Colossians 4 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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1. 0:00So, Paul
2. 0:01has been teaching us in the previous
3. 0:03chapter [music]
4. 0:04how to live in Christ, how to put on
5. 0:06Christ, which is the new man, and how we
6. 0:09need to submit to [music] the order of
7. 0:10Christ,
8. 0:11which is how we can see everything we do
9. 0:14as done in the name of the Lord Jesus if
10. 0:16we submit to our part and place in this
11. 0:18order of Christ. Chapter 4 continues the
12. 0:21theme.
13. 0:22Colossians chapter 4 verse 1, "Masters,
14. 0:25grant to your slaves justice and
15. 0:27fairness, knowing that you too have a
16. 0:30master in heaven."
17. 0:32"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping
18. 0:34alert in it with an attitude of
19. 0:36thanksgiving, praying at the same time
20. 0:39for us as well, that God will open to us
21. 0:42a door for the word, so that we may
22. 0:44speak forth the mystery of Christ for
23. 0:47which I have been imprisoned, that I may
24. 0:50make it clear in the way I ought to
25. 0:52speak." [music] Now, you already know
26. 0:54what the mystery of Christ is. It's
27. 0:55Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is
28. 0:58the idea that God has taken residence
29. 1:00[music] in a corporate community, in a
30. 1:02body, that you have entered through the
31. 1:04circumcision of baptism, that you live
32. 1:06in by the power and spirit of God, that
33. 1:09your attitudes of gentleness, meekness,
34. 1:11love, and forgiveness supply, and that
35. 1:14the order of God comprises. All of this
36. 1:17is showing us what it means to be in the
37. 1:19church. What it means. Amen?
38. 1:22To be part of Christ. So, is Paul
39. 1:24endorsing slavery? No, he's not. He's
40. 1:27actually telling them to treat their
41. 1:30servants the way they want to be treated
42. 1:32by God. Paul does not love slavery. Paul
43. 1:35starts the idea that there is neither
44. 1:37slave nor free in this same book. No
45. 1:40such idea existed in the world.
46. 1:42Two-thirds of the Athenians were slaves.
47. 1:46Two-thirds of Roman citizens were slaves
48. 1:49[music] in the city of Rome. Paul is
49. 1:52giving the idea that every man is equal
50. 1:55before God. So, be part of Christ and
51. 1:57there is no slave or free.
52. 2:00But, he's not trying to disrupt a social
53. 2:03order that he doesn't have any control
54. 2:06over. Instead, he's saying, "You're
55. 2:07going to give an account to God if you
56. 2:09don't treat them the way you want your
57. 2:11master in heaven to treat you."
58. 2:15Conduct yourselves
59. 2:17with wisdom toward outsiders, making the
60. 2:20most of the opportunity.
61. 2:22Let your speech always be with grace
62. 2:26as though seasoned with salt
63. 2:28so that you will know how you should
64. 2:30respond to each person.
65. 2:34Grace
66. 2:36is the sensitivity
67. 2:38to know how to respond to each person.
68. 2:42It's not memorizing
69. 2:44a wrote little stump speech that you
70. 2:47recite to each person.
71. 2:50It's empathy.
72. 2:52It's sensitivity. It's discernment. It's
73. 2:55love.
74. 2:57It's salt on the meat.
75. 3:00That's what grace is like.
76. 3:04As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our
77. 3:07beloved brother and faithful servant and
78. 3:09fellow bondservant in the Lord,
79. 3:12will bring you information.
80. 3:14For I have sent him to you for this very
81. 3:16purpose, that you may know about our
82. 3:18circumstances
83. 3:20and that he may encourage your hearts.
84. 3:22And with him, Onesimus, our faithful and
85. 3:26beloved brother, who is one of your
86. 3:28number.
87. 3:29They will inform you about the whole
88. 3:31situation here.
