Colossians 1:1-9 - The Symptoms of Salvation

How's everybody. Good to see everyone today. Charlotte I she was talking to me while we were getting ready this morning. She said, you know, I Just love going to church and seeing everybody and getting to be with everybody and what a beautiful day, isn't it?

Little on the chilly side, but we needed that. It was not nice when it gets hot and stuffy in Texas in the summer. That's when you're gonna catch a cold, right? Need a little cool air, so it's great. Thank the Lord for that and for all of you.

Thank you for being here today. We are going to start a new book the book of Colossians and It's shorter than Romans, so I wouldn't worry too much about the length of this one Charlotte said. Well, how many verses you gonna cover tomorrow?

I Didn't have the heart to tell her. Did you say words or verses?

Alright, thank you.

The rice family for being here today. They only drive two hours of ten minutes. Not bad. I mean I drive 40 minutes, so. But we really appreciate you doing that and we love you being here. Just come all the time.

That'd be great. You can come on Wednesday night if you want to. But check with Katie first. Because they're not always here. All right, let's go to Lord in prayer and we'll turn to Colossians chapter 1 verse 1.

Lord thank you so much for your word and Thank you for protecting us with your word and Thank you for your Holy Spirit who wrote it and teaches it to us and thank you for connecting each of us together and together with you and the Father and Bless us today with this amazing book that you've given us.

Through the wonderful Apostle Paul we all get to meet him someday and meet you someday Lord. And we thank you for that and bless the teaching of your word today in Jesus name. Amen. Wow something. We had Charlotte's sister had our family Christmas party in Tyler.

So that's yeah, it's a couple hour drive from our house and I wrote over with Matt and Emily and we were listening to I guess a YouTube Presentation that is so funny because I had this sermon ready obviously.

But when I listened to that, I thought wow this this book we're studying is going to talk about this very thing. But it was sad because it was a person that we all know it in our family a young man. He used to work for Tradeway brilliant wonderful friendly great speaker great stock trader and He I believe he loves the Lord, but I don't know how this works, but.

I.

Really do that. I actually do know the mechanisms of it which we could discuss together probably will while we study through this book, but He got off on some wrong doctrine and then he married a woman that was even farther out there whose mother is a preacher and Of course scripture says I permit not a woman to teach nor usurp authority over the man.

So they're not supposed to be preachers. But anyway, it just got worse and I heard video Or YouTube of them presenting their business where they kind of took some of our Tradeway stuff, which is fine I mean he Acknowledged that he thanked the company that taught him everything.

He knows he didn't name us, which I'm kind of glad but so they're trying to use the business and Bible thing together. Which we were the first company to do that and I don't mind that but the problem is that They do not hold this book up as the highest authority they have something else up here and it's very very dangerous and I will tell you the beginnings of it if you want to know the cause the root cause of this sort of Amazingly terrible doctrine.

It's not even doctrine. It's imaginations. And well, it is doctrines Paul calls it doctrines of demons. That's what it is. But it starts By not believing the Holy Spirit when he writes in his word.

That.

Tongues shall cease in words of knowledge shall cease and.

And.

Prophecies shall cease. When that which is perfect is come and this is the only it's in the neuter in the Greek. It means it's a thing. This is the only thing on earth. That's perfect. So when the Bible was completed those things ceased now if the Holy Spirit says that and then in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1.

He says.

God spoke in time past which is Old Testament through the fathers and the prophets. And so forth. But now he speaks to us differently then you have to go in the scripture and look and say, okay. How did he speak through the prophets?

Well, how did he did it through visions through dreams? Through words of knowledge words of wisdom that they could just speak and say. God told me to say this and Even transporting some of them into the heavenlies and back right.

So those are the ways they spoke in Hebrews 1 1 says that's how he used to speak. But now he speaks to us through his son Jesus and this is the revelation of Jesus right here the written word so if you don't get that and You don't understand that the Holy Spirit said I will not speak like that anymore.

I'm speaking to you through this now. Then if you if you think okay. Well, but I feel the Spirit teaching me things outside of this book beyond this book that are not even in this book. And I know that's God.

