Sermon Cloud

Text: Colossians 1.1-8
Theme: Paul thanks God for how the gospel is ALREADY bearing fruit and growing at Colosse
Aim: Spiritual growth comes from hearing and understanding the gospel

READ Colossians 1.1-2 – first thing you notice is that THIS IS NOT YOUR MAIL!  So why read & study it?
Chosen for 3 reasons:
    1 – Every part of Scripture is the Word of God, revealing his heart;
    2 – What is made clear in this letter needs to be made clear in every church, every place, every time
        We can’t afford to MISS what GOD wants to say to US IN THIS LETTER!

Historical:
    Located in Modern-day Turkey, but mostly destroyed in AD 60, never been excavated – letter is all!
    In the Lycus River Valley; cosmopolitan city, but was overshadowed by Laodicea & Heiropolis
    Paul never met this church – Epaphras met Paul & took the gospel message to them
    Young church under constant pressure in 2 directions:
        1 – by a syncretistic spirituality that had no problem with Jesus as one of many, a step…
        2 – by a legalistic & religious form of Judaism which touted the law as path of maturity

In both cases, the pressure on these new Christians in this new church was to think Jesus wasn’t enough
    Soft Religion (Oprah): Pierce Brosnan in Readers Digest: Catholic, Buddhism, private (works for me)
    Hard Religion (Rules): Finger-pointing, rule-based religion, concerned about outward obedience, lists
        Both can show up in the Christian church and outside of it…

What would Paul say to a young church he’s never met, tempted between a funky spiritual mysticism on one hand (Oprah) and a religious finger-pointing fundamentalism on the other (hypocritical legalism)?

Already hinted at answer, before leaving the introduction: v. 2 – LIFT UP JESUS: “IN CHRIST”
    GOAL: help this church see, know, & experience all they have in JESUS, his life, death, & resurrection
Every problem in the church – then and now – comes down to a JESUS problem
    Rather than just fight the heretics (though not afraid to get on the gloves and go to work)
Or point to himself and his authority (though he does that, too – he is an Apostle of JESUS!)
Paul points US TO JESUS – DO YOU SEE HIM?! Do you see GOD’S GRACE TO YOU in JESUS?

Exalt Jesus Christ: Proclaim that Jesus is supreme, above all, the Creator and the Redeemer!
Enjoy Jesus Christ: Pray, hope, plead, and instruct the church to press in, hold fast, rejoice in Jesus: who he is, what he has done, and what it means for us! Explore the fullness of Jesus! GO beyond superficiality… if you aren’t experiencing abundant Christian life, press into Jesus!
Exhibit Jesus Christ: Teach how spiritual maturity – fruitfulness – only happens as we do so!

TONIGHT: a greeting & introduction, followed by thankfulness for a firm foundation, made a solid start

3 things to CELEBRATE, all about GRACE: Content of Grace, the Power of Grace, the Means of Grace

v.5-7: Paul Celebrates the Grace of God in the Gospel
1.    v.5: A Word of truth or the True Word
a.    A Word: gospel means “good news” – it is not advice to be considered, or instructions to follow
i.    Gospel stolen from the context of Roman Empire: it was the birth & reign of Caesar
1.    Embodied in the Roman Empire, the Pax Romana, the great peace & prosperity
2.    Not just a ruler, but a religious figure head: The cult of the Emporer, a god
3.    Most common titles – lord (master) and savior (rescuer, won for benefits others)
4.    Everything in the culture worked to remind the people of His Lordship
a.    Taxes, military control, tributes, levies, celebrations, holidays,
b.    Images of the emporer in public bath, on coins, in the theater, etc:
ii.    Early Xians took the word and applied it to God’s work in the life, death, & resurrection
1.    MLJ Example: King goes to battle, victory sends goodnewswers; defeat sends gen
2.    GOSPEL: God had defeated the real enemies sin, death, hell in Jesus on their behalf
2.    This GOSPEL is CHANGING THE WORLD! V. 6a
a.    The gospel has COME to you;  Paul says the gospel is ALIVE!
i.    He sees it as a DYNAMIC FORCE at work all across the GLOBE
ii.    A bit overstated at this POINT – but he sees where this is going, and sees Colosse as SIGN!
iii.    Like a Fairy Ring – something has happened behind the scenes & breaking out in fruit!
iv.    Negative example of a positive thing – undermining the Empire & creating new life
b.    Bearing fruit and growing – language of Gen 1.28 (sub-theme!)
i.    In the gospel, God is remaking the world, putting things to rights, fixing what is broken
ii.    This he has done in history in the life, death, & resurrection of Jesus, to be completed
iii.    In the meantime, the gospel is advancing in the world, gathering a people for that day
c.    This is the STORY-LINE of the GOSPEL – Paul is thanking God for his REDEMPTIVE WORK!

