Ephesians / Colossians

Introduction: The Panoramic View of Redemption

Well, church, it is good to see you again this week. I am glad you are with us. Do me a favor: we have some work to do today, so turn in your Bibles to Ephesians. That is where we are going to start. While you are turning there, go ahead and hold your place in Colossians, because we are going to tackle two books today. Simple task, no big deal!

This comes right on the heels of last week, when we looked at the book of Romans. Brad walked through and showed us Paul’s work in demonstrating the robust nature of the gospel—the power of God to save undeserving sinners, to pour out His immense grace, and to call us to live a life by faith from beginning to end.

What we are going to see this week in Ephesians and Colossians is the apostle Paul addressing some of those same themes, but backing up a bit. In these two letters, we get a panoramic view of God’s redemptive work. Through this wide-angle, holistic lens of God’s plan for the ages, we see the person and work of Jesus Christ with absolute clarity. Paul writes to exalt what we call the supremacy and the sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

Now, when you hear words like supremacy and sufficiency, they might sound like heavy seminary vocabulary. But the reality is, they represent concepts we are already very familiar with. The idea of supremacy comes from the word supreme—meaning that someone or something is higher in rank, greater in power, and better than anything else. There is nothing that can contend with it.

I remember the greatest debate we ever had as third graders was who was more supreme: Batman or Superman? It is a debate that still goes on today. But listen, it is a total no-brainer. Superman would work Batman over every single day of the week. No guy in his Underoos with a utility belt is going to conquer heated laser eyes. The Dark Knight cannot conquer the Man of Steel. Superman dominates that debate; he is supreme. In the very same way, Paul shows us that Jesus Christ is supreme over all creation. No power can contend with Him; He is higher, more sovereign, and greater than all.

Then you have the word sufficiency. When something is sufficient, it means it is enough. It is completely adequate, fully satisfying, and meets every single need so that you require nothing else. I will never forget when I got my first iPhone. I thought to myself, This device is completely sufficient. I could pull up a map, check my email, and browse the internet. I was pretty sure if I dug deep enough into the settings, I could get it to cook a hot meal for me. It had everything all in one device—that is, until this past week when I stepped out of my car, dropped it on the concrete, and smashed it to pieces. Now it is completely insufficient; everything is distorted!

In our culture, we constantly pick things or people and try to make them our sufficiency, looking to them to satisfy us completely. What Paul does in Ephesians and Colossians is exalt Jesus Christ to show that there is nothing more sufficient for your salvation and your entire life than the Savior.

The Context of the Prison Epistles

These two letters belong to a group of four books known as the Prison Epistles: Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. A couple of weeks back, Dr. Rick Taylor walked us through the end of the book of Acts. We saw that after Paul’s third missionary journey, he was arrested in Jerusalem. As a Roman citizen, Paul appealed his case to Caesar. After a harrowing voyage and a shipwreck, he arrived in Rome, where he was placed under house arrest for roughly two years while awaiting trial.

During those two years of imprisonment, Paul penned these four letters. Next week we will cover Philippians and Philemon, but today we are looking at Ephesians and Colossians. These two books are incredible parallels. In fact, out of the 155 verses in Ephesians, 78 of them have direct, nearly identical parallels in Colossians. Paul wrote them around the same time from prison, addressing similar core truths from two distinct vantage points.

Let’s start with Ephesians. You may remember the city of Ephesus from Paul’s missionary journeys. In Acts 19, we get a vivid picture of the city—a cultural center steeped in pagan worship, magic, and the occult, anchored by the massive Temple of Artemis, one of the wonders of the ancient world. When Paul preached the gospel there, droves of people came to faith.

Acts 19 (NASB)

1. It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2. He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they [said] to him, ‘No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ 3. And he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ And they said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ 4. Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ 5. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they [began] speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7. There were in all about twelve men. 8. And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading [them] about the kingdom of God. 9. But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10. This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. 11. God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12. so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. 13. But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, ‘I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ 14. Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, ‘I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ 16. And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. 18. Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19. And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and [began] burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20. So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing. 21. Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, ‘After I have been there, I must also see Rome.’ 22. And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. 23. About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. 24. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; 25. these he gathered together with the workmen of similar [trades], and said, ’Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. 26. ’You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods [at all]. 27. ‘Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.’ 28. When they heard [this] and were filled with rage, they [began] crying out, saying, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ 29. The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. 30. And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. 31. Also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater. 32. So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together. 33. Some of the crowd concluded [it was] Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. 34. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a [single] outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ 35. After quieting the crowd, the town clerk said, ’Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the [image] which fell down from heaven? 36. ’So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. 37. ’For you have brought these men [here] who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38. ’So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are [available]; let them bring charges against one another. 39. ’But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly. 40. ‘For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no [real] cause [for it], and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.’ 41. After saying this he dismissed the assembly.

