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Jesus Christ Is Lord
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Jesus Christ is enough. This was Paul’s message to the Colossian Christians when false teachers threatened their confidence in the Lord. Today, hear a message from Joel Kim’s new teaching series as he lays out the importance of understanding the...
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When wars and rumors of war fill our minds, when rates, markets, inflation and prices make us insecure, when candidates debates and politics fill us with worries, remember that Christ Jesus is our Lord. When impossible exams, endless papers, sick children, uncertain ministry prospects, empty accounts keep us up at night, remember that that Christ Jesus is our Lord.
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Christ Jesus is our Lord. And that truth provides solid footing as we each navigate our pilgrimages this side of heaven. And it's this truth that you'll be reminded of for the rest of the week on Renewing youg Mind as you hear messages from a brand new series exploring the Book of Colossians. Hi, I'm Nathan W. Bingham and and our guest teacher for the rest of the week is Joel Kim, President and Assistant professor of New Testament at Westminster Seminary, California. If after hearing some of the messages in this series you'd like to study the rest of Colossians, you can request complete digital access to this new series, Everything in Christ, when you give a donation in support of Renewing your mind@renewingyourmind.org well, here's Reverend Ken to introduce us to Colossians.
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As we begin our lesson through the letter to the Colossians by the Apostle Paul. We want to begin with verses one and two in chapter one, and then we're going to actually skip to chapter two, verses six and seven. And I think you'll understand why we might begin there in the first place. But I want to draw your attention to the fact that in many ways, as we write letters these days, my guess is that many of you don't anymore. In a day when we have emails primarily and texting, I recognize some of the conventions of writings are no longer followed. My kids, who are teenagers, often think of me as an unhipped dad, primarily because I can't text the way they do, often without punctuations, often with acronyms, often with shortened phrases that I do not fully comprehend. I tend to do all the punctuations, I capitalize everything, as well as follow conventions of writings that you and I do normally followed when we were younger in the first place. Well, Paul doesn't write that way, at least as the moderns do. He writes at a time when there were no emails or texts. So there are certain conventions that he actually followed. And one of the conventions you see is that when he begins his letters, he begins with what the scholars now call openings, particular ways that these letters begin their letters so that we have all the information we need about who's sending the letter, who's receiving the letter, what kind of greetings are given and some particulars of what he wants to talk about in the chapter. So you see this in the way he writes the beginnings of certain letters, like Romans, Chapter one. In Romans, Chapter one, you hear him say, paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God concerning his Son. Now what you see him doing is he's introducing himself to an audience that's never met him before. And the way he identifies himself is by the kind of ministry call that he has received, called to be an apostle. And then he focuses all his attention in his introduction on the topic that he's about to teach, which is concerning Jesus the Son of God. Though very simple and often overlooked, the introductions provide for us rich understanding of where Paul intends to take us in his letter. You see this also in places like Galatians, chapter one. You might note why he does this when he begins by saying, paul, Paul an apostle, very similar to what you heard in Romans. But he says, not from men, nor through men. If you know anything about the book of Galatians, where Paul's authority was being challenged, you could see why Paul might begin this way. I'm not chosen by men, nor called by men, but as he goes on to say, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, he is asserting his divinely given authority. Even as he begins in the first sentence, he gives us a clue as to where he might actually go. The same is true of Colossians as well. If you look with me to Colossians 11 2, you see Paul beginning this way when he says, paul an apostle. You heard this elsewhere as well. Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God and Timothy, our brother to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae. Grace to you, and peace from God our Father. He. What he does elsewhere, he names who he is in terms of the author, any partners he might have nearby. He also points out the audience to whom he writes, in this case, to the church in Colossae. He gives a greeting when he says, grace to you and peace from God our Father. And then he picks up what he normally does, which is to actually give them a prayer or a blessing of some kind, encouraging them as he begins his letter. What's unique about this beginning is what he says about the colossians in verse 2, when he talks about the fact that they are saints in Colossae to the brothers and faithful in Christ. Now, part of the reason I made an introduction that way is to indicate the fact that in the original. There are these two identifiers that are separated, that envelops the whole sentence. It begins with In Colosse, and at the end it ends with In Christ. These are the two ways that the Colossian Christians are being identified. They're first of all identified with Christ Jesus, but at the same time, they're people who live in Colossae. And the focal point of the Book of Colossians seems to be this particular question. That is, how does their identity in Christ Jesus and the fact that they belong to Jesus Christ affect the way they live in Colossae? Colossae can be replaced. We can say Sanford. We can say Orlando, Florida. We can say San Diego, California, where I am from. It doesn't matter where the location is here. To turn it into a modern sentence, how do we as Christians in the 21st century, identifying ourselves in Christ Jesus as the one to whom we belong? How do we live faithfully in. Fill the blank, wherever that location might be. This is the driving question of the Book of Colossians. How we as Christians in Christ Jesus should live, should live wherever the Lord has placed us. This question was an important one, and it was necessitated by the situation in the Colossian Church. Knowing that Paul is in prison and opposition to Christianity was common in the first century, we could assume that there were lots of pressures placed upon Christians as they try to faithfully live out their faith. So I think that's true. There is a lot of opposition around the Church that they had to endure. But at the same time, what we are seeing in the Book of Colossians was that there were lots of challenges within the Church as well. Not only pressures from without, but also pressures within. With letters like this, we recognize we're at a bit of a disadvantage. We don't get to actually hear the background very much. Some of the wonderful teachers here at Ligonier are wonderful at setting both the historical and contextual factors involved in what they're teaching. And Paul is teaching us, and Paul is teaching us faithfully. But unfortunately, we don't get to hear all the sides of the story. We're on one side of a phone call without all the information involved. And so what we can do is to do our best to reconstruct the challenges and the pressures that many of the Colossians were facing here. We recognize that Paul, having heard of the Colossian ministry, was concerned about some elements of what's taking place in the church. There were people who are coming to teach with plausible arguments. He says in chapter two. Verse four, those who take others captive by philosophy and empty deceit, or According to chapter two, verse eight, people who are judging others according to chapter two 16 and people who are disqualifying the brothers and sisters in the church in Colossae. These teachers exist within the church. And some scholars have over the years called the collection of teachings the Colossian heresy. We don't know every detail of what's being taught there. We don't actually know the details of every teaching and their tenets. But this is a way for us to identify that there are some teachings that are there that were aberrant against the teachings that they have received without thinking of it as a whole. Orbed heresy. I think false teaching is a good phrase for us to work with that within the church in Colossae, false teachers and false teaching were present and Paul, as their pastor, writes to correct their understanding and help them get a better sense of what their rootedness ought to be in Christ Jesus. So here as we begin our study of Colossians, I want to begin with the theme that we'll be pursuing even as we think about it. What message does Paul have for a church struggling to remain faithful to the teachings received? What's the summary of the message he intends to convey to us throughout the book of Colossians? It's simply this. Christ Jesus is enough. Christ Jesus is enough. When there is so much around them that pressure them to add on to Christ Jesus and his teachings, pressures that are coming from outside the church and even within the church to add beyond the teachings that they have received about Christ Jesus. Paul reminds them over and over again. And we hope that through our lessons that we will be able to see. Paul says, jesus Christ is enough for you and me. In order for us to unpack that theme, I want us to go to a theme verse, or in this case, verses that are found in chapter 2, verses 6 and 7. Many would read the book and would say, this comes at the heart of the transition of the opening and to the body of the letter. And it well summarizes for us the teachings that Paul intends to convey to us here in verse 6 and 7 of chapter 2. Say this, therefore. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving, we would say, this is his thesis, his theme verses for us to reflect upon as we begin to unpack the book of Colossians. Here he begins with the simple fact that you and I know well Christ Jesus is Lord. Verse 6 says Christ Jesus is Lord. There have been some discussions about the grouping of these words in the original. Even more specific in saying the Christ Jesus the Lord, it echoes the many of the confessions that are found in the Earth Church in places like Romans 10:9. