#2~Col.1: 9-18 ~Colossians Study~ 12-1-13
Before we get back to our verse by verse study in Colossians I want to give you some things that I found to be interesting, and hopefully to you as well.
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There are seven people that we read of in the Bible that God gave them their names before birth, and God had plans for all 7.
Ishmael- Gen. 16:11~ Isaac- Gen. 17:19--Abraham was the father of both--
~ Solomon was the third child that God gave a name for before his birth.- 1 Chronicles 22:9 ~ Josiah named about 300 years before born- 1 Kings 13:2~Cyrus "a gentile, Persian" named 173 years before born-Isaiah 45:1--7~~~ then after 400 years, John the Baptist, John means "God is gracious' Luke 1:13~ And last but certainly not least, JESUS our Savior- Luke 1:30-33.
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* Ancient names of Jerusalem:
References to the city of Jerusalem appear throughout the entire Scriptures.
The Scriptural history of Jerusalem (known then as "Salem"), begins when Abraham meets "Melchizedek" (King of Justice) about 2000 BC.
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~ Through the ages it has been called by many names, 9 that we know of and possibly more --- Urusalim, Salem, Mount Moriah, Adonai Urah, Jebus, Jerusalem, Zion, the City of David, Ariel (Lion of God)...
~God has declared that this is the place He will establish His Name and will dwell there forever.
~David conquered Jerusalem by defeating the Jebusites in 1052 BCE
(Chronicles 1 11:4-9),
~ In history, No other city has been beloved and fought over as Jerusalem.
References to the city of Jerusalem appear throughout the entire Scriptures.
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* Jerusalem and Bethlehem are both called "the City of David"
2 Samuel 5:4 &6-7 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. ---
6And the king [David] and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, "Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither:" thinking, David cannot come in hither. 7Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.
* Recorded also in 1 Chronicles 11:4--9.
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Luke 2:4 & 11- tell us that Bethlehem is called "the city of David".
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David :)
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11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
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~ So these two places, (Jerusalem, and Bethlehem) are called "the city of David," but they are called this for two distinct and different reasons.
~ In the Old Testament we find Jerusalem as the city of David, because David conquered it, [in a way of saying, now that's David's city] defeating the heathen Canaanite Jebusites who had inhabited that area (though they were not completely destroyed or expelled,) for David's son Solomon later subjected the remnant of the Jebusites to slave status.
1 Kings 9:20- 21
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~ Because David defeated the heathen Canaanite Jebusites who had inhabited that area --- we read in--
>2 Samuel 5:10 And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.
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* As far as Bethlehem also being the city of David, it is because David was born there.
1st. Samuel 17:12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite [a native] of Bethlehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; --, "Ephrath" was an ancient name for Bethlehem-Judah. -- in Ruth we see that.
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There are two Bethlehem's, one in JUDAH the other in ZEBULUN. -- Two son's of Jacob--of Israel.
That is the reason we always read "Bethlehem-Judah" so as we'll know the one being talked about.
* The other is found in;
Joshua 19:15 And Kattath, and Nahallal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages. 16This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.
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* We find it first mentioned by Jacob in:
Genesis 48:77And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.
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~~ There is no contradiction here of JERUSALEM and BETHLEHEM, both places correctly have this title [CITY OF David] -- one because of David's conquest, -- the other because of David's origin.
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Colossians is one of the 4 prison epistle -- Ephesians -- Colossians -- Philippians -- and Philemon. -- Colossae was destroyed by an earth quake in ad 60-61, evidently before Paul wrote this epistle.
### Col.1-8 -- let's read the 1st eight verses to get connected back up.
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, 2To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
5For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
6Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; [all over the Roman Empire.] and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
"The doctrine of the Gospel is represented as a traveler, whose object it is to visit the whole habitable earth . . . So rapid is this traveler in his course, that he had already gone nearly through the whole of the countries under the Roman dominion, and will travel on until he has proclaimed his message to every people, and kindred, and nation, and tongue."
