Colossians:3:1-4: “Walking Out Our Risen Life”

Colossians:3:1-4: “Walking Out Our Risen Life”

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023

RECAP: So going back to the beginning of this letter, at the time he wrote it, Paul was imprisoned in Rome. He’s in the worst and most infamous prison in the whole city. It’s an awful place: diseased, rat-infested, sewage and waste everywhere, locked up with the worst of the worst as far as criminals go, very little light, only foul air to breathe, hotter than you can imagine, chained up and laying on stone day after day, and awaiting execution. And he’s visited by a man named Epaphras who oversees the church in Colossae which was relatively  close to Ephesus. And Epahras explains what’s been happening with the believers there, how they’ve grown, how they’ve shown their love for one another, and how much work the Lord has done in them. And then he tells Paul the reason for his visit. That a number of false teachers have made their way into the church and they were teaching things that threatened to undo all of the great work that’s been done in these people’s lives through Christ. And though there were a number of important issues that needed to be dealt with, at the heart of this false teaching were these attacks on both the Deity of Christ and His complete sufficiency in salvation. And the arguments that these false teachers were making were not only persuasive. To the point that the believers in Colossae were all twisted up and confused about WHAT to believe. And the gospel hung in the balance. It needed to be addressed and Epaphras desperately needed help and he found it in Paul. 

So here’s Paul in the very worst of circumstances, in the worst conditions, and he doesn’t just wave Epaphras off and say “Look where I’m at dude”. I’m so sorry that the believers in your church are confused. Be a better teacher. Tell them to grow up. No. Paul doesn’t say any of that. Just the opposite. He cares so much for these people – people by the way that he’s never even met – that he writes this very loving, very encouraging letter to them in order that they be built up and that they hold fast to the truths that they’ve been taught. 

And if you were here when we began, back in Chapter 1 of this letter, Paul starts out immediately with thanks to God for the faith and love that the Colossians were showing one another, and he noted that they were able to do that because of the living hope that was laid up for them. The PRESENT living hope they have in Christ. Not JUST the future hope. But the Hope that is available to them NOW.