Embracing Christ's Sufficiency in Colossians Study
Explore the theme of the Preeminence and Sufficiency of Christ in the book of Colossians as Paul highlights Christ as both our Lord and our Life. Discover how Christ can rule, fill, permeate, and be displayed in various aspects of our lives, guiding us to center our lives around Him.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Wherever, Whatever, Whenever, Wherever, Whatever, Whenever, However Christ! However Christ! 3:15 3:15 4:1 4:1 The Sufficiency of Jesus Christ The Sufficiency of Jesus Christ Week 47 Week 47 22 March 2023 22 March 2023
COLOSSIANS OVERVIEW As we continue our study in Colossians, we are reminded that the overall theme of this letter is the Preeminence and Sufficiency of Christ in all things. In chapters 1 and 2, Paul develops the principle that Jesus Christ is sufficient as our Lord. In this major section of Colossians 3:1 4:1, Paul shifts the emphasizes from Christ as our Lord to Christ as our Life. This week as we work through Colossians 3:15 4:1, Paul wants us to think about the idea of having Christ as the center and sources of our lives.
COLOSSIANS OVERVIEW Along our journey this week we will see how Christ can rule, fill, permeate, and be displayed in various areas of our lives. We ll see how: The Peace of Christ is to rule in our hearts (3:15). The Message of Christ is to fill our lives (3:16 17). The Presence of Christ is to permeate our homes (3:18-21). The life of Christ is to be displayed in our work (3:22 4:1).
Pauls Pattern of Presentation Christ Is Christ Is Preeminent in All Things Preeminent in All Things Supreme Lord Supreme Lord - - Sufficient Savior Sufficient Savior Colossians 1 Colossians 1 Colossians 2 Colossians 2 Colossians 3 Colossians 3 Colossians 4 Colossians 4 Supremacy of Supremacy of Christ Christ Submission to Submission to Christ Christ Doctrinal Doctrinal and Corrective and Corrective Practical Practical and Reassuring and Reassuring What Christ What Christ Did For Us Did For Us What Christ What Christ Does Through Us Does Through Us Christ Christ Our Lord Our Lord Christ Christ Our Life Our Life Christ Christ our Love our Love Christ the Christ the Head of the Body Head of the Body Christ the Lord Christ the Lord of the Universe of the Universe Christ the Christ the Head of the Home Head of the Home Instruction Instruction Warnings Warnings Exhortations Exhortations Reminders Reminders Reconciliation Reconciliation Creation Creation Submission Submission Conversation Conversation His Person His Person and Work and Work His Peace His Peace and Presence and Presence
COLOSSIANS LESSON OVERVIEW Wherever, Whatever, Whenever, However Christ! Swindoll opens this lesson by bringing our attention to an expression we often used to help us characterize a person s values, loves, priorities, and passions, that tells us what that person is all about. He says If a person dearly loves music, we say, Music is his/her life. If a person find fulfillment in training or motivating athletes, we say, Coaching is her/his life.
COLOSSIANS LESSON OVERVIEW If a persons work means everything to them and they find great joy in a job or career, we might say, The Job is His / Her life. If a prolific author cranks out book after book, we might say, Writing is her/his life. While these exaggerated claims are not meant to be taken literally, they are still very meaningful descriptors of ones passions. When something represents what we call our life, that something occupies a place in our heart and mind like nothing else.
COLOSSIANS LESSON OVERVIEW We think of it in the daytime and dream of it at night. We never grow weary of it. It consumes our time and energy and often or money. It becomes our passion, our driving force, our consuming interest our life! So, if you were to ask the apostle Paul to fill in the blank _____ is my life, there is no question what he would answer. Without taking a breath. Without hesitation. In fact, he already answered in Phil 1:21, To me, to live is Christ. And again in 3:4, as he looked to the future coming of Christ, he say Christ is our life.
COLOSSIANS LESSON OVERVIEW Paul s answer was clear and his life choices reflected it. In fact , his inner passion for Christ and the external outworking of that passion were so much in harmony that nobody who knew him would have had to pause to answer that question. His life provided the answer: Wherever I may be, Whatever I may be doing, Whenever it may be happening, However I may feel, Christ is my life. Could you say that about yourself? More importantly, if your spouse, children, parents, employer, co-worker were to fill in the blank for you ( _______ is his/her life ). Would Christ occupy that place?
