I- Introduction to Colossians:

In what is now modern Turkey along the River Lycus once stood three cities, Laodicaea, Hierapolis and Colosse. They were within about twelve miles of each other. The area was notorious for earthquakes. The area was one of considerable wealth but in the times of the writing of this letter Colosse had become less of an important city than the others.

The letter to the church at Colosse is in a group of letters that are known as the prison letters of Paul. He refers to himself as, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God…” He addresses the letter to the “saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse…”

Paul did not start the church but most agree that it was started at the direction of Paul while he was in Ephesus during his third missionary journey. It was probably started by Epaphras. Paul said in Colossians 1:7 “As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ.” If he did not start it at least he was a important minister within it.

The city of Colosse was on a major road and trade route that led from Ephesus about 100 or so miles to the west. It was during Paul’s time in Ephesus that Acts 19:10 tells us “And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.”

Some calculate from historical records and estimate the Jewish population of Colosse and the other cities of the Phrygian region as large as 50,000 Jews. The church however that Paul writes to was clearly a Gentile church. Some men that you may know from the Bible that were members of this church were Philemon and Onesimus.

II- Full Circle:

You might wonder if the book of Colossians, written to a completely different culture, and a completely different time in history is relevant today. Well in fact it is a very timely book that we need to consider because we have come full circle, so to speak. We have an old wives tale that says what goes around comes around. Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes said, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” Ecc 1:9

What I mean by this is the same problems that the Colossian letter addresses seem to be the same heresy that we see today. Things have come full circle. I guess it is true that the more things change the more they stay the same. As we take a look at some of the heresy that Paul writes to address in the Colossian letter we see just how relevant this letter is today.

III- Heresy- Here Today Here Tomorrow:

In our time today there is what I believe is a concerted effort by the enemy of God to water down the gospel, tell men that they do not need a Savior, or that Christ, even if He did exist, is not all men need. Many today believe that Christ work on the cross was not enough, we must do good works to complete it. As we have stated the problems in Colosse seem to the problems of today. They were the heresy in Paul’s “today”, our “today” and our children’s “tomorrow”.

The Apostle Paul addressed the problems in the church of Colosse by giving us in the letter the highest view of Christ anywhere in the Bible. He certainly gives Him His rightful place of preeminence.

The way I wish to make address of some of the apparent problems that Paul was aware of is by briefly showing what he taught. The teachings seem to obviously be addressing the heretic teaching of his day and ours as well.

A- Christ Was and Is God. The deviation from the truth that Christ was God, and thereby adequate and superior to all others, is seen in this letter. Look at the following.

Colossians 1:15 “Who is the image of the invisible God…”

Colossians 1:19 “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.”

Colossians 2:2-3 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; ³In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:9 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

B- All Creation by Christ. Today men are trying to find the cause of creation. We can see the effect of it all around us but what caused all this to exist. Paul addressed this in Colossians 1:16-17 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

C- Consult Christ Not the Stars: Colossians 2:8 says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

We live in a time when the philosophy of men and human wisdom seems to be the dominate thoughts of men and certainly is taught in our schools of higher learning.

The word in the KJV for rudiments here is the Greek word Stoicheia. This verse is translated in the Holman Christian Standard Bible is “Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ.”

The Message paraphrase is, “ Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ.”

William Barclay stated the following concerning this verse and sets it in today.

“Stoicheia can mean the elemental spirits of the world, and especially the spirits of the stars and planets. The ancient world was dominated by the thought of the influence of the stars. Even the greatest and wisest men would not act without consulting the stars.” (The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, p 176)

Does that not sound like our times? Men are so fascinated with the stars and horoscopes and looking at them every day to see what life holds. I would say that even most Christians know what sign of the zodiac they are.

D- Christ is Greater than Demonic Forces: Many today are held hostage in the world to dark forces of evil and demonic forces. We may not see it as out in the open in our part of the world but it is a constant in many places where our missionaries work. Paul’s address of this seems to imply that the Colossians were making too much of the demonic powers. Paul counteracts the false believe that demonic forces are greater than Christ in Col 1:16 ,(see page 2 bottom right) when he said that Christ created these beings.

Listen to how Barclay described the ancient world. “The ancient world believed implicitly in these demonic powers. The air was full of them. Every natural force, the wind, the thunder, the lightning, the rain had its demonic superintendent. Every place, every tree, every river, every lake had its spirit. The atmosphere was filled with them. And they were in one sense intermediaries to God, and in another sense barriers to God, for the vast majority of them were hostile to men.” (ibid. p 117).

Was Christ alone sufficient to overcome these? Paul taught us in Colossians 2:10 “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” Men do not need anything or anyone to overcome the powers of darkness but He who is Light, the Christ. Paul taught that Christ not only is preeminent over them but has conquered them. Colossians 2:15 “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

While we may not have these openly manifested, may I say that if we will closely observe things that are going on in our nation we see covert operations of these. There are many today that are held hostage to fear of forces of the underworld.

