Colossians: Christ the Fountainhead of Life Colossians 1:1-12 Week 1
Have you ever had a great shower? that shower in the morning that just wakes you up and is so refreshing that you didn't want to get out. That shower is refreshing because that shower head is the source to you of wonderful hot water refreshment! Oh yea makes me want to take a shower right now? Just as that shower head is the source of that nice shower, Jesus is the fountainhead like a shower in the morning when your butt is dragging. It gives life it starts me off like wow what a beautifully awakening thing. The gospel is Jesus in his supremacy, his knowledge,many things good or worthy of praise ultimately come from Him, and will return to him as a fragrant offering of praise. He is like the shower head or the fountainhead that awakens us to everything. I am going to do a series on Colossians, and in it I will seek to show you that he is the source of all life. Lets have a look
Objective statement: we all can be deepened in gospel awakedness by seeing and savoring our positional status in Christ the fountainhead of life as seen in Colossians 1:1-14. Or first position in the gospel is...
Position #1. We are GREETED in the Gospel:
I love the German culture of greeting. Every time I talk on the phone with German family or see them they greet me. It is awesome at first I did not know what to do with a greeting, But after a while I learned that they are just thinking about you America is not a culture of greeting and maybe should be. "Gruß Gott" in the south of Germany is a typical greeting it literally means Greet God! What a greeting! The point of sending a greeting is that you know that people are thinking about you. The gospel of Grace and peace means that God himself is thinking about you!!! He is sending His Grace and Peace to you!!! Paul starts off there. You must start off there. You must know that God himself is greeting you!!!
What are the greetings of the gospel. How does the gospel arrive to us?
-Grace to us from God: undeserved, unearned, favor and kindness
-Peace to us from God: that passes all understanding. And in Christ God has made peace between us and God. whereas before there was animosity or wrath, but He has greeted us in the peace of the Gospel through Christ!
His greeting goes...
1) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2) To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Position #2. We are made THANKFUL and AFFECTIONATE in the Gospel
Have you ever noticed how American pop culture is not a culture of affection, but a sort of schizophrenic emotionally backward culture. Every reality show must have at least one emotional breakdown in a tirade, or a weepy mess.
And then when someone has a real emotional moment of compassion, hope, joy, affection, by way of a real emotional response, they are lambasted or at least feel obligated to apologize for their 'unprofessional meltdown. What a double standard! We encourage immature emotional tirades, and handcuff people from real emotional connection. The gospel however is a totally counter-cultural thing. We are freed from emotional dependence and immaturity into a freedom to be truly thankful, and affectionate. Paul is "always" thanking God for the people at Colossae, and expresses a deeply affectionate posture toward them and those involved in their "love in the Spirit"
He writes...
3) We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4) since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5) because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6) which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7) just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8) and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
3. We are QUALIFIED in the gospel:
After Jesus resurrection he tells the women at the grave to go tell his 'brothers' that he is alive and "I ascend to my father and your father"
"Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her." (John 20:15-18 ESV)
Paul describes our Qualifications in the gospel this way...
9) And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10) so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11) May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12) giving thanks to the Father, who has "QUALIFIED YOU" to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13) He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14) in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
QUALIFIED:
G2427: ἱκανόω
Pronounced hik-an-o'-o
to enable, i.e. qualify:--make able (meet)
Because of Christ we are qualified and enabled to become His brother and to share in the complete inheritance that he will enjoy...
Romans 8:17 says "And Since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering"
Because of Christ we are qualified and enabled to become His brother and to share in the complete inheritance that he will enjoy...
Romans 8:17 says "And Since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering"
In closing we see deepened in Gospel awakedness by understanding our positions in the gospel better we are...
1) Greeted by God in the gospel, 2) We are made Thankful and Affectionate in the gospel, and 3) We are Qualified By Christ to stand before God and He gives us everything we need in the gospel. If this were all the gospel that God would have given to us, it alone would be enough However, the extent of the gospel goes, deeper, richer, wider, and higher than we could ever imagine. And so we rest in this little revealed goodness, knowing it is only the tip of the iceberg of the glorious riches in Christ.feel free to respond to His goodness as revealed in the gospel by worshiping with the song below...
