Steve Conover: Thanks for joining us for the Friends of Israel Today. I'm Steve Conover. With me as our host and teacher, Chris Katulka. foiradio.org is where you can connect with us. We have nearly a decade of content on the site featuring Chris Katulka’s insightful teaching and various interview guests. Again, that's foiradio.org.

Chris Katulka: Steve, we're continuing our series on Colossians and we've been really diving into the supremacy of Christ. Really, I believe Paul builds his entire argument for the Colossians, his entire message off of this ancient Christian hymn that can be found in Colossians chapter one starting in verse 15. And so this week what we're going to do is see how, because of the supremacy of Christ, where should we be fixing our gaze? Should we be fixing our gaze on the things above or on the things on earth? And Paul's letter is going to give us some insights into how we should live today.

Steve Conover: But first in the news, Jerusalem Post reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly approved a ceasefire with Lebanon in principle while meeting with Israeli officials. However, Netanyahu wants to work on outstanding issues before the approval of the ceasefire deal. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce a 60 day ceasefire, this between Israel and Hezbollah according to a Saudi news outlet.

Chris Katulka: Well, Steve, here's my take. Israelis need to return to their homes in the north. Many have been displaced since October 8th, 2023. The ceasefire deal needs to ensure two big things. First, Hezbollah must stay above north of the Litani River. And second, the terrorist organization must disarm in accordance with UN resolution 1701. Hezbollah hasn't followed those UN rules since 2006, so I'm just going to let you know I'm not holding my breath.

Chris Katulka:Today we're continuing our series on Paul's letter to the Colossians. Last week we looked into Colossians chapter two, where we focused on how this ancient hymn found in Colossians 1:15-20 concerning the supremacy of Christ affects our relationship with the Lord. How Christ's supremacy gives us the foundation that we need to know how the universe is held together through Christ and really how that affects our walk as believers. And what we saw last week was that Jesus wasn't just really a mere man created in Bethlehem to be Israel's king. He actually had 100% of the qualifications of being a man, but he also has 100% of the qualifications of being God. Last week I shared about a unique Volvo station wagon from the 1990s. It's just an ordinary car with a unique engine under the hood. In fact, it was a 380 horsepower Ford V-8 with a supercharger and a Mustang five speed gearbox.

That's right. It was a racing engine just shoved right into a family station wagon. Looks like a station wagon on the outside, but drives like a Formula One car on the inside. Listen, Paul's hymn does the exact same thing for the supremacy of Christ. Jesus looks like a man on the outside, but God was pleased. It says in Colossians chapter one that his fullness dwelled in him. Now Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians from Rome during his first imprisonment around 60 to 62 AD. Paul never stepped foot in Colossae. So this letter was really, as I had mentioned last week, an expression of care for a community that he had never known, never met, and only knew from a distance. Paul had three main purposes in mind when writing to the Colossians. First, Paul wanted to highlight Christ's deity and supremacy countering the false teachings that threatened the Colossian church.

Second, he wanted to guide believers toward spiritual maturity, encouraging them to grow deeply rooted in their faith. And finally, Paul wanted to update the Colossians on his own circumstances asking for prayer and support for his ministry. Now remember, why was it so important for Paul to convey the supremacy of Christ to the Colossians? Well, in Paul's day, there were a litany of thoughts about how the world was held together. And let me tell you, the Apostle Paul, he stood at the crossroads of many of these ideas. This was Paul's big argument. Everything is held together by Christ. Paul says in Colossians 1:17, he himself is before all things and all things are held together in him. If all the things in heaven and on earth were created in him and for him, then as followers of Christ, our eyes should be fixed on the things above and not on the things of this earth.

And let me tell you, I didn't come up with that idea. I promise that's all the apostle Paul. Paul tells us in Colossians chapter three, starting in verse one, he writes, “therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” That phrase that Paul uses, that which is above actually doesn't appear anywhere else in Paul's letters. So what is he referring to here? In his letter to the Galatians, Paul actually distinguishes between the old covenant and the promise of the new covenant. In Galatians chapter four, Paul actually tells us he's going to use some allegory here and he distinguishes between these two covenants by highlighting Abraham's two sons, Ishmael and Isaac.

