Colossians 1:1-2:5

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

March 11, 2013


 *SEP 21 - COLOSSIANS 1:1-2:5 - PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST: WORTHY OF SUFFERING*


 *1. 1:1-2 (NNT) PAUL: HIS GREETING OF GRACE AND PEACE. “Paul, apostle of
Christ Jesus through God’s will, and Timothy the brother, 2 to the
saints atColossae and faithful brethren in Christ: Grace to you and
peace from God
our Father.” *Grace and peace: these are Your gifts unto us Father, that by
walking in them we manifest Your Kingdom. Then we can pray in open
manifestation. *Hallowed be your :name!*


 *2. 1:3-4 (1:3-8) PAUL: BASIS FOR THANKSGIVING. “We thank :God the Father
of our :Lord Jesus Christ always praying for you, 4 having heard of your
:faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which you have toward all the saints.”
*How we thank You Father for such saints at Colosse who merit this
commendation from the apostle Paul. *Your :kingdom come.*


 *3. 1:12-14 (1:9-17) PAUL: PRAYER FOR REVELATION OF CHRIST’S
PRE-EMINENCE. “Giving
thanks to the Father, who fitted you to be partakers of the inheritance of
the saints in :light; 13 who delivered us out of the power of :darkness,
and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his :love; 14 in whom we
have the redemption, the forgiveness of :sins.” *You have done so much for
us in Christ already, Father! *Your :will be done, As in heaven, so on
earth!*


 *4. 1:18-20. PAUL: REASON FOR CHRIST’S PRE-EMINENCE. “And HE is the head
of the body, the church: who is the beginning, firstborn from the dead;
that in all HE might have pre-eminence. 19 For the whole fullness was
pleased to dwell in him; 20 and through him to reconcile :all things unto
him, having made peace through the blood of his :cross: through him,
whether the things upon the earth, or those in the heavens.” *Father,
forgive us for having such a low regard for Your Son, our Lord Jesus. *Our
:daily :bread Give us this day.*


 *5. 1:21-22 (1:21-23) PAUL’S MINISTRY OF RECONCIATION: HOLY, UNBLAMABLE,
UNREPROVABLE. “And you, being alienated before and enemies in :mind in the
evil :works, yet now has he reconciled 22 in the body of his :flesh through
:death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreprovable before
him.” *Thank You Father, for such a work in Christ on our behalf! Sin,
fault and failure on our part, You have *overcome*! You see us through
Christ’s atoning work and His Covenant as Holy, unblamable and
unreprovable! *And forgive us our :debts, As we also have forgiven our
:debtors.*


 *6. 1:24-25a (1:24-29) PAULS SUFFERINGS: THE NECESSITY FOR THEM. “Now I
rejoice in my :sufferings for you, and fill up on my part what are lacking
of the afflictions of the Christ in my :flesh for his :body, which is the
church; 25a whereof I became a minister.” *Father, we too would enter into
Paul’s ministry in this respect! *And bring us not into temptation!*


 *7. 2:2-3 (2:1-5) PAUL: HIS EXTRAORDINARY DESIRE FOR THE COLOSSIANS. “That
their :hearts be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all
riches of the fullness of the understanding, unto full knowledge of the
mystery of :God, Christ, 3 in whom are all the treasures of :wisdom and
knowledge hidden.” *We too would be receivers of this prayer, Father! We
too would acknowledge the riches in both You and Christ! *But deliver us
from the evil one!*


 *NOTE**: 1:27 (1:24-29) PAUL: UNFOLDS THE MYSTERY IN CHRIST. **“To whom
:God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this
:mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of
:glory.” **Christ
in us*, the hope of Glory! We magnify You for this purpose, plan and
desire, Father!


 *C.H. Spurgeon Quotes: “Well, Sir, you seem to be a fatalist!” *I hear one
say, “Well, sir, you seem to be a fatalist!” No, far from it. There is just
this difference between fate and providence. Fate is blind; providence has
eyes. Fate is blind, a thing that must be; it is just an arrow shot from a
bow, that must fly onward, but has no target. Not so, providence;
providence is full of eyes. There is a design in everything, and an end to
be answered; all things are working together, and working together for good.


 *Our Psalm for the Day: 81:13-14 (81, ESV) OH, THAT MY PEOPLE WOULD LISTEN
TO ME. “Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my
ways! 14 I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their
foes.” *How foolish we are Father, to miss Your proper way of doing things!
Help us to walk in Your ways, and then we can truly *hallow your :name!*


 81:1. *Sing aloud*. No dullness should ever stupefy our Psalmody or
halfheartedness cause it to limp along. Sing aloud, you debtors to
sovereign grace. Your hearts are profoundly grateful; let your voices
express your thankfulness. *Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. *It
is to be regretted that the niceties of modern singing frighten our
congregations from joining lustily in the hymns. For our part, we delight
in full bursts of praise and had rather discover the ruggedness of a want
of musical training than miss the heartiness of universal congregational
song. The gentility, which lisps the tune in well-bred whispers or leaves
the singing altogether to the choir, is very like a mockery of worship. The
gods of Greece and Rome may be worshiped well enough with classical music,
but Jehovah can only be adored with the heart, and that music is best for
His service which gives the heart most play.


 81:4. *For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. *When
it can be proved that the observance of Christmas, Whitsunday and other
Popish festivals was ever instituted by a divine statute, we also will
attend to them, but not till then. It is as much our duty to reject the
traditions of men as to observe the ordinances of the Lord. We ask
concerning every rite and rubric, “Is this a law of the God of Jacob?” and
if it be not clearly so, it is of no authority with us who walk in
Christian liberty.


 81:7. *I proved you at the waters of Meribah. *The story of Israel is only
our own history in another shape. God has heard us, delivered us, liberated
us, and too often our unbelief makes the wretched return of mistrust,
murmuring, and rebellion. Great is our sin; great is the mercy of our God:
let us reflect upon both and pause a while. *Selah. *Hurried reading is of
little benefit; to sit down a while and meditate is very profitable.


 81:9. *There shall no strange god be in you.* No alien god is to be
tolerated in Israel’s tents. *Neither shall you worship any strange
god. *Where false gods are, their worship is sure to follow. Man is so
desperate
an idolater that the image is always a strong temptation: while the nests
are there the birds will be eager to return.


 81:12. *So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust, and they walked in
their own counsels. *No punishment is more just or more severe than this.
If men will not be checked, but madly take the bit between their teeth and
refuse obedience, who shall wonder if the reins are thrown upon their necks
and they are let alone to work out their own destruction. It were better to
be given up to lions than to our hearts’ lusts. Men, deserted of
restraining grace, sin with deliberation; they consult, and debate, and
consider, and then elect evil rather than good, with malice aforethought
and in cool blood. It is remarkable obduracy of rebellion when men not only
run into sin through passion but calmly “walk in their own counsels” of
iniquity. *(From “The Treasury of David” by C.H. Spurgeon, abridged by D.O.
Fuller)*



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