God Holds the Key

Colossians 1:1-14                                                                                          July 11, 1004

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

          We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints-- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

          For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

CCI:

Intro to Series: Today we are beginning a new series where we will be looking at the Letter to the church of Colosse. The Apostle Paul wrote this letter in response to a growing false teaching in the church. His response is clearly his most developed thought concerning the person of Christ and the role of the church.

          The city of Colosse was once a leader in the region along with Laodicaea and Hieropolos. However while there remain to this day clear ruins of these cities, scholars can only guess at the location of Colosse. By the time of Paul, it had become only a small town. It was so small, in fact, that we have no record of Paul having ever visited the town. William Barclay has written, “It remains a strange and wonderful fact that Paul wrote the letter which contains the highest reach of his thought to so uniportant a town as Colosse then was.” This letter reminds us that God will reveal himself to any who earnestly seek him, regardless of their stature in the world.

          This letter begins as many of Paul’s letters do with a greeting. It was written while he was imprisoned either in Ephesis or in Rome. He identifies himself as an apostle, one who has seen Christ and been called by Christ to special mission. This office was very important to Paul throughout his ministry. As he writes he wants the people of the church to know that Timothy is with him.

          After greeting the church, Paul opens his letter with words of gratitude to God for the people of Colosse. It is these words of gratitude that I would like us to look at together today.

          Paul had heard about this church through a man who had preached faithfully in this region, his name was Epaphras. This man communicated with Paul about the church in Colosse. The report was mixed, but Paul had heard some things that thrilled his heart and for these things he praised God.

I. First, their Faith in Christ

          This church was loyal to Jesus.

          One of the hallmarks of the Christian is her loyalty to Jesus Christ. A sure sign of faith is a person’s willingness to stand up to those who would mock the faith and those who would question the wisdom of following Christ.

          Would Paul today be able to identify your faith in God through the loyalty you show to Jesus?

          Their faith was also characterized by their commitment to correct doctrine. While false teaching was beginning to arise in Colosse, it had not yet taken hold. The Colossians had been taught the essence of the gospel and they were committed to holding that truth.

          Today our understanding of our faith is often minimal. What do you believe about Jesus? What do you believe about salvation? What do you understand about the history of the church, or the central teachings of Baptists as a people? We learn these things as we study the Bible, and as we gather in groups to learn from one another. The Sunday School class is a wonderful place to learn and discover the deeper truths of the Faith. The worship service on Tuesdays opens the door for you to interact and learn about the heart of the faith. Other Bible studies, like the Women’s Study on Mondays during the school year are wonderful opportunities to discover more about the Word and about your faith.

          Paul commended the Colossians for their faith.

          And being loyal to Christ and understanding doctrine is part of our faith, but the heart of our faith is trust in God’s character. A number of years ago Discipleship Magazine had an issue that focused on Faith. One of the central points of that magazine was realizing that God has not failed in any of his promises to his people even one time in all of human history, and he will not begin with you. Do you believe that God is faithful? If so, you can trust him today.

          As many of you know, two weeks ago today, Janet and I took what she calls a “leap of faith.” We jumped out of an airplane just for the experience. We have both decided it is something we would not have missed, but we are not chomping at the bit to do it again. As I have reflected on that experience, I have found it to be a wonderful picture of faith in God. Since jumping with Rick, I would not want to do it with anyone else, in fact, I would not hesitate to recommend him as an instructor. I am loyal to the Central Michigan Skydivers. I also have learned some important facts about jumping out of an airplane. I know what position to take (that of a banana), I know what to do when I land (that would be sit down), and I know what to do with a ripcord (pull it when I’m told). I have the core of “the faith.” But more important, I learned that my instructor was trustworthy. Rick is a Christian who has jumped out of planes thousands of times. He knew exactly what he was doing. My task was to simply listen to him and do as he said. Rick was in charge all along.

          As we fell I remembered his words, “Put your feet behind my back.” Then he guided the fall. We looked at Central Michigan and at times saw Houghton Lake, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan!. Then he gave me the signal and I pulled the cord. We suddenly slowed down and then he said, “Now I want you to stand on my feet.” I thought, “OK”, then he said, “lift up your leg and move your harness so it is under your thigh.” I did it with both legs and suddenly I was sitting on a swing under this canopy with an expert on my back. At 5,000 feet above the ground, I felt perfectly safe. Why? Because I knew the teacher, and I believed he was trustworthy.

          And so it with Faith in God. When we choose to believe that he is trustworthy, then we can know peace even when all around us are terrified. On 9-11, one of the poignant scenes is of a couple sitting on the curb while people are running around them praying together. You can know that faith today as well if you will choose to trust God. That Faith will give you peace.

          But faith by itself leads to arrogant fundamentalism. By itself it will soon lead to rules and procedures for all of life. While we must develop a personal relationship with Jesus, a relationship of faith, it can not stop there. Paul not only commended the Colossians for their faith, but also for their

II. And second, their Love for the Saints

          Faith in Christ, when it grows, must by definition result in true love for the saints. And that love begins with genuine concern. How many times have you asked someone, “How are you doing?” and then not really listened to what they said? I know I am guilty. We often let our busyness get in the way of concern. However, with out genuine concern there is no love for the saints.

          But concern without action is useless. James in speaking of the evidence of faith said, “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” Our concern must be accompanied with action. Love is not love if there is no action that demonstrates it.

          And love for one another will result in support for one another. So often, we in the church refuse to support one another. When we first moved to West Virginia, Sheryl, Steve and I lived on a farm. In addition to cattle and pigs, there was a small flock of chickens on this farm. I soon learned that the farmer had to watch the chickens closely because if one of them became sick or was injured or cut, very soon, the other chickens would find the weakness and peck their coop mate to death. It was vicious. But that behavior in chickens is not much different than the behavior Christians often show one another. When one falls, we often do not hesitate to make that one the focus of our gossip. If a person has caused an offense, we quickly let the world know that they are an awful person. Christians have been called one of the only armies that shoot their wounded.

          Love for one another naturally leads to support of one another. When love for the brethren is central, the church becomes a place where the wounded find support and recovery. And those who are struggling with temptation find others who will walk with them.

          One of the marks of the Christian is her love for her sisters and brothers.

          But, Love, by itself, is simply moralism that will not live long. Just as faith requires love to give it life, Love requires Faith to give it purpose.

          But where does this faith and love come from? Paul told the Colossians that their faith and love were

III. And each of these have a source, they are “Springing from the hope stored up for you in heaven.”

          What is that hope? It is the hope that God’s way is the best way. It is the hope, based in God’s revealed history, that God’s way is the way to Peace. It is the hope that God’s way of living and loving and serving is the way that leads to Joy. And it is the hope that in God’s way we find lasting reward for this life and for the next.

          Hurricane Isabel was front-page news in September 2003 as it rampaged through the Middle Atlantic States, coming ashore first in all its fury near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, site of one of America's most famous lighthouses.

          When the storm hit Hatteras, the only road to the outside was destroyed. Oceanfront houses were swept from their cement foundations and dropped elsewhere on the island. One entire hotel was deposited like a soggy cardboard box in the middle of a street. Appliances littered the island. But the lighthouse on the tip of the island remained standing.

That is a picture of our God who will stand firm, who is the source of our hope..

          “Loyalty to Christ may bring trouble here, but that is not the last word. The world may laugh contemptuously at the folly of the way of love, but the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of man. The Christian hope is the confidence that is is better to stake one’s life on God ran to believe the world.”

APP: Do you know that hope? Is that hope the source of your faith and of your love? It can be.