(#011) Colossians 1 - God's Many Gifts Give Us Hope

Class Outline:

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Isn't it time for you to see the best in you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To 

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

 

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Evening!  

 

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.  Generally speaking, if you have the power to create the entire universe, you’d have to be God.  Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 1 says…

 

GENESIS 1:1

In the beginning (not a beginning) God (Jehovah Elohim in Hebrew…God the Son)…created (bara) the heavens and the earth.

 

The Hebrew word bara…from which the Barah in Barah Ministries comes, means “to speak something into existence from nothing.”  The Lord, God the Son, the Creator, spoke the heavens and the earth into existence by the Word of His power.

 

God the Father’s promised Jewish Messiah is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ…100% God (the Creator…God the Son) and 100% Man (Jesus…the Christ)…in one person forever.  Jesus Christ IS God.  Your eternal future is based on a single decision you make concerning whether or not you want to have a relationship with Him.

 

Why does Barah Ministries exist?  

 

At Barah Ministries, we introduce people to the Lord.  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 unbelievers, to give them the gospel message…the good news concerning Jesus Christ’s salvation offer.  Barah Ministries is provided by God for the benefit of Christians as well, for those of us who want a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Lord through the study of His Word.  

 

Why do we study the Word of God?  We study the Bible to allow God’s truth to shape our reality.  

 

I did my best study this week…combing the New Testament for evidence of several things proposed by the world…social distancing as a Biblical idea…a virus ending the human race…a mask as a deterrent for the spread of infection…the forfeiting of pleasurable things, like gathering together for sporting events, making us safer, healthier, or more spiritual.  For the masses, their reality is shaped through education from a corrupt media complex that disseminates misinformation causing fear, anxiety and hopelessness.  

 

The Word of God encourages us to reject these deceptions.  Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 2…

 

ROMANS 12:2a 

And do not be conformed to this world (by Satan, by his cosmic system of thought, and by the flesh resident in you)...instead, keep on being transformed by God the Holy Spirit through the renewing of your mind (the study of the Word of God)...

 

ROMANS 12:2b 

...so that you may see clearly...through the testing of experience...what the will of God is...and the will of God is that which is good for you and that which is acceptable to Him and that which is perfect (in result).

 

God has an enemy…Satan…whom God made ‘the ruler of this world.’  In John, Chapter 12, Verse 31, the Lord says…

 

JOHN 12:31

“Now judgment is upon this world…now the ruler of this world (Satan) will be cast out (he will be dethroned at a future time).”

Satan wants us to be hopeless…he wants us to resign ourselves to the thought that we have no power…that we have no choice…that we cannot change…that change is hard to impossible…that there is nothing we can do.  That’s why he wants us nowhere near the Word of God, which is described in the Bible this way in Romans, Chapter 15, Verse 13…

 

ROMANS 15:13 

Now may the God and Father of HOPE fill you with all joy and all peace in believing…so that you will abound in hope by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

 

We know God has a life planned for us that is beyond our wildest dreams.  Satan has no power over us except the power our choice to disobey God gives him.

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

God’s Many Gifts Give Us Hope

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

We love taking Bible verses out of context…like this one…Jeremiah, Chapter 29, Verse 11…

 

JEREMIAH 29:11

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans for prosperity and not for disaster…to give you a future and a hope.”

 

If we read this verse in context, what we learn is that the Lord used Jeremiah to communicate a message of hope to Jewish exiles who were being held captive in Babylon.  These favored ones of God were reminded that God does not forget His people, even when they are being oppressed by a government much like the one in the United States today.  In today’s lesson, as we continue our study of Paul’s letter to the Colossians in Chapter 1, we’ll learn the gifts God gives that are designed to inspire hope in us and absolute confidence in Him.

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

God doesn’t just give us hope…He commands that we experience His hope in First Peter, Chapter 1, Verse 13…

 

FIRST PETER 1:13

Therefore (believers in Christ)…keep on preparing your minds for action… keep on being sober in spirit…set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (a command)...

 

Danny Gokey encourages us in song to keep on looking at life with spiritual eyes in his song HOPE IN FRONT OF ME.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

HOPE IN FRONT OF ME

Danny Gokey

 

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

HOPE IN FRONT OF ME

Danny Gokey

 

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 giving us hope, absolute confidence in You, and in what You can accomplish with our lives…thank you for discouraging us from placing any confidence in ourselves…thank you for all the gifts You give us to make it obvious how much You love us…

 

…encourage us to have compassion for the world…give us the courage to share the gospel message with unbelievers so that they can be saved…help us to remember to invite our fellow believers to study Your Word which helps them get to know Your Son…

 

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

name...Amen.

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

God’s Many Gifts Give Us Hope

 

As we continue our study of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we’ll see the apostle Paul unfolding a treasure before our eyes that surfaces hidden gems all over the Bible.  Studying this letter in depth will be like a journey into the mountains to mine for gold.

