We just heard a prayer from Colossians 1 at the end of worship. We're going to be starting a new series in the book of Colossians. It's going to take us through the next several months. It's a little bit open-ended at this point. I'm not sure how fast we're going to work our way through it. I want to kind of chart out where we're going, but I want to give us time to kind of stop and pause where it seems like there's more wealth for us to mine. But we're going to be starting this morning in the book of Colossians. The title of the series is "The Hope of Glory." So you see the logo there again. Thanks to Nick Greenlee. But Colossians: The Hope of Glory is our new series.
Now, if you think kind of in your mind, what are the most popular books or your favorite books, favorite letters that the Apostle Paul wrote? Kind of get that mental list going. Colossians probably isn't at the top of the list. I think in all honesty, it's one of Paul's strangely more obscure letters. You have books like Romans, this theological tour de force, just filled and packed with theology and this long description of what redemption looks like. And then you've got Philippians. Philippians is a favorite, right? Just dripping with rejoicing and this incredible perspective of contentment in Christ. And everything's lost compared to— We love Philippians. You think of Galatians, Luther's lightning bolt epistle. It's just a charge of Gospel truth every time you open it. Even Ephesians, a book that's written about the same time as Colossians. It's written from the same location. Paul wrote both Ephesians and Colossians during his Roman imprisonment, probably around 62 AD. So it's in the same prison cell he's penning these letters. If you read them, There's actually similar themes going on in both of them, but I think Ephesians is probably the more familiar letter. People are probably more aware of the landscape of Ephesians.
Well, why is that? Why is Colossians a little bit overlooked? Well, I think there are a couple reasons that we can see for that. The first is just the city that it's written to. I think even in the course of the history of the church, The fact that this letter is written to this group of Christians, these Colossians who live in the Roman city of Colossae, probably speaks to why it's a little bit lesser known. Colossae is probably the least important, least impressive city that Paul wrote a letter to. So this is a far cry from these metropolitan cities like Rome and Corinth, you know, just bursting with energy. Large and there's people and there's culture. In that way, it's probably a smaller church as well. It's less influential in the early church. It's a church that sits— we've got a map here we can pull up— in modern-day Asia, where modern-day Turkey is. It'd be called Asia Minor then. You see the little blow-up there. It's by the city of Laodicea. So in Laodicea and Hierapolis and Colossae, there were churches. So it's actually a little church in a little kind of out-of-the-way city, but it's also surrounded and very close, just 10 miles down the road, to a couple other Christian congregations. It's about 120 miles to the east of Ephesus, its better-known cousin.
Now, several centuries earlier, prior to Paul writing the letter, this city was a thriving industrial place. It was on the crossroads of two major trade routes. There's a major east-west road that went from Ephesus all the way through Laodicea and Colossae all the way to Sardis. And then there was a north-south route that went as well. And it was known for its textile industry. So it was actually really known for this, this particular kind of wool they would make with a red dye. And it was so famous it was known as Colossian wool. So you would see this red cloth and it was known even in Paul's day as Colossian wool. But what happened was the trade route got shifted, and somehow, whether it was political maneuvering or what, a new road was built that went through Laodicea. And so Laodicea became more prominent and Colossae diminished. And so what you're seeing here is a letter that's written to a city whose glory days are in the rearview mirror. It's a city on the decline.
So you can maybe think of it a little bit, it's kind of like one of those Rust Belt cities of western Pennsylvania or Ohio. A Youngstown or a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. There's sort of the echoes of its former grandeur, but it's not that place anymore. Those are sort of some unimpressive facts about this city.
But don't let that fool you. This letter is a diamond in the rough. This letter is filled with treasure. And to be fair, all letters, all books of the Bible are filled with treasure for us to mine. But Colossians is unique. Here's what sets Colossians apart, what makes it a unique fountain of refreshment for us. Colossians, simply put, is probably the most Christ-centered letter of all of Paul's letters. Now let that soak in for a moment. This is Paul who tells the church in Corinth, "All I want to be known for is Christ and Him crucified. That's what I want to define my ministry to you." This is Paul who celebrates Jesus in ways no one else does. And in all of Paul's letters, the letter of Colossians is where we see Christ most obviously present. All of Scripture is pointing to Christ, but in Colossians we see it most objectively, most clearly. So it's going to be a sweet time. This is a letter that's dripping with the honey of the Gospel. And so as we start this series, I hope there's anticipation. There are riches in store for us. In this brief letter, Paul holds up the jewel of Christ. And just spends 4 chapters turning it slowly and carefully so we see each facet for its unique brilliance. It's an awesome opportunity. We're going to see the cosmic Christ. Christ is Lord over all creations. We'll see the preeminent Christ, the one who has always existed, the image of the invisible God. We'll see Christ as the object of our faith. We'll see Christ as the head of the universal church. We'll see Christ as the great reconciler of all things. And that's just a tiny sampling of all the ways Paul will show us Christ in this letter. To put it succinctly, Paul labors hard to display for us the incalculable worth of the riches of the glory of this mystery. As he puts it in Colossians 1:27, Christ in you, Christ in all of us, the hope of glory. That's what's in store for us.
