vs. 12 (Father) or vs. 15 (God). [] Personally, this emphasizes the fact that our God is bigger than our understanding. There are certain things about the Trinity that I just cannot wrap my mind around…and praise God for it! J …

C. So how long does Jesus contain the fullness of God? Was it just for eternity past & did He give it up when He emptied Himself (made Himself of no reputation – Phil 2:7)? No! Jesus did not empty Himself of any characteristics of the Godhead because the fullness dwells in Him. “dwell” indicates a permanent place of abode. From eternity past to eternity future, the fullness of the God dwells in Christ Jesus, has always dwelt in Him, and will always dwell in Him.

20. and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

A. Not only does Christ have the person of Deity, He has the ministry of reconciliation. This was His stated purpose – Luke 19:10 (10) for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” [] Our relationship with God was damaged because of sin (as we’ll see in verse 21) & Jesus came to change all that.

B. What does He reconcile? “all things” – some see a limitation here because Paul doesn’t mention “things under the earth”, but that seems to go against the whole idea of “all things.” One definition of “reconciliation” is to “bring back to a former state of harmony” – and that’s exactly what Jesus does. (Robertson) “Sin has somehow put the universe out of joint. Christ will set it right.”

a. Is Paul teaching universalism here? No…NT teaches quite clearly about the fate of unbelievers elsewhere… To state that Paul teaches universalism on the basis of this verse is to ignore Paul’s theology through the rest of his letters!

b. Paul seems to be contextually referring to Creation as a whole. There is a general sense in which ALL of creation will be reconciled back to God through the New Heavens & New Earth… Romans 8:21-22 (21) because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. []

C. To Whom does He reconcile them? To Himself. Note Jesus is not reconciled to us; we are reconciled to Him. Important distinction! We are the ones who rebelled against God, thus we are the one who need to be reconciled back to God.

D. By what does He reconcile them? By/through Himself…speaks of what power He did it by. Jesus is fully sufficient in & of Himself to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him (Heb 7:25). He needs no help & requires no assistance.

a. This speaks volumes about our vain attempts at legalism! When people get the idea that they can somehow “improve” upon their salvation through works, they neglect to remember that we are reconciled to God by Christ alone – it’s only HIS work that has any value for salvation.

E. What does reconciliation do? It made peace…and note this peace came through violent means: “the blood of His cross.” It’s interesting to me that God didn’t sit down one day & proclaim a decree that we were forgiven – sometimes skeptics claim that if God truly loves us, then He should freely forgive us without the shedding of blood. [] But as much as God DOES love us & IS love (1 John 4:8), God is also holy & righteous & just. To forgive without judgment is an affront to His justice…it simply compounds the issue of sin. [] Thus God DOES forgive & offer peace & reconciliation, but it only comes through the “blood of His cross” because there justice was meted out & now forgiveness could be truly offered in love.

a. Note “His” cross: it couldn’t have been just anyone’s cross. There were 3 on the hill that day; only one mattered.

21. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22. in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight

A. Why did we need reconciliation & peace? 3 reasons:

a. We were alienated: As Gentiles we were estranged from the promises of God, and as sinners we were excluded from any relationship with God.

b. We were enemies in our mind: People often claim that they’ve got their own relationship with God, and He doesn’t care what they do. Not true! Outside of Christ, we’re not merely estranged from God, we are at war with Him! NT uses the same word “enemy” to describe Satan… People may not realize it, but in their sin they are actively opposing the things of God.

c. We were enemies by wicked works: The works of our flesh merely bear out the sin in our hearts & minds. Want a list? Galatians 5:19-21 (19) Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, (20) idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, (21) envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [] And that’s not even exhaustive! Which of that have we not engaged in at some point? (Either in the mind or in the act.) THIS is what we need to be reconciled from!

