“Complete in Christ” Colossians 1:1-14
Message notes Nicole Mcleod
Lord God, we are so thankful to be in this place together again, where You are loved and honored and worshipped. As we begin our study in Colossians, we’re eager to learn more about you from Paul’s letter. May Your Holy Spirit bless us, teach us and disciple us. You always know exactly what we need to hear so bless each one of us, I pray, in Jesus Name.
Introduction:
In the first century AD, if you traveled southeast about 120 miles inland from the coastal city of Ephesus, you would come to the sister cities of Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis in the Lycus Valley.
Colossae had been an important city during the time of the Book of Esther in the Persian Empire. Important trade routes passed through it, but when the Roman Empire came took over the area, they diverted the trade routes and Colossae as a result became less significant. Trade route cities were often a crossroad for a variety of people groups, from different places and cultures, varying religious beliefs, ideas and philosophies. It made for what we might call today, a “pluralistic” type of community.
The Roman historian Tacitus wrote about a massive earthquake that struck these cities in the first century and devastated them. It’s debated but generally believed this earthquake happened not long after Paul’s letter was written to the church at Colossae in AD 60-62. Today, the city remains buried in ruins under farmlands, but just last year, in 2025, the first Turkish archaeological teams began excavations, and have made some important discoveries, so we’ll learn more about this city and church community in the future.
Most of what we know about the Colossian church comes from this letter, and from another letter Paul wrote to “Philemon”, who was also from Colossae. From these letters, we learn about a man named Epaphras, whom Paul describes as a dear fellow servant, and a faithful minister of Christ in vs 7-8.
Epaphras who was likely saved and discipled during Paul’s three-year ministry in Ephesus and then brought the gospel back to the towns in the Lycus valley, where he established home churches. Epaphras preached the gospel and taught these believers about the wonderful love of God in Christ, and this produced a wonderful love in them for God and for each other.
The church was about 5 years old and flourishing in the grace of God, when a dangerous heresy arose, which threatened to pull believers away from their pure faith in Christ. So, pastor Epaphras with great concern travelled the 1000+ mile journey to Rome to ask his mentor, Paul, for help.
Paul at the time was on house arrest for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and was awaiting his trial before the Emperor, Caesar Nero. Paul prayed for and cared deeply about the believers in all of the churches and helped guide them in the faith. So, in his official role as an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit, which God had given to him, he wrote this letter to a church he had never visited, to refute this cluster of strange “spiritual” teachings known as “the Colossian heresy”. He in so doing provides one of scriptures, clearest and most powerful statements of who Jesus is and what he has done and how He is supreme overall. Paul then goes on in his letter to show that true spirituality is living a godly life in this present world.
Paul warned the believers against listening to these “errorits” who didn’t deny the Lord Jesus Christ out right, but told them they needed “something more” i.e. Christ, plus their so-called “deeper knowledge” or their “stricter religious or mystical practices”. Paul warns the believers to not be captured by these “influencers” and their hollow worldly philosophies and rules that were not required.
Dwight L Moody said: "The best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or to spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick alongside it" and that's in essence what Paul did. The gospel is the straight stick of divine truth, and Paul laid down the truth of the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ next to these errant teachings, so that it would be plain to see the error of mixing any secular ideas, rituals or philosophies with the gospel.
In his letter, Paul addressed the problem by focusing on the solution to the problem, which was having the right knowledge of God though the gospel of Jesus Christ. Having a right understanding of the supremacy of Christ, and the spiritual fullness given to us in Christ. Christ is enough and we are complete in Him.
Have you heard this saying, Jesus + anything else = nothing, and Jesus + nothing else = everything. In context here, that kind of sums up Paul’s message in his letter to the Colossians.
Outline for today (vs 1-14)
- Paul’s greeting
- Paul’s blessing
- Paul’s thanks
- Paul’s prayer for the believers
- Paul’s greeting: (vs 1-2)
Colossians: 1:1-2a “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse;”
Paul identifies himself as the writer of the letter, in his official role as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul’s authority came from God, and he had the right as an apostle to receive revelation and teach doctrine to the early church. He mentions his dear associate Timothy was with him. He addresses the believers as saints (or holy), and faithful brethren whose spiritual position is in Christ, and physical location is in Colossae.
- Then he gives his customary greeting/blessing: “Grace to you and peace fromGod our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Greetings are important, and how we greet people is very important. What a kind way to begin his letters, with a blessing of grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s God’s grace, that brings us salvation in Christ and produces God’s peace shalom (wholeness and well-being) in our lives. May God’s grace and peace be yours today also.
- Paul’s thanks:
Colossians: 1:3-6 “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints - because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven - of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel which has come to you - as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth”
Paul assured them of his prayers, and thanked God for the grace of God which was at work in them and bearing fruit in their lives. He thanks God specifically for their faith in Jesus Christ, their love for one another, and for their confident hope in what God had laid up/reserved for them in heaven. Do you see the familiar trio of Christian virtues, faith, hope and love. Faith rests on the past work of Christ. Hope (firm assurance) looks forward to our heavenly future. Love expresses itself to others in the present.
In Colossians: 1:7-8 Paul commends Epaphras as the one who gave them the gospel and taught them about God’s grace “…as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.”
- Paul then prays for the believers to remain strong in the faith and continue to live a life guided by God's wisdom and power. His prayer also gives us an outline of what he will write to them about in this letter; having a right knowledge and understanding of God (theology – ch 1-2), which leads to right living for Christ (ch 3-4)
Col 1:9-12“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
Paul prays for six things, so I am going to use these six nesting dolls to help us see how this prayer can be personalized and used in our lives.