6 · Issues a concrete devotional challenge: twice weekly, read the current chapter of Colossians (5 minutes) and read the entire book in one sitting (25-30 minutes), with an additional challenge to memorize the entire letter—promising that by series' end, the congregation will have studied the diamond of Christ dozens of times and experienced the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden in Him
So, we're going to take our time. We're going to move slowly. We don't want to sprint through Colossians. We want to take this diamond up like it's the engagement ring and the woman's had it for one day and she can't help but look at it and keep gazing at it. We're going to slowly go through. We're not going to sprint. We're going to take up residence. Remember we talked about Acts 2 just the previous series? That sense in which we see in verse 42 the early church devotes themselves to the apostles' teaching, right? They devoted themselves to it. Well, that's what we want to do in Colossians. So here's a practical way to do that. To take our last series, devoted, and carry it forward into our new series, "The Hope of Glory." Spend time in Colossians. Here's my challenge to you. Twice a week, take a break from your normal devotions and turn your attention to Colossians. Maybe on Saturday night or Sunday morning— here's the first challenge— on Saturday night, Sunday morning, take up the book of Colossians and whatever chapter we find ourselves in as the series goes, read that chapter. Maybe you have 5 minutes. It really only takes about 5 minutes to read one of these chapters. So if it's just 5 minutes, take 5 minutes to read chapter 1 until we're all the way through chapter 1, however many weeks that is. Saturday night or Sunday morning. And then another point during the week, maybe it's Tuesday or Wednesday, read through the entire book of Colossians in one setting. So sit down, pick up the book, and read it through front to back. Really probably won't take you more than 25 or 30 minutes. But if you do that, by the time we finish this series, you'll have read through this book, you'll have picked up The Diamond of Christ, and you'll have studied it literally dozens of times. Here's a challenge for the really hardy folk. Maybe take this letter and over the course of the series, Memorize it. Some of you are thinking, memorize it? I struggle with like 2 or 3 verses. It can be done. I've seen it done. I've seen an individual at the end of a series on Hebrews stand up and recite the entire book of Hebrews, about 3 times as long as the book of Colossians. So if you want to settle into the territory of Colossians, that's my challenge to you. Recite it. A little carrot to dangle in front of you. Maybe this isn't a carrot for some of you. If you memorize it and you're confident in your memorization, I'll invite you up our last Sunday in the series to recite the book of Colossians. Now some of you think, "I might memorize it, there's no way I'm letting them know I've done it. I'm not getting up in front." That's fine, but if you'd be willing to, I'd love to have you stand in front of us and recite for us the riches of this letter. All that to say, spend time in it. Don't just read it, contemplate it. Don't just skim through it, immerse yourself in it. Here's the promise Paul says you can experience. In Colossians 2:3 he says, "In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So devote yourself to that as we spend our time contemplating the hope of glory.
7 · Signals the transition from introduction to exposition of the text
Having said all that, let's jump in. Colossians, looking at the first two verses this morning. Hear God's holy and authoritative word.
8 · Reads the primary text (Colossians 1:1-2) aloud and prays for the Spirit's illumination to see the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ and to be transformed by gazing on His beauty
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, And Timothy, our brother, to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. God's holy word, may He write its truth upon our hearts. Let's bow our heads. Lord, we want to see and experience the treasures of all wisdom and knowledge that can be gained in Christ Jesus our Lord. So Lord, we ask that you would, through the power of your Spirit as you promised to do, open up your word to us, captivate our hearts. Let us gaze upon the beauty of Jesus and let us begin even now this morning. Lord, fill our vision with the sight of the risen Christ. Change us, God. Transform us by what we see there. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
9 · Outlines the sermon's two-point structure (Paul's authority and our identity) and explains the relational context: Paul is introducing himself to a church he didn't plant and has never visited, founded by Epaphras who was converted under Paul's ministry in Ephesus—so Paul begins by establishing his credentials as an apostle
Well, we saw two brief verses where we're jumping in this morning. We're going to see two basic points— really, v. 1 and v. 2. The first thing we're going to see this morning is Paul's authority. The second thing we'll see is our identity in relationship to it. But first, Paul gives us a sense of his authority. Now, if we're honest about Colossians maybe being not the go-to book for most people when they think of their favorite Pauline epistle, if we're really honest and kind of carry that forward, how many of you when you sit down with one of Paul's letters, you're opening up like, I'm going to spend the next couple months or the next few weeks reading the book of Galatians, and you kind of sit down and the first like 10 minutes you just meditate on the first 2 verses. You come to Colossians and it's sort of, I haven't been here in a while. Oh, Paul. Paul, an apostle. People typically don't read the letter that way, right? We look at it and we think Paul, an apostle. Well, I'm not an apostle. None of you are apostles. So what does that have to do with us? That can kind of be our inclination. Well, quite a bit actually. Paul starts out this letter and he's not just signing his name. Introducing himself. He's introducing himself to this church. You see, Paul didn't plant this church. Paul didn't plant the church in Colossae. In fact, it's not just that he didn't plant it, he's never been there. They've never met him. So he's sending this letter with Timothy to them so they would receive it. It's really sort of his first introduction. So he's stating who he is. Giving that to— now you kind of wonder, if he didn't plant it, if he's never been there, what's the relationship? Well, Paul's buddy, his coworker, Epaphras, is the one who started this church. So there was a period during Paul's third missionary journey where he spent 3 years in the city of Ephesus planting the church in Ephesus and seeing it grow and take root and mature. And while he was there, Epaphras, who was from Colossae, was in Ephesus. And he heard the Gospel. And he was converted. And he went back with the Good News to his hometown. And he proclaimed the Gospel and people were converted and saved and a church took root there. So Paul didn't start this church. He's never been there. In chapter 2, he actually says, "I can't wait to see you face to face, but even not having seen you face to face, I carry a burden for you." So he starts out here. Telling them his credentials. "I'm an apostle of Jesus Christ."
