Today we begin our study in the book of Colossians with the question, “Why study Colossians?”
I see three answers to that question in the first two verses.
1. We should eagerly study Colossians because it comes from Christ.
Paul wrote as an apostle, a representative, of Jesus Christ. He was writing to give the Colossians something priceless – truth. Transcendent, universal, objective reality. Truth so solid you can build your life on it. Truth so universal there is no challenge you can not navigate with it. He gave them truth so weighty it can bring order to the chaos of life. When Colossians is read, Christ speaks.
2. We should eagerly study Colossians because it comes for a challenging time.
As we will see in the coming weeks, Paul wrote to the Colossians to guide them through some significant challenges. He gave them much needed help to stay faithful as the saints of God in a broken world. The Colossians faced pressures of all kinds, both external and internal. We will see that we share many of those challenges and that the wisdom of Colossians is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago.
3. We should eagerly study Colossians because it comes with grace and peace.
Studying the beginning of this letter is like finding a gold vein in a mountain side, taking a pick to that vein and discovering that there is gold running through the whole thing. “Paul an apostle”! It’s amazing – the chief of sinners, now a messenger of Christ! “The saints and faithful in Christ”! If we could wrap our minds around those two words – in Christ, we would walk out of the doors of the church shouting! “Grace and peace”! God’s first word to his people is grace. And the next one? Peace!
I can’t wait to see what gold we find next week!
Tom Brown is the planting pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Wichita. Tom and his wife, Mandy, have worked together in ministry for over 20 years and have four children. More about Pastor Tom Brown