Colossians - Chapter 1

Cliff’s Notes on Romans

If you don’t have time to read Romans, Colossians 1 wraps it all up nicely…

Colossians – Chapter 1

Review

1. History Review
1. When : 62 A.D
2. When : When Paul was in prison (either in Rome or in a Roman prison)
3. Who : to – Church (specifically Christians) at Colosse.
4. Who: wrote it – Paul

Introduction

1. How did you all do this week reading Colossians?
2. What’s your opinion of Colossians (thus far)?  Easy, hard, straightforward, confusing, basic, advanced, etc?  Compare it to Daniel or Romans, etc as well as your impression of it on its own.
1. Very “Paul”.  Easy to read.  Not as “heavy” (yet) as Romans.
3. What is your opinion of this chapter?  Easy or lots of questions, difficult and convoluted?
1. Pretty easy and uplifting, for the most part.  Very “gentle” for Paul
4. Can you group any of these chapters together?
1. Not yet. We’re on Chapter 1.

Lesson

1. vv. 1-2 [READ – Col 1:1-2] Greeting
1. “an apostle of Christ, BY THE WILL OF GOD”

                                                               i.      That’s confidence.  Paul states his authority to write these folk confidently.  Because God wills it.

                                                             ii.      Paul also states this authority to instruct these folks – because God wills it.

                                                            iii.      What is God’s will for your life?  Are you in it?

2. “in Christ who are at Colosse”

                                                               i.      There’s a difference between where we are geographically and what we’re in(volved). 

                                                             ii.      Paul reminds (prays) that these folks are in Christ, regardless of their location.  We should be in Christ regardless of city, state or country.  Further, we should be in Christ in the grocery store, mall, or work just as we are in our church.

2. vv. 3-8 [READ – Col 1:3-8] Introduction
1. “praying for you” – it’s so important to pray for one another Paul lists it FIRST in his letter (after his greeting).  Do you believe in the power of prayer?  Do you pray for others?  When was the last time you prayed for the person across from you?
2. Faith, Love, and Hope – the past (for the New Testament Church (Colossians and us)), present, and future Grace

                                                               i.      Faith – the belief of what has happened and its significance on the present and future.

                                                             ii.      Love – the now-actionable response to our faith.  Our actions should be in love because of the grace we receive.

                                                            iii.      Hope – the future grace of being accepted by Christ; judged not as the imperfect humans we are, but in the righteous robes of Jesus’ redemptive blood.

3. V 6 – world = “kosmos”, meaning the known and civilized world of the day, ie the Roman Empire.  Truth is, while it’s hard to believe (as we have no proof) that the Gospel had literally traveled the “Earth” as we know it today, it DID (and we have proof) that the Gospel had been taken all over the “world”, that is the Roman Empire (and possibly beyond into the areas of Asia and today’s Great Britan) – all in 30 years since Christ’s death and resurrection.
4. “constantly bearing fruit” – this is a VERY absolute sounding statement, no?  Are your experiences that you always see your work spreading the news of Christ bearing fruit (ie, edifying people or bringing lost to salvation)?

                                                               i.      If not, why?

                                                             ii.      Maybe you’re not spreading enough.

                                                            iii.      This verse (and others) says not that we will SEE the fruit, but that the Gospel constantly bears fruit.  Whether we see it or not, does not imply the fruit’s existence.

5. V 7 & 8 – Epaphras – Paul certainly speaks well of folks that work for Christ.  He is just as passionate to lift up a brother (or sister) in Christ as he is passionate to rebuke or condemn those that seek to tear down the work of Christ.
2. vv. 9-14 [READ – Col 1:9-14] Paul’s prayer
1. What a great prayer to study.

                                                               i.      Prayer for knowledge of God’s will for you in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

                                                             ii.      Prayer for them to walk in a manner pleasing to Christ

                                                            iii.      Prayer for them to please Christ in all things.

                                                            iv.      Prayer for them to bear fruit in every good work

                                                             v.      Prayer for them to increase their knowledge of God

                                                            vi.      Prayer for strength to be steadfast and patient – joyously

                                                          vii.      Prayer thanking God for our inheritance

                                                         viii.      Prayer thanking God for our salvation from darkness. Satan’s dominion, Hell.

                                                            ix.      Prayer thanking God for our freeing redemption through Jesus’s blood.  We’re no longer slaves to sin!

                                                             x.      Prayer thanking God for forgiveness of our sins

4. vv. 15-19 [READ – Col 1:15-19] Characteristics of Christ
1. v 15 – “image of the invisible”…  huh?

                                                               i.      [See John 1:1 & 14]

1.       John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2.       John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

3.       Christ is the FLESH of God and the Word.  Christ IS GOD, therefore, if he’s incarnate, He is the image of God.

2. V 15 – “firstborn of every creature”

                                                               i.      Does this indicate Christ’s birth order?  No.

1.       Christ was not the first creature to be born.

2.       Christ is not a “creature”, but the Creator.

                                                             ii.      This indicates and relates to the priority given to firstborn.

1.       There is none greater than Christ.

3. V 16 – “by Him were all things created” – kind of ends that discussion in v 15, no?
4. V 16 – “visible and invisible” creation

                                                               i.      We understand (as we can) visible creation.  But what is this “invisible” creation?

