Rooted in Christ, the Way, the Truth, the Life
First B Jackson
2026-11-08

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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That we need to prop the paragraph before. So, last week was two paragraphs. This week's the whole book of Colossians. Preaching with balance, you know, take a little bit. Today is gonna be a lot but Colossians has the grounding.

It has the grounding for everything that it instructs us to do, okay? Last week, we started off with the conductor cells in such a a way and then went just zoned in on the the household codes and I didn't go all biblical scholar on it. Just let it sit with you and I had a lot of reports back that man, that was good for us. We needed that reset. I got a few stragglers that were like, no, missed it.

Worst sermon you've ever done. I did, honestly. Think that the wisdom that is in Colossians is very, very, very helpful for us in the way that we live our everyday lives. Three one through 17, if we just meditated on that all the time, we'd be much better off but it requires the grounding of chapter one and chapter two. So, I'm gonna get to the end and yes, it's mostly greetings.

It's a lot of people's names that we barely pronounce and we don't know much about but here we go. Quick review. So, Colossians one. Oh, so good for us. Now, also defending myself right now.

Originally, they would have read this whole letter. Okay? So, they would have gotten all of it. One through four, all of it, all at the same time and then afterwards, they would have talked about it. I'm glad y'all are talking about it after.

Keep on doing that. Get together and discuss what it means but here we go. I'm going to just review the white slides and then we're going to go into the new stuff and the black slides. For this reason, we also, since the day we heard about it, since the day we heard that y'all had accepted the gospel, we have not ceased praying for you. Prayer is really really important in the Christian life.

Communicating with God. Yeah. Tell em what you want. Tell em what's bothering you. All that stuff but listen for what he says back, right?

There's a lot that he has to say back. We haven't ceased praying for you and what are we praying? Asking that you would be filled with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you'll walk in a manner that's worthy of the Lord. To please him in all respects and be bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. It's already mentioned knowledge twice.

Like, get this. It really matters. The content of what's going on is really important. Some of y'all are in an academic phase right now where you're sucking it up and you're taking inscription. You're really learning a lot.

Praise God for that. The knowledge of God. Strengthen with power. According to God's glorious might for the attaining of all perseverance and patience. That's a theme here.

Joyously giving thanks to the father. He's the one who's qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints of the light. Now, he rescued us from the domain of darkness and he transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son. Was it because of stuff you did? No.

Go back to Ephesians if you want to be sure, alright? It's not works. You didn't do anything to deserve it. He's leaning forward with grace and when you recognize that mercy and that grace and that love and that kindness that has said, the agape was available to you and he's leaning forward towards you with grace. He rescued us from the domain of darkness.

He transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have redemption. That is the forgiveness of sins. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God but the gift of God. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That's God demonstrating his love to us.

Now, he, Jesus, is the image of the invisible God, the first of all creation, firstborn of all creations. Firstborn, Primo, he is not born, not created, but it's a setting up a rhetorical device. He's the firstborn of all creation. For by him, all things are created both in heavens and on earth. He's the agent of creation.

Go back to John one one and John one one happens before Genesis one one. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God and everything that was created was created through him. That's Jesus. That's who we're talking about. This is the highest, what some of the highest Christology in the whole Bible.

For by him, Jesus, all things were created both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him and they are all for him. He's before all thing and him all things hold together. He, Christ, is also the head of the body. This is a rhetorical vice of the son of. He's the firstborn of creation.

He's the beginning. He's the firstborn from the dead. Amen. So that he himself will come to have first place in everything. This is another memory verse that nobody memorizes but get it.

It's good. Christ is the head of this body. Not just this body, this body, capital c church. There should be unity within the body of Christ. If he's the head, all of us are part of that.

He's beginning first form from the dead. He has to come to have first place in everything. Let all other affiliations go. He has to have first place in everything. For it was the father's good pleasure.

For all of the fullness of Pleroma of the godhead to dwell in him and through him to be reconciling all things to himself whether things on earth or things in heaven having made peace through the blood of his cross. Jesus is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. This is what it's saying.

He is the way that God is reconciling. I hate that it sounds exclusive. You know what? It is exclusive. He's the way, the truth, the life.

He has made all of the steps necessary for you to have eternal life. He has made peace through the blood of his cross now. Will you take it or will you reject it? Although you're previously and this is a book to Christians now. I just went all evangelistic there for just a second but this is a book to Christians, alright?

