THE PRE-EMINENT CHRIST

THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANS

BACKGROUND• COLOSSAE• A SMALL

CITY IN ASIA MINOR NOW MODERN TURKEY

• ABOUT 10 MILES FROM LAODECIA, AND 100 MILES FROM EPHESUS

MAP OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

AUTHOR• THE APOSTLE PAUL

– APOSTLE IS A TRANSLITERATION OF THE WORLD apostolos. Apostolos.

– IT MEANS “SENT ONE”, CARRIES THE IDEA OF AUTHORITY OF AMBASSADORSHIP

– OF JESUS CHRIST, “belonging to” (possessive genitive) or “sent by” (genitive of source or subject)

– BY THE WILL OF GOD• TIMOTHY SHARED IN THIS

LETTER

DATECONSERVATIVE SCHOLARS BELIEVE IT WAS WRITTEN AT OR NEAR 60 A.D.IT IS CONSIDERED TO BE A PRISON EPISTLE, WHILE PAUL WAS BEING HELD IN ROME.

THE CHURCH

• PAUL HAD NOT VISITED COLOSSAE DURING ANY OF HIS RECORDED TRIPS IN ACTS

• HE “HEARD” OF THEIR FAITH THOUGH HAD NOT MET THEM PERSONALLY (2:1)

HOW DID THE CHURCH BEGIN?• LIKELY THE OUTGROWTH

OF PAUL’S MINISTRY IN EPHESUS. (Acts 19; 20:17-38)–This went on for two years,

so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. (Acts 19:10)

HOW THIS CHURCH BEGANDURING PAUL’S MINISTRY IN

EPHESUS, TWO MEN FROM COLOSSAE WERE BROUGHT TO FAITH IN CHRIST, EPAPHRAS AND PHILEMON.

I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. (Philemon 19)

HOW THIS CHURCH BEGAN• EPAPHRAS SHARED THE

GOSPEL WITH PEOPLE IN COLOSSAE–You learned it from

Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, (v 7)

HOW THIS CHURCH BEGAN• PHILEMON HOSTED THE

CHURCH IN HIS HOME IN COLOSSAE.–To Philemon our dear friend

and fellow worker, 2to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home… (Philemon 2)

WHAT CAN WE LEARN SO FAR?• GOD DOES NOT ALWAYS

NEED AN APOSTLE, OR FULL-TIME CHRISTIAN WORKER TO PLANT A CHURCH. PEOPLE WHO WILL WITNESS OF CHRIST, AND OPEN THEIR HOMES FOR WORSHIP, PRAYER AND BIBLE STUDY ALREADY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO START A CHURCH

WHY DID PAUL WRITE?• ENCOURAGEMENT

–THEY ARE SAINTS, FAMILY

• TEACHING–SUFFICIENCY OF JESUS–PRE-EMINENCE OF JESUS

• PROTECTION–GNOSTICISM–LEGALISM–ANY “ISM”

• CORRECTION–LIFE STYLE ISSUES

THE GNOSTIC PROBLEM• GNOSTICISM SEEKS TO

EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

• IT CITED THAT MATTER IS EVIL, SPIRITUAL THINGS ARE GOOD.

• THIS DENIED THE HUMANITY OF JESUS CHRIST, AND HIS ATONEMENT THROUGH HIS SUFFERING – SEE 1 JN. 4:1-3

THE GNOSTIC PROBLEM

• IT SEEKS TO “INSTRUCT” ON HOW TO OVERCOME EVIL.

• THERE WERE TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT–EXTREME SELF-DENIAL–EXTREME HEDONISM

WIERSBE OUTLINE1. DOCTRINE: CHRIST’S

PREEMINENCE DECLARED, CHAPTER 1

2. DANGER: CHRIST’S PREEMINENCE DEFENDED, CHAPTER 2

3. DUTY: CHRIST’S PREEMINENCE DEMONSTRATED, CHAPTERS 3-4

APPLICATION• IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO LIVE

A “GOOD LIFE.”• IT IS NOT THE POINT TO

LIVE A “GOOD LIFE.”• A “GOOD LIFE” CANNOT BE

DEFINED BY RELIGION OR PHILOSOPHY.

• KNOWING JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE “GOOD LIFE” REALLY IS.

APPLICATION• IN ALL OF PAUL’S LETTERS,

HE BEGINS WITH THE TRUTH OF WHO JESUS IS, AND WHO WE ARE IN HIM.

• THIS IS ALWAYS THE BASIS OF HOW WE ARE TO LIVE OUR LIVES.

• KNOWING THE TRUTH IS THE WAY TO LIVING THE LIFE THAT HONORS GOD.

COLOSSIANS 1:1-3Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus

by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.

HOLY - SAINTS• When Paul speaks of the

“saints” or “holy ones,” he is not speaking of a special class of Christians who have achieved a certain level of holiness. As a term for all believers, the term saint both describes them (tells who they are) and calls them to holiness (tells them what they are to become) because of who they are in Christ.

FAITHFUL BROTHERS IN CHRIST• FAITHFUL – HAVING FAITH

IN CHRIST, RESULTING IN A FIDELITY TO HIM

• BROTHERS – GENERIC FOR BELIEVERS OF BOTH GENDERS

GRACE TO YOU….• GRACE IS caris, charis, The

"grace" (Gr. charis) of God is His unmerited favor and supernatural enablement. This word is very prominent in the New Testament occurring about 155 times, mostly in Paul's writings.

AND PEACE FROM GOD OUR FATHER

• God's "peace" is the inner confidence He gives. Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the settled assurance of God’s presence and help in the midst of anything.

• Grace and peace are standard greetings of all Paul’s letters.