B. How were we reconciled? “in the body of His flesh through death”. Gets kind of gruesome, doesn’t it? 1^st we need His blood; now we need His dead flesh. Paul’s point isn’t to gross us out; it’s simply to show that real sin has a real price & it had to be paid by a real person in Christ Jesus. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), thus SOMEBODY had to die. Not a figurative death; not a pretend death – Jesus of Nazareth was physically crucified to a cross & actually died for the sin of the world.

a. Don’t miss the dig to the Gnostics. Paul’s saying, “Guess what? The Creator God of the Universe put on human flesh in His incarnation. He was really real!” If Jesus is less than fully human, then He could not serve as our High Priest. If Jesus is less than fully God, then He could not pay the price for sin. Jesus MUST be (and is) both God and man.

b. BTW – Should sound familiar to us through the Lord’s Supper…this is exactly what we celebrate during Communion…

C. The results of reconciliation? The way God sees us is completely changed!

a. We’re holy: We’re set apart/dedicated by God – we’re made saints…

b. We’re blameless: “without defect” – like the sacrifices that were to be offered to God, we’ve now been given the righteousness of Christ Who was truly without blemish/defect

c. We’re irreproachable: Not that we’ve never done anything wrong, but simply (and wonderfully) that we can no longer be blamed for it. There is One Who has borne our blame already!

d. Gotta emphasize that this is ALL done through the blood & body of Christ! []

23. if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

A. “if”: little word; BIG impact… Is this an “if” or a “since” or something else? The Greek is actually a conditional, which means this “if” means “if.” Some would claim that what Paul is about to say is a foregone conclusion – but the “if” shows that it is definitely not…which means it’s definitely worth paying attention to.

B. If what? If we “continue in the faith”… As we saw earlier, Paul’s trying to underscore the value of their faith in Christ. Jesus has been proclaimed to be God who has reconciled us & made peace after all of the evil stuff we’ve done. We were deserving of true judgment, but God forgave us. This isn’t something we’d want to depart from! We need to “continue” – actively abide & remain in the faith we received. Further described as “grounded & steadfast” – like a building established on a solid foundation, we want to be established & grounded on the true gospel…and remain there!

a. ‘But I prayed a prayer when I was 12!’ Good for you, but that’s not what Paul is asking here. Are you continuing in the faith? If you prayed a prayer at an emotional rally & then walked away from Christ the rest of your life, then that’s the sign of a false convert. A ‘prayer’ cannot save you; it’s the God you pray to that does…[] Do you know Christ & does Christ know you? (Matt 7:23)

b. ‘So is this a Calvinist or Arminian prooftext?’ Yes. J The Calvinist would claim that if a saint continues in the faith till the end, they have persevered… The Arminian would claim that if a saint continues in the faith, they haven’t become apostate & thus remain saved… Either one would give the same exhortation: KEEP WALKING! Hebrews 10:23 (23) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. []

C. Notice what the gospel brings: hope! Paul’s not talking about an emotion here… “Hope” in the NT speaks of confident expectation…contextually here of heaven & everlasting life with God.

a. Why can we be so confident? Because our hope isn’t based in ourselves; it’s based upon Christ!

D. Question: Had the gospel really been preached to “every creature under heaven”? Of course not (using hyperbole), but the gospel had gone into every major area of the Roman Empire (which was basically the known world)…and it’s definitely meant for the entire world.

a. That said, the entire world HAS been given the testimony of a Creator through creation, so that we are without excuse (Rom 1:20), and the law of God has been written on our hearts in our consciences (Rom 2:15)… That doesn’t excuse us from the responsibility of the Great Commission – but God WILL make Himself known to every man & woman in all history.

E. What does it mean to be a minister of the gospel? Simply a servant! Gk διάκονος (deacon) = “one who serves”. Ministers minister; Servants serve…that’s simply the job description! J

——-

24. I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,

A. Takes a break from discussing the work of Christ to discussing his calling as a minister. Why? Paul is bringing a TON of doctrinal correction to the Colossian church – so he needs to establish some groundwork first. He’s not trying to get Colosse to listen to his teaching in order to build up a following or puff up his pride; he’s simply doing this because this was his calling from God. [] Keep in mind that Paul probably hadn’t been to Colosse, so this might be extra important without the context of a relationship.