7As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; -- The word minister does not mean "superior"; it means "one who serves."
8Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
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9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
First, Paul prayed that they would have knowledge of God's will, informed by a true spiritual understanding. -- To know God and what He requires of us is our first responsibility.
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10That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; --
~ Also Paul prayed that they would live according to the same knowledge they received, living out a walk worthy of the Lord.
-- He knew that spiritual ignorance is the constant source of error, instability, and sorrow; and so Paul desired that they might be soundly taught in the things of God.
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11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
~Paul points out if we will walk worthy of the Lord, His strength is there to help us meet all of life's challenges, and to be able to endure and overcome problems with patience and joy.
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~~ Many times we seem to have a tenancy to by pass the Father in this great plan of redemption.
12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
In the divine administration, the Father is mentioned in connection with the broad sweep of His plan of redemption. ---- He is the Person of the Trinity who initiates the plan of the ages. ---- It is the Father who qualifies us, not our own works. We gain this as an inheritance, instead of earning it as a wage.
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13Who [the FATHER] hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
In the ancient world, when one empire conquered another, the custom was to take the population of the defeated empire and transfer it completely to the conqueror's land. --- It is in this sense that Paul says we have been translated into God's kingdom. --- Everything we have and everything we are now belongs to Him.
14In whom [the SON] we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
"Redemption" has the idea of release by a legal ransom; the price for our release was paid by the blood of Jesus.
This reason is why pleading the blood of Jesus has such great significance in spiritual warfare, it shows the "receipt" of our lawful purchase as redeemed people.
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15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
The word "image" expresses two ideas.
* Likeness, as the reflection in a mirror.
* Manifestation, with the sense that God is fully revealed in Jesus.
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~Paul knew that Jesus was God just as God the Father is God, it means that Jesus is the very stamp of God the Father. -- God is invisible, but in the exalted Christ the unknowable God becomes known.
-- the firstborn of every creature can describe either, priority in time, or supremacy in rank, -- Paul probably had both ideas in mind, with Jesus being before all created things, and Jesus being of a supremely different order than all created things.
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16For by him were all things created,
"all things were created" has the idea of "stand created" or "remain created."
~ The permanence of the universe rests on Christ far more than on gravity; it is a Christ-centric universe.
-- 16For 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:
~ Paul emphasized that whatever ranks of spirit beings there may be, Jesus created them all and they all answer to Him.
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~ Verse 17 is loaded with informative facts, listen;
17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
This verse tells us that all creation had a commencement, and there was a duration of time in which it did not exist, --- NOTICE- (he is before all things)
~ LISTEN, -- if there was any thing prior to that it is not part of creation; ---- and GOD who existed prior to creation, must be the eternal God: -- notice, Paul says, Jesus Christ was before all things; therefore the apostle Paul conceived Jesus Christ to be truly, and essentially God.
-- In Him all things consist: -- The idea that Jesus is both the unifying principle and the personal sustainer of all creation. -- Therefore, God, as the Preserver, is as necessary to the continuance of all things, as God the Creator was to their original production, and this preserving or continuing power is here ascribed to Christ. -- What a verse, filled with great truths.
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18And he is the head of the body, the church:
~~ This describes Jesus relationship to the church, "head" probably refers to Jesus' role as source of the church, much as we refer to the head of a river.
~~ who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
~ This means that He has top priority of position, Christ as the eternal Son holds the position of top priority to all creation.
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--the firstborn from the dead; -- also means the first to be resurrected in a glorified body, never to die again. -- There were people raised from the dead before Jesus, but they would die again, we might think of them as being resituated, --- still in their old body -- such as Lazarus and some others. -- There's a difference in being raised from the dead and resurrected, when we're resurrected we'll have our glorified body like His.
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~ that in all things he might have the preeminence.
~Jesus Christ alone, not angels or men, Christ has unshared supremacy; He has first place; He is in a class by Himself; He is eminent above all others.
