All right, we'll go ahead and get started. Benji, I was just thinking, you know, when we were going through our lessons and stuff with Danny, that Mike made a statement one time, he said, the good thing about exegetical preaching, you know, through a book of the Bible, is you never have to guess what you're preaching the next week, but then you don't get to pick either. So whenever Danny asks us to do this, I always think about that, because I'm like, well, I get to pick, but then how do you narrow it down? But yeah, absolutely. But you know how when you're reading something, like we were just talking about, and then they ask you to teach, and you're like, well, I'm going to do this. And I'm just like the rest of you guys. Sometimes if you're on a reading plan, you just kind of go through it really quick. But sometimes I like to just collect my study Bible and maybe get a commentary or two from Mark's office and read through it. And I was getting ready to do that through Colossians. And when Danny asked me, I'm like, well, let me just do this and see what I can find and kind of glean from this. And then I'll present it to you guys and see what you think, because I feel like this is the book I needed to study a little more and learn a little bit more about, OK? So go ahead and have a quick word of prayer and we'll get started, OK? Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the saints in the Church of Colossae and how you sustain them. Thank you for preserving the letter that Paul wrote to them. I pray that it will touch us, and I pray that we will enjoy our time studying it. I pray that we'll leave here knowing a little bit more about you and your ways. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, so with Colossians, we are going to start with a little background on the book, just to give you an idea of kind of what's going on, who it was written to, and all of that. And then we'll just kind of walk through this first chapter. So verse one, chapter one, makes it pretty easy. It identifies that Paul and Timothy are the authors of this Colossian letter. And it's believed that Timothy may have been serving as a secretary for Paul. There's some different verses that made it seem like he possibly had a really bad eyesight. And so Timothy was a great help to him. This letter was written to the church. It was in AD 62. So this was a really turbulent and trying time for this church for a few reasons. There's been some archeological discoveries that revealed that the city of Colossae was really steeped in some widespread and very elaborate pagan worship. but also two years before, in 1860, there had been a devastating earthquake that struck the city. So, you know, everything affects the church just like it does the outside world, so they were still probably grappling with that and trying to recover from that massive earthquake. And considering that they were a Christian church in a pagan society, probably did not have a lot of resources. They probably were having to lean on themselves. There's some main themes in Colossians. One of the main ones is that cross is lord over all creation, including the invisible realm. And that'll get brought out later because they've been through a natural disaster. God's in control of it. But also they're surrounded by pagan worship. God is greater than all of that. Another theme is that he secured redemption for his people. He enabled them to participate in his death, resurrection, and fullness. And you'll actually see as we go through chapter one, all of these themes, even though he elaborates on them more throughout the book, they're really there. So the first chapter is kind of like an introduction, and you can get a really good taste of what Colossians is about just by looking at this first chapter. So these truths, they would be vital to the Colossian church because, as we said, they were surrounded by pagan worshipers and had just experienced this natural disaster. And they needed to know that God was sovereign over his creation, including those natural disasters, but also the evil spirits that were being worshiped in that pagan community and they were trying to conjure while they were continuing to serve in this place that God called them to serve. So that's who his audience is. are some of the things he's trying to convey, but why did he write to the Church of Colossae out of all the other places? A lot of theologians think he was also possibly writing Ephesians at the same time. So why did he reach out to the Colossian church? Well, we know from the first chapter it was started by a man named Epaphras. It is speculated and believed that in Acts 19, you know how it talks about the sermon that Paul gave and there was a lot of conversions. A lot of people think Epaphras traveled to Ephesus, and actually heard this sermon and was converted. So then Epaphras returned to Colossae and shared the gospel with his community, and that resulted in the founding of the Colossian church, as we'll see later in verse 7. Later on also in Colossians chapter 4 verse 12, it says that Epaphras was present with Paul during the writing of this letter. So it's very likely that Epaphras was the one that gave the report to Paul about the struggles that the Colossian church was having and prompted him to write this letter. So we know that false doctrine and destructive teaching had infiltrated the Church of Colossae. It's been debated throughout church history what this was. There were some early theologians that thought maybe it was Gnosticism, but as more research has been done into the area, I think it's pretty good consensus that what they actually think it was was some of the paganism and Jewish mysticism had kind of gotten intermingled with the Christian church there in Colossae. So Paul is writing to this church to respond to the situation and to