B. What’s one way Paul served in his ministry of the gospel? He suffered. Paul’s not talking about some sort of superficial stress…he actually suffered for the ministry physically & emotionally. Yet what was his response? Joy! [] Paul could rejoice because he was participating in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering (Phil 2:10). So much so, that he writes that he could complete in his “flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.” What on earth does that mean?! There’s no question that if the Lord Jesus still walked the earth, He would be persecuted & afflicted…Paul is simply participating in them.

a. (Vaughan) “ ‘What is still lacking’ is not an intimation of deficiency in Christ’s own sufferings but a reference to what is yet lacking in Christ’s suffering in Paul. In his experience as a prisoner the apostle was filling up the sum or quota of suffering yet remaining for him to endure.”

b. Nobody desires suffering…yet there is a fellowship we have in Christ when we suffer with Him. Jesus knows what it’s like to have His body afflicted with pain – Jesus knows what it’s like to be mentally anguished – Jesus knows what it’s like to be betrayed. As we suffer with Him, we can identify with Him as He continues to shape our character. (James 1:2-4)

C. What does Paul suffer for? Christ’s body = the church. (2^nd mention of this – Col 1:18). If Paul suffers for the sake of the church, ultimately he’s suffering for Christ Himself. What we do to the body, we do unto the Lord.

25. of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26. the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

A. Ministry wasn’t a career path for Paul (he had his own before Jesus called him!), it was a stewardship. God had entrusted His word to him, and Paul’s job was simply to dispense it out at God saw fit. As he wrote to Corinth, he was a servant of Christ & steward of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1).

B. His point? Saying, “I’m just a servant!” Paul’s not trying to “put one over” on the Colossian church – he’s simply doing what God has called him to do. No more; no less.

a. No matter what it is God has called us to do, we are stewards of that gift/responsibility! (Parable of the talents)

C. Vs 26 is the basic definition of a Biblical mystery: that which once was hidden in the OT & now revealed in the NT through Christ Jesus…

a. Another dig at the Gnostics. They had “secret” knowledge; God’s mystery was an “open secret” – it’s been revealed to everyone in the church.

27. To them [the saints…] God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

A. The mystery? “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” This same Jesus in Whom dwells the fullness of the Godhead – by Whom we are reconciled – through Whom the universe was created – THIS Jesus is in us. What an astounding thought! God has revealed the riches of His glory through Him in that we have been brought into the family of God & been made co-heirs with Christ…His riches are our riches, and we experience the abundance of eternity through Him. Thus our hope rests in Him & indeed IS Him.

a. There is no better promise in all religion! Other systems might promise emotional experiences or mystical rituals, but none other than Christianity opens up the riches of the glory of heaven & actually produces salvation!

B. How does this take place? By the will of God. Not through ritualistic legalism nor through secret knowledge nor anything else. There’s not an act in all the world that can produce the reality of us being in Christ & Christ being in us. That is a miracle of God done in each believer in Christ done solely through the will of God.

a. That’s why it’s called grace!

28. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

A. What do pastors/ministers do? Or at least, what are they supposed to do?

a. Preach Christ: Show & proclaim Jesus in the whole of their teaching. Among the Corinthians, Paul resolved to know nothing except Christ & Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2) & it was the same in every city & every epistle. When pastors teach, they should be proclaiming Christ & His word & nothing else.

b. Warn every man: NIV translates “admonishing” – but contextually to the Colossians, “warn” is vastly more appropriate. Why would we need to be warned? Because there’s a TON of people teaching false doctrine. There will always be false religions & false gospels proclaimed – there will always be ‘ministers’ looking to tickle the ears of the masses (even in the name of Christ) – and thus Paul (and every pastor) has the responsibility to warn believers to stick to the truth. (Consider yourselves warned. J)

c. Teach every man in all wisdom: The logical follow-through to “warning.” If we’re going to be warned away from lies, we need to know the truth…

i. This is why we teach verse-by-verse…

B. To what end? Maturity. “present every man perfect” Perfect isn’t speaking of blamelessness (that only comes through Christ); speaks of completeness. Remember Paul (and every minister) is a steward – he dispenses the word of God to the people of God in order that they might grow in God to maturity. And he worked hard at it…

29. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

A. “labor” = “to grow weary/tired or exhausted”… “striving” = ἀγωνίζομαι (agonize)

B. Paul labored; God worked. “working” = ἐνέργεια (energy) = effectual working… Paul could strive as hard as he wanted to in the ministry – he could pour blood, sweat, and tears into each church – but without God working, it would have all been in vain.

Conclusion:

Covered a lot of ground today! Paul labored, agonized, and toiled to present ONE thing to Colosse: Christ. Our salvation, reconciliation, and peace with God is completely wrapped up in Christ Jesus & without Him we’re hopeless. Without Christ, we remain enemies of God & doomed to eternity without Him.

