Introduction

Soccer has always been one of my great loves – much more so in the past.  I loved to play it.  I played it everyday.  Buying soccer balls was one of my favorite past times.  It didn’t matter that I had a couple already; I could always use another.  So, would spend hours looking through catalogs with soccer equipment.  My favorite soccer ball maker was Brine.  Everyone new I liked Brine.  I saved up my money and bought a very good Brine.  It was good.  I knew it was.  I had studied it out.   I knew how much it weighed, what it was made of, what temperature it was designed for, what teams and organizations used it, and many other things.  When I got the ball, I learned even more about it.  I would smell it, I would toss it, I would bounce, I would kick it – all to get to know it better.  I was at one with the ball.  When I was at home I would dribble it around the house.  I remember wanting to take it with me wherever I went.  The family would jump into the van to go to church, and it was hard to leave the ball behind.  When I got home from church, I made a straight line for it.  I loved that ball.  It was precious to me. 

We all have had our share of prized possessions – a car, a pen, figurine of some sort, a stuffed animal, whatever.  Some of those things we don’t prize like we used to.  Some we prize more than we used to.

Let’s talk about the book of Colossians – Our Prized Possession.  This little book is a great gift from God to His Church.  It is a gift to you.  It should be precious to you.  You should prize it. 

You may not get that excited when I tell you that we are going to begin a study of the book.  You may think, “Ok, that’ll work.  I guess we can do that.”  Well, we can’t begin a study of the book if we think like that.  It truly is a prized possession – we need to see that way. 

So, as an introduction to the book of Colossians, we will look at 8 reasons why you should love the book of Colossians.  Eight reasons why you should prize it and cherish it.  Eight reasons why you should devote yourself to reading and studying it.  Eight reasons why the book of Colossians is cool!  

Reason #1:  It is written by a God-appointed representative of God (v.1).

Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.  He also mentions Timothy.  Timothy was with him when Paul wrote it.  However, the letter was written by 1 person, not 2 .  Timothy is listed because he is Paul’s permanent associate in the ministry.  Paul also makes mention of Timothy in the same way in 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Philemon, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. 

We know that Paul alone was the author because he does not use the plural ‘we’ throughout the book.  He does use it in the first 9 verses to let the Colossians know that both Paul and Timothy were thankful for the Colossians.  But, it is clear from 1.23-25, 29 that Paul alone is writing the letter.  Chapter 4, verse 18 says so explicitly. 

Paul calls himself and apostle.  He doesn’t always say this as he opens a letter, but here he needed to remind the Colossians of His authority.  He had never seen them face-to-face according to 2.1.  He wanted the readers to know that this letter was not to be quickly thrown in the trash because it was junk mail.   

The same is true for us.  The book is important – we should prize it because it is from a God-appointed representative of God.  It is not junk mail. 

You should love Colossians because it is written by a God-appointed representative of God.

Reason #2:  It is written to you (v.2).

In verse 2, Paul names the readers.  He calls them saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae. Colossae is 80-100 miles east of the city of Ephesus.  At the time Paul wrote to the church there, the city was small – in the shadows of its 2 larger, surrounding cities, Laodicea and Hierapolis.   

As we mentioned before, Paul had never been there.  He had never met the people personally.  Paul had an extensive ministry in Ephesus, which rippled throughout Asia.  We know this from Acts 19.10, which speaks of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus.

Acts 19:10
This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

We know of two men from Colossae that heard Paul in Ephesus, embraced the gospel, and then took the message back to Colossae.  Epaphrus, became the pastor of the church at Colossae, and Philemon hosted the church in his own home. 

The church at Colossae was under a lot of pressure do to a threatening heresy.  In fact, the threat of this heresy was serious that Epaphrus, the pastor, traveled 1000-1300 miles to seek Paul’s help in Rome.  Paul was imprisoned there in Rome.   

Epaphrus intended to take a word from Paul back to the Colossians, but for some reason he was imprisoned there in Rome too.  So, Tychicus, another faithful servant of God, took the letter to the Colossians. 

The letter was written to the saints and the faithful brethren in Christ.  He is not listing 2 separate groups.  He is calling them saints, even faithful brethren.  In other words, Paul understands that they are set apart unto God (that’s the ‘saints’), and they are remaining faithful to the Lord.  Paul is happy to call them his brothers. 

You may be thinking, “you said the letter was written to me, but verse 2 says the letter was written to the Colossians.”  Well, God never intended the letter to be only for the Colossians.  Paul even tells the Colossians that the letter is also for the Laodiceans (4.16).  But, because Colossians is inspired Scripture, it is for you.  You must remember that. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

 

Romans 15:4
For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.  

