Jeepers Creepers

Colossians 1:11-20

The church at Colosse, around the 1st or 2nd century, had some false teachers creeping in (not unlike churches in our modern world). They were teaching that Christ Jesus is not the way to slavation. Rather, knowledge of secret things, among other things was the way to redemtion. A teaching referred to as Gnosticism.

There was also the old classic legalism. That is disheartening to find in any church.

Epaphras went to Rome and met with the Apostle Paul. He let Paul know his concerns about what was happening in Colosse, and asked for some advise on how to approach a solution to the false teachings.

Paul wrote a letter to the church at Colosse in response to the concerns of Epaphras.

It's the section on the preeminence of Christ that I would like to focus on here.

The bible is filled with warnings about false teachings. 1 John 4:1, 2 Peter 2:1, Matthew 7:15, just to name a few. In his letter to Timothy, Paul goes as far as to say they are doctrines of demons(1 Timothy 4:1).

In our current "woke" culture, there are blasphemous teachings creeping into some of the more liberal congregations. The bible warns against that too (Isaiah 5:20 and Romans 1:25).

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul reminds them who, exactly, the head of the church is (Colossians 1:15-18). There are two little words in verse 16 that we can't miss. Colossians 1:16 - 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.

It's not about us. It is all about Christ Jesus. This is all His. Everything known and unknown in our universe is His. Created by Him and for Him. And it all holds together in Him. That's why when He died on the cross, creation began to unravel (Matthew 27:41-52).

There is no salvation with Jesus plus fill in the blank. There is salvation only in Christ alone. He alone qualifies us to be able to stand before our God with no fault in us, clean and free of the stain of our sins. (Colossians 1:11-22 and Jude 24).

God is AWSOME!

One Man's Trash...

Hebrews 9:1-4

Most people have at least one particular item that is special to them. Something that anyone else would see as junk, but for you, it has real meaning.

I know I have a few of those things. Things that nobody would assign any real value to, but for me are priceless treasures.

A lot of things found in antiquity are like that. Things that are of any interest only to scholars of history or archeology. One such thing would be the Ark of the Covenant. It has been the subject of superstions and fantasy for many thousands of years. It's contents are some old tablets, an old stick and some old bread.

For those of us who believe, these items have profound significance. They point directly to our Messiah

The The Ark itself was for the Spirit of God to dwell, and according to Hebrews chapter 9, it was to house the tablets of the covenant (or law), Aaron's rod that budded and the manna from Heaven. Our Savior is all of these things. He is the fulfillment of the whole law. He is our High Priest, haveing sacrificed Himself for our sins. He is the Bread of Life. And it is only in Him that we find hope.

God is AWESOME!

The Hope We Have

There are so many situations that, for those experiencing them, seem absolutely hopeless.

But for those of us who believe, there is hope. No matter how bad it gets, our hope is in Christ Jesus. We can say, as Job said, "I know my Redeemer lives." (Job 19:25-27)

One of the many encounters the bible tells us about is found in the book of The Gospel According to Mark. Mark (Mark 5:1-20) tells us about an unusual exchange between Jesus and a demon possessed man. They had just crossed a lake, and when they came ashore, the demon possessed man, who had been quite a problem for the people who lived there, came running up and fell at the feet of Jesus.

In my mind's eye, I imagine how this happened. The man, moving among the tombs, terrorizing anyone who happened by, was suddenly gripped in fear. A panic rose in the evil that inhabitted the poor man. A fear for their very existence. They sensed an unspeakable power approaching. The same power that brought an entire universe into being simply by willing it, the same power that overwhelmed them and hurled them to Earth so long ago. The One whose Name sent shivers of terror through all of their kind. All they could think to do was to fall down at His feet and beg Him for mercy.

Jesus ordered them out, and they had no choice but to obey. This is the very same Jesus in Whom we hope.

No matter how bad it gets, no matter what is happening to us or our loved ones, though it may be hard to see from the midst of it, Jesus holds out hope. He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. Let not your heart be troubled. Our Redeemer lives!

God is AWESOME!