E- Be Aware of Angel Worship: Our world today is a very spiritual place. There is a lot of so called spiritual energy. Most of it is directed and other beings or principles and not God. Angels are believed upon by most people. The doctrines that are formed are for the most part not from the Bible. Paul seemed to address a problem within the Colossian church of angel worship. He said in Colossians 2:18 “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels…”We will look at the fact that Christ is preeminent in worship in the future.

IV- Conclusion of the Introduction:

The book of Colossians is very relevant to our times and beyond because it addresses issues and false teachings that seem to pop up in every generation. When I was considering what to entitle this study I though it certainly would have been appropriately to have subtitled it, “Restoring Christ to His rightful place as head over everything.”

As we finish this introduction look at what Colossians 1:18 says, “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

RETURN TO OUTLINE

It has been said that men can live without water for a few days, food for a little longer but living without hope is not possible.

Just the other day I was visiting a junk yard to find a part for my car. It is a part that is getting harder to find as the car gets older. I have looked for it for several months. I arrived at the junkyard at a place that has several of these older cars. I looked in the first one and the part was gone. The manager called an employee to come show me where the others were. I checked the second one and the transmission control computer was there. I said, “Hope springs eternal” meaning I hoped that this one will work. The mechanic helping me said “eternal hope is in Jesus Christ.”

He reminded me of a very important thing in our faith; our hope is in the preeminent One. He said he always believed in God but when he met Jesus he now has hope of eternal life.

I- Faith and Love: 1:3-4

Paul begins his commendation of the saints at Colosse by telling them that he is thankful to God for them and he is praying for them. The thing that moved Paul’s heart to thanksgiving and prayer was their faith and love. The reputation of the saints in the church was one of faith in Christ and love of all the saints. These two are certainly commended in the Scriptures and commanded by God.

We are told concerning faith in Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

We know that it through faith by grace that we are saved.

Notice what John 13:34-35 says, “A new commandment I [Jesus] give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

II- Rooted in Hope:

Notice what Paul understands as the motivation for their faith and love. He says is “hope.” The KJV says, “For the hope…”

Col 1:5 in the HCSB translation is, “because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. …”

We see this hope is not in a void because it is based on the Good News of the gospel. The gospel message had been preached to the Colossians by Epaphras. Col 1:7 “As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant…”

It was also Epaphras that had informed Paul of their faith and love according to verse eight.

This hope was “laid up…in heaven.” The word translated “laid” is the Greek word apokeimeinēn.

It is only found four times in the New Testament. One is in the story of the master who gave a pound to three men and one kept it laid up in a napkin. The second is here in Colossians.

The other two places are when Paul talked about a crown being laid up for him in heaven found in 2 Tim 4:9. It is translated “appointed” in Heb 9:27 concerning death and judgment.

This same idea of what we might call the treasure chest of heaven is found in Matthew 6:20 “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” And in 1 Peter 1:4 “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.”

III- Our Hope is in the Preeminent One:

Notice what Peter had to say in 1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

Hope that moved the Colossians to faith and love was a hope based on the gospel as we have stated. The gospel message is about Christ Jesus.

Lets take some time to explore what we find here in this portion of the letter that tells us about the hope we have in the Preeminent One.

1- Hope is for all the world. 1:6 “Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world…”

The hope that Paul spoke to the Colossians about is the same hope that was preached to our father, grandfathers and great grandfathers. It is a hope for all time but also for all races.

While it is true that in one sense the gospel had not spread throughout the entire globe during Paul’s time it certainly had spread like wildfire.

We need not look far in the Bible to see that God has a global agenda. He wants all to be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Warren Wiersbe tells the following story to illustrate this about Dr. Walter Wilson of Kansas City.

“I once heard him quote John 3:16 and ask, ‘If you were to give a gift that would be suitable for the whole world, what would you give?’

He then listed several possibilities and showed how these gifts could not suit everybody: books (many people cannot read); food (people eat different things in different parts of the world); clothing (climates are different); money (not every culture makes use of money). He came to the logical conclusion that only the Gospel, with its gift of eternal life, was suitable for the whole world; and he was right.” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Victor Books, p 107)

2- Hope lead to fruitfulness. 1:6“…and bringeth forth fruit…”

Jesus was very clear when He taught us that we should be fruitful. Joh 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit…” The rest of the verse says, “…for without me ye can do nothing.”

It is certainly clear that we are to be fruitful but it is also clear that God is the one who must produce the fruit through us. Please notice it is not us who save people but the gospel message of Christ.

3- Hope is by Grace. 1:6 “…since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God…”

Some teach in error that Paul was talking about working for our salvation when he talked in verses four and five about their works of faith and love. If there is one teaching that should be plain to any Bible reader it is that we are not saved by works but by grace.

