WWUTT 089 All of Colossians

Over the past several weeks we have committed ourselves to a study of the book of Colossians so that we might know

Christ as Preeminent. He is above all things and we need nothing else but Christ completely satisfied in our

Savior. Today we are doing a full reading in context beginning to end of the book of Colossians so that we might understand this concept better when we understand the text.

You're listening to when we understand the text committed to sound teaching of the Word of God. For questions and comments email when we understand the text at gmail .com

and don't forget our website www .tt .com. Here's our host Pastor Gape.

Thank you Becky. We have arrived at the end of our study of the book of Colossians and today we're gonna read through the entire book from the

First to the fourth chapter that has been a challenge that I've given to you over the course of this study Anyway, at least once a week reading all four chapters to keep all of these things in context as we desire to know

Christ As preeminent above all things and we need nothing else, but Christ completely

Satisfied in our Savior before coming to Colossians chapter 1 and reading through the whole book together

Let's come to the Lord in prayer our wonderful and gracious God we are so thankful for your word that by these things we might be shaped to come to an increasing knowledge of God Let us be strengthened with all power according to your glorious might for all

Endurance and patience and with joy giving thanks to the Father Who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the

Saints of light? You have delivered us from darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of your son in Whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins and it is in Jesus name that we pray.

Amen Colossians chapter 1 starting in verse 1 Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God and Timothy our brother

To the Saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae Grace to you and peace from God our

Father We always thank God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you 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 the gospel which has come to you as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing as it also does among you since the day you heard it and Understood the grace of God in truth just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant he is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the

Spirit and So from the first day we heard we have not ceased to pray for you

Asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so as to walk in a manner worthy of the

Lord fully pleasing to him bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God May you be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might

For all endurance and patience with joy Giving thanks to the

Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the Saints of light

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved

Son in whom we have redemption the forgiveness of sins He is the image of the invisible

God the firstborn of 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 his cross and You who were once alienated and hostile in mind doing evil deeds

He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death in order to present you holy and blameless and above Reproach before him if indeed you continue in the faith

Stable and steadfast not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard which has been

Proclaimed in all creation under heaven and of which I Paul became a minister

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ afflictions for the sake of his body

That is the church of which I became a minister According to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you to make the

Word of God fully known the mystery hidden for ages and generations

But now revealed to his saints to them God chose to make known how great among the

Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery Which is Christ in you the hope of glory? Him we proclaim warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ for this

I toil Struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works in me

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you And for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face that their hearts may be encouraged

Being knit together in love to reach all the riches of full assurance and understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery

Which is Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

I Say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments for though I am absent in body yet I am with you in spirit

Rejoicing to see your good order in the firmness of your faith in Christ Therefore as you received

Christ Jesus the Lord So walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith just as you were taught a bounding in Thanksgiving See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition

According to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily and you have been filled in him

Who is the head of all rule and authority in him? Also, you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ Having been 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 and You who were dead in your trespasses in the uncircumcision of your flesh

God made alive together with him having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood

Against us with its legal demands this he set aside Nailing it to the cross.

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him

Therefore Let no one pass judgment on you and questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a

Sabbath These are a shadow of the things to come but the substance belongs to Christ Let no one disqualify you insisting on asceticism and worship of angels going on in detail about visions puffed up without reason by his

Sensuous mind and not holding fast to the head from whom the whole body

Nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments grows with a growth that is from God if with Christ You died to the elemental spirits of the world

Why as if you were still alive in the world? Do you submit to its regulations do not handle do not taste do not touch

Referring to things that all perish as they are used according to human precepts and teachings

These have indeed an appearance of Wisdom in promoting self -made religion and asceticism and severity to the body

But they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh 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 when Christ who is your life appears?

Then you also will appear with him in glory Put to death therefore. What is earthly in you sexual immorality?

impurity passion evil desire and covetousness which is

Idolatry on account of these the wrath of God is coming in These you too once walked when you were living in them

But now you must put them all away anger wrath malice slander and obscene talk from your mouth

Do not lie to one another seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self

Which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator Here there is not Greek and Jew circumcised and uncircumcised barbarians get the enslaved free but Christ Who is all and in all

Put on then as God's chosen ones holy and beloved compassionate hearts kindness humility meekness and patience bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another forgiving each other as the

Lord has forgiven you so you must also forgive and Above all these put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony and Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and Be thankful Let the

Word of Christ dwell in you richly teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom

Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God and Whatever you do in word or deed

Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Giving thanks to God the

Father through him Wives submit to your husbands as is fitting in the

Lord Husbands love your wives and do not be harsh with them Children obey your parents in everything for this pleases the

