(#012) Colossians 1 - Christians Are Lost So We Thank God

 

 

 

 

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.  The apostle John knew it, too, and affirmed it again and again in his Biblical letters…like First John, Chapter 5, Verse 20…

 

FIRST JOHN 5:20a

And we believers in Christ know that the Son of God has come (to earth in human form)…and He has given us understanding so that we may know God the Father who is true…

 

FIRST JOHN 5:20b

…and as believers we are in union with the Father who is true…and we are in union with His Son…Jesus…the Christ…who also is truly God (Deity) and who is Himself the resurrection life (eternal life).

 

By this, and by many other Biblical affirmations we KNOW that we are worshipping the one and only true God.

 

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.  

 

False teachers bring lies in alongside the truth to distort the truth.  The apostle Peter warns us not to be fooled.  God does not expect us to have blind faith.  In the Bible, the Lord provides us with evidence of His Person through teaching from eyewitnesses.  Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 16 to 19… 

 

SECOND PETER 1:16

For we (Peter referring to himself) did not follow cleverly devised fables (from false teachers) when we made known to you (believers in Christ) the divine power and (news of the second) coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…in fact, we were EYEWITNESSES of His majesty.

 

Peter, James and John saw exactly what the Lord would look like at His second coming on what is known as The Mount of the Transfiguration.

 

SECOND PETER 1:17

For when Jesus received honor and glory from God the Father, this utterance was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”—

 

SECOND PETER 1:18 

…and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

 

Now we have the Word of God in writing, and Peter says it is more reliable than seeing things with your own eyes.

 

SECOND PETER 1:19

Now we have the prophetic Word of God which makes us even more sure…and to the Word you do well to pay attention as you would to a lamp shining in a dark place…until the day dawns (the day of the second coming of Christ) and the Morning Star (the Lord) arises in your hearts.

 

Lies are always easier to believe, but the Word of God illuminates our God in our hearts…making truth shine much more brightly than lies.

 

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).”

 

When you sin…when you make mistakes…Satan wants you to obsess about your sins.  He wants you to feel guilt…to feel shame…to feel remorse…to feel embarrassment…so Satan focuses your attention on your sins to take your focus off of Christ.  In Second Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verse 8 Paul tells us how to handle those who sin…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 2:8

…I urge you to reaffirm your unconditional love for him (who sins)…

 

Paul was talking about the man who had sex with his mother-in-law in First Corinthians, Chapter 5. Do you choose to love unconditionally those in your life who make mistakes?  If not, it says a lot about your character.

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

Christians Are Lost So We Thank God

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

Christians are lost.  The Word of God is our compass and we are ignoring it.

Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verses 1 to 5 predict it and warns us about it…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:1

But realize this, that in the last days (the time between the first coming of Christ and the rapture of the Church) difficult times (complete societal degeneration) will keep on coming.

 

What will be the signs of this complete societal degeneration?

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:2 

…people will be lovers of self (narcissistic)…lovers of money…boastful (an outward manifestation of an inner problem)…arrogant (the inner problem… pride)…slanderers…disobedient to parents…ungrateful…unholy…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:3 

…unloving (heartless)…irreconcilable (unforgiving)…malicious gossips… without self-control…brutal…haters of good…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:4 

…treacherous…reckless…conceited…lovers of pleasure (sensuality and debauchery) rather than lovers of God… 

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:5 

…holding to a superficial form of godliness (the Christian Way of Living)… although they have denied (the divine power driving) the Christian Way of Living’s power…have nothing to do with people such as these.

 

Unfortunately, if we choose to obey this command, we won’t have many people in our lives, will we?  

