Colossians #4: No one said it would be easy

Colossians: Jesus is Enough  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  24:04
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Christ in you...changes you

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Colossians 1:24–29 NIV
24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.

Memorial Day

Well, here we are at the official start of summer… Memorial Day weekend. I’m sure it won’t be like any we have had before, with our masks and our social distancing and all. But the grills are getting ready, the garden is growing. Like it or not, Summer is coming and I pray that the warmer weather will help us I pray.
But today is Memorial Day. It’s a fitting day for the text we have to study today. If you don’t know, Memorial Day began as Decoration Day. A day when families would go and decorate the graves of soldiers who died in the Civil War. After WW1, it would become officially Memorial Day when soldiers who died in all our nations wars would be honored.
It’s different from Veterans day… when we show appreciation for our Veterans, Memorial day is for those who gave their lives in battle.

GLORY - the movie

I didn't serve in the military, but it would be hard not to appreciate those who gave their lives for their country. This weekend, I watched part of a movie called Glory. It was a powerful film about a regiment of black soldiers during the Civil War.
It got me to thinking, why we refer to war as glorious… why the term “the glory of war” is even such a thing because, while I haven’t been there, what I have seen and been told by loved ones who were, it is the most brutal place to be.
When you think of it, there isn’t much glorious about the brutality, the carnage, the destruction of it all.
SO I looked it up, the very first definition seemed to help...

Glory - high renown or honor won by notable achievements

So when you think of it this way… the glory of war is the heroism, the bravery that is exhibited there. Glory becomes something a person gains… or experiences in the midst of war. So, it’s not that war is glorious.... it’s just that it becomes the arena for glorious things to take place. At least that’s the way it makes sense to me.
You can see that in movies like Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers, two great WW2 movies that while don’t glorify the brutality of it, they certainly do point out the heroism, the bravery, the brotherhood experienced in war and that is amazing… if not glorious.
Why am I talking about this? Well I think it is important for us to understand today’s text. In what I think is the hinge verse, Paul uses the word two times. Two times in verse 27, Paul uses this word Glory to help us understand why he is doing what he is doing.
Col 1:27

“...God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

What Paul is saying is that God has made known what had once been a mystery to the gentiles… as well as to the Jews… through the ministry of Jesus... the ”hope of Glory”.
What is this hope of Glory?

Doxa (dokeo) to think, to consider

The Greek word that is translated glory, Doxa who’s root, dokeo, means to think, to consider and the Hebrew word used here implies something heavy or weighty helps us understand that Glory refers to our thinking or considering something heavier, weightier… something or someone with a bigger reputation… more even most important.

HOPE OF GLORY - what we live for

This hope of Glory becomes that which we live for… that is exactly what Paul
The hope of glory is something I think most people can relate to. Just like a soldier who signs up to be a hero, we all have a yearning for meaning and significance. sometimes it takes its shape in:
Being the best at our job… our hobby, fishing, hunting, softball, whatever...
Being admired by others
Being know as a good person…
Having the best kids
Being smart, having good grades...
Being able to do the best tricks on your bike or skateboard...
Having a nice home, new car, beautiful family
Being successful...
We are all there aren’t we? At least we have to acknowledge we have been there.
We all want to be known for something… in fact the worst that can happen to us is that we not be known at all… to be overlooked… disregarded. How many of us would have said that is probably the worst thing that can happen to us.
I mean being the invisible man would be cool for a few minutes, but then at some point, we want to be noticed for something… for anything.
Not many of us took this stay at home order well. For most of us it has been difficult. One thing i hope is that during this Covid 19 season, we have had some time to be confronted by what has been most important to you… what you missed the most… and maybe you have had a chance to realign your priorities; what sort of glory or reputation we are living for.

Paul’s WHY

Paul knew what he was living for. remember he had been confronted by Jesus and sent to the Gentiles. He understood his purpose, his glory was coming from his relationship with Jesus.
So I want to look today at what this understanding did for him. How it changed him and at the tend I want us to consider how it might change us as we surrender to this same understanding.
The first thing that Paul describes this most important thing did was led him to suffer on behalf of the church.
Colossians 1:24 NLT
24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.

Paul’s suffering on behalf of the church (vs. 24)

Suffering doesn’t sound like fun does it? No
Paul was familiar with suffering… imprisoned multiple times, beaten with a rod three times, whipped 5 times, stoned, shipwrecked 3 times, spending many days and nights in the ocean, dealing with robbers and thieves in all his travels
Countless times he was run out of town or brought to trial for his preaching. Did Paul suffer? YES
Yet he describes it saying that I rejoice in my suffering for you… the church.
Paul rejoiced because he understood that his suffering was directly related to God’s call for him to serve the church. Paul’s purpose was greater than the pain, his salvation stronger than his suffering.
This is important for us, because

Suffering will either make you bitter or it will make you better.

