January 2011 - December 2012
The epistle to the Colossians is a book that focuses on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ and the significance of that for our spiritual life: for the way we think and the way we live.
The author of this epistle is the apostle Paul.
There was heresy going on in Colossee, which was a blend of different ideas. We run into the same kind of thing today. There is all manner of blends of religions today. People think they can pick a little bit of this and a little bit of that, mix it together and add a sprinkling of something else and come up with something they think works for them, and make some new religion. Religion isn’t something that you can believe in because it just “works for you,” it has to be something that has objective reality and objective truth, and is internally coherent and consistent. Yet most of what most people believe is nothing more than a bunch of irrational bilge that somehow makes them feel good rather than deal with what the Word of God says about their basic condition as a sinner. People don’t like to recognize they are a sinner and in disobedience to God because in arrogance they are rejecting the truth.
So with this Colossian heresy, we see the focus is on the sufficiency of Christ. It is that which helps us to realize that no matter what the issues are that we face today, the solution is still the same. It is still the sufficiency of Christ. There are three areas of sufficiency that are always attacked by false teaching and by Satan: the sufficiency of Christ, the sufficiency of grace, and the sufficiency of God’s Word. If God’s Word, God’s grace, and Jesus Christ aren’t enough, then where are we going to get help? We going to go to psychology, to science, sociology, or to some other area of human thought and thus we are going to dilute and diminish the power of God, and we end up destroying grace, destroying Scripture, and destroying the reality of who Jesus Christ is. This is the reason Paul is writing.
Video DVDs of these lessons can be ordered here and here.
To view all video Bible studies in the Colossians series, click here (Vimeo) or here (YouTube).
Sun, Jul 17, 2011
Passage: Colossians 1:20-21 & Ephesians 2:11-17
Duration: 50 mins 48 secs
As human beings under condemnation, we really do not want to think about reality, but God's Word forces us to. We have all been tainted by sin and exhibit hostility toward God. True peace was broken when Adam sinned, and his fall had both spiritual and physical consequences. Full reconciliation is necessary. As we continue our study in Colossians 1:20-21, we look at the correlation to what Paul is teaching in Ephesians 2:11-17. With reconciliation, we see how God transformed hostility to peace, making it possible to have fellowship with a Righteous God by the legal, forensic action accomplished once and for all by Jesus Christ on the cross. What was the distinction between how salvation was taught in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament? Where do atonement and reconciliation fit in?And how does reconciliation relate to illegal immigrants? The difference between how the Jews had the Messianic hope, but the Gentiles were aliens to the commonwealth of Israel had to be addressed. This lesson reveals how Christ removed the barrier of hostility between Jews and Gentiles that had existed since the Mosaic Law.
Sun, Jul 31, 2011
Passage: Colossians 1:20-21 & 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
Duration: 53 mins 51 secs
Sun, Aug 07, 2011
Passage: Colossians 1:21-23
Duration: 48 mins 41 secs
How do we “continue in the faith”, and what does that mean? Paul reminds us that reconciliation gives us hope. But what is the Biblical view of hope? It is a conviction of reality, an expectation of our destiny.In this lesson we again are reminded that as believers we are “future oriented”, living for the future.
Sun, Aug 14, 2011
Passage: Colossians 1:21-23
Duration: 42 mins 42 secs
The word "hope" means different things to different people. Can it be defined as wishful optimism? Or trust and reliance? Or assurance of a future reality? Or confident expectation? All of these are recognized meanings of "hope", yet some come from a secular worldview and others come from a Biblical worldview.As we continue in our study of the Doctrine of Hope, we learn that hope is the Christian's calling. We learn that we are to be "reconciled to God" and live in a way that is set apart and distinct from the world around us.
Sun, Aug 21, 2011
Passage: Colossians 1:24
Duration: 48 mins 8 secs
In our continuation of the Sufficiency of Christ segment of this study, there is much Paul has to say about suffering, and includes some very interesting comments about joy and happiness. Many questions are raised.What is the true meaning of joy and happiness? How can you rejoice in your sufferings, as the Bible instructs us to do? Can a believer actually have joy in the midst of adversity? These questions cause us to look back to the suffering and afflictions Christ endured. What did He rely upon? Our attitude should be one focused upon the sufficiency of Jesus Christ in all areas. He didn't leave anything out, did He? To have that joy we keep our eyes on the end game - on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. And through that, we learn to love the battle!
Sun, Aug 28, 2011
Passage: Colossians 1:24
Duration: 54 mins 38 secs
What is suffering? What is happiness? Many would say that suffering is when life doesn't meet with our expectations. Many would say that happiness is associated with a specific set of pleasurable circumstances.In this lesson we learn more about different levels of joy and happiness, and what gladness means. We learn that when our happiness is influenced by people, emotions, and circumstances, we become enslaved to them. We learn what robust joy is. We learn how abiding in Christ is connected to real joy and stability.
Sun, Sep 04, 2011
Passage: Colossians 1:24
Duration: 53 mins 43 secs
Can believers truly find joy in the midst of adversity? Does the Bible spell out the mechanics of joy? As we continue to study this verse in Colossians, we learn that true joy is a process, a culmination of growth which is only fully realized when we reach spiritual maturity. Until then, our life is really sub-normal. Spiritual joy differs from the joy we think of coming from circumstances or our own personalities.In this lesson, we learn the difference between Christ's sufferings on the cross and His afflictions. We learn that His afflictions, while not redemptive, did set a pattern of how we are to face adversity in our own lives. As we grow and apply learned doctrine and walk and abide in Him, spiritual joy results from the Holy Spirit producing character qualities above and beyond personality or circumstances, which is why believers can have joy in the midst of the adversities of life.
Sun, Sep 18, 2011
Passage: Colossians 1:24
Duration: 1 hr 5 mins 53 secs
With this verse, we begin a study of the Doctrine of the Church, the body of Christ. This raises some initial questions. What is the church, how did it begin, and where does it fit in with regard to Israel in God's plans and purpose in history?In this lesson, we learn that the Church is distinct from Israel and is one of the two distinct people of God. We learn that the Church is both universal and invisible (made up of all believers during the Church age), as well as local and visible (made of local assembles of believers and non-believers alike).
Sun, Sep 25, 2011
Passage: Colossians 1:25
Duration: 45 mins 10 secs
As we continue in our study of the doctrine of the Church, we learn that the role of the local Church is a manifestation of the universal Church. We learn that a believer's responsibility with the spiritual gift/s delegated to him is to serve something greater than ourselves. But what is Christian service? What is your ministry? We learn that every believer is accountable to Christ for the use of his spiritual gift/s. If we minister to our local body of believers, we serve one another. This in turn serves Christ and is a result of our spiritual growth and spiritual maturity.
Sun, Oct 02, 2011
Passage: Colossians 1:25-29
Duration: 50 mins 53 secs
As we conclude the last verses in chapter one of our Colossians series, Paul introduces the Mystery Doctrine to us. As the designated apostle to the Gentiles, his role is actually part of this Mystery Doctrine and gives him the distinction of explaining the privileges of the Church age believer and how that differs from the barrier between Jew and Gentile that existed in the Old Testament. He talks about the "mystery of Christ", the "riches of the glory of this mystery", and "Christ in you, the hope of glory." What is meant by all these terms? As we will discover, the Mystery Doctrine includes Jesus Christ's presence among the Gentiles for the first time.