We Are Free in Jesus by John

We Are Free in Jesus.
Exodus 20, Galatians 4:19-29
(Read the ten commandments)

1. There are so many things today that hold us and make us slaves, aren't there?
(1) Maybe you have not even thought about that.
(2) We usually think about the time when black people were slaves in this country, or maybe in Bible times when the Israelites even enslaved their own people sometimes.
(3) But I'm talking about right now.
2. We are made slaves by the need to earn a living, by the properties we own, or by our own bodies because of sickness, or age.
3. In spite of all these limitations that we face, we are free in Jesus, provided we are in Jesus.
4. In the Scripture from Galatians that I just read to you, God gave us a message explaining how we are free in Jesus.

I. The Jews Were Under the Law.

1. Gentiles, that's you and me, were never under the God's Law.
2. We recognize the Law as the Ten commandments.
(1) The commandments are all good, and God expects all human beings to live without breaking them whether they are under the Law, or not. Romans 2:12-16 explains why that is true. (read).
(2) The purpose of the Law was to point out what God expected of us so that we would not sin against Him.
(3) Of course, it also stands as a goal toward which we may reach, but never attain!
(4) We just are not perfect enough to keep the whole Law!
Galatians 4:24 "The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith."
(5) I like the KJ version on this. It called the Law a "schoolmaster" to lead us to Christ.
(6) The Law says, this is what God wants of you, and Jesus, and all Christians, say, this is how you get it! Come to Christ as your Savior!

II. Christians Are Free from the Law!

1. v 25 says that we are no longer under the Law once we place our lives in the hands of Jesus.
2. That means we are free!
3. v 26 says that we are children of God through faith in Christ Jesus!

III. We All Have the Same Standing With God.

1. At the time this was written, the first-born son was the one who would take his Father's place when he died.
2. That didn't mean he was loved more than the others. It meant that it was his responsibility.
3. I've heard people say things like, "There were five in my family, but Henry was the one Dad loved! We all knew that!"
4. God is not like earthly fathers in that respect. He loves all of His children the same!
(1) In fact, he loves slaves like he loves free people.
(2) He loves men like he loves women.
(3) He loves Jews and Gentiles exactly the same!
5. That led the writer to conclude that all of these distinctions mean nothing to God, and in heaven, they will not exist at all!

Conclusion:

1. We were never under the Law, but the very fact that we can't keep the Ten Commandments shows us that we are sinners, and we do need a Savior.
2. Jesus is the Savior we need. He died for us on a cross!
3. When we trust Him, all of the limitations we experience in life are nothing!
4. All of these things will just be a past memory when we are in the presence of the Lord.
5. We will have the same standing in God's presence, and actually we already have that standing!
6. The bonds and fetters of this world may hold our bodies, but our spirits soar in free flight!
7. We are free, and we always will be free-indeed in the marvelous presence of our Lord Jesus!
8. Is He your Lord? Put your trust in Him right now, and He will make you free forever!

LTC 8/27/2006

Warding Off False Religion by John

Warding Off False Religion
Colossians 2:9-23

1. Did you know there are more than 200 different kinds of Baptist churches?
2. Did you know that the Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world?
3. How did this diversity happen?
4. The biggest problem facing the early day Christians was how they could maintain the faith once delivered to the saints.
(1) They eagerly made disciples as Jesus told them to.
(2) But they faced the same problem all of us face. How do I control myself?
a. James talked about what a problem it is to put a bridle on our tongues.
b. The Jews welcomed the Ten Commandments, but they found that they could not keep them.
c. In this country, we have made laws, compounded them, closed every loop-hole that we can find, but we still cannot legislate compliance with the law!
d. Colossians 2: 20-23 talks about attempts by the people of that day, and concludes by saying, "Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence."
5. In Colossians, Paul sought to exalt the name of Jesus because if we don't see Him as the Almighty God that He is, we will not be strong enough to stand against false religion.
6. Paul sought to encourage the Colossian and Laodicean Christians.
7. He also told them that Christ was the "mystery" God promised in the Old Testament, and He was the One Who died for them.
(1) In I Corinthians 2:2, Paul told the people he resolved to know nothing while he was with them, "except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
(2) This letter to the Colossians shows exactly the same mindset.
(3) The primary way to ward off false religion, the way to live an exemplary life, is to exalt Jesus Christ in our daily lives!
8. Paul repeats his teachings as he writes, so don't be surprised that we have some of the same things turning up all the way through this Book.
9. This is perhaps the most intense part of the Book. It was practical for the people then, and it is extremely practical for us today!
10. We didn't read verse 8. I want to read it now, because it gives the basis for this message. "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

