Platonists And Judaizers In The Sheepfold - [Colossians]

Was afraid that he would either do one of two things that he would either forget everything he was going to

say or that he would say everything he had learned in four years of seminary in the first

six minutes and.

So he asked the pastor who was an experienced very experienced preacher he asked him You know,

what shall I do if I get up there and I forget everything?

That I was going to say in.

And the pastor said just you you know, you have the scripture verse you're going to use.

Just say that to yourself over and it'll all come back to you and you'll be able to preach.

So He got up in the pulpit all of the singing was done

and the offering had been taken and all of that stuff and he looked out over the congregation and

it was just jello and He couldn't remember a thing that he was going to say and

so he He said kind of like this Behold I come quickly.

That was the passage.

He was going to use behold.

I come quickly and then he looked back at the congregation and

nothing.

So he took a step back and he said behold I come quickly looked at the

congregation.

Nothing.

So he took two or three steps back.

And said behold I come quickly and as he did he stepped toward the pulpit, but he tripped right here and he did

a Somersault over the pulpit and he landed right in the lap of a little old lady that

was sitting right here in the first Pew and he said home.

I'm so sorry and he got up.

It's dusting himself off.

She said that's okay young man.

You warned me three times and I wouldn't move.

So you guys here in the you guys here in the first rows you've been

warned, all right.

Well, you probably thought we were going to have an audio -visual extravaganza this morning and we were

except the technology Changes, you know, I have a

dumb phone a lot of you have smartphones and I have a laptop computer that has

only one output on an HDMI like you put into your flat -screen television and

our projector here has only a VGA and so the two will not combine and so

we're gonna have to do some visualizing this morning as We look at the book of

Colossians.

They always ask me for a title and that's always a Man what is the title?

The title is Colossians 1.

Okay.

No, but so I've called this Platonists and Judaizers in

the sheepfold and I want to look at the church and at Colossi.

This morning as we get there and then next week We're going to be together and we'll kind of wrap

it up with just exactly what the problem was there.

And what the blessing was there and Colossi.

So if you will turn to Acts chapter 18.

That's where the story of the church at Colossi begins.

Or a scroll down if you have one of those

Tablets, you know one of the things with you guys with the tablets that are always scrolling down.

You're not gonna know whether Daniel got eaten in the lion's den Before Paul fell off the ship and

got bit by a snake.

Because it all just scrolls by you at least in the book.

You kind of have an idea of Where things happen?

Even though it's not totally chronological, but if that's all right, if you're a tablet person, we

understand we understand.

All right I've been

Trying to get over the end of this cold this week, and so let's ask

the Lord to help me.

Keep my thoughts coherent so that you don't all fall asleep.

All right Heavenly Father.

We're grateful for your word.

We pray now as we look at the Church at Colossi and all that went on there and in that part of the

world.

At this time we pray that you would bless our hearts.

That you would encourage our hearts that you would encourage us with the depth of your word and

The breadth of your word and the scope of it all and we pray that you would help us to apprehend a

little more The great salvation that has been obtained for us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's in his name.

We pray this morning and at this time might glorify him.

We ask in his name.

Amen.

Now you're gonna have to do a little visualizing can you all see this map of the Mediterranean up here?

Okay over here.

Over here is Italy.

Like that got that.

Over here is Israel and all of that part of the Mediterranean Sea that that

is there at the far Western End of

the Mediterranean Sea and up here is Asia Minor.

Okay, and then over here would be Greece and all of that.

You got that.

Just keep that right in your eye.

That's what was gonna be on the screen this morning.

But you're gonna have to do it yourself if you have a Bible with you.

It's one of these books.

Okay, if you have a Bible with you.

You can turn in the back of it and I don't know if the pew Bibles have these or not but there might be a

map that shows Paul's second missionary journey and.

That's where we're going to pick up the story of the Colossians and you say that are they is that a pew

Bible?

It's not a pew Bible.

Okay.

That's where we're going to pick up the story of the Colossians.

It's always good for us to get context probably you have heard pastor Mike say 138

times context context context context.

But the context is not only in this in the text that comes before and comes after a

particular passage.

