R1651 Introduction to Colossians

God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton as we begin a series on Colossians. We'll head to the book of Colossians chapter 1 verse 1 in just a moment, but Dr. Wilton wants me to remind you, this is not just a presentation, it's a conversation. Every single day we're taking many calls at 866-899-WORD.

Jot the number down, store it in your cell. We're here to pray, to connect you with great resources and more at 866-899-9673, but also online at www.tewonline.org. If you haven't dropped by lately, the series Dr. Wilton has right now, it's a message called Is This the End? Are we living in end times?

Discover more on our website www.tewonline.org. And now today's series as we begin a study in the book of Colossians with Dr. Don Wilton. Please open your Bibles to Colossians chapter 1. We've got to hear what God has to say. So let's just, I want to put on before us all today something very important and then I want to share something very important with you. Let's just read the first two verses. Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and Timothy our brother to the holy and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in the church at Colossae. Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

Isn't that a beautiful way to begin something so critical? God told him that he, God, had something eternal, non-negotiable to say to these people, to to the church, designed to strengthen them. This was the anchor that would hold them despite the storms. So this church at Colossae, they were facing serious challenges. They were coming to church on Sunday morning and Wednesday and whenever it might be and the people were bringing with them the raging wildfires that were going on into the world. They came and sat, they prayed together, studied God's Word together and they were dealing at the same time with pain, with agony, with unbelievable ugliness, with bad behavior and and most of all with a world that was increasingly saying, are you kidding me, Jesus? The church at Colossae was being squeezed and they hadn't yet succumbed and we're living in a world today where we've set up a monument to our own glory and the world wants the church to mirror the world instead of the church wanting the world to mirror the Lord Jesus. And essentially at Colossae, in their world now, I'm going into their world, you had this collision between multiple anti-christian philosophies. It became known as the Colossae heresy. That's what it was known as. And the church faced the danger but they hadn't yet fallen to it. They faced the danger of being pulled into it. If a fire starts in your house, don't go and waft around it. Put it out.

If your children are dabbling in, stop them. If you're part of the one-foot club, you have one foot in the world and one foot in God's kingdom, take your foot out of the world. That's what Paul is about to say to them. You know in chapter 1 verse 23, verse 23, we will read, we'll get there, if you continue in your faith, established and firm, you will not be moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

Did you hear what he said there? If you continue in your faith, you will not be moved from all the joy and the promise, the blessing that comes from knowing the Lord Jesus Christ because He's all-sufficient. So what about the Colossian heresy? So just to try and help us understand that briefly. There were really two worlds that were colliding in this town.

Watch me now, okay? I'll try and explain it very simply. On the one hand, there was Greek philosophy, rank paganism. It was all based on knowledge and philosophy. They, Greek philosophers, believed that the gospel of Jesus was just far too simplistic. I mean, get a life.

Give your heart to Jesus and you'll be forgiven and go to heaven. How stupidly simplistic. The Greeks, they were overthinkers. They were philosophers.

They had superior knowledge. So you can go and read about that, for example, in 1st Corinthians is replete with the challenges presented by this brand of paganism. Like, is there anything more ridiculous than being a Christian? And they found any reason to brand Christians, to associate Christians. They just looked around. The filmmaker Michael Moore just this week said, you know, he equated the behavior of the Taliban to conservative Christians in America. Give me a break. It's like groping at something to bring down Christians. That's what the Greeks did. They belittled.

When their kids went to school, it was like... I mean, have you lost your mind? Are you in church on Sunday?

You realize you could be at the beach right now? Worship your gods, man. So you can summarize Greek philosophy in three denials and I'm just giving this to you. First of all, they denied the humanity of Christ. They denied the humanity of Christ, you know. How could a perfect God take up human matter which was overtly evil?

Can't happen. So they denied the humanity of Christ. In other words, Jesus could never have taken on flesh and that whole thing about becoming sin for us even though he knew no sin, that's just gobbledy gobbledy nonsense. Secondly, they denied the deity of Christ.

It's one thing to deny the humanity of Christ but secondly they denied the deity of Christ and to deny the deity of Christ literally meant there is no way that God ever could become man. Remember they had plenty of gods. They made statues of them. They had temples erected to them everywhere. Their brand of worship was a Mardi Gras brand of worship.

It was live today because tomorrow you die. And thirdly, they denied the sufficiency of Christ. What is the sufficiency of Christ? It's the sufficiency of Christ for salvation. Look at chapter 1 verse 28. This is what Paul says in verse 28 in the first chapter. We proclaim him admonishing and everyone teaching everyone with all wisdom so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. That's the all sufficiency of Christ for salvation. You do not add anything or anyone to Jesus.

