Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Colossians chapter 1 as we continue our study through the Word of God and we begin this letter that Paul wrote to the church in Colosse.  This city was located in the region of Phrygia about 100 miles east of Ephesus, and about 12 miles from Laodicea and Hierapolis.  During the time of Paul this city was small and overshadowed by its prosperous neighbors, Laodicea, which we read of in the book of Revelation, one of the letters Jesus wrote to the 7 churches in Asia Minor; and Hierapolis.  The city of Colosse was predominately Gentile but it did have a sizeable Jewish population also.

            Paul never visited this city but the church was probably established on Paul’s third missionary journey as he spent three years in Ephesus at that time and in Acts 19:10 we are told, “ . . . that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.”  It is possible that during this time in Ephesus that Epaphras was visiting and he got saved there and returned home to Colosse bringing the Gospel to his people and the church in Colosse was started.  (Colossians 1:5-7).

            Paul wrote this letter to the church in Colosse from prison in Rome sometime around 60-62 AD and he wrote this letter to correct some heresy that had crept into the church. The exact heresy is hard to pinpoint since it seems to be a mixture of Greek philosophy and Jewish legalism and some early Gnosticism.  But the primary heresy, which we see growing today, is the denial of the sufficiency of Christ.  The church has bought into that lie and so we have all kinds of therapy, all kinds of programs, all kinds of self-help groups, and Christ is placed farther on down on the list and we might not say it with words, but our actions show that we are denying the sufficiency of Christ in our lives. I pray that this letter Paul wrote to the church in Colosse will give you the correct perspective as Paul tells us in II Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.”

            One more point before we begin this letter and that is the division of this letter.  I like to keep it simple and thus, like Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, this letter can be broken down as follows.  Chapters 1 and 2 give us doctrine, and chapters 3 and 4 deal with the practical application of that doctrine. In other words, here is the correct information, now apply it to your walk with the Lord. With that said, let’s begin reading in Colossians chapter 1, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us this evening.

VERSES 1-2

            Paul could write this letter, he had the authority to be an apostle, not because he was so special or it is what he wanted, but because it was “the will of God” for his life!  Whatever you do for the Lord, make sure it is God’s will for your life and not your own will, your own desires.

            Colosse was the smallest city Paul wrote to, which might seem strange, why write to such a small city? Think of it like this.  Out of all the cities in the Midwest, Paul wrote to the city of Manitowoc, not Chicago or Milwaukee. That would be shocking to put it mildly, and yet, for Paul, there was an important issue to deal with and this heresy that took place back then is still working today and thus, this letter is very practical and important for us to learn from just as it was for the church in Colosse back then.

            Again we see the Siamese Twins of the New Testament, Grace and Peace that Paul speaks of in his letters. And as we have seen before, you can’t experience the peace of God until you first make peace with God and that is done through Jesus Christ, the grace He extends to us by faith.  Paul put it this way in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

VERSES 3-8

            Paul is not only praying for the believers in Colosse to grow in the faith, to remain strong in the Lord, but he is also giving thanks to God for their faith in Jesus Christ – that they are saved!

            What is a healthy church?  Paul shows us here in these verses that a healthy church, a strong church is one that has FAITH that looks up to God.  Paul tells us in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  A healthy church is one that is filled with the LOVE of God and thus, looks out for people to minister to. In John 13:34-35 Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  And a healthy church is one that is filled with HOPE looking forward to the Lord’s return. It is knowing that this is the worst it will get for us.  In Psalm 39:7 the Psalmist tells us, “And now, Lord, what do I wait for?  My hope is in You.”  Notice, not hope in this world but the Lord!  And thus, a healthy church, a strong church is one that has FAITH, LOVE and HOPE!

            It seems like Epaphras visited Paul when he was in prison in Rome, at least 1,000 miles away from Colosse, and brought Paul his concerns of the heresy that was coming into the church there.  This was not gossip, but concern and Paul sends back this powerful letter to correct their error. Too often in the church people don’t want to stand against false doctrine because they don’t want to offend anyone. Folks, when it comes to heresy, to bad!  You don’t allow false doctrine to grow because you might upset someone if you come against it, we are talking about peoples lives here and we need to be serious about our faith as Jude admonishes us, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.  For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Jude 3-4.  That is why I not only teach you the Word of God but I also warn you of the dangers that are out there!

