Lesson #02

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Colossians

September 21, 2015

Lesson #01

January 20, 2010

Lesson #03

January 20, 2010

RETURN TO LIST OF LESSONS

COLOSSIANS 1:1-13
Lesson #02
DELIVERED AND TRANSLATED

• Memory verse: Col 1:13

• Read Col 1:1-8 Christian Graces in the Christian Life
  • Paul, an apostle by the will of God
    • What is an apostle?
      • The word, “apostle”, means = one sent out for a specific purpose.
        • In other words, the apostle has a mission.
        • An apostle is chosen by God and elevated to that position.
  • Timothy
    • What do we know about Timothy?
      • Timothy was a young man. He travelled with Paul for much of Paul’s Ephesian ministry.
      • Paul considered Timothy like a son. He trained Timothy in the ministry and wrote the books of 1 and 2 Timothy to him when he became a pastor.
      • Timothy was with Paul in prison when Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians.
        • There is a possibility that Timothy wrote it down from dictation for Paul.

 

• “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ…”

 

(2)
• Paul writes this letter to the saints. What does the word “saint” actually mean?
  • The word, “saint” in the Bible means = holy, without sin. It refers to a person that is set apart for Gods purposes. What are God’s purposes?
    • God sets a believer in Jesus Christ apart to work in his life by means of the indwelling Holy Spirit to pardon him of his sins, to change his life, to form his character to be more like Christ, and to produce spiritual fruit in him and through him. He is called to a holy life.
    • Therefore, all believers in Jesus Christ are saints, called to a holy life.
    • The saints of God are supposed to be faithful to God’s calling on his life. Therefore, “faithful brethren” are those believers that are cooperating with God’s plan and becoming mature believers.
      • There is a hint of a warning in this statement in verse 2.
        • The warning is that maybe all the saints were not faithful.
          • A believer that loves the Lord will want to be found faithful and obedient.
• Paul was always praying for this church and these Christians, giving thanks to God for them. (3)
• For what does Paul commend this church? (1:4-8)
  • Paul says that this church was strong in faith, love, and hope.
    • Usually in Paul’s letters to churches, he commends them for two of these three characteristics and says that they lacked the third one.
      • However, this church has all three of these characteristics. This tells us that this is a strong church spiritually.
        • A healthy church will have all three of these characteristics.
          • You cannot have a healthy faith without expressing it in love for other believers.
          • Of course, love, without faith in Christ, is simply good works.
    • What is Biblical hope and where does it fit in the Christian life?
      • The definition of hope in the Bible is different from the secular definition of hope.
        • The secular definition of hope:
          • Webster’s secular definition of the word, “hope”:
            • Hope is the positive feeling that what is desired can be possessed; to feel that something desired may happen. Notice that the world’s definition of the word, hope, is a positive feeling. In other words, there is no basic foundation for the world’s hope. It is a nebulous feeling.

• The Biblical definition of hope:
  • Webster’s 1828 Dictionary definition of the Biblical word, “hope”:
    • Hope is confidence in a future event; the highest form of a well-founded expectation of good based on the promises of God.
    • Notice that the Bible definition of the word, hope, is positive but the expectation is based on the unmovable, permanent promises of God that are substantiated by God’s character of faithfulness. Biblical hope is the assurance that what God promised will in fact, without a doubt, come to pass.
      • Hope is the anchor of the human soul in which we have faith.
      • However, hope is not selfish but is always based on our love for others and our desire to see them receive God’s future blessings.

• Faith, love, and hope are the content of the Christian life, and for that reason, Paul always mentions these graces in his letters.
  • These three graces together with truth mentioned in verse 3 help to produce fruit in the Christian life. (6)

 

• “…bringeth forth fruit…”

 

(6)
• Notice the conditions for bearing fruit in the Christian life of the church: (5, 6)
  • =1= to hear the Word in truth.
  • =2= to understand the truth.
• Application:
  • If your life is not producing good fruit, examine your faith, your love, and your hope.
    • If you do not have faith, what should you do?
      • Rom 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
        • To hear the Word of God means to make what you hear a part of your life.
    • If you do not have love, what should you do?
      • 1Joh 2:5 tells us to do the Word of God.
        • To do the Word means to put into action what is in your heart.
    • If you do not have hope, what should you do?
      • Read 2The 2:15-17
        • The believer should establish his life in the Word of God.

 