3.    The HEART-BEAT of this STORY-LINE is the GRACE: v.6b “grace of God in truth”
a.    Contrasting, again, this TRUE GOSPEL with the NON-GOSPEL of the Pax Romana
i.    Empire: blessings came at the cost of taxes, slavery, war, forced worship – you paid for it
1.    If a road was to be built, taxes were increased, people were forced into work
2.    If the Empire was to extend its reach, there was WAR – people died
3.    If there was an attempt to overthrow Rome, or question it, massacres ensued
ii.    Gospel of God: blessings come at GREAT COST, too – but already been PAID in FULL
1.    It is TRUE GOOD NEWS b/c GOD has DONE IT ALL in JESUS, in HISTORY
2.    Lived the life we couldn’t live, died the death we should have died, now RIGHT
b.    Grace means “unmerited favor” – what makes XIANITY DIFFERENT! (Lewis)
i.    This is why Paul can address this letter to the SAINTS in Christ Jesus
1.    Not because they are a special class of Xians, but b/c they are CHRISTIANS
2.    Not talking about their conduct, primarily; rather, their IDENTITY
ii.    Every Religion offers a PATH or WAY to Salvation, God’s Favor, Spiritual Fullness
1.    Christianity says the WAY IS JESUS – what he has ALREADY DONE!
2.    Christianity offers you that on the FRONT END, as a GIFT – and says live in it!
3.    You are ALREADY a dearly loved child, treated as though you are perfect, delighted

Paul Celebrates the Life-Changing Power of the Gospel: v.4-5, the familiar triad, w/twist!
1.    BECAUSE of HOPE enter in: the Gospel is “hope laid up for you in heaven”
a.    Often: escapist mentality – we are getting out of here someday: salvation as freedom from world
b.    NOT CHRISTIAN: Hope laid up is Hope that will eventually COME TO EARTH
c.    The Gospel Story: Heaven & Earth intertwined in the Garden (our space & His space)
i.    Kicked out of the garden because of desire for “freedom” – found death & slavery
ii.    In Jesus, God takes our sin, rebellion, and death on himself
iii.    Jesus raises 3 days later as the FIRST INSTALLMENT of what God in all creation
iv.    Revelation sees into the future when Heaven comes to a RENEWED EARTH
d.    HOPE LAID UP is the FIRM CONFIDENCE that what God has done for Jesus he will do for ALL

2.    Faith in Christ
a.    Paul sees their FAITH in JESUS as a RESULT of the GOSPEL COMING TO THEM
i.    “Gotta have faith” is common mantra… But FAITH in WHAT?
1.    Faith doesn’t save you – the content of your faith is what SAVES you!
2.    What do you trust? What do you rely on? Where do you place hope?
a.    All place our HOPE for security, significance, acceptance somewhere
b.    Job, Family, Relationship, Wealth – need these things to give us I.D.
ii.    When the HEARD of the HOPE of the GOSPEL, placed FAITH THERE!
1.    Faith is taking hold of what has been offered: emphasis on HEARING IT
2.    6b: “You heard and understood” –
iii.    The way salvation works in Christianity: the word, gospel is proclaimed, NEWS!
1.    But it must be received, must be allowed to come in, must be HEARD
2.    The retreat this past weekend: First time aware it is MY SIN, MY NEED – MET!
3.    Application: we need to be livers and tellers of the STORY, that is our JOB!