The context is the context of culture and we're going to be talking about that during these two

weeks.

It's the context of geography and that's on the map that you see before you here.

Okay, and it's the context of history.

And if you get those contexts right you can place what you're doing right at the right place.

I read recently that Millennials we don't want to mention any names here, but their initials are

20s and 30 -somethings.

Okay that Millennials believe that history began with their birth.

And I want you to know if you are if you are In that state

of mind we want to disabuse you of that.

There are a couple of things that happened before you arrived on the scene that actually are important.

Okay, and so we're going to look at some of those as it relates to the church at Colossi

this morning.

Asia Minor.

Asia Minor you want to keep that Asia Minor and in in mind up here, okay?

As we look at this Paul has left on his second missionary journey from Antioch.

From Antioch.

Gone all over here Greece and so on we get down to the 18th 17th and 18th chapters of Acts.

Paul is in Athens where he does the great Sermon there on Mars Hill, and then he goes to

Corinth and in the Apostle Paul's inimitable style.

He preaches there in Corinth for a while.

Quite a while, and then there is a riot, and he gets beat up and thrown out of town and

that was Paul's evangelistic style many times.

But when he leaves Corinth, then he heads off.

Heading back toward Jerusalem first and then to Antioch to the church that he's going to report to.

Because they are the sending church.

Let us be reminded this morning that it is churches that send missionaries.

Missionaries are not lone rangers that just go on their own someplace to deliver the gospel.

Churches send missionaries.

It's been that way since day one of any missionary enterprise and

Paul was one of those missionaries and he's on his way back to Antioch to report to the church at

Antioch when we come to chapter 18 the end of chapter

18.

After Paul has been beaten up and thrown out of Corinth.

It says verse 18 after this Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers set

sail for Syria Antioch and With him Priscilla and Aquila at Sen Cree.

He had his hair.

He had cut his hair for he was under a vow and they came to Ephesus to Ephesus.

That's an important feature now of not only of this.

This episode that we're going to look about at here.

But it is an important feature in the progress of the gospel.

From this time on the book of Colossians the book of Colossians is written about a d

6062 something like that from the time of from that time

on Asia Minor assumes a great Deal more

influence in the outreach of the gospel and then in the progress of the gospel.

Then it has up to this time.

In any case Paul comes to Ephesus.

I'm sure some of you maybe many of you have been to Ephesus with pastor Mike.

Stick your hand up if you have been.

It's kind of a little it's an inland city now, isn't it?

But at this time it was on the coast because the the Sea had not

filled in around it and it was the great import -export City of Asia Minor

present -day Turkey at that time.

Paul comes to Ephesus.

It's a major Cosmopolitan city.

Perhaps more than a million people in that city.

Rivaling even Rome in its population and in the things that are there and it

is a major place for reasons.

Which we will get into he comes to Ephesus.

And Then he does what he usually does.

He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

That's how Paul always started.

He went to the synagogue.

He talked with the Jews about Jesus the Messiah and preached him to them.

They usually got mad threw him out of the synagogue and he went somewhere else.

But he didn't have time to do that on this trip.

Yeah.

He was there just a little while and they asked him to stay a longer period.

He declined.

Why.

Because he was on his way back to the church at Antioch first to Jerusalem then to the church at Antioch.

Where he would report what had happened on his second outing as a cross -cultural missionary.

But on taking leave of them.

He said I will return to you if God wills and he set sail from Ephesus.

Now skip over to chapter 19.

He goes to Jerusalem.

He goes to Antioch.

It reports all that's happened at Antioch.

And it happened.

That while Paul and Paulus was at Corinth and some time goes on here between chapters

18 and 19.

It's a while.

While Apollos who we didn't read about was at Corinth Paul Passed through the

inland country some translations say through the upper country.

In other words, he didn't get on a boat this time and head back now.

Let's look at our map.

He did not get on a boat over here at Antioch and head back across the Mediterranean.

Toward Greece and so on instead.

He went overland over the upper country and He went on the roads that

roughly parallel and if you're looking at a map, you'll see the meander River.