I. Christ Our Savior Is Almighty God!

1. V 9 tells us explicitly that in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily! (literal translation of the Greek).
2. V 10 says that we who are Christians have been given "fullness in Christ."
(1) "Fullness" in Greek is playroma. It is used in v 9, and it is in present tense which means Christ always, eternally, is the very fullness of God!
(2) In v 10, the same word is used for Christians, but it is in past tense: Fullness has been given to us in Christ!
(3) It is probably more understandable to us today to use the word "completeness" here.
3. Christ, Who is everything that God is, is our Savior, and We have received completeness in Christ!
4. What does that mean?
(1) It means that the world has nothing it can add to us, or to our spiritual lives!
(2) People who hold to false religions may make beautiful, logical speeches about what they can do, who they are, and they may put us down while promising to build us up! But people! We already have far more than they can give!
5. God is not the co-pilot of our lives! He is the Pilot, and we ride first class!

II. We Are Doing God's Will, Aren't We?

1. Some of us may need to take stock in these verses to be sure we have done God's will in our past lives.
2, Circumcision was vital to the Jews.
(1) God commanded it of Moses, and Zipporah, his wife, circumcised their son.
(2) That caused his wife Zipporah to call him a "bloody" husband, Exodus 4:26. (I don't think that was a term of endearment either.)
(3) Circumcision was not practiced by some generations of the Jews, but by the time of Christ, it was a fetish.
(4) If a Jewish male was not circumcised, he was really classed as a Gentile! (That meant he was lost!)
3. In v 11, Paul tells us that all of us in Christ have been circumcised.
(1) That includes males and females.
(2) He explains that he is not talking about physical circumcision, but the spiritual devotion of all of us to our heavenly Father, and it is accomplished by Jesus! (Another word for this is "sanctified".)
(4) In v 12, He reminds us that we have been baptized and resurrected with Jesus through our faith in the power of God Who raised Jesus from the dead!
(5) We were dead in our trespasses and sins, and God made us alive in Jesus! (v 13).
a. He forgave our sins!
b. He cancelled the Law that condemned us.
c. He took it away, nailed it to His cross. When Satan tried to get rid of Jesus forever, Jesus triumphed over him and the world by using Satan's own plan against him!
4. We are doing God's will, so we must not let anyone lead us astray, or let anyone judge us by the puny traditions of the world! (We are Princes and Princesses, Children of God).
5. In v 16, Paul lists the kind of things the world puts a lot of stock in.
(1) False religions make a great deal out of certain foods and drinks. (They seem to overlook that the Lord in Genesis 9:2,3 told the people He gave them everything for food!
(2) False religions make a big deal out of special, holy days! New Moons! Sabbath days!
(3) They have not realized that these things are shadows of the things that were to come. (v 17).
(4) The reality of all these things is found in Christ! (v 17).
(5) They are prophesies fulfilled in Jesus!
6. Paul knew how tempting it is when we are doing our best to follow Jesus to be led astray by someone who seems to be so very, very humble! Or by someone who worships angels! (v18), or someone who claims to be closer to God than we are.
7. Such a person gives detailed explanations about what he has seen and experienced.
8. I've seen this happen, and the person's mind is so puffed up with pride and self-importance that he loses all contact with Christ Who is the Head of the Church! (v 19).
8. God gave us this section to help us check our own status with the Lord. Have we done what we should, or have we fallen for some false religionist's sales pitch?

III. False Religion Robs Us of Our Joy.

1. In v 20, Paul reminded the Colossians that they died with Christ to the basic principles of the world.
2. If we are dead with Christ to the world, why do we submit to the world's rules as if we were part of it? (v 20)
3. The world is famous for saying, "Oh you can't handle that! That's taboo!" Or "You can't taste that! That's sinful!" Or "Don't touch that! That's holy and you will defile it!," or "that's spiritually filthy! You touch it, and you will be defiled!"
4. Some of those things may even be right up to a point, but the point this Scripture makes is that all of the manmade rules in the world won't help us be restrained from sensual indulgence!
5. The old saying is that you can't legislate righteousness, and that's true.
6. Of course, most people will be outwardly moral when a law is says it is wrong.
7. If you want to get rid of immorality in your own life, you can't do it by law! Turn to Jesus! The closer you get to Him, the further removed from the world you will be!