Sometimes we study the Bible as if it were an ancient book that has nothing to do with us.  God wants you to remember that Colossians is gift to you.  It is for your instruction.  It is to make you wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3).  It is to equip you for the work He has called you to do.  It is for you. 

God wants you to understand what is in this little book.  He has preserved it for you.  In this book Paul provides the antidote to what we will call the Colossian heresy.   

Before we look at more reasons why you should love Colossians, it is necessary that we understand a little of this heresy that threatened the church at Colossae. 

The Colossian heresy. These heretics in Colossae taught the following:

• Matter is evil and spirit is good.
• Therefore, God was not involved with creation since He is good and matter is evil.
• So, they said that there were a series of lesser gods that emanated from Him.  God was at the top of the chart.  He is good.  As you went down the list of lesser gods, they became more and more evil.  It was an evil demon that created this evil world.  Jesus was a good angel somewhere in the middle of the chart.
• To reach God, you had to have a superior intellect along with help from some of the good angels. 
• All men were to seek the help of these good angels, but really only the intellectually elite could reach God.
  • This led to angel worship
  • This led to the neglect of Christ.
  • This led to elitism – only those with superior knowledge could reach God.
  • This led to a feeling of hopelessness.  People were tempted to think, “Will I get that superior knowledge?”  “Will the angels help me?” 

So, Paul writes to help the Colossians.   

You should love Colossians because it is written by a God-appointed representative of God, it is written to you (v.2), and...

Reason #3:  It will dazzle you with the beauty of Christ.

As I said before, this heresy led to the neglect of Christ.  So, Paul is determined to convince the readers that Christ is preeminent in all things.  He is sufficient for all things.  He is all you need! 

We call ourselves Christians.  Christ is everything to us.  But, how much do we know about Him?  If we were assigned to write a paper on Christ, how much could we say?  If we were asked to talk about Christ, how long could we talk?  Our job, as Paul described it in 1 Corinthians 1.6 (and v. 23) is to preach Christ.  How well can we do it? 

As Paul answers this heresy he uses the most sublime words to give us a portrait of Christ that is unparalleled by any other single book.  You will see the beauty of Christ in this book.  You will be dazzled. 

Look at some of the amazing things that Paul tells us about Christ!  He is…

• The image of the invisible God – v.15
• The firstborn of all creation – v. 15
• The creator of all things – v.16
• The sustainer of all creation – v.17
• The Head of the body, the Church – v.18
• The reconciler of men – He alone can bring reconciliation between men and God. – v.20
• The believer’s hope of glory – v.27
• The believer’s indweller. – v.27
• The believer’s message – v.28
• The believer’s power – v.29

And that’s is only the first chapter!  Paul is determined to dazzle you with the beauty of Christ, the sufficiency of Christ – so that you will give Him the place of preeminence in your life. 

When you see your Christ, it will have an affect on you.  This leads us to the 4th reason why you should love Colossians. You should love Colossians because it is written by a God-appointed representative of God, it is written to you (v.2), it will dazzle you with the beauty of Christ, and...

Reason #4:  It will comfort you with a picture of this awe-inspiring Christ.

I said before that this heresy led to a spirit of hopelessness.  Is it only the elite that can be close to God?  Can I only get a little bit of help from God, because I am so far from Him? 

Some of you may at time feel a little hopeless.  You feel that you just don’t have what it takes.  You look at others around you who seem to be enjoying their relationship with Christ, and you just feel like you are missing out on the secret. 

God wants you to give you hope.  He wants you to see that Christ is your hope!  Look at verse 28.  Paul said it was his goal to present every single main complete in Christ!  Every man can know Christ.  Every man can be totally complete!  You can be complete! 

You have the same privilege as anyone else to know Christ.  Look at 2.1-3.  You can have all the wealth.  You can have full assurance.  You can have a true knowledge of Christ!  He is yours!  All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Him! 

William Randolph Hearst, a former newspaper publisher, spent much money on art.  He enjoyed, as many people do, fine works of art.  He came across in his reading a work of art that was particularly interesting to him.  He decided that he had to have it.  So, he put his agent on the job to find this great work of art.  After months of searching the agent returned to Hearst to tell him that he finally found this great work.  They were already in Hearst’s warehouse.  Hearst had purchased the work long before.

Don’t feel hopeless because you haven’t found the secret to living holy life.  You have the secret already.  You have Christ.  No need to look for something more; it is time to enjoy your sufficient Christ! 

You should love Colossians because it is written by a God-appointed representative of God, it is written to you (v.2), it will dazzle you with the beauty of Christ, it will comfort you with a picture of this awe-inspiring Christ, and...

Reason #5:  It will equip you to defend your faith.

