(#005) Colossians 4 - The Bible Provides Meaningful Answers to Life’s Perplexing QuestionsIt's only a mystery to the natural man.
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. Our God calls Himself many things in Isaiah, Chapter 44, Verse 6…
ISAIAH 44:6 “Thus says the Lord (God the Son)…the King of Israel…the Redeemer…the Lord of hosts…‘I am the first and I am the last ( I am eternal)…and there is no God besides Me.’”
He is the Lord…God the Son…He is Jesus…the Christ…the Jewish Messiah…He is the unique Person of the universe…He will rule as King over Israel during His millennial reign…as the Redeemer, He has purchased us from slavery to sin…He has always existed…as the preeminent One, He is above all others. We are happy to worship 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 both unbelievers and believers. We give unbelievers the gospel message…the good news concerning Jesus Christ’s salvation offer. We teach believers in Christ the Word of God…the Bible…the inerrant Canon of Scripture…so those who study can have a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Lord. If you want to know the Lord, the Bible is your source of truth about Him.
We encourage believers to gather themselves together with other believers instead of retreating from each other to do Biblical study alone or only online. Being with like-minded people is immeasurably valuable.
Why study the Word of God? We study for situations like these…when people assail our dedication to the Lord. Here’s a Barah Ministries Facebook post from this week, a response from the world, and my comments about it.
BARAH MINSTRIES FACEBOOK POST God wants you to live the Christian lifestyle and shed the counterfeit life proposed by false teachers and their false teaching.
Here’s a response to the post.
FACEBOOK POST IN RESPONSE
Just so you know, a charlatan is a quack…a person who claims to have more knowledge than he does. Here was my response…
A PASTOR’S IN RESPONSE If we didn’t know what God wants, thinks, and does, why bother worshipping Him? Fortunately, we do know what He wants, thinks, and does because He delineates it clearly in the Bible.
THE RESPONSE TO PASTOR’S RESPONSE
People who place their eyes on mankind forget that God has an enemy who both sponsors and perpetrates evil. God gets blamed for what His enemy does. Even though God allows evil, He does not sponsor it. How do we know? The Bible tells us so. James, Chapter 1, Verses 13 and 14 say… says…
JAMES 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” … for God cannot be tempted by evil…and God Himself does not tempt anyone.
JAMES 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
In Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20 the Bible lets us know that God reveals Himself in ways that make sense to human beings…He lets us know what He wants and thinks and does…
ROMANS 1:20a For since the creation of the world the Lord Jesus Christ’s invisible attributes…His eternal power…and His Deity…have been clearly seen by all mankind…
ROMANS 1:20b …being understood through everything that has been made in the entire created universe…so that all mankind (especially those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness) are without excuse in the matter of knowing God.
So, is our friend right? Is the Bible merely the word of man? Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 20 and 21 say…
SECOND PETER 1:20-21 …know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own private interpretation…for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will…but men directed by God the Holy Spirit spoke directly from the exact thinking of THE God…the Lord Jesus Christ.
As you study the Word of God with us, we implore you to always compare what you learn about God, both at Barah Ministries and in the world, with what the Bible has to say. Don’t take men’s word for it, especially those men who have their eyes in the wrong place…on men and on the evil perpetrated by God’s enemy.
God’s enemy is Satan, whom God made ‘the ruler of this world.’ He is a deceiver who hates everyone in the world, including you. Satan wants you to feel guilty about your mistakes. He entices you to focus on yourself and your sins. Why? Because if you focus on God and His Word instead, you will find relief for your guilt. First John, Chapter 2, Verses 1 and 2…
FIRST JOHN 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, and of course we do, we have an Advocate with God the Father…Jesus…the Christ…the ONLY righteous One…
FIRST JOHN 2:2 …and Jesus Himself is the propitiation for our sins (as believers in Christ)… and not for our sins only…but also for the sins of the whole world (unbelievers as well).
There is no need to feel guilty for your mistakes. When you make mistakes, go TO God…not away from Him. Don’t listen to the liar!
TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON The Bible Provides Meaningful Answers to Life’s Perplexing Questions
As we conclude our overview of Colossians before we study it verse-by- verse, we reflect on the last question of the ten that we sought to answer at the beginning of the overview…
What relevance does Paul’s letter to the Colossians have to our lives today?
As I thought about answering this question, a movie came to mind…The Devil’s Advocate. The closing monologue of the movie highlights the relevance of the Colossian letter to our lives today, as Satan, the enemy of God, talks to a son he sired in the movie.
