The prayer for the church, Colossians 1:3-12

In preaching through Romans and now beginning the epistle to the Colossians, I have somehow stumbled upon a series of sorts that has come out of my usual verse by verse exposition.  This series doesn’t have a title, but it has to do with the life of the church.  Perhaps this emphasis was brought to my mind as a result of the pandemic, and the ensuing restrictions that were placed upon the church.  It made me examine why we go to church, the reason for the church, and whether or not church was essential.  It seemed at the time that government had deemed the church inessential, whereas I believed that the church was essential to life as a Christian.  Church is not an addendum, it is not entertainment, it is not merely a social gathering.  But I believe that scripture teaches that the church is Christ’s body on earth, in other words, the church is the physical manifestation of Christ on earth, and as such the physical assembly of this body is absolutely essential.

Now I don’t want you to take my word for it.  Ephesians 5:23 says,  “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself [being] the Savior of the body.”  As you can see, the church and Christ’s body are synonymous.  And then another one, found in the book we are now studying, which verse we looked at last week, Col. 1:18 “He (that is Christ) is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” Again the church and the body of Christ are synonymous, and furthermore, it says that He will have first place in everything. You might rephrase that to say that the church, Christ’s body is to be the number one priority in every situation.  I wish I could say that proved to be true in our experience.  But I’m afraid that for most 21st century Christians, the church is not their number one priority. However, the confession that Jesus is Lord means that He is to have preeminence in all things.

So anyway, in spite of being an expositional preacher, I have managed to preach a series of messages on the church which have come from our exposition of Romans and Colossians.  This series began with the worship of the church, then the essentiality of the church, then the love of the church, the edification of the church, the  model for the church, the fruit of the church, and the saints of the church. That finished up Romans, and as we began Colossians I skipped a few verses so that we might continue our series with Christ, the Head of the Church.  Now this week, I will probably conclude this series with what I will call the Prayer for the Church.

Paul begins this epistle, after a short introduction, with a prayer for the church at Colossians. And I will suggest to you that his prayer for the church, should become a model for the  prayer of the church.  We might learn to pray by studying Paul’s prayer, so that we might pray more effectively.

The scriptures make much of prayer.  Jesus made much of prayer. The One who would seem to need prayer the least, prayed the most.  Jesus spent many an entire night in prayer on a lonely mountain top. His last night on earth He spent praying for the disciples in the Upper Room, and then praying in the Garden of Gethsemane with the disciples before He was arrested.  And you will remember that Jesus implored the disciples to pray with Him, to keep watch for just an hour, and yet they fell asleep.

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus desired the disciples to pray with Him?  At this point they weren’t exactly spiritual giants. And yet Jesus wanted them to pray.  But Jesus wanted them to pray not only for Him, but for their own sake.  Notice He said to them in Matt. 26:41 "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” I can assure you that a life that is prayerful, is a holy life. It is one in which temptation rarely overtakes you.  It produces a life that is focused on the Lord.  It produces a victorious life.

Now in scripture we are encouraged to pray for the church, for one another, and for ourselves.  In Ephesians Paul indicates that prayer is an essential weapon of the church. After listing the spiritual armor needed for spiritual warfare, he says in Eph. 6:18-20, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,  and [pray] on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in [proclaiming] it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”  Prayer is direct communication with God.  And we are to pray at all times, for all the saints, that is the church, and for those who minister to us in preaching the word of God.

There are many such encouragements to pray found in scripture, but another one that I want to mention is found in Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Over my lifetime I have probably quoted this verse literally thousands of times in prayer to God.  A great strategy of prayer is to speak back the promises of scripture to God.

Philippians 4:6 has a lot of important points that can be made concerning prayer and the peace of God which is given in response to our prayer.   But what I would like to draw your attention to is two components of prayer which are laid out in that verse.  And the two components of prayer are supplication, which also can be translated as petition, and thanksgiving, which may also be translated as praise. Petition and thanksgiving.

Now I point that out because that is the same method that Paul employs here in his prayer for the church.  He begins his prayer with thanksgiving, praising God for certain things that are true concerning the Colossians.  Then he moves on to petitions on behalf of the Colossian church, and then he sums it all up with another burst of thanksgiving at the end of his prayer.

Notice first of all that Paul mentions that he prays always for the church at Colassae. Perseverance is essential to prayer.  In the verse from Ephesians 6 that I read  a moment ago the apostle exhorts us that “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit.”  I think how we pray is secondary to how often we pray.  The frequency of prayer is important.  Persevering in prayer is important.  Staying in an attitude of prayer.  Prayer should be strategic.  Daniel prayed three times a day, everyday.  And look at the life he lived and how God blessed him, even to the point of this political exile being made an advisor to kings. 

Jesus taught a parable in Luke 18:1 “to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.”  In that parable He equated prayer with a woman who came constantly before the king, so that he was afraid that she would wear him out if he did not grant her request. And in 1Thess. 5:17 we are told to “pray without ceasing.” So, it’s important that we pray frequently, which Paul says he does for the church.

Secondly, notice that Paul begins with thanksgiving to God for the faith that was found among the Colossian church.  Thanksgiving, as I pointed out earlier, is an important ingredient of our prayers.  Paul told Timothy in 1Tim. 2:1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties [and] prayers, petitions [and] thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

But notice Paul gives thanks to God for their faith.  Faith is an individual decision.  But it is also a gift from God.  Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God.”  So we pray that God would grant to a person the gift of faith.  That their eyes might be opened so that they will believe the truth.  I think salvation can be correlated to giving sight to a blind person.  God has to open a person’s heart to believe in order for them to receive Christ by faith.  And so faith is something we can thank God for, in the case of the church, but it’s also something we should ask God for, in the case of an unbeliever. 