Paul provides a pattern for you in defending the faith.  You may at times think that you would not be able to defend the faith when talking to someone that is part of a cult.  Paul teaches us by example that you only have to know your Christ well.  We already have seen that that is possible. 

Every cult denies the sufficiency of Christ at some point.  Paul spends the whole time arguing for the sufficiency of Christ.  Be diligent to understand this book, and you will be ready to defend your faith. 

I worked with a guy at FedEx in California.  He studied the Bible all the time.  When I found this out, I decided to get together with Him to talk about the gospel.  I discovered quickly that he had rejected the gospel.  He explained to me that he had seen many visions.  In those visions he had personally talked with Christ.  He described Christ as a bluish-green blob.  He said that Jesus was God, but He wasn’t man.  He said that flesh was evil, so He couldn’t be true flesh.  I took him to various passages – Colossians included, but I wish I had studied this book more. 

The Colossian heresy said that Jesus is a good angel.  The said he was somewhere between God (completely holy) and demons (evil).  They denied His deity and His humanity.  You know that both truths are essential to the gospel.  Look at 1.19.  Look at verse 22.  Look at 2.9.  This is only the beginning. 

You should love Colossians because it is written by a God-appointed representative of God, it is written to you (v.2), it will dazzle you with the beauty of Christ, it will comfort you with a picture of this awe-inspiring Christ, it will equip you to defend your faith, and...

Reason #6:  It will embolden you for ministry to others.

As we study this book together, we will see the sufficiency of Christ.  Just in case you are tempted to say anything similar to the following: 

“Wow, Christ is everything.  I think I will just sit back and let Him do the work.” 

   Or

“I could never do anything to help that person.  I am not even going to try.  I am just going to let Christ do the work.”

   Or

“I could never help that person.  I wouldn’t know what to say.”

You will be reminded of your responsibility as well as the enabling power of Christ.  Look at verse 29 for an example of this. 

You should love Colossians because it is written by a God-appointed representative of God, it is written to you (v.2), it will dazzle you with the beauty of Christ, it will comfort you with a picture of this awe-inspiring Christ, it will equip you to defend your faith, it will embolden you for ministry to others, and...

Reason #7:  It will liberate you from man-made religious thinking.

Paul addresses 3 major errors in the Colossian heresy and shows how the sufficiency of salvation in Christ rules them out. 

We live in an age of philosophy.  Philosophy, literally means the love of wisdom.  People versed in philosophy are intriguing.  They say mysterious things.  They can be intimidating.  They can sound as though they speak with a certain authority.  How should we think about philosophy?  Paul will tell us in this book. 

Legalism is a hot topic in the church today.  What exactly is legalism?  How should we respond to it?  Paul intends to answer those questions. 

Asceticism is a big thing in some parts of the church.  How should you think about it?  How should you respond to it?  Paul will tell us. 

Paul discusses things that Christ has done for us as Christians in Colossians 2, and then beginning in verse 16 he discusses the philosophies of men, what many call legalism today, and asceticism. 

You should love Colossians because it is written by a God-appointed representative of God, it is written to you (v.2), it will dazzle you with the beauty of Christ, it will comfort you with a picture of this awe-inspiring Christ, it will equip you to defend your faith, it will embolden you for ministry to others, it will liberate you from man-made religious thinking, and...

Reason #8:  It will challenge you to live a God-pleasing life (as you trust in the sufficiency of Christ).

As with many of Paul’s letters, he takes a hard turn in the middle of his letter.  He goes from doctrine to practice.  Christianity is not just about knowing a bunch of stuff.  It is also about living a life that is pleasing to God. 

Paul spends the first 2 chapters laying a foundation.  He shows us the sufficiency of Christ.  Now, in chapter 3, he takes a turn.  He begins to tell us how we should live, because we have a sufficient Christ. 

How does the sufficiency of Christ affect the way that you live?  What does that have to do with your personal holiness?  Your relationships with others?  Wives, your role in marriage and in the home?  Husbands, your role in marriage and in the home?  Children, teenagers, your life in the family?  Employers and employees, your life at the workplace? 

When we recognize the sufficiency of Christ, it will affect our lives!   

Are you ready to be challenged?  If you don’t like to be challenged, you won’t like the book of Colossians.  If you think you have already arrived, you won’t like Colossians. 

Conclusion

If you want to hear God speak to you, if you want to be dazzled by your beautiful Christ, if you want to be comforted, if you want to be ready to defend your faith, if you want encouragement in your ministry to others, if you want God’s perspective on philosophy, legalism, and asceticism, and if you want to life a life that is pleasing to God – you will love this book.  You will study it diligently. 

What a gift we have!