1 / 54

People in the Kingdom of Light

People in the Kingdom of Light. Colossians 1:1-14. PAUL’S EPISTLES FROM PRISON. Acts 28:16-31. Paul’s (first) Roman imprisonment. Colossians 4:3,18 Letters: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, Philippians. The Church in Colossae.

ima-hurst
Download Presentation

People in the Kingdom of Light

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. People in the Kingdom of Light Colossians 1:1-14

  2. PAUL’S EPISTLES FROM PRISON • Acts 28:16-31. Paul’s (first) Roman imprisonment. • Colossians 4:3,18 • Letters: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, Philippians

  3. The Church in Colossae • Lycus Valley: 200 km inland from Ephesus, in Province of Asia (Western Turkey) • Paul not personally known to them (Col 2:1) • Founder of the church: Epaphras (Col 1:7), who still cared for them, though in Rome with Paul (Col 4:12) • Churches of the area: Laodicea, Hierapolis (Col 4:13)

  4. Reason for the letter • Word taken from Epaphras to Paul • Some ‘correction’ required. • Not an ‘angry’ letter, like Galatians. • Issues: Was Christ enough? (compare Galations, ‘Was faith enough?’

  5. I. The GreetingCol 1:1-2 • The writer(s): Paul (and Timothy) • The recipients: saints (TNIV: God’s holy people) and ‘faithful brothers’ (brothers and sisters) in Christ, in Colossae • Possibly a circular letter (Col 4:16) • The ‘set’ greeting: Grace and peace

  6. II. Thanksgiving and PrayerCol 1:3-14 • The Structure: two sentences in Greek • First Sentence: vv 3-8. Thanksgiving for the believers • Second sentence: vv 9-20 • Prayer for believers. vv 9-14 • Supremacy of Christ. Vv 15-20

  7. A. The ThanksgivingCol 1:3-8 • THE FOCUS: PEOPLE

  8. I. Qualities of Colossian Believers. Vv 4-5a • FAITH in Christ Jesus • LOVE for all the saints • Rooted in HOPE ‘laid up for you in heaven’

  9. Biblical root of hope: PROMISE/WORD • Romans 4:18 ‘Abraham in hope believed…. • Romans 4:21 ‘…being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.’

  10. 2. It is a WORKING GospelCol 1:5-6b • WHERE has it been working? • Colossae: local, personal • Around the world: universal • WHEN has it been working? • From the day it was heard and understood • HOW has it been working? • By GRACE alone. • In TRUTH • Both are by DIVINE origin and authenticity

  11. 3. It is a PREACHED Gospel: Epaphras the faithful ServantCol 1:7-8 • Paul’s beloved ‘fellow-servant’ (sundoulos) • Christ’s ‘faithful minister’ (diakonos) • He taught Colossians the gospel (v 7) • He told Paul of their ‘love in the Spirit’ (v 8) • The point (in this letter): Epaphras and Paul taught the same Gospel.

  12. B. The PrayerCol. 1:9-14 • Its DURATION (v 9) • It BEGAN when Paul first heard of their faith. • It CONTINUED daily (‘we have not stopped praying for you’). Compare v 3 ‘We ALWAYS thank God’

  13. It’s ContentCol 1:10-14 • A. LIGHT: that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will. • SOURCE of light: ‘all spiritual wisdom and understanding’ • GOAL of light: to live (lit. ‘walk’) a life worthy of the Lord. • Fully pleasing to him. • Bearing fruit in every good work. • Increasing in the knowledge of God.

  14. Content (continued) • B. POWER: that you may be strengthened with all power…. • SOURCE of power: God’s own glorious might • GOAL of power: that you may endure and have patience. • C. JOY: joyfully giving thanks to the Father • Who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. • Who has rescued us from the dominion of darkness • Who has brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.

