Sermon Ideas in Colossians Part 4 - Why was the Epistle Written?

Day #4 Sermon Starters – Why was the Epistle of Colossians written?

Purpose:  In today’s sermon starters, we wish to provide two things for you:  a) A workable and reasonable outline for Colossians and b) A biblical defense as to the reasons why Paul wrote to the Christians at Colosse and Laodicea. 

Outline of Colossians:

Theme of Colossians:  Growing in maturity and discernment by knowing Christ.

Chapter #1:  Knowing Christ’s pre-eminence

Chapter #2:  Knowing Christ’s sufficiency

Chapter #3:  Knowing Christ’s word

Chapter #4:  Knowing Christ’s love

Why was the Epistle of Colossians Written?

·         1:2 – Written to the faithful at Colosse

·         1:3-4 – Written in prayer because of their faith (v.3), hope (v.5), and love (v.8)

·         1:9-14 – Written so they (Colossians) know of prayers for them which specifically were intercessions for 1) The knowledge of His will; 2) That they might walk worthy of the Lord; 3) That they might be fruitful 4) That they might increase in the knowledge of God; 5) That they would be strengthened with His glorious power; 6) That they might continue in thankfulness of our Redeemer; 7) that they might learn patience and longsuffering; 8) That they might continue in the faith grounded and settled; 9) That they would not be moved away from the hope of the gospel.  10) Ultimate aim:  Preaching/warning so that Paul could present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

·         Background:  Based on previous observations, the Colossians may have been giving way to smooth talkers and deceivers who did not know the Lord.  They may have been being deceived by the vain philosophies and rudiments of the world.  (Colossians 2:20)

Hint:  Some might ask why the current series on Colossians seem to be a ‘hit or miss’ type of study with no real pattern of preaching.

The reason is because unlike other studies, I am releasing my observations of the text as we go.  I have no need to edit it because you, the reader, will edit and massage the data as the Holy Spirit sees fit for your ministry.  I am amazed at what the work the Holy Spirit is doing through our ministry and through all ministries that faithfully make their sermon outlines available free of use.  May the Lord see fit to richly bless your work.  Thank you.

The Ministry of Prayer

The Ministry of Prayer

11/10/2013

To the reader: The following sermon, or a derivative of it, will be preached at the Berkshire Hills Baptist Church on November 10, 2013 in the morning service. May the Lord be pleased to edit, refine, and change the sermon through your hands (as Pastors and ministers of the Lord) to present to your people. May the Lord's word be prepared, preached, and presented by all those whom the Lord touches.  [Please note: the second half of the sermon needs to be developed and tweaked; also note, in Thessalonians - the many times 'thankfulness' is mentioned, it is often linked to praying.]

Title: The Ministry of Prayer

Scripture Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Introduction:

“I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.” What better way, today, this morning, to learn how to detach ourselves from the world and attach ourselves to the loving Father; He is not an ogre expecting you to bow down numerous times during the day. Rather, He is our loving Father who has given us a precious gift: His Son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile us back to Him. 

If we are not praying regularly, we can begin. They may not be great big, large steps – but small steps nonetheless to get us back praying to Him is important. There is no reason to look back at our failures and discouragement; look forward. What would motivate us to pray?

1. Because we are in the end times, and we are waiting for God's Son to return.
   1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 focused on the glorious Rapture and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 spoke of the soon coming Day of the Lord, of which God's wrath is not upon Christians. While we are waiting, we are told to be sober, not sorrowing, not sleeping, and comforting one another [1 Thess. 4:13,18 & 1 Thess. 5:6,11.] These important qualities are necessary as we come to the end, hear of world events setting the stage for His return, and looking at the general disintegration in society. Are we unsure how to start praying; just start talking to God.
   
2. Because we can learn to rejoice and be thankful in prayer. Notice that sandwiched around 1 Thess 5:17 is v. 16, “Rejoice evermore” and v. 18, “In every thing, give thanks”. Has our heart found discontentment; have we complained to everybody about our problems except the Lord? Have we sunk so low that we want to know, how can the Lord lift us back up again? Go to prayer; write out 50 things you are thankful for, then rejoice in each one. You will soon see how blessed you are in Christ Jesus.  
   

a. You cannot have a thankful heart and a sinful heart at the same time;

b. You can have a rejoicing heart and complaining spirit at the same time.