encourage the believers to continue in their journey towards maturity in Christ, to battle against their sin, and pursue holiness that they can only find in Christ, and to live in Christian households that present the gospel to the community. So we'll get started here, chapter one, verse one and two. And as you know, if you've studied the writings of Paul, he more times than not follows a very similar format, which for me makes it much easier. He starts with a greeting. He's gonna do a thanksgiving and also a prayer. So this greeting here is found in verse one and two. It says, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, and Timothy, our brother, to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae. Grace to you, peace from God our Father. So we see Paul is exhibiting himself first as kind of an overseer. He's writing out of pastoral responsibility for this church. But notice that the very first thing he does is announces himself as an apostle of Christ. Any idea why you think that is or why that's even important to include? If you think back to Acts, remember how, and just as a side note, as Presbyterians it's very important to us, is the format that they follow. Remember, they were having doctrinal issues, they sent elders, and then went to apostles. So there was a higher power, they discussed this, and then the elders came back and implemented the decisions they made. So Paul is saying he's an apostle here because he is immediately establishing the authority he has to later address these issues that he's gonna be in this book. So he's not just somebody complaining about an issue he heard about, he's saying I'm an apostle, this is within my duties, and this is why I'm dealing with this, out of love. So then we go to the thanksgiving, this is verse number three. We also thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we pray for you. Notice Paul, the way he puts this, he says he not only refers to God as father but the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now if I'm talking to Benji or Mach and I'm saying, I am Ryan Buchanan, son of whoever, that's really to exalt the person that is my father or whatever. But here what he's doing, he is showing Jesus Christ, his relationship with Christ. And we're going to see that he is signifying the lordship of Christ in this letter. And so throughout the book, but also in the first chapter, we're going to see this. He's revealing the character of Christ. So think of it kind of like an onion. He's going to start out by saying the first layer is that Jesus has a relationship with the Father. That's what he's saying here in verse three. And he's going to show that he is an agent of the Father in the natural realm and the spiritual realm. And then we're going to see that Jesus and God are the same, that God indwells Christ. He was, when he was on earth, the embodiment of Christ in the flesh. So verse four through six, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world is bearing fruit and increasing, as it does among you, since the day you've heard it and understood the grace of God and truth. There's a lot packed in there, so we'll walk through that. If you look through verse four and five, you'll see a theme that not only appears multiple times throughout the writings of Paul, but also the other apostles. You got three words, faith, love, and hope. So in what some consider Paul's magnum opus in Romans chapter five, one through five, he talks about this as well. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings. We'll talk about that later in this chapter. Knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, character produces hope. There's our hope again. And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. to faith, hope, and love, they're all present there in our redemption, and then they become attributes of the Christian. Peter talks about this in 1 Peter chapter one as well. Who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God, having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth, for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart. and also 1 Peter 1, 3, and 5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to his great mercy. He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith, the salvation ready to be revealed last time. So this is just showing that multiple apostles deal with this quite a bit. These three things are, they're evident in our salvation, but also in our sustainment by God. And Paul sums this up here in Colossians 3, 4, when he just says, when Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. So as we see towards the end of this chapter today, the Colossian Christians are called to continue their faith till the end, and an eternity in presence and the glory of God is our sustaining hope that will help us continue in faith. So move on to Colossians chapter, excuse me, chapter one, verse five and six. Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of this you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world, It is bearing fruit and increasing, as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. So in verse five, we see that in a short amount of time, there's been a very quick and effective spread of the gospel. So this was written only 30 years after the resurrection and Pentecost. The gospel had already reached the outer edges of the Roman Empire. It was thriving in pagan cities such as Colossae. There were believers in Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, and possibly already in Egypt, North Africa, and Persia. The gospel that had come to Christians there had not stopped with the regeneration, but it continued to work. And verse six states that the gospel was bearing fruits and increasing because it is active and is continuous. If you notice also in the end of verse six, he explains the primary means of grace that God uses to build his kingdom. They heard and they understood. I'm going to briefly talk about that phrase because there's a lot of theology that goes into those two words. First off, God did not send an apostle to Colossae to perform miracles for them, and he didn't bring them a Pentecost. But they heard the gospel and understood it. But why did they understand when so many of their neighbors did not respond? Well, they already knew, these Christians who had studied the Old Testament, and especially the ancient wisdom literature, like Proverbs 3, they knew that their own understanding was not adequate to comprehend God and His ways, and they had to be enlightened. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 says, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understandings. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, he will make straight your paths. So in Christ's earthly ministry, he expounded upon this text and explained how God would accomplish this after he ascended to reign in heaven. John 14, 26, Jesus says, but the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. And just as a side note, this verse is explaining further the statement Christ had made previously in verse 18, when he promised that he was not gonna leave them as an orphan, but that he would come to them. So Christ is continuing to guide them through the Holy Spirit, which further entwines Jesus in the Holy Spirit as persons of the Trinity. We don't really think of that right now, but that was a huge controversy, as you guys remember, for the first few centuries, is trying to figure out who is Jesus and how does he fit in this. There's also some different heresies, we'll talk about one here in a minute, that the early church had to deal with. So we see the Church of Colossae understood the gospel, and we see why, because the Holy Spirit enlightened them, but why did their neighbors not? So Paul deals with this in Ephesians 4, 17 and 18, which some theologians think he was writing at the same time. It says, Now this I say, testifying the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their heart. Here we see, we just basically see man in his natural state. He's ignorant, he's unable to understand. He's relying on his own wisdom and it just leads to the continual hardening of his heart against God. So now we know why man cannot understand without the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, but what are they being enlightened to? 1 John 5 20 sums up this gospel truth wonderfully. And we know that the Son of God has come. He has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true. We are in him who is true in his son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. So this is the gospel that saved us and we are compelled to preach and teach that the Son of God descended to become a son of man and that allows us to become sons of God. So the next two verses, verse seven and eight, just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, he is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the spirits. These verses let us know a few things about this early church, that it was likely started by a papyrus and that it wasn't a plant by Paul. A further indication of this is in the phrase Paul used, learned it from a papyrus. So the Greek word, and I do not try to get into pronouncing Greek because I'll just butcher it, but the Greek word for learned is almost identical and it's very closely related to the Greek word for disciple or discipleship. So if this word learned is to be understood in that context, this indicates Papyrus did not only just simply present the gospel, but he provided systematic instruction in the faith and how to live as a Christian. And this is just an interesting side note I found, too. Some of the older manuscripts that were found actually read, on our behalf instead of on your behalf, So there's also the possibility that Pappus was not only just a convert coming back to share the gospel in his hometown, he may have been some kind of official ambassador for Paul. So it's not anything really to get hung up on, but it's something to think about. So next, remember how we were talking about you've got the introduction, the thanksgiving, now we're moving on to the prayer. This starts in verse number nine. We see a transition in the letter, and the prayer is going to be recorded in verse 9 through 14. And in this prayer, just a little summary of it, Paul starts by letting them know he is constantly praying for them. And that's something that you may not really notice when you just kind of gloss over that verse, but Paul puts everything in there for a reason, because he was being led by the Holy Spirit. And so I believe this shows the power of encouragement that knowing others are lifting your needs up to God through Christ Jesus. So it's most important to pray for people in their needs but I think it's also important to let them know that you are praying for them because it's going to be a source of encouragement. And then Paul is going to end this prayer in thanksgiving for the mighty acts of deliverance that God has performed in the Colossian church. So Colossians 1 verse 9, So if you happen to read on through the book of Colossians, you'll see that what Paul is dealing with in this letter is false teachings in the church. But before dealing with these specifics, Paul is establishing what is true and sound teaching and what it should look like. Paul is praying that the Colossian church will receive true knowledge, wisdom, and understanding from the only credible source, which is God himself. Paul has already revealed that true understanding only comes from the Holy Spirit. Many believe the false teaching in the Colossian church was coming from those who received special revelations from the Holy Spirit. This