It's mainly to people who already know Jesus and so, although y'all were all previously alienated and hostile in your attitude and engaged in evil deeds, yet he has now reconciled you in his body of flesh through death in order to present you before him. Holy and blameless. Do you feel homely? Homely. I feel homely.

Lord. Yeah. I feel homely right now. Do you feel holy? Though you were not holy, he's called you holy by the blood of Christ.

Blameless. Oh, there are so many things this week that I thought, I'm the one. That was me. I did that. Blameless is what he's presenting us.

Before God, holy and blameless before God. He's reconciled you in his body of flesh through death in order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach if indeed you continue in the faith. Firmly establish. This is one of those place where it says, in the faith, not your faith. So, it's again, exclusive.

You can't just smorgasbord your religion. I like a little of this and a little of that. I'll hang my prayer flags and I'll also do a little bit of asceticism that helps. Doesn't that help? Oh, God's God.

I appreciate it if I just kinda beat myself up. No. The faith is in Christ alone. Yet, he has now reconciled you all. In his body, a flesh through death, in order to present y'all before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.

If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you've heard which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. For I want y'all to know how great a struggle I have in your behalf and those who are at Laodicea and for all of those who have not personally seen my face. Paul, can't be everywhere at one time. The Holy Spirit can. Paul trust the Holy Spirit to already be at work in Laodicea.

He trust the Holy Spirit to be at work in Colossi. He he trust that God, like he said to the Philippians, who began a good work in you is going to complete it till the day of Christ Jesus. He's just trying to do his part. I want y'all to know what a great struggle I have on your behalf and for all of those in Laodicea, those that have not personally seen my face, never been there before, that their hearts may be encouraged. Having been knit together in love that they would attain to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding.

I want people to get this. It it does have something to do with what you know because we do what we do until we do better, and we only do better when we know better and we still miss it sometimes, alright? Hold on to that. That their hearts may be encouraged having been knit together and loved that they would attain to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery. Now, last week, I hit the mystery of Christ and I did not go into it in great detail.

The mystery of Christ, there does not have to be a way but Christ is that way, okay? There doesn't have to be a way. It's grace. If anybody gets saved, it's the grace of God and he has made this mystery known. Now, in the time of Paul, he's a great student of the Old Testament, great scholar, had been trained well, knew it well, understood it well, he thought.

He knew the intricacies of the Old Testament very, very, very well. But he was wrong in his conclusions Until he met Jesus and when he met Jesus, it became all about Jesus and it came into perfect clarity and focus and that was the mystery which for ages past had been hidden and now is revealed. That's the mystery. Christ himself, the anointed one, the one that reconciles God and man. Therefore, this is the hinge of the whole book, I think.

Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus, the Lord and what was that? By faith, right? It was by faith. Just as you have received Christ Jesus, the Lord by faith. So, be walking in him.

So, be walking in faith in him. Having been firmly rooted and now being built up in him and established in your faith just as you were instructed and overflowing with gratitude. Man, what a miserable life that was and what an amazing life this is. And then, yeah, heaven everlasting is our reward but the everlasting life begins now. Okay.

Overflowing with gratitude that that's the case. See to it and some people just see this and go, this is what the whole book's about right here. Think the whole book's about Jesus. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy, empty deception, in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with just elementary principles of the world. The world's way and God's way are different ways.

Jesus is countercultural in every culture. In accordance with the elementary principles of war rather than in accordance with Christ. For in him, Christ, this is second time it says this, all of the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. If that's possible in Christ by the spirit of God, it is possible for you to walk in holiness, walking after him. I'm not a absolute perfectionism person.

Don't get me wrong but it is possible to walk in holiness, following after Christ, by his spirit and all humility. 12 through 17. Mentioned this last week. Put all the little words on one page because this is the grounding. This is where the rubber hits the road.

So then, all of those of y'all who have believed have been chosen of God. Though you were not holy, you are holy by the blood of Christ. You are beloved. I had three different people come to me this week and say, I think God is angry with me. I said, tell me why but I think God loves you.

Now, if you're walking against him and you're walking in the ways of the world, yeah, he's saying, turn around. There's an old story about Billy Sunday, the evangelist and he said, he was very adamant about the exclusivity. He should have been but he was very adamant about Christ being the only way and there were a lot of folks who said to him, Billy, Billy is my dad's name too. I've heard this a lot. Billy, you're rubbing the cat's fur the wrong way.

