Colossians 1

Colossians 1:1

Although Paul had never been to Colosse, what he heard about the believers there caused his heart to rejoice and to respond by praying continual blessing upon them. I encourage you to do the same thing. When you hear something good about someone, pray for him. My tendency is to pray for people who are hurting or backsliding. While that is needed, indeed, we must also pray for people who are doing well because the Enemy will inevitably launch an attack against them in order to destroy their witness and tear down their testimony. Be like Paul. When you hear or see someone doing well, thank the Lord for him and intercede on his behalf.

Colossians 1:4

The church at Colosse was characterized by three qualitiesand it is my personal persuasion that these are the three marks of any solid church. The first mark of a mature fellowship is faith. The author of Hebrews tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Therefore, the church that gathers together without believing God is going to do great things will not experience renewal, revival, or blessing. The second mark of a strong church is love, for it is love that identifies us as Jesus’ disciples (Joh_13:35).

Colossians 1:5

Finally, a solid fellowship will have hope in its heart. The absolute expectation of coming good, hope says, “Sure it’s tough down here, but this is the worst it will ever be. The coming of Jesus Christ is nigh. Life is short. We’re going to heaven!” I firmly believe that a church, family, or individual who is focused on faith, love, and hope will be stable, solid, and sure.

Colossians 1:6

The faith, hope, and love of the Colossian believers led not only to maturity and stability, but to fruitfulness as others were drawn into their midst.

Colossians 1:7

I like Epaphras. He goes around speaking good things. I want to be like Epaphrastalking about how great someone is behind his or her back, for not only does this please the Lord, but it also has an impact on me as well. How? To a very real degree, you are the person I say you are when you’re not around. You see, if when you leave church and, on your way home, talk about what an idiot the pastor is, he will become that person to you the next time you meet.

Talk negatively about him, and, even if those things are not totally true, that’s what he will become in your sight. On the other hand, if you speak well of a person behind his back, that is the way you will tend to view him. The next time you see him, you will approach him with an entirely different mind-set than if you had come down on him. The power of words is awesome. For that reason, we must be very careful. Gossip about good stuff.

That’s what Epaphras did.

Colossians 1:9

If you desire to be a prayer warrior, carefully consider this prayer. Notice how Paul prays for things we don’t even think about. We pray, “Oh, Lord, help him to get over his arthritis,” or, “Help her to be happy in her relationship,” or, “Help them get the new car.” But what does Paul pray? Under the inspiration of the Spirit, Paul prays that the Colossians would know the will of God and walk worthy of Him, that they would be fruitful and strengthened with His might, and that they would be patient and full of joy. Those are the important issues. Those are the issues of eternity. So if you want to know how to pray for your kids, grandchildren, parents, or husbandlisten to Paul pray.

Colossians 1:14

People have had lots of ideas about what God is like… The Hindu says, “God must be loving, benevolent, and gentle. Therefore, He must be a cow.” The American Indian, watching an eagle soar majestically upon the wind currents, said, “God is an eagle.” The ancient Egyptian saw the awesome power of the sun and says, “God is Ra. God is the sun.” Each culture spoke a partial truth, but all miss the total picture because they’re blind. And so was all of humanity. So what did God do? He came and dwelt among us in the Person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, when I want to know what God is like, I don’t have to try to figure out His nature on my own. I can study the life of Jesus Christ, for He alone reveals God in totality. He alone is the “image of the invisible God.” “The firstborn of every creature” doesn’t mean first in chronology, but rather first in priority. Jehovah’s Witnesses and other cults will use this verse to erroneously say that, because Jesus was the firstborn, He was created, and therefore not eternal. But such is not the case, for God refers to Jacob and Ephraim as firstborn (Exo_4:22; Jer_31:9), even though both had older brothers. The Greek word prototokos, translated “firstborn,” doesn’t speak of chronology but of priority.

Colossians 1:16

This, gang, is the secret of life. Jesus is not the created one; He is the Creator. “This is the day the Lord hath made,” we sing. What does that mean? It means this day is made for Him, and the only way it will work is if I live for Him because, in so doing, I will be fulfilling the only reason it was created. I could say, “I’d like to see the valley tonight. So I’ll just rev up my Montero, drive up a mountain, hit the accelerator, and fly over the valley. It’ll be great!” But the fact is, my Montero was not made to fly. So, too, people say, “I’m going to fly high and live for myself.” But they crash because they weren’t made for any other purpose than to glorify God. All things were made by and for the Firstborn, the Preeminent One, Jesus.

