Greater Than (Week 1)
Greater Than Our Circumstances · Resources
Colossians 1:1-14
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Summary
Jay Reynardus opens Colossians the way Paul does — by pointing away from himself. Faith, hope and love are the marks of God's children, and all three are gifts rather than achievements. You have already been qualified, delivered, transferred, redeemed and forgiven, and the small hopes you keep reaching for only look small once you have actually seen him.
Sermon Outline
- 1
Reading: Colossians 1:1-14 ▶ 0:00
Paul's greeting to the saints at Colossae, his thanksgiving for their faith and love, and his prayer that they would be filled with the knowledge of God's will.
- 2
A New Series: Greater Than ▶ 2:56
Pastor James Drake introduces the series from the Middle East and welcomes Jay, who led Bible Study Fellowship in Miami for over twenty years.
- 3
"Turn My Eyes From Worthless Things" ▶ 5:43
Jay reads the life passage he asks his wife to pray over him every day — Psalm 119:33 and following.
- 4
Faithless, Loveless, and Full of Wrong Hopes ▶ 6:34
He expected the Christian life to be a steady climb toward sainthood. It has been a spiral instead, with the Spirit showing him more of his own darkness the longer he walks.
- 5
The Real Jay Points You to Jesus ▶ 8:12
What amazes him is God's faithfulness toward him, not his own. That is exactly what Paul does in verse one — don't look at me, I know someone who is a big deal.
- 6
Colossae, and the Mess Epaphras Inherited ▶ 10:08
A wealthy trading city crowded with philosophies. Epaphras planted a church there, watched teachers mix new ideas into the gospel, and went to Paul — who was in a Roman jail.
- 7
Thanksgiving: Faith, Hope, and Love ▶ 14:04
Paul's opening gratitude names the three marks that keep showing up in his letters. These are the distinguishing characteristics of the saints, and every one of them is a gift.
- 8
Write It Down ▶ 19:11
Jay stops and tells the room to get out their phones. Twenty minutes on a Sunday morning does not survive a week of everything else on its own.
- 9
Paul's Prayer From a Roman Jail ▶ 23:26
What can a prisoner do for a struggling church? Pray — that they would be filled with the knowledge of God's will, walk worthy, bear fruit, and be strengthened with a power that is not their own.
- 10
Qualified, Delivered, Transferred, Redeemed ▶ 27:16
Verses 12 through 14 in slow motion. Every verb is past tense: you have been qualified, given an inheritance, moved out of the domain of darkness into a kingdom of light.
- 11
He Desires to Be Known ▶ 30:12
God wanted to be known so badly that he became flesh, was crucified, gave us the apostles and this book, and reached into the darkness where you lived while you were still his enemy.
- 12
What Will You Desire From God? ▶ 31:52
Model your prayers on Paul's rather than on the raise, the car, the house in the Keys. God, let me see you. Show me my sin. Save my children, my city, this world.
Key Points
- The whole letter takes your eyes off the small figure in the mirror and puts them on Christ. Paul opens by pointing away from himself, and every faithful minister does the same.
- Faith, hope and love are the distinguishing marks of the saints — and all three are gifts. If you have them, it is because God gave them.
- The gospel is a gospel of gift: the faithless are handed faith, the hard-hearted are handed love, and those who lost hope are handed a living hope.
- You can recognize an unfaithful teacher by direction. He draws your attention toward himself and away from the gospel.
- Small loves and small hopes are only exposed as liars once you see the greater one. Darkness is dispelled by light arriving, not by effort.
- Colossians 1:13-14 is entirely past tense — qualified, delivered, transferred, redeemed, forgiven. It has already happened to you.
- God desires to be known. That desire is why there is an incarnation, a cross, an apostolic witness, and a Bible in your hands.
Quotable Moments
“And so what amazes me over time is his faithfulness towards me, not mine towards him. It's his love towards me, not mine for him.” ▶ 7:48
“The faithless have become faithful. The loveless have become lovers. And those without hope have received the living hope.” ▶ 15:31
“Because I assure you that 20 minutes of this in a Sunday morning will not overcome 25 hours of Netflix throughout the week.” ▶ 20:24
“Only when we begin to see the light does the darkness dispel.” ▶ 21:47
“He desires to be known so very much that he reached into the darkness where you lived and pulled you out when you were his enemy.” ▶ 30:55
Take It With You
- Write it down. Twenty minutes on a Sunday will not hold up against the rest of your week on its own.
- Go looking this week for the evidence of grace in your own life — where is your faith, your hope, your love?
- If you want to be filled with the knowledge of his will, ask for it. You don't have it because you don't ask.
- Pray bigger prayers: God, let me see you. Show me my sin. Save my family, my neighbors, this city.
The study guide above (summary, outline, key points, quotes, questions) was generated from the sermon transcript with AI and reviewed by our team. Spot something off? Let us know.
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Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.