In a powerful display of repentance, former sorcerers brought their expensive spellbooks and occult materials to the center of the city and burned them publicly. Once they found Christ, they realized He is supreme and sufficient, making their old idols completely worthless. That transformation caused a riot among the local craftsmen whose idol-making business dried up. A church was planted, and Paul would later send young Timothy there to pastor the flock.

Decades later, in Revelation 2, Jesus commends the Ephesian church for their doctrinal tenacity and hard work, yet rebukes them because they had abandoned their first love.

Revelation 2 (NASB)

1. ’To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 2. ’I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them [to be] false; 3. and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4. ’But I have [this] against you, that you have left your first love. 5. ’Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place– unless you repent. 6. ’Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’ 8. ’And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: 9. ’I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10. ’Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’ 12. ’And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: 13. ’I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14. ’But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit [acts of] immorality. 15. ’So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16. ’Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. 17. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give [some] of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’ 18. ’And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: 19. ’I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 20. ’But I have [this] against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit [acts of] immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21. ’I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 22. ’Behold, I will throw her on a bed [of sickness], and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23. ’And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24. ’But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them– I place no other burden on you. 25. ’Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 26. ’He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 27. AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received [authority] from My Father; 28. and I will give him the morning star. 29. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Paul’s letter was likely a circular letter meant to travel around Ephesus and the surrounding region of Asia Minor, lifting their eyes to the grandeur of salvation and the supremacy of Christ.

Ephesians divides cleanly into two halves: the first three chapters are deeply doctrinal, focusing on who Christ is and what He has done; the last three chapters are intensely practical, detailing how we must live in response to that salvation.

Ephesians 1–3: A Trinitarian and Testimonial Gospel

In Ephesians 1, Paul unveils a magnificent Trinitarian view of our salvation.

First, in verses 3 through 6, we see that we are chosen by the Father. Before the foundations of the world were laid, God set His love upon us and predestined us for adoption as His sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, to the praise of His glorious grace.

Ephesians 1:3-6 (NASB)

Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Second, in verses 7 through 10, we see that we are redeemed by the Son. The vehicle of our redemption is the shed blood of Jesus. Through His sacrifice on the cross, our trespasses are forgiven according to the riches of God’s grace.

Ephesians 1:7-10 (NASB)

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, [that is], the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him

Third, in verses 11 through 14, we see that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. When you believed the gospel, you were marked with the promised Holy Spirit, who guarantees our inheritance until we acquire full possession of it. Your salvation is secure in Him.

Ephesians 1:11-14 (NASB)

also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation– having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of [God’s own] possession, to the praise of His glory.

Within this opening chapter, Paul identifies ten realities that define who you are in Christ: you are blessed, chosen, holy and blameless, loved, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, united, heirs, and sealed. That is your true identity. And why did God do all this? Verses 6, 12, and 14 tell us: for the praise of His glorious grace. It is all designed to show that Jesus Christ is the supreme treasure of the universe.

In chapter 2, Paul transitions from the cosmic, Trinitarian view to our personal testimony. Verses 1 through 3 describe who we were apart from Christ: dead in our trespasses and sins, following the course of this world, enslaved to our flesh, and by nature children of wrath.

Ephesians 2:1-3 (NASB)

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

That was your spiritual reality, whether you came to faith at age forty or age four. We were dead in the water. But then come what Martyn Lloyd-Jones called the two greatest words in all of Scripture: “But God.”

Ephesians 2:4-10 (NASB)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Right when we were helpless, God, being rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ. It is by grace you have been saved through faith, not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. It is Christ alone. Not Christ plus church attendance, not Christ plus morality, not Christ plus family background. As Tullian Tchividjian once wrote, “Christ plus nothing equals everything; Christ plus anything equals nothing.”

From verse 11 through chapter 3, Paul explains the corporate reality of this gospel: Christ has torn down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, creating one new family in the church.

Ephesians 2:19 (NASB)

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,

The gospel levels the playing field. Our unity is not built on race, nationality, socioeconomic status, or politics; it is built on the blood of Jesus.

Whenever I travel overseas, my American identity stands out. I could be in the jungles of Thailand, see another American, and immediately strike up a conversation: “Hey, where are you from? Wisconsin? Awesome! USA!” There is an instant bond simply because of a shared homeland. How much more should that be true in the church of Jesus Christ? When we gather, we look at brothers and sisters from every walk of life and say, “You were bought by the blood of Christ, and so was I. We are in this together.”

Jesus prayed in John 17 that our love and unity would testify to the world that the Father sent the Son.

John 17 (NASB)

1. Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ’Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2. even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3. ’This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4. ’I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5. ’Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. 6. ’I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7. ’Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 8. for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received [them] and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 9. ’I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 10. and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11. ’I am no longer in the world; and [yet] they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, [the name] which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We [are]. 12. ’While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. 13. ’But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. 14. ’I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. ’I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil [one]. 16. ’They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17. ’Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18. ’As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19. ’For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. 20. ’I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21. that they may all be one; even as You, Father, [are] in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22. ’The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23. I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. 24. ’Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25. ‘O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; 26. and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.’