Colossians 1:17

An interesting law of science known as Coulomb’s Law of Electricity says that like charges repel. You can prove Coulomb’s Law by pushing the positive ends of two magnets toward each other and feeling them repel each other. Opposite charges attract; like charges repel. But here’s a great mystery: In the nucleus of the atom, protons are packed together that are all positive-charged particles. What keeps these positive-charged protons from repelling like the magnets? What holds them together? Science doesn’t know. You can study Quantum Physics and learn lots of hypotheses and theories, yet to this day, it’s a mystery to scientistsbut not to believers, for Scripture tells us the real answer. It is Jesus Christ who holds all things together. And the day is coming when suddenly He will let go. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.2Pe_3:10 This was written, of course, before man knew anything about nuclear physics or about things being dissolved instantaneously. But now we know if the “atomic glue” that holds the atom together were to suddenly disappear, everything would dissolve in zillion-degree “fervent heat” accompanied by a “great noise” so powerful and quick it wouldn’t even be heard. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.Isa_65:17 Everything will vaporize and evaporate as if it never existed. Not only that, but in heaven, even the memory will be taken away. Think about that next time you’re hammering, painting, or fixing your house. Of course, we should be good stewards of the things with which God has blessed us, but we must have the right perspective, always remembering that the things of this earth are temporary. By Him all things are held togethernot just physically, but in my life personally. My emotions, my family, my mental stability are held together by Jesus. By Him all things are held together. By Him all things consist.

Colossians 1:18

Others have risen from the deadamong them Lazarus, the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7), and the widow’s son in Elisha’s day (2 Kings 4). But they all died again. Jesus alone is the Firstborn from the dead because He alone rose never to die again. It is the Father’s intent that in all things the Son should have preeminence over each day you begin and every decision you make.

Colossians 1:19

All fullness is in Jesus. Therefore, the closer I am to Jesus, the fuller I will be as a man. Conversely, the further I pull away from Jesus, the emptier I’ll feel inside. All of creation centers around Jesus, is held together by Jesus, points to Jesus, and finds its fulfillment in Jesus. It’s all about Jesus. Some people compartmentalize their Christianity like a Swanson® TV Dinner. They’ve got their recreation section, their relationship section, their financial section, their hobby section, and their Christian section. So on Sunday they concentrate on church; Monday through Friday on money; evenings on relationships, and Saturday on sports and hobbies. But ultimately, they find it frustrating and ineffective because God intended our lives to be not TV dinners, but chicken pot piesall stirred together. In other words, when we’re skiing, we’re to be praising God for the beauty around us. When we’re at work, we’re to be praying, “Lord, help me use this as an opportunity to witness.” When we’re with family, we’re to look for opportunities to serve. It’s all mixed together. If you continue to “TV-Dinner” it, you’ll be depressed and discouraged. But it won’t be because God is punishing you. It will simply be the result of your failure to understand that Jesus holds all things together and that in Him all fullness dwells.

Colossians 1:20

What does “reconcile” mean? Simply this: If you planned to meet me at McDonald’s® precisely at 7:45, it would be imperative that our watches be reconciled, or in agreement. Notice Paul says we are reconciled to Godnot He to us. God didn’t change His watch. No, we were the ones who were messed up and out of sync.

Colossians 1:22

Because of Jesus’ work on the Cross, we can be presented to God as holy and blameless if we continue on in faith. Therefore, I cannot in good conscience assure someone who walked forward at a crusade twenty years ago or was baptized six summers ago but has not continued in the faith that he will be presented to the Father as being holy and blameless. Paul reminds us that God makes Himself known to every creature. Creation around and conscience within the heart of every man are continual messages to people that there is a Creator. God is fair and will judge each man fairly, according to the knowledge given him (Romans 1-2).

