COLOSSIANS 3 STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
SPIRITUALITY IN THE CHURCH
COLOSSIANS 3:1-17
3 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth9. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put-on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body: and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
3:1-17: USING BAPTISM as his backdrop, Paul is countering the practices of the heretics in Colosse – (Colossians 2:16-23): with the practices of the apostolic Church: TRUE MYSTICISM – (vv. 1-4), TRUE ASCETICISM – (vv. 5-14), and true liturgical experiences – (vv. 15-17):
3:1-4: TRUE MYSTICISM: Christians both have received Christ’s exalted resurrection life in baptism and need to keep on seeking the ultimate and spiritual glories of the age to come: Remember your baptism!!! Live according to His resurrection!!! Seek your true life in Christ, awaiting the heavenly and glorious final revelation!!!
3:5-14: TRUE ASCETICISM: As baptized Christians, we are becoming in practice what we are already in spirit: As we died with Christ, so we must experience daily death by killing old sinful and disintegrating passions – (vv. 5-9)- As we were raised with Christ, so we must experience life daily by the virtuous and unifying desires of the NEW MAN we all are in the Body of Christ – (vv. 10-14):
3:10: THE NEW MAN grows from ONE STAGE OF PREFECTION TO ANOTHER, becoming THE IMAGE of Jesus Christ and throughout eternity remaining of HIM WHO CREATED HIM…
3:15-17: TRUE LITURGICAL EXPERIENCE: Note, how liturgy worship can be experienced as divine through unity and holiness of the Church- the one New Man in Christ: Worship is experienced in THE WORD OF CHRIST, including the Scriptures and their exposition; THE HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL
SONGS; THE EUCHARIST – (GIVING THANKS TO GOD) …
SPIRITUALITY IN THE HOME
COLOSSIANS 3:18-4:1
18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for[a] you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.
3:18-4:1: LIFE IN THE HOME IS IN THE LORD; the family is a little church and is to live in the baptismal and Eucharist life of the Church: Duties are reciprocal, and everyone is having the same standing before the same Master… All authority is for the sake of loving service – (all authority is humbling) and all submission is to God – (all submission is glorious)!!!
4 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
SPIRITUALITY FOR THE WORLD (Colossians 4:2-6)
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the [a]mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
4:2-6: Paul expects the church to be at corporate PRAYER often: Not only are the apostles to SPEAK THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST, but every member of the church is to have SPEECH…WITH GRACE to ANSWER those seeking the true faith…
GREETINGS AND INSTRUCTIONS – (COLOSSIANS 4:7-18)
7 Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. 8 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that [a]he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, 9 with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here.
10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me.
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and [b]complete in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has a great [c]zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you. 15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and [d] Nymphas and the church that is in [e]his house.
16 Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
18 This salutation by my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.
4:7-9: TYCHICUS- is the courier for this letter as well as for those to the Ephesians – (Ephesians 6:21) and to Philemon…
4:16: Paul expected his letters to be read aloud to the churches and at least sometimes to be sent on to neighboring churches… (Colosse and Laodicea are less than 15 miles apart): Paul’s letter coming from Laodicea probably is the one we know as Ephesians…
PSALM 43 (44) STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN (Bible Gateway’s has 26 verses my Study Bible has 27 verses, but it’s all the same) …
44 We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old: 2 You drove out the [b]nations with Your hand, But them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. 3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them.
4 You are my King, [c]O God; [d]Command victories for Jacob. 5 Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. 6 For I will not trust in my bow, Nor shall my sword save me. 7 But You have saved us from our enemies, And have put to shame those who hated us. 8 In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever. Selah
9 But You have cast us off and put us to shame, And You do not go out with our armies. 10 You make us turn back from the enemy, And those who hate us have taken [e]spoil for themselves. 11 You have given us up like sheep intended for food, And have scattered us among the nations. 12 You sell Your people for next to nothing, And are not enriched by selling them.
13 You make us a reproach to our neighbors, A scorn and a derision to those all around us. 14 You make us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples. 15 My dishonor is continually before me, And the shame of my face has covered me, 16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, Because of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us; But we have not forgotten You, Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant. 18 Our heart has not turned back, Nor have our steps departed from Your way; 19 But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals, And covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or stretched[f] out our hands to a foreign god, 21 Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. 22 Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever. 24 Why do You hide Your face, And forget our affliction and our oppression? 25 For our soul is bowed down to the [g]dust; Our body clings to the ground. 26 Arise for our help, And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.
PSALM 43 (44)- Describes (1): THE DAILY PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING – (v. 9) the Church offers God during suffering and persecutions – (vv. 2-17)- The STEADFASTNESS of the Church during sufferings and even martyrdom itself – (vv. 18-26; see also Romans 8:36); and (3): THE CHURCH’S HOPE in the LORD to be raised from the dead at the general resurrection – (v. 27)
Today’s closing Message is going to be about “APOSTASY” I chose this because the rest of our studies in the NEW TESTAMENT will bring us to this topic quiet a bit moving forward, the world has fallen away from God and to be honest this has been going on for a while- We are now starting to feel the impact of our sins as a sinful Nation!!!
“APOSTASY” literally, “TURNING AWAY”: This sin is committed when a Christian or body of believers rejects the true faith of Christ – (1 Timothy 1:5-7; & 1 Timothy 4:1-3):
“IT SEEMS THIS WORLD AND MY GOVERNMENT WANT TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE LORD OUR GOD, THAT’S FINE I AM MOVING CLOSER TO HIM- BECAUSE FREE WILL IS JUST THAT SO I CHOSE TO SHUN EVIL AND DO GOOD AND DO IT ALL WITH LOVE!!!”
END WITH THE LORD'S PRAYER
WE DEPART IN PEACE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD
JPCE SPIRITUAL TALK
NEVER HOLD BACK
LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
JEHOVAH SHALOM
PEACE BE WITH YOU ALL
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