SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON PLAN 8 - Col. 1:1-14 - DELIVERED
INTRODUCTION: This morning we will commence a six-week study covering Paul's letter to the Colossian church. The letter, with some help from Timothy, was written by Paul in about 60 A.D. while he was imprisoned in Rome. The city of Colossae was located in Phrygian province of Asia Minor on the Lycus River near the larger cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis and was about 100 miles east of Ephesus (see map). The city was entirely destroyed by an earthquake sometime during the the 60s A.D. and wasn't rebuilt until many years later. Although Paul apparently never visited Colossae in person, the church at Colossae is thought to have gotten its start during Paul's three-year ministry at Ephesus (52-55 A.D.), where a visiting Colossian named Epaphras became a disciple of Paul. Epaphras subsequently returned to his hometown and began spreading the gospel there, which resulted in the birth of the Colossian church.
At the time of this writing, Epaphras is in Rome with Paul to give him the bad news about false teaching that had become a dangerous threat to the spiritual wellbeing of the church at Colossae. While the population of Colossae consisted mostly of Greek-speaking Gentiles, it was also home to many Jews and people from East Asia with pagan religious backgrounds. What is generally termed as the "Colossian heresy," was a synergetic religion that amalgamated elements of Judaism, Greek Hellenism, and eastern mysticism with Christianity. We've seen some of this "New-Wave" religious thinking in more recent times consisting of people who seem to accept and believe "everything" but at their core really have no strong convictions about anything. Paul wrote this letter to respond to the situation at Colossae. The first half of the Book is a theological treatise that comprises one of the most profound presentations of Christology (theology relating to the person, nature, and role of Jesus Christ) anywhere in the New Testament. The over-arching theme of the Book is that Jesus Christ is Lord over all of creation, including the invisible (or cosmic) realm, who has secured salvation for all who believe in Him. The second half of the Book covers Christian moral teaching, addressing every area of the Christian life. So, as we get started today, be prepared to re-learn the ABCs of who Jesus Christ is and why he came, and how we should be living-out our lives according to His teachings.
Read Col. 1:1-2 - GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
v. 1: "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother" - Paul begins the letter in the conventional form of that day, identifying himself as "an apostle of Christ Jesus," and Timothy as "our brother." The phrase, "by the will of God," reminds us that Paul wasn't one of the original 12 but an apostle later appointed by the risen Christ to carry the gospel to the Gentile world. Timothy, who was then in Rome with Paul, probably recorded the letter as Paul dictated it. Though Paul had never visited the Colossae church in person, they would certainly know him by reputation.
v. 2a: "To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae" - Here, Paul names the recipients of the letter as "the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae," using the honorific "saints" (Gk. hagios, lit. holy ones) to emphasize that they are people of God who belong to Him. We might keep in mind that "saints" doesn't imply perfect people but those who have been set apart for a godly purpose in life.
v. 2b: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father" - This is Paul's form of greeting. "Grace" (Gk. charis) is a significant NT term that signifies the free gift of eternal salvation to all who accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ and "peace" (Gk. eirene) one that expresses the sense of inner wellbeing derived from a deep relationship with God.
Read Col. 1:3-8 - WE GIVE THANKS FOR YOUR FAITH AND YOUR LOVE
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
v. 3: We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you" - Here, Paul continues in the form of a prayer of thanks. Although the chief impetus for writing this letter was to deal with the problem of false teaching, which Paul will address soon enough, he first takes time to point out positive attributes that deserved recognition. In doing this, he applies the proven tactic that people will more easily accept criticism for what they're doing wrong if they are praised first for what they are doing right. And Notice that Paul gives thanks, not to them but to "God," who is the source of their faith. Though Paul hasn't visited Colossae, he nevertheless is "praying always" for them, by which he means that praying expressly for them was a regular part of his prayer life.
v. 4: "since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints" - Paul praises them for two positive qualities in this verse: (1) "faith in Christ Jesus," which is the right response to the Good News of Jesus Christ and (2) the "love" (Gk. agapē, i.e., unconditional, self-sacrificial love) they had demonstrated toward "all the saints," i.e., all other Christian believers.
v. 5: "because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel" - Now Paul adds "hope" to his list of praises, which, for Christians, can be defined as the expectation of something which is certain. Hope is a life-giving word. People place hope in all kinds of things-strength or appearance, education, investments, political parties, etc.; however, for the Christian believer, hope, when combined with faith, looks to the future-the future fulfillment of present promises-"the word of truth, the gospel"-which is "reserved for you in heaven," in other words, by God, who never breaks His promises.
v. 6: "which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth" - Here, as an encouragement, Paul declares that "it"-i.e., the "gospel" cited in v. 5b, had not only "come to" them "since the day you heard it," but was in the process of coming into "all the world." Indeed, by this time, in a span of only 30 years, the gospel was "bearing fruit and increasing"-that is, spreading in nearly every direction from the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia Minor all the way westward to Rome into Europe as more and more people "understood the grace of God in truth."
v. 7-8: "just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit - Led to Christ by Paul at Ephesus, Epaphras is believed to have been the founding pastor of the Colossian church. Now in Rome, Epaphrus has given Paul a very balanced report, and yes, while the Colossians have problems, they also demonstrate a bond of love (agapē) planted in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.
APPLICATION 1: To a Christian, "hope" means the expectation of something that is certain. People place their hope in all kinds of things-strength or appearance, education, investments, political parties, etc.; but for a Christian believer, hope, which results from faith, looks to the future fulfillment of the present promise of eternal life-a promise of God, who never breaks His promises.
