Colossians: Christ's Supremacy Declared

Story: Lawn Mower W/ Dan Huddleston

Connections are vital. My mower stopped working and I could not figure out the problem. I called Dan Huddleston…

Paul wrote this letter to stress the connection with Christ and the Father, our connection with Christ, and then our connection with each other.

Passage: Colossians 1:1-14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother: 2 To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters. Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace. 7 You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Pray: (Pause 3-5 seconds)

Background:

There is a key theme throughout the entire book of Colossians, and that theme is that Jesus has absolute supremacy and sole sufficiency! Jesus is supreme, superior, and surpasses all others.

Paul is writing from prison in Rome. The purpose of the letter is to correct false teaching that had infiltrated the church at Colossae. The problem was “syncretism”, combining ideas of Greek philosophies and Jewish legalism with Christian truth. The resulting heresy later became known as “gnosticism”, emphasizing special knowledge and denying the deity of Christ as God & Savior.

Paul had never visited Colossae. This local church had been founded by Epaphras and other converts from Paul’s missionary journeys.

We’re going to spend the next 5-6 weeks unpacking the way Paul combats this false teaching as we work through the book of Colossians together.

Title: Jesus + Nothing = Everything

Main Points: Christ’s Supremacy Declared...

1. In The Gospel Message (1-12)
   1. “You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.” (Verse 5-6)

   2. Paul an apostle

      1. Apostle means chosen and sent by God as a missionary or ambassador. Paul was appointed and called by God. He traveled for many years preaching the Gospel, planting churches, and teaching foundational doctrinal truths about God and His church.

         3. “Syncretism” & “Gnosticism” defined

      2. Gnostics believed that it took special knowledge to be accepted by God, that Christ was not enough for salvation.

      3. “Gnostic” comes from the Greek word “to know”. Agnostic is one who does not know. Gnostics were the ones “in the know”. They were the spiritual aristocracy in the church.
      4. There was this idea that there were these other lesser gods that had to reveal these special pathways to God.

      5. Christianity is not what special or secret knowledge we have obtained that brings salvation, but who we know! Namely Jesus Christ crucified, risen, and coming again!

         4. Faith, Love, & Hope (4-5)

      6. Paul highlights these 3 emphases of the Christian life.

      7. *“And now these three remain:* *faith,* *hope* *and* *love. But the greatest of these is love.” - 1 Corinthians 13:13*

         5. Transforming Gospel Message

      8. *“because of the* *hope* *reserved for you in* *heaven. You have already heard about this* *hope* *in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you.* *It is bearing fruit* *and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate* *God’s grace.” (V5-6)*

      9. Keeping your eyes on Heaven...

         1. “A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.” - C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity
            6. God’s Word is not just for information, but life transformation!

      10. It produces a change in purpose, direction, attitude, and perspective. A by product of the Gospel in our lives is love overflowing in others around us… the Gospel inside of you should be spreading out to others outside of you!

          7. Epaphras

      11. “You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant.”

      12. Bible scholars believe that Epaphras was a native of Colossae. He was converted in Ephesus where Paul spent about three years ministering to the people. Then it’s believed that he went back home to spread the Gospel and plant this church.

      13. When we think of church planters and pastors we think that they have to be these trained professionals, seminary degrees, etc. But here we see a lay member go home and plant a church!

          8. How to Pray for Others: (V3, 9-11)

      14. Be thankful for their faith in Christ (3)

      15. Ask God to help them know His will (9)
      16. Ask God to give them wisdom & understanding (9)
      17. Ask God to help them bear fruit (10)
      18. Ask God to give them more knowledge of Himself (10)
      19. Ask God to give them strength (11)

      20. Ask God to fill them with patience, endurance, and joy (11)

          9. Connect before you correct

      21. Here we see a great leadership principle in Scripture. Do you notice how Paul addresses all of the positive things he’s heard about them? He affirms them, honors them, and encourages them FIRST!

      22. We’ll see as we move through the rest of the book how he corrects some bad heresy that has crept into the church, but first he connects.

      23. In Redemption (12-14)

          1. *“In him we have* *redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Verse 14)*
          2. 5 Benefits of Christ’s Redemption

      24. “share in the saints’ inheritance” (12)

          1. *“He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21* 2. “rescued us from the domain of darkness” (13)

          2. *“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.” - Colossians 2:15* 3. “transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” (13)

          3. *“He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” - Ephesians 1:5* 4. “In him we have redemption” (14)

          4. *“he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” - Hebrews 9:12* 5. “the forgiveness of sins.” (14)

          5. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” - Ephesians 1:7

          6. In Creation (15-17) Next Week
             1. *“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all* *creation.” (Verse 15)*
          7. In The Church (18-20) Next Week
             1. *“He is also the head of the body, the* *church” (Verse 18)*

Closing: Is Christ’s supremacy declared in your life?

“Jesus is something, but not everything.”

“Jesus is necessary, but not enough”

“Jesus is everything.”

“Jesus is enough”

Jesus + Nothing = Everything!

Walking Points:

1. Would you like to start a relationship with God tonight?
2. Would you like to be baptized tonight as a public declaration of your faith?