The Sufficiency of Christ
Text: Colossians 1:1-14
Introduction.
A preacher looks out his window one hot summer day and he sees an overturned hay-wagon on the road with a young farmer boy struggling to move the pile of hay out of the road. The boy looked hot and sweaty….and upset.
The preacher walks out and says to the boy, “You look hot, my son. Why don’t you rest for a minute?”
The boy replied, “No, I don’t think my father would like that.”
The preacher then said, “Don’t be silly. Everyone is entitled to a break. Come on in the house and let me get you a drink of cold water.”
The boy again refused saying, “No. I think my father would be upset with that!”
The preacher was quickly losing patience and said, “Your father must be a real slave driver! If you tell me where I can find him, I’ll give him a piece of my mind!”
The young boy replied, “You can find him under this load of hay!”
In this situation, the boy knew what he had to do. There was a sense of urgency in his actions. He was intent and driven—and no one could sway him from his goal.
No matter how dedicated he was, it didn’t stop somebody from trying to stop him. The preacher had a faulty understanding of what was going on. He thought he was right and he did everything he could to persuade the boy to stop what he was doing.
The Church at Colossae.
The City of Colosae was located on a main road from Ephesus to the Euphrates. There were members of the Lord’s Church in Colosae, and these were the people the apostle Paul was addressing in his letter, which we call “Colossians”. These people had a problem similar to that of the young boy with the overturned hay-wagon.
The Church at Colosae was a “driven” Church!
Theirs was a Church seeking to please their Father.
In his letter, the apostle Paul was commending them for their Faith, and Love, and Hope. However, apparently, there was someone trying to convince them to stop what they were doing.
Paul warned the members there of a problem.
Colossians 2:8
---8---“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the traditions of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
There were people claiming to be religious people; and they were trying to convince Christians to stop what they were doing—and so Paul urged the Colossians….
Colossians 2:18
---18---“Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of angels, taking his stand on visions he has see, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.”
But why? Why did Paul feel it necessary to warn these Christians about this danger? There was a lesson for the Church in Paul’s letter.
Are there lessons in the Book of Colossians for the Church today? I believe there are, and over the next few weeks, we will be studying the letter to the Church in Colossae.
Why was this message from Paul so important to them? Because, apparently, some had become convinced of what these so called “religious people” told them. Some may have been taken captive by this false teaching. Some may have become disqualified for the prize or, at least, they were in danger of becoming so.
And so, Paul warns them, “Be aware! Don’t be swayed by thinking the way others want you to think. Don’t stop doing what you’ve been doing!”
You know, we can fall into that same trap. It’s so easy when we’re approached with a new message from a strong-willed person who tells us he got this message straight from God!
It can be hard to resist when we’re told, “Believe this way and it will be better for everybody. Believe and teach what I say and you will be accepted by all the other people—they will like you and you will be known as a person of “tolerance”. After all, if you do what these people tell us, we will be called “politically correct”.
Now Colossians is really an intriguing letter. Some biblical college teachers will tell us the Bible is a “theological treatise” that was just written to impart a good doctrine. It is as if they believe that the letter to the Church at Colossae really had nothing to do with that specific Church.
I think I can see where they get this idea when we look at how Paul begins his letter. If you were not aware that something was wrong with the Church in Colossae, then you wouldn’t guess there was anything wrong. Let’s look at how the apostle Paul begins his letter to the Colossians….
Colossians 1:1-18
---1---“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy, our brother,
---2---to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God, our Father.
---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 laid up 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 constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the Grace of God in Truth;
---7---just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bondservant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,
---8---and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.”
The first thing Paul tells them is how proud he is of their Faith and loyalty to Jesus. He marvels at how much Jesus has changed their lives. Then Paul launches into a long description of what Jesus has done for us as Christians, who Jesus is, and about the mystery of God’s Love that has now been extended to us through Him.
Paul starts a letter—a letter warning about false teaching, and he does it by focusing on Jesus.
Why? Because, if we forget where we came from, then we forget who we now are. We need to remember what changed us and Paul tells them (and us) that they were born of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In verse 6, Paul speaks of the transformational power of the Gospel in lives as we come to understand God’s Grace in all of its Truth.
