(#009) Colossians 1 - If It Were Up to Christians, No One Would Be Saved

Class Outline:

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Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To 

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

 

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!  

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  Welcome to this Bible lesson!  Who is Jesus Christ?  At Barah Ministries we know this truth…that JESUS CHRIST IS GOD.   Those who worship here at Barah Ministries worship the one and ONLY true God.  Colossians, Chapter 2, Verses 9 and 10 affirm it…

 

COLOSSIANS 2:9

For in Jesus…the Christ…all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form…

 

COLOSSIANS 2:10

…He is the head…over all rule…and over all authority…

 

He is the Lord…God the Son…100% Deity…so He’s fully God…and He is Jesus…the Christ…the Jewish Messiah…100% true humanity…so He is fully man…and the two separate natures…God and man…are combined in one Person.  Nothing in the universe happens without the Lord’s permission.  

 

Why does Barah Ministries exist?  At Barah Ministries, we make a difference by teaching the Word of God verse-by-verse from the Lord’s perspective and not from man’s perspective.  Barah Ministries is provided by God for the benefit of both unbelievers and believers.  Unbelievers get the gospel message…the good news concerning Jesus Christ’s salvation offer.  Believers in Christ get the Word of God…the Bible…the inerrant Canon of Scripture so that through the Word they can have a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Lord.  At Barah Ministries we encourage believers to gather with other believers to study the Word of God together instead of retreating from each other to do Biblical study alone or only online.  Being with like-minded people is immeasurably valuable to your spiritual growth.

 

Why study the Word of God?  Because to detect counterfeit teaching, you must know true teaching.  Here’s what the Roman Catholic Church says about doctrine…

 

THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 891

The Roman Pontiff (the Pope)…who is head of the college of bishops… enjoys infallibility by virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith…he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. . .

 

THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 891

The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium, above all in an Ecumenical Council.

 

THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 891

When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine for belief as being divinely revealed, and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions must be adhered to with the obedience of faith.  This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself.

 

The Roman Catholic Church proposes that the Pope and its bishops have supreme authority to interpret the Word of God…that they are incapable of error in their interpretation…and that the faithful must believe and adhere to everything they propose.  This is a false, counterfeit doctrine.  Here’s the truth.  No man is infallible.  Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10…

 

 ROMANS 3:10

…it is written, “There is no creature who is righteous…not even one…”

 

Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23…

 

ROMANS 3:23

…all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

 

Truth does not come from man…it comes from God.  Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verses 16 and 17…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:16

All Scripture is God-breathed (into the writers of Scripture) … and it is profitable for teaching…for reproof…for correction…and for training in righteousness…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:17 

…so that the man of God may be mature…totally equipped for every good

work.

 

Peter, who according to the Roman Catholic Church is the first Pope, disagrees with the Church’s assessment of where true doctrine comes from in Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 20 and 21 say…

 

SECOND PETER 1:20

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own private interpretation…

 

SECOND PETER 1:21 

…and no (Biblical) prophecy was ever made by an act of human will…but men carried along by God the Holy Spirit spoke directly from the exact thinking of THE God (the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

So where do these lies come from?  They come from God’s enemy Satan, whom God made ‘the ruler of this world.’  He is a deceiver who hates everyone in the world, including you and me.  Here’s what the Lord has to say about the deceiver and about those who follow him…false teachers… who sell their deceptions to us…John, Chapter 8, Verse 44…

 

JOHN 8:44a

You who are unbelieving are of your father the devil…and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning…and he does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.

 

JOHN 8:44b

Whenever he speaks a lie…he speaks from his very nature…for he is a liar and he is the one who keeps on fathering lies.

What is the source of your spiritual truth?  If you hold to a Second t of truths, you may want to compare it to what the Bible has to say.  And if your truth is different than what the Bible says, believe the Bible.

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

If It Were Up to Christians, No One Would Be Saved

 

What is evangelism?

 

EVANGELISM

To share the gospel message…the good news about the salvation the Lord Jesus Christ provided to the whole world by dying on a Cross and by being resurrected from the dead.

 

What is the good news of the gospel message?  John, Chapter 3, Verse 16…

 

JOHN 3:16

“For God the Father loved the world unconditionally…and He loved the world so much…that He gave His uniquely born Son (the God-man…the Lord Jesus Christ…to be crucified on a Cross) … so that WHOSOEVER believes in Him shall not perish…but has eternal life.”

 

By believing in Christ, you can be saved!  As believers in Christ, we have taken advantage of God’s free gift f salvation.  How often do you share it?  How do you share it? When is the last time you evangelized to someone?  When is the last time you announced to anyone that you are a Christian?  What is your approach to evangelism?  When is the last time you sat down to create a message you can use to evangelize?  What verses do you use?  Are the verses committed to memory?  

