Colossians 1:9-18 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Big Idea: The Church Exists To Please The Lord

Tonight we’re in the Book of Colossians. Colossians is an interesting Church, for it was one that the Apostle Paul wrote to, but never actually went to. The Apostle spent two years establishing a Church in Ephesus…

Acts 19:10-12 … this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. 11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: 12 so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

The Church at Colossae was a Church Plant from Ephesus, probably started by …

Colossians 1:7-8 … Epaphras our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; 8 who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

Colossians 4:12 … Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

Colossae was a major commercial center, known for the production of colossinum, a beautiful dark red wool cloth. The Church at Colossae was predominantly Gentile, a gathering where Christ was worshiped though all about it pagan religions and philosophies abounded. The Apostle from prison …

Colossians 1:9-10 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord

If the Colossian Church would reach Asia Minor, it had to be “filled with the knowledge of HIS will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding”. The same is true of this Church. We must be “filled with the knowledge of HIS will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding”. We must not be filled with the false teachings and creeds that the lost follow. We as God’s people are not to walk

Ephesians 4:17 … as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (or emptiness) of their mind, having their understanding darkened … alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them …

But to “walk worthy of the Lord”. Pastor Michael Youssef (Church of the Apostles, Atlanta, Georgia), recently stated in a Christian Post interview:

“Bowing to woke culture allows you to avoid rejection by culture and society. It’s a very, very popular message that is now being preached from many evangelical pulpits… I believe people are in a state of confusion and need a clear word from Scripture.”

Saved by grace, we as God’s people are to “walk worthy of the Lord”. You can only walk worthy when you understand the Word of God, and apply it to your life. We are to

Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing

“Unto all pleasing”. Who are we to be pleasing? We are to be pleasing our God first and foremost. We are not to be ugly to those around us, nor are we to be self righteous. But we are to:

1 John 1:7 … walk in the light, as HE {God} is in the light …

Heaven is a place where “those which are saved walk in the light of it” (Revelation 21:24). We do not compromise with the darkness, but walk as God directs. Jesus said:

“Ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22)

Compromising with the world will not bring more blessing, but less. When we compromise in order to please others, we add to the darkness. Jesus Christ Himself was hated for preaching the truth. He told us:

John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

We are to love our enemies, to do as the Apostle did.

Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

We are not to be warlike or hateful to the darkness – but we are never to say what God said is right is wrong, nor to say what God said is wrong is right. God establishes the standards by which we live. The Gospel message must not be modified in order to please people. Those who would enter the Kingdom of God must repent, and receive Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior. Receiving Him, you begin to do as He says, as He has directed. The Apostle said:

Galatians 1:9-10 … If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

When a false Gospel or a false message is preached in the Church, it robs God of His glory, while diminishing Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Proper Preaching & Teaching Puts Jesus Christ
BEFORE All Things

Colossians 1:17 And he {CHRIST} is BEFORE all things …

The Greek text is καί αὐτός ἐστί πρό πᾶς which is He IS before ALL. Jesus Christ is before all. He should be before all in the life of every person. God said through the Prophet:

Isaiah 45:5, 21-23 … I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me … a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me. 22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Only God is able to save, for only God can forgive sin.

Sin is an affront to an eternally holy and righteous God. Sin offends God, and only God can forgive sin. So what did God do? God sent His Son to this earth to make payment for our sin. Had God not done this, there could be no salvation. “Look unto Me, and be saved”, God has said. No one can save but God. It is God Who delivers from sin.

Colossians 1:12-14 … giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Word Study God the Father “delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son”. The word “delivered” is the Greek ῥύομαι rhýomai, pronounced rhoo’-om-ahee), which means “to rescue”. The same word is used in:

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 … ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

God DELIVERED or RESCUED us from darkness, and TRANSLATED us into the Kingdom of His Son. How? Through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is in Jesus “we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins”. Why does God forgive us when we receive Christ Jesus the Lord? Because Jesus Himself is God, revealed God, manifest God.

Colossians 1:15 {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, …

Jesus Christ is eternal God the Son. The Father, Who is God, sent the Son, Who is God, to make payment for our sins. Christ is before all things because Jesus is Creator God. Jesus is not just a man, He is Perfect God become Perfect Man. The Bible says:

Hebrews 1:1-3 God … hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high

Jesus is the heir of all things. Jesus is the One BY WHOM God made the world. Jesus is very God of very God, the express image of God. Return to our context for a moment:

Colossians 1:15-16 {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

“All things were created by him, and for him”. The world was not created for us, but for Him. We were created for Him. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. The Father said of Jesus:

Hebrews 1:5-6, 8 Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. … 8 … unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.

Jesus Christ was not just a Rabbi. He is God incarnate, God in the flesh. John said of Jesus:

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. God sent. God redeeming. God Who came to be the “Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). When John saw Jesus, it was with wonder and awe he said:

John 1:36 BEHOLD THE Lamb of God!

Jesus Christ, God the Son, redeemed us by dying for us. Jesus Christ is …

…loved of the Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:24)

… Chosen of God to die for us before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20)

For Whom did Jesus come? For sinners like you and I.

Romans 5:8 God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 …. we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Jesus was not born exactly as others are born. The baby born normally begins its history with its first breath. But Jesus Christ was made. The humanity of Christ is a product of the Holy Spirit. The Angel Gabriel told Mary:

Luke 1:35 The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Jesus was made. He Who made all things allowed Himself to be made. He was not made for a palace. He was made low, little esteemed, so that He might reach the lesser and the least.