  15. CONCLUSIONWhat can we learn? • From PAUL, the writer • His concern for the churches • His concern for the truth of the Gospel. • His unceasing prayers for the churches. • His pastoral help to the churches. • His encouragement to a pure faith

  16. CONCLUSION (continued) • From EPAPHRAS the faithful evangelist • His faithfulness as a ‘fellow-servant’ (co-labourer) • His faithfulness as a ‘minister of Christ’ (servant/ deacon) , to teach the Gospel • His continued care, even after he left Colossae. • His linking of the church with Paul, when he sensed there might be a problem.

  17. CONCLUSION (continued)WE TOO ARE CALLED TO BE: • A people of LIGHT –- filled with the knowledge of God’s will • A people of POWER – strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, SO THAT we might have great endurance and patience. • A people of JOY – giving thanks to the Father.

  18. The DESTINY of the new PEOPLE OF GOD • QUALIFIED to share in the inheritance of his people in the kingdom of light. • RESCUED from the dominion of darkness • BROUGHT INTO the kingdom of the Son he loves.

  19. Paul’s Epistles from Prison • Acts 28:16-31. Paul’s (first) Roman imprisonment. • Colossians 4:2,18 • Letters: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, Philippians

  20. The Church in Colossae • Lycus Valley: 200 km. inland from Ephesus, in Province of Asia (Western Turkey). • Paul not personally known to them (Col 2:1) • Founder: Epaphras (Col 1:7), who still cared for them, though in Rome with Paul (Col 4:12) • Churches: Colossae, Laodicea, Hierapolis (Col 4:13)

  21. Reason for the letter • Word taken from Epaphras to Paul • Some ‘correction’ required • Not an ‘angry’ letter, like Galatians • Issues: Was Christ enough? (compare Galatians, ‘Was faith enough?’)

  22. I. The GreetingCol 1:1-2 • The writer(s): Paul (and Timothy) • The recipients: saints (TNIV: God’s holy people) and ‘faithful brothers’ (brothers and sisters) in Christ, in Colossae. • Possibly a circular letter (see 4:16) • Grace and peace

  23. II. Thanksgiving and PrayerCol 1:3-14 • The Structure: two sentences in Greek • First Sentence: vv 3-8 Thanksgiving for believers • Second Sentence: vv 9-20 • Prayer for believers (vv 9-14) • Supremacy of Christ (vv 15-20)

  24. A. The ThanksgivingCol 1:3-8 • The focus: people

  25. 1. Qualities of Colossian believers. Vv 4-5a • FAITH in Christ Jesus • LOVE for all the saints • Rooted in HOPE ‘laid up for you in heaven’

  26. ROOT of HOPE: PROMISE • Biblical hope: always based on promise/Word of God • Rom 4:18 ‘Abraham in hope believed….’ • Rom 4:21 ‘being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.’

  27. 2. It is a WORKING GospelCol 1:5b-6 • WHERE has it been working? • Colossae: local, personal • Around the world: universal • WHEN has it been working? • From the day it was heard and understood. • HOW has it been working? • By GRACE alone • In TRUTH. • Both are by DIVINE origin and authority.

  28. 3. It is a PREACHED Gospel: Epaphras the faithful ServantCol 1:7-8 • Paul’s beloved ‘fellow-servant’ (sundoulos) • Christ’s ‘faithful minister’ (diakonos) • He taught them the gospel (v 7) • He told Paul of their ‘love in the Spirit’ (v 8) • The point (in this letter): Epaphras and Paul taught the same gospel.

  29. B. The PrayerCol 1:9-14 • It’s DURATION (v 9) • It BEGAN when Paul first heard of their faith. • It CONTINUED daily (we have not stopped praying for you). Compare v 3 ‘We ALWAYS thank God….’

  30. It’s ContentCol 1:10-14 • A. LIGHT: that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will • SOURCE of light: In all spiritual wisdom and understanding • GOAL of light: to live a life worthy of the Lord… • Fully pleasing to him • Bearing fruit in every good work. • Increasing in the knowledge of God

  31. Content (Continued) • B. POWER: that you may be strengthened with all power…. • SOURCE of power: God’s own glorious might • GOAL of power: that you may endure and have patience. • C. JOY: joyfully giving thanks to the Father • Who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. • Who has rescued us from the dominion of darkness • Who has brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.

More Related