 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. Thanksgiving and Prayer3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The Preeminence of Christ15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. Paul's Ministry to the Church24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. Meditation You are the subject. This does not mean you are the noun that all verbs revolve around. You are not the subject of conversation. The gospel is not about you or me. We are subjects of the King. Jesus rules over you and me! Who does this chapter reveal King Jesus to be? The gospel proclaims that we have been ripped from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (13). The gospel is increasing and bearing fruit in the Church and the whole world (6, 10). To increase kingdom fruitfulness in our hearts we must know Jesus the King more fully. Jesus is a King who redeems and forgives sins (14). Jesus is the true image of God, the highest of all kings (firstborn) (15). Jesus is the King of creation, ruling all things seen and unseen (16). Jesus is the King over all powers, rulers, and authorities (16). Jesus is King of all natural laws and all of nature (17). Jesus is King of the Church, our Head (18). Jesus is King over all enemies, including death (18). Jesus is King, preeminent in everything (18). Our King is God Himself (19) who has come to reconcile all of life to Himself (20). We ourselves were once “alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds” (21) but now we are rooted in the Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son. We are the subjects. Jesus is our King. Let us respond to God’s grace by living all of life for the Glory of King Jesus! Richly Dwelling -Is your life lived more like you or Jesus is the subject? How is that affecting your life? -Which revelation of who Jesus is as our King stands out to you most? Why? -How can you celebrate the rule and reign of Jesus as revealed in Colossians 1? Be specific. Key Verse 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, Comments are closed.
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