Colossians 1:1-8
A Godly Reputation
Paul had never been to Colosse so what he knew of this church, he knew by
reputation only. This section serves as a reminder that the reputation of a godly
church can travel further than the members of a church. May God help us to have
a Christ-honoring reputation.
I. \\#1:1-2:23\\ Christ Exalted Through His Person and His Work
A. \\#1:1-12\\ Introduction
1. \\#1-2\\ Paul’s Salutation
2. \\#1:3-8\\ Paul’s Recognition
3. \\#1:9-11\\ Paul’s Prayer
B. \\#1:12-2:3\\ The Person of Christ
1. \\#1:12-14\\ Paul’s Praise
2. \\#1:15-22\\ Paul’s Message
3. \\#1:23\\ Paul’s Challenge
4. \\1:24-2:3\\ Paul’s Ministry
C. \\#2:4-23\\ Warnings to the Church
1. \\#2:4-7\\ Don’t Be Beguiled
2. \\#2:8-15\\ Don’t Be (Spoiled) Ruined
3. \\#2:16-17\\ Don’t Be (Judged) Condemned
4. \\#2:18\\ Don’t Lose Your Reward
5. \\#2:19-23\\ Don’t Lose Your Christ
D. \\#2:10-23\\ The Solution is to Remember
1. \\#2:9-10\\ Who Christ is.
2. \\#2:11-15\\ What Christ has done.
3. \\#2:16-23\\ What we should do.
II. \\#3:1-4:18\\ Christ Exalted Through His People
I. \\#1:1-14\\ Introduction
A. \\#1-2\\ Paul’s Salutation
1. \\#1\\ Written from:
a. "Paul" - The authorship is clearly stated.
b. "an apostle" - Paul’s title is given to remove any doubt which Paul
might be writing. Some may doubt the truth of the statement but
the claim is clear.
c. "by the will of God" - Paul often attested to the fact that it was
God who had called him, that being contrasted to some who had
called themselves or been called by a group of men.
d. "and Timotheus our brother" - Timothy is with Paul, even as he is
incarcerated in Rome. Timothy had not been arrested but stayed to
serve his mentor.
2. \\#2\\ Written to:
a. "To the saints… at Colosse" - The intended readers.
b. "Grace… and peace" - Paul’s typical Christian greeting.
3. \\#7\\ Carried by: Epaphras.
a. Not much is known about Epaphras.
b. Paul calls him a "dear fellowservant."
c. It is believed that Epaphras may have started the work at Colosse
and brought word to Paul of its condition. It is also believed
that Epaphras will be the messenger to take this letter to
Colosse.
B. \\#3-8\\ Paul’s Recognition - Paul speaks of the things that he has heard
of this church. He is speaking of the church’s reputation or testimony.
1. The testimony of a church is important.
a. A church’s testimony is important to Christ.
(1) What people say about Christ’s body is important to Christ;
however, perhaps not in the sense that some might think.
(2) Christ concern for His church is not that it be thought of in
a FAVORABLE light but in a GODLY light.
(3) Those two are NOT always the same.
Mt 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall
say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
b. A church’s testimony should be important to the church.
(1) A church should be concerned what they appear like to the
community they live in.
(2) Is the church godly or carnal?
(3) Is it friendly or not?
(4) Is it a help to the community or a hindrance?
(5) When sin is coming into the community, can the community
count on the church to stand against it, to be silent, or—
worse—to support it!
a. There are a lot of purely political issues that I have
thoughts on about which I say nothing unless it effects
the immediate welfare of our community or some of our
believers—immigration, imminent domain, zoning laws,
appointments to positions, etc.
b. However, a lot of what the government seeks to control
deals with sin and Biblical authority—alcohol sales and
consumption, education, marriage, capital punishment,
justice, etc.
c. When the community takes to dealing with issues of
Scripture and sin, the church should have a reputation of
siding with God!
(6) It should matter to a local church what standing they have in
a community.
c. A church’s testimony should be important to the community.
(1) Sadly, in our day, WHAT the church stands for is not as
important to the community as it once was.
(2) People today are more concerned with WHAT the church CAN OFFER
than WHAT the church BELIEVES.
(3) In fact, some communities want the church to shut up and sit
quietly so that they can do whatever they want.
(4) Regardless of whether the community wants an active, vocal
church in the community or not, they need one.
Mt 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour,
wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast
out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
2. The church at Colosse’s testimony.
a. \\#4\\ They had faith in Jesus Christ.
(1) That could mean something as simple as the church at Colosse
was saved.
(a) The word "faith" can be used to refer to the whole body
of what we believe.
(b) However, it probably means something different here.
(2) Here, "faith" probably means that they believe in the POWER
of Jesus Christ.
(a) The power to change lives.
(b) The power to change circumstances.
(3) Just how much does the church today really believe in the
POWER of Jesus Christ?
(a) When you have faith in Jesus you depend upon Him to do
the things you ask.
(b) Too many are claiming faith in God but looking to other
means to meet their needs.