We know you don't know that's God. In fact, you know, it's not God because God won't lie and he will not contradict himself. And he said I don't if he says I don't do that anymore. And then you think he does then let me tell you what else Paul taught.

He said there are other Jesus's there other spirits and there are other Gospels. So you're hearing a different spirit. It's not the Holy Spirit and these people that believe all this stuff. They don't call it the Holy Spirit in him the Holy Spirit anywhere.

They call him the Spirit. You just watch it's always the Spirit. Well, okay, it is a spirit and it is real and they all tell me well you can't deny. You can't tell me that what I'm happening in my life is not real.

I said, no. No. No, I do believe it's real. I just don't believe it's the Holy Spirit doing it. I think it's a different spirit or it's your flesh. You just learned it from somebody's one of the two, but it's not the Holy Spirit and if you don't get that down.

You don't have any idea how far you could go. In fact, I thought about playing part of it this morning and I thought you know what? I'm not gonna defile this building with that or these people with that.

It was so bad and I love the young man. Okay, there's no bitterness in my heart. Nothing against him. I had I let him go from the company because I said look I know you love the Lord. You love stock trading and I don't even mind you teaching some of the Bible stuff like I do.

But make sure you don't teach something that you know I don't agree with and he knew what I didn't agree with because I told well He just knew he's hung out with me a lot. I said don't teach anything.

You know, I wouldn't agree with because these are my people and then he did it three times after I told him not to so. The third time I had let him go. Well now he's out there started his own company and teaching this bizarre stuff.

Y 'all wouldn't even believe it. You would not even believe it and.

So.

It was eye-opening and it was so weird because I was listening to it last night on the road and It's right in here in this sermon preparation. Maybe not get to that part today, but I mean You know, I'm reading what the Lord is telling us here and it's gonna touch on it.

Anyway, it's just Sad, but I will tell you this that is the biggest Heretical movement in the world is the charismatic movement and you can say well, they're friendly. They are friendly. They seem to be loving.

But the Apostle Paul was never Super nice to people that were teaching false doctrine. He was a little more serious than we get about it. He would say things like don't wish them. Godspeed. Don't even tell him.

Goodbye. He said don't let him in your church for as long as an hour. The Apostle Paul is very strict on things that contradict this Bible or things that people add to it because There's two places in the Bible once in the book of Revelation and once in the Old Testament.

Where it says anyone who adds to or take away from the words of this book will be cursed. So when you start saying that, you know in the guise of Christianity you start teaching things. I'll just give you an example I mean you won't believe it anyway.

But here's an example that the way that you're supposed to and don't. I'm not going to quote it exactly, right? Because I didn't even get to this part on the tape last night. But I heard this previously at the point when I had let him go.

I heard this. He said so what you'd in their teaching Christians this that you you have to have an out-of-body experience that you want to leave your body and in the spirit go to heaven and Find Satan and confess your sins to Satan.

And then something else after that, but I lost my attention at that point. Because show me that in this book anywhere. It's totally what I would call not only unbiblical but extra biblical. It ain't in the Bible, right?

And.

Yet I heard him tell The story last night on the thing I was listening to he said, you know. My wife was starting to tell him his new wife at the time was starting to tell me she was seeing visions and God and hearing.

You know that she was transporting herself into heaven and seeing Yahweh. She didn't call him God. She calls him Yahweh every time. Like so many cult people like to do, you know, you know, God is not good enough.

Jesus is not good enough. Jehovah's not even good enough. It's Yahweh, right? So Yahweh was speaking to other personages and she was watching and they were saying should we reveal to them this stuff? Are they ready at this new stuff?

And She said I cut God off. I didn't let God finish and I said no, we're not ready. But of course by the time they did this tape now, they're ready and they're teaching this stuff. Wow.

So.

There you have it. Now. How do you get that? How do you get to that place? You believe there's still Apostles and there's still prophets and there are not now. Prophesying has two meanings in the Bible.

One is just to speak forth God's Word and I do that. Several people in our church to do that some of you do that. But the key meaning of prophesying is that God will speak to you and tell you something.