He is the one. He is God's Son, the only begotten of the Father. We are complete in Christ.

Well, Greek philosophical paganism denied Christ's humanity, denied the deity of Christ, denied the all sufficiency of Christ and it was all around them. There were people out there saying, listen man, excuse me guys, you don't mean that God is going to limit. I mean, he just loves everyone. You know, as long as you're sincere. You ever heard anybody say that?

As long as you do good. Yeah, I can't stand these Christian religions that say Jesus is the only one. Who said you can have a corner on the market? Are you telling me that my way to worship, you know, God made the trees and the flowers and the birds and bees. If I want to worship an owl and I believe that that's the way to get to God, who are you to tell me? I've got to add Jesus into this.

So you got the Greeks, but on the other hand, you have the Jews. I'm just presenting to you two groups. Please forgive the interruption. We'll be back with the rest of Dr. Wilton's message today in just a moment, but want to remind you we're connecting both online at TEW online and on the phone. 866-899-WORD and right now there is such an intense curiosity about this message, Is This The End?

Here's Liz with all the details. Believers around the world are asking these questions. Is Jesus about to come back? Is this the end of the world? Join Dr. Wilton as he answers these questions straight from God's Word in his message, Is This The End? Also, as a bonus, you will receive The King is Coming by Erwin Lutzer, renowned theologian and friend. Both of these ministry resources will greatly bless, motivate, and encourage you in anticipation of our Lord Jesus's return. Be assured, God has everything under control.

He is our living hope. Call us at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 and request, Is This The End?

in the bonus book, The King is Coming for yourself or your friend today. Thank you for listening and thank you for supporting The Encouraging Word. Now it's time to spread the gospel. Again, more details on our website at www.tewonline.org and while you are there at www.tewonline.org, please sign up for the daily Encouraging Word devotional from Dr. Wilton. It is our most popular resource. Whether you get it emailed phonically, again you can sign up at www.tewonline.org, or while you're signing up, you can also request a physical copy if you want one of our quarterly copies.

Again, it's all available for free on our website at www.tewonline.org. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. But on the other hand, you had the Jews.

I'm just presenting to you two groups. There were many Jews and Judaism at his heartbeat, insisted on a number of things. You take, for example, ceremonialism, or how about ritualism, particularly circumcision of young males that was written into the religious framework of the Jewish people. It was part of the Old Covenant, but it was a denial of the New Covenant. God in times past spoke through the prophets, but now in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son.

That didn't matter. So when you have ceremonialism and ritualism and asceticism, if you don't know what asceticism is, it's varying brands of self-denial, dietary laws. You cannot eat this and you cannot eat that.

It even can be boiled down to laws and regulations related to Sabbath worship that associate not walking, not talking, not touching, not doing, and all the rituals with it, that that is the means by which you gain access to a righteous God, not through Jesus. And these worlds collided at Colossi, and I haven't even begun to preach my message. So the result was that these people were becoming increasingly mixed up and confused. Can you understand that? I can understand that. Being mixed up and confused is not criminal.

It happens. I don't find anywhere in Colossians where Paul was scolding the people. You are not sinning against God because you're dealing with all of these things, everybody is. And what God wants to do is He wants to give to you His truth. He wants to show you how to be strong in Him, and that's what the book of Colossians is. It's about being strong in the Lord. You mean this is my Christian faith? This is what it means to be a Christian? If you gave me an overriding theme about Colossians, it would be on the all-sufficiency of Christ.

Love that chorus that we would sing, turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful faith, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Paul was wanting these people to look into the face of Jesus, to trust Him. Don't say you trust Him and then police Him. Don't say you trust God and then spend half your waking hour questioning Him, which is very easy to do. And there is nothing sinful about questions.

I'm smiling because if you could see me, you'd say, I get into these studies and I start asking myself more questions. I'd say, why? Why? What?

Well, how? How am I going to explain this? And many times I say, Lord, okay, I'm going to make a deal with you. I'm just going to skip over that verse. I don't want to talk about that. You know, I don't want to talk about that because I know if I talk about that, somebody out there is going to be mad with me because you're not supposed to talk about it. Well, I'm going to tell you something, folks, if God says it, I'm going to talk about it. That's what I mean.

