SPEAKING TO GOD AND OTHERS
COLOSSIANS 4
2 Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.
- 1) Continue praying - to continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of despite difficulty— be persistent.[1]
- Paul just (last week) taught us how to respond to our spouses, children, parents, employers & employees… and the next thing he says is “devote yourselves to prayer.” HE KNOWS!
- Ephesians 6:18 – “Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.”[2]

• Praying for others... multiplies our defense/offense... as well as moves the focus off of self.
• 2) Stay alert – Why do we close our eyes. Is it OK to pray with our eyes open or closed?
• Students – tests?
• “When I was a child i was told to close my eyes in prayers or else angels will poke finger into my eyes.”
• 3) An attitude of thanksgiving… not an annual event.

3 At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains,

• 4) pray with a purpose.
• “us” is in reference to the speaker (Paul & Timothy)
• The message Paul is speaking is in contrast with what their society at the time believed in general (The Law).
• Open a door… either physically or spiritually
• Mystery – in reference to the Gentiles receiving salvation and being included with the Jews. (Ephesians 3:1-13)

4 so that I may make it known as I should.

• The Jews listened to Paul till he spoke the word Gentiles (Acts 22:21–22). It was Paul’s concern for the Gentiles and his ministry to them that put him into prison.[3]
• This extreme legalistic party wanted the Gentiles to become Jews ceremonially before they could become Christians![4]
• Paul was asking for an opportunity to do the very thing that got him in prison.
• As a pastor… I ask you to continually pray for me and the opportunities to share the Truth.
• You don’t have to tell me you are praying… just pray.

5 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time.

• Act – Live, walk, behave…
• Wisely… where does wisdom come from?
• Proverbs 2:6 – “For the Lord gives wisdom…”
• Hang out with the Lord… He will give you wisdom.
• This is how you know who walks closely with the Lord.
• “Outsiders” – non-believers in Jesus.
• “Time” – don’t miss the opportunities.
• Create opportunities, build on relationships… don’t burn bridges.

6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

• Paul is saying, “Even when you are provoked, you ‘should’ always show grace.”
• A good burger is always seasoned properly.
• What you have been given is Good News (meat).
• You make it attractive or unattractive.
• Speak the right word at the right time.
• Discernment… walking with the Spirit.

 
FINAL GREETINGS
7 Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me.

• Tychicus – Asian companion of Paul, carried this letter to Colossae.

8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and so that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, a faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

• Onesimus – the runaway slave of Philemon, who has received salvation and became a great servant and encourager to Paul.
• Onesimus – once viewed as a betrayer is now viewed as a brother in Jesus.

10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin (concerning whom you have received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him),

• Aristarchus came from Thessalonica (Acts 27:2) It is thought by some that he travelled with Paul as his slave.
• He is also a prisoner in Rome at this time (Paul calls him ‘my fellow prisoner’). He was a volunteer willing to suffer for the kingdom of Christ.[5]
• Mark is the cousin of Barnabas and the writer of the second Gospel.
• Twelve years prior to this, Mark and Barnabas had left Paul after a disagreement about whether Mark should accompany them on their second missionary journey.
• In Paul’s opinion, Mark had been disloyal and cowardly when he deserted them at the end of their first missionary tour (Acts 15:36–41).
• Mark’s relationship with Paul is now restored and he is fully engaged in the Lord’s work and in full fellowship with the Lord’s people.
• Mark is no longer a liability to Paul and is to be welcomed as a fully committed co-worker of Christ.
• Mark is forgiven both by God and by Paul.
• We should not withhold our love from those whom Christ has redeemed and restored.[6]

11 and so does Jesus who is called Justus.

• Justus, also called Jesus. His was a common name among the Jews.[7]
• Fellow Jews

These alone of the circumcised are my coworkers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always wrestling for you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured in everything God wills. 13 For I testify about him that he works hard, for you, for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis.

• Epaphras. It is generally accepted that Epaphras was the pastor of the church at Colosse and its founder.
• Paul identifies him as ‘one of you’ (cf. 1:7).
• He also planted the churches in Laodicea and Hierapolis and was now in Rome visiting Paul in prison to take advice about the situation in the church in Colosse.
• His heart was warm towards his friends back in Colosse and his prayers were fervent and specific on their behalf. He was praying that they might ‘stand perfect and complete in all the will of God’ (v. 12).
• He was a man of prayer.[8]

14 Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas send you greetings.

• Demas is mentioned only three times in Paul’s letters, and these three references tell a sad story. First he is called “Demas … my fellow laborer” and is linked with three good men—Mark, Aristarchus, and Luke (Phile. 24).
• Then he is simply called “Demas,” and there is no special word of identification or commendation (Col. 4:14).
• But the third reference tells what became of Demas: “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10).
• At one point in his life, John Mark had forsaken Paul; but he was reclaimed and restored.
• Demas forsook Paul and apparently was never reclaimed.
• His sin was that he loved this present world. The word world refers to the whole system of things that runs this world, or “society without God.”[9]

15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her home.

• We know nothing about Nympha, except that she had a church meeting in his house.[10]

16 After this letter has been read at your gathering, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

• Public reading of the Scripture.

