Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
Paul’s Struggle -
I often say this, but its true and worth repeating - that scripture was not produced in a University Research Laboratory.
Nor was it the product of a monk’s philosophical musings.
The Letters of the New Testament were not encyclpedic articles to be read at your leisure for your information.
Rather, They are the product of love and truth spoken in the midst of reality and addressing reality.
They are God’s truth, inspired by the Holy Spirit, who moved men to write so that what you have in your hands has come fully from God at the hands of men.
These epistles were written because there were urgent matters at hand involving real people and real situations in real time.
Though they addressed people 2000 years ago, in God’s infinite wisdom - the truth written down is still imporant today.
One of the human writers of scripture was The Apostle Paul.
He was a zealous and passionate man.
He didn’t do anything halfway.
When you read his epistles, you see a man who cared deeply and earnestly for the Lord Jesus and for the people that he was writing to.
This deep love, affection, devotion, and conviction resulted in a key concept that I want to focus on today.
“Struggle and Toil”
Turn to .
verse 29
- “Struggle”
We see this a lot from Paul.
He is laboring and struggling and toiling.
The word here for “Struggling” or “Striving” is
Col 1:29
ἀγωνίζομαι
ἀγωνίζομαι
a. engage in a contest
b. to fight, struggle - use of any kind of struggle, wrestling in prayer
Look at the next verse in 2:1 -
Paul is fighting, striving, struggling for something here.
But he doesn’t say that it is a bad thing
we often use the term “struggle” to say we aren’t doing well.
That is not how it is being used here.
This is a virtue.
He even praises Epaphras for ‘struggling in prayer’ for the Colossians in 4:12 - that word “struggling” or “laboring” is the same greek word.
ἀγωνίζομαι
① of a(n athletic) contest, lit.
and fig.
• engage in a contest πᾶς ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος 1 Cor 9:25 (AEhrhardt, ZNW 48, ’57, 101–10);
• cp. 2 Cl 7:1ff.
② gener.
to fight, struggle
ⓐ lit., w. weapons (Polyb.
1, 45, 9; Plut., Marcell.
303 [10, 4]; 2 Macc 8:16) ἠγωνίζοντο ἄν, ἵνα μὴ παραδοθῶ J 18:36.
ⓑ fig.
• of any struggle (περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας Orig., C. Cels. 1, 62, 63) κοπιῶ ἀγωνιζόμενος I labor, striving Col 1:29; cp. 1 Ti 4:10.
• Of wrestling in prayer (ἀ.
δὲ διὰ τῶν πρὸς θεὸν εὐχῶν ὑπὲρ τῶν δικαίως στρατευομένων Orig., C. Cels.
8, 73, 24) ἀ. ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν Col 4:12 (ἀ.
ὑπέρ τινος: Diod S 13, 14, 3; SIG 317, 20; 386, 19; 409, 33; Jos., Ant. 13, 193).
• ἀ. ἀγῶνα (s.
ἀγών 2) 1 Ti 6:12; 2 Ti 4:7 (JBarton, Biblica 40, ’59, 878–84).
• W. inf.
foll.
(Thu.
8, 89, 4 ἠγωνίζετο εἷς ἕκαστος αὐτὸς πρῶτος προστάτης τοῦ δήμου γενέσθαι; Diod S 31, 19, 8 ὥστε ὁ πατὴρ ἐξίστασθαι τῆς ὅλης ἀρχῆς ἠγωνίζετο τῷ παιδί; PLond 1338.—ἀγ.
simply=‘take pains, exert oneself’: Just., D. 38, 2; 65, 2 al.; Alex. Aphr., Fat.
31, II 2 p. 203, 9; Sb 6997, 9 [III B.C.]) ἀγωνίζεσθε εἰσελθεῖν strain every nerve to enter Lk 13:24;
• cp. 1 Cl 35:4; B 4:11.
a. engage in a contest
b. to fight, struggle - use of any kind of struggle, wrestling in prayer
In - Paul commands Timothy to ...
and Finally, Paul says at the end of His life in -
His Motivation - Presentation of Mature People to Christ
Look at the end of verse 28
To Present Everyone complete in Christ.
Present
παραστήσωμεν -
to formally bring or introduce into the presence of someone.
to make or to render
Mature
τέλειος - attaining an end or purpsoe, complete.
Perfect - meeting the highest standard
goodness
work - - let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete
of God’s gifts - - every perfect gift
of God’s law - - the
God’s will -
Epaphras
In Christ
The reason Christ died, thus the reason Paul works so hard
Paul is referring to second coming when this will happen
He works for this, knowing that it is God himself who will accomplish it.
e works for this, knowing that it is God himself who will accomplish it.
With the prospect of their full perfection in Christ on the last day in view, Paul expends all his energies in the exercise of his ministry.
In Christ
1 Cor 9:23-
the one who “competes” is ἀγωνίζομαι - same Greek word.
ἀγωνίζομαι
There has been a threat to this prestented in around Colosse - you see Pauls goal and motivation in writing this letter was to address issues that have come up there.
What was it?
Plausible Arguments
philosophies
Traditions of men
His Method - Proclamation of Christ
Proclamation -
The Content of the Proclamation
Him
Him
The Method of Proclamation
Warning
νουθετέω - means to admonish, instruct, or warn
had to do with setting the mind of someone in proper order, correcting him or putting him right
1 Thess
Teaching
διδάσκοντες
All Christians are to teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (3:16 where διδάσκω and νουθετέω are again used together
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