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Just because William Barclay describes Colossians as the most “difficult book in the New Testament” is no excuse for us to avoid it.
“All Scripture is profitable,” wrote Paul … and that includes Colossians.
There is ‘strong meat’ here (Hebrews 4:12-14) … but it will do us good and build us up in our faith.
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1. THE APOSTLE AND HIS GREETING … vs. 1-6
“I, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse … Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints – the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.” (NIV)
(a) The Situation from which he writes
This is one of Paul’s prison epistles. It is penned during his first imprisonment in Rome … about 61-62 AD. Written at the same time are Ephesians, Philippians and Philemon. Note the reference to his situation in the closing verse:
“With my own hand I write this: Greetings from Paul. Do not forget my chains! May God’s grace be with you.” (Colossians 4:18, GNB)
(b) The Location of his readers …
v. 2
They have both a geographical and a spiritual location. They are “at Colosse” … about 100 miles east of Ephesus … the most unimportant town to which Paul wrote!! Despite which, they received one of his greatest letters! The effort we put in is not conditioned by the size of those with whom we communicate. Large or small, we are to give of our best!
And they are “in Christ”. His saving righteousness is wrapped around them. (Isaiah 61:10). They belong to Him! And that can be true, whether one’s geographical location is Colosse or Calcutta; London or Leningrad; Romania or Rosanna …
(c) The Salutation he offered … v. 2b
“Grace” was the greeting used by the Gentiles (the non-Jews) … and “Peace” (Shalom!) was, and still is, the Jewish form of greeting. Paul combines the two.
Paul was chosen by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles … but was himself a “Hebrew of the Hebrews”! (Galatians 2:7-8; Philippians 3:5). Often among his readers were both converted Gentiles and Jews. Thus he adopted this greeting with which he commences most of his letters (Romans 1:7; I Corinthians 1:3; II Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:2; etc.).
(d) The Supplication he made … vv. 3-6
“We give
thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for
you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which
ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven,
whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel…”
He assures them of his prayers:
* Despite the fact that he had never met them. The Colossian Church was not founded by Paul. He has “heard of their faith” (v. 4), and it has let to their inclusion on his prayer list! But he has never met them!.
* Despite the fact that he is a prisoner! It has been well said that whilst the Devil may fence us around … he cannot roof us over! Many a Christian prisoner down through history has found the opportunity to preach limited by stone walls. But the ministry of prayer was still open.!
(e) And we ought to add … The Commendation he had for them
No word of rebuke (such as the Galatians received). No word of correction such as the Corinthians received. Just a word of warning … for false teachers were out to upset this happy fellowship of Colossian believers!
2. THE SAINTS AND THEIR MATURITY
He calls them “saints” … a title that simply belongs to every Christian. We do not become “saints” by acting saintly and being canonized by the Church after we die. But we are to act saintly because God calls us “saints” - “… to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ …” (Colossians 1:2, KJV)
The King James Version implies that there is a distinction between “saints” and “faithful brethren” … a distinction the Greek does not make in this verse. But it is true that there are some saints who are not as faithful as they ought to be!! Even the believers at Corinth are described as “saints” (I Corinthians 1:2), but they didn’t behave that way!!
But the saints at Colosse did!
(a) The Two-Fold Faithfulness … vs. 6-7
“All over the world this gospel is being fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.” (Colossians 1:6-8, NIV)
Why were they such “faithful brethren”? The answer may well lie in verse 7 … they had a “faithful minister” –“You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf …” (NIV)
(b) The Three-Fold Formula … vs. 4-5
Here is one of Paul’s favourite trios … “faith, hope and love”. It is also found in I Thessalonians 1:3; Galatians 5:5-6; and of course, I Corinthians 13:13.
(i) FAITH looks back to the Cross and what the Lord Jesus did for us there.
(ii) HOPE looks forward to the Coming and what He is going to do for us then.
“Hope” in the Bible sense of the word carries no doubts with it … it is a sure thing!
A Christian’s Hope is likened to an anchor … not hooked on to the depths of the ocean but hooked on to the heights of Heaven (Hebrews 6:18-19).
(iii) LOVE deals with the here and now … and what He is doing through us.
FAITH is the beginning of our pilgrimage; HOPE will meet its realization at the end of our pilgrimage … and LOVE is to be the essence of our behaviour during our pilgrimage.
One Day … Faith will vanish into sight,
Hope be emptied in delight,
But Love in Heaven will shine more bright –
Therefore give us Love!
(C. Wordsworth)
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“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” bemoaned the Lord, 750 BC (Hosea 4:6). They were theologically illiterate then … and, alas, so were many to whom Paul wrote. And many today.
In Colossians 1:9-12 Paul informs us of his concern for the church members at Colosse … and of his prayer that this lack may be remedied.
Notice the word “Knowledge” twice in these verses.
An outline of this book will help us to see the emphasis Paul is making :
Chapters 1-2 Chapters 3-4
Doctrinal Practical
Our Beliefs Our Behaviour
Our Creed Our Conduct
1:9
1:10
↖ ↖
1. THE
EMPHASIS ON PRAYER
The first recorded act of Paul after his conversion was that he was praying (Acts 9:11). And he never seemed to stop. And therein lies an explanation of the effectiveness of his ministry.