If your purpose is greater than your pain, then your suffering will make you better… it will create patience in your, it will make you stronger, it will develop perseverence in your…
But if your purpose is too small… or you don’t even know why you are suffering… then it will make you bitter.
think about this stay at home… for those of you who saw it as a waste of time… stupid… You felt you had a right to be at work, at worship, earn money… look it made you bitter.
Those who saw this as a time to get closer to God, to renovate your bathroom, time to build that deck… to spend time with my kids… look this same time at home has made you better.
Paul’s why… was he was doing this for God.
Paul saw his suffering as a way to serve the church… so he rejoiced in taking his share of suffering.... and his suffering made him better… it actually made the church better.
What about you? You may not be called to suffer like Paul, but how do you see your responsibility to serve God through the church?
BITTER
Do you see it as something you don't have time for? Something that’s an inconvenience because you don’t like meetings? If you can’t do it your way, you won’t do it at all… Be careful because even the thought of it might be making you bitter.
BETTER
Others of you accept the opportunity to deny yourself for the benefit of others… You are beyond generous, I see you here during the week… you come by to take care of the church, not because it’s your job… but because you want to; Others call me all the time… you are creative in coming up with new ministries to reach new people… Your service, your sacrifice, your suffering is making you better and it is making the church better. My word to you would be, don’t hold back. Give yourself completely to it. Invite God to show you new ways you can serve the church. He just might surprise you.
Paul’s suffering, his sacrificing himself, was his way of serving the church and in a very real way, Paul was embodying the Gospel for them. Just as Jesus’s suffering had led to their redemption, Paul’s suffering was teaching them how to live into this holiness that Jesus gave them.
This leads to the second thing Paul describes in this passage about how his life’s priorities were reordered by considering what was most important:

His responsibility to proclaim the mystery of the gospel to everyone (vs. 25-28)

Paul was an evangelist. He was telling everyone he could about someone who could change their life. He knew it because his life had been changed. His role in proclaiming the gospel.
Col 1:25-28

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.  To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom

Paul isn’t telling them something… he is telling them abou tsomeone. Jesus.
Who reconciled all people to God… Gentiles… people in Colossea as well as people in Jerusalem.
He says in verse 25, that he was teaching the word in all it’s fullness…
Colossians 1:25 GW
25 I became a servant of the church when God gave me the work of telling you his entire message.
God’s entire message....nothing left out.
My wife made shrimp burgers the other day… she got the recipe from my daughter. The two of them are coming up with all sorts of healthy recipes… as you can tell, I have a nack of eating off the script… anyway, they are online talking about these shrimp burgers and Michelle made them but apparently left something out… they weren’t the same.
If Paul had left something out, or added something extra, it wouldn't be the same Gospel either.
You see in Colossea the false teachers were teaching about a special knowledge that only the real select understood… Paul says, no, remember you have been taught the whole thing… and more than that, my suffering has shown it to you.
He has taught them what happens when Christ is in You… that is what makes this good news so amazing… as he says the riches of God for the Gentiles.

Christ in you is the answer

That Christ in you, gives you access to God, gives you access to supernatural love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control… that having christ in you is far better than knowing about Christ, for with Christ in you we have power over sin, we have strength to sacrifice.
This Paul proclaimed, this the Gentiles were discovering was theirs in Christ.
What a privilege was this responsibility.
But it went beyond telling people the good news, as exciting as that is to be the one to tell someone about a new life,God’s call on his life went further than proclaiming the message.
Col 1:28-29
New Living Translation Chapter 1

We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. 29 That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

Paul’s labor for the sake of producing everyone mature in Christ (vs. 29)

You’ve probably heard the phrase “labor of love.” It refers to something that isn’t easy, but is more than worth it. Sometimes people refer to raising children as a labor of love… training a husband… building a new home, starting a business… farming… learning to cook… seeing people become mature in their faith was Paul’s labor of love.
What I hope you see here is that while theology was important, it wasn’t his labor of love, starting churches wasn’t his labor of love, teaching wasn’t even his labor of love. His labor of love was people… helping people become mature in their faith.
Christianity you see is a full contact activity. It is people focused. While we can’t shake hands and hug like we used to, it doesn't change the fact that the church is in the people business. I don’t want to say nothing else matters, but People matter most. Everything we have is a tool to help people. Everything else, every program, every building, every tent, every online worship service, every ministry, is simply a tool - a resource - to help people grow in their relationship with Jesus.
We will get into it next week looking at what a mature disciple looks like. But this week, we are just looking at Paul's ministry and what led him to be such a minister of the Gospel.
It was his encounter with Jesus, that changed his life then commissioned him to go and preach to the Gentiles, telling everybody about somebody who loved them and could change their life. Then he invited them into ministry with him to live out God’s call on their life.

