Colossians 1 Lesson

INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS

There are two main themes discussed in Paul’s letter to the Colossians:

1. Christ is the head over all rule and authority. – Colossians 2:10,
2. Christ is the basis for the believer’s hope. –Colossians 1:5.

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians while serving his first Roman imprisonment. 

The time of authorship is estimated to be between 60-61 AD.

CHRISTIAN VIRTUES

Our focus scripture for today’s lesson is:

• “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to prayfor you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,  so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyouslygiving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” – Colossians 1:9-12.

Paul prays for seven attributes that he wishes for the Colossians. 

Specifically, he prays that those in Colossae will:

1. Be filled with the knowledge of God’s will,
2. Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
3. Bear fruit in every good work,
4. Increase in the knowledge of God,
5. Be strengthened,
6. Attain steadfastness,
7. And attainpatience. 

These are things that all Christians should strive for!

1. Being filled with the knowledge of His will.  This is a wonderful place for one to start their walk with Jesus.  Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.”  To keep His commandments, we need to study the Bible, and learn what those commandments are.  
2. Walking in a manner worthy of the Lord.  While we can never walk as Jesus did, we can strive to be like Him in the decisions that we make and the way that we treat others.  Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount (Mathew 5:48), “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  And while we can never be perfect, we can try to be perfect.  The character is in the trying.  There is an old saying, “If you chase perfection, you just might catch excellence.”  Striving to follow Jesus’ perfect example allows us to reach our full potential.
3.  Bearing fruit in every good work.  John 15:7-8says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”  As we read the Bible, our faith will grow.  Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  The next step is to turn our faith into action.  James 2:18 says, “But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’”  We can have all the faith in the world, but it does not mean a thing until we use our faith to glorify God and serve others. 
4. Increasing in the knowledge of God.  We will never reach a point in our lives where our learning of the Bible is complete.  There is always more to learn and more to do! Jesus Himself would often go to a quiet place to pray to His Father.  And that was a long time ago!  A time before cell phones, the internet, 24-hour TV, and so many of today’s distractions.  And yet, Jesus still found it important to get away to a quiet place and pray to His Father. So should we! God wants us to take the time to get to know Him better.  He wants us to go to a quiet place and meditate on His word and pray to Him.  Psalms 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”   
5. Being strengthened with all power.  If we continue in God’s word and allow His plan to work in our lives, He will bless us with a stronger faith.  And because of His strength, if we abide in Him, we will find a newfound strength in our own lives.  One capable of moving mountains! (Mark 11:23).
6. Attaining steadfastness.  Being a follower of Jesus is not a sprint, it is a marathon!  No matter what is going on around us, we need to continue to trust in God and His plan for us.  Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”  Similarly, Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
7. Attaining patience.  As we see the power of God working in our lives, it will be exciting!  And as our passion for serving the Lord intensifies, we need to remember the importance of patience!  We may want things to happen right away on our timeline.  But that is not the way that it works. God is the one in control.  We serve Him, and not the other way around.  As Christians, we need to have patience and allow His plan to unfold according to God’s timeline, not ours. 

CONCLUSION

The seven Christian virtues that Paul identified in his letter to Colossians are things that we should all strive to have in our lives.

Being a Christian is not a sprint; it is a marathon! 

Working to become more like Jesus is something that needs to be a part of our daily lives.

As disciples of Jesus, our goal should be to continuously improve, and to become a better Christian tomorrow than we are today.

We will conclude today’s lesson with the following quote from Charles Spurgeon:

“Have you the ability to preach the gospel? Preach it! Does a little child need comforting? Comfort it! Can you stand up and vindicate a glorious truth before thousands? Do it! Does a poor saint need a bit of dinner from your table? Send it to her. Let works of obedience, testimony, zeal, charity, piety, and philanthropy all be found in your life. Do not select big things as your special line, but glorify the Lord also in the littles – ‘fruitful in every good work.’” – Charles Spurgeon