January 1, 2017
Colossians
Colossians 1:1 - 1:23
Colossae:
- small agricultural town
- in modern day Turkey
- about 110 miles inland from Ephesus
- very simple little city
- part of the tri-cities: Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis
Colossians was written around 61AD by Paul and Timothy while Paul was in his first Roman imprisonment, and at that point, it is thought that Paul and Timothy had never visited Colossae:
Chapter 1, Verse 4: “we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus”
Chatper 1, Verse 23: “This is the gospel that you heard”
Chapter 2, Verse 1: “for all who have not met me personally"
Colossians 1:1-2
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
Some people question whether Paul wrote this or not, mostly because it doesn’t completely line up with his literary style, but there is more than enough evidence to say he did.
- He is writing it with Timothy
- The last verse of the book says,
“I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand"
- The overall idea of the scripture lines up perfectly with Paul
- The timeline lines up
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The first verse says it was written by Paul
Colossians 1:3-14
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, 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, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Paul and Timothy want nothing more than to see the people they are pouring into in prayer to go further and deeper in Jesus! This is a fantastic thing to pray over someone that you are responsible for in discipleship.
Colossians 1:15-23
The Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Jesus:
- Is the image of the invisible God
- Is the firstborn over all creation
- In Him all things were created
- Everything is for Him
- Comes first and holds everything together
- Is the head of the church
- Is the fullness of God the Father
- Reconciles everything to Himself through his blood
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Just like with the Ephesians in Ephesians 5, he is saying: you need to remember that because of the blood of Jesus, you are holy in his sight without blemish and free from accusation.
We can still look like “good Christians” and ignore the redemption that Jesus afforded us, but what we turn into, are the followers that are talked about in Galations 2:21:
Galations 2:21
21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Communication Card
- I will read Colossians this week.
- I will make the decision to live like I am redeemed.
- I will strive to focus on Jesus this week.
