The Anatomy of the Church
Colossians 1:1-14
JOKE - A man lay sprawled across three entire seats in the movie theater. When the usher came by and noticed this, he whispered to the man, "Sorry, sir, but you're only allowed one seat." The man mumbled but didn't budge. The usher became impatient. "Sir, if you don't get up from there I'm going to have to call the manager." Again, the man just mumbled, which infuriated the usher who turned and marched briskly back up the aisle in search of his manager. In a few moments, both the usher and the manager returned and once again the man wouldn’t move. Finally, they summoned the police. The policeman surveyed the situation briefly then asked, "All right buddy, what's your name?" "Sam," the man moaned. "Where ya from, Sam?" With pain in his voice Sam replied "the balcony."
Well, sometimes things aren’t quite what they seem. And with our topic and text this morning we are going to find that the Colossian church was very different on the inside than from what it appeared to many on the outside. On the outside they had a reputation for a faithfulness in Christ and love for the saints, however there was a plethora of issues tearing at the heart of this congregation.
Now, in this series we are going to take a step-by-step walk through the book of Colossians. It’s important to know that Paul is writing to confront some issues that had arisen in the church.
Colossae, a city we will talk about in a few minutes, was a place with a large mix of cultures. There were four cultures in particular that had firm footholds in the area. There was a Jewish population with heavy influence. The Historian Josephus tells about 2000 Jewish families that were transplanted into the area. There was also an underlying Greek culture and then the heavy influence of the Romans who were the political and military rulers. Underneath all of these was a deep seated pagan culture that had participated in all manner of religious worship. Christianity was taking root here, but there would be the influence of all of these cultures into the church.
Three issues in particular that Paul will face were the worship of angels, the rising Gnostic beliefs (belief in hidden knowledge), and the mixing of Jewish law with the covenant of grace.
As you can see, there was more than meets the eye when it came to this congregation.
Well, let’s jump right into verse one and we will just stop along the way as the text merits.
TEXT - "1Paul," - (STOP!)
Okay, we won’t stop after every word, but it is important to establish right of the bat just who it is we are talking about here.
If you grew up in the church you are surely familiar, to at least some degree, with the Apostle Paul. But let’s give ourselves a quick reminder anyway.
Paul was born about the same time as Jesus. His original name was Saul, and he had his name changed to Paul, perhaps to note a radical transformation in his life. It’s interesting that the name Paul means “little or small” and this one who was so puffed up in pride was humbled by God and perhaps his name was always a reminder that he served one who was much greater and bigger than he.
Paul came from a city called Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia, a Roman province in the southeast of Asia Minor. We’ll talk about that place a little more in a few moments. But the fact that Asia Minor was his homeland was probably a big reason so much of his ministry took place there.
Growing up, Paul was educated at the best schools and was a person of prominence his whole life. His father was a Pharisee, which was a very strict segment of the Jewish population. And although his father was Jewish he was also a Roman citizen. We’re not sure how, but he was. And this fact this would come into play in Paul’s life. It’s the reason that he is writing this letter from prison in Rome.
As you read through the book of Acts your find that Paul was about to be killed for his faith while in custody in Jerusalem and right before the sentence was carried out Paul made an appeal to Caesar, something only a Roman Citizen could do.
This meant two things: 1 – no Jewish court could kill a Roman Citizen, and #2 – every Roman Citizen had a right to have their case heard by Caesar. That’s why Paul was transferred from Jerusalem to Rome and at the time of this writing, was sitting in house arrest under Roman guard.
I’m not going to go into any more detail regarding Paul, other than to say that he had an encounter with Jesus Christ and would go on to be the most influential writer of the New Testament. He would write at least 13 of the books in our New Testament. (well that’s a lot of info for one word). Moving on:
TEXT - "an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,"
- it was by God’s direct intervention that Paul became an apostle. In the only other instance of someone becoming an Apostle, Mathias in Acts 1 was chosen by the other Apostles to serve with them and take the place of Judas Iscariot who had betrayed Jesus and then killed himself.
In contrast, Paul was chosen directly by God and his experience of becoming a Christ follower and being placed into God’s service as an Apostle is recorded in several places in the book of Acts.
TEXT - "and Timothy our brother,"
- Timothy was a young man who helped Paul in the ministry. He would become the pastor of the church in Ephesus. His mother and grandmother greatly influenced his faith.
- Joke about grandma who announced she was giving 50 dollars to the offering in honor of her grandkids who were coming to visit – the next week she gave 100 in honor of their going home.
Grandparents – don’t underestimate the impact you can have….many times I have talked to someone in my office and their story goes back to an aunt or a grandparent who took them to church or left them a legacy of faith….
