Him We Proclaim
Colossians • Sermon • Submitted
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· 3 viewsThe churches primary duty is to proclaim christ, because Christ is man's primary need.
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Introduction: Perfection has been broken — Imperfect
This week, we return to Colossians, and our focus is on Colossians 1.28.
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
The surrounding verses all hinge on this one verse. Pauls suffering in v 24 is related to his proclamation here in v 28. The unveiling of the mystery of Christ in v25-27, is done through proclamation here in v 28. And all of Paul’s toil in v 29 and into chapter 2 is to this end - that he would proclaim Christ. It’s no overstatement to say that Paul’s primary duty was to proclaim Christ. And Paul’s primary duty of proclamation is also the church’s primary duty. This is why the mission of LWC is to form passionate followers of Jesus by — proclaiming the gospel of the glory of God.
Now, were Paul’s priorities in order? With all of the brokenness caused by sin, should Paul have given himself to doing acts of mercy? — or for us, are our priorities in order? With all the the brokenness and disorder in the world, should we be more concerned with doing acts of mercy? There are people who are naked and hungry, and there are people who are sick and dying all around us. If we love those who are suffering, why then do we devote ourselves to preaching?
After all, Jesus condemned those who didn’t do acts of mercy, and he told us that whenever we serve the least of these, we do it unto him. So is our focus on proclamation, or was Paul’s focus on proclamation misplaced?
And the answer is no… because man’s greatest need is not food or clothes… our greatest need is not even health or healing. Man’s greatest need, and our fundamental problem is this: We are imperfect because of our sin. Now this might not sound like a huge deal to most of us. When people have unrealistic expectations of us, we say things like “I’m only human.” But understand, that our imperfection is our greatest problem. And no amount of clothes, food, or medicine can mend our brokenness. What do we need to be made perfect? Paul tells us:
Colossians 1:28 (ESV)
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Why do we devote ourself to proclamation. What is the motive of our proclamation
1. The motive of our proclamation: your salvation
1. The motive of our proclamation: your salvation
It’s worth noting, that our ultimate motive is the glory of God in all things, for this is our chief end. But in our proclamation, we glorify God by saving the saints.
This is what drove Paul to suffer for the church, and to work toil in his proclamation. He was preaching for the salvation of the saints. And this ought what ought to drive us as well. That all of God’s people would be saved — that is to say, that we would be presented mature in Christ.
1. Presented - an reference to the final judgment
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
So understand what’s happening in our text this morning.
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Every person from every nation will be presented before the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is Paul’s aim that through his preaching every person will be presented mature before Christ.
So what is our greatest need then? To stand mature… but what exactly does Paul mean by mature?
Well it’s not for kids to grow up as adults, for there will be plenty of adults who will not stand on that day of judgment. So what does Paul mean by being presented mature?
Well perhaps we can understand what Paul means by understanding how Jesus used this word.
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
2. Mature = Perfect
Being presented before God as mature has nothing to do with your age, much less your physical development. What Paul has in mind is your spiritual maturity. Pauls aim is that through the ministry of the Word, God’s people would be made perfect.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
So understand what it means to be mature. It means that we would be made perfect… The ministry of the Word does this very thing. It makes God’s people holy and blameless.
Remember what Christ has done:
Colossians 1:21–22 (ESV)
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
And now, Paul is filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions so that we too would be presented mature.
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
3. mature/perfect in Christ
If you learn nothing else this morning, learn this. It’s not enough for one to be made mature if he is not made mature in Christ.
Oh there are plenty of people trying to become mature. They add rules and regulations to their life. They live according to the Law…
20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ”
And there are many here like the rich ruler who would say,
21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.”
The rich young ruler, and all those who wish to be made righteous through their own efforts are like children who put on their parents clothes to play the part of the grown up. Picture this. My son wearing my clothes! It’s quite humorous, but hardly the picture of one who is mature.
Do you want to stand before God as one who is mature and perfect. Then you must be mature in Christ. You must lay hold on Jesus and believe in him. You must see that in yourself you have no right to stand before God. Even on your best day, your righteousness is like filthy rags. If you wish to stand before God, you will need to be clothed in the righteousness of another person who is all together good and perfect. And that person is the Lord Jesus Christ.
The goal of Paul’s proclamation, and the goal of mine this morning has this single focus. That you would be presented mature in Christ.
2. The motif of our proclamation: Christ
2. The motif of our proclamation: Christ
What is a motif? A motif is the repeated pattern that shows up time and time again
Beethoven’s 5th is the classic example of a motif
What is the motif of our preaching? What is the same theme that we proclaim time and time again.
Colossians 1:28 (ESV)
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
A preacher that does not proclaim Christ is a preacher that does not preach the gospel.
