STUDIES
IN
COLOSSIANS
By
DR. D. PAUL TUCK SR.
A BAPTIST PULPIT PUBLICATION
FORWARD
The messages of this study were originally preached by
the author in
In all of our studies we ever seek to make a practical
application as we believe the Bible to be as relevant today as it was when the
words were first penned, as inspired by the Holy Spirit.
In our studies
we are amazed at the positive clarity with which the apostle Paul addressed his
letter against the false doctrines of his day and how applicable they are to
our day and time. False doctrine like an ugly pimple never ceases to raise its
ugly head in one way or another. There, as Paul stood guard and contended for
the faith once delivered unto the saints, likewise we today must do the same.
Perhaps the word “preaching” is not the right word,
and we should use the word “Teaching” instead. In an age of lack for Biblical
expository preaching and also when we are told not to preach doctrine because
it causes division, we must be reminded that “doctrine” means simply “teaching”
and the words of Paul to Timothy are still in need of hearing and practice –
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman ….”
So we will preach our studies and study our preaching
and pray that the Holy Spirit will use these lines to convict and convince the
Lord’s sheep in following the Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr.
June 20 2000
DEDICATION
To all who love the truth and want to study
the deeper things of God, I dedicate this book, especially to all who would
become preachers of the BOOK!
D. Paul Tuck Sr.
Copyright 2000
By the author and publishers
Dewey Decimal Number 227.7
All rights to copy or reprint these notes are reserved
By the author and copy permission will be granted to
Missionaries and churches by writing to the publishers.
Published by
BAPTIST PULPIT MINISTRIES
E-mail bpulpit@rogers.com
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Lesson One - - Saints in Love
Lesson Two -- Steps
to Growth and Maturity
Lesson Three -
The Exalted Christ
Lesson Four - -
Christ’s Plan for His Church
Lesson Five - -
Exalted Christianity
Lesson Six
-- Exalted Christianity Over
Legalism
Lesson Seven -
Exalted Christianity Over Mystical Teaching
Lesson Eight
- Exalted Christianity Over
Asceticism
Lesson Nine
-
Lesson Ten
- The Christian Dress Code
(What
we are not to wear)
Lesson Eleven -
The Christian dress Code
(What
we are to wear)
Lesson Twelve -
Three pillars of Christianity
Lesson Thirteen -
Glory to God in the Home
Lesson Fourteen – Performing Christians
Lesson Fifteen -
The Arms of the Cross
Lesson Sixteen -
Characteristics of Christian Service
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
LESSON
1
SAINTS IN LOVE
Colossians
1:1-9
"The
Church at Colosse":
Colosse was located about 100 miles east of
Some false teaching had crept into the
The theme of Colossians is the supremacy and all-sufficiency of Jesus
Christ.
1.
TO THE SAINTS:
A.
Saints:
The Biblical meaning of the
word "saints" is sanctified or separated ones.
Paul's direction by the use
of the word "saints" is first of all plural, and secondly it is
directed to the Church in Colosse.
The Biblical use of this
word is far different from that of Catholicism which takes a special decree by
the Pope.
Acts
9:32
"And it came to pass,
as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which
dwelt at Lydda."
2
Corinthians 1:1
"Paul, an apostle of
Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the
When one receives Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior, having their sins forgiven, they are justified
freely, and sanctified in Christ.
Ephesians
2:19
"Now therefore ye are
no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of
the household of God."
1
Corinthians 1:2
"Unto the
All believers are saints,
but they are called to live like saints.
B.
Faithful:
The meaning of faithful is
"full of faith." One who is
faithful is one who can be depended upon as to continuing in the faith, which
is in Jesus Christ.
The outcome of faith is
faithfulness, or to be faithful. Faithful are those who are continually
trusting in Jesus Christ
The word faithful is
attributed to God, and to His Son, Jesus Christ.
1
Corinthians 1:9
"God is faithful, by
whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord."
1
Corinthians 4:2
"Moreover it is
required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."
2
Timothy 2:2
"And the things that
thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful
men, who shall be able to teach others also."
C.
Brethren in Christ:
Those who become followers
of Jesus Christ, having been saved by the sovereign Grace of God are called
brethren. They are brethren who have their faith in Jesus Christ. The word
brethren is used to speak of the brothers and sisters in Christ. (We cannot
leave out the sister'n.)
This then is the direction
or to whom Paul is addressing his letter.
These are saints who are
faith brothers and sisters in Christ. The term "in Christ" is used of
the local New Testament Church.
1
Corinthians 4:17
“For this cause have I sent
unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall
bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every
where in every church."
The reference here is to the
brethren of Christ, which meet in local bodies or Churches.
In the New Testament
churches when one was saved or converted to Christ, they would almost
immediately be baptized and received into the fellowship of the local church.
D. The Fellowship of Prayer: Vs
3
1.
When one is thankful for another, they become the
center of prayer.
2.
Paul's thankfulness for them caused Paul to remember
them at the throne of grace.
3.
The reason of this is seen in the next verse (4)
"Since we heard of your faith."
There is and ever should be
a fellowship of prayer among those that are faithful.
4.
Prayer for one another is the glue that helps to
cement our relationships within the Church and Christian community.
The apostle Paul put much
emphasis upon prayer. We spend far too little time in prayer.
1
Thessalonians 5:17
" Pray without
ceasing."
Ephesians
6:18
"Praying always with
all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance
and supplication for all saints."
Philippians
4:6
"Be careful for
nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God."
Let us ever be mindful to be
in an attitude of prayer and to pray for one another.
2.
OF THE
SAINTS: (since we heard.) Vs 4
A.
Faith in Jesus Christ:
The faith of these saints is
not in themselves. They are not spiritually ego centered. Their faith is
steadfast and sure in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What does it mean by the
words "faith in Jesus Christ?"
1.
It means they trust in Christ personally as their
Lord and Savior.
2.
It means they trust in what He has accomplished for
them at the cross of
3.
It means they trust in the resurrected Christ and
look for His coming again.
4.
It means that the cross has done its work in their
lives and that is why they trust in Christ.
5.
It means they stand with Jesus Christ, and for all
that he stands for and they endorse the Christian faith.
Galatians 3:26
"For ye are
all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."
6.
Faith in Jesus Christ is only the beginning, but
opens up a whole new life for the one trusting his/her life to Christ.
Ephesians 1:15ff
"Wherefore I also,
after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the
saints….."
B.
Love to All the Saints: vs4
Faith produces the love of
Christ for others. One of the evidences, which John gave of one who is a
Christian, is that "they love the brethren."
1
John 3:14
"We know that we have
passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not
his brother abideth in death."
Hebrews
6:10
"For God is not
unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward
his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister."
To be a Christian is to be
Christ-like. To be Christ-like is to love, not our own lives, but the lives of
others.
We cannot help but note the
concern of Christ, even as he hung dying upon the cross he showed concern for
his mother and for the thief who hung beside him.
Ephesians
5:25
"Husbands, love
your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it."
The whole concept of salvation,
the New Covenant, and the New Testament Church is built upon the premise of
LOVE.
C.
Hope in Heaven:
(stored up)
The meaning of the word hope
is often one of guarantee. Christian hope is not a guessing game. It is not a
string of maybes', or might-be.
1
Peter 1:3-5
"3 ¶ Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Romans
5:1-2
"1 ¶ Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into
this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
So we see that the faith of
verse 4 gives us the hope of verse five and love of verse 8.
Notice that the Christians
hope is already laid up in store in heaven, because it is based upon God's
sovereign grace. It nevertheless comes to us through the word of the truth of
the gospel.
This then is God's channel
of love to the world: from heaven, through the word of truth of the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
So we can sing:
"My hope is built on
nothing less,
Than Jesus blood and
righteousness.
I dare not trust the
sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus
name.
On Christ the solid Rock I
stand,
All other ground is sinking
sand."
3.
FROM THE
SAINTS: Vs 5-8
What do we possess but that
we did not receive? The blessings of God are not to be an end in themselves.
The Christian is to be a channel of God's Person to others.
A. Truth of the Gospel:
(to all the world)
Jesus Christ is the Truth
incarnate and one must come to that truth through the Gospel, the good news of
Jesus Christ.
The gospel is to be preached
to all of the world, even though we know that they will not all receive it. The
preacher does not know where the sheep are, but the Holy Spirit does, and will
use the preaching of the gospel to reach them.
B.
Fruit of the Gospel:
The gospel when preached in
its fullness will bring forth fruit.
The Colossians had sown the
seed of faith, and declared the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The farmer plants the seed,
but God gives the increase.
1
Corinthians 3:6-8
"I have planted,
Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any
thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are
one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own
labor."
Matthew
3:10
"And now also the axe
is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not
forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."
Matthew
13:23
"But he that received
seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it;
which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty,
some thirty."
It is never wrong to expect
fruit of those who claim to be children of God.
C.
Love in the Spirit:
The love in the Spirit was a
possession of the
This was not something that
they bragged about themselves. It was told to Paul by Epaphras, a fellow
servant of Paul (Vs 7).
Romans
15:30-32
"Now I beseech you,
brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit,
that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;
31 That I may be delivered from them that do not
believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for
32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will
of God, and may with you be refreshed."
The term "love in the
Spirit: (Geneva Bible footnote)
"For the mutual union,
with which the Holy Spirit has united our hearts and minds together."
Dr. John Gill says
(Expositor)
"meaning either the
love of the Father, and of the Son, which was shed abroad in their hearts by
the Spirit, which he had directed them into, and they had a comfortable
sensation of; or that love to God, to Christ, and one another, which the Spirit
of God had wrought in them in regeneration; or that love with which the Spirit
of God equally loved them, as the Father, and the Son; and which he had shown in
their conversion and sanctification, in applying all grace unto them, and
indwelling in them as the Spirit of adoption, and as the earnest and pledge of
the heavenly inheritance."
2
Corinthians 4:5
"For we preach not
ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus'
sake."
2
Corinthians 4:11
"For we which live are alway delivered
unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest
in our mortal flesh."
2
Corinthians 12:10
"Therefore I take
pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in
distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."
This love which they
possessed was a Spirit directed love. It brought true spiritual unity both
within the faith, and within the body of Christ.
We then see the importance
of Holy Spirit leadership. The Holy Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost became the
administrator of the New Testament Churches.
4.
FOR THE SAINTS
Vs 9
A.
Prayer:
Here in verse nine, Paul
comes back to the subject of prayer.
Notice the connection
between "pray for you" and "love in the Spirit."
True prayer is a direct line
of communication in the Spirit realm between the believer and God.
In computer language, before
one can send an e-mail, he must be on-line. We cannot pray as we should and not
be on-line, or in the Spirit.
The model prayer which
Christ gave to His disciples, begins, "Our Father which art in
heaven." It begins with God and ends with God.
B.
Desire:
Paul's desire ought to be
our desire, for ourselves and for others.
"That you might be
filed with the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding.
C.
Filled:
Before we can be filled with
God, we must be empty of self. If we are filled with the things of the world,
we have no room for the things of the Spirit.
1.
Knowledge of His will:
It is important that we know
the will of God, not only for our lives, but also for each day.
Too often, we make our own
plans and then bring them to God for His blessing.
This was ever the prayer of
the apostle Paul:
Ephesians
1:16-23
"Cease not to give
thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being
enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the
riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his
power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised
him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and
might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but
also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and
gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fullness of him that
filleth all in all."
2.
Wisdom and Spiritual understanding.
Ephesians
1:8-10ff
"Wherein
he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his
will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of
times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven, and which are on earth; even in him."
This is what Paul reveals is
available for the saints. The question remains, do we avail ourselves of this
blessing or are we too filled with ourselves or other things?
CONCLUSION:
Love cannot abide with hatred. Light cannot abide with darkness. Christ
cannot abide in fullness where the heart is filled with other things.
The essence of true love is God, and He wants to fill our hearts and
lives with Himself.
Salvation is not keeping a bunch of rules and regulations. Salvation is
a Person, Jesus Christ. God Himself is our Savior.
Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in 1988
Preached to
Sunday morning, March 5th 2000.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
Lesson
#2
STEPS TO GROWTH AND MATURITY
Colossians
1:9-14
INTRODUCTION:
Paul had spoken of the love and faith found in the Church in Colosse.
This love and faith had been wrought in them through the gospel of Jesus
Christ. He now goes on to express his prayer for their continued growth in
Christ. Every Christian should grow and mature spiritually unto full usage of
the gifts or talents given them by God.
How then can we grow and mature in Christ? -
1. THROUGH KNOWING GOD'S WILL: vs9b
A.
Wisdom:
Ephesians 5:17
Wherefore be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the Lord is."
Hosea 14:9
"Who is wise, and he
shall understand these things? Prudent, and he shall know them? For the ways of
the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressor shall
fall therein."
1 Corinthians 3:18-23
"18 ¶ Let no man
deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him
become a fool, that he may be wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness
with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of
the wise, that they are vain.
21 ¶ Therefore let no man
glory in men. For all things are yours;
22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the
world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
23 And ye are
Christ's; and Christ is God's."
True wisdom is spiritual,
not material or physical. God's wisdom is far and beyond anything one might
find in a university.
B.
Spiritual Understanding:
1.
Spiritual - the Greek word is pneumatike, which
comes from the word pneuma (spirit.)
Spirituality involves the
spirit, and when it involves God, it includes the Holy Spirit.
Since all of mankind apart
from Jesus Christ is dead spiritually, only the elect of God can come to know
the true God inspired spirituality.
2.
Such spirituality comes through the study of the
Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. It involves prayer in the Spirit.
James
1:5
"5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of
God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him."
Ephesians
1:8
"8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all
wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his
will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:"
Romans
8:26
"¶ Likewise the Spirit
also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we
ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which
cannot be uttered."
2. THROUGH A PROPER WALK WITH GOD: Vs 10a
A.
Walk worthy:
"That ye might walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing…….."
Philippians
1:27
"Only let your
conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and
see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in
one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;"
The Christian ought to walk
in accordance with the standard of holiness which Christ has provided for us in
His passion on our behalf.
Christ gave His life for His
people, and we ought to live up to the huge price for which he paid for our
redemption.
B.
Walk Fruitfully:
"Being fruitful in
every good work"
Hebrews
13:20-21
"Now the God of peace,
that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the
sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his
will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus
Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
We can and will grow
spiritually as we walk with God. The trend today is to "be your own
man" or "do your own thing."
That may be alright to a point, but spiritual life comes only from and
through God. Life for the believer is only in Christ. The Christian cannot be
fruitful and be cut off from the life of the vine.
John
15:1-5
" I am the true vine,
and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he
taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may
bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I
have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye,
except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that
abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me
ye can do nothing."
3. THROUGH INCREASED KNOWLEDGE OF GOD: Vs 10-b
"Increasing in the knowledge of God."
Paul pursued such knowledge
through study, prayer, and reading until death.
2 Timothy 4:13
"The cloak that I left
at
We will find God in Christ and
through the knowledge of the Scriptures.
4. THROUGH IMPARTED STRENGTH: Vs
11
Strengthened with all might,
according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with
joyfulness."
