Sermons

This passage is the message the apostle Paul sends by letter from prison in Rome, encouraging the believers and his co-workers in the church at Colossae. Even in his suffering and imprisonment, Paul stresses the role of believers who pray so that he may fulfil his mission of spreading the gospel, and urges believers to act wisely and purely in the world. In particular, he exhorts them to take on an attitude that is wise as serpents and harmless as doves, to protect themselves from spiritual attacks, and through the role of salt to show words and actions that bring life to the world.

The sermon points out that a believer's life must be consistent inside and outside the church, and warns that wrong behaviour can hold back the gospel. Believers must carry out their ministries humbly, devote themselves beginning with small things, and follow the wisdom and fullness God gives. It also explains that they must discern Satan's cunning, keep a pure faith without pride, and not miss the opportunities given to them, striving through good effort to gain a reward.

The sermon asks how believers should live wise and pure lives in the world so as to become instruments for saving souls. It also leads us to think about what we must prepare in order to carry out with reverent fear the ministry each of us has received in the Lord, overcome Satan's attacks and give glory to God.

Through the fig-leaf garments Adam and Eve wore after eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the garments of skin God clothed them with, this passage explains human sin and God's plan of salvation. It makes clear that what is made by human will is ultimately futile, and that only Christ's sacrifice on the cross becomes true forgiveness and a garment of righteousness.

Believers must put on this garment of righteousness and clothe themselves with compassion and kindness, humility and gentleness, and patience. Leaving behind the world's comparisons and pride, they should approach life with God at the centre and show thankfulness and endurance even in suffering. In the home especially, husbands must love their wives as Christ does, wives must serve their husbands as helping partners, and children must honour their parents.

The sermon asks what believers are clothed with as they live, looking not to people's eyes but to God's gaze, so that the peace of Christ may rule in their hearts.

This passage likens Jesus Christ to a humble, unsightly quince, and describes the spiritual fragrance he spread through the world by dying on the cross. God chooses believers, cuts them with the knife of suffering and preserves them as if packing them in sugar, so that they hold a deep fragrance within. But if believers mix with the world and rot, they give off a stench and people will not come near them, so it emphasises that they must be an example through right living.

The sermon points out that when believers pray with their eyes on earthly things, God answers using these as tools, but in the end they must be used for what is eternal. Many cry out, longing only for the things of the world that will rot away, but God waits to give something better and gives the time needed for growth. Because believers' citizenship is in heaven, they should treat earthly things as accessories and long for the things above; otherwise, it warns, they cannot escape judgment. It also says to take care not to fall into false asceticism or fleshly pleasure, and that a fierce spiritual battle is needed to put to death the members which are on the earth, such as covetousness and lying.

Believers must live holy lives as they wait for Christ's return, and devote themselves to forsaking the empty world and keeping hold of the things above. God desires salvation for all people without discrimination, and if believers live holy lives after the image of God, they will receive the blessing of salvation whatever their circumstances. The sermon urges that, if believers are to enjoy peace beside Christ when he returns on the last day, they must now, on this earth, drive back Satan's schemes with spiritual authority and live lives they need not be ashamed of. What are believers holding on to?

This passage deals with the apostle Paul's letter to the believers of the church in Colossae, warning them not to fall into legalism and false teaching. It points out the herd mentality of losing one's own convictions by being swept along by worldly trends or the opinions of others, and explains that this attitude becomes a weakness that easily exposes one to Satan's deceptions.

The key to telling the truth from imitations lies in the knowledge of Christ. Because Jesus stripped all the principalities and powers on the cross and completely fulfilled the demands of the Law, believers no longer need to be bound by shadows such as feast days or asceticism. But when human greed and pride combine, people readily agree with the words of false teachers who distort the truth of Scripture as they teach it.

What standard should believers set so that, believing in the freedom and victory they have already gained in Christ, they are not shaken by Satan's schemes?

This passage deals with the apostle Paul earnestly interceding for the believers of the church in Colossae even while imprisoned. Paul prayed that the believers he had never met in person would not be shaken by false teaching and heretical ideas, and that they would be truly united in Christ. This shows that it was not a mere religious ritual but an essential process for winning the spiritual battle and coming to understand Christ, the mystery of God.

The sermon emphasises that intercessory prayer is a powerful spiritual weapon that frustrates Satan's schemes and makes believers strong. Many believers easily think only their own prayers matter and regard praying for others as a waste of time, but in reality the heart and the very act of praying for brothers and sisters in the faith bring God great joy. In particular, a devoted attitude such as preparing prayer requests for intercessors and choosing gifts for them is not a formal duty but becomes a heartfelt offering and worship that God sees and accepts. Moreover, only with such united prayer and a firm understanding of the Word can the church be protected from the elements of the world and false truths.

Can believers realise anew the preciousness of their own prayers and of intercessory prayer, and set aside time to pray sincerely for their brothers and sisters?

This passage sheds deep light on the scene of Jesus' farewell to his disciples and the human psychology revealed in it. In particular, through the way Judas Iscariot, who looked after the money, saw Jesus' power yet over time was corrupted by complaining and pride and finally betrayed Jesus, it points out a trap into which people of faith easily fall. At first people are grateful, but as time passes they compare themselves with the answers others receive, and when their efforts do not lead to reward, they commit the sin of judging God.

The sermon warns that such judgment ultimately results in the soul falling into hell, and emphasises how dangerous it is to put one's own righteousness ahead of God's grace. It also reminds us that Jesus Christ, by becoming the atoning sacrifice in place of all the sins of humanity, accomplished the forgiveness of sins once for all. Unlike the repeated sacrifices, Christ's sacrifice brought eternal salvation, and believers who know this must not judge themselves by the world's values but live only by God's standards.

We must not fall to Satan's temptation, defending our own righteousness and making excuses, but live lives of thankfulness and praise for the grace we have been given. Just as the apostle Paul devoted himself even in suffering, we must fulfil our mission to build up the church and share the gospel through spiritual worship, offering our bodies as a living sacrifice. Today's passage leads us to look back on whether we are living as believers who do not forget the blessing of eternal life, who value Christ more than the empty things of the world, and who devote themselves humbly.

Through the apostle Paul's letter to the believers of the church in Colossae, this passage warns of the dangers of false doctrine and syncretism they faced. At that time false teachers had entered the church in Colossae, saying that Christ alone was not enough and trying to add legalism or philosophical ideas, and they were diluting the truth. So that the believers would not be shaken by such temptations, Paul makes it clear that the gospel is Christ himself, and that believers have already been delivered from the power of sin and transferred into the kingdom of Christ.

The sermon leads believers not to be absorbed in worldly blessings or a faith that seeks only prosperity, but to reflect again on what the true blessing is: enjoying salvation and peace. It also emphasises that those who preach the Word must convey only the truth honestly, without mixing in their own experiences or thoughts, and that their lives must be pure for it to become grace. Just as Paul prayed for the believers through Epaphras, believers too must seek spiritual wisdom and understanding and live lives that understand God's will.

As believers who have been delivered from the power of Satan and belong to the kingdom of God, we must have the spiritual insight to discern heresy. How should we live in order to hold fast to the word of truth and keep a faith that is not shaken amid the world's temptations and persecution?