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Galatians 5:16-23 teaches that at any moment we are either walking by the Holy Spirit or according to the sin nature. Walking by the Spirit, enjoying fellowship with God, walking in the light are virtually synonymous. During these times, the Holy Spirit is working in us to illuminate our minds to the truth of Scripture and to challenge us to apply what we learn. But when we sin, we begin to live based on the sin nature. Our works do not count for eternity. The only way to recover is to confess (admit, acknowledge) our sin to God the Father and we are instantly forgiven, cleansed, and recover our spiritual walk (1 John 1:9). Please make sure you are walking by the Spirit before you begin your Bible study, so it will be spiritually profitable.

Colossians (2011)

Colossians (2011)

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).

To listen to this series as a podcast, copy and paste the following URL into your podcast software.
www.deanbibleministries.org/podcasts/2011colossians.xml		  
11 - Four Things to Pray For [B]
Sun, May 01, 2011
by Robert Dean
Passage: Colossians 1:9-11
Series: Colossians (2011)
Duration: 53 mins 1 sec
Paul expresses four purposes for his prayers in these verses. The first two are related in an important way. The first purpose is that we might be filled with the knowledge of His will. The second is to walk worthy of the Lord. However, these are related in that we are to be filled with the knowledge of His will so that we may walk worthy. The knowledge of God's will is not an end in itself. It is related to the application of that will to our thinking and living. This is expressed through two key terms: wisdom and understanding. These words are often described in terms of the Greek connotation. However, Paul and the other apostles would not have thought of them in the Greek cultural sense, but in terms of the Hebrew meaning in the Old Testament. In this lesson we learn what the biblical or divine viewpoint of wisdom and understanding is.
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12 - How Can We Do This? Spiritual Power [B]
Sun, May 08, 2011
by Robert Dean
Passage: Colossians 1:11-12
Series: Colossians (2011)
Duration: 46 mins 36 secs
Includes communion service. Throughout the centuries, various “secrets” to the Christian life have been discovered. Why? It is simple: the Christian life isn’t merely difficult, it is impossible! There is no way any human in his own power can fulfill the commandments of God. We need special power. In the Church Age, this is provided by God the Holy Spirit. In this lesson we are looking at various aspects of how God strengthens us in our spiritual life.
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13 - Spiritual Power; Doctrine of Inheritance [B]
Sun, May 15, 2011
by Robert Dean
Passage: Colossians 1:11-12
Series: Colossians (2011)
Duration: 52 mins 1 sec
Includes communion service. Throughout the centuries, various “secrets” to the Christian life have been discovered. Why? It is simple: the Christian life isn’t merely difficult, it is impossible! There is no way any human in his own power can fulfill the commandments of God. We need special power. In the Church Age, this is provided by God the Holy Spirit. In this lesson we are looking at various aspects of how God strengthens us in our spiritual life.
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14 - Transferred: New Authority [B]
Sun, May 22, 2011
by Robert Dean
Passage: Colossians 1:13
Series: Colossians (2011)
Duration: 51 mins 58 secs
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15 - We Are Truly Forgiven [B]
Sun, Jun 05, 2011
by Robert Dean
Passage: Colossians 1:14
Series: Colossians (2011)
Duration: 50 mins 37 secs
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16 - Why Jesus Christ is Sufficient [B]
Sun, Jun 12, 2011
by Robert Dean
Passage: Colossians 1:15-17
Series: Colossians (2011)
Duration: 50 mins 40 secs
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17 - Sufficiency, Necessity, and Authority [B]
Sun, Jun 19, 2011
by Robert Dean
Passage: Colossians 1:18
Series: Colossians (2011)
Duration: 56 mins 19 secs
Jesus is sufficient and necessary. He provides all we need, and He alone can provide all we need. The first line of evidence is that He is the Creator with all that implies. The second line of evidence is that He is the head of the church, the authority over the church. Authority is a crucial concept involved in headship. What does it mean that Jesus is head over the church? What does it mean that Christ is the head of man, and man the head of woman? These are just some of the questions answered in this lesson.
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18 - Christ and the Church [B]
Sun, Jun 26, 2011
by Robert Dean
Passage: Colossians 1:18
Series: Colossians (2011)
Duration: 59 mins 1 sec
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19 - The Deity of Christ [B]
Sun, Jul 03, 2011
by Robert Dean
Passage: Colossians 1:18
Series: Colossians (2011)
Duration: 52 mins 58 secs
The deity of Christ is not some abstract doctrine, or interesting curiosity within Christianity. The deity of Christ is necessary. If Jesus was not fully God, then He could not have paid for our sins, and nothing else about Christianity matters. Many cults and non-Christian religions reject the deity of Christ. How would you support the deity of Christ from the Bible? In this lesson you will learn more about the significance of Christ's deity. You will also learn three Old Testament passages and three New Testament passages you can use to demonstrate the undiminished deity of Christ.
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20 - From Enmity to Amity [B]
Sun, Jul 10, 2011
by Robert Dean
Passage: Colossians 1:12
Series: Colossians (2011)
Duration: 39 mins 2 secs
In a continuation of our study of the sufficiency of Christ, we learn more about the implications of "in all things" with the Doctrine of Reconciliation. But what does reconciliation really mean? And why was it necessary at the cross? This doctrine is so often confusing, misrepresented, and misstated. There is no sense of it in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Paul is the only author who addresses it. View this lesson and find out what it really means for a Christian to be "at peace with God".
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