You can't do that. You're rubbing the cat's fur the wrong way. He said, well, the cat is headed towards hell. If the cat would turn around, I'd be rubbing his fur the right way. So, as those who've been chosen of God, holy and beloved, be putting on a heart.

This is like putting on a garment. Now, just before this, it says what to take off and you can go back and read that on your own. It's not long. Be putting on a heart of compassion and of kindness and of humility and of gentleness and of patience and be bearing with one another and be forgiving each other. Whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, you must do that also and in addition to all these things put on agape love which is others focused, self effacing, willing to take the hit yourself because right here it says, just as the Lord forgave you.

In Ephesians, it says, just as the Lord God in Christ has forgiven you. So, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We have to be willing to take the hit step forward. They might not ask for it but from us, they still should get it, okay? If we're doing what God says, he says, leave room for me.

He says, leave room for me. You forgive. Have you ever seen two young and fighting and the mom and dad are right there and they said, listen, doesn't matter what he does, you're supposed to be forgiven it. Even if they're still agitating you. You're still supposed to be forgiven them.

Bearing with one another, forgiving each other. Whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so much, you must do also. In addition to all these things, be putting on love which is in itself the perfect bond. Here it is again, unity. Praise God.

There are folks from all kinds of different backgrounds in this room. Praise God. May we bring everyone together under the headship of Christ, all of us to working together And let the peace of Christ to which you were indeed called into one body. There it is again, unity. Rule in your hearts and be thankful.

And word of Christ dwell richly here. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you with all wisdom and teaching and admonishing one another. Oh, by at the beginning, wisdom and teaching, yeah, great. Admonishing, I'm thankful. I'm I'm absolutely thankful when somebody says, you missed that one.

Blew it. Don't all of you do it. Please, it wants to kill me but I'm just saying, if you think I missed it, tell me. It's fine. Admonish.

That's great. Admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Now, whatever it is that you do, whether it's in word or deed, we used to be service missionaries like building schools for the deaf and then to be moved into this where we're doing it in word, not deed. Oh.

It's the worst. Golly. But it's not the worst. Whatever you do in word or deed, whatever it is, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. Giving thanks through him to God the father.

Okay. That brings us up to chapter four. There's there's the household code I went over last week. Go listen to it if you want to. I might come back to it next week.

Devote yourselves to prayer. Prayer is important. He's already said that multiple times in this book. Devote yourselves to prayer and keep alert in it with an attitude of Thanksgiving. If you find yourself and you're saying, oh Lord God, everything is terrible all the time.

Do that with an attitude of Thanksgiving. You can't. Lord, thank you God that you are the restraining of evil. Thank you Lord God that you are the one that leads us as we look to you for guidance. Thank you that we have been removed from the kingdom of darkness and we're walking in the kingdom of light.

Lord God, show me who you want me to tell next. Devote yourselves to prayer. Keep an alert with an attitude of thanksgiving. Praying at the same time for all of us as well. Paul and his running buddies that God will open to us a door for the word so that we may proclaim what?

The mystery of Christ. I don't know how it works. That's a mystery but it works. Proclaim it. Christ is the answer.

So that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ. Oh yeah, that's why I'm in jail. For which I have been imprisoned that I may make it clear in the way that I ought to proclaim it. Now, y'all, it's crazy world out there. Conduct yourselves with wisdom towards outsiders and be making the most of every opportunity.

There's an urgency to the gospel. I I had a a guy that used to call me regularly from a downtown big major metropolitan area. Every time he called me, he was surrounded by sirens and he would say, man, they're dying and they don't know Jesus and it really really got to him. It really bothered him. But just like, you know, he went to the city because that's where the people are.

Just like bank robbers go to the banks because that's where the money is. Right? Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders and be making the most of every opportunity. Your speech must be always be with grace as though seasoned with salt. We think of salty language a little differently.

This is a good kind of salty language. Okay? Seasoned with grace, with unmerited favor. Meeting somebody on common ground, even if they're wrong in a lot of aspects, you probably have some common ground with them. So, approach em with grace.

Paul always starts his letters with grace and peace. If we'd start our conversations with grace and peace, we'd go a lot further with people, I promise. As though season was salt that you will know how to... That you should respond to each person. And here we are.