Many of us know this well by now. In fact, I for left my previous church and came to LWC for this very reason. The reason I chose to come to LWC was because of the elders dedication to proclaim Christ. We know that we are to preach Christ.
But let me give us this warning. When the gospel becomes rote, there are multiple dangers that arise.
Complacency towards the gospel— we’ve heard the gospel. We know it well by know, and we are ready to move beyond this elementary doctrine to the more advanced things of the faith.
Assuming the gospel — we think that all know the gospel, so let’s not repeat what we already know.
Forgetting the gospel — When we assume the gospel, we are at the greatest risk of forgetting the gospel.
Deuteronomy is the book about remembering - literally Deuteronomy means ‘second law.’ And by second law, it does not mean that the Moses is giving a new law, but instead his is repeating to them the same law that they have repeatedly forgotten. Thus, the motif of not forgetting what the Lord had done that is seen throughout the book of Deuteronomy.
10 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Let us do the same, and not forget what Christ has done to redeem us from our slavery!
Remember — the reformers acted in the way that they did, because the Catholic church had forgotten and abandoned the gospel.
But further, let us not assume the gospel — because there are many even among us who have yet to understand the gospel. I for one grew up in a home with four generations of Christians that I am aware of. I grew up in the church, but I did not grow up understanding the gospel. In fact, it wasn’t my first year of college that I came to understand the gospel… but even then I was far from done learning.
By my third year in Bible college, I was in my first semester of my preaching class. I had a professor who was new to teaching a class on preaching. He recieved a rubric from the previous professor on how he would be assess the student’s sermons. And one of the early questions was this: Was the gospel evident in the sermon. Now, this confused me when I saw it, because I wasn’t preaching from the gospels… I wasn’t preaching from Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. In fact, none of us were. Our first sermon assignment was to preach from the Old Testament. So I asked the professor in front of the whole class what it meant for the gospel to be evident in our OT sermons. Here is the saddest part of it all — my professor didn’t know what it meant for the gospel to be evident in an OT Sermon, and from what I could tell, none of the other students knew what this meant either.
Let us not become complacent about the gospel, and let us not assume the gospel, lest we and our children forget the gospel. Let the gospel be the theme of our preaching. Let Christ be the motif of our proclamation. For Christ was sufficient Paul’s proclamation.
Paul said this more strikingly in 1 Cor
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Now, is this true of Paul… that he knew knew nothing among the church, except this one theme: Christ and him crucified?
Paul dealt with a lot of subjects. He wrote on all the issues happening among the Church. Division, heresy, love, Spiritual warfare and the like. And what of us? Do we really stay true to this motive in each and every one of our sermons? Surely we take up more topics than Christ. We take up various subjects like love, unity, peace, marriage, spiritual warfare, and prayer. And we preach of the Holy Spirit, and of moses, David, Adam, Noah, Peter, and Paul just to name a few. So is Christ truly our theme?
Oh I hope he is. I make it my aim to only preach Christ. For again, if Christ is not preached, then so goes the gospel. And if Christ is not preached, you will not be presented mature in Christ. So let Christ be preached. And if Christ is not preached, then that one one who proclaims is not worth listening to.
But some will say - he is so well spoken — well know this. His eloquence will not save your soul
Others will say — the preacher is so well learned — oh but did Hebrew or the Greek ever save the Pharisee or Pontius Pilate? If not, then what hope is there for knowledge to save you either.
But he is so helpful — so practical. Let wisdom have its proper place, but wisdom without Christ is folly.
If the preacher does not preach Christ, then get a new preacher.
Spurgeon said it well. “From every town, village, and little hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London… and so from every text in Scripture there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures, that is Christ. Your business is, when you get to a text, to say, ‘Now, what is the road to Christ?’ and then preach a sermon, running along the road towards the great metropolis—Christ.”
You know the motive of our proclamation. You know the motif of our proclamation. Now let us take up the mode of our proclamation.
3. The mode of our proclamation: warning and teaching everyone
3. The mode of our proclamation: warning and teaching everyone
What is the way and manor in wich we are to make Christ known. Certainly there is a some margin on this subject. Proclamation can happen from a pulpit, or it can happen in a parking lot. Proclamation can be accomplished in a live setting like this, or it can be done through a letter like Pauls. I love to even consider how unique Paul is from Peter. And how unique John is compared to James. And Tait sounds like Tait, and I get to preach in the way that God has uniquely gifted and animated me.
There is margin for how one is to preach, but there are elements that should accompany every preacher.
Colossians 1:28 (ESV)
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
There are multiple elements to the mode of our preaching. So let’s first let us consider first the need for warning in our proclamation. Why must we receive warning? Because everyone will stand before a holy holy holy God, who cannot look on your sin.