It's gonna happen in the future and you can tell God's people that that has ceased and the Bible says it ceased. The Holy Spirit wrote it and said it ceased and When you say it didn't you're calling the Holy Spirit a liar and when you do that the demonic spirits come in and say oh.

Well, I'll teach you, you know, I'll teach you you'd like like you don't like how God did it. Let's do it this way and then they'll enter in and make you believe all kinds of nonsense. So there's a warning for us.

Let's go to Colossians 1 you'll see this throughout this book. So I thought I'd give you a little slight introduction there. Colossians 1 chapter 1 Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and Timotheus our brother to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ, which are at Colossae.

Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. That last little phrase is Something that Paul says at the front end of almost all of his letters and it's almost always the same.

Maybe one or two words different, but it's very similar in every letter. So we know this is from Paul. We know Paul is the author of this letter. Verse 3 says we give thanks to God and the Father our Lord Jesus Christ praying always for you.

Since we heard of your faith, he's talking about the church at Colossae. And by the way, this church was in a home. It was a very small smaller group than this and it was in a person's house.

And.

Here the great Apostle Paul is giving thanks for this little bitty group of Christians. All right, and he says I Pray for you always since we heard of your faith in Jesus Christ and of the love which you have for all believers all saints and For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven where have you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel which is coming to you as it is in all the world and it brings forth fruit as It doth also in you since the day that you heard of it and knew the grace of God in truth as you also learned of Epaphras which This man is the local pastor.

He is the local elder in this little house church. You heard the gospel from this man our dear fellow servant, so Paul knew Epaphras very well and Honored him here as an elder or pastor who is for you a faithful minister of Jesus Christ.

Who also declared unto us your love in the spirit talking about the pastor told me Paul how much? The church loves Other Christians and loves the Lord so love is a big word a bit a big adjective that describes this local church and For this cause we also since the day we heard of it.

Do not cease to pray for you and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will and in all wisdom. And spiritual understanding. So Charlotte, I'm covering nine verses. All right. Can you believe it not words verses?

So let's talk about what do we see so far in this passage and After we talk about what we see in that little portion of Scripture I do want to give you an overview of the background of this book who wrote it when it was written and I should say who penned it because we know the Holy Spirit wrote it.

But who's the human author that penned it and the date and so forth and the town and the part of the world? It was in. We'll talk about that a little bit because it can help us to interpret some passages.

If you understand what's going on in the people that Paul's preaching to in their lives their day-to-day lives. First, what do we see in this passage? Well, let me ask you this.

Who is this?

Book of the Bible written to you need. Whenever you're trying to interpret Scripture you want to ask who's it written to and What's the primary teaching in it to that person or group of people and is there a secondary application to me or not?

And so who is this written to can you tell. Look at the scripture if you need to you can cheat. You can look at.

The scripture.

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

The Saints and faithful brethren, is that how it words it? Okay, so Obviously born-again people now when he adds the phrase why would he say Saints and faithful brethren does that sound redundant? It kind of does but it's really not if you think about it.

Because wouldn't you agree if we had a much larger church if we had say 500 people. Which isn't big by today's standards. That within that 500 people we'd have a few tears. Right, but wouldn't they call themselves Saints church members?

Of course they would. So he adds faithful brethren because it's really hard to be faithful if you're a tear for very long because the Bible says it's kind of like seeds that are sown on the rocky soil and They spring up quickly because there's no depth of dirt but when the Sun comes out which represents persecution and trials and tribulations and things that Christians have to go through with the Lord and Learn of the Lord.

They're going through those things. They wither up and dry away and die because they have no what? Root and who's the root? Jesus so they don't really have Jesus. It's religion that they got and it doesn't last long in a church that preaches the true by it just preaches the Bible.

They can't handle it for very long about nine months. No, I'm kidding. You know a few months. It's different with different people, but not very long.

So.

So here we see that this book is written to true genuine born-again Christians period not anybody else. It's not written to the world. It's not written to the Dallas Cowboys. So I am praying for them today.

And.