Conclusion:

1. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
2. False religions promise a lot, but they all deliver death.
(1) If Satan can get you to believe a lie, he can keeps you from ever embracing the truth!
(2) The worst and most insidious lies are the ones that have enough truth in them to persuade people that they will take them to heaven!
3. I heard a preacher addressing a group of ministers from different denominations. He said, "Denominations are like the spokes in a wheel. The rim is the world, and the hub is Christ. No matter where they start from, all the spokes lead to Christ!" He got a round of applause from the congregation. It sounds good, but what he said is untrue. There are groups that call themselves Christian and are not at all Christian. There are other groups that say they are better than Christians, but they are worse.
4. All of these are worse than valueless. The single important item of knowledge is in Colossians 1:27, "Christ in you the hope of glory!"
5. Make sure you are right with the Lord! Meet Him personally! Accept Him as your Savior!
6. There is nothing, and there is no one, who can in any way come close to God's gift of everlasting life and fulfillment in Jesus.
7. Is He your Lord and Savior? We are going to sing an invitation hymn, and we invite you to come talk with us about Jesus. We will pray with you, and we will help you meet Jesus today!

Emmanuel 8/27/2006

The Time of Formation by John.

THE TIME OF FORMATION
Colossians 2:1-10

1. We believe salvation comes like the snapping of your fingers.
(1) The moment you say yes to Jesus, He says yes to you.
(2) And perhaps the most beautiful thing about God's gift is it lasts forever.
2. Paul seems to be saying something a little different here, and in Galatians 4:19,20 which says, "My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!" (The message title comes from this passage).
(1) There may be a time when we believe, but not completely, not sufficiently. (We may be like the seed planted in the shallow soil, Matthew 13:3-6. The plants sprang up quickly, but the sun scorched them and they died because they had no roots!)
(2) There may be a time when we have committed our lives to Christ in word, but our commitment is too shallow. Our commitment can't be deeper than our belief. ill. Demas did not stay. (II Timothy 4:10.
3. That is, A Time of Formation, the time we need examples supporting our new stand in Christ.

I. EVERY ONE OF US NEEDS GOOD EXAMPLES.

1. Paul, without any pride on his part, was aware he was God's example to both the Colossians and Laodiceans.
(1) God revealed to him how many things he must suffer for Christ. Acts 9:16.
(2) People suffer for numerous reasons, some good and some bad, but Christian suffering always has a good reason.
a. Believers, we need to know God is not playing games with us.
b. He loves us far more than we deserve, or ever can deserve, but He doesn't drop his requirements of discipleship for any of us!
c. Paul's life demonstrated how serious a thing salvation is!
(3) God has examples for us, too.
a. Phil. 1:6. "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
b. Phil 2:13. "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."
(4) This is part of the sustaining work of the Holy Spirit.
2. Why was Paul willing to suffer as an example?
(1) For Paul one motive for suffering probably would have been sufficient, but he had more.
(2) God commanded it, and that would have been enough for Paul. His obedience acknowledged Jesus as Lord!
(3) Paul stated in vv 1,2 that the Colossians and Laodiceans knew how great a struggle he had for them. That's another motivation. Paul knew they were watching him! (Doesn't it motivate you when you know someone is watching you?)
(4) The other side of that motivation was, Paul knew someone would lead these new believers astray if he did not give them a good example!
a. When someone you love and have invested your time and ability in fails, it's a great consolation to know you've done all you were supposed to do!
b. It's a great joy when they embrace your example and remain true to the Lord.
(5) Paul wanted to be sure he had cause for joy! vv 4&5: "I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is."
3. We need to remember that each one of us is the finest Christian some lost person knows!

II. CHRISTIAN, YOU ARE SOMEBODY'S EXAMPLE.

1. All of us like to think we can live our lives the way we want to, and it won't cause anyone else to suffer.
2. But we can't! Romans 14:7 says, "For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone."
(1) We aren't born in a vacuum, and we can't live or die in a vacuum.
(2) Others are connected to us both by family and circumstance.
3. Each of us is an example to someone.
(1) Are you aware people watch you?
a. You are the best sermon some will ever know. ill. On my 40th anniversary in the pastorate, I received a lot of letters, but one really caught my attention. It was from a man who is younger than I am. His mother told him he could go anywhere I did and could do anything I did! I not only never knew it. I never suspected it! And I am sure I was never worthy of that distinction!
b. Is the sermon your life and your words preach enough to save others?
c. Is the sermon of your life enough to please the God who called and saved you?
4. What should you stop doing right now, so some of those watchers will be saved and cheat hell?
5. What should you start doing right now that will cause some watcher to come to Jesus?

