Jesus: King and Conqueror, part 1

Jesus: King and Conqueror, part 1

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our weekly gathering for worship. We know that the Lord is present when we come together, and we know his Holy Spirit lives with us and helps us become more and more like Jesus every day. That’s exciting, and those are just two of many reasons I always look forward to being together with you all on Sundays.

I’m also excited this morning to start a new series that will come from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae. Paul wrote this letter around the year AD 62 while he was imprisoned in Rome. You might think a letter from prison would be pretty heavy and maybe even a little depressing, but Colossians is anything but that. This little letter is full of joy, because Paul presents Jesus as the King and Conqueror who has saved us and who continues to protect and bless us all our lives. Again, he was in prison when he wrote these things!

My hope is that spending time together in Colossians will help us as we continue to align our lives with the mission of God, because each week we’ll have the opportunity to focus on the preeminence of Christ and the ways his lordship makes our lives more livable.  That focus and alignment are part of how we live with endurance, patience, and joy—as Paul says in Col 1:11. So, I’m glad you’re here, and I pray that God blesses us this morning as we praise him.

— Patrick Barber, Jesus: King and Conqueror, part 1

Digging deeper:

1. What are some of the things Paul includes in his prayers for the Christians in Colossae (Col 1:3-14)?
2. Why is it important to be “filled with the knowledge of [the Lord’s] will” (Col 1:9)?
3. Paul prays that they will have “endurance and patience with joy” (Col 1:11).  How do you find joy if you’re going through things that require endurance and patience?
4. Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter to the Colossians. How might his example have helped the Colossian believers remain faithful under pressure?
5. Of the many things Paul prayed for, which do you need most in your life right now? Why?