Category Archives: Colossians

Praying The Priorities

Posted on February 25, 2022 by bibleteacherorg

Turn with me in your Bibles to Colossians chapter 1. As it is “Prayer Meeting” night, I thought, for a devotional, we’d look at a prayer of the Apostle Paul. Let’s start at:

Colossians 1:3-5 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

The Apostle was praying for the Church (praying always for you) because he had heard of their faith in Christ, and saw that their faith was evidently genuine.

The test of true faith is that it instills LOVE in the recipient. The Holy Spirit came to represent Jesus: “He SHALL testify of Me” (John 15:26). Christ commands we LOVE: “A New Commandment I give to you – love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34). The Spirit indwells the believer (Romans 8:9). Thus LOVE manifested outward proves an inward genuine faith in Christ.

Paul tells the Church that he has heard of “the love which ye have to all the saints”. This is because they are outwardly loving to… Continue reading →

Posted in Colossians, Sermons Preached | Tagged prayer, prayer and devotion, priorities | 1 Comment

And You

Posted on May 7, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

The government was never meant to be the Church. The government is a kingdom of man established or allowed by God. The Kingdom of God is divinely appointed, headed by Jesus Christ, and inhabited by those who have received Christ as BOTH Lord and Savior. It is only the believer in Christ who is ordered to:

Matthew 6:33 seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The person who puts their faith in “philosophy and vain deceit” are following the same path that the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ day did. King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, chased after “philosophy” or human wisdom apart from faith in Christ. Solomon said:

Ecclesiastes 1:16-18 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. 17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. 18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

In this Internet Ready, connected world we live in, it is easy for a Christian to be side tracked, as Solomon was, into worldly wisdom and philosophy…. Continue reading →

Posted in Colossians, Sermons Preached | Tagged abide in Christ, position in Christ, spiritual warfare, spirituality | Leave a comment

Aspire To Inspire

Posted on April 28, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk ye in Him

I hate most commercials I see on television. There’s an Aldi’s© commercial that is nauseatingly stupid, and a Smuckers© commercial that should be called schmuck. I like a few of the Progressive© commercials, and the GEICO© commercials, because they are usually humorous. Several years ago a commercial for a SAMSUNG© phone came on that was just beautiful! Listen to these words:

“Nobody ever set their sights on second place. Who aspires to be almost remembered? There’s a reason there are no giant foam fingers that say “We’re number 3″. No one wants to tell an average joke, make an underwhelming entrance, go out with a whimper. No one ever stood in front of a mirror with a hairbrush pretending to be the tambourine player. And there are definitely more kids dressed as Batman, than Robin. We all aspire.”

I’m not sure we all aspire. It’s a good thought… Continue reading →

Posted in Colossians, Sermons Preached | Tagged Church, God builder of Church, imitate God, imitating Christ | Leave a comment

The Church Is Not Like The World

Posted on April 16, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

The Church can get off course “in love”. Jesus made love one of the great focuses of our faith. Jesus was asked, “What is the Great Commandment in the Law”? Jesus promptly answered:

Matthew 22:37-38 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.

God is to be loved ABOVE all others and ABOVE all else. God is to occupy FIRST PLACE in our hearts. Not our spouses, not our children, nor even ourselves. God.
God is to be first.

Our Lord was quoting the Law of God. The Second giving of the Law states:

Deuteronomy 6:5 thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

What God has said takes precedent over what others have said. What God has recorded in Scripture is what we are to give preeminence to. Those who are saved by the Blood of the Lamb are to love the God Who demands the Lamb. We are to hear what our God says and obey it. The Scripture says:… Continue reading →

Posted in Colossians, Sermons Preached | Tagged Church, God builder of Church, world, worldliness | Leave a comment

The Marks Of The Christian

Posted on April 9, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

What marks a Christian, a Christian? What are the signs or evidences in the life that stand as proofs that you are sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus? It is not the man made denomination that makes a Christian, but God does this when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Apostle of Love wrote:

John 1:12-13 But as many as received {Jesus}, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Position Of The Christian Is Different To
The Position Of The Lost

A Christian is distinctly different to a non-Christian. A Christian is a “Son of God”. Someone once asked, “But doesn’t God have any daughters?”. Well yes, He does. But “Son of God” is a technical term for the genuine Christian.

When Jesus Christ was incarnate, He became the Son of Man. But Jesus is eternally THE Son of God.
Even Satan acknowledged this…. Continue reading →

Posted in Colossians, Sermons Preached | Tagged christianity, Holiness, living for Jesus, obey God | 1 Comment

The IF Of Salvation

Posted on March 23, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

The word “IF” occurs in the King James Version of the Scripture 1,595 times in 1,420 verses. The first use of the word “IF” occurs when Cain was upset that God would not accept his sacrifice. God told Cain:

Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

God was emphasizing to Cain that He expected Cain to bring an animal sacrifice, not the fruit of the field. Had Cain done that, the Lord would have accepted it. God demanded animal sacrifices because, as we later learn in Scripture, these animal sacrifices pointed out that human works cannot permanently cover our sins in God’s eyes. We all needed Jesus Christ as the “Lamb of God” to come and give His life for us. Jesus is “the Lamb without spot or blemish (John 1:29), “Christ our Passover sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Cain refused to listen to the IF of God, and murdered his brother Abel. Cain not only lost the possibility of salvation, but lived the rest of his life a marked man for the evil he did.

IF is used so many ways in the Scripture:
Noah released a dove to see IF the waters were receding (Genesis 8:8)
Abraham by IF gave grace to Lot, allowing him to choose (Genesis 13:9)
IF God found just ten righteous in Sodom, they would live (Genesis 18:32)

Some of the great IF statements come from Jesus. Continue reading →

Posted in Colossians, Sermons Preached | Tagged false religion, Light of God, Light vs Darkness, living for Jesus | Leave a comment

Christ Before All Things

Posted on March 15, 2021 by bibleteacherorg

“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:… Continue reading →