1.       Have we seen lists like “thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers”?  Yes.  See Daniel 10 or Ephesians 6:12.

5. V 16 – “for Him”

                                                               i.      We need to understand and remember that no only did our Lord God Jesus Christ create everything, but He did it for His own purpose.

1.       Including you.

2.       Including your kids.

3.       Including your money

4.       etc…

6. V 17 – God and Jesus were (are) before all things.  They existed always.
7. V 17 – Things exist (both creation and perpetuation) because of God.  He holds it all together.
8. V 18 – Here begins the picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church.  Christ is the head.  Christ runs the show.  We are the body.  We are the sum of our parts, but nothing without our head.  Ephesians deals more with the body and Philippians as Christ’s hands and feet.
9. V 18 – “the firstborn from the dead” – Christ was the first (and only, might I add) being to return from the dead under his own power.
10. V 18 – “that He Himself will come to have first place in everything [preeminence]” – nothing should take higher priority than Christ in our thinking, actions, etc.  Christ has “first place” whether it’s true in our lives or not, but that should be our position too.
11. V 19 – This means that in Him [Christ] the fullness of God the Father existed.  Jesus Christ, while on this Earth was 100% God.  Not 99.9%.

 (Note, McGee specifies an alternative outline for v 15-20 of Colossians 1:

• Christ’s relationship to the Father (v 15)
• Christ’s relationship to creation (v 16-17)
• Christ’s relationship to the church (v 18-19)
• Christ’s relationship to the cross (v 20)

Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, 1983, Vol 5, pp 341)

5. vv. 20-29 [READ – Col 1:20-29] Christ’s work for us
1. V 20 – “made peace through the blood of His cross”

                                                               i.      “made peace” how?  To whom?  God.  We were at odds/war with God.  Christ’s sacrifice “made peace” to God on our behalf.

                                                             ii.      Christ paid the price for our sins.  We deserved punishment, but Christ paid that debt and settled it for us with God the Father.

2. V 20-22

                                                               i.      “reconcile all things to Himself” - If it’s “to” God/Christ (represented by “Himself”), who is it “from”?

1.       US!  Our reconciliation with God is complete, thanks to Christ’s sacrifice.  It’s now our choice (with the Spirit’s prompting) whether to accept (reconcile) Christ or reject Him

                                                             ii.      “holy, unblameable, unreprovable in His sight”

1.       We’ll be seen as perfect and redeemed, without cause for blame or being accused of any wrong/sin when we’re judged. 

3. V 23 – “If” would be substituted “Since” in today’s grammar.  Since we continue in what we know, then we’ll not be moved from it/Christ/our promise/etc.
4. V 23 – Paul considered it a joyous privilege to be a preacher/minister.  Do you receive joy doing what you’re called to do (including spreading the Gospel, which we’re all called to do) for Christ?
5. V 24 – Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.

                                                               i.      Whoa!  “lacking”???  What does this mean?  Does it mean that Paul’s sufferings make up for some shortcoming of what Christ did?  Didn’t we just discuss that Christ’s sacrifice was complete?

                                                             ii.      What do Paul’s sufferings have to do with anything?

                                                            iii.      This passage indicates a few things:

1.       Paul suffers for the body of Christ.  This is a good thing.  We should have burdens for our brothers and sisters.  We should pray and cry with them.  We should encourage or admonish them as we grow in our walk with Christ.

2.       Christ’s sacrifice is NOT incomplete, but us having burdens for Christ’s cause is a normal protrusion or outcome of understanding what Christ did for us.

3.       In that sense, there is a “completion” of coupling our sufferings with Christ’s.  It does not imply an incompletion of what Christ did, but a progression of our understanding.

6. V 25 - 27

                                                               i.      “dispensation of God”  - God gave Paul his task – to be a minister to “you”.

1.       Who is the “you” Paul mentions?  Church at Colosse?  Sure, but also Gentiles.

                                                             ii.      “the mystery which had been hidden” – in the OT, it was not purely that Gentiles would be saved, but the mystery was that Gentiles and Israel would be treated differently.  Gentiles would have a time to accept Christ, while Jews would be “stiff necked” against Christ.

7. V 28 – “Whom we preach”.

                                                               i.      As McGee states – “It’s not WHAT we preach, but WHOM we preach”.  If we preach the Gospel, we’re preaching the whom.  If we preach the Gospel, we cannot help but talk about Christ.  Christ IS the whom of the Gospel.

8. V 28 – two tasks:

                                                               i.      Warn – to save from their condemnation and eternal punishment

                                                             ii.      Teach – to train, encourage, build up, etc.  Not that these people would be without imperfection, but “perfect” meaning “complete or mature”.

9. V 29 – Paul works (strives) because God is working powerfully in Him.  Paul cannot help himself. 

Summary

1. What’s your key verse?
1. v 18
2. How do you feel about Colossians Chapter 1 now?
3. This chapter is a nuclear bomb of the Gospel message.  It’s convicting and encouraging at the same time.
4. What will you do, starting now, to move forward on what God has told you?

Print | posted on Saturday, February 11, 2006 4:59 PM |