It's they need it. But anyway, so like it's not it's not written to Washington. It's not it's not written to our politicians. This letter is written to us.

Us.

So you need to know that to interpret it properly? Because when it says things like we or you or things like that is talking to us not the whole world and Boy, if you don't know that right there, you can really get off.

Some bad Bible interpretation and bad doctrine. But anyway, we know that now, right? So that's first thing is that it's not written to everybody in the world. It's reborn again people as verses 1 2.

All right.

The second thing we notice is that the older more mature Christians and I'm looking at verse 3 now if you want to glance at It but the older and more mature Christians, especially the leaders in the church Must be thankful for the younger Christians and pray for them all the time.

The the people that are new born again people that are just starting to grow in the word. Why do you think it's so important for those of us have been saved for a long time? And been in the word a long time to be thankful for the new ones and also to pray for them all the time.

Because of what I talked about before I started the sermon the thing that the charismatic and Pentecostals are fantastic at is Taking the new people that the Lord brings to us and grabbing them out of our church and pulling them into theirs.

That's called proselyting. Because they just love to grab new Christians that don't know much and pull them in because they can teach them false doctrine very Easily, whereas they try to teach Dave Huber that or senior that are just about anyone in our pews here.

Stuff that's not in this book. They're gonna have a major problem, aren't they? And that's why they don't stick around here long because if they come in there are people that come in. I've done this 40 years.

Okay, so trust me people come in unawares that you think are great people and they want to pull people off into their house. And teach them something that's not being taught here. And what's being taught here is like the Apostle Paul said he said look.

He's gonna say that in this book too. I'm getting ahead of myself. He says look the things that I have taught stick with that. The things you have learned of me stick with that because he says there will be False teachers unawares that will come into your church privilege.

Which means secretly to take your liberty away and a lot of times they'll get into legalism and rules and things like that. They are just false doctrine or things like you've got to have an out-of-body experience.

Float around in heaven and talk to Satan when you wanted to you know to get rid of your sins. Okay, really? Really and that's biblical Christianity. I haven't seen that in any commentator in 2 ,000 years and I've read them back that far.

I've never seen one Christian teacher that believed that other than the Gnostics and I will tell you this. There is nothing new under the Sun because what I heard on that tape last night is nothing but Gnosticism.

Which was the very first false group in Bible history in the New Testament and It happened to be in Colossae, we'll get to that too. It was the first group. It's exactly what I heard on that tape and they think that they have new revelation and it's new and they're teaching something new.

They said it probably five times. Oh, yeah, this is new and we're so happy to share with people. No, it's like 2 ,000 years old. And they're just too ignorant of church history to know that and that's how they got deceived.

And by the way Most of the people in their group are female teachers and the Bible says I permit not a woman to teach the man and then it Tells you why it says because the woman in the Garden of Eden was deceived by Satan and the man was not so she's more Apt to get involved in false doctrine.

So gentlemen do not sit under female teachers. I don't care who it is. You just don't do it. It's unbiblical. Now if you're at home that's different there are examples in the Bible where Couples the man and the woman can disciple a new believer.

But in the church scenario where we're where we're protecting the doctrine. We're protecting the truth. In our Sunday school our church or Wednesday night services. Women are not to teach men and men are not to sit under women as far as teaching doctrine and yet here they go.

That's I mean what you guys listen to it with me. Wouldn't you agree that 90 of time? The woman who was sponsoring was a female but then the guy's wife were doing the talking. And and so much that every once in a while.

She'd have to say honey, would you like to bring something in and he would talk for like 20 seconds? And then the women would take back over. Now women you need men in your life to protect you from demonic things.

You don't hear that in church hardly much anymore at all, but the Bible holds the man responsible. Protecting the what protecting the wife and the children from demonic influence and false teaching. And if there is no man in the home, the wife has to do it and she can if she has one of these.

Might not have exactly this kind with a nice electrical tape holding it together. But you any good Bible will work and So there you have it. So Now this is interesting so the older more mature Christians, why do you think I mean It's clear why you got to pray for the new babies because people don't try to snatch them away.

