Colossians 1:23
It’s All Up to You
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 Thanks
2. \\#1:15-22\\ Paul’s Message
a. \\#15-17\\ Who Jesus is in Creation.
(1) \\#15\\ Jesus, the image of the invisible God.
(2) \\#15\\ Jesus, the firstborn of every creature.
(3) \\#16\\ Jesus, the Creator of all things.
(4) \\#17\\ Jesus, the One before all things.
(5) \\#17\\ Jesus, the One by whom all things consist.
b. \\#18-21\\ Who Jesus is in the church
(1) \\#18\\ Jesus, the Head of the body.
(2) \\#18\\ Jesus, the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.
(3) \\#19\\ Jesus, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead.
(4) \\#20\\ Jesus. the Peacemaker.
(5) \\#21\\ Jesus, the Reconciler.
(6) \\#22\\ Jesus, the Presenter.
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
This verse stands out. Before, Paul has been exalting Jesus Christ, encouraging
worship of Him. After, Paul begins to describe his ministry, some of what he has
done to get the gospel to the Gentiles.
Notice that Paul described what Jesus had done in \\#20, 21, 22\\. By Jesus’
blood and the cross, He reconciled man to Himself. By His flesh through death
Jesus removed the alienation and changed our status from enemies to sons and
daughters of God.
Then in \\#24\\, Paul is describing how preaching the gospel had cost him
something. He was glad to pay the price to preach, but it still cost him some
suffering. He details that suffering in other \\#2Cor 11:23-28\\.
It is like Paul is saying that Jesus has done His part in getting mankind to God,
and Paul, as the earthly ambassador, has done his part. Then in \\#23\\, he says it is time for us to do our part.
IF YE CONTINUE IN THE FAITH….
That statement cries out, "It’s all up to you!" It is a declaration that we have
a responsibility when it comes to our salvation and what it does for us.
Let’s consider Paul’s challenge for a moment.
I. Does this mean that if we do not continue in the faith, we will lose our
salvation?
A. This text does not make the answer to that question plain.
1. Some would argue that that is what it means.
2. Are there some verses which seem to indicate that you could lose
your salvation?
3. Yes. If you don’t believe it, let me know and I will show you
some.
B. I do not believe that the Bible teaches a Christian can lose their
salvation. My belief is based on multiple texts.
1. Verses that make a clear promise like:
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water
springing up into everlasting life.
2. Verses that tell us we did not deserve to receive salvation and
we cannot deserve to keep it.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ro 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no
more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is
no more work.
3. Verses that promise everlasting and eternal life like:
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
4. Verses that promise God’s seal to the end:
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the
day of redemption.
5. And verses that promise eternal rewards.
1Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not
away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time.
C. I firmly believe that the Bible teaches that you cannot lose your
salvation, but if you COULD and you have the good sense to worry
about it, you probably have the good sense to live the kind of life
that wouldn’t lose it, even if you could.
II. No, I think this verse is simply teaching us that we have a responsibility
in the life we live AFTER our salvation.
A. I notice that even though salvation is discussed in \\#20-22\\, that
the most recent topic was of HOW WE ARE TO BE PRESENTED TO THE
FATHER.
Col 1:22 …to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
1. Paul is dealing with how you and I will be presented by Christ to
the Father.
2. This is not a discussion of sonship but presentation of children.
All who are there will still be children.
3. Paul’s statement seems to indicate that we have a role in
determining how we will be presented.
4. We can be presented holy, unblameable, and unreproveable; however
how we are presented appears to be conditional….
Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith…
5. It appears that some Christians MAY NOT BE presented in that
condition.
B. Understanding how much of our standing before God is based on Christ
and how much depends upon us is confusing to some.
1. The Scripture teaches that Christ died for all of our sins.
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by
himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever,
sat down on the right hand of God;
2. Even so, our rewards and our spiritual dress will be determined
by the life we have lived.
1Cor 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive
a reward.
Re 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
3. If we truly understand that, our time on this earth might be spent
differently.
III. So what can we do to make our presentation to the Father as glorious as
possible? Paul’s answer looks at two realms.
A. Keeping our belief system right.
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled…
1. The word faith stands for the things we believe relating to God,
salvation, and the Bible.
2. Being grounded and settled in the faith, implies stability and
soundness in things we believe relating to God, salvation, and the
Bible.
3. To be presented holy, without blame, and rebuke, we must BELIEVE
ACCURATELY IN THE MATTERS OF OUR FAITH.
a. That should make sense to us as it is our belief system that
largely determines our actions.
(1) I received a link yesterday of a video link to
180movie.com.
(2) The movie starts with interviews of America’s young people
either who do not know who Adolph Hitler is or do not
believe in the holocaust.
(3) At one point, it is pointed out that in Germany, a person
can be arrested if they deny the holocaust or display the
Swastika. (They do this so that their people will not
forget!)
(4) A point behind the video is that what you know and believe
will determine what you do.
b. Paul does not break down the crucial areas of faith.
(1) While everything the Bible says is true and important,
some things are simply more critical than others.
(2) Some of those are…
(a) The inspiration and preservation of the Bible
(b) The preincarnation and deity of Christ
(c) The virgin birth
(d) The sinless life of Christ
(e) The substitutionary death of Jesus
(f) The bodily resurrection
(g) And salvation by grace alone
(3) No one can be sound in the faith who does not have an
accurate, Scriptural understanding of these truths.
(a) It is up to you and me to avail ourselves of the
Bible, heaven-sent preaching, and other means of
learning to make certain that we are Scripturally
sound.
(b) In this day, there is no Biblical issue which can not
be studied.
B. Keeping our emotional system right.
Col 1:23 … and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel….
1. Our hope or longing comes from our emotions.
2. The "hope of the gospel" is our longing that salvation might be
completed in us.
a. We are saved in spirit, but our soul and bodies are far from
the finished product.
b. Christians should long for the day when sin will have no effect
upon us at all.
3. So Paul is saying that we should not be moved away from our
spiritual emotions.
a. I say again, salvation should be felt, felt hard, and felt
often.
b. We need a fresh anointing of the Holy Ghost.
(1) I do not believe that the primary purpose of the Holy
Ghost is to make us FEEL GOOD our salvation.
(2) The Bible makes it clear that His purpose is to actually
make us FEEL BAD about some things.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment:
(3) However, the Spirit of God does MOVE upon God’s people and
we need that fresh anointing often.
2Ti 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God,
which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
(4) To be "moved away" from the One who stirs us emotionally
is to become cold, hard, and dead spiritually.
4. We start revival services on Sunday.
a. Revival is an opportunity to be stirred emotionally.
(1) Typically, my ministry as pastor is to ground and settle
the believers.
(2) The work of the evangelist is to stir and move the
believers.
b. If you deny yourself the opportunity at hand, you greatly
decrease your likelihood of being presented "holy, unblameable,
and unreproveable in sight."
It’s all up to you! I want to be presented to my Jesus in as glorious of shape as
possible. Let us gather around the altar and pray for revival tonight.
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