false teaching, though it's ancient here in this text, it's still very prevalent today, even in churches that identify as evangelical and Protestant. But Paul in another book, 2 Timothy 3, he instructs Timothy on how to gain this wisdom and understanding. Verse 14-17, Paul says, But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped from every good work." So that passage right there is Sola Scriptura. The Holy Scriptures alone, they're breathed out or inspired by God, and they are enough to make the man of God complete and equipped. So we do not need any special revelation, whether it's in a small prayer service or from the Pope in Rome, because to do this, this usurps the position and the function of the Holy Spirit, which is to call men to God and to make them like Christ. The next verse is verse 10. So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. So in verse 10, Paul reveals the result and purpose of this gift of wisdom and understanding. It is to walk in a manner worthy of our Lord, to emulate to the world what the name Christian means. In Paul's teaching, he not only follows a similar writing style, but also illustrates truths in the ways that his audience will understand. Me and Benji were talking about this before, but Paul often reverts back to his Jewish roots as well as referring to the philosophy and customs of the day to simplify other difficult theological truths. So it is really important to dive into those and try to get somewhat of understanding of them to get the full aspect of what Paul's trying to tell you in his letters. This is what some theologians believe he's doing here in verse 10. So Paul purposely uses the word walk. That means something totally different in ancient Hebrew than it does with us. For us, we mostly just think it's just the physical act of ambulating, right? But in ancient Hebrew, the word for walk is commonly used as a metaphor for how you conduct or behave yourself. This was so important to those rabbis that they had an entire oral tradition that they later wrote down to guide them in their behavior towards God and each other. They refer to this as their walk. Here, Paul is saying, do not walk or conduct yourself according to your old Jewish traditions, but live a life that's pleasing to Jesus Christ. Because in that Jewish tradition, your works will justify. Paul is teaching that we are justified wholly and fully by the finished work of Christ. Works, therefore, are not justification. They're a result of it. And they are not evidence of a relationship with, or excuse me, they are evidence of a relationship of God. They're not a prerequisite for it. Often when we're talking about these type of things, I think about the parable of the sower and the seed. Because the ground that bear fruit, it was not a glory to itself, it was a glory to the sower. Because the sower chose it, he tilled it, he planted, and he cultivated it. The ground just simply did what it was prepared to do. That is, bring forth fruit for the sower and act as a testimony to the love and care that that sower bestowed upon it. That's kind of like our works. They don't save us, but they do glorify the one who did. So in just the first 10 verses here, Paul has already emphasized all five of the souls that were and still are foundational principles of the true form faith. We see that salvation is a gift from God. It is found in faith alone and Jesus crossed alone. His salvation is the work of God alone, presented through his holy word. It is for his glory and it will not be shared with anyone in the temporal or celestial realm. The verse number 11, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy. Just as Paul referred to his Jewish roots in the previous verse, he's now referring to the culture of Colossae. Spiritual power was very important in the Roman and Greco world. Pagans in this region performed often elaborate rituals in an attempt to connect with these false gods. But their attempted relationship was always for selfish and temporal reasons. These pagans believed that if they could connect and please these false gods, it would bring them protection from evil men and evil spirits, as well as bring them wealth, power, and influence. Paul turns this on its head because he's teaching the believers to pray for power from God to die to your selfish desires and wishes and to empower you to walk in a manner pleasing to God. So you are walking in a way that's going to please God, not bring blessings upon yourself. And this power is a spiritual power to die to self and to live a life in obedience and submission to your heavenly master. This is brought up by the phrase being strengthened, and that's the key. For to live a life of selflessness and obedience to God is as impossible in our own power as saving ourselves through our works. We do not earn power but are strengthened with it. So just like faith to believe, power to walk in a manner that glorifies God is also a gift from God. This gift not only sanctifies us but it will sustain us. See at the end of verse 11 what else this power accomplishes. It gives us endurance and patience with joy. that God will finish the work he started in us is our hope, and in our hope, we can have joy. We also see Peter deals with this in 1 Peter 1, verse 8 and 9. