Sermon preached by Matthew DelValle on April 16, 2023 at First Baptist Church in Delphi, Indiana. ⁠⁠⁠⁠First Baptist Church⁠⁠⁠⁠ is an evangelical church in Delphi, Indiana helping people find and follow Jesus. Our mission is to declare God’s truth, disciple God’s people, delight in God’s Son, and display God’s glory. Join us for Sunday Worship at 10:30am. Sunday School begins at 9:30am. We gather at 103 S. Indiana Street, Delphi, Indiana 46923.

Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠First Baptist Church⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Read our ⁠⁠⁠⁠Statement of Faith⁠⁠⁠⁠.

 

Big Idea:  Christ is complete in every way, so believers are complete in Christ.

An Introduction to Colossians [Colossians 1:1–2]

       1.  Author (Who wrote it?)
       2.  Audience (To whom was it written?)
       3.  Area and Age (Where & when did Paul write it? Where was Colossae?)
       4.  Aim (Why did Paul write it?)
       5.  Agenda & Arrangement (What did Paul write & how did he
structure it?)

An Invitation to Colossians [Colossians 1–4]

1.  Colossians fills us with Christ for a fruitful life.
       A.  Faith, hope, and love [Col. 1:3–8]
       B.  Spiritual growth rooted in saving grace [Col. 1:9–14]
       C.  Reconciled to God through Christ [Col. 1:15–23]
       D.  Paul’s example [Col. 1:24–2:3]

2.  Colossians arms us against self-appointed spiritual umpires.
       A.  Warning against deluded arguments [Col. 2:4–5, 8, 16–23]
              1)  Adherence to Old Testament laws & celebrations [Col. 2:16–17]
              2)  Angelic worship and revelations [Col. 2:18–19]
              3)  Ascetic practices and regulations [Col. 2:20–23]
       B.  Resources in Christ [Col. 2:6–7, 9–15]
              1)  Full presence of God [Col. 2:9–10]
              2)  Full new life [Col. 2:11–12]
              3)  Full removal of our sins [Col. 2:13–14]
              4)  Full triumph over Satan [Col. 2:15]

3.  Colossians shows how union with Christ shapes all of life.
       A.  Changed radically [Col. 3:1–4]
       B.  Contested rigorously [Col. 3:5–11]
       C.  Conducted relationally [Col. 3:12–4:6]
              1)  In the church [Col. 3:12–17]
              2)  In the home [Col. 3:18–21]
              3)  In the workplace [Col. 3:22–4:1]
              4)  In everyplace [Col. 4:2–6]

4.  Colossians motivates us for mission with prayer and partnership.
       A.  Thanksgiving [Col. 13, 12; 2:6–7; 3:16–17; 4:2]
       B.  Teammates [Col. 4:3–4, 7–18]