Grace is first found in the Bible when it speaks of Noah and is last found in the last verse of the Revelation. The word occurs 170 times in the KJV Bible.

Perhaps the greatest verses that applies here are Eph 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Notice some others as well. 2 Thessalonians 2:16 “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.”

Romans 3:24 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Our hope that is based in the Preeminent One is a hope by grace.

4- Hope is based on truth. 1:6 “and knew the grace of God in truth.”

The believers at Colosse had hears the gospel from Epaphras and recognized it as genuine and true. He said in Colossians 1:5 “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.”

Men have been guessing about God since time began but the revelation of God has come in the form of Christ. The gospel is a message of certainty and not guess work.

5- Hope is to be passed along to/by others. 1:7 “As ye also learned of Epaphras…”

What if no one had ever told you about the gospel of Jesus? You might say well Epaphras was called to this, I am not. Col 4:12 says, “Epaphras, who is one of you…” He was a Colossian who helped tell his neighbors, friends and family about Christ. We know also that he prayed for them also according to verse twelve.

The simply point is that the gospel is carried to other men by believers. There is a long line of succession from the time of Christ until now. Someone has summed up evangelism as, “one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread.”

So we see that our hope is wrapped us in the fact that Christ is alive. Our hope is based on the good news of the Gospel. Our hope is in the Preeminent One.

RETURN TO OUTLINE

We have seen the heart of Paul move to prayer by the reputation of the Colossian church. We return to this theme of prayer in this session as we get more specific in our look.

Warren Wiersbe entitles these four verses, “A Prisoner’s Prayer.” He introduces this by saying. “The prayers in Paul’s prison letters are certainly unique. To begin with, he prays for others and not for himself. The requests in his prayers center on spiritual blessings, not on material matters.” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, p 110.)

Paul is praying for his friends, howbeit he had never set eyes on them. Col 1:9 “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you…” So how could he have known what they needed to be prayed for? Notice he prays that Christ might have preeminence in their life. Let’s breaks these verse apart and see some of the specific things he prays for.

I- Know What to Do: 1:9

1- Knowledge of His Will- “…that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will…”

Paul’s prayer was that they would know the will of God. I love what Barclay says concerning this.

“Prayer begins by asking that we may be filled with an ever-growing knowledge of the will of God. The great object of prayer is to know the will of God. In prayer we are not so much trying to make God listen to us, as we are trying to make ourselves listen to God; in prayer we are not trying to persuade God to do what we want Him to do, we are trying to find out what He want us to do. It so often happens that in prayer we are really saying, ‘Thy will be changed,’ when we ought to be saying ‘Thy will be done.’ The first object of prayer is ot so much to speak to God, as it is to listen to God.” (Barclay, William, The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, p 129-130)

What greater thing is there than to know the will of the Preeminent One, the One who has first place in our lives?

2- Wisdom to Apply Knowledge- “…and to desire in all wisdom…”

James contrasted the difference between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God in James 3:15;17 “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish…. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

How many of us are basing our lives on the wrong wisdom? Paul is talking about them having the wisdom to apply what they come to know is the will of God.

“Notice it is a knowledge of His will, not of His nature. We are not expected to understand and explain the Trinity, but we are expected to understand His plan and His purpose for our lives.” (Liberty Commentary on the New Testament, p. 561)

William Hendriksen said this wisdom “is the ability to use the best means in order to reach the highest goal, a life to God’s glory.” (New Testament Commentary, p 57)

3- Spiritual Insight- “…and spiritual understanding…”

This, as one commentary says, “…speaks of clear analysis and decision-making in applying this knowledge to various problems.” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, p 671)

Notice 1Jn 5:19-20 HCSB “We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one. 20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One. …”

So Paul prayed that they would have the knowledge of God’s will, the wisdom to know what to do and the spiritual insight to apply it.

II- Do What You Know: 1:10-12

When they have the knowledge, wisdom and spiritual understanding, he then prays that they might put it into practice.

1 –Walking Worthy- “¹⁰That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing…”

Why do we preach, teach, read, study and learn the Word of God? Is it so we can simply know what it says and what it means? Notice what James said in James 1:22-25 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. ²³For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: ²⁴For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. ²⁵But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

We do all these things that we might practice what the Word says. The walk refers to all aspects of our life. Paul’s prayer was that they would walk worthy of representing the One who is above all. The one we need to please is not anyone, including ourselves, but Him and Him alone.

2- Be Fruitful- …”being fruitful in every good work…”

Allow me to borrow an analogy from botany. There are many “annual” Christians. It seems they forget how to bear fruit and need constantly to be replanted. We need to be “perennial” Christians that bear fruit from season to season, year to year without the need to have constant care.

Listen to Hebrews 5:12-13 “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. ¹³For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.”