Down there on that map in what is present -day Turkey Asia Minor so he

went overland and he went overland for a purpose and The purpose that he went overland for was

to get back to Ephesus.

He had told them he was coming back if the Lord will and That's how he

starts his third missionary journey going overland to arrive at the city of Ephesus.

And the story of John's disciples is there we're not going to read that this morning for time's sake.

And Paul he Paul entered the synagogue at Ephesus and for three months spoke loud

boldly.

Reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God but When some

became stubborn and continued in unbelief speaking evil of the way before the congregation.

You notice that translation there.

Christianity there is called the way Christians were first called Christians at

Antioch and it was a term of derision.

All right, you say well why was it a term of derision.

It was a term of derision because of politicians.

When the Emperor would come to town.

In fact Judy and I just looked at a deal at a documentary about Henry the eighth.

You know in Henry the eighth traveled around England he had 800 people with him.

All the time all trying to get something out of Henry the eighth.

You notice when our politicians travel along to speak especially in the age of television.

There's always a bunch of smiling clapping folks right

behind them.

Nobody in opposition and so on.

When Caesar would come to town in a in in New Testament times and in times

before that he would also have the entourage with him and

They would clap and cheer and smile and all of that stuff that we see even today and they were

called Little Caesars Caesareans.

Okay Little Caesars and that was the guys that clapped and smiled and shouted and said oh how

wonderful he is.

So on and so forth.

We have the same thing today, of course.

So when they said at Antioch these followers of the way are

Christians.

They were saying these are just the people that yell and stamp and shout and cheer for Jesus.

Who we know is dead.

Even though they keep talking about his resurrection and it was a term of ridicule.

Oh, you are what you guys you Christians you are the clapping seals for Jesus.

That's what that came down to but here it's translated followers of the way some became

stubborn continued an unbelief.

Speaking evil of the way before the congregation.

He withdrew from them and took the disciples with him reasoning daily in the Hall of Tyrannus.

This continued for two years.

So he's in Ephesus the second time the first time he's only there a week or two.

The second time he's there at least three months and two years something may be longer.

Okay, that's important.

So keep that in your mind there will be a quiz at the end of this hour.

All right, never mind.

I'm not gonna do that.

This continued for two years so that all now watch it all the residents of Asia

Heard the word of the Lord both Jews and Greeks now get the picture.

Paul is here lecturing Daily presumably in the Hall of Tyrannus a kind of a lecture hall.

Affair he's there teaching all the time and the testimony of the scripture is that all of

Asia heard the gospel.

Because he was there in Ephesus.

It doesn't say Paul ran around Asia Preaching the gospel it says because he was there

at the Hall of Tyrannus in Ephesus major city major seaport town and

here's why that's important all the exports and imports for Asia Minor came through Ephesus.

Okay, so Paul is in a major place.

So guess what's happening with imports and exports as imports and exports are going

through Ephesus so are the people that are involved in importing and exporting and.

That's that's thousands of people it's thousands of people from all over the place in.

What is present -day Turkey then referred to as Asia?

You will see on your map there.

You will see that there are all kinds of trade routes running through Asia Minor.

Why?

Everybody's got stuff to get to Ephesus or stuff to get from Ephesus or Something like

that get it and that brings us to Colossians chapter 1.

All right.

I'm sure this book has Colossians.

Okay, Paul gives his usual

Greeting Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.

Oh, by the way There is a movement extent now 20 centuries later

any so -called Evangelical Christianity, it's getting so you you hesitate to say

you are an evangelical Christian anymore.

Because of some of the weird stuff that goes on in the name of evangelical Christianity.

That used to be the biblical Christians now.

We have some evangelical saying, you know, Paul.

Paul did he you know, he didn't really get all that right about Justification by faith and all that stuff

because Paul was just a commentator.

He was not really an apostle.

He was just a commentator because he was not one of the twelve because he had these ideas

that extended what Jesus had taught and Taught us about justification by faith and so on.

I want you to know if you hear anything like that.

You can just take it and drop it in the trash can.

Because the Apostle Paul thinks he was an apostle.

And the Corinthians said the same thing 20 centuries ago.