Notice also that faith is not simply believing in the existence of God, nor believing in the existence of Jesus.  But it is faith in the work of Christ.  Paul says he is “praying always for you,

since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;

because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel.”  Paul says their faith came as the result of hearing the word of truth, the gospel.  

He says in Rom 10:17 “So faith [comes] from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”  The word of Christ is the truth of the gospel.  And the truth of the gospel is that God sent His Son Jesus the Messiah to earth to die for our sins.  Recognizing you are a sinner, that you are in need of a Savior, that you are in need of forgiveness, and repenting of your sin, believing that Jesus died in your place to pay the penalty of your sin, and that He rose from the dead and ascended to the Father in heaven- that is the gospel.  Faith in Christ’s gospel is saving faith. The Bible says that even the devils believe in God, but they are not saved.  Saving faith is believing much more than simply that God exists, and it starts with repentance of your sin. 

So thanksgiving is being thankful for the gift of salvation.  Then Paul adds to that thankfulness for the fruit of the gospel as it is being sown throughout the world.  He says at the end of vs 5, “the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth.”

Jesus gave a parable about the sower who went out to sow and some fell on good ground, some found on stoney ground, some fell beside the road and so forth. I’m sure you all are familiar with the parable. But the point I want to emphasize is when Jesus explained the parable He made it clear that the seed the sower was spreading was the word of God. And the seed which fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it and who brings forth fruit. 

That’s why Paul continues in his thanksgiving for Epaphras, who had ministered the word to the Colossians and had brought back the good news to Paul of the bearing of fruit that was occurring in the church there. It would seem that Paul had never been to Colossae, but Epaphras was likely the minister to the church, and his faithfulness to proclaim the word resulted in the fruit that was evident in the lives of the Colossians. We are to sow the seed, but it is God that gives the increase.

And in vs 8 Paul tells us what  the fruit of the church is,  saying, “and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.”  In Galatians 5:22 Paul identifies the primary fruit of the Spirit is love. And in 1Cor. 13:13 he says concerning spiritual gifts; “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” It’s interesting to note that in this prayer, Paul is thankful for their faith, in vs 4, their hope in vs 5, and their love in vs 6.  Love is the fruit of their salvation. Love for God and love for one another. Love is not just some sort of sentimental expression, but speaking the truth in love.  Love is being concerned about another person’s benefit.  And the greatest benefit that anyone could receive is to be saved, to be delivered from darkness and transferred to the church of Christ.  Telling someone that they are a sinner, that there is forgiveness by faith in Christ’s gospel, and telling them the truth even if it hurts your relationship is really acting in love. Love is not concealing the truth because you’re afraid of offending them.  Love is speaking the truth to a lost and dying world.

So Paul begins his prayer for the Colossians with thanksgiving.  Not simply because it is some formula, a way to somehow butter God up with praise so then you can ask Him for what you really want.  But because thankfulness shapes your perspective.  Thanksgiving for what God has done gives us confidence that God cares, and that God can and will help us, because He has so graciously helped us in the past. Thanksgiving releases an intercession which is formed out of blessing and not out of crisis.  It’s a certainty that there will be times of crisis, but our prayer life should not be founded on a response to crisis, but out of a response to blessing.  And when we realize our blessings, we should be inspired to offer up even more prayers and petitions to God from whom all blessings come.

“For this reason” then, Paul says in vs 9, he offers up specific petitions on behalf of the Colossians. Because of his thankfulness for God’s blessings of faith, hope and love in the life of the Colossians, he is spurred to ask God to specifically fill them “with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” 

Paul prays specifically, so let’s look specifically at what he is petitioning God for.  First, that God would fill the church with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Spiritual understanding is discernment. I believe that is a spiritual gift that is too often undervalued in the church.  Spiritual discernment is the gift to be able to rightly divide the word of truth, to be able to discern false teaching, and determine false spirits. Lord knows there is a great need for that today.  And in Colossae, they also had a need to discern the false teaching that was gaining a foothold in their church doctrine.  I’m not going to go all into it today, but there was some sort of teaching which promised a deeper level of Christianity, which actually wasn’t the true gospel at all.  Some level of teaching which promised a deeper experience which was not based on sound doctrine.

But Paul knows that true knowledge of the will of God comes from wisdom and the discernment which is given by the Holy Spirit, and that does not lead to some “deeper experience” that the false teachers were teaching, but it results (as he says in vs 10) “in a walk worthy of the Lord, being pleasing to Him, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”  True knowledge produces a holy walk.  Christian doctrine is not just head knowledge, but it’s applied in day to day life.  It results in a different walk, a different life.

Paul details this walk as being pleasing to the Lord.  We talked about that last week.  If you love the Lord, you will seek to please Him, to serve Him, to be found pleasing to Him. Furthermore, a true walk results in being fruitful in every good work.  Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Our walk is to do the works of Christ, to love one another, to serve the Lord in sowing the seed of the gospel. 

And finally this walk of faith involves growing in the knowledge of God. How do we do that?  We study His word.  We come to the true knowledge of God through HIs word. That is the only way we can truly know God is through His word.  His word is the only barometer of truth that we have.  Even if you had an experience in which you believed God directly spoke to you, you would still have to judge the truth of it by God’s word. To do anything less is to leave yourself open to being deceived.  

