The All Sufficiency of Christ

In one paragraph

Pastor John opened the first sermon in a new series on Colossians, walking through the opening fourteen verses of the letter. He spent time on the background of the city and the people Paul was writing to, and then worked through Paul's greeting, his grateful prayer, his petition for the Colossians, and the provision God has made in Christ. Before getting into the text, Pastor John covered the...

Read together

1. Colossians 1:1-2 Paul's greeting identifying himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus, with Timothy, to the saints at Colossae, offering grace and peace
2. Colossians 1:3-4 Paul giving thanks to God when praying for the Colossians, having heard of their faith in Christ Jesus and their love for all the saints
3. Colossians 1:5-6 hope laid up in heaven, the gospel bearing fruit and increasing in all the world as among the Colossians since they heard and understood the grace of God
4. Colossians 1:7-8 Epaphras described as a faithful minister of Christ who made known the Colossians' love in the Spirit
5. Colossians 1:9-12 Paul's petition that they be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, walking worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit, strengthened according to His glorious might, with endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father who qualified them
6. Colossians 1:13-14 God delivering believers from the domain of darkness and transferring them to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins
7. Romans 3:10 quoted briefly to support that no one is righteous and no one deserves God's love
8. Acts 1:8 referenced to illustrate the gospel going from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts, with Colossae as an example of that outward reach
9. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 briefly referenced to note that the will of God for believers is their sanctification
10. Colossians 3:12-14 read as a closing scripture charge about clothing yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love

Talk about it

1. The pastor described the 'Colossian philosophy' as a mix of folk belief, distorted Judaism, and Christianity that caused people to question whether Christ alone was enough. Where do you see similar pressures today that tempt us to add something to Christ, as if faith in him is not quite sufficient on its own?
2. The pastor talked about superstition and the feeling that a bad run of circumstances means you must not be living right. Have you ever caught yourself thinking that way, and how does the gospel push back against that instinct?
3. Paul writes that the gospel is 'bearing fruit and increasing' across the world even as it recedes in parts of North America. What does that reality stir up in you, and how does it shape the way you think about your own role in passing the gospel along?
4. The pastor walked through Paul's petition in Colossians 1 that believers would be filled with the knowledge of God's will, walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, and be strengthened according to God's glorious might rather than their own effort. Which part of that petition feels most personal or most needed in your life right now, and why?
5. The pastor said the exclusivity of the gospel is what people most often push back on, yet he also called it 'incredibly inclusive' because it is open to whosoever would believe. How do you hold those two things together when the conversation comes up with someone who struggles with it?