17 And tell Archippus, “Pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it.”

• Archippus was a member of the church in Colossae.
• Some think he was the son of Philemon and Apphia[11]

18 I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. [12]

• It is worth it all.
• Salvation

Everyday living

[1] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains. New York: United Bible Societies.
[2] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 147). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 147). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (p. 91). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[6] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (p. 91). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[7] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (pp. 91–92). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[8] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (p. 92). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 152). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 153). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (p. 96). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[12] Christian Standard Bible (Col 4:2–18). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.

Does anyone know what the word “diflogo” means?

• You don’t because I made it up.
• There wasn’t a word that describes a word where the meaning of the original word has changed.
• So, now I named it “diflogo”.
• The word “thong” is a diflogo.
• Fizzle: The verb fizzle once referred to the act of producing quiet flatulence.
• Clue: Centuries ago, a clue (or clew) was a ball of yarn. Think about threading your way through a maze and you’ll see how we got from yarn to key bits of evidence that help us solve things.
• Naughty: Long ago, if you were naughty, you had naught or nothing. Then it came to mean evil or immoral, and now you are just badly behaved.
• Meat: Have you ever wondered about the expression “meat and drink”? It comes from an older meaning of the word meat that refers to food in general — solid food of a variety of kinds (not just animal flesh), as opposed to drink.
• I want you to keep in mind the word “diflogo” as we read the passage today.

 
When Paul penned Colossians, the “household” consisted of three sets of relationships:
(1) husband and wife,
(2) parent and child,
(3) master and slave.
    - Paul addresses each relationship and gives
         instructions for each party.[1]

• These relationships keep counselors in business today.

 
CHRIST IN YOUR HOME
COLOSSIANS 3
18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

• Submit (Webster) - to yield to governance or authority

• Submit is a call to recognize and respond to the God-ordained authority of the husband.
• 61 years of Marriage – “I let him lead our family… although I had great influence on him.
• This is where the diflogo comes into play.
• The word submit, especially in this context of wife to husband is being changed in our world.
• All of a sudden submission is a bad thing that doesn’t create equality.
• The submission mentioned here is not that of a slave, as both men and women are equal partners in salvation (Gal. 3:28), but it does suggest a yielding and subjecting of the woman’s will to her husband in her role of godly wife (1 Peter 3:1–6).
• It does not imply inferiority (Gen. 2:24 – one flesh).[2]
• Submission does not diminish the equality or destroy the dignity of the wife.
• Headship is not dictatorship or lordship.
• Christ himself is the model for equality with God and submission to the one with whom he is equal (1 Cor. 11:3; 15:28; Phil. 2).
• To function properly, any institution must have clear lines of authority and submission. The family is no different.[3]
• Submission has nothing to do with the order of authority, but rather governs the operation of authority, how it is given and how it is received.
• No institution or organization can function without submission. In fact, eliminate submission in any area of society and the result is utter chaos... (Examples? - LA Riots ('92), New Orleans during Katrina ('05), etc.)
• When the Colts take the field this season… will there be one leader on the field at a time?
• Matt Ryan & Darius Leonard (usually LB)
• They are watching the enemy & reacting to them.
• Baseball, you have a manager calling plays. Inside of that is the pitcher/catcher relationship.
• Genesis 3:16 - He said to the woman:

I will intensify your labor pains;
you will bear children in anguish.
Your desire will be for your husband,
yet he will dominate you.

• ‎Desire - It is not Eve's emotional or physical desire for Adam (that was already present). It was the desire to take control of her husband's authority.
• This usurp of authority will be impossible.
• ‎It will only be through the power and teaching of the Holy Spirit that submission to one another takes place. This takes place through Jesus.
• Ephesians 5:22 – Repeat
• I Peter 3:1-6 - In the same way, wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, even if some disobey the word, they may be won over without a word by the way their wives live 2 when they observe your pure, reverent lives. 3 Don’t let your beauty consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes, 4 but rather what is inside the heart—the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For in the past, the holy women who put their hope in God also adorned themselves in this way, submitting to their own husbands, 6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You have become her children when you do what is good and do not fear any intimidation.[4]
• Believe it or not, men find women attractive aside from their outward beauty.
• Attractive is not always in reference to sexual desires.
• An attractive woman to me is one who is decisive yet lets others decide as well, organized, joyful, supportive and needs support, leads and submits to authority.
• Trust

19 Husbands, love your wives and don’t be bitter toward them.

• The husband has the responsibility of loving his wife; and the word for “love” used here is agape—the sacrificing, serving love that Christ shares with His church.[5]
• agapaō—means putting the needs and interests of others before your own.[6]
• Christ submitted Himself to death for our, the sake of the church.
• Paul commands that the Christian husband not be harsh with his wife. He is not to use his authority to be overbearing, critical, or bitter.[7]
• The only way this works is if the wife feels secure and safe in her place of submission. In other words, the man has to love and protect her.
• When this occurs, selflessness rules in the house, children are raised in a stable environment and the world has a model of how the family is intended to operate
• The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
• This is not going to occur by the church teaching behavior modification or trying to control the outcome. The only way possible is for the church to teach believers their identity and the Holy Spirit reveal it to them and let it play out.
• What the husband knows and understands greatly impacts what the wife and kids know and understand.
• A “root of bitterness” in a home can poison the marriage relationship and give Satan a foothold (Eph. 4:31; Heb. 12:15).
• Tony Evans – “Unless we’re talking about a case where a wife is deliberately trying to undermine her husband, when you look at a man’s wife, you should get a pretty good idea of what he thinks about himself. If a wife is miserable all the time, maybe it’s because she is married to a miserable man. If her countenance is bright, chances are she is being nourished and cherished by a loving husband. Our wives are like mirrors, reflecting back to us what kinds of husbands we are.”
• The Christian husband and wife must be open and honest with each other and not hide their feelings or lie to one another.[8]
• As we walk with Christ in submission to Him, we have no problem submitting to one another and seeking to serve one another.
• But where there is selfishness, there will be conflict and division.
• If there is bitterness in the heart, there will eventually be trouble in the home.[9]
• The only way the submission/love thing works is by understanding your identity.
• The more you know who you are in Christ the more it will play out in the home… sometimes you need help.

