Colossians Study Outline

By way of a reminder I would like to say this, Paul has been revealing the secret of Christ Jesus since he was given the revelation of Christ. It has been my contention that this revelation is the key to understanding of all scripture beginning at Genesis 1:1 through to the end of Revelation 22:21. Much of the passages are at best difficult to rightly divid because of the Hebrewisms and idomisms exprssed in and through them. We of the western world have no understanding of their meaning and how they were used by the Lord the Holy Spirit to express God's perspective of man. This is why our being given the Spirit of Truth is so parimount to our leaning of Christ Jesus. The Bible is a book written steeped in shadowy language of spiritualism which at times may have two or more meanings and purposes or ways of interpreting what is said and how it is to be applied. This is why we need to learn total dependency on the Spirit of Truth if we are to walk in the spirit being lead by the Spirit moment by moment as the course of our daily life. We each one of us has the potental or reverting back to our former way of life in an instant, like the well trained horse of my illustration spoken of a while ago. If it were NOT for the Spirit of Truth, the LORD, who we have surrendered our will to.

I have been dealing with the Seven-Fold Prayer of Paul for Us of Colossians 1:3-8 and 9-20. From that stand point on Paul reveals Christ Jesus in His Glory and just Who He really is. From this vantage point I want to return the subject of our being reconciled:

Colossians 1:20b-21

"….by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he (Christ Jesus) reconciled."

Remember we're talking about reconciliation, how that God when He justifies us, through redemption  us, and forgave us, He also brought us into a relationship with Himself which we call of course reconciliation. It is the enterpoint to the narrow path, the old path, that He requires us all to pass over or through to regain that which was lost by Adams rebellion. You see Adam was the first son of God as seen in Genesis 2, as was woman toward the close of this chapter. But in Genesis 3 we became alienated and enemies of God by estrangment. Through which we became foster bastards of Satan by a death which caused a change within us, to our having Satan's nature and neither Father or mother. It is from this stand point that many call the earth our mother, because our body of flesh is formed from dirt of the earth.

 

Colossians 1:21

"And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies (see people don’t like to think of the lost, believing and unbelieving in that light. But they are an enemy of God, and we were also before salvation. Yes! even while in our first estate under the Holy Spirit's direction and care through our training period in His nursery school with its right of passage into other levels of education in the knowledge of Christ. All these things take place before our progressing into so great a salvation. So this is the thing that I have to keep uppermost, that the lost, professing believers are unbelieving people, the unregenerate person is so far as God is concerned an enemy. And as a result of a person being lost their works are not wicked) in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled"
But rather the once just person who take lightly these things are become the wicked ones. Just look to present day Israel and study Matthew chapter 22 verses 1 through 8. Lets stop and take a look at it.

 

Matthew 22:1-8

“And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king (God the Father), which made a marriage for his son (Christ Jesus), And sent forth his servants (the Prophets) to call them that were bidden to the wedding (Israel as a nation, first and foremost): and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants ( the disciples and Apostles), saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage (the passover before Jesus' crucifixion). But they made light of it (of Jesus and then the message of Paul and his Gospel of Grace), and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them (the execution of Peter and Paul and of course the others including the Jewish Christians). But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city (this happened in 68-70 AD as Daniel 7 reveals). Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy (again Israel first and then all who make light of this Gospel which we're here sharing). Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage (those who become the willing from among all mankind, as the families of the earth).”
Now from here I'll finish this chapter of Matthew.

 

 

Matthew 22:10-14

“So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests (those who have been saved and are still in their first estate, those who both confess and profess to be of faith but are not). And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment (he hadn't yet passed through to salvation): And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless (he has fallen short of God's intended goal through slothfulness, standing still or apostasy or not heeding any of the other warnings of Paul in particular). Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (the wicked ones who have claimed a position in Christ but without knowledge or illegal right for they have taken of the Lords table in an unworthy fashion). For many are called, but few are chosen (this is why Paul told Timothy to study to make our election and calling sure).” Remember these words are spoken to us by the Lord Himself, so don't make light of Paul's message for it is the Lord's own Words to us.

 

Let’s go back to the book of Galatians and look at the works of the lost person. In chapter 5, we get a good picture of how we were at one time or at least we had the potential of being one or many of these characteristic's. We know a lot of us came from good homes and are not guilty of all these crimes and things in the activity of our daily life, but nevertheless potentially everyone of us were capable of doing all these things. These are basically the things that the Scripture refers to when they talk about the things and works of the flesh.