Ephesians 4–6: Walking Worthy of Our Calling

Because chapters 1 through 3 are true, Paul pivots in chapter 4 to the practical outworking of our faith.

Ephesians 4:1 (NASB)

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

Like newborn infants who must learn how to walk, believers must learn to walk in light of the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ. Paul highlights three primary arenas for this walk: the church, the home, and the world.

In chapter 4, regarding the church, we are called to walk in unity, purity, and love, using our spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ.

In chapter 5 through the first part of chapter 6, regarding the home, Paul calls us to walk in holiness and mutual submission out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:21 (NASB)

and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

When Christ is your sufficiency, you are transformed from a self-serving person into a self-giving person. Paul applies this to husbands and wives, parents and children, and masters and servants. In every relationship, we lay down our preferences to serve the other, displaying Christ’s love.

Finally, in chapter 6, regarding the world, Paul instructs us to put on the whole armor of God so we can stand firm against the spiritual forces of darkness.

Ephesians 6:10-20 (NASB)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil [one]. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and [pray] on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in [proclaiming] it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Ephesians shows us that a high view of the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ necessarily leads to heartfelt obedience and sacrificial love.

Colossians: The Cosmic Preeminence of Christ

Now turn over to Colossians. The church in Colossae was planted by Epaphras, who heard the gospel under Paul’s ministry in Ephesus and carried it back to his hometown.

While Ephesians focuses on the supremacy of Christ in the church, Colossians focuses on the supremacy of Christ over the cosmic world and against every false philosophy. False teachers had infiltrated Colossae, claiming that Jesus was a good starting point, but not sufficient. They insisted believers needed ascetic practices—harsh treatment of the body, dietary restrictions—along with mystical visions and the worship of angels to achieve true spiritual protection and fullness. It was an ancient version of modern eclectic spirituality.

Paul writes to crush those lies and declare that Jesus is completely sufficient. Look at how he describes Christ in chapter 1:

Colossians 1:15-18 (NASB)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Paul declares that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the creator and sustainer of all things visible and invisible. He holds the entire universe together, and He is preeminent over everything.

Are you comforted by that truth? No matter what the Hubble telescope discovers in the far reaches of space, no matter what diagnosis you receive from your doctor, and no matter what trial you face this week, we serve a Savior who reigns sovereign over all of it.

And to think that this sovereign Lord of creation is mindful of you! In Colossians 1:21–29, Paul marvels that this cosmic King entered our brokenness to reconcile us through His death.

Colossians 1:21-29 (NASB)

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, [engaged] in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach– if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. Of [this church] I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the [preaching of] the word of God, [that is], the mystery which has been hidden from the [past] ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

Therefore, Paul warns the church in chapter 2 to stay anchored:

Colossians 2:8 (NASB)

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

Do not let human philosophy or spiritual fads diminish Christ in your eyes. On the cross and in His resurrection, Jesus disarmed every spiritual power and triumphed over them openly.

Colossians 2:15 (NASB)

When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

In chapters 3 and 4, Paul shows how this reality transforms our everyday lives: putting on compassionate hearts, walking in purity, honoring Christ in our marriages and families, and working faithfully for the Lord.

Colossians 3:1-21 (NASB)

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, [and] abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its [evil] practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him– [a renewal] in which there is no [distinction between] Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things [put on] love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms [and] hymns [and] spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.

Colossians 4:2-6 (NASB)

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with [an attitude of] thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, [as though] seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

Doctrine Before Practice: Christ as Our Ultimate Treasure

Our pragmatic Western culture loves the second half of these books. We constantly say, “Give me the practical steps! Teach me how to fix my marriage, fix my kids, or fix my boss!”

There have been far more books written and sermons preached on the practical commands of Ephesians and Colossians than on the doctrinal foundations of the opening chapters. But you cannot successfully live out chapters 4 through 6 of Ephesians without first grasping chapters 1 through 3. You cannot live Colossians 3 and 4 without standing firmly on Colossians 1 and 2.

Doctrine fuels devotion. Indicatives drive imperatives. When we try to fix our marriages, parenting, or morality without making Christ supreme, we turn those good things into ultimate things. Martyn Lloyd-Jones noted that idolatry is taking a good thing and making it an ultimate thing.

When you put yourself, your career, or your family at the center of your universe and expect Jesus to orbit around you, your life will unravel. We make terrible gods. But when Jesus Christ is exalted as your supreme Lord and all-sufficient treasure, everything else finds its proper place.

May Jesus Christ be the center of our lives, the reason we gather, the reason we love, and the treasure we pursue above all else.

Let’s pray.

Father, we thank You for the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Thank You that You have given us an unchanging anchor in Him. Forgive us for the times we have treated Jesus like background wallpaper in our lives while chasing other treasures. We pray that You would open our eyes to the fullness of His glory. Make Christ our greatest joy and our deepest satisfaction, and let that truth transform how we live in our homes, our church, and our world. We pray all this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.