Route 66: Colossians - Christ Above All

All right, are we on?

I don't even know.

Okay, good evening everyone.

So I feel like I've been entrusted with the task of giving someone a tour of New York City and I have about two hours to do it.

You know, we're going to somehow have to go to the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, museum of Natural History, etc.

Etc.

But we have to squeeze it all into two hours.

I don't know how that's going to work.

So tonight we're just going to move and try to get through the book of Colossians as quickly and as thoroughly as possible, but hopefully honoring the Lord as we go.

So what I'd like to do is start out and just give us a background of the book and cover a few things, and then we're going to swiftly move through an outline of the book with some takeaways and then wrap up with a few additional takeaways.

All right, so just a little background.

Of course you know it's the Epistle to the Colossians.

It's known as one of the prison epistles, along with Philippians, ephesians and Philemon, and it was written while Paul was under house arrest in Rome, most likely around 60 to 62 AD.

It was written by Paul, but also with Timothy.

Some say he was a co-author?

We're not really sure, but he was certainly with Timothy when he wrote it A little bit about the city of Colossae.

So I don't know if any of you have been to Ephesus I've had the privilege of going there.

It's right along the Aegean Sea, but if you move inland from Ephesus about 100 miles or so you have the ancient region of Phrygia.

Now it's known as Anatolia and it's in central west Turkey and that's essentially where Colossae was.

There were three cities located in the same area and they were Hierapolis and Laodicea.

So by the time of Paul the city of Colossae had actually dwindled in size and significance, so it wasn't nearly as important as it had been.

There was a large Jewish community there.

Paul had never visited Colossae, which is interesting in itself and the key founder of the church was Epaphras who, although he was from Colossae, had heard the gospel when Paul preached in Ephesus.

So the church was also the end result and the outgrowth of Paul's ministry in Ephesus.

Now one of the things that is being combated in this book is the Gnostic philosophy, but it's not the.

It was a brand of Gnostic philosophy that also had some other elements in it which we will get to.

Um, there was sort of a strain of jewish mysticism and legalism that were, uh, infused into the philosophy as well.

So the colossians were subject to a combination of these different philosophies.

Uh, it was a.

It was a philosophy that promised the adherents a spiritual fullness and union with God, and according to this philosophy, the wisdom they attained was by keeping prescribed ceremonies, which would release them from earthly concerns and connect them to heavenly concerns.

Of course, they saw that matter was evil and that flesh was evil.

They believed in keeping the Old Testament laws and in particular the dietary laws.

Of course, they saw that matter was evil and that flesh was evil.

They believed in keeping the Old Testament laws and in particular the dietary laws that, according to them, would keep the evil flesh away and would help someone attain spiritual perfection.

Circumcision was also very important as well.

They believed in angelic beings being able to influence earthly affairs, and so, in their view of things, jesus was seen as but one of many emanations from God.

So Paul would hit some of these viewpoints as we go through the book.

I think I might need a little water.

Thanks, okay, I won't stop.

So we're going to begin with a survey of chapter one.

I would entitle chapter one the supremacy of Christ in all things.

So we begin with Paul's greeting and thanksgiving in verses one through eight.

Oh, thank you.

All right, I think that's a little better, thank you.

So Paul's greeting and thanksgiving is in verses 1 through 8.

Paul greets the Colossians with Timothy, as we also made reference to.

He thanks them for their faith in Christ, their love for the saints and for the hope that was laid for them in heaven.

And so we see that three early on faith, hope and love.

This message of truth had produced fruit in them from the beginning, paul says, and was also produced in other parts of the world Most people think that means the Roman world, since obviously the gospel had not reached other parts of the planet earth, and so essentially what he was saying is that in other parts of the world there were also true believers as well.

So that same message of truth that had produced fruit in them had also produced fruit in others throughout the world.

Paul gives thanks for Epaphras, who was a faithful brother and who had informed Paul of the love with which these Colossians believers had, although Paul himself, again, had never met them.