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

• Obedience is the simple process of hearing, understanding, and responding.[10]
• The child who does not learn to obey his parents is not likely to grow up obeying any authority.
• He will defy his teachers, the police, his employers, and anyone else who tries to exercise authority over him.
• The breakdown in authority in our society reflects the breakdown of authority in the home.[11]

21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they won’t become discouraged.

• The Christian father is not to overcorrect or harass his children, or they will become discouraged, which refers to “a listless, resignation—a broken spirit.”
• To be discouraged as a child means to think things like, I’ll never get it right, or, All he does is criticize, or, He’ll never love me.[12]
• Perception is sometimes reality… sometimes it is used for control.
• Raising a child is like learning to drive a car… move from braking… to throttling the gas… slam on the breaks… sometimes you crash… cruise.

22 Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.

• Once again we use the word diflogo here.
• The definition of slavery has greatly changed in its origination to what it is understood to mean today.
• Not only American history, but world history has distorted the view of slavery because of its wicked practices.
• Slavery was an established institution in Paul’s day. There were 60 million of them, and many of them were well-educated people who carried great responsibilities in the homes of the wealthy.
• In many homes, the slaves helped to educate and discipline the children.[13]
• Human - They were masters “according to the flesh.”

23 Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, 24 knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

• A Christian servant owed complete obedience to his master as a ministry to the Lord. If a Christian servant had a believing master, that servant was not to take advantage of his master because they were brothers in the Lord.
• If anything, the servant strived to do a better job because he was a Christian.
• He showed singleness of heart and gave his full devotion to his master.[14]
• Obey and serve genuinely… out of your identity.
• Paul challenged them to consider the fact that their rewards were spiritual.[15]
• Such rewards could not be taken away, and the real Master would pay them what really matters.[16]

25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism.

• Anybody ever feel like they have been ripped off or disrespected in their job?
• Here Paul reminded them of God’s justice.

COLOSSIANS 4
1 Masters, deal with your slaves justly and fairly, since you know that you too have a Master in heaven.[17]

• Masters is another diflogo… you can’t even call it a master bedroom or master bathroom anymore.
• Although slaves did not receive salaries, their basic needs were to be met in keeping with the value of human effort, time, and life.
• Such considerations would radically change the attitude of slaves to masters and of masters to slaves.[18]
• Knowing who I am, redeemed, holy forgiven saint… causes me to live my life differently.
• When I understand I am of great value I respond differently.
  
  

[1] Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 332). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (p. 72). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[3] Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, pp. 332–333). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (1 Pe 3:1–6). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Barry, J. D., Grigoni, M. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[7] Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 333). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 333). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[11] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[12] Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 333). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[15] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 318). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[16] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 318). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[17] Christian Standard Bible (Col 3:18–4:1). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[18] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 319). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

• Moving from Biblical/Historical Truth to Application
• Declaring and defending the Word vs demonstrating the Word in your life.
• We must keep in mind that the pagan religions of Paul’s day said little or nothing about personal morality.
• A worshiper could bow before an idol, put his offering on the altar, and go back to live the same old life of sin.
• What a person believed had no direct relationship with how he behaved, and no one would condemn a person for his behavior.[1]
• What Paul wanted believers to connect with is understanding your connection with Jesus greatly impacts what you “do” in life.
• Paul turned his thoughts to a more positive aspect of Christian living in this section of Scripture.
• The foolish attempts at sanctification found in 2:20–23 often entrap Christian people.
• This is chasing agendas.
• The real issue is the outlook found in 3:1–4.
• Here Paul explained the nature of the Christian’s higher calling (3:1–2) and the reasons to seek this higher calling (3:3–4).
• Although this section focuses on the Christian’s new values, clearly these values are rooted in conversion.
• Conversion includes a radical change of mind which produces the desire for separation from the world.[2]

THE LIFE OF THE NEW MAN
COLOSSIANS 3
1 So if you have been raised with Christ,

• Our exalted position in Christ is not a hypothetical thing, or a goal for which we strive.
• It is an accomplished fact.[3]

seek the things above,

• 1) Set your heart on things above (moral)

where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

• The right hand represents power and position of privilege.
• Hebrews 10:12-14 - But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God., 13 He is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.[4]

2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

• 2) Set your mind on things above (mental)
• Jesus not only died for our sinful nature, but he died so that the power of sin could be conquered.