COLOSSIANS 3:15 15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
COLOSSIANS 3:15 As we take off our old garments, and put on our new garments, perfected and bound together in love. Paul adds to our new wardrobe the Peace of God. imparting peace to others. Christ s entire life and ministry were characterized by So now as he sits at the right hand of God making intercession for us, He imparts Peace. Isaiah 9:6, prophesying called Him the Prince of Peace. not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27). Christ said, Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you;
COLOSSIANS 3:15 Paul in Phil 4:6-7, describes the personal and practical implication of our relationship with the Prince of Peace. He says ... Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. We can t establish lasting peace or relieve the suffering and anguish of this fallen world. Nor, can we prevent chaos from happening in and around our lives. Yet, we can experience the reality of the peace Christ impart today.
COLOSSIANS 3:15 The peace given to us by Christ is this: 1. An inner quietness in the midst of swirling chaos. 2. A calm sense of tranquility in the center of tribulation. 3. A feeling of harmony amid the world s blaring discord. 4. An experience of ease and rest in our heart and minds. That s the kind of incomprehensible peace Christ gives.
COLOSSIANS 3:15 So, when Christ become our Life, His peace -- not our circumstances becomes the determining factor in our attitudes and actions. Colossian 3:15 says, let the Peace of God Rule in your hearts. The word Peace means tranquility; it is the absence of mental stress or anxiety; the tranquil state of a believer assured of salvation through Christ, fearing nothing from God and is content with your earthly lot, whatsoever that may be. The word Rule literally means to be in control of someone s activity by making a decision.
COLOSSIANS 3:15 When the peace of Christ the peace he gives us governs how we interpret our experiences and respond to our challenges, twothingshappen: First Our relationships with others in the body of Christ will be healthier as we refuse to let minor things bother us. We ll infuse our relationships with peace. Second We ll have gratitude even in the midst of challenging circumstances. When our natural tendency might be to complain about things that happen to us we ll be thankful, knowing that God is in control. In fact, thankfulness will become an abiding characteristic at the core of our lives.
COLOSSIANS 3:16 - 17 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
COLOSSIANS 3:16 17 Now, in verses 16 17, Paul turns from the peace of Christ to the Word of Christ, The message of His love, grace, mercy and salvation. When Christ is our Life, we ll be immersed in His Word. Paul says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (3:16). The phase dwell in you richly conveys an image of permanent residence. God s Word shouldn t be like a friend who pops by for an occasional visit or a relative who stays in the guest room temporarily. God s Word is to move in, take up permanent residence, and become an integral part of our daily lives.
COLOSSIANS 3:16 17 The Message translation says it this way, Let the Word of Christ the Message have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. The idea is that every aspect of our lives should be informed by and infused with the Word. So, turn it loose. This includes instances of formal teaching and admonishing one another things like personal Bible reading and study, family devotions, participation in Church, listening to solid preaching, and tuning in to good Broadcasts and Podcast (3:16). Paul also described the deep permeation of the Word that is manifested in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, which are sung with thankfulness in our hearts to God.
COLOSSIANS 3:16 17 Besides teaching one another through songs of worship, we re to let the Word fill our entire lives. Paul says, And whatever you do in word or deed,do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (3:17). So, before we open our mouths, we should ask ourselves, Is what I m about to say consistent with the message of Christ? Will it honor Christ? Before we take any actions even with things that seem neutral or insignificant we should consider, Does this demonstrate my allegiance to Christ?
COLOSSIANS 3:18 - 21 18Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. 20Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
COLOSSIANS 3:18 21 When Christ is our Life. Not only will His peace be the decisive factor in what we think and feel (3:15). Not only will His Word saturate everything we say and do (3:16-17). Christ also impacts the relationships in our homes, Paul demonstrates Christ s impact by addressing wives, husbands, children and fathers (3:18-21). Regarding the wife s submission to the headship of her husband, Christ serves as the perfect example for how she does it. Though equal in nature to the Father, sharing in the same divinity, power, glory and authority, the Son submitted to the Father s will to accomplish God s plan of redemption, humbling Himself in obedience (Phil 2:5-8).
COLOSSIANS 3:18 21 This is the same kind of humble submission wives are called to imitate. Note: Paul is speaking here only about the marriage relationship (wives and husbands), not about the general relationships between men and women. Wives are not told to be in submission to every man they encounter but rather to their own husbands in the family unit. Swindoll says that Paul is not condoning passive submission to domestic abuse. Wives who are stuck in abusive relationship with their husbands should seek help from supportive church leadership and legal authorities.