10 · Defines apostleship: apostles are eyewitnesses to the risen Christ and directly commissioned by Him, which Paul experienced on the Damascus Road when Christ sovereignly intervened to blind him, confront him, and commission him
Now to be an apostle means you're an eyewitness. You can give eyewitness testimony to the fact that this Christ was risen. All the apostles saw the risen Christ. More than that, all the apostles were directly commissioned by Jesus. So they're going to ask Paul, well, how do you know you're called to ministry? Well, let me tell you about my calling to ministry. There's this guy Jesus. And He laid me on my tail on the road to Damascus. You want to talk about a story that's just overtly showing you God's sovereignty in salvation? It's the Damascus Road where Paul is going along persecuting the church. And bam! The risen Christ confronts him. Blinds him. And then opens his heart to a new mission.
11 · Expands the definition of apostolic calling: apostles preach the Gospel, plant churches in new areas, and pastor those churches—carrying a long-term shepherding burden to protect and mature them, not abandoning them after planting
Well, that's what's going on here. The apostles were called to preach the Gospel. They're called to advance the Gospel through church planting. So go into new areas and break new ground for the sake of the Gospel and the Kingdom. And then they're called to pastor those churches. It's not like Paul just plants a church, goes on from there, and it's just out of sight, out of mind. He pastors them. He carries a burden for them. So he wants to shepherd them and to protect them, to bring them to maturity.
12 · Expounds "by the will of God": Paul's apostleship is not only sovereignly initiated at his conversion but sovereignly commissioned for the specific task of writing letters, caring for churches, and laying the church's foundations—making this letter itself the outworking of divine appointment
And then Paul adds, "I am an apostle by the will of God." This is God's intention for my life, His claim upon my life. It's not just that God sovereignly saved Paul on the way to Damascus. God has sovereignly commissioned Paul to do just this, to write letters to these churches, to care for them, and to build them up, and to protect them. So by stating that his appointment is by the will of God, Paul's telling the Colossians that's the reason behind this letter. It's connected to a divine appointment and a divine calling. Paul is God's instrument. This is a weighty thing. Paul is God's instrument through which the foundations of the church are being laid.
13 · Asserts the theological implication of Paul's apostolic credentials: he has unbound authority—not limited to churches he planted, not diminished by death, not superseded by later teachers—establishing that his words carry permanent, irreplaceable divine authority
So why is that important? Why does Paul inform the Colossians of this? Why should we spend time today reminding ourselves what we already know about Paul? Well, it's important because Paul is establishing His authority. And not just a generic sense of authority. He's establishing the fact that He has unbound authority. He doesn't have authority just over churches He planted. His authority doesn't diminish when He dies. He's not like a president. When his term is up, it's like, well, now you're just sort of this guy that goes around and gets paid a lot to do speeches, but you don't have any real chutzpah behind what you're doing. I don't even know if that's the correct application of chutzpah, but it seemed like it fit there. So we're going to throw a chutzpah in there. Paul's chutzpah doesn't diminish. He won't get replaced. There's not going to be teachers who come along later and then supersede Paul. There's not going to be people that come along later and then say, well, Paul was wrong. We're more right. That's what Paul is establishing here.
14 · Draws the doctrinal conclusion: for the Colossians, receiving Paul's letter is the same as Paul being physically present instructing them, and even more—because Paul is an apostle, his words are God's words, meaning the risen Christ Himself is addressing them through the letter
For the Colossians receiving this letter from Paul, When they get that letter, it's the same thing as if Paul is physically there with them instructing them. It's more than that. We just talked about this last month in the devoted series. Because he's an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, Paul's words are God's words. So these people have a sense that the risen Christ is addressing them. By these men handpicked for the task.