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

• This is Romans 6-8
• Jesus is not peripheral to life; He is life.
• He imparts God’s life, and He is the center around which life should be oriented.[5]

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

• Eternal life wasn’t some separate gift I received.
• I received a life in Christ… which is eternal.
• What is your life? (baseball, Colts, sports, cars, work/business, kids, your spouse, your knowledge, clothing/shopping, food, travel)
• We can talk all day about these things… but just let me talk about Jesus… that is real life.
• I can go to a ballgame wearing the opponent’s jersey… in Chicago… the southside… and not one person ridicules me or condemn me for being the enemy.
• In fact, they actually talk to me and are friendly.
• The glory of Christ will captivate the minds of unbelievers as well as believers.

5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature body: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

• It is not your nature… but actions of your flesh.
• In the first list of vices, Paul identified five sins which relate to personal actions.
• Four of them consistently refer elsewhere to sexual sins, to which he added a fifth, covetousness.
• The individual who commits them thinks more of himself than he does of others.
• For Paul, sexual sin harmed the individual himself—it was a sin against one’s own body (1 Cor 6:18);
• it ruins relationships;
• it contributes to autonomy—the anti-God spirit;
• and it represents a lack of self-control.
• These all characterize the old self.[6]
• Paul states the obvious.
• Paul has already declared that we have been given the power.
• No matter how deep we are into our bad choices, we have the power to make excellent choices.

6 Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, 7 and you once walked in these things when you were living in them.

• Paul is referring to life without Christ but now, they are in Christ.
• A behavior was established (in the body/flesh) and patterns occurred.
• Now you have a new nature but former behavior patterns still exist.
• As you are learning about how you have already been sanctified, your behaviors are being sanctified.
• Your behaviors are changing and lining up more with who you are as a new creation.

8 But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another,

• A lie is any misrepresentation of the truth, even if the words are accurate.[7]
• Several scholars point out that moralists commonly used lists of fives to identify their moral concerns.[8]

since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self.

• “old self” – sinful nature
• “new self” – new nature/creation

You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.

• Man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26–27).
• This involves man’s personality (intellect, emotion, will) and man’s spirituality (he is more than a body).
• When man sinned, this image of God was marred and ruined.
• Adam’s children were born in the image of their father (Gen. 5:1, 3).[9]
• Maturing in what you know, from the image of Adam to the image of God.
• You have already been made in the image of God from the image of Adam.

11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, (a people group from Central Asia, north of the Black Sea.[10] Considered to be the lowest barbarians of all.) slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.
 
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

• Admonishing has the element of strong encouragement. It is generally practical and moral, rather than abstract or theological.[11]

17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.[12]

• Sometimes you have to remind others about who they truly are
• In context of this letter to the beloved at Colosse, Paul is reminding the believers they have two choices: 1) walk by your flesh or 2) walk by your Spirit.
• Sometimes you have to verbally remind people of who they are in Christ and what it looks like to walk as a new creation.
• I believe it is the Spirit's responsibility to teach us and cause us to walk by the Spirit.
• But many times the Spirit will use the spiritually mature to vocalize the difference of flesh and Spirit.

Panera, lunch, togetherness… We don’t intentionally study the Word, but the Word naturally is discussed in our conversations.

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 133). Victor Books.
[2] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 279). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 10:12–14). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Col 3:4). Lexham Press.
[6] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, pp. 291–292). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 136). Victor Books.
[8] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 288). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 136). Victor Books.
[10] Barry, J. D., Grigoni, M. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[11] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 304). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible (Col 3:1–17). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.

COLOSSIANS 2
12 when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

• It is illustrative of resurrection, indicating the end of the old life and the start of a new life in Christ.
• Baptism is the outward sign of inward grace.
• When someone dies, the next step is burial, and similarly, baptism is the next and essential step for converts.
• The figurative meaning is “to be identified with.” For example, the Jewish nation was “baptized unto Moses” when it went through the Red Sea (1 Cor. 10:1–2).
• This identification means that whatever happened to Christ also happened to us.
• When He died, we died with Him.
• When He was buried, we were buried.
• When He arose again, we arose with Him—and we left the grave clothes of the old life behind (Col. 3:1–14).
• It was the power of God that changed us, not the power of water.[1]

13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses.

• Paul refers to life prior to faith and baptism, when we lived without the control and empowerment of God.[2]

14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

• Satan and his forces thought victory was theirs, but Jesus turned the tables on them and stripped them of their power to accuse and to control.[3]
• This new life came when God forgave us all our sins for He canceled the written code.
• Before God’s written Law, His “written code,” people stood condemned (cf. Rom. 3:19), so it worked against them and opposed them.
• Since people cannot keep the Law, it is like a bill of indebtedness.
• An invoice or a document telling us we owe something to God.[4]
• So people, unable to pay the debt, are criminals.[5]
• But in Christ the Law is fulfilled (Rom. 8:2) and done away with (Gal. 3:25; Heb. 7:12).
• Legalism assumes a contractual relationship whereby in one’s thoughts God can be bought by human effort.[6]
• Legalism is wrong because believers are dead to the Law, in Christ.
• Jesus not only took our sins to the cross (1 Peter 2:24), but He also took the Law to the cross and nailed it there, forever out of the way.[7]
• He fulfilled its demands in His life and by His death, and Christians are in Him.[8]
• The law is silenced because Christ has died as a substitute for sinners.
• We “are not under the Law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14).[9]
• God, through Christ, has forgiven our sins and ends the legal case against us.[10]
• CASE CLOSED!

