A Letter for Then and Now, Part 2

Heresy is not the invention of today's generation factor New Testament is riddled with stories about religious leaders who strayed from proper theology just like today.

Churches were tempted to modify their theology in order to suit their own preferences.

Heresies like legalism, mysticism and piety today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll's teaching from Colossians chapter 1 in a brand-new teaching series called Jesus Christ are all in all, Chuck titled this first message in the series a letter for then and now begin with your father for the privilege of serving you for naming you as our God. We live in a world it's lost its way and there are many this day though they don't look like it who are awash to go to bed at night struggling with guilt and shame and disappointment in their lives not knowing why life is unfolding as it should. So many are fearful as they're getting older, of dying and not knowing much about where they will be going and therefore were in world of hurt and we who know Christ are so blessed to have answers that relate to peace of heart, freedom from fear and absence of panic and knowledge of the future and the joy of obedience.

Thank you for accepting us just as we are, and I pray for those who have never met the Savior before they leave. They will have begun a relationship will carry them through the rest of their lives's. Thank you. Our father for this opportunity to call you.

Our father in the name of Jesus. Yes, it's everybody said amen. Listening to search the Scriptures Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to inside world.board/studies.

Another message from Chuck called a letter for then and now he begins with a warm greeting.

I love to yell at him at the very start concerned about it but he greets them in a gracious way the letters from Paul even tells us the recipients on writing verse two to the city Christians in the city of Colossae.

Your faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, gracious of him to start like that in many levels, and with this wonderful blessing. May God our father give you grace Congress and peace shall I love the way he starts to let you know why because it is so warm and gracious, put his hands on his hips and say now that I have your attention because of what this nonsense are involved in. I just heard about it from ever pressing him come up to here with it that helps nobody. He starts by saying you faithful friends and Colossae set apart to God's glory. May you know his grace and his peace. Since we are brothers and sisters in the same family we have Christ in common with each other by the way, in our fast-paced world. It's easy to miss a gracious opening. We got an agenda we want to get to the point and so our emails start with Joe concerned about so and so how about HO how are you thinking about you lately man of her times are tough and praying for you. I care about you.

In fact, you realize Joe gods prepare you for something great. Gracious, we can learn a lesson from the way Paul begins a letter we could all do better with a little warm.

Great to have as your opening line.

Let me encourage you with something and then tell him as you been thinking of them even praying for. In fact, that's exactly what Paul does his commitment to prayer in verse three we always pray for you that amazing yet even though the you can pray for people you don't know you see them on the television you see them in the workplace. You see them in the church also praying for the Colossians in the I'm not sure he could name many of unless ever pressing introduce secondhand since we always are praying for you. We give thanks to God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ encourage you to open your conversation with something like that. I really give thanks for you I'm really grateful, really grateful for you.

Just so disarming Japan ready you marked three words you go for what did he pray verse four we have heard of your faith, Mark your faith, we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus. And now Marcus, your love for all God's people, which come from your is your confident hope your faith, your love your hope is you might think is you are hearing this, Chuck.

How did you see that well. I read and this one a benefits of reading several times.

I didn't see it the first time through a marketing yellow so I wouldn't miss it the next time. But when I read it the second, third, fourth time I began to see who faith. That's the foundation of their salvation by grace you have been saved through faith, not of yourselves is the gift of God, lest anyone should boast not of works, and as a result of having faith in the Lord Jesus. Your heart is warmed and massage to love God's people. One. The great benefits of coming to know Christ is what it does. Your response to others are not as critical. You're not as negative. You don't answer out loud, but haven't you been in settings where every time a name is mention somebody says something bad about what an unhappy city when faith is at work in your life. It it affects your love for those folks really use the word love Paul I love you with France. I really praying for them. He says I'm praying for your confident hope or about your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. These were people who anticipated the great future that, by the way, is another wonderful benefit of knowing Christ. You have a future. You have a future.

Not long ago simply was not feeling well at all and we, the result was we took her to the hospital and we admitted her and thankfully there was nothing really that seriously wrong or relieved to know that but we were there for three days and gave me a chance to walk along the hallway of the hospital could have been in the hospital but happened to be this one and I decided I would just every once in a while and I saw the hollow eyes of heart broken people.

I wondered how many of them feared the end of the road there hopeless there hopeless when you know Christ you don't fear the end and reveals what it's all been about. That's for there will be rewards.

That's where there will be a whole.