COLOSSIANS 3:18 21 The point is that in Christ we all have equal dignity, so this statement has nothing to do with inferiority. Paul made that clear in Gal 3:28 when he said There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. This kind of statement was countercultural in the first century; when Jews felt superior to Gentiles, and Gentiles frequently looked on Jews with suspicion and disdain. When slaves were consider property and their value was directly linked to their physical strength, health, or skills. Likewise, many men wrongly believed that women were physically, mentally, and emotionally inferior to them.
COLOSSIANS 3:18 21 So, Paul s statement here concerning husbands and wives and his remarking regarding servants and masters suggest that in the eyes of God all are equal. And! While different groups of people play distinct and complementary roles in an orderly society, God shows no partiality. So, as wives fulfill their unique role in the family as is fitting in the Lord, husbands are called to exceed the world s expectations in two ways. First husbands are to love their wives (3:19). Some husband might think, WHEW! I got off easy this time. Not so!
COLOSSIANS 3:18 21 Paul is not referring to the passion of romantic love or even to the warm affection of a two-way relationship. Here he uses the term agape the kind of love that seeks the highest good of the other, even at the price of one s own comfort, safety, and benefit. This is unconditional, self-sacrificial love, the quality of love that God shows His undeserving children. Second husbands are not to be bitter toward their wives (3:19). How likely might it be for husbands to become resentful of their wives if they poured all their time, energy, and emotions into such selfless love, only to discover that there s no equal return on the investment.
COLOSSIANS 3:18 21 Yet, that is exactly what husbands are called to do. Whether a man s wife submit to, honors, or cherishes him, the husband s responsibility is to cherish and honor his wife regardless, with nothing less than true agape. In the first century, not unlike our present time, it was common for husbands to treat their wives harshly or to ignore and neglect them until they needed them to meet their needs. So, what Paul was advocating stood in stark contrast to what was taking place around them. The Christian man s love for his wife, like the Christian woman s submission to her husband often went against the grain of personal preference, natural tendencies, and cultural expectations.
COLOSSIANS 3:18 21 When Christ is the Life of our families, not only will the marriage relationship reflect mutual love, respect, and unity, but so will the parental relationship. In Col 3:20 Paul says, Children obey your parent in all things. So, children are called to obey their parents. In light of what Paul said, children should already have a model to follow in their godly mother who shows deference and submission to the leadership of her husband. In fact, this may be one of the reasons God has ordered the husband-wife relationship this way to provide an example of what respect for authority is supposed to look life.
COLOSSIANS 3:18 21 Additionally, children also have a perfect example of submission and obedience to parents in the life of Christ. Luke 2:51 says, He was subject to them, His earthly parents, Joseph and Mary. Image! God the Son incarnate, creator of the universe and everything in it including His parents voluntarily submitted to his own creation to fulfill a greater purpose in the plan of God. likewise, children too, must treat their parents with respect in order to be welling pleasing to the Lord (Col 3:20).
COLOSSIANS 3:18 21 Within the family structure, the responsibility for carrying out discipline when children step out of line falls on the father as the head of the home. No father is called to be a harsh, unloving, ironfisted dictator. Nor is he to relinquish his authority and become a passive, timid, permissive parent who fails to provide leadership or exercise discipline when necessary. Fathers and mothers are to set standards, provide guidance, and discipline their children with patience, kindness, and love. Paul warns fathers not to exasperate their children, crushing their spirits and causing them to lose heart (3:21).
COLOSSIANS 3:18 21 This word Paul uses exasperate is a Greek term that means to arouse or to provoke, mostly in a bad sense. The idea is that through overbearing actions, a father can push a child over the edge, not only failing to impart wisdom but actually goading the child into anger, resentment, and bitterness! He can do this by being overly critical or by disciplining too harshly or too often. A wise father will balance instruction and discipline with fun and laughter. And he will never tire of telling his children I love you and reinforcing it with affectionate actions.
COLOSSIANS 3:22 4:1 22Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men- pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.25But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. 4:1Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
COLOSSIANS 3:22 4:1 We have already learned that! When Christ is our Life, His peace fills our hearts (3:15), His Word permeates our every moment (3:16-17), and His presence transforms our families (3:18-21). In 3:22 4:1, Paul explores how the power of Christ also impacts our work. In his first century context, Paul addresses the pervasive institution of slavery and how servants and masters were to live under the mutual lordship of Christ. However, before trying to apply his principles to our twenty-first-century context of employment, Swindoll makes twocommentsabout Paul s treatment of slavery in relation to his own first-century context.