So apparently Epaphras was the pastor of Colossae.

He wasn't there at this time because he was in prison with Rome, with Paul rather in Rome.

So and we'll see later on how that Paul sends greetings from Epaphras back to his own church.

Then in chapters in chapter 1, verses 9 through 14, we have Paul's prayer for the Colossians.

Again, these new believers were in danger of turning from the truth of the gospel to false teachers and philosophies, and this is Paul's concern.

So in his prayer he prays some specific things.

First of all, that they might be filled, they might have a knowledge of God's will.

Now what's interesting is that Paul deliberately uses words that had different meanings for the Gnostics and infuses them with Christian meanings.

So he used the words knowledge and wisdom and spiritual understanding that were already a part of religious vocabulary in Colossae, but gives them a different meaning, gives them a Christian meaning.

And Paul says he continues in his prayer he says that you might walk and he gives several examples that you might walk and bring fruit and increase in the knowledge of God, that you would have wisdom and knowledge that will result in action.

And so his prayer was not just that they would have knowledge and wisdom, but that this knowledge and wisdom and spiritual understanding would result in action.

Of course, that's a huge takeaway for us today.

He also prayed that they might be strengthened, and he prayed that the result of this strength might be the patience and joyfulness and not just putting up with circumstances, but truly addressing issues with joy and patience that can only come from Christ and that would result in thanksgiving to God, who is the one who delivered them from darkness and translated or transferred them into the kingdom of his dear son, and also an understanding that he has redeemed them with his blood and I realize I'm flying through this.

In verses 1, I'm sorry, in verses 15 through 20,.

Paul then declares that Christ is the preeminent one, and he details four ways that Christ had a relationship to creation, and some of these are fascinating.

I wish we had more time to focus on each one.

He notes that Jesus existed before creation.

Now let me just pause for a moment and say one of the issues that comes up in Gnosticism is the idea that Jesus was a created being.

It's also a philosophy that influences Jehovah Witnesses today, because a lot of what they believe really stems from the Gnostic heresy.

However, paul not only states that Jesus existed before creation, but also that he created all things.

Now here's a question If you create all things, then how can you yourself be a created being?

You can't, unless you're an uncreated created being.

Which sort of is linguistic suicide?

So he created all things, and then it says in verse 16 that all things exist for him.

Now let me just stop again and think about the fact that when we look at creation, when we consider nature, yes, we know that God created all things, but do we often think about the fact that they were created for him?

So when you look up at the sky, when you think about the beauty of nature, these are things created for Christ.

It's an incredible thought, actually.

He also goes on to say that he holds all things together the atoms, the molecules, whatever holds things together.

Christ is the one who does that.

He's the one who holds all things to, keeping them from bursting apart.

And then he goes on to say that he is the head of the church and he reconciles all things to himself.

Paul then moves on to talk about three ministries that he's clarifying for the Colossian believers, just so they know what his purpose is, in writing to them.

So he details these three ministries in verses 21 through 29.

First he talks about the ministry of reconciliation, and he mentions that, though they had been estranged, now, now, in God's grace, he had reconciled them, he had presented them holy, he had presented them without blemish and free from reproval, free from any kind of accusation, and so this was one of Paul's ministry, a ministry of reconciliation, and he assures them that they would continue.

This is the great if-then clause, but he assures them that they would continue in the faith, which would actually prove that they were saved.

Now we could get into this whole.

There's a lot of if phrases in the Bible and people use that to say, well, if could be.

A is a conditional clause and no, no, no, it's not conditional, it's actually a statement that says since, since you are in the faith, you will continue.

Besides the ministry of reconciliation, there was a ministry of suffering, and Paul rejoiced in that he could relate to the sufferings of Christ.

He rejoiced in his sufferings because it was for the Gentiles these were the people that God had called him to and it was also for the suffering for the sake of the entire church.

Paul then moves on to the ministry of preaching.

This involved warning and teaching, and it also involved laboring, as Christ himself had mightily worked through him.

