|
Title: A Verse by
Verse Study of Colossians. Text: Col. 1:6 - 7
I. Introduction. A. Things we know or believe. 1. We know Epaphras was in Ephesus with Paul. 2. We know that Paul was in prison in Rome when this letter was written. 3. We believe That Epaphras (being from Colossae) returned to preach the gospel and out of those saved and baptized started this church and therefore resulted in a lot of these members being young Christians. 4. We know that the false teachers known as Gnosticism had entered the church and it is like unto what we know as Arminianism in today.
II. V. 6 “Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:” A. Paul said “Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world;” 1. This is a reference back to V. 4 “Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,” Paul is reminding them of their faith in Christ, and His preeminence in their lives and hearts. 2. Paul reminds them of their hope being only in Christ our Lord. V. 5a “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven,” 3. Paul also reminds them that the gospel is truth and it was indeed the truth that brought salvation to them and well as every soul that was or would ever be saved. V. 5b “whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;” B. Notice the word “before”, before what? 1. I believe it could very well be before the Gnostic teachers had arrived, when your hearts and minds were on the Preeminence of Jesus and the Grace of God. 2. Notice the word “learned” in V. 7 that word means “to understand or to be a pupil” it is very close to the word “disciple” in the Greek, we see in Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” This means to become my disciple. These folks before the Gnostic teachers were learning of Him and were now being turned away from that track of thinking. 3. Young Christians today are like those in Colossae, they need to be discipled that is “to learn of Him” and this Gnosticism just like Arminianism of today strips that ability from them. It is all about demoting Jesus Christ and promoting a man-based preeminence. 4. This is why Paul so earnestly pointed out in V. 7 that Epaphras (one he had taught and trained, and was one of their own people) was in deed a “faithful minister of Christ;” that is he is a trustworthy teacher or Pastor and needed to be trusted in his teaching.
II. We are today commanded to do just as Epaphras was doing in Colossae. A. Remember the Great Commission. 1. Matthew 28:19-20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20.) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 2. V. 19 “teach all nations” how to become a disciple, which is the first step which is salvation and once saved to baptize them. However the Lord goes on -- 3. V. 20 “Teaching them to observe all things” That word “observe” means “to guard” that is it is our job as Pastors and teachers to keep watch over these young Christians and to bring them up through the disciple ranks by teaching them to mature in the Lord.. 4. This means to fight off Arminianism. It is the Pastors job to put young Christians (as well as all the membership) under his wing and protect them. 5. This is why Epaphras went to Rome to that prison to visit Paul, he was young and needed a more seasoned help. I must say a wise decision on his part. Every Pastor at some point needs help, especially when they are young. 6. It is the church where they will learn I Tim. 3:15b “…the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” Not on T.V., the radio, books, or cassette tapes. This alone makes it the Pastor and teachers job. B. Epaphras as Paul put it was a “faithful minister of Christ;” 1. Trustworthy is the definition of faithful. You as fellow believers must have faith in your Pastor and teaches to teach truth. 2. These folks were losing that faith because of his opposition these Gnostic teachers, and so many today have lost faith in their Pastor and teachers because or our battle with Arminian teachers and as a result so many have left the churches because of this heresy. 3. Could it be that maybe we (as Pastors and teachers) have not fought hard enough in the battle? Could it be that we did not pattern ourselves after this young Epaphras and seek a wiser help from a Paul type Minister? C. Making Disciples must be a very careful work. 1. We (as Pastors and teachers) must be very careful in making disciples for Christ and not for ourselves. I believe too many today follow their Pastors more than the Lord. 2. We must teach them to follow Him and His will, because if people get in the habit of following a man then they are more subject to be led astray by a man. 3. Epaphras who Paul called a “faithful minister of Christ;” was in jeopardy of losing them to Gnosticism, imagine a Pastor allowing the church to follow him making them easy prey for Arminianism. Acts 20:28-30 “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (29.) For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 4. Human nature has the tendency to want to follow men instead of God wanting something new, and we as Pastors must guard against this, we are not the center point, Christ is and the church is, not us.
|