To know Christ is to love Him. We grow in our love for the Lord through reading His word, by meditating on Him. And as we know more of Him, we love Him more, and if we love Him more, we will keep His commandments, ie, do the things that are pleasing to Him.

Paul continues his prayer, petitioning God that specifically they would be “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience.” Notice Paul prays that they would be strengthened by the power of God in order to be steadfast.  What does steadfast mean?  It means faithful, loyal, without wavering.  It carries the idea of standing fast in the storms and trials of life.  

In Ephesians 4:14-15 Paul speaks of stedfastness, saying, “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;  but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all [aspects] into Him who is the head, [even] Christ.”  The Colossians were in danger of being tossed about by a new wind of doctrine, and as such were in danger of spiritual shipwreck.  Paul’s prayer was that God would strengthen them so that they would be found to be stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. (1 Cor. 15:58)

And that they would be strengthened to attain patience. Patience means endurance, perseverance, longsuffering.  Steadfastness and patience are basically synonyms, but with perhaps a different emphasis.  Patience has more a sense of endurance.  James speaks of trials producing endurance.  James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

It’s interesting that Paul links joy with patience as well here in vs 11.  But also notice that though the idea of trials is indicated in his prayer, Paul doesn’t ask God to take them out of the trial, but to give them endurance and steadfastness as they go through the trial.  Because as James indicates, the trial is God’s means of refining us, of strengthening us, and giving us confidence in God.  So many times our prayers in crisis mode is “Lord deliver me.  Get me out of this!” But Paul prays “Lord, be with them as they go through trials, and give them steadfastness and endurance so that they come out of it perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Finally, Paul concludes His prayer for the church with a final round of thanksgiving.  Vs 12, “joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.”  I believe that Paul here is giving thanks for the suffering that they were called to endure.  The inheritance that God qualified them to share in is not just the glory of heaven, but the sufferings on earth.  This is the biggest challenge yet to our prayer life.  To joyously give thanks to God for our sufferings. 

But I would remind you of the attitude of Peter and John who when they were arrested and scourged and thrown in prison, went away rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer for the Lord’s sake.  Why would you have that perspective?  

Well, the answer may be found in Romans 8:16-18 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,  and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with [Him] so that we may also be glorified with [Him.]  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

We can rejoice because we have been counted worthy to share in the sufferings of Christ. Even our trials can be the source of blessing.  And as Paul makes it clear in Romans, if we suffer with Him here, we shall be glorified with Him there.  And the glory that we shall enjoy there, cannot be compared to the suffering that we share in here.  As we saw last Wednesday in our Bible study in 2 Cor. 4:17-18 “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,  while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

The key to enduring with patience the trials that are set before us is to pray at all times, pray without ceasing, giving thanks in all things with all prayer and supplication.  Phl 4:6-7  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Amen.

 

The Head of the Church, Colossians 1:13-20

Today we are beginning a new book of the New Testament, which normally we study verse by verse, and chapter by chapter.  But I am going to break tradition with this one, and start in the middle of chapter one.  I may end up circling back to the beginning material at some later date.  But I am doing it this way because I want to continue in a series of sorts that was begun in our study of Romans which we finished last week.  

As you will remember, starting with chapter 12 of Romans we began to look at a series of expositions about the church.  Practical applications of life in the church.  And we had a series of messages dealing with the church, such as the worship of the church, the essentiality of the church, the love of the church, the edification of the church, the  model for the church, the fruit of the church, and the saints of the church.

Now I had it in my mind that we were going to start Colossians after we finished Romans for quite some time.  However as I was studying the book, I was really taken with this particular passage in chapter one vs 13-20, and it’s theme of Jesus, the head of the church.  And so I felt this passage was a perfect continuation or better, a consummation of this series of messages on the church.  And so I thought I would forego for now the introductory remarks which are at the beginning of this epistle, and jump right in to this passage which makes the case for Christ, the head of the church.

We should all be well versed by now though with the doctrine that to become a member of Christ’s church we do not sign a paper, or submit to a vote by the congregation, or any manner of various means by which people join a church, but if you are to be a member of Christ’s church you must be born again.  Jesus said to Nicodemus that you must be born again to enter the kingdom of God, and that means you are born of the Spirit. 

How you are born again is spelled out in great detail in Romans.  And that rebirth is summarized in Romans 10:9 and 10 which says, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

The key to salvation then is believing, confessing Jesus as Lord.  And I would like to lay stress on that for a moment.  Jesus is Lord is the confession of a Christian.  In Paul’s day, the Christians were arrested and charged with treason against the emperor.  They were given the option of saving their life by making the confession “Caesar is Lord.”  Caesar demanded to be worshiped as a god.  And of course, Christians were unable to make that confession and so many of them lost their life.

So to confess Jesus as Lord is to confess that He is God, that He is to be worshipped.  That to Him belongs all power and authority. That from Him is life and peace. If Jesus is Lord, ie Sovereign, Master, Lord of all, then all we have belongs to Him - our life, our possessions, our will, our destiny.  Christ is Lord of all. And we must submit to that.

Christ is Sovereign Lord.  And a sovereign speaks of a kingdom.  Lord is a title given to a ruler. And so as Paul says in vs 13, through salvation God has made us members of Christ’s kingdom.  Vs 13 “For He rescued 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.”