And again, a moment to stop and think about the fact that when we work for the Lord, when we labor for him, that labor should be something that comes from him, as he works through us.

So we work as we labor for him, so he is giving us the energy, he is giving us what we need to work for him.

So if chapter one is on the supremacy of Christ, chapter two is on the sufficiency of Christ.

Paul moves on and warns the Colossians against false teachings that threaten the purity and sufficiency of the gospel.

We read about his pastoral concern and encouragement in verses 1 through 7.

So he prays that their hearts would be comforted.

He was concerned about these believers.

He had not met them, but he was concerned about them and he was concerned that their hearts would be knit together, united together in love.

And what an important thing that is for a church that people be united.

A lot of churches where there's good doctrine there's not always a lot of churches where people are united in love.

He also expressed concern that they be not led astray by convincing or enticing words and that they already having been rooted and built up in Christ, that they should now continue in him that they should now abound.

It was time to move forward with what they already knew.

He talks about abounding with thanksgiving, and this word connotes a river that overflows its banks, so it's sort of like an overflowing with thanksgiving, and overflowing with gratitude is the idea.

Yet he says they were not to be grounded in ritual or philosophy, but in the person and work of Christ.

So he moves on to the warning section.

First he warns against this philosophy.

Now, the philosophies they had been exposed to were just a tradition of men, and today we could look at a lot of churches, a lot of religions, where what they believe, what they hold to, what they consider their foundational principles, are just traditions of men, just made up doctrines that have no basis as coming from God at all.

We could talk a lot about that.

But he says but the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ.

This word fullness, pleroma, was a very important word that was used in this philosophy, and he contrasted it to what the Gnostics taught, namely that God was simply not just the source of all the emanations they believed in, but he was the head.

He was the head of creation.

They had this idea of a demiurge, and see if I can explain it.

It was the idea that God created a creature and that creature created another creature and from that another creature stemmed, another one, and these are all seen as a demiurge and eventually the universe was created and all these creatures were considered quote-unquote emanations.

Well, paul confronted that philosophy and taught against it.

He then warns, in verses 11 through 15, against Jewish legalism.

He said it was unnecessary.

Why?

Because you don't need circumcision with hands.

You already have been circumcised in the heart, a circumcision without hands.

So there's no need to go back to what you knew about before.

You've already been buried and raised and made alive through Christ.

He goes on in verse 14 to talk about how the list of decrees or the record of their debt that was against them had already been nailed to the cross and Jesus had already disarmed the rulers and the authorities and triumphed over them.

Then he moves on to a section where he talks about freedom from these two philosophies, from both Gnostic philosophy and Jewish legalism.

He combats the idea that one needs to be bound by restrictions against drink and against meat and celebrating of Sabbath and special days.

Why?

Because these things were the shadow, but Jesus was the substance.

Now let me tell you.

I would like to just take a small break and say that I've been exposed to a lot of Judaism, judaistic teaching, and this is exactly what is taught in their circles.

The idea is always focusing on the outer, the external, the feast day, keeping this fast, keeping that fast, refraining from this meat, keeping this diet.

And it's so similar to what Paul was talking about here, what was threatening their freedom?

Here in Colossae, he goes on to say that those who would have you worship angels and seek mystical approaches are not connected to the source of life, who is Christ.

And he says if you are dead in Christ, you should not be subjecting yourselves to these rules like don't touch, don't handle, don't taste, instead observing these things.

When people observed these things, it was really more of an example of how they lacked humility.

They might have exhibited the illusion of piety, but really, underneath all this piety was a sense of arrogance, was a sense of a lack of humility, a sense of religious superiority.

Moving on to Colossians, chapter 3, we now have the practical section.

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

This is something Paul does a lot, where the first chapters are doctrinal and then the last chapters are practical, and so the same happens here.

So we're going to call this living.

The new chapters are practical, and so the same happens here.

So we're going to call this living the new life in Christ.

So he begins to say that believers should set their affection because of all these things that we've talked about.