3- Know God More- “…increasing in the knowledge of God…”

If we tie this into being fruitful, we can say that a tree that is growing bears fruit. A tree when it ceases to grow new branches dies. 2Pe 3:18 “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ….”

Our relationship with God should never grow stagnant and not be one of new discoveries in Him and who He is.

4- Get Stronger Each Day- “¹¹Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.”

The psalmist wrote centuries before, “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psa 18:2

Now notice a great truth. We are to be given this strength not in proportion to our faith, strength but “according to his glorious power.” It is by His power we are strengthened. It is out of His abundant power and strength that we are empowered.

The purpose of this strength being given is that we might learn to lean on the Preeminent One in trouble with patience and longsuffering. He alone can give us joy in our trials and tribulations.

5- Be Thanksgiving- “¹² Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.”

The final element of Paul’s prayer that He might be preeminent in their lives is that they would be thankful to the father.

Nothing is ruder, in my opinion, than someone who is unthankful for things done on their behalf. Imagine all the things God does for us that go unnoticed and unappreciated by the human race.

Notice the thing said here about what God has done for us. Notice some translations of verse 12.

Amplified Bible. “Who has qualified {and} made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light.”

Message. "thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us."

New International Version “ giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

A Christian who is walking in Christ and seeking to make Him preeminent in their life will be one who’s life is marked by thanksgiving.

Those walking in Christ will also realize that it in Christ and Christ alone who makes it possible for us to partake of the inheritance of heaven. He is the one who qualifies us, makes us fit and will ultimately take us to heaven by His merit imputed to us.

I wish to conclude based on the outline that Warren Wiersbe used for this section. He said Paul:

Prayed for “Spiritual Intelligence, Practical Obedience and Moral Excellence.” (p 111-12)

I simply say he prayed that Christ would have preeminence. Does He?

RETURN TO OUTLINE

We have explored the hope we have in Christ the Preeminent One, and how Paul prayed that He might be preeminent in the lives of believers.

The next thought in Colossians is what Christ has done for us. There are four thoughts that I find here that I feel will help us grow in our understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done for us. I trust this will also help us to grow in our relationship with Him as well as we look at “Rescued by His Preeminence”.

“An old Indian chief constantly spoke of the Lord Jesus and what He meant to him. "Why do you talk so much about Jesus?" asked a friend. The old chief did not reply, but slowly, deliberately gathered some sticks and bits of grass. He made a circle of them. In the circle he placed a caterpillar. Still silent, he struck a match and lit the sticks and grass. They watched the caterpillar. As the fire caught around the circle, the trapped caterpillar began to crawl around rapidly, seeking a way to escape.

As the fire advanced, the helpless caterpillar raised its head as high as it could. If the creature could have spoken, it would have said, "My help can only come from above."

Then the old chief stooped down. He extended his finger to the caterpillar which crawled up his finger to safety. "That," said the chief glowing, "was what the Lord Jesus did for me! I was lost in sin. My condition was hopeless. I was trapped. Then the Lord Jesus stooped down in love and mercy and He drew me out of the horrible pit of sin and shame. How can I help but love Him and talk of His wondrous love and care?" (www.e-sword.net illustration)

Beloved let us worship Him and praise Him as we study this portion of the book of Colossians.

Notice four words in these verses with me; delivered, translated, redemption, forgiveness.

I- Delivered:

“…delivered us from the power of darkness…”

This portion of the verse is where I took the title of this session. In the NASB, it is translated, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness…”

A group of atheists were criticizing the Bible. One of them spoke about creation. He said, "What man with any common sense could believe that several thousand years ago, God stooped down and picked up a piece of mud, breathed on it, and changed it into a human being?" A Christian man standing by overheard the conversation and responded by saying: "I cannot answer all the questions about creation, but this I know: One night God stooped down and picked up the dirtiest piece of mud in this city, breathed upon it by His Holy Spirit, and changed a gambling, thieving, drinking wretch into a peace-loving man of God. I was that man." (ibid)

Christ has rescued us from, as the Message paraphrase says, “dead-end alleys and dark dungeons.”

The Liberty Commentary says:

“God rescued and liberated us from the power, dominion, authority, and tyranny of darkness. Darkness speaks of a miserable, horrible state of being held captive by Satan. Darkness is a symbol of ignorance, falsehood and sin. (p 561)

By Christ we have been rescued from darkness unto the light 1 Thessalonians 5:5 “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”

Ephesians 5:8 tells us, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.”

Beloved we can worship Christ because he has rescued us, delivered us from the danger of eternity in hell.

II- Translated:

“…translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”

Where is home? No I am not talking about our earthly home. I am talking about our true home.