Ishmael of course was associated with Hagar, with slavery. Actually Paul would say, “remember Hagar was Sarah's handmaiden and she gave birth to Abraham's first son, Ishmael.” And Paul connects Hagar and Ishmael to the old covenant and he even says, ready? He says, “this is what the present, the current Jerusalem is associated with.” But then he highlights the Jerusalem above in Galatians 4:26, and this Jerusalem is free. Paul connects the Jerusalem above with the promised son Isaac, that through the new covenant we are children of the promise associated with the Jerusalem above. It's interesting. Many Jewish texts outside of the Bible from the second temple period, which is a time period between 450 BC to 70 AD at the destruction of Herod's temple. Many of those texts actually anticipated the Old Testament hope and promise of a New Jerusalem, often speaking of a heavenly Jerusalem that would come down to earth.

These same Jewish texts also sometimes spoke of Jerusalem as our “mother,” just as Paul writes in Galatians 4:26. But the Jerusalem above is free and she is our mother. That's what Galatians says. Well, in the first century ad Jewish people commonly associated the Messiah and the coming of the Holy Spirit with the end times. So Paul would've naturally identified followers of the Messiah, Jesus with a future Jerusalem rather than with a present one. See, the apostle Paul does the exact same thing in Revelation 21:1-2 when he sees a New Jerusalem coming to earth from heaven. Listen, John writes this, “then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and first earth had ceased to exist. The sea existed no more and I saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.”

So when Paul says in Colossians, “seek the things above,” he's talking about the place where Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Father. When we fix our eyes on him who is in control of all things, we are showing that we identify with him. That's why Paul says, “keep thinking about the things above, not the things on the earth for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul is saying that by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we identify with Christ's death and burial and check this out, if we identify with his death and burial, then we also certainly identify with his resurrection. Paul says in Colossians 3:4, “when Christ who is your life appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him.” Look, our identity is wrapped up in Christ's death, but it's not over because when Jesus returns, we will identify with his resurrection.

We'll be just like Christ. Our mortal bodies will be transformed. From mortal to immortal, from corruptible to incorruptible. We will be resurrected to life just as Christ was. We can have a transformative life now with the hope of a greater resurrection coming in the future, our glorification. But we have to fix our eyes on Him who is seated at the right hand of the Father above today. And this is where the supremacy of Christ gets real. This is where the rubber meets the road. Let me read this ancient Christian hymn, this confession of faith in Christ to you before we go to break so that you can be reminded of the supremacy of Christ and where we should be fixing our eyes, not on the things of this earth but on him who is seated above. Listen to this Colossians chapter one starting in verse 15.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him, all things whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers, all things were created through him and for him. He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him. He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from the dead so that he himself may become first in all things. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in his Son and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” (Col. 1:15-20)

Paul is grounding everything in Colossians right to this amazing hymn, the Supremacy of Christ. So I want you to stick with us as we continue to look at the idea of keeping our eyes fixed on the things above and not on the things of this earth. 

Chris Katulka: Steve, for 10 years I've had the privilege of hosting the Friends of Israel Today radio show and serving alongside you.

Steve Conover: Chris, I love working with you and the team and it's been my joy to be part of the FOI radio ministry now for nearly 30 years.

Chris Katulka: And really this is why it's an honor for both of us to ask you, our listeners today, to join on the ground level to help broadcast biblical truth all around the world. Whether Friends of Israel Today is airing on a local radio station or through our podcast, never before has it been so needed to have the truth of God's Word running throughout the airwaves.

Steve Conover: Romans 10:17 says, “so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Friends, we need your help to continue to produce and broadcast the Friends of Israel Today.