CLOSING MONOLOGUE From the Movie…The Devil’s Advocate
Who are you carrying all those bricks for anyway? God? Is that it? God? Well, I tell ya, let me give you a little inside information about God. God likes to watch. He’s a prankster.
CLOSING MONOLOGUE From the Movie…The Devil’s Advocate
Think about it. He gives man instincts. He gives you this extraordinary gift and then what does He do? I swear, for His own amusement, His own private cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition. It’s the goof of all time.
CLOSING MONOLOGUE From the Movie…The Devil’s Advocate
Look, but don’t touch. Touch, but don’t taste. Taste, but don’t swallow. And while you’re jumpin’ from one foot to the next, what is He doin’? He’s laughin’ His sick, ass off. He’s a tight-ass. He’s a sadist. He’s an absentee landlord. Worship that? Never!
CLOSING MONOLOGUE From the Movie…The Devil’s Advocate
Why not? I’m here on the ground with my nose in it since the whole thing began! I’ve nurtured every sensation man has been inspired to have! I cared about what he wanted and I never judged him. Why? Because I never rejected him, in spite of all his imperfections! I’m a fan of man!
CLOSING MONOLOGUE From the Movie…The Devil’s Advocate
I’m a humanist. Maybe the last humanist. Who, in their right mind, Kevin, could possibly deny the 20th century was entirely mine? All of it, Kevin! All of it! Mine! I’m peaking, Kevin. It’s my time now. It’s our time.
The church at Colossae was under attack from false teachers who sought to infiltrate the church with their false teaching. In our lives today, the same exact thing is going on. Demonic forces seek to destroy our churches from within…quite often through other Christians. Wolves in sheep’s clothing seek to destroy what God is building. Yet our God is still on duty, keeping a watchful eye on us, and not allowing things that are not for our good.
In today’s lesson we’ll conclude our overview of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, so we can see how God addresses the problem of false teachers and their false teaching.
SONG INTRODUCTION
There are many times in the journey of this life when we get to experience its emptiness…so it was for Solomon when he chose to worship everything but God…sex…education …mankind …and materialism to name a few. A summary of his investigation?
Ecclesiastes, Chapter 1, Verse 2…
ECCLESIASTES 1:2 “Meaninglessness of meaninglessness,” says the Preacher, “Meaninglessness and more meaninglessness! All is meaningless.”
Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12, Verse 13…
ECCLESIASTES 12:13 The conclusion…when all has been heard…is this…respect God and keep His mandates …because this is the duty of every person…
The answer is in God and not in meaningless investigations. Lord…as Solomon and Danny Gokey remind us…life is meaningless IF YOU AIN’T IN IT!
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
IF YOU AIN’T IN IT Danny Gokey
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
IF YOU AIN’T IN IT 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 the gift of faith…and thank you for giving us the perfect target for our faith…Our God, and Your Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…thank you that Your promises are guarantees so that we don’t need a sign from You…Your Word is enough…thank you for the truth of the Word of God and the light it provides to guide our paths…
Father, help us in our weakness…edify us when we don’t know what to think…provide us with wisdom so we see Your perfection in every one of Your decisions that we witness…heal our souls from the wounds of this world and our experiences in it… fill us with confidence because of our relationship with You…give us hope…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ's name...Amen.
TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON The Bible Provides Meaningful Answers to Life’s Perplexing Questions
On May 6, 2021, a young woman died of a drug overdose in Nogales, Mexico. A week before, she had celebrated her thirty-third birthday. She left behind three children…one sixteen years old, one fifteen years old, and one ten years old. They will never get to know their mother and they’ll always wonder what it would have been like to know her.
She is still alive. The soul once born never dies. Each of us gets to choose where our soul spends eternity. Her soul is in eternity. But where? God knows. You see God created this woman. God allotted her a number of days on earth. God knew the exact time He would bring her to earth. He knew the exact time He would take her from earth. He loves her unconditionally. He still has His eyes on her, and He will for all eternity. This woman matters to God.
She did not matter at all to the person who sold her the drugs. That she is no longer here doesn’t matter to that person at all. He has his money, and he in looking for his next victim. He will find his next victim, and the results will be the same. It will not matter at all to him who is devastated by his careless actions.
