Latest / CyberBlessed / Colossians Background - Walter Cummins

Transcript

Colossians Background - Walter Cummins · CyberBlessed

0:00
Music.
0:26
Okay, let's turn to Colossians chapter 4. We're into the last church epistle,
0:33
the only one that has not been covered on a core night yet.
0:36
I'm excited about getting into this, but we're going to start at the end and
0:40
work our way back to the beginning.
0:42
Now we're going to chapter 4. I was thinking how those of you,
0:47
especially at Indiana and Emporia, who are in your first year in residence, about this time,
0:54
these workings of the word ought to become real, alive, and vital to you.
1:00
I've heard more of the interim corps talk to me this year, as well as the people
1:06
that are in their second and residence year, about how much more they learn
1:10
now than they did before.
1:13
I think this is the general consensus.
1:15
It's not that I teach any differently than Dr. Werwill did or that I I teach
1:21
any differently this year than I did last year.
1:23
I think it's your growth in the word.
1:26
And I think as perhaps this time in the year, for those of you that are in your
1:33
first year in residence,
1:34
these things ought to start taking on a new picture and you get the greatness
1:39
of God's word living in your heart and you start working it for yourself.
1:44
And it's not just another other class, but it's the greatness of God's word.
1:49
I was thinking how the first great commandment is to love God with all your
1:55
heart, soul, mind, and strength, but you've also got to love God's word.
2:00
It's one thing to just look at the word and say, boy, isn't that great?
2:05
And you have a desire to teach it. You have a desire to be able to present it
2:10
to others, share it, but you got to love it.
2:12
It's god's word and just to
2:15
see how it fits together and patterns in your life
2:18
and you got to love people the same way and then
2:22
you've got to fight for for your
2:26
own mind first of all you've got to fight for the
2:29
other believers in the body of christ and you've
2:33
got to fight for the mystery and that's where
2:35
the colossians fell short is that they were
2:38
not fighting for the mystery and perhaps
2:42
they weren't fighting for other believers because they're
2:45
a part of that one body that mystery and they weren't fighting for their own
2:50
minds consequently and if you really love god and love his word and really love
2:55
people you're going to fight to make known that greatness of the mystery you're
3:01
going to fight for your own mind you're going to fight for god's people.
3:08
As Reverend Martindale was sharing earlier, I thought again of how sometimes
3:13
in life there's some very traumatic situations happen,
3:17
or maybe a number of things, or a tornado comes through and screws up the area,
3:23
and you have a very devastating situation.
3:26
But you can never let your mind get lazy. Again, you've got to fight for your mind.
3:31
You've got to learn to stay that mind and not let
3:34
let those things get to you the great stayed
3:37
mind i've been thinking about teaching the renewed mind
3:40
again we've been letting the video do it too long but
3:43
i'd sure love to get in and teach that again because it's you know some of the
3:49
great principles for how you lock in your mind and no matter what happens no
3:54
matter what people say no matter what environmental situations happen you still
3:59
stay Stay your mind on God.
4:01
I always remember Bishop Polia saying that you come home, you see your house burning down.
4:08
What do you do? You get all excited, frustrated, and down in the mouth and everything else.
4:13
No, you just say, that's okay, we'll build another one.
4:17
Now, that was Bishop's illustration, but it's a great illustration of my mind
4:23
that no matter what's happening, your house is on fire or anything else,
4:27
you can still stay your mind.
4:29
And he's going to keep you in perfect what?
4:32
Peace. That's right. And you've got to fight for your mind and fight for God's
4:37
people, the one body. Fight for the mystery.
4:40
None of us are perfect. At least I haven't arrived yet. Maybe a few of you have,
4:45
but I'm still working on it.
4:47
I think we just read something about that in Philippians.
4:50
But I don't go around and brag about my problems.
4:53
I don't go around and dwell on the mistakes that I made. but I don't deliberately sin either.
5:02
I don't deliberately sin. I've got to learn to lock my life into God's Word
5:07
and His heart and His throne room.
5:10
I've got to learn to so discipline my mind.
5:13
And so what if I make a mistake then, once in a while?
5:17
I'm sorry, I asked God for forgiveness, and He's faithful and just to do what? That's right.
5:23
I know I'm not perfect. Well, I never claim to be perfect.
5:28
But we don't dwell on our mistake.
5:32
That's the key. You don't dwell on those things.
5:35
And if you make a mistake and you recognize it, you move on.
5:40
See, God's faithful just to forgive you.
5:44
So that's all a part of fighting for your mind.
5:47
As long as you're able to do that, you'll never get to that place where you
5:51
do one of two things, where you feel you just never make a mistake,
5:56
and that's wrong because we all make mistakes.
5:58
None of us are perfect. or you get to the place where you condemn yourself.
6:03
And that's one of the big things, Dr. Burwell, here at SoundOut84,
6:06
where you don't want to condemn yourself because that's what gets you into a
6:11
lot of the problems and soup that you do get into.
6:14
So love God, love His Word, love God's people, and fight for your mind.
6:19
Fight for God's people and fight for the mystery.
6:22
And that's where the Colossians, I believe, messed up.
6:25
They were not fighting for the greatness of the mystery that Paul had once taught
6:31
to them, or Epaphras, or whoever.
6:34
If you have your map, Colossae is located about 100 miles inland from the Aegean Sea.
6:44
You know where Ephesus was in Asia?
6:47
Well, Colossae is also in Asia, but it's about 100 miles inland to the east of the Aegean Sea.
6:55
As a matter of fact, there are three towns nearby.
6:59
One is Heriopolis, one is Laodicea, and the third one is Colossae.
7:06
And they're all mentioned here in Colossians 4, verse 13.
7:13
For I bear him record.