That's where there will be eternal blessings. No more tears, no more sadness no more sorrow no more death no more disease, no more disability future Paul when he prays for these people of Colossae remembers that they are people confident in their hope.

In fact he says in the last part of the Senate or the lesson is you have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the good news treat part of the package deal. If you let me use those words. Part of the package you get when you trust Christ is you get a hold resume ever had before.

You have the assurance why would you attend the memorial service of a believer surrounded by a family of believers. You will hear wailing you hear tears will feel the grief of the loss, but all of us there that memorial service know this is the end that this this is the beginning of what life is all about.

In Christ, and gives you confidence to live this life now was to address the good news before he finishes his opening so let's do that.

The same good news came to you that came to you is going out all over the world. Let me point something out. You may have missed were not born knowing the good news were ignorant of the good news getting older doesn't mean we get it, someone has to tell it is why Paul said to the Romans. In chapter 10. How will they know without someone to tell them someone told you the good news. My mother and dad told me mainly my mother told me the good news from the earliest years growing up we had faithful preachers who declared the good news. I didn't have it when I was raising a family that that love God, I wasn't born with it. Your children are not automatically equipped, they don't get it by osmosis. Because you believe there part of the belief system. No no no, each one of us must have the good news brought to us by someone something good brought the good news to throw a little extra here. It's kind of nice if you just write them a note and say thank you, thank you for introducing me to the most significant person I've ever known in my life. Thank you for telling me. Thank you for the good news.

The same good music came to you is going on not having the Colossians know about the good news they were born knowing about it in the little village of Colossae in the middle of Turkey. How would they know verse seven okay you learned about the good news from Apple press. Our brother, our beloved coworker not. I know that I read this, so I'm not sitting in my study and got goes. It was from Apple press doesn't happen like that. My desk is just like your dad little messier than yours is quite likely I have a Selectric typewriter love it and it's all part of the that this system of my study, but I have to read. I read it out loud.

I read it over and over and over it and I come across.

They learned about the good news from France great. Now you know when this is the good news. Verse six that came to you. It came from that part I think Emperor Francis the pastor probably began being an evangelist in the city of Colossae and they heard the good news that Christ died for their sins and was raised from the dead and they believed it and Paul said I log that you have believed that you have had the faith to trust in Christ Emperor Francis the one who brought it to the please notice we don't get it to keep it we get it to Sharon. See verse six. The good news that came to you is going out all over the world. I love that you heard it from this man. You're not growing in it. But you know what's wonderful you don't keep it. You don't keep it here in the desert and you happen to find out an oasis of water you got other people in the group that are all spread out there starving for a drink. You don't say hey Bill just don't say anything about the water is just between you and me. Okay this is for us. You go here as it always is there.

I'll come over there and you tell them about it because you're going to share the good news. That's the way it is with Christ. I it's a wonderful thing to be able in daily easy flowing conversation to talk to someone about faith in Christ. Some of you haven't done that in years, maybe never said to Shane you I say it to exhort you you you got the good news. Thanks to somebody really said talk to the guy that works on your lawn about this because it was somebody. This put gas in their tank the same station you see them regularly. Doors open babysit on an airplane now Medicare okay nobody wants to get blasted by the local self-appointed evangelist or good you're sitting there I got a Bible I want to read to you and you will sit and listen to the message of the gospel. Please be gracious.

There are number of ways open the door for this and you obviously a prepress method was very effective. In fact, please observe not only is the gospel bearing fruit everywhere. Look at the rest of the verse. It's changing lives just as it changed your life's from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful so it's one of the greatest things about Christianity.

Your life's changed.

The changes you clean up your talk you clean up your thoughts, you get more unselfish, you really feel compassion for people in need, you're not as suspicious or negative or pessimistic. It's wonderful grace that's come to you or seven you learned about it from Apple press he's Christ faithful servant. He's helping us on your behalf going all about them. He is told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit is given you how magnificent we when you embrace the good news you embrace the truth and do something this world is short on its truth fact were so politically correct nowadays that you you don't dare put a definite article in from the word truth less you look like your dogmatic error Jesus and I am the way, the truth, the light right surety to be afraid of that will be afraid of calling him the way through life Colossians of your life turned around because you gotten hold true James Russell Lowell put it this way in his piece titled the present crisis, dated 1844. Though the cause of evil prosper yet to his truth alone is strong truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne. Love that line yet that scaffold sways the future and beyond the DM unknown stand of God within the shadows, keeping watch above is great truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne. So quit fussing about the role of the throat cut. Do your work on the scaffold Sherry of Christ don't give you three tips for absorbing and applying this letter okay right quick. Number one. Read the letter repeatedly.