You see there are people who don’t care at all about you or your life. They don’t care if they hurt you. They don’t care how you suffer. They simply want to extract from you what they want for themselves, even if it’s your life. The Lord warns us about such people in Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 15…
MATTHEW 7:15 “Beware of the false prophets…who come to you in sheep’s clothing…but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
Ravenous. Those who are eager to satisfy themselves at your expense. Those who are greedy…who seek to plunder without regard for the ones harmed by their actions. They are vicious dogs who devour our dreams and our lives with their lies. The Lord says beware.
Does this have any relevance to our lives today? It does. Yet it is not people who are out to destroy us…the battle is much more sinister than that…Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verses 12 and 13…
EPHESIANS 6:12a For our struggle is not against flesh and blood (against humans…a battel we could see)…our struggle is against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness…(against the unseen spiritual mafia)
EPHESIANS 6:12b …our struggle is against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (their current headquarters from which they attack.
EPHESIANS 6:13 Therefore, pick up and put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day…
People let themselves be used by the spiritual forces of wickedness. They are humanly repugnant according to Isaiah, Chapter 64, Verse 6…
ISAIAH 64:6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean (a woman menstruating, for example)…and all our self-righteous deeds are like a filthy garment (a used tampon)…
False teachers inculcate their false teaching deeply into our psyches so that their lies become our operating system…so that confusion becomes the norm in our lives…so that we give up on the magnificent spiritual life God planned for us. When the problems of this life perplex us…when we wonder why anyone would want to hurt us…the Bible provides meaningful answers.
Our study of Paul’s letter to the Colossians will reveal the gifts God has given us…the gift of Himself, so we can have a relationship with Him…the gift of His Word so that we know the truth and so we know His mind…and the gift of enemies who edify us through their wickedness so that we learn perseverance, so we develop proven character, and so we have a hope from the God who does not disappoint.
When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll take a brief look at the final chapter of Colossians…Chapter 4.
FIVE MINUTE BREAK NOBODY Casting Crowns
TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON The Bible Provides Meaningful Answers to Life’s Perplexing Questions
There is a principle that is true in agriculture that is also true in the spiritual life…Second Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verse 6…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:6 Now this I (Paul) say…he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly…and he who sows abundantly will also reap abundantly.
When we give, God wants us to give abundantly, voluntarily, thoughtfully, cheerfully, prayerfully, generously, and enthusiastically…just as He would. Second Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verses 7 and 8…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:7 Each one must give just as he has purposed in his heart…not grudgingly or under compulsion…for God loves a cheerful giver.
SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you…so that always having all sufficiency in everything…you may have an abundance (to give) for every good deed…
Check your attitude as you give, believers in Christ. Make sure your attitude is an EXACT reflection of the abundant, voluntary, thoughtful, cheerful, prayerful, generous, and enthusiastic sacrifice that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, made on your behalf at the Cross.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
HEBREWS 12:28 Therefore…since we believers in Christ receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken…let us show gratitude…by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe…
OFFERING VERSE
FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:18 …and in everything give thanks…for this is God’s will for you who are in union with Christ Jesus.
OFFERING SONG HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET Danny Gokey
TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON The Bible Provides Meaningful Answers to Life’s Perplexing Questions
In the first few lessons of this Colossians overview, we heard chapters one two and three…let’s conclude our overview by listening to Colossians Chapter 4, Verses 1 to 18…
COLOSSIANS 4:1 Masters…grant to your slaves justice and fairness…knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
COLOSSIANS 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving…
COLOSSIANS 4:3 …praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the Word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned…
COLOSSIANS 4:4 …that I may make the Word clear through the way I speak as I am obligated to do.
COLOSSIANS 4:5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.
COLOSSIANS 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
COLOSSIANS 4:7 As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information.
COLOSSIANS 4:8 For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts…
COLOSSIANS 4:9 …and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here.
COLOSSIANS 4:10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions…if he comes to you, welcome him)…
COLOSSIANS 4:11 …and also Jesus who is called Justus…these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision…and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.
COLOSSIANS 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
COLOSSIANS 4:13 For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
COLOSSIANS 4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings…and also Demas.
COLOSSIANS 4:15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.
COLOSSIANS 4:16 When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans…and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.
COLOSSIANS 4:17 Say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
COLOSSIANS 4:18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.
What answers is the study of this letter going to provide for our spiritual lives? Only God knows. But if the overview is any indication, we’ll learn who our Lord is through Chapter 1…we’ll learn the problem in the Colossian church which is the same problem we have in Barah Ministries in Chapter 2…infiltration of evil…and we’ll be reminded of the keys to the Christian Way of Living in Chapters 3 and 4.