7:17
Talking about Epaphras, who was one of them that ministered to the Colossians,
7:23
who had taught the word to them.
7:25
I bear in record that he hath a great zeal for you and them that are in Laodicea
7:32
and them in where? Heriopolis.
7:37
Heriopolis. There was another town nearby called Dariopolis too.
7:41
But this one was closer. Laodicea, Heriopolis. And then Colossae was the third one.
7:48
Now, keep those in mind. Nine, Colossae was a Phrygian city,
7:54
perhaps a Phrygian city at this time on the word, at least in some respect.
7:58
Now, Phrygian, we've covered that before.
8:04
Phrygian, P-H-R-Y-G-I-A-N. Remember, some of them lived in Galatia,
8:11
that province, and some of them lived in Asia.
8:14
So you have it crossing over the borders, but they came from a certain cultural
8:19
background, but they were living in that area.
8:23
Now, Colossae was a Phrygian city. It was in the eastern part of the province
8:29
of Asia, and it was in the Lycus Valley, L-Y-C-U-S.
8:34
The Lycus Valley in the province of Asia.
8:38
It commanded the approach to a pass in the Cadmus Mountain Range. Cadmus is C-A-D-M-U-S.
8:47
The Cadmus Mountain Range. And it lay on the main road between Ephesus and the
8:55
Euphrates. Now, where's the Euphrates?
8:57
That's way over in Mesopotamia.
9:00
So it was a long road. But Colossae lay on that road between Ephesus and the Euphrates.
9:08
The Lycus River runs through the city of Colossae.
9:13
Then the Lycus River joins with the Meander River, which meanders through Asia into the Aegean Sea,
9:26
about 100 miles west of Colossae.
9:30
The towns of colossi laodicea and
9:34
heriopolis those three we just read about lie very close together in the lycus
9:40
valley now if you get a picture the lycus valley where the lycus river runs
9:45
is just south of the meander river i guess it would be like the ohio river flowing
9:52
into the The Mississippi,
9:53
only the Lycus isn't as big as the Ohio, the shorter river.
9:58
But anyway, you got one river flowing into the other. Well, these three towns
10:02
were on that one little river, the Lycus, and it flowed into the meander.
10:09
Meander, did I spell that for you? M-A-E-A-N-D-E-R, meander.
10:20
Now, they lie very close together. other, these three cities.
10:23
Heriopolis lies on the north side of the valley, about six miles from Laodicea.
10:32
Laodicea lies on the south side of the valley, and also the south side of the river.
10:40
Colossae is southeast of both towns, lying 13 miles from Heriopolis and 10 miles from Laodicea.
10:55
Now, that whole area, the Lycus Valley, was subject to violent earthquakes.
11:02
Although large portions of Asia Minor have always been in danger of earthquakes,
11:07
the region around the Lycus Valley is noted by ancient writers as the chief
11:11
theater of earthquake activities.
11:14
Major earthquakes were recorded in this region around 125 B.C.,
11:21
12 B.C., 60 A.D., and 235 A.D.
11:29
There was one in 1720 A.D.
11:33
That killed about 12,000 people, but there have been others too.
11:37
It's interesting that one happened in 60 A.D., which was either shortly before
11:43
or shortly after this epistle was written.
11:47
I think shortly before, at least about the same time.
11:51
Another interesting feature affecting Colossae is that the Lycus River is full
11:56
of travertine, the calcite mineral which forms stalagmites and stalactites in caves.
12:03
This has resulted in beautiful travertine formations in the Lycus Valley.
12:10
The travertine, however, coats, covers, and finally buries ancient monuments and artifacts.
12:17
The Roman scholar Pliny wrote that Colossae had a river which turns brick into stone.
12:25
Pliny was probably referring to the
12:28
Aksu, a stream that contains even more travertine than the Lycus River.
12:34
The Aksu flows into the Lycus River at Colossae.
12:40
Now, during the Persian period, which was before Christ, Colossae was a very important city.
12:48
As a matter of fact, the Greek author Xenophon, who lived from 434 to 355 BC,
12:56
wrote during the time of the Persians,
13:01
or that during the time of the Persians.
13:08
When they controlled Colossae, he described Colossae as a populous city, prosperous and great.
13:18
So at least at that time, some 500 years before Christ, or 400 years,
13:24
it was a very populous, great, magnificent city.
13:28
After the Persian period, the glory of Colossae began to wane.
13:35
This was in large part due to the growth of the two nearby cities,
13:39
Laodicea and Heriopolis. Now watch this.
13:44
Laodicea was not even founded until 260 BC, but it became politically more important
13:53
than Colossae and by the time of Christ had become the chief city of its district.
14:00
In 133 BC, the kingdom of Pergamum, which included the cities of Colossae,
14:06
Laodicea, and Heriopolis, was bequeathed to the Roman Senate.
14:11
The three cities thus became part of the newly organized Roman province of Asia. Asia.
14:17
Under Roman rule, Laodicea continued to grow in political importance.
14:25
Laodicea was the one that wasn't found until much later.
14:30
Also, during the Roman Empire, the road that led north to Sardis and Pergamum,
14:37
and that had contributed so much to the importance of Colossae,
14:41
ceased to to be used as a major route because of a new road built through Laodicea.
14:49
They put a four-lane highway through Laodicea, so they stopped using the old
14:55
route through Colossae, the figure of speech.
15:01
Heriopolis also became, now that was Laodicea that became the political center,
15:07
but Heriopolis also became more popular than Colossae due to its being more
15:13
physically beautiful and also because of the mineral streams there that gained
15:19
a reputation for their healing qualities.
15:24
People seeking pleasure and health went to Heriopolis instead of Colossae.
15:31
So now you see Heriopolis and Colossae becoming very important cities.
15:38
I mean, Heriopolis and Laodicea becoming very important cities.