A.
According to Christ's Power:
Search as we may, we will
never find the power to live the Christian life in ourselves.
Many times I have had
someone say, "I want to be a Christian but I am afraid I could not live
the Christian life." That is absolutely true, for if we stand in anything,
it must be the righteousness and holiness of Christ.
1
Corinthians 1:30-31
“But of him are ye in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that
glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."
Philippians
2:12-13
“Wherefore, my beloved, as
ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to
will and to do of his good pleasure."
B.
Unto All Patience:
Ephesians
4:1-2
"1 ¶ I therefore, the
prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
ye are called,
2 ¶ With all lowliness and
meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love."
"Patience is a virtue,
possess it if you can; seldom seen in women, and never in a man."
2
Peter 1:4-7
Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of
the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust.
5 ¶ And beside this, giving
all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to
temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness charity."
In doing these things Peter
said that we prove our election or make it sure.
2
Peter 1:10
"Wherefore the
rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if
ye do these things, ye shall never fall."
C.
Joyful,
longsuffering:
Many Christians suffer all
of their lives, but they do not do it joyfully. As a pastor I often hear of the
murmuring and complaining of God's people concerning the hard times they go
through.
Acts
5:41-42
"And they departed
from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to
suffer shame for his name.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house,
they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."
Acts
13:52
"And the disciples were
filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost."
Galatians
5:22
"But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith…"
1
Thessalonians 1:6
"And ye became
followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction,
with joy of the Holy Ghost:"
James
1:2
"My brethren, count it
all joy when ye fall into divers temptations…."
5. THROUGH BEING THANKFUL: Vs 12-14
The Christian has more to be
thankful for than anyone else does. Thanksgiving ought to be the key word on
all of our lips.
Every year in
Too often we take things for
granted, and especially that which we have been given by the sovereign grace of
God. All that we have and ever hope to be as Christians is given to us by God's
grace and mercy. We can never merit in ourselves that which God gives to us
freely in Jesus Christ. One of the greatest of sins is to not be thankful to
God for our salvation. Giving thanks unto the Father ought to be first and
foremost in every Christians prayer life.
Paul gives some things that
we ought to be thankful for:
A.
Because we are partakers in inheritance:
Ephesians
1:11
"In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."
Colossians
3:24
"Knowing that of the
Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord
Christ."
All that is Christ's is also
ours as believers for we are joint heirs with Christ.
Romans
8:17
"And if children, then
heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with
him, that we may be also glorified together."
B.
Because we are in light, not darkness:
"saints in light."
Ephesians
5:8
"For ye were sometimes
darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light."
1
Thessalonians 5:5
"Ye are all the
children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of
darkness."
C.
Because we are Christ’s kingdom-church:
Luke
19:12-19ff
"He said therefore, A
certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and
to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered
them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a
message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned,
having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto
him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had
gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound
hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good
servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority
over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound
hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said
likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities."
(Read the rest of the
parable)
Mark
13:34-37
"34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far
journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every
man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the
master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or
in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say
unto you I say unto all, Watch."
Romans
12:5
"So we, being many, are
one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."
D.
Because we are Redeemed with His Blood:
"In whom we have
redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins."
Redemption is for
"we" it is particular to God's elect. Redemption is not universal,
for if it is, then salvation is also universal.
Ephesians
1:7
"In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of his grace."
Hebrews
9:12
"Neither by the blood
of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."
1
Peter 1:18-19
" Forasmuch as ye know
that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of
a lamb without blemish and without spot."
Acts
20:28
"Take heed therefore
unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made
you overseers, to feed the
Titus
2:14
"Who gave himself for
us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a
peculiar people, zealous of good works."
Only the flock (sheep) can
be thankful for redemption. If we are saved, we can thank God for sending His
Son to purchase our redemption with his blood on the cross of
E.
Because we are Forgiven:
"even the forgiveness
of sins."
Election is in eternity,
before the foundation of the world. It is in time that God's elect are brought
to the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins.
Acts
13:38
"Be it known unto you
therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the
forgiveness of sins."
Colossians
2:13
"And you, being dead in
your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with
him, having forgiven you all trespasses."
1
John 1:9
"If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness."
Acts
26:18
"To open their eyes,
and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God,
that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are
sanctified by faith that is in me."
FORGIVENESS
IS NOT DEPENDENT ON FEELINGS -
Someone asked Luther, "Do
you feel that you have been forgiven?"
He answered, "No, but I
am as sure as there is a God in heaven.
For feelings come, and
feelings go, and feelings are deceiving.
My warrant is the Word of
God,
Naught else is worth believing."
(
CONCLUSION:
Are you growing in the faith of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
Perhaps you have not been born into the family of God?
Perhaps you are a Christian but you have not been baptized scripturally?
Perhaps you have never become a member of the Lord Jesus Christ's
Church-kingdom?
You cannot grow if you are disobedient to the will and commands of the
Lord.
We will be glad to counsel with any who may have some questions
concerning these things.
Preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
Preached to
Sunday morning, March 12 2000.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
Lesson
#3
THE EXALTED CHRIST
Colossians
1:15-22
INTRODUCTION:
Paul had discussed the unity of love found in the Church in Colosse'.
He then exhorted them to continued spiritual growth in Christ. He now goes on
to show Christ as being supreme and exalted. He points to the centrality of the
cross and the Person of Jesus Christ.
1.
THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST: Vs 15-18
A.
Person of Christ:
Pauline theology does not
deal in symbols; neither does he linger in the shadows. Paul preached the
Person of Christ and sought to exalt Him as the Second Person of the Godhead.
1.
The image-reflected glory -
Paul taught that Christ was
the visible image of the invisible God. He did not teach that Christ was a mere
emulation of God. He was not a spirit but rather a visible man in whom God
dwelt in all of His fullness.
2 Corinthians 3:18 and 4:6
"18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a
glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to
glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
2 Corinthians 4:6
"For God,
who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ."
2.
The firstborn of every creature -
Revelation 3:14
"And unto the angel of
the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful
and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God."
B.
Power of Christ:
"For by Him were all
things created"
1.
Created - The cause of creation.
Christ was not only the
Creator, but He was the cause for creation.
2.
By Him and for Him
All things then were made by
Him and for Him. The whole universe is centered in Jesus Christ. Anyone or
anything not centered in Christ is out of balance with the plan of God.
Hebrews 2:10
" For it became him,
for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto
glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."
C.
Pre-existent Christ:
The Bible teaches that Jesus
Christ existed as the Eternal Son.
1.
As God -
John 1:1-2
"In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God."
John 8:58
"Jesus said
unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."
2.
The Eternal Son
John 1:18
"No man hath
seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the
Father, he hath declared him."
John 17:5
"And now, O
Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with
thee before the world was."
Hebrews 1:3
"Who being the
brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all
things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."
D.
Preeminent Christ:
Vs 18
1.
Head of the Body-Church.
"He is the head of the
Body, the Church……."
Paul shows who Christ was
from eternity. He now shows what he is NOW. He IS (now) the Head of the Body.
This is not a mystical Body
that Paul refers to here. It is the local New Testament Church, which Christ
instituted from the shores of
Ancient mysticism which some
insist on incorporating within the Church has done much harm to the truth
concerning the Church.
The Church is not invisible,
it is visible. It is not on the other hand universal, it is local.
If Baptists ever give up
this truth, they would cease to be Baptist.
2.
The beginning-
Christ is the beginning of
the new creation. He was there in the beginning, before the world was, but He
is the foundation of the new creation, the people of God, which are to make up
His Body, the local New Testament Church.
3.
The first born from the dead -
Revelation
1:5
"And from Jesus Christ,
who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince
of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins
in his own blood."
Christ was the first one to
rise from the dead and give resurrection life to the elect of God.
John
11:25
"Jesus said unto her, I
am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live."
Acts
4:33
"And with great power
gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great
grace was upon them all."
1
Peter 3:21
"The like figure
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ."
4.
Among all things-
(no idols.)
Christ is to have the
preeminence among all things.
2. THE CROSS OF CHRIST: Vs 19-22
The cross is central to all
Bible doctrine. Charles H. Spurgeon said, "Wherever I am in the Bible I
will always cross country to preach the cross.
A.
The Pleased Father:
Vs 19
1.
It pleased the Father that in Christ all fullness
would dwell -
Christ is God in human flesh
- Christ is one with the Father in Deity.
It pleased the Father that
all fullness should be centered in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ.
John 1:16
"And of his fullness
have all we received, and grace for grace."
John 5:22
“For the Father
judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son."
Colossians 2:9
"For in him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
As believers receive of His fullness,
they receive of the fullness of the Godhead (Deity.)
2.
To give His Son for the salvation of many.
John 3:16
"For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Matthew
20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to
be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for
many."
(See this same
verse in Mark 10:45)
3.
He is pleased to call all through repentance and
faith.
Acts 17:30-31
"And the
times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where
to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which
he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained;
whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from
the dead."
2 Peter 3:9
"The Lord is
not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance."
All, who are
efficiently called to salvation, are brought to Christ through repentance and
faith.
There are I
believe two calls, one is general and the other is efficient. I will illustrate
this in John 1:11-12.
"He came unto
his own, and his own received him not."
"As many as
received him…..become the sons of God."
Those who hear
Jesus voice and follow Him are God's elect and Jesus sheep.
Those who will
not hear nor follow Christ are goats. They may sound somewhat like sheep but
they are still goats.
4.
He was pleased to commit all things into His hands -
John 3:35
"The Father
loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand."
Christ is the
Head of the Church -
Ephesians 1:22-23
"And hath
put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to
the church,
Which is his
body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all."
5.
It pleased God to give His elect an inheritance
through redemption.
Vs 14
"In whom we
have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins."
Hebrews 9:12
"Neither by
the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the
holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."
1 Corinthians 1:30
"But of him
are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption."
1 Corinthians 3:21-23
“Therefore let no
man glory in men. For all things are yours;
22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the
world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
23
And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."
1 Peter 1:4
"To an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you."
B.
The Peace of Christ:
Vs 20
"And, having made peace
through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile {n} all things unto
himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in
heaven.
(9) Now he teaches how
Christ executed that office which his Father gave and commanded to him, that
is, by suffering the death of the cross (which was joined with the curse of
God) according to his decree, that by this sacrifice he might reconcile to his
Father all men, both those who believed in the Christ to come, and were already
under this hope gathered into heaven, as well as those who should upon the
earth believe in him afterwards. And in
this way justification is described by the apostle, which is one and the
chiefest part of the benefit of Christ. (n) The whole Church. (
1.
Thru His blood shed upon the cross -
Hebrews 7:27
"Who needeth
not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own
sins, and then for the people: for this he did once, when he offered up
himself."
2 Corinthians 5:18
"And all
things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath
given to us the ministry of reconciliation."
2.
To reconcile all things -
1 Corinthians 15:23-28
"But every
man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's
at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down
all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must
reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet.
But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is
excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto
him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things
under him, that God may be all in all."
Romans 11:15
" For if the
casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving
of them be, but life from the dead?"
2 Corinthians 5:19
"To wit,
that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation."
3.
Things in earth or things in heaven -
This indicates that things
exist in the heavens that require reconciliation to God, as well as things on
earth.
Christ paid the price of
sins debt for all of God's elect, including those who had trusted by faith in
the future death of Christ even as we look back to the cross in faith in His
finished work.
All of creation is to be
effected by Christ's redemptive sacrifice.
Romans 8:19-23
"For the
earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons
of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity,
not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth
and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which
have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,
waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."
4.
Alienated - enemies in your mind by wicked works - Vs 21
"Enemy" - Active
opposition to God and righteousness.
The works that proceed from
being alienated or cut of from God through Adamic sin. Human depravity is the
result of Adamic sin, which is inbred in all of humanity.
"wicked
works"- Titus 1:15-16
"Unto the pure all
things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing
pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
16 They profess that they know God; but in works
they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate."
5.
Reconciled - Restored to divine favor once and for
all
Romans 5:10-11
"For if, when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so,
but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom we have now received the
atonement. (reconciliation.)
Paul is talking to God's
elect who have been brought to faith in Christ.
C. The Presentation of Christ: Vs 22
"In the body of
his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable
in his sight."
1.
In the body of his flesh -
Ephesians
2:15-16
"Having abolished in
his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for
to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in
one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby."
2.
Through death -
1
Peter 2:24
"Who his own self bare
our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live
unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
Hebrews
10:10
"By the which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for
all."
3.
Present you holy -
Colossians
3:12-14
“Put on therefore, as the
elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of
mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one
another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so
also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity,
which is the bond of perfectness."
The purpose of Christ's
death upon the cross is to present the elect as sanctified wholly through his
blood.
4.
Unblameable - blameless
Blameless is "not to be
blamed" and should not be confused with faultless.
Ephesians
5:27
"That he might
present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any
such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
5. Unreproveable
- (in His sight)
We will never be
unreproveable in the sight of many people, but we can and are in the sight of
God. Even Satan, to get at the child of God must get past the blood of Christ.
The Church is called to a
life of separation, dedication, and service of Christ that will when pursued
bring them before Jesus as His bride presented in full glory.
2
Corinthians 11:1-2
"Would to God ye could
bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.
2 For I am jealous over you with godly
jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a
chaste virgin to Christ."
Revelation
19:7-9
"Let us be glad
and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and
his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be
arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness
of saints.
9
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which
are called
unto the marriage supper of
the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."
6.
"If ye continue in the faith"- Vs 23
Perseverance is the sign of
election. In other words, "if you make your calling and election
sure."
We are to continue in the
system of the faith.
To abide or adhere to
reconciliation is restoration from disfavor to favor with God for service and
worship in the new body of worship and service (the New Testament Church.
Ephesians
1:22
“And hath put all things
under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the
church."
CONCLUSION:
Have you come to Christ for peace and reconciliation?
Are you serving Him through His Church body?
Preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
Preached to
Sunday morning, March 19th 2000.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
LESSON
#4
CHRIST'S PLAN FOR HIS CHURCH
Colossians
1:23-29
Paul's letter to the Church
in Colosse' first shows his gratitude for their faith, then his desire to see
them grow and mature spiritually. He showed them "The Exalted
Christ," that His Person and cross are central to the faith.
Now we finish this
chapter as we look at Paul's commission from Christ, and the revelation of the
mystery of Christ. We can only know Him as we walk with Him, or abide with Him
(Vs 23) in service through His Kingdom-Church Body.
1.
THE CHURCH
PLAN: Vs 23
Christ has a plan for His
Church as taught by the apostle Paul. We today need to take a good look at that
plan for in many areas we have followed false teachers and gone astray from the
truth.
A.
The Faith:
(System of doctrine)
1.
The system of doctrine that constitutes the faith.
The basic orthodox doctrines
of Christianity. It used to be that all Protestant and Baptist Churches stood
upon the same basic ground of salvation by the grace of God. That is no longer
the truth, even among Baptists. Liberalism, humanism, Arminianism, Pelagianism,
and many other isms have eaten away at the roots of the Christian faith.
