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Sabbath School 1st Quarter 2026: Uniting Heaven and Earth: Christ in Philippians and Colossians

Mark Finley

01 Persecuted but Not Forsaken

02 Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer

03 Life and Death

04 Unity Through Humility

05 Shining as Lights in the Night

06 Confidence Only in Christ

08 The Preeminence of Christ

09 Reconciliation and Hope

10 Complete in Christ

11 Living With Christ

12 Living With Each Other

13 Standing in All the Will of God

We've come to the last in our 13 lessons on Philippians and Colossians.

Let me summarize these 2 books of the Bible for you before we go into lesson 13.

If you look at the book of Philippians, The theme of Philippians is joy in the Lord.

Chapter 1 of Philippians talks about joy in trial, that through the trials of life we can know that Christ is there bringing us joy.

Joy comes not as we try to elbow our way into the first place, but as we humbly open our hearts to God, Jesus, who was worshipped by 1000 times 10000 angels, who left the glory of heaven and came and dwelt in human flesh, He became a man, but according to Philippians 2, he became a servant, an obedient servant, and died the death of the cross.

Not any death, but the ignomious, the horrible death of the cross.

And God will highly exalt him above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Christ is Lord." When we humble ourselves, Jesus exalts us.

In chapter 3 of Philippians we read about joy and surrender.

The Apostle Paul surrendered the past life that he had, surrendered himself completely to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

He turned from his Judaism and its formal rituals to a meaningful relationship with Christ, stepped out from the past life that he lived, joy and surrender.

And the last chapter of Philippians is joy in gratitude.

We are joyful if our hearts are filled with thanksgiving.

In the book of Philippians, over 27 times it mentions either joy or rejoicing.

When you come to the book of Colossians, Paul had never been to Colossia.

He raised up the Christian church there, planted a new church there, but he had never been to Colossia.

But he wrote the letter to Colossia after hearing trials and difficulties and some theological issues that they were facing.

So the great theme of the book of Colossians is Christ is all in all.

Christ is our Savior, Christ is our Redeemer, Christ is our Intercessor, and Christ is our coming King.

The great theme of the book of Colossians is to set your affection not on things on earth, but on things in heaven.

And so the book of Colossians focuses on those eternal values, those eternal principles that we are dead to the world, risen with Christ to live with Jesus and in this life to represent his kindness, his graciousness, his compassion, his love.

Colossians talks about the bond of unity, which is the perfection of love, love filling our hearts, the love of Jesus.

When you come to the end of the book of Colossians, it talks about the people that God has brought into Paul's life, the people that he's led to Jesus, how they are now linked with him as co-workers, how they traveled throughout the Mediterranean world sharing the love of Jesus.

As we look at this last lesson, we look at it as a link that binds Paul to these co-workers and binds Paul through these co-workers to the church.

Father in heaven, we thank you so much for the opportunity to study your word.

We thank you that as we study that the Spirit of God impresses our hearts.

We're thankful that as we study, we're drawn closer to you.

May we learn insights into these practical principles from your word.

Well, when you look at the title of our lesson, 13 Standing in All the Will of God, the memory text is a text from Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 18, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ for you." Now notice it does not say for everything give thanks.

We don't give thanks because a colleague is dying of cancer and they're on their deathbed.

We don't give thanks because a 17-year-old Christian was hit by a drunk driver and killed.

We don't give thanks for famines in Africa or for wars in Russia and Ukraine with thousands, tens of thousands on both sides dying.

The Bible doesn't say here, for everything gives thanks, it says, in everything give thanks.

We don't give thanks for things that are evil, but even in those evil things we can see God working to bring out his purpose and to accomplish his goals and to strengthen his people.

So in everything we can give thanks that God is present, that God is working, that God is touching, blessing.

This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

What's the opposite and the alternative to giving thanks?

It's becoming bitter and angry and resentful.

The last portion of Colossians reveals that Paul has this wider network of friends and co-workers.

And he has missionary journeys in which he raises up and plants churches and develops relationships.

And then those people go out and share his love with others.

That's really the way the gospel went to the Mediterranean world.

Paul preached, he raises up churches, they become ambassadors for Christ and they travel sharing God's love, sharing Jesus' grace, sharing the plan of salvation.

Sunday's lesson is called Lessons on Outreach.

There are 3 primary ways that the Apostle Paul describes as the Gospel was spread.

Paul visits with people, leads them to Christ, and they go out and visit with others.

Personal visitation today is 1 of the primary reasons that the church grows.

You can never win an enemy to Christ, you win your friends.

Paul sent out letters, Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, Corinthians, etc.

In addition to his own personal visits, and in addition to the letters that he wrote out, Paul would mentor others.

A good example of these methods of Paul and evangelism are Colossians 4 verse 7 to 9.

Tychus, who is a beloved brother, verse 7, a faithful minister and a fellow servant in the Lord will tell you all the news about me.

I'm sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts." So Tychus was with Christ in Rome when Paul writes Colossians.

As Tichus is with Paul, Paul said, okay, Tichus, time for you now to go.

They know you and time to encourage them.

Find out what's going on in the church in Colossae and then you come back and tell me about that.

So here, 1 way that the gospel was spread, even when Paul was in prison, in addition to his letters, was through people like Tychus.

Then, verse 9, with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother who is 1 of you, they will make known to you all things which are happening here.

So Paul says, I wanna know what's going on in your life, but I also want to share with you what's happening here.

We read about him primarily in the book of Philemon.

Onesimus was a runaway slave, and he runs away from Philemon, maybe even taking some money as he runs away, travels to the big city, wants to be lost in the shuffle, but he finds Paul in prison.

Paul leads Anesimus to Christ, sends Anesimus back to Philemon, back to Colossae, not as a runaway slave, but as a brother in Christ.

The Gospel breaks down barriers between us.

In the Gospel there are no lesser human beings.

We are all together 1 blood created by Jesus Christ.

Onesimus, the runaway slave, was a brother in Christ that he was sent back to the church at Colossae to be a powerful witness of the gospel.

Somebody said it's level at the foot of the cross.

When we come to Jesus, the barriers are broken down.

When we come to Jesus, we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Bible says there's no Jew or Gentile, but you are 1 in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you compare Colossians 4.7-9 with Ephesians 6.21, you find again something about Tychus, Ephesians 6.21, but that you also may know my affairs and how I'm doing.

Tychus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you.

So both in Ephesians and Colossians, Tychus is going back to take a report.

He's sharing that Paul, although he's in prison, is filled with faith and confidence in God.

We run over to Monday's lesson, church connectivity.

Largely the church was connected in Paul's day by people who knew 1 another and that connectivity came through people transformed by God's grace.

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Series

Sabbath School 1st Quarter 2026: Uniting Heaven and Earth: Christ in Philippians and Colossians

13 Standing in All the Will of God

Transcript

Parent Series

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Recorded

Parts

01 Persecuted but Not Forsaken

26m

02 Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer

24m

03 Life and Death

23m

04 Unity Through Humility

26m

05 Shining as Lights in the Night

25m

06 Confidence Only in Christ

23m

08 The Preeminence of Christ

26m

09 Reconciliation and Hope

23m

10 Complete in Christ

25m

11 Living With Christ

25m

12 Living With Each Other

25m

13 Standing in All the Will of God

27m

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