I invite you to read it at least once a week during this 10 week. Okay that's all get on board on this.

Get yourself a Bible or New Testament find Colossians put a little ribbon there marker there and read it through your school right through these 95 verses you can read it in about 12 minutes you read slower about 20 minutes if you want to read aloud I suggest that as well but reading through at least once a week but I was at seminary, one of the men who impacted my life was a guest Bible lecturer named Dr. John Mitchell from Scotland in a wonderful way of rolling his arm usually would say your Bible reading your Bible so I can read my Bible my God will with him one time in the city of Dr. Mitchell got to tell you, you know the Bible better than anybody ever known the truck. I know it because I deleted and how to read it repeatedly. Repeatedly I practice that repeatedly not been Scott Regan repeatedly that have already read this yet. I know it okay or read it again because you missed a whole lot like a great movie.

You see it you think we need to see this again you see it again you go with that. In the first time I saw it will even see it you'll see things and there was a serrated repeatedly.

Second, discuss its contents frequently. Okay, that's what people who were doing the project with you. Maybe your mate, married partner, it may be a close friend may be a small group, you may want to do this in the group that we wonderful but discuss the contents repeatedly frequently go back over the years.

The third and I think it is the most important of the three accept its warnings and exhortations personally accept its warnings and X and X and exhortations personally. We got time for this. We do okay, Paul David Tripp wrote a book called dangerous calling. You need to read that book. If you're anywhere near ministry to others.

You need to read dangerous calling by Paul David Tripp unit.

He says this when the word of God is faithful. He taught and empowered by the spirit of God people become different. Put your name in place of people truck becomes different simply becomes different. Dick becomes different surely becomes different lusting people become pure fearful people become courageous thieves become givers demanding people become servants angry people become peacemakers complainers become thankful and idolaters come to joyfully worship the one true God the ultimate purpose of the word of God is not theological information but heart and life transformation get that down get it fixed in your mind. My goal in teaching Colossians is not to make you theologically astute.

You may gain a knowledge of theology and that's correct. That's not the goal is to have you experience your heart being transformed biblical literacy and theological expertise. He continues are not there for the end of the word, but a God ordained means to an end and the end is a radically transformed life because the worship at the center of that life has been weekly. I promise you, you get serious about your intake of the Scriptures you will not be the same person. 10 weeks from now you will be and people will notice.

Please don't call attention to any of the trait you would your string because you learn the truth to live by that will transform your life more. Thank you for your word that lives and abides forever, and it never returns empty.

May this letter become a love letter to us, may we join the church at Colossae. May we realize that these statements are written to us, that we through the patient comforting truth of the Scriptures gleaned home. The reason to go one may we become stable, confident, assured of the true issue teach it to us in your letter to set apart the time we've had in a very special way each of our lives in the name of Jesus praying everybody's name is at Insight for living or grateful to have access to decades expositional Bible teaching, the kind that guides this verse by verse through books of the Bible and to learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insightworld.org what you're listening to right now is a brand-new teaching series through Paul's New Testament letter to the Colossians never before shared on this program. Chuck Swindoll titled his first message in this 10 part series a letter for then and now as we begin this study appointed the two excellent resources using your learning begins by listening to these daily programs. But it needn't end there. Insight for living has developed an interactive study tool. The truck calls searching the Scriptures, and there's a sequence of study notes prepared for every sermon you'll hear in this Colossians series, including the message you heard today. Take a look and discover what's available to you by going to Insight.org/studies now if it's a book you're looking for that I'm please remind you Chuck wrote a living insights commentary on Colossians.

This book, which also includes his commentary on Philippians and Philemon belongs in your library is laid out in a format that's clear, easy to understand and provides historical background so that you understand the context of Paul's letter plus is written in the engaging style. This become a hallmark of Chuck's teaching to purchase a copy of the commentary on Colossians go to Insight.org/offer or call us if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 we rely on your support to make these daily Bible studies with possible it's been a while since you responded to the need or if you've never step forward contribution.

We invite you to give a donation today online Insight.org or if it's easier just give us a call listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8880.continues. Brand-new study and Paul's letter to the Colossians tomorrow on Insight for living. The preceding message letter for then and now was copyrighted in 2014 and 2022 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by Charles R.

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