III. GOD HAS GIVEN US EXAMPLES. WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THEM?

1. We've been talking about Paul, and Christians today, now what about you?
2. Do you believe in Jesus? Has believing in Jesus changed anything in your life?
(1) When a person is saved, he is a new creation. II Corinthians 5:17 & 18 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:"
(2) Dr. Theron Price said, "The faith that falters and fails had a flaw from the first."
(3) The "flaw" in your faith may be Christ is not yet formed in you.
(4) The only distance long enough to travel with Jesus is all the way!
(5) Hold nothing back! And I can guarantee Jesus will not only give you a home in heaven, you have His pledge of the Holy Spirit right now! II Corinthians 5:5 says, "Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." II Corinthians 1:21,22 says, "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
3. Now, if you are here and you don't believe the Bible, you don't believe in Jesus, and perhaps you don't even believe there is a God. What about you? ill. A group of health officials came to my high school years ago. They gave everyone who would take them, smallpox vaccinations. I had never seen anyone with smallpox, and I still never have, but I took the vaccination. When the health nurse came back later and took my temperature and looked at my arm, she said, "Wow! It's a good thing you got vaccinated! If we had a smallpox epidemic, you would have died!" You see, I didn't have to believe smallpox was even a real disease! If it had come, and I had caught it, death would have been just as certain!
4. Suppose God is real. Suppose the Bible is true. Suppose Jesus really did die for your sins. You'll stand before God one day, and He will say Why didn't you believe in Me? Why didn't you believe and receive My Son? Why didn't you accept the good examples I put before you? You had every kind of warning and persuasion and refused every one! Depart from me into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth!

conclusion:

1. God set Paul as a beautiful example of what it means to be sold out to Jesus!
2. All around you are people who are good examples of the reality of God, the truth of the Bible and the love of Jesus.
3. Are you ready for a spiritual vaccination against hell and the devil?
(1) You can die to this old world and the devil now, and you'll never have to worry about the future again.
(2) Let Christ be formed in you.
4. Salvation does happen just like the snapping of your fingers. It's that quick! But it may take a long time for you to come to that place where you can say yes to Jesus. ill. A great preacher and teacher was asked to tell some college students just what commitment to God really is. He said, "Take a blank sheet of paper. Now sign your name at the bottom, and ask God to fill in the top! Are you ready to commit yourself to Jesus like that?

Emmanuel 11/22/1987
Emmanuel 8/20/2006

Ministers of God's Mystery by John.

MINISTERS OF GOD'S MYSTERY
COL. 1:24-2:3

1. What do you think Jesus meant when He said, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and earth?"
(1) The KJ has "power" where the NAS and the NIV have "authority."
(2) I believe it means everything is under His control, don't you?
2. Look at Col. 1:18, "He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the first born from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."
3. Col 1:19 says it pleased the Father for "all of His fullness to dwell in Him."
4. Through this magnificent power of Christ, (v. 20) He has been able to completely reconcile us with our Heavenly Father.
5. What a wonderful blessing we have in Jesus!
6. With the blessing comes the administration of responsibility!

I. GOD MADE PAUL A MINISTER OF THE CHURCH.

1. It never ceases to amaze me that people who do not know God think they know His Will!
2. Before Paul became a Christian, he was zealous for the Lord as he understood Him. (Of course, he was wrong about what God wanted as so many of us are today.)
3. When Paul was converted, he rejoiced in suffering because he saw himself as filling up Christ's sufferings.
(1) I am not sure what that means.
(2) I am sure it does not mean Christ has not yet completed His sufferings.
(3) I think it refers to Paul's desire to identify completely with Christ's sufferings, and it may also mean he believed the church will suffer much more before the Kingdom is firmly established.
4. v.25 says God made Paul responsible for delivering the Gospel to all the Gentiles. (As we said in an earlier message, Paul did not start this church as far as we know.)
5. From the use of the words, "knowledge", "mystery", "wisdom" and the term "that which is lacking", this church suffered from the incursion of Gnostic teachings.
(1) Paul was thoroughly familiar with Gnostic teaching.
a. Christianity was simply a vehicle for them to use in spreading their beliefs.
b. They believed in several levels of spirituality.
c. They did not believe in the virgin birth.
d. They did not believe God could suffer, so they developed the idea that Jesus was born naturally, and that the Christ came on Him at His baptism. Then the Christ left Jesus when He went to the cross.
c. They also believed that only the elite, those who had achieved a higher level, would be saved.
(2) Paul used their pet terms against them by giving them a completely Christian meaning.
6. Being as wily as the serpent and harmless as the dove is a necessary Christian grace, as Jesus instructed the disciples in Matt. 10:16, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
7. We are called to salvation in Jesus, and we are ordained by God to be ministers of the church just as Paul was. Remember "minister" means "servant", or "bond slave." (That's our responsibility!)