 

What I see is a lot of closet Christians…believers in Christ who are conformed to the world…believers who adhere to the adage, “You don’t discuss politics or religion.”  It seems to me that believers in Christ allow the world to mute us.  Paul doesn’t agree with that approach.  Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 15 to 18…

 

ROMANS 1:15 

So, for my part, I am EAGER as a minister to preach the gospel…preaching it to you also who are in Rome.

ROMANS 1:16 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of God…for the gospel of God is the power of God the Father for salvation to everyone who believes…to the Jew first (chronologically)…and also to the Greek.

 

ROMANS 1:17 

For in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the righteousness of God the Father is revealed…from faith in the Lord for salvation to faith in the Lord for all things…as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man (any believer in Christ) SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (by placing his confidence in God).”

 

ROMANS 1:18 

For the wrath of God the Father is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against all unrighteousness of unbelievers who suppress the truth of the gospel in unrighteousness…

 

I’m sure you’d agree…we wouldn’t wish the wrath of God…the Lake of Fire…on our worst enemy.  Do your actions match your desire?  In today's lesson, we being the next section of Paul's letter to the Colossians which addresses an important issue…the gospel message.

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

The Lord Jesus Christ is extraordinary beyond description.  Yet God the Holy Spirit can get the right words to our lips and the right feeling into our hearts so we can express the Lord's magnificence to others when we share the gospel message.  Psalm 30, Verse 12…

 

PSALM 30:12

Allow my soul to sing praise to You and not be silent.  O Lord my God…I will give thanks to You forever.

 

Here’s Chris Tomlin to express the inexpressible in song as he calls our Lord INDESCRIBABLE.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

INDESCRIBABLE 

Chris Tomlin

 

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

INDESCRIBABLE 

Chris Tomlin

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

 

Father, thank you for providing a “so great” salvation to whosoever requests it…thank you for sending Your Son, our Lord, to pay the price for this salvation…thank you for giving us God the Holy Spirit to convict the world concerning salvation issues so that the salvation of the whole world would not be dependent on us human beings nor on our eloquence…

 

…give us the courage, Father, to be more interested in the salvation of others than we are in our own comfort…diminish the power of the flesh which manifests through us in the form of ego…help us instead to listen to You and Your Word…encourage us to share the good news of salvation to every person we meet…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ's

name...Amen.

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

If It Were Up to Christians, No One Would Be Saved

 

Let's remember section one of the first chapter…for in it, Paul introduces himself, announces his spiritual gift, tells us the source of his spiritual gift, tells us who is ministering to him while he is in prison in Rome…tells us to whom the letter is directed…and gives a greeting to the people to whom he writes…a power-packed two verses for us to notice…Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 1 and 2…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:1

(A letter from) Paul…an apostle of Jesus Christ…by the will of God the Father…and from Timothy our brother (who is with me as co-worker and co-author)…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:2 

…(a letter) to the saints (God’s holy people who are believers in Christ)…(a letter) to the faithful brethren in union with Christ who are at Colossae… grace to you and peace to you from God our Father.

 

There is quite a bit of controversy among the human commentators of Scripture concerning whether or not Paul is really the author of this letter.  Paul puts the controversy to rest immediately, yet it rages on to this day.  The controversy is a testimony to Satan’s relentless attempts to discredit the Bible and to inject confusion into its study.  No wonder.  This letter to the Colossians is written to address a problem in the church:  false teachers and false teaching.  It’s a problem that plagues us throughout the world this very day.  

 

ALL OF US love false teachers and false teaching much more than we value the Word of God…we spend more of our time with false teaching…we speculate about it…we ponder it…and as a result we have a disquiet in our souls…an uneasiness…a lack of peace…an anxiousness…that’s probably why the Lord asks Paul to begin his letters with a reminder of the calming nature of God and His Word…we have His grace and His peace.

 

The apostle Paul was given to believers in Christ as a gift…and God reminds us that Paul is a gift…over and over and over again in the Bible…look at Galatians, Chapter 1, Verses 1 to 3…

 

GALATIANS 1:1

Paul…an apostle…NOT SENT FROM MEN NOR THROUGH THE AGENCY OF MAN…but sent by Jesus Christ and by God the Father who raised Christ from the dead…

 

GALATIANS 1:2 

…and all the brethren who are with me (write this letter) to the churches of the Galatian region…

 

 GALATIANS 1:3 

…grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

Thus, the opening of this letter is not to be taken for granted like Christianity is taken for granted so easily in our lives today…just as the people who are in our lives are taken for granted so easily today…as the blessings from God are taken for granted so easily today.  We, as today’s believers in Christ, are no different from the Colossian believers of the first century…and if there is anything we learn about history it is that we learn nothing from history.  

 

We repeat the mistakes of the past…we repeat the mistakes we make in our lives today over, and over, and over again because we refuse to learn from the evidence that the way we think and the way we act is ineffective most of the time.  This applies especially to our sharing of the gospel message.