It was a common practice in the times of the Bible for a conquering nation to move whole populations out of their homeland and populate another area with them. The city of Colossae was populated in this manner. “History records that Antiochus the Great transported 2,000 Jews from Babylon to Colossae.” (Wiersbe p115)

So where is our true home? The NASB it says in Philippians 3:20 “ For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Barnes notes says concerning this: “It means, here, that they who are Christians have been transferred from one kingdom to another, as if a people were thus removed. They become subjects of a new kingdom, are under different laws, and belong to a different community. This change is made in regeneration, by which we pass from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light; from the empire of sin, ignorance, and misery, to one of holiness, knowledge, and happiness. No change, therefore, in a man’s life is so important as this; and no words can suitably express the gratitude which they should feel who are thus transferred from the empire of darkness to that of light.” (Barnes notes from www.E-Sword.net)

Beloved we are citizens of a new country because of Jesus. We have been translated, we have been moved, we have been given a new home in a new land because of Him.

III- Redeemed:

“In whom we have redemption through his blood…”

There are six different Greek words for redemption used in the New Testament. This particular one means, “A buying back, a setting free by paying a ransom price. / “To rescue by ransom” (p 153/672) (The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

We only need to ask two questions to understand this. First, who paid the price for our redemption, and then what did it cost. We see here that Christ is the one through whom we have redemption. We also see it was by His blood.

Barclay said this, “is the word which is used for the emancipation of a slave, and for buying back something in the power of someone else.” (p 134)

Perhaps no better illustration can be found of this than the story of Hosea and his wife Gomer found in Hosea 3:1-2 “ Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. 2 So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley.” The prophet was told to go buy back his adulteress wife from the slave market.

Beloved we have redemption in Christ and Christ alone and by the blood of Christ and His blood alone. You cannot claim redemption without Christ and cannot claim redemption in Christ apart from the blood of Christ.

IV- Forgiven:

“…even the forgiveness of sins.”

You will recall the story of the man who was brought to Jesus by his friend. You remember, the one where they had to let him down through the roof of the house because there were so many people already inside.

Mark 2:5-12 “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. ⁶ But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,⁷ Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? ⁸ And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? ⁹ Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? ¹⁰ But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) ¹¹ I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. ¹² And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.”

We have forgiveness of our sins by Christ blood. This means he sends our sins away and removes them from our account. Notice a few verses that teach us this.

Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Isa 44:22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

Beloved there is none like Him. Him who is preeminent in all things. Him who provides rescue from our sins, who redeems us by His blood, who blots out our sins. Praise be to the One who is our rescuer.

The author of the book of Hebrews sets forth Christ as superior to the angels, Moses, the old covenant, and everything and everybody else. Speaking of the Scriptures of Col 1:15-20 The Bible Knowledge Commentary says:

“In this paragraph Paul mentioned seven unique characteristics of Christ, which fittingly qualify him to have “the supremacy” (v. 18). Christ is: (1) the image of God, (2) the Firstborn over Creation, (3) Creator of the universe, (4) Head of the church, (5) Firstborn from the dead, (6) the fullness of God, and (7) the Reconciler of all things. No comparable listing of so many characteristics of Christ and His deity are found in any other Scripture passage. Christ is the supreme Sovereign of the universe!” (p 672)

Come into this wonderful passage as we see that Christ is preeminent over all things.

I- Was Before Creation:

“…image of Invisible God.” How can we know what someone is like? An artist can paint a picture, take a photo, or perhaps make a bronze statue but these cannot tell us what someone is like because they are only a glimpse in time. We cannot here their voice or see the mannerisms nor see the way they walk. But if we see them in person or even their identical twin we could know them.

Notice when the disciples asked Jesus to show them the Father found in John 14:8-9. “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. ⁹ Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

Paul tells us that Christ was the image of God. It is not enough to see Christ as a good man, great teacher, religious leader, founder of one of the world’s many religions. We must see Him as who He is, God.

A German art gallery had a painting of Christ on the cross which had the inscription, "I did this for thee. What hast thou done for me?" This picture had been painted by an artist three hundred years before. When he had finished his first sketch of the face of the Redeemer, this artist called in his landlady's little daughter and asked her who she thought it was. The girl looked at it and said, "It is a good man." The painter knew that he had failed. He destroyed the first sketch and, after praying for greater skill, finished a second. Again he called the little girl in and asked her to tell him whom she thought the face represented. This time the girl said that she thought it looked like a great sufferer. Again the painter knew that he had failed, and again he destroyed the sketch he had made. After meditation and prayer, he made a third sketch. When it was finished, he called the girl in a third time and asked her who it was. Looking at the portrait, the girl exclaimed, "It is the Lord!" That alone makes the coming of Christ meaningful to the world-not that a good man came, not that a wise teacher came, not that a great sufferer came, but that God came-Immanuel, God with us.