What that verse teaches is that we once belonged to another kingdom.  2 Timothy 2:25 tells us that we once were held captive by Satan’s kingdom, to do his will.  “with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,  and they may come to their senses [and escape] from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” So we were held captive by the domain of darkness, or the realm of darkness, the dominion of darkness.  All of which is another way of saying the kingdom of darkness.  Satan is referred to in scripture as the prince of this world, the prince of the power of the air.  And so Satan is the prince of this kingdom of darkness. 

We were once held captive in the dominion of Satan. But through salvation we have been delivered, rescued and made part of the kingdom of Christ.  And I say to you that the kingdom of Christ is no less than the church of Christ. They are one and the same.  They are synonymous.   Jesus said in John 18:36 "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”  The kingdom of Christ is the called out ones, the eklesia, the church of Christ, the assembly of believers, the saints of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We see this echoed in Eph. 1:19-23 These are] in accordance with the working of the strength of His might  which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly [places,] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

Notice back in our text that Paul says we were transferred to the kingdom of His Son. The word that is translated “transferred” had a special significance in the world at that time.  When one kingdom conquered another, the custom was to take the population of the defeated empire and transfer it completely to the conqueror’s kingdom.  I believe that is what Paul referred to in Ephesians 4:8 when he said that when Jesus rose from the dead, he took captivity captive.  We that we held captive to Satan’s realm have been transferred completely into God’s kingdom.  Everything we have and everything we are now belongs to Him.  

But this victory was not accomplished without the shedding of blood.  Paul says “In whom we have redemption.”  Redemption means the release of the captive by a legal ransom. And the price for our redemption was paid with the blood of Jesus, securing not only our freedom, but also the forgiveness of our sins.  Christ’s death was the legal satisfaction for the debt of our sin which we could never pay.

Then starting in vs 15, we have one of the most comprehensive statements of Christ’s divinity and His Lordship that can be found in the New Testament. Many Bible scholars think that Colossians 1:15-20 came from a hymn of the early church that described what Christians believed about Jesus. And that seems to be a possibility, but it can’t be proven conclusively.  Nevertheless, it stands as a magnificent statement about the divinity and Lordship of  Jesus Christ. 

Paul says in vs 15, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”  We should all be aware that the Bible states that God is Spirit, and thus He is invisible to the human eye, and that no man has ever seen Him.  But Paul says that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. 

One theologian told a story of a little boy who was drawing pictures on the floor one day as his mother was working nearby. And she said to him, “what are you drawing?”  The little boy replied, “I’m drawing a picture of God.”  The mother knew her theology though, so she said, “But no one knows what God looks like.”  The little boy responded, “Well, they will when I get through!” 

The application to Jesus is this.  The life and work of Jesus Christ created an exact image of the invisible attributes of God. What Paul meant was that Jesus was the perfect likeness and manifestation of the nature of God.  He is the great and final theophany.  The word translated image is eikon, from which the word for photography is derived.  So that we might say that we see Jesus as a photograph of God. He is the exact representation of the nature of God.

We find that same description by the author of Hebrews in chapter 1 vs 3; “[The Son] is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of the [Father’s] nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”  We cannot see God, but we can see Jesus, who is the exact image of God.  Remember when Philip said to Jesus “show us the Father.” And Jesus said, “if you have seen Me you have seen the Father.” “The Father and I are One.” 

Then notice that Paul says Christ is the first born of all creation. Some cults have wrongly used this verse to support their belief that Jesus was created.  Some even go so far as to say He is just a higher order of the angels, a brother of Lucifer.  That erroneous view seems to be some of the error of the Colossians to which Paul had written this letter, in an attempt to correct a false theology that was creeping into the church doctrine.

But first born has in this sense as Paul is using it as the heir, the owner, the possessor of Creation.  Dr. Carl Henry, regarded as one of the greatest theologians of his day said, “it should be translated as the Primeval Creator of all created things.” So Jesus is the one who possesses, as heir or owner, all things that are created.

Therefore, when Paul says, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" He's not saying that the Lord Jesus was the first created.  But in regards to his divine person, he is the eternal Son to whom belongs all things. In the OT, we see in the lives of the patriarchs this principle of the firstborn son who inherited everything of the father’s estate.  So firstborn signifies ownership, being the heir of all things, not a created entity.

This word, prototokos, which is used here for firstborn, is a term that has special significance. It is used in the translation of the passage in Psalm 89:27: "I also shall make him [My] firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.”  Furthermore,  in the Greek language, there was another word that meant first created, which is protoktisis. That word is never used of the Lord Jesus. They never say that he was first created, though the word was available to them. But in Scripture as a whole, when it says that He is the first born of the whole creation, it means that He is the heir of all creation.

Then in vs 16 he says Jesus is the Creator. “For by Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.”  Jesus is the creator of all things. Perhaps Paul lays stress on this doctrine, again for the sake of the Colossians error, to emphasize that Jesus was not created, but that He is the Creator of all things.

Notice Paul uses three prepositional phrases.  "All things were created through Him." "All things were created by Him." "All things were created for Him.”  All things were created through Him refers to the design of creation. Jesus was the architect of creation.  All things were created by Him refers to the fact that He is the builder of creation. And all things were created for Him means that everything was made for His glory.

One may illustrate it by the construction of a building.  The architect designs and draws the plans of the building. Then the builder  constructs the building according to the plans. And then when the building was finished, the building is used by the owner for their own purposes.