He prays for these Colossian folk … as he does for the other churches to which he writes. And probably, if only we knew, for a whole lot more of whom we have no knowledge. He prayed during shipwrecks (Acts 27), for the sick (Acts 28:8), for his people, Israel (Romans 10:1), for himself (II Corinthians 12:8), for his co-workers … etc. …
Paul, like every other servant of God who has been greatly used by the Lord, was one who gave top priority to prayer.
2. THE ELEMENTS OF PAUL’S PRAYER
He prays that his readers might know God’s will (v. 9).
* There is a General Will of God that applies to every believer … that we should be “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).
That means that ‘being saved’ is not the whole story … God wants us to ‘be Christlike’ in our daily walk. “This is the will of God, even your sanctification” … your being set apart to live for Him (I Thessalonians 4:13). That is His will for every Christian.
* But there is also a Specific Will for each individual. To be a teacher? A house-wife? A missionary? A plumber? A minister? A shop assistant? A business man? It is needful to ask, as Paul did, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6, KJV)
In verses 10-12 the apostle mentions five things that are God’s will for EVERY Christian.
(a) An Obedient Life … v. 10
“Live a life worthy of the Lord … and please Him” (v. 10). “A life that brings joy to His heart” is how J.B. Philips translates it.
Later, in Colossians, 3:12-13, Paul will mention some of those things that should be evident in our lives:
“You are the people of God; He loved you and chose you for His own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you.”
(b) A Fruitful Work … v. 10
Bringing forth fruit to His glory! Dogs produce dogs … and apple-trees produce apples … and rose-bushes produce roses … and Christians should produce more Christians!
(c) An
Increasing Knowledge … v. 10
Do I know my Bible better now than I did a year ago? Have I a thirst to ‘grow in the knowledge’ of what my Lord Jesus has done for me? Would I be able to explain to someone how to become a Christian? Could I answer the arguments of a Mormon or a Jehovah’s Witness? Do I KNOW my Bible?
The Colossian Christians were under attack by false teachers … oh, how much they needed to know the Scriptures.
(d ) A Patient Endurance … V. 11
“… being strengthened with all power … that you might have endurance and patience”. ‘Spiritual stamina’ is what Stuart Briscoe calls it!
And Paul knew what he was talking about … he had been stoned and mobbed and shipwrecked and imprisoned and maligned … and if anyone had reason to quit the ministry he did. But he had inner resources … the Spirit of God empowered him to endure all things for the sake of the Gospel.
(e) A
Joy-filled Gratitude …vs. 11-12
“… joyfully giving thanks …” Giving thanks for what He has
done for us … bringing us into His family at the cost of His Son’s
sacrifice. And giving thanks for what
He is going to do for us when we reach “the kingdom of light” (v. 12)!
This is God’s will for
the Colossians … and for you and me.
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STUDIES IN COLOSSIANS – Number 3
A PRIORITY
FOR THE SAINTS … 1:11-23
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“… That in all things He might have the pre-eminence” (v.
18).
And that is what the
passage before us is all about.
1. THE LORD JESUS IS PRE-EMINENT IN
CREATION (1:15-17)
“Christ is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He existed before God made anything at all,
and, in fact, Christ Himself is the Creator Who made the things we can see
and the things we can’t; the spirit
world with its kings and kingdoms, its rulers and authorities; all were made by Christ for His own use and
glory. He was before all else began
and it is His power that holds everything together.” (The Living
Bible)
To put it simply … He is
like a watch-maker who made a magnificent watch for himself … and who keeps it
running in perfect condition.
This universe of ours is
like a gigantic Time-piece … all the planets and stars spinning in clockwork
precision. And He not only made it (v.
16), He also sustains it (v. 17).
But there are some things
here not so simple.
(a) The Doctrine of the Trinity is clearly implied.
In the Old Testament we
are told that God was the Creator (Genesis 1:1). Now we read that it was the Lord Jesus. John agrees (John 1:3).
The solution lies in the doctrine of the Trinity. For Christians believe … and the Scripture
teaches … there are three Persons in the Godhead. Whilst it is true that there
is ONE God, yet the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all spoken of as
having Divine attributes.
For example, the Lord
Jesus was worshipped (and only God is to be worshipped!) … He forgave sins (and
only God can forgive sins) … He claimed to be the “I AM” Who had revealed
Himself to Moses! … He “knew what was in man” (i.e. a description of His
omniscience) … Old Testament references to God are applied to Him (e.g. He
calls Himself the Good Shepherd … a
title that belonged to the Lord in the Old Testament). And now Paul is reminding us that He is the
Creator! (v. 16).
(b) The Problem of the Title
The Living Bible avoids
this by substituting another word, but what Paul really said was that the Lord
Jesus was the Firstborn! And
Jehovah’s Witnesses have a field day seeking to point out that such a title
means that there was a time when the Lord Jesus began to exist. They claim that He was created by Jehovah
before He started creating anything.