b.    Faith is Not simply belief, a mental assent to some things that might be true (OR aren’t true)
i.    To see how GREAT the GRACE of GOD IS TO YOU, PERSONALLY
1.    To turn from whatever else has been source of HOPE, MEANING, SIGNIFICANCE
2.    And to FIND IT FULLY and WITHOUT RESERVE in GOD’S LOVE in JESUS!
3.    Love for all the saints
a.    Second fruit of the Gospel’s work in their lives was there new LOVE for one another
i.    A Fundamental Change has to happen for REAL LOVE to take place in a community
ii.    Not just saying, “so you started being nice to each other,”
iii.    LOVE: “agape” in Greek – a number of different words in Greek for Love
1.    This one is the one used of God’s love for us in giving up his Son on the Cross
2.    That event defines this word: a radical, self-denying, sacrificial love
3.    Meet each others needs whatever the cost; servant-like care for each other
b.    Love for ALL the saints – God calls us saints, but most of us are anything BUT SAINTS!
i.    ALL is a hard word – we are still consumers who like our community to meet our needs
ii.    All means “especially the people you don’t like” and “particularly the most needy”
iii.    Example: carrying this letter to Colosse is Onesimus – runaway slave of Philemon
c.    End of v.8: makes it clear: this is only produced by the SPIRIT of GOD
i.    When we turn from sin to faith in Jesus, God’s Spirit takes up residence in our lives
ii.    You GET what GOD has DONE to LOVE YOU IN YOUR SIN & UNLOVELINESS
iii.    You are enable to turn and LOVE the UNLOVELY AROUND YOU
d.    v.2: not only SAINTS, but BROTHERS – literally, siblings – FAMILY!
i.    You don’t love your family because you LIKE THEM – but love them b/c FAMILY
ii.    Often – FAMILY are not people you’d naturally hang with, but committed to them

Paul Celebrates God’s Grace, Celebrates how it has GIVEN HOPE to the Colossians; One more thing:

Final thing: Paul celebrates the MEANS of GRACE:
1.    In v.7, Paul gives thanks for EPAPHRAS; 4.12-13 tell us a bit more
a.    Paul has never been to these 3 cities: when first in Ephesus, Epaphras came, converted
b.    And went on MISSION: When he learned what God had done in Jesus, what was to come
c.    Not only changed his IDENTITY (saint, beloved), but also re-arranged his PURPOSE in LIFE
i.    Became a SERVANT with Paul, Timothy, and many others
1.    Saint, Family, but you are also a SERVANT: responsibility w/faith in Jesus
2.    If you are a Christian, this is part of your IDENTITY, TOO!
ii.    And he was FAITHFUL – he went as God sent him, preached, and God did this work
1.    That is our call, too – you be FAITHFUL, not spectacular, special, important
2.    His name is remember here b/c he did what he could do as he was called
iii.    So he went to PROCLAIM and to EMBODY the GRACE of GOD
d.    This is how the GOSPEL is at WORK ALL OVER THE WORLD
i.    Each saint faithfully serving right where God has put them
ii.    You don’t need to go to Zimbabwe (maybe you should?) – do need to be faithful here

APPLICATION:
1. Signs of Grace – Paul needs to correct this church, yet he starts with thankfulness for what they have!
    CJ Mahaney on 1 Corinthians: starts by recognizing how GOD has worked in them already
    The greatest miracle is that God takes self-centered, broken, sinful, messy people & calls them beloved
Question: Which are you more aware of  - their sin & brokenness, or God’s pursuing grace?
2. Thankfulness – if you get grace, you are thankful, deeply deeply thankful! (Opposite: ENTITLEMENT)
    Paul is not taking credit for any of this – able to celebrate Colossians, Epaphras, list of people
    If you have HEARD and UNDERSTOOD the Grace of GOD, thankfulness becomes the song you sing!

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