15 · Draws a theological parallel: just as Colossians 1 will reveal Christ as cosmic—reigning over all, holding all things together, unbound in power—so too Paul's apostleship is cosmic, extending as far as Christ's authority extends
One of the things we'll see as we go through Colossians later in chapter 1 is this really developed Christology. When Paul talks about Jesus in the letter to Colossians, we see this really theologically rich description of who He is. And one of the things he says in chapter 1 is he describes the cosmic Christ. The Christ who reigns over all, who rules over all, who is preeminent over all. The Christ who holds all things together by the word of His power. He's cosmic. He's unbound. His power knows no limits. Well, if that's who Christ is and Paul is His apostle, consider the implications. One of the points of that is that Paul has a cosmic apostleship. As far as Christ's authority extends, that's how far Paul's authority extends.
16 · Applies Paul's authority to the Colossian situation: as a church at a cultural crossroads, they face seductive voices promoting syncretism—blending Christianity with surrounding worldviews—raising the question of why Paul's voice should be definitive when so many competing claims surround them
Now, that's important when we think about Colossae. Remember, we talked about how it's on a crossroads, there's major east-west roads, you kind of think of it as like the I-70 of Asia Minor. So it's on this major interstate. We'll see as the letter goes on that here's this young church on this major interstate, so it's this crossroads of ideas and cultures flowing back and forth, and they start to get swayed by false teaching. As we'll go through the letter, we'll see and sense there's this syncretistic tone. Which is just a way of saying they're starting to blend their beliefs. With the worldviews around them. So it's on this major trade route and worldviews come flying through and different people come flying through and they start picking up pieces of their beliefs and their ideas and kind of trying to blend them into Christianity. Here's the essence of what that means. There are all sorts of seductive voices competing for the hearts of the Colossians. There are any number of gods in this city available to worship, to mix with Christ. In this melting pot, who's to say Paul is totally right? Who's to say Jesus is the exclusive source of reconciliation. Who's to say?
17 · Illustrates contemporary attacks on biblical authority with a recent online debate where an atheist scientist mocked Scripture as a "3,000-year-old book" with no relevance, dismissing divine revelation as akin to magic—showing how the authority question facing the Colossians remains urgent today
Just this week there was a debate online. You could sign up on it and there was only a limited number of people who could get on. By limited, I mean a pretty large limit. Over a million people tuned in for this debate between a prominent scientist, an atheist, and a prominent Christian. And they tuned in and they watched it. And this debate went back and forth. And the whole thing, as you begin to watch, you realize centered on the issue of authority. And whenever the Christian who was taking part in the debate brought the Bible to bear, as he should do in a debate because it's God's authority, whenever he would bring it to bear, the atheists would just turn right around and disparage it. Just almost mock him. Well, according to him and his 3,000-year-old book translated into English and his interpretation of that book, that 3,000-year-old book time and again. The implication was very clear. What Paul wrote, what Luke wrote, what Moses wrote, according to this man, had no bearing, had zero relevance. For how we understand the world, which is really just another way of saying divine revelation is nonsensical. At one point, he even went so far as to call the idea of the authority of Scripture sort of like calling magic authoritative. That's what was going on in this debate.
18 · Applies the Colossian situation to the contemporary church: we face an even more intense bombardment of voices—soft and seductive (movie plots normalizing immorality) and loud and coercive (Google's rainbow logo)—all questioning Paul's authority on sexuality, marriage, money, gender, and salvation, effectively saying "God has no authority here" unless God conforms to our self-styled morality
Well, like the Colossians, we face a crossroads of authority. We are bombarded by voices, probably even more so than they are. They're kind of limited to the people that come through their city. Through the advent of television and the World Wide Web, it just flies into our homes. Voices sometimes very imperceptibly chipping away at the authority of God's Word. You think of a movie plot and then they pull you into the plot and they're, you know, they're— if it's done well and the script is good and the acting is good, you feel a connection with the characters. And by the end of the movie, you find yourself cheering for fornication. Hoping that the adultery will succeed. You ever caught yourself doing that? Imperceptibly soft voices pushing back on the authority of God's Word. Sometimes the voices are just blatant, right in your face. If you went on to Google this week, what did you see? Colors of the letters look like a rainbow. And then there's a little description underneath. Google demanding the acceptability of homosexuality. There are soft, seductive voices. And there are loud, coercive, forceful ones. Different volumes, but they're humming the same tune. Paul has no authority here. He lived 2,000 years ago. What does what he thinks thought matter for today? What does Paul know about modern sexuality? When we go through this letter, he talks about sexual immorality and impurity. What does Paul know about that? We're modern people. These are voices looking and saying, what does Paul know about marriage and divorce? What does Paul know about money? What does Paul know about manhood and womanhood? About who goes to heaven? What does Paul know about Autonomous human reason. We live after the Enlightenment, after all. Which, if we're honest, is to recognize that like the Colossians, we're hearing voices that say, "God has no authority here." Unless, of course, it's a god crafted in our own image, with our own tailor-made, conveniently self-styled versions of morality.