COLOSSIANS 3:22 4:1 First It is most likely that Paul had in mind something akin to domestic servants day-to-day household workers. That would make a logical connection between the discussion of family life and that of household servants. So, to leave the issue of servants out of the discussion would have been to ignore a very common fixture of the first- century household. Second By describing how Christian masters and servants were to relate to each other Paul was not conveying support for the entire institution of slavery in perpetuity. Now! In our modern western cultures, Paul s words to slaves and masters can best be applied to employee-employer relationships.
COLOSSIANS 3:22 4:1 While the institutions of ancient slavery and modern employment have some major differences, some practical principles governing both are similar. For employees We re to do as we are instructed, diligently and with integrity, even when we aren t being observed by our bosses (3:22). Our respect for the authority of our bosses should be a reflection of our commitment to Christ. The result should be a positive attitude of cheerful service, as if we re working for the Lord and striving for a heavenly reward rather than laboring for human employers simply for earthly gain (3:23-24).
COLOSSIANS 3:22 4:1 Additionally, we shouldn t cheat our bosses or wrong them in any way, knowing that we re ultimately accountable to Christ (3:25). We should have a reputation for diligence, loyalty, punctuality, and responsibility. We should be models in terms of our attitude and integrity, becoming a positive influence in the workplace. For employers Like all other, employers, are under the authority of a heavenly Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom they will give an account (4:1). No person, however high on the organizational chart or however powerful in an institution, is without accountability.
COLOSSIANS 3:22 4:1 Therefore, we who serve in leadership roles must do so with two prevailing qualities: JusticeandFairness. We must be just in our expectation and decisions, following the example of Christ. God shows not favor and either should we. God rewards faithfulness; so should we. God justly exacts proper punishment for wrong; so should we. We must also be fair in our wages, in our use of words, in our evaluations and critiques, and in our treatment of employees, whether they are men or women, young or old, executives or labors. Christ s Golden Rule is paramount in work relationships: Treat people the way you want to be treated (Matt 7:12).
APPLICATIONS OF THE LESSON Fill In The Blank
APPLICATION FILL IN THE BLANK Fill In The Blank All of us are born with the words __________ is my life written on our hearts and minds. Then throughout our lives we try to fill in the blank the different things, forming our identities around people, hobbies, interests, obsessions, ideologies, and experiences. Some fill in the blank with things that are dangerous and destructive. For others, it s something harmless that has turned into an obsession. Still others center their lives on more noble pursuits. Whatever we place in that blank comes to define us, dominate us, and determine our thought and actions.
APPLICATION FILL IN THE BLANK Fill In The Blank Swindoll says that in over fifty years of ministry, he has seen the tragic result of people filling in the blank with various worldlysources of fulfillment. He has also seen some amazing result as people have filled in the blank with big, bold, permanent letters that spell CHRIST. Incessant worries filled with anxiety and fear have been filled with the peace of God.
APPLICATION FILL IN THE BLANK Fill In The Blank Those who were uncertain, insecure, and confused have that the Word if God gave them assurance, security and direction. Many whose marriages and family relationships were a disaster have found the presence of Christ brings healing, restoration and reconciliation. Many who hated their jobs, resented their bosses, and had messed up in their leadership roles have experience the power of Christ which brought humility, justice, and fairness.
APPLICATION FILL IN THE BLANK Fill In The Blank What about you? Let s revisit the question ask at the beginning of the lesson. This time think it through then ask yourself and a trusted friend the question about YOU! If your spouse, children, parents, employer, co-workers or employees had to fill in the blank ( _______ is his/her life ). Would Christ occupy that place? If so, do you see the evidence in the fourrealms of life Paul discusses in Colossians 3:15 4:1.
APPLICATION FILL IN THE BLANK Fill In The Blank Your heart and mind Your daily life Your family Your employment If you need to turn these areas over to Christ, surrender, and let CHRIST completely fill in the blank rather than sharing that privileged space with something else. Remember: Wherever it may be, Whatever I may be doing, Whenever it may be happening, However I may feel, Christ is my life.
NEXT CLASS 5 April 2023 Before next class, read the below chapters in Before next class, read the below chapters in the NKJV and in one other versions of the Bible, the NKJV and in one other versions of the Bible, i.e., KJV, NRSV, NIV, CEV, etc i.e., KJV, NRSV, NIV, CEV, etc Chapter 4:2 4:18 The Big Deal About Little Things
