Colossians 1: Highlight All of It

Dive into the heart of the New Testament with me, Pastor Brandon, as we uncover the transformative power of the book of Colossians. Prepare to confront the pressing heresies of the early church that dared to dispute Christ's divine authority and come away with a clear affirmation: Jesus is, without a whisper of doubt, Lord of all. Through the intricate tale of Epaphroditus and his spiritual journey, we're drawn into the context of this epistle, setting the stage for a profound understanding of the gravity of the gospel message. This episode promises not just an academic inquiry but an invitation to a spiritual revelation that has the potential to anchor your faith and reshape your understanding of Christ's sovereignty.

Embrace a chapter-by-chapter walk with us as we delve into the supremacy of Christ over creation and His integral role in salvation. In the rich expanse of Colossians 1:15-29, we grapple with the dominion of Jesus over the seen and unseen, and the profound implications it has for our lives. The Apostle Paul's enduring mission and his sufferings for the church become a lens through which we can view our own spiritual walk. To cap off our journey, we lean into C.S. Lewis's compelling trilemma about Jesus's identity, challenging you to reflect deeply on who He is to you. Join us for a session that's not just a study, but a heartfelt prayer for wisdom and closeness to the One who commands the cosmos.

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The More You Dig. The More You Find.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Well, hello everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, colossians, chapter one. And if I were to give today a title, it would be Highlight All of it, highlight All of it. We're going to talk about this and, as always when we start a new book, I'm going to take a moment, kind of give you a bit of background, give you the theme, give you the key verse, all the wonderful things. But before we do all of that, make sure that you are getting connected with us, make sure you're leaving us a five-storey view on the podcast, because you're always going to be my favorites. Make sure you're leaving us, you know, liking, sharing, subscribing, commenting on the YouTube channel and, as always, gather with us at the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. And I'm going to tell you something especially for the Book of Colossians, because it is so wonderful. I would say it is probably top five, my favorite book, one of my top five favorite books in the entire New Testament. I love the Book of Colossians and so, if you have your Bibles, when I open up with me to Colossians, chapter one, let me give you a little bit of background.

Speaker 1: 1:24

First, the Bible is a collection of different writings that was inspired by the Holy Spirit by different people that span over centuries if you include the Old Testament, but the New Testament spans over a short period of time. It was amazing on what God did, and one of the things that we see is we have Gospels in the beginning and then, toward the second half of the whole thing, we have letters that were written to different churches for different reasons, by different people. Most of them I believe 13 of them was written by the Apostle Paul, and they're written for different reasons. One of them is Colossians, and what happened was is a guy named Epaphroditus, epaph. He travels from Colossae once upon a time and he goes to the next biggest town over called Ephesus, and while he is in Ephesus he experiences the goodness of God, a wonderful church there, the church that was ran by a guy named Timothy who was like the protege of Paul. And Epaph goes on back over to Colossae and a lot of historians think that Epaph actually goes and he starts a church in Colossae. Many people also think this church in Colossae was probably the smallest house church of all the churches that Paul knew about.

Speaker 1: 2:45

Well, eventually, as time goes on and different things happens, there's different things going on in Ephesus that they need to talk to Paul about. And then there's some things going on in Colossae, and so what? And we'll tell you about those in a minute. But what Epaph does is he goes to visit Paul, who is in prison in Rome around 6061 AD, and he's waiting to talk to the emperor, and while he's there, he talks to Paul about what's going on, and Paul writes letters while he's in prison, to the church of Ephesus, the church in Colossae, and to a guy named Philemon, and he gives them to Epaph, and Epaph, epaphroditus takes them back to these places and these people so that they can hear the word of the Lord from Paul, and turns out, the Holy Spirit inspired these to be the word of God for all of us.