Lord Fathers do not provoke your children unless they become discouraged Bond servants obey and everything those who are your earthly masters not by way of eye service as people pleasers, but with sincerity of heart fearing the

Lord Whatever you do work heartily as for the Lord and not for men

Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the

Lord Christ For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong. He has done and there is no partiality

Masters treat your bond servants justly and fairly knowing that you also have a master in heaven

Continue steadfastly in prayer being watchful in it with Thanksgiving at the same time

Pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word to declare the mystery of Christ on account of which

I am in prison that I may make it clear which is how I ought to speak 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

Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the

Lord I have sent him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts and With him

Onesimus our faithful and beloved brother who is one of you They will tell you of everything that has taken place here

Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you and mark the cousin of Barnabas concerning whom you have received instructions

If he comes to you welcome him and Jesus who is called justice these are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God and they have been a comfort to me a

Paphras who is one of you a servant of Christ Jesus greets you always Struggling on your behalf in his prayers that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Heropolis Luke the beloved physician greets you as does

Demas give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea and to Nympha and the church in her house and when this letter has been read among you have it also read in the church of the

Laodiceans and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea and Say to Artepus see that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the

Lord. I Paul write this greeting with my own hand remember my chains grace be with you

See what did I tell you reading that whole thing from beginning to end wouldn't even take you 15 minutes that concludes our study of the book of Colossians At least we have one more session and that's going to be tomorrow's as we do our

Friday review Not just reviewing the things that we've looked at this week Because I really summarize those things for the most part on Tuesday not counting going through Paul's final greetings

Which we looked at yesterday but we'll do a five -point review of pretty much everything that we've looked at over the course of Colossians doing a final summary of what we were hoping to learn and grow in knowledge of as we committed ourself to this book and that is

Understanding that Christ is preeminent and we are to be fully Satisfied in our

Savior thankful for all that God has given to us and done for us because as we mentioned a couple of weeks ago sin flows from An ungrateful heart we sin because we are not grateful for what

God has given to us the more our hearts are Abounding with Thanksgiving the easier it will be to resist temptation

But that is all the work of God in our lives fill yourself up with the Word of God and be filled with Thanksgiving now,

I don't know if you noticed or not But when I started this reading today before we came into the reading of the book of Colossians when

I prayed I was actually praying a section of Colossians. Maybe you noticed it as we came through the scriptures

It was Colossians 1 11 May you be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy and on it goes an encouragement to you and and this is something that I've used the book of Colossians to do quite regularly and That is to pray the scriptures when

I'm encouraging a fellow Christian in praying the scriptures oftentimes It's either the

Psalms or Colossians that I come to to teach them how to do that We also go through the Lord's Prayer Because it's kind of a blueprint for prayer our

Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name And so I kind of show them how Jesus taught us to pray through that but then in praying the scriptures

I'll take a person of the Psalms teach them how to pray the scriptures that way and then also Colossians and oftentimes the way that I'll do that is come to a place like that Colossians chapter 1 or in Colossians 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 So when

I read that with a person and teach them to pray the scriptures What I will say to them is this take an ownership of that passage not reading yourself into a text where?

You're not supposed to be but taking those words and praying them to the Lord like this

Okay God, I know that in Christ I have been raised with him and so help me to seek the things that are above where Christ is

Seated at the right hand of God Lord help me to set my mind on things that are above and not things that are here on earth for I know because your word has said to me that I have died and My life is now hidden with Christ in God when

Christ who is my life appears Then I also will appear with him in glory

You kind of catch in the theme there on how you pray the scriptures Now when

I say don't infuse yourself into the scriptures that you don't belong what I mean where where you don't belong What I mean by that is don't make yourself

David and Goliath your problems. That's that is a jetticle that Narsa Narcissistic way that we tend to apply ourselves to the scriptures and we'll look at a character in the

Bible and say yeah I'm that guy. No, you're not the Apostle Paul. You're not the Apostle Peter. There will never be another

Peter and Paul They are specifically Apostles called by Christ You are a disciple in your walk with Christ in your own way but you can pray the scriptures in such a way that you are

Praying the Word of God and this helps to perfect your mind and your thinking Toward seeking

God's will and not your own because when you pray the scriptures you are seeking the will of God Remember we talked about the revealed will of God has given to us in the scriptures

So that is one way I would encourage you to discipline yourself in how to pray tomorrow

We're going to come back for our five -point review five -point Friday. So I hope you will join me again.

God bless You've been listening to when we understand the text with Pastor Gabe Hughes We hope you are a part of a church family committed to gospel teaching and we thank you for including us in your

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