Chris Katulka: Now, the Friends of Israel Today radio program is supported by donors, listeners, and friends like you. See, we believe that if you have a passion for God's Word, then you should have compassion for God's Chosen People. And our goal is to raise $50,000 this month to continue to produce and broadcast the program that you're listening to right now with your financial gift. Today you will be taking the gospel to the ends of the earth with trustworthy, uncompromising biblical teaching.

Steve Conover: If the Friends of Israel radio program has been a blessing to you and you'd like to make it possible for all to hear, you can make a gift right now at foi.org/radiosupport and from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Again, that's foi.org/radiosupport.

Chris Katulka: Welcome back everyone. We're in the middle of our Colossians series and so far we've studied the ancient Christian hymn, that confession of Christ's supremacy in the first part of our series. And then we looked at how building our lives on Christ's supremacy will help us combat a world that's constantly vying for that supreme spot in our lives. And this week, Paul is asking us to fix our eyes on that which is above and not on the things of this world because of the supremacy of Christ. We fix our eyes on Christ seated at the right hand of the Father because we identify in his death, but we are waiting for his return where we will identify with his resurrection and ultimately our glorification. But what about now? If we identify with Christ's death, then Paul is urging us in verse five of Colossians chapter three to put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth.

“Sexual immorality,” he writes, “impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.” It's interesting, if you remember I told you last week that Paul stood at the crossroads of Jerusalem, which is Jewish, Ephesus, which is Greek, and Rome, which is Roman. He understood the Greco-Roman philosophy and how that affected the pagan culture that he was ministering to. And of course he was raised in Judaism, educated by one of the greatest rabbis of his time. Paul was a Pharisee of Pharisees. That meant he knew the Old Testament law. In Greek philosophy, there was a belief that the soul and the body are totally separate from one another. The body was bad, associated with the world destined for corruption. While the soul was good and pure, associated with things of heaven. The body was disposable, but the soul was indispensable according to Greek philosophy. And I would argue that there are many Christians who think this way today.

Very Greek actually. But see, that's not what the Bible teaches. Remember the Bible is a Jewish book through and through. From Genesis we're taught that God created Adam's body and breathed life into it and God said it is good. Adam was made in the image of God, not just Adam's soul, the whole thing, his body and his soul. So in Jewish thought, in Jewish theology, all throughout the scriptures, the very idea of the body and soul are one, they are of equal value. It's the reason Paul says earlier in Colossians 3:4, when Christ appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him. See, Paul is saying that just as Christ's physical body was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so too will your body. The body and the soul are not meant to be separate. Man was created in the image of God, which involved again both the body and soul as one, and God values both equally.

See, that's why Paul's arguing that what you do with your body today as a Christian does matter in your relationship with the Lord. He says, now that you know all things are held together by Christ, the supremacy of Christ, put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth. Sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry. Paul is commanding us here to control our passions and earthly desires today because unlike the pagan world which had no concern for the body, God does. His scriptures teach the value of the body. So much so that Paul tells us that these earthly desires and passions are the reason God's judgment is coming in the future. He says this in Colossians chapter three. “Because of these things, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.” Paul's actually talking about the tribulation period here, the seven years when God pours out his judgment on earth for the sins that he mentioned above.

In fact, in Romans chapter two, Paul will go on and say that “the sons of disobedience are storing up wrath for the day of wrath that's coming.” But see, in Christ, those who have placed their faith in him, we are saved from this coming wrath. “God delivers us from the coming judgment,” as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, “we who have trusted in Christ are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, sealed till the day of redemption.” Which means the day that you are resurrected just like Jesus, God will never leave you or forsake you because his Son holds all things together. That's why Paul takes this very seriously for believers. Fix your eyes on what's above. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father. In a world full of passions, lust, greed, jealousy, and envy. Paul is urging us to fix our eyes on Him and put to death those worldly passions. Because what we do with our bodies today and our souls matter to God, both of them. Listen, now could be the time to turn to Christ. Now to put to death the earthly ways. See, this is the beauty of his endless grace, of Christ's endless grace. He's asking you to come. He's urging you to leave behind the old ways and to follow Him. And the question you have to ask yourself is, will you do that today?