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. The power and strength that God gives us not only allows us to endure trials and to make us more like Christ, but it will give us joy in our trials as we struggle to walk in a manner pleasing to God. Verse 12, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. So inheritance is something, if you go all the way back to the Old Testament, it's used all the way through. It's very important. The firstborn son may inherit the land, he may inherit the property, he may inherit a blessing. Paul is using this term, who qualified you to share in the inheritance? He is taking this language that was normally reserved for the Jewish people under the Old Covenant. So Genesis 13, 14 through 17, we are introduced to this covenant. The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward, eastward and westward. For all the land that you see, I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I will give it to you. But it's also recorded in Genesis 12 that this blessing, even though they probably did not understand much about it at the time, it was gonna be extended beyond the Jewish people. It says, now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those that bless you and him who dishonors you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. God has promised in Abraham in these scriptures he will not only bless him individually, he will make a nation of his offspring and that offspring will bless all the families of the earth. But is it accurate to apply this to the inheritance Paul is talking about in verse 12? Well, if you interpret scripture as we do through a covenantal lens, this may make you think of what's in Ephesians 3 verse 4 and 6. says, when you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ. And Paul will talk about this mystery later in Colossians. Which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and the prophets by the Spirit. The mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel. So I know there's different beliefs on the inheritance with ancient Israel and the church. But whether you believe that ancient Israel was just the early church or that the promises have or were not fulfilled when Christ was on earth, we can all rejoice though in the fact that us as Gentiles, we do have equal access to God the Father and are heirs to this inheritance through the redemptive work of Christ. And we know that our ultimate inheritance is that we are adopted as sons and we will spend eternity with our heavenly Father. Verse 13 and 14, he has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. So if we continue in this covenantal interpretation, verse 13, you can compare how God delivers his people under the old and new covenant. So if you think back to the ancient people of Israel, they were under the burden of slavery and religious oppression in Egypt. And in a miraculous way, first through the plagues and then the supernatural occurrence of the Red Sea, God delivered his people from the tearing of Pharaoh and he continued to prove that he would keep his promises. So just like these enslaved Israelites, God delivered us from the slavery of sin and the dark dominion of the kingdom of Satan. The author of Acts also deals with this concept of transferring citizenship between Satan and God's kingdom. Acts 26 18 says to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God. They may receive forgiveness of sin and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. So this is the same kingdom of Christ that John the Baptist preached was at hand in the gospels and it was one of the central teachings of Jesus through his earthly ministry. First Corinthians 15, Paul says, all things are put under the rule of Christ. This reveals the second point Paul is making about Christ. He not only has a relationship with God, but he is acting as his agent. He is presently ruling his kingdom. The last part of Paul's prayer is recorded in verse 14. He's speaking of Christ here. He says, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Here Paul reveals how we are transferred in kingdoms, through the forgiveness of our sins brought about by the redemptive work of Christ. This is the only way that we can possibly join the kingdom of God and be entitled to the inheritance mentioned in verse 12 and also in verse Peter. Paul is once again emphasizing our place in the kingdom of God is not brought about by our works, but that of Christ. Paul has already revealed Christ as having a relationship with God, the Father, and he is acting as an agent of God. Now Paul is going to go on and establish Christ as being one with God. Colossians 115, he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creations. So that wording has caused some issues in the past. Some have taken reference to Jesus being begotten or firstborn to mean that he was created by God. This was a controversy that was put forth by a group called the Arians in the third and fourth century. It taught that God created Jesus, that there were two distinct people, and that Jesus was in some inferior or subordinate role to God the Father. This is one of the main reasons why they met at the Council of Nicaea was to rebut this doctrine. And the Nicaean Creed, which came from this council, is careful to address this issue, and it states that Jesus was eternally begotten by the Father. So next time we read the Nicaean Creed in our order of worship, Just think about that when it says eternally begotten. That little phrase was debated a lot and that means a whole lot to the Christian church then as it does us now. We don't even really, I don't think twice about that. Jesus is the Son of God, they're all three, but this was a huge controversy. So definitely something to think about and to appreciate the courage of these men to deal with this. So what does Paul mean by this though? So in the Jewish culture, firstborn sons, they had privileges and responsibilities bestowed upon them when they were old enough to fulfill them, especially in the monarchy. Now this is hard for us as Americans to understand because we prop up the individual and Western allotment thinking in ours. Individual is like that's where the power of the government comes from is from the individual. But he is writing to people that had kings and God uses this reference throughout scripture. So I think it's really good to try to understand what that would have