3. Because, it is the Lord's will for us to pray. Notice the end of v. 18, “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 

a. God's will is not a mystery that we must pull from the sky; it is real.

b. Don't beat yourself up for failing to pray; that will not help anyone. Instead, just start praying – start talking to God. Begin opening up your heart to Him and begin talking to Him as your Holy Savior and your Best Friend; He has been waiting for you to talk to Him.

Gospel Presentation. At this stage, we must not assume all of our listeners are Christians; we must pray all the more fervently before preaching this message that the Lord would be pleased to bring a soul to Christ through His word.

Inform people that perhaps some of them need to talk to God for the first time about receiving the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Be specific and tell people at this stage that a vibrant prayer life begins with the prayer of salvation.

* Show the people that without Christ, all people are sinners and in need of a Savior (Romans 3:23, 6:23). Don't go over this lightly. There is some bad news, but that is what makes the Savior good news! We couldn't obey God perfectly, and we can't obtain heaven either on our own OR with someone else's help. Instead, we need someone to come down and give us His finished work.

* Then bring people to the good news! They can now receive Christ Jesus as their Savior, turn away from all of their works good or bad, and fully trust in the sacrifice of the cross for their salvation. The only way to God the Father and the only way to receive forgiveness of sin is through Jesus Christ. Show them the precious promises of John

Body of the Message: What did Paul mean when he said pray without ceasing? Did Paul practice what he preached when it came to praying.

One Lesson Today, learn: Thanksgiving is cultivated in prayer. No one has yet mastered the art of thanksgiving until they have thanked the Lord in prayer.

• Thank you, by name, for those who know Christ.
  

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father”

• Thank you when Christians understand. Paul thanked the Lord 'without ceasing' when Christians received the Word of God as the word of God, and not the word of man.
  

1 Thessalonians 2:13, “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe”.

• Thank you for the joy we have over fellow believers; we pray constantly that we might see them again.
  

1 Thessalonians 3:9-10, “9 For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; 10Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?”

• Thank the Lord that our faith and love is growing.
  

2 Thessalonians 1:3 “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;”

• Thank you for all the brothers and sisters that God loves.
  

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 - 13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits^b to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Sermon Ideas in Colossians Part 3

Sermons in Colossians based on observation notes

Day #3 Sermon Starters – Whatever You Do – Do to God’s Glory

Purpose:  On the third day of the study of Colossians, the Lord brought to our mind the concept of doing all for His glory, not our own.  In light of this, we have tried to survey for you all the verses in Colossians that highlight this Christ like faithfulness from the Christian.

May these verses speak to the hearers God has blessed you with.

Whatever You Do – Do to God’s Glory:

1.      Colossians 1:2 – “Faithful” brethren.  Apparently, Colosse Christians had a reputation of faithfulness.

2.      Colossians 1:4 – They had love to all saints

3.      Colossians 1:6 – They brought forth fruit – fruitful Christians.

4.      Colossians 1:7 – They had a faithful minister.

5.      Colossians 1:10 – Paul prayed that they would walk worthy.

6.      Colossians 1:23 – Prayer was given that they would remain grounded in the faith.

7.      Colossians 1:28 – Paul prayed that they would present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

8.      Colossians 2:5 – Paul observed the Colossians’s steadfastness in Christ. 

9.      Colossians 2:23 – Christians are told that following earthly ordinances does not bring honor or satisfy the flesh.

10.  Colossians 3:5 – Faithful Christians mortify their members.

11.  Colossians 3:12-13 – Faithful Christians exhibit, as God’s elect, loving kindness one to another.

12.  Colossians 3:16 – We should let the word of Christ dwell richly in us.

13.  Colossians 3:17 – Whatever we do, let us do it in the name of Jesus.

14.  Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, do it heatily unto the Lord and not unto men.

Sermon Ideas in Colossians Part 2

Sermons in Colossians based on observation notes

Day #2 Sermon Starters – Questions on the Text

Purpose:  On the second day of the study of Colossians, we have provided you with 15 questions that would be sufficient for at least a dozen sermons in the book of Colossians.  The reason for these questions were to help me understand, analyze, and summarize major thoughts in the epistle to the Colossians.  They will form the basis for other studies, including the yet future “30 Facts About Christ in Colossians”.