VERSES 9-11

            Paul’s prayer for the Colossians here is two-fold. First of all, in verse 9, Paul prayed that they would know God and His will for their lives.  Again, how important that is for our lives, to know what God’s will is for us, but it doesn’t end there.  The second point in Paul’s prayer for the Colossians is found in verse 10, that they would apply the will of God to their lives or that they would walk accordingly.  What happens when we walk through life not knowing God’s will?  We meander through life or go down the wrong path. You see, our walk is based on our knowledge of God and our understanding of His will for our lives. The Psalmist said in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”  Or as The Living Bible puts it, “Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling.”

            The fruit of walking in God’s will is that our walk would be good, our knowledge of God would grow, that the Lord will strengthen us to walk according to His will, to meet those challenges we face every day. And as we continue in Him our patience grows, our longsuffering matures, and we can face life with joy in our hearts that overflow into our lives because that joy is not based upon outward circumstances, but an inward reality of who God is and that is a comfort, He never changes!  (Malachi 3:6a).  It is truly growing in the Lord, which is hard for us, we want it here and we want it now!  In regards to patience, we may pray, “Lord give me patience, and Lord, give it to me now!”  That is not how it works, learning patience is learning to trust in the Lord, rest in Him!  It is growing!

VERSES 12-14

            Do you work to obtain an inheritance?  No, you are born into the family and you receive it as a gift.  Thus, the Father has initiated the plan of redemption and we become members of the family of God by faith, we receive the inheritance by faith and not by works.  In fact, the Greek word for “qualified” speaks of “to make sufficient, to empower, to authorize, to make fit.” You see, our work does not qualify us but God has qualified us by grace through faith, by the finished work of Christ! What is our inheritance?  It is eternal life with Jesus and all that encompasses.  So Paul thanks God for this.

            Paul also thanks God for rescuing us from Satan’s grip upon our lives and taking us into His Kingdom, which only God can do, man cannot accomplish this by his own efforts!  And to accomplish this a price had to be paid and it was, the blood of Jesus was the purchase price to set us free!  And Paul speaks of the “forgiveness of sins” and at times we don’t fully believe that, we can’t let our sins go, and in believing that you are saying that the blood of Jesus was not enough to cleanse you of all your sins, only some of them!

The Greek word for “forgiveness” is APHESIS and it speaks of “a sending away.” Vaughan put it this way; “It thus speaks of the removal of our sins from us, so that they are no longer barriers that separate us from God.”  Don’t put those barriers back up, the ones that God has removed for the Scriptures tell us, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”  Psalm 103:12.  And in Isaiah 43:25 we are told, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”  Thus, may we be thankful to God for all He has done!

            Those first 14 verses are the introduction you might say, and now Paul’s focus is the work of Jesus Christ. He shows us His preeminence in creation, Colossians 1:15-18.  He shows us His preeminence in redemption, Colossians 1:19-23.  And he shows us His preeminence in the Church, Colossians 1:24-29.

VERSES 15-18

            Denying the deity of Jesus was one of the heresy’s that was spreading through Colosse and it is at the forefront of every cult today. The Jehovah Witnesses in their New World Translation of the Scriptures tell us “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; because by means of Him all [other] things were created . . .” First of all the word “other” is not there in the Greek nor is it implied.  Let’s look at these verses because the Jehovah Witnesses try to use them to prove that Jesus is not God when in reality they prove that He is God!

            First of all Paul tells us that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” and the word “image” in the Greek is EIKON, (i-kone’) and it speaks of a statue or representation.  In other words, it is as we are told in John 14:8-9, “Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, “Show us the Father”?’”  Thus, the invisible God became visible to us in Jesus Christ when He became flesh and blood, when He dwelt among us, “. . .the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14. Clearly Paul’s point is that Jesus is God!