been like. It helps us to understand what Paul's trying to convey. So what he is speaking of here is Christ's birthright to rule. Paul is using Old Testament language. So we'll see in Psalm 89, 27, God is actually speaking about David here. He says, and I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. So he's not talking about he's going to cause David to be born. He is bestowing upon him the rights and responsibilities of rule. Then we see later in Hebrews that God used the same language about Jesus, the exalted heir to David. And then in Revelations 1, 5, It states that Jesus, as the firstborn, is the ruler of all the kings of the earth. So we see begotten and firstborn are used interchangeably in several places to actually talk about the right to rule and the power to rule. Moving on to verse 16, for by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. So the next two verses proclaim Christ is the Lord of creation. As we have seen in the previous verses, Jesus was not created by God, but he was not just present at the creation either. Jesus was the agent of creation through which God made the heavens and the earth. John wrote about this in the first three verses, chapter one of his gospel. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God, and all things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that was made. So Jesus was not merely a spectator at creation, but he was actively creating. If all things were created by Christ, which is the word, then he could not possibly be part of creation himself, as the Arians falsely believed. Verse 17, and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. So notice in verse 17, Jesus did not stop his involvement in creation after the sixth day. He did not just set things in motion and leave the world to its own devices just like the deists believe. In him all things hold together. Hold is present tense. Planets stay in their orbits and the oceans in their boundaries because Christ has total dominion and control over his creation. Hebrews 1.3 puts it like this, He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. Verse 18 through 20, we see Christ as the head of the church. This is not just a title, but because of the reconciliation with God, He is accomplished on the cross. So Christ is not only Lord of creation, He is the Lord of our redemption. Colossians 1.18 says, and he is the head of the body, the church. He's the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that is everything that might be preeminent. So Paul established the church as the body of Christ in other letters such as 1 Corinthians 12. Here the imagery is even more detailed where Christ is the very head of the body. So think about this, what are some functions you can think of that the head performs for the body that we can equate with Christ and how he performs for the church? I come up with a few. I thought, well, first off, the head contains the mind, right? And we're called to have the mind of Christ. Secondly, the head guides the body because it can see where it's going. And we are to be led by the direction of the Holy Spirit and not be resistant or disobedient. But one similarity that I read about that did not immediately come to my mind is the head provides substance for the body by taking in food and drink. And one way Pastor Mike has really influenced me in my time here is that I'm always looking for ways that our relationship with Christ are reflected in the sacraments. So is this not kind of like a picture of the Lord's Supper? So we're taking in these earthly elements of bread and wine, and we don't believe that they're Christ or his blood, but they're a representation of it. and we are being nourished by spiritual food, and it's providing us strength, healing, and spiritual energy to continue in this difficult journey of trying to be like Christ. So Paul alludes to this in the second chapter of Colossians, verse 19. He says, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourishing and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with the growth that is from God. To think about that next time we partake in the Lord's Supper, you were actually eating and drinking. Yes, we're communing with Christ, but we're also eating and drinking for our spiritual health and growth. Verse 19, for in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. Paul is further emphasizing that Christ truly is God by returning to some familiar Old Testament language. We see in many places in the Old Testament, Ezekiel 44 is one of them, that God not only appeared in the temple, but he filled it. Paul is using this old language when he talks about the fullness of God. So just as a man-made temple can become not only inhabited, but become a vessel completely filled by God, all of God's divine fullness dwells in Jesus. Paul says later in the second chapter of Colossians, verse 9 and 10, So Jesus not only is indwelled by God and contains his fullness, but Christ indwells us. Verse 20 explains how this happens. Christ's reconciliation is multifaceted. When we look just at the sovereign power over his creation, we know that, and of course, Mark just preached through this in Revelation, but Christ will ultimately quell all rebellion against God as the conquering king. But for us as the redeemed, his reconciliation is between us a sinful people and a holy God. And at the end of verse 20, it reveals the basis for this reconciliation. Peace on earth and in heaven is accomplished by the blood of the cross. This great redemptive work, we saw the imputation of our sins upon Christ and the imputation of his righteousness upon us. In verse 21 and 22, Paul is now shifting and getting personal with the Colossian Christians and their former state of hopelessness. You notice he uses the word you, he's no longer speaking in generalities. He said, and