 

People are lost. People have abandoned the compass…the Word of God.  If you’re wondering what you are seeing, especially in yourselves, that is what you are seeing.  Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 14 calls us to a higher purpose…

 

EPHESIANS 4:14

…we are no longer to be children (immature infants)…tossed here and there by waves (easily influenced) and carried about (whirled around so as to become dizzy) by every wind of doctrine (false teaching)…by the cunning of people (false teachers) in the craftiness of their deceitful scheming )moving us to a system of error…the world)…

 

We have become children in adult bodies.  Lost.  Without the compass of the Word of God.  We are hearers of the Word but not doers of the Word.  Yet the Bible calls us to a higher purpose …First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Verses 16 to 18 tells believers in Christ we are to…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:16

Rejoice always…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:17 

…(we are to) pray without ceasing (making it a habit to pray)…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:18 

…(and we are to) IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS…for this is the will of God the Father for you who are in union with Christ Jesus.

 

In today’s Bible lesson, it will make sense to you why the apostle Paul is giving thanks for a group of believers who live in the middle of nowhere in first century Turkey…because they are doing just what the Bible suggests… unlike believers in Christ in the present day.

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

When we invest our gift of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we remember that tribulation is the way the Lord takes us to the spiritual gymnasium for a workout.  The last two years have been hell on earth for us…but not nearly as bad as the real hell!  The trials of this new and oppressive life have us reeling and off balance and running on emotions.  Yet Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 6 reminds us of a very important truth…

 

HEBREWS 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God…for he who comes to God the Father must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who (diligently) seek Him.

 

It’s always great to remind ourselves that nothing happens in the universe without God’s permission.  Here’s Unspoken to remind us with their hit song…REASON.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

REASON

Unspoken

 

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

REASON

Unspoken

 

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 the confusion…thank you that we are lost…thank you that we have blown an emotional gasket…as a church…and as individuals within this church…thank you for letting us get so far off track that we have no human way to recover…so far off track that we can’t even see each other anymore…

 

Father, this is the perfect set up, orchestrated by Your enemy, Satan…it offers You the chance to show the power of Your Person, and the power of Your Word, and the power of Your approach to life…the Christian Way of Living…help us to adopt Your perfection…help us to exit the powerlessness of the life being shoved down Christians throats by the world…a pseudo-spiritual meal that we are more than willing to eat…

 

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

name...Amen.

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

Christians Are Lost So We Thank God

 

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 next section of the passage, the apostle Paul gives thank to the audience to whom he is writing.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:3 

We (Paul referring to himself and Timothy) always GIVE THANKS to God…the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…when we pray for all of you (Colossian believers) …

 

COLOSSIANS 1:4 

…because we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and we heard of the unconditional love which all of you have for all God’s saints…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:5 

…because the faith and unconditional love comes from the hope stored up for all of you in heaven…of which hope all of you previously heard in the word of truth, the true gospel…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:6a 

…the gospel which has come to you…just as also it is coming throughout all the world…the gospel message that keeps on bearing fruit and keeps on increasing…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:6b

…even as the gospel message also has been doing among all of you since the day all of you heard it and truly understood God’s grace…

 

You’ve heard of these things of which Paul speaks…faith…hope…love… the things that motivate Paul’s giving of thanks…in First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verse 13…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 13:13

But now faith (in God)…hope (absolute confidence in self)…and unconditional love for others)…abide in the sphere of these three (Christian virtues)… but the greatest of these (Christian virtues) is unconditional love (for others).

 

Why is love the greatest of these virtues?  Because selflessness is the thing that makes our God different from His enemy more than anything else.

 

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).

 

Why is Paul giving thanks?  It’s because teachers love students who follow direction.  God the Holy Spirit is a teacher…the Master of all teachers… your Pastor is a teacher…and teachers love when students benefit from our instruction.  We’ll I’m looking for the evidence of it because I see lovelessness at an alarming rate, even within this church…and I see a group of people swept up by the world.  And if I become your enemy by telling you’re the truth, so be it.  It needs to stop.  It has reached epic proportions for me.

 

When we return from the break, we’ll take a deeper look at the message of First Corinthians, Chapter 1, Verses 3 to 8.  Just because we give thanks for the present circumstances doesn’t mean we need to become the world.