2.
Foundation truths of Christianity.
The foundation truths of
Biblical Christendom is the verbally inspired Word of God, The Deity and virgin
birth of Jesus Christ, Salvation by repentance and faith based upon the grace
of God; the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ etc.
3.
Teaching of Scripture centered in Jesus Christ.
Christ is the central figure
of all Scripture. The Jews of old were taught to look forward to Him, and we
today look back to Him.
The gospel is more than the
words of Christ; it is the good news of His Person.
B.
Grounded and Settled:
1.
Roots in Christ through teaching.
The instruction of the Word
of God is the tool used to ground and settle God's people in the bonds of
Christ.
We need to hear and the word
of God needs to be preached. The modern idea of entertainment in the place of
Bible preaching is shear foolishness.
2.
Needs no supplement of ritual, ceremony or deeds of
the law
Hebrews 3:14
"For we are made
partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence steadfast
unto the end."
One of the main reasons why
Baptists are so weak on liturgy is that it distracts from that very tool God
uses to establish us in the faith and to reach the lost sheep, the preaching of
the Word.
Any faith that uses crosses
and candles rather than the Word of God to hold it up, is a weak faith to say
the least.
Concerning the law, Paul
taught that it is only a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. Christ is the
graduate school of faith. The law tells us we are lost, hopeless, and enslaved.
Christ gives us abundant life and deliverance.
C.
The Hope of the Gospel:
1.
The use of the word hope here means
"guarantee."
The gospel of Jesus Christ
is our hope, our guarantee or warranty because it stands foursquare upon the
Person of Jesus Christ.
2.
Not removed to forms, ceremonies, and traditions of
men.
There are so many things
that can move us away from the hope of the gospel. Romanism did not become what
she was in the Middle Ages overnight. She first fell victim to mysticism and
humanism, which resulted in a salvation of works. This led to baptismal
regeneration, the concept of Catholicism with all of the pomp and ceremony that
man can ever dream of. All of this, of course a far cry from the simplicity of
apostolic Churches. Today there is little to resemble such Churches.
3.
Produces a fruit bearing life.
The hope of the gospel
produces a fruit-bearing life, because it is centered in the Vine where life
is.
2 Peter 1:5-12
"5 ¶ And beside this,
giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to
temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound,
they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind,
and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old
sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give
diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye
shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto
you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
12 ¶ Wherefore I will not be
negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know
them, and be established in the present truth."
D.
The Gospel itself:
(The good news of
1.
Was preached- (General call)
2.
Was heard - (Particular call)
3.
I was made a minister -
The root word of
"minister" is waiter, servant, or what we refer to as
"deacon." Paul regarded himself not as a Clergyman on a pedestal, but
as a common minister.
Christ makes ministers,
schools train them.
2. THE CHURCH PERFECTED: Vs 24
"Who now rejoice in my
sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of
Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:"
A.
Involves Suffering:
1.
Paul's sufferings -
Matthew 5:11-12
"Blessed are
ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of
evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is
your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before
you."
Acts 9:16
"16 For I will shew him how great things he must
suffer for my name's sake."
2 Corinthians 1:5-6
"For as the
sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your
consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same
sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your
consolation and salvation."
2.
Ready to fill vacancies, to do or to go where others
would not.
Romans
15:20
"Yea, so have I strived
to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon
another man's foundation:"
Romans 1:15
"So, as much as in me
is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at
B.
Is For The Body-Church:
Christian perfection is for
the Church-Body, for this is the place for Christian service.
1.
To serve Christ is to serve within His Body, the
institutional Church.
Paul's affliction was in
order that he might function in and among the Body of the New Testament Church.
"……………for
His Body's sake which is the Church."
Acts
20:28
"Take heed therefore
unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made
you overseers, to feed the
2.
Paul loved the Church because Christ loved her.
Ephesians
5:2
"And walk in love, as
Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a
sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor."
3.
Here, both Jews and Gentiles could come together in
service as "the espoused to Christ." The pillar and ground of the
truth. The Body purchased with His own blood.
1
Timothy 3:15
"But if I tarry long,
that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God,
which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the
truth."
Ephesians
5:25
"Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;"
4.
We cannot or dare not take the Lord's New Testament
Church-Body lightly or for granted.
1
Corinthians 11:29
"29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."
Hebrews
10:25
"Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one
another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
C.
Involves Church Ministry: Vs 25
"Whereof I am made
a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you,
to fulfill the word of God;"
1.
Paul was made a minister of the Church.
There is no such thing as a
minister who operates outside of the Church. Here in the ministry of Paul we
see the operation of Church authority.
The life of Jesus Christ
operates within the function of the Body-Church.
2.
Minister - Greek- 'diakonas."
Paul was acting in a
missionary capacity raising funds for the needy in the
The Greek implies
councilor-educator-servant- one who waits upon people for another.
While this shows us church
association or fellowship in mission, it does not give us reason for
denominationalism.
Churches may as they did
here, work together in mission, but as equal partners, not lorded over by some
man.
There is no scriptural
authority for an organized association with
President, Director of
Missions, committees etc. These were visible local sovereign, independent
Churches which worked together to send aid to the
It is right and proper for
God called men to minister together for others.
Churches too ought to work
together and not just build their own little kingdoms.
3.
Dispensation - meaning charge of stewardship. A
household steward or porter with a charge to keep and duty to perform.
Mark
13:34-37
"For the Son of man is
as a man taking a far journey, who left his work, and commanded the porter to
watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the
master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or
in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all,
Watch."
4.
"Given to me for you" - Committed to Paul
for the Church at Colosse and in actuality, for all of the Lord's Churches.
Paul considered himself a
life-debtor.
5.
"To fulfill the Word of God" -
to complete, sustain,
confirm or establish the truth of God's Word.
6.
As the Father sent the Son, so has the Son sent the
Church.
John
20:21
"Then said Jesus to
them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you."
Luke
19:10
"For the Son of man is
come to seek and to save that which was lost"
Mark
16:15
"And he said unto them,
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
Acts
1:8
"But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in
3. THE CHURCH PRESENTED: Vs 26
"Even the mystery which
hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his
saints:"
A.
The Revelation:
1.
The mystery which had been hidden- or concealed
truth undiscovered by the masses.
Christ was known in the Old
Testament but for the most part, revealed only in shadow form.
It was given to the apostle
Paul to reveal to God's elect the truth of the mystery of the Body-Church.
Romans
16:25-26
"Now to him that is of
power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since
the world began,
But now is made manifest,
and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the
everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:"
Ephesians
3:3-6
"How that by revelation
he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Whereby, when ye read, ye
may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.)
Which in other ages was not
made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles
and prophets by the Spirit;
That the Gentiles should be
fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by
the gospel:"
2.
That Jesus Christ should establish the Church-Body
to carry on His program of work and worship among the Gentiles in this age.
3.
"From ages and generations" - Only a few
prophets alluded to its establishment.
a)
A handful of corn - Psalm 72:16-17
"There shall be an
handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof
shall shake like
17 His name shall endure for ever: his name
shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all
nations shall call him blessed."
b)
A Kingdom never to be destroyed - Daniel 2:44-45
"And in the days of
these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be
destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was
cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron,
the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to
the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the
interpretation thereof sure."
c)
A flock - Zechariah
13:7
"Awake, O sword,
against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of
hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn
mine hand upon the little ones."
Matthew 26:31-32
"Then saith Jesus unto
them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I
will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
32 But after I am risen again, I will go before
you into
4.
"Now made manifest in His saints" -
The Church is that hidden
mystery revealed. With this we ought to underline the importance of the local
Ephesians 3:10
"To the intent that now
unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the
church the manifold wisdom of God…."
Matthew
13:11
"He answered and said
unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven, but to them it is not given."
B.
"The Riches of His Glory: Vs 27
"To whom God would make
known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which
is Christ in you, the hope of glory:"
1.
It's effects - among the Gentiles.
The riches of this glorious
mystery of the New Testament Church-Body would be made known among the
Gentiles.
The Church began with the
Jews but God's intention was and is, to bring in the Gentiles as well.
2.
"Christ in you the hope of glory" -
The hope of this glory is
"Christ in you" that is in the New Testament Church.
While every individual
believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, it is the Church that is indwelt with
His fullness of authority.
3.
Christ in you all - the Church-Body.
Paul is talking to a
particular Church, that which was located in Colosse'.
Again, the Church is where
Christ worships, and we bring glory to Christ in the Church or assembly of
believers.
Ephesians
3:19-21
"And to know the love
of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness
of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh
in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ
Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
4.
"The hope of glory" -
Christ is the one and only
hope of glory for anyone.
Hebrews
6:17-19
"Wherein God, willing
more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his
counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was
impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled
for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;"
Hebrews
7:25
"Wherefore he is able
also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession for them."
Hebrews
10:37
"For yet a little
while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry."
C.
The Resurrection Insurance: Vs
28-29
"Whom we preach,
warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present
every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
29 Whereunto I also labor, striving according to
his working, which worketh in me mightily."
1.
Whom we preach -
Paul and the apostles
preached the gospel, which in effect was a Person, Jesus, the Christ.
2.
Warning every man - admonishing them for good.
Paul preached the Gospel
fully to everyone he could, teaching them concerning Jesus Christ, and as
Christ Himself taught.
John the Baptist warned men
of the wrath of God. Jesus did likewise. And so does the apostle Paul. He
warned of the danger of false prophets and doctrine, of dangerous wolves that
would seek to lead God's people astray. Thus we see the need for instruction in
the Word of God.
Colossians
3:16
"Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
Lord."
3.
Teaching every man in all wisdom.
This is the commission,
which Jesus gave to His Church. The Church is not only to win souls for Christ,
but also to instruct them in the doctrines of sovereign grace.
Matthew
28:19-20
"Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen.
4.
That we might present every man.
To stand them up ready for
the Judgment seat inspection.
2Corinthians
5:10
"For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the
things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or
bad."
5.
"Perfect" - complete or mature in Christ.
This word is used in two
different ways in scripture.
a)
as complete, which every believer is in Christ.
Colossians
2:10
"And ye are complete
(Gr. Pleroo- verb- made full, perfect) in him, which is the head of all
principality and power:"
A>T> Robertson (Word
Pictures) translates this word as "full"-
{Ye are made full} (este peplhrwmenoi). Periphrastic
perfect passive indicative of plhrow, but only one predicate, not
two. Christ is our fullness of which we
all partake (#John 1:16; Eph 1:23) and our goal is to be made full of
God in Christ (#Eph 3:19). "In Christ they find the satisfaction of
every spiritual want" (Peake). {The
head} (h kafalh). There is no other place for Christ. He is first (#1:18)
in time and in rank. All rule and authority comes after Christ whether angels,
aeons, kings, what not. "
b)
As an ongoing striving after or progressive
sanctification.
Matthew
5:48
"Be ye therefore
perfect, (Gr. Teleios, an adjective-to complete, to be perfect,) even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect."
Robertson says -
{Perfect} (teleioi). The word comes from telov, end, goal,
limit. Here it is the goal set before
us, the absolute standard of our Heavenly Father. The word is used also for
relative perfection as of adults compared with children."
(Robertson's N.T. Word Pictures.)
ILLUSTRATION:
A baby in its mothers womb is complete in that it
has all of the organs it will have as an adult. However, it will grow into
maturity, gain weight and take on responsibility after birth and as it ages.
The Christian is complete in Christ but must mature to be Christ-like as we age
spiritually. It begins with spiritual birth and ends as we enter the presence
of God at death or the rapture.
6.
"Whereunto I also labor" -
Paul's labor was always for
those who would follow Jesus Christ, to the end that he might present every one
of them complete in Christ.
7.
"According to His inner working in me."
According to the inner
working of the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This too should be our
desire.
8.
"worketh" - a dynamic power.
Paul did not stretch the
truth as the evidence of his work remains to our day. God's power worked
mightily in Paul and it can work as well in us if we will abandon our wills and
our ways to walk closely with Jesus.
This is Paul's desire for
the
CONCLUSION:
What a glorious plan Christ has for His Church-Body!
The question then arises, are you in the Church-Body?
You can be if you will first receive Christ as your own personal
Savior, follow Him in submission to baptism by the authority of a New Testament
Church. Then join that Church-Body which is the local expression of Christ's
kingdom.
Acts 2:41-42
"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the
same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 ¶ And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and
fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."
Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
Preached to
Sunday morning, March 26th 2000.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
LESSON
#5
EXALTED CHRISTIANITY
Colossians
2:1-10
In chapter one, Paul shows Christ as exalted above others. He now
proceeds to show how Christianity is better than all of the philosophical
religions. Philosophy is founded upon ideas, upon man-made creed, while
Christianity is centered in a Person, Jesus Christ who is Lord and God.
Here then Paul deals with two areas:
A.
The Conflict of Paul for the Church.
B.
The Comfort of the knowledge of the mystery of God.
1.
THE
"That their hearts
might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the
full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God,
and of the Father, and of Christ;
In whom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
A.
Acceptable Foundation:
1.
Paul places the Person of Christ in the center, as a
source of comfort, foundation of faith, and source of all truth.
Jesus said of himself:
John
14:6
"I am the way, the
truth and the life…."
2.
Comfort comes in being bound together in true Church
capacity.
Paul's thoughts are here
first directed to the
B.
Assured Understanding:
We can know God's will and
plan for individuals and for the collective Church-Body as we walk in love with
Christ.
When we divorce ourselves
from the Church, we separate ourselves from that which feeds our understanding.
The idea that we can be full Christians and seldom if ever participate in the
Body is erroneous. The branches need the life of the vine and therefore must
function fully within the Body of Christ, which is a local New Testament
Church.
John
15:5
"I am the vine, ye are
the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
C.
Acknowledged Mystery:
1.
The mystery of God is -
Ephesians 1:9-14
"9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his
will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of
times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven,
and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory,
who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until
the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
Ephesians 2:11-18
11 ¶ Wherefore
remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called
Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by
hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ,
being aliens from the
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were
far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 ¶ For he is
our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of
partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity,
even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of
twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in
one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were
afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one
Spirit unto the Father."
2.
2 Corinthians
5:19
"God was in Christ
reconciling the world unto Himself."
God revealed Himself unto
the world in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the
incarnate God. The mystery of deity is in Christ, not elsewhere.
3.
One must acknowledge Christ in order to know the fullness
of the Godhead and the mystery of the Church-Body.
4.
Vs 3 - In whom are
hid (from outsiders) all treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
John 14:6
"I am the way, the truth
and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me."
2. THE CALL TO KNOWLEDGE: Vs 4-7
"4 ¶ And this I say, lest any man should
beguile you with enticing words.
5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I
with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness
of your faith in Christ.
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7
Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the
faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."
A.
Persuasive Speech:
Beguiled by enticing words.
There are many smooth
talking men who would beguile the unwary soul.
Satan cannot stop the elect
of God from coming to Christ, but he can beguile and lead astray and ruin the
testimony of God's people. The Christian needs to stand guard against such.
B.
Perseverance in Order and Faith:
1.