Believers should set their affection on the heavenly and not on the earthly.

Why?

Because their old life was dead.

Now their new life is hidden.

They are now separated unto Christ and they will be glorified at his appearing.

And also because of that he moves on to the next section.

Because of these things, believers should put off their old man, or the old self, if you will.

In verses 5 through 11.

The analogy is made of putting off grave clothes.

So take off these old grave clothes.

You don't want these grave clothes on you.

And what does that look like?

Well, first of all, putting to death sexual sins, he says.

Mortify or kill off sexual sins, including desires, promiscuity, impurity, covetousness.

Put off also the social sins, which would include anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy and lying.

Instead, the believers who have now been granted duties and privileges by God were not to be divided by nation.

They were not to be divided by religious distinction or class distinction.

Why?

Because Christ was all and in all.

He then goes on to say that, whereas some of these things are to be put off, there's also things that are to be put on, and he covers that in verses 12 through 17.

The believer should put on the new self.

What does the new self look like?

Well, by contrast to the old with its sinful deeds, it should be characterized by kindness, compassion, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and, above all, love, and that is emphasized above all love.

He then says let believers have the peace of god rule in their hearts, and he covers this in the next few verses.

Believers should let the word of christ dwell in them richly, with their singing, with their thanksgiving and with instruction and warning being the evidence.

And we just sang a few minutes ago to the Lord and I believe this is something that is honoring to God when we sing to him and we're filled richly with the words of song.

They were to do all these things that he has previously named, whether word or deed, in the name of Christ.

Then he moves on to another section that's also practical.

Believers should foster Christ-centered relationships.

He covers this in verses 18 of chapter 3 through verse 1 of chapter 4.

Wives, submit to your husbands as is fitting to the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives and be not harsh or bitter against them.

Children obey your parents.

Fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath.

Slaves or servants should work wholeheartedly, not with eye service as man pleasers, but rather in a way that shows that they are pleasing the Lord, who they fear.

Masters are also to treat their slaves or their servants justly and should be reminded of the fact that they too have a master in heaven.

So this takes us to chapter 4.

And in chapter 4, we'll call this communicating the new life in Christ.

Paul moves on to say that the Colossians were to devote themselves to prayer and be watchful.

They were to pray for him.

He's saying don't forget me, I'm here in prison.

Pray for opportunities that I have to proclaim Christ in the current state I'm in.

And he said pray also that I would proclaim the gospel clearly.

And then he admonishes them to walk wisely and to speak graciously.

He says be careful how you act toward outsiders, in other words those outside the faith, non-believers and speak to others with grace, but also grace that is seasoned with salt.

Now some people interpret this to mean only speak to those with salt.

No, there's supposed to be grace and seasoned it with salt.

Salt isn't supposed to be the whole thing, and what does salt really mean?

It means impactful speech, purifying speech.

Finally, they were to honor and partner with fellow servants in Christ, and here he gives a list of those.

First, he gives a list of those who are sending greetings.

So he mentions Tychicus, also known as Tychicus to some, and Onesimus, who were sent to deliver this epistle.

And we don't know much about these guys, but Tychicus apparently is a trusted courier of Paul's that was sent to bring this Colossian letter, along with Onesimus, to the Colossian believers.

Onesimus, of course, is mentioned as being a slave that had belonged to Philemon, but who Paul now counted as a brother in Christ.

Then there's greetings from Aristarchus, john Mark and Jesus Justice.

These three were Jews.

Aristarchus was a fellow prisoner.

We know that because he identifies that way.

John Mark, of course, was used greatly by God initially, and then there was a falling away period and then he came back to work with Paul.

Jesus' justice, we don't know a lot about, but he's mentioned here.

And then Paul also extends greetings from Epaphras and from Luke and from Demas, who were Gentiles.

So three Jews, three Gentiles.

And of course we know that Epaphras had a great burden.

It says, not only for the Colossians but also for those in the two nearby cities of Hierapolis and Laodicea.