89. 3:33Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends
90. 3:36you his greetings and also Barnabas'
91. 3:39cousin, Mark, about whom you received
92. 3:42instructions. If he comes to you,
93. 3:45welcome him.
94. 3:46Now, here's a little insight. This is
95. 3:49the Mark that Paul couldn't stand in the
96. 3:51book of Acts, and he parted ways with
97. 3:53Barnabas, who we now know is this guy's
98. 3:56cousin,
99. 3:57because this guy was so immature, Paul
100. 3:59didn't want him on the team.
101. 4:01Well, now he's telling the church that
102. 4:04he's part of the team, and that when he
103. 4:05comes to Colossae, they should welcome
104. 4:08him.
105. 4:10Isn't it encouraging that even John Mark
106. 4:11grows up eventually?
107. 4:13And also, Jesus, who is called Justice.
108. 4:16There's a guy named Jesus there.
109. 4:18And also, Jesus, who is called Justice.
110. 4:21These are the only fellow workers for
111. 4:23the kingdom of God who are from the
112. 4:25circumcision, and they have proved to be
113. 4:28an encouragement to me. These are the
114. 4:30only that are Jews in his company.
115. 4:35Epaphras,
116. 4:37who is one of your number, a bond slave
117. 4:40of Jesus Christ, sends you his
118. 4:42greetings.
119. 4:43Always laboring earnestly for you in his
120. 4:47prayers, that you may stand perfect and
121. 4:50fully assured in all the will of God.
122. 4:53The perfect is the complete that he was
123. 4:57referring to in the previous chapter,
124. 4:59that he would present each man complete
125. 5:02in Christ [music] in the body. So, it's
126. 5:05not perfect like you've been perfected,
127. 5:06it's perfect like y'all are together,
128. 5:09and you're complete.
129. 5:11For I testify for him that he has a deep
130. 5:14concern for you and for those who are in
131. 5:17Laodicea
132. 5:18and
133. 5:19>> [music]
134. 5:19>> Hierapolis.
135. 5:21Luke, the beloved physician, sends you
136. 5:24his greetings,
137. 5:26and also Demas.
138. 5:28Demas is later going to betray him and
139. 5:30walk away.
140. 5:31Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea,
141. 5:35and also Nympha,
142. 5:37and the church that is in her house.
143. 5:40When this letter is read among you, have
144. 5:42it also read in the church of the
145. 5:44Laodiceans,
146. 5:46and you, for your part, read my letter
147. 5:49that is coming from Laodicea.
148. 5:52Say to Archippus,
149. 5:54"Take heed to the [music] ministry which
150. 5:57you have received in the Lord, that you
151. 6:00may fulfill it."
152. 6:02I, Paul, write this [music] greeting
153. 6:04with my own hand.
154. 6:06Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with
155. 6:08you.
156. 6:10What a great salutation and warm
157. 6:12greeting, and what a stern reminder for
158. 6:15brother Archippus to find his ministry,
159. 6:16[music]
160. 6:18to take heed to the ministry which he
161. 6:20had received in the Lord, that he may
162. 6:22actually do [music] it.
163. 6:24The literal is that he may continually
164. 6:27fulfill it. That he may keep doing it.
165. 6:30So, Archippus is trying to give birth to
166. 6:33a ministry, but it's a [music] little
167. 6:34bit of a spit and sputter, fits and
168. 6:36starts, and he's saying, "Keep at it."
169. 6:39What an encouragement. So, the book of
170. 6:41Colossians is basically, don't go back
171. 6:44[music] to what is empty. Keep it all
172. 6:46about staying in Jesus, his body,
173. 6:48>> [music]
174. 6:48>> his completeness, cuz he was the
175. 6:50fullness of God, and you can be part of
176. 6:52him. And the mystery of the incarnation
177. 6:55is God in Christ, and the mystery of for
178. 6:59us is Christ in the church, the hope of
179. 7:01glory.
180. 7:03That's what it's all about. That's the
181. 7:05end of the book of Colossians.
182. 7:09>> [music]