They stood for right, firmly resisting wrong.
2.
They stuck to Church order and to active
faith in Christ.
Correct dogma means very
little if we do not put it into practice.
3.
In relating what they had, Paul was using
"praise" to urge them to continue.
Praise for what is being
done right will achieve more than a negative attack on error.
The best defense is an
offense. We will change that with which we disagree, if we can agree with what
we agree and be patient with the rest.
If I fellowship only with
those whom I agree on every point, I will be a very lonely fellow. Sometimes I
am not sure I even agree with myself.
With those things that are
basic as pertaining to faith and order, there can be no compromise.
C.
Preventive Walk: Vs 6-7
1.
As ye have received - (through faith.)
Paul here talks about
receiving a Person and it is through faith, that is, the enabling power of God
given faith. Faith will not stand on the legs of a dead man. Faith comes by
hearing and by the Word of God. Saving faith is a work of Divine grace, and not
of some light that lies dormant within man. Pelagianism has no Scriptural
ground to stand upon. The ability to believe comes from God.
2.
Paul here uses the word Lord.
The word "Lord" as
used here is the Greek word "kurios" which means Master or one whom
possesses supreme authority.
3.
So walk - continue by faith and do not go back to
ceremonies, creeds, and philosophical ideas.
They should continue to live
and to walk after the conceptions, which they had of Christ when they first
embraced him, and not be led astray by others.
4.
Rooted and being built up in Him.
Roots in Christ will result
in Christ-likeness. To be built up in Christ is to be strengthened by that
which makes one mature and Christ-like.
5.
Stablished - (strengthened) in the faith.
To be confirmed,
established, strengthened in the faith. Confirmation does not come from others
but from the roots in which we receive our nourishment. We feed upon Christ
through His Word.
6.
As ye have been taught - by Paul and others.
Paul and other taught the
Word, but confirmation must come from Christ Himself. No bishop or man can give
us what must come from Christ Himself.
7.
Abounding with thanksgiving.
To move ahead with a
thankful spirit.
Psalms
100:4
"Enter into his gates
with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and
bless his name."
Romans
1:21
"Because that, when
they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became
vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
Colossians
3:15
"And let the peace of
God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye
thankful."
3. THE COMPLETION OF KNOWLEDGE: Vs 8-10
" Beware lest any man
spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are
complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"
A.
Doctrines of Men:
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"1 ¶ This
know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers,
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of
pleasures more than lovers of God;
5
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof: from such turn away."
In writing to the
Galatians, Paul testifies as to how the Lord delivered him from religious
formalism and the doctrines of men.
Galatians 1:14
"And profited in the Jews' religion above many
my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions
of my fathers."
1.
Man leads to the doctrines of men - (flesh begets
flesh.)
2.
Don't spoil your faith by walking after carnal men.
Men who detract from the
centrality of Christ and the cross; from the purpose of Christ in His Church
and its commission.
3.
Philosophy - ideas that are vain and deceitful.
Perhaps with a mixture of Jewish and oriental religion with Greek Gnosticism.
Gnosticism - This was a very
dangerous heresy, which was around in Paul's day and flourished, in the second
century.
Gnosticism denies that
Christ had come in the flesh its ideas came from many quarters such as the
mythologies of
4.
Man-made doctrine is worldly, fleshly and places
reason in place of faith and substitutes Christ with nice sounding phrases and
ideas.
True Biblical theology ought
to be first Scriptural, and then simple and practical. It must exalt Christ and
declare God as sovereign.
B.
Deceitful Ideas:
1.
Things that appear true on the surface but are
subtle and deceiving.
Arminianism is such because
it places man in charge of His own destiny. Pelagianism is such because it
seeks to find in man the divine light, which is found only in Christ.
2.
The world’s way versus the way of Christ.
Man, lost in his depravity
and Adamic nature seeks to pick himself up by his own bootstraps.
Christ comes to man in his
humanity and pays the debt of sin that is owed a holy and righteous God.
Anything that detracts or
replaces the Person of Christ as Sovereign Lord and Savior ought to be rejected.
Salvation is all of grace and none of ourselves. There is no hope for the
future, no salvation from sin but through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Galatians
6:14
" But God forbid that I
should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
C.
Demonstrated Foundation: Vs 9-10
1.
In Him dwelleth - (permanently.)
Jesus Christ did not become
the Son of God; he was and is the Son of God from eternity.
2.
All fullness of deity - the deity of Christ opposes
the erroneous view that angels also constituted the Godhead.
Mormonism erroneously teach
that man can become angelic, and in time become God.
Satan thought he could do
that and was cast out of heaven. He will spend eternity in the
3.
Ye are complete - filled or perfected.
The believer is fulfilled,
completed or perfected, not through ceremonies and religious liturgy, but in
Christ.
How easy it is for fleshly
humans to trust in fleshly material objects. In a false attempt to be spiritual,
man places his faith in the externals of religion, the crucifix, the rosary,
the baptismal font, the water, the bread, the wine, etc. etc.
Well did the hymn writer pen
the words-
"On Christ the solid
Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."
4.
In Him - Christ is all we need, the foundation and
embodiment of truth.
5.
Head over all - Head over each member and over the
whole body.
Christ is above all
principalities and powers.
"The kingdoms of this
world which Satan tempted Jesus with, will become the Kingdoms of our Lord and
His Christ."
CONCLUSION:
Christ is all we need and in Christianity, which is founded upon,
rooted and grounded in His Person, we see and receive what philosophy cannot
even begin to give. Bible Christianity is exalted above all other.
And you my friend, where do stand among all of this?
My prayer is that you will receive Jesus Christ and Him alone, as your
own personal Lord and Savior.
Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in 1987
Preached to
Sunday morning, April 2nd 2000 A.D.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
Lesson
#6
EXALTED CHRISTIANITY -OVER LEGALISM
Colossians
2:11-17
In chapter one we see Christ exalted above all others. In Chapter two
we have seen Christ exalted above philosophy. Now Paul proceeds to show the
Christian faith as exalted over the legalistic concepts of Judaism, and herein
we see the futility of present day legalistic cults and legalistic approach to
Christianity. We are complete-perfect-mature in Christ (Vs 10) who as Paul says in 1
Corinthians 1:30 -
"is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption."
Here the Colossians are brought to see the work of Christ in the
believer and in His Church as above the legalistic approach of the law.
1.
SEPARATED BY
CHRIST: Vs 11
" In whom also ye are
circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:"
A.
A Spiritual Man:
1.
Circumcised with the circumcision made without
hands.
Physical circumcision was
only an outward sign for the man. Spiritual circumcision of the heart is for
men and women.
2.
Marked and set aside for God.
Physical circumcision marked
one as a Jew in covenant relationship with God under the Mosaic Law.
3.
Natural birth and mere adherence to Mosaic law did
not bring one into covenant relationship with God. Being a Jew only and under
Mosaic Law, the male child received the sign of the covenant. This sign was
only temporary; it looked forward to Messiah.
Circumcision then was only
the outward covenant sign.
One was not spiritual mainly
because he had been circumcised in the flesh. True spirituality is found in the
heart, not in the flesh.
B.
A Sanctified Man:
1.
Putting off the body of sins is not what we give up,
but a work Christ does in our hearts by faith.
2.
The elect child of God (on God's part) is chosen in
Christ from eternity, but is brought to Christ in time through repentance and
faith. That one is then sanctified or set apart in Christ as a child of God.
3.
Physical circumcision did not change a man. The act
of obedience to God's promise was that which brought change. Physical signs
such as circumcision to the Jew, or water baptism to the Christian, are merely
pictorial. Circumcision brought man in obedience to the law, which literally
condemned him because of inbred sin. Baptism to the Christian in merely an
outward sign that the cross has done its work. It can never replace the cross.
4.
Christ changes lives by forgiving our sins and
placing His Spirit within us- (circumcision of the heart.)
2
Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all
things become new."
Romans
6:6
"Knowing this, that our
old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed. That
henceforth we should not serve sin."
1
Corinthians 6:11
"But ye are washed, but
ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus, and by
the Spirit of our God."
5.
Circumcision of the heart was actually commanded of
Deuteronomy
10:16
"Circumcise therefore
the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked."
Deuteronomy
30:6
"And the LORD thy God
will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy
God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live."
Jeremiah
4:4
Circumcise yourselves to the
LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of
Ezekiel
18:31
"Cast away from you all
your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and
a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of
Romans
2:28-29 "For he is not a Jew,
which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the
flesh:
But he is a Jew, which is
one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in
the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."
6. Fleshly circumcision of the male in
Acts
10:43
"To him give all the
prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall
receive remission of sins."
And again let me repeat
Paul's word to the Roman Church:
Romans
2:29
"But he is a Jew, which
is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not
in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."
So we see that this
separation is entirely the work of God's sovereign grace.
2.
SEPARATED IN
CHRIST: Vs 12
"Buried with him in
baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation
of God, who hath raised him from the dead."
A.
Buried with Him:
1.
"In baptism" - Literally, signified in
your baptism.
Some have foolishly tried to
make this a spiritual baptism. I believe that Paul was referring to the picture
they displayed in water baptism.
Let me state only briefly
why I believe this:
a)
Spiritual Baptism is corporate and was given on the
Day of Pentecost
b)
Jesus is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit does not baptize.
c)
This baptism is identified with death, which water
does, while spiritual baptism is identified with life and power.
2.
The meaning here in Colossians is "to be
co-buried or in colleague with Christ.
3.
Identified with Christ - Those who have had their
hearts changed need to identify with Christ's burial through water baptism
(immersion is implied here.)
4.
We are not baptized for salvation but because or as
a sign of it. Believers are buried with Christ by faith. Therefore receive
Christ first, and be saved.
Romans
6:4-5
"Therefore we are
buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life.
For if we have been planted
together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his
resurrection:"
1
Peter 3:21
"The like figure
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ:"
The legalistic doctrine of
baptismal regeneration is erroneous heresy.
B.
Blessed with Him:
1.
"Ye are risen with Him" - When you rise
from the waters of baptism you symbolize your change of heart and life brought
about by Christ's death and resurrection.
Note: Pedo baptism
cannot possibly picture this.
John
14:19
"Yet a little while,
and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live
also."
2.
Baptism identifies with new life in Christ. Coming
up from the water is a pledge to "walk in the newness of life."
3.
Faith of the operation of God -
As God operated in Christ to
raise Him from the grave, so Christ operates in the heart of the believer to
change him from a vile sinner, bringing him back into fellowship as an elect
child of God.
When one accepts the gift
(enabling power) of God and volitionally places faith in Jesus Christ he is
saved.
This is the work of God in
the heart of the sinner, bringing him to the point where he can say
"yes" to Jesus.
Ephesians
2:8-9
"For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man
should boast."
Baptism like a uniform
identifies a follower of Jesus Christ.
Galatians
3:27
"For as many of you as
have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
4.
"Who raised Him from the dead" -
Identification with Christ
through resurrection (of which baptism is a sign, is identification with God.
It is God who worked in and
through Christ, and it is God who works in and through the believer in Christ.
Salvation is all of grace
and found only in Christ.
The resurrection of Christ
being a work of God, the resurrection of believers is a work of God, therefore
man cannot claim credit for his salvation. It is of God, not of works. Christ
is therefore exalted over all else and especially over legalism.
3.
SEPARATED THROUGH
CHRIST: Vs 13-17
"13 ¶ And you, being
dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened
together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way,
nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers,
he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 ¶ Let no man therefore
judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new
moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a
shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."
A.
Corrupted Nature:
1.
"Dead in your sins" - If only we could
really grasp the meaning of depravity!
To be dead means to be empty, barren, unfruitful, void of spiritual
life, alienated or cut off from the life of God.
2.
"Uncircumcised flesh" - unsaved nature,
the sinful state of man apart from Christ.
Psalm
40:1-3
"To the chief Musician,
A Psalm of David. >> I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined
unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of
an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and
established my goings.
And he hath put a new song
in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall
trust in the LORD."
3.
Man is transgressor - Man is constituted a sinner
and spiritually dead to righteousness.
Romans
5:12,19
"Wherefore, as by one
man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all
men, for that all have sinned:"
Vs
19
"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous."
B.
Contrary Law: Vs
14
"Blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and
took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;"
1.
The law finds man guilty -
Romans
3:19
"Now we know that what
things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."
The law cries out that we
are guilty and condemns us to judgment.
There is no grace within the
law. The idea that men were saved in the Old Testament by obedience to the law
is ridiculous. There is no deliverance under the law except to the prison. Any
who were saved in the Old Testament times were saved by the same sovereign
grace that we today are saved by, except that they looked forward to the cross
while we look back to a finished work.
2.
The law is a schoolmaster -
Galatians
3:24
"Wherefore the law was
our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by
faith."
The law teaches us our guilt
before a holy and just God.
The law shows us how
impossible it is to live for God in our own strength, because our flesh is weak
and sinful.
The hymn writer expresses
it:
"O to grace how great a
debtor Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a
fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord I feel
it, Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and
seal it; Seal it for thy courts above."
3.
The law on one hand condemns us, and on the other
cannot save us.
Romans 8:3-4
"For what the law could
not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
That the righteousness of
the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit."
Looking to our flesh we see
sin and weakness. Looking to the law we are condemned. Looking to Christ we see
salvation!
C. Christ's Cross:
1.
Christ met the demands of the law in being made sin
for us.
2
Corinthians 5:21
“For he hath made him to be
sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him."
2.
Christ, by fulfilling the demands of the law -
"blotted out-wiped
out" the due-note against us.
Often when we receive an
invoice, it is marked "due upon receipt of invoice."
The penalty of death became
due and the demands of the law enforced it
Romans
6:23
"The wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Ephesians
2:15-17
"Having abolished in
his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for
to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in
one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were
afar off, and to them that were nigh."
3.
The cross made an end of the law, Christ having met
its demands. Its jurisdiction over the believer is therefore abolished.
Galatians
3:10-13
"10 For as many as are of the works of the law are
under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in
all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in
the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man
that doeth them shall live in them.
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the
law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that
hangeth on a tree:"
2
Corinthians 3:7-11
" But if the
ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that
the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the
glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit
be rather glorious?
9 For if the ministration of condemnation be
glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no
glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious,
much more that which remaineth is glorious."
4.
Romans 10:4
"For Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth."
Therefore Christ is exalted
over legalism since he met all of the demands of the law for God's elect.
D. Ceremonial Shadows: Vs 15-17
"15 And having spoiled principalities and powers,
he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 ¶ Let no man therefore
judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new
moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a
shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."
1.
Spoiled principalities and powers -
Rulers and authorities- old
enemies were stripped of authority. This included the law and Satan.
The law was disarmed.
2.
Made a show of them openly - Christ exposed them for
their weakness.
3.
Triumphing over them in it -
Christ arose as victor!
What the blood of bulls and
goats could not do;
What circumcision could not
accomplish;
What Sabbath keeping could
not avail;
Jesus death availed for
every soul for whom he died. The elect of God have been redeemed by the blood
of the Lamb! Those who are brought to repentance and faith, trusting in the
Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior are no longer under the bondage of
legalism.
