Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Why study a book written more than a thousand years ago?
• Why study a book written by a man who was against the Pharisees?
• Why study a book written to a small church?
• Because this is God breathed scripture
• The warnings given in the book are very relevant today
• There were some saying that a special knowledge outside of Jesus Christ was needed
• We find an exaltation of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ
• Paul writes to combat destructive heresies that were being told

• The first two chapters are doctrinal
• The second two chapters are practical
• The same with Ephesians
• First we must have our doctrine right before we can put this into practice
• The Book of Ephesians is about the church of Christ mean do the book of Colossians about the Christ of the Church
• The Book of Ephesians is bout the body and the book of Colossians is about the head

Greetings

• The author always introduced himself at the beginning of the letter
• Paul is writing from Rome
• Paul is writing from prison
• He had probably never visited Colosse
• He is writing to a church in the Provence of Asia Minor, about 100 miles east of Ephesus
• Colosse had lost out to Ladoceia as the trade route had changed
• However, there was a man named Epaphras sharing the gospel in Colosse
• This epistle was to be read in Ladoceia (4:16)
• Epaphras was probably a pastor (1:7)
• Epaphras goes to see Paul to get advice on what to do
• It was likely that Archippus was left in charge of the Ladoceian church
• Paul was writing directly to the church (1:2)
• He was not writing to the eldership or those in charge
• The church had no buildings for the first 400 years
• Epaphras stayed with the apostle Paul
• Tychicus was sent to tell the news (and perhaps deliver the letter) (4:7)
• Epaphras greets you - he was staying, not returning to the church (4:12)
• Paul used his title whilst greeting the church
• He uses this to show his authority
• He shows that God chose him - it was by the will of God, not the other way around (1:1)
• The apostles of the early church had the same authority of Jesus Christ
• Paul never holds himself up as better than others
• He often refers to himself just as Paul
• He was aware the most important thing was that he was saved
• Paul includes Timothy in many of his letters
• He knows that he will probably die
• He is getting ready to pass the baton onto Timothy
• The church is not an island and we as Christians are not an island
• Paul is writing to all the saints in Colosse
• Paul is writing to the Greeks
• Paul is using terms familiar to Hebrews and saying that grace and peace are found in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
• Paul is putting The Lord Jesus Christ on the same level as God the Father

Gratitude

• How do we know Paul has never met this church?
• We'll look at this another time [1:4, 1:9]
• Do we rejoice for those who we have heard of but never met?
• Are we thankful?
• Compare 1:12-13, 2:6-7, 3:15,17, 4:2
• How many times have we complained or been bitter in our spirit?
• We can thank God for so many blessings
• Physical blessings
• Spiritual deliverance
• Answers to prayer
• Our salvation
• Do we thank Him for our fellow believers?
• Paul thanks the saints for the faith and their love
• Paul is also thankful that they are bearing fruit

Gospel

• Epaphras comes to a pagan place to bring the word of God
• Can you imagine being the first person to bring the gospel?
• Transformations begin to take place
• Each one of us needs to be willing to be sent wherever The Lord wants us to go
• France has a great need of the gospel
• God uses gifts and talents that we have
• Perhaps you have a wrong view of Christianity
• It is not there to restrict you or put you down
• The message of the gospel takes away your guilt
• Rather than being crushed or oppressed you are given real freedom
• Perhaps you think that you will not meet His standard
• You will never meet God's standard
• This is why He sent The Lord Jesus Christ
• We find that sin no longer has dominion over us
• Perhaps you identify Christianity as dry, intellectual
• Spend time with real Christians
• See real lives that have been transformed
• See Christianity thought the lives of those that have been transformed
• If you have rejected the gospel due to a wrong view of Christianity, then come back to the true view