Oh, we don't think he's an apostle.

He's not very powerful when he comes here.

You know, he doesn't even speak.

Well, he's kind of ugly on top of that and Paul wrote to them and first and second Corinthians

Paul wrote to them and said in essence you wait till I get there I'll show you how an apostle

deals with the churches.

So make no mistake regardless of what a German liberal theologian may tell you

Paul the Apostle was an apostle an Apostle not at

large a one of those eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ Who

was commissioned in essence to reveal to us through the New Testament all that we know

about the gospel.

That's just a footnote probably is not in your translation.

All right.

He writes he's by the will of by the will of God.

He writes and Timothy our brother to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father now, where is Colossae?

Okay.

Can you see our map up here?

Okay, here's Ephesus up here in Asia Minor.

You go about a hundred miles.

Up the meander River if you have a map in front of you have you found the meander River?

Anybody find the meander River?

Well, you're gonna have to do this at dinner because I don't have time to wait.

All right the meander rivers there in the southern part of Turkey and It is the word it

is the feature from which we get the English word meander.

Because it meanders like this for a hundred miles.

Way in that direction in the southern part of Asia Minor and then.

Another branch comes off about a hundred miles up the river another branch comes off and heads off

to the west and south a little Bit and that is the Lycus River.

Lycus.

Do you see that?

Okay, and they're just beyond where the Lycus River comes into the

meander River are.

The tri -cities I call them the tri -cities they are these cities.

Hieropolis you oh, oh, yeah, Heropolis.

No, you've never heard of that.

Okay, Hieropolis Laodicea you've heard of that haven't you?

Yes, you have and Colossae the principle those cities are about ten miles apart and

if you have if you can see them on your map or if you Could see a map that had them all on there.

You would see they are just like a little triangle way up the river there.

Now in the tri -cities and and Laodicea was the principal city in the tri -cities not

Colossae, but Laodicea.

All right.

There they raise sheep.

There were mineral deposits there.

And so there was a lot of stuff moving through Ephesus from the Lycus River

Valley.

That's important because we're going to come to that right now without saying Lycus River Valley,

all right.

We always thank God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you Colossians and not

only the Colossians.

But the Laodiceans and the Hieropolis.

I don't know what her people from Heropolis call themselves, but you know the Heraklion's or something like that.

All right.

Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the Saints.

Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven of this you have heard before in the word

of the truth.

You notice the definite article there in the word of the truth the gospel.

Which has come to you as indeed in the whole world.

It is bearing fruit and growing as It also does among you since the day you

heard it and understood the grace of God in truth now watch it.

Just as you learned it from Epaphras Epaphras

Epaphras you learned it from somebody else because at the beginning of chapter 2 Paul says to these Colossians

He says I I have great concern for those at Laodicea and for those of you who have never seen my

face and So Paul had never been to the church at Colossae.

He was in Ephesus lecturing at the school of Tyrannus and This guy

Epaphras and it's Epaphras the emphasis is on the first syllable as in Septuagint,

okay the This guy Epaphras went

down the river.

Or along the trade route taking stuff no doubt doing business between the Lycus River Valley

and Ephesus while there.

He must have heard the Apostle Paul at the school of Tyrannus at the Hall of Tyrannus

Preach the gospel and there he came to know Paul pretty well.

Not only did he come to know Paul pretty well.

He went back up a hundred miles back up into the Lycus River Valley and there he

founded the church at Colossae and at Laodicea and at Heropolis.

Okay, I like these books like Colossians and like Romans

because the people that are the subject of these books are People that

had never Seen an apostle.

They are people that came to Christ because of the testimony of someone who came

to them Delivered the gospel to them and they believed and a reason I like that is

because 20 centuries later all of us have believed on the testimony

of somebody else that came and Ultimately we have believed in the Lord Jesus

Christ because of the testimony of the Apostles, okay.

You remember John chapter 17.

I'm not going to turn there this morning for time's sake but in John chapter 17 getting down about verse

20.

It's in the right -hand column about that far down on the page.