Colossians 1:24

Wait a minute, Paul. Are you saying that what Jesus did on the Cross is incomplete, that the reason you suffer is to fill up or complete that which He began on the Cross? It’s a tricky verse because it is the basis for the Catholic doctrine of purgatory that says there must be a continuance of suffering, particularly by those who have not fully embraced the work of the Cross. Is that what’s being said here? No. Paul is saying it is not the completion of, but rather conformity to Christ’s suffering… And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side…Joh_20:26-27 In heaven, everything is made new, except for one thing: the scarred body of Jesus. Therefore, if we as His body are to be like Him, we must be scarred as well. “Make us like You, Lord,” we pray. And the Lord says, “Okay, but it cannot happen without suffering.” Suffering does some amazing things… First, suffering draws us closer to Christ. “Take your only son and offer him as a sacrifice to Me,” God said to Abraham. What?! Abraham must have thought. Yahweh, You’ve been good to me, unlike the pagan gods who demand child sacrifices. But now You’re asking me to offer my son? Truly it must have been troubling and perplexing, yet Abraham obeyed as he took most likely a thirty-three-year-old Isaac up Mount Moriah to die. Carrying the wood as they climbed, Isaac said, “Here’s the wood, and, Dad, you’ve got the fire. But where’s the sacrifice?” “God will provide Himself a Lamb,” Abraham replied. Then Abraham took his son, laid him on the wood, raised the knife, and was ready to plunge it into the breast of his son when God said, “Stop. Now I know you love Me” (see Genesis 22). Didn’t God already know Abraham loved Him? Yes. But Abraham being one of the few men in the Bible called a friend of God, I believe God was saying, “Abraham, My Son will carry His own wood up this same mountain. He will lie on the altar, and I will hurl the same fire you are carrying upon Him. You won’t have to go through this, Abraham. But I will. At the moment when you think you’re going to have to plunge that knife through Isaac’s chest, you’re going to feel something I’m not allowing many men in history to feel. You’re going to know what it feels like to kill your son.” Precious people, God will allow suffering in your life in order that you can relate to Him in a deeper way than you ever would otherwise. But if you get thrown by it, you miss the opportunity for the fellowship of His suffering (Php_3:10). You can say, “Lord, when I lost the promotion because I was a Christian, I felt a tiny bit of what You must have felt when they said, ‘We will not have this man rule over us. Away with Him.”’ You can say, “Lord, when my girlfriend broke my heart, I could relate in a small way to how You must feel when people You love turn their back on You time and time again.” You can be a friend of God in a deeper way if you embrace suffering. Second, suffering produces assurance in our hearts. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you…Joh_15:20 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.2Ti_3:12 If you’re not suffering, it evidently means you’re not living godly. It could even mean you’re not a Christian. So when you suffer say, “Thank You, Lord! This is great! I know I’m one of Yours.” Third, suffering promises rewards in heaven. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.2Co_4:17 I promise you, when you get to heaven, you won’t say, “I suffered through cancer without murmuring. I accepted it as a way to bring You glory, Father. But now that I’m in heaven, I see it wasn’t worth it.” No! When you get to heaven, you’re going to say, “My goodness. I made such a big deal about my suffering on earth. But it was nothing compared to this! Even though I murmured, cried, and maybe even cursed, You loved me enough to allow suffering in my life. Thank You, Lord.” Fourth, suffering results in the salvation of others. In Acts 28, Paul writes about a snake that fastened its fangs onto him. The islanders looked at the serpent hanging from his hand and thought, This guy’s a murderer. That’s why the snake has bitten him. But when Paul didn’t fall down dead and instead shook the snake off, the barbarians changed their minds, saying, “He’s a god.” And Paul used the opportunity to say, “I’m not a godbut God in Christ Jesus lives inside me.” Why does God allow suffering? Because it gives us the opportunity to show skeptical barbarians the reality of faith. When the child is taken to heaven unexpectedly; when the doctor says, “It’s malignant,” when the boss says, “You’re through"people expect us to fall down dead. But we have the chance to shake it off and embrace the suffering. And if you make that choice, cynics change their minds about Christians because they see the reality of your faith. Finally, suffering silences Satan. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.Job_1:20-22 Job lost everythinghis health, family, and wealth. Satan took everything but his wifeand even she said, “Curse God and die.” But Job wouldn’t, and Satan was defeated once again.