15:43
Heriopolis was the healing center, health center, and pleasure center,
15:49
whereas Laodicea was the political center, the seat of government,
15:53
and Colossae was a nice little textile town.
16:00
That's what it was. Superseded politically by Laodicea and culturally by Heriopolis,
16:07
and with the main road going to the north moved out of town,
16:10
the city of Colossae lost its preeminence.
16:13
The Greek geographer Strabo, who lived at the time of Christ,
16:17
described Colossae as a small town. although it was still recognized as a city
16:23
and was an active center of the textile industry.
16:27
The name Colossae came from Colossinus, a Latin word, the name of the color
16:35
dark red of a dyed wool peculiar to that area.
16:41
In other words, they dyed their wool Colossinus, C-O-L-L-O-S-S-I-N-U-S.
16:51
They dyed their wool a dark red, Colossinus, and that's how the city got its name.
16:57
As the city declined after the first century, the name Colossi was replaced
17:04
with Colassi, changed the O to an A. I overemphasized that.
17:12
Colossi became Colossi. Changed the O to an A in the second O.
17:21
Now Colossi comes from Colossus. That's K-O-L-A-S-I-S.
17:29
And it means punishment or chastisement.
17:32
And may make reference to the earthquake destructions.
17:39
As well as to the general decline of the city.
17:44
Early in the 5th century, Orosius, the historian, wrote in Asia,
17:52
three cities, Laodicea, Heriopolis, and Colossae, have fallen by earthquake.
17:58
During the 7th and 8th centuries AD, Colossae was overrun by Saracens,
18:04
and in the 8th century, the site of Colossae was abandoned and the stones of
18:10
the buildings were queried by neighboring towns.
18:13
In 1835, William J. Hamilton identified the uninhabited ruins of Colossae,
18:19
some of which can be seen today, although the site has never been excavated.
18:26
So, like most biblical cities, it's ruins today.
18:32
Language and Culture the majority of the population of Colossae,
18:38
Laodicea, and Heriopolis was composed of native Phrygians and Greek settlers.
18:47
There would have been some Romans present, particularly in Laodicea because
18:54
of the political government there.
18:56
There would have also been Judeans present.
19:00
You know how I know that? Because Seleucid, the Seleucid king,
19:07
Antiochus III, remember him?
19:10
Antiochus III, who reigned from 223 to 187 BC,
19:18
moved 2,000 Judean families out of Mesopotamia and Babylon and settled them in Lydia and Phrygia.
19:29
Phrygia, this is the area. His motive for moving the Judeans was to stabilize
19:35
the areas of Lydia and Phrygia where sedition against him had arisen.
19:41
He moved them to the places that lie most convenient and promised them the use of their own laws,
19:47
houses, land for farming, freedom from taxes for ten years, protection from
19:53
enemies, and free grain until the ground they were telling started to produce.
19:59
Once Judea... Of course, you know, with all that...
20:05
Calcite material there. You might have a little problem growing in certain places.
20:10
But nevertheless, farming still was a major industry there. Once Judeans were settled in Phrygia,
20:20
other Judeans came and settled there. Flaccus, the Roman praetor of the province of Asia in 62 B.C.
20:28
Now, a very important date.
20:30
62 B.C. Why is that so important? Because that's around the time this epistle was written.
20:37
Remember, there was an earthquake in 60 A.D.
20:41
Here in 62 A.D., I'm going to tell you about something else,
20:44
and it's right around this time that this epistle was written.
20:48
In 62 A.D., Flaccus, the Roman praetor, forbade the Judeans that lived there,
20:57
forbade them to send gold to the temple.
21:00
When they continued to send gold, Flaccus seized 20 pounds of gold from the
21:09
district in which Colossae lay, of which Laodicea was the capital.
21:14
If each Judean freeman had given only the half shekel traditionally required,
21:22
that would calculate to a population of more than 11,000 Judean freemen.
21:32
11,000 that could have been living there of
21:36
course 20 pounds was only
21:39
the amount Flaccus confiscated and probably
21:43
was not the total amount of gold collected from the Judeans in the district
21:48
so there could have been a lot of Judeans living in this area the presence of
21:54
Judeans in Phrygia is also attested to in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost.
22:00
Remember, there were devout men out of every nation under heaven,
22:05
including men from Phrygia.
22:11
Let me add something else here. Since they had this attitude of giving when
22:19
their Judean background,
22:21
had the attitude of sending gold to the temple, would probably explain why there
22:28
is nothing in Colossians on abundant sharing. Because they did it.
22:36
They were in the habit of giving.
22:41
It's the only correctional epistle that does not mention abundant sharing.
22:51
Now, there were many languages spoken in Colossae.
22:55
Phrygian, which was the native language, Greek, Latin, and Aramaic would have all been spoken.
23:02
The epistle to the Colossians sent by the Apostle Paul would have originally
23:07
been in Aramaic and quickly translated into Greek and possibly Latin for the
23:13
benefit of the believers in Colossae that spoke those languages.
23:18
There were many religions in Colossae, Laodicea, and Heriopolis.
23:23
The native Phrygian mother goddess,
23:25
Sybil, was worshipped, as well as the standard Greco-Roman pantheon.
23:31
In 29 BC, Caesar authorized Asia and Bithynia to build temples to him,
23:40
and emperor worship quickly spread throughout Asia.
23:44
There were also Judeans in Colossae, and although no mention is made in the
23:49
word of God of a synagogue there, there were certainly enough Judeans in the city to have one.
23:57
After Alexander the Great conquered Asia Minor, Palestine, Egypt,
24:03
and Persia, which would have been in the 4th century BC,
24:07
there was an influx of Eastern and Egyptian gods into Asia Minor.