• Read Col 1:9-13 An Intercessory Prayer
• For what does Paul pray on behalf of the Colossian Christians? (9-12)
  • Paul prays that they be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. (9)
    • The word, “filled”, means = to fill to completeness.
    • The word, “knowledge”, in the Greek language is intensified indicating “full” knowledge.
      • This point is important in light of the false Gnostic doctrine that said a person was saved by achieving an abundance of knowledge. However, Paul indicates that full knowledge only comes from Jesus Christ. (We will discuss this more later in our study).
  • Paul prays that they have all wisdom. (9)
    • Wisdom is the highest form of knowledge.
      • It means to know the principles, the truthfulness, the accuracy of information and how to put it into practice to produce a specific effect.
  • Paul prays that they have spiritual understanding. (9)
    • Spiritual understanding goes beyond human understanding. It is given to the believer by the Holy Spirit.
      • Read Joh 14:26
      • Read Joh 16:13
  • Paul prays that they walk worthy of the Lord. (10)
    • The word, “worthy”, means = to have the same weight.
      • In other words, it means to live like a person who has the value and worth of God in his life.
  • Paul prays that their good works bear fruit. (10)
    • What does it mean, to bear fruit?
      • The fruit of the Christian’s life has three forms:
        • =1= the character qualities that God builds in a life that is submitted to Him by the work of the Holy Spirit.
          • Read Gal 5:22-25
        • =2= the good work and service that the Christian does for the Lord that God calls him to do. (Mat 5:16 Tit 2:14 Tit 3:14)
          • Read Eph 2:10
        • =3= the saved souls that are the result of the believer’s life testimony and witness. (Rom 1:13)
  • Paul prays that they increase in the knowledge of God. (10)
    • The knowledge of God comes through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. They reveal God to man.
      • God speaks in this present day through Jesus Christ. (Heb 1:1-2)
      • The job of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Jesus Christ to man. (Joh 15:26 Joh 16:14)
  • Paul prays that they be strengthened with God’s power. (11)
    • The word “strengthened” in the Greek means a continual strengthening.
    • The Greek word for “power” is the word “dunamis” which is the same word that we use for dynamite. This power comes by having the Holy Spirit in our lives.
      • Read Act 1:8
        • This is the limitless power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
  • Paul prays that they will have patience. (11)
    • Patience means = to have a steadfast endurance in the face of opposition, temptation, trial, or tragedy.
    • It is the ability to deal triumphantly with anything that comes in life.
  • Paul prays that they have a longsuffering joyfulness. (11)
    • The word, “longsuffering” is the ability to endure insult and injury without retaliation. It refers to having patience with people in spite of mistreatment, being misjudged, or condemned without reacting negatively.
      • God says that as we live worthy of Him, as we please Him, He gives us a mighty infusion of His dynamic power every day to meet victoriously the experiences of life.
  • Paul prays that they be thankful to God giving praise for God’s blessings. (12)
• Application:
  • How would you like someone to pray that prayer for you?
    • You can pray it for yourself or for others.
      • Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, scripture is God’s will.
      • If we pray according to God’s will, He hears us.
      • Pray putting your name or another person’s name in the scripture.

• Read Col 1:13-15
  • The believer is delivered:
    • The word, “delivered” means = to draw to oneself or to rescue.
      • Therefore, the believer in Jesus Christ is delivered from Satan’s kingdom of overbearing, unrestrained hatred against God to become part of the well-ordered sovereign kingdom of the almighty God.
    • From what is the believer delivered?
      • =1= The believer is delivered from the power of sin.
        • The non-believer is in bondage to sin. He cannot help but sin. Sin is an automatic response.
        • The believer is delivered from that bondage. He now has a choice. He can choose to follow his natural tendency to sin or he can choose to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit.
      • =2= The believer is delivered from the power of darkness.
        • The word, “darkness” does not mean just the absence of light. Therefore, it is not simply a condition of being without God, but it is being against God.
          • Besides being in bondage to sin, the non-believer is against God. He is God’s enemy living in spiritual darkness. (Rom 3:10-12 Jam 4:4)
          • The realm of darkness is Satan’s kingdom that opposes the truth of God.
      • =3= The believer is delivered from the presence of sin.
        • The temptation to sin is constantly around us, deceiving us, and enticing us to partake of the sins of the world.
          • The non-believer automatically submits to the temptation that is present.
          • The believer not only has a choice to turn from the temptation to sin to follow the Holy Spirit, but the sin and its temptation have no power over him. With the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, the believer has the tools to walk away from sin.
  • The believer is translated:
    • The believer is moved from Satan’s kingdom of darkness to God’s kingdom of light. (13)
      • This change of position occurs when a person receives Jesus Christ as his personal savior.
    • This spiritual change where the soul of the believer is moved from Satan’s kingdom to God’s Kingdom, is the reason that the believer is delivered from the power and the presence of sin.
• Summary and Application:
  • We have already learned in this book some fantastic concepts that give the believer a great power for change in life.
    • How can the believer use what we have learned to bring victory to areas of our lives where we seem to be bound by some sinful addictive habit?
      • =1= Knowing that this power is available to the believer, is the first big step to victory.
        • The believer realizes that he is living in bondage.
        • The believer understands that God wants him to be free.
        • The believer cooperates with the Holy Spirit to take a step of faith toward victory.
        • The believer trusts in the Holy Spirit to help him overcome.
        • The believer is aware that the lie of the enemy is that he is still in bondage when in reality he is currently in God’s Kingdom and has the power to choose.
      • =2= Acting on the truth of what you now know is your new spiritual position of power.
        • By faith, act on what you know is true about you.

HOMEWORK
Colossians 1:14-19
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework to the teacher for correction.

• Application of Col 1:1-13
  • Use Paul’s prayer every day to pray for your life.
  • What sinful habit needs to be broken in your life?
    • Every day remind yourself of the principles for victory in this chapter.

 

• Preparation for Col 1:14-19
  • What do you learn about the person of Jesus Christ? (13-19)

Memory Verse: Col 1:17