In the case of the creation, to apply that analogy, the Lord Jesus Christ is responsible for this universe as the designer, the architect. Further, he was the builder, all things have been made by Him. John 1:3 says “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” And furthermore this whole creation, not only physically what we see about us, the earth and the heavens that we see, but the whole universe, visible and invisible is designed and built to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then perhaps again as an effort to correct the bad theology pervading the Colossian church, Paul emphasizes that even the invisible angels, described as thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities are created by Him.  Paul uses similar language to describe the dominion of darkness in Eph. 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].”  So that we might agree with the people of Jesus’s day, who said that even the demons are subject to Him.  Jesus created them and thus He has authority over them.

Now he goes on to say, not simply that he's the architect and the builder and the one for whom the creation has been constructed, but He is superior to all things and He sustains all things.  Notice the 17th verse, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Before all things speaks not only of chronology, but also of superiority.   He is over all, before all, superior to all.  There is no one before Him. Chronologically speaking, He is before all, because He was from the beginning with God.  John 1 says , “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, The same was in the beginning with God.”  So Jesus is before all things and superior to all things and furthermore He sustains all things.

Paul says, “In Him all things hold together.”  He is the glue that holds the universe together.  Do you know that science tells us that the world is traveling through space around the sun about 67,000 mph?  Then in addition to that it is spinning at 1,040 mph.  How does the world keep it together with all these forces moving upon it?  The answer is that the power of Jesus Christ holds all things together.  Now that may be difficult for you to believe.  But I say to you that for me it is harder to believe that scientists say we are hurtling through space at 67,000 mlles per hour while spinning over a thousand miles per hour and yet the hair on my head is hardly moving. I’m not sure which takes more faith, to believe in science or to believe that Jesus holds all things together.  I choose to believe the scriptures. 

So Jesus is the Lord of creation, but he's also Lord of the new creation. Notice the 18th verse. After having said that he's the Lord of the first creation, Paul says, "He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”

Notice Paul says He is the head of the body, the church.  In 1Cor. 12:27 Paul says to the church, “Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.”  That’s an amazing thing to consider, that we are called the body of Christ. Not just body as in an assembly, but body as a physical part of Christ. That’s hard to fully comprehend.  And yet it is more than an analogy, it’s a reality. The church is a new creation. The Spirit of Christ lives in us, so that we are His body on earth.  We are His hands, His feet, and we do His works, His deeds.  We speak His words. We accomplish His will. 

And Paul says, Christ is the head of the body. That indicates how inseparable the church is  from Christ even as our head is essential to the life of our bodies.  He's the head of the body. The head and the body are not the same. The church  is called the body of Christ. It's not called the body of Christians. And the reason for that is very simple because the church is His.  The head expresses ownership. Authority is suggested by head. Control is suggested by head. He's the head of the body. He's the head of the church. And consequently he controls the church. He owns the church. He has authority over the church. And also the head  refers to Jesus’ role as source of the life of the church,  similar to how we refer to the head of a river as the source.

So to put it another way the head refers to Christ’s relationship to the church. We are related to the head who is in heaven. And if we are to live a life that is acceptable to the Lord God, we must be submissive to the head, to the Lord Jesus in a personal sense. And as a body of believers who are under shepherds, it's most important for them and for us to be under Him and to look to him for control and guidance and authority in the things that we do.

He's the head of the body, the church for this reason, that he is the beginning and he's the first born from the dead.  He's the firstborn from the dead, because he's the first and only one  to break the power of death. He triumphed over death in His resurrection, and He has the keys of death and Hades as a result.  He is head of the church, supreme and sovereign over it. Government is not in control nor does it have authority over the church. Only Christ has authority.  We acknowledge Christ alone as our head.  Not Peter, not the Pope, not the president or potentate.  But Christ alone is the head of the church.

Vs 18 says, “So that He might have first place, or preeminence in everything.”  First place, not second place or third place.  Jesus is preeminent in our worship.  Paul summarizes the doctrine of Christ by saying that Christ is to have first place in everything.  Jesus is fully God. Paul speaks in vs19 of the fullness of deity dwelling in Christ by saying, “For it was the [Father's] good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.”  The noted theologian Lightfoot says, The word fullness was “a recognized technical term in theology, denoting the totality of the Divine powers and attributes.” So Jesus is fully God.  And because He is God He is to have first place in our worship.  He is to have first place in the church. He is to have first place in our life.

Paul says, “And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself.”  One day, the scriptures tell us, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord.  Those who do so today, by faith, receive salvation and forgiveness of sins.  They receive a part in the kingdom of heaven and are transferred into His church.  But one day at the consummation of the age, Jesus will return to earth, and every eye shall see Him, and every knee will bow, and the kingdoms of this world will submit to the kingdom of Christ.  Phil. 2:9-11 says “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,  so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

When Paul says Christ made peace through the blood of the cross, that speaks to us of the real, physical death of Jesus Christ in our place, on our behalf, before God by which we are redeemed and receive forgiveness of sin. Faith in HIs  literal death in our place, and the literal judgment He bore on our behalf, is what saves us.  But those who do not believe  will not be saved, but nevertheless, all will one day bow, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

I want to conclude today by proclaiming to you that there is a standing invitation by the head of the church to come and be a part of His body, to confess Jesus as Lord.  At the end of Revelation, after all the warnings and pictures of those who rebelled against the sovereignty of Christ has been foretold, Christ gives an invitation to anyone who hears to come to Him and be saved, to become a part of His body.  He says in Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the bride (that is the church) say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”  That invitation still stands.  Redemption has been made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the payment for your sins.  Come to Him today and find deliverance and be transferred into HIs kingdom, His church.