“…the firstborn of every creature” We can understand two things from this. He, as firstborn was before us. Much like my oldest sister was before me. However, I think the greater teacher here is that of position. The firstborn in a family in biblical times was one of preeminence. They were given more honor and authority and a greater inheritance. Christ as firstborn occupies a position superior to all of creation. This does not in any way need to be understood that Christ was simply another being created by God as we will see in a moment. Christ was more than a man, He was the God/man, God incarnate in the flesh of man.

“A professor of theology once asked his students to get a sheet of paper and divide it into three columns. In the first column they were to write every passage where Christ is spoken of as God-Man; in the second column all the passages where Christ is spoken of as God alone; and in the third, all the passages where Christ is spoken of as man alone. The papers were badly balanced. The first and second columns filled right up, but as to the third column, no one found a passage speaking of Christ as man alone. There just is no such passage.”

II- Creator Is Above Creation:

“For by him were all things created…” What a declaration of Christ deity. He was not only before creation; He was the instrument of creation.

“We see a table. It is beautiful. We admire it, but more than that, we accept the fact that behind that object there was a concept in the mind of someone. Or consider the Empire State Building. Before it was erected, it took form in the mind of an architect who transferred his thoughts to paper as a blueprint. Only then could the building be put up for everybody to see.”

How did things come about? God created all things through Christ. John in his gospel declare this as well. John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

We next have a list of things, may I say an exhaustive list, that Christ created.

All things, “that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers…”

“In heaven or earth…” is the things we see in the heavens, as well as those still beyond men’s possibilities and capacities yet unseen, as well as all the things on this earth.

“Visible and invisible,” the visible things that men do not have trouble believing in for the most part, but the invisible things that man cannot see. The sunrays that warm us, the radio waves that carry our radio and TV, the souls of men, the microscopic particles that men continue to discover; He created them all.

“…whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers…”

This brings us to an important part of this. We know these thrones, dominions, etc. speak about a highly organized dominion in the spiritual world. Notice Ephesians 6:11-12 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Let me give us a story recorded for us by George Otis Jr. in a work entitled, The Twilight Labyrinth; why does spiritual darkness linger where it does? He records a story told to him by a man in northern India, a Tibetan Christian, a pastor, named Stephen Hishey.

“In our neighborhood,” he explained, “a young boy recently became quite ill. His parents took him to several doctors, but none of them seemed able to formulate a workable diagnosis. In fact, the only thing anyone could agree on was the fact that he was dying…After eight months his parents became desperate.

“One day about this time, my wife and I noticed that a large crowd had gathered around our neighbors’ home. We wondered if perhaps it had something to do with the boy. Out of concern and curiosity, we decided to walk over. Working our way through the crowd and peering through the doorway, we saw to Buddhist monks. On was banging on a brass plate, while the other sat cross-legged in front of a small mound of red coals. The latter was a thirty-year old medium who had been brought in to ascertain the source of the boy’s physical problems. We recognized him immediately as a weak-willed monk whose life was a revolving door for demonic spirits.

“Moments after our arrival, this medium became possessed by various spirits, including house gods, that were being invoked by the lama. As the demons settled into his body, we watched in amazement as he plucked a live coal out of the fire and place it into his mouth. There was a sickening hissing sound as the red-hot ember came in contact with the moist tissue.

“As he chewed on the live coals, the monk suddenly levitated six feet into the air. Still seated in a cross-legged posture, he began to fly in a circular pattern just over the heads of the crowd. As he moved about the room, the people bowed in awe, crying, “God, god, god.’ This lasted for about two minutes before my wife and I, unable to tolerate this perversion any longer, began to invoke the name of Jesus.”

Then Stephen showed a hint of a grin.

“Do you know what happened next?” he asked. “The oracle dropped to the floor! After a few moments, the lama asked the medium to explain his sudden and unflattering reintroduction to the law of gravity. As he surveyed the room, the monk’s gaze came to rest on my wife and me, standing near the doorway. Pointing a finger in our direction, he exclaimed, ‘These are the people.’ It was clear to me that this knowledge had been given him by a supernatural power.” (p 26-27)

Beloved Jesus is superior to all the demons of hell and all the cohorts of darkness. No less than five (5) times in the book of Matthew we have recorded that Jesus cast out demons. (See Matt 8:28; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22; 17:15) The demons themselves recognized this fact. Mat 8:29; 31 “And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?... ³¹So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.”

This verse closes with, “all things were created by him, and for him.” This repeats the though and gives creation it’s purpose, “for Him.”

III- By Him All Things Continue:

“¹⁷ And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Christ is shown to be superior to all of creation from a different insight here. He not only created it but also keeps it working on schedule. The atoms that make up everything are mostly made up of empty space. He holds them together as well as all the planets, stars, and galaxies. My what a God we serve.