But IN Christ, we have hope – the hope of glory! Jesus as the fullness of God has reconciled all things back to Himself through His body & blood & WE are the proof in the pudding! We’ve been forgiven, made holy, blameless, & irreproachable…amen! So our response to that? We want to stay grounded in the gospel of Christ! What we have been given is without value – it’s beyond worth – so we want to continue in the faith & not get distracted by false gospels, revivals, fads, or anything else. We want to simply rejoice in the simple gospel of our incredible Savior!

Jesus is GOD

Introduction:

When we left off last week, Paul was praying for Colosse – incredible lesson in intercession for us! Prayed that the church would grow in their knowledge/doctrine – grow in their practice/walk – grow in God’s character/strength…and thanking God for our salvation! Almost seamlessly, Paul moves from this wonderful prayer to a wonderful defense of Christ Jesus. Jesus had come under fire by the early Gnostic heretics who had influenced the church, and Paul takes them on in a theological description of Christ that has few equals in Scripture!

So what makes Jesus so special? Why is it that through Him we have “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins”? If Elijah had died & rose from the grave, surely he wouldn’t have been good enough – what makes Jesus stand out from the crowd? This one fact: He is wholly different than the crowd! That’s what Paul details in these few verses. He’s going to tackle two aspects of Jesus in the rest of Ch 1: (1) Who He is, and (2) What He does. Today we look at the “Who”…

Colossians 1:15-18

15. He is the image of the invisible God,

A. 1^st thing we need to take note of is the present tense. “He IS”; not “He was”… Jesus is alive RIGHT NOW… []

B. Image = εικων (icon) = “likeness/portrait.” Basically saying that Jesus is what the Holy Godhead looks like. He is the perfect representative of His character, power, and likeness. [Show us the Father?...] John 14:9 (9) Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? [] Jesus doesn’t leave any wiggle room here – this is pretty black & white. For those who would claim to have their own spiritual relationship with God, but not believe in Jesus – Jesus says, “You can’t.” The only way we can see the Father is to go through His Son because Jesus is the icon/image/likeness of God Himself.

a. Why does God command us not to make any graven images? Because only ONE image is accurate: Jesus Christ! (He is the “express image of His person” – Heb 1:3) Everything else falls massively short of His nature, character, and majesty. There simply is no comparison to God, so the only One who can accurately represent God is God Himself.

b. How do we do this today? Some might still bow to statues, but most Westerners create graven images in our minds. “My god does this; my god doesn’t do that.” … That’s an inaccurate picture of God! To know God, we have to turn to Christ alone!

i. BTW, we don’t worship God using icons like EO does because Jesus Christ is the only “icon” we need!

C. What makes this unique? Because God is “invisible.” He cannot be seen because of His holiness (Ex 33:20) – He cannot be seen physically b/c God is spirit (John 4:24) – He has never been seen historically by any person (John 1:18). Thus the 2^nd Person of the Trinity is the image of the invisible God.

a. What does tell us about OT manifestations of God? It tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. J Who was walking with Adam & Eve in the cool of the day? Jesus. Who did Abraham & Sarah prepare dinner for? Jesus. Who did Moses see on the Mountain? Jesus. [] We have a tendency to restrict our idea of Jesus in the Scripture to solely the NT. But let’s be clear: Jesus became incarnate through the virgin birth & was fully revealed to us in the NT – but Jesus has ALWAYS appeared in the pages of Scripture. []

b. Thus how was everyone saved in the OT? The same way we’re all saved in the NT – by grace through faith in Christ Jesus as Lord! Abraham believed God & it was accounted to him for righteousness (), yet when Abraham saw God, who did he see? Jesus!! (And apparently, he was overjoyed to see Him – John 8:56)

D. Understand this truth is a smackdown-blow to Gnosticism. Because Jesus came in the ­flesh, we saw a physical image of God Almighty. Thus although the physical world may be fallen, it is not inherently evil – it was originally created & declared “good.”

E. What do you do when you have a question about God that you don’t understand? Fall back on what you DO know. Jesus is the image of the invisible God – if you’re running into doubts about God’s goodness, love, patience or whatever – look to Christ! Everything you need to know about God in portrayed in His Son!

…the firstborn over all creation.