Read Col. 1:9-14 - SO THAT YOU MAY WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY OF THE LORD
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all perseverance and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
v. 9a: "For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you" - Paul, has already made mention of the fact that both he and Timothy (v. 3) are regularly praying expressly for the Colossian church, and now he outlines the petitions that he has been making on their behalf.
v. 9b: "and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" - The generic Greek word for knowledge (gnosis) refers to general knowledge, facts and figures, but the compound word epignosis used by Paul here relates to moral and ethical values in terms of right and wrong. Taking this further, "knowledge of His (God's) will" (Gk. thelema) is not merely possession of facts (i.e., gnosis) but knowing that God has a plan for every one of us, and we can only fulfill God's purpose for us when to strive to bring our own will in line with God's will for our lives. And we do this every day by (1) denying self and (2) taking up our cross to follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). When we do this-line up our will with God's will-God gives us "all spiritual wisdom and understanding" that we need to accomplish His purposes for our lives.
v. 10a: "so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects" - We already know that "walk" is a Christian metaphor the way we live our day-to-day lives. This connects back to v. 9b, so that when we are equipped with "all spiritual wisdom and understanding," we are then able to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord." Now, God's performance standard here-"to please Him in all respects"-is very broad, yes? Here's a short list of things you may already know: regular worship, a committed prayer life, studying and meditating on His word, serving in the church, a godly marriage, godly parenting, keeping Christian standards in the workplace, loving your neighbors as yourself, etc. But number one is spending time alone with God. Are you doing that?
v. 10b: "bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" - This is the evidence that you are walking "in a manner worthy of the Lord." The expression "bearing fruit," is really a NT metaphor for producing good works. And "good works" describes a multitude of things but in general, are unselfish deeds done for others with no expectation of anything in return.
v. 10c: "and increasing in the knowledge of God" - This connects back to v. 9b in relation to knowing God's will in your life. It's not merely the possession of more and more facts, but a knowledge and understanding of God that deepens as our relationship with Him continues to grow over time. And this is a relationship in which love is both received and given. How do you do this? Well, the traditional spiritual disciplines-worship, Scripture reading and study, prayer, giving, and service-come to mind, but the possibilities are really endless.
APPLICATION 2: The "knowledge of God" is far more than head-knowledge. It's not merely the possession of more facts, but a knowledge and understanding of God that deepens as our relationship with Him grows over time. How do you increase your knowledge of God? Well, things like frequent worship, Scripture reading and study, committed prayer, and generous giving of your time and resources in Christian ministry will surely get you off to a good start.
v. 11: "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all perseverance and patience; joyously" - This is the divine dividend:
• "all power" - God dispenses power to those who believe in Him. The word Paul uses for "power" (Gk. dunamis) expresses the active and positive power to accomplish things-to make things happen. It is also the power to endure hardship and the power of self-assurance needed to endure opposition.
• "for the attaining of all perseverance and patience" - As used here, "perseverance" (Gk. hypermone) relates to the ability to endure things or circumstances, where "patience" (Gk. makrothumia) relates to enduring problems with people. Paul was an expert on this and had himself endured imprisonments, stonings, floggings, shipwrecks, angry mobs, and merciless officials.
• "joyousy" - Besides gritting their teeth in endurance, Paul wanted the Colossians to endure with joy. This isn't the short-term joy related to happy circumstances but the enduring joy that is rooted in the love and faithfulness of God, akin to the inner-peace derived from a deep relationship with God.
v. 12: "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light" - This statement has it roots in the OT Law concerning inheritance (Deut. 21:16-17), in this context, eternal inheritance. Now, under the New Covenant, Gentiles (like the Colossians) have equal access to God the Father and are "qualified," that is, heirs to the inheritance promised and are now "saints in light" through the redemption God offers them through His Son, Jesus Christ.
v. 13: "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son" - Note the dissimilarity between "light" (v. 12, above) and "darkness" here. Thus, God has delivered these Colossian Christians from the "domain of darkness," that is, from the realm of Satan and the powers of evil, and transferred them to "the kingdom of His beloved Son," which is a realm of light. This deliverance is reminiscent of the Exodus, when God delivered the children of Israel from the dark kingdom of Egypt, where they were slaves, and led them to the
Promised Land, where they were subject only to God.
v. 14: "in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" - "Redemption" involves bringing liberty to someone who is a captive, which is accomplished through the payment of a price, and what had been redeemed in this context is the penalty of sin. As Christians, we know already know that we were redeemed from the penalty of sin when Jesus Christ paid the price by His death on the cross. This verse will serve as introduction to the Paul's teachings over the next three weeks on the theme of "The Preeminence of Christ" as his response to the false teachings of the Colossian heresy.
APPLICATION 3: God grants "power" to all who believe in Him. First, we must understand that as Creator, God has all the power in the universe. As believers, God gives whatever power we need to accomplish the divine purposes He sets in front of us. This not only includes the positive and active power to get things done, but also the power of perseverance and patience to endure hardship and opposition.
PRAYER: God, our father in heaven, it's so good to be in Your house today. It's so good that we are free to gather together and study and learn from the truth of your Word. So help us, Lord, to faithfully apply what we've learned from the apostle Paul this morning. Help us, God, to fully realize and rejoice in the fact that as Christian believers, we've placed all of our hope-our eternal security-in something that's certain, something that we never have to worry about because we serve an almighty God who never breaks His promises. In today's lesson, Paul tells us that knowing You, Father, is far more than just gaining head knowledge about You; it's doing real and observable things like worshipping together in this church, reading and studying Your Word, committing ourselves to frequent prayer, and serving and giving for the cause of the gospel. So, Dear Lord, I ask that You would empower me and every member of this class to do these things, and Lord, to do them better. In the powerful name of our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray all of these things, AMEN.