Here it is in the KING
JAMES VERSION :
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible.”
And the GOOD NEWS BIBLE :
“Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible
God. He is the first-born Son,
superior to all created things. For
through Him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the
unseen things, including spiritual powers…”
The thing to realise is
that the title, “Firstborn” … to the Jews – was a title of pre-eminence in the
family. It meant that honour and
blessings were bestowed upon that person.
IT DID NOT HAVE TO DO WITH PRIORITY IN TIME (necessarily) BUT
PRIORITY IN POSITION!
* Thus Israel was described as God’s
Firstborn (Exodus 4:22). But many other
nations had existed before Israel was ‘born’.
However, God favoured Israel above all nations … gave them the
Scriptures and the prophets and chose them to be His witnesses.
* Jacob was born after Esau (in time
Esau was first born), but God chose Jacob and blessed him. He was the ‘firstborn’ in the Biblical
sense.
* King David is described as God’s
‘firstborn’ … not that he was the first king of Israel, or the first born in
his family (he had seven older brothers), but God blessed and exalted him.
See Psalm 89:27-29 : “Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.” (Notice the parallelism … v. 27.)
What do I mean by
‘parallelism’? Hebrew poetry (which
this is) does not agree in sound (like our poetry) but in thought. The same truth is repeated twice in a
slightly different manner. For example,
here are some more verses from Psalm 89:
v.
34 My covenant will I not
break, (a)
Nor alter the thing that is gone out
of my lips. (b)
v.
35 Once have I sworn by my
holiness (a)
That I will not lie unto David. (b)
v.
36 His seed shall endure for
ever, (a)
And his throne as the sun before me. (b)
v.
37 It shall be established for ever as
the moon, (a)
And as a faithful witness in
heaven. Selah. (b)
Notice how each verse
contains the same truth twice … expressed in the second line of the verse in a slightly
different way. And then go back to v.
27 … He is my ‘firstborn’, second line … “Higher than kings”.
‘Firstborn’ is a title of Pre-eminence. The Jews
themselves regarded it as a title of the Messiah. (Psalm 89 is a Messianic Psalm.)
Colossians 1:15 is NOT
saying that there was a time when the Lord Jesus was brought into being … it is
saying that He is pre-eminent over His creation. He takes the place of honour over all created things!
2. THE LORD JESUS IS PRE-EMINENT IN THE
CONGREGATION
Verse 18a : “He is the Head of the body made up of His people – that is, His church – which He began;”
(a) That is true of the Church …
collectively
As a body of believers we
look to no man (Pope nor king nor pastor), as Head of the Church.
(b) That is also true individually
“In all things” in our
individual Christian life, we are answerable to Him. In the work-place, in the home, on the sports field, at
recreation … this is the top priority for you … and me …
“In all things He should have the
pre-eminence” (Colossians 1:18)
3. THE LORD JESUS IS PRE-EMINENT IN
RESURRECTION
“… and He is the Leader of all those who arise from the dead, so that He is first in everything…”
Again Paul uses the title
‘Firstborn’ in the original Greek :
“…and He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead; that in all things He might have
the pre-eminence.” (KJV)
(a) Time-wise … He was the first to rise from the dead TO DIE NO
MORE! Others had come back to life
previously (like Lazarus) and died again … but our Saviour is alive for
evermore! And because He lives, death has lost its sting and we can look
forward to resurrection life in Glory bye and bye! (I Corinthians 15:19-21).
(b) Position-wise … remember, the title ‘Firstborn’ has to do with
pre-eminence in the family … honour and blessing … more than priority in
time. And because the Lord Jesus burst
the bonds of death the Father has “highly exalted Him and given Him a Name
above every name” (Philippians 2:9).
4. THE LORD JESUS IS PRE-EMINENT IN
SALVATION
“For He has rescued us out
of the darkness and gloom of Satan’s kingdom and brought us into the kingdom of
His dear Son, Who bought our freedom with His blood and forgave us all
our sins.” (vs. 13-14)
“It was through what His
Son did that God cleared a path for everything to come to Him – all things in
heaven and on earth – for Christ’s death on the cross has made peace
with God for all by His blood. This
includes you who were once so far away from God. You were His enemies and hated Him and were separated from Him by
your evil thoughts and actions, yet now He has brought you back as His
friends. He has done this through the
death on the cross of His own human body, and now as a result Christ has
brought you into the very presence of God, and you are standing there before
Him with nothing left against you – nothing left that He could even chide you
for; the only condition is that you
fully believe the Truth, standing in it steadfast and firm, strong in the Lord,
convinced of the Good News that Jesus died for you, and never shifting from
trusting Him to save you.” (vs. 20-23)
SALVATION !!
(a) The Need … man was alienated from God because of sin (v. 21).
(b) The Plan … to save was God’s plan, not man’s (v. 20).
(c) The Cost … was the blood of Christ. Notice the emphasis here on our Lord’s sacrifice in verses 14,
20, 22, 23.