We tend to create categories for sinners in our own thinking. We have the group that is made up of the worst of criminals, and then you have the group like the rest of us. Yeah we are sinners — but it’s not like we are that bad, right? Not at all actually.
You and I are more like the worst of criminals, than we are like God. God is holy, and we are not God will not look on your sin without consuming you with your sin. God cannot look on your sins without utterly destroying you. We need to be warned of the wrath that is coming against all unrighteousness, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
As I have already acknowledge, so now I warn everyone, Beware of the judgment that is to come. May you be mature not in your own works, but mature in Christ on that day when our Lord comes.
Beware of God’s wrath against sin, but not only this. Beware of those who would whisper sweet nothings to you. They will flatter you, and you might even come to crave their flattery. But such words are of no advantage to your soul.
I knew a pastor who saw it as his job to encourage all those who were in his congregation. But what good does it do to encourage a sinner who is dead in their sins? Encourage them? I think not… but warn them of the wages of their sins!
1 Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;
there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
5 A man who flatters his neighbor
spreads a net for his feet.
Understand, it’s important for us to agree on our doctrine. It’s important that we agree with one another in the unity of our faith. It’s important that we show charity to one another, and walk in the way of love. But this does not mean that we are going to agree with one another when one is walking in sin that is contrary to the will of God.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
Surround yourself with friends who will wound you in love. A friend like this is hard to come by. So when you find one, cling to them.
Psalm 141:5 (ESV)
5 Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
This the proclamation of Christ is not a word for those who merely want to learn new information
This proclamation isn’t for those who wish to add a little bit of religion or rules to their life
The gospel is not for those who are mostly good
The gospel a message for those who have no hope in themselves
The gospel is for those who are dying
The gospel is for those who are utterly broken
The gospel is for those who are in need of a savior
In other words - the gospel is for you, and for me
But you’ve already heard the gospel? Well you are not done hearing it… for Paul continues
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Consider what it means for Paul to teach with all wisdom. What this means is this: No Christian ever outgrows their need for the gospel. For no Christian has ever plumbed the depth of the mystery of Christ.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
Oh that we would never cease to receive teaching with all wisdom
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
The ongoing warning and teaching are for our maturity in Christ.
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Do you want to me mature? Do you want to be wise? Then do more than hear the Word… do more than than sort these teachings in your theological categories for the sake of your debates. But hear them, and obey them. This is what wisdom is — it is knowledge that is applied.
For the wise man, is not the one who simply hears the Word of Christ.
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Which brings us perhaps the clearest parts of our text. Who is proclamation for?
Colossians 1:28 (ESV)
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Since the gospel isn’t just for the sons of Abraham, but the Gentiles as well, Paul feels the liberty to cast the seed of the word indiscriminately.
Often, us reformed folks aren’t so good at doing this. For some reason, we believe that the gospel will get preached to the lost without our proclamation to them. We wouldn’t say that, but the way we act demonstrates this to be the case.
Perhaps it’s because we wonder if those who we are evangelizing are worthy of receiving the pearls of the gospel. Are these people among the elect or not? How can you tell? Spurgeon gives us his own advice.
“If God would have painted a yellow stripe on the backs of the elect, I would go around lifting shirts. But since he didn’t, I must preach “Whosoever will”; And when “whosoever” believes, I know he is one of the elect.”
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Do you see yourself in this word? Everyone… everyone… I see myself in this word as one who needs to hear Christ with warning and teaching so that I might be presented mature in Christ.
I also see two particular groups in this world that would be worth addressing… First a word to those who are wise, you are not done learning yet. The preaching of the word is for you. I know the temptation too well to sit under the word only to critique every aspect of the preacher. This only robs me of the joy of receiving the Word as it is preached. If you are wise enough to teach, then do teach. But even the teachers must be taught.
13 Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.
Be careful that you don’t have the kind of knowledge that puffs up.
Now a word to those who are young — those who are still in elementary school. This sermon is just as much for you today as it is for your parents. Because your need is the exact same as your mom’s and dad’s. You need Christ. I’ve been preaching to youth for many years now. 1/3 of my lifetime has been given to preaching to youth. And what’s the difference between preaching to youth and preaching here before you all?
Not much is different
— for I preach with the same motive - their salvation
— I preach the same motif — Christ
— And I preach using the same mode — warning and teaching
We are never too young to receive Christ, and we never outgrow our need for being in Christ. Christ is for everyone.
So what? Is this a sermon preached for preachers? If so, I have wasted most of your time this morning. But lest we get the wrong idea, hear the instruction that Paul will give to the Colossians later in this letter.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.