24:12
The Egyptian goddess Isis was so respected in the area that her image was placed
24:20
on one of the coins of Heriopolis.
24:23
As in the rest of the Greco-Roman world in the 1st century BC and AD.
24:29
Syncretism, the word that we've had before, the blending of Eastern and Western gods,
24:35
occurred, and there also arose and flourished mystery religion that promised
24:43
information that would give help beyond the grave.
24:47
Professor John Lightfoot wrote, quote, The syncretist, the mystic,
24:52
the devotee, the Puritan would find a congenial climate in these regions of Asia Minor, unquote.
25:01
A religious practice uniquely mentioned in Colossians is found in Colossians
25:08
2.18. I'd like you to look at it.
25:11
Colossians 2.18.
25:15
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping
25:23
of angels, intruding into those things which he had not seen vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.
25:29
The worship of angels was a unique practice at Colossae, or in this area.
25:42
As a matter of fact, it was strong throughout Phrygia. being primarily an old Judean heresy.
25:51
Angels figure prominently in the Old Testament.
25:56
One author noted that some Judeans believed the entire activity of God in the
26:02
world is mediated through angels.
26:06
One could, and some people did, easily fall into the error that the angels should
26:13
be worshipped instead of God.
26:15
Since they help men more than the eternal.
26:20
That's what this author noted. Now, all this is is a form of Gnosticism.
26:28
The Gnostics believe that God was totally righteous, which he is,
26:35
but that a God who was such that began everything could never be the God of the Old Testament.
26:44
Therefore from this God came
26:47
certain emanations called ions or which
26:50
these people called angels and the
26:53
God of the Old Testament was simply one of these ions
26:56
but he was bad in some ways and good in other ways see but he was not the original
27:02
God or the God of heaven overall so they believed that these ions or angels
27:09
were intermediators between God,
27:15
the real God, and man.
27:18
And that these angels were sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes this, sometimes that.
27:23
But they were not God and they were not man.
27:27
The widespread nature of angel worship here is attested to by the fact that
27:34
there are numerous Talmudic prohibitions against that form of religion.
27:41
So the mainstream Judeans didn't like it. Furthermore, angel worship did not
27:46
stop after the epistle to the Colossians was sent.
27:49
Matter of fact, it became a Christian heresy.
27:53
Michael became the chief angel and protecting saint of Colossae.
28:00
Which of course laid the groundwork for many other angels to develop in Christianity
28:07
later on under the control of Rome.
28:11
Now, how Michael got to be the chief angel for Colossae is the subject of a Greek legend.
28:18
An overwhelming inundation threatened to destroy the Christian population of that city.
28:24
They were fleeing before it in
28:27
utmost consternation and imploring superior succor for their deliverance.
28:32
At this critical moment, the archangel Michael descended from heaven,
28:38
opened the chasm in the earth to which they still point, and at this opening,
28:42
the waters of the inundation were swallowed up and the multitude was saved.
28:49
Well, that's how Michael got to be their archangel. The council of the Christian church,
28:55
which was held in Laodicea in 363 A.D., condemned angel worship and called it idolatrous.
29:06
Of course, which council was it later on in 451, was it, that really encouraged
29:15
the use of idols and so on, that it was okay?
29:19
Well, anyway, here in 363 they condemned angel worship.
29:25
Now, this is not an ecumenical church council. This was a local one.
29:31
In 363, because that's between Nicaea, which was 325, and Constantinople in 381.
29:39
This is a local one.
29:42
Nevertheless, the worship continued.
29:44
Theodoret, sometime between 420 and 450 AD, mentioned that it continued to infect Phrygia.
29:56
Philosophy like the various religions found a
29:59
home in the area around colossi matter of
30:02
fact in colossians 2 8 you have
30:06
the only occurrence of the word philosophy in
30:09
the new testament says beware lest any
30:13
man spoil you through philosophy and vain
30:16
deceit after the tradition of men after the
30:19
rudiments of the world and not after christ the only
30:22
occurrence of this word in the new testament although there's
30:26
philosophers mentioned in acts 17
30:29
18 those were the ones on mars
30:32
hill now christianity in colossi
30:36
the bible does not state how christianity first reached colossi there is evidence
30:42
in the scripture that the apostle paul did go to colossi although he may not
30:47
have been the first christian to teach the word of god there the apostle paul
30:52
spent spent over two years in Ephesus,
30:55
remember, on his third itinerary.
30:59
And it was during this time that Paul could have visited Colossae if he had not been there earlier.
31:07
It was while Paul was at Ephesus that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the
31:14
word of the Lord, both Judeans and Greeks.
31:16
And the apostle Paul would have done some personal follow-up work during that time. Thank you.
31:26
So, it's very possible he could have been at Colossae. Besides that,
31:31
the main road to the east from Ephesus went where? Through Colossae.
31:37
Now, the one north, you know, before went through Colossae, but it later was moved to Laodicea.
31:44
But this one went through, this is the east-west road, went straight through
31:50
Colossae, was never moved.
31:52
And it was only about 100 miles away. way. Only four or five days travel by foot.
31:58
So those who argue that the apostle Paul never saw Colossae,
32:03
the only scripture they have to use is Colossians 2.1. I'd like you to look at that.
32:10
Colossians 2.1, for I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you
32:16
and for them at at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.
32:24
Now it doesn't say as many others as have not seen my face, but that's how they read it. Okay?
32:33
This verse really doesn't say one way or the other.
32:37
Actually it says those of Laodicea, you and those of Laodicea,
32:42
and whoever hasn't seen my face in the flesh. now that whoever then could include
32:48
the Colossians and Laodiceans or it may not.
32:57
We'll get to this verse later on and handle it in more detail but I think verse
33:02
2 that their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love unto the
33:08
roots of all shows of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery,
33:11
you see the Colossians already knew it Now he's correcting the error there,
33:17
but he wants others to know about it.
