The Adult Sunday School

Sunday, February 10, 2013

On 2-17-13, Colossians 3:5-17 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Clothed with Christ

Clothed with Christ

Colossians 3:5-17

International Sunday School Lesson

February 17, 2013

Commentary

Jed Greenough

How do you clothe yourself? One leg or arm at a time. First the foot or hand or head go through the opening and the rest follows. It is a step by step process we don’t even think about but one that doesn’t happen by itself. So also is the process of living holy.

Rather ironic isn’t it? There is nothing works wise we can do to be justified in God’s sight but there is much to do to live holy lives in His sight.

The analogy that Paul uses to clothe oneself is really apt as we discussed that there is a process to be followed in order for it to work. Just like putting your head through the proper opening of a t-shirt is the only way it works we have to start with our heads. What I mean is our minds.

Paul says in the not included verse 2, “set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” It takes a proper mindset to do the rest of what is included in today’s scripture. Having your thoughts immersed in anger or lust it will be impossible to be forgiving or humble. But concentrating for instance instead on Christ’s love we are able to love, be humble or forgive.

It is also a constant thing. We find success and sometimes we relax and wake up to realize we have become back sliders. Rather than being dejected we must brush ourselves off and start anew. But having experience rather like riding a bike we aren’t really starting from scratch and we really aren’t doing it alone.

This process many of us know by the name of sanctification comes with a big help if we remember it in that we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit who will help us even when we don’t know what to ask for.

Sometimes we may doubt this but our desiring to live holy lives is proof positive that it is so. Romans 8 tells us that this is what the Spirit desires. “The sinful mind however is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”

You want to please God but you fail sometimes. Those who aren’t his have no desire to please Him. Quit beating yourself up for falling from time to time and literally forgive yourself. The process takes time but it does require effort.

Let’s go back to this idea of clothing yourself. You ever wear something for the first time and feel really awkward? Maybe it was high heels or a hat. Maybe it was a suit or a new hairstyle. Sure it did feel weird at first but if you stuck with it long enough it became like a second skin for you. Living holy is like that too.

For Discussion:

1. Discuss why we still sin.

2. Discuss different ways we can make it easier on ourselves to live holy lives.

3. Discuss prejudice in light of verse 11.

4. Discuss where you are particularly weak and where you think you are doing better.

5. Have people share positive success examples so as to help others.

6. Read Romans 6.

7. Discuss verse 16.

Upcoming Adult Sunday School Class Commentaries

2-24-13: Disciplined for Life aka Spiritual Disciplines for New Life Colossians 4:2-17 or 4:2-6

3-3-13: Daniel’s Vision of Change Daniel 7:1-3, 9-14 or 7:9-14

3-10-13: Daniel’s Prayer Daniel 9:4-14, 17 or 9:4b-14

3-17-13: Gabriel Interprets Daniel’s Vision aka Gabriel’s Interpretation Daniel 8:1, 15-26 or 8:19-26

Sunday, February 3, 2013

On 2-10-13, Colossians 2:6-15 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Raised with Christ aka Full Life in Christ

Raised with Christ aka Full Life in Christ

Colossians 2:6-15

International Sunday School Lesson

February 10, 2013

Commentary

Jed Greenough

I imagine that a lot of you have contemplated becoming missionaries. In the passion of your faith you have longed to do your part in the work of the Great Commission. Thank God that we have people who have not just witnessed to a neighbor but have set out to unfamiliar environs to do just that. But have you ever wondered what they sometimes unknowingly have shared besides the gospel?

There is such a beautiful simplicity to the gospel that people sometimes think they need to add a measure of pizzazz in order to make it palatable or worthy of attention. Instead of preaching Christ and Him crucified as Paul concentrated on most have always added their spin to it. Some of it seems simple enough on the surface but it is the stuff of which our separations as a church are created.

Imagine a series of five remote islands that are each a day’s journey by boat apart. Each of the islands is visited by a different missionary. One is Methodist, the next is a Baptist, another is Lutheran, a fourth is from an independent Christian church and the final one is Jesuit.

Imagine then a year later when people from the five islands gathered together in an annual get-together for trade and a refreshing of relationships. Those present excitedly wish to witness to their neighbor and find they have already been witnessed to. Now they excitedly talk about their new faith when the differences they have been exposed to start to put up barriers instead of drawing them even closer. There are differences in baptism, communion, and roles for men and women, healing, gifts of the Spirit and so many more.

This is what I thought of when I read Paul’s letter to the Colossians. I imagined how much better a witness would have been accomplished on each of these Islands if they would have just received Bibles in a language they understood and nothing else. And I imagined then what their gathering would have been like.

We may not preach a need to be circumcised or to follow some other aspect of the written code but we may preach a gospel that bears little resemblance to what Paul preached.

Do we teach that we have the solution to your aging parents, your finances, how to be good stewards or be better in our household roles? These are all admirable but are often hours spent away from the gospel and an in depth study from the word. If that in fact had been done those other things just naturally follow but most would consider that an unappealing approach for churches today.

It is my opinion that there is one way to depend on Christ but there are many ways and layers to hollow and deceptive philosophy.

For Discussion:

1. Is the place where you worship guilty of “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world” rather than on Christ? Can you even discuss it?

2. If you are willing to admit there is a problem, what are you willing to do about it?

3. If your place of worship were to change what it taught in an attempt to rely more on Christ and less on the basic principles of this world, what would be the consequences? Are they really consequences?

4. Consider what Christ meant when he spoke of worshiping in spirit and in truth.

5. It is not just for the preacher and teacher to consider what you “preach and teach” but also the Christian in general.

6. Discuss how according to the signs of the end of the age this type of teaching especially telling people what their “itching ears want to hear” shall become prevalent.

7. If we are aware of this how much of a test should we hold our preaching and teaching to assure we aren’t a part of what was warned would occur?

8. If you were to preach or teach sermons or lessons from today’s passage of scripture, reread the scripture verse by verse. How many ideas for these messages come to mind in just 5 minutes? Give it a whirl and discuss how God’s word is sufficient for our lives without our coming up with ways to make it relevant to today’s world.