 

Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 1 and 2 introduces the author of the letter.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:1

A letter from Paul…an apostle of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Jewish Messiah…by spiritual gift an apostle…by means of the will of God the Father Himself…with Timothy our brother (who is with Paul as co-worker and co-author)…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:2 

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

 

In the first nine lessons of our study, the overview, we have learned many things about the apostle Paul.  Here are a few of the things we know…he is called both Paul (his Roman name) and Saul (his given name)…he is from Tarsus, a historic city in south-central Turkey in the region of Cilicia…he lived to the age of sixty-three years… he was a Jew…he had impeccable human credentials…he was a Roman citizen…he was a Pharisee, well-versed in the Mosaic Law…he was studied in Hebrew…he was a student of Greek culture…he was fluent in Koine Greek…he was a hater of Christians…he was a relentless persecutor of the Christian church…he was every bit a human, as we learned in Romans 7…and he is the worst person of all time, describing himself as the “least of all the saints.”

 

The Lord Jesus Christ knocked Paul off his high horse on the Damascus Road.  After four years of personal training by the Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Paul wrote more than half of the New Testament…thirteen letters.  If not half in volume, these letters were certainly more than half in importance…and Paul is the hand-picked choice of the Lord Jesus Christ to write the mystery doctrine of the Church Age.

 

As we begin our in-depth study of Paul’s letter to the Colossians verse-by-verse we will learn much more about him.  For example, God allowed Paul to visit His home in the third heaven…Second Corinthians, Chapter 12, Verses 1 to 10…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 12:1

Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable…but I (Paul) will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 12:2 

I (Paul) know a man in union with Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know…or out of the body I do not know…God knows—such a man was caught up (seized by force) to the third heaven.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 12:3 

And I (Paul) know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know…God knows— 

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 12:4 

…was caught up into Paradise…and heard inexpressible words which a man is not permitted to speak.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 12:5 

On behalf of such a man I will boast…but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 12:6 

For if for the sake of argument, I do wish to boast I will not be foolish…for I

will be speaking the truth…but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 12:7 

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations…for this reason…to keep me from exalting myself…there was given me a thorn in the flesh…a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 12:8 

Concerning this thorn in the flesh I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 12:9 

And the Lord has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you…for divine power is perfected in human weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I (Paul) will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 12:10 

Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses…with insults…with distresses…with persecutions…with difficulties…for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

Do you ever think about what heaven will be like?  

 

God discourages the practice because when we start speculating about God and heavenly things…we reduce the divine and supernatural to the human and natural.  We could never successfully imagine the uniqueness of God and His heaven.  Exodus, Chapter 20, Verses 4 to 6…

 

EXODUS 20:4

“You shall not make for yourself an idol…or any likeness of what is in heaven above or what is on the earth beneath or what is in the water under the earth.”

 

EXODUS 20:5 

“You shall not worship idols or serve them…for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God (anthropomorphism)…visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children…on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me…”

EXODUS 20:6

“…but showing lovingkindness to thousands…to those who love Me and keep My mandate (in obedience).”

 

Here is a man…Paul…who understood one of the most important things in Christianity.  It was not Paul who mattered…it was what God was willing to do through Paul that matters.  And Paul was a gift from God to us, designed to give us hope.  Here’s WHY Paul gives us hope…it’s because he is not special.  God always picked the worst of us to encourage us.  If you have learned what comprises the worst in you, isn’t it time to see what the best in you looks like?

 

When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering and then we’ll see what other gifts God has given us to give us hope.

 

FIVE MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

God’s Many Gifts Give Us Hope

 

This week, I asked a friend if he thought Jesus ever thought about money.  He said, “NO!”  I completely agree.  What the Lord thought about most was giving.  As you think about giving, today and every day, let your attitude reflect the Lord’s attitude as communicated in Acts, Chapter 20, Verse 35…

 

ACTS 20:35b

“…remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

 

Let’s prepare to give as we welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

GALATIANS 6:9

Let us not lose heart in doing good…for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

GALATIANS 6:10

So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith (other believers in Christ).

 

OFFERING SONG

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

Donna Summer and the Musical Youth

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

God’s Many Gifts Give Us Hope

 

We continue mining the gold in Colossians, Chapter 1 in Verses 3 to 8 as the apostle Paul expresses gratitude for a gift to the world from our Savior…the gospel message…the good news concerning an offer from the Lord to WHOSOEVER chooses to receive it.  But closer inspection of this section of the passage reveals a series of gifts.

 

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…

 

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).

 

What gifts do you see in this section of the passage that give us hope?  Here’s the list…

         

         The Lord Himself

         Redeemer

         Creator

         Savior

         Son

         Union with Christ

         God the Father

Grace

Peace

         God the Holy Spirit

Fruit

The Apostle Paul

The Gospel Message

Faith in God

         Hope in Self

         Love for Others

         Growth

         Prayer

         An Inheritance

 

 

If you have all these free gifts as part of Christianity, why don’t you have what you want in your life?  The real question we have to answer for ourselves is, “What we are willing to let God do through us with the gifts of hope He gives us.”

 

The Greek word for hope is ELPIS…it means absolute confidence…and here is what God wants His believers to know…Hebrews, Chapter 6, Verses 17 to 19…

 

HEBREWS 6:17

God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised…and he confirmed it with an oath.