Just like little lambs, you know lions like to get the little ones and the sick ones. They don't come at the ones that can fight them and you think well sheep can't fight them. Well cows can I've I used to be a shepherd of cattle, whatever you call that I won't say cowboy because I claim to be a cowboy.

But I took care of my grandfather's cattle from the time. I was eight till I went to college. The only job I ever had till I went to college so I know how it works with cows is a wolf could come in and they can get a sick cow or one that's nearly dead or One just born that's all they can get and that's who they go for it.

You know what because a wolf does not want to fight a full-grown healthy cow mama cow. He won't do it. Did you know Satan is like that? It says he roams around seeking whom he may devour which means he can't devour everybody in this room.

So he's gonna get the weak ones and the babies. So that's why we pray for them and that's in verse 3. But why do you think it says we're supposed to be thankful for them the baby Christians? Because if you're not thankful for him you get a little bit tired of changing diapers sometimes.

But we're all thankful for our babies, aren't we we don't even think about it that way. We just change the diaper because we want to see that smile when you hold them up, right and it's worth it. I Love changing diapers, you know, I called up Ben one day not too long ago.

I said, can I come over there and Bathe some babies and change some diapers and he said yeah, you can come do that. But but with baby Christians they can create some problems and ask some weird questions and all this stuff and he said well You should already know that well, they don't know that.

So you've got to be thankful that the Lord brings them and you got to help start discipling them and it's a great honor To be able to do that. Anyone in this room is equipped to be a discipler of almost any new Christian.

I mean because you know so much and you think they're gonna know it. They don't know it. All right. So what's the next thing we learn. I call it symptoms of salvation. You know how when you have a cold you get a scratchy throat and runny nose and red eyes and all that stuff.

Someone comes up to you and says I got a terrible cold. Can I get off work or not go to school a day, but they don't have a runny nose. They don't have a scratchy throat. They're not coughing their eyes look fine.

You just kind of think they want to skip. They don't have any of the symptoms. So you don't really think they have a cold. Well, there are symptoms of Christianity that if people don't have them I don't really think they're saved now.

I don't know that but I don't think they're saved. You see the difference I'm not judging. I'm discerning if they don't have the symptoms. I don't think they're saved now. I Try to guard my tongue and not talk about that to other people if I think that but unless it's an elder or deacon.

That need to know it like the leadership of the church, but but where what are these symptoms? We'll look at verse 4. First of all Since we heard of your faith in Jesus Christ. So the first symptom is they're a believer.

Well, that's kind of basic, isn't it? But did you know there's not a man woman boy or girl in this world that is capable of believing on their own. Because of the depravity of man. They're so blinded by their own sinful state that they were born in they did they cannot believe on their own.

So the Holy Spirit and this book the water the water and the spirit had to bring that faith to them. So I want to see some faith, right? Secondly. Since we heard of your faith in Jesus Christ, that's the object of the faith not Buddha not Muhammad Jesus Christ and We're not all trying to get to heaven through different methods that that's false doctrine.

Jesus said I'm the only way the truth in life. No man comes to the father, but by me It's a very exclusive Teaching in the Bible about Jesus. So it's faith in Jesus Christ. The second symptom is love what you have for all other believers.

Now that's the biggie for me because I can't see their faith if I just met him. I mean, I might watch them five ten years and figure out they've got faith. You know because I can see the fruits over time.

Maybe not five years, but you know months long months and years so you can see the faith. But the love I mean you can tell kind of immediately if a person is kind general gentle-hearted and loving other people or if they're not.

Like are they trying to cause division and hurt people or do they love people and want to edify people with their words? Say words that lift them up or do they cut people down or you know? What is that like that one you can see pretty early on?

And if you don't see love you need to be really wary of that person. It's still okay to pray for them. It's okay to love them. But don't don't show them the soft underbelly of your heart because they'll rip it out.

Sometimes if you don't see love that is the top symptom symptom of Salvation my mouth is so dry today.

Yeah, Paul.

You got that love key symptom faith and love and then It goes on and says love what they have for each other and then look at verse 5. For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven. Where have you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel?

