Colossians - BridgeWay Christian Church

01 - Introduction: The Supremacy Of Christ

February 17, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

Who exactly were the Colossians, and why does ACTS omit any reference to them on Paul's three missionary journeys? What were the circumstances that led to this apostolic treatise on the person, work, and nature of Jesus Christ? And what impact, if any, has this “Prison-Epistle” had on the Christian Church as a whole? To these questions, and more, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives cogent answers in this concise but critical sermon series.

02 - The Word Of Truth

March 3, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

Imagine writing a letter to a group of strangers—people with whom you’ve never before exchanged a handshake or seen face-to-face—to instruct them in their faith and to correct doctrinal errors. How do you think such a letter would be received? Far from intimidated, the apostle Paul was eager to do just that for the Colossians, convinced that he had the “Word of Truth” on his side. In this sermon series, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives exegetical insights as he unpacks Paul's treatise to the Colossians verse-by-verse.

03 - The Prayer Of Paul

March 10, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

How should believers pray for their fellow Christians? Paul does not leave us without an example. In his opening salvo to the Colossians, the apostle prays for his readers to grow in right theology (orthodoxy) so that they grow in right living (orthopraxy). But is it enough to pray for the "knowledge of God" and the "knowledge of his will" at the expense of application? To these questions, and more, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives cogent answers in this concise but critical sermon series.

04 - The Preeminence Of Christ

March 17, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

From his prayerful concern that the Colossians might walk in a manner fitting of their new life in Christ, the apostle Paul moves quickly into the main focus of this epistle—the exaltation and preeminence of Christ. In fleshing out the person, work, and nature of Christ, Paul also exposes the detriment of espousing an incorrect view of the Savior. In this sermon series, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives exegetical insights as he unpacks Paul's treatise to the Colossians verse-by-verse.

05 - Reconciled In Christ

March 24, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

As believers who have been reconciled to God, do we embrace our true identities in Christ and grasp the royalty that is ours as adopted children? For many of us, I fear, the answer is only academic. We have allowed the accuser (Rev. 12:10) to throw our personal and private sins in our face, robbing us of our Christ-esteem. But Paul reminds us, by way of the Colossians, that this should not be! In this sermon series, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives exegetical insights as he unpacks Paul's treatise to the Colossians verse-by-verse.

06 - Paul's Apostolic Ministry

April 7, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

Flogged five teams. Shipwrecked four times. Beaten with rods three times. Stoned once and left for dead. Bitten by vipers. Harassed by his own countrymen. Threatened by the Gentiles. Such were the hardships of Paul during his three decades of missionary service. Paul suffered unlike any other apostle but not without good reason (Acts 9:16 cf. 2 Cor. 12:7-9). In this sermon series, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives exegetical insights as he unpacks Paul's treatise to the Colossians verse-by-verse.

07 - Hallmarks Of The Church

April 14, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

It's a popular thing these days to rail against the church of organized religion. Public scandals, tedious infighting, and moral failures among the clergy abound. However, while the visible church is not without spot or blemish, to be sure, the invisible church is pristine and perfect. So how can the local church, with all its failings, become more like the universal church in all its perfection? To this question, and more, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives cogent answers in this concise but critical sermon series.

08 - Peculiar Philosophies

April 21, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

It’s regrettable that abhorrent theology and rank heresy are familiar bedfellows to Christianity. In fact, most of the New Testament, to include COLOSSIANS, was written to counter deviant doctrine—chief among them being Gnosticism. This particular heresy plagued the Church unlike any other for the first three centuries of her existence. What did the Gnostics teach and how does Paul’s repudiation of them inform our theology today? In this sermon series, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives exegetical insights as he unpacks Paul's treatise to the Colossians verse-by-verse.

09 The Circumcision Of Christ

May 19, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

In accord with the Mosaic Law, circumcision was a physical rite performed by Jewish rabbis on every newborn boy. It identified a male with the covenant people. In the New Testament, however, the act of circumcision transcends gender, race, and ritual. It is a spiritual rite carried out by God in the heart of every believer. But what exactly does that mean? In this sermon series, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives exegetical insights as he unpacks Paul's treatise to the Colossians verse-by-verse.

10 - Legalism vs. Liberty

May 26, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

Sectarian formality or spiritual freedom—to which are believers bound? For the Gentile church in Colosse such a question was confounding. Jewish legalists had infiltrated the ranks of the Colossians and had convinced some that kowtowing to Jewish ritualism was a necessary means for earning God’s favor and, thus, achieving true spirituality. Did the apostle Paul agree? In this sermon series, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives exegetical insights as he unpacks Paul's treatise to the Colossians verse-by-verse.

11 - Conduct In Christ (Part 1)

June 2, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

Do people’s beliefs dictate their behavior? Does what we know inform what we do? According to the New Testament, the answer is “Yes!” In fact, Scripture is unmistakably clear that correct doctrine inevitably leads to correct conduct. Having already delineated the doctrine of Christ in Colossians 1-2, Paul transitions in chapters 34 by spelling out its application in the life of a believer. In this sermon series, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives exegetical insights as he unpacks Paul's treatise to the Colossians verse-by-verse.

12 - Conduct In Christ (Part 2)

June 9, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

If salvation is by faith alone in God’s grace alone, apart from human commendation (cf. Eph. 2:8-10), to what extent, then, does God expect Christians to perform good works? Does He lower His standards for righteous living on account of our saving faith or does He in fact “raise the bar”? And if raised, how high is it exactly? To these questions, and more, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives cogent answers in this concise but critical sermon series.

13 - The Christian At Home

June 16, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

Submit. Love. Obey. For many, these words call to mind a believer’s responsibility to God. For others, they trigger feelings of inequality. Yet, to the apostle Paul, these are words that pertain to the nuclear family. They define a wife’s duties to her husband, a husband’s responsibility to his wife, and a child’s response to his parents. Do these words define your family? In this sermon series, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives exegetical insights as he unpacks Paul's treatise to the Colossians verse-by-verse.

14 - The Christian At Work

June 23, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

The Christian work ethic is an attitude of mind which regards working for a living as a virtuous duty (not necessarily a burden) mandated by God both before and after the Fall. To that end, the Christian employee is an ambassador for Christ in his workplace just as a Christian employer is as well. Neither is defined by the work they do inasmuch as by how they go about doing it. In this sermon series, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives exegetical insights as he unpacks Paul's treatise to the Colossians verse-by-verse.

15 - Christian Attitude & Actions

June 30, 2013 • Pastor Ronald H. Gann

“Watch and pray,” Jesus told his disciples in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:41). However, they promptly fell asleep. In fact, they neither watched nor prayed. Now, in Colossians 4:1-6, Christ gives us the same instructions through Paul. “Devote yourselves to prayer,” the apostle writes, “being watchful and thankful” (v.2). But do we? Are we any different than the sleepy disciples in Gethsemane? To these questions, and more, Pastor Ronald H. Gann gives cogent answers in this concise but critical sermon series.