That brings us to today's text. As to all my affairs, this is closing of the letter, likely written in 6162. Some people think it was in the fifties from Ephesus. I think it was in '61 or '62 from prison in Rome, first Roman in prison. As as to all my affairs, Tichicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond servant in the Lord, Tichicus is going to be carrying this letter.

He will bring you information. Not just the written letter, Colossians that he's carrying but he'll answer all your questions too. I trust him. I know what he's doing. He's already told us about Tichicus before in other books.

For I have sent him, Tichicus, to you for this very purpose. I want for you to know about our circumstances and so that he may encourage your hearts. I don't want for you to get so glum about things. The gospel is going forward. As he said to the Philippians, the whole Praetorian guard knows about him because I've been in prison.

And with Tichicus is Onesimus. This is the first time we've heard of Onesimus by name. With him is Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother. That's how he describes him. Our faithful and beloved brother.

Now, is, in fact, a runaway slave. He's one of your own. He's a runaway slave who ran away from Colossi and he's with Paul in Rome. Okay? And he's going back to Colossi.

The the I forget the name of what they call it in the history books. Tubman. The the you didn't see people, the underground railroad. There it goes. Underground railroad.

I'm thinking first century not last century. So, two centuries. Good gracious. You didn't see people going the other direction a lot. He's saying, Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, believer in Jesus.

He's coming. He's one of y'all's own. Now, they, Tichicus and Onesimus, will inform you about the whole situation here. Now, Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, send you his greetings. I'm lighting up all the people's names if you hadn't noticed, okay?

It's all about people. It's all about Jesus and it's all about people. What's the motto of this church? It's with all we are, loving what? God and loving people.

Through Christ, that's the only way. Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, he sends you his greetings and also Barnabas' cousin Mark. Barnabas and Mark, they're showing up. First missionary journey, Barnabas is there. Mark's there.

Mark retreats, goes back. Second missionary journey. Hey, let's get on back to those churches and encourage him and Paul's and Barnabas says, let's take Mark with us again. Give him another chance. And Paul says, no.

I'm not going with that deserter. No. Sharp disagreement, they split ways. Oh my goodness. And now here we are.

In prison, he's thinking, hey, Barnabas' cousin Mark is sending you his greetings. Now, you received instruction about him. If he comes to him, welcome him. I'm sure word had gotten around that Paul thought he was a deserter and he say, no, no, no, no, no. Welcome Mark.

Bring him in. Bring him back in. Treat him well. Also, Jesus who is called Justice. Jesus was a common name.

Joshua's common name back then who's called Justice to keep him from being Jesus Christ. Jesus called Justice. Now, these guys are only a the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision. So, these are Jewish background believers. They have proved to be an encouragement to me.

Now, some of what he's saying to the Colossians has been about Judaizers coming in and he's saying, watch out for the Judaizers and he's he's saying, but these guys are from the circumcision and they get it. They understand it and they're sending their greetings. They proved to be an encouragement to me. Epaphras, Gentile believer, who is one of your own from Colossi. He's a bond servant of Jesus Christ, a slave of Jesus Christ, Dulos.

He sends you his greetings, always striving earnestly for you and his prayers. What's he praying? That you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. That sounds like what Paul was praying for the Colossians two. Epaphras is praying the same for him.

That's what I'm praying for y'all. That's what I'm praying for me. That you get it and you stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. Eleventh step of the 12. So good.

We have come to this place of knowing and seeing that by we've sought to improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation asking only for his will for our lives and the power to carry it out. That's right there in that last verse that you may stand mature, fully assured, and all the will of God. Knowing what his will is for you and the power to carry it out. For I testify for Epaphras that he has a deep concern for you and not just for you but also those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Now, if you're looking at Southwest Turkey in the time of Paul, you can see Ephesus.

He spent a long time in Ephesus, like three years in Ephesus. But he didn't get to Colossian. He didn't get to Hieropus that looks like or Laodicea and so those that had not seen his face is who he's been praying for and it's not that far. Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings and Demus does also. Demus, Demus, we don't hear a whole lot about.

We have one other place in the Bible where Demus is mentioned and it's right here in second Timothy. He probably hasn't written this yet. I'm not sure. Maybe. Probably.

Make every effort to come to me soon, Timothy. For Demus, having loved this present world has deserted me. And he's gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia, only Luke is with me. Take along Mark, same Mark, and bring him with you for he's useful for service.

