Sermon notes - A Letter in the Shape of a Tree: Colossians
How, When and Why
- The fertile Lycos valley, home to the ancient cities of Hierapolis, Laodicea, and Colossae
- Looking toward the mountains that border the Lycos valley, from the tel of ancient Colossae.
Nearby town of Hierapolis
Image source: wikipedia
The “Colossian heresy”
- A belief system, called a “hollow and deceptive philosophy”(2:8).
- Tradition-based, “depends on human tradition”(2:8, 22).
- Elemental spiritual forces underlie the system (2:8).
- Not Christ-centered, the teaching doesn’t “depend on ... Christ”(2:8).
- Food restrictions and Jewish “holy days” are involved (2:16).
- Ascetic disciplines are encouraged (2:18, 23).
- Paul doesn’t tell us directly what the prpblem was.
- We have to do a kind of “mirror reading” where we look at how the problem is reflected by the letter
- A lot of study has been done to try and re-construct the problem
- Here is a list that someone has come up with:
The “Colossian heresy” cont’d
- Angel worship is central (2:18).
- Visionary experiences are touted (2:18).
- Pride characterizes the proponents (2:18).
- Losing connection with Christ is the result (2:19).
- Rule-keeping is urged (2:20–23).
- It is very interesting that Paul does not spend his time answering the errors, but instead focusses on the truth.
- Most of the information above is from 3 or 4 verses.
- His response is to give a beautifully compact and exquisitely constructed presentation of Jesus and salvation
- He intended it for more than just the Colossians, because at the end he tells them to pass the letter on.
The Message in a Nutshell
The Shape of Colossians
- My original idea for visually representing the shape of the book
- The theology, building up to a point
- Then exanding out into different areas of our lives
Tree and Roots
Image source: pixabay
- A much better idea:
- The first half is the roots
- Comes together in the trunch
- and the second half spreads out and brings fruit
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk in him, rooted and built up in him
and established in the faith (2:6–7)
…bearing fruit and growing (1:6)
Quick overview
From the bottom up:
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4:2–18 Among outsiders
3:18–4:1 In our extented family
3:8–17 Among Christian Community
2:20–3:7 Inner Spiritual life
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2:8–19 Core of the Truth: Union with Jesus
1:24–2:7 How this Truth comes to Us
1:9b-23 Jesus & the Big Picture
1:1–9a This Truth Changes Us
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A. This Truth Changes Us
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1:5 the word of the truth, the gospel,
1:6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing
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B. Jesus & the Big Picture
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1:17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church.
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C. How this Truth comes to Us
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1:27 the greatness of the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
1:28 Him we proclaim
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B. Jesus & the Big Picture
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D. Core of the Truth: Union with Jesus
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2:12 “…buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
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C. How this Truth comes to Us
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B. Jesus & the Big Picture
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- So up to now we have been building the root system
Tree and Roots
Image source: pixabay
- Now, almost exactly in the middle of the letter, he moves on to the fruit
1. Inner Spiritual life 2:20–3:7
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3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
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2. Among Christian Community 3:8–17
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3:14–15 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony… to which indeed you were called in one body.
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1. Inner Spiritual life 2:20–3:7
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3. In our extented family 3:18–4:1
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3:19 Husbands, love your wives…
4:1 Masters, treat your bond-servants justly and fairly…
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2. Among Christian Community 3:8–17
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1. Inner Spiritual life 2:20–3:7
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4. Among outsiders 4:2–18
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4:5–6 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
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3. In our extented family 3:18–4:1
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2. Among Christian Community 3:8–17
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1. Inner Spiritual life 2:20–3:7
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- Think of them as circles going out
- Fruit flows from the inside out
- You can’t go in the other direction
- Right in the very middle we have the pivot point
The Centre 3:1–3
- If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
- Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
- For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
- If something radical has happened to you on the inside—You died and were re-born as Children of God, live accordingly.
- If this is not you today, then I would love to talk with you!
- You are a new creation—that is how you have to live
- In the weeks to come, we’ll look at the root system, and how life flows up into the trunk and brances and brings fruit
Updated on 2016-09-26 by Andrew Fountain