19 · Reasserts the sermon's central theological claim: because Paul is an apostle by God's will, his words remain—as long as Christ reigns and as far as Christ reigns—a right reading of reality, a true interpretation of God, humanity, and the world, undiminished by time or cultural shift
So Paul starts out, "Make no mistake, this letter is written by an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God." And as long as Christ reigns, for as far as Christ reigns, that's how long and how far Paul's words remain a right reading of reality. A true interpretation of God, of us, and of the world. That's Paul's authority at the beginning of this letter.
20 · Transitions from Paul's authority to the identity of his audience, reminding the congregation that because Paul's authority is unbound by time, his words about the Colossians' identity apply directly to us
And then he jumps right into the identity of his audience. In addressing them, he addresses our identity. Because remember, his authority extends. It knows no bounds of time. So he's addressing us as well.
21 · Expounds "saints": the word does not mean pious medieval figures with halos but rather "called out ones" or "set apart ones"—a designation of identity, not purity
He says this in v. 2, "To the saints, the faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae." So first he says, your identity, people receiving this letter, believers, is you are saints. Now, if you hear that word, pops into your mind is maybe a picture of like medieval dudes with halos and kind of like really somber looking and like kind of like made like retrogram on Instagram where it's like they fade the colors. I kind of picture like little like saint trading cards. I don't know why that pops in my head, but that's kind of what you think when you hear the word saints, right? That's not what Paul's saying here. He's not talking about pious medieval people. He's actually not talking about purity at all. He's talking about who we are. We're saints. We're called out ones. We're set apart ones.
22 · Traces "saints" back to Exodus 19:6 where God called Israel a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation," establishing the identity of God's people as His set-apart possession—an identity Paul now applies to the Colossians, reminding them (and us) that we belong to God as His possession, people, nation, and body
The formation of God's people in the Exodus, Moses envisioned this idea in Exodus 19:6. He said, "You shall be to Me A kingdom of priests and a holy nation. God's Word to Israel as they're setting out is this: You will be My set-apart ones. You will be My saints. You will be My possession. Right from the start, Paul reminds the Colossians and us, we no longer belong to ourselves. We've been made holy to God through Christ. We've been made His possession, His people, His nation, His body. That's the first thing He tells us about our identity.
23 · Brings in Colossians 1:12-14 to define what it means to be set apart: God has transferred us from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of His Son, qualifying us for the inheritance of the saints in light—redemption and forgiveness are the basis of our set-apart status
As Paul puts it later in chapter 1, he says this, starting in verse 12: God has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He's transferred us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His Son. That's what it means to be set apart.
24 · Expounds the second identity marker—"in Christ"—as union with Jesus, a transfer of spiritual geography from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of the risen King, from being in Adam under the curse to being in Christ as co-heirs with a new head and new future
So what does it look like to be transferred to that kingdom? Well, Paul says, I'm writing to the saints, these faithful brothers who are in Christ. The second marker of our identity. We touched on this a few weeks ago. Just kind of skim the surface of this phrase in Paul's letters. We are in Christ. In other words, we have union with Jesus. To take it further, we belong to Him. There's a transfer. There's a transfer of like a spiritual geography. You used to belong to this world And now you belong to God. You used to belong to the kingdom of darkness. Now your spiritual geography is you belong to the kingdom of the risen King. That's where your citizenship is. Instead of being in Adam, we have a new head, Jesus Christ, and a new future. We're no longer under the curse. In our new spiritual geography, we're co-heirs with the firstborn of creation.
25 · Illustrates how regional identity (the South, New Jersey) carries connotations about manner, speech, and values—showing that where you're from shapes who you are and how others perceive you
Think of it this way. When somebody says, "I'm from the South," you kind of get connotations in your head of what that means, right? They probably say "y'all" a lot. So you always know when they're addressing a group of people in the plural. It's not "you," it's "y'all." They probably go by two first names. They don't have middle names, they have two first names. "What's your name?" "John David." Right? That's the South. Classy if it's John David, Billy Bob if they're less than classy. That's what you think. Maybe you think of manner. They value manners, right? They value tradition. That's what the South kind of connotates. There's social graces. Maybe you watch too much Duck Dynasty and you think of the South and you just think of lots of camouflage and huge beards and American flag bandanas. Maybe that's what you think of. If somebody says they're from New Jersey, you have connotations. What does that designation mean? Well, New Jersey, I'm thinking super thick accents, bregadosho. They're going to be loud. They're going to have opinions. They're going to tell you their opinions. And they're going to think your opinions are wrong. Depending on the part of New Jersey, if it's Newark, you're going to think their hair is slicked back or something. You hear where someone's from and you connotate ideas about them.