II. PAUL WAS A MINISTER OF "THE MYSTERY."

1. The word "mystery" is used twice right here.
(1) In 1: 26, the Gospel was hidden from ages past, but now is revealed in Christ. (That defines the Biblical use of the word, "mystery").
(2) The mystery is revealed to be Christ in 2:2,3. Listen! "My purpose is that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (The Old Testament prophesied about Jesus, but at that time, no one knew who He was, or would be. Now He is revealed to everyone.)
(3) All of the so called mystery religions of the past, including Gnosticism, used some form of initiation into secret wisdom, and claimed to take people to a higher plain, etc. And it was reserved for a select few!
(4) Paul wanted us to understand, the real Mystery, Jesus, is revealed to everyone of us who seek Him!
2. Worldly knowledge is never true knowledge. True knowledge is God's revealed truth!
(1) Evolution may have some good things in it, but it is never really true until it passes through the filter of God's Holy Spirit. Whatever is good remains, and will stand the test of time and eternity!
(2) Scientific knowledge must all pass the same test! If it coincides with God's truth, it will remain. If not, it will fail! ill. At a dinner party in a large city, a lady was discussing the latest popular novel with a stranger. The stranger disagreed with her
about the intention of the author at one point. The lady was indignant, "I think I have as much ability to determine the underlying thought as you have!" she said. "I am sure you do," he said, "but I wrote the book!"
3. God reveals Christ to us through His ministers in order that we may have true knowledge, and access to the treasures of real wisdom and knowledge.
(1) No one can teach you anything more worthwhile than God reveals to us in Jesus.
(2) There is no greater wisdom or knowledge than we receive through the Holy Spirit! He was sent to teach us and lead us to be all, ALL! God wants us to be.

III. AS A MINISTER PAUL STRETCHED HIS POWER.

1. Some people seem content to know they have power and never use it.
(1) In a sense, that power is wasted.
(2) It's true that it may remain as a potentially useful thing as the world sees things. ill. For instance, as long as we held the making of atomic weapons secret, no one would attack us. It was a mighty deterrent, but it has lost its power now.
2. A worldly bit of advice is "Use it or lose it!"
3. That adage is spiritually true! God gives us gifts to use! Failure to use His gifts are the way to lose them!
3. Paul used the power God gave him to the fullest he possibly could.
3. Isn't this what you and I need to be doing? We always need to be seeking ways to utilize God's power in every way we possibly can!
4. We can rest when the sun goes down, but we need to work while the sun is shining, and it is shining right now!
5. We worry that our children won't follow the Lord, and it certainly happens, and it has happened all through history.
6. How can we insure their followship?
(1) First, by example.
(2) Second, by teaching.
(3) Third, by true worship.
(4) Fourth, by prayer!
(5) Fifth, in all of these, share them with our children! (We can't take our relationship with anyone for granted!)
6. Paul did his best to utilize everything God gave him even to suffering and dying for Jesus!

conclusion:

1. We can identify with Paul. We become ministers ordained by Christ when we accept Him as Lord and Savior.
2. We must uncover and reveal the Mystery of God, Jesus Christ, to everyone to whom He is hidden!
3. We don't need to feel intimidated by anyone's greatness, and we don't need to take a back seat to anyone!
4. Christ is God! And He is Lord over all.
5. No matter how high an office, no matter how great, or popular, intelligent, or strong a person may be, he is just another of God's creations! And so are we!
6. We belong to the Greatest Man, and the Greatest God of all time and eternity, in fact, the only real God, and He has included us in His family!
7. Are you part of the Family of God right now? You can be! Take Jesus as your own Lord and Savior!


Emmanuel 8/13/2006

Christ Our God Made Flesh, by John.

