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Title: A Verse by
Verse Study of Colossians. Text: Col. 1:6, 8
I. 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 says, “Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world” Which is faith through the gospel. 1. The very first thing a believer must have is faith in Christ Jesus. a. Paul was telling these folks to go back to their faith in Christ. b. Without faith there is no salvation, no hope, and no fruits in your life. 2. Faith
is a gift from God and comes through His Word. Ephesians 2:8
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God:” The word it refers back
to the original thought, and the original thought is salvation, so
“it” salvation in totality is a gift from God by grace, this
includes the faith. B. While faith is the gift of God it also comes through His word. 1. God’s Word is a seed. Luke 8:11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” 2. The word of God is has life, Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick (that is living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” 3. Since the word of God is a seed (we plant seeds because they grow, which means seeds have life) once a seed is planted then it grows into a plant and produces fruit, the same is the word of God and the believer. 4. Every believer that the Holy Spirit has caused the seed to grow the seed will produce fruit. This is the proof that one has the seed of life or faith or life. Ephesians 1:13-15 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, (14.) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (15.) Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,” Love is one of the fruits of salvation, notice Paul says “after I heard of your” there is no love without faith, no fruits period without faith. 5. The lost are wrapped up only in themselves, the saved are loving toward other saints. Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (2.) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3.) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” 6. Two things about this fruit of love, 1. It is always there in every believer, and 2. Anyone who does not have love toward all of the other saints has no seed growing in their heart. Col. 1:8 “Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.”
C. Another fruit is hope. 1. Hope is what we have in Christ, Colossians 1:23 “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;” V. 5a “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven,…” That hope is eternal life with our Lord. We do not hope for it but rather have hope in Christ, and this hope grows over time as we mature in Christ. (it gets stronger) 2. Lost people have no hope. Ephesians 2:11-12 “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; (12.) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world;” 3. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” 4. Only in the believer is there hope. Col. 1:27b “…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
D. This was what Paul was making clear to this church. 1. Colossians 1:23 “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;” 2. Notice back in V. 5 Paul says “laid up for you in heaven,” This means “to be reserved to be set aside for someone” The verb indicates this hope has once and for all been reserved for us and nothing or no one can take it away. 3. Not only is our hope reserved for us and cannot be lost, we are also kept by God’s power. 1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4.) To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, (perpetual or everlasting, permanent) reserved in heaven for you, (5.) Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 4. This was Paul message to them and that is through Christ you have everything and through Gnosticism you have nothing. God’s word is our proof and it likens our hope to an anchor, Hebrews 6:19 “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;”
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