 

God has given us a roadmap to greatness through His Word…Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 22 to 24 give an introduction to a life of grace and peace…

 

EPHESIANS 4:22

…in reference to your former manner of life (when you were an unbeliever)…(God recommends that) you lay aside the old self…which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit…

 

EPHESIANS 4:23 

…and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind *through the study of the Word of God)…

 

EPHESIANS 4:24 

…and instead that you pick up and put on the new self (there is a new creation in you)…which in the likeness of God the Father has been created (by God for you) in righteousness and in the holiness of the truth.

 

Are you living a life of truth…or are you living a life tainted with deceit?

 

 

God gives us a beautiful gift called Christianity…represented by this green box…and it needs no additions…it needs no subtractions…it is perfect…a life of grace and peace…the life I wish for you both today and every day until you go home to be with the Lord.  It’s easy for us believers in Christ to forget that we are family…that we are in unity…therefore we heed the advice in Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verses 14 to 16…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:14 

For the unconditional love of Christ controls us believers in Christ…having concluded this…that One died for all…therefore all died (at the Cross…we are identified with Christ because of our union with Christ)…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:15 

…and He died for all so that they who live might no longer live for themselves (selfishly)…instead that they might live for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

 

Are you a selfish Christian…living for and thinking only of yourself…or are you making the same sacrifice Christ makes by laying your ego aside and living for the benefit of others?  It is a worthwhile question for reflection as you pray…an examination of your conscience…to see what truth reveals.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:16 

Therefore, from now on we believers in Christ recognize no one according to the flesh…even though we have known Christ according to the flesh (when we were unbelievers…evaluating life from a human point of view)…yet now we no longer know Christ in this way.

 

It is not by our own will that we live a life of grace and peace.  Our own will fails over and over.  It is through the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit that we lay aside the thinking and the actions of the old self.  When we do, we make room in our souls for unconditional love…toward God, toward ourselves, and toward others…we pick up and put on the new self…and as a result, we reflect the Godhead, allowing others to see the fruit of the Spirit… love, joy,  peace…patience, kindness, goodness…gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

 

When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll begin our study of the second section of the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians.

 

FIVE MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

If It Were Up to Christians, No One Would Be Saved

 

We are to follow the Lord's example in everything, especially in giving.  John, Chapter 3, Verse 16 says…

 

JOHN 3:16a

“God the Father loved the world unconditionally…and He loved the world so much…that He GAVE His uniquely born Son…

 

How do Christians give?  Sacrificially…just as God the Father did by sacrificing His Son to die in our place.  How do Christians give?  Expressively…because giving manifests your faith in God.  How do Christians give?  Incessantly…there must never be a time when we don’t give.  

 

Let your giving rival God’s giving and watch the things that flow to your life as a result.  Give something.  Give anything. Give now.  Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

GALATIANS 5:17

For the flesh sets its desire against God the Holy the Spirit…and God the Spirit sets His desire against the flesh…for these two are in opposition to one another…to prevent you from doing the things that you please.

 

OFFERING SONG

JUST HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET

Danny Gokey

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

If It Were Up to Christians, No One Would Be Saved

 

The next section of our study begins at Colossians, Chapter 1, Verse 3, and extends to Verse 14…we’ll look at a part of it today.  Paul is celebrating the gospel message…the good news concerning what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us at the Cross.

 

Paul begins with thanksgiving…the Greek word eucharisto…it may be familiar to you because we celebrate the Eucharist every month…next week as a matter of fact…a thanksgiving to our Lord for our Lord…a look back at the Cross in thanksgiving for what He did for us there.

 

Paul is grateful that the Colossians have heard and have accepted the true Word of God…the gospel message.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:3 

We give thanks to God…the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…praying always for all of you (Colossian believers) …

 

COLOSSIANS 1:4 

…since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus (from Epaphras…founder of the church at Colossae)…and since we heard of the unconditional love which all of you have for all the saints…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:5 

…because of the hope laid up for all of you in heaven…of which hope all of you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel…

 

You’ve heard of the things Paul writes about in these verses before… faith…hope…love…in First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verse 13…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 13:13

But now faith (in God)…and hope (absolute self-confidence)…and

unconditional love for others)…abide in the sphere of these three (Christian virtues)… but the greatest of these is unconditional love (for others).

 

Why is love for others so important?  Because selflessness is the thing that makes our God different from His enemy more than anything else.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:6a 

…(we give thanks and pray for you because of) the gospel which has come to you…just as (it is coming) in all the world also…the gospel message that keeps on bearing fruit and keeps on increasing…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:6b

…even as the gospel message has been doing in all of you also since the day all of you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:7 

…just as all of you learned the gospel message from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:8 

….and Epaphras also informed us of your unconditional love in the Spirit (en Pneumati).