TEXT - "2To the holy and faithful[a] brothers in Christ at Colosse:"
- Colossae was located 120 miles east of Ephesus in the part of the Roman territory of Asia Minor. It was one of three cities located in a little group. Laodicea and Hierapolis were both about 10 to 12 miles away and all three of these cities were resting at the foot of Mount Cadmus (an 8000 ft tall mountain).
Now, to give you a perspective on it location, Colossae was located in what is now modern day Turkey, lying to the North West of Iraq and Syria and to the South East of Italy and Greece – in between those areas was a Roman Territory called Asia Minor. And Colossae was the chief city of the South Western part of Asia Minor.
Colossae was important because it was located on the important trade-route from Ephesus a port city on the Aegean Sea and all the land to the East. In addition to it’s location on the trade route, it was famous and named for the fine wool it produced which was of a color called colossinus (it’s a purplish color). That’s how the name Colossae came about.
The city eventually fell to ruin and today there are only empty fields where the city once stood. It’s demise was brought about by something as simple as the change of road system. The road shifted by a few miles and suddenly Laodicea became the more important city and Colossae faded into obscurity.
Although no excavations have yet taken place, surveys of the site reveal the remains of a city structure and it will be interesting to see what is discovered when excavations get underway. Flinders University of Australia is currently preparing for an excavation.
So that’s where the city is, but Paul is writing to the church body located in that city and he refers to them as holy and faithful brothers. And the word faithful has the connotation of being “strongly and stoutly built; sturdy and robust.” This encouragement of their faithfulness would be very important considering the decline of their church brethren just down the road in Laodacia (more on that later).
But it brings up a point. Think about the group of believers you hang around with. If Paul greeted your group, would he use words like “faithfulness” to describe you? And if not, what words might he use? Something to think about.
Well he goes on to say:
TEXT - "Grace and peace to you from God our Father."
– That was the standard greeting of Paul. Of the 13 letters commonly attributed to Paul, every single one of them includes this line in the greeting. Grace and Peace. Now there is one exception. Paul’s letters to the young minister Timothy begins with the “grace and mercy and peace.”
I find that interesting. I think Paul knew that a young pastor would need not only grace and peace but a little bit of mercy as well.
(ILLUS of a time I needed mercy as a young pastor)
By the way, the Epistle to the Hebrews does not have this greeting and it is one of the reasons that some do not attribute its writing to Paul. Of his 13 other letters all of them begin with this type of greeting.
TEXT - "3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,"
It would be difficult to put together a list of all the people and things Paul prayed for. But this also brings up an interesting point. Do you pray to Jesus or God?
Paul kind of indicates here that his prayers are directed to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We often begin our prayers in different ways. Sometimes we say “Dear God, Dear Jesus, Heavenly Father”.
JOKE - One little boy began his prayer with “Our Father which art in Heaven – Harold be your name.”
Well, I don’t think his name is Harold. But it brings up the point, to whom do we pray? And let me just say that I believe that praying to God and praying to Jesus are both acceptable because:
1 – while separate they are also one – the whole nature of the trinity thing. But even more importantly is that in prayer you are conversing in relationship. You may want to talk to God your father. You may want to talk to Jesus your Savior and Lord.
It’s not about a formula that has to be followed with specific words, “Oh, you can’t talk to Jesus, you have to talk to God.” No. You are in relationship with both.
Now, with that said, when we submit our requests it was the example of Jesus to direct those requests to God the Father. They are submitted to him IN THE NAME OF (or by the authority found in) Jesus Christ. In other words, we pray in Jesus name because we are saying “I have the right to ask this because through my relationship with Jesus I am a child of God and I have a direct access to the Father.”
Well Paul goes on in verse four to say:
TEXT - "4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—"
– This congregation was known for their faith in God and their love for people. What is our congregation known for?
I would love it if it was these two items because there couldn’t be two greater attributes to be known for. I have faith in Jesus and a love for people. By the way, the first of those is easier than the second…It’s probably easier to have faith in Jesus than it is to remain loving towards his people.
It’s not always easy to love people.
When you are driving on snow covered roads and it seems like everyone around you has NO IDEA how to drive on snow, it’s hard to remain loving.
When you have four items at a checkout counter and the lady in front of you with four hundred doesn’t let you go ahead of her, it’s hard to remain loving.
When you’re at the movie theatre and the girl three rows down keeps texting on her phone throughout the show, it’s hard to remain loving.
When you ask your spouse where do you want to eat and they say “I don’t care” so you suggest a place they go “ehhhh…” It’s not easy to remain loving.