(c) Sometimes we depend on God because we have no other
choice, but wouldn’t God like it if we started depending
upon when we do have other choices?
i. Israel had no choice but to trust God at the Red
Sea.
ii. During the days of David, Israel with a mighty army,
chose to trust God.
Ps 33:17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his
great strength.
(4) We need to choose to depend on God instead of man’s inventions.
(a) In the medical field
(b) In government aid
(c) In retirement
(d) In jobs
(5) To trust and depend upon God means that we not accept His
YESs but His NOs as well.
(a) For whatever reason, God sometimes says NO.
(b) It is soon apparent to a child of God that He does not
want us to have everything that it is out there.
i. He doesn’t want us to have everything we can
purchase.
ii. God doesn’t want us to have everything everyone else
has.
iii. God doesn’t want us to have everything we might
want.
iv. God doesn’t want us to have everything we might can
get.
(c) Only God knows why God does what He does, but God does
say NO.
(6) The measure of a Christian’s faith is not how he accepts God’s
YESs, but how we accept God’s NOs.
(a) How do you deal with God saying it is time to do without?
(b) How do you deal with God saying it is time to suffer?
(c) How do you deal with God saying it is time to deny self?
(d) How do you deal with God saying it is time to die?
(7) To trust God means we must accept them as well.
(8) This church had that kind of faith!
b. \\#4\\ They had love for the saints.
(1) Jesus set the tone for Christianity.
Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love
one to another.
(2) Remember, Bible love is not a heart-felt love. It is an
action-based love.
(a) In the Bible, you don’t just get goose bumps when you
love someone.
(b) Biblical love is doing things to help and care for them.
(3) Biblical love is what allowed the poor New Testament church
the ability to spread the gospel around the world.
(a) The church took care of the church.
(b) Not with 401-Ks, dental plans, and cruises, but by
feeding, sheltering, and doing whatever they could for
them as they passed through.
(c) In part, this the personal hospitality that the Bible
places such a premium upon.
Ro 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober,
of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
Tit 1:8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy,
temperate;
1Pe 4:9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
(d) Our modern-day lifestyle has just about removed this kind
of interaction between the saints.
i. About the only way it still exists is with
independent missionaries coming through.
ii. If that trend continues, the church will lose
something significant.
iii. Supporting a co-op is not the same as loving the
saints!
(4) However, loving the saints would have to be more than just
being helpful.
(a) Loving the saints would be standing by and with them.
(b) The body of Christ had, and should have, the courage to
stand together—even unto death.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends.
c. \\#5\\ They had hope of heaven.
(1) Again, this phrase can be used to generally described the
saved, but I think it is more literal.
(2) These Christians were literally serving Jesus for the hope of
those things promised them in heaven.
(3) Heaven and the things God had promised were their motivation.
(a) …a heavenly home.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
(b) …heavenly rewards.
Mt 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or
father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall
receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
(c) …a glorified body.
1Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed.
(d) …and the victor’s crowns.
Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love
him.
(4) How much can others see that our hope is not set in the things
of this life but in the things of eternity?
(5) What a testimony that a church is laboring for things which
it cannot see or have in this life, but only in heaven!
d. \\#5\\ They had listened to the Word of Truth.
(1) Again, I take this as literal.
(2) These people heard the Word of God, believed it, and began to
act upon it.
(a) A lot of our Christian lifestyle is determined by our
background.
(b) That is, we have been brought up to believe that
Christians do certain things.
(c) The early church had no expectations. They were first
generation Christians who had never seen Christianity
before.
(d) Their lifestyle was determined totally by the Word of
God they heard and believed.
(3) I wonder this aloud quite often, "What is the point in being
a Christian, a church, or a preacher of the Word of God, if
you are not going to believe the Book that ordained it all?"
(4) Call me old fashioned, unenlightened, a simpleton or anything
else, but I want the reputation that I believed God’s Word!
(5) \\#6\\ The believed Word of Truth had brought "forth fruit"
among the Colossians as it does in all the world.
(a) The key to seeing the Word do something is to believe it!
(b) The Bible without faith is just words of a future
judgment; but with faith, it is the power of God to
change lives and transform the world.
e. \\#6\\ They knew the grace of God.
(1) Grace is God’s power to work in and through us.
(2) These New Testament churches were testimonies to the work of
God in the lives of people.
(3) God does work!
(a) Grace is God changing us.
2Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new.
(b) Grace is God changing circumstances.
Mr 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain,
Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart,
but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall
have whatsoever he saith.
f. \\#8\\ They had loved Paul in the Spirit of God.
(1) Paul was likely their spiritual grandfather.
(a) As far as we know, Paul never went to Colosse.
(b) However, his ministry likely converted or helped those
who did!
(2) The Apostle Paul was and is largely responsible for any
Gentile coming to know Jesus Christ.
(3) Christians should never have hero fever for another Christian
but it is proper to be thankful and to show respect to those
who aid in your quest to find and learn of Christ.
The things we are seeing in these words are not deep theologically. They are
simple; yet they are profound. Some Christians may not know it, but you can’t
do much with the deep things of God until you first digest the simpler things.
May God help us to understand what He desires for us.
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