Sermon Notes - Colossians 1:1-8 - The Introduction - Littleby Baptist Church - April 24, 2022

 1.     I am confident we will not spend that long in our next book as we did in the last.

a.      If you consider the 4 follow-up weeks, holidays, snow days, etc… we spent a year in Revelation.

2.     Colossians wont take that long.

a.      Paul wrote this letter while in Prison around 60-63 AD.

b.     Some false teachings were bubbling up in Colossae and he wanted to confront them before it hurt the young church.

3.     The Gnostics were trying to gain a foothold in the area and in the church, and their beliefs are not compatible with the Christian faith..

a.      God is inconceivable and unknowable.

b.     Gnostics believe there are deities, lower-level gods, that exist between us and the unknowable god.

c.      The physical world was created by an imperfect being, not the perfect Lord we know.

d.     Some believed that the deity Christ, a lower-level god, possessed the man Jesus.

e.      There are two worlds, the spiritual and physical.

                                                    i.     Christ was from the spiritual world, while Jesus was from the physical world.

f.      Human souls belong to the spiritual realm but are trapped in this world.

g.     Salvation comes through the ‘revealed knowledge’ of God and the divine nature of humans.

4.     Gnostics are still around today and a couple of sites I read showed that they support.

a.      Moral relativism… anything goes it you think it is right.

b.     Religious relativism… people will find knowledge and salvation in many ways.

c.      If you don’t find ‘gnosis’ or the knowledge to be saved, you might be reincarnated.

5.     Their beliefs do not match what the Bible teaches.

6.     Paul wrote this letter to refute the beliefs of the Gnostics.

a.      To call out the false teachings.

b.     To reenforce key points of the Christian faith.

c.      Both are needed today.  

7.     Colossians 1:1

a.      Paul being the author is established from the very beginning.

b.     He lets us know that Timothy is with him, which helps with the timing.

c.      Paul could have people with him when he was imprisoned in Rome.

8.     Colossians 1:2

a.      Saints in Christ and faithful brothers and sisters.

                                                    i.     The audience is those who are following Jesus.

                                                  ii.     What is written in this letter could be written to us.

b.     Grace and Peace.

                                                    i.     May His Grace that brings salvation be with you.

                                                  ii.     May His Peace that comes through saving faith, be upon you.

                                                iii.     May we live a life full of God and His favor be upon us.

9.     Colossians 1:3

a.      When Paul and the others with him pray for the church at Colossae, they thank God for them.

b.     This is a good reminder for us.

c.      For many, the tendency during prayer is to think of needs, people in trouble, those who do not know Jesus.

d.     What about simply thanking God for those in our lives?

e.      Thanking God for those who spoke truth into your life?

f.      Speaking for myself, there are people in my life that I have not thanked God for in some time.

                                                    i.     The whole out of sight and out of mind thing.

                                                  ii.     People who helped me to see that I needed a savior.

                                                iii.     Men who helped shape the early years of ministry for me.

                                                iv.     Family and friends who have prayed for me.

g.     I would guess I am not alone.

                                                    i.     This is a reminder to pray for the people who have touched your life.

10.  Colossians 1:4

a.      Faith in Jesus Christ and Love for all the saints.

b.     Galatians 5:6.

c.      As we turn to Jesus, as we choose to follow Him, the Holy Spirit is at work in us.

d.     Which results in our faith being worked out in love for others.

e.      A love that is seen as we serve each other.

f.      Paul was thankful that the Colossian church was living their faith.

g.     It is a reminder that our faith should be seen.

                                                    i.     Not a checklist, but a life change.

11.  Colossians 1:5

a.      Because…

b.     Because of the Hope you have in Jesus your faith grows.

c.      Because of the Hope you heard in the Word of truth you have godly love.

d.     The Hope reserved for you in heaven…

                                                    i.     A Hope of a future in the presence of the Lord.

                                                  ii.     A Hope that allows them and us to be confident that our God is with us always.

                                                iii.     A Hope that helps us to trust in Him when things get dicey.

                                                iv.     A Hope that helps to solidify our faith.

e.      A Hope solidified in knowing that our Lord will return.

                                                    i.     Allows us to trust in Him and to love others more.

                                                  ii.     Knowing that what the future has in store, should result in love for the saints.

                                                iii.     Knowing that many are still lost, should result in love driven action to share the Gospel with others.

f.      That Hope we have in Jesus for a glorious future, should be driving our Faith as we look to our God.

12.  Colossians 1:6

a.      The Gospel is bearing fruit all over the world…

b.     Is it? Is it producing fruit all over the world?

c.      When we look at the news, read statistics how people are falling away from the church, or see so many people working in the yard Sunday morning we may question if the Gospel is producing fruit.

d.     Let’s think about this a little differently.

                                                    i.     If your faith is stronger today that in what last year, raise your hand?

1.     That is the fruit of the Gospel.

                                                  ii.     How many hear know someone who has grown in the Lord over the last year?

1.     That is the fruit of the Gospel.

                                                iii.     How about the IMB, International Mission Board?

1.     18K new churches and 144K new believers in 2020.

2.     That is the fruit of the Gospel.

e.      We may see areas that are slipping, we may hear about the negative, but the fruit of the Gospel is growing.

f.      Like Paul we should be thankful for the growth of the fruit of the Gospel.

13.  Colossians 1:7-8

a.      Epaphras was a faithful minister to the Colossian church.

b.     They are being hit with the false teachings of the Gnostics.

c.      This is Paul reminding them that a faithful minster has taught them what was right.

                                                    i.     Planting a seed to get them to think about the things that Epaphras taught so that they can compare to the heretical teachings of the Gnostics.

d.     Paul ends with telling them that their Love in the Spirit is seen.

                                                    i.     As mentioned earlier they have a Love for all the saints… Which ultimate stems from the work of the Holy Spirit.

                                                  ii.     It is an expression of the faith that they have in their Lord Jesus.

14.  Romans 8:9

a.      The Spirit of God lives in all who believe.

b.     It is that Spirit that changes our hearts from what they were in the past, to hearts that Love in ways we may not always understand.

c.      It is that same Spirit that helps us to see the false teaching around us.

15.  As we wrap up today, we need to remember to pray.

a.      Pray for those who have been a blessing to us.

b.     Pray that God helps us to Love others more than we can on our own.

c.      Pray that the Gospel continues to bear fruit.

d.     Pray for those God is using to make Jesus known.

e.      Pray that God uses us to carry out His plan.