 

HEBREWS 6:18 

God did this so that…by two unchangeable things…in which it is impossible for God to lie (plus God’s guarantee…an oath)…we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.

 

HEBREWS 6:19 

WE HAVE THIS HOPE AS AN ANCHOR FOR THE SOUL…firm and secure.

         

God is a harbor, and as believers in Christ, we have dropped our soul's anchor in Him.  In Him, we have hope.  Let’s take advantage of it.

         

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

The Lord Jesus Christ wants a relationship with you…His creature…His creation…and He wants the relationship so badly, that He was willing to die for you!  

 

How often do you think about eternal things?  As human beings, we tend to be concerned only with the here and now…the things that busy us… the things that are temporary.  Yet nobody gets out of this life alive, so there are questions about "the afterlife" … the things that happen when we die…the things eternal.  Again, I ask you, how often do you think about eternal things?  

 

The Bible tells us that God's enemy, Satan, deceives us into being short-sighted.  Satan diverts our focus to temporary things so we don't prepare for eternal things.  First Peter, Chapter 5, Verse 8 warns us to…

 

FIRST PETER 5:8

Be of sober spirit…be on the alert. The adversary…the devil (Satan) … prowls around like a roaring lion…seeking someone to devour.

 

For example, the Bible tells us how easy it is to be deceived by material wealth, a problem that pervaded the church at Laodicea.  In Revelation, Chapter 3, Verses 15 to 18…the Lord says to the Laodicean believers…

 

REVELATION 3:15

“I (the Lord Jesus Christ) know your deeds…that you (like the water in your homes) are neither cold nor hot…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) wish that you were cold or hot.”

 

REVELATION 3:16 

“So, because you are lukewarm (like the water in your homes) … and neither hot nor cold…I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

 

REVELATION 3:17 

“Because you Laodicean believers say, ‘I am rich…and have become (materially) wealthy…I have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are (spiritually) wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked…”

 

REVELATION 3:18a

“…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become (spiritually) rich…and white garments so that you may clothe yourself (unlike the black wool that gave you material wealth)…

 

REVELATION 3:18a

…so that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed…and I advise you to buy from Me eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”

 

Material wealth often blinds us to our spiritual poverty.  We think only about now and not about eternity.  

 

What is it that the Lord wants us to see?  Matthew, Chapter 6, Verse 24…

 

MATTHEW 6:24

“No one can serve two masters…for either he will hate the one master and he will love the other master…or he will be devoted to one master and he will despise the other master. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

 

The Lord wants us to see that He is the way to get to heaven.  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 from God… that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Old Testament 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 Old Testament Scriptures…

 

Once you realize you can’t buy your way into heaven, the only other way to get to heaven is by means of God’s grace, which is free of charge.  In John, Chapter 14, Verse 6, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said… 

 

JOHN 14:6

…to the doubting apostle, Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation)…and I am the truth (through the Word of God…the gospel message)…and I am the resurrection life (eternal life)…and no one comes to God the Father (in heaven) but through believing in Me.”

 

Accepting the Lord Jesus Christ’s grace gift of eternal life saves you.  As a result of the Lord’s work at the Cross…the work that paid for the sins of all mankind, including yours…sin was eliminated as a barrier between you and God.  Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 21 says…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:21

God the Father made Jesus Christ who knew no sin to be a sin payment substitute on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God the Father in union with Him.

 

You can ask God the Father to credit your account with real wealth… spiritual wealth…His own righteousness…His own perfection...your admission ticket to heaven.  God the Father will honor your request when you ask for His righteousness, and you will be saved.  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.”

 

John, Chapter 3, Verse 36 warns what happens if you reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

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.”

 

Take the free gift of eternal life right now!  There’s no time to waste!  Just tell God the Father that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the moment of eternal life for you.  NOW is the time to think about eternal things.  God wants you.  Real wealth happens when you decide to have a relationship with Him. 

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Faith, hope and love…abide in the sphere of these three…as it says in First Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Verses 2 and 3…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 1:2

We always give thanks to God the Father for all of you, making mention of all of you in our prayers…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 1:3 

…constantly keeping in mind all of your work of faith and all of your labor of unconditional love and all of your perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father (during prayer)…

 

We know that love is the greatest of these three…but as June Murphy says in song…THERE’S JUST ONE HOPE…and His name is Jesus.

 

CLOSING SONG

THERE’S JUST ONE HOPE

June Murphy

 

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

THERE'S JUST ONE HOPE

June Murphy

 

CLOSING VERSES

 

         A Doxology of Praise to Our God

 

Let’s close with words of worship that acknowledge the magnificence of our Almighty God.  

 

PROVERBS 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding…

 

PROVERBS 3:6

…in all your ways acknowledge the Lord…and He will direct your path straight.

 

PSALM 46:1

For God is our refuge and our strength…a very present help in times of trouble.

 

ISAIAH 40:13

Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength…they will mount up with wings like eagles…they will run and not get tired…they will walk and not become weary.

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

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