Steve Conover: Israel, on the verge of becoming a state, a teenaged Holocaust survivor arrives on her shores alone. His name is Zvi Kalisher. Little did he know, his search for a new life in the Holy Land would lead him to the Messiah. Zvi, enthusiastic to share his faith, engaged others in spiritual conversations, many of which can be found in our magazine, Israel My Glory. While Zvi is now in the presence of his Savior, his collected writings from well over 50 years of ministry continue to encourage believers worldwide. Now, Apples of Gold, a dramatic reading from the life of Zvi.

Mike Kellogg: A while ago I had a long conversation with our Arab neighbors. They always speak of killing us and driving us into the sea. They strap explosives onto themselves to blow us up, and they even turn their children into suicide bombers to kill us––all because they want to take our land.

I told them, “What you are doing is written about in the Bible. Do you want to read it?” So one read, and his friends listened:

Thus says the LORD: “Have you murdered and also taken possession? In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours” (1 Ki. 21:19).

God was angry with King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, for killing Naboth and stealing Naboth’s land. “This is what you are doing,” I told them. “If you would believe in the Lord, you would be more considerate of one another. We are ready to release hundreds of Arab prisoners––even those who have killed our women and children––to secure the release of a few kidnapped Israeli soldiers. But you say you will only return our soldiers in a coffin. Yet you pray every morning. Is this your faith—to kill men, women, and children?

“The Lord our God commands us not to murder. And what does your law say? That you shall kill, murder, and turn people into suicide bombers so you can go to heaven. And you want the entire world to think and become like you.”

Then one man declared, “Islam will control the world!”

It is difficult to speak to these people, yet the Lord commands us to bring His salvation to them because they walk in such darkness. So I continued. “You have tried to destroy us, but we are still here. And we will survive against all our enemies, because it is written in Psalm 126:2–6:

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad. Bring back our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

They wanted to know where this was written. So I showed them, and they were surprised my Bible contains the New Testament.

One immediately asked, “How did you come to faith in Christ?” 

I was happy to tell them. “You see,” I said, “I never looked for special books about faith. What I read was the Holy Bible. It alone tells us how to know the Lord. I found in the Bible so many places where it is written about the Lord Jesus Christ. I learned about true faith in the living God.”

“We want to know more,” one said. “You must show us where all these things are written in the Bible. Show us where it is written about Jesus.”

So I gave them my Bible and showed them Isaiah 53. From then on, they asked many questions, including, “Why do all Jewish people not believe as you do?”

“Many do!” I replied. “Come to our congregation and see how many Jewish people worship with us. Even a rabbi was baptized, and many Arabs also come to our congregation. We never go to people and say, ‘You must believe in Christ!’ Only God can help people believe. So we speak to people step by step. They must read the Bible and see for themselves where the truth lies. And I pray that in time, you, too, will come to know and believe in Christ as your Savior. Then you will have peace and worship the God who loves you.”

Steve Conover: Thanks for joining us for today's episode of The Friends of Israel Today. If the Lord is leading you to support our radio ministry, visit foi.org/radiosupport. Chris, where are we headed next week?

Chris Katulka: So we've been looking all at the foundation of Colossians, which is this ancient hymn, this Christian hymn that teaches us about the supremacy of Christ. So next week we're going to continue looking at Colossians chapter three and Colossians chapter four to see how these things should build up the church together as one.

Steve Conover: Thank you, Chris. We hope you'll join us then. Our mailing address is FOI Radio, PO Box 914 Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. Again, that's FOI Radio, PO Box 914 Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. Our web address is foiradio.org. That's foiradio.org. Our listener line is 888-343-6940. Again, that’s 888-343-6940. Our host and teacher is Chris Katulka. Today's program was produced by Tom Gallione, edited by Jeremy Strong, who also composed and performs our theme music. Mike Kellogg read Apples of Gold, and I'm Steve Conover, executive producer. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Passion for God's Word. Compassion for God's Chosen People.