Okay the the prayer of Jesus on that day turns from the

Disciples themselves who he had been praying for and he turns a corner and he says and

now I want to pray for all Of those father who will believe in me

because of their testimony.

That's us.

On the night before his crucifixion.

The Lord Jesus looked down through all of these centuries and He saw us.

And he prayed for us.

Because we have come to him because of the testimony of the Apostles.

These Colossians are in the same boat that we're in.

They had never met Paul.

They had never met John.

They would meet John, but they hadn't met him yet.

They had never met any of the Apostles and yet here a guy goes 100 miles to Ephesus he

hears the gospel from the Apostle Paul he goes back up the river and He tells people what he

heard and they believe and they are brothers and sisters.

Even as we have become brothers and sisters by that very method that has gone on.

I like these kinds of books.

They're all about us.

Okay Epiphras

now where's Paul when he's writing this he's in Rome in prison a Few commentators

say they think he was in Ephesus in jail because of the riot that occurred there.

But I don't think so and I don't think most people think so.

He's in jail in Rome.

That's very important.

Because there's another Colossian that you know.

That we haven't named yet this morning.

He was a rich Colossian.

Probably a businessman probably had business in Ephesus.

He himself might also have met the Apostle Paul as well as Epiphras did.

Can anybody tell me his name?

By Lehman.

Okay, by Lehman.

Was a resident of Colossi maybe later to see anyway, he lived up there in the

Tri -Cities.

That's important because of what's to happen next.

Paul is in Rome in prison.

He says this about Epiphras.

Let's watch our map now, here's the Lycus River Valley right over there by the

woodwork.

Here's Ephesus.

Epiphras he goes back and forth from Ephesus.

To the Lycus River Valley to Colossi on business back and forth back and forth the

Apostle Paul ends up in prison in Rome.

Way over here and now here's the testimony about Epiphras.

Epiphras Is a faithful minister of Christ and I

think the ESV guys got it right here.

He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf on your behalf.

Some translations.

King James, I'm sure says our behalf.

But the earliest manuscripts.

Say your now what happens is the whole pronoun thing gets muddied up a little later on

in any case.

Your is a good translation.

So you get the picture?

Here's Paul over here in Rome.

Thousand miles or more away from the Lycus River Valley where there are three

churches that have been founded by Epiphras and These three churches send Epiphras

Over.

To help Paul to minister to Paul who is in jail over in Rome and the testimony about

Epiphras is.

This Epiphras is you guys?

Over here with me.

That's what he's saying now.

Let me get out of the Sunday school lesson for just a second and talk like the missionary.

Okay?

And I would do this if I was on a missions conference in your church, I would probably do this.

Sometime during that time when a missionary comes rolling through

Here and I guess that would include us because we came rolling through here about 23 years

ago, okay and Bless your hearts you have been

Instrumental In Our going regularly to the grocery store.

All right, and we thank you for that and we love you for that.

All right, but understand this.

When we were in Bolivia.

When we were at the Neutralized Bible Institute in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and we were and I was

teaching Outgoing missionaries and Judy was teaching that some of their kids

outgoing missionaries.

We were there on your behalf.

It was as if Bethlehem Bible

Church Was Bethlehem Baptist Church when I left it and that's okay.

It's all right.

I'm not.

I'm not all huffy about that.

All right, and here's why.

Because you're all Baptist you can call yourself whatever you want, but I know it's a Baptistic

place, you know, all right.

We were there on your behalf.

And on the behalf of others who were a material part of our going there.

Here's the deal in Acts chapter 1 verse 8 Jesus said you're gonna be witnesses

said this to the Apostles and to the and there was about 120 there in Acts chapter 1.

He said you're going to be my witnesses in Judea Samaria.

Jerusalem Judea Samaria to the ends of the earth and.

Then he said and I'll see you later.

Haven't seen him yet.

He hasn't come back yet and.

So the Commission was given to the church to get the gospel out to the ends of the earth.

Now here's the truth.

The truth is not everybody can or will be a cross -cultural missionary.

Okay, I'm not gonna ever preach a sermon in this church that goes like this if God hasn't called you to stay.

Why aren't you out of here?

I'm not gonna do that.