 

The gospel message never fails to achieve its end…the salvation of the whole world…because God the Holy Spirit is in charge of distributing the message of salvation.  Are you pleased with the way you share the gospel message?  Are we pleased as a ministry with the way we share the gospel message?  I am not…on either count.  I hope you'll join me in channeling our dissatisfaction to that instead of having dissatisfaction with each other.

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

There is one inescapable truth that is at the very root of Christianity.  Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is God…and there is only one way to get to heaven…by placing your faith in Him and in what He has done at the Cross on your behalf.  He is the Sovereign God of the universe.  He is the most important being in the universe.  He loves you unconditionally.  He created you, and He wants a relationship with you.  That’s good news for you!  

 

The bad news is that you were born with a problem.  From the moment of your physical birth, God considered you a sinner.  Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10…

 

 ROMANS 3:10

…it is written, “There is no creature who is righteous, not even one…”

 

Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23…

 

ROMANS 3:23

…all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

 

It’s not your fault that you’re a sinner from physical birth, but it is your circumstance. Unfortunately, being a sinner has a penalty.  Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 23…

 

ROMANS 6:23

For the payment earned for being a sinner is both spiritual death and physical death…

 

In addition to being a sinner, you commit personal sins…as a result you don’t meet God’s standards. God requires perfection for you to get into heaven.  So being a good person, or trying to work your way into heaven with good, but imperfect deeds, does not impress God at all.  

 

This gospel message is the good news concerning what the Lord did to fix the bad news for a sinner. Jesus Christ paid a price with His blood so that you can be saved.  Responding to His gospel message is your chance to have a personal relationship with Him.  Here’s what the Lord said to a self-righteous Pharisee, Nicodemus, in John, Chapter 3, Verse 3…

 

JOHN 3:3

Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you are born again (the spiritual birth)…you cannot see the kingdom of God the Father (in heaven).”

 

But God the Father wants you in heaven.  Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8 says…

 

ROMANS 5:8

God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind…in that while we were yet sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly, unbelievers) … Christ died (a sacrificial death) for us.

 

Who is this God who saves you?  The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ…in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4… 

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received…that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Scriptures…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4 

…and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Scriptures…

 

Absolute righteousness is the admission ticket to heaven.  It is the key to eternal life…the resurrection life…and it is yours…FREE OF CHARGE… RIGHT NOW…if you want it.  Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 9 to 11…

 

ROMANS 10:9

…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord (that He is God) … and if you believe in your heart that God the Father raised Him from the dead…you will be saved…

 

ROMANS 10:10 

…for with the heart a person believes…resulting in the imputation of absolute righteousness (your admission ticket to heaven) … and with the mouth a person confesses (choosing faith in Christ alone) … resulting in salvation.

 

ROMANS 10:11

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will not be disappointed.”

 

So, heed the invitation and the warning of John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment… but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

There is a hell…and it is a VERY REAL PLACE…and it is described this way in the Bible… Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 41 to 43…

 

MATTHEW 13:41

The Son of Man (the Lord Jesus Christ) will send forth His (elect) angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks (unbelievers), and those who commit lawlessness (unbelievers)…

 

MATTHEW 13:42 

…and (the elect angels) will throw unbelievers into the furnace of fire (the Lake of Fire) … in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

MATTHEW 13:43 

Then the righteous (believers in Christ) will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father…

 

For those without a relationship with Christ, He’ll just ask them to step to the left and to take the “HELLIVATOR” … just press down.  

 

Getting to heaven is easy… Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

 

ACTS 16:31 

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

Sinners need a Savior.  That Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Believe in Him and you will be saved!

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

The Lord encourages women to live and to act like royalty…and the words He uses are beautiful to hear…First Peter, Chapter 3, Verses 3 and 4…

 

FIRST PETER 3:3

Your adornment must not be merely external—the braiding of the hair and wearing gold jewelry and putting on dresses…

 

FIRST PETER 3:4

…instead, let your adornment be in the hidden person of the heart…with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit…which is precious in the sight of God.

 

All of us do well to take on these beautiful qualities and to act as we are…as June Murphy sings of believers in Christ…WE ARE ROYALTY.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

WE ARE ROYALTY

June Murphy

 

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

WE ARE ROYALTY

June Murphy

 

CLOSING VERSES

 

         A Doxology of Praise to Our God

 

Let’s close with words of worship for our Almighty God. 

 

ROMANS 8:37 

…in every situation imaginable, believers in Christ keep on overwhelmingly conquering through the Lord who loves us unconditionally. 

 

 

ROMANS 8:38 

For I (Paul) am convinced that neither death nor life...nor (elect) angels nor principalities (demons...fallen angels), nor things present nor things to come...nor powers...

 

ROMANS 8:39 

...nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to sever us from the unconditional love of God the Father, who is for us through our union with Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

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