Colossians: 1:9 Paul prays we “…may be filled with the knowledge (epignosis) of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding”
🪆 Doll 1: The Smallest Doll represents our hearts and our new life in Christ. This is at the heart - the solid core at the very center of our lives.
Paul prays we will have a complete knowledge and clear understanding of God’s will and this is so important. This right knowledge of God's will for our lives is woven throughout the Bible. To be filled with the knowledge of His will, we study and meditate on Scripture, so our minds are transformed and enlightened by it, as we learn about God and His ways. This is how we know the truth personally.
I hope we all take time each day to read God’s Word and pray to know and do God’s will, and to be filled with His Spirit before we then step out into our day. The same Spirit who wrote the Bible brings it’s truths to light and leads us to walk in it. We simply need to study and apply God’s word as best we can, pray to be filled with the Spirit and trust God to do the rest.
The wisdom and understanding comes through the Holy Spirit. Wisdom (sophia) is the ability to apply God's truth to everyday choices and situations. Spiritual understanding (sunesis) is insight that helps us grasp and use the principles of God’s Word.
James 1:5 assures us “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” What a wonderful promise!
In Psalm 143:10. David prayed, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.” And I say, Amen!
🪆 Doll 2: our walk) The goal of knowing God’s will is practical.
Colossians 1:10 Paul continues to pray, “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
God’s word gives us practical knowledge how to live in a way that honors Jesus, and walk in a worthy way, pleasing the Lord. A worthy walk Paul says here in vs 10 is a pleasing walk. Before I was a Christian, I lived to please myself and other people. Now, like Paul, we make it the ambition of our lives, and our daily prayer, to know God’s will and please God our Father with the way we live.
🪆 Doll 3: (fruitfulness)
Colossians 1:10c "...bearing fruit in every good work”
A fruitful spiritual walk happens when we stay closely connected to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit work in and through our daily lives. In John 15 Jesus gives us an entire chapter of teaching on how to abide in Him and live fruitful lives. Whether we are old or young, we can be fruit bearing - which looks like kindness, love, ministry, and helping others. Just as this bigger doll covers the smaller ones, our visible, fruit covers all we do in the Lord.
🪆 Doll 4: (our growth)
Colossians 1:10d “…and increasing in the knowledge of God..." (v. 10b)
This that is what our Bible studies are for; to help us keep flourishing and growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, (2 Peter 3:18) as we study His Word and learn from one another and disciple one another. We aren’t studying to become Bible scholars, but to personally know (epignosis) by experience who Christ is and how to walk closely with Him, in ways that are worthy, pleasing, fruit-bearing and growing. As you read the Bible, you can highlight or underline verses that help you know more about Jesus Christ, and verses about the truth of God’s grace, His loving character… we never want to stop learning and growing.
🪆 Doll 5: (God’s strength)
- "being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy..." (v. 11)
This larger doll represents God's power imparted to us by the Holy Spirit for perseverance in the faith. We can't rely on our own strength; God gives us His "glorious might" as we depend on Him to give us the endurance, patience, and joy we need to keep going in our Christian life, to not give up, to keep praying, dying to self, trusting, studying His word and going to church and growing in grace.
- We pray for God’s strength to empower us to be patientwith challenging circumstances. Biblical patience is steadfast endurance. His strength is what will keep us true to God's will when the situations around us make it difficult.
- We pray for God’s strength to help us be longsufferingwith challenging people. Longsuffering is persevering under stress, being slow to avenge wrongs or get angry. It is fortitude. God gives this when we humbly pray and depend on Him.
Lastly here in Paul’s prayer, in whatever we go through, we should never forget to give thanks to God our Father who has done so much for us! Paul mentions thankfulness in each chapter of this letter, because whatever happens… we are in Christ Jesus.
🪆 Doll 6: (we are in Christ) Ultimately, our lives, our walks, our fruit, and our strength are all in Christ. In Him we have been rescued redeemed and forgiven
Colossians: 1:12-14 "Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins."
We thank the Father, Verse 12: because He is the One who qualified us – has made us fit for heaven. Thank you, Lord.
We thank Him, Verse 13: because He is the One who has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His Son. Paul uses almost cosmic terms to describe how we are transferred out of one kingdom and into His Kingdom, which is Christ. The word delivered speaks of a "saving hand" to pull a helpless person to safety, or rescue by a sovereign power. We are no longer under the rule of the kingdom of darkness, we are under the glorious rule of the Son of His love in the kingdom of light. Thank you, Lord, for delivering us out of the kingdom of darkness and securing us in Christ!
We thank Him, Verse 14: because in Him we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins. Christ’s blood paid our ransom price in full and have been given a free and complete pardon and forgiveness of all our sins! He’s taken care of our past, our present and our future. so, we praise Him and thank Him for all He has done! Thank you, Lord, for redeeming us and forgiving all our sins.
Psalm 103:1-5 “Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your sins,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
We have so much to be thankful for!
In closing I have one application I want to leave you with today. Prayer. This section of Paul’s letter shows me that it’s really all about prayer, and how through prayer and walking closely with Jesus that our lives can be pleasing to God.
This week, I want you to re-write this prayer (vs 9-14) in your own words and pray it for yourself. And if you want, you could write it on a note card and pray this for a friend and give it to them. Or you can write it in your note-taking journal and try to memorize it. I encourage you to use this prayer when you pray for our pastors, and for our church family… and don’t forget to give God thanks for all He has done for us!
Father, Help us to live lives that are filled up, prayerful, pleasing, fruitful, growing, strong, powerful, joyful and always thankful, and may Your blessing be upon us as we go to prayer groups, in Jesus name.