 

FIVE MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

Christians Are Lost So We Thank God

 

When we GIVE, we present an offering voluntarily without any expectation of return compensation.  We can give our time…we can give our talent…we can give our treasure.  Even though we expect nothing, the Lord does not honor our desire to get nothing in return.  He always gives to us in abundance.  John, Chapter 10, Verse 10 says…

 

JOHN 10:10

The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) came that believers in Christ may have the resurrection life…and I came so they might have the resurrection life abundantly.

 

As a result of the Lord’s generosity, we learn not to have a mindset of scarcity when giving.  As you give today…give without fear… give abundantly…knowing that with the Lord you will ALWAYS get more than abundance in return.

 

As we listen to the offering song, let’s give generously.

 

OFFERING SONG

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

Donna Summer and the Musical Youth

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

Christians Are Lost So We Thank God

 

Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 3 to 8…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:3 

We (Paul referring to himself and Timothy) always GIVE THANKS to God…the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…when we pray for all of you (Colossian believers)…

 

In everything we give thanks!

 

COLOSSIANS 1:4 

…because we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and we heard of the unconditional love which all of you have for all of God’s saints…

 

Why did Paul admire and give thanks for the faith of the Colossian believers?  Because their faith is in Christ, the pioneer and perfector of faith.  Their confidence is from the source of Him.  Their faith is not placed in the world, in its leaders, and in circumstances.  They fixed their eyes on Jesus and looked to Him for direction.  He gives all of us direction through His complete set of thoughts in the Word of God and He gives us God the Holy Spirit to lead us through the tribulation of the present time.

 

You would be hard pressed, as believers in Christ, to say that you are worse off today than you were when this COVID situation began.  That is not to say you haven’t had tribulation.  There are believers I know that have had unspeakable tribulation in the last two years.  What is God’s purpose in the tribulation?  He works all of it together for our good.  Simultaneously, He is showing us the true intent of His enemy…to kill us…to steal from us…and to destroy us.  I say, have at it Satan.  The things of this world are nothing.  Christ is everything.  How about for you, fellow believers?  What do you value?  Does your life demonstrate what you value if what you value is Christ?

 

The demonstration of faith is unconditional love for others.  Love for others is action oriented.  One of the best actions is to share the gospel message with others…the good news concerning Jesus Christ’s salvation offer.  When people crossed the paths of Colossians believers …specifically those of the church of Laodicea and Hierapolis…they could feel the faith the Colossians believers expressed as love.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:5 

…because your faith and unconditional love comes from the hope stored up for all of you in heaven (where the Lord lives)…of which hope all of you previously heard in the word of truth, the true gospel…

 

The apostle Peter affirms our hope in First Peter Chapter 1, Verses 3 to 5…

 

FIRST PETER 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us believers in Christ to be born again (the spiritual birth)…into a living hope…through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

 

FIRST PETER 1:4 

…(allowing us) to obtain an inheritance…which is imperishable… undefiled…and will not fade away…reserved for you in heaven…

 

FIRST PETER 1:5 

…you who are protected by the power of God (divine omnipotence)… through faith…for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

 

The faith in God and the unconditional love for others comes from hope in self…not hope derived from any merit inside of us…but hope derived from the divine power God has given us.  The more you learn to appreciate yourself, the more you will learn to appreciate others.

 

Christianity is a set of blessings…perfect blessings…total blessings…a fullness…which needs no addition and no subtraction.  We believers in Christ know this is our fate…this is our destiny…perfection…from the moment we placed our faith in Christ.  Yet we forget what we have two minutes after we hear it.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:6a 

…the true gospel which has come to you Colossian believers…just as also the true gospel is coming throughout all the world…the gospel message that keeps on bearing fruit and keeps on increasing…

 

God expects Christians to grow…to grow both in number and to grow in influence.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:6b

…even as the gospel message also has been doing among all of you since the day all of you heard it and truly understood God’s grace…

 

The gospel is a message from God…and He always provides a messenger…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:7 

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

 

COLOSSIANS 1:8 

….and Epaphras also informed us of your unconditional love (that being) in the Spirit (en Pneumati…has given you).