4.
Because of
a)
Eating.
b)
Drink
c)
Holy days.
d)
New moon (sacrifice or worship days)
e)
Sabbath days -rest days, including the seventh day.
5.
"A shadow" - these things are a mere
resemblance, not the reality.
6.
"Things to come" - pointing to the Church
age.
7.
"The body" the casting of the shadow
belongs to Christ. The reality, the substance, the solid fact of what is
foreshadowed, the body of it, belongs to Christ.
Paul leads the Colossians to
Christ as all and in all. They need nothing more for they are saved by
sovereign grace and in the Church-Body of which all of these things are
symbolic.
Christ dwells in His Body-Church.
Ephesians
1:22-23
"And hath put all
things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the
church,
23
Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth
all in all."
CONCLUSION:
Christianity, Christ and His body supersede and are exalted over
legalism with its laws and ordinances, rules and regulations.
Have you trusted wholly in Christ as your Savior?
Have you identified with Him through baptism?
Are you a faithful member of His body, the New Testament (local)
Church?
I trust that you are.
Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
Preached to
Sunday morning, April 9th 2000
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
LESSON
#7
EXALTED CHRISTIANITY OVER MYSTICAL TEACHING
Colossians
2:18-19
INTRODUCTION:
In Chapter one, Christ is seen as exalted over all. In chapter two, Paul shows Christianity as
exalted over philosophy, over legalism and now in these verses, over mystical
teaching. Mysticism means things difficult to explain or understand. Guru's of
Again, the general theme of Colossians is "The Supremacy and all
sufficiency of Christ." This is shown by looking at the believers union
with Christ.
Some were also teaching a false humility and the worship of angels as
proper, claiming special mystic insights by way of visions (intruding into
those things which he hath not seen.) The basic problem was their egoistic or
fleshly mind.
We will look at these verses from two points:
A.
Deceptive Practice.
B.
Destructive Practice.
1.
DECEPTIVE
PRACTICE: Vs 18
The word "beguile"
means to cause to accept what is false, especially by trickery or
misrepresentation, to deceive.
A.
From the Concluding Prize:
1.
"Your reward" -
1 Corinthians 9:24
"Know ye not that they
which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye might
obtain."
2 Corinthians 5:10
"For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done
in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
2.
To be misled as to who Jesus is will lead to loss of
rewards.-
2 John 8
"Look to
yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we
receive a full reward."
1 Corinthians
3:10-15
“According to the grace of
God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the
foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he
buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no
man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon
this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
Every man's work shall be
made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by
fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide
which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be
burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by
fire."
Paul's warning then to the
B.
From Choice of Humility:
"in a voluntary
humility."
1.
Voluntary -"done by ones own choice" or
"being a voluntary humility."
2.
We receive Christ by personal choice, not by
trickery or bribery.
Some modern evangelists use
gimmicks to try to win people to Christ. No wonder such people soon stray from
the truth and the Church. Salvation is of the Lord, all of grace and received
personally and individually.
3.
The meaning in the Greek - "being voluntary in
humility."
True humility is not found
in one's clothing or externals of religion. It comes on a voluntary basis as
individuals respond to the working of Christ in their lives.
4.
Humility - lack of vanity or self-importance,
modesty.
5.
Salvation is given to those who know they deserve
hell, but humble themselves for mercy at the cross of Christ.
6.
Humility is based in love, and "love vaunted
not itself, is not puffed up" - 1
Corinthians 13:4.
7.
The pretense or fleshly show of humility, causes men
to worship angels instead of God - the creature instead of the Creator - Mary,
saints, idol images, crosses, candles, Church buildings, shrines, and mere men,
etc., and not the Person of Jesus Christ. True humility puts God first; others
second and ourselves last. A humble Christian is not ego centered.
John 4:24
"God is a spirit; and
they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."
C.
From Counterfeit Religion:
Paul persuaded men to
worship God, not angels or the law.
Acts 18:13
"This fellow persuadeth
men to worship God contrary to the law."
1.
Worshippers of angels are classed as worshippers of
devils, demon, idols, - condemned in -
Revelation 9:20
"And the rest of the
men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of
their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and of
silver, and of brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear,
nor walk, condemned by God."
2.
Worshipping angels would amount to worship of the
creature and not the Creator. Counterfeit religion detracts from the Person of
Jesus Christ.
D.
From Contrary Intrusion:
"Intruding into those
things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind."
1.
"Into those things which he hath not seen"
-
Someone has well said,
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
2.
Angels do not receive worship -
Hebrews
1:6
"And again, when he
bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels
of God worship him."
Angels are known as
ministering spirits and everywhere they are mentioned, they are subservient to
God.
3.
There are some things in life in which we are better
off to leave alone as they are to do with things deeper and far beyond our
finite minds.
4.
"Vainly puffed up" - beguiling men with
feigned humility- gloating with a purported mystical knowledge and piosity, are
to be avoided and resisted.
5.
"By his fleshly mind"- the mind or
mentality of his flesh.
We are not to allow our
"human depraved flesh” to reign or to take charge of us.
One with a spiritual mind
never leads anyone to worship angels, or anyone or anything but God Himself.
Colossians
3:17
"And whatsoever ye do
in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and
the Father by him."
Exodus
20:1-4
" ¶ And God spake all
these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought
thee out of the
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the
earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:"
The worship of angels is a
form of idolatry.
2. DESTRUCTIVE PRACTICE: Vs 19
"And not holding the
Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment
ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God."
In this verse Paul displays
a deadly spiritual virus which will destroy a Church and render her useless in
God's service.
A.
The Centrality of Jesus Christ: (exalted over all.)
1.
Christ as Head of the Body-Church.
Ephesians
1:22
"And hath put all
things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the
church…"
a)
Jesus is the only Savior -
Acts
4:12
"Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among
men, whereby we must be saved."
b)
Jesus is the only Intercessor -
Hebrews
7:25
"Wherefore he is able
also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession for them."
Hebrews
9:24
" For Christ is not
entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for
us:"
1
John 2:2
"And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world."
Revelation
12:10
"And I heard a loud
voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast
down, which accused them before our God day and night."
c)
Jesus is the only Mediator-
1
Timothy 2:5
"For there is one God,
and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;"
2.
"From which all the body"-
The Church-Body, assembly,
or congregation, as a temple of worshipping people over which He is Head.
Ephesians
1:20-23
"20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised
him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and
might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but
also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and
gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23
Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth
all in all."
Colossians
1:24
“Who now rejoice in my
sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of
Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:"
Ephesians
2:19-22
“Now therefore ye are no
more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the
household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed
together growth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an
habitation of God through the Spirit."
Ephesians
3:6-10
"That the Gentiles
should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in
Christ by the gospel:
7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to
the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his
power.
8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all
saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ;
9 And to make all men see what is the
fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid
in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
10 To the intent that now unto the
principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God…"
3.
"By joints and bands"-
By means of individual
members each with a different but necessary function in the local-Church-Body.
1
Corinthians 12:12-28
"¶ For as the body is
one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into
one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have
been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the
hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not
the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the
hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of
them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19 And if they were all one member, where were
the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one
body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have
no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body,
which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think
to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our
uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God
hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part
which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body;
but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the
members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with
it.
27 ¶ Now ye are the body of
Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God hath set some in the church, first
apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then
gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."
4.
To substitute anything for Christ is to detract from
the purpose and ministry of Christ and His Church.
B.
Controlled by Christ:
1.
Having nourishment ministered -
Being supplied - or
nourished by the provision of the Head of the Church-Body.
2.
Christ is the source of the river. The Life of the
Body.
3.
Christ provides through the Holy Spirit, the three
remaining gifts, and the Word of God.
John
14:16-18
"16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give
you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world
cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him;
for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 ¶ I will not leave you
comfortless: I will come to you."
John
16:7-13
"7 ¶ Nevertheless I
tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him
unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father,
and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world
is judged.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but
ye cannot bear them now.
13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he
will guide
you into all truth: for he
shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will shew you things to come."
1
Corinthians 13:13
"And now abideth faith,
hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."
2
Timothy 3:16-17
"All scripture is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of
God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto
all good
works."
4.
"And knit together" -
In colleague by the work of
the Holy Spirit and love.
Many members but one body in
the bonds of "agape" love.
5.
"Increases with the increase of God" -
Will grow with the growth of
God.
Spiritual growth comes from
God as we obey the truth.
2
Peter 1:5-12
Ҧ And beside this, giving
all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to
temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound,
they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind,
and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old
sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence
to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall
never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto
you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
12 ¶ Wherefore I will not be
negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know
them, and be established in the present truth."
6.
So to use substitutes in worship will destroy the
Body-Church, for Christ alone is the source of spiritual strength, power, and
supply.
CONCLUSION:
Therefore Biblical Christianity, which exalts Christ, is exalted over
mystical teaching, over all religions of man.
Christianity is founded upon a Person and receives its light, strength,
and power to live from that source alone.
Where is your source of life and power?
If you have not, will you now, receive Jesus Christ as your own
personal Savior?
1 John 5:11-12
“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and
this life is in his Son.
He that hath the Son hath life;
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the
Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe
on the name of the Son of God."
Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
Preached to
Sunday morning, April 16th 2000
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
LESSON
#8
EXALTED CHRISTIANITY OVER ASCETICISM
Colossians
2:20-23
INTRODUCTION:
"Asceticism" - That, which teaches self-made wisdom, promotes
a self-made religion, which deals severely with the body, yet could not succeed
in combating the desires of the flesh. Ascetic emphasis is on taking off rather
than putting on. It deals more with the "old man" than with the new.
It is based upon a suspicion that the physical is essentially evil and
therefore to be necessarily renounced as such for the attainment of true
satisfaction and in full obedience to Christ. Romanism is filled with ascetic
ideals such as celibacy, monastic vows, and the teaching that all sexual
intercourse is sin. It is taught that one needs to gain merit in order to
escape purgatory. This does not mean we should forego self-discipline. Only
that Christ, Himself, is all sufficient for salvation.
1.
IDENTIFICATION:
A.
Dead With Christ:
Romans 6:1-2
"What shall
we say them? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How
shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"
1.
When you were converted to Christ, you were
liberated from the slavery of eternal death, the law and its ordinances.
2.
Acceptance by faith, of Christ as total payment of
sins penalty, frees us from the demands of the law.
B.
Dead From The Rudiments of The World:
1.
Rudiments mean elements.
2.
Allegiance to the world order of things - even
apostate practice such as angel worship.
Romans 5:1
"Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ."
Romans
6:10-11
"For in that
he died, he died unto sin once; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Likewise reckon
ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord."
C.
Dead From The Worlds Lusts, Pleasures, and vain
Hopes:
1.
The world is under the dominion of fallen angels;
Satan is the Prince of the power of the air, the god of this world.
2.
To be a servant-slave to the world is to show
allegiance to Satan.
1 John 2:15-17
"Love not
the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,
but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust
thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
Galatians 5:1,25
"Stand fast
therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not
entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
Vs 25
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
The Christian
lives by faith and not by law or physical symbols.
3.
We are in the world, but we are not to be a part of
it.
One could be
living in
It is a shame
when the world gets into or takes over the life of a Christian.
2. INCURRENCE:
This word means to become subject to, to bring on
oneself.
Many Christians
bring trouble upon themselves by failure to trust fully in Christ and become
Spirit-led.
A.
Subject to Ordinances:
Decrees or
dogma's - to turn back to fear and vanity is bondage and an offence to God.
Romans 8:14-15
"For as many
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father."
The Christian has
been made free from worldly and sinful bondage, and Christ fulfilled the
demands of Mosaic Law.
We should never
have legalistic ties with anything except our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The spirit of
bondage is found in:
1.
"Touch not" - These prohibitions of
touch-taste-handle, were prompted by those who advocated the continued keeping
of the law, even though it was fulfilled in Christ.
2.
"Taste not" - Probable reference to
certain meats and drinks regulated by Mosaic Law.
Concerning those
who would make a vow before God, Moses was instructed -
Leviticus 10:9
"Do not
drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the
tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever
throughout your generations:"
Numbers 6:3
"He shall
separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of
wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes,
nor eat moist grapes, or dried."
3.
"Handle not" - Unclean persons and things
regulated under Mosaic Law.
4.
Paul is not giving license to sin, but rather to
show a higher authority (Christ) and a greater law (grace.)
5.
"Ordinances that will perish" -
Ordinances are
physical, temporary, fleshly, passing.
1 John 2:17
"And the
world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God
abideth for ever."
Ordinances are
here today and gone tomorrow.
6.
"Commandments and doctrines of men" -
Injunctions,
traditional mandates, religious laws not divinely sanctioned.
Sometimes
Christians and Churches become more legalistic than the Jewish Pharisees ever
were.
Great care should
be made, not to impose rules and regulations upon others that are not found in
the covenant of grace.
Such are
regulations of food and drink, as well as styles of clothing. We are to live
and dress as to please Christ and show forth His praise, not that of our own
flesh. On the other hand we are not more spiritual because of what we eat or
wear.
(We will say more
about this in lesson #10.)
B.
Satisfying Flesh: Vs 23
"23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in
will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honor to the
satisfying of the flesh."
1.
A form of Godliness - Religious form is no sign of
salvation.
Religious piosity
as seen in religious dress and ceremony.
1 Timothy 4:1-6
"1 ¶ Now the
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to
abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of
them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and
nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and
prayer.
6 ¶ If thou put
the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of
Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine,
whereunto thou hast attained."
2.
"Will worship" - a show of wisdom in self-imposed, or forced
worship.
2 Timothy 3:5-7
"Having a
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into
houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth."
3.
"Humility" - self exalted humility as
angels of light.
4.
"Neglecting the body" - severity of the
body in order to make themselves look pious. Self imposed bodily punishment.
Every year we see
in our newspapers, photos of Filipino Catholic's who have themselves flogged
and tied to a cross, thinking they may make themselves Christ-like and avail
themselves of salvation and entrance to heaven. They think that this is
suffering with Christ. However, the Bible teaches that Christ suffered for us,
and paid the sin debt on our behalf.
Matthew 6:16
"Moreover
when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they
disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto
you, They have their reward."
5.
"Not in any honor" - Honorable appearance
without hypocrisy in worship and testimony.
Matthew 6:5-6
"And when
thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be
seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in
secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:17-18
"But thou,
when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but
unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall
reward thee openly."
6.
"To the satisfying of the flesh" -
Hypocrisy leaves
the hypocrite with a guilty, salved conscience while the guilt of sin and
deceit seethe within the soul. The outward show may satisfy the masses while
the soul of the false worshipper is without rest.
Mark 7:6-9
“He answered and
said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is
written, This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from
me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching
for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye
hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such
like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject
the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."