The word “Gospel” means “good news”, and it is the good news of God’s Grace. The word “Grace” means “unmerited favor”. It is what God has done—is doing—and what He will do through Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. The good news is that Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sins and we can be set free through Him. We can be changed forever.
The apostle Paul knew that the best way for us to stay away from false doctrine is to remember what the Gospel, through Jesus Christ, has done for our lives and to focus on Jesus.
What The Gospel Does For Us.
Paul now turns his attention to how the Gospel had changed them. He first addresses the inward transformation that has occurred. This inward transformation changed the way they perceived things. It changed the way they perceived God, and it changed the way they perceived life.
The Gospel transforms our attitude!
Verses 3-4
---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…”
The first change in attitude Paul sees is the emergence of Faith. When we receive the Truth of the Gospel, we can stand by Faith.
Ephesians 2:8
---8---“By Grace through Faith are you saved.”
We live by Faith. Without Faith, it is impossible to please God.
So—what is Faith? Christian Faith is based on evidence that is not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
---1---“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
We understand Faith in some things, because we all exercise Faith in some things each and every day.
· We drive down the road and come upon a “big” bridge made by man, and we go right across it without fear. We have Faith that the bridge will not collapse.
· We eat at restaurants and have faith that the food will not kill us.
· We sit in a chair and we have faith it will hold up our weight.
This faith is based on our experiences.
Faith in Christ is much like that. It requires that we believe and act on that belief. We must trust and obey, because obedience and Faith go together.
The Gospel transforms our attitude and now we stand by Faith, just like Paul told the Christians at Colossae to do.
Not only do we stand by Faith, we also walk in Love.
Colossians 1:4
---4---“Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the Love which you have for all the saints…”
We not only receive God’s Faith, we also receive God’s Love. Love shows who the true believers are.
John 13:34-35
---34---“A new command I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
---35---By this, all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have Love for one another.”
1st John 4:20
---20---“If someone says, ‘I Love God’, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
We can’t read these scriptures and draw any other conclusion about love other than it identifies who we are. Paul told the Colossian Christians this and it applies to all Christians for all times. God has given us the power to Love. It’s easy to love the “loveable”; but it takes God’s power to love the unlovable.
As Christians, we stand in Faith, walk in Love, and, as Paul tells the Colossians, they now rest in Hope.
Colossians 1:5
---5---“…because of the Hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the Word of Truth, the Gospel.”
We have a hope. It is the hope of heaven. We know that this life is not all there is—that one day we will experience eternal life in all its fullness. In 1st Peter 1:4, we read, “…to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”
The philosophy of our world is instant gratification—“Buy now, Pay later”. As Christians, our hope of heaven enables us to endure and stand fast in the Faith—even when others want us to think something else and stop doing what we are doing.
We can endure in this hope as Paul wrote in Romans 8:18—“…for I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Paul begins his letter to the Church in Colossae by warning them to stay away from false doctrine—by pointing them back to Jesus and His Gospel. He tells them the Gospel has transformed their lives. He also tells them the Gospel has transformed their actions.
Transformed Actions.
Paul says the Gospel has done the following in them—
Colossians 1:6
---6---“…which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the Grace of God in Truth…”
When the Gospel comes to us, we begin a process called “salvation”. Salvation is not a past event that happens and then it’s over. Salvation is an ongoing process of growth. Salvation begins in regeneration as we are born again into the family of God. It continues in sanctification as we are changed daily into the image of Christ.
In Romans 8:29 Paul writes—
---29---“For whom He (God) foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.”
For Christians this culminates in Glorification wherein we are transformed into completely spiritual beings who enter into the presence of Christ.
Living the Life.
Now Paul tells the Christians of Colossae how to live the life—walk the walk of light—that will keep them from falling under the evil influences of false doctrine. He turns their focus back to Jesus Christ, the Savior—back to the Gospel of their salvation. And Paul tells them the following—
Colossians 1:9-12
---9---“For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
---10---so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every work and increasing in the knowledge of God,
---11---strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously
---12---giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
What is Paul telling them and also telling all Christians, both then and now?
He is telling them how to walk the walk!!!
How?
By walking in increasing knowledge. We need to grow in our knowledge of God. We need to know His will.