26 · Applies the illustration: just as regional identity shapes values and behavior, being "in Christ" is our most fundamental identity, shaping our values, worldview, purpose, relationships, demeanor, language, and witness more than geography—our lives should reveal that we belong to the kingdom of the Son
Paul's point for us is wherever we are from geographically, we are most fundamentally in Christ. We live in Kansas City as those in Christ. Just as the mindset and the climate and the values and the history and the culture of a physical place shape who we are, Paul says even more so, Christ shapes who we are. Our values shouldn't just reflect the Midwest. No, our values should reflect Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Our worldview, our purpose, our relationships, our demeanor, our language, our witness should all shine forth evidence of where we belong. Where's Jill from? Oh, she's from the kingdom of the sun. I can tell by the way she talks. I can tell by her demeanor. I can tell by the way she interacts with people who are kind of rude to her.
27 · Extends the application: being in Christ is an unchanging identity that pervades every activity (work, service, driving, conversations, calendar prioritization) and remains unshaken by circumstances—whether prosperity or unemployment, love or loneliness, favor or rejection—our spiritual condition as citizens of Christ's kingdom is constant
So we move around Kansas City as those in Christ. When we work, when we serve, when we drive, when we talk to neighbors, as we prioritize calendars, as we generally interact with the world and people around us, we do it in Christ. And so this means, of course, that our circumstances are powerless to change who we really are. Our circumstances don't change that. You can move from one geographical location to another. The hick from Tennessee moves to LA and starts to try and act like a person from LA. Well, Paul is saying it doesn't matter where you live, as one who is in Christ, you always bear those resemblances. So you can be out of favor with the boss. You can be in love. You can be prospering in business. You can be unemployed. You can be overwhelmed with responsibility. You can be overcome with grief. You can be beset by troubles and trials. You can be flourishing in friendships. You can feel suffering in rejection and loneliness. Yet in all those things, our spiritual condition, our identity, our citizenship remains unchanged. We are in Christ, citizens of His kingdom and members of His body.
28 · Adds a corporate dimension to the identity markers: the word "saint" is virtually always plural in the New Testament, signaling that our identity in Christ is fundamentally communal—we are a body, a church, a gathering, never isolated individuals
And here's the cool thing: It's never by ourselves. You know that the word "saint" in the New Testament, the word that gets translated "saint," never occurs in the singular. There's only actually one time it does, and that's where it says "every saint." It's always referred to in the plural. When we think of ourselves being in Christ, Paul wants us to have this sense of corporate identity, of corporate fellowship, of being a community in the Kingdom and a priesthood, a people, a body, a church, a gathering. We are saints. We are in Christ.
29 · Expounds the third identity marker—"in Colossae"—showing that Paul does not erase physical geography when he declares believers to be in Christ; instead, he holds both together—saints are in Christ and in Colossae, not floating above the world but living within it
And then he concludes with this. He says, "You are also in Colossae." We are also in Kansas City. Paul doesn't chop that off. He doesn't say, yes, these saints are in Christ and now they no longer live anywhere in this world. They kind of float above. Like once you become a Christian, you can't see it. If you look really closely, you'll notice when they walk, they actually hover like a couple millimeters above the ground. And so they can't actually be from anywhere because they're from above. No, he says you're in Christ in Colossae. You still have a geographical identity. It's not obliterated in Jesus.
30 · Clarifies the integration of the two identities: Paul is not envisioning a disjointed dual life where we toggle between "in Christ" and "in Kansas City"—rather, the cosmic Christ who rules all also claims all of our lives, so being in Christ means bringing Christ to bear on every detail of daily life in our physical geography
Here's Paul's point: our new identity in Christ doesn't mean we stop living with an awareness of our physical geography. In all those details of daily life where we live in Christ, we also seek to bring Christ to bear upon them. Paul isn't envisioning like this dual life, like this disjointed sort of living. Some of the time I live in Christ, and some of the time I live in Kansas City. Some of the time I live in Christ and then I cross over into Olathe. That's not what he's envisioning. He's clearly saying, as he'll make clear later in the chapter, that the Christ who rules all the cosmos also claims He claims all of our lives.
31 · Begins applying the integrated identity: being in Christ is not a call to disengage from neighborhood, relationships, or opportunities—instead, it is a call to reimagine the normal parts of life, recognizing that the two identities overlap and Christ claims all spheres of existence
When he says that, he's not saying, so because you are in Christ, because he has claimed all of you, you should really disengage from your neighborhood. You should really withdraw from relationships and opportunities around you. He's implying they overlap. Being in Christ and in Colossae, being in Christ and in Kansas City isn't a call to be disjointed, to kind of live this schizophrenic life. It's reimagining how we think about the normal parts of life.