 

False teachers are encouraging Christians of the day to look beyond the gospel for MORE…false teachers are doing the same thing to Christians today.  And we are listening to them!  Our hope is that some human comes to rescue us.  We are perfectly teed up for the Anti-Christ.  We’re waiting for someone who has a answer to the madness.  Christ already has the answer…those who think he doesn’t are “anti-“ Christ.  

 

Thank God that we can give thanks in everything…even for being lost…for that is God’s will for us.

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

The Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord Jesus Christ, wants a relationship with you!  He sends evangelists to you to bring you the good news concerning what He did to save you at the Cross.

 

Unfortunately, God has an enemy who sends evangelists to you as well.  Second Peter, Chapter 2, Verses 1 to 3 say…

 

SECOND PETER 2:1

But false prophets also arose among the people…just as there will also be false teachers among you who will secretly introduce destructive heresies… even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

 

SECOND PETER 2:2 

Many will follow their sensuality (their shameful ways)…and because of false teachers the way of the truth will be maligned…

 

SECOND PETER 2:3 

…and in their greed (their desire to pervert) they will exploit you with false words…

 

The destructive heresies of false teachers are schools of philosophical deception designed to lead to your spiritual ruin.

 

When a person evangelizes to you, they are leading you to a gospel message for your consideration. They know they cannot “convert” you, although the pressure you experience from some of them might feel like that’s what they want to do.  

 

False evangelists are giving you facts to consider.  You have to decide if their facts are true or false.  For example, if you’ve ever had Jehovah’s Witnesses come to your door, they are evangelizing to you.  If you’ve ever had members of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints come to your door, they are evangelizing to you.  Is what they are telling you true?

 

Unfortunately, both of those groups are inviting you to share eternity with them in the Lake of Fire, because neither of these groups believe that Jesus Christ is God.  I have family members who are part of one of these religions, and in spite of my best evangelism efforts, my family members don’t want to hear anything that God has to say to them through me.

 

Many parents are leading their children to an eternity in the Lake of Fire.  If you want to assess whether or not you’re a good parent, just ask yourself a simple question…are you influencing your children to have a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Sovereign God of the Universe? 

 

God the Father has a plan to get you to heaven.  Jesus.  He is the ONLY WAY to get to heaven according to John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…

 

JOHN 14:6

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

 

If a gospel message makes it sound like you have to work to get to heaven, it’s a false gospel message.  Romans, Chapter 11, Verse 6 says we don’t have to work to be saved…

 

ROMANS 11:6

…if salvation is by grace (a free gift from God) … and of course it is…it is no longer on the basis of works…otherwise grace (as a free gift) is no longer grace (it is not free).

 

Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 4 says you CAN’T work for salvation…

 

ROMANS 4:4

Now to the one who works (for salvation), his wage (for his work) is not credited (to his account) as a favor (from the grace of God), but (his wage is credited) as what is due for the work.

 

Unfortunately, your hardest work is not perfect enough to earn you a spot in heaven. 

 

What can you do instead of working for your salvation?  Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 says…

 

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…

 

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.”

 

John, Chapter 3, Verse 17 highlights Jesus’ mission…

 

JOHN 3:17

For God the Father did not send God the Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) into the world to judge the world…but the Father sent the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.

 

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…

 

Take the free gift of eternal life right now!  There’s no time to waste!  God wants you.  If you want to go to heaven when you close your eyes in this life, simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.  

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

God wants many things for you…but two are prominent…First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4 say…

 

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 who desires for all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

Lord, you saved us, and as June Murphy points in song, it’s ALL BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO.

 

CLOSING SONG

ALL BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO

June Murphy

 

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

ALL BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO

June Murphy

 

CLOSING DOXOLOGY

 

         Words of Praise to Our God

 

Let’s acknowledge the magnificence of our Almighty God.  

 

PSALM 95:6

Come!  Let us worship and bow down…let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

 

PSALM 95:7 

For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture…and we are the sheep of His hand.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:58 

Therefore, my divinely loved ones…be steadfast…be immovable…and keep on abounding in the work of the Lord always, knowing that your labor is not in vain in union with the Lord.

 

ROMANS 15:13 

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

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

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