And where will we get that knowledge?
We will get it through God’s inspired word—the only source of God’s revelation to man today. We call this source the Holy Bible; and, we discover that Jesus Christ is the message of the entire Bible—both Old and New Testaments.
Do you remember what we said earlier? In Chapter 2, Verse 18, Paul tells the Colossians regarding the ones who would bring unsound doctrine. ---18---“…taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.”
What that means is they were dreaming this false doctrine up in their own minds, even to the point that they believed ! They were deceiving themselves in their fleshly minds.
Brethren, this was happening in the first century when Paul wrote his letter——people were doing it then. I believe it is just as important in the 21st century, because we see this sort of thing every day.
People tell us, “Believe this, because God has given me a vision—He spoke to me directly.” Or they may say, “The Holy Spirit moved me to tell the world this!”
But let me tell you this, Brothers and Sisters, if what they tell us is contrary to the inspired word of God, it is not true—and their message has NO saving power. It will not produce salvation!
Only God’s word—the Holy Bible—can give us the message of salvation!
Those false teachers taught salvation through self-abasement—the worship of angels—and many other things they brought with them from their customs and traditions. But Paul said of these, “They’ve created all of this in their fleshly minds.” He was telling them none of this came from the mind of God and it would not save—not them and not us!
Paul says to continue to walk in increasing knowledge—walk in fruitful service—walk in spiritual power. In verses 11 and 12 of Chapter 1 of Colossians, Paul says to walk in joyful thanksgiving!
Yes, Paul points them back to Christ—back to the Gospel of salvation. He reminds them what Truth really is. Paul does this so that they might compare it with what is False! He tells them to keep thinking what they’ve been thinking—to keep doing what they’ve been doing regardless of what people preaching false doctrine may tell them.
You know, if that young farmer boy had done what the preacher told him—encouraged him—to do…..if the young man had listened and quite doing what he knew was right, his father would have died.
Some may say, and rightfully so, “Well, Doug, you are a preacher and you’ve been telling us some things to consider. Should we check out your words to see they agree with what’s in the Bible?”
My reply is this: “Yes—absolutely!” That’s because I will be commended or condemned by the words I speak. If what I say does not agree with what is in the inspired Word of God, I will stand condemned!
We are to be like the Bereans, spoken of in Acts 17:11—“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with great eagerness, examining the scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.”
Delivered.
Now Paul tells them about the change that Christ and the Gospel have brought into their lives—
Colossians 1:13 & 14
---13---“For He delivered 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.”
You see, Paul tells the Colossians about where they came from and how they were changed by Jesus and His Gospel, and so they should not fall for the fables and fairy tales of false doctrine which they were being told. No, they should not fall for false teaching, because they have changed from darkness into light. See, they now had “new management”.
So that we can understand this today, let’s consider this illustration:
Let’s say we have lived in an old apartment unit for years, and we’ve grown sick of it! We’ve paid the landlord every month to stay in this dilapidated place. The apartment has never been maintained and the water and sewer leak—the carpets have always been dirty and the paint on the walls is the same as it was when we moved in. Nothing works as it should and no repairs have ever been made. The apartment is infested with cockroaches and filth—it’s like the bondage of sin.
Then a change occurs—a new landlord buys the property and completely renovates it. It’s like new! Everything is clean and everything works!!! We love this life, because it is real life—abundant life for us and our family.
The first day of the month, the old landlord shows up and wants us to pay him the rent!
What do we tell him? Do we say, “Oh yeah—never mind the great new landlord and all He has done for us. We’ll just give you our life’s-blood and make you happy!”
Come on now! None of us are going to do that! We’re going to remember what life was like under that old landlord, and we’re going to say, “Hey! You need to get out of here, because I don’t owe you anything! You go talk to the New landlord, because He deserves my life’s-blood now.”
We’ve been transformed from darkness into light. So, who are we paying, the old landlord or the New one? Maybe we’re still living under the old landlord and dirt, misery, and death by choice. Folks, if we are, we’ have made a really bad choice!
We spoke of the change in our lives as one of regeneration. What is that?
Titus 3:5
---5---“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit!
1st Peter 3:21
---21---“Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Invitation.