So hope which is laid up in heaven. Which you know by the Bible is a symptom of salvation now. What is that now that's a long phrase hope which is laid up in this person in heaven, which they know By the Bible that tells me something else.

They're reading their Bible. They used to hate the Bible. It was boring. It was too big. It was too boring didn't like it didn't want to mess with it. Didn't want to be around God's people didn't want to be in church and all sudden boom.

The Bible is interesting may not understand much of it. But it's interesting and they're looking for the stuff they can understand and they're asking you questions. Symptom of salvation. I saw that Noah so big when he got saved.

I mean gosh every five seconds. Oh, what does this mean? How does that work? Well, how do you put that together and before he figured it all out? He's already preaching to his family back home his mom and dad and making sure they get it great symptom of Salvation now, what's the next one verse 6 talks about fruit.

Do you see that? Fruit so they start to grow they start you know What some of the fruits are the fruits of the Spirit love joy peace long-suffering. Which means patience because I didn't get any natural natural.

My brain cannot go as fast as my mouth today or backwards. I don't know which is which.

I.

Know what it is that tape I listened to last night. I'm speaking in tongues. Bought a Kawasaki should have bought a Honda. Did that pretty well? If you want to learn that come on up later, we'll have the children come up.

I'll teach the children to speak in tongues. Don't you think it's funny that they have to teach people what supposedly is a spiritual gift? Isn't that funny? There's a lots of funny stuff about that movement.

That is not in this book right here. If you want to talk to an authority about it talk to me. It has been my favorite subject for 40 years and my daughters will tell you that Katie and Jenny used to tease me out.

I'm bad. Your favorite thing is tongues. Tongue-speaking, you know, but study to show yourself approved. I mean you can always learn something new. What else what else they have besides Kawasaki and Honda.

See you Yamaha. You could add that. Got something new. All right.

So.

The third thing I see is The thing that brings the faith and hope and fruit to Christians is hearing the truth which is the gospel and Knowing the grace of God in truth in other words not salvation by works but by grace.

All right, so we see that in verse 6. Which all of the this these things that Paul says these symptoms that you have he said it comes to you and The gospel has gone to you like it did in the whole world.

That means the world of the day that they lived in the Roman Empire, basically.

And.

That gospel which is the Bible brought fruit as It does in you and since the day you heard it and knew the grace of God very important because the Bible is concise. But it picked it emphasized that as you read that Bible you heard grace.

You did not hear legalism.

If.

You're a goat. Or even a lost sheep. You're gonna pick up on the rules and like it. Because now I can be more spiritual than you because I can do more stuff than you can do and I can prove it by Showing the stuff and that's real either real baby Christian or lost person.

That's in the church that likes to believe our false teacher that comes in unawares. It wants to teach legalism. But the Bible says that as far as these symptoms of salvation that these people read the Bible they had fruit.

They had love but they knew the grace of God in that truth. Well, where's the truth? It's right here. So as they read this Bible, they saw grace. They saw that you're saved by grace without and apart from the works of the law.

That the works of the law have nothing to do with the cause of your salvation. Now, yeah read the book of James. It says we're supposed to obey the Lord and walk with him and be doing the stuff we believe.

But those are the effects of the salvation not the cause of it and and people don't get that right. But we have to help people get that right. So that's what I mean by grace. They see the grace of God as they read the Bible.

Most people learn the truth by hearing it preached by faithful elders such as Epaphras the pastor at Colossae and I see that in verse 7 as you also Learn from this faithful pastor it says. So they they didn't just pick that up on their own.

They heard a faithful pastor Preaching this book not extra new stuff that some demon told him in his head and he thought it was the Holy Spirit. Not that but the Word of God the very Word of God, you know, why it's so important that tongue ceased.

Do you know why it's so important that prophesying and telling the future and all of these Old Testament concepts ceased? Because all of that is subjective if I come up to you and say hey God told me that you need to have an out-of-body experience even though I've never seen a Christian in 2 ,000 years that taught that but Buddha taught it and the Hindus believe it and Maybe Islamics believe but I know witches and warlocks believe it, but I don't know any Christians that believe it.