O perfect redemption –
The purchase of blood.
To God be the Glory!
Great things He hath done.
(d) The Result … There
is peace (v. 20), there is fellowship (v. 21), there is forgiveness (vs. 14,
22), there is a new citizenship! (v.
13).
(e) The Condition of Salvation
It is one thing to “ask
the Lord to be your Saviour”, but it is another thing to keep on trusting Him
till He calls you Home.
Indeed, there are
manifold warnings that it is possible to ‘fall from grace’ (Galatians 5:4) … to
allow the cares of the world choke the seed that had begun to grow (Matthew
13:19-21) … to fail to finish the race set before us.
“Continue faithful”, says
our text. “Never shifting from Him to
save you” the Living Bible renders verse 23.
5. THE LORD JESUS IS TO BE PRE-EMINENT IN
PROCLAMATION
“This is the wonderful news that came to each of you and
is now spreading all over the world.
And I, Paul, have the joy of telling it to others.” (v. 23b)
This is the good news …
that Jesus has died and risen again and provided salvation ‘for all’ who trust
in Him.
(a) To whom is the message
to be proclaimed?
“All over the world” –
every Gospel ends with the Lord’s command to take this good news to every
creature.
(b) By whom is the message
to be proclaimed?
Not just Paul because he
was an apostle; not just preachers and
missionaries … but by every Christian.
If we don’t tell – who will?
Besides, as Paul says, it is a joy to tell others that they need not go to
Hell!
The Lord Jesus told His
followers that they were to be “witnesses unto Me” (Acts 1:8). He is to be pre-eminent in our
proclamation. Not social issues
(however important they may be); not
political matters … not prophetical theories … not pet hobby-horses … but HE is
the central theme of our witnessing.
Happy if with my latest breath
I may but gasp His Name,
Preach Him to all and cry in death
“Behold, behold the Lamb!”
(C.
Wesley)
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Studies in Colossians – Number 4
I LOVE
A MYSTERY … 1:24-28
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Paul is about to
introduce us to a mystery … hidden for ages … but now made known. That’s what he says! (1:26). And the whole thing comes in the
middle of one sentence (in the Greek) and begins with a rather difficult
(mysterious?) verse!
“Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill
up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the
sake of His body, which is the church…” (v. 24)
(a) It does not mean that our Lord’s
sufferings for us on Calvary need to be completed by Paul. Our Saviour’s sacrifice was once for all.
(b) But it does mean that when His Church -
His Body – suffers, He – the Head – suffers also.
When Paul was unsaved and
persecuting the Christians, the Lord asked him, “Why persecutest thou Me?”
(Acts 9:4). Christ is still suffering
as His Body is afflicted. Paul counts
it an honour and something to ‘rejoice’ about that he is counted worthy to add
his sufferings to the Lord’s as he serves the church.
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1. THE MYSTERY CONTRASTED
“I have become its servant by the commission God gave me
to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has
been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the
saints” (vs.
25-26).
To understand Paul’s
writing it is needful in this instance especially to know something of the
background of the Roman world.
Numerous religious
movements had sprung up … called the “Mystery Religions” … Mithraism,
Gnosticism, Magna Mater … and so it goes.
These were secret societies, usually with initiation ceremonies that
promised the candidate greater power and knowledge. Strange rites were performed.
Usually it was only the upper classes who could afford to join.
All of which has a
counterpart in modern-day Freemasonry.
Masons themselves acknowledge the roots of their Order to be in these
ancient “Mystery Religions”.
2. THE MYSTERY REVEALED
“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles
the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory”
(v. 27) .
One is surprised how many
commentators seem to miss the thrust of Paul’s revelation. It is not so much the fact that Christ
indwells the believer by His Spirit … but that He indwells YOU …
GENTILES!! In Old Testament days God
chose Israel to be His servant nation that they might witness to the other
nations (Gentiles).
But now … in New
Testament days … we learn that God has chosen all who belong to Christ. Jews and GENTILES!! Wow!
This was the special task committed to Paul (v. 25), “to present the
word of God to YOU” (Gentiles!).
The Church is His Body …
made up of all nations. Not just
Jews. And this Indwelling Christ
(Christ in you) is indeed the hope of glory bye and bye! (v. 27).
As we noted in the
previous study … Christ is not only Head of the Church in a collective sense …
but of each individual believer (1:18).
3. THE MYSTERY PROCLAIMED
“We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with
all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ” (v. 28).
(a) Proclaim what? …
No! Who! Christ
is the theme of Paul’s preaching. For He
alone is “the Hope of glory”!
(b) Proclaim how? … “Admonishing” (i.e. warning) … for there is a lost Eternity in
contrast to the “hope of glory”. Only
those who have trusted Christ as Saviour can know the certainty of Heaven
hereafter.
…
“Teaching” … for there is
a great body of truth revealed in the pages of Scripture to help the believer
grow strong in his faith.
(c) Proclaim why? … “that we may present everyone perfect in
Christ”!