33:19
Namely, those who have not seen my face in the flesh.
33:24
That's a point to consider. Well, in chapter 1, verse 7...
33:32
Talking about the grace of God in truth, as ye also learned of Epaphras,
33:39
our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ.
33:44
At least Epaphras had been there and had taught them many things.
33:50
Now whether Paul had been there, we could argue from now till doomsday,
33:53
it won't make any difference. We still know they heard the word.
33:57
They knew the mystery, but somehow they'd gotten away from it.
34:01
Now, the Apostle Paul intended to visit Colossae after he was released from prison at Rome.
34:09
I know that because Philemon 22 says that.
34:13
And Philemon was from Colossae.
34:16
Although the word never says whether he went there or not after he left Rome,
34:21
we know he did travel to Asia and could have easily seen Colossae.
34:27
Now the epistle to the Colossians.
34:31
Colossians like Ephesians and
34:33
Philippians and Philemon was written while Paul was a prisoner at Rome.
34:39
Tychicus, who carried Ephesians, carried Colossians at the same time.
34:45
I'd like you to look at Ephesians 6, 21.
34:53
But that ye also may know my affairs and how I do.
35:06
See,
35:12
it was Tychicus who Paul was sending with the epistle to comfort the people.
35:20
Now, in Colossians 4, in verse 7.
35:31
All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you,
35:36
who is a beloved brother and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord,
35:41
whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate
35:47
and comfort your hearts.
35:49
Again, it's Tychicus, and there really wasn't enough time here for Tychicus
35:55
to run over there and run back.
35:57
I guess he could have, but he could have
36:00
taken them together too see and it
36:03
would make more sense because when they did paul did
36:06
send him he didn't just send him there to go in
36:09
and then sneak out but to stay there and
36:11
work with the people comfort their hearts but verse
36:15
9 says he sent him with who onesimus a faithful and beloved brother is one of
36:22
you they shall make known unto you all things which are are done here so onesimus
36:27
is gone with them and look at philemon again philemon chapter 10.
36:37
I beseech you for my son onesimus whom i've begun in my bond which in time past
36:43
was to thee unprofitable but now profitable to thee and to me whom i have sent
36:48
again thou therefore therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels.
36:53
So it's very possible that here these two are heading for Asia carrying three epistles.
37:04
Or it's possible that Philemon followed after and that he had already sent Onesimus
37:10
with Tychicus with the other two epistles.
37:13
But anyway, they were all three written around the same time,
37:16
as well as Ephesians, which I believe Tertius took, and then Philippians.
37:22
Was it Epaphroditus that took that one?
37:25
So, at any rate, here you have the male department in the first century.
37:33
But isn't that interesting? Now,
37:39
the epistle...
37:48
We've got to look at Colossians again, chapter 4, verse 16.
37:55
Now, when they get this epistle, it says, and when this epistle is read among
37:59
you, cause that it be read also in the church of the what?
38:06
Laodiceans. And that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.
38:14
Now, all of you have memorized the books of the Bible and you've never run across
38:19
this epistle to the Laodiceans, have you?
38:22
And of course, in our work on Ephesians a couple years ago, Dr.
38:26
Wuerl will mention the possibility of Ephesians being the epistle also that
38:34
was sent to the Laodiceans.
38:35
Because every church epistle was an encyclical, which meant it never went to one church and stopped.
38:44
But it went to them first, then it went
38:47
to another church then to another church and so it passed around copies were
38:52
made translations were made and it circulated they were encyclicals now the
39:00
epistle to the Ephesians the epistle to the Ephesians.
39:09
Deletes those words and Epheso in Ephesus in many of the manuscripts.
39:17
In other words, it still retains the blank where the church could write in its own name, so to speak.
39:26
Now look at the logic of this. If Tychicus is carrying Ephesians and Colossians,
39:34
whether or not Philemon is carrying, I mean, Onesimus is carrying Philemon is
39:38
immaterial, But Tychicus is bringing, let's say, those two.
39:44
He's coming from Rome to Colossae. What's his first stop?
39:52
Ephesus, isn't it on the way? What's the next stop?
39:58
How about Heriopolis? Well, yeah.
40:03
That was 13 miles away from Colossae. Laodicea was only 10 miles away.
40:08
So the next stop, 100 miles down the road roughly, you come to Heriopolis.
40:15
Then you come to, three miles further, or six miles, I guess because you have
40:19
to cross over the river, and you come to Laodicea then you come to where?
40:25
Colossae now let's suppose that he dropped the epistle to the Ephesians.
40:33
Then he went on to Colossae both these are encyclicals the epistle to the Ephesians
40:40
next stop, Heriopolis next stop,
40:43
Laodicea and so now you read the epistle that's coming from where?
40:51
And you also likewise send yours over to where? Laodicea.
40:58
And then what? Send it on to Heriopolis. Send it back to Ephesus.
41:03
Send it any place. Just send it.
41:06
See? Isn't that beautiful?
41:10
I think that is the explanation for this epistle here and for the blank space in Ephesians.
41:19
Just told you all this stuff that's in my notes here now I've got to find where I am,
41:25
so anyway or the other possibility is that he read it to the Ephesians maybe
41:30
a copy was made there then he travels to Heriopolis reads Ephesians to them
41:34
travels to Laodicea reads the Ephesians to them then travels to Colossae,
41:39
reads them Colossians first because they needed that then reads them Ephesians well anyway.
41:48
Colossians, at any rate, is part of the mystery package of Ephesians,
41:53
Philippians, Colossians, written while Paul was a prisoner at Rome.
41:56
The great mystery is mentioned in each of these epistles.