16 Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.

• Some members of the congregation were critical and dominating. Paul addressed this first because of the persuasive power of these attitudes.[11]
• This warning exposes the danger of the legalism of the gnostic teachers in Colossae.[12]
• At Colossae the Jewish nature of the philosophy predominated. It seems, therefore, that the question dealt with matters of Jewish law, that is, the eating of clean and unclean meats as forbidden or condoned in the Old Testament.[13]
• Their religion was tied to the calendar.
• “judge” - “to determine value.”
• Don’t let anyone determine your values for you by what they are saying about you or to you.
• Christ alone has already determined your personal value which allows you to live in freedom.
• The flesh is weak when it comes to doing spiritual things (Matt. 26:41), but it is very strong when it comes to practicing religious rules and regulations.[14]

17 These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is Christ.

• A shadow is less significant than the object which causes it.
• A shadow is temporary, lasting until the substance arrives in view.
• A shadow is inferior in that it imperfectly resembles the object.
• No one prefers the shadow to the substance.[15]
• The believing Gentiles in Colossae never were under the Law of Moses since that Law was given only to Israel (Rom. 9:4). It seems strange that, now that they were Christians, they would want to submit themselves to Jewish legalism![16]
• The false teachers in Colossae were claiming a “deeper spiritual life” for all who would practice the Law.[17]

18 Let no one condemn you by delighting in ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm. Such people are inflated by empty notions of their unspiritual mind.

• “Let no one disqualify you.” – Johnny Football sat out a half… but still won the game.
• Warren Wiersbe says, “The contestant does not cease to be a citizen of the land, but he forfeits the honor of winning a prize.”
• “ascetic practices” – Legalism of the Law.
• Ascetic - practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline (an ascetic monk or an ascetic diet).
• An ascetic practices rigorous self-denial and even self-mortification in order to become more spiritual.
• The ascetic hopes to sanctify the soul by his discipline of the body, and it is this heresy that Paul attacked.[18]
• “worship of angels” – we only need Christ.

19 He doesn’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with growth from God.

• “head” - the use of this metaphor shows Christ’s superiority over the law or human traditions.[19]
• The Christian is to be energized and empowered by Christ the head so that genuine spiritual growth can take place.[20]


• In Colossae, don’t allow people to place a yoke/restriction upon you.
• In Corinth, they were saying that “we are free in Christ, we can do whatever we want.”
• In our church culture today, the legalism is not about food restrictions or days of worship.
• It plays out in what the “service time” looks like.
• Our church culture judges us based upon where we attend, what we wear, what traditions we practice, what translation we use, what we sing, what style we sing, who we align with and how we interpret the Scripture.

 

• Leavener – everything we can do to break down each of these non-essential thoughts about doing church in this culture.
• There are two extreme sides, the Colossae side and the Corinth side.
• You are free to do that, but there is a great reward that you are missing out on.
• And in all honesty, you cause consequences upon those who are in your community… because we are identifying with each other.
• At Leavener, we choose to identify with each other by hanging out together… no bumper stickers.
• Because of our hanging out together, we get tagged in our culture with what everyone is sewing in our community.
• “Oh, you are one of those Leavenerites!”
• If you hang out here with me at the pub… you get tagged with, “Oh, you go to church at a bar!”
• I take on very few battles anymore about this type of judgment because I understand the only judge I have is Christ alone.
• As a shepherd of this flock, I am used to protect, but I trust that Christ is our center.
• The more I trust Christ, the less I have to protect.

20 If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: 21 “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”?

• “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch” - slogans from the false teachers
• The problem at Colossae was the people willingly embraced a system of thought contrary to Christianity.
• The system was enslaving.[21]

22 All these regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines. 23 Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.[22]

• The people who practice asceticism have a “reputation” for spirituality, but the product does not live up to the promotion.[23]
• 1 Cor 10:23 where Paul cited a slogan from the libertine party in Corinth: “All things are lawful” (NASB). They realized their Christian freedoms and flaunted them before other Christians.
• Again, Paul agreed with the truthfulness of their position, but modified it.
• He agreed as a general reference point that “all things are lawful.” He modified their position, however, by saying that “not everything is constructive.”[24]
• Paul is saying you are free to practice these legalisms because they seem practical and full of wisdom but they are definitely not going to help you understand the freedom that Christ intended for you to live in on a moment by moment basis.
• The power of Christ in the life of the believer does more than merely restrain the desires of the flesh: it puts new desires within him.
• He does not need law on the outside to control his appetites because he has life on the inside![25]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:11). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Barry, J. D., Grigoni, M. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Col 2:13). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[3] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon. Opening Up Commentary (p. 49). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[4] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon. Opening Up Commentary (p. 48). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[5] Geisler, N. L. (1985). Colossians. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.)The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 678). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, p. 263). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:11). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Geisler, N. L. (1985). Colossians. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.)The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 678). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:11). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon. Opening Up Commentary (p. 49). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[11] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, p. 266). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[12] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:16). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[13] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, p. 268). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[14] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:16). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[15] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians,
colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, p. 268). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[16] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:16). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[17] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:16). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[18] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:20). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[19] Barry, J. D., Grigoni, M. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Col 2:19). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[20] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, p. 273). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[21] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, p. 275). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[22] Christian Standard Bible (Col 2:12–2:23). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[23] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:20). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[24] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, p. 276). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[25] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:20). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

• We left off in Paul’s letter with home focused on the centrality of Jesus Christ.
• Jesus is the foundation of everything we believe which impacts what we do.