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, this is the confession of the 1st century believers, echoed by the 21st century believers as well, that Christ Jesus is our Lord. In fact, Paul makes it very clear that this is the message he desires to proclaim. 2nd Corinthians 4:5 reminds us for what we proclaim is not ourselves, Paul says, what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord. Jesus Christ as Lord this confession capsulated for us in chapter two, verse six nicely summarizes what he discusses in chapter one up to the point in Chapter two. We are told in chapter one that Christ Jesus is the Lord over creation. He created all things. You and I know this well. But this is a reminder to all of us that he is the cosmic Lord over all of creation. We are told in a passage richly marinated in creation language. We are told in chapter one, verse 15, he that is Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for Him. And the emphasis here is what we saw in John chapter one that Jesus Christ is the Lord over creation. But at the same time we are told that Christ Jesus is also the Lord over re creation, recreation, meaning that the Lord saved His people and brought about a new creation in his people. And so we're told in chapter one of Colossians that not only does He Lord over creation, he's also the Lord over redemption, as we're told in chapter one, verse 18 and following he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross. We can unpack each of these sentences when we intend to do so in a later lesson. But you can see what the point is, isn't it? Not only is Jesus Christ supreme the Lord over creation, he is supreme the Lord over creatures, recreation, the redemption of his people, salvation brought to us through the cross in Christ Jesus our Lord. And then he summarizes in chapter one the message about Christ Jesus he intends to convey. Where it says in chapter one, verse 17, Christ Jesus is the Lord over all. As we're told in him all things hold together. You know, having said, Christ is the Lord over creation, Christ is the Lord over redemption. Having talked about theological history in those two episodes, he simply says, all these things are held together by Christ Jesus. This is what he means by simply declaring jesus Christ is Lord. And he says to the Colossians, you have received this Lord, this Christ, the Christ, Jesus the Lord. Often Paul uses words like receive, as you see in this verse, to indicate the passing on of traditions or teachings about Christ and His Gospel. But in this context, Paul is speaking not just of teachings or doctrines or traditions, but receiving Christ Jesus himself. You have Christ Jesus himself. It's not only a matter of believing the truths about Christ Jesus, but knowing and living in the truth that we belong to him forever, united to him and transformed by him for his glory. For God in Christ Jesus has delivered us from the domain of darkness, chapter 1, verse 13 says, and transferred us to the kingdom of His Beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Christ Jesus has come. He's lived and he died and resurrected for our benefit. And we have him, and therefore we belong to Him. This is why we hear confessions like Heidelberg Catechism Q and A. Number one. Teach us what is your only comfort in life and in death? And it answers simply by saying that I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Christ Jesus. So here as Paul speaks to the Colossians, we want to pause here briefly to remind us this. Christ Jesus the Lord, is your God and your Savior. When wars and rumors of war fill our minds, when rates, markets, inflation and prices make us insecure, when candidates, debates and politics fill us with worries, remember that Christ Jesus is our Lord. When news of pastors wanting to leave ministries, of those who fall from grace, or of believers seemingly leaving churches and even their faith in large numbers overwhelm you, remember that Christ Jesus is our Lord. When impossible exams, endless papers, sick children, uncertain ministry prospects, empty accounts keep us up at night, remember that Christ Jesus is our Lord. Nothing reveals our practical theology like our sleepless nights, when our worries, concerns and burdens keep us awake at night. But this is where the Colossian message is so important to us. But friends, our God is wise, good and powerful, and Christ is your Lord, Colossians declares. And this is the reminder that Paul has for the Colossian church and for us as well. This is where, having declared Jesus Christ as Lord, we see him pick up to remind us of how we ought to live. In chapter 2, verses 6 and 7, you might remember Paul's prayers for Colossians. In chapter 1, verse 10, as he talks about walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, he uses this biblical idiom, according to which a person's lifestyle is pictured as a road that he or she is walking on. And to emphasize this metaphorical meaning, often our translations simply have it, you ought to live a certain way and in this case live a life worthy of the Lord. This is not something that we're beginning for the first time. It's not something that you and I buckle up to do. Now, as one of the translations simply has it, we must continue to follow Him. That is to indicate that in Christ Jesus this is a pathway that you and I have already been on. He is the One who guides, he is the One who strengthens. He is the One who leads. As we're told throughout the New Testament, not only does he