42:00
Now, we've read it in Ephesians and Philippians, and here in Colossians,
42:04
primarily, you see it in chapter 1, verse 26 to 29, where it talks about the
42:11
riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
42:15
And in chapter 2 where it talks about the acknowledgement of the mystery and
42:20
in chapter 4 verse 3 praying you know for God would open a door of utterance
42:27
to speak the mystery of Christ so.
42:33
Those three places particularly mention the mystery,
42:39
Colossians is a correction epistle and corrects the doctrinal error that arose
42:45
in the church due to the failure of the believers to adhere to the principle
42:48
of the great mystery laid out in Ephesians.
42:49
Philippians corrects the practical error, but Colossians corrects the doctrinal error.
42:55
Major themes in Philippians, as you remember, were like-mindedness and joy because
43:01
they were not unified practically in the practical end.
43:06
They were not holding together the one body in their walk.
43:10
But at Colossae, the believers were no longer holding the head of Christ.
43:18
Now the doctrine for this is given in Ephesians 1. Chapter 1 of Ephesians.
43:25
And in verse 22. Verse 22.
43:32
Ephesians 1.22 And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the
43:38
head head over all things to
43:42
the church which is his body the fullness of him that filleth all in all.
43:49
But the Colossians needed to hear that again. Now, the Colossians had been Asia
43:54
had heard some of these things taught before but now Colossians is written to correct,
44:01
Doctrinal error because they were not holding that head who was Christ.
44:06
In Colossians chapter 1 and in verse 18, it says it again, just like it said it in Ephesians.
44:14
And he, Christ, is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning,
44:21
the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have preeminence.
44:26
Christ is the head. and then in chapter 2 verse 19,
44:34
well verse 18 is that where you have don't let any man beguile you of your reward
44:40
worshipping of angels and not, verse 19 and not holding the head,
44:46
from which all the body by joints and bands have nourishment and knit together
44:50
increases with the increase of God you see they were not holding that head Christ.
45:01
Once believers lose sight of Christ as the head of the body,
45:07
there is no genuine way to maintain unity.
45:15
You see, they had a problem with unity at Philippi, but at Colossae it had gone up the neck further.
45:25
You can have a pain in your body, but eventually it gets to your head.
45:33
Once the true doctrine is gone, believers fall prey to religious practices.
45:40
The Colossians had, to some extent, fallen prey to the rudiments of the world.
45:45
Right here in Colossians 2, they weren't holding the head in verse 19.
45:51
But in verse 20, it says, Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world,
45:58
why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
46:02
touch not taste not handle not which all
46:05
are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of
46:08
men which things have indeed a show of
46:11
wisdom in will worship and humility and neglecting of the body not in any honor
46:17
to the satisfying the flesh but you see it's after the rudiments of the world
46:22
and that word rudiments refers to the ritualistic practices the ceremonialism,
46:28
the religion that replaced the genuine doctrine of godliness.
46:35
And it's significant that both the Aramaic and the Greek word that's used here,
46:41
that's translated rudiments.
46:44
Appears twice in Galatians and twice in Colossians and in no other church epistle.
46:52
Both correct doctrinal error. where they were into the rudiments,
46:58
the religion, the ceremonialism, the ritual.
47:05
In Colossians chapter 2 is the other place this word occurs.
47:10
Beware, lest any man spoil you. Through philosophy and vain deceit,
47:17
after the tradition of men, after the rudiment,
47:21
the ceremonialism, the ritualistic practices, the religion of the world,
47:28
and not after the head, who is Christ.
47:33
The head is Christ.
47:35
And they were not holding the head in its place, verse 18.
47:41
They were substituting the worship of angels. That was their head.
47:47
Now remember, I started to tell you before that angels were neither God nor man.
47:53
They were those ions. They were somewhere between God and man.
47:59
They were those spirit beings. The God of the, quote unquote,
48:04
God of the Old Testament, They called an angel or an ion.
48:09
He was not the God who is over all, they said.
48:12
That was part of their religion. It's angel worship.
48:17
Now, if you start calling Christ an ion or an angel, which some of them did,
48:24
some of them did, even in later centuries, they referred to Christ as one of these ions.
48:32
The angel to them was a mediator being neither God nor man but he's in between.
48:41
But Jesus Christ was both the Son of God and the Son of Man.
48:48
And he had to be a man, a perfect human, in order to be that perfect sacrifice,
48:55
the perfect sacrificer, the perfect high priest, perfect in every way.
49:01
But he had to be one of the flock.
49:03
He had to be one of us, a man. But he had to be a perfect man,
49:08
and that's why he had to be the Son of God.
49:11
To be the perfect mediator therefore
49:15
the christology or knowing
49:18
what christ was in colossians becomes very important because they were looking
49:26
at him some of them were looking at him as one of those ions who was some kind
49:31
of spirit being which is a very gnostic idea Nasty idea, too.
49:37
But it was one of those Gnostic, or showed the Gnostic influence already at
49:43
work in Christianity, which is, of course, what led to the Trinity later on.
49:47
Look at Colossians 1, verse 15. This is Christology. It's what Christ is.
49:55
Colossians tells you who he is. Verse 15, who is the invisible God? God.
50:01
Oh, he's an invisible ion somewhere between God and man.
50:07
No, he is the image of the invisible God.
50:13
Now, if he's the image of him, is he God? No.
50:18
I refer you to Mary Lawler's paper that will be coming out in Gamir in a month or two or three or four.
50:24
But anyway, image. She worked on that word. If he's God, then he's not image.
50:32
But if he's the image of God, then he can't be God. He's only the image.
50:37
The firstborn of every creature, verse 18, and he is the head of the body,
50:44
the church, Kurt, who is the beginning, the firstborn.
50:50
Now here it defines firstborn.