Hey, where it's blast and demus, it's also accepted Mark. But Paul is a real person. He has feelings. Greet the brothers and sisters who are in Laodicea and also greet Nympha, this woman's name, and the church that meets in her house. Now when this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans, and you for your part, read my letter that's coming from Laodicea.

That letter coming from Laodicea. Have you all ever heard of Laodiceans one through seven? No. Probably not. But a lot of people believe that that's probably Ephesians.

I don't know. Could be lost. Might have said some stuff too salty for us. Who knows? But a lot of people think that that's Ephesians, a cyclical letter.

It would kind of make sense. You know, Romans is a theological masterpiece and Ephesians is a shorter theological masterpiece. That may have been the letter to the Laodiceans. And he may want to flesh out even further some of the stuff. Colossians is a pretty short book.

So he's saying, hey, read this. Have them read this, and then y'all read the one I sent to them. Okay? Now, tell Archippus, see to the ministry which you have received in the Lord so that you may fulfill it. I started to just put a a blank right there.

I think what Paul would be praying for each and every one of us is, hey, see to it. The ministry which you have received in the Lord, you would be able to fulfill it. That's pretty good and then the last verse is, I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. He tempted to have an amanuensis or scribe that would scribble down his letters as fast as he could get em out And then at the end, he would sign off on his own hand in big writing. I write this greeting with my own hand.

Remember my imprisonment. He's already said it was worthwhile. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you. He ends with grace again.

Oh, so beautiful. So, useful takeaways from Colossians. The whole book of Colossians but Colossians four, I think nails them again. A lot of times in your closing, you wrap up what it's all about. So, pray earnestly, people.

Pray earnestly. It's really really important to be diligent in prayer. Paul was and all his running buddies were. There is an inherent urgency to the gospel. There are sirens.

There is an urgency to the folks who are living around us and there's an inherent urgency to the gospel. It is the way. Act wisely therefore. So, act with wisdom and it's not self importance. It's trying to be wise, making the most of every opportunity is a good way of looking at that.

Conducting yourself with wisdom among outsiders because you can cause people to reject your message immediately because of the way that you're acting. You can do that. So let's try not to do that. Act wisely. Be gracious.

Freely, freely, you have received. Freely, freely give. And be getting after it. I mean, how many people were running around all over Southwest Turkey and all over the world? Getting after it.

You might not agree with everybody all the time. That's a possibility. But, you know, be well grounded. Nowhere it's rooted. It's rooted in Christ, author, perfector of our faith, rooted in Christ.

He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. He's the one. Because of him, you're removed from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light.

It's all because of Jesus. We're alive as the song says. Cultivate unity. Do everything you can to find common ground. Yes, there are bridges too far.

Yes. But we ain't in a lot of danger of that. As Baptist, excuse me. Okay. Cultivate unity.

Do what you can to be reaching out and bringing people right there gathered around Jesus and singing his praises and then don't shoot the wounded. Mark, he did desert him. We don't know why And he said, bring him to me. He's useful for ministry. Y'all welcome him.

Make sure to welcome him. Onesimus, runaway slave. By Roman law could have been killed. Right? And Paul sent in a letter back with him to the slave owner.

And he's expecting big things from Philemon. We'll get to that later. And then Demas. Yeah. Don't shoot the wounded.

They're still on this. We're all flawed people. I think that Mark and Onesimus and Demas would really appreciate if we would not shoot the wounded. There are a lot of people who've had failures that come back from those failures much much stronger for the kingdom and with a greater sense of humility and of the lost. What would it be like if I did not have Jesus?

Oh, it's all because of Jesus. I'm alive. Would y'all get the band back up here? Did you, did you grab a string? No.

Would y'all stand with us? I think we're going to sing Amazing Grace Because really, it's the grace of God. It's the grace of God available in Christ and he is the way. He is the truth. He is the life.

If you want to talk to me, I'm here and I'll quit playing the bass and step down and talk to you. I'm also here all week and I'll talk to you then but can I pray for just a second? Lord God almighty, I pray that you would impress upon us with all of that just word salad that I threw out there just then. That you would fortify us. That we would understand it.

That we would understand the deep well that we draw from. That we'd understand the foundation that we're built upon and that we would get it lord. That we would get it together too. That we would all get it. In Jesus name, I pray for every church in this valley and beyond.

Lord, I pray that they'd be drawn into the center of your will, for the knowledge of your will, the power to carry it out. May we be doing it in Jesus name.