May the LORD see fit to use these questions to help you in your studies:

Questions on Colossians:

1.      What does the epistle teach about Christ?

2.      Why was the epistle written?

3.      To whom was the epistle written to?

4.      Do a word study on the concept of “stablished” (for instance, established in the faith)

5.      Do a word study on the word ‘walk’.  [Hint, Day 1 of Colossians included this outline.  You may make note to the hearers that the word walk appears once in every chapter of the letter to the Colossians.]

6.      Do a word study on the word ‘faith’.

7.      Do a word study on the concept “In Christ” or “In Him”

8.      Do a word study on the word “peace”.

9.      Do a word study on the word “thankful” or its derivatives.

10.  Do a phrase study on the concept “whatever you do, do to God’s glory.”

11.  Do a phrase/word study on the idea of the “will of God”.

12.  Do a word study on the concept of ‘love’.

13.  Do a character study on the person named “Epaphras”.

14.  Do a concept study on the idea of ‘prayer’ or praying.

15.  Do a study of forgiveness in Colossians.

B.     Bonus Material:  Subject Study on the idea of being taken away from Christ by worldliness and sin.  [Majority of verses on this subject seem to appear in chapter 2 and early in chapter 3, indicating a specific problem Paul wanted to deal with for these faithful disciples of the Lord:  getting easily beguiled by those who didn’t want them looking at Christ.]

a.       Colossians 2:4, “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.”

 

b.      Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

c.       Colossians 2:16-23, verse 20, “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,”

d.      Colossians 3:2, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Hint:  While taking verses that all deal on the same topic and stringing them together is helpful, it is even more helpful to see verses in the same epistle or book.  However, such valuable wisdom is only useful as you immerse yourself in the message of the epistle you are studying.  In this way, when you quote these verses at the appropriate time in your sermon, the Holy Spirit will bring back to your memory the context and arguments being used in the book or epistle so you do not un-necessarily misconstrue the Bible.  Trust that the Holy Spirit can use the background information you have studied to properly position topical verses to the needs of people today.  God Bless you.

Sermon ideas in Colossians Part 1

Sermons in Colossians based on observation notes

Day #1 Sermon Starter

Purpose:  These are personal notes on the book of Colossians, based on observations in the text.  This is definitely a sermon starter; there is not a specific coherent theme for these ideas and outlines presented.  Instead, there are many observations on the text of the Epistle.  Do the very best you can to carefully study Colossians along with these observations; put together sermons based on the book and be sure give credit to the Holy Spirit for the awesome study you will put together!

Initial Preliminary Observations from a first reading of Colossians:

1.      Like Ephesians, the term “in Christ” is used in Colossians

2.      The central person of the epistle is Christ; notice that in each of the first four verses alone, the name of Jesus Christ is mentioned.

3.      Christ’s life in us, His commands, and His many blessings are shown forth in this book.

4.      Possible Theme developing – Our fullness and completeness in the Lord Jesus Christ.

a.       1:19 – All fullness in Christ

b.      2:9 – In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily

c.       2:10 – Ye are complete in Him

d.      3:3 – Your life is hid in Christ in God

e.       3:4 – Christ is our life

5.      Also note the number of times “walk” is used in the book.

a.       Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing – 1:10

b.      As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him – 2:6

c.       In the which ye also walked sometime, when ye lived in them.  3:7

d.      Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.  4:5

6.      Also, three phrases are used in Colossians to describe Jesus:  a) Christ is our life b) Complete in Him c) Christ is All. 

The Man (Woman) Who Loves God - Sermons in the Psalms Series

Sermons in the Psalms Series

Scripture:  Psalms 1:1-6
Topic:  The man who loves God

Introduction:  The godly man fails from the earth.  It is difficult to find Christians committed to the Lord.  It is easy to find confessors, but hard to find those who put feet to their action, those who live and believe the Scriptures.  What do the real men, women, boys, and girls who are godly look like?  Psalms 1 gives us the outline.

Psalms 1:1-6

v. 1 - 2 – Definition of a godly man

v. 3- 4 – Direction of a godly man

v. 5 – 6 – Destination of a godly man.