Colossians 1:25

The mystery is Christ living in you, not just telling you what to do. I spent countless hours watching the same film loop over and over. I was attending Biola University, where I threw the discus. The film loop was of Jay Silvester’s world-record discus throw. My teammates and I watched the way Silvester pivoted his feet. We watched the way he led with his hips. We watched the way he kept his arm behind him until the chest broke through the “glass wall” before it released the platter. Truly, it was a thing of beauty! But although I watched the film thousands of times and although I tried an equal number of times to duplicate what Jay Silvester did, I never came close. So, too, a lot of Christians are looking at the film loops. They study the Scriptures by the hour, which is wonderful, but it will ultimately lead to frustration until they understand the mystery. You see, if Jay Silvester could have left the film loop and taken up residence within my body, I would have pivoted perfectly, landed my feet just right, led with my hip, and tossed the discus for a world record. “This is the mystery,” writes Paul. “This is what I’m coming to share with you. It’s not you being like Christ. It’s Christ in you, showing you how to pray, what to do, and how to spend your time as He writes His will on your heart” (see Jer_31:33). It’s not imitation. It’s impartation. It’s Christ in usthe hope of glory! The Mystery of Life A Topical Study of Col_1:25-27 When you come across the word “mystery” in your Bible, understand that it doesn’t mean something that cannot be known, but rather something now made known that was previously incomprehensible. Many years ago I came into the kitchen and kissed my wife, Tammy. Observing the scene, my son Benjamin looked at me and said, “Ooh, Dad. Yuck!” because he can’t figure out why any man would want to touch a woman, much less kiss her. So I stooped down, looked him in the eye, and said, “Ben, I know you think it’s gross to kiss a girl. But not too many years from now, your perspective is going to change radically!” Indeed, one day, there was an unveiling, and suddenly Ben woke up and could say, “I get it. I understand. Yeah!” That’s the idea of biblical mystery. It’s something that was talked about previously and prophesied historically, but was unable to be understood practically until the veil was lifted spiritually. Such is the case with the mystery of which Paul writes, of Christ in us, the hope of glory. The Hebrew word for glory is chabod, a word signifying “weight” or “heaviness.” Chabod is that which man has been craving ever since the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve enjoyed the visible, tangible presence of God as He walked with them in the cool of the day (Gen_3:8). It was the glory, the chabod, which clothed Adam and Eve before they rebelled against God by eating the forbidden fruit. The result of their rebellion was much more than physical nakedness. The result was a loss of the substance, the meaning, the heft of life. And so they took fig leaves and sewed them together to try to make up for the loss of the chabod. But Adam and Eve’s fig leaves were no more effective than what people do today to try to fill their emptiness. People pursue relationships, houses, cars, boats, and trips. But none provide the weight they crave. It’s all cotton candy. It looks goodbut when they take a bite, they find nothing but air. “Here’s the hope of glory mankind has been craving since the Garden,” Paul says. “Here’s the mystery: It’s Christ in you.” We who have been around Christianity for a while have a tendency to think the idea of Christ in us is no big deal. But in reality, the concept is nothing short of radical. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.Jer_31:31-34 This is the New Covenant that was given to the people of Israel way back in the days of Jeremiah. But just like Benny seeing me kiss Tammy, they didn’t get it. “We’ve got the Torah. We’ve got the law. We’ve got the Old Testament,” they said. “What do you mean there’s going to be something new?” So here comes Paul centuries later, explaining that Jesus Christ died for their sins, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sent His Spirit to live inside those who believe. Once a person really understands this mystery, his entire thinking about Christianity changes significantly. For many years I essentially made the New Testament the new law. My trinity was: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Bible. In effect, I said, “The Old Testament was the Jewish law but the New Testament is our law.” Thus, I found myself making new rules based not on the Old Testament, but on the New Testament. And my relationship with the Lord became legalistic, dry, boring, and predictable. But then the Lord began to bring people into my life and Scriptures to my heart that made me realize that if we merely trade the Old Testament for the New Testament, we remain a people under the law. The most radical group of Christians who ever lived didn’t have the New Testament. The early church never read Matthew, Romans, Colossians, or Revelation. Yet their lives impacted the world more than any other group of believers throughout history. How can this be? The answer is that, although they didn’t have the New Testament Scriptures, they grasped New Covenant understanding. Thus, they acted upon the reality that Christ was in them, giving direction and inspiration moment by moment. As they go to the temple in Acts 3, Peter and John see a man lame since birth lying by the Gate Beautiful. Suddenly, Peter’s eyes fasten on him, and he says, “Silver and