Charles
H. Spurgeon on the HYPOCRITE:
"Poor soul! Remember,
though like a sheep thou art laid in thy grave, Death will find thee out. He
will say to thee, "Off with thy mask, man! Away with thy robes! Up with
that whitewashed sepulcher! Take off the green turf: let the worms be seen! Out
with the body: let us see the reeking corruption! And what wilt thou say when
thine abominably corrupt and filthy heart shall be opened before the sun, and
men and angels hear thy lies and hypocrisies laid bare before them? Wilt thou
play the hypocrite then?"
CROMWELL
said
to
CONCLUSION:
So we see the importance of
knowing Christ personally, and of not trying to make it on another's religious
experience. That the symbols of religion even at their best, only point from
the shadows to Jesus, the Christ.
Let us therefore identify
ourselves with the Person of the Living Christ!
This we do, first through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ.
Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in 1987
Preached to
Sunday morning,
April 23rd 2000.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
Lesson
#9
Colossians
3:1-4
1 ¶ If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."
INTRODUCTION:
With verse one, Paul begins the ethical or practical section of this
letter. Paul's appeal is simple: Become in experience what you already are by
God's grace. The Christian is risen with Christ. Therefore he/she should
exhibit that new life. Our union with Christ is to produce in us the life of
Christ.
1.
THE CERTAINTY OF
OUR CALLING: Vs 1-2
A.
Risen with Christ:
Christ in His resurrection
defied and defeated death.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23
"But now is Christ
risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also
the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."
The resurrection of Jesus
Christ is a cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith. By cardinal we mean it is
foundational, one without which we can not do without.
The triumph of Christ is our
triumph and guarantees acceptance with the Father and a place in heaven for the
believer.
B.
The Source of Life and Blessing:
(Seek heavenly and spiritual
things.)
The Christian is to seek
those things, which our Victor has obtained for us and the victory, which he
wrought, on our behalf.
The Christian has a longing
for heaven and should feel out of place in this world.
In everyone of God's elect
there is a spiritual pull towards heaven. Yes, the flesh also has a pull
towards the world, producing a tug-o-war.
The Christian is homesick in
this world and longs for the day in which His Savior will call him home. The
flesh gets too taken up with this life, this world.
Someone said, "Everyone
wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go today.
The Christian has a longing
for heaven because -
1.
It is where Christ sitteth "on the right hand
of God" - in control- in the place of all authority. He is indeed our
Victor!
2.
Our affections are in Christ:
Set your affections - mind
and disposition - upon things, which are heavenly.
The contrast here is between
heavenly and earthly things.
You can take the boy out of
the country but you cannot take the country out of the boy.
The born again believer is
in the world but can never be satisfied by it. He is a stranger, a pilgrim in a
strange land.
The Christians eyes are
glued skyward for the coming of His Lord.
If you are in any way
otherwise, perhaps you ought to check your birth certificate.
3.
The victory that Christ wrought is our victory and
only willful disobedience can cause us to not be victorious.
2.
THE CERTAINTY OF
OUR DELIVERANCE: Vs 3-4
"For ye are dead, and
your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear,
then shall ye also appear with him in glory."
A.
For Ye are Dead:
Galatians 2:19-20
"19 For I through the law am dead to the law,
that I might live unto God.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for
me."
One who has died is no
longer in the realm of life, no longer subject to its pull.
I have been in many funeral
homes in my day, and never once did I see a corpse respond to anything round
about it.
The sinner is dead to
spiritual life. The Christian is dead to the affects of the law and ought to be
dead to the world.
There is a direct turnabout
as old things pass away and all things become new.
When a spaceship rises to a
certain point, it is beyond the pull of earth's gravity. It is no longer
affected by earth's gravity. It must run on other power now. Likewise is the
Christian in their relationship to the world, the power of sin does not have to
affect us unless we bring ourselves back within that grasp.
The Christian has died to
sins claim and to sins slavery.
1.
Your life is hidden:
John 10:28-30
"28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater
than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one."
John 14:19
"Yet a little while,
and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live
also."
Romans 5:10
"For if, when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
2.
With Christ in God:
The believer is in close
affinity or association with Christ in God.
1 John 5:20
"And we know that the
Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him
that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ.
This is the true God, and eternal life."
John 17:21
"That they all may be
one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in
us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."
Divine grace should elicit,
call forth the best of holy living and sanctified, sacrificial, unselfish service
in each believer.
B.
Our Comforting Guarantee:
The Christian has a hope
that is anchored to the foundation of Jesus Christ. The life of God's people is
that of Christ, and not themselves.
1.
Christ is our life:
1 Peter 2:21
"For even hereunto were
ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye
should follow in his steps:"
1 Corinthians 11:1
"Be ye followers of me,
even as I also am of Christ."
The steps of Jesus lead us
upward and onward to victory. There is no life apart of Jesus Christ.
2.
"Shall appear" -
Acts 1:7
“And he said unto them, It
is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in
his own power."
Matthew 24:36
"But of that day and
hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."
3.
"Ye shall appear" -
There is a two-fold
reference here-
a)
To believers - Every born again Christian will reign
with Christ when he comes. Our position then will be determined by our
faithfulness to him in this life.
This certainly teaches the
security of the believer in Christ, and the guarantee of the one who trusts in
Him of being with him in glory.
b)
To the Church -
Christ's bride will be taken
from those who are faithful within the true New Testament Churches.
I am talking here of
Christians rewards, not of salvation. Salvation is all of Grace, and the
Christians service for Christ in His Church will certainly not go unrewarded.
Revelation 19:5-9
"¶ And a voice came out
of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him,
both small and great.
6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great
multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to
him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself
ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be
arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness
of saints.
9
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which
are called
unto the marriage supper of
the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."
10
¶ And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise
our God,
all ye his servants, and ye
that fear him, both small and great.
11
6 And I heard
as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as
the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth.
12
7 Let us be
glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the
marriage of the Lamb is
come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
13
8 And to her
was granted that she should be arrayed in fine
linen, clean and white: for
the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
14
9 And he
saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are
called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of
God."
We should therefore not take
our relationship with Christ, both individually and collectively in the Church
lightly.
Jesus has promised to reward
our faithfulness.
Our union with Christ places
us in the position of royalty. It makes us debtors, not to the law of Moses,
but to the law of Grace.
CONCLUSION
Because of who Christ is, what he has done,
"We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviors love."
Is this true of you, and
have you trusted in this exalted Savior?
Do you possess this hope for Heaven and have a longing to be with
Christ?
May we see this blessed truth today and come to know Him who to know
aright is eternal life.
Sermon preached
by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
Preached to
Sunday morning April 30th 2000 A.D.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
LESSON
#10
THE CHRISTIAN DRESS CODE
(What
not to wear)
Colossians
3:5-9
INTRODUCTION:
Until the Christians affections are "set on things above, not on
things on the earth", they cannot begin to make much headway in spiritual
growth.
The first step in Christian maturity has to do with the measure of
control the Holy Spirit is given in the human soul. The Christian has his mind
on heaven while his feet are on earth…….
Paul says,
"Therefore mortify your members which are upon the earth" Vs 5.
To "mortify" means to make as dead.
In these verses Paul shows the downward road of fallen man in two
groups of six, which numerically speaking is the number of man.
1.
SEDITIOUS SINS: Vs
5-7
"¶ Mortify therefore
your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate
affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things' sake the wrath of God
cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye
lived in them."
Sedition is language or
conduct directed against public order and the safety of the state.
Here then is Paul's list of
seditious sins or those that undermine the progress of spiritual growth.
A.
Fornication:
Fornication can be described
as moral impurity, elicit sex relations, infidelity to or forsaking God.
Matthew 5:32
"But I say
unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of
fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that
is "thus" divorced committeth adultery."
1 Corinthians 7:2
"
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let
every woman have her own husband."
2 Corinthians 12:21
"And lest,
when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail
many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and
fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed."
B.
Uncleanness:
Moral or physical filth.
Speaking of the antediluvian
age, Paul wrote to the Church in
Romans 1:24
"Wherefore
God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to
dishonor their own bodies between themselves:"
Romans 6:19
"I speak
after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have
yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity;
even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness."
Ephesians 4:19
"Who being
past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all
uncleanness with greediness."
Ephesians 5:3
"But
fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named
among you, as becometh saints;"
1 Thessalonians 2:3
“For our
exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:"
1 Thessalonians 4:7
"For God hath not called us unto
uncleanness, but unto holiness"
C.
Inordinate Affection:
Passion, corrupt or
perverted affections.
Ezekiel used a metaphor of
two harlots to show
Ezekiel 23:11
"And when
her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than
she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms."
D.
Evil Concupiscence:
Bad desire of fleshly lusts.
Romans 7:8
"But sin,
taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.
For without the law sin was dead."
The sense of sin
is inactive apart from the law. The law makes us aware of our wrongdoing, our
evil hearts.
1 Thessalonians 4:4-5
"That every one of you
should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor;
5
Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the
Gentiles which know not
God:"
The Christian desires to
follow Jesus Christ and to live and be as He was.
The Christian follows after
holiness, desiring to live a holy life, set apart from the evil way of the
world.
E.
Covetousness:
Impulse or affection of
selfish desire for earthly, worldly things. Lust for riches etc.
Matthew 6:24
"No man can
serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else
he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and
mammon."
Romans 7:7
"What shall
we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the
law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."
F.
Idolatry:
Selfish craving for worldly
things or anything worshipped and loved more than or in place of God.
Ephesians 5:5
"For this ye
know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an
idolater, hath any inheritance in the
Galatians 5:20
" Idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,"
Exodus
20:3-6
"3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the
earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor
serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that
hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that
love me, and keep my commandments."
2.
SPOKEN SINS: Vs
8-9
" But now ye also put
off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of
your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have
put off the old man with his deeds;"
(Read verses 6-7
to connect.)
Spoken sins are oral or
verbal, which while coming from the heart, the tongue is the means of
expression.
Jesus said, Matthew 15:19
"For out of the heart
proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false
witness, blasphemies."
That which comes out of the
mouth actually proceeds from the heart.
James says, James 3:6
"And the tongue is a
fire, a world of iniquity: So is the tongue among our members, that it defileth
the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire
of hell."
Here are six spoken sins:
A.
Anger:
Settled pent up anger:
Ephesians
4:26,31
“Be ye angry, and sin not:
let not the sun go down upon your wrath:"
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:"
Jesus said, Matthew 5:22
"But I say unto you,
That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of
the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger
of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell
fire."
A piece of steel is useful
with some temper in it, but if it loses its temper, it is good for nothing.
Like wise is the Christian.
The anger that Paul is
talking about is that which continues to boil and seethe within.
B.
Wrath:
Outburst or explosion of
uncontrolled anger.
1
Timothy 2:8
“I will therefore that men
pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."
C.
Malice:
Old grudges, malignity to
hurt someone.
1
Peter 2:1-2
"Wherefore laying aside
all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of
the word, that ye may grow thereby:"
D. Blasphemy:
Slander to
rail against God or man for a holy cause.
Ephesians 5:4
"Neither filthiness,
nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving
of thanks."
E. Filthy Communication:
Filthy abusive speech,
foul-mouthed.
Christians ought not to run
with such a crowd.
2
Peter 2:7
"And delivered
just
Jude 8
“Likewise also these filthy
dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities."
The scarlet religious woman
portrayed in Revelation 17 communicates spiritual fornication.
Revelation 17:4
"And the woman was arrayed
in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and
pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of
her fornication:"
G.
Lying:
Falsehoods, untrue tales.
Ephesians
4:25
"Wherefore putting away
lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of
another."
Proverbs
14:5
"A faithful witness
will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies."
Acts
5:3-4
"But Peter said,
Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to
keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and
after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this
thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."
Mankind fell by a lie in the
Garden of Eden.
CONCLUSION:
These two groups of six relate to sinful man. They are the downward
road. In our next lesson we will learn of what to "put on". The
upward road to blessing, power, Christian maturity and Christ-likeness.
These six things are outlined by Solomon in Proverbs 6:16-19 -
"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an
abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked
imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh
lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
If we have received Christ, then we need to feed the new man, not the
old fleshly corrupt man.
We can render him weak and powerless if we ignore these fleshly things
and do not feed him. Rather feed the new man who is made after Christ.
May God help us to do this?
Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
Preached to
Sunday morning May 7th 2000 A.D.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
LESSON
#11
THE CHRISTIAN DRESS CODE
(What
to wear)
Colossians
3:10-14
INTRODUCTION:
In verses 5-9, Paul has described the old nature as seen in the unsaved man. While the Christian has now two natures, he is to put off, undress, or perhaps down the old man and to put on or dress up the new man who is made in the image of Christ. They key to dressing the new man is found in the word “knowledge”.
“And be not conformed to
this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
In Christ we are free and
now have a will that is able to do what is right. Christ is the center of our
lives. He is our everything, our all. Our new life is taken up in His Person (Vs
11).
The Christian, the elect
child of God is called of God and born again. God’s children are called to put
some new clothes, having taken off the old ones. As we had six things to take
off (six is the number of man) so we have seven new things to put on, as God’s
holy and beloved ones. (Seven is the number of God.)
Let us look at these things
which we ought to be putting on.
1.
BOWELS OF
MERCIES:
The term “bowels” is used here
as we today use the word “heart”, as the seat of affections.
The term “mercies” is to
have compassion. We are to be concerned for Christ and for others with a “deep
compassion”.
2.
KINDNESS:
Sweetness of disposition
toward all people. One cannot be self-centered and be kind. One cannot love
without first being kind. Kindness is the first phase of love.
“And to godliness brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (love).
3.
HUMBLENESS OF
MIND:
Humility always precedes
honor.
“Likewise, ye younger,
submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be
subject one to another, and
be clothed with humility: for God resisted the proud,
and giveth grace to the
humble.
6 Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon
him; for the careth for you.”
4.
MEEKNESS:
“Brethren, if a man be
overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit
of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
The meaning of the word
“meek” in Scripture is more than one’s outward behavior or natural disposition.
It is an inwrought grace of the soul. Its exercises are first and chiefly to
God. It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as
good. It does not mean to be soft or weak.
(Compare Christ in the
temple when he took a whip and chased the money changers.)
5.
LONGSUFFERING:
Enduring testing with
perseverance, without complain.
“For even whereunto were ye
called: Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye
should follow in His steps.”
(These first five virtues of
mercy, kindness, humility, meekness and longsuffering reflect and affirm ones
election of God, that he is in Christ, a true believer and witness.
“15 Neither do men light a
candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is
in heaven.”
6.
FORBEARANCE:
Learning to get along one
another.
“…. Forbearing one another
in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Children born into a family
must learn to get along with their brothers and sisters. Likewise in the family
of God, and much more in the
7.
FORGIVENESS:
We are to forbear one
another’s weakness and forgive one another’s sins.
A. Offences:
Misunderstandings, breaches of fellowship.
B. As Christ forgave
you:
As Christ forgave you, so you ought to forgive others.
The measurement of our
forgiveness is “as Christ forgave us”.
God’s elect children are
forgiving people because they are forgiven people.
8.
PUT ON LOVE: Vs
14
“And above all these things
put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”
Cf – 1 Corinthians 13
In the previous verses, we
see two groups of six; the fruit of sinful flesh. Now Paul has given seven
things to be cultivated in the Christian life. All seven come together in the eighth,
which is LOVE.