A.    Definition of a godly man (v.1 -2). 

a.       Negative:  This section deals with various postures of the body and what they might represent in the believer’s life.  One who walks is moving forward, one who stands is being firm in his present condition, and one who is sitting is resting for a time.  On the negative side, the Christian does not walk in ungodly counsel, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of men who scorn and bring derision.

b.      Positive:  His delight is in the law of Lord and he meditates in the Bible day and night.  Instead of walking in bad advice, standing in the path of a sinful lifestyle, or gossiping endlessly about his or her’s brothers and sisters – He is about the Father’s business as found in the Word of God.

B.     Direction of a godly man (v. 3-4)

a.       Godly:  He is in a state of spiritual growth; he brings forth his fruit in his season, his leaf shall not whither.  He prospers.  The direction of the godly man is upward in growth.

b.      The ungodly:  During the harvest of the Jews, a person separates the chaff from the wheat.  The wheat is throw in the air by a rake; the simple air separates the wheat and chaff.  The chaff is so light, so fluffy, and so weightless – the air easily carries it away. So too, the ungodly are simply thrown in the air and is driven away easily by any passing wind.

C.    Destination of a godly man.  (v. 5-6)

a.       Ungodly:  He shall not stand in the judgment of rewards for the righteous, nor will they hang out in the congregation of the righteous in the end.

b.      Godly:  The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.  (compare to 2 Timothy 2:19)  God knows perfectly the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.  The Lord see everything the righteous does; He knows who is His and He is the one who judges the hearts and motives of us all.  Commit yourself to God.

Observations:

·         Notice no where in Psalm 1 is ‘good works’ or ‘being godly’ a path to salvation.  Instead, it is the evidence that salvation is or is not present.  The ungodly simply follow the path of ungodliness, the godly simply follow the path of godliness.  No works-salvation is implied in this section.

·         When preaching the section, be careful not to infer that God does not love those who are struggling in sin.  Nothing is further from the truth.  Instead, preach that the Christian walks in the path of holiness because of the nail print in Jesus’ hands; they are grateful to Him and, in the realization of what Christ did for them, gladly turn their lives over to Him.

Conclusion.

Feet in the Bible – Topical Bible Study

Introduction:  Feet is what helps make man mobile; even the fanciest cars require the use of feet.  All throughout the Bible, feet are carrying man somewhere either physically or metaphorically.  The term “put feet to your actions” implies that the act of moving, going, and progressing are all pictured by our feet. 

What do humans do with their feet?

·         Scheming evil.  ”For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.” – Proverbs 1:16

·         Anointing Jesus.  “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.” – John 12:3

What should humans do with their feet?

·        Shaking off the dust.  “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”  Mark 6:11

·        Feet prepared to move for the gospel’s sake.  “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”  Ephesians 6:15 [One might argue our legs have been given to us so that we can carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.]

·        Wash one another’s feet.  “12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? 13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”  John 13:12-17   [Three errors are usually made on this point:  1.  Is to dismiss the notion that this could be an optional ordinance of foot washing.  As long as the church understands the symbolic act here given, there is nothing wrong with performing it. It is such a submissive act, however, that women should wash women’s feet and men should wash men’s feet or a married couple should wash one another’s feet.  2.  Missing the point that this is not just about physically washing one another’s feet; it is about serving one another with the love of God in humility.  Instead of arguing with one another, wash one another’s feet – and so the giving of love is greatly enhanced.  3.  A third error is believing one can find something else in modern society equivalent to this foot washing.  The stooping down, the placing of oneself underneath another person without being crass, and the washing off the dirt of the world is such a humble act – no other act is like unto it – washing of feet.]

Jesus and feet

·        Jesus washing feet.  John 13:5, “After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.”

·        Jesus crucified.  John 19 – Jesus was crucified; however, be careful with this one as there is no specific mention of Jesus’ feet being crucified in the gospels. There is probably nothing here.

·        Jesus Glorified. Revelation 1:15, “And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.”

[This sermon starter needs to be heavily edited and possibly split into more than one sermon; the theme of feet in the Bible by itself does not illicit any particular cohesive theme by itself.  Study these verses carefully before presenting this information as just an academic exercise in topical studies.  Like a bread starter where you have only the dough that must be formed and manipulated, take this sermon starter and mold it as God sees fit.]

 

Make a U-Turn Before It's Too Late

Sermon Starter:  Make a U-Turn Before It's Too Late
Text:  Jeremiah 18:11, 18:15
Purpose:  To show Christians the progression of sin's deceit and encourage believers to turn back to the Lord.

Introduction.