save by grace, he strengthens us to live by grace. And this is what we see here. He says, not following empty deceit, philosophies or traditions of men which mislead, we ought to follow Christ, so walk in Him. Paul says, what does this look like? He has some descriptors here, doesn't he? In this short verse that he unpacks throughout the book of Colossians, he says, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith abounding in thanksgiving. In verse seven, there are four things that I want to briefly mention where he describes what it means to live with Christ Jesus as Lord, he says, we live rooted in Christ Jesus. It's in the world of agriculture, isn't it? A tree that has its roots planted deeply. It has sufficient support for withstanding any winds or storms. Likewise, having received Jesus Christ the Lord, we are deeply rooted and fixed deeply in Christ Jesus. But note the passive. It's not that we go deeper on our own. We have been rooted already in Christ Jesus by the workings of His Spirit, we are told, and if deeply rooted in Christ, we're able to stand firm, as Ephesians says, not carried about by every wind of doctrine or overcome by every change and challenge. We're told the second characteristic of walking worthy is that we are being built up in Christ Jesus. Built up is a change in switch and metaphor here from the world of construction, the appearing of a structure that is firm and unshakable. Having been built on a solid foundation as we find our lives in Christ Jesus, we're being built up in him and by Him. Note the passive. Again, it's not that we're building ourselves up as we're working out on a daily basis. No. Christ by His Spirit is building us up upon the foundation that is Christ Jesus our Lord. Even in days, weeks and months when we feel lost, powerless, incompetent and insecure, we are at that moment being built up by Christ Jesus. We are a work in progress, and Christ is certainly at work within us. What he began by grace, he will finish by grace. As he told us elsewhere. I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus. If being established in this way, if being built up and rooted. He also talks about the fact that we're being established in the faith by Him. Whether the terminology is taken from the legal context, as some scholars argue, or not, Paul reminds his readers that by being rooted and being built up by Christ, our faith is being strengthened by Christ. Again, note the passive. You and I are not doing the work. Christ is doing all the work. As he roots us, builds us up, as he establishes us in faith. This is where we come to recognize, even as he is doing this, there is this one element that indicates the way we live, which is thanksgiving. If Christ Jesus is the Lord and if we're rooted in him, and if we're being built up by him, and if he establishes us in faith, what are we left to do? We ought to give thanks. We ought to give thanks. A life worthy of the Lord. He seems to be very preoccupied with thanks. And we want to come back to this point throughout his letters because one characteristic that he thinks should be identified with the maturity of believers is thankfulness. And so throughout our lesson, I hope that we can see this being unpacked. Where Christ has blessed us with all truth, Paul tells us wisdom and strength, and therefore Jesus Christ is enough.
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We live in an age of discontentment. Social media so often highlights the apparent perfect lives of others, encouraging discontentment. Yet it also highlights the horrors and tragedies of our day, further encouraging discontentment. So we need the reminder, don't we, that Jesus Christ is enough? You're listening to the Wednesday edition of Renewing youg Mind as we feature a brand new series from Joel Kim Everything in Christ. We would love to help you study the Book of Colossians more deeply. So to thank you for your donation today at renewingyourmind.org we'll unlock this new series for you and its study guide in the free Ligonier app. Take these messages with you on the go or use them as part of a group study. Simply respond today with a donation@renewingyourmind.org by using the link in the podcast Show Notes or when you call us at 800-435-4343. You'll hear three messages this week, but unlock access to all of them today. And if you live outside of the US And Canada, please show your support and give your gift@renewingyourmind.org global. Thank you. There is a special group of people that I'd like to thank in particular, and that's our ministry partners at Ligonier Ministries. These dear people pray for Ligonier, Renewing your Mind and all of our outreach and have pledged to give a monthly gift of $30 or more. Thank you for your faithful support and for helping us plan well as our way of encouraging our ministry partners in their own discipleship. They have access not only to this series, but also our entire teaching series library. We also send them exclusive monthly messages, sneak previews of upcoming series, resource gifts, Table Talk Magazine, a Reformation Study Bible and more. So if you would like to become a Ligonier Ministry partner, you can learn more and sign up right now@renewingyourmind.org partner. Thank you for being a theological lifeline to so many around the world. Join us tomorrow as we continue this new study in the Book of Colossians. I look forward to you joining us then here on Renewing your Mind. Sam.