A. This phrase is the source of a lot of confusion for JWs! They claim Jesus was created 1^st by God (as an angel), thus being the 1^st born. They missed the point! Paul isn’t referring to birth order; he’s referring to birthright. Jesus is far superior to creation because He IS the Creator. How can we say this so definitively?

a. He’s not part of the creation; He’s 1^st born over/of the creation. IOW, if Jesus was created in the same way as all the rest of the universe, He would simply be chronologically first – but the Greek specifically sets Him apart from the totality of the universe. Time-wise, Jesus obviously does precede creation…but that’s because He created it!

b. The Hebrew culture & Greek language allows this word to be used in regards to birthright. Example? Psalm 89 refers to the Davidic covenant (and Messianic promise) – Psalm 89:26-27 (26) He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’ (27) Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth. [] (LXX translation uses “prototokos”) Was David the 1^st born son? No – he was last. Was Solomon the 1^st of David’s sons? No. ‘Firstborn’ indicates the rank associated with the birthright – which was given to David & Solomon.

i. Other examples? Jacob/Esau… Ephraim/Manasseh (Jer 31:9)…

B. Jesus was born into His incarnate nature via Mary – but the 2^nd Person of the Godhead (God the Son) was NEVER born; He was begotten of the Father. BIG difference! There never was a time that Jesus was not…He has always been. John 1:1-3 (1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. []

a. What’s the ramification of this? Jesus eternally existed with the Father before creation ever came into being. Put it together with the 1^st half of verse 15 – Jesus has the place of preeminence over all creation not because He was “born” first, but because He is GOD. He is the image of the invisible God, thus He IS God.

b. Beware of those who would try to demote Christ. When JW’s, Mormons & others make the claim that Jesus is lesser than God the Father, what they’re saying is that Jesus is less than fully God. Jesus willingly humbled Himself in submission than His Father, but that’s a FAR cry from being less than God. If Jesus is anything less than Almighty God Himself, then the whole of the NT is worthless. [] …

i. What to do with loved ones who insist on these claims? Take them to the same Scriptures they’re quoting & look at the full context. To say Col 1:15 says that Jesus was created of God is to completely ignore vs. 16-18.

16. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

A. If the “image of the invisible God” argument doesn’t convince us of His deity, His work in Creation should! Angels do not create anything. Demons do not create anything. Humans don’t even create anything (we just manipulate what God has already created…the closest we come is “designing”). The only Being that is capable of creation is God… What did Jesus create? ALL.

a. Heavenly things: Reference to sky/outer space/the universe. The heavens declare the glory of God (Ps 19) – and it’s easy to be left in awe by them! The sun is apparently average by astronomical measures, yet it is so big that it would take over 1M earths to fill it. The next closest star? 25 trillion miles away…and there over 100B of them in the Milky Way galaxy alone. It blows the mind…and Jesus Christ created it! J

b. Earthly things & Visible things: Everything we see in creation is a testimony to the fact that there is a Creator. To look at the intricacy of design in the human body alone and claim that it happened by chance takes FAR more faith than it does to simply acknowledge what we already know to be true. Romans 1:20 (20) For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, []

c. Invisible things: Even if we can’t see it, Jesus created it…that’s a pretty amazing thought! Where did gravity come from? Magnetic forces? Sound? All the invisible things we take for granted were conceived of & spoken into existence by Christ Jesus.

d. Part of those invisible things are things beyond our understanding – thrones, dominions, principalities, powers. Referring to angelic beings… Figured prominently into the Colossian heresy that Paul was addressing – Colossians 2:18 (18) Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, []

i. Never in the Bible do we see angels of God accepting worship. The only angels that do are (1) the Angel of the Lord when it is a pre-incarnate Christ, or (2) a demon. The ONLY being worthy of worship is Almighty God – and thus Jesus Christ because He is above the angels.

B. Note Jesus wasn’t merely present at Creation – He was instrumental at Creation. All things were created:

a. “By Him”: Could be translated “in Him”. It all took place by the sheer act of His will. Creation has its beginning & end in Christ Jesus.

b. “Through Him”: through His mighty power. Jesus didn’t conceive of it & hand it to someone else to perform…as God, He physically did the work Himself.

c. “For Him”: For His glory & pleasure. Sometimes we get so “me-centered” & think that the universe revolves around us. Wrong. J Every bit of the universe WAS created for a reason & that reason is Jesus Christ! …

i. ‘Even Hell?’ Yes – it was created for the devil & his demons, and God is glorified through the justice it represents.

d. With these statements, Paul perfectly addresses any objections raised by Greek philosophy. (Wiersbe) “For centuries, the Greek philosophers had taught that everything needed a primary cause, an instrumental cause, and a final cause. The primary cause is the plan, the instrumental cause the power, and the final cause the purpose. When it comes to Creation, Jesus Christ is the primary cause (He planned it), the instrumental cause (He produced it), and the final cause (He did it for His own pleasure).”

17. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

A. “before”: Like English, the term can be used chronologically (Jesus is begotten before anything was ever created) and preferentially (Jesus is above everything else in the universe). As in vs. 15, this sets Him completely apart from Creation.

B. The universe could not exist without Him…“in Him all things consist”: Amazing thought! Speaks to the ongoing work of His within Creation simply by way of His existence. Think of it this way: by the will of God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), everything came into being. God didn’t lift a finger; He simply spoke & it was created. Likewise, if He so willed it, creation would cease to exist & be destroyed…and in fact, that’s exactly what will happen. 2 Peter 3:10 (10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. [] And just as by His will it will be destroyed, by His will a new heavens & new earth will be created…

a. The ramifications of this? Jesus Christ holds the universe together. There’s not a single atom in all the universe that does not bear the fingerprints of God… ‘That’s a theological claim on science! You can’t join those two together!’ On the contrary – they can’t really be separated! There would be no science without Jesus Christ because there would be nothing to study…

18. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

A. Who’s the leader of the church? Jesus Christ. Can’t get any clearer than that. Not Tim Burns, Chuck Smith, Billy Graham…not even the Pope. The leader of the church (the “called out ones” – the body of Christ) is Christ Jesus Himself. [] BTW – He’s the head of the WHOLE church. Paul’s not merely writing of the local fellowship in Colosse, but of the universal church. Anyone who believes Jesus is the Resurrected Son of God & has trusted their life to Him is a member of the “Church” no matter what “church” they attend every Sunday. And that Church only has ONE head: the Lord Jesus Christ.

a. Question: is He the leader/head in theory or in practice? It can be a convicting thing to read through the Book of Acts & see how the Church was literally led by Christ – and then compare it with today… Even looking beyond local church fellowships to us as individuals – is Jesus our leader? Do we take our marching orders from Him?

B. More than speaking of authority, “head” also refers to origin (like the head of a river…) The church proceeds from & is built by Christ Jesus (Matt 16:18)…not through the efforts of man – no matter how well intended.

C. He is the beginning & firstborn from the dead. Grammatically, these words are in “apposition” which means Paul uses two words to explain one idea: when it comes to the resurrection, Jesus is 1^st…in order, in position, everything. [] ‘But lots of people were raised from the dead. How can He be 1^st?’ Jesus wasn’t the 1^st person EVER raised from the dead, but He is definitely the 1^st person raised from the dead who STAYED raised… 1 Corinthians 15:20 (20) But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. []

a. 1^st Fruits implies there are more coming…us! And Jesus still has the place of the 1^st born among us. He has the place of preference of everyone who WILL BE raised from the dead for all eternity…

D. Jesus has preeminence in ALL THINGS…He is vastly superior compared to anything that can be conceived with our mind or seen with our eye. It’s hard to sum it up better than this – Jesus simply is GOD. And there is no comparison with Him. He has preeminence based on His authority & He has preeminence based on the pleasure of God the Father who has highly exalted Him & given Him the name which is above every name (Phil 2:9).

Conclusion:

Wow…that’s a LOT of theology. It can hurt our head to try to conceive so much. J What do we do with it? Just think of it: THIS is the Christ we worship! Some people try to make Christ out to be merely a good teacher… Some people up the ante a bit & declare Him to be a prophet… But in truth, Jesus blows both of these assumptions out of the water! Jesus is no less than Creator God who is superior to everything in Creation both seen & unseen.

So what? So try to figure out a problem that’s too big for Him to solve…you can’t do it. There is no situation we will ever face that is beyond His power to deliver us from it, to sustain us through it, or to provide for us in spite of it. [] How do we know? Because He already tackled the biggest problem of all: death. And not only did He defeat death, He did a victory dance over it! J The only way that is possible is through the power of God, and the only way Jesus has that power is because He IS God. And this is the same God who loves you, who died for you, who calls you friend, who makes you a coheir as His bride for all eternity. So Christian, what’s your application from all this? WORSHIP.