That’s Paul, but what about you?

Jesus said, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few… meaning there is always more work to be done than there are workers to do the work. We never get to sit back and say… I guess I’ve done all I can. No there is always more.
Paul preached, taught, and modeled the fullness of the Gospel with his entire life because that was his calling.
Do you know your calling? Have you ever thought of yourself as having a calling? Let em tell you, if you are a Christian, you have a ministry.
Many of us today don’t know what God is calling us to do. Or we think God only calls pastors or church leaders… I’m not one of those. No, every Christian has a ministry… everyone has a calling.
There are two parts of knowoing our calling, the first is undestanding our SHAPE

Understanding my S.H.A.P.E.

I don't mean tall or short thin or wide… no I mean your spiritual shape.
S.H.A.P.E.
Spiritual Gifts, no gift is better than another… they are just different. Every person is given spiritual gifts to build up the church. Paul was a gifted teacher, and communicator.
Heart, I dont’ mean the thing that pumps your blood… but I do mean the thing that gets your blood pumping. What do you care about? Do you have a holy discontent for anything… you see somethign that it seams liek no one else cares about… that’s because God wired you tocare about it… to do somethign about it. For Paul it was the Gentiles who didn’t know of God’s love for them
Abilities, Rick Warren writes: “The abilities you do have are a strong indication of what God wants you to do with your life. They are clues to knowing God’s will for you…. God doesn’t waste abilities; he matches our calling and our capabilities.”
Talents, training, physical abilities
Personality, This refers to how you relate to people and how you deal with different situations. We all handle them a little differently, and God has wired you to connect in a particular way… for a purpose.
Are you a manager or a doer? A people person? Are you a calming influence?
Experiences, this one is pretty clear, what have you gone through that you could help someone else get through?
Yes, God led you through a tough season, maybe God wants to use you to guide others.
You see God uses our shape to build up the kingdom… Paul’s shape was to be an evangelist, a church planter, a teacher. That may not be your shape… but what is yours?
That’s part of knowinig your call… undestanding yoru shape.

Hearing his voice

The other part is taking time to listen to God.
That may mean getting quiet, getting to know God through his word, and it may take some time.
If you would like to discover God’s call on your life, and how you can live it out, let me know - I would love to help.
I’ve also put some resources in the bible notes to help you discover your shape for ministry.
I met with someone this week who told me, I’ve been reading th ebible, but I feel like I need to do something. If you feel that way… if you feel that there has to be more to our faith than church on Sunday as great as that is… I want to tell you, there is… and like Paul knew, it’s all about answering God’s call on your life. But you hav eto know what that is
It starts by surrendering to him.
If you are new to faith… even if right now, hearing that God has a plan and purpose for your life excites you… if you feel that you have been trying to figure it out like the folks in Colossea and now you realize it’s not that hard… all i have to do is surrender to Jesus and follow him. He will lead you to the next step. Today might be a next step for you.
I am planning to start a small group… one that focuses on identifying God’s call on your life… and developing the Character of Christ in your life. If that sounds like something you need to do, let me know. This just might be your next step.
Pray to hear the voice of God
COMMUNION
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Father, You created us in Your image to represent Your love here on earth through our relationship with You and for each other. But rather than follow you way, we chose our own way. A way of sin that led to death.
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But even though our love for you failed, your love for us remained steadfast. You chose to deliver us from bondage to sin and death, You made a covenant to be our God, and You taught us and led us through the voices of Your prophets through even today.
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And so, with Your saints here on earth and in heaven we praise Your name and join their unending hymn:
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ALL: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
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Holy are You, and blessed is Your Son Jesus Christ. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection You gave birth to Your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit, giving each of us a new calling, to follow you, to live for you, to serve, to love just how you have shown us in Jesus.
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On the night in which he gave himself up for us, He took bread, gave thanks to You, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this is remembrance of me."
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When the supper was over, he took the cup, Gave thanks to You, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, In remembrance of me."
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And so, In remembrance of these Your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
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ALL:
Christ has died;
Christ is risen;
will come again.
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Pour out Your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.
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By Your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at His heavenly banquet.
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Through Your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in Your holy church, all honor and glory is Yours, almighty Father, now and for ever.
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ALL:
Amen.
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THE LORD'S PRAYER
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