Speaker 1: 3:31

Now let me break that down a little further. Now, the guy that he was first writing to that was that he was writing to him, philemon. What happened was is Philemon had a runaway servant or slave that had actually traveled with Epaphroditus to visit Paul, and he realized once he got there that Jesus was the way he gives his life to Christ, and they realized that if you were a runaway slave and slaves are very different than what we think about now in our modern culture we think about slavery, and slavery is bad back then and it could be bad back then. But common slavery back then would be, basically, you owe someone money and so you work for them until you paid off the debt, much like many of us do. We go work for a corporation, we work for a place and they pay us. So it's a little bit more like that than it would be well, many of us think of, which is like southern slavery in the 1800s United States. Horrible, horrible thing. Wasn't quite like that then, but if you ran away you could be killed. And so Paul writes a letter to a guy named Philemon saying hey, so-and-so is coming back to you, but I need you to know he's a Christian brother now. So he's basically saying you should probably set him free. At the very least you should forgive him Because he's a Christian brother now. Ellen, by the way, you kind of owe me your life too, because I led you to Christ as well. So that's going on in Philemon. We're gonna get to that book eventually.

Speaker 1: 4:51

He writes this amazing letter to the book of to the church of Ephesus and Ephesians. We've read that one already. But what's going on in Colossae which is the reason why God inspired the apostle Paul to write this is there were people that were going around and they were attacking the deity of Christ. There were these false teachers who grow around and they were saying that Jesus was not the son of God, he was a good man, he was a teacher, but not actually God. And so Paul writes this wonderful letter and, as you can tell, it's very close. If you ever read Ephesians and you read Colossians back to back, they're very close to one another. But one thing that stands out in Colossians is the overall theme, and the overall theme is Jesus is Lord of all. We're gonna see that when we get into chapter 1, that the overall goal is that Jesus is Lord of all.

Speaker 1: 5:45

And I love this because a lot of critics of Christianity will say that that when Jesus was first, you know, on this earth and he did all these things, he never claimed to be God, which is completely wrong if you read the Gospels, but they say never claimed to be God. He never claimed to be any of those things. It was Paul who started the idea of him being God and it wasn't until the second or third century, at these different Councils that they had, where they declared Christ to be God. One of the most famous Atheist agnostic leaning toward atheists called Bart Ehrman, actually says this. He says that Jesus never claimed to be God. It was the church that made him God.

Speaker 1: 6:22

Well, that's very unfortunate and very much a lie, because we can read in Colossians where the highest Christology, the highest view of Christ, was the first view of Christ, that first of all, jesus did call himself God. That's what the whole gospel of John is all about, right, all the way back from the first chapter, in the first verse. But then, because this was already happening, where these false teachers were saying you know, jesus isn't really God, he was just a really good teacher Paul writes to the church of Colossae and he says oh, no, no, no, jesus is God, he's a second person of the Trinity, he's just as much God as the father and the spirit and he existed from all of time. And so we're gonna read this and you're gonna see all throughout this where Paul is Constantly reminding us that Jesus is Lord of all. And that's why I say chapter one is just highlight all of it. I wish you could see my, my Bible in Colossians, chapter one, and it is just one yellow piece of paper, just about. I mean, I have so much this highlighted because there's so much good stuff here. So I want you to imagine with me as you get your Bibles ready. Imagine that you're a young church, you're a small church in this small town called Colossae, and there are these teachers that are coming through and they're going. Man, I'm so glad you love Jesus. He's not God, it's just a real good teacher and you don't think that's true, but you're not really sure. Well, now you get a letter from the Apostle Paul that says let me tell you exactly who Jesus is. Let's read this together, let's enjoy it and let's see what God's word will have to say to us and what we can take away. Today. You're ready.

Speaker 1: 7:57

Colossians, chapter one, verse one, says this this letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. We are writing to God's holy people in the city of Colossae who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God, our Father, give you grace and peace. We always pray for you and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God's people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the good news. This same good news that came to you is going out all over the world and it is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives, from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace.

Speaker 1: 9:00

You learned about the good news from Epaphros as the guy was talking about our beloved co-worker. He is Christ's faithful servant and he is helping us on your behalf. He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you. So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you, and we ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then you will, the way you will live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit All the while you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so that you will have all the endurance and patience you need, and may you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people who live in the light, for he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Speaker 1: 10:10

So, first of all, that's Paul's really nice way of saying Sup y'all, I heard y'all were doing great, that's awesome. That's what he just said. Now watch how he goes straight into this. So imagine, remember he's talking to all these people who have heard all these bad things. Jesus is awesome, but he's not really God. So here's Paul saying let me tell you exactly who Jesus is, you ready?