Christ, Our God Made Flesh
Colossians 1:15-23

1. We are monotheists. That is, we believe in one God, but we recognize Him in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
(1) Our Trinitarian stand makes it easy for Muslims to say we are polytheists, that we have three Gods.
(2) That is a misconception on their part since we recognize only one God.
(3) The Muslims' own history should tell them that Arab Christians in the days before Mohammed called our God "Allah!" And they were Trinitarians, too.
2. We live in spiritually mixed up times, don't we?
(1) We have been affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, and now we are affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. (Did you see our ad in the local paper this week about our name change?)
(2) Martin Luther, who lived in Germany from 1483 to 1546, established a protestant church sometime after 1517 when he nailed his 95 theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg.
(3) Along about the same time Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, came to believe religion should be derived directly from the Bible. Like Luther, he was an ordained priest, but he became leader of Protestantism in Zurich and Southern Germany. He was killed in battle trying to gain rights for what he believed.
(4) Zwingli's teaching affected a French priest named John Calvin. Calvin was run out of France, and settled in Geneva, Switzerland. He tried to establish a church with his beliefs there. He was banished from Geneva but was later welcomed back. Presbyterian and Reformed churches today stem from his teachings.
3. All of these three men were great Christian theologians, well trained, and they were all believed the Bible was absolutely central to the church. They disagreed about many doctrines.
4. The established church of that time wandered far from the Bible. If it had not, there would not be so many denominations today!
5. I believe God raised these men, and others like them, up to bring us all back to the Bible.
6. We are constantly in danger of leaving the Bible today. You don't have to look very far to find churches majoring on liturgy, pomp and parade, tradition, or some specific gift of the Holy Spirit.
7. I hope we have learned at least three things from those men of the past.
(1) One is that the Bible must be preeminent in our faith and practice of Christianity.
(2) We must recognize that all who call on the name of Christ are either brothers and sisters in Christ, or they are trying to be!
(3) Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and the Wesley brothers did not agree on everything, but they did agree that Jesus is the Son of God, and that Jesus Christ is God made flesh to save us from our sins and to give us new life!
8. That is exactly what Paul is reminding the Colossians of right here in the text we read.
9. I want to say about three things about Jesus Christ that we need to find in this Scripture.

I. Jesus is God, the Very Image of the Father.

1. V 15 says that. (I think it goes without saying that God the Father does not look like Jesus looked in His fleshly body. This verse speaks of the Spirit. Of course, we have no knowledge of what Jesus really looked like physically anyway.)
(1) V 16 tells us Jesus created everything that was made.
a. That includes the one-celled animals like amoeba.
b. It includes the complex creatures like human beings.
2. He chose the very best method of construction for living things, and from the simplest to the most complex there is infinite similarity and infinite diversity in them. ill. In Francis S. Collins' book, "The Language of God," he said (p. 124), "After a decade of expecting to find at least 100,000 genes, many of us were stunned to discover that God writes such short stories about humankind." He went on to say we have about 20,000 genes and the Chimpanzee has about the same number of identical genes, but they are obviously used in drastically different ways.
2. When I was a lad, I played marbles for keeps with my friends. I ended up with a huge sack of marbles. I discovered they made excellent ammunition for my slingshot! The marbles were the same, but they were used differently.
3. By the same token, someone invented the internal combustion engine, and someone else adapted it to a buggy and made the first automobile. Henry Ford made the first car that the common man could afford. Today there are all sorts of cars. The basic principles are all the same, but that's where the similarity ends, and that's the way it is with Chimpanzies, Orangutans and human beings. Having a similar, or even identical, DNA does not make us identical, or even kin!
(1) Since I was a teenager, I recognized the similarity in the skeletal structure of mammals, humans, dogs, seals, whales, cats, bats, etc. I concluded then, (and I'm waiting for scientists to back me up), God used the best possible structure for all of us and adapted it for the kind of life we have and lead.
4. He also created the myriad of heavenly masses we call stars, planets, asteroids, comets, and black holes!
5. But we can't stop there. v 16 says that He also created the invisible things, "thrones or powers or rulers or authorities."
6. The point is, whether it is something tangible or intangible, if it is, Jesus created it!
7. There is not, there never has been, and there never will be anyone like Jesus! Genesis 1: 2+3 says, "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light, and there was light.'"
8. The fact that God was there before there was a heaven and earth is understood; otherwise, He could not have created them.
(1) The three persons of God are all present in creation.
(2) God is simply the term for the One we call "Father. He is the only real # 1!
(3) The Spirit of God comes next, and that is the Holy Spirit.
(4) When God spoke in v 3, that was God's living Word. The New Testament tells us Jesus is the Living Word of God in John 1: 1-3 and 14. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth."
9. Jesus is preexistent. The Heavenly Father put creation in His hands, and Colossians 2:9,10 says, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority." V 19 of our text says, "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him."