you who once were alienated, hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled flesh from his death in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him." So as sinners, we're cut off from God with no ability to produce righteousness. Paul also uses this reference to being an alien as being cut off from the covenant and its blessings. He wrote in Ephesians 2.12, remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, you were alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenant of promise. So because of Christ's redemptive work, we have gained access to the covenant promises and the blessings and the hope that they bring. Verse 22 reveals that the end result of the reconciliation of man and God through cross-sacrifice is a sanctified and glorified bride that will stand blameless before God, wrapped in the righteousness of Christ. I often contemplate about the dichotomy of that. Here you are on one hand, you're just a sinner, you didn't earn your way to heaven, and you're so undeserving of being in God's presence. But then on the other side, you're right where you belong because we've been made heirs with Christ. It's definitely something very humbling to think about, but it also really shows how much Christ loves you and how important you are to him. So verse 23 is going to give us our mission in the meantime while we're still on earth. If indeed you continue in faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you've heard, which has been proclaimed in all the creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." So I'll be the first to admit I am not a Greek scholar, but reading Paul really makes me want to start being one because it helps understand these difficult passages. So as I was reading this, and I was trying to figure out what he's talking about, because I'm like, you know, he's saying, I've got to endure, but in many other places, he basically, he says, cross is going to help us endure. But if you just read this in English, it appears that Paul is just hoping that they can endure, right? But if you consider the Greek particle used here, and the particle decides what mood the sentence is going to take, Paul is actually expressing complete confidence that the Colossian believers will endure. Paul is using the same language here that Jesus did in Matthew 10 when he said, all who endure to the end will be saved. But is it up to us to endure or is it going to be the work of Christ? We can take comfort in knowing that God chooses those who he will redeem. And for those that are chosen by God, Jesus promises in John 6, 37, all that the Father gives me will come to me. Whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. So while we must endure in faith till the end, Christ will keep and sustain our faith because he never casts out anyone that is given to him by God. We are called to continue in the faith that is steady and not shifting. Some of you may be thinking of that parable of the house that's built on the different foundations. It's recorded in Matthew 7. Only the solid foundation withstands the storms. So what is our solid foundation? Verse 23 says it's the hope found in the gospel, the hope that Christ has reconciled us to God and will ensure our endurance of faith until the end through the hope of his promises. So in the last section of Colossians here, chapter one, Paul shifts focus from the work of Christ to describing his work for the gospel of Christ. He starts very generally and then becomes more specific to the church of Colossae as the letter unfolds in the later chapters. Colossians 124, now I rejoice in my suffering for your sake and in my flesh I am filled up with what is lacking in cross affliction for the sake of his body that is the church. So if I can be coy here, that's kind of a strange way to phrase that, right? Paul's always doing this. He's making these controversial statements and it's up to us to really unpack what he means. So is Paul implying that there is deficiency in cross atonement on the cross? Of course not. Because if this is Paul's intended meaning, then he is contradicting the central message of his own letter, plus the rest of Scripture. I'll just give you a few verses in Hebrews, which many people believe Paul authored, that this will contradict with. Hebrews 9, 12. He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. If you go on to verse 24 through 26, where Christ has entered, not into the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly as a high priest entering the holy place every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And lastly, chapter 10, verse 14, for by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. So according to these scriptures, cross-suffering was absolutely sufficient. And since they are, since they are no work ever personally suffering, can add anything to application and preservation of redemption. So what could Paul possibly mean when he says, I am filling up what is lacking in cross-affliction? When Paul says lacking, don't think of insufficient as in not good enough, just think of incomplete. Paul is implying although redemption has been accomplished and it is complete, the suffering of Christ will endure and it is not complete. That is because Paul, the Christians in Colossae, as well as those to come in future generations, will continue to suffer for the gospel and their identity with Christ. Paul talks about this suffering in 2 Corinthians 1 verse 8 through 10. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia, for we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, but that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raised the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril that he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope, and he will deliver us again. Paul also uses this language to describe the suffering of others. Philippians 2.30, Paul speaking of Paproditus suffering for preaching the gospel when he says, So here Paul's using the same term, lacking, and he's using this in the term of continued suffering. So verse 25 of Colossians chapter one, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you to make the word of God fully known. So here the Greek word used for stewardship was commonly used to describe an administrator or a steward of a large estate or household. Paul has been given a great authority and responsibility and his duties are to spread the gospel of Jesus through the known world. This is what he's referring to in verse 24 of filling up. The affliction of Christ is filled up by making the word of God fully known. Paul is suffering for Christ, proclaiming that the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is eternally sufficient for salvation. Verse 26 and 27, the mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." So here Paul, in the way he always does, he is first subtly introducing what he's going to be dealing with in later chapters. Remember we talked about people getting special knowledge from the Holy Spirit, things that aren't in Scripture that only they're getting, right? So here he's saying, the mystery is not some secret knowledge or revelation that only is given to some people. The mystery, which is God's redemptive plan to redeem a people to himself by redemption through a Messiah he would send, was being unfolded through the Old Testament and the life of Jesus. God revealed this plan through his word and the prophets. Paul later states on in chapter two, verse two, that this mystery is Christ in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. Christ is sufficient. Christ is enough. We do not need special revelation. And the Church of Colossae, just like our church here in Morganton, need not look for any esoteric wisdom or knowledge outside of God's word. God has revealed all we need to know about himself and his redemptive plan in his holy word. And if this revealed mystery could be any more glorious, verse 27 says that this mystery and its implications have been extended to the believing Gentiles. To the end of verse 27 is the mystery revealed in the new covenant. The cross dwells in us and is our source of hope. So this is another thing to contemplate during communion when we take the wine. We are all joined together, Jew and Gentile. We're children of God by the blood of cross through the gift of faith. So the last two verses of the chapter here really are paired with the first three verses of chapter two. This is Paul transitioning from his labor for the gospel abroad to his labor for the Colossian believers. Verse 28, him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ. So here we see Paul's heart is not only for the gospel, but also discipleship. Paul's not satisfied just to see professions, he wants to see them grow in Christ. One of the meanings of the Greek word for mature is actually perfect. And although we know perfection will not be reached until we are in God's presence, Paul is dedicated to the continued sanctification of the Christians at Colossae. In verse 29, Paul reveals this is his mission. This is why he endures persecution and suffering. And more importantly, how he can do it. He is sustained by the energy and power of Christ to continue to build his kingdom. As we finish, I just want to give you a few key points that we got from Colossians 1. The cross not only has a relationship with God, but was God manifest in the flesh. He continues to work as his agent. He's sustaining creation and he's bringing about the peace of God. Cross is the Lord of our redemption. He's the head of the body. He leads, he protects, and he feeds his church. His redemption of a people unto himself is a mystery, but it is revealed. It's revealed that Jews and Gentiles are brought together under the new covenant in cross blood. Cross fulfilled, complete redemption on the cross, but his suffering continues as his followers are persecuted for spreading the gospel. But even in suffering, God will empower you to good works that glorify him and build his kingdom. I think we've got about five minutes left until the end of the chapter. Does anybody have anything you want to add, questions or comments? Yeah, let me look here real quick and see. Were you talking about David? Yes, yes, it was parallel. I think it was Psalm 89. Let's see if I can find it quickly, but it's escaping me. Psalm 89 verse 27. So when I was reading through this, I was reading what some commentators were saying, and they were talking about how they were using firstborn and begotten. throughout the Old Testament talking about royalty, which I was saying, you know, in our modern world, it's really hard to kind of wrap your mind around. But I remember watching a movie not long ago, and they were coordinating a prince to be a king. He was this kind of little, you know, this frail guy. But once he put on that crown and was handed that scepter, everybody acted like he was Superman, right? Because he had all the power and authority of that kingdom. That's what they were doing, they were paralleling, and you know how New Testament just so beautifully unveils everything in the Old Testament, especially when you look at it through a covenantal lens. And so what he's saying there about David, of course he's saying it about David, but he is forecasting and foreshadowing what Christ is gonna be. He's gonna be the king greater than David. Yeah, that really helped me understand that, because you get that all the time, especially with people that don't attend church or whatever. They're like, doesn't this mean that Jesus was created? No, you have to understand this old language, you know. Anything else? All right, Benji, would you mind closing us with some prayer?