When Paul gets to glory
his converts will be like trophies to lay at the Saviour’s feet. And he will hear the “Well done, thou good
and faithful servant.” On that day we
will stand before Him … glorified … (1:22) … perfect! No more yielding to sin.
No more wrestling with temptation.
No more words and deeds that cause His heart to pain.
Read all this passage
again in a modern translation :
“And now I am happy about my
sufferings for you, for by means of my physical sufferings I am helping to
complete what still remains of Christ’s sufferings on behalf of His Body, the
church. And I have been made a servant
of the church by God, Who gave me this task to perform for your good. It is the task of fully proclaiming His
message, which is the secret He hid through all past ages from all mankind but
has now been revealed to His people.
God’s plan is to make known His secret to His people, this rich and
glorious which He has for all peoples.
And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you
will share in the glory of God. So we
preach Christ to everyone. With all
possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God’s
presence as a mature individual in union with Christ. To get this done I toil and struggle, using the mighty strength
which Christ supplies and which is at work in me”
(1:24-29).
CONCLUSION …
Ah! ’tis a
mystery to me why so many reject the Saviour
And choose the way that leadeth to destruction.
----------------------------------
My Decision …
I have never trusted Jesus to be my own personal Saviour before. But by the grace of God I intend to do it now!
Signed:________________________________ Date:______________
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Studies in Colossians – Number 5
PERILS FOR
THE SAINTS … 2:1-23
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We often hear that we
should just “Preach Christ” and not attack other religions. But in the chapter before us (as well as
many other places in his writings) Paul lashes out at the false teachers
upsetting the young converts at Colosse.
1. BEWARE OF SOPHISM … those who use ‘fine-sounding arguments’ but who
are devoid of truth.
“I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by
fine-sounding arguments. For though
I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to
see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is” (vs. 4-5).
It is possible to be so
impressed with the speaker’s communication skills that we may forget to assess
the accuracy of his message. It does not necessarily follow that because a
speaker shouts a lot and waves his Bible over his head that what he says is
Scriptural.
Beware of flamboyant
speakers who fail to deliver the Word of God.
2. BEWARE OF RATIONALISM … those
who exalt human reason above the teachings of Scripture. For example, human
reason tells us that nobody can walk on water.
The Bible says that Jesus did! Human reason says that a ‘virgin birth’
is an impossibility. The Bible tells us
that nothing is impossible to God.Yet there are preachers today who place human
reason above God’s revelation. And they
deny whole slabs of Scripture as not being true because they find it
‘impossible’ to believe.
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow
and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic
principles of this world rather than on Christ.” (v. 8.)
3. BEWARE OF CEREMONIALISM … those who teach that certain rites and ceremonies
are needful to save the soul.
“For in Christ all the
fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in
Christ, Who is the Head over every power and authority. In Him you were also circumcised, in the
putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of
men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him
in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, Who
raised Him from the dead.
“But when you were dead in
your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with
Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us
and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and
authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the
cross.
“Therefore do not let
anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious
festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath Day. These are a shadow of the things that were
to come; the reality, however, is found
in Christ.” (vs. 9-17.)
The Judaizers who dogged
Paul’s footsteps and upset his converts taught that a Gentile must submit to
the Jewish rite of circumcision as well as trusting Christ (Acts 15:1). Paul argues here that the Lord Jesus is all
we need! (vs. 9-10). Notice how the King James Version has it …
“For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him.”
CHRIST IS NOT ONLY NECESSARY … BUT HE IS SUFFICIENT !!
(a) Circumcision … the cutting of the flesh … does not help towards
salvation (Colossians 3:11; Galatians
5:6).
What REALLY matters is
the ‘circumcision’ … the removal … of the ‘sinful nature’ (vs. 11, 13). And Baptism is a symbol of that truth … as
we plunge beneath the water and rise again it becomes a picture of death to the
old sinful, self-centred life, and of rising to live for the Lord. Verse 12 reminds us that He gives us the
‘power’ to live that kind of life!
(b) Food Laws … some folk today would have us believe that we are
still bound by the Old Testament laws.
There may be good health reasons for not eating some of the unclean
foods … but it has nothing to do with our salvation (v. 16).
(c) Special Days … Seventh Day Adventists tell us that we should keep
the seventh day (Saturday) as the Sabbath.
And their preachers make dire doomsday predictions upon those who fail
to do so (v. 16).
No! says Paul.
We are no longer under the Old Testament laws. They were like ‘shadows’ pointing forward to New Testament Truth
(v. 17).
The Old Testament laws
pointed in one way or another to the coming of the Lord Jesus. Paul uses another illustration to drive home
this point … the Old Testament law with all the demands it made was like an IOU
that we could not pay. But the Lord
Jesus paid it for us, “nailing it to His cross”! (v. 14).
Beware of those who add
to the finished work of Christ.
4. BEWARE OF MYSTICISM …
the teaching that emphasises angelic visits
and visions. We have oft-times come
across the “The-Lord-told-me” character!
* The Tongues Movement sails dangerously close
to this condemnation of the apostle’s.
* The founder of the Mormon cult was visited,
so he says, by an angel!