The number eight stands for
a new day, a new life, a new beginning. After the seventh day, Christ met with
His church on the eighth day or Sunday, the first day of a new week.
(We are reminded that when
the women came to the grave of Jesus before dawn on Sunday morning that it was
already empty. As Christ was to be three days and three nights in the heart of
the earth, so he was buried shortly after three PM on Wednesday before the
“High Sabbath”, and rose at 3:00 PM on Saturday.)
The life of the believer is
the resurrection life obtained by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION:
We are to put off the old and put on the new.
There are five senses in a normal physical body-
Only Christ can guide and control the proper use of these five senses.
“16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the
lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the
flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the
things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife,
seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the
which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which
do such things shall not inherit the
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying
one another.”
This is the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of God’s people as we
submit to His work and leadership in our lives.
Paul said, 1 Corinthians 9:27
“But I keep under my body, and bring it unto subjection: lest any by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
To become a castaway means to be rendered useless or worthless, so that
God could no longer use him.
Which man do you feed?
Preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
Preached to
Sunday morning, May 14 2000 A.D.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
Lesson
#12
THREE PILLARS OF CHRISTIAN LIVING
Colossians
3:15-17
And let the peace of God
rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye
thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in
all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by
him."
INTRODUCTION:
In this third chapter of
Colossians, Paul shows the practical aspect of the believer's identification
with Christ. The one who is born of God should have his/her affections set upon
heavenly things. The Christian's dress code is given in verses 5-14. First, the
things we need to take off as we mortify our fleshly members. Then, what we
need to put on, our dress for the new man, which is made in the image of
Christ.
Remember that one must put
off, before putting on. Otherwise we just have a cover-up. One must be born
again, first regenerated before being able to dress in the righteousness of
Christ. To reverse this will only give us religion and not true Christian
experience. We are not to dress up the dead corpse, but the quickened new man,
which is made after the second Adam, in the image of Christ.
In the next three verses,
Paul lists three basic areas or pillars, which we need in order to guard our
spiritual life.
1.
THE PEACE OF GOD:
Vs 15
A. The Rule of Peace:
(In your hearts)
Philippians
4:6-7
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Romans 12:18
"If it be
possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."
Romans 14:19
“Let us therefore
follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may
edify another."
This ought not to
be a difficult thing for real Christians to do since we have received the
"Peace of God" ourselves. It may take some effort, but it is
certainly not an impossibility.
The Christian
life is built upon the foundation of a Person who indwells believers. True
peacemakers have surrounded themselves with the life of Jesus. Even David who
was very much a soldier said:
Psalm 120:7
"I am for
peace: but when I speak, they are for war."
Jesus teaches us:
John 14:27
"Peace I
leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
John 16:33
"These things I
have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall
have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
There ought to always be
peace in the churches of our Lord Jesus Christ. When there is not, then someone
has lost the vision. Christ centered and Christ honoring vision always keeps us
on a peaceable track.
According to these
Scriptures, the ownness for peace is on the Christian.
B.
The Call of Peace:
There are some things
necessary to perfect peace. These are avenues that lead us to peace.
Isaiah
26:3
"Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon Thee: because he trusteth in
Thee."
Peace begins when one is
justified by faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans
5:1
"Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Matthew
5:9
"Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God."
Hebrews
12:14
"Follow peace
with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord."
C.
The Place of Peace:
(The Body of Christ)
Ephesians
1:22-23
"And hath put all
things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the Church,
which is His body, the fullness
of Him which filleth all in all." (Everywhere.)
Ephesians
4:4
"There is one body, and
one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling."
1.
In one body-Church
Colossians
1:24
"Who now rejoice
in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions
of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:"
2.
The place to be thankful-
Philippians
4:6.
"Be careful for
nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God."
Colossians 2:7
"Rooted and built up in
Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein
with thanksgiving."
1
Thessalonians 5:18
"In everything give
thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
Peace is therefore connected
with thanksgiving.
2. THE WORD OF CHRIST: Vs 16
"Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
Lord."
A.
Its Dwelling:
(Dwell in YOU.)
Psalm
119:11
"Thy word have I hid in
mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."
1
Peter 3:15
"But sanctify the Lord
God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that
asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"
How then is the Word of
Christ to dwell within us?
1.
Richly - In all of its fullness and power. The word
of Christ should have full sway in our hearts.
Those who are ever giving
argument to or twisting the Word of God to suit their own lifestyle will not
have the richness of Christ's word in their hearts.
2.
"In all wisdom"- (Word directed wisdom.)
To accept the Word of God in
its fullness, is to know its wisdom.
1
Corinthians 1:24, 30
"But unto them which
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of
God.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God
is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and
redemption:"
James
1:5
"If any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth
not; and it shall be given him."
James
3:17-18
"But the wisdom that is
from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated,
full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in
peace of them that make peace."
2
Timothy 3:16-17
" All scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good works."
B.
Its Dealings:
Ephesians
5:19-20
“Speaking to yourselves in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart
to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God
and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;"
1.
In teaching- (Speaking to yourselves.)
Show me a person who
neglects the teaching of God's word and I will show you a spiritually weak and
worldly person.
2.
In admonishing-
This involves the whole
body, and shows the necessity for regular assembly of believers.
a)
Psalms (instrumental music)
b)
Hymns- (melodic method of confession)
c)
Spiritual songs - odes of testimony.
C.
Its Directive:
"Singing with grace in
your hearts to the Lord."
James
5:13
“Is any among you afflicted?
let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms."
Proverbs
17:22
"A merry heart doth
good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."
Psalm
150:1-6
"1 ¶ Praise ye the
LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him
according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:
praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise
him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him
upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the
LORD. Praise ye the LORD."
3. THE NAME OF JESUS: Vs 17
One cannot read through the
Book of Acts without noticing the authority, which is found in the name of
Jesus Christ. Paul seems to underline this truth here.
A.
Its Authority:
John
15:14
"Ye are my friends, if
ye do whatsoever I command you."
John
20:21
""Then said Jesus
to them again, Peace be unto you; As my Father has sent me, even so send I
you."
Acts
1:8
"But ye shall receive
power (authority) after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me both in
1.
Whatsoever -
1
Corinthians 10:31
"Whether therefore ye
eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
This literally means in all
things, in every area of life.
2.
The name -
(Literally, by its
authority.)
The disciples literally did
everything in "Jesus name" from preaching and healing, to casting out
devils.
New Testament Churches are
organized by the authority of the name of Jesus Christ. No Church should ever
be organized without that authority. Baptists have that authority in every age
from John the Baptist and Jesus unto our day.
B.
Its Action:
(Proof of acceptance.)
Proof of the Christians
acceptance of the Name of Jesus is seen in two ways-
1.
Word-
James
1:22
"But be ye doers
of the word and not hearers only."
Someone has rightly said,
"talk is cheap."
Matthew
7:21
"Not everyone that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
2.
Deed -
John
14:15
"If ye love me,
keep my commandments."
True love for Christ is
evidenced in our deeds, the way we live on a daily basis.
Christian action is where
the tires meet the pavement, where the rubber meets the road.
C.
Its Aim:
"Giving thanks to God
and the Father by Him."
The Christian is to be
thankful to God, and that thanksgiving is brought to God through our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
1
Corinthians 15:57
"But thanks be to God
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
2
Corinthians 1:11
"Ye also helping
together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by means of many
persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf."
2
Corinthians 2:14
"Now thanks be unto
God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the
savor of His knowledge by us in every place."
Revelation
4:9
"And when those beasts
give glory and honor and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth for
ever and ever."
The Christian functions in
the Body of Christ, through the name of Jesus Christ.
Matthew
28:19-20
"19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen."
CONCLUSION:
The adoration of the hearts of those who know Christ personally as
Savior and Lord should be unto God our heavenly Father.
These three pillars are not mere elective subjects of Christian living.
These three things-
1.
The Peace of God.
2.
The Word of Christ.
3.
The Name of Jesus.
All three are vital to
victorious Christian living.
Let us open our hearts to
receive Him now, and know His peace. Let us study His Word and go forth by His
authority as members of His New Testament Church.
Preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
Preached to
Sunday morning, May 21st 2000 A.D.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
Lesson
#13
GLORY TO GOD IN THE HOME
Colossians
3:17-20
"17 And whatsoever ye do in
word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and
the Father by him.
18 ¶ Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in
the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives,
and be not bitter against them.
20 Children, obey
your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord."
INTRODUCTION:
The remaining verses of chapter three should be seen to proceed from verse 17…..
"And whatsoever ye do in Word or deed, do all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
If Christ is our authority (and he ought to be) and we ever seek to
honor him, then we will have little problem with the things Paul says in the
following verses. Most problems in the home today e a direct result of or lack
of authority.
1. WIVES: Vs 18
A. Submit: (Be subject.)
1.
This refers to authority.
2.
Two authorities in a home or anywhere result in
compromise and confusion.
The old saying is certainly true here:
"too many chiefs and not enough Indians." Or, "Too many cooks spoil the
broth."
3.This does not downgrade or degrade the wife any
more than a manager
or supervisor in
any place of employment is degraded by his/her supervisor.
4. This order is
ordained of God from the beginning of time…….
Genesis 3:16
"Unto the woman he
said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou
shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he
shall rule over thee."
5. This refers to authority, not to talents,
level of education or I.Q.
The wife could possibly have
a better education, or as sometimes is the case, be somewhat smarter than her
husband, at least in some things. This is not to change the authority figure
that God has placed in the home. It may mean that the husband will have to work
a little harder, or most certainly be patient with his wife. Authority does not
mean that the husband and wife should not work together. It means that when and
where the tires meet the road, the husband is responsible.
6. Wives submit
yourselves.
This is the voluntary action
on the part of the wife. The husband is not to be a dictator. Submission to
authority is to respect the position or office. It does not necessarily mean
that the husband is better or that he is always right in his actions. It does
mean, "he is responsible for the action" in the final analysis. A
smart husband will always consult his wife in major decisions.
Someone said, "the
husband is the head of the home, but the wife is the neck that turns the
head." That is probably true, but
she should be careful not to do as Eve and mess up their future.
B. Unto your Own Husbands:
1.
Wives have only one to submit to, "their own
husbands." Not to someone else's.
1 Corinthians 14:33-35
"For God is
not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Let your women
keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but
they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
And if they will
learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for
women to speak in the church."
2.
To submit to an authority outside of the marriage
relationship can bring untold damage to the marriage and to the home.
This is one of the great
problems of our day and we are paying for it dearly.
This would be a form of
spiritual fornication.
C. As it is
fit in the Lord:
1.
According to the will and order of God.
2.
Any other order than God's order is out of order.
3.
Submission to the husband as the God ordained head
of the home means "as Christians surrendered to Christ, not as a
slave."
2. HUSBANDS: Vs 19
A.
Love Your Wives:
1.
This means only one wife and does not teach
polygamy.
2.
A loving man usually has a submissive wife.
3.
Paul gives us the meaning of love in 1 Corinthians 13.
"Love suffers long and
is kind, is not puffed up."
4.
Peter says -
1 Peter 4:8
"Love
covereth a multitude of sins."
I heard of a
mother watching her son marching in a parade. She replied, "they are all
out of step, except my Johnny."
Love looks beyond the faults
and sees the person not just as they are but as they could be.
B.
Be Not Bitter Against Them:
"The husbands primacy
over the wife is to be exercised not with harshness, unkindness, sharpness, or
brutality, but with guidance and direction in wisdom, tenderness, sweetness,
and peace, with all bitterness put away, laid aside or avoided." -Albert
Garner Commentary.
Ephesians 4:31
"Let all bitterness and
wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all
malice."
There is a story about
"Cyrus and the Captives" which Dr. Garner tells in his commentary.
"The historian Xenophon
relates, that when Cyrus had taken captive a young prince of
-Gray & Adams
Taken from "Baptist
Commentary on Ephesians," by Dr. Albert Garner- Page 247
3. CHILDREN: Vs 20
A.
Obey:
Just one powerful directive,
but it is qualified by the words "in the Lord."
Children need to be taught
to respect their elders and society in general.
B.
Your Parents:
1.
Both of them.
Parents should make this
easier for their children by not allowing them to play one parent against the
other. This is especially true in a broken home.
2.
Authority in the home is important.
Exodus 20:12
"Honor thy father and
thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God
giveth thee."
Proverbs 6:20-23
"My son,
keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Bind them
continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck."
3.
In all things-
The stubborn and rebellious
child against parental instruction, except corrected, becomes the lawless adult
in society, and prison occupant and social problem later.
Jesus is our example:
We know very little about
Jesus early life, but what we do know is amazing.
Luke 2:51
"And he went down with
them, and came to
This is the meaning of the
word "obey."
4.
This is well pleasing unto the Lord-
a)
Respect and obedience to authority in the home is
pleasing to God.
b)
Lengthened life and prosperity are the promised
rewards.
c)
Learning
obedience to parents in youth is to learn to subdue or control self-will, which
is necessary in later years and so much so in the Christian life.
What I speak of here today
is not what we learn in society. It is not taught in most schools today.
However, where God's Word is taught and practiced there is no lawlessness and
anarchy.
Romans 12:2
"And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of
God."
CONCLUSION:
We are living in a time when men despise authority. The result is seen
in broken homes, in juvenile delinquency, and an anti-God society. Let us take
our place in society with our feet solid upon the Word of God and His will for
us. Let us learn the words of scripture, which teaches us - "submitting
yourselves one to another in the fear of God" (Ephesians 5:21.)
To do otherwise, will lead to disaster.
Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
Preached to
Sunday morning May 28th 2000.
PREACHING
THRU COLOSSIANS
Lesson #14
PERFORMING
CHRISTIANS
Colossians 3:21-25
INTRODUCTION:
Someone once asked this question; "If you were arrested for being
a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
In verse 17, Paul had laid a foundation for guidance in Christian
conduct……..
"And whatsoever ye do
in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and
the Father by Him."
Paul then went on to talk about the conduct of wives, husbands and
children, and authority in the home.
As we look at these next verses, let us see verse "23" first.
This like verse 17 is a pivotal point in our discussion.
"And whatsoever
ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men."
We will deal with this verse in more detail later. Now, how to perform?
How can we be performing Christians?
1.
PERFORMING
FATHER'S: Vs 21
A.
Teach, do not provoke:
1.
To provoke means to prod as in nagging.
2.
The words to anger are in italics which means they are not in the original but are put in the
text by the translators.
3.
The idea is that one does not learn much from a
negative approach.
Proverbs
15:1
"A soft answer turneth
away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."
Proverbs
20:2-3
"The fear of a king is
as a roaring lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.
It is an honor for a man to
cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling."
Colossians
3:8
"But now ye also put
off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of
your mouth."
B.
Positive Teaching:
1.
Negative approach leads to sin:
a)
"Lest they be discouraged."
Fathers, don't be hard to
please.
b)
Paul said, "the law is the knowledge of
sin."