II. He Is the Firstborn Over All Creation.

1. From the very beginning God told the human race that Jesus was coming, and from the beginning He intimated that Jesus would die for our sins!
2. The Scripture says, in Revelation 12:9, "The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."
3. Then back in Genesis 3:15 God told the serpent, identified as Satan in Revelation, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel." (The "seed of woman" is Jesus, of course).
4. Jesus came to earth to show the human race at least five things.
(1) He lived a sinless life showing the entire human race that there is no excuse for sin! If He could do it, we should be able to also!
(2) He was to gather a band of 12 apostles. (Apostello in Greek, from which we get our word "apostle" means someone sent with a message.
(3) He was to prepare these men to bare the message of God's love and forgiveness of sins to those who put their trust in His Son, and the coming Kingdom Of God On Earth!
(4) When those men were prepared, and the time was exactly right, He was to die on a cross, the innocent for the guilty, so that the guilty might become innocent by His Gift!
(5) Then He was to rise from the dead, and to become the first One to ascend into heaven into the presence of His Heavenly Father!
5. Jesus did everything His Father told Him to do, and He did it perfectly!
6. He was the First to rise, and He is Lord of all who will rise to meet Him when He returns!

III. The Majesty of Christ Is Vital to Our Lives.

1. Our salvation comes from the Father.
2. If Jesus isn't God, He cannot forgive us our sins!
(1) But He is God! He is God's Son, and God witnessed the truth of that when Gabriel spoke to Mary in Mt 1:20, and again in Luke 1:31.
(2) God bore witness to His Son again in Mt 3:16,17 when John baptized Jesus and a dove appeared from nowhere and lit on Him, then a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased!"
3. Jesus arose from the dead, and He became the first-fruit of the resurrection. (We will follow Him in both death and resurrection at the right moment in God's good time).
4. There are other instances when God showed His approval of His only born Son Jesus, but these will have to do today.

Conclusion:

1. Jesus is God. He is the Lord of every Christian who has ever lived or ever will live.
2. He died to give us both life and forgiveness, and to fill our lives with hope!
3. We can't prove God, but we can live out His reality on earth!
4. We can keep God's Word central in our lives and in our churches.
5. We can share Jesus with the people around us, just like we have been sharing Him today.
6. Are you without Christ? Without real hope? We invite you to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The moment you do, you will know God is real, and all the promises of God will apply to you!

Emmanuel 8/6/2006

Paul's Life Set Us a Pattern for Living by John.

Paul's Life Set Us a Pattern for Living.
Colossians 1:1-14
1. We frequently give advice like, "Let Christ rule in your life;" "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...," "When you have a problem ask, WWJD?" (What would Jesus do?)
2. Those things are easy to say, and they are catchy phrases, but we seem to have a lot of trouble making them work.
3. We do believe we should pattern our lives after Christ, don't we?
4. Maybe we should do what Paul suggests in I Corinthians 11:1. (I do not think the NIV translates this as well as it could. It doesn't carry the present imperative sense, so I'm using a literal translation.) He said, "Always be imitators of me as I also of Christ (am). Maybe we can see the pattern Jesus wants us to follow in this Colossian letter.
5. Almost any illustration helps us understand a problem.
7. Paul gives himself as an example. It may seem like Paul is being presumptuous, but what he told the Colossians is exactly what we should be able to tell any other Christian! Follow me as I follow Christ!

I. Apparently this Letter Was Written to Help The Colossians Remain True to Christ.

1. Epaphras probably was active in starting the Colossian church and a couple of others including Laodicea.
2. Epaphras met Paul during the 3 years he spent in Ephesus during his 3rd missionary trip.
3. Now, 6 or 7 years after the Colossian Church was founded, he visits Paul in Rome to tell him that the Colossian Christians are straying from the faith, and probably Laodicea, too. This letter is actually to both churches.
4. Paul responded to the news about Colosse immediately with prayer, v 3.
(1) He gave thanks for them even though he had never met any of the members there.
(2) V 4; He gave thanks because of the faith and love they had for all the saints. (That shows that Paul recognized them as a part of the family of God. He paid them a complement)!
(3) V 5, He noted that faith and love spring up from the hope already stored up in heaven for them.
(1) I know I've told you this a number of times, but it is important to remember.
(2) The Bible does not use hope like we do.
(3) It is an absolute surety that just has not happened yet.
(4) It is not dependent on any event or events on earth.
(5) It is sure because it is a promise of God Almighty! And it is laid up in heaven for us!
5. Paul knew that they had received "the word of truth, the gospel."
(1) V 6, he pointed out that they were in line with the known world! (The Gospel was bearing fruit everywhere in the world)!
(2) V 6b, It was, and is, the same Gospel that they heard, received, and that has borne fruit among them, and us, from the beginning!
6. V 7,8 tell us they received the Gospel from Epaphras, and that Epaphras reported their Christian love in the Spirit to Paul.