The Saints of the Church, Romans 16

We have come today to the end of the epistle to the Romans.  It’s been a long, somewhat arduous journey.  Romans is a very thorough, very dense, theological treatise in the form of a  long letter to the Roman church from the Apostle Paul.  And as I have said quite frequently lately, the first 11 chapters were almost strictly theological, but the second part of the book beginning with chapter 12 are very practical.

Now they are practical because these last 5 chapters are dealing with the life of the church.  The first 11 chapters tell us how we receive life from God, how we are made a part of the church, that’s the theological section, and the last five chapters tell us how we are to live as the church, that’s the practical application.

Starting in chapter 12 we looked at how we worship as the church, the essentiality of church, the love of the church, the church’s attitude towards the world, towards their neighbor, and towards government.  Then we looked at the edification of the church, the model of the church, and the fruit of the church.  Finally, today we are looking at the saints of the church.  

Now I could just as easily say the people of the church, but I wanted to use saint because the apostle uses that word to describe Christians. Saint means holy one.  We need to understand that there is a difference between a saint and a sinner.  Yes, in one sense we are  sinners saved by grace.  But when we are saved we are no longer sinners, but saints.  We have been set apart, we have been sanctified.  We have been transformed.  We have been changed.  We no longer are controlled by our sin nature, but we are now controlled by our new nature, and that new nature is a new spirit which is born of God.

I feel a need to make that distinction because I see too many people who claim to be Christians and yet they are not living a holy life.  They are still trapped in their sin. They are still living in the world. And that’s evident when you talk to them.  They come to church, they move their mouth when we sing, they may drop some money in the offering box, but when you begin to talk to them it’s apparent that they are still living in sin. Listen,  Christ died on the cross not to make it possible for you to have God’s blessing on your business, not to give you perfect health, not just to deliver you from your crisis, but He died to cleanse you from sin.  He died so that you might have life, spiritual life, a life of consecrated holiness to the Lord.  He died to deliver you from the bondage of sin, to escape the corruption of the world, and to live for Him. And that is why the early church were called saints.  That is why you are called saints.  Dead people are not saints, but living people are saints who live sanctified, holy, obedient lives for God.  That is what the church is populated by, not just people who have a similar economic or cultural or moral background, but a people who have been changed from sinners to saints.

John Newton, who wrote the famous hymn Amazing Grace, was a slave trader before he was converted and eventually became a minister.  And John Newton wrote a famous line which says, ““I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.”  I am not what I once used to be.  That should be the testimony of every man and woman here.  And if it is not, then you need to examine whether or not you have been truly saved.

In 1 Cor. chapter 6, Paul talks about sinners, how as unrighteous they will not enter the kingdom of God.  And he describes the unrighteous as fornicators,  idolaters,  adulterers,  effeminate,  homosexuals, thieves, covetous,  drunkards, revilers, and swindlers.  He pretty much covers the gamut of sinful activity.  And then he says and “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”  There was not only a change in position, but a change in behavior, from sinner to saint.  And so in almost all his epistles, he addresses those in the churches as saints.  And so it is in Romans 1, in his salutation “to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints."

So the people of the church are the saints of God.  A holy people, set apart and sanctified by God.  And as was the  typical format of letters in those days, at the end of the letter Paul addresses certain saints of the church that he knows of, either through prior association with or by reputation. 

Now this chapter is one that is largely skipped over by the majority of pastors, and I can’t say that I blame them.  Just reading the names listed here is difficult enough, much less coming up with a three point outline from this chapter. But I believe there are some very instructive things that are tucked into this final chapter which should be helpful to us as well.  Because the church is the people. It’s not a building, it’s not a denomination, it’s not an organization.  It’s the holy people of God.  And here we have some insight into what that looked like in the first century.

Now there are some general observations that we can take from this, and then we will look at a few particular people, and then a warning and a blessing upon the church.  First some general observations.  From history, and which is also confirmed in this passage, we know that there were not any church buildings associated with the early church until the middle of the third century.  For the first 250 years or so, the saints met in homes of various members.  Probably the more wealthy members of the church had the largest homes, and so they would have likely been the home they met in.

Also, as we can see from this passage, there was usually more than one church home in a city.  There are at least three mentioned here in this chapter, and possibly more. Perhaps they followed the pattern of the Jewish community, where synagogues were regularly spaced throughout the city.  They were not allowed to travel more than a Sabbath day’s journey to go to the synagogue, and so they would have one in every community.  And the standard was that if the community had at least 10 men then they could establish a synagogue.  I think a similar principle would have been in operation in the NT church. Not that they were prohibited from travel, but they were limited in the size of their houses as to how many people could gather together as a church.

I think a lack of understanding about these house churches has led to a greater misunderstanding in regards to church formation today.  When Paul and Barnabas established elders in all the churches in Acts 14:23, some have erroneously, in my opinion, thought that established the principle of a plurality of elders for every church.  But what it  actually says is they established elders in every church.  In other words, every church, every house church, they established an elder, or an overseerer, or what we might call today a pastor. After all, if a church had only 20 - 40 members in it,  if you had the principle that there must be a plurality of elders you would end up with all chiefs and no Indians.  There are some churches today that ascribe to that idea of a plurality of elders, but I don’t see  evidence for that in scripture.