            Next we hear the Jehovah Witnesses tell us that Jesus was a created being for the Scriptures tell us that.  They would show you that Paul said that He is “the firstborn over all creation” and they would change “over all” to “of” to fit their theology, but that is not what the Greek is saying.  Because it says that Jesus was the “firstborn” it must mean that He was a created being is their thinking. The word for “firstborn” is the Greek word PROTOTOKOS, (pro-tot-ok’-os) and it has a few different meanings to it.  In fact, the Rabbis called YAWHEW the “Firstborn of the world.”  (Rabbi Bechai).  But lets look at what this word can mean and see where it leads us.

            A.  FIRSTBORN – CHRONOLOGICALLY:  In Luke 2:7 we are told, “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”  Jesus was the firstborn of Mary.

            B.  FIRSTBORN – FIGURETIVELY: In Exodus 4:22 we are told, “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn.’”

            C.  FIRSTBORN – POSITIONAL: In speaking of the Messiah, God the Father says in Psalm 89:27, “Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.”  In other words, Jesus is the highest of all the kings of the earth; He is supreme to all, He rules supremely.  And if you look at verse 18 as Paul says that He is the firstborn of the dead, it has to mean ranking because others have been raised from the dead in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  He was the first to arise from the dead with an immortal body!  He is the highest rank of all who have been raised from the dead and all that will be raised from the dead!  Thus, He is the image of God, He rules over all creation because He is God!

            Jesus is not part of creation, He is not a creation, but the Creator and He not only created ALL things but by Him all things “consist” or are held together by Him.  There is Coulomb’s Law of Electricity that states that like charges repel each other. The atom is made up of protons in its nucleus and they are like charges. Thus, they should repel each other, blow the atom apart, but they don’t, why is that?  Scientists don’t know the answer, they have made many speculations and they do know that something is holding them together, like “atomic glue” but they are not sure what that is.  I know the answer!  Maybe they will give to me the Nobel Prize for science for this, what do you think?  I doubt it because the answer is that Jesus is holding them together and they don’t accept Jesus, they don’t believe in God and thus, it is atomic glue for now that is holding everything together!

Do you know what is going to happen when Jesus lets go? We don’t have to guess because Peter tells us in II Peter 3:10-13, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.  Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?  Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”  An atomic explosion!

Also, all things were created for Him or as John tells us in Revelation 4:11, and this is from the King James Version, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

            Paul also tells us that Jesus is the beginning of the church, that is the church’s origins began with Jesus and He is the command center for the church, the brains for the church, which is the body of Christ and it is the Lord who then directs us where to go, it is the Lord who empowers us for service!  Alfred Mace put it this way, “Christ cannot be second anywhere. He is “firstborn of every creature,” because He has created everything (Col. 1:15, 16).  He is also firstborn from the dead in connection with a redeemed and heavenly family. Thus creation and redemption hand the honors of supremacy to Him because of Who He is and of what He has done; “that in all things He might have the preeminence.” He is first everywhere.”

            Now, in Colossians 1:19-23 Paul shows us the preeminence of Christ in redemption.

VERSES 19-23

            If you want to see the fullness of God, look to Jesus because all that God is we see manifested in Him, and thus, in the incarnation we have God with us, our Emmanuel!  And Paul tells us that reconciliation is only found in Him, the finished work on Calvary, the shedding of His blood for our sins that has brought peace between God and man.

The word that Paul uses for “reconcile” is the Greek word APOKATALLASSO, (ap-ok-at-al-las’-so).  Normally the Greek word KATALLASSO is used for “reconcile” but Paul adds a preposition to intensify its meaning.  Paul is saying that our reconciliation is complete, it is total, it is thorough, he could not speak any stronger and he is coming against these false teachers that would teach otherwise!

            Sin has affected all of creation, not only man but one day Jesus Christ will return and take possession of that which He has already purchased with His blood – all of creation!  Paul, in Romans 8:22-23 tells us, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.  Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”  And in the Kingdom age we will see, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them.  The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.”  Isaiah 11:6-9.