 
PAUL’S MINISTRY
COLOSSIANS 1
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings

• For the sake of the Gospel… not something evil.

for you,

• You = Gentiles – the very word that got him in this situation of being arrested.

and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body, that is, the church.

• All Paul has done in his ministry years has been for the Church.
• The very body/people that he destroyed as a Pharisee.

25 I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.

• What is this mystery?
• That the Jews and Gentiles are one in Jesus.
• The difference between the Old and the New Covenant.
• During the Old Testament, a Gentile had to become a Jewish proselyte in order to share in the blessings of Israel.
• But in the New Covenant, Jews and Gentiles alike are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.[1]
• Romans 10:11–13 - For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.[2]

27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

• God's glory lives above and beyond any type of description or definition.
• You cannot accurately and fully describe in words the glory that Scripture declares.
• "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?" (Isaiah 40:12).
• Go to your sink, turn it on, and see how much water you can cup in the palm of your hand before it starts spilling out.
• Then, consider that your God can hold all of the liquid in the universe and not spill a single drop!
• Where we chase after glory can vary, but one thing is for certain: this hunger for glory will never ever be satisfied by created things.
• Even if you could experience the most glorious situations, locations, relationships, experiences, achievements or possessions in this life, your heart still would not be satisfied.
• Creation has no capacity whatsoever to bring contentment to your heart.
• Only God can satisfy our hunger and give peace and rest to our hearts.

 

• Mayor Fadness had a breakfast on Wednesday concerning mental health in our community.
• It was actually stated that we don’t have an answer for the root cause of mental health.

 

• The reality is that we can't actually solve our own glory dysfunction.
• Many have tried; none have succeeded on their own.
• Our only hope is for the God of glory to invade our lives and rescue us.
• But not rescue us from culture or media or government – no, he needs to rescue us from us.

 

• This is why Jesus came to earth, lived righteously on our behalf, died for our dysfunction, then rose again conquering sin and death.
• In amazing grace, Jesus willingly came on a glory rescue mission, and because he did, there's hope for us.
• When we admit to our glory thievery and when we cry out for help for our dysfunction, we can finally be free from the never-satisfying quest for worldly glory and live forever in the light of the satisfying glory of God.[3]

28 We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom (the right use of knowledge), so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

• Galatians 3:8 - Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed through you.[4]

29 I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.

• It is hard work to walk by the Spirit.
• How do you even do that?
• Trust what you know… not what you feel?
• Feelings in your gut aren’t always true.
• Whose strength is it any way?

 
COLOSSIANS 2
1 For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling (praying) for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person.

• Prayer is not our trying to change God’s mind.
• It is learning what is the mind of God and asking accordingly.[5]
• It is a similar response for us as to the families in Texas this week.
• We are here and what are we able to do for them?
• It is Memorial Day, and what are we able to do for the families of the war dead?
• We never forget… and we pray.

2 I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ.

• The ultimate goal, for Paul, was to “know the mystery of God, namely Christ” in the fellowship of the church[6]
• “I want” – Paul is stating his purpose which comes from his heart. His passion.
• Paul speaks of intimate relationships and a unity which binds together those who walk in the truth[7]
• Think about the legalism and interpretation issues that were a part of Paul’s background.
• If you stay focused on the Truth… rather than the issues… you will have unforced unity.

3 In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

• Wisdom implies the ability to defend what we understand.
• Knowledge suggests the ability to grasp truth.
• All of these terms were also used by the gnostics.[8]
• The false teachers focused on wisdom; Paul focused on Christ.[9]

 
CHRIST VERSUS THE COLOSSIAN HERESY
4 I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable.

• Theologically, he was concerned that the Colossians not be deceived by “fine-sounding arguments.”
• The real threat was that they might be deceived by a fast line or by smooth talk.
• The church had to learn to see beyond the fine-sounding language of the heretics to the empty and damning arguments they were presenting.
• Thus, it was to grow in the knowledge of Christ to avoid the deceitful traps of heretical arguments.[10]
• Super Summer training for our students.

5 For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.

• Paul is so taken up with his pastoral task that he is with them ‘in spirit’.
• This means much more than ‘I am thinking of you’ for he feels he is one of them.
• Paul is united with them, committed to them, and commends them.[11]
• “Order” describes the arrangement of the army in ranks, with each soldier in his proper place.
• “strength” – “steadfastness” pictures the soldiers in battle formation, presenting a solid front to the enemy.[12]

6 So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, 7 being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.

• Picture of tree?
• A thankful spirit is a mark of Christian maturity. When a believer is abounding in thanksgiving, he is really making progress![13]
• I’ll hang around that person all day long!

8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.