32 · Directly addresses the congregation's likely internal objection: if you're hearing "missional" and thinking "where do I fit this into my already packed schedule," you're missing the point—the vision is not adding another activity to an already-full calendar
So if you're hearing this and you're thinking, okay, so he's talking about mission and being missional. I'm trying to think, where do I fit this into my already packed schedule? Do I have time on Tuesday night to do that? No, Tuesday night is this. Do I have time Wednesday morning? No, Wednesday morning I've got to be at work early for a meeting. I get what he's saying, but I can't fit that in. If that's kind of how you're thinking and processing it, you're missing Paul's point. The vision isn't for going to work and then coming back home and being tired and then going to ministry at Care Group. The vision isn't coming and worshiping on a Sunday morning and going home Sunday afternoon, eating with the family, taking a nap, and then going to ministry at Forest Avenue. It's not what Paul's saying at all.
33 · Reframes missional living: it is not an add-on activity but a reorientation of existing work—going to work becomes going "by the will of God in the place He's called me to minister," living out the Gospel's grace in interactions, accomplishing tasks in a distinctively Christlike way, bearing and proclaiming witness in every sphere
It's thinking in Christ, I'm off to work by the will of God in the place that He's called me to minister. Called me to minister and to live a verbal testimony to the redemption of the Gospel. I'm going to live out the grace that I see in the Gospel. I'm going to live out that grace in the way I offer it to others as I'm at work. And I'm going to live out that grace as I interact with them and respond to them and receive from them things that might be less than gracious. I'm going to work in Christ on mission accomplishing my tasks in a distinctively Christlike way. Bearing witness and proclaiming witness. And it's that way with every sphere.
34 · Lists concrete spheres where being in Christ is enacted: marriage, parenting, coworkers, neighbors, baristas, QuikTrip clerks—every sphere of life becomes a place to minister the grace of the Gospel, exhibiting Christ through tone, patience, deference, meekness, compassion, boldness, servant-heartedness, and holiness
To be in Christ is to minister the grace of the Gospel to bring Christ to bear upon my marriage, to bring Christ to bear upon my parenting, to bring Christ to bear upon my coworkers, upon my neighbors, upon my barista, upon the QuikTrip clerk that you see a couple times every week if you're like me getting a hot dog. They're really cheap. It's 2 for $2.22 and you can get all the condiments you want. And so I see that guy a couple times. Interact with him in a Christlike manner. In all those places we live in Kansas City, as those who are in Christ, we exhibit it by our tone, by our patience, by our deference, by our meekness, by our compassion, by our boldness, by our servant-hearted nature, and by our holiness.
35 · Introduces Jeremiah 29:11 and corrects its common misuse by showing it comes in the context of God's people living in exile—the promise of hope and a future is given to people who are living outside the Promised Land
Jeremiah 29, that famous verse in Jeremiah 29:11, right? For behold the plans I have for you. We always rip that verse out of context. You know what happens before that verse? There's a vision given to the people living in exile. That behold, you got a hope and a future. The promises I have for you. That comes in the context of these Israelites, these people, God's people now living outside the Promised Land.
36 · Reads Jeremiah 29:4-7 in full, showing God's command to exiles: build houses, plant gardens, marry, multiply, and seek the welfare of the city where they are exiled—not withdrawing or fortifying against the foreign culture but dwelling in it, praying for it, and seeking its good because their welfare is bound up with the city's welfare
Here's what Jeremiah says to them just before that. Verse 4 of 29: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there and do not decrease. 'But seek the welfare of the city where I have set you into exile, and pray to the Lord on it, that city's behalf. For in its welfare, you will find your welfare.' You're in exile. You're not in the place you're supposed to be. This is not our kingdom. We're living this disjointed life in a— people look weird. They do their hair weird. They talk weird. They dress weird. They eat weird. Thus says the Lord, build homes without windows so you never see them. Build doors with triple locks so they can't get inside. No. Live in that city. Dwell there. Act on behalf of its welfare. Pray for it. Seek its good.
37 · Makes a theological claim about cultural transformation: the culture is not transformed by Christians retreating, nor by power plays and domination—the battle is not physical but spiritual, so a moral and just society is not built by hiding or seeking to overthrow opponents
The culture isn't transformed, and we're called to do that, by Christians retreating. We bemoan the morality and the direction our country is going, right? If you're going to bemoan it, you should probably be hoping that it would have better morals, right? Well, a moral and just society isn't built by hiding. And the battle— this is important— isn't won through power plays. The battle is not won through seeking to dominate your opponents. That's not what God says. Go to this city in exile. And build pipe bombs and figure out ways that you can overthrow them and you can conquer that city. It's not a physical battle. It's a spiritual battle.