It does not teach us beyond
that point.
c)
The difference between a winner and a loser often
times is displayed in the attitude of the teacher.
d)
The attitude of parents towards church and holy
living rubs off on their children.
They see what you do faster
than they hear what you say.
2.
Positive approach leads to Growth:
a)
I remember my own days as a teenager in Sunday
School. I was continually told what not to do, but I seldom found out why.
b)
Self esteem is encouraged by the attitude of
father's who are working from a heart that is in tune with both the Lord and
the children.
2. PERFORMING SERVANTS: Vs 22
A.
Obey in all things:
1.
Servant, you are not the BOSS.
2.
Obedient servants are more likely to get their own
way, than those who are not.
3.
Rules are not meant to be broken.
B.
The Rule of Obedience:
1.
Not with eye service.
Some people work real hard
and to the letter of every rule, only when the boss is there watching them.
2.
Don't play up to the boss for favors.
3.
"In singleness of heart" -
Single purpose of affections
- not with pretence or show of the flesh.
4.
"Fearing God" -
"When the cat is away,
the mice do play."
God sees you when the boss
cannot.
Christians work for God
first, the company second.
Paul has shown the place of
the servant in the home-
1. Husbands -2.Wives
-3.Children -4.servants in order of authority.
3. PERFORMING CHRISTIANS: Vs 23-25
Paul now includes everyone -
all members of the Church at Colosse, all members of a household. All of God's
people everywhere.
A.
Whatsoever ye Do:
1.
This includes everything, and leaves nothing out.
2.
The basic rule of guidance in Christian living is to
bring Jesus into every area of our lives.
3.
Paul told the Philippians "for me to live is
Christ." -Phil. 1:21.
B.
Do it heartily:
1.
Work from the soul.
James
1:22
"Be ye doers of the
word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
Ecclesiastes
9:10
"Whatsoever thy hand
findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave wither thou goest."
2.
Rejoice in your labors for they are unto the Lord.
3.
If we serve men, the reward is little; if we serve
Christ, our reward is great.
Verses 23-24
CONCLUSION:
A.
Our reward is of the Lord.
B.
We are servants of Christ.
C.
Reward from God is just and in accordance to our
works or what we do as Christians.
2
Corinthians 5:10
"For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done
in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in 1987
Preached to
Sunday morning June 4th 2000.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
Lesson
#15
THE ARMS OF THE CROSS
Colossians
4:1-4
The figure of the cross reaches down from God to man and is planted
firmly in the earth. It also has two equal arms reaching out over humanity.
There is no saving efficacy in a wooden cross itself. It is in the act
of Christ's death upon the cross that we find saving grace. Salvation is found
through its message, which declares God's plan of redemption for lost men.
However, it also involves men and one cannot be touched by the message of the
cross without being involved with its effect upon sinful humanity. The message
of the cross is central to Christianity and to the Church. This we see as we
continue to examine Paul's teaching to the Church in Colosse………….
1.
THE ARM OF THE
MASTER Vs 1
Paul addresses those with
servants or those who are in a position of authority over others.
A.
Give unto your Servants:
1.
Masters need to be servants first. Do not expect them to give what you would not
give if you were in their place.
They cannot be good leaders
who are not first good servants themselves.
2.
"That which is just"-
Our attitude to those under
us is to be just. Our attitude towards servants is to be just, to be kind. We
should treat those in which circumstances have placed us over them with respect
and integrity.
Proverbs
20:7
"The just man walketh
in his integrity; his children are blessed after him."
Philippians
4:8
"Whatsoever things are
true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever
things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any
praise, think on these things."
3.
That which is equal:
Treat others, as you would
have them treat you.
The world would say,
"do others before they do you."
Jesus taught us to "do
unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Equality of race- if one is
saved, that one should be treated as a brother or sister in Christ.
The idea that we should
separate business from Church is foolishness and contrary to Scripture. The
Christ life will make us better or improve our living in every facet. The
principles of Christian living work in the world as well as in the Church.
If our Christianity works
only within the four walls of the Church meeting place, then it is not worth
very much at all.
We are to take Christ out
into the community, not only verbally but also in the very life we live.
B.
Receive from God: Vs 2
God is our source of supply,
and masters who give shall also receive. The law of sowing and reaping is for
all of us whether servants or masters. We may plant all we want but if God does
not make it grow, there will be no harvest.
Masters on earth must
realize that they too have a Master, in Heaven.
The master's authority is
God Himself.
1.
There is a "Labor Relations Board" in
heaven. God is the Judge and the one who will reward all of us justly.
Ephesians
6:9
"And ye masters, do the
same thing unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is
in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him."
2.
All Masters will be held accountable to God for
their actions, as will all servants.
2. THE ARM OF PRAYER: Vs 2
"Prayer is a two-way communication line with
God."
A.
Continue in Prayer:
1.
Pray without ceasing -
1
Thessalonians 5:17
"Pray without
ceasing."
The meaning here is to
always have your lines of communication open for prayer.
We are to pray as we labor
for the Lord. The farmer who only prays but does not plant seed will still have
no harvest. Prayer both prepares the soil and waters the seed sown.
2.
How is our prayer life?
If we judge by the
percentage of members who come to Sunday morning worship and those who attend
the Prayer service, it is evident that our priorities do not put prayer on a
very high level.
Prayer is a vital part of
Christian living-
We need to learn to pray
from the heart, not from prayer books.
3.
Prayer is communication and communication is
two-way.
God speaks to us, but we
must speak to God. We must not only speak to God, we then need to shut up and
listen to His reply.
B.
Watch in Prayer:
1. To watch means to keep lookout. To
stand guard; to look attentively; to wait expectantly; to do duty as a guard or
sentinel.
The watch on a ship is a
period of time (usually divided into four hours) in which one stands as a
lookout. The watch in ancient
Nehemiah and
3.
In Luke 18:1-8 we see the
importance of watching -
"1 ¶ And he spake a
parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which
feared not God, neither regarded man:
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she
came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward
he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will
avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge
saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which
cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.
Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the
earth?"
Matthew
24:43
“But know this, that if the
good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would
have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up."
C.
Watch in Thanksgiving:
The old fashioned balance
type weigh scale illustrates the need to offer praise unto God.
"On one side is our
petitions, while on the other side is our thanksgiving."
We need a balanced prayer
life, a balanced attitude, and balanced communication. We need to ask of God
but be thankful as well. Some are good give-me Christians, but not too good at
giving to others. When we were little, we used to say, "give me, give me,
never gets."
D.
Watch on Behalf of Others:
Do your duty; there are
others in the ship that rely upon you to keep watch.
1.
Paul says, "Pray for us."
He was on the front lines of
the battle. Pastors and missionaries are on the frontlines of the battle and
need your prayer support.
2.
If you can do no more, PRAY!
3.
Prayer is to be continuous, not as a last ditch
effort when we don't know what else to do.
I heard about a deacon who
said, "we've tried everything else, I guess it's time to pray."
4.
Prayer is a direct line to God, which moves His
hand.
I wonder if God is not just
sitting there waiting for us to involve Him in the work? The work which is His
anyway?
5.
Paul's call to prayer shows the importance of a well
balanced unceasing prayer life.
Ephesians
6:18
"Praying always with
all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints."
6.
Notice the connection between prayer and evangelism:
"That God would open
unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ…"
7.
"For which I also am in bonds" -
Reaching out to others in
evangelism was what put Paul in bonds, but he connects it to prayer, implying
the need to pray for those in bonds as well as the jailers. Remember that in
So then let us pray for
those who labor on the frontlines for Christ.
CONCLUSION:
The arms of the cross involve every man.
A.
THE SINNER - "Father forgive them" was
Jesus prayer on the cross.
We are to pray for the lost
that they might be brought to repentance and faith.
B.
THE CHRISTIAN - One who has hope in Christ through
saving faith in His finished work upon the cross of
We are to pray for God's
elect that they might all find their place in the Body of Christ.
Take your place in His Church
and in His service, and may your hands become the hands of Christ extended to
lost sinners. That all who may hear His voice will come unto Him. Remember, His
sheep hear His voice and they follow Him.
Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
1987.
Preached to
Sunday morning, June 11th 2000.
PREACHING THRU COLOSSIANS
Lesson
#16
CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE
Colossians
4:5-18
INTRODUCTION:
Paul had dealt with the believer's response to God ordained authority.
The need to respond to the claims of Christ within the framework of our
specific calling. That in all we do, it should be done with respect to the
Person of Jesus Christ (Colossians
3:17.23) and with a view to reward at the Bema of Christ. The need to watch
and pray that we might be effective in our Church and Christian experience.
Paul now closes his letter with some basic words of wisdom for a
successful Church and salutations, which reveal the reason of much of Paul's
success and some good advice for us today.
We will look at these closing verses under three headings:
A.
Controlled Constitution.
B.
Careful Communication.
C.
Comforting Co-Working.
1.
CONTROLLED
CONSTITUTION: Vs 5
"Walk in wisdom toward
them that are without, redeeming the time."
A.
Walk in Wisdom:
1.
What the world sees speaks louder than what they
hear us say.
My father used to encourage
me to think. He said, "Paul, use your head."
This was to
emphasize the need to think before we act.
Ephesians
5:15
"See that ye walk
circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise."
The Bible connects the fool
with ungodliness.
Matthew 10:16-28
"16 ¶ Behold, I send
you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents,
and harmless as doves.
17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you
up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
18 And ye shall be brought before governors and
kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought
how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye
shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit
of your Father which speaketh in you.
21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother
to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against
their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my
name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
23 But when they persecute you in this city,
flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over
the cities of
24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the
servant above his lord.
25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as
his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the
house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing
covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in
light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but
are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy
both soul and body in hell."
The Christian walk is not
always through a bed of roses. It can be rough and rocky, with many hidden
enemies along the pathway.
This I think is emphasized
by Jesus and it is why Paul exhorts the Church in
2.
Note that Paul relates our walk to "them
without"
How the unsaved view Christ
and His Church is usually reflected in their view of the individual member.
What then is the Gospel
according to YOU?
3.
The need of controlled constitution is expressed in
the words of Paul in - 1 Corinthians
9:27
"But I keep under my
body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."
Paul did not want God to
render him as worthless in His kingdom service.
I have a big
Galatians 5:16
"This I say then, Walk
in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
Spirit controlled
temperament is vital to usefulness in the
Thus we then must "walk
in wisdom."
God's wisdom is ours for the
using.
B.
Redeeming the Time:
To redeem means to "buy
up" and "to make good use of."
Paul gives the same advice
to the
Ephesians 5:15-16
"See then that ye walk
circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the
time, because the days are evil."
1.
Busy hands keep people out of trouble.
2.
Keeping busy for God, we will not have time for the
flesh.
3.
Youth who do not work in the summer usually find
time to get into trouble.
4.
Time does not stand still. We need to "grab it
up." Age comes on, time passes us by, and it is then too late to do what
is right.
Procrastination is sin. What
we planned to do for God needs to be done today. Invite that person to church,
write that letter and insert a tract or your personal testimony, give that
special offering for missions. Do not procrastinate, do it now.
5.
Someone wrote:
"Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift
That is why it is called the present.
It is filled with many opportunities to serve.
Use them wisely and be blessed.
(Author unknown)
2.
CAREFUL
COMMUNICATION: Vs 6
A.
Talk With Grace:
(not the blue eyed blond!)
Ecclesiastes
10:12
"The words of a wise
mans mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself."
Luke
4:22
"And all bare him
witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.
And they said, is not this Joseph's son?"
Talk as
you would if Jesus Christ were in the room with you.
B.
Seasoned with Salt:
1.
Pleasant wit, to preserve from corruption, and to
make palatable, or pleasant to the taste.
2.
Jesus called the Church, the salt of the earth.
Matthew
5:13
"Ye are the salt of the
earth; but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is
thereforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot
of men."
In the old times before we
had refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meat and helped to prevent such
diseases as scurvy. The Christian is a continual preservative of the sovereign
grace of God.
3.
The Christians speech ought to be sweet and
positive, and not always argumentative, judgmental and negative. If you are
right, you do not need to be continually defensive.
C.
Knowledge to Communicate:
"That ye may know how
ye ought to answer every man."
1
Peter 3:15
"But sanctify the Lord
God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that
asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."
1.
Knowledge of a subject is important to successful
communication.
2.
Do not give advice on subjects you do not understand
yourself.
3.
Knowledge of facts and details is necessary to
proper communication.
Make sure you know what you
are talking about and do not be afraid to admit lack of knowledge about a
subject.
Even Pastors do not know
everything about everything.
In my own experience I have
found out that; "the more I know, the less I know."
Beware of the man who knows
everything about everything, he is probably a fool.
4. The best communicator is a real good
listener.
3. COMFORTABLE CO-WORKING: Vs 7-18
A.
Faithful Ministers:
Vs 7-9
The word
"minister" - Greek-diakonos - means waiter, helper, or servant.
Here is where we get the
word "deacon."
1.
Tychicus - dependent servant or helper
2.
Beloved brother.
3.
Fellow servant in the Lord. The minister is a
servant, not a king on a throne. Beware of Popery (I mean Baptist Popery!)
4.
Paul's care for the Church is seen in his sending
Tychicus.
a)
To know your state.
To find out for certain how
you really are.
b)
To comfort your hearts.
To edify and build you up in
the faith.
5.
Onesimus - Philemon's slave from Colosse.
a)
Faithful
What a tremendous thing to be
found faithful!
b)
Beloved brother.
Our relationship in Christ
is as brothers and sisters. We are family!
The family is the backbone
of our nation, made up of all those who are related and closest to us. This
ought to be so of the natural family, and much more of the Christian family.
B.
My Fellow Prisoner: Vs 10
Paul was a prisoner in
What is your relationship to
the Gospel of the sovereign grace of God?
Have we been captured by
Christ and captivated by His gospel?
C.
My Fellow Co-Workers:
1.
Marcus - John Mark, Barnabus' nephew.
2.
Jesus Justus - they were Jews, the only
"colleague workers" Paul then had from among the Jewish brethren.
3.
Fellow-workers - who brought comfort to Paul.
4.
Epaphras - servant of Christ who was a fervent
laborer in prayer.
5.
Luke - The beloved physician and writer of the
Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles.
6.
Demas - who later betrayed Paul (2 Timothy 4:10)
"Loving the things of
the world."
7. Church members who have locked their
arms together for the cause of Christ and proclamation of the Gospel.
CONCLUSION:
Paul then sends greetings to some in the Churches of Colosse,
Other churches no doubt shared Paul's letters. This is perhaps an
indication of an association of churches in this area of
Paul closes his letter with a final prayer for the spiritual well being
of others.
His final word was that of "GRACE" the same word with which
he started his letter to the
Grace is our only hope and the foundation upon which we receive all
things from God in Christ.
So with this note Paul ends his letter to the Church in Colosse.
And you here today? Have you become a recipient of God's saving grace?
If you have not, why not receive Christ today as your own personal Savior and
Lord?
Sermon preached by Dr. D. Paul Tuck Sr. in
Preached to
Sunday morning, June 18th 2000 A.D.