• “captive” – pirated
• Paul’s ‘Beware’ alerts them to the seriousness of their situation and their need to be attentive to the possibility of their being misled through a false pursuit of wisdom and knowledge.
• Paul saw this influx of heresy as a planned, organized attack against Christian theology.[14]
• Paul is not speaking against philosophy in general, just the kind that contradicts the gospel message.[15]
• Here is a clue to the Colossian heresy. It included philosophy, traditions of men, science of the day, and worldly thinking.
• Paul is warning them about the kind of teaching that does nothing for the soul and negates the gospel of Jesus Christ because it is ‘not according to Christ’.
• The Colossian heresy promised much but because it was man-made it would not deliver. [16]
• True Christian philosophy “take[s] captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5)[17]

9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ,

• Apart from Him is emptiness.
• The very nature of God is fully present in Christ.
• The fullness refers to the completeness of the divine nature, but it does not mean that Christ is all there is of God.[18]

10 and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

• “filled by Him” – made complete
• This is not “positional”
• When Christ is in you (1:27) there is no room for another on the throne of your heart.[19]

11 You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,

• In the Old Testament, circumcision was the outward sign of the covenant made with Abraham and the seal of membership of the covenant people of God.
• The ‘spoilers’ said that converts must be circumcised, as it was essential to salvation.
• Gnostic legalism said that the Jewish Law would help the believers become more spiritual.
• If they were circumcised, and if they watched their diets and observed the holy days, then they would become part of the “spiritual elite” in the church.
• Unfortunately, we have people with similar ideas in our churches today.[20]
• But Paul taught that believers need not be circumcised in the flesh to be complete in Christ, as he fulfilled all the Old Testament’s types and shadows, making Judaism obsolete (Eph. 2:14).[21]
• God continually expresses concern for circumcision of the heart (Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4; Rom 2:29 – “On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly,  and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter.”[22])[23]
• Their sinful nature (NIV) (“the body of the flesh”) was decisively put off by Christ’s death and resurrection.
• The word (flesh) usually identified the moral principle which characterizes humanity.
• Thus, the statement here refers to putting off the fallenness that guides people naturally,[24]
• What people were in Adam—sinful, fallen, and corrupt—was destroyed by Christ.
• Now “in Christ” a believer is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
• And having a new Head a believer has a new authority for his life—not the Law of Moses but the life of Christ.[25]
• The NIV translation may confuse the English reader by calling the state of pre-Christian existence a “nature.”
• In fact, the term “nature” is an awkward one since it seldom communicates effectively.
• If the term “nature” means a characteristic way of acting, the translation “nature” is correct.
• At conversion, a believer begins to act a new way, giving evidence of a new nature.
• The term, however, is confusing because of the way it is often used by modern Christians.
• Many refer to an old nature and a new nature which are co-resident within the believer.
• Such an understanding confuses this passage.
• The old nature has been put off at the believer’s circumcision, and it is no longer present.[26]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 122). Victor Books.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Ro 10:11–13). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] https://www.paultripp.com/articles/posts/the-doctrine-of-glory-article?gclid=CjwKCAjws8yUBhA1EiwAi_tpERnCUSkwXBgbjyVkocW_FbVrR5Yr5QCcBKy88wfggxQpAviqBmvUJRoCQ10QAvD_BwE
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Ga 3:8). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 123). Victor Books.
[6] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 245). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[7] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon. Opening Up Commentary (p. 37). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 123). Victor Books.
[9] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 245). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[10] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, p. 246). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[11] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon. Opening Up Commentary (p. 40). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[12] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:4). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:4). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, p. 252). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[15] Barry, J. D., Grigoni, M. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Col 2:8). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[16] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon. Opening Up Commentary (p. 42). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[17] Geisler, N. L. (1985). Colossians. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.)The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 677). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[18] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, p. 255). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[19] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon. Opening Up Commentary (p. 43). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[20] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Col 2:11). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[21] McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon. Opening Up Commentary (p. 45). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[22] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ro 2:29). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[23] Barry, J. D., Grigoni, M. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Col 2:11). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[24] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, p. 258). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[25] Geisler, N. L. (1985). Colossians. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.)The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 677). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[26] Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (Vol. 32, pp. 258–259). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Crisis in Colosse

• The church in Colosse is having problems.
• Some of the believers are not getting along and are mistreating one another.
• Still worse, false teachers have come into the church and are subverting the gospel of grace.
• They are introducing a bizarre form of Jewish legalism mixed with a counterfeit spirituality.
• They are teaching the Colossians the following: In order to experience God’s “fullness,” you must observe the ceremonial laws of the OT.
• You must observe special “holy” days and eat only “clean” foods.
• You must also be circumcised.
• Union with God is evidenced by mystical visions and angelic visitations.
• What you handle, taste, and/or touch can either help or harm your union with God.
• If you handle, taste, or touch that which is “unclean,” you will lose your union with God and will never experience His fullness.
• The false teaching has also spread to the church in Laodicea.
• Epaphras, the founder of the Colossian and Laodicean churches, is troubled by this spiritual assault.
• So he sails to Rome to get advice from Paul.

 

• At the same time, Onesimus (Philemon’s slave) runs away. But he does not run away empty-handed. He steals money from Philemon! (This is a capital offense.)
• Epaphras finds Onesimus and takes him to Rome with him, believing that Paul can help him.
• Onesimus is not a Christian, but he remembers Paul to be a kind man and believes that he will help him.
• On his way to Rome to visit Paul, Epaphras (also called Epaphroditus) stops at Philippi to visit the church there.
• The church in Philippi is greatly encouraged by Epaphras, and it sends him off to Rome with a small fortune as a love offering for Paul.
• This is the fourth time the church in Philippi has helped Paul monetarily. The Philippians are deeply concerned for Paul and ask Epaphras to let them know how he is doing.