            Paul says that we were “alienated” from God and the Greek word APALLOTRIOO (ap-al-lot-ree-o’-o) literally speaks of being “transferred to another owner.”  Satan owned us and that ownership was manifested in the things we did, how we lived, for self.  Our minds and actions reflected who we belonged to. But God stepped in and took us out of Satan’s hands and now we are children of God.  Paul put it this way back in Colossians 1:13-14, and this is from The Amplified Bible, “[The Father] has delivered and  drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.”

            Is Paul saying we can lose our salvation if we don’t continue on in the faith in verse 23?  That is not what the Scriptures teach. You see, not everyone who says he is a Christian is a Christian. Jesus made that point in Matthew 7:22-23 as He said, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”  It isn’t that Jesus knew them at one time, at one time they were saved, but they were never saved.  John put it this way in I John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”  They were not real branches but Judas branches and thus, their fruit was fake, it was wax you might say because they were never saved.

Perseverance is the hallmark of a true saint!  Bruce put it this way, “If the gospel teaches the final perseverance of the saints, it teaches at the same time that the saints are those who finally persevere – in Christ.  Continuance is the test of reality.”  In other words, continuing on in the faith just shows that your faith is real!

            As we finish up looking at the work of Jesus we have seen His preeminence in creation, in redemption, and now His preeminence in the Church in Colossians 1:24-29.

VERSE 24

            Paul was not a masochist but he did see how his sufferings in this Roman prison produced fruit in the lives of others, it helped Christians grow in the faith and it helped some come to the faith like the prison guards and some of Nero’s family as we saw in our study in Philippians!  And Paul’s focus was centered upon others, suffering for the edification of the body of Christ, willing to lay His life on the line for the Lord!

VERSES 25-26

            Paul did not let his position go to his head.  He didn’t make anyone kiss his ring, if he had any, or bow before him because he was a servant and the work he was doing for God was based on the fact that God gave him this stewardship, a grace gift!  Now Paul did use his position to correct error in the church, he had the authority, so don’t get the idea that Paul was some Casper milk toast, not at all. Yes, he was a servant of God and yet God had placed him in a position of authority, but it did not go to his head!

            Now a mystery is not a riddle but something that was hidden but now has been revealed to us by God’s Spirit. What is that mystery?  I believe it is that God, through Jesus, would unite both Jew and Gentile together into one body.  Paul, in Ephesians 2:13-16 makes this very point as he tells us, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.”

VERSE 27

            Notice Paul’s point here. It is not that we are being like Christ but that Christ is living in us, and that enables us to be like Him. It is not imitation but impartation!  And folks, our hope of glory is not based upon our hard work, our devotion to God but that Jesus abides in us, He is present with us!

VERSES 28-29   

            This should be our focus; preaching, warning, teaching people the things of God so that they may enter into the kingdom of God, so that they may grow in the faith.  I do not want you to be dependant upon me, that is not allowing you to grow, to mature in the faith.  My desire is that you would rest your weight upon the Lord, to grow in Him, to mature in the faith, to look to Him to be the strength of your life!

            Notice how Paul did this. He says “I also labor” or KOPIAO in the Greek and it speaks of working to the point of exhaustion.  He then speaks of “striving” or AGONIZOMAI in the Greek and we got our English word “agonize” from it.  This was a word used of an athletic event – it demands our best effort.  That is where many Christians begin and end their work.  Yes, that is our part, to work hard, but there is also the Lord who works in us and strengthens us for the work, empowers us.  Folks, you can’t faithfully serve Jesus without hard work.  I can’t find one example in the Scriptures to support a lazy work ethic!   Nor can you faithfully server Jesus without Him!

            As I close this evening let me leave you with this version of Colossians 1:28-29, it is from The Phillips’ translation.  It reads:

“So, naturally, we proclaim Christ.  We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about Him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ.  This is what I am working at all the time, with all the strength that God gives me.”

It is as Paul said in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”  May we walk accordingly!