GOD WANTS YOU! Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
What does God want for you? Two things. First and foremost, GOD WANTS YOU TO BE SAVED…First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4…
FIRST TIMOTHY 2:3 This is what is good and acceptable in the sight of the God who is our Savior…the Lord Jesus Christ…
FIRST TIMOTHY 2:4 …who desires all men to be saved and for all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.
What the Lord DOES NOT WANT FOR YOU is highlighted in Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9…
SECOND PETER 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of, but instead He is patient toward you unbelievers…NOT WISHING FOR ANY OF YOU TO PERISH (IN THE LAKE OF FIRE) but for all of you to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).
This immutable and irrevocable fact may contradict the thoughts placed in your head by God’s enemy, Satan, through religions that contend that God is always disappointed in you because you sin, and that you have to work to please Him.
Are you saved?
Second, GOD WANTS YOU to have a written account of absolute truth… His exact thinking. John, Chapter 20, Verses 30 and 31…
JOHN 20:30 Therefore, many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book (the Bible) …
JOHN 20:31 …but these things written here (in the Bible) have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (The Jewish Messiah) … the Son of God in human form…and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life in His name.
What is your source of truth? Do you know the truth…especially the truth about who God is as a Person…and the truth about what He has done to save you?
Maybe you don’t believe in the Lord Jesus Christ! Maybe you don’t think He is God! Maybe you don’t think the Bible is His exact thinking. Maybe you don’t even think you need to be saved. The Bible says that being saved…salvation…is exactly what ALL humans need from the moment of physical birth. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 1…
EPHESIANS 2:1 At physical birth all mankind were born spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins…
First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a For all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…
The Bible says all who are spiritually dead need to be saved…they need spiritual life. The Lord Jesus Christ volunteered for the task of saving you. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 4 and 5 say…
EPHESIANS 2:4 But God the Father…being rich in mercy…because of His great unconditional love with which He loved all of us…
EPHESIANS 2:5 …even when we were spiritually dead in our transgressions…made us believers in Christ spiritually alive in union with Christ…by His grace you have been saved…
When you were spiritually dead, as ungodly, unrighteous unbelievers, here’s what God the Father gifted to you…Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8…
ROMANS 5:8 But God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind, in that while we were yet sinners (while spiritually dead, ungodly, unrighteous unbelievers), Christ died as a sacrifice 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 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…
Because of the Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, right where you sit right now, you can have eternal life…the resurrection life…by taking the suggestion in 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.”
You would also do well to heed the warning in 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.”
The Lake of Fire is a literal place, and it will be your eternal home if you reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts, Chapter 4, Verse 12…
ACTS 4:12 “…there is salvation in no one else…for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved (except the name of the Lord Jesus Christ).”
You don’t have to work to be saved…it’s a free gift from a gracious God… Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5…
TITUS 3:5 The Lord Jesus Christ saved us…not on the basis of deeds which we have done in self-righteousness…but according to His mercy…by the washing of regeneration and through the renewing by God the Holy Spirit…
There is no excuse for not knowing how to be saved. It’s SO simple. Why? It’s simple because God does the saving for you. All you have to do is invest your gift of faith…a gift you received from a loving God…and place that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation. Do it now! There is no time to waste.
SONG INTRODUCTION
With God, everything is perfect. He has perfect and unconditional love for us…He has a perfect will for our lives…and He has a perfect memory. One of the bets things about His memory is that He remembers not to count our sins against us. Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 7…
EPHESIANS 1:7-8 In union with Christ, we have redemption through His blood…the forgiveness of our trespasses…according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us…
As June Murphy sings, in the Lord’s perfect memory HE REMEMBERS TO FORGET!
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
HE REMEMBERS TO FORGET June Murphy
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
HE REMEMBERS TO FORGET June Murphy
CLOSING VERSES
A Doxology of Praise to Our God
Let’s close with words of worship for our Almighty God.
ROMANS 15:5 Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another (to think the exact same way…operating in harmony) according to your union with Christ Jesus…
ROMANS 15:6 …so that with one accord you believers in Christ may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
ROMANS 15:7 Therefore, keep on accepting one another…and keep on receiving one another…just as Christ also keeps on accepting us all (in unconditional love)…to the glory of God the Father.
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
Thanks for coming! Thanks for watching! Thanks for listening! |