 

• Epaphras and Onesimus continue toward Rome, but Epaphras becomes deathly ill on the way.
• Yet despite his illness, Epaphras persists on to Rome for the Lord’s sake.
• Onesimus has a message sent to the church in Philippi, letting them know of Epaphras’ sickness and requesting prayer for him.
• When Epaphras arrives in Rome, he hands Paul the financial gift. He informs Paul of the love the Philippians have for him and gives him an update on their progress.
• He also tells him about the church in Colosse.
• Epaphras joyfully tells him of the love the Colossian believers have for one another.
• But he also gives Paul a full report of the problems that the churches in Colosse, Laodicea, and Philippi are having.
• He also lets him know that Archippus—the son of Philemon and Apphia—is deeply discouraged and has stopped ministering to the church in Colosse and Laodicea like he once did.
• Upon hearing all the bad news, Paul struggles in prayer for the church in Colosse as well as for the churches in Laodicea and Philippi.
• Onesimus is with Epaphras, and Paul leads him to Christ.
• Onesimus turns out to be a real servant to Paul, and Paul grows to depend on him.
• When the church in Philippi gets word of Epaphras’ sickness, they write Paul a letter inquiring about Epaphras’ health.
• Paul will now write three letters, and he will dictate them all to Timothy to scribe.
• Paul will send all three letters by the hand of Tychicus.
• He instructs Tychicus to encourage the churches and give them an update on his (Paul’s) prison situation.
• Onesimus will return to Colosse with Tychicus and a letter that Paul will write to Philemon.
• The letters Paul writes at the same time (61 AD) are Colossians, Philemon & Ephesians.

 
COLOSSIANS
GREETING

• Do the heavenly bodies have any influence over our lives? The millions of people who consult their horoscopes each day would say, “Yes!”
• At one point, in the United States, there were about 1,750 daily newspapers, and 1,220 of them carried astrological data!
• Is there any relationship between diet and spiritual living?
• Does God speak to us immediately, in our minds, or only through His Word, the Bible?
• Do the Eastern religions have something to offer the evangelical Christian?
• These are contemporary questions and issues that Paul was dealing with in 61 AD.
• It was a combination of Eastern philosophy and Jewish legalism, with elements of what Bible scholars call gnosticism (NOS-ti-cism).
• This term comes from the Greek word gnosis (KNOW-sis) which means “to know.” (An agnostic is one who does not know.)
• The gnostics were the people who were “in the know” when it came to the deep things of God.
• They were the “spiritual aristocracy” in the church.
• The emphasis in Ephesians is on the church, the body of Christ; but the emphasis in Colossians is on Christ, the Head of the body.[1]
• It is not much different today.
• They were dealing with different agendas of the times and all Paul wanted to focus on was Jesus.
• Jesus was Paul’s only agenda.
• It becomes a trust factor that the Spirit will deal with the agendas rather than ourselves.
• What we know… and believe… impacts how we behave.
• So we will continue to teach Jesus here at Leavener.

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother:

• Paul later mentions that he is the writer of this letter but he is claiming Timothy’s spiritual authority as well here.

2 To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters.

• The city is never named in the Book of Acts because Paul did not start the Colossian church, nor did he ever visit it.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
 
THANKSGIVING
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth (it can be trusted), the gospel 6 that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace.

• All over the world there is not much that is the same… shelter, food, clothing, education, etc.
• But God’s grace is the same no matter where in the world.
• Grace has been made available for the whole world!

7 You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.

• Faith, hope & love… the greatest of these is “love”
• When you recall that Paul wrote this letter in prison, his attitude of thanksgiving is even more wonderful.

 
PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled (you are complete) with the knowledge of his will (to walk by the Spirit) in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, (comes from God) 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: (we understand from the Spirit… then we walk) bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.

• The moment you believed in Jesus, you were given everything you ever needed.
• You don’t have to keep updating it. You have it all right now!
• I have a smartphone… It is called a smartphone for a reason. It doesn’t make me smart.
• What if all I used it for was calling people.
• I’d be missing out on what I have been given.
• I don’t need a new phone… I just need to understand and use what I have.
• You’ve been given this powerful gift that produces all these things mentioned. You just have to use the gift.

13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

• Jesus didn’t rescue us from bondage to have us wander aimlessly.
• He freed us and gave us a Spirit to follow.

 
THE CENTRALITY OF CHRIST
15 He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn (not time but rank) over all creation.
16 For everything was created by him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities--
all things have been created through him and for him.

•  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).[2]

17 He is before all things,
and by him all things hold together.
18 He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have
first place in everything.

• The church had its origin in Him, and today it has its operation in Him.[3]

19 For God was pleased to have
all his fullness dwell in him,
20 and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,

• What is to be reconciled in heaven?
• Revelation 12:10 - Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down. [4]

by making peace
through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death,  to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him--23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.[5]

• Quit going back to your flesh (patterns) and realize the transformation that has already occurred.
• Paull will remind them over and over what they have been taught as the Good News.
• They are constantly being told something different.

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 104). Victor Books.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 116). Victor Books.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 116–117). Victor Books.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Re 12:10). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Col 1:1–23). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.