That's not a, that's not a like, what's the word I'm looking for? Like, well, you know, me, big chief, you, just listen, I, you know, I'm going to, I'm telling you, I'm going to get, that's not what he's talking about. He's saying, turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Trust Him. He's all-sufficient. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. It's about Jesus. So what am I encouraging you to do? Beginning right now, beginning right now. Number one, I'm asking you, please give your heart to Jesus.

Just, that's the starting point. Trust Jesus by faith. We are saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves, not of works, because if it was of works, you and I would have a serious competition going on. Now I've had 15 years of seminary studies, so I deserve to have the front row seat in heaven, right? See, God says we're saved by grace through faith. It's not even governed by whether or not we're in church on Sunday.

Now how is that or how do you do? Am I telling you not to come? I didn't say, that's not what I said, but coming to church doesn't save you.

Jesus does. I'm asking you to give your heart to Jesus. Secondly, I'm inviting you to trust Him. I'm inviting us. Guys, let's trust God. Thirdly, let's really study Him.

Let's keep this up. We've done a jolly good job for many years. Get into that life group, as Jordan so well said earlier on. Be a part of a group.

We've got so many wonderful teachers. Get in a group where you can study and ask a lot more questions. Keep asking those questions, but ask them of God. I want you to have confidence. I want you to be strong.

I'm asking God to make us all like Paul. We're living in a day and age. Keep your eyes open.

Be aware of this. Parents, look at me. It's not a good idea if you've got children and you don't keep your eyes on them. You got a teenager right now and come any day you say, listen man, go play in the traffic.

Just let me know whenever you get back. You are asking for trouble. Did I say they're getting into trouble? I didn't say that.

Do you trust your child? Of course you do. Keep your eyes on them. Be engaged.

Church, be engaged. This is God's church and we are church strong because Christ makes us that way. Would you bow your heads with me this morning?

Every head bowed and every eye closed. What is God saying to you today? You know here he looked at this church and he said, I want to speak to the holy and faithful brothers and sisters who are part of the church and then he said this, grace and peace to you from God our Father.

Next week we'll find out more about that. I tell you I wish I could preach on that every week. Do you know that God's grace and his peace is yours now?

Now. That's what he gives to you when you repent of your sin and by faith you just trust him. When you commit your life to him, when you surrender to him, grace and peace.

Oh wow. I want that and when I get that I just want more and more and more because Christ is the answer. Would you give your life to Jesus?

Would you make a commitment to him today? I'm going to invite you even to join this church. This is one church. We got hundreds of wonderful Bible believing churches.

I could stand here and recommend a hundred to you. Wonderful pastors and people everywhere. But this is where God has planted me. I want to bloom where God has planted me. This is where God has placed me. How about you?

Would you join me in that? Church strong. We can have confidence folks. Our children can have a foundation that's so solid.

How about it? Would you look at me today? I want to pray for you Lord Jesus. I'm praying for people right now that as we go into this invitation that people everywhere would respond, would come down the aisles, would call numbers on the screen, would text, would connect. This is your word Lord Jesus. You make us strong.

Then you send us out into the world. Make a difference for Christ. Lord look what you've done in this one place all these years. Wow.

And they said it cannot be. And right now Lord Jesus I don't know of a single area in this incredible church where there is smoke. Not one. But by your grace Lord Jesus as long as I stand here please give to me and all of us the ability to make certain no smoke ever does come and no fire ever burns and no devil ever gets a foothold. Lord these are my people.

They're your people. And there is only one life to live and that will soon be past. It's only what's done for the Lord Jesus Christ that were lost. And I pray this prayer yes in the strong and wonderful name of Jesus.

Amen. Perhaps you just prayed along with Dr. Wilton moments ago giving your life to Christ saying yes to Jesus or coming home returning to the faith. Either way you need to know we're here with you to stand together to pray for you and give you free resources that will help you grow in the next steps. Dr. Wilton has something it's prepared specifically for you if you just gave your life to Christ or just rededicated your life call us right now at 866-899-WORD. Jot the number down store it in your cell with taking your calls 24 hours a day at 866-899-9673.

But you'll find that number and other ways to connect on our website as well at www.tewonline.org That's www.tewonline.org. And before we get away, closing thoughts from our pastor and chief encourager Dr. Don Wilton. What a wonderful time of worship we've had together. You know I want you every day to experience this encouraging word.

It's about Jesus. That's why I want you to get your own copy of the daily Encouraging Word Bible Guide. This wonderful devotional has been prepared and I want to give it to you free of charge. Send us an email, write to us, just let us know. We're gonna send this to you.

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