When the people you work with seem like they have no clue or consideration of your feelings, it’s hard to remain loving.
(no Amen’s from the other staff)
When…Do you want to fill in the blank?
As a matter of fact it’s not always easy to even treat lovingly those in our own family. It can be challenging. It can be tough.
JOKE - I’ll give you an example. You may not know this but my wife treats me like a little child. She does. It’s embarrassing and I just can’t get her to see me as an adult. It’s just like the other day when we were in the grocery store and I reached for something I wanted and my wife slapped my hand and made me put it back. You know, I got so mad that I climbed down out of the cart and went and got in the car.
So it can be tough at times, but what are we known for, what are you known for? The Colossians were known for their faith in Christ and their love for people. That is something to strive for.
He goes on to say in verse five:
TEXT - "5the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6that has come to you."
– Notice that hope is the motivator for faith and love. They had a hope in a future life, in something that was better and beyond what they were experiencing and it gave them the strength or focus to remain faithful and loving during this time on earth.
Now the Bible says in Hebrews 11:1 that “Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.”
You can’t see heaven but you have a faith and hope that it is real.
ILLUS - I was thinking about this the other day because one of my kids told me about a grade they had received on a test - it was an outstanding grade - But a little bit later we saw online the posting of that grade and my child said to me: “Now do you believe me?” To which I replied, “I always believed you, but now I know.”
Faith is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see. Our hope in what we can’t see (eternal life) is what gives us the strength to carry on in faith and love today.
He then goes on to say:
TEXT - "All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth."
– A hope filled, faith filled, people loving, Christian will bear fruit and grow, and a church full of them will do the same thing.
And I love the last part…he said “you understood God’s grace in all it’s truth.” I really believe that this was key in their reputation for loving people. When you understand God’s grace in your life it will motivate you to forgiveness, grace, and mercy.
I love that. I strive for an understanding of God’s grace because I know it will help me to be a more compassionate, caring, forgiving person.
Well Paul goes on in verse seven to say:
TEXT - "7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[c] behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit."
Paul had never visited Colossae when he composed his epistle to the church here, but he does imply that Epaphras founded the church, along with the congregations at Laodicea and Hierapolis. Most likely Epaphras came into contact with Paul while he was at Ephesus.
ACTS 19:1 – “While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.”
And it goes on to say that for two years Paul taught and preached and eventually all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.”
We don’t know for sure, but Epaphras could have easily been a convert of Paul from the area of Ephesus and then in his enthusiasm and zeal he spread the word to the surrounding area, including these three cities.
But regardless of how he got it there, we know from the text that Epaphras was the spark that began the church in Colossae. He was later sent to minister with Paul and he then returned to pastor the congregation.
But this guy took seriously the call to share his faith and the world has been impacted because of it.
Let’s move on. Verse nine says:
TEXT - "9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding."
– This is the goal for so many of us – we want to be filled with a knowledge of God’s will. I want to know His will for my life.
This may be the question I get, if not more, than as much as any question. What is God’s will for my life? I get that all the time. And Paul answers it here, and guess what, it’s not so much about what job to take or what house to buy or what city to live in. It’s much, much more about living for him in the midst of those decisions.
Paul bears this out in the next passage:
TEXT - "10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,"
- this is God’s will: you want to know what God’s will is for your life? Here it is:
- Live a life worthy of the Lord
- Please him in every way
- Bear fruit in every good work
- Grow in the knowledge of God
- Be strengthened by the power of God
- Have great endurance and patience.
THIS IS GOD’S WILL FOR YOU!!!
Note that he prayed for them to have great endurance as a body of believers. This is important because some of the neighboring churches didn’t end up very well. In Revelation we read about the Laodicean church which was just 10 miles away and it speaks of the lukewarmness of Laodicea, that they were “neither cold nor hot”.
They started great but just kind of faded out along the way and Paul wanted the Colossians to not lose heart but to carry on and push forward.
Well Paul concludes by saying that he is:
TEXT - "and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[d] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption,[e] the forgiveness of sins."
– And the most important thing here is the truth that it is our heavenly Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints.
Whatever blessing you receive from being a Christian: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, purpose and meaning, cleansing, hope, mercy, grace, all the benefits of sharing in the inheritance as a child of God come about totally and completely because Jesus Christ has qualified us to receive them.
It’s not of my own merit, but based on the sacrifice and mercy of Jesus Christ.
TEXT - “he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”
I love that. That is the description of the church, those living in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, not living in the darkness of the world. I hope that describes you. I hope you know the redemption and forgiveness of sins found in Him.
Let's Pray.