And then greetings to others were extended by Paul.

He says greet Nymphus, some versions say Nympha, so depending on how you read, that he be a man, she or she could be a woman, um, but essentially, whether it's nympha or nymphus, it was a house in nymphus's.

Uh, there was a church in nymphus house.

It's not the same as the church of of the colossians, it was a separate church.

Some believe that it was in laodicea.

And and finally, he says admonish Archippus to take heed to the ministry that he received.

Now, tradition says that he was the pastor of the church in Laodicea.

We don't know.

He was also mentioned in the book of Philemon.

And then this Paul's salutation.

So now the question is, now that you've gotten the introduction, computation.

So now the question is, now that you've gotten the introduction, what are the takeaways?

Well, there's, there's many, many takeaways, and far too many to to cover.

But what I did is I I thought of four takeaways that we could, uh, that we could grab one from each chapter to begin with, each chapter To begin with.

Let's think about the fact that Paul said that when you pray, you will please God in every way.

If you continue to pray and this is something that is practical for us Pray that, you will please God in every way.

That's a prayer for us today.

You know, don't slip into a mindset that says that God can't do anything.

You know, it's very easy to believe that God cannot answer prayer, and I know that sounds almost heretical, but this is pretty much where we're at as human beings.

I am a big believer that the littlest things can be prayed about, even something that might sound insignificant, and I've seen in my own life, thankfully, how God has answered small prayers which others might not even think to say anything about.

So that's one of the takeaways that we can grab tonight.

A second takeaway would be to not reduce the Christian life to something that is obligatory or something that just stems from religiosity.

I believe that religiosity is really just an expression of the flesh, really just an expression of the flesh.

And the more one displays a life where they're just carrying out rituals and going through the motions, that's not a symbol of the sign of the spirit, it's a sign that you're being controlled by the flesh, because there's no life in that.

It's just routine, it's just obligatory practice.

This is what it was like before we were saved, what it was like before we knew Christ, just going through the motions of obligatory behaviors and religiosity.

But another takeaway that we can grab from chapter 3 is that, with Christ's help, we can put off the old sinful deeds of the flesh and clothe ourselves instead with the virtues of the new man, especially love.

You show me a christian that's really walking with god.

I'll show you someone that may not know a ton of doctrine hopefully he knows some good doctrine.

May not be, may have a lot of flaws, but is someone who is characterized by love, someone who is characterized by faith, someone who is characterized by a simple belief in Christ.

And what he says, that's the kind of Christians I like, being around Christ and what he says, that's the kind of Christians I like being around, and I'm sure you do too.

And finally, from chapter 4, paul admonishes the Colossians to be thankful, not only devote themselves to prayer, but be thankful, and we can't overemphasize the fact that the Lord wants us to be thankful for the things that he brings into our life.

Thanksgiving is such an important part of Christianity.

I pray many times that for forgiveness, that I'm not thankful for the things, that I've even asked prayers for.

How often do we pray, god answers us and we don't even come back and thank him.

We don't even remember to say Lord, here's a prayer that I prayed.

You answered it and thank you so much for what you've done for me.

Thank you for all that you've done in every way, things that I never could have even imagined.

Well, let's close in a word of prayer.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, father, we have a hard time really encapsulating this epistle.

We think of the Colossians and how they were steadfast and how, even though they were influenced by false teaching, bad philosophy, very similar to what we experience today, yet they remained steadfast, they were encouraged, and it was a church that was used mightily.

We thank you for Paul and how he loved these people.

Didn't even know them, hadn't even seen them, and yet he exhibited a tenderness, a heartfelt concern for them.

We thank you, lord, for his example.

We pray that we would be like him and we pray that we would also realize that in Christ we are complete.

We are full in you, lord, and we don't need all these other philosophies, religious concepts, rituals, traditions that so bogged down believers and have done so for several thousand years.

We thank you for the example that is set forth for us and help us to understand these principles, and we pray all this in Jesus' name, amen.