There are a hundred reasons.

Why not everyone can go but watch this every person sitting in

Bethlehem Bible Church is Responsible for that Great Commission to the ends of the earth.

Even though you're sitting here in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

And while we were in Bolivia and while we were in Waukesha and while we were down in North Carolina.

Representing the work of the mission to pastors and churches and prospective missionaries down there.

We were you were there and we were your eyes your ears your hands your feet.

But you were there that that point of view

Begins there in Colossians.

Here's Epaphras who is a faithful servant on your behalf

Colossi and he's here with me.

Now that's that's the historic geographic.

Look at how this whole Colossian thing gets going.

Let me let me extend it just a little bit further.

Okay.

Because we're gonna run out of time and I'm gonna run out of time and I'm gonna

practice the bailout school of homiletics, right when it's time.

I'm gonna bail out.

All right.

Here's the deal.

Paul is in Rome in prison.

Epaphras has been sent to him.

But before that ever happened back up here in the Lycas River Valley.

At the estate of wealthy Philemon.

There was a young slave That stole from his master.

This is not a good thing in century one.

He stole from his master and He took off now if you

had stolen from your master, which was worthy of death in the first century.

If you had stolen from your master, you would not come to West Boylston, Massachusetts to hide out.

Okay.

We are living up in Barry Plains.

You know us and the other ten houses there.

Okay, if you were if you were Onesimus the runaway slave.

You would not try to hide out in Barry Plains, you know, why because tomorrow we'd know you were

there.

So what you do is you head out to the most Cosmopolitan biggest place

you can find and probably you start by heading toward Ephesus it's a big city you get

lost in Ephesus.

But from Ephesus Onesimus put more miles between he and his master Philemon

and he goes to Rome.

Now this is a beautiful story of the sovereignty of God.

The young guy goes to Rome.

The Apostle Paul is in prison there a guy from back home Epaphras

is there.

Okay, and somehow in a city of more than a million people Onesimus the

runaway slave meets up with a

guy in jail Paul the Apostle and there

He comes to Christ.

So the whole the whole little one chapter book of Philemon is a letter back to Philemon

saying to him I'm sending Onesimus back to you, and he's a

brother now.

Paul also says and whatever he stole from you.

I'll make it good if it's really that important to you Philemon.

Paul goes on to say in that letter.

He says and when I come I might get there.

You have a guest room ready for me.

It would probably be Paul's first trip up the like up the Lycus River Valley.

Okay, and So what happens is Paul writes the letter to the Ephesians he writes the letter to the

Colossians.

He writes the letter to the to Philemon.

He they roll them all up give them to a guy named Tychicus, and they send Tychicus

and Onesimus Back up to the Lycus River Valley and

Onesimus is received not as a runaway slave worthy of death.

But as a brother if that is not a testimony to the sovereignty of God.

I never heard it.

I never heard such a thing that is a beautiful beautiful story.

Okay now I got to figure out where we're gonna bail here.

You got the history now you got a little of the geography.

Of how this all worked the question is why was this letter written?

Why do you do that?

Because we find some stunning things in this letter.

I would say the most stunning thing of all in This letter is what I'm going to read to you right

now chapter 1 verse 15.

He Christ is the image of the invisible God the firstborn

of all creation.

Meaning the preeminent one in all creation.

For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth.

Visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things were created

through him and for him.

And he is before all things and in him all things hold together.

And he is the head of the body the church.

He is the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in everything he might be preeminent.

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and Through him to

reconcile to himself all things whether on earth or in heaven making peace by the

blood of the cross.

You say.

How'd they get in that letter this great testimony to the preeminence of Christ?

Think about this is there anybody in Colossae?

That thinks that Christ might not be preeminent or could not be preeminent.

And the answer of course is Absolutely, there are people there.

Next week when we come together.

Next week when we come together.

We're going to take a look at this whole business of one's world view all right and

You need to understand that the Colossians were saved and came to

Christ.

Which which is a change in world view.

Do you get that because you came to Jesus Christ?

Your world view changed.

Say it did I Didn't know that next week.

You're gonna know all right.