50:52
The firstborn from the dead.
50:55
Christ is the firstborn from the dead. Now 16 and 17 are parenthesis dealing
51:00
with God, Elohim, the creator of the heavens and the earth.
51:05
But Christ is the head of the body, one of us, but the head of the body of Christ.
51:13
Now we're showing who Christ is here he's the image of God because he's the
51:18
son of God he's the firstborn from the dead that means others are going to be
51:23
getting up from the dead that in all things he might have the preeminence verse 19,
51:29
for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell,
51:37
he's the image of God what dwells in Christ all fullness What fullness?
51:44
Colossians 2.9 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of what? The Godhead bodily.
51:55
Dwells in Christ, and you are complete in him, which is the head,
52:00
he's the head, the head of all principality and power.
52:06
And it's Colossians 1, 27, Christ where? In you, Christ in you.
52:14
That head is not some ion out someplace in the atmosphere or stratosphere.
52:22
He's not some angel out there someplace else but it's Christ where?
52:28
In you, the hope of glory he's not some mythical being someplace,
52:37
he's not something in between God and man but he is a perfect man,
52:43
but he's a man who was the firstborn from the dead all the fullness dwells in
52:48
him he's the image of God because he's the son of God All the fullness of the
52:53
Godhead bodily dwells in him,
52:54
and you are complete in him because it's Christ in you.
53:00
Now this is what Christ is according to Colossians.
53:06
Verse 28, whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom,
53:13
that we may present every man perfect in the eye on.
53:18
Now, in the angel. now in christ jesus boy oh boy oh boy to present every man perfect fully mature,
53:31
chapter 2, verse 6, as you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so do what?
53:37
Walk. Walk in him. Look at chapter 3, verse 1. If you then be risen with Christ, what Christ?
53:43
The Christ who's not some ion, some angel, but it's Christ in you,
53:50
the one who has the fullness of God, the one who has the fullness of God,
53:53
that one, you're risen with him.
53:57
Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth, On his own hand? Oh!
54:06
He's seated at the right hand of God. You know where they put the ions in Gnosticism?
54:11
They say God is way out there.
54:15
And that all these ions are somewhere else.
54:19
You know, doing their own little thing. Like you got the ion of the Old Testament.
54:23
You got the ion of the Gospels.
54:26
And they're all separate from him because, you know, they're not perfect.
54:30
But he was well anyway christ sitting where
54:33
right hand of god right on
54:36
his own hand then verse 16 of chapter
54:39
3 let the word of christ
54:43
what word of christ are we talking about
54:45
in this book the word of christ in you the word of the fullness of the godhead
54:51
bodily dwelling in christ the fullness us are the word that christ is the image
54:57
of god that it's christ in you let that word dwell in you.
55:05
Richly let it dwell in you richly in
55:09
all wisdom teaching and admonishing one
55:12
another in psalms and hymns spiritual songs sing
55:15
with grace in your hearts of the lord boy oh boy oh boy that verse is the goal
55:20
of this epistle to get to the point where you let that word of what christ really
55:25
is that he's the image of god the fullness of god and by the that it's christ
55:30
in you let that word of christ in you dwell in you richly.
55:36
In all wisdom then teaching and admonishing one another. The epistle to the
55:40
Colossians brings the believers back to the true doctrine of the mystery and
55:45
sets Christ back in his proper place as head over the one body.
55:50
Christ is the head, not some angel out someplace else. He's not your head.
55:56
Colossians declares the truth. That's why all the saint worship is nothing but
56:02
a takeoff from angel worship.
56:04
Worship all saint worship relic worship it's a takeoff derivation of this angel
56:10
worship and you see even though at the church council in 363 at laodicea they
56:16
condemned this look how it's still spread throughout the church.
56:22
Today you got all kinds of saints angels that are worshiped which are nothing
56:27
more than it's nothing more than devil spirit worship.
56:31
But those saints aren't our heads. Mary's not our head. Jesus Christ is the head of the body.
56:40
Because He's the image of God. It's the fullness of God that dwells in Him.
56:44
And it's Christ in you. That's why.
56:49
Colossians declares the truth that the believer does not need to observe worldly
56:54
ordinances, those religious things, since he is completely, completely complete in Christ.
57:06
Ephesians, key concepts. Ephesians
57:11
exhorts the entire body of Christ to keep the unity of the Spirit.
57:14
The practical error manifested at Philippi was that the believers were not staying
57:20
like-minded and joyful.
57:22
Now Colossae. At Colossae, the believers were not holding the head, Christ.
57:31
They were not firm on their knowledge of the great mystery, and they were not teaching the mystery.
57:45
That the Colossians needed to be reaffirmed in the great mystery is obvious
57:49
because this word, epigenosis, epigenosis, which means what?
57:58
A full, complete, precise, accurate knowledge.
58:02
Not just genosis, knowledge, but a full, precise, complete, accurate knowledge.
58:07
It occurs four times in the book of Colossians, more than in any other epistle.
58:17
Appears in Colossians 1, 9 and 10 where it says in verse 9,
58:25
For this cause since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for you and desire
58:29
that you might be filled with the epigonosis of His will the full,
58:35
complete knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
58:39
And in verse 10 that you might walk worthy of the Lord under all pleasing being
58:43
fruitful fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the epigenosis,
58:48
the full, complete knowledge of God.
58:51
It's also in 2.2, the acknowledgement of the mystery.
58:56
That's the full, precise, complete knowledge of the mystery.
59:02
Epigenosis. And in Colossians 3.10, have put on the new man,
59:10
which is renewed in epigenosis.
59:14
After the image of him that created him, were to be renewed in the full,
59:18
precise, complete knowledge in the mind.
59:30
And, of course, 2.2, as I read, it's to be that full, precise,
59:34
complete knowledge of the mystery that was deficient here at Colossae.