* Roman Catholics are often popularising their
vision of Mary or some saint.
* Mrs White, prophetess
of the Seventh Day Adventists, was given to visions. * Charismatic leader Kenneth Hagin, tells
of the angels he saw flying around inside his church!
Beware of those who find
teachings from sources outside of what God has revealed in His Word.
5. BEWARE OF ASCETICISM … those who punish the body with whips or abstinence
from food … all in the belief that the ‘flesh’ is what causes us to sin. (Paul sometimes refers to the sinful nature
as the ‘flesh’, but these folk take it to mean literal flesh.) (v. 23).
“Since you died with Christ
to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it,
do you submit to its rules: ‘Do not
handle! Do not touch!’? These are all destined to perish with use,
because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an
appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false
humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value
in restraining sensual indulgence.”
(vs. 20-23.)
The apostle admits that
those who do such things may seem very pious … but :
(a) God never told them to do it (v. 22),
and
(b) such behaviour can easily engender pride
(vs. 18, 23).
He gets ‘puffed up!’ (v. 18.)
-------------------------------
CONCLUSION
Wherein lies the antidote
to these poisonous heresies? Remember:
“ye are complete in Him” (v. 10).
CHRIST IS NOT ONLY NECESSARY … BUT HE IS SUFFICIENT !!
Amen!
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Studies in Colossians – Number 6
WHAT IS
THE WELL-DRESSED CHRISTIAN
WEARING THIS
YEAR?? … 3:1-17
********************************************************************************
Paul was a man of many
talents. Maybe, judging from this chapter,
he was a tailor in his spare time!
For here he tells us how
a child of God ought to be clothed.
This third chapter
introduces us to the practical side of the letter to the saints at
Colosse. It is where we ‘put off’ our
theological gown (that was needful for the first two chapters … and don our
working apparel).
Actually, he is telling
us to ‘put off’ the evil habits of the old way of life …
1. PUT OFF …
“… immorality, impurity,
lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life
you once lived. But now you must rid
yourselves of all such things as these:
anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken
off your old self with its practices…” (vs. 5-9).
The Living Bible captures
the sartorial tone even better, reminding us that now we are saved it is …
“… the time to cast off and throw away all these
rotten garments of anger, hatred, cursing, and dirty language …” (v. 8).
Like Lazarus was revived
from the dead and ‘loosed’ of his grave clothes (John 11:44), so the believer
rises to walk in newness of life without his sinful habits. (This is symbolized by Baptism … Colossians
2:12.)
2. PUT ON …
“Therefore, as God’s chosen
people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have
against one another. Forgive as the
Lord forgave you. And over all these
virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (vs. 12-14.)
… Compassion, kindness,
humility, patience, forgiveness … these are some of the garments God’s child
should be wearing. And keeping them all
together, like a sash, is Love (v. 14).
As we allow the Holy
Spirit to work in us, these attributes should show themselves in our daily
life. They are the ‘fruit of the
Spirit’ (Galatians 5:22-23), whereas the rags we ‘put off’ were the “works of
the old nature (the ‘flesh’)” (Galatians 5:19-21).
The Good News Bible makes
it clear that the new garments are designed to make us more like the Lord Jesus
in our spiritual pilgrimage (v. 10) … and that there are no more class
distinctions, no more snobbery … we are “all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians
3:28) …
“… you have taken off the old self with its
habits, and have put on the new self.
This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in
his own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of himself. As a result, there is no longer any
distinction between Gentiles and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised,
barbarians, savages, slaves, and free men, but Christ is all, Christ is in all” (vs. 9-11).
3. LET IN …
“Let the peace of Christ rule
in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to
peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing
psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to
God” (vs. 15-16).
“The garment is too loose
here?” says our apostolic tailor … “Then
we will let it in.” And this is what
Christians are to ‘let in’ …
(a) His Peace in our Hearts … v. 15
The word ‘rule’ used only
here in the New Testament means to ‘act as an umpire’. In other words, if a decision is to be made
and you have no peace about it, the Holy Spirit blows the whistle, so to speak
… then don’t do it without further prayer and talking the matter over with some
godly saints.
(b) His Precepts in our Minds … v.
16a
Hide God’s Word in your
heart, as the psalmist puts it (Psalm 119:11).
Study the Word!
(c) His Praises in our Hearts … v.
16b
… not necessarily upon
our lips!! But the more we study His
Word and realise what He has done for us the more we will have a song within.
4. LET OUT …
“And whatever you do,
whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father through Him”
(v. 17).
God’s glory in our
actions … and speech!
Whatever you DO … not
just in church, but in the office and the factory and the kitchen …
Think through George
Herbert’s quaint poem … based on this text …
The Servant with this clause
makes drudgery divine,
Who sweeps the floor as for Thy laws
makes the action fine.
This (text) is the famous stone
that turneth all to gold!
For that which God doth touch and own
cannot for less be told.
The Lord Jesus said the
same thing in the Sermon on the Mount –
“In the same way your light must shine before people, so
that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew
5:16).
“Man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh on
the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).
