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Colossians sermons:

Colossians is one of a number of letters written by Paul from his final imprisonment and house arrest in Rome.

Having reached the end of his ministry with time to reflect on priorities, he writes to encourage the young churches he had founded about, what he regards as, important issues they need to face. These are issues that will help them in their development as Christians. They are priorities for him and for them. He focuses on the essentials and distinctives of the Christian message, and he writes to them in their specific situation.

There are two significant backgrounds to this letter.
One is specific, relating to the prevailing influences and tendencies that they were subject to in Colossae. For example, dualism was a philosophy which tended to separate flesh and spirit; the one was seen as imminent and real, the other distant and attainable only through special effort. It removed the spiritual from any tangible, concrete manifestation or existence. The thinking was that there is the real world, which can be seen, touched, handled, etc, and the ‘unreal’ one which is distant, mystical, and virtually out of reach except by specialised approaches. It seemed to have no bearing on the immediate and concrete. God was far away, intangible and remote. Against this, Paul emphasizes the reality of the tangible and physical as expressions of spiritual life. God was real in the Incarnate Christ.
This esoteric tendency also meant that a prevalent view divorced conduct from belief. Paul counters this.
The second general background refers to the chronological context of the church. It had grown and developed and was spreading its influence in a world full of secular ideas and strange practices. That applied to all the New Testament churches, each of which had to maintain their witness in an alien environment. Now, with the novelty worn off, there were real struggles to maintain a balanced and uncontaminated stance.

For his part, Paul was at the end of his earthly life. He could say later to Timothy “I have run the race” and so there was a degree of urgency that this, probably his last communication with them, should be pertinent and focused. His overriding concern is to highlight the spiritual principles that will help them serve and survive. Here he magnifies the gospel with its presentation of the fulness and adequacy of God’s provision and the responsibility to ‘seek those things which are above’ and to be permeated with the life of God. The substance is in Christ; and the secret is “Christ in you – the hope of glory”

These two backgrounds - of distracting influences and focused message - make this book of great significance to us in these days. And, so we go on to look at what it has to say, both to the Colossians at that time, and to us today.

1. We thank God for you 1:1-14
2. Thank God for Christ 1:15-23
3. Following Christ 1:24-29
4. Through Many Dangers 1 2:1-7
5. Through Many Dangers 2 2:8-15
6. Through many Dangers 3 2:15-23
7. Higher Things 1 3:1-11
8. Higher Things 2 3:12-17
9. Down to Earth 1 3:18-21
10. Down to Earth 2 3:22-4:1
11. Living it out 1 4:2-6
12. Living it out 2 4:7-18

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