Colossians 1:9-20 Notes

Chapter 1:9-20

 

A1 Scripture

B1 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. (Colossians 1:9-20, NKJV)

B2 For this reason we have always prayed for you, ever since we heard about you. We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him. Your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and you will grow in your knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength which comes from his glorious power, so that you may be able to endure everything with patience. And with joy give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to have your share of what God has reserved for his people in the kingdom of light. --- He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear Son, by whom we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place. He is the head of his body, the church; he is the source of the body's life. He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things. For it was by God's own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God. Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven. (Colossians 1:9-20, GNB92)

 

A2 Outline: The Preeminence of Christ

B1 Paul's Prayer for the Colossians' Christian Life Colossians 1:9-14

C1 Continual Prayer

D1 For them to be filled with knowledge of His will

E1 In wisdom

E2 In spiritual understanding

E2 To walk (live the Christian life)

E1 Walk worthily

E2 Fully pleasing Him

E3 Fruitful in every good work

E4 Increasing in the knowledge about God

E5 Strengthened with all power

F1 That comes from God

F2 For patience

F3 For longsuffering with joy

C2 Giving thanks to the Father who

D1 Has qualified us to be partakers of the saint's inheritance

D2 Has delivered us from the power of darkness

D3 Has conveyed us into His Son's kingdom. The Son has given us

E1 Redemption

E2 The forgiveness of sins

B2 The Preeminence of Christ Colossians 1:15-20

C1 He is

D1 The image of the invisible God

D2 The firstborn over all creation

C2 He has

D1 Created all things

E1 In heaven

E2 On earth

E3 Visible or invisible

E4 Ranks/levels

F1 Thrones

F2 Dominions

F3 Principalities

F4 Powers

C3 All things were created through Him and for Him

C4 He is before all things

C5 All things consist in Him

C6 He is the head of the body (the church)

C7 He is the beginning

C8 He is the firstborn from the dead

C9 He has the preeminence in and over everything

C10 He has all the fullness of God

C11 He is the only Savior, the Reconciler

D1 Of things in heaven

D2 Of things on earth

D3 Made peace by/through the blood of the Cross

 

A3 Notes

B1 The idea of always praying does not mean they pray 24/7/365 as if there is nothing else to do. It is a prayer life day by day whether in a scheduled prayer time or when he thinks about them.

B2 The knowledge of His will refers to knowing God's will.

C1 What God's will is. How to apply this knowledge.

C2 This can only be done by studying the Bible.

C3 The word knowledge here refers to not just knowing by rote but in knowing the ins and outs, the principles, and the application.

B3 The knowledge of His will.

C1 Knowledge of what His will is.

C2 Two possibilities

D1 To be wise and have spiritual understanding, thus how to apply God's will in whatever situation we face and to do this with wisdom and spiritual understanding.

D2 To handle this knowledge with wisdom and spiritual understanding.

B4 Wisdom is taking knowledge and using it correctly in any situation.

B5 Understanding is knowing the ins and outs of something.

C1 I can know that a certain medicine is used for an illness, but understanding would be to know why and how it works.

C2 Spiritual understanding would be the highest as in why does God offer salvation to humans, what God is against covertness.

B6 The whole purpose of knowing God's will in wisdom and spiritual understanding is to live a Christian life in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds. It would also include the correct motive.

B7 Walk worthy of the Lord means life my life in such a way that God would be pleased.

B8 Fully pleasing is God is pleased. No one can do this, of course, except the Lord Jesus himself. (Matthew 3:17).

B9 Being fruitful in every good work.

C1 The result/s of our life, what we do, what we say, and what we think.

C2 Fruitful relates to the fruit of the Spirit, not material success. (Ephesians 5:9 and Galatians 5:22-23).

C3 Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches that bear fruit. (John 15:5)

C4 God prunes the branches so more fruit can be produced. (John 15:2)

B10 Increasing in the knowledge of God.