But is it not
true that our outward appearance may well be an indication
of our
spiritual condition ??
The Bible also has much
to say concerning how a Christian should dress … literally!!
==============================================================
Studies in Colossians – Number 7
THE EXPANDING
CIRCLE … 3:18-4:6
*******************************************************************************
We have seen that the
Lord Jesus was Pre-eminent in Creation (1:16), and in Salvation (1:19-22). And He is Head of the Church (1:18) and was
the First among those who rise from the dead to die no more (1:18).
He is to be Pre-eminent
in our proclamation … (1:28) for in the matter of our salvation He is not only
necessary … but sufficient (chapter 2).
“Ye are complete in Him” (2:10, KJV).
And He is to be
Pre-eminent in the believer’s personal life (3:16).
Now the apostle points us
to the pre-eminence of Christ in our domestic situation (3:18-21), then in our
business life (3:22-4:1), then in our relationship with other believers
(4:2-4), and with the unsaved folk (4:5-6).
1. HOME LIFE
There are rules here,
divinely inspired, for a Christian home.
And what a happier world it would be if these rules were followed :
Rules for Christian Households
“Wives, submit to your
husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
“Husbands, love your wives
and do not be harsh with them.
“Children, obey your
parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
“Fathers, do not
embitter your children, or they will become discouraged” (vs. 18-21).
Wives are to be
submissive … the husband is to exercise a loving headship - compared to the
headship of Christ over the Church (Ephesians 5:23).
Children are to be
obedient and fathers, as head of the home, are to be wise and fair in their
dealings with the children.
2. BUSINESS LIFE
“Slaves, obey your
earthly masters in everything; and do
it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favour, but with
sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the
Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inderitance from the
Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ
you are serving. Anyone who does wrong
will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favouritism.
“Masters, provide your
slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a
Master in heaven”
(3:22-4:1).
Substitue the word
‘employee’ for ‘slave’ and ‘employer’ for ‘master’, and the principles are as
true today as ever they were. We are to be ‘in step’ with the Lord Jesus in the
factory, the office, the class-room, the shop, as well as in the Church!
Employees are to work “as
unto the Lord” … whether the boss is watching or not! And employers are to be
fair and just … remembering that the “Master in heaven” has His eye on them.
3. CHURCH LIFE
Further Instructions
“Devote yourselves to prayer,
being watchful and thankful. And pray
for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may
proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly,
as I should” (vs. 2-4).
Paul has already assured
them of his prayers. Now he covets
theirs. (1:3; 4:3).
We need to pray for each
other … for the children in our fellowship … for the church officers … for the
Pastor (do it now!).
Please Pray for Me
Please pray for me, my friends! Cease
not to pray for me,
I need your prayers, Though sundered far,
For there are burdens pressing hard, Come,
meet me at the mercy seat
And many cares; From where you are;
Pray, too, that Christ will make of
me Nor time nor distance can
divide
The Christian that I ought to be! Our
hearts that in His love abide!
Do pray for me, my friend, Thus,
praying each for each,
At morning hour, That will come true
That I may not be overborne Of which our Lord and Master
By Satan’s power; spake
-
That, ’mid the whirl and maze of “If
two of you” – (Matt. 18:19),
“things” No purer
joy my friendship share
My soul may drink of hidden springs. Than in the fellowship of prayer!
(Herald of His
Coming)
4. SOCIAL LIFE
“Be wise in the way you
act toward outsiders; make the
most of every opportunity. Let your
conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know
how to answer everyone” (vs. 5-6).
Always setting a good
example by our behaviour and always seeking an opportunity to say a good word
for the Lord Jesus.
And we are to do that
graciously and sensibly … that’s what it says.
It is a sad thing to think that there are some Christians who work
alongside the unsaved every day … and the unsaved don’t even know that they
profess to be Christians . (Matthew 10:32-33!!)
==============================================================
Studies in Colossians – Number 8
PAUL’S FRIENDS
********************************************
Final Greetings
“Tychicus will tell
you all the news about me. He is a dear
brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express
purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your
hearts. He is coming with Onesimus,
our faithfully and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
“My fellow prisoner Aristarchus
sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have
received instructions about him; if he
comes to you, welcome him.) Jesus,
who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom
of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends
greetings. He is always wrestling in
prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and
fully assured. I vouch for him that he
is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas
send greetings. Give my greetings to
the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
“After this letter has been
read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that
you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
“Tell Archippus: ‘See to it that you complete the work you
have received in the Lord.’
“I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you” (vs. 7-18).
At first glimpse one
wonders what lessons can be found in these closing twelve verses. But there are some … believe me!!
1. THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE PARTICULAR PIG
One
evening in October,
When
I was far from sober
and
dragging home a load with manly pride,
My
poor feet began to stutter,
So
I laid down in the gutter,
And
a pig came up and parked right by my side.
Then
I warbled, “It’s fair weather
when
good fellows get together,”
Till
a lady passing by was heard to say,
“You
can tell a man who boozes
by
the company that he chooses,”
Then
the pig got up and slowly walked away.