Notice another thing about this church at Rome.  Paul mentions only 29 people by name, but indicates there were more with the phrase “in their house.”  “In their house” indicates there was a church in their house, and we have already said there are at least 3 house churches mentioned in Rome.  Once again, that indicates small, intimate groups of believers who met in homes as a local congregation, with a local pastor or elder.  And yet there would have been a recognition and even fellowship and sense of community with other congregations in the city.

Another thing worth noting in the names on this list is the fact that at least 30 percent are women.  That is striking in a culture that did not recognize women as much more than property.  But we can see that in the church they were highly valued.  They filled important roles in the church.  Not necessarily leadership roles, but then it is important in church that there are workers and not just all leaders. What’s amazing to consider is that God immortalizes so many people in these churches who were just average, otherwise unknown individuals who come from every walk of life.  Commentators tell us that many of this list were slaves, some were nobles, some were civic leaders, some were undoubtedly poor.  And yet they were unified in the church.  There was no recognition of rank or privilege in the church, and if one did have money or position according to natural means, then it was used for the benefit of the church.

What else is amazing is that this list shows us that there was a good amount of travel going on in the Roman culture. Fro instance, Aquila and Priscilla were first in Rome, then Corinth, then Ephesus, and then back in Rome again at the time of this letter. People traveled and lived in various places in the Roman Empire.  They had that sort of freedom under Roman rule, and the famous Roman road system obviously helped in that regard.  In fact,  the gospel was more easily carried throughout the Roman Empire by the fact that Rome had established a sort of peace throughout the known world, and their highway system enabled commerce and travel at an unprecedented pace, all of which contributed to the spread of the gospel. 

Now let’s look at few particulars regarding certain individuals.  First of all, Paul mentions Phoebe. "I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church which is in Cenchrea.”  It’’s widely believed that Phoebe was the one who carried the letter to the Romans from Paul.  It’s likely that she was a business woman, and so by this commendation from Paul the church so that they would accept her and show hospitality to her.  But most importantly, she is described as a servant of the church.  The word rendered servant is the same word from which we get the word deacon.  That doesn’t mean that she was a deacon in position in a church, however.  The word also can simply mean servant, or server. It was used to describe those who served in any capacity.  There are some churches that I am afraid have once again failed to interpret this passage correctly and from it have come to the conclusion that women are to hold positions of leadership in the church in the form of deacons or even ministers.  But that’s the danger of taking a indirect reference such as this and trying to use it as a proof text to substantiate a preconceived objective because of cultural preference. Paul’s letters to Timothy in regards to church organization and it’s ministers’ qualifications makes it clear that it does not permit women in church leadership, but simply to state this woman risked much to serve the church in the capacity of bringing the epistle to them.

Other saints of note in Paul’s epistle are his friends and coworkers in the faith, Aquila and Priscilla. It would seem from the text that they had a church in their house. That seems to be the case with this couple no matter where they were.  They were always serving the Lord and hosting the church in their house, whether in Ephesus or Rome.  Aquila and Priscilla are mentioned about 6 different times in the NT, and sometimes Priscilla is mentioned first, and sometimes Aquila.  And once again some teachers who perhaps have an agenda have tried to say that since Priscilla is mentioned first more often than her husband, that means that she was the one that was the teacher, the leader, and not her husband.  I think that’s another case of trying to find proof for an agenda that the Bible does not support.  I think it might say something about her personality, or about her character, but it is a real stretch to find support for something that 1 Timothy makes quite clear, saying that woman are not to teach in the church.  Scripture does not contradict scripture.  And when it seems to, then you must reevaluate your interpretation, not change Biblical doctrine.

Paul says that Aquila and Priscilla risked their own necks for his sake, and that all the churches owed them a debt of gratitude for their service to the Lord.  He goes on to mention Epaenetus, who was the first one saved in Achaia of Paul’s ministry.  He had a special place in Paul’s heart. 

Then Andronicus and Junia. These were apparently Jews (he calls them my kinsmen) and were imprisoned for the sake of the gospel (my fellow prisoners). They were well regarded among the apostles, having become Christians even before Paul did.  Notice it doesn’t say they were apostles, but they were of note among the apostles.  I think that means the apostles had selected them for special responsibilities to the church.

Then he mentions Amplias, of whom we are told there is found a tomb in the earliest Christian  catacombs with that name.  Then he mentions the household of Aristobulus.  Aristobulus is believed to be the brother of King Herod Agrippa. He was not a Christian himself but many of his slaves evidently were. He mentions Tryphena and Tryphosa, obviously names for ladies. Their names mean dainty and delicate, or something like that. But notice how Paul describes them, "Those women who work hard in the Lord." So these ladies of likely noble birth, who are dainty and delicate but they work hard in the Lord.

He mentions, "Greet Rufus," whose name means 'red'. That's interesting because in Mark chapter 15 there's a passage about a man named Simon of Cyrene, who was pressed into service to carry the cross of Jesus.  He had two sons, Alexander and Rufus, and it is believed the whole family came to know the Lord as the result of Simon witnessing the crucifixion of Jesus. Tradition says that Alexander was martyred for the faith, but Rufus is now in Rome as a servant of the church there.  Paul calls the mother of Rufus his mother, indicating that at some point it’s likely that Paul lived with his family and was befriended by them.