C1 Know more about how He thinks, does, and is.

C2 Characteristics of God.

B11 Strengthened with all might. God helps us to achieve the above. He is the one who works these things into our lives. (John 15:4-5)

B12 Patience and longsuffering. The Christian life is filled with many perils whether they are spiritual, emotional, or physical.

C1 These perils are solely because one is a Christian.

C2 We all stumble and need to realize others stumble as well.

C3 For this we need prayer and forgiveness.

C4 We need to know that God does have a standard and need to encourage each to follow this standard. C5 A particular group of people, church group, or whatever may have a standard, but that is a church or personal standard, but we need to foremost know and follow God's standard.

B13 Joy is the emotion of peace and something pleasing that has happened. The Greek stands for cheerfulness. It is hard to imagine but with God's help we can endure longsuffering with joy.

B14 The Father is the one who qualifies us to be partakers of the inheritance of God's people. We do not qualify ourselves. Qualify is to be up to a set of standards.

B15 Partakers are those who have some action in common.

C1 A group of people can each have a piece of a pizza; they are partakers.

C2 In this case the partakers are those qualified by God to each partake in the saint's inheritance, which is heaven with all its blessings. (Matthew 25:34, Acts 26:18, 1 Peter 1:2-5)

B16 In the light is opposite of in darkness.

C1 Darkness is illustrative of sin and punishment.

C2 Light is illustrative of righteousness and heaven.

B17 He, God, has delivered us from the power of darkness to convey us to the kingdom of His Son.

C1 The power of darkness is sin and the devil's way. (Ephesians 6:12, 1 Peter 2:9)

C2 The deliverance was accomplished by ministry of Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 53:12, Acts 26:18, Hebrews 2:14)

C3 Conveying is the idea of carrying from one to another.

D1 The Greek word has the idea of transfer.

D2 We are transferred from being slaves to the devil, sin, and death, so being bond-slaves of God, righteousness, and life. (Titus 3:3-6)

B18 Redemption is a buying back.

C1 We have been sold to sin by birth and deeds and redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

C2 Jesus died.

C3 His blood was the atoning sacrifice for sins.

C4 No shed blood, no redemption.

C5 The wages of sin is death.

C6 Someone has to pay this debt.

C7 We cannot, so the Lord Jesus did.

C8 Sins are forgiven, because the debt, death, has been paid.

B19 Some things about the Lord Jesus

C1 Image of the invisible God. Through our various senses we connect to the world around us. God is not material so we cannot connect physically to Him. Jesus is God in the flesh which could be. (1 John 1:1)

C2 Firstborn. This is the position of special privileges. Jesus is not the first created but the creator who is the authority over everything created.

C3 The creator of everything. Jesus was not created but the creator.

C4 Jesus is the creator of everything in heaven--the angels, and everything on earth.

C5 Thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers. Most believe these to be angelic orders, ranks, positions of authority and privilege.

C6 Everything was created for Him. For His pleasure, enjoyment, and fellowship.

C7 Consist has the idea of holding together. Because of the physical laws of today's universe things run down. He is the one who holds all together. (Hebrews 1:3)

C8 Head of the body. The body is the church. The church are the believers who have placed their faith into Jesus Christ by believing in what He has done and who He is. The Epistle to the Ephesians speaks much about this. He is the Lord, the boss. He is the highest position and power.

C9 The firstborn from the dead is the fact that Jesus was the first to be resurrected who will never die again. The other resurrections died again.

C10 All these things about Christ show that He is the highest of everything and everyone.

C11 All the fullness. That is Jesus, the man, is Jesus, the Son of God--God himself.

C12 There is no reconciliation between God and man except through Jesus. No religious leader, nothing a person can do, no ritual, no assistance from us. It is Christ and only Christ--Jesus is the only Christ (Messiah). This was done because Jesus paid the penalty for sin by dying and the shedding of His blood.