IV- Preeminent in the church:

¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

He and he alone is the head of the Church. The next phrase, “who is the beginning” actually means the origin or cause of. He is head because it was He who began the church by the purchase of men’s souls by the blood. Notice Ephesians 1:21-23 “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: ²²And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, ²³Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”

By the fact that He was the first to rise from the dead He is the head of a whole new order and shows His triumph over death, the enemy of man.

“…that in all things he might have the preeminence.” He is the Preeminent One, above all that is and will be.

Let me conclude with a quote from an unknown author.

To many, Jesus Christ is only a grand subject for a painting, a heroic theme for a pen, a beautiful form for a statue, and a thought for a song; but to those who have heard His voice, who have felt His pardon, who have received His benediction, He is music, warmth, light, joy, hope and salvation, a Friend who never forsakes, who lifts us when others try to push us down. We cannot wear Him out; we pile on Him all our griefs and troubles. He is always ready to lift us; He addresses us with the same love; He beams upon us with the same smile; He pities us with the same compassion.

There is no name like His. It is more inspiring than Caesar's, more musical than Beethoven's, more patient than Lincoln's. The name of Jesus throbs with all life, weeps with all pathos, groans with all pains, stoops with all love. Its breath is laden with perfume.

Who like Jesus can pity a homeless orphan? Who like Jesus can welcome a prodigal back home? Who like Jesus can make a drunkard sober? Who like Jesus can illuminate a cemetery plowed with graves? Who like Jesus can make a queen unto God out of a lost woman of the street? Who like Jesus can catch the tears of human sorrow in His bowl?

There is no metaphor with which to truly express Jesus. He is not like the bursting forth of an orchestra; that is too loud and it may be out of tune. He is not like the sea when lashed into a rage by a storm; that is too boisterous. He is not like a mountain wreathed in lightning, canopied with snow; that is too solitary and remote.

He is the Lily of the Valley, the Rose of Sharon, a gale of spices from heaven.

RETURN TO OUTLINE

When we allow our mind to linger on reconciliation, what image do we visualize? If it is a human reconciliation perhaps, it is like the two Britons.

One New Year’s Eve at London’s Garrick Club, British dramatist Frederick Lonsdale was asked by Symour Hicks to reconcile with a fellow member. The two had quarreled in the past and never restored their friendship. “You must,” Hicks said to Lonsdale. “It is very unkind to be unfriendly at such a time. Go over now and wish him a happy New Year.”

So Lonsdale crossed the room and spoke to his enemy. “I wish you a happy New Year,” he said, “but only one.”

Today in the Word, July 5, 1993

I- By the Blood of His Cross:

Paul goes back to the fact that all of God dwelled within Christ and then points to the way God chose to reconcile men. He made, “…peace through blood of his cross.” Notice it was by His cross not our cross or our suffering. Men is brought back into a right relationship with God by the death of Christ.

“Years ago in a Western city, a husband and wife became estranged and finally separated. They left the city and resided in different parts of the country. The husband, one day, chanced to return to this city on a matter of business. He went out to the cemetery to the grave of their only son. He was standing by the grave in fond reminiscence, when he heard a step behind him. Turning, he saw his estranged wife. The first inclination of both was to turn away. But they had a common binding interest in that grave; and instead of turning away they clasped hands over that grave of their son and were reconciled one to another. It took nothing less than death to reconcile them!

It takes nothing less than death, the precious blood of Christ, to reconcile man to God. The pronouncement, the proclamation of that, is the gospel message. --McCartney

II- Reconcile all things, earth and heaven.

The thing we must never forget is that the initiative for reconciliation was with God. It is never mentioned in the Bible that God being reconciled to men but always men to God. Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

“All things” by this we need to see not only the redemption of men but ultimately of all of creation. Because of Christ the creation that according to Rom 8:19-23 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, ²¹ Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. ²³ And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

So, in Christ we have all that is needed to be reconciled to God. We only have to accept this.

I read a story that I think will illustrate this for us.

A childhood accident caused poet Elizabeth Barrett to lead a life of semi-invalidism before she married Robert Browning in 1846.

There’s more to the story. In her youth, Elizabeth had been watched over by her tyrannical father. When she and Robert were married, their wedding was held in secret because of her father’s disapproval. After the wedding the Brownings sailed for Italy, where they lived for the rest of their lives. But even though her parents had disowned her, Elizabeth never gave up on the relationship. Almost weekly she wrote them letters. Not once did they reply.

After 10 years, she received a large box in the mail. Inside, Elizabeth found all of her letters; not one had been opened! Today those letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature. Had her parents only read a few of them, their relationship with Elizabeth might have been restored. Daily Walk, May 30, 1992

As beautiful as those letters were and are may I say that the letters from God to lost humanity about his love is even greater? We only need to open them. Reconciliation lies at our fingertips to be opened and grasped.

III- Why We Need Reconciled:

The next verse gives rise to a question, why do we need reconciliation.