gold have we none, but such as we have, we give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” So the man stands up, leaps, and praises God. Peter had perhaps walked by that man dozens of times before, but at this certain moment, Christ in him caused his eyes to “fasten” on the man and begin a conversation with him, thereby setting a miracle in motion. That’s New Covenant. That’s the way the Lord wants you and me to walk. He wants to whisper in our ears. He wants our eyes to be fastened. He wants miracles to follow. “Wait a minute,” you say. “If all I need is Christ to direct me, why study the New Testament at all?” Years after the birth of the church on the Day of Pentecost, letters from Paul began to circulate throughout the churchColossians, Philippians, Romans, with the Gospels following even later. So, years and decades after early Christians had been turning the world upside down, they read letters from Paul and John, Luke and James and found them to either confirm or correct that which they were already doing. The New Testament would confirm what the early church was doingor it would correct them if they were out of line. In other words, the New Testament was not written as a legal document, but as confirmation or correction of what was already present in the hearts of believers. The present-day church is powerless to the degree we have lost hold of the mystery that every day, Christ will place on our hearts that which we should be doing. The storm was raging on the Sea of Galilee. The wind was howling. The waves were cresting. The disciples were fearful. Suddenly, they saw a Figure walking toward them. “It’s a ghost!” they cried. Then they heard the words, “Be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid.” “Lord, if that’s You, bid me come,” Peter said. “You come,” Jesus literally answered. So Peter stepped out of the boat and began walking to Jesus. He wasn’t walking to validate his ministry or to experience a Holy Ghost high. He was simply walking on water in order to get to Jesus. (Matthew 14) If you’ve been a Christian very long, you’ve probably heard sermons based upon this story that say, “Peter took a step of faith. He walked on water. If you will leave your boat of comfort and take a step, you too will see great things happen.” And we say, “Okay.” A missionary shares his experience of leaving his comfort zone and “walking on water” to the mission field. “You should go, too,” he says. And we say, “Okay.” A person who prays eight hours a day talks about his step of faith and says, “You, too, should pray eight hours a day.” “Okay,” we say. “But I thought I was supposed to be a missionary.” “No,” he says. “You’re supposed to pray.” Here’s the question, gang. Peter walked on water. But what if John had said, “Wow, look at Peter. I’m going to walk on water, too”? What if Nathaniel, James, Thomas, or Andrew had? I suggest to you they would have sunk. Why? Because Jesus’ invitation was issued only to Peter. What does this mean? It means we don’t have to let someone else’s New Covenant experience put a weight on us. You see, when someone talks about fasting, I can say, “Good for you! I’m glad God told you to fast four days a week. I’m proud of you. But don’t put that on me. Pass the burgers, please.” I can love people who have different ministries and perspectives without coming down either on them or on myself. This is what makes the New Covenant so cool. I can do what the Lord is telling me in my heart. If my perception is wrong, it will be corrected by Scripture. If it’s right, it will be confirmed by Scripture. If you come from a background like mine, I would encourage you to ask yourself these simple questions: Is my Trinity composed of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Bible? Have I allowed other people to put their trips on me? Am I judging others because they don’t see things my way? If your answer is yes, you need to rediscover the key to New Testament Christianitythe New Covenantthe fact that Christ is in you, and He will direct and guide you. Bible study will then become an adventure as you see how you’re doing through the Scriptures. “Am I getting it, Lord? Am I hearing You correctly? All right! Terrific!” Precious people, my prayer is that God will cause you to be Spirit-ledconfirmed or corrected biblically as you follow the Sonfor if you grasp this, you will experience exhilaration in your life and liberation in your love as you’ve never known before.

Colossians 1:28

Perfection in Christ is not based upon anything we can do, but rather upon all He has done. It’s not dependent upon our works, but instead upon His work in us.

Colossians 1:29

Mom and Dad, that which you will most effectively communicate to your kids is that which works in you. Sunday-school teacher, youth worker, home group leaderwhat will ultimately be fruitful in your ministry is that which has personally been worked through and lived out by you. So many ministries lack power because they are based on sharing concepts that are true but lack impact because they haven’t been worked out in the life of the teacher. Gang, I’ll tell you what to share with your kids, neighbors, Bible study group, or third-grade Sunday-school class: Share what works in your life. It’s not how much you know; it’s how well you know what you know. Has what you’re teaching been worked through you? Has it become a part of you? If you share only what you’ve heard from others, your teaching will be dry. However, if, like Paul, you share that which “worketh in you mightily,” your teaching will be anointed because it will truly be Christ in you, ministering the hope of glory.