Speaker 1: 10:30

Verse 15, christ that's Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before everything was created and is supreme over all creation. Now pause, make sure you remember, because some people say, like I think it's Jehovah's Witness, mormons. They say that Jesus is a created being, and so Paul is reminding us here, at the very beginning he is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything else was created and he is supreme over all creation. So he's not a created being. He exists above all of that, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things that we can see and the things that we can't see, such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. In other words, he's saying everything we can experience with our five senses. God created, but then all around us is a spiritual world. There's angels, there's demons and there's hierarchies in both. God created everything Verse 17,. He existed before anything else and he holds all creation together.

Speaker 1: 11:44

Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. He is the first in everything, for God, and all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. So, in other words, god at the beginning of time stood outside of time and he created time and everything that we see. And then, when the time was right, he then created a body and he went and he and dwelled that body. He was the hypostatic union, fully God and fully man, and through that visible representation of God, he then walked on this earth for 33 years, died on the cross, rose again and through him and through his sacrifice, we now have forgiveness, verse 21,.

Speaker 1: 12:42

This includes all you who are once far away from God. In other words, that salvation includes all of us who are once far from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has reconciled you, us, to himself, through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence and you are wholly and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it.

Speaker 1: 13:15

Don't drift away from the assurance that you have received when you heard the good news. The good news has been preached all over the world and I, paul, have been appointed as God's servant to proclaim it. I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, and it's the church. God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God's people, for God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you, gentiles too, and this is the secret. Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

Speaker 1: 14:03

So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom that God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me. Wow, we have there the answer to why Paul does all he does. Is he's so in love with God and he wants to present all of God's people perfect in God's presence. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing what God gives us the honor to do? And he says I work and I struggle so hard, but I depend on God's mighty power that works within me.

Speaker 1: 14:47

And so, as we read through the book of Colossians, what we're going to constantly and consistently see is that Jesus is Lord of all, that he's not just a man, he's not just an idea, but first of all, there was a historical man named Jesus. All serious scholars, even atheistic scholars, agree there was a literal human being named Jesus Christ. There's a literal human being named Jesus Christ who was crucified by the Romans, and then all reputable historians, even atheistic historians, believe and say that then there were followers that claimed to see Jesus in the flesh, and they claim he'd resurrected after he had been dead for three days. And they claim all these things. So all of these things are true. What matters is you put your hope in that for salvation, and what Paul is going to tell us is you have every reason to believe it.

Speaker 1: 15:36

It reminds me of one of my favorite author, cs Lewis, who said that Jesus is one of three things, and you've got to decide what he is. He is either a liar, he's either a lunatic or he's Lord. He has not left up to us another option, because, if you think about what he said, he said this he said I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. He said I am God all throughout John. He says I am Ego and me, which is Greek, for I am All throughout the Gospels. He proclaims exactly who he is and what he is doing, and so he is one of three things. Anyone who claims to be God and is not, is either a liar, they're crazy, a lunatic, or they are who's they say they are. Jesus said I am God and watch what I can do. And he did all these different miracles to validate and Give proof to who he says he is.

Speaker 1: 16:32

And so, over the course of Colossians there's four chapters we get the opportunity to decide who is Jesus. Who is Jesus to you? Is he a liar, is he crazy, or is he Lord? And is he Lord, what are you gonna do about it? Let's pray together, god. Thank you so much. Yeah, you are Lord of all. You are with us and you are for us in every way.

Speaker 1: 16:54

I pray today, lord, as we get ready to dig into Colossians, lord, that you will come alive in our hearts. Help us to realize, god, that you are with us and you are for us, and because of that, we can trust you when you lead us all along the way. We celebrate you today in Jesus name, we pray amen and amen. Well, here's our verse, here's our theme verse for this particular book. The Bible says in Colossians 3, verse 1 and 2 Since you have been raised to new life in Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. My prayer for you is that the more you fall in love with Jesus, the more you focus on him, the more he changes you from the inside out. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Colossians, chapter 2.