Col 1:21 ^“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

Did you notice we were alienated and enemies in our mind by our wicked works.

It has often been pictures as a great gulf between men and God. In art and other means this gulf has been displayed by the cross bridging the gap. We in our flesh want to build a wall but God sent Christ to build a bridge.

Once upon a time two brothers shared adjoining farms. For over 40 years of they worked side by side, sharing equipment and helping each other out whenever needed. Then one day a rift developed. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by months of angry silence.

One day the eldest brother, Pete, was out in his fields when a ute pulled up. Out jumped a man who approached Pete carrying a carpenter's toolbox. "I’m looking for a few days work" he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs I could do for you?"

"Well, yes I do," said Peter. "See that creek down there, it's the border between my brother's farm and mine. Me brother keeps it nice and deep to stop me from setting one foot on his beloved farm. Well I'll oblige him. I want you to take that timber over there by the barn and build me a new fence, a real tall one, so I don't have to look over at my stinkin' brother and his farm no more."

The carpenter was glad to have the work, "No worries mate. I understand. Just point me to your post-hole digger and I’ll get the job done."

So the carpenter set about working. Meanwhile farmer Pete drove into town to the local cattle auction. When he returned at sunset he was shocked to see what the carpenter had done.

There was no fence. Instead the carpenter had built a bridge and walking across it was Pete's younger brother. He held out his hand and spoke to his brother, "Mate after all I've done to you these past few weeks I can't believe you'd still reach out to me. You're right. It's time to bury the hatchet.

The two brothers met at the middle of the bridge and embraced. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other projects for you," said farmer Pete. "I’d love to stay on," the carpenter said, "but I have more bridges to build." (Scott Higgins, rewritten from a story of unknown source.)

Men want to build fences to escape God but God in his mind but God built a bridge.

IV- Results of Reconciliation

Col 1:22 “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight”.

The results of us being reconciled to God through the Preeminent One is that we a made righteous in Him. The Bride of Christ the church will be presented to Him as a chaste virgin. Rev 21:2 “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Well you might say that we are not perfect. Notice a powerful statement in this verse that might have escaped notice before.

“…in his sight…” It is God who is the one who looks at us in the perfection of His Son and through His blood and as a holy God is satisfied. We will probably never live up to where we think we should and the devil is quick to point out our failing but “In his sight,” we are going to be presented as, “holy and unblameable and unreproveable…”

Alexander III was Tsar of Russia from 1881-1894. His rule was marked by repression, and in particular by persecution of Jews. His wife, Maria Fedorovna, provided a stark contrast, being known for her generosity to those in need. On one occasion her husband had signed an order consigning a prisoner to life in exile. It read simply "Pardon impossible, to be sent to Siberia." Maria changed that prisoners life by moving the comma in her husband's order. She altered it to "Pardon, impossible to be sent to Siberia."

In Christ God has changed the comma that stood against us. From "Pardon impossible, send to Siberia" comes the good news of salvation: "Pardon, impossible to send to Siberia."

Sources: biography.com and Today in the Word, July 14, 1993.

In Christ we have had our comma moved. From Pardon impossible, send to hell to Pardon, impossible to send to hell. In Him we have reconciliation with God.

RETURN TO OUTLINE

Message. "thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us."

New International Version “ giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

Col 1:13-14 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: ¹⁴ In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”

By Christ we have been rescued from darkness unto the light 1 Thessalonians 5:5 “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”

Ephesians 5:8 tells us, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.”

“…translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”

Where is home? No I am not talking about our earthly home. I am talking about our true home.

So where is our true home? The NASB it says in Philippians 3:20 “ For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“In whom we have redemption through his blood…”

“…even the forgiveness of sins.”

You will recall the story of the man who was brought to Jesus by his friend. You remember, the one where they had to let him down through the roof of the house because there were so many people already inside.

Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Isa 44:22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

5- Preeminence in all Things…1:15-18

Paul also rejoiced that he was suffering for the Gentiles. Paul, while a Jew, is often referred to as the apostle to the Gentiles.

Message. "thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us."

New International Version “ giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

Col 1:13-14 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”

By Christ we have been rescued from darkness unto the light 1 Thessalonians 5:5 “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”

Ephesians 5:8 tells us, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.”

“…translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”

Where is home? No I am not talking about our earthly home. I am talking about our true home.

So where is our true home? The NASB it says in Philippians 3:20 “ For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“In whom we have redemption through his blood…”

“…even the forgiveness of sins.”

You will recall the story of the man who was brought to Jesus by his friend. You remember, the one where they had to let him down through the roof of the house because there were so many people already inside.

Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Isa 44:22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

5- Preeminence in all Things…1:15-18

Paul also rejoiced that he was suffering for the Gentiles. Paul, while a Jew, is often referred to as the apostle to the Gentiles.

Col 1:13-14 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: ¹⁴ In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”