38 · Applies the spiritual battle paradigm: the battle is won by seeking the welfare of neighbors, praying for the city, and asking God to intervene—not to make society more comfortable for us (people walking, talking, thinking like us) but so that redemption would take place and people would look, act, talk, and think like Jesus
It's won by seeking the welfare of our neighbors, by praying for the welfare of our city, by hoping and asking God to intervene for our nation. Because in its welfare, you will receive your welfare. It's not ultimately so that people look and think— this is important— we don't do this just so that people look and think like me. And then it's more comfortable to live in this society. Like right now, it's getting kind of uncomfortable The society at large acts differently. They think differently. And I kind of feel like a duck out of water. So I want to transform the society so that when I go out and walk around, people walk like me. They look like me. They talk with me. That's why I want to do this. That's the welfare of my city. No. No, it's not. It's so that redemption would take place. So that people would look and act and talk and think like Jesus. That's our goal.
39 · Transitions to Psalm 96 and diagnoses the root problem preventing missional living: not wrong programs or inadequate motivation but broken worship—living as Paul calls us to live requires right worship, right thinking, and right loving
Skip read it during worship. I think it's a helpful image. Psalm 96. Before we even go there, we kind of think when we think in terms of this idea of living on mission, of recognizing the authority of God's Word, how it transforms our lives and changes us, and the calling of identity to live as saints, as those set apart, Paul does not diminish the call of holiness, the call to live distinctly. Live as saints. Live in Christ. And live for the welfare of the city around you, right? And when we kind of struggle with that, I can think, boy, if it's not happening at Providence, we must not have the right programs. If it's not happening at Providence, I must not be motivating people in the right way. I must not have used the right illustration. You want to know why it doesn't happen? Because there's a broken idea of worship. We don't do that because we don't worship rightly. Living the way Paul is calling us to live happens when we think rightly and love rightly.
40 · Reads Psalm 96 to show the causal link between worship and mission: the call to "sing to the Lord" leads directly to "declare His glory among the nations"—missional living flows not from guilt or manipulation but from being consumed by God's glory, beholding Christ's beauty, and having affections stirred by devotion to the Word and fellowship that overflow into work and relationships
Think again, Psalm 96, skip Reddit. Listen to the worship and listen to how it affects people's perspective of their neighbors and the world around them. Oh, sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name. Tell of His salvation from day to day. It's all about worship. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods and the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord has made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples! Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name! Bring an offering and come into his courts! Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him! All the earth. Say among the nations, the Lord reigns. It's about worship. That's why we live that way with our neighbors. Not because we feel guilty, not because we want to manipulate them, but because we are consumed by the glory of God's name. Because we've beheld the beauty of the risen Christ. And I can't help but tell others about it. Because I'm devoted to the Word and I'm devoted to the fellowship, and so there are affections that are continually throughout the week stirred up in me, and those affections don't get turned off when I open the car at work. I open the car door and those affections are still there and they're still brimming and it's worship and it flows out and people encounter it.
41 · Illustrates worship overflowing into missional living with a hypothetical basketball-parent scenario: instead of complaining about playing time, the parent shaped by worship encourages and supports the coach, exhibiting grace in a way that stands out as "different"—demonstrating what it looks like to be in Christ in Kansas City
And so yeah, I'm a little bit different than the other dad on the basketball team. My kid's not getting enough playing time. I've been tracking it and this kid got 4.5 minutes in the first half and my kid only got 4 minutes and 15 seconds. Hey man, I just want to encourage you. I know it's a hard deal coaching these kids and I appreciate you giving the time and sacrificing and I just want you to know, like, I want to be here to support you. I appreciate you leading my son's team. Wow. Interaction with a parent of one of my players that didn't leave me like— just did knots in my gut. In Christ, in Kansas City.
42 · Illustrates worship-formed missional living in a workplace year-end review: the employee shaped by worship prays in preparation, acknowledges the difficulty of giving and receiving feedback, honors the boss's authority as God-given, and invites input—leaving the unbeliever thinking "That was different
Hey boss, you know, I just— coming in for the year-end review, I really want you to know, I know it can probably be hard to sit down and give feedback, I know it's sometimes hard to receive it, and I just want you to know, like, I've been praying in preparation for this meeting, and I want you to know I really value your input. And so I want you to just have a sense of freedom feel free to feel freedom just in sharing with me the ways you think I can grow. I really want to grow. I really want to see our company flourish. And so I know that God has placed you in authority over me. I respect you as my boss, and so I really value your input. Would you please just feel the freedom? I want you to feel like you can speak into my life in the areas I need it. Unbeliever walks out of the meeting thinking, That was different. That was appealing.
43 · Summarizes the sermon's missional call with a memorable slogan—"Every day, everywhere, every member on mission in Christ and for Christ"—and frames it as preparatory for drinking deeply of the image of Jesus Christ throughout the series
Here's the way to think of it. Every day, everywhere, every member on mission in Christ and for Christ. Every day, everywhere, every member on mission in Christ and for Christ. I think that's what Paul's preparing us for here in the letter of Colossians. And now we'll get to drink deeply of the image of Jesus Christ. Christ in us, the hope of glory. Would you bow your heads?
44 · Closes the sermon by inviting the congregation to prayer
Would you bow your heads?