II. Intercessory Prayer Plays an Important Part in the Life of Christians.

1. V 9, Paul and his companions were thrilled when they heard about the Colossians!
(1) Doesn't it thrill you when someone you know and love brings a healthy baby into their family?
(2) Well, I'm always thrilled when I hear someone has been born into the family of God, too, aren't you?
(3) Paul and his companions were so thrilled they began to pray for the Colossians.
(Sometimes we need to pray like fans root for their favorite team! And it sounds like this was one of those occasions!
a. We do that, too, don't we? When someone becomes a Christian?
b. Usually we stop praying after a while, don't we? I guess we stop because we think they don't need our prayers any more. That raises the question...
c. When should we quit praying for anyone?
d. Paul and his companions said they never quit! And that's when we should quit! Never!
2. Our intercessory prayer is always vital to the lives of those around us! We must not fail to pray!
(1) You don't like the way the President does something? Don't curse him, pray for him!
(2) Are your taxes to high? Don't curse the assessor! Pray for him, or her, as the case may be.
(3) You are afraid of your enemies? Don't curse them. Pray for them! (In Matthew 5:43-45a, Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," (When we quote this, we usually stop right there, but we certainly should not!) "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." That's vital, folks!
(4) Our salvation depends on God's forgiveness, and His forgiveness depends on our forgiving others!
(5) In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus told us to pray, "Forgive our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."
a. Did you notice that last part was in the past tense?
b. We are to forgive first! Before we ask God to forgive us!
c. That's how important it is to forgive!
3. So often, we stop praying for people, and it is at that moment the devil drags them down into sin!
(1) That sin breaks their fellowship with the Father.
(2) That sin causes the joy-bells to stop ringing in their hearts.
(3) It's the time of their greatest need! We never know when Satan is going to attack, but we can be sure he will pick the moment when we stop praying for someone!
(4) That means that every one of us should be praying for every one of us! All the time! (That's one of the best reasons for our having a daily devotion!)

III. What Should We Pray for Our Brethren?

1. We can think of many things, but here, Paul asked God to fill the Colossians with the knowledge of his will. Don't we all need that?
(1) He asked for it to happen through "all spirituality and wisdom".
(2) I can almost hear someone say, "Well, I don't have much spirituality, and I'm sure not very wise!"
a. Paul prayed for the Colossians to receive their spirituality and wisdom through God's Holy Spirit!
b. Of course, James said, in James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
c. We should expect to pray for ourselves, too, shouldn't we? That's just reasonable, isn't it?
2. Is spirituality and wisdom important? Paul and James certainly thought so!
3. Paul gave his reason in v 10. We need spirituality and wisdom to live lives that are worthy of the Lord, that we might "please him in every way.
4. Let me just list these things from the next verses:
(1) To make it possible to bear fruit in every good work!
(2) That we might grow in the knowledge of God.
(3) That they might be strengthened with all power according God's glorious power.
(4) So that they may have "endurance, patience and be joyfully giving thanks to the Father, (vv 11,12).
5. v 12, The Father has already qualified them to share in the inheritance belonging to saints in the kingdom of light! (People, in case someone has confused you, we all become saints when we trust Jesus!)
6. v 13, God rescued us, folks! We were not just "lost!" We were under the rulership of Satan! Now in Jesus, we are in His kingdom!
7. V 14, We are saved! We have the forgiveness of sins! That's past and present tenses, people! And that means we will never be lost again!

conclusion:

1. This book was written to encourage people who were wandering away from the very basic truths delivered to them when they trusted Jesus.
2. Their religion was growing stale! They were looking for something new. It reminds me of Moses at the burning bush. He had an old, worn stick he used to herd the sheep of his father-in-law, Jethro. I'm sure he never gave that trusty old stick any thought, until God said, "What is that you have in your hand?" Moses said, "A staff." The Lord told him, "Throw it on the ground." He did, and it became a snake! Moses ran from it! He ran from that old common stick he had held in his hand for years! God said, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." Moses did, and it became his trusty old staff again!
3. People, we think we have nothing! But in the hands of God, our nothing becomes God's tools for salvation, growth, joy!
4. We can rejoice with all who trust Jesus, and we can help each other with our prayers.
5. Oh! That we will be filled with the knowledge of His will!
6. That's my prayer for myself, that's my prayer for you, and that's the prayer I want you to pray for me!
7. The invitation I want to give you today is: Pray for each other the prayer in verse 9!

Emmanuel Community Church 7/30/2006