The Christian Is SANCTIFIED/ Set Apart By Christ Jesus

Jesus Christ is God. The Father “hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (vs 13) because our sins are covered. Not by our works, but by His work of Calvary. The Bible says:

Hebrews 2:9-10 But we see Jesus, who was MADE A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Let’s talk about SANCTIFICATION for a moment. SANCTIFICATION means to be “set apart by God, for God”. Before we were saved by faith in Him we were:

Colossians 1:21 … {“sometime” the Greek ποτέ poté, [pronounced pot-eh’], better “in times past”} alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works …

Before you met Jesus, and received Him as Lord and Savior, you were “alienated from God by wicked works”. But now, because of Christ, you are SANCTIFIED. You are SET APART from the world to serve the Living God. When you find the words

Holy
Sanctify
Saint
Sanctification

in your Bible, these are derivatives of the Greek hagios. The Christian is SANCTIFIED in three ways by the Blood and the Spirit of Christ:

1. The Christian is POSITIONALLY Sanctified.Because of Christ’s Blood you are no longer seen by God as a sinner. Your position has changed. You are now a SON of God. You are now a SAINT of God. You are set apart by God in His eyes because of Christ’s Blood. Though the Church at Corinth had a number of carnal Christians, they were nonetheless POSITIONALLY Sanctified.

1 Corinthians 1:2 … to them that are SANCTIFIED in Christ Jesus, called to be SAINTS …

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 … Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (malakós, [pronounced mal-ak-os’] “those soft to the touch”, catamites), nor abusers of themselves with mankind {arsenokoítēs, [pronounced ar-sen-ok-oy’-tace] “homosexuals”}, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

2. The Christian is PROGRESSIVELY Sanctified. The Holy Spirit of God begins working in the life of the Christian, making the person more like Jesus. We become, as we are told in:

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

“God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13). As the believer interacts with God through prayer and reading of His Word, the Holy Bible, we become more and more like Jesus, more and more sanctified (John 17:17). We who are saved by faith in Christ DO that which Christ says to DO. The believer is to take off the old man, and put on the new man. We are not to be like the world.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

If you are saved, “your old man was crucified with Christ, that THIS BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DONE AWAY WITH, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin (Romans 6:6). When the Christian sins, the Christian acknowledges the sin to the Father, and forsakes the sin as being unworthy for a child of God. We do not justify nor hide sin.

POSITIONALLY or in the eyes of the Father, we are children of God.
PROGRESSIVELY or to the eyes of others, we are manifested as children of God.

3. PREVAILING or PROSPECTIVE Sanctification is what each Christian looks forward to. This is when we are once and for all cleansed of sin, and stand before our Lord in Heaven as His Children. We are told in:

1 John 3:1-3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

We are sons and daughters of God, heading toward Heaven. We shall never die! Jesus died on Calvary so I will not have to die! The Scripture says:

John 3:15 Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 11:26 Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die!

We are “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6-7). We belong to God. And God will ultimately possess us as His own, for He is ours and we are His.

The Christian Is Now Member Of Christ’s Kingdom – Forever

Colossians 1:18 And he {Jesus} is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

The Christian is an AMBASSADOR for Christ! 2 Corinthians 5:20

The focus of the Christian is the Kingdom of Christ. Not what the world thinks, but what our Redeemer has said. We are to follow Christ Jesus first and foremost. HE is the Head of the Body (the Church).

The false “Progressive” argument often raised in our world today is, “Jesus never addressed homosexuality – not even one time – in the Gospels. I thought you Christians were suppose to follow Jesus!”. But Jesus did address homosexuality. He addressed homosexuality in Matthew 5 and Matthew 19 when He spoke of Marriage. Jesus told the Pharisees:

Matthew 19:4-6 Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Jesus quoted the Book of Genesis, noted that God made them “male and female”, and said that marriage was when “man left his father and mother, and cleaved to his wife – they became one flesh”. That is a very clear teaching on marriage, and on homosexuality. Jesus said, “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder”. God is the Author of Marriage – not mankind, but God.

Further, you cannot separate the Father from the Spirit. I have proved from our text that:

Colossians 1:16-17 … all things were created by him, and for him: 17 and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

If “ALL THINGS” were created BY Jesus and FOR Jesus, as our text tells us, then Jesus was there when Adam and Eve were made. Jesus had a hand in creating Adam from the dust of the ground. It was Jesus Who took a rib from Adam, and made woman, or Eve. It was Jesus Who made man/ Adam the leader of the family, not Eve. If Jesus is God the Son,

Colossians 1:15-16 … the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 for by him were all things created

…then Jesus was involved in the writing of both the Old as well as the New Testaments. Jesus authored the Book of Leviticus. The Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Spirit. The Apostles were Christ’s Apostles, and their writings were written as “holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit”.

Beloved, we must not back away from the Gospel truths in order to be pleasing to the lost world, the dark world. God’s Word is truth. Jesus is before all things – and we are to love Jesus more than anything or anyone. Do you remember this?

Matthew 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Why would Jesus, if He were but a Rabbi, make such a bold statement? It is because Jesus is much more than a Rabbi. Jesus Christ is God. And you all know, the greatest commandment, the commandment that is before all others, according to Jesus is …

Matthew 22:37-40 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Jesus Christ is God the Son. We are to follow Him, if we are indeed saved by faith in Him. We belong to His Kingdom, not to another. Christ is before all things! May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit this very day. Amen and Amen.