Paul continues in vs 14, “Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.” I think it’s interesting to note how often relatives are mentioned together, as well as people who are of the same household.  It’s illustrative of the way the gospel is spread, from one family member to another, from house to house, neighbor to neighbor. I think that kind of ministry is the key to effective church growth.  Our witness begins in our home, with our loved ones, and then to our neighbors, and then to the community. But far too often today I feel our family members are excluded from church rather than included. When our unsaved relatives come to visit, that’s an excuse not to come to church, rather than viewed as an opportunity for them to hear the gospel.

Then note the personal affection Paul says is needed in the church.  Vs.16; “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.”  I wonder about such statements, whether or not God anticipated the Covid virus.  That must have been such a shock for God, to find out that we can communicate germs to one another if we come closer than six feet. I mean, I think it’s prudent if you’re sick that you don’t sneeze on people, you don’t drink after people, you don’t kiss people if you’re sick.  But somehow, someway, sooner or later there needs to be a return to normal behavior, and that includes shaking hands, kissing, touching, putting your arm around someone, or some form of showing affection.  

I will say, however,  that this kissing was not sexual in nature, but a perfunctory greeting in this part of the world.  And it still is common today in a lot of places.  It was usually a kiss on the cheek, maybe on both cheeks.  But it demonstrates a willingness to let down your guard, to acknowledge in a public way your affection and friendship.  That kind of brotherly love is necessary in the church.  Christian love is not just spiritual, but it also must be physical. Kissing isn’t customary in our society, but shaking hands is, hugging someone is. And Paul indicates here that such a physical sign of affection is essential to the church.

Then in the 17th verse Paul gives a warning to the church. “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.  For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.  For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.” 

Paul is giving a warning against Antinomianism. That is, those who are professing to be Christians but live indulging the flesh. He says you should avoid such men. They seek to advance themselves he said, by smooth, plausible talk, by flattery. They flatter the ego of the saints and thereby lead them astray. It's very easy for someone who has ulterior motives to appeal to your ego, to speak smoothly and plausibly to you, and to make you their disciple. That still goes on today in the church. From time to time we have people who come in, and after awhile it becomes evident they don't really want to follow our teaching but instead they want to teach, to develop their own disciples. And Paul warns against such people who use flattery, who appeal to your ego, who appeal to your fleshly appetites, in order to take advantage.

But Paul rejoices in their obedience.  That’s the characteristic of the saint. Obedience to what God’s word teaches us.  That’s the mark of sanctification. That’s the goal of our instruction.  1Tim. 1:5 says, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” The deceivers and false teachers seek another goal, and that is to divide and deceive and lead the people of God astray to follow them, all with the promise that they will find fulfillment. 

He says, be wise in what’s good , and be innocent in what’s evil. That’s a refection of what Jesus said in Matthew 10:16, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”  False teachers always appeal to some thing of the flesh, some appetite of our baser nature.  Paul urges them to be on guard against such teaching and turn away from those people.

But Paul wants the church to know that God is fighting for the sanctity of the church as well. He says “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”  Note first of all that it is God who will crush Satan.  Secondly, that he will use the church’s feet to crush Satan. And third, that He will do so soon.  God uses the church to accomplish His will.  Way back in Genesis 3:15 God promised to bruise Satan’s head by the offspring of the woman. And Christ struck a mortal blow against Satan at the cross, fulfilling that promise.  But there is also included in this passage a reference to the final crushing victory of God over Satan that will occur at Christ’s return for His church.

There is another list of people that Paul presents at this point, and I am not going to belabor it. These are his personal friends that are with him who send their greetings and prayers up for the church at Rome.  I could spend a lot of time with Timothy, who Paul elsewhere calls his son in the Lord.  But all these people were assisting Paul in his ministry to the church. He calls them fellow workers. Once again we see different types of people all engaged together in a common ministry, serving the Lord and His church. Tertius, the secretary of Paul, Gaius the host of the church where Paul was ministering, Erastus, the city treasurer, and Quartus, probably a slave, who he calls our brother.  God uses people from all walks of life to minister to the church.

Finally, Paul concludes this great epistle with a great doxology.  A liturgy of praise to God and a blessing upon the church.  He says in vs 25, “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,  but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, [leading] to obedience of faith;  to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.”

In this doxology Paul manages to incorporate many of the primary theological principles that he has previously delineated in this epistle.  It’s almost a review in liturgical form. He speaks of the blessing upon the church; that God will establish and strengthen them.  He speaks of the gospel of God, which he calls my gospel.  He had so thoroughly adopted it and believed it that it became part of him and was the sole purpose of his life. He speaks of the mystery hidden from long ages past: that mystery being the gospel of Jesus Christ, that Christ died to save sinners from all nations of the world and lives to make intercession for them so that they might have life in Him. He says this mystery is now manifested, it’s made clear through the scriptures, through the word of God and made known to all the nations, leading to the obedience of faith.  Notice the connection between faith and obedience.  Obedience is indelibly tied to justification by faith.  Jesus said; “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Sinners become saints, by faith in Christ and obedience to His word.

So there is it, the gospel, presented by Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What a gospel!  What good news!  And Paul says it is all for the glory of God through Jesus Christ.  There is salvation in none other.  No man can come to the Father except through the Son. The fact that God has chosen to send His Son to die on the cross for our sins, so that everyone who believes on Him might be saved and be a part of His church and His kingdom, is a marvelous thing that Paul rightly ascribes wonder and amazement to.  And I trust, it is something that 2000 years later we as the church of God can still say “Amen!” to as well. I pray that you will find inspiration in these testimonies of the saints of the church at Rome, and will likewise be found to be working for the Lord as holy, consecrated servants of God.