59:39
Also, Colossians 1.27, Christ in you, the hope of glory, where Christ is the head.
59:47
Head is a very important concept, the key concept in Colossians.
59:54
Also, the word wisdom, Sophia, S-O-P-H-I-A. a
59:58
Sophia because it's
1:00:01
that full complete knowledge which is
1:00:04
the wisdom regarding the mystery that
1:00:08
word Sophia is used six times in Colossians it's used 17 times in first Corinthians
1:00:17
where wisdom was a big issue but all the other epistles it's It's not used as much.
1:00:28
Now the people at Colossae not only needed to know the great mystery,
1:00:33
to have a full, precise, complete knowledge of it, the wisdom regarding it,
1:00:39
or that Christ is the head, but they also needed to be bold in releasing it, in teaching it.
1:00:50
The word teach, Teach.
1:00:54
Didosko, is used 11 times in the epistle, three of those in Colossians.
1:01:01
Similarly, the word nutheteo, n-o-u-t-h-e-t-e, long o,
1:01:11
nutheteo, you know, nuthetic counseling, means to warn, admonish, confront.
1:01:18
It appears twice in Colossians out of the eight times in the entire New Testament.
1:01:24
It's interesting, this key verse we read in Colossians 3.16,
1:01:29
where it says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom,
1:01:33
teaching and admonishing.
1:01:36
Both words are used in that verse, one another.
1:01:39
Teaching and admonishing. In wisdom, Sophia, there's wisdom, also used in that verse.
1:01:48
That's going to be a good verse when we get around to it.
1:01:51
And I've been cutting them out today so we get lots around to it alright.
1:01:59
So those are the key concepts that you find they not only needed to learn or
1:02:07
know the mystery be reminded of but they needed to learn to be bold in releasing
1:02:13
it teaching it telling it be light bearers,
1:02:18
alright one other thing the structure of Colossians.
1:02:25
Colossians 1, 1, and 2. This is letter A. Letter A.
1:02:32
Colossians 1, 1, and 2. That's the salutation.
1:02:40
Letter B.
1:02:46
If she screams, letter B. Alright.
1:02:55
Colossians 1, 3-8,
1:03:03
Prayer of thanksgiving for your affairs. That's why it's letter B.
1:03:14
Prayer of thanksgiving for your affairs. now letter c indent further this is
1:03:21
introversion you know we go a b c d e then backwards e d c b a okay letter c
1:03:30
is chapter 1 verses 9 to 23,
1:03:35
prayer to be filled with the knowledge of god's will.
1:03:51
Prayer to be filled with the knowledge of God's will. Letter D,
1:03:55
chapter 1, verses 24 to 29.
1:04:01
Labor for the doctrine of the mystery.
1:04:10
Labor for the doctrine of the mystery. Letter E, chapter 2, verses 1 to 23. 3. The whole chapter.
1:04:23
Conflict over the doctrine.
1:04:32
Then below that letter E again.
1:04:36
Straight below it. Chapter 3, 1 through 17.
1:04:44
Resolution of the conflict.
1:04:49
And this is a very powerful section of Colossians because it's what you do.
1:04:57
How to get back on the ball.
1:05:00
And of course that verse 16 is right in there. Right in the climax of that whole section.
1:05:07
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
1:05:12
Then backwards, letter D. chapter 3 verse 18 through chapter 4 verse 1,
1:05:25
labor for the practice of the mystery.
1:05:35
Then letter C, backwards a little bit further.
1:05:42
And that's Galatians 4, I mean Colossians 4, 2 through 6.
1:05:52
Prayer for the knowledge of God's will to be made known.
1:06:09
Then letter B, again,
1:06:14
chapter 4, 7 to 17,
1:06:21
if you letter B, it'll be action for your benefit.
1:06:28
Action for your benefit.
1:06:36
Then letter a chapter 4
1:06:39
verse 18 the salutation so that's
1:06:44
the structure of colossians it opens with the salutation letter
1:06:47
a and closes with one then letter b
1:06:50
is prayer of thanksgiving for your affairs but letter b at the end is action
1:06:57
for your affairs or for your benefit the action that he's going to take that'll
1:07:03
help them as well as the prayer in the beginning then letter c,
1:07:08
at the beginning is prayer to be filled with the knowledge of god's will but
1:07:13
letter c at the end is prayer for the knowledge of god's will to be made known.
1:07:20
To be made known, to make it known. And then letter D, labor for the doctrine
1:07:26
of the mystery and labor for the practice of the mystery.
1:07:31
And those will be two interesting sections.
1:07:34
Then letter E, conflict over the doctrine and resolution of the conflict,
1:07:41
which as I said is a very powerful section.
1:07:44
A believer needs Colossians when he is not holding Christ as the head of the
1:07:51
one body, when he is not recognizing the power of Christ in you.
1:07:57
And when he is not walking in the wisdom and the full, precise,
1:08:02
and complete knowledge of the mystery, and when he is not teaching and confronting
1:08:08
others with this knowledge,
1:08:11
that's when the believer needs Colossians.
1:08:14
And if the mystery is going to live in our times, it needs to be both lived and proclaimed.
1:08:22
Father, we sure thank you for the living word in our times that we can live
1:08:29
it, that we can proclaim it, teach
1:08:32
it, and share it with others that truly hunger and thirst after truth.
1:08:35
We thank you again for the core and for the wonderful evening we've had together for Dr.
1:08:42
And Mrs. Whirlwell as they travel throughout Europe, for our board of trustees
1:08:46
here at International Headquarters and for all the work as it continues throughout
1:08:51
the world this day and throughout the weeks that lie ahead of us.
1:08:56
Thank you, Father, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. God bless you.
1:09:10
Music.