(a) The obvious lesson is that there are
some folk we should be ashamed to call our friends … especially if we belong to
the Lord Jesus and they have no time for Him.
And if their life-style is dishonouring to Him.
The friends we love to be
with are a reflection upon our own spiritual condition.
(b) And the friends we choose will influence
us for good or ill. No man is an
island.
Paul surrounded himself
with friends who were keen in serving the Lord … “a faithful minister” (v. 7),
“fellow workers” (v. 11), “a servant of Christ” (v. 12), etc. …
The friends we love to be
with can ‘make us’ or ‘break us’ … spiritually. They can drag us away from Church, and the Lord.
2. THE FUNNY FABLE OF THE TROUBLESOME
TOOLS
The Carpenter’s tools had a conference. Brother Hammer was in the chair. The meeting had informed him that he must
leave, because he was too noisy. But he
said, “If I am to leave this carpenter shop, Broth Gimlet must go too; he is so insignificant that he makes very
little impression.”
Little Brother Gimlet arose and said, “All right, but
Brother Screw must be also, you have to turn him around and around again and
again to get him anywhere.”
Brother Screw then said, “If you desire, I will
go; but Brother Plane must also leave,
for all his work is on the surface, and there is no depth to it.”
To this Brother Plane replied, “Well, Brother Rule
will also have to withdraw if I do, for he is always measuring folks as though
he were the only one who is right.”
Brother Rule then complained against Brother Sandpaper
and said, “I just don’t care; he is
rougher than he ought to be, and is always rubbing people the wrong way.”
In the midst of those discussions the Carpenter walked
in. He had come to perform His day’s
work. He put on His apron, and went to
the bench to make a church. He employed
the screw, the gimlet, the sandpaper, the saw, the hammer, the plane, and all
the other tools.
After the day’s work was over and the pulpit was
finished, Brother Saw arose and said, “Brethren, I perceive that we are all
labourers together with God.”
How many of us are just like those tools. The tools are all different, but each had
his part to do, and one had no right to complain about or against the others,
because they did not do exactly that which he did.
The carpenter used every
one of the tools, and He will use each one of us, as we “yield ourselves unto
God, and our members as instruments unto God”
(I Corinthians 3:9). Paul tells us in I Corinthians chapter 12 that we
all have different gifts (v. 11).
And here, in Colossians 4, we have an
illustration of how Paul needed a postman … and found it in Tychicus.
Luke used his medical
skills for the Lord …
Epaphras was a pastor …
Nympha used her home for
hospitality (v. 15). Together they were
building up the Church.
Paul’s friends are a
great bunch who love the Lord! Are
yours?
Not everyone is expected
to preach or give talks … not everyone is good at visitation or personal
work. Not everyone can open their home
for meetings.
Not everyone enjoys
friendly get-togethers which are valuable in making friends with folk outside
the fellowship.
Not everybody can cook …
We all have a part to
play – just as Paul’s friends were doing the job God gave them to do.
3. THE LOVELY LESSON OF THE HEAVENLY HALL
In America one can gaze
upon a series of paintings depicting God’s Hall of Fame. There are
portraits of all the giants of the past centuries: Spurgeon and Moody and Luther and Carey and Judson (who?). And Polycarp and Knox and Wesley and Bunyan
and dozens of others. And yes, they
deserve a place in this panorama of church greats.
But one writer suggests
that when we see God’s real Hall of Fame
we will be amazed to see a painting of a dear old soul bent over a wash-tub.
“Was she a missionary?” we will ask. “No,” the Lord replies. “A singer? Or a minister?” “No.” “Then why is she in Your Hall of Fame?” “Because she was faithful in the task I gave her to do.”
God’s Hall of Fame is not
filled with great missionaries and preachers … but with those who faithfully
did the task God gave them to do. He
didn’t call everyone to be an overseas missionary … or a full-time worker. Some He called to be housewives or shop
assistants or plumbers.
The main thing is to be faithful
in the exercise of the gift God has entrusted to us.
“You
should think of us as Christ’s servants, who have been put in charge of God’s
secret truths. The one thing
required of such a servant is that he be faithful to his master” (I Corinthians 4:1-2).
And it may well be that
Tychicus will receive the same reward as Paul … and Justus (v. 11) may receive
the same reward as some other apostle. Those who are in the front line of the
spiritual warfare and those on the home front who support them with their
prayers and finances and keeping the home church going, “share in the rewards”
at the end of the day (I Samuel 30:24)!
Some go ‘down the mine’
to reach the lost … whilst others are needed to ‘hold the ropes’. We are to be faithful at whatever end of the
rope we are called to serve Him.
-----------------------------
CONCLUSION
To be careful in our
choice of friends … to be used by the Carpenter in the way He chooses (and not
to scorn those in His Body who have less spectacular tasks) … and to be
faithful in the task He has committed to us.
Then we too, will find a place in God’s Hall of Fame!
And maybe there is
another lesson worth mentioning … “ALL Scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable …” including Colossians
4:7-18! (II Timothy 3:16).
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