When the Colossians came to Christ their world view changed.

And it came it became something quite opposite to the world view of the culture

all around them.

If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus this morning your world view whether you know all the ins and outs of it or not.

Your world view the way you look at the world the assumptions you make about how the world works

all of that.

All of that is different from the world view that prevails around us.

You need to understand that you need to under.

I'm sure you can turn your television set on and some guy will say just Come to Jesus your car will get bigger

your business will get better your marriage will be better.

You'll smile and laugh all the time.

It'll be great.

And by the way send us some money at the end of this broadcast.

And and I'm sure all of that you can hear on television.

But I'm here to tell you that if you come to Jesus you have stepped into a

war.

Not into a place of great prosperity.

Because the world view that comes from the book and from the Savior is

Absolutely antithetical to the world view that is all around us.

And if you don't understand that I think was a W Tozer that said Christians need to understand.

That the world is a battleground.

It is not a playground.

It is a battleground and If you don't understand that then it's time that we begin

to talk about some of those things.

So that you understand now if you ask a lot of people, what is your world view?

They would go my what?

Okay, but get this.

Everybody has a world view.

Everybody no exceptions not even the kid that's sitting in his Mother's basement

and has done nothing for the last through 13 years, but play a video game that kid has a

world view.

World views cover.

I'm going to distill this and I'll give this to you in writing next week.

Okay.

World's views cover what you think about.

Four different areas now depends on who you read, you know, if you read James Sire, it's 17.

But if you listen to me, we can get it down to four.

Okay.

What do you think's really real?

What's really real?

Okay.

How do you get at the truth.

What is truth pilot?

What is truth?

He thought that was a wise saying.

Well, it was and it wasn't okay.

How do you decide what's right and wrong we're having a little trouble that in our country these days.

22 people killed in Chicago in the last two days.

I think we're having a little right and wrong problem in our country.

Okay.

And what do you think about the nature purpose and destiny of man?

You can just kind of distill the whole thing down into those four categories, I'm going to talk about them next week.

And we will.

We'll talk about those four categories for the Colossians before they came to Christ.

After they came to Christ, we'll talk about those four categories for us.

What's our view of how the of how the world works?

So if you don't have that, right.

Then all kinds of then you have to live in conflict.

Let me give you a perfect example of conflict.

Recently in the last 10 days a poll was taken of Millennials.

I'm sorry.

I don't mean to pick on you Millennials.

Okay, if you're a millennial just think guy really thinks I'm 45, so it's okay.

All right.

Paul was taken of them about several things many Millennials 57 as I recall of

Millennials say you know what I think.

I Think that the government of the United States ought to be smaller.

It ought to do less.

It ought to be reined in and so on.

Okay later on in the same poll.

They asked the question Do you think the government ought to be doing more?

Yes.

You talk about confusion and Inconsistency and contradiction.

It's all around us.

Let me let me leave you with this and I will really do that this time.

This is not the pastoral in closing now.

Okay.

When you depart from the world view of the Bible when you take that first step away

from the world view that the Bible describes.

You take a step into irrationality.

Because you cannot account for the way the world really works.

Except with a biblical and let me say it this way with a Christian Biblical world

view.

All right, if you have something else in mind You'll have to make a separate little

box over here in your head to keep that Going while you hold this intention over here.

You know what the problem with our culture is our culture is a lot of people walking around with a hundred

little boxes in their heads.

That are all in conflict and yet when you walk into one box, it all looks okay.

But you dare not look around the corner.

What else you just said back here ten minutes ago and That is part of the

may I say?

Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia neuroses of this culture.

We do not hold our worldviews in Rationality.

Okay, it's really enough Comments questions.

Sorry, it's too late.

You can't ask them.

All right, let's pray.

Thank you Lord for your word.

Thank you for these people at Colossi.

Thank you For their example to us, thank you for Epiphras the guy that bothered

to give him the gospel.

Thank you Lord for the story of Onesimus that displays your sovereignty in such

wonderful grace.

We're grateful to have been here now this morning.

Again, we thank you for the great salvation that is in Jesus.

It's in his name.

We pray.

Amen.