I.  The Progression of Sin  [c.f., Jeremiah 2:32; 3:21; 6:16; Malachi 2:8]

All sin goes through a progression; as we continually give in to our habits, our vices, our wrong desires, our evil ways, our hidden faults - sin begins to entangle itself around our heart.  Every sin has the potential to poison us.  If we continue to go down the dark path of our own devices, we will find our heart growing colder and colder toward Jesus.  Here is the progression:  Jeremiah 18:15-16

     A. Forsaking or forgetting God.  All sin begins with the basic step of forsaking His ways and His laws.  The people of Israel had decided to forsake the Lord; they forgot Him in their daily walk and they forgot to meet with Him and get to know Him.  Once we forget God, we move on to ...

     B.  Worshipping something else.  Sin is not committed only once; its purpose is to change our hearts so that sin is committed again and again.  What happens as we habitually revisit the same sins perpetually?  We are worshipping at the altar of our man made idol.  Once we have fallen in love with an idol, we may ...

     C.  Cause others to stumble.  Sin does not just affect me; the secret sins are the worst.  We work all the time to hide them, but all the while - we are leading ourselves and others away from the Lord.  Even if we don't deliberately tell someone to watch a bad movie, the bad movie may affect us so much that people can no longer see Christ in us.  Many other examples could be cited. 

     D.  Walk continually in the wrong way. Just because something is new doesn't make it bad; however, the best kept truths are ones that have existed for thousands of  years as revealed to us in the Holy Bible.   It is these truths that Satan will attack and that false idols will keep us away from. 

     E.  Desolation.  Desolation is always the end of sin; often times, God doesn't have to do anything.  Our sin destroys us, brings us enormous guilt, and causes us to hate the very thing that we have done.  In fact, a part of us may die.  (2 Samuel 13:15) 

In other instances, such as Jeremiah 18:16, we will find ourselves outside the protection of God as a laughing stock amongst others.  This sin could literally kill us; make a U-turn!  Turn back to the Lord.


II. The Promise of God.  Jeremiah 18:7-8.  [c.f., Ezekiel 33:14]

While it is true that this portion of scripture is speaking primarily of the ways of God among the Jews or among other nations, nations are made up of individuals.  Surely in many ways, the way He deals with nations is similar to the way He deals with people.

God proclaims that if He has decided to destroy a nation, His anger can be reversed through one step:  a.  Turn from their evil.  This means, to turn not only our hearts, love, and affection away, but to turn our lives away.  We shall no longer look at sin, consider sin, entertain sin, love sin, or do sin. 

Conclusion.

06.08.2013 Marvelous Works of God Version #1

06.08.2013 – Sermon Outline 1 on Revelation 21:2, 3

“2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Revelation 21:2,3

Sermon Title: The Marvelous Works of God (Revelation 21:2, 3)

Introduction: The Scriptures reveal the marvelous works of God, that is – how He actively interacts with the world and all that He created in it. His hand is marvelous, His ways are just, and His works are done out of a deep love that is unfathomable.

The manner and way in which God works can be compared and contrasted so as to determine what He is doing in our life, the life of His church, and the lives of His people. For example, we notice in Revelation 21 a comparison and contrast between what He does in Creation, and what He does in the re-creation of the world. [These are just starter observations, much more can be gleaned or added to.]

Compare:

1. God's voice is integral in the world of both creation (Genesis 1:3) and the recreation of the world in Revelation 2:3 (notice, 'and I heard a great voice out of heaven').
2. In Genesis, He created the world from nothing; in Revelation, He is recreating the world which has been destroyed by fire (2 Peter 3:10-11).
3. In Genesis, He involves Himself in the work of a loving relationship with His created human beings. In Revelation, He reestablishes this loving relationship with His created human beings permanently.
4. In Genesis, He prepared a home for His royal subjects; in Revelation, He has prepared a home for His royal subjects.

Contrast:

1. In Genesis, God prepared the earth as man's home. In Revelation, God prepares a massive city to be delivered to the earth to be man's new home.
2. In Genesis, Eve is prepared as a bride for Adam; in Revelation, New Jerusalem is prepared as a bride for God's people.
3. In Genesis, God moves upon the face of the earth; in Revelation, His city and presence comes down to the earth.
4. Genesis seems to be the honeymoon for man; Revelation seems to be the consummation of God's love for His people.
   
   
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